Time Heals All Wounds

hapter Ten:



Several months had passed since Hermione and the others were inducted into the order. It was nearing the end of the school year, and Hermione and Severus were busy studying for their Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests. They had three more months until the exams, and their pending graduation.



They had spent many free periods in the library and in the room of requirement both studying and practicing the spells that were to be on the test. This particular Saturday, they were in the library looking up several complex spells.



“Hey Hermione, come and look at this…” Severus called quietly. “I think I’ve found it.”



Hermione rushed toward him with her arms full of books. “Which book was it in Severus?”



“Most Advanced Charm work for the Most Advanced Wizard.”



“Ok, mark the page and we can start looking for our potions exams now…” Hermione stopped speaking as Lily stopped in front of her. “Hey Lills, what’s up?”



“Not much, just I have a letter from the headmaster for Severus.” She said handing it to him.



Severus quickly opened it, reading it quickly. He then turned to Hermione and Lily. I have to go to the headmasters office…and there is an order meeting later tonight in the RoR.” He leaned in to kiss Hermione, and left the library.



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Knocking on the headmaster’s door, he quickly entered. “Severus my boy…please, take a seat.”



When Severus did so, the headmaster pulled out a large oval bowl, and set it on the desk.



“What is this for Headmaster?” Severus asked confused.



“This by dear lad is called a pensive. I do believe you will have need of it soon. Very soon in fact. I wish you to focus on your memory of Hermione.”



“But sir! If I do that, and you take the memory, I will no longer remember her! I love her sir, I can’t to that.” Said Severus stubbornly.



“Ah my boy, you misunderstand. This is my pensive. It is very rare in fact, when you take you memory of your beloved, you retain your memory, but in the case of abduction, should your abductor attempt Legilimency, it will not show. It will be hidden.” Professor Dumbledore explained. “And Severus, you will soon embark on a dangerous mission, one that will require no mistakes. I will need you to think carefully about what I tell you, and trust me, Severus; it will be of great importance. It will provide so much information that the order so desperately needs, and that Miss Granger is unable to provide, seeing as she was never really, ‘there’ to put it strongly.”



“Let me guess, you would have me enter into the death eaters stronghold, in order to become a spy?” Severus not really guessed.



At Dumbledore’s confusion, he simply said, “Hermione.”



“Oh. Well that cuts down on the explanations then.” He said cheerfully, before becoming grave. “Well, since you know, will you do it? Will you go to Voldemort, and become a death eater?”



Severus sat silently for a bit. “Yes.”



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Ginny sat in the potions classroom awaiting Professor Snape to tell her what she had to do with the files.



“Miss Weasley.” A strong voice commanded from behind her. “You will be in a new place today. I expect you to clean and restore what is in these boxes.” He explained as he led her to his public study. He opened the closet door. “Everything in this closet is to be examined, and restored in repaired new boxes and labeled correctly.”



Ginny reached for the box closest to her. She jerked her hand back as a stinging hex burnt her hand. “OW!” she gasped as she stared at the box.



“All except that one.” Severus said calmly. “Only I can open this particular box, and if I see it touched again, it will be your head, girl!”



Ginny watched as he stormed away, slamming the door closed behind him. When he was gone, Ginny stood and walked around his office. She reached for the drawer of his desk. Another stinging hex. “So,” she mused, “He curses what he doesn’t want anyone to see.” Ginny pulled out her wand, “Hermione didn’t just teach me theory.”



She set to undoing the hexes placed on the random doors and started her snooping; she wasn’t going to have sorted files for the past two weeks for nothing. She found nothing interesting and decided she should start working. Then she remembered the box. Grinning widely, she hurried to the box and preformed the counter curse. Storing her wand in her robes she sat down and opened the box.



Ginny’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open as they fell upon a wizarding photo of a Hogwarts graduation. It was Hermione! She was dancing with a Very handsome Severus Snape. Very closely she might add. She watched in fascination, as Hermione laughed when Severus spun her around in a circle, then pulled her against him and dipped her low, and kissed her passionately.



Ginny turned the photo over, and read Hermione’s handwriting. “Severus,” Ginny read aloud, “I am so happy I got to meet you in this time, and I am even happier that I fell in love with you, and you with me. And yes, I will move in with you…I love you. ~Hermione.



Ginny’s eyes filled with tears of happiness for her friend, she set the photo aside, making a mental note to make a copy of it to show Harry. ‘He will have a fit…’ she giggled. She shifted through a couple of vials of memory, not wanting to break them, and also unwilling to look through them since they must be very personal, if he put them in here. And as much as she loved her friend, she did not want to see her getting it on with their potions professor.



Ginny moved several letters, and her eyes fell on a rolled piece of parchment. It was tied with a pure white ribbon, and gave off a slight golden glow.



“There is something vaguely familiar about this…” she muttered as she untied it letting it unroll. Her mouth formed a slight ‘O’ and she stared at it in shock. She slowly rolled it up and tied it again with a wave of her wand. She put everything back inside and made a quick copy of the photo, before storing it inside her robes and began to work, still in shock.



Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



Harry sat by the fire and waited for Ginny. She should have been back by now.



“Harry! Ron! Get down here! I need to show you something!!!” Ginny screamed as she ran inside the portrait.



Ron tripped and fell down the stairs, landing in a heap at Ginny’s feet. “What! Is Hermione back?”



“No Ron,” Ginny scoffed. “Although it is about Hermione.” She looked at the boys, “you might want to sit down.”



She waited until they were sitting, and pulled out the photo. “Take a look at this, I found it in Snape’s things. I made a copy. This isn’t the original.” She laid the photo on the table in front of the fire.



Harry and Ron leaned forward and watched in fascination. “Hermione graduates there…” Harry muttered.



“Ewe! She’s dancing with that bastard!” Ron exclaimed disgusted.



“That’s not all she does Ron.” Ginny grinned happily.



“What do you mean that’s not all she-OH MY GOD!!! EUGH DISCUSTING!! HERMIONE HOW COULD YOU!!” Ron hollered as Ginny laughed at him.



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The room bustled with noise and loud voices. Hermione craned her neck to look for Severus. “Where is he? The meeting is starting soon.” she muttered, worried.



Just as Lily was starting to reassure her, the door to the RoR opened, and Professor Dumbledore entered with a swirl of blue robes. His eyes were not twinkling. He turned to face the crowd from the front of the room and addressed them solemnly.



“As you know, our main goal is to infiltrate the Death Eaters stronghold, to gather information on Voldemort, in the ultimate effort to see his downfall. “



The room was deathly silent. He went on.



“I know you all are very loyal, but some might not like the severity of my latest decision. I have sent a member, a courageous, loyal member of the order, into the ‘serpents den’ as it were.” here he paused to let them chatter for a moment, before a voice called out concerned.



“Professor…” Lily said. “where, you didn’t, where is Severus? shouldn’t he be here for the news?”



Hermione’s heart fell. She had known that it would happen. She just hadn’t known how soon it would come to pass.



Dumbledore looked sadly at Lily. He opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione cut him off.



“It’s Severus. Severus has gone to become a Death Eater.” she turned to Lily and the boys with a single tear running down her pale cheek. “Severus is our spy…”



A/N: thank you for reading, and as always, please review. :)



~Juerasana