16 Jan 1999

Severus, Hermione and Harry stepped off the staircase from Dumbeldore's office and found Draco waiting for them at the bottom. He told them that Professor McGonagall wanted to see all of them in her office as soon as possible. Severus dropped his hand from Hermione's back now that they were in the public part of the castle but he missed the contact immediately.

He led the way to McGonagall's office and worked hard to keep the smile from his face as Potter kept going on about how badass Hermione had been in the meeting, standing up to Mad-Eye and then the Headmaster. Personally, he would have used different words — brilliant, sexy, shaggable — but he had to agree with Potter. The very idea of thinking the same thing as the annoying boy made his skin itch, but he couldn't help it if the brat was right once in a while. And as much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, he was proud of Potter as well. He didn't think the boy had it in him to stand up to Dumbledore, but he'd been mistaken.

The name Phoenix Reborn was a little cheesy and he wasn't sure why they needed a name, but he'd go with it. He was sure Hermione would say something about how a name made them feel united or some psychobabble bullshite, but if it made them work better together, he wasn't going to complain.

Entering McGonagall's office, he wasn't surprised to see that Fleur, Molly and Arthur were still there. As soon as they walked through the door, he stepped aside and let the hug-happy woman embrace Harry and Hermione. He was surprised to see her hug Draco and internally laughed at how uncomfortable his godson looked.

"The things you poor dears have gone through," she was crying as she continued to hug Draco. "As soon as I'm home I'm making biscuits and sending them to you."

"Just don't include chocolate," Severus said. "I believe the two of them have had enough for a while."

"Molly, stop hugging Mr Malfoy before you choke him," Minerva chided. "Everyone take a seat. We have a lot to discuss."

As they sat, Hermione caught his eye and he nodded to her. He didn't need to see her thoughts to know what that look was asking. She wanted to know if they could tell the Weasleys and Minerva everything. He was determined that everyone in their group know what was going on. There was no point in hiding it. If the Dark Lord found out what was happening, then he found out. Severus had a safe house, he would advise the Weasleys to secure their own places, and he already knew Minerva kept a cottage somewhere in the Highlands.

"First, Hermione, I am so sorry that you have gone through what you have," Arthur began. "I want you to know that Molly and I still love you and think of you as one of our own, no matter what. I know the rest of our children, minus Percy, will feel the same way. You are not alone. Draco, if our children believe you, you have our support as well."

"Thank you, Mr Weasley," Hermione and Draco said in unison.

"I will also support you," Fleur joined in. "And I know Bill will as well. We have spoken many times about how we didn't think we were being told everything we needed to know. Whatever you need, just ask."

Severus was impressed with the French witch. He hadn't had much interaction with her but knew she was smart and formidable. She had to be. She was from one of the best schools on the continent and she had been chosen above all others to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. The Goblet chose solely on magical powers and intelligence. Fleur's talents were probably ignored by people because she was beautiful, but Severus wasn't one of them. Looks didn't determine how fast someone could kick your arse in a duel.

Arthur smiled at his soon to be daughter-in-law then looked around the room and took a deep breath. "In Albus' office you said that he was keeping things from the Order. We don't need to know everything, but I think we need to know what affects our family directly. Can you tell us?"

Severus spoke before anyone else could. He looked at each of them as he said their names, "Arthur, Molly, Minerva, Fleur, I will be frank with you. There are a great many things that Albus has kept from the Order. Things that should have been told to the entire Order."

"Why?" Minerva asked.

"I can only guess at his reasoning. He believes that the less people that know, the smaller chance of it leaking. It makes sense given the fact that we had a traitor in the last war, but I don't believe we do this time."

"What is he keeping from us?"

"The biggest thing is that he believes the Dark Lord has not only created a Horcrux, but has created several of them." They all looked at him blankly so he explained what they were as simply as possible. It was hard to remember that not everyone was as immersed in the Dark Arts as he and Hermione were. "He is not sure of the number, but Miss Granger and I both believe there are seven."

"Seven?" Minerva gasped, clutching her chest. He heard Fleur murmur something in French but it was too low for him to pick up. "He split his soul seven times?"

"Do we know what they are?" Arthur asked before Severus could answer her.

Severus nodded. "We have a pretty good idea what some of them might be. Mr Potter has been having lessons with Albus and that has given us some clues."

"What are they?"

Harry answered this time and Snape didn't begrudge him the chance to speak. After all, he was a Horcrux and had destroyed one of them already. "We believe the diary that possessed Ginny in her first year was one." Harry explained how the diary had seemed to die when he stabbed it. Molly looked murderous whilst Arthur looked heartbroken for his youngest and pulled her into his side. "We also believe that one of them was a family ring that Dumbeldore destroyed over the summer. We think his snake is one of them, then something from each of the founders, but probably not Gryffindor since the only known relic is safe." Harry paused to take a deep breath. "And I am the last one."

Molly gasped before tears started to fall. "How– How can you tell?" she choked out.

"Professor Dumbledore told Professor Snape," Hermione explained. "And since Ginny can feel magic, she confirmed that the Dark Lord's magic is in his scar."

"My sweet boy." Molly wrapped Harry in a hug and Severus averted his eyes as the boy began to cry in her embrace.

His eyes met Arthur's and Minerva's and he could see the determination in their gaze. They would both fight with their group. He didn't need an oath of allegiance. He knew they would do anything to save their world and especially to save the boy in Molly's arms. And people might only see Molly as a weak housewife and Arthur as a bumbling Muggle-lover, but he had no doubt both of them would kill for their children. He was pretty sure Molly was already plotting the Dark Lord's death after learning about the diary.

"Is there a way to get it out without harming Mr Potter?" Minerva's voice seemed loud in the office even though she whispered her question.

"I am working on it," Severus told her. "I am experimenting on his blood and seeing if I can seperate the two. If I can do that, I can create something that would target the Dark Lord's magic and not Mr Potter's."

"Bill and I have studied blood magic with the goblins, it is very complicated. What will you do if you cannot separate him from Harry?" Fleur asked.

"Then I will happily choke him to death and bring him back the Muggle way."

The room went deathly quiet until Harry began to chuckle. Soon, everyone in the room but Severus was howling with laughter and tears of mirth ran down their faces. He would let them all believe he was teasing Mr Potter for now. But the truth was, that was an option and he wasn't going to rule it out yet.

"Blimey, Professor Snape. I had no idea you knew what humour was," Ron said when people started to calm down.

"Yes, yes, Professor Snape is a hoot," Ginny said sarcastically, moving away from her dad. She cracked her knuckles in a way that clearly said she was ready to get down to business. "Now, who else should we convince to work with us? The more people who can look for Horcruxes, the better."

Severus conjured a chair for himself and listened as the rest of the room discussed who they should contact. He was happy to leave things like this to other members. If they wanted people on their side, he knew he needed to let someone else be in charge of convincing them. He had many strengths, but being approachable and making his peers believe in him wasn't one of them. He'd spent too many years keeping people at arm's length and he knew their allies didn't trust him.

He knew Kingsley would join them though. They were the same age and had been in a few classes together when Slytherin and Hufflepuff were paired up but had not been friends. The Auror was one of the only people in the Order that Severus knew trusted him. He'd seen the look Kingsley had given him in Dumbledore's office and was sure an owl would be arriving in his office in the morning. He knew Remus and Tonks would join them too. The werewolf wouldn't abandon Potter's son again and Nymphadora would follow Remus anywhere.

As Molly and Minerva were talking about the benefits of contacting Ted and Andromeda Tonks, Hermione walked over to him and gave him a tired smile. He knew she was crashing from all the excitement of the day. Nodding to her, he stood.

"Now that you've moved on to who to contact, I think I will retire. There is still work to be done in my lab." He looked at Hermione. "Miss Granger, would you like to assist me?"

"Yes, Professor Snape," she answered him and turned to wave goodbye. Harry moved as if he was going to offer to join them, but Ginny's hand on his arm stilled them. He'd have to find a way to award her a house point or two for her actions. He was too tired to deal with other people right now.

Leaving the office, he waited in the hallway for Hermione to say goodbye to the Weasleys. When she joined him, they didn't speak. The castle was relatively quiet as they made their way to his office. When they heard students around the corner, Hermione slowed her stride and fell half a step behind them as they came into view of the Hufflepuffs that were leaving the library. He saw one of them shoot her a commiserating look that clearly said Sorry you got detention. Severus internally smirked. If they only knew the kinds of things they got up to in her 'detentions'.

As soon as they were in his lab, he pulled her jumper off of her, picked her up, sat her on his workbench and moved between her legs. Her body went limp as his arms wrapped around her and he held her as she cried. He let his hands run up and down her lace-covered back, thankful to feel the heat of her skin through the thin material. She wasn't the only one that had been running on adrenaline for the last couple of hours.

How long had he wanted to tell Dumbledore to fuck off? Years, if not decades. And all it took was one little witch with a spine of steel to help him do it. He was confident if she had not been by his side, he would have blindly followed Albus' orders until he died. And he had no doubt that following those orders would have been the end of him. There was no way he could have gone through with the old man's plan to kill him and survive it. Either he would fail and the Dark Lord would kill him or he would succeed and the Order would hunt him down.

"You were amazing in there," Hermione said quietly. "I was, I am so proud of you."

"I could say the same about you, little witch. You were spectacular." He dropped a kiss to the top of her head and she sighed deeply.

"I love you, Severus."

He moved back slightly so he could look in her eyes. He wanted to dive into her mind, see what she was really thinking, feel the emotion of her thoughts. She must have known what he wanted because she grinned at him.

"I'll let you in anytime you want. Or you can trust me to tell you the truth."

That statement, more than anything, was the reason he did trust her. She never hid anything from him anymore. She spoke plainly and yet gave him access to her inner thoughts at any time. And the fact that he could access them meant he didn't need to.

"I trust you," he told her. "Completely. I love you, too."

"Guess you better take me to bed then. It's been a long day."

"Cheeky little witch. I should put you over my knee for that."

"Only if you're willing to be put over mine, Severus. I think I'd like turning your arse red."

He stared at her in shock before laughing. He'd never used the word adorable in his life but he was pretty sure it was the only word that he could think of to describe the witch he was currently carrying to his bed.

1 Feb 1999

Hermione jumped as Severus threw a glass beaker at the wall and it shattered. They'd been down in his lab working on Harry's blood when he started hollering words that instantly let her know he was from a working town. Normally he was so controlled and his midlands accent was buried deep. But when he was mad, his upbringing would slip through.

Moving off her stool, she walked to where he was standing, his hands gripping the workbench and his head hanging down. She wrapped her arms around his stomach and pressed her forehead into the space between his shoulder blades.

"Talk to me," she insisted. "Whatever it is, we can work it out together."

"I can't get this fucking shite to work!" he growled. "No matter what I try, I can't separate the two magics."

They'd spent almost every evening, sometimes alone, sometimes with Harry, Ron, Ginny, or Draco, trying to work out a solution since they'd met with Dumbledore. If they weren't working on it, they were meeting with McGonagall and various members of the newly formed Phoenix Reborn. Severus had asked Minerva to take up the mantle of vetting people who wanted to work with them. It was easy enough to allow one or two people through her Floo to talk but they had yet to have a full meeting.

Severus had seemed pretty calm about not finding a solution to the Hairy Harry Issue as Ron called it, but now that it was February, she could tell he was starting to feel the pressure. The change in the month seemed to press upon her too. There was only seven weeks until she and Draco would be going to Malfoy Manor for the Easter Holiday and that didn't seem like enough time.

She tugged on him until he turned around. "You said that getting blood from Harry's aunt might help. Dumbledore is gone from the castle. Why don't we go pay her a little visit?"

He gave her a searching look before nodding. "Why don't you head up to your dorm and get those clothes you like to wear? That way you will feel confident as we confront her. I have a feeling she'll fight us on it."

"I hope she does. I have a few ideas in mind on ways to pay her back for her kindness to Harry."

"You're not allowed to use magic on Muggles, little witch," he reminded her.

Hermione smirked at him as she made her way out of the lab. "It's a good thing she's a Squib then, isn't it?"

Harry had begged her to let him come with them when she told him where he was going. Whilst she thought he should come, she also knew that it wasn't safe for him to do so. She knew she and Severus could protect him if something did happen, but she had to keep her cover in case there were Death Eaters there. They could explain away the fact that she was with Severus by saying he found out her secret, but they couldn't do that if Harry was there too.

They had his address and knew the general area where they were going. Severus explained that even though they had the Dark Mark, because they meant Harry no harm they would be able to see his house without issue. It was a complicated ward on the home, but Severus was sure they would have no problem with it. They wouldn't be able to Apparate directly onto the property, but Harry told them about a small alleyway behind the corner shop two streets over that they could use.

After she returned to his office, Hermione changed into her warrior clothes and spelled her hair so her curls were relaxed and tamed. She did have to charm the lacy top so it wasn't see-through like normal which earned her a slight frown then a grin to show he was teasing her. Severus conjured a denim jacket for her to wear over it so she wouldn't be too cold in the February chill. He Disillusioned her in his office so no one would notice them walking towards the secret passage out of the castle in case there were students in the hallway. As soon as they exited into the woods, she held onto his hand and allowed him to take her to their destination.

Arriving behind the shop, it took a few moments for them to get their bearings. Hermione knew that casting magic in that particular house would alert the Ministry so she knew as soon as they got the blood they would need to leave in a hurry. She convinced Severus to let her go into the shop and pick up a few Muggle treats for her friends back at school before they visited the Dursley's. He rolled his eyes at her but it didn't take long for him to change his mind. Especially when she offered to get him a fizzy drink he used to enjoy when he was younger.

Items hidden in her beaded bag, she allowed him to cast a couple of Notice-me-not charms on her so people wouldn't pay them any mind and they walked hand-in-hand to Privet Drive. There was only one car in the driveway and she hoped that meant that Petunia was home alone. She would have no problem hexing Vernon, but the less people they had to deal with, the better.

Severus reached out and knocked on the door before stepping back. They heard footsteps walking towards the door and she adjusted her face into a welcoming smile. Petunia opened the door and her face morphed from a look of welcome to confusion. It was clear when she spotted Severus because her mouth dropped open and her skin began to pinken.

"What are you doing here, Sev?" she sneered.

"Lovely as always, Tuney," he shot back. "Now, are you going to welcome us in or would you like to have the conversation about your nephew out in the open?"

Petunia looked up and down the street quickly, making sure no one heard him before stepping aside and waving them in. She led them into the kitchen but didn't offer them anything to drink or even ask them to sit.

"I don't want you in my house, but I don't want the neighbours to talk. What do you want? And who is your whore?"

"The whore's name is Hermione," Hermione answered in a sweet tone, "thank you for asking. As for what we want…" She pulled out her wand and shoved it against Petunia's throat. "I want some answers about why you treat my best friend like shite. And then I want to do all kinds of nasty things to you until you beg for death. How does that sound?"

Severus chuckled and placed his hand on her wand arm. "Why don't we ask her nicely first, love? And if she won't give us what we need, then you can tourture her."

Petunia's eyes were large as Hermione stepped back. "You… you can't use magic on me. I'm a Muggle."

"Does it look like I care?" Hermione asked. She pulled the sleeve on her jacket up, exposing her Dark Mark. "And I'm pretty sure you know what this means. Do you think people like me give a damn about silly little rules?"

"You're a… What did my sister call them? A Death Eater?" she choked out. "I thought you said you were Harry's best friend?"

"I'm both. Which means I have multiple reasons to kill you."

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Severus pulled her back against his chest. Hermione had to bite back the smile at how good it felt to have him touch her in public. Even if it was in the Dursley's home. "Love, ask her nicely."

Petunia laughed, the sound cold and mocking. "What is this, Sev? Did you pay this woman to pretend to be in love with you so you'd look better in front of me? It doesn't matter how pretty she is, I know you. You're from Spinner's End. No woman would want you."

"He doesn't have to pay me, you stupid bint," Hermione snapped at her. "If you want, I'll tie you to that kitchen chair and let you watch as we show you exactly how much I want him. It might even be a nice change for you; seeing a real man. I'm sure Vernon doesn't even try to get it up for you anymore."

"How dare you?! You little–"

"Call me what you want, doesn't change the facts."

Severus chuckled behind her again before speaking. "Petunia, your nephew is in trouble and we are trying to help him. In order to do that, we need something from you."

"What?" she sneered. "I'm not giving you money."

"If the state of your home is any indication, neither Hermione nor I need money from you. I might have been poor when we were kids, but I'm not now. And neither is she."

"Then what do you want?"

Hermione lifted her wand again and Petunia took a step back. "Just a little bit of your blood. I can take it the easy way, or I can take it the painful way. Your choice."

"You want my blood to help that little freak? No way!"

Hermione flicked her wand the slightest amount and Petunia smirked thinking nothing had happened until she moved her head and all of her hair fell out except for a small bit of fringe. Harry had told Hermione about the horrible haircut his aunt had given him as a child and she thought turnabout's fair play.

"Would you like to give it to her now?" Severus asked. "I promise you that she can do much worse."

Petunia ran her hands over her bald head before collapsing into the chair behind her. She held out her arm and Severus sent a slicing hex at her wrist. She yelped in pain but didn't move as he pressed a phial to the wound and let it fill. As soon as it was done, he ran his wand over the cut, healing it instantly.

Hermione moved forward and grasped Severus' hand. They needed to leave before anyone from the Ministry arrived.

"If you tell anyone we were here, I will find out and you'll regret it until you die. Do you understand?" Hermione asked her.

Petunia nodded and Hermione dragged Severus out of the kitchen and into the back garden. Wrapping her arms around him, she turned on the spot, Disapparating them from Surrey. They landed in a wooded area in one of Edinburgh's parks that she had visited as a child. Once they stopped spinning, Severus pushed her up against the nearest tree and pressed his lips to hers.

She opened her mouth to his and ran her tongue along the seam of his mouth until he let her in. She wasn't sure how long they kissed against the tree; time seemed to have stopped. It wasn't until a bird cried out from the branches overhead that they separated.

"I loved watching you in there. You are so sexy," Severus whispered.

Hermione laughed, a little shocked at how easy it had been to tap into that darker side of her personality. "Harry is going to love it when I tell him what I did."

"When will her hair grow back?"

"It will be back by tomorrow. As much as I would've loved to make it permanent, I knew if we were caught that a simple charm like that would only get me a slap on the wrist for a first infraction."

"Beautiful and smart."

"And all yours." She stood on her tiptoes and gave him another kiss. "But we need to get back to the lab and see what you can do with her blood."

"You make me sound like a vampire."

She was still laughing as he Disapparated them back to Hogwarts.

14 Feb 1999

You, and the idiots you call friends, need to discuss the latest essay Ms Weasley turned in. It's oddly familiar to one you used last year.

-Professor S. Snape

Hermione looked at the note the owl had dropped on her breakfast. Clearly he wanted to see them but didn't want to risk anyone reading it over her shoulder. In the two weeks since they'd gone to the Dursley's house she'd hardly seen Severus outside of class and meal times. He'd all but locked himself in his lab and asked that he not be disturbed. As much as she wanted to see him, she understood that sometimes you just needed to be alone to work out tough problems.

Instead, she'd been helping Minvera and working out strategies. They hadn't asked anyone to leave the Order or anything as dramatic as that, but they did have a lot of people who had joined them. Remus, Tonks and her parents, Kingsley, all the Weasleys except Percy, which was to be expected, Neville, and Luna. Draco was going back and forth about asking Theo to join them. Hermione thought it was a good idea, but Draco wasn't sure if his friend had the mental shields to keep their secret.

Fred and George had recruited Lee Jordan, Angelina Johnson, Oliver Wood, and a few other friends around their age from all four Hogwarts houses. They had also brought over a few boxes of supplies that Hermione had helped sort through. There were enough shield hats and cloaks for their entire group as well as Instant Darkness Powder, decoys, and various other items that would help them in a battle.

When breakfast was over, she, Harry, Ron, and Ginny made their way towards the Defense classroom. Draco, note in hand, met up with them. Severus warded the door as soon as they entered then pulled a small box from his desk drawer. He pulled three silver chains from it and handed one to each of the boys and Ginny.

"Hermione, I forgot yours in my lab," he told her. "We can get it in a few minutes."

Ginny raised her eyebrow at him but didn't say anything, just smirked at Hermione who could feel the blush on her face.

"Did you just give us bracelets for Valentine's Day?" Ron asked, examining the chain.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Of course I did, Mr Weasley. Please say you'll be mine." Hermione and Draco snickered as Harry and Ron's mouths dropped open. "You'll notice these will get warm, they'll heat up when you're in the presence of a Horcrux. The closer you get, the warmer it will get. It doesn't work around Harry since I used his blood to create it. I made them to go around your ankle so people don't notice you suddenly wearing jewellery. Any questions?"

"No, sir," the boys answered in unison.

"Miss Weasley, I know you can sense magic, but this will help if you're not close enough to touch one."

Hermione waved goodbye to her friends, and glared at Ginny who winked at her, as they exited the classroom. Once they were gone, she followed Severus through the secret door in the back of the room that led to his office in the dungeons. They continued through his office and into his chambers.

On his table was a vase full of red camellias, tea for two, and a small black box. The room was dark except for a few lit candles.

"Happy Valentine's Day, little witch."

"Severus, this is gorgeous. Thank you." She turned and looked at the whole room again before hugging him. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Would you like your gift and then tea or tea and then your gift?"

"Gifts first."

Reaching into her bag, she pulled out the present she had put together and handed it to him. He summoned the box from the table and handed it to her as they sat side-by-side on the sofa. She nodded for him to go first and bit her lip as he opened the flat package.

She'd struggled with what to get him until the night before. She'd been listening to Lavender and Parvati talking about why men like pornography when it hit her. She'd raced down to the common room, found Ginny and Colin Creevey and got to work. They'd borrowed Colin's camera and gone to the Room of Requirement and taken more than a few pictures in various poses with less and less clothing. When they were done, Colin had agreed to be blindfolded as he walked them through how to develop the pictures.

Severus slowly flipped between the pages of the photo album, his eyebrow moving up his face with each picture. Her stomach began to clench as he went longer and longer without saying anything.

"Sev–"

"Don't say anything yet," he implored. "I want to take them in."

A smile broke across her face once she knew he didn't hate his present. She watched as he flipped through the pages again. She curled up to his side and he absentmindedly pressed a kiss to her head as he continued to examine her present. Finally, he closed the album and turned to her.

"Sweet Salazar, little witch. You're the most beautiful woman in the entire world."

"You like it?"

He nodded. "Very much. Thank you."

"You're welcome. May I?" She held up the small velvet box in her hand.

"Of course."

Opening the box, she gasped as she looked at the ruby earrings nestled in the black satin. They were sparkling even in the dim light of the candles. She gently ran her finger over the precious stones.

"Severus, these are gorgeous. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome." He reached up and tipped her face so she was looking at him. "They're more than just earrings. I made them out of Potter's blood so they'll be able to locate Horcruxes and I layered charms over them. They won't protect you from curses or hexes, but they will increase your Occlumency shields when you're wearing them."

"You made them for me?"

"I found a way to fuse his blood to metal which allowed me to make the earrings for you and the ankle bracelets for the rest of us. I know I could have given you the same thing I gave everyone else, but I wanted you to have something special."

Hermione was speechless and so instead of saying something trite, she took her normal earrings out and put the ones from Severus in her ears. When she was done, she sat her box down, took the photo album from his hands and placed it on the table before crawling onto his lap so her knees were on either side of his hips. She might not know what to say with her words, but she could tell him how she felt with her body.