My Double Agent

Chapter 18 ~ Plans

 It has been a couple days since everything happened. Hermione, Harry, and Ron are hiding out at 125th Grimmauld Place. Ron was downstairs worried sick for his family and Lavender. Harry and Hermione were upstairs in the room with the Black family tree on it. Harry looks at Sirius's spot and sighs, "He was taken to early."

Hermione nods, "He was."

Hermione has not quiet been herself as of late, she seemed more closed off then usual. She could tell that Harry and Ron were bothered by it. But, she couldn't help it. She really thought the wedding was her fault. She walked out of the room when Harry called out to her, "Thank you love."

She stopped dead in her tracks, for just a split second, he sounded like Severus. She held back her tears. She wanted to turn around so bad and have it be Severus, but she knew it was just Harry, "Anytime Harry.." she replies with a shaky voice. She walks downstairs and looks at Ron, who was looking out the window. Hermione clears her throat, "I'm going to get some lunch started... hungry?"

"No. Thank you though 'Mione..."

Hermione sits on a couch nearby, "I'm sure they're all ok. You're family is tough. And Lavender is a good witch..."

"Yeah... oh hey, I snuck out today and got a hold of the Daily Prophet... you wont believe the headline..." 

Hermione picks it up off the coffee table and gasps, there on the front page, a picture of her husband. 'Severus Snape; New Headmaster of Hogwarts.' He looked more upset then usual, "Oh Severus..." Hermione whispered under her breath. She places her hand onto his picture and sighs. She jumps when she feels Ron sit by her. He sighs, "It sucks. I know he was a foul git... but even I have a hard time believing he killed Dumbledore."

"Yeah... maybe he didn't want too..."

"Who knows? I mean he hated us."

"Not completely..."

"What do you mean?"

"He saved us many times..."

"Well... yeah that's true."

"Doesn't matter!", Harry shouts from the bottom of the stairs, "He knew what he was doing... and he made me watch..."

Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up, throwing the paper onto the coffee table, "Made you? Harry, all you said was he shushed you. You looked willingly, he only shushed you so the death eater wouldn't find you."

"Why are you always so quick to protect him?!"

Hermione stood there about to cry but then Ron jumps up, "Harry! Didn't you say you felt like Draco was being forced into it all after what you saw?"

"Yeah..."

"Well it sound like maybe Snape killed Dumbledore so Draco didn't have too!"

"I... I never thought of it like that..."

"Hermione is the smartest one remember?"

Hermione grabbed the paper, "I'm going to make us lunch." She then walks into the kitchen to leave Harry and Ron to talk. Once the kitchen door closes Hermione hugs the paper tightly, quietly crying, "Oh Severus... I wish you were here."

Hermione puts the paper down and grabs some bread, cheese, and butter out of the fridge to make some grilled cheese, when she heard Ron and Harry walk in. "Hermione I'm sorry I snapped at you... god, I sound like a broken record.." Harry said before sighing. Hermione waved her wand so the grilled cheese will prepare itself, she turns around and smiles at Harry, "Only a little." They giggle to each other and Ron smiles.

Soon after lunch, Ron was washing up the dishes while Hermione and Harry were sitting at the table talking. Harry was watching his snitch fly in place, Hermione watched still upset about how nothing happened when he got it not 5 days prior. She sighs, "They have flesh memories." Harry looks at her as he grabs the snitch interested. She then continues, "When Scrimgeor first gave it to you, I I thought it might open to your touch... Dumbledore hid something inside of it?"

Just then Mundungus walks in with Kreacher wrapped around his face, and Dobby wrapped around his leg. "Harry Potter! How long it's been!" Dobby says with a smile. Harry and Hermione can't help but smile at Dobby. Mundungus then growls, "Get off me!", before falling to the floor. He stands back up and draws his wand Hermione quickly pulls her own out, "Expelliarmus." And with that she now held Mundungus's wand. 

Mundungus hisses , "What are you playing at?" 

Dobby then jumps on the table "Dobby was only trying to help, Dobby saw Kreacher in Diagon Alley... which Dobby thought was curious and then, Dobby heard Kreacher mentioned Harry Potter's name."

Kreacher stood forward to speak, but Dobby continued, "And then Dobby saw Kreacher talking with the thief. And then-"

Mundungus yelled, "I am no thief! You foul little.... dick."

Ron scoffs, "You're a thief. Done everyone knows it."

Dobby walks over, "Master Weasley..." Ron shakes hands with the cheerful little elf, "So good to see you." Dobby smiles

Mundungus huffs, "Listen! I panicked then all right, can I help it if Mad-Eye feel off his broom?!"

Hermione is filled with anger when he brings up Mad-Eye, "Tell the truth!"

Harry continues, "When you turned this place over, don't deny it, you found a locket.. am I right?"

"Why was it valuable??"

Ron laughed, "Bet he didn't get enough money off of it."

Mundungus hissed, "I tried to give it away didn't I? Here I was flogging me way through Diagon Alley when some ministry egg comes up and asked to see me license. Says she might have done lock me up. Might have done too... until she saw the locket."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Who was she, the witch, do you know?"

"No.. no..." he looks down to the ground and gasps, "Well she's there!" he grabs a newspaper off the floor and hands it to them, pointing to the front page. They all looks at the photo in horror as they look at Dolores Umbridge. 

Ron shivers, "Oh bloody hell, not her."

Harry sighs, "Mundungus you can leave now..."

Mundungus laughs and turns to Hermione who gives him the stink eye, "I never want to see your face again, go it?" She hands him his wand and he nods as he runs out the back door. She turns back to the boys, "Looks like we need to infiltrate the ministry of Magic..."

Harry nods, "But how?"

Hermione sighs, "I've pre prepared some Polyjuice Potions just in case...."

"Brilliant, Hermione!"

Ron clears his throat, "But, who are we going in as?"

Hermione sighs, "Let's start watching the entrances and we can pick out people. Watch them for about a month, learn how they walk, talk. So we blend in."

Harry nods in agreement, as does Ron.

The next day, they start watching the entrance to the Ministry of Magic, Hermione had already decided she would be the woman who was in the picture with Umbridge. So, she made sure to keep her eye out for her. Ron and Harry had to find their own people and learned their patterns. Wasn't going to be the most fun month ever, but it was something to keep her distracted at least. When they would go home in the evening, they would discuss the plans over dinner on how they were going to steal the locket from Umbridge.

That night Hermione goes into her room and writes Severus another letter;

My love, 

   I haven't heard from you. You're probably worried sick... I am not injured from the wedding. Harry, Ron, and I made it out. Ron is completely worried for his family and girlfriend though. So, I saw in the paper that you were now the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Are you enjoying it at all? I really miss you and I can't wait to see you again. Please, write back as soon as you can. I want to know how you are. I love you.

with love always,

               Hermione Snape

She gave her letter to her owl and let it go out the window. She sighs as she watches it fly away.

It was going to be a long month.