A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing - let me know what you think of this one :)

Chapter 41: The Room of hidden things

December 31st 1978 (Sunday)

Hermione knocked on Remus's door. "Remus?"

A moment later, a relaxed looking, slightly dishevelled Remus appeared in the doorway. "Yeah?"

"Um…Is it a bad time?" Hermione asked with a slight grimace. She was certainly not used to asking that.

He shook his head and gave her a smile. "No, what's up?" Remus asked kindly.

"Can we talk for a moment?" She asked, glancing at her room, opposite to Remus's.

Remus seemed intrigued. "Oh. Sure," He said slowly, glancing into his room. "I'll be right back," He murmured to Mary, before following Hermione across the hall.

Hermione hoped that Mary wouldn't mind that she was talking with Remus privately, but she didn't really want anyone to ask questions. And even though she knew Remus probably would ask something, he would also respect her choice to stay quiet.

After she closed her door and threw a couple of privacy spells on it, she turned to Remus, who was watching her carefully.

"What is going on?" He asked with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"I'm going to Hogsmeade for a couple of days," She said quickly and chewed the inside of her cheek.

He gave her a baffled look. "Why? Didn't we just discuss about tonight over the breakfast? That we'd stay in and watch a couple of movies?"

Hermione sighed and rubbed her temple. "Um…I just…I miss Ab, and I thought that…perhaps you'd like to spend the New Year's with Mary?" She asked with an inward cringe, knowing he wouldn't buy it.

Remus arched a brow at her. "Why are you really going?" He asked, looking slightly frustrated.

"I'm…I can't tell you," She said quietly, looking away from him.

"Hermione..." Remus muttered and let out a weary sigh. "I wish you'd tell me the truth. That you'd tell me everything." He said and studied her features. "I worry about you, you know?" He said and took a couple of steps closer, standing in front of her.

Hermione nodded, managing a small smile at him.

"After the last time…your last mission…." He said quietly, his voice trembling a bit. Hermione knew he meant the mission in which they destroyed the locket. The mission, where Hermione and Fabian had been severely injured. And McGonagall had died. "…I thought I lost you. When Gideon's Patronus came…Hermione, I thought you were dead." Remus said roughly.

She could only stare at him with regret. They hadn't had any time to talk about it afterwards, because the raid had happened. They hadn't discussed how Hermione had told Remus that she'd be coming back home later that night, that she would be seeing him in the morning, but instead she had been lying under heavy rocks in a collapsed cave.

"We've already lost too many friends and loved ones," He muttered, his eyes searching hers.

Hermione swallowed and nodded to him. "I know," she whispered, gritting her teeth. That was the reason she was doing it, of course. So that they could end it. The war, the suffering. For once and for all. Perhaps Remus would one day know everything. Perhaps he would one day understand. But not today.

He eyed her for a while, but when she didn't say anything, he eventually gave her a strained nod and left her room.

After a couple of soothing breaths, Hermione started to pack the essentials into her beaded bag and left towards the Hog's Head.

"Hi there, lassie," Ab greeted her as she emerged through the fireplace in the sitting room, on the second floor in the Hog's Head pub.

"Hey Ab," Hermione said and gave the old man a warm smile as she brushed soot off from her clothes. "How are you?"

It had been a while since the two of them had spent time together. Hermione had of course seen Ab in the last Order meeting, and then at the funerals, but there hadn't really been time to catch up.

Aberforth shrugged. "Good. Nothing much going on. You?" He grunted and flicked his wand, summoning two cups of tea to the coffee table. They sat down and Hermione took her cup between her hands, trying to think how to answer to him.

"Um…Not good, I guess. But I'll be okay." She muttered, her mouth twisting down a bit as she tried to suppress all the depressing thoughts that threatened to invade her mind.

Ab nodded. "Time will heal some of the wounds." He muttered, glancing wistfully at the portrait of his late sister, Ariana.

They were silent for a while, both absentmindedly sipping their drinks. After fifteen minutes or so, Aberforth cleared his throat and stood up. "Dinner ain't gonna make it by itself, so if you wanna eat before I'll open the pub, you ought to do somethin' about it," he said with a pointed look, a wry smile playing on his lips.

Hermione shook her head in mild amusement and stood up and followed Ab into the kitchen. They started to prepare their early dinner – crab linguine and a fresh salad – while having a casual conversation about work. Hermione told him a bit about the potions research project and the clinical trial at St Mungo's, while Ab entertained them by explaining about a couple of peculiar patrons that had visited the pub some weeks ago. Ab was going to open the pub a bit later than he usually did, since he knew that the New Year's celebrations tended to stretch into morning hours.

"As lovely as it is to have you here, why aren't you spending the New Year's Eve with your friends?" Ab asked mildly.

Hermione gave him a sheepish look. "I'm meeting your brother tomorrow."

Ab turned to look at her closely. "Oh? Another adventure?" He asked darkly, flicking his wand at the ingredients that flew into the pan.

Hermione sighed. "Something like that," she muttered, not really in the mood to argue with him. She took a sip from her wine Ab had handed to her.

"You can stop, you know?" Ab said, eyeing her with a stern look. "You can stop before you lose yourself," He said intently.

Hermione stared at him for a moment, contemplating his words before she spoke. "I know." She said heavily.

She knew it was pointless to tell to him that she wouldn't stop, that she'd do everything in her power to continue until Voldemort was destroyed, because Ab knew it. He knew she would continue, that she would even sacrifice herself for the greater good.

Once the food was ready, they ate and continued to discuss some lighter topics, before Ab had to go downstairs to open the pub for the evening. Hermione decided to stay upstairs, curled into the corner of the sitting room couch with a thick book between her hands.

January 1st 1979 (Monday)

"Good morning everyone," Dumbledore said with a smile that did not reach his eyes as he regarded Hermione, Gideon and Fabian over his half-moon spectacles.

When they had stepped into the Headmaster's office, there had been a small moment of forlornness as everyone had realised that McGonagall wasn't going to join them anymore. This was their first meeting after what had happened in the cave.

Gideon, Fabian and Hermione murmured their good mornings to Dumbledore.

"It goes without saying, that we have lost a bright mind from our midst. A spectacular witch, a loyal friend, and a reliable person," Dumbledore said solemnly, crossing his fingers on the table. "But I hope we still have it in ourselves to continue our mission. I'm sure Minerva would've wanted it." He said quietly, eyeing the others closely.

Hermione gritted her teeth as her eyes started to burn. She had shed many tears over her previous Head of House, over the people who she and her friends had lost and buried. She glanced at Gideon and Fabian, who too were fighting to keep their resolve.

"We're ready," Gideon said with determination. Hermione and Fabian nodded in agreement.

"Then, Hermione has some news for us," Dumbledore said and gave her an encouraging smile.

Gideon and Fabian turned to watch her curiously and she cleared her throat before she spoke. "I have. I know where the diadem is," Hermione said gravely.

Gideon's brows lifted up with surprise, while Fabian let out a nervous laugh. "Of course," Fabian muttered dryly.

Dumbledore didn't seem to be surprised, since Hermione had told him she had important news regarding their mission as she had contacted him the day before, asking the Headmaster to organise a meeting for them.

Hermione swallowed. She knew it was perhaps too soon after the last Horcrux, as the mission hadn't gone as planned, but still, it was a grand development.

"Well?" Gideon asked promptly, eyeing her searchingly. "Where is it?"

Hermione took in a steadying breath. "It's here." She said quietly, and everyone stared at her in shock.

"Um…What now? …Here? As in…Hogwarts?" Fabian asked in bewilderment. Gideon still gaped at her.

Dumbledore eyed her closely, with a severe look in his eyes. "Where exactly, Hermione?" He asked with a demanding voice.

"In the Room of Requirement. It's, um… also known as the Come and Go Room. It's a room in the castle that transforms into almost anything you ask from it," Hermione said unsurely.

Gideon and Fabian exchanged an obscure look. Hermione briefly wondered if the brothers knew about the place, as they hadn't really talked about it before.

"Of course. He must've placed it there when he was applying for the job…" Dumbledore muttered. He stood up and walked towards the window, immersed in his thoughts. Hermione wasn't really surprised that the Headmaster evidently knew about the room.

Gideon eyed Dumbledore carefully. "What do you mean by that? He applied for a job?" He asked with a dubious look.

Hermione's mind whirled. She vaguely remembered how Harry had told her about his lessons with the Headmaster, and that Voldemort had applied for a job at Hogwarts.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, still watching the grounds, his back to the others. "Tom Riddle came to apply for a job, some years after his graduation. He applied twice, actually. For the Defence Against the Dark Arts position," He said and turned to look at Gideon, whose brows lifted in surprise.

"First time he came, Armando Dippet was the Headmaster of Hogwarts. He refused to give Tom the position, after I expressed my concerns about his aspirations to the Headmaster. Tom came back several years later, when he already preferred the name Voldemort, and as I was the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and naturally declined his request for the Defence position, he cursed it. That is presumably the reason I seem to have a problem of maintaining a professor in the subject for more than a year," He explained, and everyone stared at the Headmaster with recognition.

"He must've hidden the diadem when he came to ask for a job he surely knew he wouldn't receive. He knew I never trusted him, and he knew I wouldn't give him the position. And now I know the reason for his visit," Dumbledore said, almost a triumphant look crossing his face.

"How do you know the diadem is in the Room of Requirement?" Fabian asked from Hermione with a dubious look. Gideon too eyed her closely.

"I've seen it. I saw it, when I was still in school." Hermione said with a slight grimace. Dumbledore's brows lifted a bit while Fabian let out a strangled sound. "At the time, I didn't know what it was. And then yesterday, I dreamt about it, and finally realised that I've known all along where it is." She said abashedly.

Gideon nodded slowly, a contemplative look taking over his features. There was a long silence.

Fabian shook his head with amusement. "Seeing as every one of us knew about the room, a room that can change into anything we ask, no one bothered to suggest it as a hiding place for a Horcrux?" He asked with a wry smile.

Hermione shrugged. "I suppose it was so obvious, that none of us even thought about it. Perhaps Voldemort had thought so too…Perhaps he thought the thing would be safe in Hogwarts, because no one would suspect it would be here…?" Hermione said, glancing at the Headmaster unsurely.

"Indeed." Dumbledore muttered. "And there is a possibility that Voldemort might have had thought that he was the only one who had discovered the castle's secrets, and thus presuming the Horcrux would be safe because no one else knew about the room," Dumbledore mused.

There was a short silence before Gideon cleared his throat. "Well? Shall we go then?" He asked, eyeing the others gravely.

Hermione took a deep breath and cleared her mind as she paced in front of a wall. I need a place where no one can find me. I need a place where everything is hidden. On the third time she walked past the stretch of blank wall, a door appeared.

"Nice," Fabian muttered with a satisfied smirk, while Gideon and Dumbledore stared blankly at the door.

Hermione glanced at the others. "Shall we?" She asked and when Dumbledore nodded to her, Hermione opened the door and together they walked inside the Room of Requirement.

"Wow…The room definitely wasn't like this when we used it…" Gideon muttered, eyeing around him with a mix of interest and amazement. Hermione wanted to ask him how exactly had Gideon and Fabian used the room during their school years.

The room was exactly like Hermione remembered. A colossal hall, larger than the Great Hall, larger than the cave where they had practiced the Fiendfyre curse, but brimming with miscellaneous items. Narrow paths led between the wobbling piles of books, furniture and various wizarding items, disappearing behind larger towers of items.

Fabian examined a drawer near them, where an assortment of jewels was on display.

"I reckon we ought not to touch anything, eh?" Gideon said, smirking at his brother.

Fabian rolled his eyes and turned to Hermione. "What did you ask from the room? How did you even manage to find this in the first place?" He asked with a hint of incredulity in his voice.

Dumbledore eyed her with interest as well. Hermione shrugged uncomfortably. "I asked the room to give me a place where no one could find me, and where everything was hidden," she said simply, not in the mood to explain why she had had the need to find the place the first time.

Fabian laughed, the sound of his voice echoing in the vast room. Both Dumbledore and Gideon were suppressing their smiles.

"Clever," Gideon said with a smile and gave Hermione a small nudge.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Do you remember where you saw the diadem?" He asked calmly, his eyes flickering to a pile of old books and scrolls of parchment.

Hermione frowned, trying to remember into which direction she had walked when she had visited the room the first time. "Hmm…I think so," She muttered, and after Dumbledore gave her a small nod, she started to walk hesitantly along one of the pathways, further into the room. The others followed her, and they walked in silence for a while as everyone studied the objects they were passing.

"We're close," Hermione murmured after ten minutes or so, mostly to herself as she stopped in front of an enormous stuffed troll. "I remember the troll…"

"Take your time, Hermione," Dumbledore said patiently.

Hermione nodded and after the troll she turned left to follow the path. "It's here!" She said anxiously, walking briskly forward. They arrived in front of a battered cupboard, where a chipped bust of an old warlock stood next to it, and finally, a tarnished old tiara lay forgotten.

"Fuck…That it?" Fabian muttered, staring at the diadem.

Gideon gave his brother a reproachful look. Fabian waved his hand dismissively.

"Um…Yes. I think so. I mean, I'm quite sure of it. It's exactly like I've seen in the books." Hermione said, assuring mainly herself. Gideon hummed next to her as he too eyed the item carefully.

Dumbledore stared at the artefact for a moment before he brought his wand up. "We can examine it and determine its authenticity with a couple of simple spells." He said and eyed the others. "If I may?" He asked with a small smile, his blue eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.

Hermione, Gideon and Fabian all quickly nodded and took a couple of steps back to give the Headmaster room to work.

They watched Dumbledore swish his wand in a circular motion over the diadem and then saw the artefact glow with a blue light for a moment. Dumbledore turned towards the others with a satisfied look on his face.

"It seems to be the lost Diadem of Ravenclaw. And it seems to possess a piece of Voldemort's soul," He said simply, his eyes dark.

Even though they had already been quite certain it would be the original diadem and one of the Horcruxes, it still was a bit shocking to have it confirmed. Dumbledore turned back to the diadem and conjured a box where he levitated the object, waving his wand again to close and lock the container.

"Now…We should return to my office to discuss how we will proceed to destroy this piece," Dumbledore said to the others, gesturing for them to move back towards the entrance of the room.

Fabian cleared his throat. "We could do it here...?" He said slowly, standing in place. Gideon and Hermione nodded in agreement.

Dumbledore glanced around them and contemplated his answer for a bit. "Even though most of the students are home for the holidays, I will not take the risk of endangering the remaining students and my staff, nor will I put any of us into that kind of danger we were in when we did this in a closed space."

Hermione swallowed and tried not to think of the last time they had been destroying a Horcrux. She saw Gideon and Fabian exchange a solemn look before they both nodded at the Headmaster.

Before Hermione had the chance to ask the question that was on the tip of her tongue, Dumbledore spoke. "Where, indeed. That is something we are going to solve." He said simply, and gave the others an expectant look, waiting for them to follow him.

They made their way back towards the door that lead to the seventh-floor corridor, passing piles of dusty and damaged books, clothes, empty portraits, and various other items.

"Why did you come here?" Gideon asked quietly as they walked side by side, while Fabian and Dumbledore walked in front of them.

Hermione chewed the inside of her cheek before she answered. "I, um…I needed a place to think. And I didn't really want anyone to interrupt me…" She muttered, not looking at him.

She felt Gideon's scrutinising stare and sighed. "I needed to break something. And I needed a place where I could break down, I guess…" She said abashedly and glanced at him.

He gave her a sympathetic smile and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a side hug. They stayed in silence until they reached the small clearing where the entrance was situated. Gideon drew his arm back after seeing the huge knowing grin plastered on his brother's face.

Hermione gave Fabian a withering look before she followed the Headmaster out through the door, leaving the brothers – one annoyed and one gleeful – behind her.

January 27th 1979 (Saturday)

Hermione and her friends were gathering at Godric's Hollow to celebrate Lily's birthday a couple of days beforehand. Even though they were adults and not anymore at the age to have birthday parties, Lily had insisted that everyone should be there, since it had been too long when they had properly spent some time together.

After retrieving the diadem from the room of hidden things, Hermione, Gideon, Fabian and Dumbledore had discussed possible locations where the Horcrux could be destroyed. Anywhere inside was dangerous as they regrettably had recently discovered. They decided that they would have to find an open space, where they could place several protective charms and wards in order to contain the fire and repel anyone nearby. They had agreed to take some time to find a suitable place, to practice the curse and reinforce their Occlumency shields before they would take action against the Horcrux, which they intended to destroy during Easter Holidays.

Hermione had been slightly reluctant to wait three whole months before they could demolish the diadem, but Dumbledore had been quite adamant that they needed to prepare themselves. Their minds needed healing after everything that had happened, and they knew the Horcrux would attack them mercilessly, trying to find their vulnerabilities and use their weaknesses.

So, Hermione found herself in a comfortable daily routine, burying herself into work, taking extra assignments, and thus gaining recognition from Viridian. For the past month, she had been actively involved with the clinical trial regarding the advanced healing potion, spending her weekdays at her workplace with various potions research projects and her nights and weekends at St Mungo's, making notes and observing the development of their test subjects.

When Hermione hadn't replied to Lily's owls from the other week – and she hadn't done it on purpose, she had just been so busy and tired that she had forgotten them – the redhead had accosted her at St Mungo's some nights earlier, demanding an explanation and making her friend swear that she would come to Godric's Hollow and attend the party.

"Honestly, Mione…You're exhausting yourself with that pace!" Lily said with a reprimanding voice as Hermione and Alice helped her to set the table before dinner.

Remus huffed from the kitchen. "Trust me, Lils…Already tried that one…" he muttered and walked outside with a handful of Butterbeers. The boys had been in the back yard since Hermione had arrived to Lily's and James's place, apparently working on something top secret.

Hermione rolled her eyes but said nothing. Remus and Hermione had barely seen each other since he too had his workload full with his studies, his part-time job in some muggle pub and with his girlfriend. The couple of times they had spoken, Remus had tried to reason her that she ought to do something else with her life than just work. Hermione had then wanted to inform him that she did do something else, that she practiced Occlumency, and that she tried to figure out how to end the life of one of the darkest wizards that ever lived.

Obviously, she couldn't tell him that.

Alice and Lily exchanged a look before they turned to Hermione. "I understand this is your way to cope, but…you can't go on like this forever, Mione…" Lily said quietly, eyeing Hermione closely. Alice hummed in agreement.

"Can we talk about something else?" Hermione said faintly. "How are you doing at Mungo's?" She asked from Lily with interest.

Lily seemed hesitant but nodded. "Okay, I guess. Well…I'm still with Mrs. Jackson," She said, making a face. Her mentor, Mrs. Jackson, was apparently still strict and expecting grand achievements from her trainees.

"But I love the work. It is all I expected, and more," Lily continued with an enthusiastic smile. "The shifts are rather shite, but it's totally worth it…I get to help people, and experience different kinds of magic I never even thought existed!" She said excitedly. Alice and Hermione chuckled at their friend.

Hermione eyed Alice. "How's Auror training?" She asked and took the glass of white wine Lily offered her. It had been a while since she had really talked with the girls.

Alice shrugged. "It's fine…And you know, finally besting our boys in one of the tests," She said with a wide grin, which instantly made Hermione think about Neville. At least parts of her old life were very much present, Hermione thought as she watched Lily and Alice snigger together.

"Oi! Shouldn't be boasting about anything since you've lost every duel you've had against me," James said teasingly as he walked inside and joined the girls in the dining area between the kitchen and the sitting room. He pulled Lily closer to him and placed a kiss on her temple.

Sirius groaned. "Mate. If you're gonna be all mushy, kindly point me towards the liquor cabinet," He said, pinching Hermione's waist as he walked past her, towards the kitchen.

James smirked. "Apparently I don't need to," He said with an amused look as his friend dug a bottle of Firewhiskey from under the sink.

Lily huffed and placed her hands on her hips, eyeing Sirius with a stern look. "You're not drinking that before dinner, Sirius Black!"

Sirius seemed to shrink slightly from the look Lily gave him, and narrowed his eyes at James, who quickly slipped into the sitting room where Remus and Peter were settling.

"Fine." Sirius grumbled and put the bottle on the counter with more force than necessary before stomping towards his mates.

The girls exchanged mirthful looks.

"When's Mary going to be here?" Alice asked suddenly, glancing at the watch on her wrist.

Lily smirked. "She should be here in a moment…She was in a morning shift at Mungo's today…" She continued with a sly look.

Hermione and Alice stared at Lily with bemused expressions.

"Well…she told her mentor to screw himself, so he organised this lovely extracurricular task for her. She's to organise all the patient charts and files, and even with magic, it will take hours!" Lily said with a mix of amusement and disapproval.

Alice snorted. "She did what now?" Hermione bit back a grin. It was so Mary-ish, as she was a rather straightforward person.

Lily sighed. "Yes, well, perhaps she had the right to do so, since…well, Mr. Jenkins, her mentor, made some demeaning remarks about women not being able to handle everything the job required…" She said, worrying her lip. The girls didn't have time to continue the discussion as the floo roared, announcing that someone was coming through.

"I swear to Merlin, that man's an utter arsehat!" Mary growled as soon as she stumbled through the fireplace.

Remus arched a brow at her as she leaned down to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm assuming it's not me you're talking about?" He said with a lopsided grin.

Mary huffed. "I wish. No, it's Jenkins. What a fucking bell end…" She muttered and turned towards the kitchen while the boys sniggered behind her. "I need a drink, Lils."

"Come on, it's like they're trying to shove it on our faces…" Sirius muttered and downed his glass of Firewhiskey.

Several hours later, Hermione, Sirius and Peter were sitting at the dining table while the others had retreated into the sitting room. Hermione glanced to where Sirius was scowling at, and smiled. James and Lily were snuggled on a small sofa, while Remus and Mary lay on the rug in front of the fireplace; Remus was leaning against an armchair with Mary using his lap as a pillow as she discussed with Lily about something. Alice and Frank were snoring on the other sofa in an uncomfortable looking embrace.

"I don't think they're doing it on purpose…" Hermione said and gave Sirius a wry look.

Peter eyed his glass opposite to her, a pensive look on his face. "Yeah…But it still hurts like a bitch, though…" He said quietly, not looking up.

Hermione frowned and tried to think what to say to him. Peter was obviously still hurting because of his loss. Before she managed to say anything, Sirius gave her hand a squeeze and shook his head faintly. Hermione let out a sigh. Even though she knew Peter had moved back to Sirius's place after a short time spent with his parents, she doubted the boys had discussed that much about the raid.

"Peter…if you want to talk about anything, I'm here," Hermione said eventually, eyeing him carefully.

Peter glanced at her. "Thanks." He said blankly and stood up. "I should go. See you around."

Hermione gave Peter a kind smile. "It was good to see you."

"And I'll see you in a couple of hours, mate," Sirius said to Peter with a nod.

"Pete? You leaving?" James asked as he saw the movement in the kitchen.

Peter walked towards the fireplace in the sitting room. "Yeah. Thanks for having me…"

After saying their goodbyes and Lily enveloping him into a warm hug, Peter left through the floo. Hermione saw James and Sirius exchange a cheerless look.

Sirius poured himself another drink. "You seen my brother?" He muttered, eyeing Hermione closely.

Hermione was taken aback by his question and coughed slightly. "No. Not since…Um. Not since December," She said, worrying her lip. They both knew what she meant. The night of the raid. When James's parents had been murdered right in front of them.

"Fuck…" Sirius murmured, taking a sip from his drink. "I wonder…If he got punished for what he did…When he let us go," Sirius said slowly, staring at his drink with a sullen look.

She wasn't that surprised by his words. When they had discussed after the raid, Sirius had told her that he hated Regulus. But Hermione had guessed it had only been the grief talking, since Sirius had practically pushed her towards his brother after they had…well…been together. And now he admitted that Regulus had in fact helped them to escape.

Hermione gave him a weary look. "I know. I mean, I've thought about it as well…" She muttered. "I assume he was punished. I think he's showed them his weakness, and they will not hesitate to use it against him…" She continued thoughtfully.

"His weakness? You mean…You?" Sirius said with his brows furrowed.

Hermione smiled. "No. I mean you. His family."

Sirius let out a dry chuckle. "Dunno about that…" He said flippantly.

Hermione lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. "I do. He cares a lot about you. And you care about him." She said simply.

Sirius swallowed hard, looking stricken. "Perhaps the little git has more than one weakness then…" He said with a tight smile.

Hermione had wondered what had happened to Regulus during the holidays, but she knew at least that he was back in Hogwarts, since Dumbledore would've informed her if Regulus hadn't shown up. She had wanted to contact Regulus, to ask him how he was, to tell him how she was, and had sent him messages through the charmed galleon, but he hadn't replied to any of them. Either he didn't have his galleon anymore, or he chose not to answer to her queries.

The last time she had talked with him, was after McGonagall's death, when she had been in Hogwarts's infirmary. Regulus had stayed with her, sat by her bed, made sure she was okay. But when she had been discharged, he hadn't come to say goodbye to her. And honestly, she was relieved. She had enough of those with him already.

"I wonder if any of us survives this…" Sirius said absently as he splashed some Firewhiskey into his glass.

Hermione was shaken from her musings and turned to look at him, a small annoyance lifting its head. "I'm rather certain you won't if you keep up with that," She said and scrunched up her nose in disapproval at his drinking habits.

Sirius smirked. "I've already given up one thing I crave; don't make me give up this one too…" He said and gave her a meaningful look.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you can find something, or someone else to crave," She said wryly.

Sirius barked a laugh. "Aah, how I love a woman with a scathing wit," He said and winked at her.

"Good for you," Hermione said, pursing her lips with impatience. She flicked her wand and the bottle of Firewhiskey vanished in the air.

Sirius arched a brow at her. "You do realise I have like, a hundred of those at home?" He asked with a small smile tugging his lips.

Hermione huffed. "I know."

March 4th 1979 (Sunday)

Valentine's Day that year had gone by without celebrations. Instead Hermione and her friends had decided to visit Marlene's grave, as it would have been her birthday. She would've been nineteen this year. Afterwards, their group had gathered at Hermione's and Remus's place to reminisce their friend and their last schoolyear together.

A couple of days later their group had found out that Sirius's parents had passed away. Dumbledore had come to Sirius's place, bearing the news. Apparently, they had died a couple of weeks into January, and only now the news had travelled to the Order. Hermione and Sirius had known what, or who had been behind it. It had been a punishment to Regulus, for letting them get away in the raid. Hermione felt bad for Regulus, who had lost so much already, and now his parents too. And even though Sirius had told everyone he didn't care, that Orion and Walburga had stopped being his parents the minute they tried to give their son to the Death Eaters, Hermione still could see that it hurt. That he was in pain.

On Sunday evening, in the beginning of March, Hermione and her friends attended the first Order meeting of the year, at the Hog's Head pub. It had been rather quiet on Voldemort's end, and it was never a good sign. Snape was there again, informing everyone about Voldemort's latest plans. Apparently, Voldemort had managed to gain some highly guarded information from the Department of Mysteries. A bit of knowledge, that would supposedly help him achieve something grand. He hadn't really shared the details of these plans with anyone, or at least, with Snape, but even knowing that Voldemort was scheming something regarding the Department of Mysteries, was enough to unnerve everyone.

"There must be a mole inside," Moody grunted loudly when Snape retreated back to his seat. Moody stood up with a small growl and limped towards the centre again, facing the others. Many Order members gave him looks of sympathy, but Moody only glared in reply. He had lost his leg in the last raid, and because of an unknown curse, it was impossible to grow the leg back with magic. So, he now had a wooden prosthesis in place, the same one Hermione was familiar with.

If only she had destroyed the Horcruxes earlier, then perhaps Voldemort could've been killed already. Perhaps Dumbledore could've finished him off during their last duel. Perhaps James's parents could've lived. And every other person who had died or suffered hadn't. Hermione knew it was pointless to think so, since there was no way she could have destroyed all the Horcruxes faster than they had been destroyed. And there still was one left to find.

"That, or someone's Imperiused," Edgar Bones quipped with a grim look. Hermione eyed him carefully. He was a man nearing his thirties, a thick black beard covering his jaw and a determined gaze sweeping over everyone. Hermione knew Edgar and his family had been murdered by Death Eaters in her time, and even though he had attended the Order meetings before, Hermione felt she was now more bothered by the knowledge she had regarding Voldemort's and his Death Eater's victims than she earlier had been. And she knew why. Because nothing was certain anymore. Even if she somehow managed to save someone, to prevent a death, someone else was going to die in this war. She knew it now. They weren't going to survive this without losses.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Imperiused or not, we need to know what exactly Voldemort has learned." He said and turned to Moody. "I trust the Aurors are able to inspect the situation with a subtle manner?"

Moody nodded. Dumbledore looked thoughtful before he continued. "Perhaps it would be wise to place extra security in the Department of Mysteries…" He muttered. "If possible, run it through your department head and get an authorisation for placing guards. If Scrimgeour will not co-operate, we'll just have to think of something else," Dumbledore said promptly, eyeing Moody expectantly.

"Will do," Moody grunted.

Dumbledore clapped his hands together. "Splendid. Now. If anyone else doesn't have anything to add, we can call this meeting adjourned," He said and eyed over the room. When no one spoke, Dumbledore nodded. "Then I will be in touch regarding our next meeting."

There was shuffling throughout the pub as most of the members left through the floo and door under disillusionment charms.

"Severus." Dumbledore murmured. Snape gave the old wizard a jerky nod and walked towards the stairs that lead upstairs without looking back. Hermione and her friends eyed them with interest as they gathered their things and prepared to leave.

"Hermione? Would you join us?" Dumbledore asked as he stopped in front of their table. Hermione lifted her brows with curiosity, while James and Sirius stared at the door through which Snape had walked with dark looks.

"Oh, um…sure," Hermione said and turned to the others. "I'll see you later."

Her friends nodded and started to leave, some slightly more reluctant than others.

Hermione walked behind the Headmaster up the stairs and into the familiar sitting room. Snape stood stiffly in the middle of the room, his dark eyes flickering at Hermione's as Dumbledore threw privacy charms around them. Hermione looked away after a couple of seconds, knowing that Snape would probably see it as a weakness, but also knowing that the dark-haired man could intrude her mind. As she turned her eyes back to him, she saw a small smirk curving his lips. There really was nothing quite as annoying as suppressing a greatly needed eye roll, Hermione thought and turned her focus on Dumbledore, who was now making his way towards the seating area.

"By all means, sit down," Dumbledore chuckled, gesturing at the two armchairs next to the sofa where he sat down.

Hermione and Snape silently complied, both eyeing the Headmaster expectantly.

"I believe there is something else you wanted to add to your story, Severus?" Dumbledore asked calmly, eyeing the raven-haired man over his half-moon spectacles. Hermione's brows lifted slightly and she too turned to stare at Snape with curiosity.

Snape looked back with an unreadable expression. "He knows there's a time-traveller."