Summer had come and gone and 12 Grimmauld Place had become almost like home. Almost. It had been cleaned and scrubbed down to the last grimy corner, but it was not home.

Hermione was wandering around the house looking for Crookshanks but found herself thinking about her life instead of looking. Gods she missed home and her parents. She wouldn't be able to return to her house for some time though. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named made that impossible.

Hermione wandered into Harry and Ron's room without bothering to knock. They were both out with Mrs. Weasley and Ginny buying last minute school supplies. She had decided to stay behind, insisting she had reading to do.

She bent to look under Ron's bed for any signs of her cat.

"Crooks, where are you?!" she said aloud. It was time for him to be placed in his basket for tomorrows journey to Kings Cross station and he was no where to be found.

"If you are referring to that orange abomination you call a cat," said a low, drawling voice, "he was in here mere seconds ago."

Hermione jumped. An answer was not was she had been expecting. She stood up and slowly took out her wand. She began slowly scanning the room, searching for whomever or whatever had just spoken.

"You're a bit jumpy," said the mysterious voice, "if you'd care to turn to your left so we could get this over with. I'd like to leave."

Hermione turned to see Phineas Nigellus sitting in his picture frame, waiting for her to acknowledge his presence. Hermione frowned.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, but there was really no point asking. She knew perfectly well why he was here. Something was wrong. He only bothered to show his face whenever Dumbledore forced him to and he hadn't made an appearance in the house since Sirius and Harry's encounter in the Department of Mysteries.

"I'm here on official business for Dumbledore of course," he said sounding bored, "Is Arthur Weasley in?"

"Of course. May I ask what the message might be?" Hermione's curiosity was getting the better of her. On normal occasions she would never pry, but if it was important enough for Dumbledore to send Phineas...

"That is confidential information meant only for Dumbledore and Arthur. Now, if you would care to fetch him. It is a rather urgent message."

Hermione raced out of the room to find Mr. Weasley as quickly as possible. She found him in the kitchen having a meeting with those who were still left in the house.

"Mr. Weasley!" Hermione gasped as she burst in the kitchen door.

Mr. Weasley looked up from the chart that he was studying and began to smile. His smile, however, quickly turned to a frown when he saw the expression on Hermione's face.

"What is it Hermione? What has happened?"

"Phineas Nigellus is here with an urgent message from Dumbledore. He's in the frame in Ron and Harry's..."

But that was all Mr. Weasley needed to hear. He rushed out of the kitchen and could be heard running all the way up the stairs, down the hall, and slamming the door to Ron and Harry's room.

The slamming of the door awoke Mrs. Black in her frame and she began screaming obscenities.

"Foul creatures! Werewolves! Mudbloods! Scum of the earth! Leave the house of my fathers! You have no rights here!"

Professor Lupin and Bill Weasley jumped to their feet and ran from the kitchen in hopes of quieting Mrs. Black.

"YOU! Werewolf and muggle lover! You have no control over me! Leave! You have no place here now that my traitorous son is gone!"

With a great heave Lupin and Bill managed to shut the curtains and Mrs. Black was finally silenced.

Hermione was already seated at the table when Bill and Professor Lupin reentered the kitchen. She pulled over one of the maps that were strewn across the table. She began studying it only to find that it was a map of Great Britain.

Hermione knew perfectly well that if she asked questions, she would get answers with this group. Due to her experience with the time turner, she was officially of age and was entitled to know all that was going on with in the Order. The only time that she couldn't get answers was when Mrs. Weasley was present. Mrs. Weasley was like a second mother to Hermione and was very protective. And since Mrs. Weasley was not there, why not press her luck?

"What's this for?" she asked, directing the question to Lupin who had been known to answer her questions.

"It's a map of Great Britain," he said matter of factly.

"Well obviously," she said, rolling her eyes. "What are all the red markers for?"

"They mark all of the unexplained deaths and disappearances in the Muggle world," replied Lupin.

Hermione glanced at the map again. "There are so many."

"Yeah, well you should see this one," said Fred Weasley pulling over another map. "This one shows all of the unexplained deaths and disappearances in the wizarding world."

Hermione pulled this map over and looked at it. It was nearly full and completely colored with little read flags blowing in an imaginary breeze.

"So you're trying to track He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

"Why, yes," said Lupin who was surprised the Hermione had discovered the reasons for the maps so easily. "The Order has been trying to see if there is perhaps, shall we say an epicenter that all the attacks are radiating from. As you can see, there is no epicenter."

"So in other words..."

"We haven't the slightest idea where he is."

"Or where he's going to strike next," growled Professor Moody, who had been sitting quietly in the corner.

"Well, what about your spies, and Professor Snape? Don't they have any idea?" Hermione was becoming distraught. How soon would this end? When could she finally go home?

"Well," started Bill, who looked just as hopeless as Hermione.

"Well nothing," said George, "that greasy git doesn't give us near enough information. He has more, he just won't say."

"He does what he can, I'm sure," said Lupin, "he's not at liberty to say everything he knows and every last one of you knows that."

"He's still a git."

"Git or not, he's still helping the Order."

The room fell silent. Hermione was lost in her thoughts. When could she go home? It was what she wanted most of all, to see her parents before it was too late. Surely Dumbledore could understand that. And what of Professor Snape? How could they be so sure that he could be trusted?

All of a sudden, a door slammed upstairs and Mrs. Black's howls were renewed.

"Traitor of the purebloods! Your day will come!"

Bill and Professor Lupin jumped up to go and silence Mrs. Black again but they were met at the door by Mr. Weasley. He was trembling.

"Leave her be," he said, "She is the least of our worries."

Bill and Professor Lupin sat back down at the table while Mr. Weasley remained standing. Hermione was looking expectantly at Mr. Weasley as he opened and closed his mouth several times before beginning to speak.

"Everyone will go to their rooms and pack only what is needed to survive. Those who do not live here," he said slowly looking at Professors Moody and Lupin, "make it look like we were never here. We will meet back in this room in ten minutes ready to leave. Please hurry."

"What about Ginny, Harry, Ron and Molly?" asked Professor Lupin.

"I will take care of them. Go now and hurry."

"But what has happened?" Hermione was becoming frightened and felt out of control. She hated being out of control.

"We've been discovered," whispered Mr. Weasley with a glazed look in his eyes, "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named knows where we are. He's coming for us."