A/N: Once again, a big thank you to those of you who reviewed and to RenitaLeandra who managed to get this chapter out even though she was very busy. I really do appreciate it!

Chapter 4

It was completely quiet in the room as Hermione looked over at Harry. She walked over and touched him on his shoulder. He tensed at the contact.

"Harry? Are you okay?"

For a long moment she didn't think he would answer, but slowly he pulled his hands away from his face and looked up at her. She saw guilt and frustration in them. Then he turned and looked at Professor McGonagall.

"Why didn't Professor Dumbledore ever tell me? Why didn't you tell me before now?"

"We can only guess why Albus kept this a secret," she said quietly, "however I can only assume that it is for the same reason that I did. The greatest chance of Severus Snape being successful as a spy, was for as few people as possible to be completely aware of the circumstances regarding his loyalty. When he died, he left these memories with Aberforth who, aside from Albus and Severus, was the only one who knew why Severus was trusted so completely. Aberforth had been instructed to give me the memories in the event of Albus's death and I shared them with Remus as he was now the head of the Order. We contacted Severus shortly after that and never intended for anyone to know the truth until the war was over. It seemed the safest course of action given the extremely dangerous situation he was in."

"However, Severus made a rather rash decision this afternoon to approach Miss Granger here," her eyes flickered toward Hermione, "and I knew then that we could no longer keep this a secret. It was only a matter of time before Hermione told you. In addition to that, there have been developments that now require your knowledge."

"What developments?" Harry asked.

"I will leave that to Severus to explain. However I must request that neither of you tell anyone what you have seen here. It is better for Severus if not everyone is aware of the Unbreakable Vow. It is better to have people suspicious in case You-Know-Who finds out about his contact with us."

Both Harry and Hermione nodded their agreement and Professor McGonagall led them out of the room. The tension in the Great Hall was so thick Hermione thought that she could nearly feel it on her skin. Snape was standing next to Remus, although they both appeared to be highly uncomfortable. There was the quiet buzz of talking throughout the rest of the room.

Hermione's eyes once again rested on the man in the back of the room. She now recognized him from the Pensieve. It was Aberforth Dumbledore. He did not appear to be terribly interested in the events in the room, however he sat a little straighter as he saw them enter. She went and sat back down next to Ginny, while Harry went over to stand next to Remus and Snape.

"What happened in there?" Ginny asked Hermione as she took her seat. "You were in there forever."

Hermione gave her a guilty look, unsure of what to say. Before Ginny could question her further, her eyes widened as she watched Harry. He had approached Snape and they looked at each other warily for a long moment. Then Harry held out his hand. Snape paused for an instant and then quickly met Harry's hand with his own for a shake. They broke apart quickly and Harry looked more than a little embarrassed. He could hear the increase in the volume of people's voices, so he turned toward them to speak.

"I can't tell you all thatI know, but I'm going to ask you to trust me," he said nervously, shifting from one foot to the other. "Snape is to be treated with the same respect as you would treat me."

A hush fell over the room and it appeared that he had rendered them all speechless. Several people were staring at him with their mouths hanging open in shock. Harry looked around the room to see if there would be any outright objections. When it became clear there would be none, he took his seat again next to Hermione. Then Professor McGonagall got up to speak.

"Severus has been continuing his role as a spy since Professor Dumbledore's death and has been in constant contact with both Remus and myself. However, since the recent rescue of Harry, some new issues have arisen that make it necessary for you all to be aware of Severus's continued role with the Order of the Phoenix." She glanced over toward Severus who stepped forward.

"The Dark Lord has been particularly angry that Harry was able to escape along with Auror Tonks and Miss Granger, during what should have been the perfect trap. In fact, his anger is so great that he is questioning the loyalty of his Death Eaters, myself included. He believes that someone must have been helping them to escape and he is now testing the loyalty of each one of us. He has given me orders that I am to kidnap a member of the Order, a member of Potter's inner circle, in the hopes of luring him back to be recaptured. The only way I can continue my role as a spy is to obey his order."

The room broke out into loud panicked conversations, but Severus continued speaking over them.

"I have spoken to Professor McGonagall and Mister Lupin regarding this, but ultimately, it will be the decision of the person I have been ordered to take back."

Then Hermione stared in shock as he walked over to her, looking down at her with a fierce gaze. "Miss Granger, just how much are you willing to sacrifice for Mister Potter?"

"NO!" shouted Harry and he stood up placing himself between Hermione and Snape. "I won't allow it! I don't care what happens!"

Severus gave him a hard glare. "Step aside Potter. I don't believe the question was addressed to you." He stared down at her again and she felt all the blood drain from her face. Although she always thought she would do anything to help Harry, she had never expected this.

"Severus," Remus said coming to stand next to them and gently pulling on Harry's arm. "I think you need to explain the entire situation to Hermione."

"If she were truly loyal to the cause, she would not need any further enticement. Unless I am the only one here truly willing to risk my life for the defeat of Voldemort." He glared at the people scattered around the room.

"She was involved in the rescue and has risked her life as much as anyone," Harry said pulling his arm free of Remus's hand. "How dare you question her loyalty!"

Hermione put her hand out to silence everyone. "I will do whatever is requested of me," she said meeting Severus's eye. "I have risked my life before for the cause, including Voldemort's reappearance at the Department of Mysteries." She looked at Severus and raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe you were present for that, however. As I recall, you remained behind at Hogwarts."

She was rewarded with seeing Severus's face flush,and she felt a rush of pride regardless of Remus's attempt to quiet her. "This is not a contest of bravery," Remus said quietly. "Everyone in this room has proven their valour."

Professor McGonagall also came over. Many of the other people in the room had moved closer to them in the hopes of hearing everything that was being said.

"Hermione," she said as she reached them, "this is as much an opportunity for us as You-Know-Who believes it is for him. We have discussed our possibilities and Severus believes that if he could teach you Occlumency, that we could plant false memories in your head, giving You-Know-Who a distorted picture of our plans. This could be the greatest opportunity we have for a long time."

"No way!" Harry said again. "Snape tried to teach me Occlumency and look at how that turned out. Voldemort just ended up with more access to my thoughts."

"We are assuming that Miss Granger will not prove to be as weak as you were Potter," Severus said sneering at him.

This time Harry grabbed his wand, shoving it at Severus's chest. "Would you like to continue insulting me?"

Hermione grabbed Harry's hand, forcing him to point the wand downward. "Don't Harry. It's not worth it. We must all try to get along for the sake of the Order."

"Yes, Potter. Perhaps for once you can stretch your thoughts beyond only yourself. There are other people to consider here."

Harry glared at him but put his wand away and backed off. Hermione turned to look at Severus, Minerva, and Remus, who were all looking at her expectantly.

"How much time do I have?"

"The Dark Lord has told me that he expects me to bring you to him within a week," said Severus.

"A week?" Her voice rose with shock. "But Harry was taking Occlumency lessons for months."

"Yes, well, as I said, we are hoping you will prove more efficient," Severus said while Harry's face flushed with anger. "We will begin lessons first thing in the morning. It will be gruelling, but this will be the kind of opportunity the Order has been looking for since the Dark Lord's return. If I am successful in this, I should have the Dark Lord's complete trust."

Hermione nodded and glanced around the room, taking in everyone's reactions to the situation. Harry looked angry still; Ginny, Molly and Arthur looked concerned. Fred and George looked on encouragingly as if this would be a great adventure for her. She saw Neville tremble a little as if the idea was more frightening than he could bear. Many of the older Order members were looking concerned, except Tonks who gave her a smile when she met her eyes.

Then her eyes met Aberforth's for the first time. He had also moved closer to hear what was going on. He gave her a small encouraging smile, his eyes twinkling in a way that reminded her so strongly of his brother… she could hardly bear it.

"So what's it going to be girl?" he asked in the same gravelly voice she had heard in the Pensieve.

She turned to Severus and nodded. "Alright. I'll do it, for Harry and the Order."

Severus just nodded and backed away. "I will expect you tomorrow morning at seven o'clock in the Room of Requirement. And leave your wand behind." And then he walked away out of the Great Hall, never turning to look back.

Remus stepped forward and put his arms around Hermione in a hug. "You'll be fine. We all have faith in you."

Several more people came over to express their opinions on the subject. Whether it was the twins heartily telling her that she had lost her mind; Molly's tearful hug; or Hestia Jones's nervous patting, everyone seemed to have something to say.

Finally the room began to empty, as the people who were staying drifted back to their dorms, and others began leaving the property to Apparate home. Hermione saw Remus and Tonks wander outdoors into the night, their arms around each other. She felt a sudden pang of heartache and loss, and her eyes filled with tears. The only person whose concern she really wanted right then was Ron's. He would have been furious at the idea, but at least she always knew he cared. When sheturned away-- unable to continue looking-- Hermione saw Harry and Ginny watching her with an expression of sympathy on their faces.

"Come on," Harry said, motioning in the other direction. "Why don't you come with us? We're going to go see if the house-elves have anything to eat in the kitchen."

"Oh, that's okay Harry. I'm not really hungry," Hermione said tiredly.

"Come on dear," Molly said putting her arm around Hermione's shoulder. "We'll all go. You're going to have to keep up your strength if you're going to go through with this."

"Well, alright," Hermione finally said reluctantly. She followed Harry and the Weasley clan down to the kitchens. She spent the rest of the night in a bit of a daze. She was still emotionally exhausted from the funeral and she was physically exhausted from the rest of the day's events. As she fell into bed that night, she thought she had never been so tired in her entire life. That thought had barely enough time to escape her mind, however, when she fell into a restless sleep with dreams of Ron and Snape, and Riddle Manor.