WHO KNEW?

Hermione stepped through the Floo with a shocked look glued on her face. In the back of her mind, she was glad no one was in the kitchen to ask questions. She just couldn't face questions right now. Rather than risking running into anyone else, she apparated directly to her room.

It was quiet and dark. Just what she needed to process the intense information she had just received. She turned the soft easy chair that stood in the corner of the room, so it faced the window. With a wave of her wand, the temperature of the room plummeted drastically, and she grabbed the quilt that rested on the foot of the bed. She became a cocoon, staring out onto the street in front of the Grimmauld Place.

The sun was starting it's descent into the horizon when Ron stepped through the door.

"What the hell?" He said as he lit the sconces. "It's freezing in here." Then he realized who was in the room. "Sweetheart, what's with the glacier?"

Hermione stirred, "Hi. I, er, wanted to wrap myself in the quilt, but it was too warm." She seemed embarrassed by her situation but remained cocooned.

"O…kay? Why." Ron kicked off his boots in preparation to change out of his Auror uniform.

"I had an interview with Kingsley today." She unwrapped and waved her wand to bring the room back to a reasonable temperature. She figured Ron might want to not freeze while stripped down.

"Thanks. What did he want?"

"I've been trying to find the words to explain."

After looking hard at her face, he forgot about his search for a shirt. "Come on." He settled back on the chair and put his feet on the ottoman, "Tell me what you can." He gestured for her to join him.

Hermione hesitated briefly before curling on his lap. One of the most safest places in the world for her.

"Since school is done with, I applied with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.I thought it was a job interview. You know, I was told an interview was the final step." She stopped, staring off into space.

"And?" Ron gestured for her to continue.

"Sorry. I think I know why Mom and Dad were a little upset about the memory charm. You and I…well, we had several."

Ron stiffened, "WHAT?"

"Listen. Dumbledore had known about this since Harry was born. He had his own prophesy about what Harry's mission was. He knew we needed to be a part of it. Ever since you defeated that troll, he knew we were the ones that were prophesied. We needed to be his team."

"We were forced to be his friend?" Ron was so shocked, he almost pushed Hermione off his lap.

"No, No, He couldn't do that. Just like a love potion can't make someone to fall in real love. He only made sure we stayed friends. But the important thing is, we were set up to go on that hunt, and the Order knew it!"

"WHAT?" This time, Hermione moved just in time as Ron stood in shock, "But, but we were told not to tell anyone!" Ron almost yelled.

"No, only Harry was told not to say anything. The reason being, Harry had to do it on his own, with only us to back him up. We could have placed an advertisement in the Daily Prophet if we wanted. He couldn't have the Order interfering." She tried to explain.

"So. Maybe more people would have lived." That realization make Ron turn red in anger.

"No, Dear. The magical connection between Harry and Voldemort made what we did essential to stopping him. If the Order took over, we would have been defeated. Dumbledore knew it, the Order knew it. Most importantly, your parents knew it. That's why your Mum tried to slow us down. She knew what we had to do but wasn't ready to let us go. But in the end, she was the one who gathered up your clothes to put in my bag."

"They knew?" Ron whispered as he sat back down.

"Yes, that's why your brothers and Dad dealt with the ghoul. Do you think they would do it if you came up to them and said you wanted to go camping for a year on a lark. Do you think they would put the family in danger if they didn't know why?" Hermione explained further.

"I never thought about it." He admitted.

"We were never meant to know. We had to think it was all our idea." She took a deep breath but continued, "It was another charm on us."

"Another?" Ron gave up. Anger wasn't going to change the past.

She nodded, "There was more." She let that sink in.

Ron shrugged, "Okay, what then?"

"How did you know how to open the Chamber of Secrets during the battle?"

"Harry talked in his sleep, I told you that."

"No. The only way you could have known what he was hissing, was if you could speak parsel tongue. You can't. You and Harry were both charmed so he could teach you that phrase. Then you forgot how you learned. After Harry saved Ginny, Dumbledore knew he needed to get back into that chamber if something happened to Harry. You were that person. He could trust you."

Something bothered Ron, "How could he have done all this, I barely knew the man."

"According to Kingsley, you would meet with the headmaster when you went on your night rounds as a prefect."

"Yeah, I did see him a few times, just passing in the corridors." He though for a second, "Why us? Why all this intrigue?" Ron asked, knowing the answer.

"Who knows why Dumbledore did anything the way he did. I think he relished the complicated." For the first time since she came home, she smiled.

"Hermione, how can we trust anything anymore? With all these charms and such, how do we know what's real?"

She shook her head, "I don't know."

"Should we tell Harry?" Ron asked, changing the subject.

"I…I can't. Kingsley thinks that if Harry knew the whole story, it could affect his career, his relationships."

"I don't like keeping secrets from my mate." Ron said stubbornly.

"I don't either. That's why Kingsley set another charm on us. As soon as we leave this room, we won't remember most of what we just talked about."

A/N Sorry there is so much time between chapters. I am super busy and I can only write when an idea pops fully grown in my head. Thanks for all the favs and reviews, they keep me motivated.