Diffusion

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Hugs of thanks go to Sequana for the beta of this chapter!

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Chapter 14: Diffusion

Grimmauld Place was once more being inhabited by the Order of the Phoenix. Harry and Kingsley had spread news of the problems that Hermione had been experiencing with her tormentors amongst her friends, and soon everyone wanted a piece of the action. It was fortunate that this was the case, as she and Severus still had much to do as far as the cure for her ex-husband went. Their progress had slowed until it finally came to a halt, and the need to act on her stalkers was becoming increasingly important. Two more attacks on people had been reported, although this time, it seemed that Albus had been able to keep a lid on the press about the identity of the attackers.

It seemed her Polyjuiced counterpart was a little more daring than any of them had ever expected her to be. And with the Death Eater sidekicks she had hanging around, nobody was really willing to go into a potential battle unprepared. Dark magic was dangerous, and Severus' body was littered with the scars to prove it. Only he truly knew exactly what their kind was like: brutal and uncaring of the consequences.

'This has to be contained tonight,' Mad-eye Moody growled, pounding his fist against the kitchen table.

Arthur Weasley stood and paced from one side of the kitchen to the other. 'We need to be careful and rational about this, Alastor,' he said in a measured tone. 'We can't let matters get out of hand, or the next thing we know, we'll have rogue Death Eaters running around everywhere.'

'Arthur's right, Moody. You might be familiar with the Death Eaters of old, but these are not the same,' Severus agreed calmly. 'The ones we were fighting for the twenty years of war we endured before the final battle were bloodthirsty and immoral, yes, but they were not nearly as vicious and non-discriminate as this new, renegade troupe that we now face. We would do well to proceed only after we have a clear strategy.'

Hermione shifted uncomfortably on the bench beside him. He turned to look at her and saw that there was only anger, weariness, and fear in her eyes. His heart went out to her, and he gently slipped his fingers between hers, locking their hands together. He wanted to give her comfort so she could weather this out and leave it behind her relatively unscathed. And they would. He just needed to be strong because she couldn't always be strong for herself.

The amount of stress caused by the knowledge that she had people stalking her and trying to sully her name was almost too much for her. She had been so strong up until that point, and it was finally beginning to tell that she was going to crack. She had yet to cry or have a tantrum or yell about any of it. Severus was extremely impressed at the amount of self-control she displayed in the face of it. She wasn't letting them beat her, and he was going to ensure that she remained that fervent for the time being.

'We need a strategy,' Harry finally piped up. 'Professor Snape obviously knows what this lot is like the best, and I know a thing or two about strategy and the like. I think that anyone who believes they can contribute something useful to the infiltration strategy should come up to the study with us now.'

'Quite,' Severus drawled, standing from his seat. 'Hermione will also be included in this. It is her name and life that is being threatened, after all.'

'I don't think the girl really needs to be involved,' Moody muttered just loudly enough for Hermione to hear from where she still sat.

'Now listen here, Mad-Eye,' Hermione said, breaking her silence. 'I don't appreciate being referred to as "girl", and furthermore, I believe that I deserve a little more respect than to have you muttering about me under your breath, grumbling about this whole ordeal like I've really put you out. If you are not interested in working as a team and being agreeable to everyone, then I would rather you took your grumpy, old arse back home.'

Severus almost smiled broadly at that. He was so proud of her in that moment for sticking up for herself and telling Moody off. Not many people, even within the closely-knit Order, would ever dream of going up against Mad-Eye either verbally or magically. It was really something that she was able to hold her own, and Severus loved her all the more for it. Hermione Granger was a force to be reckoned with.

'Now,' Hermione continued, having commanded the attention of the room with her bold dressing-down of Moody, 'I believe that there will be two teams, each consisting of five people. One team will infiltrate; the other will remain on guard outside the dwelling or building that they are inside. The orders are to Stun, not kill, on contact. After this, binding is the next on the agenda. I want every single one of them alive for questioning. This is not a game.'

'Well said, Hermione,' Albus said, finally making his appearance from the stairs leading up to the rest of the house.

'Albus, surely you can see...' Moody began before Albus waved him off.

'Alastor, you know as well as I that Hermione is more than capable of defending herself,' he said calmly. 'And as the brightest witch of her generation, I think it is safe to say that her plan is one that was well thought out, don't you?'

'I still don't like it,' he grumbled.

'Like it or not, Moody, this is the way it is going to be,' Severus said crisply then, putting a hand on Hermione's shoulder and giving it a gentle, supportive squeeze. 'Go on, Hermione – tell us the rest of your plan.'

She nodded and stood, smiling slightly at him. 'I think that splitting into two teams of five should be enough. There are four of them, but we shouldn't underestimate them at all,' she said evenly. 'Now, anyone who thinks they would like to be involved should go up to the parlour and wait while Severus and I explain to the others how they can help.'

There were a few mutterings and murmurs as the chairs scraped and people either moved closer to Hermione or went up the stairs to the parlour. Severus then instructed those remaining to go to the library and find everything they could on potion bind spells, and then he and Hermione joined the rest in the room at the top of the stairs. Most of the Weasley boys were there, along with Minerva, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Harry, Albus, Tonks, Remus, and Moody. Despite having had the riot act read to him, it seemed the ex-Auror still had a bloodlust for Death Eaters and wanted a part of the action.

Hermione surveyed the company silently. These were her friends and colleagues – her family. They only wanted the best for her, and in her time of need, they were all laying their lives on the line to lend a helping hand. She smiled inwardly and steeled herself, preparing to lay down the plan. Arthur entered the room then and sat down beside Kingsley, looking at her intently.

'So, there are plenty of us here, and now we might be able to work in larger groups,' she said softly, counting out thirteen including herself and Severus. 'As I mentioned earlier, I believe one group should be infiltrating the building while the others remain outside as backup and to make sure nobody gets away should one of them escape.'

'What if there are more than just the four of them?' Alastor piped up from his position near the window.

'We have considered that, of course,' Severus cut in before the old wizard could say any more. 'But we dismissed that idea. These Death Eaters and the woman travelling with them would not be likely to trust anyone enough to allow them into their circle. They seem to be a fairly tight-knit group.'

'In any case, Alastor, Severus knows what he is talking about, and it would do you well to have some faith in other people,' Albus said before his friend could speak again and cause a fight to break out.

Moody closed his mouth and huffed like a spoiled child. Hermione took this as her cue to continue. 'Right, well, I think we should just divide into two groups of those who will want to join myself and Severus inside and those who want to remain on the outside perimeters of the building,' she said crisply.

She felt Severus' hand on her shoulder then and turned around to look at him. He was giving her a hard look that she didn't like very much. 'What is it?' she demanded, trying to shrug his hand off.

'I thought we both agreed the other night that you wouldn't be going inside and would lead the team outside,' he whispered to her, his voice edged with nervousness that was uncommon for him.

Hermione frowned deeply at this and grabbed his elbow, yanking him towards the room behind her while everyone looked on in confusion. She poked her head back around the door and smiled. 'We'll be back in just a moment – feel free to make two groups,' she told them before rounding back on Severus outside the room.

'I'm going to go inside, Severus,' she told him, poking a finger into his chest. 'The other night, we discussed the issue as I remember, but we never came to a proper decision – or rather, you were too stubborn to hear anything other than what you wanted.'

'I don't want you to come to any harm, Hermione. Surely you understand my need to see you untouched?' he tried to reason in the quietest voice he could manage while they were out in the hall where anyone could hear them. 'I only just have you in my life again, and I don't think I could stand to see you go out of it another time.'

'Oh, Severus,' she said softly, her words whispering over his lips as she leaned against him and pressed her mouth lightly to his. 'I'm not going anywhere, and you know that I can take care of myself. I've been doing it for years, after all.'

'Hermione, love, look at me,' he told her, staring straight into her eyes. 'I had never thought that I would ever meet anyone who I would care for more than myself, yet here you are. I don't want to ask you to saddle yourself with me for life, but I want you to know that you are my life – you have been ever since that day you walked into the Great Hall fresh from summer holidays in your seventh year. I love you more than you could ever imagine, and I wish you would join the group outside.'

Hermione felt tears welling up in her eyes at his confession. She felt her love for him overwhelm her, and she clung to him, sobbing into his shirt. 'I'll join the group outside,' she whispered. 'But if I so much as hear even the slightest hint that you are injured or that something is going wrong inside, I will not stay out.'

'Thank you, my love,' he said, kissing her forehead with infinite tenderness and holding her close. It was not a total victory, but at least his mind could rest a little.

She dabbed at her face with a handkerchief that he presented to her, and together the pair returned to the parlour. Everyone sat up and looked between them attentively. 'I will be leading the outside team, and Severus shall go inside,' she informed them all calmly.

Nodding, she took a seat and allowed Severus to inform them of the inside strategy and plan. It was with wary minds that the whole group decided it would be best to strike after midnight that very night to give them both the cover of darkness by any Muggles and the element of surprise. Everyone dispersed from the room to get a few hours of sleep before they would leave for the location via the tracking spell.

Hermione and Severus retreated back to Hogwarts along with Minerva and Albus and went straight to his chambers, collapsing together on his bed in an exhausted tangle. He slung an arm over her waist and dragged her body up against his in the middle of the bed, pressing desperate kisses against her neck. Hermione allowed him the comfort he was seeking from her wordlessly and turned to face and kiss him.

Their clothes were shed, and soon all that could be heard in the room was a mixture of their impassioned shouts and heavy breaths.

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A/N – Not long to go now. I apologise for the wait, but hopefully it will have been worth it! Please review!