Harry Potter and the Silver Serpent

Chapter Ten - Secret Keepers

The teachers and the inhabitants of Hogsmeade filed out before Kingsley and the remaining members of the Order leaving most of Harry's old classmates to fill up the rooms of number twelve.  Ernie MacMillan, Hannah Abbot and Zacharias Smith all left to join other friends from Hufflepuff at a safe place near Spinner's End.  A house owned by Snape before he died that was almost as impenetrable as the Institute.

Ravenclaw's and Gryffindor's stayed, girls on the top floor with boys on the ground floor and Harry and the Weasley's on the floors inbetween.  Harry and Hermione sat up till the wee hours in the morning talking about adding on possible extensions or adding another level to it in case the others should come for somewhere safe to lay their head and to make more room for the members of both groups to work.

"I never thought I'd be doing this again." said Hermione, quietly.

Harry poured their fourth cup of tea and settled down next to her.  She looked tired and even a little bit older than her years, but he was sure he did as well.  "Doing what?" he asked, even though he knew the answer already.

"This.  Hiding in here, making plans and fighting Death Eaters."

"One," Harry started, "we're not hiding.  This is just a safe place to lay our heads at night till we can put better defences around our homes.  Two, we're only planning on extending the house.  Three, these attacks aren't the work of Death Eaters."

"You can't know that, Harry.  I know they haven't been clever about it, or professionally performed.  But when do Death Eaters think?  They're not all like Lucius Malfoy, most of them were brainless thugs.  They didn't care who they hurt or how, they just wanted to cause chaos and kill anyone and everyone that wasn't a Death Eater."

"But these attacks, they feel personal, Hermione.  Even when Voldemort was around his attacks weren't personal, you know?"

"They were for you though." she sighed.

"Yeah, well, I was a different story altogether, wasn't I?" he said, leaning back in his chair and drinking deeply.

"How do we get back here, Harry?" she yawned.  "Yesterday I was writing wedding invitations and thinking of my future with Ron and writing our memoir for future generations.  I didn't think we'd be adding any more to it after... everything."

"Life will get back on track.  I promise." he patted her hand consolingly.  "We will find whoever is behind all this."

"Are you two still at this?" came Ron's weary voice.

He appeared in a maroon nightgown, flannel pyjamas and black slippers with his hair askew and bags under his eyes.  Flipping the switch on the kettle he starts to brew another pot of tea for them all and joins them at the table.

"I had a thought about Secret Keepers." he said, stretching his arms above him.