A/N- Here we are again, my friends. I'm going to do my best with this chapter, but I know myself well enough to know that action scenes are not my strong point. I apologize in advance. My many thanks to those that are continuing to review and urge me on, it really does make me smile. To everyone else, I hope you're enjoying the story. Onward we travel!

***Shout out to ZoeyOlivia for being my 800th reviewer! ***

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I don't own the concept of soul bonds, and I sure as hell don't own triads. It's all been done before, nothing new under the sun, folks. I haven't made a single knut from my stories, though I sure wish that I could.

Chapter 31

February 1, 1996

Hermione picked at her plate, far too nervous to eat anything. She tried mentally shaking herself, making herself put a bite in her mouth. If there was any day that she needed her strength, it was today.

The conversation with her father and Dumbledore two days before had done nothing but make her a nervous wreck. She knew that hadn't been their intent, but she was also more than aware that she had needed to know what was going on, what was going to happen. This fact didn't make things any easier to take.

*Flashback*

Hermione twitched nervously as they waited for the griffin guarding Dumbledore's office to move out of the way. She and her boys had been called to meet with Severus and the Headmaster after dinner, receiving the note during said dinner. Hermione had been with Severus when he had been summoned and the fact that she had her boys were now being called to the Headmaster's office didn't bode well.

Once the griffin was out of the way, Hermione and her two mates made their way up the familiar steps towards the Headmaster's office. Once they breezed through the door that was already standing wide open for them, the five of them took seats before the fire. Hermione wasn't sure why it was easier to take bad news before the fire rather than before the desk, but it was. After they were all seated and had a cup of tea in their hands, her father wasted no time.

"The Dark Lord is calling for an attack on Hogsmeade this Saturday. He wishes for me to meet up with him before the attack, my daughter and her mates as well, and hopes that you, Headmaster, will allow me to return to school so I don't look guilty. He wants Hermione and the two boys at Hogsmeade, making a paltry effort to subdue his Death Eaters. He feels that it will solidify her cover, furthering the amount of information that she can bring him at a later date." Hermione felt her heart clench at her father's words. How was she supposed to let innocent people get hurt? Severus seemed to anticipate her line of thoughts.

"He promises that his followers won't be out to kill, they won't throw any lethal curses. This mission is solely to gain more favor for Hermione, Draco, and Potter within the Order. He wants to have as much access to information as possible at a later date." Hermione's breathing returned to normal. She could handle injuries, she just couldn't handle unmitigated deaths. The Headmaster began stroking his beard, contemplating his spy's words. It was several minutes before he spoke.

"Why does he want to meet with you before the attack? Wouldn't it be more difficult to make it plausible for you leaving Hogsmeade rather than not going at all?" Severus sighed.

"I'm not entirely aware why he wants me there. Maybe to show his followers that we're a unit, himself, Hermione, and I? I think he wants the three of them there, so he can go over the plan with them before it occurs. It wouldn't do for one of them to attack a Death Eater if they didn't have to." Hermione nodded, as did Harry and Draco. It made sense. They were supposed to be allies and they shouldn't want to injure each other unnecessarily. Dumbledore spoke again.

"I will agree to this meeting, but you will have to sneak out, Severus. I can't come up with a good enough reason to send you to Hogsmeade only to have you return. I won't put you on the roster for chaperoning and you'll just have to make sure that you're heard planning to do something in your lab, so nobody will bother you." Her father gave him a curt nod.

"I can manage that." Dumbledore nodded in return before turning to Hermione and her boys.

"I'll need you three to make sure that you follow through with Voldemort's plans exactly. If Severus is correct, he doesn't wish to harm anyone too badly, this plan is specifically to make your positions in the Order stronger. He may feel confident that you're on his side, but he still fears the support that I will have. After talking to Hermione, I feel as if he wouldn't want to anger her by causing unnecessary loss of life. Fight back, make it look good, but don't aim to do real harm." Hermione wanted to roll her eyes, but she refrained. The Headmaster thought highly of himself, that much was apparent.

Instead, Hermione agreed with Dumbledore, as did her boys. They discussed logistics for a few minutes more, areas to stay away from during the attack and such, but only for ten minutes or so. After that subject had been exhausted, Hermione, Draco, and Harry were dismissed.

*End of Flashback*

They were due to meet with her grandfather in just an hour and even though she knew that there would be no deaths, Hermione was still worried that her grandfather's followers would get caught up in bloodlust and defy their master's orders. It had happened before, Hermione had the scar to prove it. Harry reached over and squeezed her hand, knowing full well that she was sitting their ruminating and making things worse in her mind.

"Relax, 'Mi, everything is going to be alright. He doesn't want to hurt anyone, he just wants everyone to see you fighting his followers, he wants the information that that will bring him later." Hermione gave a shaky nod.

"I know, I'm just worried that his Death Eaters are going to lose it when they see the fear that the people show, and they'll defy their master." Draco pushed her curls back behind her shoulder.

"That may be, Princess, but that's why we're going to be there. We aren't going to let them get away with anything. I think that after seeing what you did to Bellatrix, the Death Eaters are going to be wary of crossing you. If they're smart they will be." She realized that Draco was right. Perhaps that was also a reason that her grandfather wanted her there so badly. It kind of irked her if he was using her as punishment for his followers, but there was no way in blue hell that she would allow them to hurt innocent people too badly.

Both boys turned back to their plates and Hermione forced herself to eat several more bites. They gave her encouraging smiles and both rubbed her thigh when she swallowed down several bites. Hermione once again let her mind drift as she chewed, thinking back to the conversation that she had finally had with both Harry and Draco.

*Flashback*

Hermione rolled away from Draco, needing space since she was so warm. Both of her boys shifted slightly in their sleep and Hermione couldn't help but to smile just a little. She knew they would want to talk to her this morning since she had put them off last night but that was fine. Hermione was in a much better place about the situation and felt as if she was ready to face the problem head on. She reached out and gently shook both boys, rousing them from their sleep. Once their eyes were open and focused on her, she spoke.

"I know you both think that I overreacted yesterday, and maybe you're right. I'm not sure. I want to start out this conversation saying that I don't hold your pasts against you, in fact, I'm a strong believer that the things that we've done and gone through have made us the people we are today. Now that I've calmed down, I'm quite certain that I wouldn't have been quite so hurt if you had both just kept it to yourselves unless I asked. What hurt the most was that you had told each other, you were bragging about other girls while you were with me." Hermione took a deep breath before she continued.

"It hurts that you left me out, made me feel as if I wasn't an equal partner in this relationship. If you were going to share information with each other, you should have shared it with me as well. I know that I don't have the right to ask you not to brag about your other girls, but it makes me feel like I'm not good enough. You're both with me but talking about other girls. I do believe that you both love me and wouldn't cheat on me or anything like that, but it makes me wonder if you're not thinking of other girls when you're with me. It would kill me to leave you both, but I deserve better than that. I know I'm not the best-looking girl in the school, but I do know that I deserve to be respected." Once she was finished, Hermione sat there quietly and let her boys formulate a response. Surprisingly, it was Draco that spoke first.

"Princess, we weren't trying to hurt you. We were just being guys and talking about sex is what guys do. We weren't bragging, just talking. We actually were discussing the fact that being with you is a thousand times better than what we had with any of those girls." Hermione met his eyes and she could tell that he wasn't lying. Before she could respond, Harry spoke.

"I would promise you on my magic that we don't think of other girls when we're with you. We've never disrespected you in that way and we never would. We're so sorry, 'Mi, that we hurt you. We would have told you about the threesomes if we hadn't thought that it would hurt you. You have so many problems with feeling like you aren't good enough, all of them rubbish by the way, and that would have made it worse. Look at us now. We weren't really lying, we just weren't offering up the information. We never dreamed that you would be this hurt and for that we apologize. Next time, we'll tell you everything that we tell each other." Hermione felt her eyes prick with tears, but she held them back ruthlessly.

"Thank you. I know that you didn't mean to hurt me and I'm well aware that this relationship is still new to all of us. I don't begrudge you your secrets but if you share them with each other, please share them with me so I won't feel as if you're keeping things from me specifically." Both boys leaned forward and pulled her into a hug, obviously delighted that things were on the mend. It was Harry that broke the silence of their hug.

"You're welcome, 'Mi."

*End of Flashback*

Hermione was pulled from her thoughts by the bell ringing above them. Even though it was Saturday, the bells still rang, signifying the end of meal time. Hermione pushed her plate away and let the boys take her hands and lead her towards the Entrance Hall. The carriages would be leaving shortly, but they were to meet Severus just outside the gate of Hogwarts before the carriages would be there to see them.

The Gryffindor clutched her cloak to herself tighter as they left the castle while nobody was looking. The boys seemed to be enjoying themselves. Sneaking around always did seem to put Harry in a good mood, so maybe that was the reasoning behind their jovial moods.

They traversed the grounds quickly, not wanting to be late in meeting with Severus. Hermione had cast disillusionment charms on all three of them, hiding them from prying eyes that might be looking out of a window in the castle. Severus was waiting impatiently for them, pacing just outside the gate. When they approached, he sighed in relief.

"We must hurry, I can see the carriages heading this way." Hermione wasted no time in taking her father's hand, Harry and Draco taking hold of his other arm. She really wished that she could apparate, so she wouldn't be so reliant on her father for transportation. With a crack, the four of them disappeared.

The four of them reappeared just a hundred meters from the cave that Sirius had stayed in the year before as Snuffles. The fact that her grandfather and his horde of followers were so close to a place that Sirius considered himself to be safe made her nervous. After a quick glance to Harry, she could tell that he was bothered by it as well.

Hermione was quick to turn her attention to Voldemort and the Death Eaters that had come with him. While the Death Eaters appeared to be impatient, shifting their weight from foot to foot and scowling, her grandfather seemed to be completely at ease. Severus stepped forward and bowed his head to his father, his show of respect. Hermione knew that it was her turn.

Even though she was dressed as a muggle, she straightened her shoulders and held her chin high as she made her way to her grandfather. The Death Eaters watched her carefully, never letting their gaze stray from her. Harry and Draco fell behind her, flanking her and keeping their eyes on the crowd around them. Hermione stopped a meter from Voldemort.

"Hello, grandfather. It's been awhile since we last met." He gave her a semblance of a smile.

"Isssabella Rose, I'm happy to sssee that you have recovered from Dolohov's curssse. I trussst that your father informed you that Antonin will no longer be a problem." Hermione hated to do it, but she wanted to show that she appreciated her grandfather's actions in front of his followers, so they wouldn't think that she was soft. She bowed her head and gave him the barest hint of a curtsy.

"Yes, grandfather, he told me. Thank you." Her grandfather stepped forward and took her chin in his hand. His long, bony fingers stroked her jaw and it took all she had not to throw up on his bare feet.

"Anything for you, sssweetling." She felt the barest brush of his mind against hers. It wasn't strong enough for him to even try seeing her thoughts, but it was enough to gauge her emotions. Hermione was thankful that she had had her gratitude at the forefront of her mind. Voldemort released her chin and stepped back once more, casting his gaze to Draco.

"I trussst that you are healed, young Malfoy?" Draco gave a respectful nod.

"Yes, my lord. Severus healed me." Hermione watched as her grandfather stepped closer to both of her mates.

"My ssson told me that the two of you healed Isssabella. Is thisss true?" Both of her boys answered in the affirmative. Voldemort gave them what he probably considered to be a smile but looked like a grimace.

"You both have my deepessst gratitude. If you have need of anything, just asssk." Hermione couldn't believe that he had extended this boon to both of her boys, but she figured that he would do anything if it kept her alive and on his side throughout this war. All his Death Eaters appeared to be flabbergasted as well. Her grandfather stepped away from Harry and Draco, so he could turn his attention to his followers.

"We will begin the assssault on Hogsssmeade in just over an hour. I want you all to remember my wordsss. There will be no Unforgivable cursessss thrown at anyone under any circumstances. Ssseverus has told us that several professors will be chaperoning the studentsss, including Minerva McGonagall and Filiusss Flitwick. These will be the two that you mussst keep a close eye on, they can be deadly if they wish it. You may curse them, just nothing that will kill them." He cast his eyes over his followers to make sure that they were listening to him.

"My granddaughter and her two matesss will be in attendance. The three of them will engage you in duelsss, it must be quite clear that they are supporting the Order of the Phoenix, that isss the whole object of this charade. Know that if any of them are ssseriously injured, I will allow Ssseverus to handle the punishment. I think we all know just what he is capable of when hisss daughter is threatened." Hermione watched as all the Death Eaters eyed her father fearfully. Lucius was the only one that didn't appear to be cowering before them. She didn't mind; the more these monsters feared herself and her father, the less likely the three of them would end up injured.

Her grandfather was dismissing his Death Eaters, telling them to remain hidden until the appointed hour. Once it was just him, her father, herself and her boys, Voldemort turned to Severus.

"You mussst get back to the school before you are misssssed. I wouldn't be surprised if the old man comesss to check on you." Her father bowed his head slightly.

"I started a potion that I would need an ingredient from the Forbidden Forest. If he finds me gone, I'll tell him that I went to gather the ingredient that I needed." Her grandfather gave him a nod.

"Well thought out, Ssseverus. Thank you for delivering my granddaughter to me. You may go now." For a moment, Hermione could tell that her father feared leaving her alone with him, but before that fear could become more than a flicker behind his eyes, he nodded, and with a loud crack, was gone. Voldemort stepped forward and eyed Hermione.

"Tell me, sssweetling, does Severusss treat you well? Does he cherish you as he ssshould?" Hermione was scared as to why her grandfather would be asking this of her. Therefore, she did her best to show him that Severus was amazing. A smile broke out on her face as she began to gush.

"Oh yes, grandfather, he treats me wonderfully. He's offered me all the money I could ever need and has told me that this summer he's going to start tutoring me in potions, so I'll be ready to study for a mastery in it if I wish. I do love potions, but transfiguration is where my interests lie. He told me that he would convince McGonagall to take me on if that's what I wished." Her grandfather gave her an indulgent smile.

"I'm happy for you, sssweetling. I would sssupport you having a mastery in either of those subjectsss, maybe even both. I wanted to implore you to give Ssseverus a chance if he had been less than accommodating, he's never had a daughter before, but it seemsss as if he has been doing a wonderful job." Hermione wanted to breathe out a sigh of relief. Her grandfather didn't have designs to hurt her father, he simply wanted to implore to her that she give him a chance.

Her grandfather held out a hand to them and for a moment she was unsure of exactly what it was that he wanted. He chuckled at her confusion.

"Take my hand, sssweetling. Your matesss as well. I will apparate you to just outside the village, that way you won't have to walk the whole way." Hermione gave him a brilliant smile before she let it fall. She had to work the situation perfectly.

"No, grandfather, I don't want to take the chance of you being seen. I don't want your plan to be ruined." For a moment, she was sure that she had pissed him off. His eyes flashed, and his mouth tightened, but it was gone almost before Hermione had noticed. He probably wasn't used to his followers telling him no.

"Your concern for me is appreciated, sssweetling, however, it isss unnecessary. I won't be seen, I promissse you." Hermione gave him a shy smile as she nodded.

She grasped her inner Gryffindor and took his hand, noting how scaly his skin felt. Harry stepped forward took his other forearm while Draco grasped the upper arm of the hand that held Hermione's. The crack was silent when they apparated, surprising Hermione. As soon as they reappeared, her grandfather was invisible. She could still feel his hand in hers, as could her boys, but he was gone from sight. She heard the barest whisper in her ear before he released her.

"Ssstay safe, Isssabella. Make me proud and I will see you sssoon." Hermione shuddered at his words, wanting to throw up, but she gave him a brief nod before he could notice her revulsion.

"Until next time, grandfather." Without another word, her hand released and another near silent crack told her that he had disapparated away.

Hermione turned to her mates, still nervous as fuck, but feeling a little bit better after hearing the words her grandfather had told his followers. She hated that he held her opinion in such high regard; it made her feel as though the deceiving she was doing to bring him down was a betrayal. The fact that he was changing his way of doing things made it even harder. It was hard to hate someone that was becoming not quite as awful as he had been to begin with.

Both of her boys took hold of her, Draco taking her hand while Harry wrapped an arm around her waist and began to steer her towards the main square of Hogsmeade. They had decided that they would just window shop until the attack. They didn't want to take the chance of being locked in a shop when the attack began. While Hermione approved of the owners locking children in their shops for their safety, it would be detrimental to their plan if the three of them were included in that number.

They only had a half hour to kill before the attack began. They began at one end of the village square and started to make their way along the sidewalks, stopping and exclaiming over items they could see in the windows. Hermione couldn't tell you just what she had exclaimed over, nothing really stuck out in her mind, but considering the events that were about to happen, that didn't surprise her.

The boys stopped to gawk at the new Firebolt International in the window of the broom store. They were so enamored with it that they stood in front of that window for a full ten minutes before they would let Hermione pull them away. She filed away the broom for a later date; maybe she could get it for them for their birthdays.

They browsed three dress shops after the quidditch store and had just stepped in front of Honeydukes when the all-too-familiar crack of apparition sounded all around them. Nobody seemed to realize that those apparating in were Death Eaters; everyone seemed to be preoccupied with their shopping. Hermione couldn't help but focus on a young woman right in the middle of the square that had two young children grasping each one of her hands, leaving nowhere for her wand to go.

It was only moments later that someone screamed, a third year Hufflepuff if she recognized the girl correctly. There were close to two dozen Death Eaters storming the main square of Hogsmeade, their cloaks and masks firmly in place. After the single scream that alerted everyone to the presence of evil in their midst, all hell broke loose.

Most of the children started to run, for shops, for cover, some even for the road that led them back to Hogwarts. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw Professor McGonagall wave her wand, a cat pouring out of the tip. The older witch bent to the beautiful silvery cat for a few moments before waving her wand and sending it on its way. Professor Flitwick was herding what children he could into surrounding shops, leaving older children in charge of the younger.

Hermione watched as the Head Boy and Girl did their best to protect a group of third years from two Death Eaters that were shooting curses their way. From the colors of the spells, Hermione could see that they weren't anything more than simple cutting curses and blasting jinxes. While both of those could injure someone badly, they were nowhere near the entrails-expelling curse and the like.

It appeared that the Death Eaters had been properly cowed by her grandfather's words. None of his followers were throwing anything more harmful than what they used in class. There was still blood all over the ground, unconscious bodies all over the square, and screams filling the air. Draco and Harry were both dueling three Death Eaters that had cornered a group of fourth years in an alley, one of the students was unconscious and several others were bleeding.

Hermione finally joined the fray when one of the Death Eaters shot a curse at one of the small children that had been holding hands with the woman in the middle of the square. She let her fury take over as she watched the young boy, no older than three, fall to the ground, blood spurting from a gaping wound across his chest. His mother had fallen to her knees to pick him up, to make sure that he was still alive. This meant that she dropped the hand of the little girl, only two years old.

The Death Eater swaggered up to the woman before Hermione could raise her wand and cast a cutting curse right at her face. A long gash appeared and started to pour blood, covering the little boy below her. Just as the woman jerked her daughter behind her, obviously trying to protect both her children, Hermione stepped forward, wand raised, and called out to the Death Eater.

"Fight someone that can use their wand, you inbred Death Eater scum." The grateful look on the woman's face was one that Hermione would likely never forget for the rest of her life.

The Death Eater turned her way and when she caught a glimpse of his hair, a dark chestnut color, Hermione knew exactly who she was dealing with. Thoros Nott, Theo's father. She knew that there was no love lost between father and son, but she really didn't want to end up killing the father of her brother unless there was a damn good reason. Knowing just how much he hated her, Hermione vowed to watch her back carefully.

Careful to not show any aptitude for magic beyond what she did in school, Hermione began dueling Thoros Nott. She motioned with her head to the woman to get her children and get out of the way. The last thing Hermione wanted was for any of them to get hit with a stray hex. Hermione felt like she was doing pretty good considering she really wasn't trying that hard. She wasn't winning, but neither was Nott. She let a powerful blasting hex loose right in front of Nott, knocking him backwards, which attracted the attention of three more Death Eaters.

Hermione didn't think that she had anything to worry about. It was clear that as much as Nott hated her, he was following orders. When the other three joined in the fray while Nott was recovering, Hermione was feeling confident about her chances. It was this fleeting feeling of confidence that fucked her.

Even though her shield was strong, Hermione was doing her best to not show any stronger magic than what she did at Hogwarts. Therefore, when her shield was blasted by all four of their curses at once, it faltered and then failed. A cutting curse came through and cut through the meaty part of her bicep, making her hiss in pain. She didn't have time to look at it, but it felt like the curse had left behind a valley that had once been filled with muscle and skin.

A blasting curse landed directly in front of her, throwing her back and making her ears ring. Hermione could faintly hear Harry and Draco yelling at her. She put her shield back up, refusing to be left unprotected. She slowly climbed to her feet, ears still ringing, to look at the four Death Eaters that were standing before her. Hermione could see that there were many people in the square and in the stores that were watching her closely, probably sure that she was about to die. However, this couldn't be allowed.

Hermione was supposed to be securing her place in the Order of the Phoenix, so she would defeat the Death Eaters in front of her and she would put on a damn good show while doing so. As she regained her bearings, Hermione held her wand aloft and let the spells fly without a second thought. Harry and Draco were off in the distance, fighting their own Death Eaters, though from what she could see, Draco seemed to be facing off with his own father. That made her feel better. Lucius would never hurt Draco.

Hermione let loose a loud percussion sound that left the Death Eaters before her holding their hands over their ears, along with several bystanders. She took the moment where they weren't paying attention to stun one of her grandfather's followers and shoot her own cutting curses at the others. None of them landed, they seemed to have realized that their comrade had fallen, and they needed to go on the defensive.

The duel continued, and it seemed to last forever. Hermione was trying her hardest not to show too much power and her opponents were doing their best not to gravely injure her. It appeared to be an impasse, the three against one, until Harry and Draco joined. Realizing that the rest of their comrades had already disapparated away, one of them grabbed their fallen Death Eater and disappeared with a loud crack. Harry and Draco were still firing spells at the other two, but it didn't last long before they were gone with a crack too.

Hermione wasn't sure if she was angry or thankful that her duel was over. It was true that she hadn't been trying her hardest to win, but she was still determined that she would win against her opponents. While grateful that her mates had come to help her, Hermione couldn't help but be a little disappointed. Both boys engulfed her in a hug, holding her close and telling her just how frightened they had been when she had been blasted backwards.

Hermione shushed them and made them release her, so she could check them over for injuries. Harry was bleeding from his head, he had apparently slipped on the ice and hit his head on the side of the building, and Draco seemed perfectly fine. Both boys exclaimed over the wound on her arm, deeper than Hermione had imagined, but she didn't let them coo over it for long. There were wounded to round up and treat and students to ferry back to the castle. She and Draco were prefects, after all, and that responsibility would surely fall to them.

Hermione was stunned when the woman that she had been protecting rushed forward and threw her arms around Hermione, holding her close and sobbing in her ear. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione caught sight of someone holding a camera and, in that moment, Hermione knew that those photos were going to end up in the Daily Prophet. The Daily Prophet was crooked as fuck, but Hermione knew that her grandfather would push for them to be printed.

"Thank you so much, sweet Merlin, I thought that we were going to die, thank you so much." The woman's sobs were extremely loud in her ear, but Hermione couldn't blame her. It was always possible that if she hadn't intervened, Nott would have killed them after he was done toying with them. She patted the woman on the back softly before untangling herself from her.

Hermione was quick to kneel before the children hiding behind their mother's knees. The little girl appeared to be no worse for the wear, but the little boy was covered in blood. Hermione reached out for him and his mother urged him to go to her.

"What's your name, little one?" The little boy looked as if he wanted to cry, but once he looked at his mother to make sure that it was alright that he talked to her, he spoke softly.

"My name is Theo, but everyone calls me Teddy." Hermione felt her heart clench at his words. Her brother's father had attacked a small boy that shared the same name as his son. Hermione reached up and brushed hair out of the small child's face.

"Would you like me to heal your chest? I'm quite talented at healing spells." The little boy looked to his mother again before turning back to Hermione and nodding.

Hermione gestured for his mother to hold the little boy's shirt up out of the way. Once his chest and belly were exposed, Hermione could see the full extent of the damage. While on an adult a cutting curse didn't leave too deep a cut, on a child, it seemed ridiculously deep. The gash looked much like her scar, starting at his left armpit and stretching down to halfway across his abdomen.

Hermione held her wand aloft, pointing it at the cut on the young Teddy. She cast wordlessly, cleansing the cut and leaving it sealed in her wake. She had expected the little boy to cry a little since a healing of this magnitude was usually just a little painful, but he was smiling at her when she was finished. Before she could even speak, the little boy threw himself into her arms.

"Thank you, thank you!" Hermione laughed at his exuberant response. She stood with the little boy in her arms to turn to his mother while her boys watched. There were more clicks on the camera to her right, but Hermione paid them no mind. The witch who had the gash on her cheek smiled at her.

"Thank you, I'll never be able to repay you." Hermione laughed lightly.

"You don't need to. I'd heal your cheek, but I fear you should have a healer do it, so you don't scar. Have them put something on his scar as well, no need for it to be bigger than it already is." The woman took her son from Hermione and nodded.

"What's your name?" Hermione gave her a small smile.

"Hermione Granger. Yours?" The woman looked contemplative at her name.

"I'm Alaina Shacklebolt. I'm fairly certain that you've heard of my brother Kingsley." Hermione was even more thrilled that she had saved this witch and her children. She adored Kingsley and would have been devastated if she hadn't been able to take care of Alaina.

"I'm well-acquainted with your brother, as are my boyfriends Harry and Draco." Alaina gave her a knowing grin.

"I thank you again and hope that fair fortune finds you. I'll make sure to tell my brother that you saved his nephew's life." Hermione didn't get a chance to say anything else before the woman took hold of both her children and started toward one of the apparition points. Hermione could only hope that she would go to St. Mungo's for treatment.

Just as she turned from Alaina Shacklebolt, Hermione heard several cracks indicating that there were people apparating into the town square. After a quick glance, she sighed in relief. Her father, Dumbledore, and Professor Sprout were there, all of them with dire expressions on their faces. She could feel her father's gaze upon her, but she didn't dare break her cover and meet his eyes. The Headmaster's voice rang out over the chaos.

"Silence!" Hermione was grateful when the whole square went quiet. As nice as the silence was, she knew that there was still going to be a long day ahead of them.

-O-

Severus took in the carnage around him. It had been absolute hell sitting at the castle and waiting for Dumbledore to send word for him that they were needed in Hogsmeade. He wasn't sure which was worse, waiting for Dumbledore or knowing that he had left his daughter and two of his charges with his father completely alone.

Severus was certain that his father wouldn't harm Hermione or her two mates but there was still an irrational fear that if he left them behind with the madman that they would die. If that ever happened, he wasn't sure that he could live with himself. Therefore, when he looked around the square of Hogsmeade and spotted his daughter with her two mates, his heart leapt with joy.

There were many injured and for once, Severus was happy that Poppy was shortly behind them. She insisted on gathering potions of all sorts before making her way to the square, insisting that she wouldn't be able to save any lives without the proper tools. While Albus was irritated, Severus understood. You could only do so much for someone that was bleeding to death if you didn't have blood replenisher potions. Judging by the amount of blood on the ground, he hoped that she brought as much of her stock as she could.

Severus caught sight of his daughter with her two mates across the way watching a woman and two young children that looked vaguely familiar walk away. The woman had a gash across her cheek and her clothes were covered in blood. He could only hope that that was her only injury. Hermione's arm was covered in blood but as far as he could tell that was her only injury. Potter was bleeding from his head but seemed fine otherwise. Draco looked the best out of the three of them with no apparent injuries.

Albus was barking orders, telling all the professors that they needed to go shop to shop and round all the students up, so they could be treated and sent back to school. The Head Boy and Girl were splitting the children in the square up into injured and non-injured groups. Severus was just waiting to see what the Headmaster assigned him to do. It didn't take him long to find out.

"Severus, you split the children into manageable groups, a prefect with each group, and get them on their way back to the castle." Severus groaned inwardly. It was clear that Hermione and Potter were injured so they would be split up from Draco. He would never hear the end of it. He tapped the Headmaster on the shoulder and spoke directly in his ear.

"Might we allow Mr. Malfoy to stay with my daughter and Mr. Potter. I doubt they'll take being split up well." Dumbledore nodded and gestured for him to go handle things with his daughter. Severus wasted no time in making it to her side and grasping her arm lightly.

"Are you alright? I was so worried." He could tell that she really wanted to hug him but just barely refrained. This fact made his heart swell and he couldn't wait until they no longer had to hide the fact that he was her father.

"I'm fine, Professor. I took a cutting curse to the arm and my ears are ringing from a blasting hex, but those are all things that can be healed later. Were there any casualties?" Severus pulled her sleeve up, so he could examine her wound while he answered her.

"No, no casualties. Plenty of injuries, but that was to be expected. Poppy is on her way here now with potions to help. I want you to see her, you've lost quite a bit of blood and her scarring potion wouldn't go amiss either." He could tell that she wanted to roll her eyes at his words, but she didn't. After he finished her examination, he turned to Harry. The younger man gave him silent permission to look him over. Severus grasped the Chosen One's head and turned it, so the light would hit it just right. There was a deep gouge there, but nothing that was too serious. He met Harry's eyes.

"You have a nasty gouge, but nothing that will kill you. When Poppy gets here, I want you see her along with Hermione. If you have a concussion, things could get more dangerous if it's left untreated." The young Gryffindor nodded his assent and took Hermione by the hand.

In the distance, another crack of apparition told Severus that Poppy had arrived. With a quick gesture he sent his daughter and her mates to meet with the mediwitch. He hoped that all was well with them.

Severus began rounding up children and citizens that needed healing and sending them over to Madam Pomfrey. There were several children that were severely injured but by nothing that was an illegal curse. Well-placed cutting curses could kill just as easily as the Unforgiveable, just a bit more messily. The amount of blood on the white snowy grounds was more than he had anticipated spilling.

Severus and all the other professors spent several hours in Hogsmeade. While it wasn't really what he wanted to do with his Saturday afternoon, he knew that it was necessary. Many students had been injured and the Slytherin didn't envy the Headmaster in his job of informing the parents. There was only one student that was in critical condition, having almost bled out from a cutting curse to the throat. All the rest were treated on site and released, his daughter and Harry included.

After the last student had been treated and sent back to the castle by way of horseless carriage, Severus turned his talents to the professors that had been present during the battle. Filius had lost a finger and appeared to be nursing one hell of a headache. Professor Vector had a broken leg. Professor Babbling had had her head transfigured into that of a stag's, antlers growing out of the side of her head. Said antlers were covered in blood, showing that she had gored at least one Death Eater. Whoever cursed her was probably cursing themselves for giving her weapons.

Minerva was the worst off, most likely because she had refused to let a single hex land on the large group of children that she was protecting. Mostly third and fourth years, cornered in one of the many alleys. Six Death Eaters had faced the children and Minerva had stood in front of all of them, so she could protect them. It was foolishly brave since the Death Eaters were ordered not to kill anyone but of course Minerva didn't know that.

The fierce Gryffindor had suffered a broken arm, a deep cut to her scalp, several shallow cuts to various parts of her body, and a severe case of boils that would take several potions to cure. While the older woman remained in good spirits, Severus could tell that she was exhausted. As someone that was aware of just who Hermione was and what their plans were, Severus felt that Minerva at the very least should have been notified of what exactly was going to happen that day. If she was told now, she may very well lose her cool and curse the Headmaster. Severus grinned to himself. Maybe he would tell her himself for nothing more than entertainment value.

After several hours, the last student was gone, most of the professors along with them. The private citizens of Hogsmeade had either been treated by Poppy or sent on to St. Mungo's. Aurors had arrived at least an hour ago and were gathering statements from those that were still present, promising to make a trip to the castle to get the stories of what happened from the injured there.

Everyone was worried that Hogsmeade had been attacked while Harry Potter had been there. While some of them seemed genuinely worried that the boy would get hurt, most were more worried that the boy was a target that he was putting on everyone else by attending public places. Many were calling him selfish and uncaring for bringing the attack to Hogsmeade with no care. Severus wanted to scoff at their words but refrained since it would blow his cover. The last thing that he suspected would happen would be Kingsley showing up just before they cleared out of Hogsmeade. He strode forward and shook both their hands since they were the only two people left in the empty square.

"I know she's gone already, but would you consent to carry my words of grateful thanks to Hermione for saving not only my nephew, but my sister and niece as well?" Severus was surprised for a moment before he recalled the woman and two children that had walked away from Hermione when he had first arrived. As much as he wanted to be the proud father, there was no way for him to do so without blowing his cover, so he let Albus speak.

"Are they all alright?" Kingsley gave them a stupid grin.

"They're all great thanks to Hermione. The cut on Teddy's chest was serious but she healed him up like a pro. Alaina took him to St. Mungo's and they had nothing bad to say about how a fifth year healed him. None of them will bear any scars, thank Merlin." The dark-skinned man blew a deep breath out of his mouth.

"Could you warn Hermione that a reporter followed them to St. Mungo's and did an interview? I hope that it will be good publicity, but I'd like to warn her regardless." While Severus wanted to curse at the fact that there was likely to be harmful press about his daughter, he didn't. This was what his father had wanted, he wanted the world to believe without a doubt that Hermione was a part of the Order of the Phoenix. This article would do that.

Kingsley offered them quick words of farewell, assuring them that he had only came to have them tell Hermione how grateful he was. Severus was proud. His little girl had taken on four Death Eaters and did her best to not blow her cover while she dueled them. In the end, she had won. If that wasn't something to be proud of, Severus wasn't sure what was.

Severus let Albus take his arm, so they could apparate straight into Hogwarts without worrying about the wards keeping them out. They landed in the Headmaster's office and Severus was happy to sink into the chair before the fire. Albus went behind his desk to pull out parchment, which he scribbled on for a minute or so. After he was finished, he folded the parchment, duplicated it, and put it in Fawkes' claws to deliver. With a flash of fiery red, the phoenix was gone. Albus came and joined him before the fire and for once, Severus thought that the old man before him looked his age. Maybe he did feel a modicum of regret for the things that he allowed to happen.

Time passed slowly, but in reality, it was only fifteen minutes or so. Severus was grateful for the glass of fire whiskey in his hand. When the door opened first, it was Minerva that entered. Severus instantly perked up. This was going to be entertaining after all. Several minutes later the door swung open again to reveal his daughter and her two mates. Minerva swung her eyes from Albus to the children, her features hard.

"Don't tell me that this is some sort of a debriefing?" Severus settled back in his seat while the three teens took seats on the couch. While Severus could be ruthless, the only person that Albus seemed to fear even a tiny bit was Minerva. For good reason if you asked Severus. The Headmaster held his hands up as if to placate the elderly witch.

"Minerva, you know that sacrifices have to be made and – "Dumbledore didn't get to finish his sentence because the elderly woman was already flinging hexes his way. He placed a shield in front of him but did nothing to retract from the humiliation of having your biggest supporter turn on you.

"Who do you think you are, deciding who can be sacrificed and who can't? You're little better than the Dark Lord and that isn't saying much." The hexes kept coming and Severus was having a hard time keeping the grin off his face. He chanced a glance at the children and he could see that they were fighting a smile as well. After several minutes of humiliating entertainment, Severus finally stood and took hold of Minerva's wrist from behind. He knew better than to disarm her, so he settled for gently restraining her. He valued his bollocks. Once Minerva was only breathing hard, Albus spoke again.

"Now that that is taken care of, I would say that our objective has been achieved if only by way of Alaina Shacklebolt." The Headmaster went on the explain Kingsley's words and just what he had said about his sister. Hermione looked horrified at the fact that the older woman had told the reporter what she had done, but Severus knew she wasn't foolish enough to object. Their objectives had been achieved without a single casualty and that probably couldn't be said for the next time the Death Eater's attacked.

Minerva was silent in her rebellion, obviously very pissed off at the fact that she hadn't been told about the attack being a ruse. She had expressed happiness that the Death Eaters weren't out to kill, but outrage at the fact that she wasn't told. Severus couldn't help but to agree. Albus, however, seemed ignorant to her words or emotions and Severus decided to let the pair of them work out their issues on their own.

The six of them spoke for over an hour about what the next step should be, just where the war was going to lead them. Severus felt the whole conversation was pointless since they were unable to speak of horcruxes in front of Minerva. He decided then and there that he would go to her and test her abilities when it came to occlumency. If she was decent, he would tell her everything that he knew, much the same as he had done for Sirius and Remus.

Due to the promises that he had made the misfit pair when they had all returned to school, he needed to go owl them and let them know that all three of the teens were perfectly fine. Severus had been surprised that the two of them had warmed to Draco as quickly as they had, but he wasn't complaining. The pair seemed to genuinely care for all three teens, making it much easier for Severus to mean it when he said he would look out for all three of them. Black and the wolf had been most grateful.

After watching the three teens dismissed by their Headmaster, Severus stood and followed them out. It was in the staircase that he caught up with the teens and pulled his daughter into a hug. The boys watched in silence and for that, Severus was thankful.

"I'm happy to hear that you're alive and fine. I was worried the whole time that you were gone. Did the Dark Lord say anything to you after I left?" Hermione nodded as she breathed in his robes deeply.

"Yes, he wanted to make sure that you were treating me well. I assured him that you were, that you'd offered me money and to train me in potions, also that you would talk to Minerva if I wanted to pursue transfiguration instead. He seemed pleased." Severus pressed a kiss to the top of her head before pulling away.

"I thank you. The last thing I want is to be tortured for not taking good enough care of you." Her eyes widened.

"Oh no, I think that he wanted to assure me that you were new to being a father if you weren't doing a good job. He seemed genuinely happy that you were already being a good to me." He kissed the top of her head again before releasing her.

"You three need to get some rest, especially you and Potter. You still aren't off your potions from your encounter with Dolohov, you need your rest." Hermione cast her gaze downwards and he knew that something was bothering her.

"What is it, sweet?" Her eyes were wet when she finally looked up to meet his gaze.

"He's changed so much from when I first met him. He seems to genuinely care about the two of us. Do you feel guilty for deceiving him like we are or am I alone?" Severus raked his hand through his hair, not wanting to have this conversation at the moment. It took several moments for him to answer.

"I do feel guilty, incredibly so. The only reason I keep soldiering on is because I can picture every single victim that I've had to rape, torture, and kill on his orders. They keep me going because they deserve justice. I switched sides for you, sweet, but that doesn't mean that I don't know right from wrong." She laughed wetly for just a moment.

"I'm glad I'm not alone. The more humanity he shows, the harder it's becoming to double-cross him. We need to end this quickly." Severus hugged her again, knowing that there were no words that would comfort her. After a final kiss to her forehead, he gave her a soft smile.

"We're going to end it just as soon as we're able, have no worries there. For now, though, I insist that you three make it to bed. You need your rest." His daughter smiled at him sweetly and raised up on her tip toes to press a kiss to his cheek. Once back on the floor, she turned and let her two mates lead her out of the staircase and into the corridor. He watched as they turned the corner to head for the staircase that would lead them to the seventh floor.

Severus instead headed for the Owlery where his owl Tenebris resided. He sat at the small table available for those who were writing short notes and scribbled out a short letter on a scrap of parchment.

Black and the wolf,

Hopefully this letter finds you before the news of the attack on Hogsmeade does. Don't worry, all three of our teenage charges are fine. Harry and Draco fought off Death Eaters that were determined to attack a group of fourth years in an alley. Harry slipped on ice and hit his head but was otherwise uninjured. Hermione saved Shacklebolt's sister and two children and suffered only a cut to her arm. Do not worry, they are all fine, I assure you. In the morning, I will instruct them to write you and assure you of this fact on their own. For the time being, I have ordered them to their beds for they surely need rest.

Severus

He tied the letter to Tenebris' leg and shooed the owl out of the window after instructing him to take it to Number 12 Grimmauld Place. He wondered if Dumbledore would bother to send a letter to Black since the man was technically Potter's guardian. Knowing that Draco was fighting his own father made things much easier when it came to the safety of Draco. His father had taken special care not to injure him, probably the first time since the boy was born. Severus blamed Hermione.

With weary bones, Severus made his way back down from the Owlery to the dungeons. He wasn't in the mood for dinner, so he went straight to his quarters. Sleep was what sounded the best to him. He uttered his password, paulo vulpes, and entered his quarters. He kicked off his shoes immediately and headed for his room.

Severus wasted no time in stripping off his frock coat, teaching robes, and trousers. When he was left in nothing but his boxers, he fell into the bed and heaved a deep sigh. This had been a long fucking day and he had no urge to ever repeat something like it. However, he just didn't think that he would be that lucky.

The Slytherin closed his eyes and wished to whoever was listening that the following days would be much easier.

A/N- I know it's been a whole week since I updated and for that I have no excuse. I got caught up in Debt of Time again, one of the best stories of all time. If you haven't read it, give it a try, I guarantee that you'll love it. Another thing I wanted to point out is the haters that I have accumulated on this story. I had more than several people leave me shitty reviews and sent me several nasty PMs (more PMs to be honest) about the fact that Hermione was being stupid, and she had no reason to be angry and blah blah blah. I'm all about people having their own opinion and would never begrudge a person from having their own. However, when I'm told that I'm being stupid for portraying Hermione in that fashion, that Hermione was stupid, I take fucking offense. I'm going to remind everyone that if you don't like something about this story, feel free to quit reading. Nobody wants to admit that at sixteen we were all dramatic little assholes, but we were. I would have lost my shit if I had two boyfriends that I had just given my virginity to and they were talking about threesomes with other girls behind my back. Granted, at 33, I couldn't care less. However, at 16, that would have been a big deal. If y'all can't deal with that aspect of my story, fuck off. I spend most of my free time writing this story and if all you're going to do is bitch, then off is the direction in which you should fuck. I could recommend a hundred different amazing fics for you.

Those that were respectful in your opinion and those that supported me, you're the bomb. I love that even if you don't agree with what I've done in the story, you haven't been complete pricks. Hats off to you, my friends. Leave me a message after the beep and let me know what you think of this chapter, they do make me smile.

Paulo Vulpes- little fox in Latin

Next chapter, more horcrux talk and plans are made to take down the toad.

Love,

Alicia