Chapter 5

AN: Thanks go to my beta firefly_124 and my Brit-picker saracen77!

Chapter 5

If all of her years at Hogwarts taught Hermione anything, it's that walking into a potential trap is best done with friends, especially when one's friends happen to be some of the most talented witches and wizards she's ever met.

The drawing room at Grimmauld hums with the sound of multiple conversations. Order members catch up with one another, forming and dissolving and reforming different groups of talk and laughter.

Once George and Lee arrive in an explosion of hugs and hellos a little after nine, everyone's there, and Minerva raises her hands and calls for order. "Dear fellow Order members, while it is lovely to see you all, I have called you together this evening for something dreadfully serious. Hermione, if you would."

"Thank you, Minerva." Hermione, who's been huddled with Severus, Harry, and Ron in a bit of final planning, moves to the center of the room. "A few weeks ago, a strange discrepancy in the Hogwarts Induction Lists caught my eye. After long hours spent researching the phenomenon with Severus, we don't yet know the full situation, but we've discovered some shocking things. Muggle-born babies appear to be dying in a magical ritual of some sort, and while we've found no direct connection, signs seem to indicate that a secret society lead by Dolores Umbridge and Lucius Malfoy called the Pure-blood Sanctimonia may in some way be involved." She nods to Severus.

He joins her in three long strides and picks up where she left off with only a few seconds pause. "Yesterday, an unknown agent sent us a riddle informing us that a gathering we would be interested in is taking place tonight. The authorities cannot be brought in at this time because, if our suspicions hold true, the Ministry itself has been infiltrated by this conspiracy. Minerva has therefore agreed that this calls for the attention of the Order. We have no way of knowing if this is an actual tip or a trap, and injuries could be serious." He pauses to look around the room. "No one will be forced to participate."

Voices call out, Katie's rising above the rest. "Are you lot mental? If they're killing babies, of course we're going to be there!"

"What she said," Hagrid booms.

Echoes of consent fill the room.

"Alright, everyone," Harry yells above the din. "Gather 'round over here." He and Ron move aside to show a map on the wall. "This is Llyn Llydaw, which is a lake on the side of Mount Snowdon. I scouted out the location today, and there are only a couple of places flat enough for a group of people to stand about easily that aren't right near where Muggle tourists go. Here and here." He points out the positions on the map. "This one has a set of stones in it that might match up to an ancient Avalon Portkey Snape's researched, so that will be our initial focus." He flicks his wand so that the main location glows with a golden star while the secondary one shows a smaller black one.

Ron steps forward on the other side. "After Harry got the lay of the land, we were able to determine the best places to put our people. We've made Portkeys for here, here, here, and here, flanking the main site." A tap of his wand, and four locations are marked and numbered. "If your position ends up being too far from where the action is, make your way over as quietly as you can. There's almost no cover, so everyone needs to be Disillusioned at first, and you'll need to work out ahead of time what order you'll move in so you don't trip each other up. Then once the group leaders have cast Anti-Apparition Jinxes over the area, they'll fire off the first Stunners. Make yourselves visible as soon as the spells start flying so we don't hit each other."

Harry turns to face them. "We have no way of knowing how many there are or what exactly they'll be doing. The only thing we have going for us is that, if this is a valid tip, we should catch them by surprise. Other than that, about the only strategy we can have is to watch out for each other, Stun anyone else, and if there's a baby there, get it to safety as soon as possible." He nods to Minerva.

"Molly and Arthur will wait for word from us and then contact Kingsley in secret to make him aware of the situation. Also, Aberforth and Ginny will remain here at headquarters to help with any minor injuries and to call in the Aurors if it becomes necessary. If additional aid is needed, and I am unable to send a Patronus to either of them, I ask that one of you do so." Minverva pauses to look from face to face. "For those of you going to Llyn Llydaw, I've divided everyone into four groups. Hagrid and I will lead one, Harry and Neville have group two, Ron and Luna take three, and Hermione and Severus will head up group four." Waving her wand above her head in a rallying gesture, Minerva calls out, "Leaders, gather your teams."

People swirl around the room, and Hermione takes a moment to speak to Harry. "You did a smashing job."

"Thanks. But that still doesn't let you off the hook that I had to go around Polyjuiced as Dudley all day." He gives an exaggerated shudder.

She laughs. "I'm sure that didn't taste good. You could have tried the cloak."

"Nah, too hard to keep it in place with the wind. Besides, the ground was boggy in spots. Footprints would have given me dead away." His expression grows serious, and he gives her a hug. "Be extra careful, alright?"

"You too."

Ron comes over and throws an arm over each of their shoulders. "Haven't you heard? Aberforth's going to have a lock-in for us at the Hog's Head tonight. So we're all coming back fine and going down the pub after, and don't you forget it." He looks over to where Severus stands a bit behind her. "Even you, Snape."

Severus nods once before turning to stride into the middle of a knot of people, calling, "Mr. Macmillan."

Hermione watches as the milling chaos of multiple people slowly sorts itself into groups: Minerva, Hagrid, Dean, Hestia, and Seamus; Harry, Neville, Hannah, George, and Lee; and Ron, Luna, Bill, Fleur, and Katie.

Then Severus returns, Susan, Ernie, and Dennis in tow, and the rest of the briefing begins.

+=+=+=+=+

Sunset falls around a quarter to ten in northern Wales in June with full dark by half past, when the moon, even if unseen in its new phase, rises.

At ten twenty-five, Hermione looks around the drawing room at the wavering shapes crouched around the four stone Portkeys set on the floor.

Ginny counts down the time, yet even so, the room's the quietest it's been all evening, boisterous talking having morphed into the tensely silent crackle of nerves sparking with anticipation.

The last minute upon them, Severus's hand suddenly touches her arm, sliding down until he clasps her fingers. She squeezes in return, then releases.

"Five, four, three, two, one, go!"

Ginny's shout echoes in her ears as Hermione's wrenched sideways and backwards and forwards all at once, her stomach lurching at the disorienting effect.

Stumbling a little as her feet touch down on uneven ground, Hermione hears someone to her left give a quiet grunt. Darkness surrounds her, heavy and thick, and she worries for half a second that they're wrong about the place or the time or it's a trap or ...

Then she spins to see that they were right after all.

Even as she raises her wand to point above the group standing twenty feet in front of her, performing a non-verbal Anti-Apparition Jinx, the rest of her mind fights to make sense of what she's seeing.

A robed circle of figures, around a dozen all told, stand in a circle. The only light comes from something glowing at their center that she can't see, and large hoods obscure their faces, but the voice of the one performing the ritual is unmistakable.

Lucius Malfoy chants a long string of consonants linked by strange and liquid vowels, a haunting language that teases the edge of her brain with almost-comprehension. "Gebryidan æt twyhynde and giefan tó twelfhynde!"

She'd have no idea what it was if she hadn't heard Severus use it recently.

He confirms as much by leaning over to whisper into her ear, "Old English."

She turns her head towards him. "Do you understand it?"

"It is something along the lines of 'take that which should not belong to the lesser people and give it to the greater people.'"

She shakes her head in frustration. She's behind him, so she can't see what Malfoy's doing, and the phrase could mean many things. Pulling Severus down to her with a hand on his shoulder, she whispers, "I've got the Anti-Apparition Jinx up, and I imagine everyone else has as well, so –"

Before she finishes, a blast of red flashes from the far right, hitting the person beside Malfoy so that they drop like a lead weight.

Severus straightens to quickly follow suit, throwing a bolt of red light that veers slightly to Stun the person on Malfoy's other side.

A series of Light Spells are cast, Susan performing the incantation for their group, and the balls of flame fly up to hover above the area, bathing it in a flickering glow.

As hooded figures fall or move suddenly away from their circle, much of the large stone in front of Malfoy becomes visible. Hermione stares, unable to move. A pair of babies lies on either side of the center of the flat surface, and even from a distance, she can see how their little faces are screwed up in expressions of horror, eyes squinched shut by mouths wide open to scream, though no sound emerges. Tiny fists rage against the air, lashing out in syncopated time with the furious kicks of their feet.

And a golden mist streams from the one on the left to engulf the one of the right.

In an instant, it all becomes clear, the thing she'd known on some level but had found too horrible to admit, even to herself: they're taking the magic from Muggle-born babies and transferring it to pure-blood Squibs. And they obviously don't care that it kills the Muggle-born in the process.

Order Members blink into visibility all around, and multiple spells fly in all directions, splashing against Malfoy in a rainbow of colors, yet none of them affecting him.

Hermione snaps out of her daze when Severus grabs her shoulder and gives her a small shake. Flicking her wand to remove her Disillusionment Charm, she runs forwards, casting a series of spells at Malfoy. "Stupefy! Expelliarmus!"

Not even flinching, Lucius continues uninterrupted, raising his hands high to gesture with his wand in large sweeping motions again and again.

"Incarcerous!" Ropes fly out the end of her wand towards the man, and she thinks for a moment she's done it, but about a foot short, they stop abruptly and drop to the ground, as if hitting a brick wall.

The golden glow around the baby on the left appears fainter. Its little arms wave sluggishly.

With a groan of frustration, Hermione continues forwards, deflecting a Slicing Spell with a sharp twist of her wrist, while her eyes dart about, seeing Lee get hit by a Crucio, and Luna toppling a man three times her size with a Leg-Locker Curse.

At the very center, only three of the robed figures still stand, but the other two have moved close enough to Malfoy to also fall under whatever spell protects him. Even if the number of Order members still standing outnumbers them three-to-one, the Sanctimonia can pick them off one by one.

A high voice yells, "Crucio!" and Hermione ducks, tries a "Protego!", but it's not enough – the edge catches her left arm. She screams, fire slashing along her limb for stretched seconds that feel endless. Her heart pounds under the strain, and she drops to her knees, gasping.

When the pain subsides to a dull throb, she shakes the tears from her eyes to see Severus standing beside her, deflecting spells.

Fewer Order members remain on their feet – Hermione quickly scans and sees Hagrid, Minerva, Katie, Harry, and Ron all casting spell after spell at Malfoy – but the three Sanctimonia members hold strong.

Standing, she says to Severus, "We've got to break that shield. Any ideas?"

"None that I have not already tried." He nods across the area even as he blocks a bolt of blue flung at him. "And the same holds true for both Minerva and Potter. It appears neither finesse nor brute strength will work."

"Damn it!" She deflects another spell from the shorter figure, sending it spiraling off to the earth, where it gouges chunks of peat, sending them flying. "That's a right nasty piece of work."

"Yes, she is."

Umbridge. Hermione should have known.

Barely any glow surrounds the baby on the left, only enough to show that it's stopped crying, almost stopped moving altogether. In contrast, the thin line of mist connecting the two infants blossoms out into a globe around the baby on the right, who struggles with vigor.

"If we don't do something soon, that baby's going to die," Hermione says. "Let's rush them."

"What?"

"Spells can't make it through that shield, but what if we can? So let's try it. One, two, three!" She leaps forwards, shouting Shielding Spell after Shielding Spell, Severus a solid presence at her side.

Ron catches on, as does Hagrid, and she sees them running out of the corner of her eye.

BANG!

A blast of light, and something massive hits her, knocking her arse over teakettle, air whooshing from her lungs. She lies on the ground gasping for breath. Shifting her head, she can see Severus similarly sprawled beside her.

Malfoy's voice suddenly increases in volume, and his wand sends out bright yellow sparks that shower over the infants before him. "Gebryidan æt twyhynde and giefan tó twelfhynde!" He yells it to the vault of sky, arms raised above his head. "Gebryidan æt twyhynde and giefan tó twelfhynde! Gebryidan æt –"

A bolt of red hits him from only a foot away, and Lucius's words cut off abruptly. The hooded figure on Lucius's left then spins and drops the third Sanctimonia member with another Stunner.

Throwing back his hood, Draco yells, "The shield is down. Get over here now!"

Scrambling to her feet, Hermione runs to the large stone, Severus only half a step behind her.

The baby on the left still breathes, the rise and fall of its little chest its only motion, the line of glowing mist moving away from it little more than a faint wisp.

She shouts, "Finite Incantatem!" and the Silencing Charm ends, filling the air with the loud cries of the baby on the right. The mist, however, continues to move. "Damn it! What do we do?"

"Use Old English!" Draco yells.

"Severus!"

Kicking Lucius's legs out of the way, Severus steps into place in front of the stone, and his deep voice rings across the night. "Ástyntan Galdorcwide!" He slashes his wand to the right. "Ástyntan Galdorcwide!" Then to the left. "Ástyntan Galdorcwide!" With that final call, he cleaves the air in between the two infants.

The golden globe of energy rises from the baby on the right, who gives a piercing shriek. It swoops to plunge into the other infant with a pop that sends light shivering across its exposed skin. The baby lies still, arms and legs out-flung, eyes wide with shock.

Ice knots Hermione's stomach as she watches its still form.

Then a shudder runs through the infant, and it opens its mouth to draw in a large breath, which it lets out in an enraged yell as it begins to hit and kick the air around it.

A sound emerges from Hermione, half laugh, half sob, and she leans forwards to rub at its belly.

"Budge over." Ron reaches out and picks up the baby, leaning it against one shoulder and patting its back lightly. "There, there, little one," he says softly. "Uncle Ron's got you. Bet you were scared, huh? Well, don't you worry none. Auntie Hermione's going to make sure these bad people never hurt you ever again."

"Uncle Ron? Auntie Hermione?" She strokes the fine hair on its head as it starts to pause for a few seconds between yells.

"There, there, you're winding down a bit," Ron says to the baby before looking at Hermione. "I had to tell the little one something, now didn't I? Wanted it to know it's safe with people who care, and I figure after this the entire Order is their new family. Do you have any idea who it is?"

"None whatsoever, though it must be a Muggle-born. I'm hoping Draco can tell us."

She looks around. Draco holds the other baby tightly to his chest. Kingsley must have arrived at some point because he stands talking to Minerva. Severus and Harry walk from one Sanctimonia member to another, binding them with ropes as they go. Luna and Dennis move among the downed Order members, Portkeying anyone seriously hurt to St. Mungo's. Hagrid lumbers towards the center stone with a limp, and Hermione moves over so he can touch the little head.

"I should go and help," Hermione says, gesturing around.

Ron nods over to where Kingsley gestures for him. "Wait a minute. I'm the one that's got to go."

Taking the baby, she says, "Oh, yes. Important Aurors always swan off once the glory of the fight is over."

Ron backs away, giving her a two-fingered salute, and she lets out a little laugh, jiggling the baby, who continues to cry softly.

Hagrid sits on the stone and reaches towards her. "Why don't I take the wee one, Hermione? Then you can go and help out." Cradling the infant in one large hand, he starts to hum a nonsense tune, and the baby quiets even more, cries fading into little hiccups.

+=+=+=+=+

It seems to take forever. Even with additional help from Molly and Arthur, there's much to be done. Draco gives the name and address of the Muggle-born baby, and after a quick medical check, Molly and Arthur take Elizabeth Murray home, coming back to say her parents won't notice anything amiss because they were still unconscious from being Stunned while in bed.

The other baby, who turns out to be Scorpius, also seems fine, and Luna whisks him away to his mother with orders to stay with them until things are sorted.

Half the Order seems to need some sort of medical help, from Hagrid's sprained ankle to a nasty cut on Katie's torso to the lingering effects of the Cruciatus Curse on Lee. So once Minerva lifts the Anti-Apparition Jinx, various people take the injured to St. Mungo's or Order Headquarters with triumphant calls that they'll all be at the Hog's Head as soon as can be. Back for one final trip, Dennis holds up a teetering Ernie, and they disappear with a pop, leaving behind only a handful to help with the Stunned pure-bloods.

Most members of the Sanctimonia turn out to be just what Hermione thought – Ministry officials. The likes of Umbridge, Cadwallader, Umfraville, Entwhistle, Hopkirk, and Jorkins are joined by Cuthbert Mockridge, Celia Bragge, and Rufus Fudge. The rest consist of both Malfoy men, Betty Braithwhite, and Marietta Edgecombe, who all come from the most affluent pure-blood families. All of which leads Kingsley to decide that Harry and Ron are the only Aurors he trusts with this case.

Hermoine and Severus both offer to help escort the captives to Ministry holding cells.

"Alright then, let's get them up and on their feet." Ron casts Rennervate! on Lucius, and the man jerks against his bonds for a few seconds before lying quietly.

Brought to standing none-too-gently by Ron, Malfoy sneers as Severus positions himself at his other side. "Why, Severus, you must be loving this, seeing your old friend brought so low."

"No, Lucius. I have no love of this, and any thought of friendship between us died a long time ago. I am sorry."

"As well you should be, though you're only a half-blood, so what did I expect?" Lucius, able only to move his head, nods towards Hermione. "And you've gone and got yourself a Mudblood doxy to boot. Tell me, does she scream like that one you and I –"

"Silencio!" Severus's features appear a harsh mask – all angles and hard lines as he stands with jaw clenched and eyes flashing cold fire.

Breaking the tension, Harry shifts at her side and says, "Right. We'd best get started with our lot then." With a flick of his wand, he revives Umbridge.

Trying to move, she only rocks back-and-forth on the ground for a few seconds like a bug trapped on its back.

With a hand on her ropes, Harry tugs Umbrige to her feet, where she stands, listing slightly.

Then her small eyes focus on Hermione and narrow. "You filthy Mudblood!" she shrills. "I told Goyle he made a mistake in choosing that male Mudblood to sort out his Greg. Why, it should have been you all along. Then we wouldn't be having this problem!"

Harry blanches before going bright red, and his wand flies up.

But this time, Hermione's faster. The hot rush of anger-fueled adrenaline twangs along her muscles, and she yells, "Stupefy!"

No one flinches as Umbridge's bound body thuds to the ground.

"Sod it! We're doing this the impersonal way. Back in a bit." Harry nods to Ron and Apparates away.

Hermione's head feels a little woozy, what with the thought that she could easily have died at three months caroming through her brain. "I think I need to sit."

Severus's arm wraps around her waist, and he leads her to over to a small stone away from all the bustle. "You know that what that foul toad said may not even be true."

"No? I mean, they definitely killed five babies that year, and there weren't that many Muggle-born who made it to Hogwarts in my class. It could easily have been me instead." Her gut lurches. "It's just ... up till now it's all been a bit ... abstract. Babies – I knew they were killing babies, and that's horrible. But thinking about it is different than actually seeing it." She waves a hand towards the center stone. "And then thinking of it happening to myself."

After a few moments, Severus says quietly, "I am glad it was not you, Hermione."

"Me too, and Circe that sounds selfish."

"It sounds human."

They sit, looking out over the quiet lake, the sky inky above it so far from the Light Spells.

After a few minutes, he says, "I ... during the war ... I did things, but I never forced a woman or ..."

She places a hand on his arm. "Severus, I can't imagine what you must have had to do to maintain your cover."

He looks up at the moonless sky. "Yet there are things I did before I became Dumbledore's spy, Hermione. Things I did because I ..." His voice trails off.

"You were wrong."

He looks at her, face so carefully expressionless.

She continues. "But you sussed that out and worked hard for years to rectify all that. We're all allowed our mistakes, Severus. It's part of that human thing you were just telling me about."

With a loud pop, Harry's back with a fistful of beermats. He hands half to Ron, and they begin walking among the Sanctimonia members, tossing a coaster onto their chests and tapping it with their wands. The bodies disappear five seconds later.

Hermione gives Severus's arm one last squeeze and walks over to Harry, who stands over Umbridge. "Can I help?"

"Hmm, what? Oh, no. These are keyed for Auror use only." He holds up a handful of Ugg's Unctuous Brew beermats. "Each goes with a different cell at the Ministry. We'll still have to sort the paperwork later, but we won't have to listen to anything more from this lot for now." He prods Umbridge with a toe.

"Good."

He throws the Portkey down and activates it.

Ron walks over. "That's the last of them. Now, how about that pint?"

"Circe, yes! I could use a drink," Hermione replies before looking around to see a dark form walking away. "Severus? I thought you were coming with us."

He turns, his face unreadable. "I ... Yes, of course."

"I'll see you there in a few." Harry points to where Minerva and Kingsley stand with Draco. "I've got one last suspect to take care of."

Hermione nods and waits until the pops of everyone else leaving fade, Severus the last to go. She glances at the trampled ground and the large slab of stone lying at its center before turning to look out over the still waters of Llyn Llydaw. As she stares at its calm surface, the visual memory that rises before her isn't Umbridge's twisted features but instead a tiny baby with its hands wrapped halfway around one huge finger of Hagrid's, laughing up at that dear, giant face as it morphs through a series of ever sillier expressions.

Smiling, she cancels the Light Spells and goes to be with her friends.

AN: Old English to Modern English: Ástyntan Galdorcwide! – stop the magical incantation; Gebryidan æt twyhynde and giefan tó twelfhynde - seize property improperly held from the lesser (people) and give to the greater (people)