A/N: Hey guys, I just wanted to thank everyone for reviewing and adding me to their alerts list! I know there has been a big gap in between posts but I hope I'm able to fix that soon.
Hermione walked into the sitting room to see Severus lounging quietly while flipping pages in a potions textbook. He looked up as she walked over the threshold and closed his book with an audible 'snap' as she took a seat on the sofa across from him.
"What is it that you needed to talk about Severus?" She questioned lightly; hoping that they would be continuing their discussion about Occlumency.
"The Headmaster has suggested that I speak with out about the option of sitting your N.E.W.T.'s before the start of term this year." He took a breath to gage Hermione's reaction and saw a quirk of an eyebrow not unlike his own and continued.
"I know It seems like short notice, but Albus and I both believe that you are more than capable of passing with adequate scores within the next two weeks. The term begins in four weeks and I am willing to give you a week for revision time with no work outs or practices outside of your occlumency lessons if you see this as an option?"
Hermione's reaction was a myriad of emotion that crossed her face in a short span of time. First confusion, then slight panic, and finally a one sided smile at Severus' compliment.
"So I'd only have a week of revisions?" She asked this question in all seriousness, as if it were a truly disturbing suggestion on his part.
"Yes you would have a full week, but really, you could sit every one of your exams tomorrow and pass with an O without a problem. You do need to realize that this is not just because you are smart, it is because you will not have the time to put towards your studies like you used to." He sighed, then continued, "There are times when you may not even be stable enough to attend classes."
She looked at him with trepadition, then, slowly nodded her head. Just then, Dobby stumbled into the room carrying the tea things and scurried over to put them on the table at Severus' feet and then scampered back out the door without a noise. Having set a lighter mood, Hermione set about adding sugar and cream to their tea and handing Severus the saucer with his cup, no sugar, only cream. She took her own and settled back into the couch.
Severus went back to his book, though he didn't really read any of it. He was thinking about how difficult his life, and Hermione's life, was about to get. He had set up a meeting between her and Lucius Malfoy for the week after term started. They would meet on neutral ground at the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade on the first Saturday night. He hadn't told Hermione yet, just wanting her to concentrate on her N.E.W.T.'s and to finish her occlumency training without any distractions.
Suddenly there was a loud noise coming from the kitchen and Hermione jumped off of the couch and poked her head around the corner of the sitting room to see what had happened, and she saw Harry, Ron, and Ginny stumbling over eachother covored in soot from the floo. Harry looked up at her and grinned lopsidedly and Ron let out a guffawed "hullo!" Ginny just shook her head and walked over to give Hermione a big hug.
"How have you been?" Ginny asked comfortably. "I've been fantastic, I just found out that I'm taking my N.E.W.T.'s early so I can have an easy year this year, helping out with the Order and all, I don't want to be too busy, I mean, it's our seventh year!" Hermione breathed, and grinned back towards Harry and Ron. Ginny pulled a face that showed her obvious dismay at having to remain another year at Hogwarts without her two friends and her elder brother.
Harry suddenly pipe up, "So I've been thinking about some things, do you guys want to head upstairs to Sirius' room and talk for a little bit? There is supposed to be an Order meeting tonight but I want to talk to you guys first."
Everyone nodded and headed up to the third floor; sure enough as soon as they hit the landing, they could hear the rush of the floo again down in the kitchen signaling Order members arriving hoping to catch an early dinner.
Harry pulled them all into the room and plopped down onto the musty smelling bed. "so I've been thinking," Harry started. "that we should ask to be inducted formally into the order as full members. What do you guys think about that?"
The looks that met him made Harry chuckle a little. "I know it's not as if we don't learn everything somehow anyway, but I want to be in on the plans. I'm the one who eventually has to kill that bastard so why not let us in on what they are planning. Besides, we are capable of learning things that some of the professors aren't, especially during term, when no one else is around." Everyone but Hermione nodded their heads in approval; while no one else seemed to notice, her expression was of slight panic. She and Severus had been readying to tell the Order officially of their plan, now they wouldn't be able to do that without risking exposure. It would have to remain between she, Severus, and Dumbledore.
With a sigh she spoke up, "that sounds like a brilliant idea Harry, I'd been thinking about that myself. It does make sense too, I mean, i'm technically of age so I could join anyway, but you and Ron, sorry Ginny, both will be reaching your majority within the next few months anyway. There is no way Mrs. Weasley could keep you two from joining. The only work will be with getting them to induct Ginny as well.
At the Order meeting that night it was agreed that all four of them would formally join the Order when the school term began. Ron and Harry were slightly put off that Dumbledore had insisted on inducting Hermione that night though, under the guise that she and Snape were working on some potions research, and that they felt she would need the information as to why they were developing such potions.
After dinner and saying goodbyes to everyone not residing at headquarters for the rest of the summer, Hermione bid everyone goodnight and went up to the gym, warded the doors against everyone but Severus and pulled out her dance bag. She was in for some relaxation that a bubble bath just could not bring her at the moment.
No one seemed to notice that Hermione was missing except for Severus himself, and he knew exactly where she had gone. When he walked into the side room off of their private gym
he found Hermione still doing her stretches at the high bar. He thought it silly that she always danced in point shoes while in a pair of sweat pants that were pulled up to her calves and an old T-shirt. He knew for a fact that she had with her the proper outfit for her leaping about all the time on her toes.
He quickly schooled his expression and spoke silkily into the quiet room, " You know, you could be doing better things with your time, child." Hermione looked up at him and gave an impish grin before continuing with her ronde jambe's. Looking at a high spot in the wall she pulled away from the bar and did a graceful turn across the floor and landed infront of him with her feet spread gracefully in a wide second position. She giggled and then fell gracelessly onto the floor still laughing. He conjured a chair and sat down in it without ever turning around. Hermione poked him with the box of her pointe shoe and he grabbed her ankle and slowly pulled the shoe off.
"I have yet to see the attraction to such a shoe to your feet." Severus smirked; Hermione simply pulled her other foot back and let him remove her left shoe before sitting back in an indian style position. Figuring he would want to talk.
"Those two idiot boys really should learn to stop feuding all of our plans." He muttered, looking cross for a moment before standing and beginning to pace the floor.
"It makes sense for them to join Severus." Hermione quirped with a sad smile. "Even though they have no idea what they are getting themselves into. You know we can't make this public knowledge for the Order now right? We'll have to continue in secrecy, and I don't know if I can do that."
With a raised eyebrow Severus looked over at her and shrugged, "you will just have to hone in your acting skills and get through it; speaking of which, we really need to get you into gear, at the last meeting the Dark Lord mentioned me setting up a meeting between you and Lucius Malfoy to see if you are worthy to 'welcome into the fold,'" Severus sneared and looked on to the wall before turning to walk to the door. He stopped in the door way and looked to Hermione's gaze, "you should really be studying right now, or getting some sleep you know?" Without another word he swept around the corner and a few seconds later Hermione heard the door to the gym close with a 'click' behind him.
Hermione let out an inaudible sigh, and picked up her things to head back to her rooms. She had no idea how Severus could be so friendly and kind at one moment, and then irate and aloof the next. Closing and warding the door behind her, Hermione headed up another flight of stairs to her room. Pulling off her t-shirt an sweats she climbed into bed for some much needed sleep.
Ok, so i'm almost half way done with Chapter 7, and i'm anticipating a LOT longer chapter, i just couldn't wait to get this part up, and it didn't really mesh with the next chapter. Hopefully a little action will ensue? hint I hope you guys enjoyed! so...
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and thanks again you guys are awesome. :D