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Chapter One - Parting is such sweet Sorrow
The Hogwarts Express train ride, at the end of Hermione's fifth year, passed in a blur. It had been a very difficult year for all of them. She wouldn't have admitted it to Harry or especially to Ron, who'd laugh, but Hermione was glad to be going home. She loved Hogwarts, but she'd been seeing her parents less and less each year. Hermione hadn't even spent Christmas with them. She had only been their a few days when Ron's father was attacked. She had to go to Grimmauld Place. Her summer had even been cut short when Professor McGonagall had picked her up.
Headmaster Dumbledore only gave her two weeks with her mum and dad. McGonagall was sent by soon after Hogwarts let out. Hermione was at the library when she arrived. The latest Jasper Fforde novel had come out. By the time she returned home, McGonagall had spoken to her parents and convinced them Hermione had to leave. It was for her own protection, McGonagall explained.
Hermione had really missed them, and needed to talk to them. Dumbledore had asked the DA to not discus the events in the Department of Mysteries in case the owls were intercepted. She wanted their advice on how to handle these sorts of situations and also wanted them to comfort her. She still felt guilty about her own performance there. Her sloppy wandwork had gotten Neville's wand and nose broken. She should have been more attentive to Dolohov. A powerful Death Eater doesn't lose his powers just by being silenced. She couldn't help but think if she'd been there, one more wand could have turned the tide. Sirius Black might still be alive. At any rate, they might have kept the prophecy. She wanted her mom, childish as it may sound, to tell her it would be all right.
The train stopped jarringly. Hermione's hand flew to her wand instantly. She had been doing exercises to bring up her reaction time. When she got home, she would be the only one able to do magic in the house. Reasonable Restriction of Underage Wizardry be damned. If it was get expelled from Hogwarts or save her parents, Hermione knew what her choice would be. It was a good thing she had always been a light sleeper.
She'd been having nightmares since the Department of Mysteries. They'd start out simply. Hermione would leave the house for a short time and come back to find the Dark Mark hovering malevolently, a green scar in the sky. She'd run as fast as she could, her mom and dad screams echoing in her ears. By the time she got in, it was always too late. Dolohov and Malfoy would be standing over their bodies, laughing. Then they'd turn their wands on her. She kept waking up, her fist in her mouth to keep from screaming. At least Hermione knew she'd be ready if they came at night. The night before Hogwarts ended, Pavarti got up past one in the morning to use the facilities. She didn't make it to the door before Hermione had put the full body bind on her, instinctively.
There was no attack on the train, however. The students hurried through the barrier. Hermione heard the Weasley family and various others faintly in the back of her head, but the moment she saw her parents she dashed forward, cutting off Mr. Weasley's query, "So what is this. internat, is that what it's called?" Her mother and father were both crying almost as hard as she as they hugged. Her parents only let go when there was a loud crash. Harry's cousin, Dudley had been edging away from some of the Order, which included Tonks, Moody, and Lupin, when he tripped over her hastily abandoned luggage. Moody, it appeared had been menacing the Dursleys. Harry's aunt seemed about to faint. Mr. Weasley moved forward now, "Even if you don't let Harry use the fellytone."
"Telephone," Hermione sighed. Some things never change. The Dursleys left in short order after that. "Goodbye, Harry," Ron and Hermione called. She turned back to her parents, but they weren't there. The Order, the Weasleys, and Hermione were the only ones left. "Professor Lupin," She asked quietly, trying not to panic, "Where did my mum and dad go? They were here a moment ago and they've vanished. Are they waiting at the car or." she trailed off nervously.
"Hermione, let me explain," Lupin said calmly. "You know Voldemort is likely to target those close to Harry. As we've all discovered they can serve as bait in a trap quite. quite easily," His cool demeanor slipped for a moment and he wiped his eyes quickly on his ragged sleeves. He had been Sirius's closest friend, after all.
"What Remus is saying," Moody interjected in his gruff voice, "Is that as Potter's friend and a muggleborn you offer a tempting target to Voldemort or to any Death Eater seeking recognition. We need you to spend the summer back at Headquarters for protection, same as Ronald over there." He pointed over at Ron who tried to look as though he hadn't been eavesdropping. "We can keep you safe, but that leaves the question of your parents. You'd probably try to save them if Voldemort got them, which leaves us in the same position. The moment one of Harry's friends." Moody's eyebrows contracted suddenly. "You and Potter aren't. uh. involved in any way are you?" Ron's head shot up as he abandoned any pretense of inattention. "Mad-Eye!" hissed Tonks angrily. "Don't ask her that."
"It's a matter of security, Nymphadora," Moody responded, swiveling his magical eye to speak to her. "Well, are you or aren't you, Granger?"
"We're just friends, Professor. But where are my parents?" Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ron grin foolishly. "Prat. It wasn't that funny," she thought.
"What this barmy, meddling dingbat is trying to say and utterly failing at," cut in Tonks quietly, "is that we've used the Fidelius Charm to protect your parents. We had them move to a new home."
"Who's the Secret Keeper? There are a lot of things that could go wrong with that charm." She could see Ron handing Fred and George a few Knuts for an Extendable Ear.
"Don't worry, Hermione. It's all taken care of. We got one of the professors to do it. It would have been McGonagall but we didn't know if she'd be all right and couldn't wait that long. Don't worry; we got an excellent Legilimens instead. You'll have to give him your letters and he'll make sure you aren't revealing too much in case they're intercepted," Tonks explained.
Mrs. Weasley had noticed Ron with the Extendable Ear and seemed to be hitting him with it. "It's Professor Snape, isn't it," Hermione said dully. "Every letter I write to her parents gets censored by Snape," her voice started to rise shrilly. "You know how that's going to turn out; some sort of a Catch-22 scenario. I'll be lucky if the word 'the' gets through! Worse, he'll change the letters!"
"It will be all right, Hermione," said Mrs. Weasley dragging Ron over by the ear. Apparently she had been displeased about Ron's little bargain with the twins. "You'll stay with us again. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. There will be plenty to do. We still have to finish cleaning the house; you'll be so busy, you won't have time to worry."
Yeah, sure. Hermione had spent nearly the whole of last summer with the Weasleys. Fred and George kept pulling pranks the moment she turned her back, and Ginny wanted to discuss the contents of the latest issue of TeenWitch endlessly. (A few of their more informative articles included: "Legal Love Spells", "Make-up Magic", and "Accio Yourself a Boyfriend.") Arthur and Molly Weasley were busy with the Order, of course, so were Bill and Charlie. Don't bother to bring up Ron. He spent the whole summer practicing on that broom of his and writing sappy love poems. (Ron's handwriting is bad enough that the object of his affection will remain anonymous.) The only member of the Weasley clan she had anything in common with was Percy. Enough said.
"Hermione," Lupin said quietly, "your parents did leave something for you." He turned and pulled forward two suitcases. "These are some of your favorites, they said. Your mom and dad said you'd like this one especially." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a dilapidated copy of Ender's Shadow. "I can't make any promises, Hermione, but if people from the Order have any extra time, we can send someone with you to some of the museums or the libraries. We can try to arrange a meeting with you and your parents, but don't get your hopes up. We have to go now."
Hermione managed to hold her tears till she was back in Grimmauld Place and understood, for the first time, why Sirius had been driven to leave.
Chapter One - Parting is such sweet Sorrow
The Hogwarts Express train ride, at the end of Hermione's fifth year, passed in a blur. It had been a very difficult year for all of them. She wouldn't have admitted it to Harry or especially to Ron, who'd laugh, but Hermione was glad to be going home. She loved Hogwarts, but she'd been seeing her parents less and less each year. Hermione hadn't even spent Christmas with them. She had only been their a few days when Ron's father was attacked. She had to go to Grimmauld Place. Her summer had even been cut short when Professor McGonagall had picked her up.
Headmaster Dumbledore only gave her two weeks with her mum and dad. McGonagall was sent by soon after Hogwarts let out. Hermione was at the library when she arrived. The latest Jasper Fforde novel had come out. By the time she returned home, McGonagall had spoken to her parents and convinced them Hermione had to leave. It was for her own protection, McGonagall explained.
Hermione had really missed them, and needed to talk to them. Dumbledore had asked the DA to not discus the events in the Department of Mysteries in case the owls were intercepted. She wanted their advice on how to handle these sorts of situations and also wanted them to comfort her. She still felt guilty about her own performance there. Her sloppy wandwork had gotten Neville's wand and nose broken. She should have been more attentive to Dolohov. A powerful Death Eater doesn't lose his powers just by being silenced. She couldn't help but think if she'd been there, one more wand could have turned the tide. Sirius Black might still be alive. At any rate, they might have kept the prophecy. She wanted her mom, childish as it may sound, to tell her it would be all right.
The train stopped jarringly. Hermione's hand flew to her wand instantly. She had been doing exercises to bring up her reaction time. When she got home, she would be the only one able to do magic in the house. Reasonable Restriction of Underage Wizardry be damned. If it was get expelled from Hogwarts or save her parents, Hermione knew what her choice would be. It was a good thing she had always been a light sleeper.
She'd been having nightmares since the Department of Mysteries. They'd start out simply. Hermione would leave the house for a short time and come back to find the Dark Mark hovering malevolently, a green scar in the sky. She'd run as fast as she could, her mom and dad screams echoing in her ears. By the time she got in, it was always too late. Dolohov and Malfoy would be standing over their bodies, laughing. Then they'd turn their wands on her. She kept waking up, her fist in her mouth to keep from screaming. At least Hermione knew she'd be ready if they came at night. The night before Hogwarts ended, Pavarti got up past one in the morning to use the facilities. She didn't make it to the door before Hermione had put the full body bind on her, instinctively.
There was no attack on the train, however. The students hurried through the barrier. Hermione heard the Weasley family and various others faintly in the back of her head, but the moment she saw her parents she dashed forward, cutting off Mr. Weasley's query, "So what is this. internat, is that what it's called?" Her mother and father were both crying almost as hard as she as they hugged. Her parents only let go when there was a loud crash. Harry's cousin, Dudley had been edging away from some of the Order, which included Tonks, Moody, and Lupin, when he tripped over her hastily abandoned luggage. Moody, it appeared had been menacing the Dursleys. Harry's aunt seemed about to faint. Mr. Weasley moved forward now, "Even if you don't let Harry use the fellytone."
"Telephone," Hermione sighed. Some things never change. The Dursleys left in short order after that. "Goodbye, Harry," Ron and Hermione called. She turned back to her parents, but they weren't there. The Order, the Weasleys, and Hermione were the only ones left. "Professor Lupin," She asked quietly, trying not to panic, "Where did my mum and dad go? They were here a moment ago and they've vanished. Are they waiting at the car or." she trailed off nervously.
"Hermione, let me explain," Lupin said calmly. "You know Voldemort is likely to target those close to Harry. As we've all discovered they can serve as bait in a trap quite. quite easily," His cool demeanor slipped for a moment and he wiped his eyes quickly on his ragged sleeves. He had been Sirius's closest friend, after all.
"What Remus is saying," Moody interjected in his gruff voice, "Is that as Potter's friend and a muggleborn you offer a tempting target to Voldemort or to any Death Eater seeking recognition. We need you to spend the summer back at Headquarters for protection, same as Ronald over there." He pointed over at Ron who tried to look as though he hadn't been eavesdropping. "We can keep you safe, but that leaves the question of your parents. You'd probably try to save them if Voldemort got them, which leaves us in the same position. The moment one of Harry's friends." Moody's eyebrows contracted suddenly. "You and Potter aren't. uh. involved in any way are you?" Ron's head shot up as he abandoned any pretense of inattention. "Mad-Eye!" hissed Tonks angrily. "Don't ask her that."
"It's a matter of security, Nymphadora," Moody responded, swiveling his magical eye to speak to her. "Well, are you or aren't you, Granger?"
"We're just friends, Professor. But where are my parents?" Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ron grin foolishly. "Prat. It wasn't that funny," she thought.
"What this barmy, meddling dingbat is trying to say and utterly failing at," cut in Tonks quietly, "is that we've used the Fidelius Charm to protect your parents. We had them move to a new home."
"Who's the Secret Keeper? There are a lot of things that could go wrong with that charm." She could see Ron handing Fred and George a few Knuts for an Extendable Ear.
"Don't worry, Hermione. It's all taken care of. We got one of the professors to do it. It would have been McGonagall but we didn't know if she'd be all right and couldn't wait that long. Don't worry; we got an excellent Legilimens instead. You'll have to give him your letters and he'll make sure you aren't revealing too much in case they're intercepted," Tonks explained.
Mrs. Weasley had noticed Ron with the Extendable Ear and seemed to be hitting him with it. "It's Professor Snape, isn't it," Hermione said dully. "Every letter I write to her parents gets censored by Snape," her voice started to rise shrilly. "You know how that's going to turn out; some sort of a Catch-22 scenario. I'll be lucky if the word 'the' gets through! Worse, he'll change the letters!"
"It will be all right, Hermione," said Mrs. Weasley dragging Ron over by the ear. Apparently she had been displeased about Ron's little bargain with the twins. "You'll stay with us again. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. There will be plenty to do. We still have to finish cleaning the house; you'll be so busy, you won't have time to worry."
Yeah, sure. Hermione had spent nearly the whole of last summer with the Weasleys. Fred and George kept pulling pranks the moment she turned her back, and Ginny wanted to discuss the contents of the latest issue of TeenWitch endlessly. (A few of their more informative articles included: "Legal Love Spells", "Make-up Magic", and "Accio Yourself a Boyfriend.") Arthur and Molly Weasley were busy with the Order, of course, so were Bill and Charlie. Don't bother to bring up Ron. He spent the whole summer practicing on that broom of his and writing sappy love poems. (Ron's handwriting is bad enough that the object of his affection will remain anonymous.) The only member of the Weasley clan she had anything in common with was Percy. Enough said.
"Hermione," Lupin said quietly, "your parents did leave something for you." He turned and pulled forward two suitcases. "These are some of your favorites, they said. Your mom and dad said you'd like this one especially." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a dilapidated copy of Ender's Shadow. "I can't make any promises, Hermione, but if people from the Order have any extra time, we can send someone with you to some of the museums or the libraries. We can try to arrange a meeting with you and your parents, but don't get your hopes up. We have to go now."
Hermione managed to hold her tears till she was back in Grimmauld Place and understood, for the first time, why Sirius had been driven to leave.