Days later... December twenty-first, 2002.
Hermione felt no pain.
As a matter of fact, the Brunette had not felt this refreshed in years. Sighing quietly, she almost felt herself sink deeper into the feathery comfort of the bed below her...
Bed?
The witches brown eyes flew open, immediately snapping to the tall wizard to the side of the large room. The man was staring out of a vast window, soaking in the sunlight. Shards of light danced across every surface of the room, sending dazzling displays flashing across her retinas.
Her eyes were drawn to the man, yet she attempted to downplay her interest in him by pretending to study the rest of the room. Her eyes instinctively traveled to the doorway, a mere matter of yards away. To her surprise, she found her own wand inches away, within fingertips reach.
"I see you've awaken Miss Granger." The man at the window remained standing, a hint of amusement in his voice. He made no movement to turn toward her, meerly being content with looking out the window. "I must confess, I was upset over your... predicament."
She eyed him strangely, unsure of what he was speaking of. The minutes passed, and in a huff, the frustrated witch asked, "What predicament?"
He turned toward her finally, looking into the brunettes eyes, as if the contact was the only thing in the world.
Before he spoke, Hermione took a moment to gaze at the face of the man before her.
He had shoulder length brown hair, tossed over his shoulder at the moment, pooling down his back at the moment. He had a small goatee upon his thin chin, giving him a regal, powerful appearance. His body was hidden by a large black cloak, a thin golden thread around the trim, but he seemed to be well built, mid-forties, she guessed by the slight hint of wrinkles licking at his eyes, either from older age, or severe stress.
"I am speaking, of course, about the fact that the Order has been scattered. Their last headquarters has been destroyed once again, and they are left without any where to go."
The witches face turned to steel, mind racing, wondering how the man before her knew these thing's. He looked her in the eyes, and he could not only feel, but see the spark of interest fall from her eyes, replaced by the hardened look of someone who's trust was a challenge to gain.
"Unfortunately, I don't have an idea of what your speaking. Are you sure you've got the right woman?" Her voice was light, but her frame was locked in a hostile way, just like the fact that her wand was pointing idly in her direction.
She blinked agitatedly as the man before her began laughing, his eyes never fully leaving hers.
" Miss Granger, We both know you are in fact, the leader of the secret Order of the Phoenix. Do not worry. I'm not your enemy. I'm here to help you."
She looked puzzled, the young woman examining the room around her, as she asked the question that was pulling at her.
"Who are you? And where am I exactly?" the witch asked, her heart beating frantically.
"You are in my castle, in the northern part of Scotland. Why don't you follow me?" The man beckoned, his hand waving toward the door.
She glanced to her right, staring at the door briefly, before glancing back at the man, his hand outstretched toward the witch, still buried in her bed sheets. She bit her lip gently, tugging at the corner of her lips, reluctantly leaving the comfort of her bed. She stepped from the bed, her legs giving slightly, as a fresh wave of dizziness washes over the brunette.
She leaned against the wall for a brief moment, waiting until the moment passed, her eyes once again finding his arm, which she promptly shoved away with her hand. She glared at him momentarily, the man smiling broadly at her.
Her hand skimmed the brass door knob, her other hand pushing against the wood work. The door swung open with hardly a sound, the sight of a vast hall meeting her eyes. The hall was similar to the great hall of Hogwarts, slightly smaller, and with very few portraits. The door led into the middle of the hall, to their right laid of large set of Double doors, metal bolts set inside the door, and to the left, lay a large set of stairs, with marble rails running the entire length of the staircase.
The paintings spotting the chamber were much larger than the paintings in Hogwarts, spanning the entire length of a wall. Behind her, she heard a throat being cleared. She turned to find the mysterious man standing next to the large double doors, clearly waiting for the witch to follow him. He smiled as she walked toward him before turning to the door, and with a clap of his hands, the doors swung open soundlessly.
Beyond the doorway lay a large dining hall, a long table covered in a crimson table cloth taking up the room. What made the young witch hesitate was the fact that at the table sat every member of the order, eating peacefully.
Her eyes turned to the man to her side, her mind whirring.
"How are they here? How'd you find them after the left the church?" The which asked, her eyes narrowing slightly, her hand reaching for her wand instinctively.
"They Apparated here, much as you would have done if you had not been.. out of commission." he said slowly, his eyes scanning the members before him, before turning to meet Hermione's gaze.
"We've never been here though. There's no way to Apparate somewhere you've never been before..." Her voice trailed off, her hand slowly pulling her wand out of her pocket.
"I will explain everything in due time." The man quickly said, eyeing the witches hand. "For now, please, relax and eat with your companions." Without waiting for her answer, the man turned and passed through the doorway.
Slowing to a stop, the man glanced back, and grinning slightly said, "And my name is Valen
"I will explain all, in due time of course, but for now you must humor me and eat with your companions." Without giving her time to protest, he turned and passed through the doorway, before he stopped.
He turned toward her briefly, and said, "And my name is Valen, Miss Granger." Without another word, the man walked away quietly.
Hermione walked into the dining hall quickly, making her way toward professor McGonagall, who sat quietly watching her leader approach. The elder woman set her fork down quietly, making room for the confused witch to sit beside her.
"Minerva," Hermione said coldly, her voice all business. "Is everyone here?" The witch asked, eying the people milling around the large dinner chamber.
"Yes, everyone has been accounted for. However," The ex teacher continued, seeing the questioning look in Hermione's eyes. "We are not completely sure how we came to be here. After discussing it with everyone else, we've come to the conclusion we all Apparated here, despite not knowing where here is exactly." The witch ended with her remaining hand sweeping outward to the hall.
"How long have we been here?" Hermione asked, as she caught Anthony's eye. She silently motioned for him to wait, although she could tell he was angry with her.
Hermione turned to her old teacher as McGonagall chuckled, noticing Hermione catching Anthony's gaze.
"We have been her for two days..." McGonagall trailed off as Hermione looked stricken.
"And he worried about you the entire time." The elder witch finished, smiling at her student.
"Thank you Minerva. If you'll excuse me I better have a word with him.." She mumbled lamely, slowly standing and gesturing to the man across the hall. Without a word the teacher watched the pair disappear around the Hall's corner, making there way into privacy.
Hermione caught a glimpse of Anthony's robes disappearing into a small room off the main hallway. She silently entered the room, seeing the man before her gripping the window sill he was leaning against so hard his knuckles were turning a faint white.
The witch took a deep breath, her chest expanding slightly. "Anthon-"
"Don't." The man said, his voice full of frustration. "Not only did you rush in there without ma help.. you wer' injured. And if it hadn't been for Valen you 'ould have died." He turned toward her, pain and anger evident in the way he stood, his eyes borrowing into hers. "Don't ever do that to me again Hermione. If anything happen to you.. Ae don't know what ae would do.
"I'm sorry Anthony." Hermione said softly, hanging her head. "I've lost so many people due to this war I couldn't stand losing you to." She looked up as she felt his hand wrap around her back, pulling her into a tight embrace.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings but you can't save the whole world, you have to have help." He whispered, his face buried in her hair. In the back of the brunettes mind she faintly thought how ironic those words were, after being said to a certain raven haired wizard for so long.
"I just don't want to be left without an answer," he finished, looking at her with a small smile.
She smiled, not quite letting it reach her eyes as she kissed him on his cheek and told him she wouldn't leave him ever.
"Do you know who this Valen guy is?" The witch asked suddenly, shifting into leader mode.
Anthony took a step back, relaxing against the cool stone wall behind him. "We don't know anything about him really, Although were pretty sure he's telling us the truth about helping us. Something is strange about this castle though, from what our spells can determine these wards shouldn't exist. There the most powerful wards seen in generations, and from what Travis can tell us, there more powerful than the Ministry's wards."
Hermione's eyes widened slightly, her face showing her blatant disbelief. "How can that be..?
Has he said anything important?"
"No beside Meal times we don't see him." Anthony answered, his hand rubbing through his thick hair. "We've explored the castle as much as we can and it seems that this castle is amazingly large. We've only explored a fraction of it and it already looks bigger than Hogwarts."
"I need to talk to the rest of the order." Hermione kissed him again as she beckoned him to follow her into the dining hall.
A/n: So Sorry it took me so long to get an update posted, I've had a rough school start so far, and combined with loss of internet at my house I simply haven;t had a way to update. Next chapter coming within the next several days, so please R&R