Chapter 1- Taking the Bait
Hermione Granger awoke to the sound of a persistent tapping on her bedroom window. She moved the book she had been reading off of her chest and pulled the curtain away revealing a bird “ more specifically, Dumbledore’s phoenix, Fawkes.
Hermione quickly opened the window and eagerly took the scroll tied to Fawkes’ leg. Her eyebrows rose slowly as she read what her headmaster had written. She felt the phoenix watch, waiting for her reply.
Hermione’s fingers gripped the letter in her hands and skimmed the words aloud.
“A meeting regarding a certain student…” muttered Hermione softly. “Why is he requesting I attend? I’m not even a member of the Order!”
She put the letter down on her modest desk which was otherwise cluttered with notes and read it over slowly and deliberately:
Miss Granger,
Your presence is requested at a meeting regarding a certain student, scheduled for tomorrow evening at five o’clock. Someone will be at your home to take you there as we must keep the location a secret for reasons I am sure you will soon come to understand.
Kindly send your reply with Fawkes. Have a pleasant evening!
A. Dumbledore
Hermione hastily scribbled her reply and tied it securely on Fawkes’ extended leg. After watching him fly away, she walked over to her bed and patted a large mass of fur which was purring away in dreamland.
“Well, Crookshanks, the next twenty-four hours are not going to pass by quickly enough. The suspense is already killing me!”
No sooner had she turned around in the direction of a comfortable chair did she hear more tapping on the window.
Confused, she returned to find a snowy white barn owl “ Hedwig!
She approached Harry Potter’s owl and patted her head gently as she retrieved yet another small roll of parchment. She read it quickly:
Hermione,
I’ve just received a strange letter from Dumbledore ” did you get one too?
Please reply quickly
Harry
Hermione wrote him a brief note.
Harry:
I’ve gotten one as well. I wonder if Ron received one… I suppose I will be seeing you sooner rather than later! I can barely wait until we see each other tomorrow and find out what’s going on!
H.G.
She attached the letter to the owl’s leg and sent her on her way.
It will be good to see him again, she thought.
Ever since breakfast that morning at nine, Hermione had been watching her living room clock. Despite having the entire day ahead of her before her escort arrived, she couldn’t help be fear that she would miss something. She realized her lack of activity by the time lunch rolled around and decided to cozy up to a good book.
Hermione was on chapter fifty-two in a fascinating book discussing healing charms (complete with magical illustrations!) when she heard a distinct “pop!” coming from her living room, followed by a high pitched shriek.
She was able to piece it together when she looked at the time. The “pop!” was the sound of someone Apparating to into the room, as it was five o’clock and time for her escort to arrive. The second sound ” the shriek ” was that of her mother.
I suppose I should have mentioned something to my mother about my plans for the evening, reflected Hermione.
She was jerked out of her trance by a loud crash. She jumped and proceeded to the next room to learn the source of the sound.
Sprawled on the carpet of Hermione's living room was a woman. Among other things, her neon orange hair (which matched the belt she was wearing) stood out in particular. At her feet was what seemed to be, at one point in time, a set of champagne flutes.
The visitor looked devastated. “Oh no!” she groaned. “So sorry. Let me fix those for you. They look important. Reparo!”
Mrs. Granger’s heart seemed to skip a beat but then relaxed when the glasses were suddenly perfect once again.
Hermione flinched but relaxed when they were successfully salvaged. “Thanks. Those were my grandparent’s wedding flutes.”
The Auror carefully set them on the table where they had fallen from and nodded at her. “There we are ” all better!”
Hermione stepped forward. “Hello, Tonks,” Hermione greeted. “I see you’ve met my mother?”
Tonks looked at the young witch in front of her with one eyebrow raised. “Yes, it certainly looks that way. All right there, Hermione?”
Whispering an apology to her mother, who was looking from her daughter to the neon orange stranger in front of her, she nodded. “I'm great. Do I need to bring anything with me?”
Tonks shifted in the spot she was standing. “No, but if it’s okay with your mum, you might have a visitor on your return trip back in the form of a young Mr. Potter.”
Hermione looked expectantly at her mother. She knew after being scared in the manner that she had been ” witnessing a stranger Apparating into her family room ” that if it was for anyone but Harry, she might actually tell her no.
Mrs. Granger sighed. “It’s perfectly fine with me, dear. You know we love Harry. I’ll get his room ready after you leave.”
Tonks let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. Looking at Hermione, she said, “Well, let’s get going then. Grab my arm and I’ll have you there in no time. We are going to use Side-Along Apparition.”
Hermione suddenly felt like a giddy school girl. She had never Apparated before and trying new things, especially new magical things, was always a thrill for her.
“Tonks? I have never… erm… done this before.”
The Auror looked down at the young witch and smiled.
“So, what you are telling me is I, Tonks, get to teach the smartest witch of her age something new? Can I tell Remus? He will be quite amused.”
Hermione rolled her eyes, “Can we just get to the meeting, please? I’m sure they are waiting.”
Sighing, Tonks instructed her, “Just hold on to my arm and let me take care of the rest.”
Hermione nodded and in a reassuring voice stated, “We’ll be back, Mum.”
Mrs. Granger wiped her brow with a handkerchief as she waved them away.
With a final glance at her living room, she took the arm of the Auror next to her.
A second later the only thing heard was a “pop!” signaling their exit.
The pressure was, in a word, unpleasant. Hermione could not see how this was a preferred method of travel. The pressure came at her in every direction and she felt as if her body would explode from it. Within seconds, however, it was over. When Tonks told her it was safe to open her eyes, she looked around. She knew immediately where she was.
Number Twelve Grimmauld Place: The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.
There were voices coming from the other room. She tried to recognize them one by one.
Lupin… Dumbledore… Mrs. Weasley…
She was so lost in thought she did not notice the person approaching her from behind.
“It took you guys long enough.”
Hermione jumped briefly but relaxed as she felt the hands of one of her best friends on her shoulders. She turned to face him, smiling.
“Harry, how are you?”
He gave her a lingering hug. “Better now. Another hour with the Dursley’s and one of us might have done bodily harm to the other. Dudley’s head may be filled with sawdust, but it hurts nonetheless when he lands on you.”
Hermione laughed. Harry smiled, which in itself was a first for quite some time. Yes, this time with his best friend would do the both of them some good.
“Care to venture a guess as to why we are here, Hermione?”
She shook her head. “Nope, but would you care to join me in finding an answer to that burning question?”
Harry answered her by taking her hand in his and leading her to the dining room where the meeting was about to start.
Safe Haven by NikkiSue
Chapter Notes: Before I forget, I want to send a HUGE thank you to my favorite grammar goddess and beta, Rita! You rock my literary world, even though you are more than half my age... And, as they all say, everything but the plot belongs to JKR. If she chooses to share her wealth, however, she can find me at the beta boards.