Chapter Two:
I take a deep breath and look around the room at all nametags of the people about to be gathered before me. I had gone to school with many of these people, or at least had them as professors while I attended Hogwarts. I know each and everyone of them by name, able to match a face to it, and I am proud of that fact. This is a tight knit group, of only the best in the business of fighting Dark Arts, each one brought here for their specialties. We are to be seated at a round table, an expression of equal footing and level of importance, no one person at the head. Working around the table to the right the nametag next to mine reads, "Lindsay Parkinson." I am glad to have a friend next to me, and I think Severus placed her there on purpose. Continuing around, next to her is Simon Malfoy, then Luna Lovegood followed by Brynne Granger, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Ginevra Weasley, Bill Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Remus Lupin, and Severus Snape next to me on my left.
The door clicks open across the darkened room and I raise my eyes to watch the twelve people file into the room, each one looking around the table for their nametag and taking their seat once they found it. Lindsay sits next to me, patting my shoulder in a supportive friend manner, and Simon reaches across her to place his hand on top of mine which is clutching my black executive notebook that has various notes scribbled in it about each person, what their job with be within the group, who they are rooming with, etc. All are important to making sure this operation goes off without a hitch.
The chair on my left moves slightly backward, and the leather squeals as Severus sits down. I take a deep breath, let it out slowly, and straighten my back up in my chair. Fear is a weakness only if you can't conquer it, and in front of this group, I will seem fearless.
"Welcome," booms Severus Snape's voice from my left, "you may all wonder why you are assembled here today, and the answer to that is simple. We have word that Percy Weasley has sought out Draco Malfoy, and both are considered to be a threat to the wizarding and muggle communities."
No one looks shocked at this news, and Ron Weasley's face takes on a hardened, disgusted look at the mention of his brother. I briefly wonder whether or not that is what Hermione's own face looks like at the mention of me. My questions of this are set to rest as I stand up to address the group and her eyes glaze over with hatred and her lips purse together, her cheeks flushing to life.
"Now, I believe you all are rather well aquatinted with each other, but allow me to introduce myself and my colleagues." I motion to the two people on my right with a slight wave of my hand, my eyes skating over the faces of each person present, but never dropping from them. "This is Lindsay Parkinson and Simon Malfoy. For those of you who don't remember me, I am Jane Granger. The younger girl next to Hermione is Brynne Granger."
My gaze drifts to Harry Potter, his words of seventeen years ago flowing back into my mind, like water breaking from behind a dam and I have to bite the inside of my cheek not mention it. He is looking at my sister with hurt and confusion etched onto his features, his eyes exploring her face for some sign as to why she might lie. Ronald Weasley and Ginevra Weasley just seem shocked, and their faces are turning deep red in color.
Severus continues the speech. I stay standing next to him and if this surprises him he makes no outward expression of it. "This group is here to plan and take down Draco Malfoy and Percy Weasley, and due to the fact that the phrase, "Order of the Phoenix" is so well known," – at this mention all eyes turn to me—"we have decided to call ourselves "Dumbledore's Army" once again.
"It is not only appropriate considering the people gathered here and what they've accomplished under that name, but in light of the Order of the Phoenix it will be long forgotten. Now, the original members here have obviously roles in this exchange, but I am sure many of you are wondering what the other four of us are doing at this meeting."
At this many heads nod, and he continues on his little rant. "Brynne Granger takes after her eldest sister and is also very good with strategy and planning, so Ron and Luna, she will be working with you. Lindsay Parkinson is quite adept at Potion making and will be working closely with me; Simon Malfoy can give you, Harry, a run for your money in Defense, and Remus agrees with me on that, so he will be training with both of you, and you, Hermione, in protection spells." Severus pauses to allow those taking notes to finish writing.
"Now, as for Jane Granger, she is team leader so you will all listen to her authority." I keep my chin jutted up, my eyes floating lazily over people's faces, taking in all that they are displaying. Most everyone is shocked, save for myself and Severus, and Remus Lupin who knew about this long before we sent out the invitation. Immediately voices shout to be heard over one another and I raise my hands up, and surprisingly, after a few moments silence once again shrouds the room.
I close my eyes for a brief second, focusing solely on Hermione a few seats over, concentrating on her mind. She, along with everyone else, has no idea what's going on. I can see everything inside her mind, all her memories, but she can't feel me or see me rummaging through her memories. I find what I am looking for, back out as silently as I had invaded, and open my eyes to the curious stares of my old classmates.
"I am team leader," I repeat, "and for any of you who would like to know why I assure you it doesn't pertain to you at all." My voice is hard and smug and filled with disdain for the people around me, my years of training paying off as I continue. I look at each one of them individually. "I promise that I am not a women you would like to trifle with, but I suspect you already knew that." A few people nod, but Harry Potter decides he has something to add.
"Yeah, because you will mercilessly torture someone!" he shouts from his seat, standing up and sending the black leather chair shooting backward to hit against the far wall.
"Sit down, Mr. Potter," commands Severus, but I place my hand on his arm, letting him know to back down.
"If after all these years you still believe me to be guilty of that, Potter, than you are much like my sister. You believe only what you read and can back up with solid proof. That is what has lead us to this point, to rounding up ex Death Eaters and people who wish to rule the world."
I hear a laugh to my left and turn to look at Ginevra Weasley, the girl who had her hand laced with Harry's all those years back. "Like you don't want to rule the world, Granger," the insult of the surname is thick off her tongue, she briefly looks at Hermione, then back to me, "that's what this is, you're working for Draco like you were all through your years here. You just want to rule the world with him."
I instantly feel Severus tense up to my left, and hear the squeal of leather to my right as both Lindsay and Simon rocket out of their chairs, a snapping sound of mahogany wood splintering against stone wall resounding after them; Slytherins never were known for keeping their tempers, actually, neither were Gryffindors, and we had somehow managed to fill a small room in the dungeons of the castle with the two quarreling sides.
I put my hands up, and while it didn't relieve the tension, I was happy to feel silence settle down around the room again. "Ms. Weasley I don't even like the people in this world, present company included, and have no desire to try and rule them. I would much rather use those nuclear bombs, kill the whole place, and be done with it. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to accomplish something a bit more productive in our first meeting that just getting to know each other and bringing up old issues." I flick my wrist behind me, in a circle to the right, and both leather and mahogany chairs pull themselves neatly beneath Lindsay and Simon, forcing them to sit down; I repeat the procedure with Harry Potter's chair, before taking my own seat. Severus sits down in unison with me, his face calm and neutral, but the worry emanating from him in all directions like heat from a stove.
"How do you do that?" The voice surprises me. If anyone was to ask, I expected it to be the deep, hoarse voice of Ronald Weasley, or the high, nasally voice of my little sister. I do not, however, expect to hear the dreamy, far away voice of Luna Lovegood drift to my eardrums, who had, until this point, sat quietly in her chair staring peacefully at the wooden rafters of the ceiling.
Everyone looks at her and I am slightly comforted to know that we all just had the same thought meaning that perhaps this isn't a hopeless venture after all. I shrug my shoulders.
"She was doing in earlier!" chimes in Brynne, faces turning to look at her as she speaks. I see Lindsay roll her eyes as she turns back to the note pad in front of her, continuing with her doodle. "I know she isn't supposed to do magic, that's why they broke her wand. She used Lindsay's wand, too! To do magic."
"What else would she use a wand for?" asks Lindsay, looking up and giving Brynne a look that suggests she is too stupid to be related to Hermione and myself. I smack Lindsay, Simon sniggers, and I don't think anyone else caught the innuendo.
I began to have that feeling when someone is looking at you, but it wasn't the normal cold, worried stare I could pinpoint as Severus' from a mile away; it belongs to someone else. I turn my neck to see Harry looking at me funny, his mouth twists to one side causing his nose to bend oddly and scrunch up, and his eyebrows are pulled down tight.
"Right, well, I think that is enough chair breaking and screaming for the night," says Remus from the corner of the table, in all the commotion I had completely forgotten he was there. "Thank you, Jane for fixing those chairs by the way, but rest up, all of you. We will meet three times a week, but other than that, some of us have classes to teach and students to deal with. The rest of you are free to roam about, the password to get from the main castle to this section should be posted near the doors of your rooms. Goodnight."
I stand up, slipping my execute notebook under my arm along a few various papers, estatic to leave this room. I avoid looking at anyone else and hop around chairs and people to get to the door.
"Jane!" I turn to look at Severus Snape, sending him a glare I pray will make him regret calling my name. I watch as the whole room slows down, the world passing now in deliberate slow motion: others so they can catch pieces of our conversation and to torment me.
He looks at me, an almost serene look on his face which is sort of like the amused expression he was wearing earlier in my quarters. I know he will not respond until I answer him and I know that if I don't answer him he will keep saying my name, chasing after me down the hallway.
I weigh my options, deciding slow motion fate is easier to conquer. "Yes, Severus," I ask with mock sweetness, my eyelashes fluttering and teeth flashing in a schoolgirl smile.
A puff of air hisses out of his nostrils, out of his lungs, to show his amusement. It's not a laugh, but he recognizes that I am playing along with him. "I was just going to say your potion is in the Potions classroom so you can pick it up any time tomorrow, and you are teaching tomorrow, as well."
I roll my eyes. I haven't really left Hogwarts since I attended school here, I have been picking up my potion the first Monday of every other month, and I have taught sixth and seventh years basic wandless magic since I was twenty-four. I am now twenty-seven.
The man just needs to cause mischief. "Yes, thank you, I am well aware of that. You, sir, need to remember to make me two batches next time as I will be gone for an overlapping three months."
He nods and skirts past, out into the hallway. "Evil git," I mutter under my breath and hear a snort of laughter from behind me recognizable as Simon's. "Shut up," I say, walking out into the hallway with Simon and Lindsay, happy to be away from that room of people, all of whom fell silent and listened unabashedly to the conversation.