xxxxi.
in the middle of it all, it's nobody's fault
(Uncharted by Sara Bareilles)
__________
July 1, 1979
Breakfast the next day was a silent affair in the Pettigrew household. With Peter still away sorting out the whole fiasco back at Hogsmeade, Hermione found her mother tensely preparing breakfast for the both of them. Anya had fiercely hugged Hermione when she'd come inside, obviously afraid of what had transpired yesterday and relieved at the same time that her daughter was well.
"I'm fine, Mum," she reassured, patting her rich, golden brown curls with a small smile. "How about you?" She lightly pulled away to gaze at her mother, blue eyes roaming around in search of injuries Madame Pomfrey may have missed yesterday.
"I'm fine, sweetheart," Anya echoed. Hermione noted there were forming tears in her mother's eyes as the older witch tucked a curl behind her ear. "What an awful way to graduate," she said, directing Hermione onto one of the chairs to sit her down. "My heart goes out to that poor, poor family."
Her smile fell as she glanced at the new edition of the Daily Prophet. Splattered on the front page was the image of the Dark Mark hovering ominously over Hogsmeade. Explosions from nearby shops and raining debris decorated the quaint little town. It was disconcerting to see because Hogsmeade was just outside of Hogwarts' grounds, a supposed safe place for everybody. Hermione still hadn't read the whole article, but she was able to recognise the dismay, distrust, and disappointment of terrified parents, demanding how in Merlin's name the Death Eaters were able to infiltrate Hogsmeade. There was a small picture of Dumbledore beside the photograph, solemnly blinking at the camera, his lips drawn taut with graveness.
Blessedly, the Daily Prophet didn't show the death of Elias Somerhalder, the Gryffindor seventh year who was the sole person who'd died during the Hogsmeade attack. The memory of his mother's anguished cries echoed in Hermione's ears and she was unable to suppress a horrified shiver.
Her eyes watered as she glanced at the Dark Mark once more, seemingly mocking her at the nearing height of the First Wizarding War. "No one was supposed to die," she whispered, her fingers brushing against the Dark Mark, before curling her hands into a tight fist. "No one will die anymore."
Anya reached forward to draw soothing circles on her knuckles until Hermione uncurled her fist. "Thanks, Mum," she murmured, drawing as much comfort as she could from the woman who did nothing but love her.
"None of this right now," Anya decided, grasping onto the newspaper and hiding it from sight. "We must eat breakfast!"
Hermione lightly smiled and stood up from the stool she was sitting on, only to jog to the other side so she could sit down beside Anya.
"Peter still didn't say if he's coming home tonight?" Anya asked, already placing scrambled eggs, strips of bacon and bread on Hermione's plate.
She sadly shook her head. "I haven't heard from him since he left for his Auror duties yesterday," she replied. When Anya frowned with worry, Hermione patted her hand reassuringly. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Mum. Peter always comes home."
Anya sighed. "Of course, love," she said.
-ooo-
Later that night, as Hermione bid her mother goodnight, she sat on her desk while staring at a constructed letter for Regulus. She'd already sent him a letter last night, asking if he was all right, but the Black heir hadn't sent a reply. She remembered his terrified eyes, and Hermione didn't doubt he'd known of the Hogsmeade attack prior to the attack itself.
"Toffee," she called. The owl hooted in acknowledgement and landed on top of her desk. "Send this to Regulus Black." She thoughtfully tied the parchment around her leg. "Nip him on his fingers if he still stubbornly refuses to reply to my letter."
The tawny owl hooted before flying out her window. At the same time, a knock from her bedroom door caught her attention.
"It's open!" she called.
Her door creaked open and Peter peeked inside. "Hi," he greeted.
"Peter!" she exclaimed, already flying towards her brother to give him a huge hug. "You're back."
He snorted at her enthusiastic greeting and patted her back. "It's about time, honestly," he grumbled, already pulling away from Hermione to plop down on her bed.
She hovered over him, noting signs of exhaustion on his face. Peter was still in his casual Auror robes, with dark bruises under his eyes and a deep frown on his face. There were a few scratches on his face, but all in all, he was well. A lump formed in her throat as she sat down beside him, worry painted in her blue eyes.
"What happened?"
Peter expelled a sigh and slowly looked at Hermione. "We weren't able to catch any of the Death Eaters, except for the one Moody pinned down," he regretfully informed. "Bloody bastards really planned everything through. Moody's enraged because they created the Anti-Apparition wards and the barrier separating Hogwarts from Hogsmeade." He sighed in exhaustion once more and rubbed his temples. "We spent the whole morning interviewing the shopkeepers in Hogsmeade, but all of them swore there wasn't any shady activity prior to the attack. Suffice to say, everybody was bloody surprised."
Hermione frowned. "But the Death Eater Moody caught," she deliberately continued, "what happened to him?"
A large scowl tore on her brother's face. "We identified him as someone called Avery," he explained. "But... but damn it, before we could interrogate him about the other Death Eaters, he offed himself."
She pressed her lips into a thin line. She tried to recall Avery, a vague image of his face conjuring inside her mind. Hermione remembered facing him in the Department of Mysteries when she was in fifth year. Truth be told, however, she wasn't surprised he'd chosen to kill himself before divulging any secrets of Voldemort.
He shifted on Hermione's bed so that his body would be fully facing her. "Moody tried to interrogate us to see if we recognised some of the Death Eaters during the Hogsmeade attack," he deliberately continued. "But, their faces were covered by masks and their voices were distorted."
Hermione noted the odd look on his face. "But?" she insisted, having an inkling that Peter wasn't finished yet.
"But... Prongs found a lead," he said. His blue eyes met Hermione's, a grave look on his face. "One of them was Bellatrix Lestrange. He was sure of it. Once the battle had ceased and the Death Eaters fled, we scoured the rubble and found a broken wand among the foray. After verifying it at the ministry, we found out it was registered to Bellatrix."
The brunette thickly swallowed, memories of the crazed woman's brutal attack resurfacing in her mind.
"Although we cannot prove that she really was there – because, you know, one Death Eater might have used her wand even though she wasn't present during the battle – Moody thought it was a solid lead."
"So... you're investigating her now?"
Peter grimaced and huffed out a sigh. "We need a warrant to interrogate her," he said. "But, we found out she's been out of the country with her husband for two weeks now. Not exactly a solid alibi, but still an alibi. Moody warned us to tread carefully because she's still part of a powerful family."
"Well, that's terribly convenient," she sneered, not doubting that they'd really prepared themselves for the inevitable attack. She thoughtfully nibbled her bottom lip and frowned. "One of Voldemort's horcrux was housed in the Lestrange vault, though. Maybe you can use that?"
"Voldemort and his followers don't even know we've already discovered his horcruxes," Peter pointed out. "I'm sure it's Dumbledore's well-guarded secret as of now. We can't use that against them."
Hermione sighed in disappointment, although she wasn't surprised by his reasoning.
"That's not the only weird thing, though."
She snapped her gaze back towards her brother, question in her eyes. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"The professors made a head count post-attack," he explained. "And... well, we know that some of the civilians Disapparated as soon as the Death Eaters removed the Anti-Apparition Wards, but prior to the attack..."
Hermione grimly nodded her head. "A lot of families disappeared, I know," she whispered. "I... I saw Regulus Disapparating with his family. And Crouch and Rosier."
"Death Eaters, yes," Peter gravely said, making a face. "Everybody in the DMLE knew it was mighty suspicious, but compared to Bellatrix's broken wand, that wasn't solid evidence at all. Moody explained they might just be lucky bastards, able to get away at the right time."
The brunette gave a deep breath and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I knew it," she murmured. "I knew that something was wrong. I should have... I should have persisted. I should have gone to Dumbledore the moment I had a bad feeling about it all. I should have—"
"Stop."
She glanced back at Peter with wide eyes. His gaze was firm and steely. "It's not your fault," he ground out. "Not even in the slightest! You didn't even know something will happen."
Hermione turned away her from Peter, guilt colouring her face. "Well..."
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw how her older brother stiffened in alarm. "Hermione," he lowly said, blue eyes narrowing in suspicion.
She took a deep breath, knowing it was useless to deny it. "A few months before the attack, I received a letter." Her blue eyes pierced him meaningfully. "The letter."
Peter's eyes widened as his face completely drained with colour. "And you didn't tell us? Me?" he accused. "Hermione! You promised that you'd owl us immediately if something came up with you over Hogwarts. Receiving a recruitment letter from Voldemort and his bloody fucking minions is a 'something'."
"It wasn't a big deal at that time," she weakly protested, flinching a bit when a scowl appeared on Peter's face. "You and your friends had received a letter before your graduation, so I brushed it off at first. But... but a few months after, I had an encounter. With Crouch and Rosier."
"What did they do?" he thundered.
"I got away unscathed," she explained, just to appease her furious brother. "They were... they were trying to recruit me but I refused. Obviously."
"Obviously," he echoed with wide eyes.
"But... but Crouch gave an ominous warning," she grumbled under her breath. "For the record, I told Dumbledore about it but... I didn't know it was going to be an attack in Hogsmeade. And now – well – somebody died and I should have—"
She clamped her lips as her eyes slightly watered. "Elias... I used to tutor him for his NEWTs," she whispered. "He was a really rowdy boy but he was diligent. If I had just been more careful, perhaps no one would have died that day."
Peter's face hardened, taking a few deep breaths until he'd finally calmed down. "It wasn't your fault," he then sighed. "I am mad that you didn't tell us about your encounter with Crouch and Rosier, but I'm sure you didn't know this will happen. Well... did you even know this would happen? Have you ever heard from a lecture or read from a book about the attack of Death Eaters in Hogsmeade in the year 1979?"
She grew silent and thoughtfully chewed on her lip. She'd tried to rack her brain, recalling everything Professor Binns had lectured in History of Magic. She also tried to recall any passages or newspaper clippings about this attack, but Hermione couldn't remember anything like this before. This was huge news, after all. It'd managed to decorate the front page of the Daily Prophet.
Worriedly, she shook her head. "I've never heard nor read about this," she replied. "It's—" She thickly swallowed and glanced at her brother, clear terror painted on her face. "What if... what if everything I knew in the future will never come to fruition?"
She remembered Sev's words, of how her mere presence had already made a huge ripple effect in this timeline. Her knowledge of the future was an asset, a leverage they could use to defeat Voldemort. But, with new events coming up that had never happened before, Hermione was afraid that despite her knowledge, all would be futile.
Peter immediately engulfed her into a tight hug. "No matter what happens, we will make sure that Voldemort will die," he vehemently proclaimed. "Your knowledge of Voldemort's downfall still proved to be very valuable, Hermione. Even Dumbledore suddenly became optimistic that we will win this war, because we now know about Voldemort's horcruxes." He pulled away to give her a firm stare. "Voldemort will die."
Hermione took a deep, shuddering breath, her resolve growing firmer once more.
"Voldemort will die."
__________
July 2, 1979
"Where are you both going, sweethearts?"
Both Peter and Hermione stilled on the spot and briefly exchanged panicked glances.
Early that morning, Dumbledore had sent them a letter inviting them to a meeting of official Order of the Phoenix members that night. He hadn't said what the meeting would be about, but Hermione could already guess it was about the horcrux hunt. Seeing that she and Regulus were finally graduate students, it was time for them to start searching for the last horcrux and to destroy them once and for all.
"Um," Hermione started, pasting a smile on her face as she looked at a suspicious Anya. "Lily wanted me to come over to Spinner's End to help her with wedding preparations. Did you know she and Sev already plan to get married at the end of July?"
"Oh," Anya said, suspicion melting into delighted surprise. "That is lovely! Tell Lily if she needs help, she can ask me too."
"Will do, Mum," she said.
Anya's eyes then settled on Peter. "And you?"
Peter gave her a sheepish grin. "Auror stuff, Mum. You know the drill," he said. "The Hogsmeade attack's still stressing out the whole DMLE. Moody needed as many Aurors as he could."
The older witch expelled a huge sigh and crossed the carpeted floor to reach her children. "You're barely home," she lamented. "Hermione just graduated and Peter, your always away with work. What is your poor mother to do?"
"Oh, Mum," Hermione said, reaching forward to envelop her into a hug. "I'll try to spend as much time with you as possible. I still haven't decided what to do, you see. After Lily and Sev's wedding, I'm going to start searching for a job for myself."
Anya placed a kiss on her temple. "My children are all grown up," she said with a sad smile. "I hope you'll never forget your mother even when you've become too busy with your lives."
"That's not going to happen, Mum," Peter said with an indulgent smile.
"We really have to go, though," Hermione said, reluctantly pulling away from Anya. "Make sure all the doors are locked and the wards are properly erected." After the attack, Hermione made sure to put more wards to protect her home, especially with Anya mostly left alone in their house.
Anya smiled at her in bemusement. "Don't worry about me," she said, already making shooing motions with her hand. "Be careful out there, my loves."
The Pettigrew siblings bid their mother goodbye and walked out of their house. Peter and Hermione's smiles fell into a grim line as they approached the Apparition spot.
"I didn't know we could already apparate into Potter Manor," she quipped. "Come to think of it, I've always wondered how you were able to apparate us into James' bedroom that night. He did say their wards are built using ancient magic. Old Purebloods like them tend to set up Anti-Apparition wards around their houses."
"We're close friends with the Potters," Peter explained. "Fleamont managed to rearrange the wards to recognise our magical cores. It's handier, especially since the Order Headquarters is at the Potter Manor."
"Isn't that a bit dangerous?" Hermione worriedly asked.
Peter lightly shrugged. "You've said it yourself – the Potters are Old Pureblood, warded by ancient magic. Only the Potter Patriarchs know the wards placed around the Manor. It's a well-kept secret, passed down from generation to generation. James once speculated that, like his Invisibility Cloak, some of the wards placed were invented by his ancestors. So, Apparating into the Manor would be a difficult feat, unless the Potter Patriarch gives his blessing."
She marginally calmed down, knowing that Peter might be right. She wordlessly followed as he Apparated on the spot. Hermione reappeared at the imposing door in front of the Potter Manor with Peter just a few paces away from her.
"Come on," he said, grasping onto her arm and pulling her away from the door. "The entrance to the Headquarters is this way."
Hermione rapidly blinked in surprise, noticing the tower standing on the east side of the Manor. It looked exactly like the painting she'd seen back at the Manor, with the tower a detached structure from the main house. It was taller than wide, with a small burgundy turret placed on the top. There were a few oval windows in the stone walls with light from inside already streaming out.
Peter knocked a rhythm on the door, which magically swung open to let them in. He then pulled Hermione with him and she almost backpedalled at the amount of people inside. There was a handsome, circular mahogany table right at the very centre of the tower. From the painted ceiling hung a glinting chandelier. Hermione's eyes widened at the huge banner of a fiery phoenix, decorated with glittering gold that shimmered every time the embroidered bird flapped its wings. Besides the huge table and the roaring flame, there wasn't any other furniture inside. It looked definitely like a meeting place, where people gathered around the table as equals, exchanging ideas that would help bring Voldemort's tyranny down.
Her brother spied Remus and Sirius amongst the crowd and pulled a stunned Hermione through the throngs of people. She wasn't able to survey her surroundings any further, as Sirius and Remus quickly engulfed her in a huge hug, obscuring her vision.
"Are you all right, kitten?" Sirius asked, surveying her from head to toe. "Your graduation was shite."
"Thanks, Sirius," she sarcastically quipped. Her expression softened when she saw Remus's worried look. "But I'm fine. I only had some minor injuries." She breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed that both Sirius and Remus looked well, too.
"Have you heard from Reggie?" the shaggy-haired Auror asked, his eyebrows furrowed with concern. "I wanted to contact him, but the bloke's forbade me from reaching out to him unless it's an emergency."
Hermione shook her head. "I sent him a letter last night but he didn't reply," she said. "I sent another letter this morning, but I still haven't heard anything from him."
Sirius looked deeply troubled, prompting Hermione to slightly smile. "He wasn't in Hogmseade when the Death Eaters attacked."
The shaggy-haired Auror lightly snorted. "Yeah, well, Disapparating with Mummy and Daddy dearest as soon as they passed through the Hogwarts wards was mighty suspicious," he pointed out.
"I'll try to contact him again," she assured. Sirius' face crumpled momentarily, before he pulled himself together and gave her a clipped nod.
Her worry for Regulus bloomed once more and she hoped he'd appear in this meeting. Hermione would be damned if the Black heir continued to avoid them.
Hermione's eyes swept through the small crowd, trying to see if Regulus was already present. When she noted that his impeccable hair was nowhere in sight, she searched around for her boyfriend instead. "Where's James?"
"Prongs will come soon," Sirius reassured. "He's just finishing some reports for Moody."
Hermione absentmindedly nodded her head, her eyes scanning the growing crowd for the umpteenth time inside the east tower. There were perhaps less than twenty people inside, faces she'd recognised from a picture Harry had showed to her after the establishment of Dumbledore's Army.
The Marauders pulled Hermione and toured her around, introducing her to the other members of the Order. She met Benjy Fenwick, a ministry employee working under the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures; Dorcas Meadowes, a snarky, intimidating Auror, who she recognised as the person Voldemort had personally killed; Edgar Bones who resembled the Susan Bones she knew. Her mouth ran dry when she was introduced to the Longbottoms. Hermione had seen both Frank and Alice Longbottom back at Hogwarts, but she'd never really interacted with them since they were three years her senior. Frank was the perfect replica of Neville Longbottom, but Alice shared Neville's smile. She also met the Prewett twins, whose uncanny resemblance with Fred and George Weasley made Hermione's head spin. She unwittingly remembered Fred's untimely death and the devastated look on George's face. She also recognised familiar, younger versions of people she'd interacted with in the future such as Mundungus Fletcher and Sturgis Podmore.
Lily and Sev came soon after, with the former engulfing Hermione in a huge hug. "Are you all right?" the Unspeakable worriedly asked.
Hermione squeezed her back and reached for Sev's arm, noting the worry in his eyes. "I'm all right," she reassured. "I only had minor injuries from the attack. Other than that, I'm quite well, Lils."
Lily hadn't let go of Hermione, even when Moody and James finally came inside. Hermione's heart lurched, noticing the healing cuts on James' face. His eyes quickly scanned the roomful of people and once they landed on her, he breathed out a sigh of relief as he broke into a small smile.
"Go on," her best friend whispered, letting go of Hermione fully and shoving her towards James. The wizard was already meandering through the crowd and when Hermione met him in the middle, she allowed him to pull her close for a tight hug.
"Are you all right?" he asked, worry thick in his voice.
"I think you're the third person to ask me that," she said with a soft chuckle.
"I saw you... with the Death Eater, yesterday. You were—" He swallowed thickly as his hazel eyes glinted with mild terror. "I'm not sure if Wormtail already told you, but the wand you broke yesterday belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange." His grip on her tightened. "Sirius' crazy cousin. She's terrifying, Whiskers. You could have... um..."
Hermione lightly smirked and met his eyes. "Good thing I'm equally terrifying, eh?" she joked, just to soothe his worry.
James' eyes widened at her quip, but then he sputtered out a soft laugh. "Yes. Yes, you are," he agreed with a lopsided smile.
"But you, on the other hand..." She cradled his face with her hands, lips magnetising into a small frown as she traced the scars.
James clutched her hand and pulled her towards where their friends were. "I'm fine, love," he reassured, although a grimace appeared on his face. "I was able to corner one Death Eater, but he slipped away in the end. Bloody git put up one hell of a fight."
He clasped arms with Remus when they reached the Marauders, obvious relief in their eyes since their small group was still complete. James smiled at Lily in greeting and stiffly nodded his head to acknowledge Severus.
Mary and Marlene soon arrived. The former immediately flew into Peter's arms, exchanging whispered words and remaining oblivious to everybody in the room. Marlene stiffly greeted the others and stood as far away from them as possible.
Hermione glanced at Sirius, quirking an eyebrow in question. The shaggy-haired Auror blushed and scratched his chin. "Eh, it wasn't working anymore," was his flippant dismissal.
It was a few more minutes before Dumbledore finally arrived. The whole room fell to a hush as his imposing figure strode inside, Regulus Black not too far behind. Hermione smiled, relieved that Regulus was well and he was going to attend this meeting. She tried to meet his eyes, but Regulus was resolutely glancing at his feet, his discomfort palpable.
"What is he doing here?" Gideon – or Fabian? – Prewett asked, pulling out his wand and threateningly pointing it in Regulus' direction. His twin copied his stance, wand poised in the air.
"Wands away, lads," Moody drawled, already pulling out a chair to sit on the circular table. "He's a member of the Order."
"He is?" Dorcas Meadowes asked, her lips curled in disdain. "But I thought he was one of those vile snakes."
Regulus paled, still firmly staring at his feet.
"Everybody in this room is officially a member of the Order of the Phoenix," Dumbledore softly replied, although the tone of his voice hinted a certain firmness that commanded respect. "Everybody in this room has my utmost trust."
No one made a peep as he sat on a chair, the roaring fireplace with the phoenix banner right behind his imposing figure. The other members of the Order hesitantly chose a place to sit. Hermione was crammed in between Lily and James, the latter steadfastly holding her hand under the table.
Once everybody was settled, Dumbledore's gleaming eyes swept over everybody in the room. Regulus sat on his left side, looking mighty uncomfortable, with his back ramrod straight, his indifferent mask hiding whatever emotions he was feeling right now.
Behind Dumbledore, the phoenix flapped its wings and Hermione admittedly stared. With the fireplace directly underneath the banner, it looked like the phoenix was aflame.
"I have called for this meeting," Dumbledore started, "because we have a very important matter to discuss."
Hermione tore her eyes away from the distracting banner to look at the Headmaster.
The old wizard calmly laced his fingers together and sadly smiled at the Order. "The attack at Hogsmeade yesterday was most unfortunate, but it just proves that Tom is becoming restless, bolder, and we must do something now in order to stop him." He paused, his blue eyes twinkling impossibly bright behind his half-moon spectacles, then continued. "Thankfully, however, we have finally found his ultimate downfall."
He quipped the last sentence with such a merry tone, that Hermione had to try her hardest to suppress a snort.
"It has recently come to my attention that Voldemort has been making horcruxes to achieve immortality." He paused once more as horrified gasps erupted around the table. There were those who looked confused, unfamiliar with the dark magic.
"For the benefit of those who do not know what a horcrux is," he continued, "these are artifacts made by an evil wizard, housing a piece of his or her soul. Only when an act most evil – murder, simply put – is committed, the fractured piece of soul may be transferred into another object. The caster will only be defeated if each horcrux is destroyed. In Tom's case, I'm afraid he has already made five."
"Five!" Edgar Bones exclaimed. "Merlin Almighty."
"But fear not, for we already have four in our possession," Dumbledore calmly reassured. "And the last one's location is known, I believe."
"How do you know about this, Albus?" Elphias Doge, a wizard Hermione recognised was part of the Wizengamot.
Dumbledore's eyes briefly landed on hers. "A reliable source," he vaguely replied.
"Forgive me, brother," a redheaded wizard, with a beard as long as Dumbledore's and eyes the same shade of blue, drawled. "But you're shite when it comes to trusting sources."
Hermione's eyes widened, instantly recognising him as Aberforth Dumbledore, the Headmaster's younger brother. She hadn't stepped foot in the Hog's Head for the last seven years, since she'd never found it necessary to do so, but she could still remember the cranky barman of the pub.
The Headmaster quirked an amused eyebrow at his younger brother. "Ah, but you see, Aberforth, I truly trust this source," he said with an indulgent smile.
"And you're quite sure Voldemort has horcruxes?" Dorcas worriedly asked.
"Positively sure," he said. His eyes swept towards Benjy Fenwick, his smile faltering a bit. "Which is why I need your help, Benjy. It has also come to my attention that Hogwarts has been housing a dormant basilisk for centuries."
"A basilisk?!" one of the Prewett twins exclaimed, followed by a loud expletive that earned them a glare from Moody.
"Yes, a basilisk," Dumbledore repeated. "Destroying a horcrux can be a tricky, little thing. There are only a few ways to do it, such as Fiendfyre and basilisk venom. Seeing that a basilisk is sleeping in the castle, with a possibility of being awakened and endangering the students, I believe killing the basilisk and procuring its venom is the wisest choice. I can trust you to lead the defeat of the creature, Benjy, can I?"
The wizard sat up straighter in his seat, a determined look on his face. "Of course, Albus," he said.
"Very good," he answered with a nod. "I was hoping to face the basilisk before the start of the next school-year just in case the basilisk puts up a fight. We'll coordinate to suit your schedule, Benjy."
Benjy nodded his head, concurring with Dumbledore's words.
"As for the last horcrux," his eyes landed on Hermione once more, "I would like to appoint Miss Hermione Pettigrew and young Regulus Black as the leaders of the search."
Predictably, sounds of protests echoed around the table. "They are children," Dorcas insisted, thrusting her finger on top of the mahogany table to prove a point. "We are talking about horcruxes here, Albus. They are vile things and freshly graduated wizards and witches should not handle such danger."
"There are far more experienced people in this group," Fabian – or Gideon, honestly – quipped. "For example, my brother and I." His eyes gleamed, seemingly excited at the prospect of an adventure. "Let us locate it instead."
Hermione's hold on James' hand tightened, afraid that Dumbledore would relent to their wishes. She'd be damned if she and Regulus weren't the ones to procure the final horcrux. Hermione knew she wouldn't rest easy if she didn't see the horcrux herself and deliver it straight to Dumbledore. If the Headmaster broke his promise and gave this task to another, Hermione had already planned on defying his orders and accompanying the others.
"Hermione and Regulus have proven to be more than capable of handling this task," he then said, surprising Hermione. His blue eyes twinkled when he smiled at her. "But you are both right: they are still young and this mission is quite dangerous. Which is why I will assign capable people to accompany them. I'd still like to coordinate with your schedules and those assigned will be informed immediately." The others looked like they wanted to protest once more, but Dumbledore pinned them with a resolute stare. "My decision is final."
The brunette soundlessly sighed in relief. She briefly met Regulus's eyes across the table, noting the relief in his too, but he gazed away again.
"Now, does anyone want to raise any concerns?"
The succeeding hours of the meeting happened in a blur. Hermione's head was already aching, filled with new information and problems such as dwindling supplies, building safe houses, and increasing attacks of Death Eaters. By the time Dumbledore adjourned the meeting, with a warning that the pinnacle was approaching and they must all get ready, there was already a horde of stampeding hippogriffs in Hermione's head.
"Are you okay, love?" James whispered, leaning closer to Hermione to peer at her with worry in his eyes.
"Just a headache," she reassured, already massaging her throbbing temples.
James hauled her up onto her feet. "Better to go home and rest then," he said. "Although, I think you're going home alone tonight."
Hermione snorted, seeing her brother still wrapped tightly around Mary. "They haven't seen each other for a while," she said. "Mum will understand."
"I haven't seen you for a while," he insisted, tugging her close just so he could wrap an arm around her waist. "Maybe you'd like to sleepover? Pokey can fix your guest room. Or, better yet, you can sneak into my room. You've seen how vast my bed is. You'd fit there perfectly, Whiskers."
Her cheeks reddened at his teasing smirk. "Shut up, Potter," she grumbled.
James softly laughed and dropped a kiss on the crown of her head. "Worth a try," he said. His hazel eyes softened as he skimmed his nose against her cheek. "But I really miss you, Hermione. If Moody will give me a day off, will you allow me to spend that day with you?"
"Rather than sleep the day away?"
He pressed his soft lips against her cheek. "Maybe napping beside you will be a very good date," he joked. "But, I don't think I'll be able to resist doing something untoward if you cuddle yourself beside me, so maybe a coffee date will suffice."
He playfully nipped her earlobe and laughingly dodged her pointy elbow.
She was about to retort something snarky, but her eyes briefly landed on Regulus, who was about to slither out of the East Tower.
"I— sorry, I have to talk to Regulus."
James lips tugged into a small frown. "Okay," he said, a tad stiffly.
Hermione smiled and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. "I'll give you a good night kiss if you promised to be a good boy," she teasingly whispered against his ear. His hold around her waist tightened as his breath slightly hitched, before James finally loosened his grip and allowed her to slip away from his grasp.
The brunette immediately shot out of the East Tower and called for Regulus. The Black heir was close to Apparating, but then stiffened when he heard her voice. He slowly turned around, a cautious look on his face.
"Pettigrew," he coolly greeted.
Hermione frowned and stomped closer to him. "You didn't reply to my letters," she accused.
"I was busy," he sniped, hiding behind his perfect mask of aloofness.
"You're doing it again!" she exclaimed with a scowl. "Hiding behind that bloody mask." When Regulus glowered at her words, Hermione sighed and reached forward to place a hand on his arm. "What is really the matter, Regulus?" Her gaze softened in understanding, her hold on his arm tightening. "Is it... is it because of what happened during our graduation?"
An angry flicker in his grey eyes was the answer she needed. "Regulus—"
"No, you won't understand," he stiffly said, already pulling his arm away from her grip.
Hermione stood her ground and glared at him through angry eyes. "Try me, Regulus Black," she spat.
Ire shattered his mask and Regulus started breathing heavily. She patiently waited as he tried to compose himself, watching as his hands violently shook. Her annoyance simmered into concern, prompting her to reach out once more to squeeze his arm in comfort.
"I knew something huge would happen, but seeing that I'm one of the new ones, I wasn't privy to the whole plan," he snarled. "I told Dumbledore that something might happen, and he agreed to alert the Aurors in case something came up." Regulus had grown thunderous. "I should have worked harder. I'm a bloody fucking spy! I should have pried more, should have discovered what they were planning, just to avoid the attack."
He took a deep breath and slumped forward, seemingly tired all of a sudden. "No one was supposed to die."
Hermione's heart lurched, realising that Regulus was most likely blaming himself for the death of the Gryffindor. "It wasn't your fault," she grounded out. "How could you even blame yourself?"
His eyes glistened under the pale moonlight, prompting Hermione to reach forward and wrap her arms around him. "It wasn't your fault," she ground out once again. Regulus crumpled the back material of her blouse, trying to grasp as much comfort as he could from her.
She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that. Hermione continued to rub soothing circles on his back. She waited until Regulus had finally relaxed before pulling away from the embrace. His cheeks were splattered with red from embarrassment. "Sorry about that," he murmured, unable to meet her eyes.
"It's all right," she said with a reassuring smile.
Regulus hesitantly met her eyes and sadly smiled. "Merlin, I didn't know I needed that," he said, a hollow laugh escaping from his lips. "I— thanks, Pettigrew."
She rolled her eyes. "Please, aren't we already on first name basis?" she asked. "It'll seriously be confusing if you continue to call me that, especially if my brother's in the room too."
His smile grew wide and genuine. "Fine, blimey."
"You're okay now?"
"Loads," he said, nodding his head. He blushed redder and shiftily looked away from her eyes. "I should... I should get going. My parents are expecting me already. Besides, I'd rather not be cornered by Sirius today. He's going to go ballistic, I'm sure."
She smiled at the worry in his eyes, then bid him goodbye when he Apparated on the spot.
Once Regulus had Apparated away, Hermione turned on her heel to march back to the tower, only to stop in surprise. James was casually leaning against the stone wall, looking too nonchalant when he'd obviously been watching her with Regulus just a while ago.
"You should have waited inside," she admonished once she reached him.
"And hang out with those old codgers?" he said, one corner of his lips lifting. "I'd rather not."
Hermione snorted and glanced over his shoulders, spying Dumbledore and the other Order members still discussing inside. With their relaxed stance, however, Hermione knew they were merely conversing about topics that didn't involve the war and Voldemort.
"You should go home, Whiskers," he said, pulling Hermione away so that they would be hidden from the people inside the Order Headquarters. "It has been a long day. Wait, no, scratch that. It has been a long week for all of us."
She pointedly glanced at his face, noting the purple bruises under his weary eyes. James was also sporting a five o'clock shadow, when he usually shaved his face clean. No doubt the past few days had been tiring for him too.
Hermione placed a hand against his rough cheek and sadly smiled. "When's the last time you ate, James?" she asked.
He sheepishly smiled, the corner of his eyes crinkling. "I haven't really tracked that ever since I became an Auror, love," he said, shifting his face slightly to press a kiss against her palm. "But I think it's been a while. I can always ask Pokey to prepare me a meal once I get back."
"You should go home," she retorted back.
"In case you've forgotten, I am home," he said with a laugh, wildly gesturing at the imposing Manor standing beside the Tower they were leaning against.
Hermione's hand slid down to his shoulder as she peered at him through her lashes. Her heart ached at the thought that she hadn't been with him like this for months, alone. Their letter correspondence had been abysmal for the past few months too, because James was swamped with work and she was distracted by the upcoming NEWTs.
It made her terrified how, despite their distance, she'd craved for his presence the most. "I missed you," she confessed, heart lodging in her throat at how earnest she sounded.
"Yeah?" he asked, a small smile growing on his tired face.
She glumly nodded her head, wondering how her feelings for him could still steadily grow despite everything that had been happening around them. With Lily's wedding approaching, Hermione should start formulating a plan — a last ditch effort to get Lily and James together just so Harry would be born into this new world. She bloody well knew she was already pushing luck here and maybe she was going a tad barmy for insisting her own version of Harry Potter would be born despite how plain it was that such a thing couldn't come into fruition anymore. Besides, just the thought of suggesting to James that they should take a break, that he should maybe pursue Lily once more if he fancied it, left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Hermione slightly made a face. The journey towards accepting that her emerald-eyed, messy-haired Harry Potter might not exist in this world at all was long and arduous but hey, she was trying her very bloody best.
"I missed you too, Whiskers," he said, his hand already slipping to the back of her neck. "Very much, if I were
being honest."
He dipped his head and neared his face, his hazel eyes warm and bright despite the darkness surrounding them. A soft sigh escaped from her mouth when James pressed his lips against hers. His kiss was slow, deliberately reacquainting himself with every inch of her mouth.
Thoughts about Lily's upcoming wedding with Sev, of the predicament regarding Harry's possible nonexistence, were pushed towards the deepest parts of her consciousness.
All that mattered to her right here, right now, was this lovely boy pressed softly against her, his lips leaving marks that sank deep into her skin, forever embedding in her soul.