(Two Months Ago)
.i."What were you thinking?" Sirius raged as he paced back and forth in the Headmaster's office. "You could have been taken! Tortured! Executed!"
Hermione sat sullenly on the sofa as the irate wizard ranted. James was sitting across from her, his face in his hands as Sirius paced behind him. Dumbledore had yet to say a word from his seat in his armchair, silently stewing and obviously angry.
"How could you be so reckless?" Sirius hollered. He didn't even pause for a response. "You should never have left the Three Broomsticks!"
"Quite right," Dumbledore agreed finally. Sirius' pacing came to a sudden halt. Dumbledore raised his gaze to meet that of his former student's. "You never should have left the Three Broomsticks, Sirius."
Hermione and James both looked up, their eyes wide. "Hermione is your responsibility. You are her guard. This is not a new development."
Hermione shifted in her seat. "Professor," she protested, "it's not Sirius' fault. He's been doing a fantastic job."
"And yet, when you needed him most he wasn't there." The elderly wizard raised his eyebrows at her. "I would hardly call that doing one's job, would you?"
Hermione turned to Sirius but the wizard was staring at his feet, his shoulders hunched. He refused to meet her gaze.
"Voldemort is clearly aware of Hermione's involvement with the Order, though obviously not to what degree. If he had any clue, he would never have let you go." Dumbledore levelled Hermione with a heavy stare. She looked down at her feet as well.
James was the only one left with any courage to look the Headmaster in the eye and asked, "What do we do?"
"School ends in two weeks. There are no more Hogsmeade trips and I will refrain from using Hermione's expertise in the Order. We will need to come up with a plan for the coming summer months." Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at Hermione. "You will be attending muggle university in the fall?"
"The winter," Hermione quietly corrected. There was a twinkle in Dumbledore's eye that she couldn't read. It left her feeling uneasy.
"You will need protection until you've fully separated from the wizarding world. We will need to relocate your family to a safe house. Perhaps have a guard set up-"
"- That - that won't be necessary," Hermione hesitantly put in. She shifted in her seat. "My family won't be a target."
James leaned forward, his face sympathetic. "I know it seems like they're removed from the situation, but You-Know-Who will use them as leverage against you."
She shook her head. "He won't. He can't. I… I made a deal."
Sirius finally looked up from the floor. His eyes were narrowed in obvious suspicion. He knew Hermione well enough now to know that was probably worse than it sounded, and it sounded bad. "With who?"
"You-Know-Who," she whispered. "He agreed not to touch my family and to harm anyone who tried."
Dumbledore jumped to his feet. His gaze was thunderous. "And what did you promise him in return?" Hermione jumped at his sharp tone. "Voldemort does not give out open handed gifts. He will expect something back."
"I - nothing. I swear!" she shouted when everyone gave her pitying looks. "I made the deal. I had to fight one of his Death Eaters. My family's immunity from him was my prize."
"Miss. Granger…"
"Don't 'Miss. Granger' me, Professor! I will not let that man use my family against me. I won their immunity. I owe him nothing and he knows it. Besides, he will have little interest in me once I'm in university." She narrowed her eyes at him. "And our association ends once I graduate."
Dumbledore didn't say anything for a long moment before murmuring, "If you think that's best."
Hermione didn't say anything. Sirius leaned his hands on the back of the couch, his shoulders hunched. "You don't?" he asked.
"It's not really for me to say. Miss. Granger clearly thinks she's more than capable to handle anything that comes her way." Hermione glared at his response, hating how childish he made her sound.
"Professor…" Sirius insisted.
"If Voldemort can't get to Hermione through her family directly, he will work even harder to simply get to her." He raised his eyebrows at her. "We know he has a vested interest in you, especially now that he has sought you out personally. You may not be free of him as quickly as you think."
Hermione looked away from the Headmaster. She wasn't going to ask for his help. It was all his fault Voldemort was even interested in her in the first place. She had not asked to help his movement. He had asked her.
"What do you suggest we do?" Sirius asked. His voice was deep, his expression heavy. Hermione was honestly surprised that he was standing by her, despite his obvious fury.
Dumbledore shrugged simply and shook his head. "I can't afford the risk of protecting her."
"Professor!" James exclaimed. Hermione rolled her eyes and looked away. She expected no less of her Headmaster.
"You must be joking!" Sirius shouted.
"Calm down," Hermione snapped. "He doesn't mean he won't help. He will, as long as I continue working for the Order," she raised an eyebrow at her Headmaster, "isn't that right, Professor?"
Dumbledore looked politely offended. "I don't think I appreciate the connotation, Miss. Granger."
"Well," James put in nervously, "is she wrong?"
Dumbledore didn't respond and that was all the answer any of them needed. Hermione scoffed. She jumped to her feet and stormed out of the Headmaster's office.
"Hermione!" Sirius shouted after her. He caught her arm in the entry hall, just outside of the office. "You can't just walk away."
"Of course I can."
"This is your safety we're talking about," he implored. She was rather surprised he wasn't angrier. "Do you really think he'll leave you alone?"
Hermione looked down at her feet. No, she didn't. "I'm going to choose a university away from - everything." She met his gaze steadily. "It's my only way out."
"And until then?" At Hermione's confused face, he elaborated. "You said you don't start university until the winter. What're you going to do before then? He will know that's the best time to attack. Regardless of whether you're working for the Order or not - you're too valuable to let just slip away."
"He's right," James put in, who had slipped into the small antechamber behind them. "I know you don't want to keep doing this but… You're helping people. And we can help you too."
Hermione shook her head. "You don't get it. The more I help, the greater of a threat I am to Voldemort. And the greater of a threat I am, the more I need the Order. That's what Dumbledore wants."
"How about just the summer?" Sirius reasoned. "Your work will remain as top secret as always. After two months, we'll see where we're at. You can choose if you want to continue or…" Sirius swallowed and the words seemed to hurt as he said, "… or walk away." Hermione made a pained face. "It's just two months, kitten. What could happen in two months?"
James glared at Sirius. "Way to jinx it."
Hermione sighed heavily. She rested her hands on her hips as she looked down at her feet. The boys were both silent as they let her think it over.
Voldemort had told her the magical world would drag her back in. He would make sure of it. She knew he would come after her but she didn't think he would do it the way Dumbledore claimed. There would be pressure. She would definitely be watched. But she wouldn't be taken. He was smarter than that, which meant that she definitely needed help.
Hermione met their worried gazes. "Two months," she agreed.