A/N:Thank you so much, all of you who read the first chapter of this story! I had originally planned on updating once a week, but since I got so many followers and even a review, I decided that chapter two just couldn't wait! As always, please review! Thanks for reading! :)

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns the Harry Potter world and Characters.

"Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it."
― Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man

Chapter 2 - Darkness

"An assistant?!"

Hermione cringed as she heard a deep voice bellow upstairs. She had an inkling that Dumbledore had not been entirely truthful earlier when he said that he had already informed Professor Snape of her apprenticeship. She tried desperately to shrink even further into the chintz armchair while Ron and Harry, who were seated on the leather sofa opposite her, looked at her curiously. Harry was about to open his mouth to speak when he was silenced by the sound of footsteps thundering down the staircase. The trio turned to look at the base of the staircase and saw Professor Severus Snape glaring back at them, his eyes completely murderous. He swept across the room, black robes billowing, until he was hovering over Hermione.

"It seems," he spat, "That we have been assigned to work together. Make no mistake, I am only allowing this because the headmaster insists. You will meet me at the staircase at eight'o'clock tomorrow morning, and if you have any sense of self preservation, you will not be late."

Hermione nodded weakly and watched him turn on his heel before stalking out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

"Bloody hell, Hermione! What was that about?" Ron asked, his eyes wide in shock from the encounter.

"Dumbledore doesn't want me to hunt horcruxes with you." Hermione whispered, her voice broken.

"What?!" The boys exclaimed. Hermione smiled at their outburst, but shook her head at them.

"It's alright, I promise. It makes sense, when you think about it. Voldemort's whole ideology is that people like me shouldn't exist, and that the only way to get rid of muggle-borns is to kill us. If I ever crossed paths with Voldemort, he would kill me, right? What do you think would happen if I crossed paths with a piece of his soul?"

The boys said nothing at that, but looked thoughtful. Hermione continued speaking.

"So, since I can't actually be there with you, Professor Dumbledore has given me another task to keep me busy. Professor Snape will also be staying here over the summer, so I'll be helping him work on several projects for the Order. I have a few ideas of my own, too! I'm going to try to develop a horcrux destroying potion, so that way you can destroy a horcrux on site, rather than looking for a basilisk fang, or the Sword of Gryffindor. It'll certainly be intimidating working with him, but I'm sure I'll learn loads."

"Are you sure you're okay with this? I'm sure I could talk to Dumbledore, we could work something out!"

"Harry, I promise, I'm fine! Now, let's go eat dinner – it smells fantastic!"

The trio made their way to the kitchen where they were completely stuffed with Molly Weasley's excellent cooking. The house elves at Hogwarts were excellent cooks, but there was something about a mother's cooking that just can't be recreated. Once they were well fed and welcomed to the rest of the order, they were shown to their rooms and sent to bed. In the morning, Dumbledore would take Ron and Harry to a rumored horcrux location, and Hermione would begin to review for her first potions session with Professor Snape. She changed quickly into sleeping shorts and a tank top before crawling into the bed and pulling the blankets over herself. As she drifted slowly into sleep, the last thoughts in her mind were of Professor Snape's glare, and how she wished that she had the ability to intimidate other people like that.

Hermione woke up several hours later to the sound of creaking outside of her door. She sat up instantly, wand in hand, hair a messy cloud framing her face. With a whispered lumos, she crawled quietly out of bed and padded slowly down the staircase, careful to not make a sound. When she reached the bottom, she looked down the hallway and saw a flicker of light escape from behind one of the doors. She approached carefully, wand arm outstretched. With a deep breath and a quick decision, she opened the door and stepped inside.

The room, which had once been filled with the Black family tree, was completely transformed. The once dingy and depressing walls were now covered with newspaper articles and photographs, some magical, some not. She inspected the articles closer, and saw that they all had the same theme.

"Muggle Family of Four Brutally Murdered – Are the Death Eaters Behind This"

"Henrietta Ingla, Head of Department of Broom Safety, Missing"

"Dmitri Joergen, Father of Two Durmstrang Students, Missing"

Missing

Dead

Murdered

Kidnapped

Missing

Missing

Hermione's fist flew to her mouth as she tried to stifle a sob. This is it, she thought. This is what we're fighting. This is why we're here. She wiped away her tears hastily and turned her attention to the real reason she had entered the room. In the far corner stood Harry Potter, his eyes focused on a specific picture and his shoulders shaking with his silent sobs. Hermione walked up behind him and slipped her hand in his, resting her hand on his shoulder.

"He was the only family I had left," Harry whispered between sniffs, "and he's gone because of me. And I know it sounds selfish, because I have you and Ron and everyone else here, but I wish that I had a family outside of you guys, as well. If I had calmed down, thought more rationally, Sirius would still be alive. It's all my fault!"

Harry dissolved back into weeping, and Hermione drew him into a fierce hug. There were no words to console this grief, but in that moment, she made a silent promise that she would discover a horcrux destroying potion, and end this bloody war.

The next morning found Hermione following the billowing black figure in front of her, struggling to keep up with his quick pace. The Professor was leading her down the narrow staircase to the basement of Number 12 Grimmauld Place – where she could only assume held the potions lab. As Snape opened the door to let Hermione in, she stopped in her tracks, overwhelmed by the sight before her. It was the most magnificent potions lab Hermione had ever seen. It certainly rivaled Hogwart's, and even gave St. Mungo's a run for its money. Three long, black tables were in the center of the room, and two of them were covered in carefully measured and organized ingredients, with a bubbling cauldron at the end closest to the door. The right side of the room was lined with shelves holding all manner of potions ingredients, and the left side was covered in floor to ceiling bookshelves. The wall opposite of the door had a large fireplace – which Hermione suspected was floo enabled – and two large armchairs.

"Excellent," Hermione breathed.

"Pardon?" Snape asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. Hermione instantly blushed and looked down at her feet.

"Oh! Erm, it's just, this is the most fantastic potions lab I've ever seen.."

Snape turned his nose up at the teenager. "It's adequate, I suppose. Now, are you ready to work or not?"

"Yes, sir," came the meek reply. "What do you need me to work on?"

The potions master sneered at his student and stepped in front of her, towering over her short frame. "Let's get something straight right now, shall we, Miss Granger? I don't require you for anything. You are not needed. You are a nuisance and the only reason you are here is because the Headmaster has decided that being my assistant," Snape spat, "is a better use of all of our time than you moping around the house because you were left behind. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir. Of course, sir." She bit her lip. Her rage was boiling within her, but she was determined not to let it show.

Snape straightened his back and walked to the third table, which was currently empty. With a wave of his wand, a cauldron appeared, along with rows of various ingredients.

"The first potion that the order requires is Polyjuice Potion, something I believe you are familiar with. There are two rules that you must follow when you are working in this laboratory. The first is that mistakes of any kind will not be tolerated. The second is that you are not allowed to ask any questions regarding the necessity for the potions we are brewing, nor the purpose they shall serve. Clear?"

"Crystal, sir."

"Get to work, then!" He barked. Hermione jumped at his voice and began to work, trying to ignore the eyes that were currently boring into the back of her head.

If he's going to insist on watching me like this the whole time, nothing will ever get done. I'll show him. I'll show him I can do this without his help!

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it, please review!