The Order
On the walk down to the kitchen, Hermione caught a movement in the corner of her eye. Turning she found the saddest looking house elf she had ever seen. Tiny and filthy, his back curved with age and his face as wrinkled as a crumpled piece of parchment. He wore a blackened rag of some kind as a loin cloth, it’s color almost indistinguishable from the dirt on his skin.
“Oh! Hello!” Hermione smiled at the creature, who scowled back at her.
“Oh, my mistress, the blood traitor keeps bringing in more filth to my mistress’s house.” He mumbled, wringing his hands.
“Hello, I’m Hermione. What’s your name?” Hermione tried again, thinking perhaps he was a bit deaf.
“It’s talking to Kreature, Kreature will not answer the dirty mudblood brat.” He grumbled in an almost-whisper.
“Kreature! That word is banned from your mouth!” Sirius snapped.
“Kreature lives to serve the Nobel House of Black.” The elf looked up at Sirius with what could only be contempt, before shuffling away, muttering to himself. “Blood traitors…scum…oh my mistress…”
“So that’s Kreature.” Hermione said frowning. “What’s…wrong with him?”
“Been in the house alone with my mother’s portrait for too long, but he was always awful. Parroting any pure-blood nonsense my parents spewed and doting on my brother. I was, of course, never in favor and since my mother hated me, he does too.” Sirius sighed. “Stuck together again.” He sighed.
“Why not set him free?” She asked as they continued on.
“He knows too many secrets of the house, the Order-” Lupin began.
“ Not to mention my whereabouts.” Sirius interrupted. “We can’t know where his allegiance would fall, Dumbledore doesn’t want to risk it. Plus the shock would probably kill him; his life’s ambition is to be on the wall with his family.” Sirius nodded his head to the grisly plaques of elf heads they were now passing. Hermione shuddered.
Sirius led the trio down the basement stairs and through the swinging door of the kitchen. The low voices stopped as quickly as if a silencing charm had been cast, as all eyes in the room turned to them.
“Ah, Ms. Granger. Lupin, Sirus, have a seat.” He gestured to the table. Sirius took a seat between a man hunched forward in a ragged and patched coat and Bill Weasley. Lupin sat across from him between a young witch with bubblegum pink hair and a slightly upturned nose and Mad-Eye Moody. There are other faces at the table, some unfamiliar, but one she realizes with a start is her potions professor, glaring at her as though she had personally affronted him. She walked slowly to the only open seat, which sandwiched her between Arthur and Molly Weasley, quite close to where Dumbledore had placed himself at the head.
As she passed Sirius she heard him mutter, “So kind of him to offer me a seat at my own table.” She suppressed a smile at his small defiance, and the bundle of rags hiding a man shook with laughter.
When she took her seat, everyone turned an expectant eye to Dumbledore. He smiled serenely.
“Thank you all for joining us, and waiting while Ms. Granger composed herself. It has been quite a night. Ms. Granger, allow me to introduce you to the Order Of the Phoenix, or rather, some members. You of course know Molly and Arthur Weasley.” Molly laid her hand on Hermione’s shoulder, a move Hermione was sure was meant to feel soothing and motherly. Hermione was suddenly, irrationally furious. She didn’t want mothering, and certainly not from a woman who had shown her nothing but scorn for the past year as she believed the lies spoon-fed to her from that nasty reporter Rita Skeeter. She shrugged her shoulder down, shaking off the hand. Mrs. Weasley frowned but said nothing at the rejection.
Dumbledore continued introductions down the table. “To the left we have Mundungus Fletcher”, The rag-man lifted his head and nodded, “Mad-eye Moody, of course you would know him as Professor Moody although you two have never truly met”, He nodded at the scarred wizard who grunted and took a swig of his drink, his magical eye twirling in its socket sickeningly. “Kingsley Shaklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks, they are Aurors with the DMLE, and Dedalus Diggle. You of course, know Remus, Sirius and Professor Snape.”
Remus and Sirius gave her encouraging sort of smiles, while Snape continued glaring, although Hermione noted the glare seemed to be for everyone, not her specifically. She nodded to Dumbledore and he carried on.
“Now, my dear, if you could please tell us in your own words, what happened tonight.” Dumbledore spoke gently, and the look on his face was a sort of kind sympathy. Hermione felt it wasn’t genuine, the twinkle in his eye was more…excited? No, She thought, That can’t be right, I’m just…angry. Too angry to be logical. She felt the anger coursing through her veins with every beat of her heart. Angry at her parents, the bastards. What was wrong with her that she had been denighed the very basics of human kindness from the people who gave her life? And then to find she was other because of a magical inheritance, only to find out that magical ability came not with a world brimming with acceptance but a world where half of it’s inhabitants hate her enough to want her dead. Oh yes, and a malevolent evil wizard who wanted to kill her dearest friend and had tried to kill her and her family. Hermione took a deep breath and tried to push the wild anger down. Logically she knew this was a reaction to the trauma she had endured in the last few hours, and lashing out at the people who saved her would not help her situation. Logic is bollocks. She thought mutinously, before pushing that down too and beginning her tale.
She started with the ride home, leaving out the sharp comments and the fight with her parents. When she got to the part about Greyback nearly carrying her off she choked.
“He- he said..” Her eyes filled with tears and her throat locked up.
“Oh you poor dear!” Mrs. Weasley lunged forward and hugged her tightly, seeming not to notice Hermione going rigid in her arms. Arthur put a hand on Molly’s shoulder and she was released. Molly reached out a hand to her and she balled them into fists and put them in her lap. Hermione didn’t want to cause a scene, but felt she might if Mrs. Weasley kept fussing over her.
Hermione looked around the table and caught Sirius’s eye, he was looking at her with a worried frown. She wished he was next to her instead, or Remus.
“Do you need a break, Hermione?” Remus asked from across the table. He was frowning as well.
“I-um. I think I can go on.”
Dumbledore leaned forward.
“We must hear the rest of the story, Ms. Granger. I understand this is hard, but time is of the essence.”
“Ok. He, um, licked my face…and asked the others if they thought Voldemort would mind if he had a taste first.” Although at the time she had felt nothing but mortal peril, looking back she blushed fiercely and felt her stomach give a sickening flip as she realized what he had meant.
“Oh god, I’m going to be sick.” She moaned, bending at the waist and putting her head between her knees. Molly was there in an instant, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pressing in. Hermione couldn't take it. Her horror and anger were too fresh, the hurt Mrs. Weasley had caused her all tangled up in it.
“Get OFF!” She snarled.
Mrs. Weasley drew back with a hand to her chest.
“What, I don’t understand..”
“Stop touching me! Stop pretending you care about me when you were happy enough to write me off as a harlot for the last year!” She glared at Mrs. Weasley, too angry to care how much she hurt her feelings. Her eyes burned with tears her pride would not allow her to shed in this room with all eyes on her.
“Hermione, of course I care about you! What has gotten into you?” Mrs. Weasley asked in a shaking voice.
“Let’s calm down, perhaps, Severus, you might give an elixir of peace to Ms. Granger, to help her settle herself.” Dumbledore suggested.
“I don’t need an elixir. I need to know why this is happening.” Hermione muttered, swiping her hands over her cheeks and drawing a deep shuddering breath.
“Give her space, Molly. The girl’s had a terrible go of it.” Arthur said quietly. Molly nodded and sniffled, bottom lip trembling.
“That’s when we came in, when Greyback was holding her?” The pink haired witch piped up.
"Are you Ok, Hermione? We can stop anytime." Lupin said gently.
“Ms. Granger, is there more to your story? Any more details you remember?” The wizard Dumbledore had introduced as Kingsley asked.
"Don't pressure her, Kingsley, can't you see she needs a moment?" Bill said sharply.
“Leave her alone. She told us what happened up until the Order came. Six Death Eaters and Greyback. Come to collect her.” Sirius stated. “ So, Snivilius, can you tell us why? That is why you’re here, isn’t it?” His tone was dripping with condescension.
Hermione was secretly thrilled someone was dressing down her potions professor. Every insult slung her way over the last four years, cumulating in his allowing Malfoy to hex her unpunished has her dying to see him cut down a peg.
“Very well. Ms. Granger, thank you. You may go.” Dumbledore dismissed her, turning bodily to Professor Snape and tenting his fingers under his chin.
“That’s it?” Hermione asked.
“The rest is Order Business.” Mad-eye growled from across the table.
“But I have questions, I-” She began.
“Ms. Granger, you’ve done your part. We will keep you safe, until your parents calm down and listen to reason. Now, you’ve had a long night. Head up to bed.” Dumbledore said gently.
“This isn’t about my parents- I deserve to know what’s going on!”
“My dear, your just a child. Let the adults discuss things. We’ll tell you what we can later.” Arthur chimed in.
“She needs to know.. “ Bill paused, choosing his next words carefully. “You know how the three of them are about going off half-cocked.”
“I’m nearly 16, not a child. Don’t talk about me as if I’m not here! It was me they wanted and I DESERVE ANSWERS!” She ended in a shout. Dumbledore looked startled. Snape glared more furiously. Some of the members fidgeted uncomfortably, but when she saw Sirius, he gave her a small smile.
“Ms. Granger, if you would lower your tone we could discuss this rationally.” Dumbledore said quietly, but with a coolness to his voice that wasn’t present before.
“I-” Hermione stopped and took another deep breath. She didn’t want to be treated or perceived as a child, and yelling at her headmaster certainly wasn’t going to achieve that. “I will not be sent from this table like a toddler at bedtime. Please, why did this happen? How did the Order know I was in danger?”
“Perhaps, given the girl’s foolish proclivity for following her friends headfirst into danger, it would be wise to give her some answers.” Snape drawled in a bored tone.
Dumbledore called for silence and sighed, looking weary.
“It is imperative that Harry know nothing of this. I think it wise to withhold the attack from him, as well as any information about the Order. Including it’s existence, Ms. Granger.” He looked over his spectacles and into her eyes. “If you cannot keep this to yourself, you may not correspond with him.”
“You want me to lie to him? Wait- aren’t you bringing him here?” She was shocked. Surely if she was targeted, Harry would be too.
“He’s perfectly safe with his Aunt and Uncle.”
“Like I was safe at home?” Hermione shot back. She was shocked at her bold disrespect but couldn’t seem to stop herself. She glanced at Sirius again and saw his expression verged on murderous.
“The two circumstances are entirely different. Now Severus, if you would please give us the basics of what you have uncovered, we can send Ms Granger to rest and finish our meeting.”
Dismissed again, Hermione folded her arms across her chest and sunk down in her seat. They can’t keep me away from Harry. She thought. I’ll tell him whatever I damn well please.
“It seems the Dark Lord has become aware of her, and considers her Potter’s secret weapon. There has been…talk that a muggle born could not possess the magical prowess she has displayed and it’s made him curious.” Severus paused as though considering his next words. “I, of course informed him she had no talent beyond other children her age, just an unhealthy obsession with reading and an obnoxiously large ego, but I suppose that was not enough to quell his interest. I am not privy to what he planned to do with her, although I suspect he had plans to replace her with one of his followers long enough to lure Potter to him.”
“Like they did with Professor Moody?” Hermione asks.
Moody growled in a very bear-like way. Snape glanced at him before continuing.
“Yes. It did work for him for almost a year.” Snape sounded terribly bored. “It would undoubtedly be easier to pretend to be someone like you. All they would have to do is be an insufferable know-it-all.”
“Severus, is it really necessary to insult the girl, tonight of all nights?” Remus said with a sigh.
“Of course it is, for him looking down on Muggle-borns is as easy as breathing, isn’t it Snivilius?” Sirius said sharply.
Hermione chose to ignore the insults casually slung at her, too familiar with his barbs to care. “ You said “impressed with my magical prowess. “ Did they really want me to become me, or was it something else?” Hermione asked quietly.
“ I will endeavor to uncover the entire plot, of course. It’s possible there were other motives, this one seems the most likely.”
“A guess then.” Hermione sneered. “But you didn’t answer my question, how did the Order even know? And, what about the werewolf? What about the ones that got arrested?” She looked around the table.
The pink-haired witch blushed and looked away, and Kingsley exchanged a look with Moody.
“Greyback being there is…concerning.” Lupin interjected, frowning. “It means Voldemort is already recruiting the werewolves.”
Dumbledore looked sharply at Lupin and he stopped speaking. Kingsley spoke up, measured and slow.
“They seem to have vanished from custody. The DMLE is denying their existence. We fear parts of the ministry have been compromised already.” He sighed and ran a hand over his long dreadlocks.
“So what are you doing to stop them? What good did it do to arrest them if you can’t even hold them?!” Hermione’s eyes fill with more tears, the frustration and rage overtaking her.
“Rest assured, we are doing many things, Ms. Granger, that you are not privy to.” Dumbledore said coolly, as he stood and gestured to the door. “As to how we knew, we have many ways of gathering information. Now, if you would please let us finish our meeting. I will collect you once I’ve spoken to your parents, in the meantime, I expect you to stay inside Grimmauld place, where you will be safe. Do not attempt to communicate with anyone without permission, and do not leave.”
“So you say Harry is safe at his Aunt and Uncle’s house, but what about when he leaves? Is he safe at the park? At the shop? Or is he under house arrest too?” Hermione snapped, crossing her arms and staying seated. She locked eyes with Dumbledore, refusing to back down.
“Ms. Granger, really, do you think us so incompetent we cannot protect one child? Harry is fine. He needs to be at his Aunt’s home for the foreseeable future.” He had dropped his genial, grandfatherly tone and glared back at Hermione. “Now, leave this table to the adults.”
Hermione pushed back from the table slowly, eyeing Dumbledore. They weren't going to tell her anything she couldn’t have guessed on her own, that much was clear.
“Don’t bother, Professor.” She said just as coldly. “My parents…don’t bother speaking to them. It won’t change anything unless you imperious them, and even if you did, I wouldn’t go back.”
She turned on her heel and walked through the door leading to the stone staircase. However they had known to come to her rescue, they had almost been too late. She wanted to believe that the elders in her life were strong and capable and would keep them safe, but the last four years had taught her that if something needed to be done, she couldn’t wait for someone older to come along and do it. One thing was certain. She might be safe here surrounded by the Order and the impenetrable walls of Grimmauld place, but she wasn’t about to leave Harry alone and vulnerable.
I'm coming Harry. They can't keep me from getting to you.