In The Arms of an Angel

Warning: Descriptions of remains of (extremely minor) character death due to torture in the style of Sharon Tate. and there is a gore warning around the offending paragraphs, though I personally don't think it's all too bad, but then again, I don't mind gore. If you're grossed out by blood, though, I don't reccommend reading that part.

Chapter 8 Pensieves and Plots

The next morning they woke up to another round of sex that could be described as nothing short of leisurely. By the time they were showered and dressed it was so close to lunch that they ended up making a nice brunch. When they finished eating they played a couple games of cribbage, each having learned from Hermione's parents. It was almost a luxury for her, as Ron refused to grasp the concept and rules of the game (though he had no issues learning to play the video game console she had let Harry buy for her house) and Harry just didn't care for the game.

As much as she tried to forget, the reason she was waiting for Severus was never far from the fore front of her mind, though her conversation and the mind-blowing sex were there also, vying for her attention to think and study every word, every move, every thought. She had realized, while Harry was still there, that she wanted to pursue something with Draco, but she definitely wouldn't have even imagined on it happening so quickly. Looking at her hand of cards she allowed a great smile to pass her lips. Five minutes later, she was twirling around the table they had been playing at, taunting him in a sing-song voice. "I skunked you, I skunked you, ha ha ha ha ha!"

In his annoyance and need to shut her up, he pulled her down into his lap as she danced around him again, catching her lips in a searing kiss to which she responded immediately. Five minutes later, they were still in the hardwood chair, and they were still kissing; only now, Draco's hand was up her shirt and she was rocking against his hardness that was separated by four layers of cloth.

When there was a 'pop' in the room, indicating that Severus had arrived, they pulled apart, though she was still straddling him on the chair, their clothes mussed and their lips swollen, Draco's newly soft ones a nice shade of pink that matched Hermione's smeared lipstick wonderfully. Hermione looked over to him innocently while Draco's face held a wolfish grin that looked more at ease on his face than one would imagine, having known him growing up. "I don't want to know," Severus told them, as their appearances told him everything he needed. "You needed to speak to me, Hermione?" he questioned.

"Um, yes," she responded, her face now filled with apprehension. "How about in the library?" He nodded his consent and she turned back to Draco. "This might take a while," she whispered to him and kissed him gently but quickly and stood up, walking with the former Potions professor to the library, where they settled down on the couch.

Once they were settled, Severus asked the first question, "What was that about?"

"I thought you didn't want to know," she responded cheekily. When he gave her a glare, she answered, despite the fact that they had no effect on her anymore. "Draco and I are together now," she told him with finality.

"And just what is it that you need to talk to me about, Hermione?" he asked, even though he was pretty sure of the answer.

"Professor Dumbledore's portrait told me that you were there, when the attack on Harry's parents happened. He also told me that you might hold a key to saving him, though you may not know what it means."

"A key to saving Potter? I wasn't aware he was in any more danger than usual," Severus sneered, though he was more than slightly interested.

"Technically, he isn't. Just none of us were aware of this danger before," she answered cryptically. "But it would be very important to me if I could see your memory of that night. For all I know, it might make the difference in his life or his death."

"Is Potter aware of this?"

"Not that I know of, unless he or Ron noticed that he was glowing white, but I doubt it."

"And what is that spell diagnoses?"

"I can't tell you that. Honestly, I might tell you at some point if I need your help or if your memory deems it necessary, but I do think Harry would hurt me if I told you, even though Dumbledore's portrait pretty much gave me permission to."

"That night is really so important?" he questioned.

She looked at him as though he were a complete idiot; much like how he used to look at all of his first years. "Severus, even if I didn't have this new knowledge that night is important. Had I known you were there, I would have asked to see your memory a long time ago to see if it could help."

"Help with what?"

"That's would be telling, now wouldn't it? Please, Severus, may I see your memory?"

The man sighed. After almost two decades of not sharing this memory, he was forced to do so twice practically within the same week. "Yes, I suppose, though I insist that I accompany you."

"Thank you so much!" she responded, giving him a quick hug that would have made him uncomfortable if he hadn't learned long ago that she was a hugging person. She then went over to a lower cabinet under a case of books and pulled out a blue pensieve.

Severus put his wand to his temple, pulling it away with a thin silver strand and placed the glimmering memory into the pensieve. "Hermione, this is not a pleasant memory for me. The only reason I am showing it to you is because of how firmly you believe it will help you and I believe that may be the case. I ask that you try to control your emotions, as after all, you do know what this memory is about."

"I will try my best," she told him as he took her hand and they leaned down into the liquid.

The memory went just as Severus had told Draco. Hermione only gasped at the death of James Potter, biting the back of her hand to hold back all other emotion. Silent tears slowly fell down her face as she saw Severus beg Lily to leave her child and die for not heeding him. But her mouth dropped in fascination Lucius pulled out the sword of Gryffindor. She stood directly next to the Dark Lord in his prime as he drank the potion, said the incantation and watched, mesmerized, all her tears gone, as he cast the killing curse on baby Harry and the repercussions of the spell. When Severus apparated out the memory went blank and she found herself back in her library.

She turned to the man next to her, who was staring at her in shock at how close she had gone to his master. As he had watched her from within the pensieve, he had realized that it really was quite important, but more important than he would have ever thought. "Do you know what was in the potion?" she asked.

"I do not really remember, but since I am the one who brewed it, I can try and find the memory and let you know. Do you know what the potion did?"

"I have a very good idea, yes," she answered. "Is it possible to bring items into a memory, such as a quill and parchment, or a muggle video recorder?"

"I am not aware of anyone who has tried before. You are free to try, but I do not think that any muggle device would work within the pensieve or memory as they are completely magical."

"Damn, you're probably right."

"And what is it that you will be writing?"

"The words to the incantation so I can translate it, and as specific of the wand movements as possible. Though, if you don't want to go back into the memory with me, that's fine. I will return it to you as soon as I'm done with my notes."

Severus nodded to her. "Yes, I believe that I will stay here and try to find my memory of brewing the potion. Though, I would suggest you use that Exact Quotes Quill that you have for Order meetings so you won't have to worry about making sure you hear properly."

"You are a genius, Severus! And thank you so much for everything, especially with the potion."

While it only took her one view to be sure of the wording to the spell (thanking the gods for the quill the whole time as she had no clue what language it was), it then took another five views before she was comfortable with her description of the wand movements and the exact order and timing of everything. By the time she was done with the memory, not only had Severus found the other one he had been racking his brain for, but she was also largely desensitized to the death of Harry's parents.

When Hermione was finished with the memory, she then sat there trying to discern the language of the incantation while waiting for Severus to appear from the other pensieve in the room. As she didn't recognize it, she assumed that Severus must have popped over to his house to retrieve it. Finally, Hermione gave up, deciding to ask Severus his opinion when he returned, which happened ten minutes later.

He handed her a roll of parchment, detailing the ingredients in the potion, as well as the instructions. "Thank you," she told him. "Do you have any idea what language this is?" she asked him as she handed over the parchment she had been studying.

Ruh ruha, yaþam ölüm, ben benim ruhumu yaran bring yaþam ölüm. Damar güvenli tutamaz mý benim ruhum. Damar benim çaðrýmýönemseyemez mi. Damar ben tutamaz mý ölüm. Damar ben canlý tutamaz mý. Ruh ruha, yaþam ölüm, ben benim ruhumu yaran bring yaþam ölüm.

"It doesn't matter what language it is in, Hermione," he answered, much to her surprise.

"Why not?" In response to her question, Severus pulled out his wand and said a spell to the paper. Underneath the incantation, another word appeared in the same language. He then said a different spell and the entire parchment translated into English.

Soul to soul, life to death, I split my soul to bring life from death. May the vessel keep safe my soul. May the vessel heed my call. May the vessel keep me from death. May the vessel keep me alive. Soul to soul, life to death, I split my soul to bring life from death.

The word that had appeared underneath was the language of the spell - Turkish. "Does that mean that if we were able to make an antidote to the potion and find a reversal spell that we would need to perform the spell in the same language? And if so, would we be able to use that spell you just used to turn it back?" she asked without reading the incantation.

Before Severus could answer her questions, her stomach growled noisily. She checked her watch and found that they had been working on the 'project' for most of the day and it was slightly later than she usually ate her dinner. When she looked up to him, her face turning pink, his lips were slightly twitching in an effort not to laugh. "Let's go and eat before we continue on with this conversation," he suggested, to which she readily agreed.

When they entered the kitchen, they found Draco sitting at the table, finishing his meal and the stroganoff he had made sitting on the stove, keeping warm. He looked up from the book he was reading and smiled at the hungry pair. "Good. I wasn't sure if I should bother you or not, so I'm glad you two came to eat of your own free will." He tilted his head up for a kiss as Hermione walked by on her way to the stove and she willingly obliged.

Once they were both seated with their food, Draco just sat back in his chair, staring at them. "Yes, Draco?" inquired Severus, who could no longer ignore the younger man.

"So, what have the two of you been doing all day. I mean, I know that it must involve pensieves, since you went and got your own, but why is it taking so long?"

"Because we're taking notes on what we see in the pensieves; it’s very important to the future of Harry's life."

"You still haven't explained why that it is, Hermione."
Before Hermione could answer him, both he and Draco felt the call of their master on their left forearms. Severus stood up sharply, giving the others a nod, and went to the living room to apparate away to the Dark Lord. Hermione crossed to the other side of the table to where Draco was and squatted down next to him. "Is there anything I can do to help," she asked, as he was in obvious pain.

"No, it'll fade in a few minutes," he answered.

"Then, why don't I just take your mind off of it," she suggested as she stood up, then bent down to kiss him. His lips immediately latched onto hers with intense fervor as he tried to overcome the pain in his arm. When she moved away from his lips and onto his neck, he responded by moving his hand, which had been resting on her hip, so that he was palming her breast.

They pulled sharply away from each other as an amused voice came from the doorway between rooms. "Am I interrupting something?" the perpetrator asked, knowing full well the answer to the question.

"Um, hi Remus, to what do we owe the pleasure?" asked Hermione, who went to clean up the dishes left by herself and Severus as Draco glared at the still smiling werewolf.

"Order meeting in half an hour," he responded.

"Why so sudden?"

"There was an attack. I don't know much about it yet, Tonks just asked me to call an emergency meeting."

Hermione nodded her head, indicating that she would be there when an unexpected question came from Draco, "Can I come to the meeting?"
Remus and Hermione exchanged a glance. "Not today," Remus answered. "Everyone has just gotten used to the idea that you're alive and not sides with the Death Eaters. I can bring it up at the meeting and get everyone's feedback. But if it's something that you really want to do, I'm perfectly willing to accept you into the Order. We just need to give the others some time with the idea."

"Alright," Draco reluctantly accepted.

"See you shortly," Remus said to Hermione as he left to get a hold of the last person on his list.

"So you want to become an Order member?" Hermione asked, turning to her boyfriend.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I don't know how much I can do without going into public, especially wizarding public, but I would like to do what I can. Plus, I don't want to be too far away from you. Today sucked enough," he pouted.

"Oh, let me make that up to you," she cooed to him, leaning back down.

"You don't have enough time to make it up to me," he responded, a devious look on his face.

"Then how about a preview," she suggested, grabbing a hold of his hands and pulling him up from the chair.

"Where are we going?"

"Living room, it’s more comfortable," she said by way of explanation as she led him to sit on the couch. Just before he could sit, though, she pulled his pants down to his ankles and pushed him down into a sitting position. "No underwear?" He just looked up at her, a wily smile on his face in return.

She then dropped to her knees in front of him, her hands running through the soft hair on his abdomen, just under his shirt. She brought her mouth to the inside of his upper thighs, licking the sensitive skin. Slowly she brought her mouth up as she brought her hands down, finally meeting at his now hard member.

Her hands worked the shaft as she bathed his scrotum with her tongue. When he started begging, she lifted her head to take him in, starting with just the head. Her tongue was swirling around it, dipping into his hole, before she suddenly pulled his cock further into her mouth. It took four strokes of her head bobbing up and down in his lap for her to take him all the way, and when she did, he was rather surprised, but she couldn't tell over his moans and mumblings.

It was when she started humming "Scotty Doesn't Know" by Lustra that he lost his control, bucking up into her so hard she had to put her hands on his hips to soften the movement, though she had no intention of stopping it. When one of her hands left his hip to start playing with his scrotum, he gave one last jerk and groaned loudly as he spilled his seed into her waiting mouth.

Once she had finished swallowing, she licked his cock clean and gave the head a closed mouth kiss. She looked up into Draco's half-lidded eyes, which were sparkling back at her. She stood up shakily after being on her knees for so long, and he pulled her forward, resting his head on her stomach. "Draco, hon, I have to go and brush my teeth before I go to the meeting and it might help if you let go of me," she told him softly after a minute.

He sighed and let her go upstairs. When she came back down, his clothing was back on properly and he pulled her into his arms to kiss her thoroughly before she left.

When she arrived at Grimmauld Place, it was with less than five minutes to spare. She looked around the kitchen to see who was there; it was about half of the Order. Most of the aurors that were members were missing. She sat down at the long table, glad to see she wasn't the last to arrive after Bill Weasley came into the room, sitting in the chair across from her.

Remus left the group he was speaking to at the end of the table, and smirked at Hermione as he passed, smelling Draco's climax on her. In return, she glared at him, and the couple of people who saw the exchange gave the two curious looks which went unanswered.
By holding up his hand, Remus had the room effectively silenced. "As I have told you all, there has been an attack. I haven't had much time to speak to anyone about it, so I'm just going to start by giving the floor over to Tonks."

Tonks then stood up from her place at the table, resting her hands on the back of the chair in front of her. "So, as Remus just said, there was an attack this morning. From what we can tell, and from the two Death Eaters who were captured and questioned under Veriteserum, it was mostly pulled off by novices." At the looks of confusion from the few people who rarely made meetings, she explained, "Novices are those who have just recently become Death Eaters and are called as such for the first year of their tenure unless they do something extraordinary to elevate themselves within the ranks."

__________________*GORE WARNING*_______________________

"So, there were twenty five or so novices, and four outer circle members who were in charge. They killed everyone in a three block radius of Privet Drive in Little Whinging. The Dark Mark was over number 4. When we entered the house, we found Harry's aunt and uncle. They had each died of blood loss from the multiple cuts and contusions over their bodies, each long and shallow, while being raped." More than one person in the room could be heard gasping at the news. There hadn't been protection to the Dursley household for the past year, everyone having assumed that if they were going to be targets, it would have been towards the beginning of the war.

On the walls of the living room they had left a message in the aunt's blood. One wall said 'Show yourself, Potter.' Another said 'Are you as good a lay as your aunt?.' The third wall said 'The Dark Lord will reign supreme,' and the final wall said 'The mudblood is next.'" All eyes went to Hermione, whose own eyes were the size of saucers.

_________________*END GORE WARNING*_____________________

"So, Hermione, the Ministry is going to want to use you to draw both Harry and the Death Eaters out. That idiot of a Minister thinks that his people will be able to take on the forces of You-Know-Who alone. He's still a bit pissed off that Harry has refused every overture he has made over the years and no longer seems to care about morale, assuming that its only going to get worse and everyone knows it. And so he thinks that he can orchestrate the final battle by getting Harry and You-Know-Who together at the same time, and hope that Harry will win."

Hermione looked around the room, having suddenly taken on a worn-out look. "So you're saying that the Death Eaters are after me, and the Ministry is after me."

"Sorry, yes," replied Tonks, looking quite sincere.

"And I guess that means I'm pretty much under house-arrest then," she sighed.

"That probably would be for the best, Hermione," replied Remus.

"What about Dudley?" she asked, Harry's cousin suddenly entering her brain.

"He's away at university. We've already found him and notified him of the situation, though we did have to Obliviate him afterward, considering his reaction and tell him they died in a home invasion ... something that had absolutely nothing to do with magic." Hermione nodded her head, understanding what Tonks was getting at.

"Where's Snape? He should be here with a report on something like
this," grumbled Moody.

"Severus was called to Voldemort just before Remus arrived to tell me about this meeting," Hermione responded.

"And how is it you know this?" asked the suspicious and paranoid ex-auror.

"He was eating dinner with Draco and me when he was called." At this, a glower crossed Moody's face, still angry that he hadn't been allowed to interrogate the blond. Hermione gave Remus a look, clearly asking about Draco's question. Remus shook his head, saying in effect that tonight was not the time to bring it up.

"So, while we're all here, is there anything else that anyone needs to bring up?" asked Remus. There were a few people with issues to discuss. For the most part, Hermione tried to pay attention, but she found it hard, thinking of the threat on her life, and on trying to figure out how to destroy this last horcrux without hurting Harry.

When the meeting finally came to a close, Hermione walked over to where Remus was talking with Tonks and a couple of the other aurors who had shown up. Tonks immediately wrapped one of her arms around the shoulders of the new arrival to the group as Remus continued talking.

When the conversation was finally over, Tonks looked over to Hermione. "You probably shouldn't come to Order meetings, either," she told the brunette.

"Why not? That says that either you don't trust everyone here and that they'll have a chance to drag me out and apparate me away before anyone can stop them." Tonks just looked guiltily away, proving that that was what she had thought. "What do you think, Remus?"

"I think that if Tonks is afraid that some of the aurors who are a part of the Order are willing to go so far as to capture you, perhaps you shouldn't come." Before Hermione went off on him, he tried to head her off, "I do trust that once you're inside the house that no one will be able to get to you, but for that split second when you apparate on to the street, you may be able to be captured, and I don't want that to happen to you."

"And Draco?"

"After today's news, I don't think it would be very smart for him to come, especially after what I witnessed today," he said, causing her to blush. "If we're afraid for your safety, I personally would worry even more that someone would take him in order to smoke you out; you know as well as I do that the people here care for you much more than they would ever care for him, and I'm afraid that if one did want to kidnap him, others would let it happen."

"I understand," she sighed dejectedly. Tonks pulled her into a reassuring hug, offering that after each meeting, she, Remus, or Severus would come over to apprise her of what had gone on. Shortly after, she left to go home, Remus acting as an escort.


****Thanks as usual go out to the wonderful beta Heather, and to the last chapters 2 reviewers, paigeey07 and angelkitty- you say you've been watching for updates, well let me tell you a secret. I post this story every three days. Friday was an excaetion but usually I post between mindight and one oclock eastern standard time. (if you need a time zone clock, im in the same zone as boston and new york) and also, i just want to stress, in a fairly desperate fashion, lol, that I love reviews because how else am i to know what everyone thinks of the story?