A/N: Apologies for the funky codespeak on FF. I tried to update during my lunch break and failed. AO3 didn't get anything at all so here we are fixing it. I'll get around to replying to reviews asap.
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She had caught the boys up as much as she could, explaining why she couldn't just tell them everything verbatim. Ron, as usual, was unhappy but Harry understood and they did their best to communicate without breaking her oath. She didn't tell them about the mission's details, only that there was one. She reasoned that seeing as she couldn't tell them much of anything, while everyone was working towards getting ready for school, they could go over a program to continue Dumbledore's Army once they were back at school.
She did her best to avoid Molly. The marks on her arm had bruised deeply and even Harry frowned when she'd shown him. They made a pact to avoid the woman where possible, and so far, they'd managed it.
It was not to be, however. When an owl came a few days later at breakfast, it presented Hermione with a note from Minerva.
"Alright?" Harry asked as she ripped it open frantically.
"Yeah look," she smiled, showing him the note.
Before her eyes, the paper burst into flames and she looked up in horror as Molly put away her wand. Hermione was incensed.
"If you ever do that again," she hissed as she got to her feet. "I will defend myself. My mail is just that. Mine."
"And it is not Harry's."
"It may have escaped your notice, Mrs Weasley," Hermione spat without thinking. "But Harry is not your child. He is not yours to command. He is here under Sirius' care and as I am legally an adult, I have no need or want of your guidance. You have no right to boss us both around and even less right to attack us."
"Someone has to keep you in line," she hissed.
"What we do, Molly, is none of your business."
"It is mine -"
"Mum," Fred frowned. "Stop, it's embarrassing."
"Don't you dare talk back to me," she growled, pointing her finger menacingly at her son. "Get out, all of you. I'll have your chores out as soon as I've dealt with this."
Hermione nodded for Harry to join her but Molly pointed at her dangerously.
"You stay."
"No," Hermione argued. "You cannot tell me what to do."
"Girly, while you are in this house, you are under my authority."
"No I'm not," Hermione laughed as she turned to leave.
Molly opened her mouth to say something else when Sirius walked in, looking between the two of them and stepping between them with a grin.
"Alright kids," he chuckled. "Just coming to say hello. Wanna join me in the library."
There was a scraping of chairs as most of them escaped the room and Hermione sighed sadly as she dropped beside Harry on the sofa.
"Alright?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah," she frowned. "Dunno why she suddenly hates me."
"She has weird protective instincts," Sirius smiled. "I wouldn't worry."
"I think I was rude to her."
"She probably deserved it," Sirius shrugged, wincing at Ron. "Sorry mate, but I know how she is."
"Yeah but -"
"Let it go," he smiled. "I hear you're going to be working with McG!"
"I think so. I only read her note once, before Molly incinerated it."
"She did what?" he asked incredulously.
"Set it on fire," Harry muttered. "While we were reading it. It was really weird."
"Did you say 'while you were reading it'?"
"I'd only skimmed it; I was showing Harry."
He nodded and stood.
"I'll be back."
He disappeared into the kitchen and after a little while, Harry and Hermione looked at each other sideways. The screaming started not long after and Harry shifted uncomfortably.
"You reckon she's been Imperiused?" Harry asked quietly as Ron joined in a game of exploding snap with the Twins.
"I reckon she's a busybody." Hermione huffed. "And probably under a lot of strain. But, she set fire to my note! So, I don't know. Between her comments at the meeting and that," she shook her head. "I don't know, Harry. I mean, I'm pretty sure she nearly called me a mudblood in the meeting. Twice!"
"That's," he winced. "Not okay. And then the note as well -" He shook his head.
"Well, she won't do it again. I'll read my mail elsewhere I think."
"But!" Harry grinned. "Training with McG! That's something, right?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "I'm really looking forward to it."
"You'll teach me, right?"
"You know I will," Hermione nudged him gently. "And so does she, probably," Hermione giggled. "Pretty sure she knows about the DA."
Harry snorted but they paused as the shouting crescendoed and Sirius slammed the kitchen door behind him.
"Hermione, please don't imagine you are anything other than my guest while you are in this house. Especially after the meeting. I will contact Minerva and tell her that you may need another missive from her. Stay out of the way for today."
They nodded and let him go, settling down on the sofas for a day of reading.
It was much later, after a very tense dinner, that there was a knock on her bedroom door.
"Come in?" she said, thinking the better of it at the last moment. "Wait," she said, grabbing her wand.
"Just me," a voice came around the door. "I come in peace."
Hermione laughed and threw her wand back on the bed.
"Come in Profe -" she smiled. "Minerva."
"I hear there is trouble brewing?" she asked as she sat on the edge of the bed.
"Not brewing," Hermione huffed. "She set fire to my letter this morning. While I was holding it."
"She did what?" Minerva looked at her, shocked.
"Sirius said the same," Hermione groaned. "Harry even asked if she'd been Imperiused."
"That is highly unusual."
"I get she's stressed, especially since Percy deserted them last year and the whole Ministry thing with Arthur and the twins leaving school, but between the meeting, the bruises and the letter? I'm not interested in spending more time than I need to in her presence."
"Bruises?"
"Oh," Hermione winced. "I didn't mean to say that."
"What do you mean?"
"When we entered the meeting?" She nodded. "Molly grabbed me and tried to push me back out of the door. She squeezed my arm, that's all."
"Show me," Minerva ordered. Hermione hesitated but Minerva looked at her pointedly. "Hermione -"
She pulled off her jumper and pulled up the arm of her shirt and looked down at the deep purple bruises as Minerva stared.
"She did this? This is days old!"
"Yeah. It doesn't hurt too much. I don't have any bruise paste currently but," she sighed. "She wasn't very nice to me during the business with TriWizard cup but this is -"
"Hermione," Minerva muttered, taking her arm and rubbing her thumb under the skin beneath it. "I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault," Hermione shrugged. "She did it, not you."
"I shall have a word with her before I leave. You are alright though?"
"Oh, I'm fine otherwise." She pulled her shirt back down and shrugged. "I'm afraid I was rather rude to her after the letter. I told her that if she dared to do it again I would defend myself. And I mean to."
"Good," she shrugged. "As it should be. I didn't mean to interrupt your evening, I was passing, I hadn't planned on coming back today but after Sirius wrote me, I felt it was only right that I bring you the information myself."
"I will always be glad to see you, Professor." Minerva's eyebrow quirked. "Sorry," Hermione laughed. "Minerva. And Molly can't set fire to you, can she," Hermione giggled.
"She could try," Minerva chuckled. "Did you get to read any of it?"
"I skimmed it, but I'm afraid I don't recall much of it." Hermione blushed. "I was a bit excited."
Minerva chuckled.
"It's quite alright. I merely proposed that for now, we will meet when I can get here. And then once we are back at school, we meet Tuesdays, every other Thursday and the occasional Sunday to go over defensive spells and practises? While it seems a long way off, I do not have many Tuesdays and even fewer Thursdays until our potential mission date." Minerva paused and then smirked at Hermione. "And I must give you time to teach the boys I suppose."
Hermione laughed until she saw Minerva look at her with a frown.
"No, I'm sorry. Harry asked me if I will teach him, and I said that of course, I would and that you are probably expecting me to," she giggled a little longer while Minerva snorted and shook her head. She took a deep breath and got her laughter under control. "Sorry, I'd love to, it sounds great."
"Good," Minerva smiled. "How are you at chess?"
"Um," Hermione startled. She had not expected that question. "Honestly, rather abysmal."
"Ah," Minerva chuckled. "Well, I think it's time for you to learn. There's not much we can do here, except talk strategy and defensive procedures so why don't we settle in and have a game."
"It will be a short one," Hermione smiled.
"Then we shall have two," Minerva winked.
-0-
They had played more than two games in the end. Minerva had laughed quite openly as she'd watched Hermione start relatively well and then confuse herself as they continued. After the fourth loss in quick succession, Minerva transfigured a sofa out of a blanket and sat beside Hermione and chatted about Transfiguration and magic and all sorts of things.
While she liked Hermione; adored her work ethic and her quick wit and her intelligence, Minerva had never really stopped to chat with her about anything much more than Transfiguration. She quickly found it to be a true eye-opener. Hermione was far more intelligent than any conversation about schoolwork could convey and Minerva had thoroughly enjoyed herself. To that end, as she had walked down the stairs to return to Hogwarts and the mountain of paperwork she'd avoided, she paused at the bottom of the steps and looked over at the light coming from the bottom of the kitchen door. She almost didn't. In fact, she walked to the front door and even opened it before she remembered the bruises on Hermione's arm and turned back around.
Molly was wiping the last of the counters when Minerva entered the kitchen. She stood watching the woman for a long moment before she cleared her throat and waited for Molly to look at her. They stood staring at each other before Minerva decided just to take the bull by the horns.
"Molly, you know I respect you greatly. You know that I appreciate you taking these children under your wing. But I will not stand for this inhumane treatment you have levelled at Miss Granger. You have caused physical harm to her and I will not have it happen again, do I make myself clear?"
"She is not fit to join the order."
"Why," Minerva asked, wondering what Molly suddenly had against the young woman.
"She is not of our kind."
There was a protracted silence as Minerva stared at her.
"Neither am I."
Molly blinked and looked at Minerva carefully.
"You are from a wizarding family. You have stock. She is a mu-"
"That," she snapped. "Is the third time you have alluded to using that word to describe her, Molly and if I hear it again, you and I will do more than have words." Minerva was only marginally gratified to see that Molly paled slightly. "She is now a part of the order. She is under my care. She is a friend of your children. She is a charming and mature young woman and should you choose to listen to her, you may even learn something, Merlin knows I have. Perhaps you should keep out of the way of Harry and Hermione for the rest of the holiday, Molly, or at the very least hold your tongue, because I will be here every other night to check on them and if I find a single hair on their heads disturbed, there will be hell to pay. I told you to grow up, once, do you remember? I see you never took it to heart." Molly looked rather confused and Minerva took it to heart that she may have got through to her. "Goodnight."
Minerva slammed the kitchen door behind her and stood for a long moment, calming down before she walked back up the stairs and knocked on the room she thought the boys might be staying in, and then Hermione's as well.
Ginny exited and Minerva groaned.
"I'm sorry Miss Weasley, I believed that to be Mr Potter's room."
"S'okay," she smiled. "Harry," she said, knocking on the correct door. "McG wants a word."
"Oh, hey Professor," he smiled as he saw her.
"Hello," she smiled, looking back at Ginny. "I apologise, Miss Weasley, but I would prefer to speak to Mr Potter and Miss Granger alone."
"Ah, so about Mum," Ginny snorted. "No problem McG, but you should really know by now that anything you tell one of them," she nodded towards Hermione as she stepped out of her room. "I'm going to know about it afterwards anyway."
"Yes, well," Minerva sassed, wishing she wasn't their professor so she could poke out her tongue at the cheeky young woman.
"I saw that," Ginny said, giggling as she pranced back into her room.
"She is a bizarre child," Minerva chuckled, winking at Harry to show she wasn't being serious. "Now," she turned back to them and took a deep breath and tried to decide how much to tell them. "I have just spoken with Molly. I am unsure of her reasons, but I would like you both to be very careful for the remainder of the holidays. Hermione, in particular, you are not to be alone with her and where possible, stick together."
"You're making it sound like she's an enemy," Harry frowned, looking down the stairs.
"No," Minerva muttered, touching his arm to comfort him. "Not that. As Hermione told me earlier, I understand she has been put under strain but she expressed views to me that have, frankly, horrified me. Please do not leave Hermione alone with her, Harry. Will you do that for me?"
He blinked at her and she realised she had never actually called him by his name before.
"Harry?" she said again, deliberately.
"I, you've never." She squeezed his arm gently and he stood taller. "Absolutely, Professor. Absolutely." Harry frowned then and looked between her and his friend. "Is she really -"
"I'm going to have a chat with Arthur at the earliest convenience and I'm going to mention it to Albus," she shook her head at her candour. "Professor Dumbledore as well, so he can have a word. But he is not currently," she paused and looked between them. "Available. So it may not be in the next few days so please," she took Hermione's hand. "Be careful."
"I will," Hermione nodded. "I'm going to avoid joining her for any meal except dinner. At least we eat that all together. And I can make something in my room easy enough. Kreacher doesn't want much to do with me."
"Good idea. If you want me to pick you up some things, make a list. I'll be by as often as I can to check on you. If she touches either one of you, you let me know."
"Geez, Professor, you think she would?"
"She has already hurt Hermione." Minerva tried hard not to snap, but she was so incredibly angry at that thought. And with just over a week left, there was no real reason to uproot Hermione and take her somewhere else especially if she wanted to get into a training routine. "After this, I would advise you both to consider where you spend your holidays carefully."
"I already have," Hermione winced. "I'm going to stay at the Castle for Christmas."
"Good. Please take care, both of you. And take care of each other. Have Sirius find me if you need me, though he is perfectly capable of dealing with her."
"Hey, Professor?" Harry said as she swept away, needing to leave so she could scream at the injustice.
"Yes, Harry?"
"Thank you."
She smiled, looking up at them as they stood looking at her.
"You are welcome. Stay strong. I'll see you in a day or two."