Disclaimer: See chapter 1
A.N. this chapter is currently unbeta'd, and I want to warn you that there is foul language in this chapter. Please read and review (smile)
In the drafty castle in one of the towers, a dark haired man sees a frantic owl coming towards the window he is looking out of. The bedraggled owl flops down onto the windowsill and sticks out a weary leg. The dark man's onyx eyes suspiciously narrow at the already smoking red letter with the name Headmaster Dumbledore quickly scrawled on it like it was written in a hurry. He gingerly unties the letter and glides to where a old wizard with half moon glasses sitting in a chair by the fireplace peering at the chess table planning his next move.
"Headmaster, there is a letter for you...it appears to have been delivered rather in a hurry from the Weasley family via their owl." Sitting down in the chair and pulling in his black cloak around himself like he is trying to cocoon himself in a attempt to hide away from the world. Severus Snape looks at Albus wondering what has caused Molly Weasley to send Dumbledore a howler.
" Thank you my boy. Well, its time to see what does Molly have to say." Albus pinches his nose like he is weary and wary of what is written in the letter. He takes one long crooked finger and cuts open the waxed seal on it.
"HEADMASTER DUMBLEDORE, I DEMAND YOU REMOVE HERMIONE GRANGER FROM MY HOUSE IMMEDIATELY. HERMIONE THREATENED MY POOR RONALD AND TRIED TO HURT HIM WITH A MUGGLE WEAPON ! I WANT HER GONE NOW, SHE IS A DANGER TO EVERYONE IN MY HOUSE AND I WILL NOT ALLOW ANY MEMBER OF MY FAMILY TO BE THREATENED. I AM EXPECTING YOUR ARRIVAL AS SOON AS YOU RECEIVE THIS LETTER." Molly Weasley's voice comes to a shrill stop and the letter explodes into smoldering ashes falling onto the chess set.
Slack-jawed at the letter, Severus Snape quickly shutters his expression into indifference just as Albus looks up at him.
"This is a unfortunate turn of events" Albus speaks softly with a note of resignation in his voice that Severus has never heard before. " I will have to apparate to the Dursleys and retrieve Harry before going to the Burrow. I will have Fawkes send you a feather to notify that I have Harry with me and am currently en route to the Burrow. I just have this feeling that things will come to a head and possibly change the course of the war tonight. That is why I require your presence there to keep everything in check not that I trust myself to keep things in order."
With a barely seen nod, Severus quickly stands up and sweeps out of the office back to his dungeons to await the alert that Dumbledore will send when he arrives at the Dursleys. Albus slowly rises out of his chair feeling every year of his age. Albus looks outs of his window trying to calm his raging emotions and wondering if he will ever see the wizarding world at peace since he has already fought in two wars. Fawkes gives out a comforting chirp trying to calm his master, sensing the distress that Albus is feeling.
Three simulations apparitions were seen and heard on the gravel pathway leading to the door of the Burrow. A old wizard with a half moon glasses perched on his crooked nose and a lanky messy haired boy with round glasses standing next to him clutching his stomach trying to ward off the urge to vomit from the effects of side apparating. A sneering man stands on the other side of the old wizard and snidely asks Harry not to lose his stomach contents all over the old wizard.
"Snape, quit it you overgrown bat! You have no heart!" Harry sneers and turns away towards the burrow. Severus marches up to Harry and spins him around and snarls " Insolent boy! You do not know what is going on right now. I suggest you do not push it right now because there will be dire consequences from both me and Headmaster Dumbledore if you continue to behave like a 2 year old with a tantrum!"
Headmaster Dumbledore quickly stepped in and gave Severus and Harry a scolding look . "Enough! I am fed up with your petty grudges against each other. Right now it is not a good time because we are in a time of war and people need to come together for the sake of victory. United we stand, divided we fall. Remember this...both of you!" Stunned, both of them stood after receiving such harsh reprimand from the old wizard. Giving them one last glance, Dumbledore turns and marched away towards the flickering lights through the windows of the burrow in the distance.
The 3 men come stumble onto a scene they thought they would never witness at the burrow. Standing outside the door on the front lawn Molly and Hermione are both standing across from each other with their wands drawn and dueling. Ron and Ginny are in the background frozen in place not believing what they are witnessing.
Earlier that day after hearing a gunshot ring out across the garden 20 minutes after Ron and Hermione walked out. Molly ran out of the house with Ginny trailing behind in a panic thinking that Death Eaters were attempting to breach the wards and that Ron and Hermione were currently fighting them. Seeing Ron running towards her waving his arms wildly screaming about someone trying to kill him. Molly grabs Ron and shakes him to make him calm down and try to decipher what he is trying to tell her. "Ronald! Calm down! Where is Hermione? Is she hurt?"
Sputtering from the powerful shaking his mother just gave, Ron looks at her and scathingly comments about Hermione, "She just tried to kill me with a muggle weapon...she rejected me. I was trying to tell her that I loved her and wanted to date her...eventually marry her. No way...she turns me down! When I tried to come closer to her...she whipped out a black muggle thing and she just tried to kill me with it!"
Scanning the grounds looking for any enemy, Ginny whirls around after hearing what her brother said and sees the angry red blush rising in her mother. oh shite! What did my brother just do? Hermione would not have brought out her muggle weapon unless she felt like she was being threatened or provoked into it. Ronald...you stupid arsehole...I wish I could slap you but the look on mum's face is what worries me the most...she is going to go after Hermione. DOUBLE SHIT! How do I defuse this situation...its going to get really bad faster than you can say quidditch. Mum may be powerful but she is no match for Hermione when she is really mad, just look at what she did to Malfoy in 3rd year... no one would even dare do that to any member of the Malfoy family. Mum is not going to let this go lightly, no one threatens or attempts to hurt us without getting away with it. I better hurry and find Hermione...before mum finds her first. Ginny decides to quietly slip away while Molly is distracted with keeping Ron occupied and go and find Hermione.
"Ronald come with me, we are going to write to Headmaster Dumbledore now. Then I will go and find Hermione and give her a piece of my mind. I am sorry that it did not work out between you and Hermione. Now go upstairs and don't worry about what is going to happen. I have everything under control." Molly and Ron quickly rush back to the burrow to send off a owl to Headmaster Dumbledore."
Ginny quickly tracks down Hermione and sits down on the ground where Hermione is sitting. "Hermione...I am so sorry. My brother is a idiot...I can pretty much put things together from what I saw in my brother's attitude and stuff he was saying. I am sure that he said some very hurtful things, when he is hurt... he likes to lash out and its not right. I know you would have never used that muggle weapon on my brother without a reason. Did my brother try to hurt you or? Mum is very angry right now so I suggest you steer clear of her now..maybe I can help you try to sneak out of the house and create a portkey that will take you out of here to Hogwarts. I don't want to see anybody get hurt now."
Hermione looks at Ginny and gives her a sad smile "Thank you Ginny, I thought I had blown it after what I did to your brother. Ron said some very cruel things to me...and I will never forgive him for that. I notice that people don't lie when they say very cruel stuff out of anger because it shows what they truly think of that person but will never say it to their face in other situations. Your brother tried to grab me and that is why I pulled the trigger to warn him off. I have never seen your brother that mad...it scared me. He looked like he wanted to hurt me and..."
"Oh no...that blockhead! Ron truly is a git, well I think we better get out of here and head back to the house and get your stuff so you can get out of here before mum tracks you down. I am not worried about mum, I can handle her. I do not want to see anybody get hurt tonight. Come on..."
"Ok Ginny, thank you for your help...I appreciate it. We should get out of here." Hermione rises from the ground and holds out a hand to Ginny and pulls her up from where she is sitting on the ground. The two ladies both start walking back to the burrow when they run into a very angry Molly Weasley and Ron trailing behind her.
"Ginerva! Get away from her, she is dangerous!"Molly shouts and unsheathes her wand in hopes of disarming Hermione and binding her until Headmaster Dumbledore arrives.
"Mum, NO! You do not know the whole story!" Ginny shouts but Ron manages to slip by her and grab her from the behind and carry her away from where Hermione is situated. Sensing a change in the now unstable situation Hermione quickly feints to her right feeling a petrficus totalus spell flying by her and brandishes her wand in favor instead of her gun because she does not want to harm Molly. Hermione quickly sends a bat-bogey hex towards Molly but Molly manages to put up a protego shield to deflect the hex coming her way.
A roar from Albus Dumbledore is heard when he walks onto the scene of Molly sending another jelly legs hex towards Hermione to throw her balance off. "ACCIO WANDS!" A now enraged Albus Dumbledore walks up to the dueling ladies who now have been robbed of their wands. "WHAT IN MERLIN'S NAME is going on here! Molly why were you attempting to curse Ms Granger thus forcing her to defend herself!"Snape quietly slips to where Hermione is standing and quietly hisses to her... "Ms. Granger...I suggest you move your hand away from where your gun is. We do not need any more casualties from this idiotic duel."
"Headmaster Dumbledore, this girl tried to harm my son and I was trying to restrain her and hand her over to you when you arrived."Molly snarled at Albus, furious that she has been denied a opportunity to punish Hermione.
Albus takes a deep breath and quietly says in a reprimanding voice " I suggest that everyone return to the kitchen and we can all discuss this situation like mature adults." Snape sneers at everyone and wandlessly accios Hermione's wand from the inner pocket of Dumbledore's robes and hands it back to Hermione when everyone is not looking. Harry spots the interaction and is puzzled at why is everyone uptight and what is going on to make Ms. Weasley go after Hermione.
Everyone is sitting around the table and Albus starts the conversation "I have spoken to Ms. Granger and gotten her side of the story and I see that everyone chose to make a decision based on one side of the story...that is fatal in any battle situation. Why would Ms. Granger be forced to use her weapon against Mr. Weasley since they have been such good friends...think about that Ms. Weasley. I know that you are upset about what has happened but it does not give you the right to involve a minor in a duel! ALSO, Mr. Weasley I will have a talk with you and your mother about your behavior towards Ms. Granger." Ron and Harry are both sitting together and Ron quietly whispers to Harry about what happen and how Hermione tried to kill him. Harry is too angry at the headmaster to think rationally. Ginny sends a glance towards Harry and realizes that his demeanor has become even darker since the little conversation Ron had with him, and the reprimand that Dumbledore had sent towards Ron. Here we go again...the infamous Weasley temper has surfaced and Harry is a boiling cauldron about ready to explode from what I can tell in his attitude. I just hope that he and my brother can keep their trap shut!
"It is getting late so I will table the little talk that I have scheduled for both Ronald and Ms. Weasley to before the start of the next order meeting. The new location of the order headquarters have yet to be determined. Good evening to you all and Ms. Granger are you ready to go and begin your apprenticeship with Professor Snape?"
Harry's head shoots up after he hears the comment of Hermione's apprenticeship with Snape. "Hermione? You have a apprenticeship with that Greasy git?" Harry sneeringly said.
"Harry, you are being rude! Yes, I have accepted the offer of a apprenticeship with Professor Snape. I have always been good in Potions and you know that. It's a opportunity to work with one of the top potion masters in the world!" Hermione sniped at Harry, fed up with the hostile atmosphere at the burrow.
"I can't believe this! What about the Department of the Mysteries...you know that Snape is a death eater! He hates us! He has always been cruel to us, why would you want to work with him. I think its really cruel what you did to Ron...maybe its true that you are a ice witch and a traitor. The real Hermione I know would have never done this." Harry snapped back at Hermione, not liking the hostile reaction he is getting from her.
"YOU ARSEHOLE! How dare you call me a traitor, I have always been loyal to the light side!" Hermione shouts while she rises from her seat and lets off a flurry of powerful hexes in a blink of eye before Snape can jump in and pull her away from the kitchen table to restrain her. Fighting against the powerful crushing bear hug Snape has on her, Hermione kicks her legs wildly shouting bastard over and over again. Harry has painful boils breaking out all over his skin covering every inch of his body, most noticeably his face where he has the boils clearly has the word wanker written. His hair has been turned slytherin green. Now with white hot rage , Harry tries to launch himself at her since his wand had been taken away earlier and Dumbledore quickly whips out his wand and freezes harry mid-launch across the table. The rest of the table's occupants just sat there in disbelief over what they are witnessing.
"Headmaster, I am going to remove Ms. Granger from the house and take her to Hogwarts. This situation is spinning out of control." Snape barked out while still holding the raging Hermione, sensing her magical energy starting to call on the dark side to express her outrage. He realizes that he needs to remove Hermione to prevent the dark side from setting up a bridge into her magical source. He recognizes the warning signs of Hermione slowly being seduced into the dark side since she has already begun to show signs of having a very cunning side mostly notably in her 4th year. Severus knows that anger can turn to hatred and he has to follow Dumbledore's orders to prevent Hermione from being lured into the dark arts. Little does he know that the dark side has already begun to take a stronghold in Hermione earlier that day with the incident between her and Ron.
TBC
A.N. please review..I want feedback from readers.