It's in the Hunt

WARNING!!! This contains spoilers to book 7! Chances are that you've read it already, but I didn't think it was fair not having some sort of heads up here at the beginning. Thanks! And please by all means enjoy the story and take the time afterwards to review!

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Chapter One


Hermione slipped up next to Harry as the meeting was taking place. A few of the others noticed her joining them, but it was the young wizard that turned his head and spoke to her.


“You’re late,” he murmured, watching her as she nodded. “Why?”


“Do I need a reason?” she asked quietly. “It’s not like anyone here listens to me.” She sighed. “I slept. It was a lovely nap and most probably the most productive thing I’ve done in a week.”


“It hasn’t been…”


“Do you mind?” Ginny snapped. “We are having a meeting.”


“When did you start to care, Ginny? Oh yes, I know. When they gave you my job,” she muttered and left the room, slamming the door.


Ginny looked over to Harry and told him, “I told you she was jealous.”


“I would be pissed off too if a totally under qualified bitch were to be given my post simply because of nepotism,” came the comment from the back of the room.


The girl gasped even as Molly charged to her daughter’s defense. “My daughter…”


“Isn’t trained, has one good minor spell to her name, and is under the mistaken impression that she can handle any sort of dark magical spells flung at her, not because of any sort of power she can lay credit to, but because her mommy says she can,” the man told her in a hard voice that had the matriarch of the Weasley family stepping back from him. “If you want your daughter to be of such high importance, get her properly trained first. But don’t put our lives on the line simply because you want her to marry well.” He looked over to Harry. “Good luck, my boy. You’ll need it.”


***


Hermione sat in the dark room, tears dripping down her face. She had just managed to confirm what Ginny was laying claim to, that she was in essence jealous of the younger redheaded witch. This couldn’t be further from the truth. But what with the way they were taking everything the girl was saying from on high, who would believe what Hermione had to say?


The door to her room opened and closed. Soon she felt someone standing next to her. She looked up into the studious eyes of the man standing there.


“You’re drunk,” he said as he sat next to her.


“Remus Lupin, does nothing escape your keen eye?” she asked.


“No, not even your sarcasm,” he murmured with a chuckle.


She leaned her head on his shoulder, whispering, “What am I going to do, Remus? No one trusts me, but I don’t know why or what to do to change it.” His arm went around her shoulders.


“What you’ll do, Miss Granger, is sober up and leave this sad sack behavior behind you.” Her head snapped up, looking up into the obsidian eyes of the potion master Severus Snape. “Mr. Lupin called me and informed me as to what was going on.” He snorted. “Fools.”


He handed her the sober up potion and waited as she drank it down. Once she did, he said, “I, for one, do not trust those people who will not put the best person for the job in that position. Get packed. We are leaving and doing our research somewhere else.”


“But…”


“But what, Hermione?” Remus asked her. “You need to do this. Go with him. You’ll be safe.”


“And communication?” she asked him, even as she was being pulled to her feet.


“We have a way to get information to Remus and even to your Mr. Potter,” he told her sourly. “Stop dragging your heels!”


She pulled away from him and snapped, “At least tell me where we are going so that I may pack properly!”


Rolling his eyes Snape said, “You’re packed. Remus did it for you and the bags are waiting on the bed of the room I was given to stay.”


As she was left at a loss of what to say, he took this opportunity to pull her along to the room. She checked out what was packed quickly, as it was apparent that Snape wouldn’t put up with much more than that. Hermione shrank the books, as she was looking over to the man she was going to be traveling with.


“Where are we going?” she inquired yet again.


“Someplace safe,” he murmured. “Are you done seeing if Remus packed everything you needed?”


“Yes, that I am,” she replied. “How are we going to be traveling?”


“The usual way,” Severus told her flatly. “Let’s go.” He pulled the port key out of his pocket, placing it into her hand.


She frowned as she noticed that it was a necklace, but didn’t have any time to say anything before she felt the tug of the port key. The next thing she knew, she was caught before she hit the floor. Hermione took a deep breath and was about to thank the person that caught her when she saw who it was.


Draco smiled at her, setting her carefully down to her feet. “I take it my godfather didn’t explain to you that there would be more than you here? Typical of him to leave out information.”


Hermione turned to look over to the former professor. “Where are we exactly?” she demanded.


“Why we are in Hogwarts, Miss Granger. It’s the safest place at the moment for us all. Please remember that when you get up your gumption to rant as you are prone to do.”


Her eyes narrowed. “I do not rant. Lecture? Yes, but I do not rant.”


“It lightens my load to know that you are so well acquainted with just a few of your annoying habits,” Severus purred. “Draco, show Miss 'Lecture' Granger to her rooms that she will be using while she is with us.”


Draco nodded, looking over to Hermione who was glaring at their professor. She followed the younger wizard even as a shadow came up behind Severus.


“You endanger us all by bringing her here,” came from behind him. "Why didn't you tell me that she was coming to this place?"


“They would have wasted her talent and for what I ask you? So they can make their one and only girl child a hero,” he scoffed. Severus turned towards the man whose eyes were still trained on the doorway the young witch had left with Draco. “If there is a individual on this planet that can find the horcruxes, it is that witch. But that's nothing that you don't already know. And Hogwarts is the best place for that.”


His eyes went to the wizard next to him. “For all our sakes, I hope we’re correct.”