"But in any case, we won't be able to reach Franklin tonight. Once he sets his security measures in motion, no one's getting into that house without the password. I suggest we all get a good night's rest and head there in the morning." Looking around, Nathan was pleased at the nodding faces. While he had never sought to be a leader, he was usually full of good ideas and, when they kept his friends alive, he was forced to acknowledge that being decisive was sometimes necessary. Sirius and Lupin bid him goodnight and began to slowly wander towards their beds. Waiting for the sounds of shutting doors, Nathan propped his feet up and settled in for another sleepless night. If he could manage to find some rest now, it would be days before he awoke again. Time he couldn't afford to waste. Blinking weariness out of his eyes, Nathan heard the sounds of the teenagers upstairs talking and gossiping…how far away those days were from the sleepless warrior. The soft steps coming down the stairs forced Nathan to decide between feigning sleep or facing an inquisition for being awake. Shrugging, the former Auror watched Hermoine turn the corner, her bushy hair beating the rest of her as she, startled, froze in the doorway.

" I didn't know anyone else was still awake…" she trailed off, Nathan becoming slightly interested as he leaned forward, gesturing for the young witch to sit down as he materialized a diet soda in his hand.

"Diet?" She questioned, Nathan laughing lightly.

"The sugar. The regular ones have too much and it makes it harder for me to rest." Letting the explanation end, the restless order member wasn't surprised to see a book focusing on OWL practice techniques clutched to Hermoine's chest.

"Ahh…that makes sense…I just wanted to say…well I've been meaning to…" Nathan tried not to grin…the awkwardness in her voice was something people lost with age…dealing with hardened criminals and ministry officials with silver tongues, the ex-Auror had forgotten about such things…made him wonder what else he had forgotten…

"I just wanted to say thank you for rescuing me." The ex-Auror dismissed it with a wave of his hand, his usual smirk returning as Hermoine shifted nervously in her chair.

"No thanks necessary. I didn't do it out of any sort of nobility." Something in his tone, or maybe in his features, made Hermoine think he was simply being humble. Debating, she decided to press the point slightly. After all, her mysterious guardian had revealed little of himself during their brief time together.

"If you didn't do it for noble reasons, then why did you do it?"

"Simple. Dumbledore and I came to an agreement. I would join the order in exchange for the safety and protection of those close to me." Nathan was trying his best to downplay the whole event, but Hermoine had a look of determination that reminded him of someone else…

"That in and of itself is a virtuous reason. You wanted to protect those closest to you."

"If you say so." Nathan was void of the youthful energy that seemed to be bristling in the young witch, so he decided to let her believe what she would. Besides, she had a good point.

"I heard Lupin say you had an urgent message from Dumbledore. May I ask what it said?" Nathan admired her curiosity…on the one hand, it was Order-related and he should play off the note as none of her business…but on the other, he felt she was mature enough to handle at least the overview.

"Dumbledore was merely alerting me to a potential situation involving a former acquaintance." She didn't press the issue…wise, considering Nathan had nothing further to discuss on the subject. In the unlikely event she was sending any of this information(unbeknownst to Nathan; she had sworn to reveal nothing by Dumbledore) to Harry, he didn't need to be ambushed for not keeping his tongue in check.

"That reminds me of something actually…when Tonks said the other Aurors still talk about you…what exactly did she mean?" Nathan was faced with a hard decision…he could speak honestly and answer the question…or be a jerk and lead her in the wrong direction. Deciding he was too tired to spin a believable tale, the restless wizard took a long chug of his drink.

"I was an Auror during the last wizarding war. I got a good many lucky breaks and had a few epic moments…of course, I should have been killed or captured a dozen times. I was one of the Magical Enforcement Hit Squad members that arrested Sirius." Stopping as Hermoine's jaw drop, Nathan waited. He hadn't believed his old schoolmate was a mass murderer, but then again, the facts were rather convincing at the time. Only after Nathan had heard Dumbledore and Remus swear to it had he finally allowed himself to believe the truth. It was one of the few bright days Nathan could remember in recent days.

"Why did you leave the ministry?" Her blunt question didn't catch the former Auror off guard, he had been forced to answer it repeatedly after his resignation to family and friends.

"There were a good many reasons, not the least of which was my tendency to disrespect authority figures." Leaving that story for another night, Nathan decided to turn the tables.

"So what keeps you up late tonight?"

"Couldn't stop thinking." She said simply, putting down her book and shuffling further back in her chair.

"That's a bad habit madam. You'll end up like me one day." He chuckled, noticing how Hermione seemed to be bracing herself to ask more questions.

"I just don't get it. In your profile, it mentions nothing about being an Auror or…"

"My profile? Been researching me have you?" Hermoine began to shake her head, but stopped and begrudgingly nodded.

"Tonks' comment just made me curious." Staring at the ground, the young witch felt slightly embarrassed. After all, she had no right to be grilling him about his past. She should have stopped at thank you and returned to her room…but something about his care-free attitude bugged her, and she wanted answers.

"You won't find me in the "Order of the Phoenix yearbook" either. I mentioned being a member of the Hit Squad, but you'll notice that my name never appears on any of the ministry's records. I was a ghost agent." Standing up, Nathan began to pace through the room…his limbs coiled for action though departure was still hours away. Hermione, however, took this as a sign of annoyance.

"I'm sorry if I upset you…" She began, Nathan turning to look at her in bewilderment…a few long seconds ticking by before realization caught up to him.

"Not at all Miss Granger. I'm just wishing I could go ahead and get on with things. Stupid people and their "sleep'" He made air quotes with his fingers, Hermoine picking up slowly on the sarcasm before she made an argument about the benefits of rest.

"What things?" This time however, Nathan slowly shook his head. He couldn't divulge anymore to her than he already had, no matter how genuine her curiosity.

"Any more questions for me tonight?" The former Auror inquired, watching the wheels spin inside the young witch's head.

"I just wish your profile was more complete. None of these things are listed."

"And they never will be. Probably better that way. I'd rather not have any more Dark wizards aiming to hunt me down than already are. Fame brings out the evil in people." Falling back into in his chair, Nathan regarded his former charge with interest. She could be a teacher or instructor one day.

"You're an American…so why did you attend Hogwarts? " This question brought back a surge of memories…of Quidditch finals and Hogsmeade visits. Pranks on prefects and sleeping in class. Putting the nostalgia aside, he brought his mind back to the question.

"My mother wanted us to get out and see the world, while always having a place to come home to. We enjoyed life in the south, but Hogwarts was so…dare I say, magical." She watched the corner of his lips go up into a grin, but something in him stopped the smile that was threatening to break free.

"Between the two, I had more fun in America…the weather for one thing, Football games and touchdown passes…" (Hermoine looked thoroughly confused until he explained he meant American football and went on a long rant about its superiority, which she simply choose to agree to disagree with him on)'but I did love Hogwarts school more than standard American schools. After all…at Hogwarts, there was no math class." He laughed, rubbing his eyes, glancing at the clock and wondering when Sirius and Lupin would finally wake up so they could get going. The longer they had to set up the better.

"You've really led a fascinating life." Hermoine observed, the young witch letting out a long yawn that brought an embarrassed ,"Excuse me!"

"Perhaps its time I went to bed. Thank you for…"

"No thanks required." he cut her off, waving goodnight as she excused herself. The next few hours went by at a snail's pace…the snores of the sleeping people in the house his only distraction from the thoughts running through his head. Several hours after the sun rose, quick steps alerted Nathan to the arrival of another waking person, who turned out to be Sirius.

"Are you as eager to get out of this house as I am?" Nathan inquired, Sirius exhaling sharply.

"I've been trapped here for months. Need I say more?" He grumbled.

"You think Remus would be mad if we woke him up?" Nathan questioned, a mischievous tone in his voice. Sirius grinned, starting up the stairs after Lupin. Nathan took a long sip from another Diet drink and threw the finished can in with the rest of the pile. 15 strong.

A few minutes later Lupin came trudging down the stairs, even more disheveled looking than normal, complaining about his lack of sleep.

"Now that you've driven me from my bed, let's go ahead and get moving." They each grabbed a biscuit off the kitchen table and proceeded to Apparate; their point of destination: the gates of Pierce Manor.