Disclaimer: I did not create nor do I profit from Harry Potter. I do question if it would be possibly for Rowling to commission the invention of an actual flying broom with all of the profit she's made...

Chapter Thirty-One

Hermione wasn't surprised that Lucius had left, and in a way she was glad that she didn't have to explain her meltdown from the night before. She had a feeling that if Lucius knew everything that was going on he wouldn't go back to Russia. His misunderstanding worked out largely in her favor, though she was still upset that things were strained between them. She knew, logically, that she was doing what was best for him, but a large part of her just wanted to be honest about everything. She looked forward to the day when she could be.

Lucius's departure had left Hermione even more anxious than she should be. Work on Friday had been mostly on Edgar, as she was obviously distracted. Her partner had questioned her out of character behavior, but had taken "I'll explain later" as a good enough to reason to pick up the slack.

After that, she had rushed to Hogwarts for dinner and to make up her fourth year class. Fortunately, her students didn't seem to notice how little she was in it at night and carried on as expected. It could have something to do with the fact that they were practicing their blinding jinxes, though, and everyone had been excited about it.

As she dismissed the class, she took a deep breath and tried to relax. She would now get to go to bed and relax. Yet, it was not meant to be. A knock on the classroom door preceded Sirius Black peeking around the door's edge. "Professor?"

She fought the urge to groan. If she had known what had been in store for her in the last twenty-four hours, she never would have agreed to the meeting. Still, she couldn't turn him away. "Yes, Mr. Black. Come on in. We can go to my office."

He smiled bright at her and practically bounced in and through the classroom toward her small office. "What kind of tea do you take, Mr. Black? I have quite the collection."

"Uhm… something fruity?"

She nodded, spelling her self-filling teapot to boil and pulling out some blackberry tea for her student. She got something spicy and carefully splashed a bit of alcohol into her own cup with her back turned. After pouring the water, she presented him with his cup, watching as he added the obscene amount of sugar that he usually did.

He looked up to see her watching him and frowned. "Are you sure this is a good time, professor? You seem a bit… off?"

She smiled at him and shook her head. "It's fine, Mister Black. I have just had a busy week. I'll do better once I get to relax with a cup." She took her first sip and sat in her chair. "Now, while I don't mean to question your motives, did you request this meeting for something other than the joy of taunting Severus?"

He actually blushed a bit but nodded. "Yes, Professor. You said that I could come to you if I ever needed to…well, talk about things."

"How is Remus?" she asked, assuming that was the point of his meeting.

He shook his head. "Remus is good. He actually just told Peter and James a few weeks ago. They took it well. He was a bit surprised that I had figured it out, but not upset when he saw that we weren't going to desert him or go telling everyone."

She smiled a bit more brightly at that. "I am glad to hear it. Does he know that I am aware of his condition?"

"Yes, ma'am. He was a bit upset that I had come to you about it, but once he figured out that you had already known he got over it. Especially once I explained how the conversation went. He seems more laid back lately," Sirius said, happily.

"That is good to hear. So, if not Remus, what do I owe the pleasure to?"

Sirius's smile dropped off of his face. "I… you met my parents at the Malfoy's ball. As my mother said, I have upset a lot of the family by being sorted into Gryffindor."

Hermione nodded, lips pursed. "Yes. Your mother is a… most interesting lady."

"My brother, Regulus- have you spoken to him before?" Sirius asked, morosely.

She shook her head in response. "No. Considering how little I am here, I do not have much interaction with students that do not take my class. He is in Slytherin, though?"

Sirius looked down. "I think, after me, my parents worried he might be sorted into Gryffindor as well. I was kind of hoping he would be. Last summer, my parents were… well, they were very angry with me. I thought that if Regulus was sorted into Gryffindor that they might lay off of me a bit and see it wasn't a bad thing. Then, Regulus became a Slytherin. During the holidays, it was a lot worse. My parents said that I was a failure and took the fact that he became a Slytherin to mean that it was obviously no one's fault except for my own. They have even spoken of making him the official heir to the family."

Hermione nodded. "Does that upset you?"

Sirius was looking down, but she noticed that he raised a hand to swipe once at his eyes. "I don't really care about being the heir. I am more upset that, before I started school, my parents loved me. They don't anymore. Well, maybe they didn't love me…but they were proud at least. When I got my Hogwarts letter, they threw a huge party for me. My mother had an heir's ring made for me especially. They took it away from me last summer."

Hermione tried to come up with something comforting to say to that. She wished she could reassure him that his parents did love him, but from what she had heard from her own Sirius… that might not have been the case. "What about Regulus?" she asked, looking at him sympathetically.

"At first, once he was sorted, he tried to spend time with me. We were really close before I started school. This summer, our parents had us separated for a lot of it. Now that he has been put in Gryffindor, my cousins are poisoning him against me. Bellatrix constantly is badmouthing him to me and saying I am a disgrace to the family. He looks guilty about it, but he is giving in. I'm losing him, too…. I don't know what to do."

"What have your friends said?"

He shrugged. "James says that it doesn't matter… that we are family. He has also said that I am just an exception to the rule that Blacks are crazy and dark. That Reggie is obviously going to be the same as the rest of them. I think he means well, but…"

"But your friend is acting like an idiot," she finished, raising an eyebrow at him.

Sirius looked up at her, hopefully. "So… you don't think Reggie will be like them?"

She sighed. "Sirius, you know I have a significant amount of bad blood with Bellatrix. There is little I can say good about her… in fact, I think it can be summed up with the fact that she is magically powerful and can command a room. Your parents and cousin's parents… I do not have friends in them, and I know exactly what they think of me."

"I'm sorry, professor," Sirius said, sadly, face blushed.

She sighed. "I am not trying to guilt you, Sirius. I simply wish to make a point. I told you before that you are not to blame for the decisions of your family. I wish to juxtapose you with them. Sirius, you are an outgoing, friendly boy that is unfailingly loyal to those you care about. Could you describe the people I mentioned in the same way?"

He shook his head.

"James is right that you are an exception to what is commonly thought of your family. And he is right that your friends can be your family… mine are. He is wrong about Regulus, though. Regulus is eleven years old. He has a great amount of pressure on his shoulders to perform how his parents want him to, and he is being encouraged to become more like Bellatrix Lestrange and to separate himself from you. How I see it, you have two choices."

He looked up at her nervously. She smiled at him, gently, and continued. "You can make a horrible mistake and give up on him. You can allow him to think that the only family he has that cares about him are the ones that want him to turn into something that is not good. If you do that, there is a very good chance that he will become a stereotypical Black…. Or, despite his own actions toward you, you can make sure he knows that you love him. You can encourage him to come to you if he needs it. You can make an effort even if he turns you away. That way, if and when he comes to a crossroads in his life, he might chose to go toward you instead of them."

"But… he barely speaks to me," Sirius said, sadly.

She smiled at him lightly. "Sometimes, loving people is very hard. You have to do it, even when they aren't loving you back, because they need it. He might ignore you, he might belittle you, and he might even tell you that he hates you… but you cannot control what he does. You can only be the best brother to him that you can possibly be and hope that he knows he has a choice later on. James was stupid to say he is bound to be just like them. That is untrue. I do think he is more likely to become that if he doesn't feel as if there is another option, though. Let James and Remus be your family. Grow close to them as I think it can only do you good, but do not forget that you already have a brother. You have a little brother that needs you, even if he won't say it."

Sirius looked like he was struggling not to cry, but he nodded. "Thank you, professor."

She smiled back. "If you would be willing, I would like to try something."

"What?" he asked, curiously.

She sighed, wondering if she could pull it off. "I know you do not think much of Mr. Snape, though the reasons frankly surprise me. He is arguably more of your equal in talent and circumstance than any other member of your year. He also has a very strong moral compass. Unfortunately, since my class graduated, he does not have many friends inside of his own house. I think Regulus would benefit from his friendship."

Sirius's eyes widened, "What?"

"I can assume that you coming to me multiple times now means you trust me," she said, seriously.

He frowned at her but nodded, hesitantly. "I believe you dislike Severus mostly for the fact that he is friends with Ms. Evans, and Mr. Potter is quite jealous of that. Am I on point?" His guilty look confirmed her statement.

"Well, it has already been established that Mr. Potter can be a bit of an idiot, sometimes. I do not mean to brag, but I am not an idiot. Considering your trust me in, trust what I say now: Severus has the same appreciation of loyalty and friendship as you do. He is intelligent, caring, and I consider him to be one of my closest friends. I have no doubt as to his eagerness to become a better person than what he is expected to be, something I think you can intimately understand."

"I think friendship is not really in the cards for us, professor…."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Perhaps not, though that is a shame. I do think that Severus and Regulus are both in a position where they could use each other as friends to great benefit though. The Slytherins will not protest to him spending time with Severus very much, and Severus is a good friend to have. He would not want your brother to become like your family."

"How do you know that?"

"Because Severus is familiar with what your family thinks of me… what they think of people that don't have much and aren't expected much of by extension. He does not like elitists, and he would not like to see a friend becoming one."

Severus was quiet, staring at her as he thought. "So… what would you do? I don't want him thinking I… owe him."

"I would ask Severus to reach out to Regulus and try to befriend him; I think he would respect my request without feeling like you owe him anything. I will request something of you, though… you will not have interaction with Severus outside of academic competition unless it is positive. You will not badmouth him, even if he is not there. I know you aren't attacking each other or being malicious anymore, but it can be even better. I wish to reiterate that I believe the two of you could actually be wonderful friends. Your loyalty to James should not extend to the point of making his petty enemies your own. I am sure James might one day have real enemies that you might need to help him with, but Severus is not one of them."

Sirius sized her up, squinting slightly. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay, professor. I'll trust you, but… I hope this doesn't blow up in my face."

By the time Sirius left, spending the rest of their time talking about his latest Charms assignment, it was late enough that Hermione decided to stay the night at Hogwarts. Though she didn't exactly sleep well that night, it was passable.

At breakfast the next morning, she was unsurprised to see the same stressed owl from before bring her a letter. She encouraged the bird to eat a bit of bacon and poured some water into a bowl for it, but it only took a small piece of bacon before flying away.

19 Grosvenor Crescent, London. Dinner at 7 PM, tomorrow. -LV

She sighed, because any other reaction more appropriate would raise unwanted concern, and pushed her plate away. She waited for Albus to finish his own breakfast and stood when he did to make their way to the dueling corridor. Once out of the Great Hall, she spoke quietly to him. "Perhaps we can meet late this afternoon? I will be meeting with Severus just after club finishes but could be with you at five, if that is acceptable.

"Of course, my dear," he said, kindly.

Dueling club was going well, and Hermione was pleased to see a few of her second year students really coming into their own. After a rather grueling duel, factoring in their academic skillset, Severus disarmed Lily, throwing her back several feet. He immediately went to her upon being pronounced the winner and helped her off of the platform. She limped slightly.

"Ms. Evans, is your ankle okay?" she asked.

Lily shook her head, "I think a small sprain, Professor Elias. It isn't too bad, though."

"Come on, Evans, we both know you let him win. You have to be faking," James said from behind his teacher. "There's no way Snape could beat you. Right, Sirius?"

Silence greeted James and Hermione turned to watch Sirius look at James…then her… then Severus. "I think it's legit, James. He's not an easy opponent from what I have seen."

Severus's eyes widened slightly before he watched James's face redden. James glared at Sirius, and Severus smirked slightly to see his nemesis struck down by his own friend. Hermione nodded slightly in approval. "Mr. Snape, if you would please escort Ms. Evans to the infirmary? Better safe than sorry with ankle injuries. They can linger. Please come back for the rest, though."

They walked by the Marauders, looking at them suspiciously as they went. James was speaking under his breath to Sirius, while Remus looked on in surprise.

As they finished for the day and students dwindled out, Hermione watched as Severus waited for her by the door. "Are you still wanting to have tea today?" he asked, curiously.

She nodded with a smile. "Of course!" Then, she led him to her office.

After they had sat down with their respective cups, Hermione looked at him. "Any news from the patent office yet?"

Severus nodded. "Yes. Last Tuesday. I knew you were busy with… Antonin and everything so I didn't want to intrude. Then, you were busy after class the other day."

"Yes, I'm sorry about that. What did they say?"

Severus smiled. "It was approved. Professor Slughorn says now that I am to submit an essay to various journals detailing the effects. I will get eighteen sickles for every copy of each journal or book sold that publishes the recipe. It is the standard pay. I am setting up a Gringott's Savings Account via mail, but won't be able to make withdrawals until I can go there to finalize it. Do you think we could go to Diagon Alley together sometime in the early summer?"

Hermione smiled and nodded. "Absolutely. Have you written to Abraxas?"

Severus shook his head. "No. I am going to write him soon though. I plan on crediting his grandmother, so I want to negotiate a fair amount of what I receive to go to him."

Hermione smiled. "This is all wonderful, Severus! It is amazing to think that a second year student is going to be a published for his own creation! I know you have a bright future ahead!"

"Thank you," he said, happily. He then looked at her seriously. "Do you mind if I ask a personal question?"

She nodded, suspecting what the question would be about. "Black, today in class, defended me… to Potter. He met with you for tea last night. May I ask if the two are connected?"

"Yes, they are," she began.

He groaned. "They haven't been all that bad this year. You will only make it worse," he interrupted.

With a roll of her eyes, she leaned forward on her desk. "Severus, I am a Slytherin. I saw a way to benefit multiple parties, and I took it. Now, can you be patient while I explain?"

He pursed his lips but tersely nodded.

"Mr. Black is worried about his brother. Have you spent any time with Regulus?"

Severus shook his head, "No. I helped him find a book in the library once at the beginning of term I think. The fact that he is Black's brother is enough to keep me away… not to mention Bellatrix being around him a lot of the time."

She smiled. "Sirius has been receiving a rather horrible amount of backlash from his family due to his being sorted into Gryffindor. His mother treated him atrociously when I saw them at the Malfoy ball. Since then, and Regulus being sorted in Slytherin, they have been pressuring him to stay away from Sirius and to attempt to be more like his cousin, Bellatrix."

Severus smirked, "Well, they do say that Blacks are a little… unhinged, in general. Why anyone would want to be like Bellatrix is beyond me."

"Exactly. Sirius is worried that he will lose his relationship with his brother and that Regulus will go down a path he will later regret."

"While I think I can understand that, what does this have to do with me?" Severus responded, frowning.

"First, I wish to preface this by stating that I believe Sirius Black to be a good person, despite last year. He's immature and a bit too easily influenced by his friends, but I think he worries that he will be pushed away from them, too, if they see him as being sympathetic to Slytherins. His family life may be a little bit more like yours than any of us would care to acknowledge."

Severus looked surprised by that, even as his cheeked tinted pink. "Black? I would expect him to be rather comfortable at home."

Hermione frowned at her young friend. "Imagine for a moment that your family lived in a fancy manor house, and you had everything you need provided to you easily. Would that excuse everything else? Would you count yourself as having a happy childhood?"

Severus frowned, glaring lightly. "No."

"Okay, then. Now, regarding you… I told Sirius that he needed to try to be there for his brother and love him even if Regulus rejected him. I also suggested that it might be good if he had a friend that would not discourage their relationship and perhaps show him that Slytherins can be Slytherins without sharing values with people like Bellatrix Black. I, then, expressed to him that I held the utmost confidence in your character as well as your desire not to be anything like that… student of mine."

"I'm sure he had a good laugh at that."

"He was skeptical at first, but I brought him around. He would like you to try to befriend his brother. I would, too, for that matter. Bellatrix should not be having any influence on a child that age and in that high pressure situation. It will lead to something horrible happening."

Severus rolled his eyes. "That seems a bit dramatic, doesn't it? She is a nasty piece of work, but it isn't like she's going to be out there killing people on a whim."

Hermione frowned and looked at Severus seriously. "Severus, you are young, and I do not wish to burden you. I do think you are mature enough to take me seriously when I urge you to consider the fact that something big is happening. It hasn't really touched Hogwarts yet, but the wizarding world is becoming a much darker place."

Severus looked nervous at that. "Are you serious?"

"Do you think I vocally advocate the value of dueling and being able to defend yourself to twelve year olds for fun, Severus? If this wasn't necessary, I wouldn't be teaching it. People taking too much joy in the Dark Arts and surrounding themselves with like-minded individuals are potentially going to turn into enemies. I do not wish for young Mr. Black to grow up to be one of them."

"How big is this?" he said, his hands clenching the arms of his chair.

"Big, Severus. I am asking you to do this because I think it is important, though there are additional benefits for you. As to the other subject at hand, I've said all I am going to say for now. Just… be cautious."

He nodded, soberly. "Benefits, then?"

"Outside of gaining a friend closer to your age that I think would be quite valuable to you, I told Sirius that I would expect him not to say anything negative about you, whether to your face or behind closed doors. Any interaction he has with you should be purely positive or competition between students. Again, I think he could make a good friend to you as well, and perhaps understand you better than anyone else around."

"Except perhaps you," Severus interjected.

"Well, perhaps. Still, I want you to have more friends than just me, Lucius and Lily. You need a real support system, especially if things are going the way I predict. I understand if you aren't interested in pursuing friendship with Sirius, and I think he would agree with you on that point for now. The rest, though… I really think this could be beneficial. And Sirius proved in class today that he was willing, even though he knew I hadn't spoken to you about it, yet."

He was quiet as he considered the offer, looking at the quills on her desk. "Fine. I'll reach out to Regulus, but don't expect me to be rubbing elbows with Black."

Shortly after Severus left, Hermione packed her things and headed to the headmaster's office. While she suspected he would already know her decision, she didn't look forward to confirming his suspicions. Once she spoke to him, it was set. She would be becoming a deatheater… or at least something that looked a lot like one in the eyes of the law.

Dumbledore was waiting for her at the foot of the gargoyle with a smile, though his eyes did not twinkle. "Miss Elias, I was hoping we could meet with a few friends as well." She frowned but nodded, not sure she liked the idea of others knowing what she intended to do. As they were taken up to the headmaster's office, he spoke.

"I think it is best for someone other than myself to know about this before you get into it. I am a target as well, and it would be horrible for you to be left out in the cold if something were to happen to me."

"What about Veritaserum, headmaster?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, though I have requested it be changed, Veritaserum has not been approved for use in court proceedings at this time. They will not rely on your words alone. It is an incredibly risky thing you intend to do. Unless you have changed your mind?"

The revolving staircase stopped, and she looked at the empty door. "Who is in there?"

"Roland Shacklebolt and Adeline Malfoy. They have the strongest mental shields within the Order and will be respected by the Wizengamot."

She glared at Albus. "Adeline? Really?" She hadn't thought it possible to dread this conversation more, but it apparently was.

He nodded. "Yes, Hera. Unfortunately, if you don't tell her, she is likely to find out in a worse way. Would you prefer for Abraxas to tell her if he joins?"

She sighed but opened the door. Roland and Adeline were speaking happily, but silenced when they saw Hera and Albus appear. Adeline walked up to Hera and held her tightly. "I've missed you at home. I'm sorry Abraxas is being so dimwitted."

Hermione kissed Adeline's cheek. "I've missed you, too. Let's get this meeting over with…" Adeline looked at her in confusion but nodded.

She exchanged brief greetings with Roland before sitting down. The three guests to the office looked at the headmaster to begin.

"Earlier this week, Tom Riddle approached Hera at work," he began. Adeline's eyes widened as her gaze turned to the younger girl.

Roland nodded. "Happy to see you are in one piece, Hera," he said, kindly. Hermione smiled back, flatly, with a nod of her own.

"And?" Adeline said, nervously.

"He is recruiting me. He told me that he saw… himself in me. He said he wants me to join him and wanted to be a mentor of sorts. I was promised a position of power in his ranks, including the opportunity to give orders to those that look down on me. He did not seem willing to take 'no' for an answer."

Adeline shook her head. "You can't! This is ridiculous. Albus! Tell her this is ridiculous."

Albus frowned at Adeline. "I'm afraid I can't, Adeline."

"He would kill me if I told him no. He made it clear within the day that my acceptance was expected. Even if he didn't kill me, he would wonder why I was brave enough to stand up against him. I think it would make him suspicious of me, and possibly cause him to learn about the Order sooner than necessary," she continued, sadly.

"But… you've told me what they do! He would have you…"

Hermion reached out, taking Adeline's hand. "When he spoke to me, he said I would not be expected to get my hands dirty unless I wanted to. I don't trust him, so I am sure that is likely to change. Yes, at some point I will probably have to… do thinks that I do not want to do. If I refuse though, I am likely going to die. At least if I accept, I can pass on information to hopefully prevent a lot of bad things from happening. We wouldn't just be relying on my visions anymore, but actual intel from a trusted source."

"You actually intend to spy? What about your occlumency? Are you even capable of shielding yourself?" Roland asked, leaning forward in his seat so he could look around Adeline and into her eyes.

"He brought that up. I believe that if he really tried, he would certainly break me. He does not want to do that, though. He said he was something akin to being comfortable with the fact that I have secrets as he would likely ruin my mind for him to get to them. He knows I question his methods, but he sees in me what he sees in himself: someone eager to prove themselves worthy. He thinks my pride is stronger than any issues I have him with, personally. He also believes that I value knowledge greatly and want to learn from him. His narcissism is working in our favor for now."

"What about if he decides that your mind isn't worth protecting anymore?!" Adeline asked, angrily. "I thought the point of my being here was to protect my family, not watch you do what they would have done without you!"

Hermione shrugged. "I'm here to save people's lives, and I have already been familiar with the idea that it might take my own. If he breaks through my shields, he will kill me. Hopefully, that won't happen, but it is a possibility. I'll work on my occlumency, so it won't be quite so easy for him."

"What will Lucius say to this!?"

Hermione winced, her body tensing up. "Lucius won't know a thing about it for a long time. I doubt Abraxas will tell him, you will be bound not to, and I certainly won't. He will finish his apprenticeship and join the Order if he wishes, once he is done. He's already agreed to that."

"And when he returns? He finds out that you not only joined a resistance group but are also spying? I'm not sure if your relationship will survive the omissions, Hera!"

"Right now, I am mostly concerned with him surviving it, unscathed. Adeline, I know you think this is crazy, and it is. While the details are horrible, the base fact is that I don't really have a choice. Voldemort would not take rejection well, and if I refused him he would probably come after Lucius just out of spite after slowly killing me."

Adeline looked down as she started to cry.

"I understand why you are joining, but why are you telling us this?" Roland asked, looking between Hera and Albus. He seemed disturbed but still calm, just like Kingsley was in most situations.

Albus responded. "Both of you have very good occlumency shields, so the general person looking will not find out. I would expect a vow, but too many of those can have a toll on one's body. In the event of my death before this ends, I think it is imperative that someone else knows that Hera is a spy and that whatever crimes she may eventually commit are done in favor of protecting herself and her cover. If the war ends, she needs to have people able to testify for her if charges are brought against her. Both of you are also respected by the old families on the Wizengamot."

Hermione cleared her throat. "Albus, I hope you realize that I will need to step back from meetings after this?"

Albus nodded. "Yes. Hera will not come to most Order meetings, just enough to keep suspicion away. If Tom does decide to… get information from Hera, we want him to know as little as possible. To that end, both of you should be prepared to pass on information in her stead. We do not want the Order knowing she is a spy… the first person Voldemort tries to get information from would give her away."

"And Abraxas? After your conversation with him, he will be highly suspicious when he sees you spending time with Lord Voldemort. What if he says something about it?" Adeline's voice was weak, and she was slumped in her chair. Defeated.

"I believe he will keep my confidences. He values Lucius's happiness too much to throw me under the bus… unless it comes to a point that Abraxas or either of you are in danger. He did approach you about occlumency, right?"

Adeline nodded. "Yes. He is making good progress. His shields are better than average, I expect, though certainly nowhere near where they should be."

"As Hera said," Roland interjected, "there is not much choice in her next step. Going into this situation will be risky anyway. Once she's accepted, a modicum of safety will be provided. Until then… a certain measure of hope is all we can count on."

Adeline slumped even further. "With permission, as soon as I feel his shields are adequate, I will tell Abraxas that I am involved in a resistance. If I make it clear that my safety hinges on Hera's, Abraxas will not willingly betray her."

Hermione squeezed Adeline's hand as Dumbledore nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."

"I'll start pushing him more than I have. Three weeks, Hera? Can you give me that long?"

Hermione nodded. "As Roland said, I hope so. I truly think he will try to protect me, though."

"The best way to prevent Abraxas from putting Hera at risk would be to keep Abraxas away from his friends. Abraxas can secure his shields and have extra reason to protect her when he gets back. Maybe you could take him on a vacation?" Roland's suggestion was quickly met with approval.

Hermione sighed. "I am meeting him tomorrow at what I assume to be his residence in London. If there isn't anything else, I really want to go home. It's been a long day, and I'd like to try to get my mind off of all of this for a while."

"Yes, Hera. Go home. You will contact us to let us know you are safe once you've seen him?"

"Yes, Headmaster. I will write an owl to Adeline after I return." She stood from her chair, as did Adeline and Roland.

Roland shook her hand with a sad, but approving smile. "Thank you for taking this risk for us. You are a true asset to our cause, and I am sure we can be just as good of friends as you are with my son."

She nodded at him with a smile returned as Adeline hugged her tightly. "I love you, Hera," she whispered, softly. "Be safe."

"Roland, Adeline, I'd love for both of you to stay, if willing." As the other two returned to their seats, Hermione left the office. Returning home, she went straight to bed. She was mentally exhausted and afraid, a fact that made her mind shut down quite effectively. Her mission was only getting harder.

Author's Note: That was the last chapter of this part. If you plan to continue reading, I strongly suggest putting an author alert on me so that you know when it goes up. I am going to take a few weeks before I post Part 2, I think. If I can wait that long. The title will be The Bond Servant. So far, 20K words are written of it.

I got my first "flame", if you could call it that. A guest reviewer was disappointed that Hermione intends to spy and said that it was overdone. All I can say to that is "sorry that you feel that way". I would respond more thoroughly regarding what exactly was said (though it wasn't mean, which I appreciate), but none of the chapter thirty reviews are showing up for me as I write this. Sorry for lack of responses if you had a question... Hopefully, I will not have the same problem with this chapter.

Thank you for all of your reviews! Keep them coming- I get excited for every single one. See you in Part 2!