A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! Huge thank you to lanamarymack for alpha/beta reading this chapter, too! You can find me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.
Please let me know what you thought of chapter sixty-nine and be on the lookout for chapter seventy soon!
Numerous owls went back and forth between Grimmauld Place and Hogwarts, pleading with Dumbledore to let the Blacks come to the school for an important discussion. Hermione was sure that Dumbledore knew that there was no other topic that they would wish to talk about outside of Voldemort, but he resisted every possible iteration of family members. Not even Sirius's threats as a member of the Board of Governors could push the needle, as it would require telling the rest of the Governors what was so pressing.
Finally, feeling like she had no other options, Hermione finally suggested that they invite Dumbledore to Grimmauld Place if he wouldn't let them come to him. Salazar knew why he was willing to step into their territory, but the Headmaster agreed to come for tea one weekend.
A small part of her wanted to tell him everything about the horcruxes, but seeing how little he trusted them made Hermione keep the information that they might share with him close to the chest. And, after much discussion, it was decided that Sirius would sneak into Hogwarts as Padfoot while the Headmaster was visiting, so that he could search for the Diadem undisturbed.
Hermione was practically vibrating with nervous energy the entirety of the time that they waited for the Headmaster to show up. Regulus and Sirius had already left for Hogsmeade, while Orion and Rabastan waited with her, a delicate tea service already prepared by Kreacher waiting in the library, watching the clock tick past the time that Dumbledore was scheduled to arrive.
After what seemed like an eternity, the flames in the fireplace flared green and Dumbledore was stepping out into the stillness of the library. Hermione stood, smoothing down the black robes that Kreacher had selected for her that day, calling attention to the ring that glittered on her finger.
The older wizard looked around the room, barely giving any attention to the inhabitants — an act that rankled Rabastan. Hermione could practically feel his vexation rolling off of him in waves, but she just bit her lower lip and ignored the Headmaster's act.
"I've never been to Grimmauld Place before," he said with amusement. "But, it really does look so much like Mr. Potter's memories."
"You — you used legilimency against Harry," Hermione seethed, furious on behalf of her friend. If he didn't have such incompetent muggle guardians (something that Hermione now realized Dumbledore was in no rush to fix), she was sure these kinds of oversteps would have been dealt with much sooner.
"Of course," Dumbledore said. "Only with Mr. Potter's permission. He agreed with me that he needed to practice occlumency after Voldemort used the connection between them to lure him to the Department of Mysteries."
"I thought Professor Snape was giving him lessons," Hermione countered. Of course, she remembered Harry's difficulties with the lessons during her fifth year.
"Severus was no longer willing to instruct him after some unpleasantness between them," he said, sounding serene. "I took over when they could not be put off any longer."
Hermione felt her anger rise and she tried to keep a handle on it. Rabastan grabbed her hand tightly in his — his turn to lend her some of his strength. They had talked about this, about how Dumbledore would try to put them off balance.
"I see your betrothed has joined us," Dumbledore continued, his eyes twinkling over his half-moon spectacles. "Could your... brothers not also join us?"
She fought off a smirk. "I believe that Sirius is out on Auror duty — they work him like a dog," she explained. "Regulus... I am not sure where he is. Perhaps visiting the Fawleys?" She turned to look at Orion, who gave her a shrug.
"Let's sit," Orion suggested in that imperious way of his that meant it was not up for discussion.
Hermione sat between her father and Rabastan on the settee while Dumbledore found one of the wingback chairs across the coffee table. Kreacher popped in and poured their tea, grumbling the whole while about having a blood traitor in their midst.
"You've certainly settled in well, Miss Granger — pardon, Miss Black. I seem to recall in another life, you would have been furious to have a House Elf waiting on you, hand and foot," he said, bringing the cup to his lips to hide a smile.
She knew he was goading her into defending herself. Plastering a smile on her face, Hermione nodded in agreement. "The Blacks have done such a wonderful job of welcoming me into the family," she said. "I'll be forever grateful to them."
"So grateful you were willing to let them sell you to the Lestrange family," Dumbledore quipped, his eyes sliding over Rabastan.
"I was quite enamored with Rabastan while we were at school," Hermione replied smoothly. "How fortunate that he should also be from a family that my family was bound to in a betrothal agreement."
Dumbledore looked disappointed that he hadn't been able to rattle any of the three from the placid air that they all had put on in preparation for this discussion. Really, it was good that Sirius and Regulus weren't here or else they would likely have let their tempers get the better of them.
"Let's talk about why we are here," the Headmaster suggested.
"Agreed," Hermione said, sitting forward until she was on the edge of the settee. "We wanted to talk to you about the horcruxes."
Dumbledore bristled at the word. "Did Mr. Potter share with you —"
"We figured it out ourselves," Orion said, his voice low, frustrated. "It's not as if you need to be a seer to put things together, Albus, when you have all the details. Though, I suppose a healthy knowledge of the Dark Arts doesn't help."
"Harry did tell us that you believe there are seven," Hermione added. "Tom Riddle's diary has been destroyed, as has the ring you found, but we can help you find the rest."
"We do not want your help, we do not need your help," Dumbledore insisted.
"Yes, you do, because one of them was sitting in the Lestrange vault and I don't see how you ever would have gotten past the security at Gringotts even if you knew that it was there," she said, hotly. "And then, if you did get in by some miracle, I wonder how you ever would have determined what it was. You couldn't leave with everything in the vault."
Dumbledore turned his gaze on Rabastan, looking at him conspiratorially. "You agreed to hold—"
"Not me," Rabastan said, his mouth set in a grim line. "My brother."
"Who knows where the other horcruxes might be, which followers he might have asked to hold onto his horcruxes," Hermione insisted, nearly begging him to see reason. "The Rosiers, perhaps. You can't do this alone, or you would have done it already. You need our help."
He opened and closed his mouth several times, deciding what he was going to say. "I find it very hard to believe that you would help," he said, finally. "How do I know this isn't a trick — that Tom has asked you to give me a false horcrux?"
"None of us are Death Eaters," Hermione snarled. "My allegiance is to my family and to Harry. We just want a world where we can live our lives. I haven't changed that much simply because my last name has."
"If you aren't Death Eaters, then hand over this extra horcrux that you claim to have found," Dumbledore ordered, even though he held no power over any of them.
Hermione shared a look with Orion, who shook his head no. "If you cannot trust Hermione, then I see no reason why we would trust you with the horcrux," he said grimly. "We can assure you that we have a method of destroying it and once we do, we will send it to you."
When Hermione had brought it home, Sirius had wanted them to destroy it immediately. But Harry had warned her that Voldemort seemed to know that horcruxes had been destroyed, that they had been connected in some way. His scar always ached something fierce, all of Voldemort's ire transmitted to him. She cautioned that maybe it was better to destroy them when they were closer to the end, so hopefully he wouldn't realize he was vulnerable until it was too late.
Dumbledore scoffed, setting his empty tea cup down on the table. "If you won't give an inch, I don't see why I should give a mile," he said, contemptuously.
Gritting her teeth, Hermione could hold back no longer. "I did try to give you everything I knew. When I went back in time, I begged and begged to see you at Hogwarts, to share what I knew of the future with you," she said, feeling a sob bubbling up in her chest. "Think of what you could have prevented, if only you'd agreed to hear me out. Why? Why couldn't you just speak with me?"
His blue eyes were cold when he stared at her. "I didn't find you very compelling," he admitted. "Just another Black witch, used to the world bending over to accommodate her."
"How could you have judged me that way? I needed help," she insisted. "You could have helped. Help will always be given to those who ask for it at Hogwarts. Unless they are called Black, I suppose. You couldn't wait to toss Sirius out of the Order either."
"It wasn't my decision alone," he said, shifting uncomfortably, perhaps knowing that he'd failed.
"Now you will understand why I will rely on my family," she said, leaning against Rabastan, hoping for strength. "And you have another chance to help. I know about Draco — about what he's been asked to do. He's determined enough to get Death Eaters into Hogwarts, but he doesn't want to. He's scared."
"Of course, I already knew that," he said, gripping the arms of his chair. Hermione couldn't help but stare at the mangled, black flesh of his arm, where the curse had taken root. "And, I know that he's been ordered to kill me."
Hermione felt her breath leave her in a rush. She had not known that. "You can't be serious," Hermione said, shaking her head. "You have to help him. You have a duty."
"It has been taken care of," Dumbledore answered, though it wasn't that reassuring.
"How?" she demanded, looking to Orion for guidance. Draco Malfoy had never answered to the Black family, but since Narcissa had been disowned, they had even less sway over what they could demand of him.
"Don't worry about it," the Headmaster said, waving his hand. "I've come to terms with my life and accepted that if I must die, I must die. But, when the time comes, you will see, Draco Malfoy's soul will remain whole."
"You don't need to sacrifice yourself," Rabastan insisted. "You just need to accept our offer of help. You don't have to be the one who is pulling all the strings."
He stood up from the armchair abruptly. "This has been a fruitful talk," he said. "I am comforted to know that one additional horcrux has been located. Hopefully, Harry and I will have another tonight."
She stood up as well, looking at him with worry in her brown eyes. "What do you mean?" she demanded. "Why would you jeopardize Harry like that? Take me instead."
Dumbledore smiled at her wryly. "Your devotion to him is admirable, but there are some things that must be done by Harry himself," he explained. "There is a cave that Tom visited when he was at the orphanage. He's hidden something there and what else could it be but the horcrux. Harry and I will go there tonight, after I return to Hogwarts and if we are lucky, we will return with another horcrux."
"Can't we talk this through?" Hermione begged, worried about what Harry would face. Dumbledore's arm was completely cursed, she couldn't imagine what her friend was walking into.
"That was the reason that I stopped by," he said, ignoring her request completely. "To let you know where we'd be going. But now, I've overstayed my welcome and I must return to the school." He didn't wait for them to dismiss him, instead prowling over to the fireplace where he could walk back through the flames, off to face his own destiny.
Hermione felt worry twist in her stomach, though she couldn't deny what this visit was. No matter how unpleasant it was to hear how little he thought of her, by giving them this morsel of information, Dumbledore was extending a tentative hand of trust to her. And now, she just had to give back what she'd received.
