Saving your life

“Hermione,” she heard, her name whispered as someone took her hand, trying to pull her to her feet. She groaned when she felt the room spin, her head feeling like it just might explode.

“Are you alright?” the voice asked then, two strong hands on her hips keeping her from falling and only when she opened her eyes she realized it was Ron.

“What’s happened?” she asked, and then she remembered.

“We just found you all stunned. I think you hit your head when you fell.” But she was barely listening. She looked around until she found the person she was looking for. Her eyes set on Remus, a silent question in them he answered with a simple nod. He would keep her secret.

“Kingsley,” she muttered, her eyes searching the room again, trying to find the Auror. She finally saw him on the other side of the room.

“Who are all these people?” she asked as she reached him, looking at the men and woman still chained to the pillars.

“They are some of the witches and wizards the Death Eaters captured during the last two years.”

“Where are you taking them?” she said as she watched some of the Aurors carrying them up the stairs.

“To St. Mungo’s. We don’t know what the Death Eaters did to them, what condition they are in.”

“They were all gone by the time we got here,” he said after a few moments.

“Not all of them,” she answered looking around the room, not sure of what else to say.

“Do you know anything else about what happened?” he asked then, and she avoided his eyes as she answered a simple “No.”

“These are the last two,” a tall Auror said as he walked to where they were standing.

“Good, take them with the others and go back to the Ministry.”

She waited for the man to walk away before whispering to Kingsley.

“There’s a hidden room behind one of the cells upstairs, have you found it?”

“No, what’s there?” he asked slowly, his eyes narrowed.

“Ollivander,” she whispered back just before Harry and Ron reached them.

“Are you feeling better?” Ron asked, and she was glad for the interruption.

“Yes, and you, Harry?”

“I’m fine,” he said, but looked upset. “Did you get to see who it was?”

“No, I was stunned like the others.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” she heard Ron ask Kingsley then.

“Well, you can go back upstairs and look through what they left behind, see if there’s anything useful.” She noticed him trying to catch her eye, so she just turned around and followed her friends up the stairs to the main floor.

“I wonder how they managed to get away so fast,” Ron mumbled as they followed some of the Order members into the library.

“Don’t know,” Harry said, shrugging. “You think they knew we were coming?” Hermione stiffened for a second, but did her best to hide her expression as she started looking through the stacks of parchment left on one of the tables. She had been thinking the same thing, wondering if Snape had told Voldemort they were coming. Or maybe it had been someone else. Why would he tip them off? It didn’t make any sense.

“If they knew they probably wouldn’t have left all this behind,” she offered and they nodded in agreement, busy with the papers too.

“Follow me,” she heard, the words whispered by her ear so no one else would hear as someone walked by, and she turned around to see Remus walking to an empty corner of the library. After hesitating for a moment she decided to go after him. He knew too much and she had to make sure it would stay between them.

She stood next to him, both pretending to look through the books in the shelves as they spoke.

“What happened down there?”

“What do you mean?”

“The Death Eater that attacked us, was he the one you’re working with?”

“Yes,” she finally whispered.

“And he told you to get us all here.”

“He did.”

“Then why did he attack us? Why did he stun me?”

“He didn’t want anyone to see him. His work is already too dangerous as it is.”

“So what was he doing down there, why hadn’t he left with the others?”

“I don’t know, Remus,” she sighed.

“I had to lie to everyone in the Order, telling them I didn’t know what had happened.”

“I know, and I’m sorry I put you in this situation.”

“Found anything interesting?” Tonks asked, startling them both. They hadn’t even heard her approaching.

“Just books on dark magic,” Remus answered.

“I think I’ll go help Harry and Ron over there,” she said, thanking Remus before walking to her friends.

It took little over two hours to take everything seemingly useful to the Ministry or Headquarters, where they would carefully go through it again the next day. They had found a few lists of witches and wizards the Death Eaters planned to capture, now under surveillance, and some confidential information from inside the Ministry. They seemed to have a spy among them.

The excitement from the attack had worn off by the time they left the place, and they all went to bed as soon as they got back to headquarters.

She entered the bedroom before Ginny did, and noticed a piece of parchment lying on her pillow.

‘Ireland,’ was all it said. She wondered for a moment if she should just wait and go there the next day, but decided she wouldn’t. There were many things she wanted to ask.

She waited until she was sure everyone was asleep before tiptoeing downstairs and out of the house, Apparating to his place.

As she opened the door and stepped in she saw him sitting in one of the sofas on the library, reading a book. He put it down when he heard her enter, motioning for her to sit too.

“They took the prisoners to St. Mungo’s, right?” he asked as soon as she was sitting.

“Of course.”

“Some of them are under the Imperius Curse, make sure they check everyone.”

“Did you tell them we were coming?” she finally decided to ask after a few moments of silence.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I had to prove the Dark Lord my role as a spy was still important,” he answered calmly.

“You could have told us, me, what you were planning.”

“I told you what you needed to know.”

“Our attack was meant to be a surprise. You hadn’t even told me how many Death Eaters would be there. If you were planning on telling them we would go all along you could have at least warned me. I think I’ve earned the right to know.” He looked at her for a few moments before answering.

“The plan was for everyone to just leave before you got there, but the Dark Lord is unpredictable, so I couldn’t be completely sure he wouldn’t stay and put up a fight. You had to be ready for the fight that could take place, and if you’d known about the plan you wouldn’t have been prepared.”

“I wouldn’t have told the others,” she muttered. “You should have told me.”

“Did Potter take the Potion again?” he asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

“He did” she answered irritably.

“And…?”

“He saw another Horcrux, but it’s already been destroyed.”

“What did he see?”

“Tom Riddle’s diary.”

“Another memory?”

“No. He saw him creating the diary and then turning it into a Horcrux.”

“It’s still useless. Of course, I shouldn’t be surprised the boy cannot do something as simple as taking a potion. He’s just an arrogant little boy, like his father was.”

“Well, he’s trying,” she said, her anger rising. “And you have no right to talk about him that way,” she said, standing up. “We are not your students anymore, you could show some respect,” and with that she turned around to leave, but after only two steps a hand on her arm stopped her.

“There’s no need to get upset, Miss Granger. Please sit down, we still have matters to discuss.” She opened her mouth to retort, but he stopped her. “Please?” he asked, and walked her back to the sofa.

“The Dark Lord isn’t pleased with what happened today. He is planning new attacks, on several places at once, including some Muggle towns. He will send small groups of Death Eaters to each location tomorrow night, but I don’t know where. I’ll make sure the Dark Mark is cast when the attack begins, but the Aurors will have to be ready.”

“I already told you Kingsley said…”

“I’m not asking for his help,” he interrupted. “I’m just warning. He can do whatever he wants to with the information I provide.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” she retorted, getting up again.

“Just one more thing,” he said, standing up and retrieving a small bottle from his pocket. He walked to where she was standing and handed it to her.

“Do you know what that is?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said, as she looked at the pearly substance in the bottle.

“You have to keep it safe until I tell you to use it. Don’t let anyone see it until then, I’ll tell you what to do with it when the time comes.”

She put the bottle in her pocket and looked back at him, surprised when she saw him move closer to her

“Is that all?” she asked, and instead of answering he buried his hand in her hair and crushed his lips to hers. She was almost breathless when they finally parted.

“So you’ve changed your mind?” she asked coldly.

“About what?”

“Well, yesterday you didn’t seem to want me anywhere near you, remember?”

“Maybe you made me change my mind.”

“Still all business?” she asked as he moved to kiss her again.

“Yes” he whispered.

“Fine.” Taking a deep breath she turned around and almost strode to the door.

She heard him curse loudly and the next second he was behind her, his body pinning her to the door.

“Don’t,” he said by her ear. She felt his fingers on her shoulders, taking off her robe and throwing it to the side. His hands were on her breasts, his lips on her neck, his hips grinding against her back and she couldn’t help but moan.

After a few moments his fingers moved to her shoulders and then, slowly, down her arms until they reached her wrists. As his lips on her neck kept her distracted, he took both her hands and pushed them flat against the door over her head.

He groaned in her ear as she pushed back against him. One of his hands kept her wrists pinned to the door as the other ran down her body and hooked his fingers into the band of her knickers.

She had almost forgotten she was mad at him, and when she tried to push him away he slipped his fingers inside of her. Her head fell back and he took her lips, his fingers moving as his thumb rubbed her clit. It was like he knew what she liked, what had her body writhing in just a few seconds.

She whimpered when he removed his hand, she had been so close. He turned her around to face him, her back to the door, and claimed her mouth again as he lowered his trousers and removed her knickers.

“What’s this? You and me?” she asked as he pushed her skirt up. He looked into her eyes for a few moments before shaking his head and answering “I don’t know.”

She decided that was good enough for the time being, and before he could say anything else she buried her hand in his hair and pulled him closer, moaning in his mouth as he lifted her and thrust inside.

His strokes were fast and deep, almost desperate. She could hear him whispering by her ear, but couldn’t understand what he was saying. One of his hands kept her arms pinned above her head once more as the other moved between them, finally letting her find the release she needed and taking him with her.

She felt him stiffen then, wincing as his hand covered his arm.

“He’s calling. I have to go,” he said as he straightened his clothes, and he was gone before she had time to say anything else.