James, Remus, Sirius and Lily followed Professor Dumbledore to his office. He was still supporting Lily and when they reached the steps he whispered the password. All of the portraits of the past headmasters and mistresses were looking at the motley crew that had just entered the room.

"Please sit down and make yourselves comfortable. Lemon Drop anyone?"

Three of them declined, but Sirius grabbed one and popped it into his mouth.

"Wow, those things are tart little buggers, aren't they?" Sirius coughed out.

"I guess you are all wondering what your letters are about then? Lily knows what is going on, but I think it would be prudent to inform the rest of you."

"This morning at dawn, Hermione and Severus Snape left the school grounds..."

"They can't do that, I hope you're looking for them and are then going to punish them!" Sirius exploded.

"Mr. Black, I was fully aware that they were leaving. In fact, I went with them to the apparation point. They left to go and meet up with Lord Voldemort."

All four heads snapped towards the headmaster and in unison screamed, "WHAT!"

"Why would you let her do that? Did Snivellus make you do it? Is he holding her hostage?"

"I can't believe you let them go!"

"She is going to be killed; if that sneaky Slytherin doesn't do it, his physco master sure will!"

"CALM DOWN, EVERYONE!" No one had ever heard the headmaster yell like that before and they were all stunned into silence.

"I know all of you are concerned, but that's why we are having this discussion, to try and help aleviate your fears. Now, as I was saying, Hermione came up with a plan and felt that since she knew so much about Voldemort, she would be the best choice for the job. Severus volunteered to go with her, so she was not alone."

"That snake probably just wanted to get credit for bringing her to that monster," Remus fumed.

Lily had heard enough and stood up and faced the three young men.

"I have heard just about enough of you. Severus and Hermione are brother and sister. Why would he turn in the one person who has shown him any human decency?"

"Her brother, but how?"

"They did a blood ritual and become blood siblings. She was going to tell you the night all three of you cursed Severus."

Remus went to say something, but Lily put her finger up and glared at him, daring him to say anything.

"Don't even, Remus. You were there and did nothing to stop these two, in fact if I remember correctly, you even growled at him. Even though you didn't throw any hexes you are just as guilty. Hermione wants to go back and she figured that she could at least do one last thing for us before she left. That's if she gets the chance to leave."

"What do you mean?"

Professor Dumbledore motioned to Lily that he would take it from there.

"When they are presented to Voldemort, they are going to take the Dark Mark and infiltrate his ranks. Severus is going to become a potions master and Hermione is going to become a concubine."

"LIKE HELL SHE IS!"

"Mr. Lupin, this will be the only way for her to infiltrate and get close enough to Voldemort. He only allows a select few male Death Eaters to be near him and two of his concubines. One thing not many people know of Voldemort is that he prizes intelligence. His other two concubines are not the brightest witches one could ever meet, in fact I remember one of them barely passed her N.E.W.T.'s. They are chosen for their beauty. Anyone who has met Hermione knows she is highly intelligent and also very beautiful. She also knows more spells than most her age and has had experience in fighting Voldemort. If all goes according to plan, she will become his chief concubine and therefore sit with him at all meetings and also hold his ear. She and Severus will be spies for our side and at the same time be able to influence Voldemort to make wrong or hasty decisions. They both should be returning soon and then we can go from there. I ask that none of you say a word about any of this and if you don't want to be a part of this I can erase your memories of this conversation."

All the occupants in the room shook their heads and sat quietly for a while thinking over all the information they had just learned.

"Why didn't she tell any of us this?"

"It's kind of hard to when you are being accused of being a traitor and the people who are SUPPOSED to be your friends won't talk to you!" Lily glared at the dark haired boy. All three looked thoroughly embarrassed and ashamed.

Remus looked to Lily and tenatively asked, "You mean she and Severus never..?"

"No, they didn't. She was training him in wandless magic and he was training her in Legilimency and Occlumency. They did the blood ritual and become blood siblings. I even went a few times and got to learn some stuff. She is absolutely brilliant. It's like art watching her fight."

Just then the door to the office burst open and a very bloody and beat up Severus stumbled in.

"Headmaster, it worked," he said before collapsing onto the floor.

"What worked, you bastard? Where's Hermione?"

"Lupin, I think you gave up the right to care about Hermione the second you broke up with her, or maybe it was the time you humiliated her in front of the other Gryffindors or better yet maybe it was the time you stuck your tongue down that whore's throat, right in front of her; oh I'm sorry, maybe I should be a little more specific as to which time I'm referring to, that happened more than once, didn't it? Don't you dare pretend to care now!" Severus spat out at Remus.

The headmaster came over and asked Severus to tell him what happened.

Severus' eyes glassed over for a moment like he was pulling up a memory.

"We got there like planned and were brought into a main chamber before You-Know-Who. He questioned us for a while to see where our loyalties lay. After he was convinced that I was genuine he put me through a few rounds of Crucio and then gave me the Dark Mark." Severus rolled up his sleeve and showed them his gouged flesh. It looked as if someone had carved the snake and skull into his skin with a dull knife. Dumbledore waved his wand over the wound and it began to heal up.

"I was pulled up and made to stand with the rest of the group. You-Know-Who said he didn't have a potions master in his fold yet and I was a more than welcomed addition. After everything was done someone apparated with me to the school gates and left me there."

"What happened to Hermione?"

"She had to work a little harder to convince everyone that she was genuine. He made her kill a muggle woman they had captured. I think she put the poor woman out of her misery. She was so beat up and it looked like each of the Death Eaters had taken a turn with her. She wasn't even regonizable as a person. After Hermione killed the woman, You-Know-Who had her stand in front of everyone and put on a little performance."

"What did he have her do?"

"He had her strip in front of all the Death Eaters. It was like they had never seen a naked woman before. You-Know-Who obviously liked what he saw and Crucio'd her in front of everyone. She refused to make a noise. She just knealt there on the floor, twitching and naked, in front of everyone. They started to come closer to her, I guess hoping to get a chance at her once he stopped. He released her and then stood up and went and helped her up. Everyone looked a little shocked at this and stepped back. He then told the group that she was his and anyone caught touching her in any way would die. He then started to lead her into a small room off to the side, when one of his other concubines apparently didn't like this new plan and ran up and attacked Hermione. You-Know-Who went to turn his wand on her, when Hermione placed her hand on his arm and asked if she could take care of it. You-Know-Who looked impressed and nodded his head. To make a long story short she kicked the other woman's butt and then did some impressive wandless magic on her. She turned and walked away and You-Know-Who told her to kill the woman, but she just told him that she had saved that privilege for him. I don't know how, since he doesn't have a heart, but I think he fell in love with her at that moment. He laughed and flicked his wand at the woman and she fell over dead. The male Death Eaters were standing there with their tongues on the floor, but not one of them made a comment. A few minutes later they both came out and Hermione was wearing this black tight floor length dress and had her hair up and snake bands wrapped around her arms. The dress left little to the imagination and in fact it looked like she was going to fall out of it at any minute. It also had a slit up to her left hip. You-Know-Who made her lay in front of his throne with her back to the rest of us and lift her dress and spread her legs. I thought he was going to rape her in front of everyone, but he pointed his wand at her and said the incantation for the Dark Mark. She flinched a little, but didn't scream. He laughed and reached out to help her up. He then called for someone to bring her a chair and placed it one step lower, but right beside him. It was then that I was brought here."

"You just left her there, by herself?"

"I really didn't have much of a choice, now did I?"

"Gentlemen, fighting will not help us out."

"You're right grandfather, it won't."

Everyone turned to the door and saw Hermione standing there, still wearing the dress that Severus had described. She went and sat down between Lily and Severus.

"Severus told us most of what happened, up until the time he left. Is there anything else you can add?"

"Not really, he just gave me this ring." She showed everyone a ring on her middle right hand that had a snake wrapped around a skull.

"He said that everyone would regonize this ring and know that I am his. He also wants me to recruit more students from the school and to start a group in the school to overthrow you. He said the last person they would suspect would be one of Dumbledore's precious Gryffindors. After that he personally apparated me here and told me that from now on, he would apparate with me and I am not to go with anyone else."

Albus nodded his head in understanding. Remus looked at the beauty across the room from him and wanted to run and hold onto her forever. He also felt betrayed. Sirius and James were being unusually quiet. The headmaster dismissed them all and Lily and Hermione walked out with their arms linked, Severus right behind them, followed by the three Mauraders. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Severus headed towards the dungeons and the others made their way up to Gryffindor Tower. Halfway there, James tapped Lily on the shoulder and asked if he could talk to her. Hermione nodded her head to Lily and whispered to her to listen to everything James had to say and to give him a second chance. Lily whispered back that Hermione should follow her own advice. The two smiled at each other and Lily walked off with James. Soon Remus and Sirius surrounded her on either side and the three walked in silence for a while. Sirius, who couldn't hold it in anymore, asked, "Did the Crucio's and getting the Dark Mark hurt alot? I've heard they're really painful."

"Yeah, they were painful, but I've been hurt worse recently." Hermione quickened her pace and reached the fat ladies portrait. Just as she was stepping into the common room someone grabbed her shoulder from behind and she was turned around to be standing face to face with Sirius.

"Listen, Hermine, I know that no matter how many times I say I'm sorry, it's still not going to make up for how I treated you. So here goes, I am really truly so very sorry for all that I did and said to you. I was jealous and nervous that you were taking my two best friends away from me, and where would that leave me?"

"With two more best friends besides the ones you still had."

"I know, I realize that now and I know that it is going to take a long time before you can trust me again, but I would like to try and eventually become friends again."

"I would love that too, Sirius. Just tell me what is bothering you and maybe we can work it out together."

"You mean I will have to talk about my feelings? You do remember I'm a guy, right?"

Hermione laughed at Sirius' shocked expression and playfully punched him in the arm as he stepped into the room.

"Umm, Hermione, maybe we could get back together?"

"Remus, I don't think that would be a good idea, especially not now. A relationship right now would only complicate things more. Besides, I don't know if I will ever be ready for a relationship again. Please don't wait around for me; if you find someone go after them and don't let them go." Hermione stepped into the common room, leaving Remus standing in the hall.

"But the only one I'll ever want is you." He whispered to himself. He replayed her words in his head and realized that he had been issued a challenge and if anything could be said about Remus John Lupin, it was that he never backed down from a challenge. Smiling, he entered the common room and sat down on the couch beside his fellow Maurader. He was staring into the fire for a while when Sirius finally asked him if he had gotten into one of Slughorn's potions.

"No, just thinking about how I'm going to get the woman I love more than anything and how you and James are going to help me."

Sirius knew that look on Remus and realized there was no point in trying to get out of it, so he just nodded his head and told his friend to let him know what he had to do.