A/N: Thank you all for the love. Please note that this is not quick moving. There's a lot of story before we get anywhere so stick with me.
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It turned out that Order meetings were exactly as chaotic as they'd sounded on the Twins' extendable ears. Complete chaos. Dumbledore would announce something with little to no relevance to anything, it was discussed and they'd moved on. The discussions, however, ranged from nods of agreement to shouting matches. As Sirius stood up to shout at Mundungus, Professor McGonagall leaned over to Hermione.
"Ok?"
"Sure." She shrugged. In truth, Hermione wasn't sure they'd achieved anything yet. It went round and round until Dumbledore called for order.
"We will table that for another time. To the business of this meeting: we have a new target."
He nodded and Professor Snape stood at the head of the table, ignoring the muttered insults from Sirius.
"There is a low-level faction of Death Eaters," he said, in that way of his. "Housed in a derelict corner of an estate outside of Chelsea. They are mostly nobodies, but for one. He controls all the lower peons. He is privy to The Dark Lord's movements within the purview of him moving those peons for various defensive and offensive capabilities. It would be a good chance to reduce their numbers in one mission and capture this man. Even if he has information we already have, he may have insight into what or what they are going to do next."
"What's his name," Moody growled.
Hermione tuned out. It didn't matter what his name was, only that they would capture him and be given more information. Perhaps if they knew some of what was planned, they would have a better idea of how to help Harry.
"Any objections?"
There were headshakes all around the table and Dumbledore nodded.
"Then to business."
The plan was simple but Hermione could already see holes in the execution. There was no contingency for the number of prisoners, no contingency for Muggle bystanders and as she sat listening, the date niggled at her for reasons she could not recall. She wrote them down on a piece of parchment she always had handy with a view to checking with Professor McGonagall later and then followed it up with a few more notes as they continued talking.
"Why are you taking notes?" She looked up to see Molly stand up with a hard look on her face. She glanced around the table for help but when none was forthcoming, she squared her shoulders and looked back to Molly. "How do we know you aren't passing information to the enemy?"
"What?" Hermione laughed. She glanced down at her parchment, and then back at Molly before remembering that this woman was no longer in charge of her. "Why would I pass information to the enemy, Molly?"
"Merlin knows what your kind do when the chips are down."
Hermione stood, throwing off Minerva's cautioning arm and glared at the woman across from her.
"How dare you," Hermione hissed. "I don't really care what you think of me personally, but how dare you say that. I might be young, I might be a mudblood as you keep alluding to," she sneered, making a few people gasp. "But I've done more in the last three years than you have, Molly, including taking care of your children. So," she said, ignoring Professor Dumbledore's hesitant interruption. "If you wish to read my notes, then go ahead."
She picked up her parchment and threw it across the table as Minerva finally stood and turned her back on Molly and leaned in.
"That's enough," Minerva ordered. "Disengage so we can tell her to."
"No, you missed your chance to help," Hermione muttered. "Watch."
Minerva looked at her and turned back to watch Molly snatch up the parchment and looked it over. She looked back up at Hermione and then down at the parchment again, turning it over.
"Read it out, Molly," Hermione sneered. "Tell the world all the secrets I've written down."
Molly drew her wand and cast a spell over it, huffing as she dropped the parchment back on the table.
"You have a way of revealing the information."
"Of course I do. But I'm certainly not going to tell you about it. And, at the end of this meeting, I had planned on burning it. I would never jeopardise the Order, Molly, no matter what you think of me."
"Well you would do well to listen and not interrupt," Molly sneered.
"I did not interrupt the -"
"Far be it for me to comment on any of this, but we are wasting valuable time."
"Molly," Professor McGonagall snapped. "That is enough. Your opinions are once again noted. Hold your tongue before I eject you from the meeting myself. Severus, please continue," she glared dangerously at Molly and then, surprisingly, at Hermione as well. "I will hear no more about it."
Molly sat back down with a huff and glared at Hermione. She took it, her lip curling a little in disgust as she reached over the table obnoxiously and snatched back her parchment. She sat back down and seethed while she stared. Professor McGonagall once again reached over while Dumbledore spoke to the rest of the group and patted her thigh.
"I appreciate your courage, Hermione, but it may be best to just ignore her."
Hermione turned to share at her, agog.
"And let her insult me, insult my loyalty?"
"I would have -"
"Yeah, but you didn't," Hermione huffed, throwing off her hand and crossing her arms in anger.
Minerva made a noise and finished her drink before Professor Snape continued talking. Hermione swallowed at her disrespect to Professor McGonagall but resolved to keep her head down for the rest of the meeting. It was one thing being the voice in a classroom setting, but it was another thing entirely to speak up during such a meeting and then tell the Professor off for not coming to her aid. She realised quite quickly that she had misjudged her inclusion. Despite her emancipation and her intelligence, she was clearly still a child in everyone's eyes.
As the meeting broke up, she stood and left before anyone could stop her. She heard her name being called but she decided that she didn't care. She was angry and upset and if she stayed much longer, she'd as likely say something else she'd regret. It was cool outside when she pulled the front door open but then she realised she had nowhere to go. Hissing to herself, she slammed the door, ignoring Mrs Black's screaming about Mudbloods and traitors and stormed off to her room.
As soon as she dropped onto the bed, she realised how childishly she'd behaved and groaned into her pillow. Just as she was about to throw it across the room, there was a knock at the door.
"Who is it?"
"May I come in?"
She would know that voice anywhere and she sighed. She stood, fixed her hair and straightened her clothes before she nodded to herself.
"Fine."
Professor McGonagall peered around the door with a gentle smile.
"I wanted to check on you before I leave."
"You didn't have to. I was -"
"Angry and upset. As you had every right to be. At her, and at me."
"Childish is more like it," she muttered, burning with embarrassment. "I didn't mean to -"
"I apologise," the Professor interrupted gently. "As you said, I did not do very well at speaking up for you when she spoke and I should have. She was so out of line that I'm afraid I was a little taken aback but you should not have had to deal with that, especially on your first night."
"Well, I think she's lost her ever-loving mind, but it doesn't matter so much."
Professor McGonagall chuckled and stood at the foot of Hermione's bed, clutching her hands together as she looked around.
"They never got better, did they?"
"Sorry?"
"Just thinking about the time I had to visit Mr Black during his suspension. Their bedrooms are all rather dull."
Hermione nodded but wasn't really sure what to say, so she said nothing for a while until she realised the Professor was waiting for something.
"Oh," she blinked. "Do," she winced, looking around. "Do you want to sit?"
"Yes," the Professor chuckled. "Join me?"
Hermione blinked, the tone of voice so different from any she'd ever heard.
"You will find that I am much different in person than I am as a professor," she explained, clearly seeing the look on Hermione's face. "As you are now an adult, I plan on treating you as one. Unless you have objections?"
"No," Hermione breathed. "No objections."
"Good, then sit," she ordered. Hermione did as she was told and laughed as she did so. Even the professor chuckled. "Now. You left before I could explain my plan. As I am your petitioner for the Order, you and I will be working together closely over time while we ramp up to what is coming."
"I hadn't realised -"
"I know, and while I could have told you, you knew exactly what you were doing by waiting for me." Hermione blushed and looked away. "I, no doubt, would have done the same." She grinned and looked back at the woman bashfully. "Nevertheless, we will train when we have the time and I will go through your assignment when we receive it."
"They're going to let me -"
"You are part of the Order and will be involved. At this stage, it will likely be that you are a guard or a lookout, but you will be involved. As with most order business, I imagine it will take longer than necessary to organise but in the meantime, I trust that it will not disrupt your schoolwork?"
"You know it won't, Professor," she grumbled.
"I do." The woman returned a smile and nodded. "It is best, I think, that while we are outside of class, you call me Minerva. I will endeavour to call you Hermione if you are amenable?"
"I would like that," Hermione grinned, her troubles forgotten. "Thank you, Minerva."
"Just so," she said, looking at her hands. "I am going to return this to you." Hermione looked at what Minerva was offering her and blushed as she realised she'd left her parchment on the table.
"Bloody hell."
"Invisible ink?"
"Muggle," Hermione chuckled. "Need a black light to see it."
"I don't understand."
"There's a property in the ink that reflects a certain wavelength of light. Look."
She reached over into her bedside table and pulled out a little pocket light. She showed Minerva the light and then lit the page up with the purple light.
"Oh my goodness, that is brilliant."
"It's a silly Muggle party trick but I figured very few people in the Wizarding World would know of it and as Molly demonstrated, it doesn't react to magic."
There was a long pause and Hermione watched as the woman opened her mouth a few times and then closed it again.
"No matter how often I think I understand you, Hermione Granger, you always manage to surprise me," Minerva chuckled. "And I thank you for that."
"I do try," Hermione quipped and Minerva gave it the laugh it deserved.
"While you're here," Hermione muttered, reaching back over to her bedside table for the glass jar she always carried with her. "I want you to witness."
She wordlessly created her trademarked Bluebell flames in the bottom and dropped the parchment in. She watched as the parchment curled and blackened before disappearing to ashes.
"Now nobody can accuse me of treason."
"Hermione," Minerva shook her head. "I would not stand for it."
"Well, thank you. But at least it's done. I remember things better when I write them down. That is the only reason I would ever put any of that to paper, and all of it is in code anyway. The success of The Order is in direct correlation with the success of my best friend. I have more need than most to want us to succeed."
Minerva nodded and there were a few moments of silence before Minerva got up to go.
"Do you have any engagements between now and when we return to school?"
"No, just avoiding Molly, I guess."
Minerva made a noise and shook her head.
"She was always a volatile child," she sighed before realising what she'd said. "Do not repeat that."
"I wouldn't," Hermione shook her head. "I understand that I am in a privileged position to be part of this. Thank you, for," she winced. "Putting aside your reservations."
"You will be an asset to the Order, Miss Granger." Though the tone didn't match the words.
"Hmm," Hermione muttered. "I see."
"I -" Minerva turned and put her hand on the door. "Please take care. I will contact you regarding a date for us to meet."
"I'll be here," she shrugged. "Though, yeah, I don't think I'm going to let myself be alone with Molly for a while."
"An excellent idea," Minerva muttered. "Good evening, Hermione."
"Good evening, Minerva," she said quietly. She watched as the woman left and rushed forward at the last moment, taking her hand. "Minerva?" The woman stopped and they stood at Hermione's door looking carefully at each other. "Please take care."
Minerva's sudden sombre mood broke and she smiled in a way that Hermione had never seen.
"I will. Don't be afraid to stand up to Molly. This is not her house and you are not her child. Though," she chuckled. "I would not remind her of that unless it was absolutely necessary. Be safe."
"You too."
She watched Minerva down the stairs and waved as she left, retreating back into her room and locking the door as Molly came around the corner. It would be best to let things lie and she did so, changing and getting into bed after such a day, she was out before she even had time to think about it.