AN: Please review and let me know what you think
kadajclone100 – yes but we will talk about that later
Chapter 28 Dumbledore's Army
Hermione decided to cook breakfast the next morning, if for no other reason than to have something other than bacon, not that she didn't like bacon, she just could not stomach anymore innuendos. Now that the entire situation was coming to a head Hermione needed to keep her head in the game, she couldn't do that if she was trading witty banter with the entire group. So she made pancakes, she brewed fresh coffee and, thanks to Kreacher making a supply run, she made freshly squeezed orange juice.
The smell of the freshly baked pancakes brought Ginny to the kitchen, the smell of fresh coffee brought Fleur and Luna tagged along because that is where the rest of their group was. Hermione set the pancakes in the middle of the table and the witches tucked in, before she sat however Hermione retrieved a freshly brewed potion and set it by Ginny then slid her plate of pancakes out from in front of her.
Ginny examined the potion bottle and made a face of disgust at Hermione, "I'm not drinking that it looks hideous!" she protested and then tried to reach for her pancakes which Hermione held inconveniently out of reach. As though to plead her case, Ginny's stomach growled in hunger, Hermione looked at the potion and then back to Ginny.
Hermione flashed her best angelic smile at Ginny, "You have 2 days to recuperate, if you are not 100% up to scratch then we go in to get Harry without you." She stated mater-of-factly then waved the potion in front of Ginny again. Ginny snatched the potion and drank it without another word of protest, Hermione slid the plate of pancakes back in front of her and smiled.
Fleur winked at Hermione across the table and she smiled back, "We are going to need help storming the castle," Hermione began as she used her fork to cut up her own pancakes, "I think we need to get the DA involved, because the Order will never back our plan." She waited for the response.
"Well I am sure they all still carry their coins," Luna said without further explanation.
Hermione nodded, "Luna can you get a message out that we need to meet at shell cottage?" she asked, Luna nodded. "Ginny, contact Bill and tell him to get Ron out of there, I will kill him the next time I see him." Hermione stated, then upon consideration she added, "And tell him that Fleur will be coming and if he can't control himself I will petrify him myself until this mess is sorted."
Ginny nodded and once breakfast was done the two youngest witches set about their tasks. Hermione cleared the table and began to clean the kitchen when she felt Fleur slide her arms around her, "You 'ave a plan?" she asked as she swept Hermione's hair out of the way and gently kissed her neck. Hermione closed her eyes and enjoyed the tenderness for a moment, resting her head against Fleur's shoulder and holding on to the kitchen counter.
"Yes," she replied dreamily.
Fleur smirked, "will you tell me about et?" she asked
Hermione sighed with contentment as she turned in Fleur's arms and leant in, kissing her gently.
"It's mental," Hermione warned as she broke off the kiss.
"We are going to go into the lair of ze enemy and stealing ze body of their leader, there is no plan to do zat, zat is sane ma petite," Fleur commented, "and I could not 'elp but notice you built two cells downstairs." She added.
Hermione sighed, she had thought that one had escaped everyone's notice. She smiled sheepishly, "Guess who's coming to dinner?" she said quoting one of her all time favourite movies.
Fleur looked at Hermione seriously, "If I know ze plan zen I can 'elp if zings get, out of control." Fleur said reasonably and Hermione could not fault her logic and nodded.
"You are going to have to trust me Fleur, the less you know right now the better," she said with conviction as she stared into those beautiful blue eyes.
Fleur scowled, then smiled, "I trust you 'Ermione," She said with a nod then leaned in and kissed her lovingly.
A 'tap, tap' at the window caused them to break their kiss, Hermione glanced in the direction of the noise and tried to identify the owl at the window, she could not. Hermione broke away from Fleur and opened the window letting the owl in. The barn owl hopped in and examined Hermione, then held out it's leg patiently, Hermione gently relieved the owl of its burden then turned to Fleur, who had come up behind her with some fresh water and treats for the bird. The owl took a treat then a long drink of the refreshing water, hooting appreciatively as it hopped onto the window ledge and took off again.
She unfolded the parchment and read the words written in neat calligraphic penmanship:
Hermione,
I would like to speak with you.
I believe I can help with your 'Black' situation.
I shall be attending the meeting.
Sincerely,
Andromeda
Hermione read and re-read the words, then handed the note to Fleur, who read it and then handed it back to her. Hermione burned the note with a quick flourish of her wand and then stared at Fleur. They seemed to be having a conversation without even speaking, this continued until Ginny and Luna entered the room.
"I know that look, something bad has happened," Ginny said with concern.
"Nothing bad has happened," Hermione said though she could not seem to tear her gaze from Fleur.
"No? Then why are there scorch marks on my kitchen table?" Ginny asked.
"Just a complication to my life, not related to the rescue of Harry." Hermione reassured Ginny and there was quite a bit of conviction in her voice which surprised her.
"Mmkay," Ginny said not sounding reassured at all. Ginny looked to Fleur who smiled back innocently at her then stepped beside Hermione and slipped her hand into the brunette's. Ginny noticed the gesture and nodded.
Not even an hour later an owl arrived from Bill who indicated that DA members had already begun to arrive at shell cottage and so the four witches prepared to travel there, Hermione and Fleur would be apparated in by Kreacher and Ginny and Luna would floo in.
They were standing in the kitchen each of them feeling nervous for different reasons; what if Ron had refused to leave, what if the letter from Bill had been intercepted, there were a lot of things that could go wrong meaning they could be walking into a set up. Ginny's biggest fear was that they would get no response to the call for the DA and they would be on their own.
Ginny and Luna had agreed to go first and then Hermione and Fleur would follow on as soon as they received a patronus form Ginny giving them the all clear. When Luna and Ginny left Hermione took a deep breath and began to pace the kitchen silently giving herself a pep talk. Fleur followed her with her eyes but did not interrupt until she could bare it no longer and then got up from her seat at the kitchen table and stood in Hermione's path.
"Et will be fine 'Ermione," she said looking into her lover's eyes, "Zey will 'elp you because zey trust you, because zey want to bring 'Arry back but mostly because zey cannot stand to sit and do nozing a minute longer." Fleur said.
Before Hermione had a chance to voice her concerns Ginny's patronus came galloping through the door, "It's all clear, get Kreacher to bring you to the kitchen we have moved people out of there for you," the patronus told them in Ginny's voice. Ginny hadn't explained why they had cleared a room for them to arrive in but Hermione figured that she was protecting her; she didn't want the others to see that she couldn't travel by floo or apparition as they might see it as a weakness.
Hermione looked to Fleur, who was holding her hand then she turned to Kreacher and nodded giving him the go ahead. With a 'pop' they vanished from one kitchen and reappeared in another, Kreacher released their hands and wandered around the kitchen looking for something to do as he had agreed to wait to bring Hermione home. Hermione took a deep breath; she could hear voices from the living room, a lot of voices. She walked over to the door and pushed it open, stepping through to greet a large crowd of people. To say she was stunned would have been a bit of an understatement, there in the living room was every remaining member of the DA and some members of the order. Her eyes fell on Andromeda then fleeted to Professor McGonagall then her gaze came to rest on Nymphadora Tonks, who had her son cradled in her arms.
"What? Is he too young to be in the DA?" Tonks asked mischievously.
This elicited a smile from Hermione before Professor McGonagall explained, "some of the younger people were in safe houses when they received your message and were caught sneaking out, the rest of the Order do not know yet Tonks, Andromeda and I decided to hear you out first," she told Hermione as she looked over the rim of her glasses. Hermione nodded once but could not help but scan the room, Neville was looking very sheepish as were a couple of others.
"Well thank you all for coming, I am sure you are all wondering what you are doing here?" Hermione said and there was a ripple of agreement rolling through the room. "Harry Potter walked into the dark forest on the 2nd of May and gave his life in the hope that he might save the wizarding world as we know it. He now needs us to boldly walk into the face of danger and rescue him." She took a deep breath and waited as the room burst into a furore of questions and comments of disbelief.
Hermione raised her hands but the noise did not die down, Ginny shot to her feet, "Oi! Shut it!" she yelled at them and the response was immediate.
"Harry is not dead, but he is in trouble and needs our help. In addition to this there is a mission that must be carried out, that will turn the war effort in our favour. I won't lie to you, It's not going to be easy and it is definitely going to be dangerous, we aren't asking you to sneak around and meet up behind Umbridge's back, it is much more serious this time and the stakes are much higher." Hermione looked around the room but hadn't appeared to have lost anyone. "Before I tell you anymore about it, I need each of you to take an unbreakable vow." She told them and let that sink in for a minute as she rested her eyes on Professor McGonagall who nodded once.
Luna, Ginny and Fleur stood from their seats and walked over to Hermione. Fleur took her place beside Hermione and both Luna and Ginny took unbreakable vows from them, demonstrating to the DA what would be required of them. Ginny went first.
Hermione did Ginny's vow, "Ginny Weasley, do you vow not to repeat anything you hear in this room today?" Hermione asked as Fleur held out her wand pointing it at their joined hands.
"I do," Ginny stated a cord of golden light shot from Fleur's wand and wrapped itself around the two witches joined arms.
"And if asked about this meeting will you refuse to even admit that it took place?" Hermione asked.
"I will," Ginny said and the cord entwined around their arms flashed brilliantly
"And do you vow not to reveal what you learned about Harry Potter still being alive unless directed to?" Hermione asked.
"I do so vow," Ginny responded without a second's hesitation. The cord flashed again then seemed to sink into their skin.
The same process was repeated for Luna and then for Andromeda after which a queue formed and one by one people stepped forward to take their vow. Once Bill, Tonks and McGonagall had taken their vows the queue split into two and two groups started giving the vow as Hermione and Andromeda went into the kitchen.
Hermione mentally checked her wall, suddenly feeling nervous about being away from Ginny and Fleur, the wall was solid. She sat down at the table and looked at Andromeda, looked remarkably like Bellatrix, Hermione tried to hide her discomfort as she absentmindedly rubbed her arm.
"May I?" Andromeda asked indicating Hermione's arm. Hermione hesitated then pulled her sleeve up as Andromeda took the arm and examined it. Andromeda rand her finger over the offensive word then pulled up her own sleeve to show that she had the word 'Traitor' carved into her arm in the same child like writing. Hermione stared at Andromeda's arm in disbelief, then dragged her eyes up to meet the older witch's.
Andromeda was smiling reassuringly at Hermione, "You are not the first person my sister has sought fit to label for the world," she told Hermione apologetically. Hermione looked down at her own scar and felt her stomach churn in disgust, reaching over she pulled her sleeve back over the wretched word and pulled her arm back.
"You mentioned in your letter that you thought you could help me, with what exactly?" Hermione asked and Andromeda grimaced.
"If my sister carved that into you, she will be attacking your mind as well, that is what she did with me for a time, until I learned how to permanently chase her off." The older witch explained, "I know my sisters, we may have been estranged for many years, but I know them both."
Hermione listened intently as Andromeda explained why things were the way they were, "You my dear are the sole heir to the Black family fortune." She told the brunette and Hermione looked shocked and then puzzled.
"But I am a half-blood at best, my mother was a muggle even if Sirius is my father," Hermione said and even to herself she sounded as though she was trying to convince them both of something that was blatantly obvious.
Andromeda chuckled, "Pure blood and half blood, it makes no difference at this stage, the inheritance laws clearly state that you are the heir."
"Explain this to me," Hermione said.
"Well I was disinherited when I married a muggle, it was not automatic, my father went before the Wizengamot and formally disowned me ensuring that I would not see a penny from the Black estate." Andromeda explained and there was not an ounce of bitterness in her voice. "Narcissa was disinherited when she had a miscarriage, a little girl a year before Draco was born, again my father went to the Wizengamot and lawfully disinherited her, it was an attempt to encourage her to give birth to an heir to the Malfoy's, which she did, unfortunately Father died before Draco was born and Narcissa's status was never reinstated. Though at the time it was of little concern to her as she had Malfoy who kept her in the manner she was accustomed to and Bellatrix inherited the estate. That ended the day she committed parricide."
Hermione thought about this, "So killing a family member earns you automatic disinheritance even if you have already gained the estate?"
"Exactly!" Andromeda exclaimed pleased that Hermione was catching on so quickly, "As a matter of fact, it is want kept Nymphadora and I alive all this time."
"So the day Sirius Black died..." Hermione started.
"The day your real father was killed you became one of the richest women in the Wizarding world." Andromeda confirmed.
"I'm sorry, I still don't see how this helps, or explains why Bellatrix and Narcissa are after me?" Hermione asked.
Andromeda looked at her, she did not want to hurt Hermione's feelings but at the same time there was no time for pussy footing around, "War is an expensive business, until you are disinherited or die then you are the Black heir – they want to break you to control you to control the fortune." Andromeda explained.
"Huh," Hermione said as the shock knocked the air out of her, "Money? That is what this comes down to, Money?" she said in disbelief.
"My dear, money, sex and power are what makes the world go round and money is the only element that is missing for my sisters." Andromeda said.
"But Narcissa is a Malfoy," Hermione stated.
"And the war has almost bled the Malfoy estate dry. Not quite but almost." Andromeda answered.
Hermione rolled all this new information in her mind, "Okay, I appreciate the information, but I still don't see how that helps me." She told Andromeda.
Andromeda reached into her robes and pulled out a book entitled "Advanced Occlumency; Winning the War Inside Your Mind" she handed it to Hermione, "Knowledge is power Hermione. Study this, learn it and you will have everything you need to defend against my sister, The Death Eaters will do serious damage if they get their hands on the Black galleons for there are more than you can count."
Andromeda got to her feet and headed to the door, "If you ever want to talk, about what happened at the Manor, or what is happening inside your head, I know and I understand, probably better than anyone else ever will." she told Hermione, then without waiting for an answer she went back into the living room.
Hermione pulled the book off the table, shrank it down and put it in her pocket, she didn't have time to process everything she had just learned. She went into the living room as the last vows were being taken and then she explained to them all about horcruxes, telling them that Harry had thought he had them all, then realising that they had missed one which they had since destroyed, she told them that they would break into three separate teams, infiltrate Hogwarts and carry out three separate missions. Team one would be led by Hermione, their task would be to kill Nagini. Team two would be led by Ginny, their task would be to get Harry, and she explained to them that he was wearing Voldemort's body. As she explained this part there were murmurs throughout the room, but she ignored it. Team three's task would be revealed to them at a later time, but would be led by Professor McGonagall. Hermione looked at the Professor when she said this, Minerva had figured out what her task would be and she looked at Hermione with one eyebrow raised, when Hermione did not flinch McGonagall nodded.
"Right well, I am going to make a cup of tea and if any of you are not here when I get back then it won't be held against you." Hermione said and with that she went into the kitchen.