Warning(s): Bigotry; Discord; Animal Giving Birth

~o0o~

Thanks to Green Day's help, they got the guests on their way to the safe houses and the "Piranha Plants" were their opening act with plans for an encore when Green Day went on the second leg of their tour in August. They could make arrangements to drop them off at the safehouses. This was why Sirius sent Hermione the IDs rather than hold onto them.

They could make it work and focus on other things in the interim.

Unfortunately, upon her return she got a long lecture from Mad-Eye and Kingsley about focusing on things other than taking Voldemort down, which really pissed her off. They said they would accept her as leader but they still saw her as a dumb kid.

"You would get everyone out of the house faster by ending the war," said Mad-Eye.

"You think I don't know that?" she growled. "I'm not going to wander up and down the whole bloody island on a scavenger hunt while people are getting killed! I told you what you were getting into when you signed on!"

"I didn't know it would mean you would be running off playing musician!"

"Oh-ho! Mr. Paranoid is seriously getting on my case about being paranoid?!" she scoffed. "I had to throw them off our tail! We can't burn the cover and the van when there are still people to move out! You got the money to replenish the toilet paper? We're only meant to house this many for a short period of time!"

"Miss Granger," said Kingsley. "This is very important. But perhaps it is better to focus on the search for the horcruxes. You say the Green Knights are coming back in August?"

"Green Day, but go on."

"We have the space in the other safe houses," he said diplomatically. "We can spread out our remaining guests until then and you can assist on our other missions."

Hermione rubbed her neck. "Mm, fine. I'll message the other safe houses and see how many they're willing to take for three months and ask Billie Joe, Mike, and Tré if they don't mind letting us open for them again. Tom the Barman reached out wanting to help, didn't he?"

"That's right," said Kingsley.

"We'll make a cover. A barmaid or two, grab some hair from some pretty, but unassuming No-Majs," she said. "We'll run it over at the group meeting tomorrow, finalize a system for it. Anything else you want to lecture me on or can I get this pig sty you call a house back in order?"

"We are just helping you," said Kingsley sternly. "We've been at war since before you were born."

She tried not to roll her eyes and strode out of the room. Dishes everywhere. Stains. Dust. Did they even look at the garden? She didn't care what the bedrooms looked like, but all social spaces needed to be kept clean.

This was only going to work if the home was a priority. If they had a stressful hearth, how were they going to manage the rest of the world?

Taking deep, slow breaths, Hermione went up to her room and messaged the base masters asking how many out of seventy they'd be willing and able to house until August. Crookshanks sensed her anger and laid against her, purring.

Once the messages were sent, she sent out a message via the bracelets about a group meeting tomorrow at lunch. Finally, she opened the door to find Derrick standing there.

"Yes? What?" she asked.

"Are you busy, Miss Sanchez?" he asked.

"Yes, but if you want to help me clean I would appreciate it," she said.

He made a face. "Ah… no, I have… let me know when you're done."

He scurried off and she rolled her eyes. The kitchen wasn't in the worst state in the world, but it would definitely make cooking meals a frustrating experience. They had a little bit of money set aside, they could order in pizza for tonight and get back on track tomorrow.

As she was stacking up dishes by the sink and putting away food that wasn't stale or rotting, Cedric entered the kitchen with a basket full of dishes he'd collected from the house.

He stacked them all up with the other dishes on the basin and left the room. When Hermione was filling the basin up with soap and hot water, Cedric passed through again, carrying massive bags of garbage. She peered through the window to see him dump one out on the compost pile and carry the other one to a dumpster they nicked. When it was full, they typically incinerated it since they couldn't very well call for rubbish pick up out here and it would be a bigger pain to haul it to the dump.

Feeling much calmer, Hermione switched on her radio and got to scrubbing. Though her splints were goblin made and could withstand anything and self-clean and sterilize, she still preferred wearing rubber gloves while she washed dishes. Really she preferred not to wash them at all, that's why they had the arrangement they did.

Cedric came back in and wiped down the counters so the dishes would have a clean place to be stacked.

"Thank you," she said.

"Of course." He laid out some tea towels, put on gloves, and started rinsing what she had washed, he gently touched his hip to hers. 'How did the meeting go?'

She raspberried and he hummed.

'What's the point of asking to be on my team if they don't like how I run things?' She scrubbed the crust on a pan harder. ''Look at the big picture,' they say. I'm trying to be different from Dumbledore. Maybe I should have shaken him for more information on horcruxes before turning him into a baby.'

'If all he gave Harry was a handful of memories taken out of context, I doubt he actually had much idea of their location, either, Cedric reasoned. 'Soak the pan. For the tough ones we'll put some barkeeps friend on them.'

She dropped the pan into the water and moved onto the next dish. 'I know the horcruxes are important, but we need to do all we can to lower potential damages. If we keep chipping away at his forces, remove people he can use to manipulate us, won't we be better off in the long run? I refuse to have a Part Three to this war. Isn't that the bigger picture?'

Cedric nodded.

Hermione turned the glass over in her hands. 'I'm doing things differently… but what if they're right and I'm wrong?'

'You aren't perfect.' Cedric rested a hand on her arm. "Look at me. There will be mistakes, but at least everyone here knows that you'd never sacrifice them for your end goal. They follow you because they believe in the cause, not because they feel like they owe it to you."

"Well, some might," she said.

"But they know they have a choice," he said. "Except Duckie, but I'm sure he'll save your life in no time."

"You'll have to let him," she said and handed him the glass to rinse.

He sighed heavily. "That will be difficult. Not to mention you rarely need saving. Can't really think of an incident where there was an opportunity. You either handle it yourself or nothing can be done."

"First time for everything," she said.

"Wotcher!"

Cedric stepped away.

"Are you here to help wash dishes?" Hermione asked Tonks.

"Only if you want half the dishes broken," said Tonks. "I can sweep instead while I tell you the news."

"Alright, what news?"

Tonks grabbed the broom. "I've got some old friends who want to join the Weather," she said. "Good people. They've done this sort of thing before."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, a secret society some of us were in at school," said Tonks. "Defense teacher went mad and killed a student. She was weird, but sweet and so we formed a group in her honor. Ced was a member."

Hermione looked at Cedric. "You were in a secret society?!"

"It was more of an emotional support group," said Cedric. "Similar to the D.A. People to lean on, extra practice on defensive magic."

"Yeah," said Tonks. "And they want to join the Weather."

"Erm… alright," said Hermione. "I'll have to meet with them before taking them here. Cedric, I want you along to make sure their intentions are what they claim."

"Right," he said.

"Nia, I trust them all," said Tonks. "Sure, some of us fell out of touch, but they're good."

"I can't take that risk," said Hermione. "People change. When can I meet them?"

"Er… they're all at Muriel's base right now waiting to meet you."

"Mm." Hermione looked at the pile of dishes and shook her head. "Alright. Muriel's base you said?"

"Yep."

The three of them went to the floo room and went to Muriel's house. It was everyone's idea of a little, old lady's house. Chintz furniture covered in plastic to keep it clean, lace doilies, dusty fake plants, 100-year-old sweets in crystal bowls, and the collectors item to tie it all together. In this case, enchanted dolls that looked around, blinking soulless eyes, and shuffled around to sit with a new neighbor. There was a porcelain-faced babydoll in red overalls contained by a bell-shaped glass jar. A sticky note read: Do Not Remove.

And everything was pink.

Cedric gagged and turned his attention to the dingy floor. Hermione rested a hand on his back.

"You can go home," she said. "It'll be alright."

He shook his head and inhaled deeply. "It's fine."

Still, she didn't want him spiraling into a panic attack.

Sliding her hand into his, they entered the other room towards the sound of chatter. Less than a dozen people were cramped on more chintz and politely pretending to sip tea while Aunt Muriel jabbered on about nothing in particular.

A burly man grabbed a piece of fruit out of a bowl and bit into it. He screwed up his face as he chewed.

"I think this apple's gone bad," he said.

A woman looked at what he was holding. "Barnaby, that's wax."

"Oh, it isn't that bad then." He raised it up to take another bite and she swatted it out of his hand.

Hermione didn't know why, but she was suddenly attracted to this big, dumb ox.

"Wotcher!" said Tonks, tripping over the moldy carpet. "Glad you could make it. This is Nia, our fearless leader. Nia, these are old mates of mine."

Introductions went around. Barnaby was the eater of wax fruit and had worked with Charlie in Romania, but had moved back to work at the Magical Creature Department at the Ministry. The woman who smacked the fruit out of his hand, Merula, was an Unspeakable. Others included a pretty blonde named Penny and an albino named Chiara who both worked at St. Mungo's.

"I remember you," Hermione said to Chiara. "You helped my mom during… right."

She was a werewolf. How had Hermione not seen it before? The virus twisted in her body.

"I'm also in charge of Wolfsbane distribution," said Chiara. "Or I was. They shut it down. I salvaged as much stock as I could, but most was destroyed."

Hermione nodded.

Victor was a vampire who did accounting in the Muggle world due to a lack of options in the wizard world. Jae just claimed he acquired difficult to find objects until his partner Talbott revealed he was a prop master for a theater company.

"Yeah, well, my contraband days are behind me," he said.

"Well, we might need someone who knows contraband," said Hermione. "What about you?"

"I train owls for magic use," said Talbott.

Badeea was an artist, but also had experience in crafting new spells. Ben worked in the Auror office, but left (escaped) after refusing to pledge allegiance to Voldemort.

And last was Diego, a champion duelist.

"And dancer extraordinaire," said Diego. "I have won awards."

"Yeah? So have I," said Hermione. "Two second place, seven first place."

"What circuit?"

"Latin Ballroom, focus on salsa, though I don't think we'll defeat our Good Friend with a tango."

"You never know," said Diego. "Do you know how duelling is like a dance?"

'Neither is a potato,' she thought loudly.

Cedric pursed his lips into a tight line and she knew he was trying not to laugh. She grinned and turned back to Diego.

"I'm guessing because both require you to anticipate the moves of your partner or it all falls apart."

Diego beamed and nodded. "Yes! You understand. We should spar sometime."

"I'll warn you, I fight dirty."

His smile faded slightly. "That's not very sporting."

"If you think the Death Eaters are going to fight fair, you might want to rethink joining," she said.

"There's no honor in that."

"Whoever said war was honorable probably never had to fight in one," she said and faced the crowd. "I appreciate all of you volunteering. This isn't going to be easy, but I need all the help I can get. Will any of you be requiring housing accommodations?"

"Some of them are staying at my family manor," said Merula. "I had to put a fidelius charm on it. My parents… my parents survived Azkaban and are on the Dark Lord's side."

Hermione nodded and looked to the others. Chiara and her wife Penny would need accommodations, as would Badeea Ali and Barnaby Lee. Merula had the rest, plus others who were helping with the effort but weren't trusting of the Weather. At the very least there wouldn't be any miscommunication from here on out with that resistance.

"If we bunk up, I can probably fit about fifteen, maybe twenty more," said Merula. "I have a house-elf, too. I heard about S.A.M.B. so we're working up to the idea of freedom. I don't quite get it myself, but if the Death Eaters hate it that much then it must be a good thing."

Hermione looked at Cedric.

'They're all clear,' he sent.

"Alright," she said. "I can offer lodging at our main base, but on one condition. You have to be a contributing member to the household. I don't care what state your bedrooms are in, but keep all main areas clear of garbage. We have some temporary guests at the moment, but will be moving them elsewhere. As you are Weather Members, I will mark you down as residents. Do you accept these terms?"

They did.

"We're mostly focusing on rescue," said Cedric. "But some of you may be asked to go on special missions should you opt in."

"Merlin's beard, I thought you were a girl!" said Muriel, calling attention to herself and turning a scrutinizing eye to him. "Clearly your parents weren't strict enough."

"Au contraire," said Cedric. "My father's insistence on molding me into the perfect little gentleman at the expense of my youth and freedom, upholding me to unmaintainable masculinity and squashing down any exploration of gender and sexuality is precisely the reason I wear a frock."

"Plus you look hot," said Hermione.

"That too." Cedric flipped the skirt.

"What'd you say your name was again?" asked Diego.

"He didn't," said Hermione.

"Cedric," said Cedric flatly. "You challenged me to a duel almost every day for two years and I lost almost every time."

Recognition sparked in their eyes and they stood to greet him.

"It's been a while," said Chiara. "I didn't know you were back in the country. When you didn't turn up after being pardoned, you were assumed dead."

"I almost was," said Cedric. "Mimi saved me."

"I remember you said once you were ambidextrous," said Barnaby, clapping him on the back. "Good for you! Finally living your true self!"

Cedric looked like he was trying not to laugh. "Er, thanks, Barnaby."

"How will you find a wife if you dress like a woman?" said Muriel, appalled.

Penny and Chiara exchanged looks. Both were dressed in feminine cut witch's robes and had matching wedding bands.

"It's very simple," said Hermione. "Mind your business."

While the old witch sputtered, Hermione looked to the others.

"Alright, the HQ is Rosehill Manor. We have a Weather meeting tomorrow at noon, please be there, lunch will be provided." She glanced at her hand as she was notified of messages in her notebooks. "I need to get back. When you show up tomorrow, you'll receive your complementary, personalized Weather bracelets."

Cedric and Tonks showed off theirs.

"You can send and receive brief messages with them," said Hermione. "Everything will be explained in full tomorrow."

"Hem hem!"

Cedric flinched and Hermione scowled at Muriel.

"I think an apology is in order, young man," she said.

"Oh really?" said Hermione. "Great! Go ahead then."

Muriel scowled. "I mean to me."

"Oh. Okay." Hermione walked away. "As soon as you apologize for ripping up Fleur's wedding bouquet, calling her a boggart, insulting my best friend, and for misgendering me multiple times. I know you know I'm a girl."

She ushered Cedric into the fireplace first and jumped in after him. She stepped out to see him collapse by the bin and vomit.

"Ced!" she hurried to him and held his hair back.

Tonks stepped out. "Oh… what happened?"

"It's alright," said Hermione. "Can you tell everyone we're doing pizza for dinner tonight? They have a choice between cheese, pepperoni, and mushroom. Write it down and then bring it to me."

"On it, boss." She saluted and left.

Hermione knelt down. Cedric was so pale and trembling.

"Sorry," he croaked. "I just…"

"I know." He didn't need to say it. "It's okay. Do you need to lie down?"

He shook his head. "I want to go to the barn."

"Sure."

She supported him, and after a quick stop for him to wash his mouth out, they took the way through the library and workshop to get outside. It was the same difference as going through the kitchen, but she didn't want him to see the mess and feel obligated to help her clean.

He shuddered and hugged himself.

"Do you need a calming draught?" she asked. "An edible?"

"No."

It sounded more like a question.

Opening the barn doors, Cedric lifted his head.

"Oh, hell!" he gasped and ran over to the cow stall.

There, they found Daisy lying on her side with Trixie licking her ears.

"Oh! Oh! Is she giving birth?" Hermione squawked, waving her arms. "What do we do?"

Cedric snapped out of himself and gently guided her away.

"Don't worry," he said. "I've done this dozens of times, many without help. Just be ready to call the vet in case there's trouble. I'll send word if there is."

"Oh. Okay," she said. "You sure?"

"Do you really want to watch the miracle of birth?" he asked.

"Er…" she looked at Daisy and felt squeamish. "No. I think I'll just… I'm gonna go put the fear of God in everyone for leaving the house a mess."

Cedric nodded and grabbed a plastic bucket filled with supplies. He'd been expecting this. He was ready for it.

Hermione closed the barn doors behind herself and hurried inside. She entered the kitchen to see Fred, George, and Lee cleaning.

"Oh, you guys, thank you for finishing that up!" she said rather than scold them for not keeping up with it in the first place. Even though she really wanted to, she knew it was a motivation killer. "Did Tonks tell you the dinner plan?"

"Yes, can we afford pizza?" asked George.

"Well, the Piranha Plants got paid to open for Green Day, so yeah. Just this once as a treat, but we're back to stews and curries tomorrow. Um, Cedric is in the barn, Daisy is calving, I don't know about Trixie. I have some messages to answer in my room, call me in an emergency."

She tessered and sat down at her desk. Everyone responded, they could take the guests tomorrow. Sixty would be spread out among the bases for the next three months, so she could move the remaining ten at Rosehill. Perfect. And she'd be able to house the new Weather members as well, especially if some were willing to bunk together until the refugees could be moved in August.

Hermione rubbed her thumbs over her fingers. Finding these horcruxes would be like finding a needle in a haystack. She flipped through her notes. The sea cave he visited… but where was it? From London she could assume that it could be anywhere along the coast south of the midlands. She could start with known cave systems and work from there. She would need to go alone so she could use Gryffindor's Pin for invisibility.

Marking the note, she saw Tonks approach.

"Come in," she called and stood.

"Got the pizza order," said Tonks, waving the notebook. "We're not completely useless."

"I'm sorry if I said you are," said Hermione, not recalling if she vocalized her frustrations or not.

They needed all the help they could get, she couldn't be making enemies. Not even with Muriel.

She counted the number of tally mark and did the math.

"Right," she said and went to the only phone in the house.

She had no idea how food brochures ended up taped to their front door when the place was under the fidelius charm. Guess there was no escape from advertisements. They had a buy two pizzas get one free deal, no limit mentioned. Great. She dialed the number.

"Hi there, I'd like to place an order for pick up, please. Can you make thirty pizzas? I'll be paying cash. I can pick it up whenever they're ready."

They claimed they could do it in two and a half hours. She went back out to the barn just in time to see Cedric pull the calf out of the mother.

"Oh!" she gasped, feeling faint.

Cedric looked at her and grinned. "Love, you've seen way worse than this!"

"I… I know!" she huffed. "They just… they really downplay what it looks like in the movies and stuff!"

Cedric chuckled and cleaned up while Daisy licked her calf clean.

"It's a girl!" he said. "Congratulations, Daisy."

"Are we keeping the babies?" Hermione asked, inching closer but not sure if going too close would cause Daisy distress.

"I don't know," said Cedric. "I mean… how much milk do we really need per day? We get about twenty-four liters per day per cow and the babies will be drinking a fraction of that for a few months. We still need to separate them into different pens, that way the babies don't get stepped on or if the udders are dirty they don't get sick…"

Trixie lowed and laid down. Cedric sighed softly and put on a new pair of gloves.

Hermione smiled slightly. He really did love tending to the animals. Sure he had often complained about mucking out the stables or having to go around smelling like a barn, but this was his element. One of them anyway.

She finally crouched down to see the new baby. The calf's curly red fur was swept in off patterns and damp from getting cleaned up. Hermione tried not to squeal in adoration.

"So cute!" she gushed.

"I'm not sure who the bull was," said Cedric. "But typically the ones around here are good stock. I'm not aware of any feral cows, so the calves should be good for dairy."

Hermione listened to him gab away about animal husbandry and how once the babies (if both were girls) grew up they could expand from giving milk to all their bases to making cheese and butter. The equipment was still in good shape and they were using one of them to pasteurize the milk. If it was bottled right away, they could maintain a shelf life for a good while.

Honestly, she was just happy to see him excited about something.

"We have to name the calf," said Hermione, scritching it under the chin. "How about… Oh! Let's name her Moodonna!"

Cedric snorted. "How about Clover?"

She clicked her tongue, but smiled rather than make a snarky comment. "Perfect."

By the time she had to leave and pick up dinner, Trixie gave birth to a solid black heifer, which Cedric named Bumble. The calves were placed in a separate pen where their mothers could reach them but not step on them and Cedric started writing a schedule for feeding and tending to the calves.

~o0o~

"So… they're friendship bracelets," said Merula, holding up her bracelet.

Everyone had shown up for lunch consisting of sandwiches, fruit salad, and veggie sticks. There were quite a lot of them now, so they ate lunch in the library.

"Essentially," said Hermione passing out the others. She couldn't sleep last night after all the excitement and used the time to make the bracelets. "I figured they're a touch less permanent than tattoos."

She explained how they worked.

"So we'd be able to send each other messages leaving you out?" said Talbott. "That doesn't seem safe."

"Well, what if I become compromised?" Hermione reasoned. "Listen, I think that transparency in certain areas is better than compartmentalizing. Zero deaths are impossible, but I won't sacrifice someone else as a means to an end."

'Not again,' she thought behind her walls.

"I like you," said Barnaby. "You're the boss?"

Hermione looked at Kingsley and Mad-Eye.

"Am I?"

"Yes, Nia," said Kingsley.

"Aye," said Mad-Eye.

"What makes you the boss?" Merula asked. "I mean, I get you're powerful, not as powerful as me—"

That must have been an inside joke. Her friends either rolled their eyes or smiled.

"—but Grand Sorceress doesn't mean you're best suited to leadership."

"Fair point," said Hermione. "I'll bring you into the loop, make yourselves comfortable."

She explained her eye, her ability to see magic, and then the horcruxes.

"I've read about those," said Merula. "My… my parents had Magick Moste Evil in their library. I couldn't sleep for weeks after reading that spell. You mean to say that You-Know-Who made one?"

"He made six," said Hermione and everyone looked sick. "I will show you footage of their destruction in a bit."

"Footage?" said Barnaby. "Wouldn't it just be the same age as the rest of you?"

"Footage means a recording," said Hermione impatiently over the snickers and launched into the well-rehearsed explanation. That Dumbledore had an idea of them but wasn't certain of anything. The catches to the horcruxes and her ideas of where they might be. "My first clue is to look along the coast and will be going out on a search."

"What, by yourself?" said Cedric.

"I have an invisibility cloak," she insisted. "It's not as good as some but it will keep me safe. I'm also the only one except Mad-Eye who can see magic, so I'll just look and once I find the signature I can put together a team to retrieve it and we can take care of it here. Until then, I'm not a hundred percent certain there's a horcrux there. Any ideas?"

"Well he might keep them close," said Ben.

"Actually you have to keep horcruxes apart," said Cecilia. "Theoretically, if you leave them close together, the soul pieces will attempt to fuse and become unstable."

"That wasn't in the book," said Merula.

"It's in Arcana Magica Vol. 3," said Hermione. "If he doesn't know that bit, he could very well be keeping one close to the vest. And there's no telling how the ritual would go. I might just have to cut my losses on the vessel in that case, though, it's so annoying that he's using stuff that doesn't belong to him but he feels entitled to."

Things just got potentially more difficult. Hermione walked the perimeter of the room, her hand pressed to her mouth.

"Well, it's unlikely he'd make anymore," she said. "He's a walking spirit and walking spirits are obsessed with their unfinished business. He split his soul when he wanted to make six, so he'll have his heart set on it and killing Harry to do it. It's unlikely he hid it anywhere else. Even so I think it wouldn't hurt to check Bulgaria where he discovered one of the objects. Even if that object is no longer there, he might have hid another one in the same place."

"Could he though?" Cecilia asked. "Horcruxes can't cross bodies of water."

"But I was able to move it across oceans and sea in an air ship," Hermione reasoned. "I don't know if that rule is absolute. Until we get more clues, we just have to check off where it isn't. I'll start looking, we'll keep our ears to the ground."

She stopped pacing and nodded.

"Right. Anyway. Next order of business, I need volunteers to polyjuice as a busty barmaid named Charlene. Tom, you know, the barman, wants to help and he gets a lot of Death Eaters and Snatchers and stuff in his pub. So if we take turns pretending to be a beautiful, flirtatious witch with big breasts, those idiots will tell us everything. At least… the men will."

"Wouldn't using disguises be safer?" Draco asked.

"No way, I'm not getting groped every night," said Cecilia. "You will have to take your share."

"It's only fair," said Hermione. "We might be able to find some more Death Eater Pubs across the country we can plant some of you in, but until then we need to know if this will even be worthwhile."

It was difficult coming up with plans when the war she was trying to fight was a secret from 90% of the world. Pocket dimensions, close quarters. There weren't many fully magic locations. No land to claim, no set battlegrounds. It was sneaky, it was quick, it was messy.

"I can always do recon," said George, raising his hand. "My animagus is a raven, so I can tail some people. Poke around. Who will look twice?"

Hermione nodded. "Good idea. That would be very helpful. If we can find some of their bases we can take them down. The less space they have to move around in, the better."

"Then… I can do that too," said Talbott. "My animagus form is an eagle."

"I'll reach out to some of my old contacts," said Jae. "What sort of items are we looking for?"

"A ring and Hufflepuff's Cup," said Hermione. "I can't say for certain, but those are the most notable objects that he has been in the same room in."

"You don't know much, do you?" said Ben.

"I mean, my track record is better than anyone else," said Hermione defensively, she grabbed onto an empty chair. "I got a big chunk taken out of his forces and his horcruxes! The problem is with a fewer number of horcruxes and with him collecting followers from elsewhere, my chances of a lucky break are slimming down. It's going to. Take. Time." She stamped the legs of the chair to the ground with each word, then shoved it away and paced in front of them. "I want this war to be over as much as anyone, but this isn't like the Anglo-Zanzibar War. It ain't gonna be over in thirty-eight minutes.

"The first war with Our Good Friend officially lasted eleven years and it was only ended because without their leader, the Munchers were in a panic. This second round we've officially been at war for what, when was the heist?"

"Two years ago," said Fred.

"Thank you. We need to be prepared for the long haul," said Hermione. "I'm doing my best but this isn't a car ride. You can't keep asking 'are we there yet?' All we can do is take it one day at a time. I'll let you know when we're at the final battle."

"How will you know?" asked Penny.

"The final battle, the big one, is going to be at Hogwarts," said Hermione. "We can evacuate the kids and elves and then we'll have a battleground that is separate. No civilian casualties, we'll know the area, and can better defend it."

No one had any follow up questions or statement to that, so she moved on.

"In August, the band Green Day is coming back to Europe," she said. "The Piranha Plants, the band Cedric, Draco, and I are in, will be opening for them. That's when we'll be moving the rest of the refugees out, so if you change your mind about fighting that's going to be your only opportunity for a while."

Cedric raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"I was thinking it might be beneficial to get some chickens," he said. "They lay about one egg a day. After the initial costs of purchasing them and getting what they need it might be cheaper in the long run than buying eggs from the store."

"I'll consider it," she said. "I'll have to check the budget to see if we can swing it. Any other suggestions? Comments? Questions?" She held out her hands waiting for a response. None. "Great. For those moving in, household rules: Quiet time starts at 11:30 in the evening and ends at eight the next morning, clean up after yourselves, adhere to the chore chart, please be kind to each other. I'll be organizing the move for the current guests and when I return we'll clean up and you can pick your rooms. Please submit all dietary restrictions and accommodations in writing. Meeting adjourned."

She knocked on the table, cancelled the charms to keep their conversation private, and opened the doors. A few guests scrambled away. She didn't know why they were trying to listen in.

Drawing her wand, she held it to her throat.

"Attention all guests," she said. "You have fifteen minutes to finish gathering your personal affects. Anything left behind will be marked and put into storage for you to retrieve at a later date. Those who have been marked Group A, please convene to entrance hall in fifteen minutes. If you are not in Group A, please wait elsewhere until you are called. Thank you."

It didn't take too long. Everyone knew how to use the floo. Once they were out, it wasn't her problem.

Soon enough, she was rounding up the others to help her clean the rooms out. When that was done, Cedric took over getting everyone sorted so she could get dinner going.

While she cooked, Hermione thought about how to go about her mission. She tried not to spiral. Second-guessing her decisions. She had people to do that for her. They questioned her, but never offered an alternative. Why did she have to have all the answers?

Ugh, and she now was stewing herself instead of the meat.

This was going to be a long seven to fifteen years.