Very very quick A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I really greatly appreciate it. Also, in regards to how the story will end, well, Hermione will…did you really think I was going to tell you? :) honestly, right now, I'm still toying with which way I want this to turn out. I have two completely different endings, so who knows which one will make the final cut? But I must admit, that I too love the phantom and wish Christine would have stayed with him! sniff
Anyway…on to the fic…
"Tea, Hermione?"
"Um, no, I mean, yes…please," she answered, taking a seat in front of the Headmaster's enormous desk.
She extended her hands to take the cup he was offering her, and then settled it in her lap, staring into the fireplace which was roaring just to her right.
"Now then," Ablus said, walking around his desk to open one of the drawers, "I believe this is the potion Madam Pomfrey requires."
He withdrew a small purple vial. A parchment label was drawn tight around the middle, marked in small, spiky hand-writing that Hermione couldn't read from her seat. She could recognize it, however. No one had ever had hand-writing quite like him…
How many times had she seen Harry and Ron's essays completely covered in that hand-writing? How often had she noticed when theirs bore an entire novel worth of insults, while hers featured usually one or two words, neither positive nor negative. Merely an acknowledgement that she had done the paper. Strange, she mused to herself, strange..
Which brought her soundly to her next topic…
"Professor…" she squirmed a little in her seat, realizing how uncomfortably hot her leg had become from her tea. She lifted the cup and rubbed her palm against her thigh. She wouldn't be surprised if there was a burn mark there later.
"I'm sure I know what you are about to ask me," Dumbledore replied. "You were unable to attend the last Order meeting, weren't you?"
Hermione felt her face burn crimson.
"Yes, sir," she stammered, "One of the Slytherin students managed to slip a lust potion into atleast forty different goblets at dinner the night of the meeting, and Madam Pomfrey and I were up for two days trying to sort it all out."
"Understandable," he inclined his head graciously. "I was not intending to make an accusation. I was merely verifying the fact that you were unable to attend the meeting, and therefore were not made aware of the most recent business that the Order has had."
"Yes, sir," Hermione replied, unable to think of something more intelligent to say.
"The business to which I am referring concerns, of course, Severus." He stood from behind his desk, and began to pace. "You are aware that, for some years now, Severus has been our sole informant from within Voldemort's closest circle. Well, lately, Voldemort has been suspecting that Severus is not doing all he could to, ah, infiltrate my plans." He began to walk in the other direction. "There have been questions. Far too many questions for our comfort. So, tonight, Severus has left the castle to attend the Death Eater circle."
"But I thought he wasn't going to those anymore," Hermione blurted suddenly. She was in no shape to hide the shock on her face. She knew what happened at those meetings. And that was precisely why one of the first points of business at the Order meetings was to contrive another excuse for Severus' absence.
"He wasn't," Dumbledore agreed. "But, as I've said, Voldemort grows suspicious, and we felt that it would be prudent for Severus to attend this meeting. We need to eliminate his doubt. The information Severus has been able to provide us with from within Voldemort's camp has proved invaluable. The Order can not afford to lose it."
Hermione stared down into her tea cup. She opened her mouth to reply, but at that precise moment, the door to Dumbledore's office was thrown open to reveal a very harassed and pale Professor McGonagall. Hermione watched in horror, but she knew before the words even left her mouth what the news was.
"He is injured."
Two Months Later…
"Professor Granger!"
Hermione stopped in her tracks, spinning to face the third year boy who was racing up the hall towards her.
"Professor," he gasped, "I have my paper on Wolfsbane for you!"
Hermione pursed her mouth slightly, then extended her hand to take the shaking parchment from his hand.
"Please try to turn the assignments in on time from now on," she said, raising her eyebrows slightly as she surveyed him. "I'll accept it this time, but this is your only warning. Alright?"
The boy nodded feverishly, slinging his bag higher on his shoulder.
"Good afternoon, then, Mr. Stefek," she said, turning around to continue on her way to the dungeons.
She coughed slightly and drew her robes around her tighter. No matter how many times she made the trek down these stairs, no matter how many hours she spent in the Potions labs, poring over her work…she would never be used to the cold of the dungeons. She had no idea how Severus had ever become used to it. No wonder he was so bitter. To acclimatize to this sort of cold, one must have to surrender atleast part of their soul.
She closed the door of the Potions classroom behind her. School had just ended on a Friday afternoon, and the castle had swarmed out into the warm March sunlight in relief. Not her, though. She had retreated to the dungeons…her new home away from home.
Slinging her robe across the back of her chair, Hermione strode over to the enormous ingredients cabinet in the back of the room. Madam Pomfrey had informed her of the need for a certain acne potion that she was running short of, and Hermione had decided to brew it before the weekend started and she officially lost all of her motivation.
Pulling various bottles from the cabinet and placing them blindly on the table behind her, Hermione didn't see the figure emerge from the shadows of her office.
She crouched a bit, rooting around for the powdered root of fangclaw, and accidentally bumped the table where the bottles sat precariously. She gasped and spun around with her hands outstretched, ready to catch any falling bit of glass.
However, the hand which stopped the bottle on the edge from shattering was not hers.
A/N: I know it's really short, but I felt like it had to end there. The next chapter starts actually getting into the heart of the story, so I decided that this is like the last chapter of the intro. We'll find out more about Hermione's teaching, what ever happened to Severus, who Hermione is really in love with (this pairing may surprise you), and what the hell Voldemort is up to…in just a little bit. We had a snow day today, so I'm working on proof reading and should have the next chapter or two up within a day or so. On a side note, I audition for the school play tomorrow, so wish me luck!
Hugs and Kisses
–Little Lotte