Hermione stayed on the floor of Snape's potion room for quite some time, the cauldron still bubbling beside her. Without saying a word, she slid his robe off her shoulders and smothered the small flame beneath it, which had steadily consumed the wood below it and was now beginning to burn itself out of existence. The darkness in the room increased as she left the logs to smolder.
Sucking in a lungful of the chilly air, Hermione stood on uneasy legs.
She felt like a fool.
No, she felt like two fools.
She knew better. She should never have tested his temper. But then, she supposed that being back in this atmosphere with Severus leaning over her, instructing her…she had felt just like a student again.
And with that association came the long-buried bitterness in her soul as a reaction to the horrible way he had treated her throughout her youth.
She lowered her head and covered her face with shaking hands. She was hardly his student now. She was his prisoner.
And she would do well to bite her tongue and do what he told her if she ever wanted to get away.
'Right', she thought. 'I'll just swallow my pride, close my mouth, and let him instruct me. I'll behave.'
Behind her, one of the last candles that had yet to splutter into darkness, went out.
---------------
"They're here!"
Ron had barely taken off his jacket inside the entrance way of 12 Grimmauld Place when he was accosted by a short woman with bubblegum pink hair.
"Hi Tonks," he managed to choke out as she flung her arms around his neck.
"How are you all?" she said, as she released him and turned to Ginny and George in their turn.
"Fine," Ron replied, rubbing his neck where she had squeezed him. "I think you may have just broken a rib, though…"
"Yeah," Ginny agreed, with something of a grimace on her face.
She grinned at them. "Well, if you lot came round more, I wouldn't have to strangle you every time we meet."
"Hey," Ron said indignantly, "I've only missed two meetings! You've missed loads more than me!"
"Oh, picky picky," she said, and promptly seized his arm to drag him down to the kitchen. "Come on, you lot. Everyone's dying to see you."
George and Ginny set off down the stairs behind her. Harry, however, hovered by the door for a moment.
"It never gets any easier to come into this house, does it?"
Harry whirled around, and found Remus Lupin standing at the top of the staircase to his right, a large book perched open in his hand.
"Not really," Harry said quietly. "I mean, I know this is what Sirius would have wanted, but…"
"I understand," Remus replied, closing the book and coming the rest of the way down the steps. "Living here can't be easy. I assume that's why you've been taking so many vacations?"
"Um…yeah," Harry murmured, suddenly going quite inexplicably red.
Remus' eyebrows raised slightly, but before he could ask the question that had suddenly come to the top of his mind, a shrill voice shot up the stairs towards them.
"Harry! Remus! Will you get down here! We want to eat lunch sometime this year!"
Hermione had searched through the darkness and found the door through which Severus had left. Much to her amazement, she found it unlocked.
She slipped through it back into the well-lit bed chamber.
A gasp escaped her as she saw that Severus' fury at her had manifested itself in a most unsettling way.
The curtains were torn from the window. The ornate dresser had been turned on it's side. The bedsheets were torn and scattered. The canopy itself had been ripped down, laying in splintered pieces on the floor.
Knowing it was useless, but doing so anyway, Hermione began to try to set the room right.
One hour later..
"Miss Granger."
A steely voice cut through the air, nearly causing Hermione to topple from her precarious perch on the edge of the bed as she attempted to re-hang the curtains.
"You came back!" she said quickly, before she'd actually thought up a proper response.
"I'm taking you back to your own rooms," he said quietly. "Albus has scheduled another meeting of the Order. You are to attend, and then return immediately to the castle. I will expect a full update on the Order's business and a renewed willingness to learn from me."
"I...you…" Hermione faltered, casting around for the words. "How will I find you again?" she finally managed. Her voice escaped her mouth in a breath of a whisper.
A shadow fell across his face.
"I will find you, Hermione. Have no doubt about that."
------------
Hermione, her burgundy bag slung over her shoulder, started up the path towards 12 Grimmauld Place, shivering in the chilly breeze. April had yet to warm up to its reputation, instead clinging to a shadow of the bitter cold the winter had brought in.
Before she had even raised her fist to knock on the heavy wooden door, it was thrown open. Before she had time to register what was happening, she found herself in the midst of a very tight, many-armed embrace.
"Hello Ginny, Hello Luna, Hello Tonks," she managed to murmur into whosever shoulder was pressed against her mouth.
Ginny released her first.
"Oh Hermione! How've you been!" she asked, as Luna and Tonks took a step back, beaming at her.
"You look really pale," Luna said by way of greeting, squinting at her.
"Lovely to see you too, Luna," Hermione said, smiling, though she couldn't suppress the shiver that went through her. She didn't know what would happen if the others found out about her ordeal. None of the possible outcomes seemed very welcoming to her.
"Why didn't you come to the last meeting, eh?" Tonks asked. "I was actually here for a change!"
Hermione blushed. "Oh, you know…just busy."
"Oooh, I know that look!" Ginny squealed. "Hermione has a secret!"
"No, I certainly do not," Hermione said, adapting her most painfully dignified voice and pushing past the excited group to fully enter the house.
"Yes, you do," Ginny insisted. "Now tell us what it is before I hex you into eternity."
"No, Gin!" Hermione whirled around. "I solemnly swear that I am harboring no secrets, okay? Atleast, no secrets that are as juicy as I'm sure the ones you're imagining are. I swear. I'm still simple little Hermione."
Ginny eyed her doubtfully. "Alright, Hermione. Whatever you say."
Hermione smirked. "Exactly. Whatever I say. And right now I say we head down to the kitchen because whatever Molly's cooking smells absolutely delicious."
"True," Luna agreed, "but it isn't Molly cooking."
"Who is it then?" Hermione asked.
"Why, our dear old Remus Lupin," Tonks said, chuckling. "Who knew he had such culinary talent?"
The three girls tromped off downstairs, while Hermione stalled for a moment, allowing her bag to slide to the floor and turning to throw her coat over the enormous coat roack.
Suddenly, she sensed rather than heard someone move behind her.
Whirling around, she tore her wand out of her waistband, holding it in dueling position straight out in front of her. Her eyes roved around the darkened entrance way.
"Woah, woah, woah…"
A gentle hand from out of the shadows closed over her wrist, lowering her arm, wand and all.
"Is that how you greet your fiancé these days?"
A/N :ducks under the hailstorm of rotten fruit and garbage being thrown at her:
I know I said I would tell you for sure who Hermione's Raoul is…but…I decided that I would leave you hanging just one more time. I swear. The next chapter will open with the continuation of this conversation between Hermione and…yeah. I'm sure the more astute among you can guess who he is ;. And I also plan to explain my choice of 'him' next chapter. Believe me, I have my reasons for choosing 'him' even though I really usually abhor the idea of Hermione with 'him'.
Please tell me you can guess who it is! I gave you so many hints!
Oh, and if it's been awhile since you've read the beginning chapters, you may want to go back and just skim them. There are some very big clues in the first few chapters alone. Look out for anytime anyone 'blushes' or 'reflects'. And that's all I'll say about THAT.
I love all of my reviewers. You all make me so very happy. Your compliments are amazing. Thank you all so very very very much.
If anyone would like to contact me for any reason, feel free to send me an email at I don't check my email a lot though, so be patient with me.
Recommend this fic to your friends, if you like it, please!
Love, hugs, and phantom-y kisses,
Little Lotte