The Tale of Dark Hermione

Year 5 - Order Meetings

The group landed in front of a random house and Moody knocked on the door. An old woman came out with Harry right behind her. Harry scanned over the group and once he got to Hermione she smirked.

"Potter...I knew you couldn't go long without getting in some sort of trouble."

"Yet here you are again Granger," Harry smiled. Moody cut off the reunion.

"Yes..yes...you two have time to talk later. We have to get back to headquarters." Moody grabbed Harry shoulder and out the door. The lady closed her door behind them and Harry got on the broom with Kingsley.

The rest of the trip was short since Harry did only wander away about an hour away on foot. The arrived in front of an apartment building. Once they were back on the ground the adults made sure no muggles were around.

"Not that I don't love the view...but why are we in front of random apartments...I don't see how they can be headquarters," Hermione remarked folding her hands.

Moody frowned at her, "Shut it girl...we just have to make sure no one's watching."

Hermione gestured to the deserted street, "I think we're good. I don't feel any presence of someone else under a cloaking charm either...so on with it."

Moody scowled more at the girl, but turned around facing the building and tapped his cane on the ground twice. To Hermione's surprise, it started moving and made another large building entrance. Once it stopped moving Hermione slowly turned to Harry.

"So...this is where you've been living with Sirius for the past couple of years?"

Harry grinned, "yep...cool right?"

Hermione just nodded as the group walked into the building. It was dark and the hallway had an old air to it. Right at the front door was a portrait that was covered up. Tonks almost tripped over some carpet, but Kingsley helped her before completely falling. Unfortunately, the cover on the portrait fell and the horrible looking woman started screeching horrible sayings at them. Sirius ran in and covered her up quickly yelling at the woman back. Once she was quiet again he turned to Harry.

"Harry! You can't just run off like that!" Sirius was raising his voice, but with the loud voice, it attracted others. Molly Weasley came in and saw Harry.

"HARRY POTTER! AT TIMES LIKE THESE AND YOU JUST RUNOFF! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED, CAPTURED, OR WORSE! YOUNG MISTER YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE! AND WHAT THE MINISTRY IS DOING JUST FOR YOU DEFENDING YOURSELF IT'S NOT RIGHT!" Molly turned and looked at the group she saw Hermione and smiled once again.

"Hermione dear! It's so good to see you! You look so skinny! Now come on, you're sharing a room with Ginny, I'll help you get settled in!" Molly then grabbed her trunk and cage carrying it up the stairs and to the room. Harry looked at her in thanks that her presence stopped the woman from getting onto him.

Hermione followed and got into the room where almost everyone was gathered. Ginny, Ron, Fred, George, and Harry came up last after spending a few minutes being ranted at because of his actions.

"Hermione it's so good to see you...how come you didn't write us back?" Ginny questioned.

"What? I never got any letters from you and I don't have an owl so I can't really send anything without one of you writing to me first."

"Hmm...maybe Dumbledore had something to do with that. At the beginning of the summer, I couldn't write to Harry when I was still and the burrow because Dumbledore was stopping those letters, too. But that's good to hear Harry was a little sad you didn't write back," Ron explained and Hermione took the explanation.

"Did Harry really get expelled?"

"Well, the letter said he did...but not really...he just has a hearing about it and I doubt Dumbledore would allow Harry to be expelled," George explained. 

"But it's bad the ministry is painting you three as crazy. They refuse to believe he's back and now everyone is aginst Dumbledore at the ministry, they are saying he and you two are crazy. The whole thing is messed up...and it's getting worse." Fred said and Hermione paled as Harry walked into the room.

"Harry..."

"Don't Hermione..guys...the meeting is right now...and I NEED to know what's happening," Harry begged them and the twins looked at each other.

"We may have a way to listen in on the meeting..."

"We've been working on it for a while...almost perfect!" Fred then pulled out an ear with a string attached to it. They were on the top floor and lowered it down to the door where the meeting was taking place.

"Harry...needs to know Dumbledore...he's been in the dark too long...and with this ministry thing..." Sirius was talking.

"Mr. Black did it ever occur to you that..." the man talked and Hermione knew it was Professor Snape.

"Snape is in the Order?" Hermione questioned and Harry nodded.

"It surprised me too when I found out."

"SHHH! We're trying to listen!" Fred whispered angrily.

There were trying to hear more when they saw something move on the ground below, it almost blended in with the dark floors.

"Oh...no..." Hermione whispered as it approached the ear.

"What is that?" Ginny questioned looking at the thing on the ground.

"Agiel! Stop right this minute!" she whispered angrily down at her pet still using the regular voice the snake just glanced up at her and struck the ear and carried it off.

"You have a pet SNAKE?" Ron questioned, "And it just took our chance to know what's happening down there."

"I know and yes I had him since our third year...he came with Crookshanks and I couldn't just separate them...he is really cute once you get to know him."

"Was he with you at Hogwarts?" Fred questioned.

"Yes...Slytherin...I smuggled him in, like how you smuggle your products in, too."

"I forget sometimes you're a Slytherin..." George said.

"I don't..." Harry whispered and Ginny smacked the back of his head. "WHAT?!"

"KIDS! IT'S TIME FOR DINNER!" Molly yelled for them and they yelled back.

"COMING!"  

"Seriously though Granger a SNAKE!" Ron said surprised.

"What he's cute..." Hermione replied as they walked down to the dining room where all the adults were already sitting, Dumbledore was gone now though.

"Alright everyone, sit down and eat!" Molly almost pushed them down. Hermione didn't know where to sit because Ginny sat next to Harry and Tonk while Harry's other side was filled by Ron. She felt she didn't know Kingsley enough to sit by him so she sat as a buffer between Sirius and Snape who was still there much to her surprise. 

"Professor I'm surprised to see you here?" Hermione questioned the potions master.

"Ah...yes, unfortunately, Dumbledore requested for me to tell Potter how to conduct himself in his trial tomorrow. To not make a fool of himself if that is even possible."

"Dumbledore didn't stay to tell him?"

"To my dismay, he did not."

"Hmm..." Hermione was going to ask more questions, but the table was soon drawn by Harry's little fit of not knowing what was happening. Sirius was about to tell him, but Molly cut him off telling Sirius that 'he's just a boy.'

The table was in a bit of chaos when Hermione turned back to the silent Professor next to her, "to be honest I think he will say something stupid, but in the end, Potter gets away as everyone knows."

"It seems you may be right Ms. Granger..." Snape took a drink as the two looked at the fighting table wondering what would happen at the trial tomorrow.