"'Ermione, wait… slow down." Fleur tumbled off the bed, haphazardly pulling on a shirt and jeans. Hermione was already fully dressed and one shoe on and the other almost tied. "Wait. Getting upset isn't going to help anything."
"I need to do something, Fleur! This didn't happen last time. Last time Harry was in school! What are we supposed to do? I can't go hunting Horcruxes and try to keep him out of trouble! Merlin, I feel like keeping that boy alive is a full time job! Not to mention all the changes to the timeline… I can't just sit here!" Hermione's brain was running a mile a minute as multiple trains of thought flooded her mind.
"I understand you feel that way and there's a lot on your plate, but what is there to do right now? We don't know where he is and we don't know how to help. The best we can do is stay calm until we know something. Then we can help. So what do we know then?"
Hermione huffed and sat down on the chair, her knee bounced impatiently. Why couldn't Harry stay out of trouble for just a few months? Was it that much to ask?
"I know you don't like waiting around. I don't either." Fleur straightened out her clothing now that she wasn't worried her mate was going to make a run for it and sat down on the couch, "May I see the letter?"
Hermione held out the crumpled scroll and she read through it quickly.
"Hmm… it seems that the Ministry is trying to expel him for improper use of magic, not Dumbledore. Does the British Ministry have that power? There should be a trial, then, non? If it is a Ministry issue?"
Hermione nodded enthusiastically, a large grin spreading across her face. "OH! Fleur, you're a genius!"
The Frenchwoman snorted and rolled her eyes. "And it only took your friend getting expelled to notice this, I'm touched," her voice was dripping sarcasm.
"Oh hush you," Hermione chided as she rummaged around inside her trunk, grabbing out a small beaded bag. She shoved her arm inside all the way up to her armpit and dug around.
"Looks like I'm not the only one who uses Undetectable Extension Charms…" Fleur muttered as she watched curiously.
"Ah ha!" Hermione exclaimed victoriously, withdrawing a giant tome from the depths.
"What is that? It looks like something you'd read to make yourself fall asleep."
"Close. It's all about modern wizarding laws. And I'm sure there's something in here that can help us find a loophole. Here, start reading."
"Can't wait," the blonde murmured grumpily. This was not how she planned to spend her morning, but if Harry was in trouble, she was glad to help. Her cock was still hard and aching from earlier, but as soon as she started reading, that issue went away. Nothing about wizarding law was even remotely sexy.
Hermione pulled several more texts from the bag and soon they were sitting at the table amid piles of books and rolls of parchment
By early evening, they had gone through most of the texts and found several possible loopholes to exploit. A wizard always had a right to defend themselves in life or death situations, so they just needed a solid reason as to why Harry would use magic out of school. Hermione knew that her friend was a bit reckless, but he wasn't an idiot. Unfortunately, Harry's brief letter gave no mention of what spell he had used or the circumstances, so they were at a standstill.
They were eating a meal they had sent up from the tavern below when a silvery patronus came flying through their wall.
The large phoenix flew around the room a few times and Dumbledore's voice filled the space "The Order is assembling tonight. Meet me in the alleyway behind the Leaky Cauldron. 7 o'clock. Make sure you aren't followed."
Fleur blinked "Why don't we just go to Grimmauld Place? We've both been shown the secret."
"Because we haven't in this timeline." Hermione corrected. "We can't just show up unannounced, that would raise some suspicions."
"Ah, and since Dumbledore is the Secret Keeper… that makes sense. Well, I guess we should wrap up our business here, then." The blonde stood and cleared away the dishes before heading to their room to pack her bag.
At 6:50, Hermione and Fleur headed down, both disguised behind their illusionment charms, and settled their tab with Tom. The 'elderly couple' headed out into the quiet streets of Diagon Alley and made their way toward the rendezvous point, tucking themselves into the dark alley.
Minutes later, a young boy in purple robes ran up to them, his wavy auburn hair sticking out from under his cap. "Nitwit…"
"Oddment" Hermione responded immediately. She knew this was Dumbledore's identification test. Something that she would randomly know. The four words were his closing remarks at the welcome feast her first year at Hogwarts.
"Blubber"
"Tweak."
"Good evening to you both, please take my arm." The boy smiled, his bright blue eyes twinkling in the dim light.
The two women did as instructed and with a soft pop, the trio disappeared.
They reappeared moments later on the doorstep to 12 Grimmauld Place.
"Well, it's pretty much the same as I remember it." Hermione muttered quietly as she stared up at the dark building, memories of her time living here with Ron and Harry coming back to the surface. She gripped Fleur's hand for support as they entered the dusty house.
As soon as they were inside, everyone dropped their disguises. Dumbledore was smiling cheerfully at them back in his wizened wizard form "Well, I am glad you got the message. I will admit, it was particularly difficult to locate you two. You've done very well at covering your tracks. I expect that is to allay suspicions about your actual whereabouts?"
"Yes, sir. If Bellatrix is after me or Fleur, probably it's best not to advertise ourselves. Aside from being at the Ministry to take my exams, we've used illusionment charms whenever we are out in public."
"Well, I must say that is very clever," the old wizard chuckled and led the way further into the drafty house "I believe that there are some old faces you might like to see again."
"Is Harry here yet? We found some information that might help him. By law he can demand a trial and we might…"
"All in due time, Miss Granger. I have no intention of expelling Harry. Come, it sounds like everyone is gathered in the kitchen for the meeting and it smells like Molly has cooked up something tasty."
Hermione groaned internally, right, the Weasleys. That meant dealing with Ron.
The kitchen was full of faces of the dead. Hermione froze at the threshold as her eyes moved across the room. Her heart clenched in her chest as she was overwhelmed by seeing everyone there, alive and well. Tonks. Lupin. Sirius. Kingsley Shacklebolt. Molly and Arthur Weasley. Mad Eye, the real one this time. Even Snape. She let Fleur lead her in and take the lead on greeting everyone.
She managed an awkward round of hellos without crying and took a seat. Fortunately the mood of the room was rather somber, so no one was suspicious of her behavior. And she wasn't exactly known for her warm fuzzy personality. Everyone just smiled cordially or waved in return.
With the exception of Molly Weasley. The maternal witch came bustling over from the kitchen and gave Hermione a bone crushing hug. She had forgotten how much of a mother figure Molly had been to her, taking both her and Harry under her wing like lost little magical orphans when they needed to get away from their Muggle homes or during school breaks. It almost made her feel bad about the fallout with Ron. But not quite.
"What did your fool godson do now, Black?" Mad Eye growled gruffly. "Just like James, isn't he, breaking the rules. And now we have to plan an extraction… what a welcome back mission for the Order…"
"No Order talk!" Molly chided, her eyes shifting over to Hermione "Not when there are children here. Hermione, why don't you join Ginny and Ron upstairs?"
"Actually, we'd both like to join the Order." Fleur stated flatly.
"Out of the question!" Molly retorted. "You might be of age, but Hermione certainly is not. I will not allow…"
"Actually, Molly, I believe that Hermione can make that decision for herself as a legal adult." Dumbledore cut in, his voice was quiet but firm.
"What is he talking about?" The redheaded witch raised her eyebrows incredulously.
All eyes were on the young brunette.
"Hermione is actually of legal wizarding age thanks to the wonders of time travel," Dumbledore offered as he took a sip of his water.
"Err, right… I used a Time Turner in my third year to take a double class load. Guess I accidentally aged myself up a year and change." Hermione offered the same excuse she had given Fleur's family earlier that summer.
"HA!" Lupin barked and slammed his hand on the table "I was always wondering how you were in my class when I heard from Vector you were in Arithmancy at the same time!"
Moody glared over at Dumbledore "Are you barking mad? Giving a student a Time Turner?"
"Blame McGonagall." Dumbledore replied simply.
"Well, what's done is done and I would like to join the Order." Hermione spoke up, her voice steady and full of conviction. "And I think I can help."
Molly threw her arms in the air and huffed but didn't say anything else.
Dumbledore's watery blue eyes twinkled behind his half-moon spectacles. "Well, with the exception of McGonagall, all current members of the Order of the Phoenix are present, so I say we can move it to a vote then. All in favor of allowing Miss Granger and Miss Delacour, who have both offered their services of their own free will, to join?"
There was a collective 'aye' except for Molly's 'nay' regarding Hermione, but the motion passed with the majority vote. Hermione was surprised by how casual it was, she was at least expecting there to be an oath or something. Maybe later.
"Well, now that that is taken care of. Shall we move on to the next order of business?" Dumbledore called the meeting to order and took his seat at the head of the table. "It has come to light that Voldemort has returned."
"So Skeeter says," Sirius scoffed, "Can't believe a word that bat said."
"And there's been no more mention of it since then." Lupin added.
"Probably because Fudge is trying to keep it under wraps." Tonks snorted "Man has a god-complex the size of Europe and a brain the size of a pinhead. How that lump became Minister is beyond me."
"Indeed… while it seems far fetched," Dumbledore put a stop to the debate "I happen to know of an eyewitness, one whom I trust."
Everyone looked at him with wide eyes, silently asking "Who?"
Dumbledore turned to Fleur. "We are all sworn to secrecy here, Miss Delacour. If you will please enlighten us of what you saw on June 24th."
Without missing a beat, the French witch rose from her seat. "At the final Task of the Triwizard Tournament when I touched the Triwizard Cup, I was transported to a graveyard and witnessed a resurrection ritual being performed by Death Eaters. I heard them talking about Voldemort's return. Gratefully I managed to escape but not before they saw me. I have kept my location secret, since I worry that Bellatrix is after me."
Sirius stiffened in his seat at the mention of his deranged cousin.
Fleur caught his eye, "Oui, she has returned. She managed to escape from Azkaban with the help of Barty Crouch Jr."
Moody growled under his breath "May he rot in his cell for the rest of his days."
"I will do what I can to assist with the Order, but as far as anyone knows, I am currently traveling abroad and that is the story I would like to stick to, if you don't mind." Fleur finished and took her seat again, squeezing Hermione's hand under the table. They couldn't mention her part or 'Harry's' involvement without raising suspicions and questions that they weren't ready to answer.
"Well, I hope you have a lovely trip then. Be sure to write!" Tonks smiled cheerfully, showing her support for the ruse.
"Not to be discounting your word, Miss Delacour, but I am not entirely convinced. You saw the ritual, but how do we know for certain it was to raise You Know Who? How do we know it was successful?" Arthur spoke up.
Snape rolled his eyes and Hermione was shocked when he rolled up his sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark. It was pure black and the snake was wriggling. "Because of this. What other proof do you need?"
There was a collective silence.
"And there's more, which brings us back to the business of Harry Potter." Dumbledore broke the silence after a few seconds "He was attacked by Dementors outside his aunt and uncle's house. He cast his Patronus to protect himself and his cousin. While the guards of Azkaban may take orders from the Ministry, we all know who they truly serve. It is just a matter of time before they leave their posts and join the Dark."
"Of course!" Fleur interjected. "Bellatrix said that Crouch had convinced several Dementors to join their cause. There was a Dementor in the maze as well… that must have been Crouch!"
"We need to get him out of there then. He's not safe!" Sirius was on his feet in seconds.
"Sit down, man. You can't be going anywhere! Leaving this place is a sure way to get a one way ticket back to Azkaban." Moody growled.
"Well, I can't just sit here while my godson is in danger!" Sirius snapped back.
The two men started arguing loudly and suddenly there was a piercing scream from the upstairs. A woman's voice started yelling about blood-traitors, half-breeds, and Mudbloods sullying the honor of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.
"Damn it, I hate that fucking portrait!" Sirius groaned and went to silence the portrait of his mother. He returned moments later looking annoyed but calmer.
"I understand your concerns, Sirius. We will send a party to extract him tomorrow night. Besides, I think it will be a lovely birthday gift, reuniting him with you, don't you agree?" Dumbledore spoke calmly, "Tonks, Shacklebolt, and Lupin. Moody, you will run point on this"
Sirius seemed pleased by this and sat back in his chair, looking smug and relaxed. Though he still looked tired, thin and sickly from his year living alone with Buckbeak, Hermione could see the youthful, mischievous spirit lurking just beneath the surface.
"How touching," Snape's cool voice drawled "Then Potter can live here and grow up to be a delinquent like his dear old godfather."
"One more word, Snivelly and I'll make you wish you were never born." Sirius's eyes flashed dangerously.
"That's not helping anyone, especially not Harry." Molly chimed in and gave them both a verbal slap on the wrist. "What kind of example are you setting for him, hmm?"
"And I think there's a way for Harry to not be expelled." Hermione added, having processed the reason for Harry's use of magic and finally having a break in the conversation to get her point in, "It is his right to go to trial, since this is a Ministry edict. He can claim self-defense, which is a viable reason for the charges to be dropped. I think an unsanctioned Dementor attack surely counts as self-defense."
"Right you are, Miss Granger." Dumbledore smiled, "Arthur, I need you to help him appeal the charges and then escort him to the Ministry. I will represent him in court, but I am afraid I have a prior commitment and cannot be there ahead of time."
"Of course, I'll be sure he gets that paperwork submitted and will get him there as soon as the court date is set." Arthur offered cheerfully.
"Oy, now that we've got a plan for Potter getting to school, what should we be doing about the little Voldy issue?" Tonks cut in, her pink hair turning slightly purple at the tips.
"Well, thankfully we have some warning this time and from our past experiences we have a sense for how he thinks and how he will act." Dumbledore's eyes flashed over to Hermione and Fleur. "We know he is on the move but we don't know yet where he will surface again. We must be prepared for anything. Start calling in our connections and networking between trusted allies. I've sent Hagrid on a mission to try to expand our reach. The best that we can do is be prepared for when the time is right. We need him to be unsuspecting of our movements, so everyone keep on alert and be subtle. We don't want to draw him out too quickly or put him on the defensive."
"Constant vigilance!" Moody barked and slammed his hand on the table, his blue eye swirling in its socket.
"But what we can do is leave him breadcrumbs to keep him occupied and focused, blind to everything else. There is a prophecy regarding Harry Potter and Voldemort, given to me by Sybill Trelawney shortly before Potter's birth. It contains crucial information that he could use to his advantage. It currently resides in the Hall of Prophecies within the Ministry. We need Voldemort to get wind of this and start seeking it. But it is imperative that Potter does not know about it. Is that understood?" Dumbledore's eyes locked with Sirius's, the silent message coming across loud and clear.
All eyes then shifted over to Snape, who sat a little straighter in his seat "I will see to that."
"I fear the fight is coming to him and I for one would like to keep him as far away from danger as possible." Dumbledore's usually light tone was rather dark and foreboding and everyone just nodded or murmured their agreement.
The rest of the meeting went by quickly, discussing possible allies to the cause. At least everyone seemed on board with the idea that Voldemort had returned. Hermione was grateful that everyone seemed to take the threat seriously and now the seeds had been planted.
She and Fleur had not divulged their plan for the Horcruxes, they weren't ready for that yet. Though she would drop the idea about Bill and the Hufflepuff Cup to Dumbledore soon. The eldest Weasley still hadn't joined the Order, though once approached by Dumbledore, she knew he would jump at the chance immediately.
After the meeting, Hermione and Fleur made their way upstairs to choose their room. On the way they passed an open door, where the Twins, Ron and Ginny were huddled around playing a game of Exploding Snap. Her eyes flickered over to the group of redheads but she hurried past and up the stairs to the next floor, unsure if they noticed her and Fleur or not
They picked a room on the top floor, tucked away at the end of the long corridor and took some time to unpack and settle in.
"Well that went well?" Fleur flopped down on the bed.
"Yes, I'm a little surprised at how relaxed it was, considering what is at stake, but I guess this is just the beginning and we have to start somewhere, right? Don't want to dive in too quickly and put everyone in shock."
Fleur nodded and rolled on her side, her head propped on her fist. "So what now?"
"Well, we need to get the locket. It's here somewhere, but I don't know where it is. I wasn't the one who found it. I was thinking later you and I could explore the house and you use your magical bloodhound skills to find it."
Fleur laughed "Glad to be of help. I'm not skilled enough to seek it out, but if I come close I should be able to sense its presence."
"Good, if we can find it before someone else, that would be best. We'll have to watch out for Kreacher. He is very protective of it."
Fleur nodded and scooted over on the bed to make room for her mate to join her.
Before Hermione could lay down, there was a knock on the door and she went to answer it.
Dumbledore was standing there "Pardon the intrusion, I was wondering if I could have a word with both of you."
Hermione nodded and stepped aside for him to come in. Fleur sat up on the bed to give him her attention.
"How are you both doing? I assume you have some plans in place?"
"Yes, a big part is just getting the Order assembled, so we thank you for taking care of that part. We need as many Light allies as possible for what is to come. We'll also need everything you know about the Gaunts."
Dumbledore nodded slowly "I believe I have some memories stored away in my office. I started to research Tom when he was a boy, trying to find his lineage. Even though I did not know at the time what he was to become, I had the sense that he was significant. You may use my Pensieve to view those memories, I hope you'll find what you need."
Hermione offered him a slight smile "I hope so, too. Otherwise this will be very difficult."
They talked a little longer, Hermione warned him of the connection between Voldemort and Harry, which Dumbledore was already suspicious of. Otherwise their talk was rather superficial and the aged wizard departed before Molly called for dinner time.
Dinner was awkward to say the least. Tensions between the Order members were still high but everyone tried to keep the topics discussed at the meeting out of the dinner conversation. Which in turn just made the Twins more curious and they started to ask probing questions.
Fortunately she and Fleur were able to have a nice conversation with Tonks, but she kept catching slight glances sent her way from the youngest Weasley son. It seemed he still hadn't gotten over the fact that she and Fleur were still together. She just shrugged it off. She really didn't have time to deal with his drama.
Fred and George took it upon themselves to provide some after dinner entertainment, demonstrating some of their recent inventions. They weren't willing to divulge the identity of their 'secret investor,' but Hermione knew it was Harry. Last time he had given them his winnings from the Tournament. This time he apparently just fronted them the start up capital. Well, that meant Hogwarts was about to become a test bed for Skiving Snackboxes, Puking Pastilles, and Nosebleed Nougats.
After dinner, she and Fleur retired to their room, casting their defensive wards so they could speak freely without being listened in on.
"So… how exactly are we going to keep an eye on Harry to make sure things go according to the old timeline, hunt Horcruxes, and plan the trap for Voldemort? And without access to my family's resources? And avoid being found by Bellatrix? We might be magical but even that is stretching it." Fleur groaned as she rubbed her temples.
"I have an idea, but I don't think you're going to like it."