Mrs. Granger didn't usually question Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall. She perceived them to be all knowing, otherworldly, mystical, and much smarter than herself. Especially when it came to her daughter, Hermione, who was a witch. Hermione had inherited her logic from her mother, and when presented with things that made perfect sense and were evidence based, Mrs. Granger would accept whatever the facts told her. After the initial meeting and interrogation with the two professors ahead of Hermione's first year at Hogwarts (which was later referred to as "tiresome and much longer than anticipated" among the professors), Mrs. Granger took everything they said at face value.
Upon their first meeting, Mrs. Granger had been very impressed with the Hogwarts professors' responses to her many, many questions. And Mrs. Granger had asked well over two hundred, ranging from the less articulate "huh?" All the way to the very specific "what do you mean a rat spleen has healing properties when activated by python venom?" The Hogwarts professors patiently explained everything Mr. and Mrs. Ganger wanted to know and offered many assurances that the muggles hadn't even thought of yet.
Mrs. Granger was so at ease in the presence of Hermione's professors that five years later, she had no trouble convincing her husband that Albus Dumbledore must be right. Hermione would be perfectly safe spending her summer in a house full of wizards and magic. Not that Mr. Granger needed much convincing either. He also fully trusted the strange wizard, claiming it was the sparkle in his eyes that made him so trustworthy.
Hermione had been home from Hogwarts for less than three weeks when Professor Dumbledore came knocking at the Grangers' door one evening. The Grangers invited him in with open arms, setting the kettle for tea and silently marvelling at the image in front of them. Professor Dumbledore's long purple robes looked comically out of place in the Grangers modest, muggle sitting room. Though Hermione had modelled her own various robes for her parents before, explaining what each would be for, Hermione did have the advantage of looking relatively normal, or rather, muggle, while wearing hers. Professor Dumbledore's long grey hair and beard gave him the mythical aura that always left the Grangers in awe. They firmly believed, and had discussed at length, that even if Professor Dumbledore were to acquire a muggle suit, he would not look muggle. He would continue to look, well, like a wizard.
There was no other way to describe the man sitting in their armchair. He was a true embodiment of every fairy tale that ever there was about wizards. This contributed to the Grangers' easy acceptance of Hermione's world. And it made them receptive to Professor
Dumbledore's news of the day.
"I hope I find you all well and enjoying your summer?" He began as Hermione served him his tea, indicating wordlessly to the stack of sugar cubes on the table.
The Grangers all nodded and affirmed they'd been settling nicely into their summer routines as Professor Dumbledore added nine sugar cubes to his tea. "I do hope you've been able to rest up, Miss Granger," he said to Hermione. "After this most difficult end of term, I would hate to hear you aren't resting up."
Professor Dumbledore was of course referring to the confrontation at the Department of Mysteries that had very nearly resulted in the deaths of several Hogwarts students, including Hermione and her friends, and many members of the Order of the Phoenix. Fortunately, most of their side had made it out with few injuries, despite several close calls. All of which happened for naught, Hermione believed, because Sirius Black had been in no danger until Harry decided to go save him, resulting in Sirius having to put himself in danger while trying to rescue Harry.
Sirius had almost been sent through the veil, almost killed. It was only because of a quick-thinking maneuver from Remus Lupin that Sirius had survived. Remus had sent a curse at a Death Eater blowing him backwards from the force, pushing Sirius out of the way of his certain death.
The Grangers were not aware of any of this, however, which Professor Dumbledore quickly realized from the confusion and concern on their faces after his question to their daughter. "I mean of course Miss Granger's exams. I'm sure she explained her OWL examinations to you both. I'm delighted in her results, which were the highest Hogwarts has seen in decades."
This cleared up the confusion that the Grangers expressed. Hermione answered the earlier question in the positive, noting that she had been enjoying her summer reading and that yes, she was getting plenty of sleep.
"Sir," Hermione began once these pleasantries were out of the way. "I can't imagine you're here on a social call, simply inquiring after my wellbeing."
"As usual, Ms. Granger, you are nothing if not absolutely correct. I do have an ulterior motive to imposing on your evening." Professor Dumbledore turned to face Hermione's parents. "An opportunity has come about that I would like to recommend to Ms. Granger. An internship might be the best way of describing it in terms that would make sense to everyone. It would give her a chance to put her research skills to practical use in a safe, controlled environment."
Hermione eyed her headmaster suspiciously. What was he on about? "Sir, what exactly is this opportunity?"
"Unfortunately, the matters of the research remain confidential to those directly involved at the moment, Ms. Granger," Professor Dumbledore replied, making direct eye contact with Hermione and slightly inclining his head towards her parents. She understood. It was not something the headmaster was at liberty to explain in front of her parents. This was probably for their safety in that not knowing would keep them out of danger, or simply to prevent them from worrying about various magical situations Hermione could find herself in that might not be considered safe.
Professor Dumbledore continued. "If you give your consent to allow Hermione to be a part of this particular project, she will relocate to an undisclosed location that I can guarantee you is extremely safe. As safe as Hogwarts itself. She will be under the direct supervision of several
Hogwarts teachers, and among many of her peers."
The Grangers were listening attentively to Professor Dumbledore's explanation. "I must admit not knowing exactly what this assignment is concerns me," Mr. Granger said.
"I'll be up front about it, that even if I could explain it to you without worry of confidentiality, you would not even begin to understand any of it, simply because of the magical complexity of the subject. I can however assure you that Ms. Granger would be in a very secure location, safety not at all a concern. Besides that, this opportunity will be an excellent chance for her to use some of her skills and contribute to the Wizarding World. The experience it would give her would look amazing on a resume when she applies for jobs in the future." Professor Dumbledore explained all of this with the calming tone that Ms. Granger had come to appreciate over the years, the same voice that she trusted.
Mrs. Granger sighed. "It sounds like an excellent opportunity Hermione, but I do have one more concern. It's silly really, but she's only just returned from school. We've not even had her a month yet. Would she return at all before the start of true next term?"
"I don't want to promise anything at the time," the headmaster replied. "It is likely that this project will occupy Miss Granger's time until the end of the summer."
"Mum," Hermione interjected before anybody else could say anything. "Think of how amazing this could be for my future! Think of the experience I'll get, using my skills in a different setting. I'll write of course, and really what would I be doing all day here anyways? You and Dad are at the clinic all day, and I'd really rather be applying myself to something important than sitting around all day waiting for you to come home."
"She has a point," Mr. Granger said. "When would you be leaving?"
"If you all consent, I'll return myself tomorrow morning to collect her, at nine o'clock?"
Professor Dumbledore presented this as a question, hoping to persuade Hermione and her family.
"Well, I can't seem to find a good reason for you not to go, Hermione," Mrs. Granger said. "I think you should take the opportunity."
Mr. Granger nodded his agreement. Hermione looked at the Professor and smiled.
"Excellent!" Professor Dumbledore stood. "Pack your trunk Miss Granger, I'll return in the morning. Thank you for the tea, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, and as well for the services of your daughter. Good evening."
So quickly that it startled the muggles in the room, Professor Dumbledore disapparated from the room, leaving behind his now empty teacup. Nobody said anything for several minutes while the Grangers took in what had just happened. Mr. Granger was the first to break the silence.
"Did anybody else notice he took nine sugars in his tea?"
HGSSHGSSHGSSHGSS
True to his word, Professor Dumbledore arrived promptly at nine o'clock to collect Hermione. She was ready, her trunk packed to the brim with her books and clothes that she would need not only for the summer, but for the upcoming school year. Crookshanks was huffing at being put in his carrier, meowing angrily at the feet that walked around him freely while he was trapped.
After a few more reassurances that Hermione would be fine and would do nothing but benefit from her summer, goodbyes were said, and the headmaster took Hermione's arm to apparate away. They landed in Diagon Alley, much to Hermione's surprise.
"Professor," Hermione began, taking advantage of finally being alone with her professor.
"Now may I ask what exactly it is that requires my presence so desperately?"
"You may, Miss Granger. You will be spending the summer at 12 Grimmauld Place, with Sirius, Remus, and Severus, and eventually some other members of the Order. This is for your protection, which I realize, is exactly the opposite of what I promised your parents. You are close with Mr. Potter, which means you are vulnerable and a high-risk target for Lord Voldemort. We are hoping to have much of the order under the roof of 12 Grimmauld Place, for convenience and protection." Professor Dumbledore paused. "The Weasley's will be arriving after the full moon next week. We want to give Remus his space for his transformation, but after that, it'll be convenient to have people here. And I expect, it will be fun for you and your friends to all be together without the burdens of schoolwork."
"And the 'special project'?" Hermione asked.
"Is to not find yourself in any danger," Professor Dumbledore said. "And if you are willing, there is an opportunity to help Severus with some brewing. He spends nearly all of his time in the basement, fulfilling potion requests for the order and though he would never admit it, he needs an extra pair of hands. You can take over some of the potions you are already familiar with. Polyjuice, for example."
Hermione's cheeks flushed, but she ignored the jab. "Is he willing?"
"You know your potions professor well, Ms. Granger, and I encourage you to consider what you think they answer to that question is. That said, he could not argue much, as I caught him when he happened to make a mistake with a potion that I know he is able to brew blindfolded. He is exhausted, to put it simply. I've insisted he accept the help, and he has agreed."
The headmaster stopped walking and Hermione noticed they were in front of the apothecary's shop.
"We have a quick stop to make before heading to our destination."
Hermione followed the professor into the store while he picked up an order. He handed her a bag of ingredients to carry, and then they finally made their way to headquarters.
Hermione always loved her first glimpse into a magical household after returning from the muggle world. She loved the magic in the air, and moving portraits, and the little charms around the place that made things so simple. The whimsicality of a magic household brought her a sense of peace and belonging. She smiled at Professor Dumbledore as she followed him through to the kitchen of the house.
"Sirius! Professor Lupin!" Hermione exclaimed as she entered the kitchen behind the headmaster. The two friendlier residents of 12 Grimmauld Place rose from their seats at the table to greet Hermione and Professor Dumbledore. Each in turn shook the headmaster's hand and gave Hermione a hug.
"Miss Granger, I have pressing business elsewhere, but I'll be in touch, I'm sure these gentlemen will see to it that you are comfortable for the time being." Professor Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling in the direction of Remus and Sirius. "Don't hesitate to send me an owl if you need something."
After the headmaster disapparated with a crack, Hermione was left with the two men.
"Is there anything we can get you Hermione? Water, pumpkin juice?" Professor Lupin offered.
"No, thank you professor," Hermione replied.
"Hermione, enough with the professor. It's getting a bit old. I have not taught at Hogwarts for a long time. Remus will do just fine," the werewolf said with a smile.
Hermione raised an eyebrow, indicating she had no plans to change. This was a conversation the pair of them had every time they spoke. Hermione felt that it was better to show the respect, and Remus hated being put up on that pedestal. Sirius thought the whole situation was hilarious, and even watching them in this particular moment, he had to hold back a smirk.
"Shall we show you around then?" Sirius asked. Hermione had been to the house several times, but nodded anyways, knowing Sirius and Remus had been doing a good deal of remodelling to "remove that whore" as Sirius put it. Really, this was just ridding the place of dark magic and any evidence that the Black family had ever resided there. Hermione shuddered remembering having to help clean out cupboards the year before.
Up from the kitchen, she noted the changes to the different rooms. The biggest change was the removal of all portraits of Sirius' family, as well as the elf heads from the entrance hallway. The drawing room had been rearranged to hold a single couch and a pair of armchairs, as well as a large desk. The Black family tree mural was gone, and the room was happier for it. Every wall now held shelves of books, littered with trinkets and other decorative items. Hermione could see herself spending lots of time here.
The bedrooms upstairs had all been remodelled, wiped clean of any previous inhabitants. They were all redecorated ornately, keeping with the theme of the Wizarding World, but in neutral colours. There was an abundance of beige, brown, white and earth colours.
The bedroom that had previously been Hermione's to share with Ginny was no longer going to be hers, Sirius informed her. "That's where Snape stays. The room next to it is available and ready for you if you want it. If you don't want to stay on the floor with him, we can get a different room ready for you upstairs."
Hermione thought for a minute, but decided it didn't matter. "Don't put yourself out Sirius, I'll take the room that's ready. I don't mind."
Sirius nodded. "Let us know if you change your mind, though things will probably be bounced around again when the Weasley's arrive in a few weeks"
They showed her into her room, which held two beds and shared a wall with Professor Snape's room. Hermione expected that Ginny would move in there with her when she came, and also that Professor Snape might vacate his room at that time. Why would he stay when hoards of Weasleys arrived?
The floor had one bathroom, which Hermione was informed she could share with Professor Snape, unless she wanted to take the stairs up a level to use Sirius and Remus' bathroom. Hermione didn't see a reason not to share a bathroom, other than the chance of running into her professor. She silently decided just to keep her bag of toiletries in her own room, and use whatever bathroom was available. The less Professor Snape saw of her existence in his spaces, the better. She was already going to be encroaching on his potions lab downstairs.
The tour continued on the next floor. Remus claimed one bedroom as his. Further down the hall was another bedroom which Sirius identified as his. Up on the next floor were more bedrooms and another bathroom. The attic was unfinished, used as some storage for old furniture and other items Sirius hadn't disposed of, but didn't want to use in the house.
After the tour was completed, the trio headed back down to the drawing room, where Sirius called for some mid-morning tea, and each found something to occupy their time. Hermione and Remus each with a book, and Sirius with the Daily Prophet.
They passed the remainder of the morning in this way, occasionally pausing to remark on something they'd read. Sirius shared the occasional tidbit from the Prophet, and Remus would offer an intelligent response. Hermione didn't say much, both because she was hesitant to interrupt their daily routines with her presence, and because she was intensely aware of how young and uninformed she was about things going on in the Wizarding World. Both of these men were so much smarter than she was, and she looked up to them as mentors and role models. She didn't want to say anything stupid that might make them laugh at her.
Professor Snape didn't show his face for the length of the morning, and Hermione felt on edge waiting for him to swoop in and scare her. He never did.
When the trio put their reading away for lunch, which consisted of sandwiches magically appearing on the table in the drawing room, Hermione realized Kreacher must still be around.
She inquired after the house elf and was startled at Sirius' response.
"Well of course he's here, isn't he?" Sirius said around a mouthful of his egg salad and white bread sandwich. "Who else would be willing to get up and cook for these order members coming and going at all hours of the night? Although willing might not be the best word. I had to order him to cook for whoever was here."
Hermione put down her own turkey on wheat sandwich. "What do you mean?"
"Members of the order are constantly coming in and out. Some stay, like Severus, but most come at their convenience. And sometimes that convenience is the middle of the night," Remus explained, helping himself to a second roast beef on rye sandwich. "But think of the resources here. All these books, potion resources, meeting spaces. And weekly meetings don't forget. There are enough people coming and going to keep Kreacher busy."
Hermione grimaced at the thought of her upcoming days with her potions professor. Sirius noticed. "Don't make yourself sick Hermione. He doesn't appear that often. He prefers to keep himself busy in the basement. Usually takes dinner down there too."
That didn't make Hermione feel much better. "Except Dumbledore wants me to help him with brewing."
"Right, well that complicates avoiding him," Sirius frowned.
"It's fine," Hermione said, trying to be as confident as she had been earlier while agreeing to stay in the room beside his. She would simply stay quiet, mature, and do what he asked. "Who else should I expect to see here?" She asked, moving the conversation way from the potions master.
"Mad-Eye, Kingsley, Dumbledore, McGonagall, the Weasleys, and Tonks. Maybe a few other people, but those are the ones we see most often. The ones who attend every meeting. The others are more casual, who really only get involved when Dumbledore goes to them specifically."
"When's the next meeting?" Hermione asked.
"At the end of the month, when the Weasley's arrive to stay. And before you ask," Sirius noticed the look on her face, "no you won't be attending the meeting."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to throw a fit. Harry will though, you can be sure of that."
Sirius nodded, looking dejected. "I know. Don't mind him, I'll deal with that. I love Harry, I really do, but the boy needs to calm down that hero complex. He's going to do something stupid one of these days, and then we're all going to be in trouble."
Hermione averted her eyes down to her plate and didn't reply, not wanting to point out that Harry had done something stupid, without thinking, just a few weeks earlier. And they all were in trouble that day. She agreed with Sirius, of course, but Harry wasn't the type to listen to reason when he got stuck on an idea. Five years of keeping near constant company had taught her it was easier sometimes to just go with it and help get him out of the trouble that seemed to find him.
But with things getting so serious now, she would have to work extra hard to keep ahead of Harry's ideas and try to make him be rational.
After lunch, Remus disappeared upstairs to have a nap, and Sirius told Hermione he had to step out, but would return for dinner. Left to her own devices, Hermione took to aimlessly wandering around Grimmauld Place. There was nothing left that she hadn't really seen, aside from the inside of a few bedrooms. She really didn't have an interest in them anyways, so she didn't bother with them. Instead, she found herself down in the kitchen, absolutely bothering Kreacher.
She wasn't actually talking to him, or even acknowledging his presence. She knew better than to try to be nice to this elf if she didn't want to be viciously insulted. It was no secret that the elf hated her and wouldn't miss her if she died. He might even celebrate. She poked around the pantry wondering if Kreacher would kill her himself for trying to bake something. She decided he probably would, and it might be better to ask Sirius for permission first, so he could tell Kreacher to bugger off.
She didn't want to go further down into the basement, because that was where the potions lab was, and she didn't want to run into Professor Snape yet.
Hermione found herself back in the drawing room once again, this time armed with a school textbook and her writing utensils. With nothing else pressing her to be done, she thought revising some of her summer homework might be a good idea. But first she wrote a quick letter to her parents.
Dear Mum and Dad,
I made it safe to where I'm staying. Harry's godfather and one of my old professors, Remus Lupin, are here. My current potions professor is here too, as my supervisor for the project. I'm in good hands, and really excited for what's to come. My room is nice, and there's a big library here that I have access to. You know that means I'll never be bored! I'll try to send you an update when more has happened, but for now there's not much else to say.
All my love,
Hermione
Intentionally being vague, Hermione continued the story that Professor Dumbledore had fed her parents. She no longer felt bad lying or leaving things out of letters. Her parents' tendency to ask questions and worry when she told them things was exhausting. It was easier to just skim the surface, and when all else failed, mention books.
Hermione tucked the note away, intending to later ask Sirius or Remus about an owl. That task completed, she turned to her summer potions homework. She wondered if it would be difficult to see to getting some of her schoolbooks for the next year early, given she would have so much free time in the coming evenings. She wanted to get a start on her readings and made a mental note to ask Professor Dumbledore the next time she saw him.
Hermione couldn't wait until the end of the month when her friends came to join her. It seemed she was going to have a very quiet, lonely week without them.