NEAR GAIRLOCH, THE HIGHLANDS, SCOTLAND
Continued

Hermione let herself be led towards the front door. The porch stood empty, everyone had gone inside to give them privacy.

As Hermione and Ginny walked through the door, the noise inside quieted until there was nothing but silence. Everyone was gathered in the first room, an open space dedicated to both a common area and a dining table. Hermione smiled at everyone, her heart swelling within her chest. Draco and Snape both stood off to the left, a slight distance from everyone else, leaning back against the plain but massive dining table. Snape's arms were folded over his chest, his expression inscrutable.

Ginny squeezed and then let go of Hermione's hand and crossed the room to stand in front of Draco. His gaze dropped down to meet hers and searched her face until Ginny stepped into his arms. He kissed her hair softly, looking back up at Hermione, his grey eyes cautious.

Hermione's eyebrows rose. Draco's eyebrows rose right back at her in a silent stance of…defiance? Protectiveness? She wasn't sure, but she smiled at him. He stared, bemused, and then turned a quick questioning glance up at Snape.

Hermione was surprised, but she didn't mind. He had saved her life. She could begrudge him nothing. Besides, she was glad Ginny wasn't alone.

Interrupting their silent exchange, Molly approached Hermione and gathered her face in her hands. "Darling Hermione, it's so wonderful to see you, dear. I can't tell you how . . . ." Molly blinked the threat of more tears away and then, in an effort to overcome her emotions, she clucked, offering a smile. "Now then, let me get a good look at you." Molly smoothed back the short curls from Hermione's forehead. Something in Hermione's eyes bothered her, for she stared intently and then shook herself, her own eyes growing dim. "You've been through too much, dear. I'm so sorry." But her face brightened. "Let me get you a bite to eat, love."

Hermione reached for Mrs. Weasley's hand before she had taken a step back. "Molly, I'm so sorry…for…everyone."

Molly patted Hermione's cheek in a tender gesture. "Thank you, dear." Then she hurried into the kitchen, sniffling and wiping her eyes.

Forgoing the other chairs in the room, Ginny hopped up onto the dining table and settled there. Draco stood by her side, his hand on her knee.

Hermione started when the twins snuck up on her. One of them, who knew which, hooked his arm around her waist and started pulling her across the room towards the magically-extended couch.

"Have a seat, Hermie," one said, pushing her down on the couch, then sat down himself.

"Yeah, take a load off," the other added, plopping down on her other side.

"So tell us," the one on her left began.

"what in the name of—"

"Godric's gonads you've been up to," left again, finished, grinning cheekily at her.

"Oh, you know me. Nothing too illegal; Christie can attest to that."

Christie snorted, and the twins looked more delighted than ever.

"Which side o' the truth are ye stretching?" Christie asked, raising one eyebrow.

Hermione shook her head and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Eyeing the twins more seriously, she met Ginny and Draco's eyes as well. She took a deep breath. "Can you please tell me what you've been doing? What is The Order up to? What's the plan? How—"

"Whoa, slow down, there, Twenty Questions, we can't discuss Order business in front of an outsider," the twin on her right interjected.

"Christie is a part of The Muggle Resistance, he's—"

"That's all right, lass," Christie interrupted. "Ye've a fine thing goin' here, and I understand ye scruples, but Mister Snape here has already inducted me into The Order." A self-satisfied grin lit up his face.

The twins glared at Snape; Draco and Ginny simply looked amused.

The twin on the right stood up and addressed Christie. "No disrespect, sir, but we don't know you."

Hermione's chin jutted. "I do." They both tried to speak, but Hermione's voice overrode them. "You have my word he's trustworthy."

Snape cut in, his voice cold. And soft. His voice always seemed to get softer the colder it got. "Thank you, but they don't need your word, Miss Granger. My judgment should be good enough for everyone. Even twitterpated redheads."

The twins rolled their eyes and then shrugged in unison.

No one spoke for a few moments, and then Hermione's curiosity could be withheld no longer. "Please, tell me about the last few years?"

"We've been working behind the scenes," Snape answered, "and in the beginning, most of our efforts were only to save as many people as we could. Damage control, setting up safehouses, smuggling Muggles and Muggle-borns from imminent danger to those safe houses." He paused. "Once anyone was captured, it was almost impossible to get them out." Snape caught Neville's eyes as he said this. The younger man's shoulders went rigid and then, finally, relaxed a bit. Snape continued on as if nothing had happened. "We take as many preventive measures as we can, but we cannot be everywhere at once. At the moment, we're working with what is left of the governments in as many countries as we can, as well as the rising number of Muggles who are willing to—"

"Ginevra Weasley! Get off of that tabletop this instant!" Molly scolded, coming back into the room, dishes floating ahead of her outstretched wand. After Ginny hopped down, not looking repentant in the slightest, Molly continued in the same no-nonsense tone, "Sitting on tables, really! That's what chairs are for! Ginevra, stop trying my patience and make haste and help me set the table."

Complying with little grace, Ginny headed for the kitchen, mumbling under her breath. Draco followed along, suppressing the laughter that wanted to bubble up. Severus narrowed his eyes at Molly, annoyed at the interruption, but Molly ignored his dark glare. It was nothing new. He was always in a dark mood.

"I hope you're all hungry. You two, you can help your sister in the kitchen," she commanded.

The twins hopped up and headed for the kitchen. When your mum gives you that look and says move, you move.

Christie stretched and inquired about the bathroom. Severus answered, and when Christie had gone down the hall, Severus took several steps towards Hermione, but stopped when he was still five or six steps away, keeping a safe distance. Hermione stared up at him.

"It is—" he started to say, and then paused. "It is good that you are safe," he finished, sounding stiff and formal. With an internal grimace, he broke eye contact and then poked his head in the kitchen to let Draco know he needed to speak to him after dinner. He headed down the hallway and up the stairs for a brief moment of peace, refusing to admit to himself he was running away. A man needs peace. It was as simple as that.

Hermione stared after him. Molly made her jump a moment later when she patted her on the shoulder. Molly smiled. "I'm so glad, so very glad, my dear."

Hermione kissed her on the cheek in response. A swelling of love for Mrs. Weasley thickened her throat. While Mrs. Weasley had gotten under her skin from time to time; mostly because her style of parenting was so very different from her own mother, who did not hover at all and encouraged her to be independent from an early age, Harry had loved Mrs. Weasley so much. Hermione felt as if Harry's love for Mrs. Weasley was pouring into her heart. "Mrs. Weasley…."

"You can call me Molly, my dear."

Hermione nodded, and took a deep breath. "Harry would want me to tell you how much you and Arthur meant to him. He loved you so much. You…." Tears flowed again and Molly enveloped her in a hug. Hermione clung to her.

Molly gave her a comforting squeeze and framed Hermione's face in her hand's and then kissed her on the forehead. "My dear, dear girl." She embraced her again.

"Look out, awfully damp in here!" one of the twins called back towards the kitchen.

"Geez, mum, what'd you have to go and make her cry for?" the other twin asked as he paraded a line of dishes ahead of him towards the dining table.

Hermione laughed and wiped her eyes with the pads of her fingers.

"How did I ever raise such boys." Molly let out a resigned sigh, then snapped the tea towel she kept in her apron in George's direction. "Do NOT spill the gravy or I'll have you working in the kitchen before the sun's up to fix breakfast for everyone."

George Levitated the gravy boat onto the table and then the rolls and the butter. "You don't scare me, mum. You'd never let anyone be poisoned by anything I made."

"You would be a fine cook if you just put some effort into it. Though I would be terrified to see what the kitchen might look like in the end. On with you, get the rest!"

Hermione headed into the kitchen to help. She missed her wand, but she still had two hands.

Christie joined them once again as Ginny and Draco brought out the last of the food and set it down. He whistled in open admiration. "This is surely the grandest spread I have ever seen!"

Molly dusted off her apron in pleased agitation. "It was nothing, nothing at all," she said, "and let's not stand here staring at it!" She chuckled, hanging her apron on a nearby coat rack, and took her place at the head of the table.

Easy chatter filled the air as everyone began loading their plates with boiled potatoes (which were excellent, by the way), perfectly fried chicken, steamed broccoli and cheese, seasoned corn on the cob, spoonfuls from the passing gravy boat, bitter carrots, steamed and seasoned cabbage, and much more.

"Care to pass me a roll, there, Granger?" the twin on her right asked, his eyes glittering at her.

Hermione paused. "Only if you tell me which one you are."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm Fred, of course." The other twin, across the table, snorted into his red-peppered corn on the cob, and Hermione narrowed her eyes at the so-called Fred.

"Are you really?"

"What do you think," he asked, grinning.

Hermione huffed. "I think I have no idea."

"Not the insufferable-know-it-all anymore, are you?" Fred teased, after his laughter subsided.

Hermione tossed a roll at his long nose and was gratified when it bounced off his face and into his green beans. Fred chuckled, dipped the previously airborne roll in his potatoes and gravy, and took a Ron-sized bite. Hermione shook her head, not able to curb the grin on her face, and took a bite of her carrots, swallowed, and set her fork down. She asked as seriously as she could, because George was still snickering into his plate, "How am I supposed to tell you two apart these days?"

"That's easy," Fred drawled, "I'm much better looking than George—ow!" Fred glared at George, who had kicked him in the shin.

Someone knocked on the front door.

Severus, having come back downstairs to join them for dinner, stood and approached the door, his wand gripped in his right hand. He waved his wand over the door, casting a silent charm, and the wood grain became partially transparent, revealing five figures on the porch. Three of them were huddled in a tight knot, and the one in the front, sporting a shocking bubble-gum pink pixie cut, was terrifically familiar to Hermione. She stared for a full eight seconds as Snape asked a security question, and then pushed her chair back and jumped up, racing to the now-open door.

Hermione couldn't help grinning at the flabbergasted look on Tonks's face. Tonks stared from Hermione to Snape to the dining table and back in stunned silence. When she finally found her voice, she squeaked and grabbed Hermione in a tight embrace. "You're alive!" she finally cried, finding her voice at last. "Merlin's knobblies, how's it possible?" Tonks asked, releasing Hermione, and held her shoulders with two hands, appraising her, not sure if she believed her eyes.

"It's a long story."

At the sound of shuffling feet behind her, Tonks turned and approached the nervous trio crowded together on the porch. "Speaking of long stories, this is Sam, Beth, and little Tootie." Tonks smiled at the youngest. At the sound of his name, his eyes squeezed shut and his face turned towards Beth's neck.


Excellent boiled potatoes :: a nod at Pride & Prejudice :)