Disclaimer-see the 1st chapter

A.N.-this chapter is currently unbeta'd

Upon hearing a crack of apparition and the wards signaling a visitor has arrived at the perimeter of the Burrow. Molly Weasley put down the dishes she had been washing at the sink and went out to the front lawn to greet Minerva and Hermione.

A weary looking Hermione welcomes the comforting hug that Molly offered while Minerva handed a parchment to Molly and says a perfunctory good bye and apparates away. Molly looks down questioningly at Hermione and wonders why Minerva's body posture was even stiffer than before.

"Hermione, go on and go up to Ginny's room and go to sleep. I pulled out one of the beds from Fred & George's room and put it in Ginny's room for you since the twins aren't living at home anymore. Everyone is asleep at this moment. Let me know if you need anything dearie, now get into bed because you look about ready to topple over from exhaustion." Molly ponders what is going on with Hermione as Hermione walks into the burrow. She has never seen Hermione this disenchanted.

Pocketing the parchment envelope in her apron, Molly retracts the steps that Hermione took towards the Burrow. Back in the kitchen, Molly takes a deep breath and opens the waxed order of phoenix seal on the envelope with trembling hands.

Dear Ms Weasley ,

I assume with this delivery of this letter, Hermione Granger has arrived safely at the burrow and is now in the entrusted care of you and your family. The information that I am about to unveil is of a highly sensitive nature and this parchment has been charmed with a self-destruction & unspeakable spell which will prevent you from speaking a word or others from finding this parchment. Professor Snape has been ordered to take Miss Granger under his wing via the guise of a apprenticeship to protect her from Voldermort. Do not be alarmed if you find Professor Snape at the doorstep within a few days. He will be here to retrieve Miss. Granger and take her to Hogwarts where she will be arguably more safer there than she is at the burrow. The burrow is not in danger whatsoever, but shortly after Miss Granger left her house, it was completely utterly destroyed and the dark mark was hovering over the remains. Her parents have already gone in hiding and I have placed the fidelius charm on them to prevent discovery. I presume that a renegade Death Eater has set his sights on Miss. Granger. I believe that the Burrow will be safe for the time but as you recall 20 years ago it was chaotic. Mr. Potter will be arriving at the burrow in a few days and he will remain there for the rest of the summer. Voldermort has likely marked Hermione as his successor regardless of bloodlines and we must do everything in order to prevent Miss. Granger from falling into Voldermort's hands. Be warned...dangerous time lies ahead. Remain vigilant and immediately alert the order of any suspicious activity near your house.

Best Regards,

Albus Dumbledore

A gasp came out of Molly as the parchment she was holding in her hands suddenly burst into flames. Feeling even more emotionally drained, with a whispered word and a flick of her wand. Molly ensnares the kitchen into darkness. Givingthekitchen/living roomone last sweeping glance, Molly turns and climbs the stairs up to her bedroom saying a prayer to the fates above to keep everyone safe in times of danger.

The calm that has been cast over the burrow is suddenly ruined by the rooster crowing to signal daybreak and a ginger bottlebrush tail flicking as Crookshanks zooms across the backyard chasing the laughing garden gnomes. Ginny slowly awakes and sees a lump in the bed next to her, still in the mind set between being awake and sleeping, she quietly creeps over and puts her wand to the lump and suddenly with a lightening reflex Ginny is thrown off and pinned to the floor with a barrel of a SiG Hauer between her eyes.

"Hermione! Its me Ginny! You are scaring me right now!" With that comment, Hermione quickly snaps out of her trance.

"Ginny! I'm so sorry...I don't know what came over me. My dad trained me in how to handle guns and hand to hand combat since I was little...you could say that it became second nature to me. I have been really tightly wounded all week long and with all the things happening...one tends to become paranoid about their own lives." Hermione sheaths her gun into the shoulder holster she wore to bed.

Shaken, Ginny rises from the floor and crawls back to her bed and puts her wand away.

"Hermione, I know you have been under a lot of stress and everything is chaotic right now because we know that you-know-who is out in the open. I have never seen you like this...it was like looking up at a completely different person...I could feel the coldness coming from you and that really scares me. What was that weapon you just pointed at me...its not a wand...why didn't you attack with a wand."

"A gun kills quicker than a wand...most wizards don't know how powerful muggles can become. Pardon me if I'm being rude but I don't need to put up with this kind of shit..I just want to be left alone. My parents have been forced into hiding and Voldermort is after me! My life has been completely turned upside down in the last 72 hours and what do you expect! The quiet little bookworm Hermione who is obsessed with getting perfect grade and just being a ruddy know-it-all! I need to get out here..." Now almost shouting, Hermione takes a deep breath and wills herself to calm downbecause she knows that her spontageousmagic in a high state of emotional distress will be unleashed...with dark repercussion.

Ginny just sat there in shock as Hermione stormed out of the room knocking down Ron standing at the door about to knock to the floor... "Ginny! Was that Hermione? Bloody hell! Wait! Hermione, I want to talk to you..." At first puzzled by Hermione's emotional state, he shrugs it off and climbs down the stairs in hopes of finally landing the woman that he has carried a torch for in his heart since his 3rd year.

Great...oh bugger, Ron doesn't know what he's getting into with Hermione being this upset and knowing him, he wants a relationship with her. Hermione is more likely to curse him within a inch of his life or use that muggle weapon of hers to scare him away from her than consider the possibility of a relationship. Ginny shrugs her shoulders and heads down to the kitchen for breakfast and to see the train wreck about to happen between Hermione and her stupid prat of a brother...at least she gets front row seats to the entertainment about to happen. It had been dreadfully boring around the burrow since Fred and George moved out into their own flat. Hermione was correct about my brother having a the emotional range of a teaspoon back in her 2nd year and it is still true to this day.

TBC