Waging War

Disclaimer: Nothing you recognise belongs to me. Just borrowed. Will be returned. Snape is welcome to stay, though.

A big Thank You goes to my beta-reader, Maggie, and my beta-reader and brit-picker, Melusin, who both are always encouraging, helpful, and thorough.

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Chapter 11 – Waging War

5. Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war,

cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.

7. It's only one thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war

that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on.

19. In war, then, let your great object be victory,

not lengthy campaigns.

(Sun Tzu, The Art of War, II. Waging War)

After walking in silence down the passageway for some time, Snape and Hermione reached another underground river and walked along its shore. It had become warmer; the air was very sticky, and although her hair was still damp, Hermione was sweating. The passageway was very narrow now, and more than once, Snape alerted Hermione to a low hanging stalactite or a rock overhang where they both had to stoop not to bump their heads.

Snape was silent, and Hermione didn't ask questions because they needed their full concentration to follow the narrow and slippery path. Eventually, the path became wider, and Hermione thought that she saw a faint light in a distance. A few moments later, they reached the cave entrance.

Hermione looked around, baffled. The opening led directly into farmland; the stubble on the harvested fields was glowing in the faint, silvery light of the stars and the crescent moon. With a pang of sadness, Hermione identified Sirius, the Dog Star, and a few other constellations, which told her that they were facing South-East.

Snape watched her take in her surroundings. When she finally looked at him again, he gave her a twisted smile, bent towards her ear and whispered, "Uamh Nan Guthan!"

Wide-eyed, Hermione saw the landscape change. Where earlier empty fields had stretched out before her eyes, now a range of softly rolling hills, a harsh limestone peak and a forested valley with a meandering river seemed to nudge the fields aside and take their place instead.

"Welcome to the Appin Nan Guthan Underground refuge, Miss Granger. We're now in the realm of the ancient stone circle of Appin and its residual magic; we can do our own magic again without fear of being detected. However, the whole area is under Anti-Apparition spells, so we shall use other means of transport."

Snape cast a drying charm on their hair and took two more phials out of his pocket. As Hermione drank the Pepperup Potion he had given her and watched the steam coming out of his ears after he drank his own potion, she wondered how many more phials he could hide in those robes.

"Sir, can I have my wand back now?" Hermione gave him a hopeful look.

"I broke it," he murmured.

"What? How could... Why?"

"Would you have preferred it being used by a Death Eater?" he snarled. "Because that's where it would have ended up."

"No." Hermione flinched.

"You shall get another wand. But first, we must reach our destination."

Hermione swallowed and nodded.

Snape went back to the cave entrance, tapped his wand against the wall and retrieved two brooms from a hidden niche.

"They're family models...easy to fly," he told her with a smirk.

"I can fly on a broomstick," Hermione said, slightly offended. "I just don't like flying very much in general."

"It'll do. Being adept at different forms of transportation is essential for an active fighter. I presume, given your history with Potter and Weasley, that you would wish to join the active fighters?"

"Err...."

"You don't need to decide today. We should get going." But instead of taking off, he looked up into the sky and let out a bird-like whistle.

"Why did you do that?"

"You'll see." He mounted his broom and took off. Behind him, Hermione hurried to keep up.

They were flying at a comfortable height, not too fast, following the river into the valley, when a large bird approached Snape and flew alongside him. Snape whistled again and descended to the ground.

When Hermione landed at his side, he was standing with a brown barn owl on his shoulder and whispering something into the bird's ear. With a soft hoot, and a nibble at his hair, the bird took flight again and disappeared into the night.

Snape was about to take off again when Hermione stopped him. "What was that all about?"

"That was my familiar. Fierce Lady Mouse Hunter...Lady Mouse for short. She will announce our arrival."

"But... you didn't give her anything...no parchment... How?" Hermione felt confusion take hold of her again. Would the surprises of the day never end? Only a fraction of her many questions had been answered, and she was tired to the bone. Her face must have shown her perplexity because Snape gave her a resigned sigh and explained, "Lady Mouse is a true familiar. She can communicate with me directly. She will give my message to one of the familiars in the cave, and this, in turn, will alert its master or mistress. She's faster than we are; the cave will know that the intruders are friendly."

"But...."

Snape silenced her with a glare. "There will be time to discuss all this, Miss Granger. If you don't stop your questions, we will never arrive at our destination. So, be quiet and let's get going."

Back on their brooms, they followed the river again until it made a sharp south turn, and the limestone peak rose in front of them. Uphill they flew until Snape stopped at a small spring that was bubbling out of the rocks. He took his wand and waved an intricate pattern, every wave revealing silvery, shimmering lines that crisscrossed and covered the rock surface like a spider's web.

When the completed web was revealed, Snape chanted a seemingly nonsensical sequence of syllables, and the shiny web dimmed, only to reveal another cave entrance.

Snape led Hermione inside, turned, and reactivated the protective web.

While Hermione took in her surroundings, a figure emerged out of the shadows in the back of the cave. It was a young wizard she had seen at Hogwarts; he had been a few years ahead of her and her friends. However, she couldn't remember his name.

"Nundu, good to see you. Everything went well, I see." The young man greeted Snape with a smile and gave Hermione a friendly nod. She watched Snape return the greeting and then followed him into another passageway.

"We're almost there," Snape said, but by now Hermione was so tired, she didn't really care. A seemingly endless descent down a tunnel, then more walking in a stretch of a gradually widening passage followed.

"That young wizard was Jeremiah Cadwallader, also known as Greyhound," Snape explained. "He was on duty; everybody takes their turn on watch duty at regular intervals."

Hermione sighed in relief when she saw a light ahead of her. They had finally reached their destination. Snape led her into a brightly lit, large cavern that appeared to be a sort of Great Hall or common room. A huge fireplace with sofas and armchairs looked like an area for meeting, talking and relaxing. Large tables with chairs indicated the dining area. In the back, fabric and wood panels seemed to separate private living areas from the rest of the cavern. Adjacent caves, visible through the openings, seemed to hold more of these private areas.

A stately looking witch was standing at the cavern's entrance to greet them. It was Emmeline Vance.

"Welcome to Nan Guthan, Hermione. Do you remember me?"

"Of course I do." Hermione beamed. She was too tired to be surprised by dead people showing up left and right. "It is so good to see you alive, Madam Vance!"

"Call me Emmeline, or Bee. That's my DA name. We live like a family here." She ushered Hermione and Snape to the next table and brought them stew, bread and something to drink. Her actions reminded Hermione of Molly Weasley. However, her demeanour was completely different. Emmeline Vance was using swift, precise movements that testified her efficiency without being overbearing.

"You have wine?" Hermione asked while she wolfed down her stew. She blinked her tiredness away and looked at the food and drink. "Where does this come from? Where do you get all this food to feed your people? Don't you need a lot of money for this?"

"We'll explain it to you tomorrow," Emmeline said, while Snape leaned back with a huge yawn and smirked at Hermione. The older witch led Hermione to one of the small structures. Inside, the structure revealed a small bedroom with an adjacent bathroom. Hermione smiled; the same charm that expanded tents on the inside seemed to have been used on these structures.

"Go to bed and sleep well, girl," Emmeline Vance said. "I shall be outside. I won't sleep tonight. If you need me, call. Many people have nightmares during their first night here."

"Thank you. Goodnight," Hermione murmured tiredly. She kicked off her shoes, threw off her robes and fell onto the comfortable bed where she sank into a deep sleep before her head touched her pillow.

---

Hermione woke up because the sun was tickling her nose. "The sun?" she wondered. A crisp blue sky and a pale November sun were visible above her. However, she was still in her bed in one of the caves. The ceiling must have been charmed like the ceiling of Hogwarts' Great Hall had been. Apparently, Professor Dumbledore's tastes had shaped the refuges of the Underground.

A quick examination of her room showed Hermione that everything she needed was provided for. The small bathroom held a toilet and a shower. In the bedroom, there was a wardrobe with fresh robes and a chest of drawers with women's underwear, towels, sheets and other essentials. Hermione marvelled at the comfort, wondering how all this was achieved. When she had learned about the Underground, she'd imagined a half-starved bunch of desperate wizards and witches, who lived on the fringes of Muggle or wizarding society, scavenging for their provisions, very much like most Werewolves were forced to do. Instead, these people lived in relative comfort and even decorated their surroundings with all the charms and amenities their combined magic could come up with.

While she was standing under the shower, sadness overcame her. Everything seemed so normal, and yet, to the outside world, she was dead. Her parents, Ron, Harry and her other friends would be sick with grief for her and probably preparing her funeral right now. For them, she was dead. For Ron, she was dead. She was on her own.

The tears mixed with the warm water from the shower, and she permitted herself a moment to grieve and feel the full blow of the culture shock she was experiencing. But soon, she remembered Price's lessons about self-discipline and pushed her fears and the sadness out of her mind, determined to focus on the tasks ahead of her. Not all was lost. Here was a group of powerful witches and wizards no one knew about, a group that could be used like the joker in a card game. It was a group of fighters, and she had been offered the chance to become one of them. Offered it by Snape, no less. She could keep herself busy with this, and maybe, just maybe, she could resume her research and help find the missing Horcruxes. Only time would tell. Hermione shook herself out of her sad mood, got herself dressed and was ready to face Dumbledore's Army.

When she left her room, she was met by an empty cavern. The only other person in the room was Snape, who was sitting in an armchair, reading. He looked up when he noticed Hermione leaving her room and drawled, "Not an early riser, are you? It's three o' clock in the afternoon." He beckoned her to the table and called softly, "Dobby!"

With a pop, the house-elf appeared.

"Dobby is very glad to see Miss Hermione alive and well. Dobby is getting breakfast for Miss Hermione." The elf grinned from ear to ear, his huge eyes shining.

"Dobby! I should have guessed that you were here. Where is Alouette?"

"Alouette is preparing the food, Miss Hermione." Dobby's grin got even wider before he disappeared.

"He looks well," Hermione said to Snape. "Did you really enslave them?"

"Of course I did," Snape sneered. "The elves are useful, and they don't mind the service."

"But..."

"Spare me. This is neither the time nor place to promote elfish welfare, Miss Granger. How do you think I could assure their silence after bringing them here? A mere magical contract doesn't work for house-elves; you may have noticed that their magic isn't like ours. Enslaving them solves that problem for the time being."

Hermione looked mutinous but held her peace. Dobby came back and served her tea and a late lunch. While she was eating, Snape explained the Underground's infrastructure. People were busy with their chores; everyone had tasks. A part of the money for the operation came from wealthy Underground members who had been warned before the attacks, and who had found ways of donating money to support the group. However, most of the money came from Albus Dumbledore's fortune. He had set up several straw-man accounts to make the money accessible for the Underground.

Another considerable amount came in through royalties. Lola LaFolle continued writing romance novels, only now they were published under a pseudonym. Unsurprisingly, Salacious Secrets was turning out to be just as successful as Suave Seductions had been.

Hermione was impressed.

But that wasn't all. The Underground was also creating an income from doing business with Muggles. Members of Dumbledore's Army were successfully operating a recycling plant, only in addition to recycling the rubbish, the witches and wizards separated part of the raw materials and Transfigured them into what was required for daily living.

Hermione stared doubtfully at her salad. Snape smirked. "Food isn't Transfigured. We obtain it from farmers in the area through middlemen, mostly Squibs and family members of Muggle-born wizards and witches, who have no idea with whom they are dealing. Some of the caves even grow their own food. However, you will notice that meat is a rare treat. Fishing is good in the valley, though; the people here have fish rather often."

"Ingenious," Hermione praised while wiping her mouth with a soft napkin, not caring what its origin had been.

"Yes, the Underground is doing well," Snape replied, and Hermione was touched by the hint of pride in his voice.

While they were talking, people passed by, and Hermione was introduced to them. Everyone welcomed her in a friendly manner. The romance writer, Lola LaFolle, turned out to be an hysterically funny lady of approximately Minerva's age, who was dressed all in pink but had a dry wit that rivalled Snape's. Listening to their friendly banter made her head spin. When Lola LaFolle left them, kissing Snape on the cheek, Hermione stared after her distractedly. Who would have thought that an author of bodice rippers could be such an intelligent and witty character?

Looking back at Snape again, Hermione nearly choked. Draco Malfoy and his mother, Narcissa Malfoy, had just entered the common area.

"Draco?" Hermione said shrilly.

"Granger." Draco nodded and glared at her while his mother stared haughtily.

"Behave yourself, Draco," Snape said lazily, watching the scene with narrowed eyes and an odd smile.

"Severus, how low does our dignity have to sink...? Constantly confronting us with the likes of her.... Can't you find us a place where we are among true wizards?"

"Not again, Narcissa, please," Snape said in a tired voice. "Haven't you learned anything in all the time you've been here?"

"You don't hear me complain about the, ah, living conditions." She looked around disdainfully. "But to be constantly confronted with these..." She gave Hermione a withering glare.

"Must I remind you, again, that it was Muggle-borns like her who rescued you from certain death? That it was the ingenuity of Muggle-lover Dumbledore that made your rescue possible at all? Without him, and those Muggle-borns, you'd be dead. Very, very dead, and I doubt that the worms who'd eat you would make a distinction between pure-blood and mixed blood."

Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. She followed the conversation eagerly.

"Very well, Severus. Have it your way. Beggars can't be choosers, or so they say...." Narcissa Malfoy looked very put-upon. "I suspect we will have to endure it until you see fit to reunite us with people of our kind, who are undoubtedly somewhere in this Underground. It is just undignified...." She flicked her hair and sneered one last time at Snape and Hermione and then followed Draco into one of the compartments.

"You could have warned me that they were here," Hermione accused.

"Why should I have done that?" Snape looked surprised.

"You enjoy watching confrontations like that, don't you?" She glared at Snape, who smirked in response.

"If you say so." Snape stared at her, his expression sobering. "Understand, Miss Granger, that we are a very mixed group. We don't choose the people we rescue according to their usefulness for the Underground. Only later do we make assessments as to who is the most suited for which work. And if people refuse to work, or are unsuitable, are we to throw them out?"

"I didn't say that. I wonder why you are so defensive, sir." She spat out the latter. "It didn't escape me whose side you took when you were talking to them. I was given the choice to join the group or live elsewhere and be Obliviated. I wouldn't be here if I hadn't wanted to come. Surely the Malfoys were given the same choice?"

"As a matter of fact, they weren't." He sneered. "You don't seriously believe that I can trust them, do you? We saved their lives, but they are not allowed to leave the area that is under the Fidelius Charm. As you'd remember, if you had listened to me yesterday, we are an army. All of the Underground has to work together; we must be able to trust each other completely. Those whose reliability is in question need to be watched to prevent betrayal...whether intentional or unintentional."

"I didn't think that you'd let anyone in who can't be trusted," Hermione interrupted. "I mean, I understand that those two are a special case, but the others? I would have thought that only the pure-bloods who were openly supporting Dumbledore would be targets, but not the, ah, more prejudiced kind."

"Believe me, being a bigoted pure-blood doesn't prevent people from being targets. The Dark Lord's main enticement is fear, not respect. Quite a few old, pure-blood families secretly look down on him and his cronies. He neither has the style nor the manners to appeal to them...as much as he might try to emulate them."

"So there are indeed more of them around?" Hermione stared at him, not quite believing that she was having this conversation with Snape, of all people.

Snape nodded. "There are a few in every group. I cannot allow factions to be formed. It is easier to keep an eye on them that way."

"I can imagine." Hermione nodded. She shook herself. "This is all so surreal. It's like being in a weird dream...the kind that haunts you long after you wake up." She stared at Snape thoughtfully for a while.

"Ask your questions, Miss Granger. Right now, I have time. I still have a few hours before I have to leave."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm a Death Eater, Miss Granger."

"Oh!" Hermione felt as if her head would burst. "How... how is that possible? I mean... you pretend to be a Death Eater, and yet you are loyal to Dumbledore.... I don't understand...."

"I am, if you want to call it this, a triple spy." He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, but her expression showed nothing except fervent attention for his words. "Did Potter not tell you how I betrayed his parents?"

"Yes, he did. You listened in on Trelawney's prophecy and related what you had heard to Voldemort, didn't you?"

Snape cringed. "Do not speak his name," he hissed and grabbed the part of his left arm where the Dark Mark must be. Hermione frowned in confusion, but nodded.

"I was sent by the Dark Lord to apply for the vacant DADA position. But the barman at the Hog's Head caught me listening at the keyhole while Dumbledore interviewed Trelawney...I didn't think that Dumbledore would accept me as a teacher after that incident, and neither did the Dark Lord."

"Were you punished?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

"Yes," Snape said, surprise in his voice. "But the Dark Lord was also very pleased that I had understood the prophecy and related it to him, so I was also rewarded..." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "My... ah... appreciation for that reward didn't last for long. The Dark Lord decided that the prophecy applied to Lily's son, that he should be the one to be vanquished... and I realised that a vague and abstract threat had turned into reality. I realised that people were about to be killed who I knew...a former friend whom I valued. And she would be endangered because of me...because of my foolishness...."

He cast a sharp glance at Hermione. "You and your friends found out that Lily Evans and I had been best friends, didn't you?"

Hermione wondered how he knew but confirmed, "Yes, we did."

"I did not want her to be harmed. I could not live with the idea that Lily's life had been threatened because of me. I had caused her so much pain already...." His voice trailed off, and he stared into the distance. Hermione didn't dare utter a sound, so as not to distract him out of his talkative mood.

"That wasn't the only reason. I had also become disillusioned with the Death Eaters. It wasn't quite the revolutionary organisation I had hoped that could reform our corrupt and unfair wizarding society." He smirked when she looked at him wide-eyed.

"And as unbelievable as this might appear to you, I do not enjoy murder. I didn't want to participate in Death Eater raids... so I went to Dumbledore." He looked at her critically, but she only nodded her encouragement, still all attentive.

"I threw myself at Dumbledore's mercy. I asked him to protect Lily, her son, and my mother. In return, I would turn myself in and go to Azkaban."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Your mother?"

"Yes. If it had been known that I had turned myself in, the Dark Lord would have had her killed. I was certain of that. Dumbledore agreed with me and promised to protect her."

Hermione nodded.

"But Professor Dumbledore had other plans for me. He wanted me as a spy for the Order of the Phoenix. Perhaps I should show you what he said...."

"How, do you have a Pensieve here?"

"No, but I am a reasonably strong Legilimens, and you've had lessons in Occlumency. You should know how the mind works. So, if you let me in, I can show you my memories directly."

Hermione stared at Snape. Letting him push his memories into her mind, the wizard who she had loathed and distrusted until yesterday, would show an incredible amount of trust. This had to be some kind of test. Did she want to pass it? She wasn't certain.

"I will not intrude into your thoughts and your own memories, Miss Granger. You can build up your basic Occlumency shield. I will still be able to show you my memories."

"That won't be necessary, sir. Please proceed." Hermione thought that she'd rather know right away if her newfound trust and openness were justified. She rather preferred clarity to being led on for some time and then being disappointed. She let Snape touch her forehead and looked into his eyes. They weren't really black, she noticed absentmindedly. They were a very dark brown...without the swirls and flecks of lighter colours that were often prominent in lighter coloured eyes. These eyes were like tunnels...tunnels to fall into, and then she saw a light and heard voices:

Professor Dumbledore and a very young Severus Snape were sitting in two armchairs, facing each other. Professor Dumbledore leaned forward and laid a hand on the younger wizard's arm.

"Become a spy for us, Severus. A double agent...or a triple spy, to be precise. And a teacher...."

"What? But...."

"No, let me explain, please. Voldemort asked you to spy on me, didn't he? He wanted you to apply for the Defence against the Dark Arts position. Did he ask you to apply again this year?"

Snape shook his head, "No, and I doubt he will. He wouldn't expect that you believed my waffling about having come to the wrong door after I was caught by the barman."

"Exactly." Dumbledore smiled. "So, even if you tried to spy for us now, you would be prevented from coming to Hogwarts, and it would therefore be difficult to get any information from you. Furthermore, you would still be required to partake in raids and attacks, wouldn't you?"

Snape nodded.

"To get around this, we need a different, less straightforward approach. How are your Occlumency skills these days, Severus? I presume that Horace Slughorn has taught you Occlumency, as he always does with interested students from his House?"

"Yes, he did, and I am rather good at it. I'm a fairly strong Legilimens, too."

"Good!" Dumbledore beamed cheerfully.

Understanding slowly brightened Snape's features. "You want me to suggest to the Dark Lord that I could deceive you. To tell him that I can convince you that I have turned. That I will ask for your protection. And imply that you will surely offer me the position of Defence teacher, while, in reality, I will spy for the Dark Lord."

"Very good, Severus. Yes, to all of it...except for the Defence position. I am going to offer you the Potions position instead because Horace Slughorn wishes to retire. I will tell everyone who asks that I am afraid of giving you the Defence position since it would bring out the worst in you." Dumbledore's smile widened. "And as you will be continuing to serve Tom Riddle in that way, your vow will not be broken. What he won't be told, of course, is that you'll be working for me, too. If I'm not mistaken, nothing in the vow forbids you from working for other people?"

"Of course not. Many Death Eaters have normal professions."

"That's what I thought. You will give him information. Two kinds of information. The information he thinks we want him to have, and the information he thinks we want to keep from him. We will carefully choose this information, Severus; you must be believable. And in turn, you will tell us about his plans, together with the fake information he wants to feed us. We will have to be very considerate about how we use that information and how we act on it; we cannot risk betraying you. However, it is no secret that both sides have spies...information does leak out.... And the double-triple-quadruple spy business will protect you from Voldemort's other spies, too. Even if they see you associate with me, or my organisation, Voldemort will know all about it already. Or, as much as we want him to know."

With a mental bang, Snape closed the connection between them.

"That was amazing. How did you do that?"

"Two strong Legilimens can communicate that way by casting the spell on each other, and each pushing the memories they want to share to the foreground of his thoughts. That was how I communicated with Professor Dumbledore; that was how he ordered me to kill him."

Hermione swallowed. "But I am not a Legilimens," she choked out.

"You could learn to be one; unlike your friend Potter, you have the presence of mind and the discipline. However, this kind of communication is also possible when the witch or wizard trust each other and one of them is a Legilimens. No one wants to have his or her mind be manipulated, and letting a Legilimens inside makes manipulation possible. Only very few people know how to use Occlumency. It is a sign of trust to allow the intrusion."

"But I trusted you, and you didn't disappoint." Hermione smirked. "Which isn't all that surprising, since you would hardly have done something so obvious, if you really wanted to manipulate me."

Snape snorted. "I see that we are starting to understand each other. There may be hope for you yet, Miss Granger. So now you understand how I can be one of the Dark Lord's most trusted servants and a spy for the Order at the same time."

"But you're not spying any more!"

"Of course I am. I report to Minerva."

"Professor McGonagall?" Hermione couldn't believe her ears. Was everything and everyone scheming and deceiving? Was anything surrounding her actually as it appeared to be?

Snape smirked at her bewildered expression. "Yes, she knows about the Underground, although she doesn't know all its secrets, just as I don't know all the secrets of the Order."

"I see."

"Minerva knows that Professor Dumbledore ordered me to kill him when necessary. She helped me with the image of the murderous, evil fiend by proclaiming that she never really trusted me. Of course, she was running in open doors. Everyone was only too willing to condemn me."

"Oh," was all that Hermione could think of saying.

"You've been consulting with her a long time. Why is she getting special treatment? What is so important about her?" Draco's sneering voice startled Hermione. He had come out of his private quarters again and was standing behind her, glaring at Snape.

"This isn't your concern, Draco. Now, leave us alone, will you?" Snape said in the same patient and slightly indulgent way he had always used with Draco Malfoy.

"Just what we need. Granger with her inflated ego being fussed over," Draco snarled, turned and walked away.

Hermione gave Snape a puzzled look. "I get special treatment? Why?"

"I'm normally too busy to spend much time here during the day, or to introduce new members into the daily activities. You're a special case."

Hermione was amazed at the calm and almost pleasant way he answered her questions. "Why? What do you want from me?" She glared at him suspiciously.

The black eyes staring back at her held a spark that could have almost been called humour, if it hadn't been for the fact that they were Snape's eyes. The skin around his eyes had crinkled almost imperceptibly, and he purred in a silky timbre, "I shall not try to enchant you with my irresistible charm, Miss Granger, never fear." He smirked at her startled expression. "I usually leave that kind of thing to Perry Price."

"Price?" Hermione shrieked. "He's aware of this?" Hermione jumped up from her armchair and started to pace the area before the fireplace, trying to calm her racing heart. Too many shocks in one day couldn't be healthy for a person, she thought.

"He'd better be, since he and I trade places quite often," Snape said smoothly. The amusement lighting up his eyes was now clearly visible.

Did he just joke? Hermione couldn't believe it. "I give up!" she said, throwing her hands up in exasperation and defeat. "I think I'm in a madhouse. Or maybe it's me who's gone mad."

"I would have thought that a young woman of your renowned intelligence could put two and two together when enough information is given. Apparently, I was wrong." The amusement had faded, and the sneer was back.

Hermione sighed in relief. This was better. She could deal with a sneering Snape.

"Humour me, sir," she said, pursing her lips. "I don't know where you might have heard about my alleged intelligence, but maybe it is overrated. Perhaps you can bring yourself to explain to me, in simple words, why I get special treatment, and in what way Professor Price is involved in all this."

Snape stared at her, and she stared back. She was just starting to wonder how long this staring contest would last when he grimaced and said, "Very well, then. Peregrin Price and I have both been teaching you and your friends. To achieve this, I take a modified version of the Polyjuice Potion...the same we use to rescue Death Eater targets. Price stepped in to teach you when I was otherwise occupied, but most of the time, it was I who taught you. We keep each other informed about the events through the Pensieve."

"The wedding?" By now, Hermione was prepared to believe anything.

"That was Price. We decided that he should first establish a pattern of how to interact with you. I would later just imitate his behaviour. Besides, it was safer that he went, and not I, with all the Aurors and Order members in attendance there." He looked at her expectantly.

"The prophecy?"

"That was me." He sneered when he saw Hermione stare at him incredulously.

"You flirted with Trelawney?"

"Wrong! Peregrin Price flirted with Trelawney. He would have..."

"I can't believe this." Hermione closed her eyes and gave herself a mental shake. "Before we went to the forest...that talk with Harry in the corridor. That was you, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"So that's how S... how you as yourself found us?"

"Yes."

Slowly, things began to fall into place for Hermione. "The map! You stole the Marauder's map!"

"Yes." This came with a nod and another amused gleam.

"I don't know what to say." Hermione let out a long, shivering breath. "That's why you didn't teach us Occlumency. You were afraid that one of us would inadvertently enter your mind, like Harry did once, and find out your secrets."

"Correct again."

"Why?" Hermione nearly screamed now. "Why go to all this trouble?" She stared at Snape round-eyed. "And how on earth do you manage to make everyone believe you are the real Price? Did you take acting lessons?"

This earned her an amused snort. "I am a spy, Miss Granger. I pretend to spy for the other side. If I couldn't act, do you really think I'd still be alive?"

"All right, but why? Why you? Couldn't the real Price have taught us strategy and duelling? He has to be really good if you can trade places...."

"It's because Minerva thinks that Potter needs all the help he can get. Because Albus came up with the plan when he decided to give the DADA position to me last year. Because your friend Potter never consciously learns anything from me. And, of course, it's because of my Slytherins. Who'd look after them? Slughorn? As Price, I could at least watch them and be alert for trouble. I could see to it that they were confronted with alternative ideas...with other types of magic than they are usually confronted with in their families. This was something, I might add, that was made increasingly difficult by the antics of your friend Potter," he snarled.

"Well, he has good reason to be suspicious of Slytherins, doesn't he?" she snarled back. "Your little harmless protégées didn't exactly endear themselves to us when they formed that foul Inquisitorial Squad last year."

"You sounded quite different when you shouted at Potter the other day, Miss Granger. I would have expected a bit more consistency."

"I don't share Harry's opinion that Slytherins should be taught differently, but that doesn't mean that I trust the lot of them."

"Be that as it may," Snape said smoothly, "my time isn't unlimited. Was there something else you wanted to know?"

"In what way do I receive special treatment? You're winding your way around answering this question like an eel."

Both Snape's eyebrows shot up, and he could barely suppress a snort. "If you must know...." He narrowed his eyes and glowered. "You're receiving special treatment because you are one of the few people I can trust unconditionally."

Hermione's mouth fell open.

"Gaping like a fish does not improve your appearance, Miss Granger."

"You trust me? Unconditionally? Why on earth...? What kind of a trick...? I don't believe you!" She looked daggers at him.

His lips twisted, and the gleam was back in his eyes. "Think, Miss Granger. I saw Price's memory from the wedding...your reaction when you heard the story about Potter and his friends gloating over my humiliation in the Shrieking Shack."

"Humiliation?" Hermione stared at him indignantly. "You were nearly killed. I'd hardly call that humiliation...."

"Be quiet. You voiced sympathy and understanding for my younger self, and you were challenging Potter on his prejudice. I was there after you read the news about the Abbott killings...when you revealed how you had trusted me and why. It wasn't to be expected that you would still trust me after the events on the Astronomy Tower. That was intentional. But unlike so many fair-weather friends who claimed to have known all along that I was irredeemably evil, you looked for motives; you tried to understand. It didn't escape me that you were saddened and quite disappointed by my assumed betrayal. Your little display of passionate outrage a while ago was rather touching."

Hermione grimaced. "What are you getting at? Why is that a reason for special treatment?"

Snape sighed. "Don't try my patience. The fact that I trust you doesn't mean that I have to endure your incessant babbling. If you had listened, you'd know already."

"Will you please get on with it?"

"You've shown over the years, in your interactions with Potter and Weasley, that you are loyal and reliable despite being treated unfairly, laughed at or merely ignored. You've also always been loyal to Dumbledore."

Hermione had resorted to gaping. Snape snorted and shook his head.

"If you can extend your loyalty to the Underground and to me, you will be of invaluable help. You will be one of the very few I can rely on without any doubts to remain loyal in spite of my background, despite who I am. I expect you to assist me directly...as soon as your testing for the required skills has been completed."

"Wha...?" Hermione's eyes felt as if they wanted to pop out of their sockets. Her throat had gone dry. "The special treatment!" she choked out. "What is it?"

"Well, I hope that you will choose to fight actively and become involved in the planning and plotting of the downfall of the Dark Lord. You won't have to be restricted and tested. New arrivals usually live confined to the caves for one or two months. That won't be necessary with you; I'll personally vouch for you. We only need to find out which skills you have that we can use, and then you can start your work."

Hermione swallowed. "I'm honoured... I think," she croaked.

While Hermione was still standing staring at Snape, Emmeline Vance emerged from her quarters and approached them. "How are things, Hermione?" she asked and squeezed Hermione's shoulder while she flashed a quick smile at Snape, who, surprisingly, smiled back.

"Uh...." Hermione was at a loss for words.

"I think Miss Granger will need some time to process all the new information. I shall go now and meet Perry at the Pensieve cave. Until later." He nodded to both of them and walked away.

Hermione stared at his retreating back. "He is... is he for real?" she ground out.

Emmeline Vance laughed heartily. "As real as he ever gets, my dear. Come now, I'll introduce you to a few more people, and then we'll have dinner."

---

A week later, Hermione had overcome the first shock and started to get used to Nan Guthan's routine. She was now acquainted with all fifty-five inhabitants, some of whom she knew from Hogwarts or through the Order. She had accepted her changed circumstances and even come to admire the huge logistical achievement of running this whole Underground organisation. Emmeline had told her that there were six other groups strewn all over England and Scotland. They were all approximately the same size as the Appin group. More than three hundred wizards and witches, who were determined and mostly very skilled fighters. Voldemort would be in for a surprise, she thought, but only after Harry had found all the Horcruxes. And she couldn't help him with that.

She had learned that not only magical folk were rescued, but also Muggles. Muggles, however, were Obliviated and given a new identity somewhere far away. Voldemort usually wasn't interested in individual Muggles; for him, killing Muggles was either part of his strategy to intimidate the Ministry of Magic, or they were dismissed as collateral damage.

Minerva McGonagall had come visiting once during that week and confirmed everything Snape had told Hermione. That conversation had reassured Hermione, and seeing Minerva McGonagall had given her a link back to the 'real world' as she called it in her mind, as compared to the Underground group that still felt unreal. That link had grounded her and made it easier for her to adapt to the group and her new life. She was now actively making herself acquainted with her new surroundings instead of just letting everything happen to her. It had helped immensely that Minerva had brought Crookshanks, who enthusiastically bumped his head against Hermione's ankles, wove himself around her legs and then went off to investigate his new hunting grounds. Her heart felt lighter, and she was now actually looking forward to making her contribution and to helping the Underground as best as she could.

Hermione's integration was made easier by the friendly and easygoing attitude of most of the DA members, except for the Malfoys, who sneered and complained, but who Hermione learned to ignore quickly.

Meeting the real Peregrin Price had been an intriguing experience. She still found him interesting, charming even, but the dry and cutting wit that had often made his lessons and their talks so enjoyable to her was missing. She realised that this must have been the part that Snape had brought to the role, an aspect of his own personality that he either didn't want to suppress or had difficulty in so doing.

To Hermione's amazement and slight horror, she found that she actually preferred the Snape version of Peregrin Price to the original.

Snape had talked to her a few times, but had mostly returned to his routine of teaching at Hogwarts, attending Death Eater summons, and co-ordinating Underground activities.

That routine changed, however, when less than a week after her 'death', great excitement and busy activities transformed the peaceful cavern into a buzzing beehive. She caught the words "a raid" several times and decided to stay out of the way and watch. The Malfoys had been confined to their rooms, and after Emmeline Vance, who seemed to be a kind of Appin-DA leader, covered their rooms in a faint red bubble with a quick wave of her wand, it dawned on Hermione that the Malfoys were prisoners. To be dead to the world and held prisoner by one's rescuers... not exactly a fate either of them would have expected, Hermione thought, feeling only mildly guilty about the tiny jolt of gloating that this knowledge gave her.

"Who's going?" someone shouted.

"Bee will wait with the Portkey. Lola, where is the corpse?" Snape seemed to have come out of nowhere, but now he stood like a black beacon in the middle of the buzzing activities.

"Here, darling." Lola LaFolle levitated a female body that had been dead for some time and dropped it at Snape's feet. Hermione had learned that a part of the Underground's activities consisted of obtaining corpses from different sources. The bodies were kept under a stasis spell and stored in a small lake in a cave system underneath the main living area. Caves in that system were also used for potion brewing, and thus fondly called the dungeons. Hermione was brought back to the present by Snape's voice.

"Stand back!" he snarled at no one in particular and then began a chant that caused his wand to emit a dark purple mist; a mist that swirled around the dead body until it was completely covered by it. The corpse opened its eyes and rose its upper body to a sitting position. The Inferius, because that's what it had become, looked at Snape with its dead eyes and said in a hollow voice, "At your command."

"You will obey every order this witch gives you," Snape said to the Inferius and pointed to Emmeline Vance. Then Snape left the cave.

Bee ordered the corpse to touch a Portkey, which she activated a moment later. "Three - Two - One!" And Emmeline Vance, aka Bee, and the Inferius disappeared.

Hermione knew that they would emerge in the cave where Snape had given her the Shrinking Solution. Emmeline would immediately deactivate the Portkey...Portkeys that led from and to Nan Guthan were always destroyed...and they would then Apparate to another, randomly chosen, uninhabited cave, similar to the one where she had been greeted by Hannah Abbott.

Emmeline and the Inferius would wait there until Snape found an opportunity to send the potential victim to the cave with another Portkey. Emmeline would then cut a few hairs from the rescued and Stunned victim's head and add them to the modified Polyjuice Potion she carried with her. While the Inferius drank the potion, she would cast a complicated spell to make the transformation complete. The Inferius would don the victim's clothes, then Emmeline would send the Inferius back to Snape. When the Death Eater attack started, Snape would make certain that the Inferius was destroyed completely, 'helping' whoever it was who did the killing.

Hermione knew that both the Transfiguration spell and the modified potion had been developed by Professor Dumbledore together with Snape. The potion caused the change, but unlike the regular Polyjuice Potion which lasted only an hour, the change affected by the modified potion was permanent and had to be reverted with a specific antidote.

The Transfiguration spell made the changes resistant to Finite Incantatem and most common antidotes. The specific antidote potion was always efficient in reverting the Transfigured person back to its original state, but only if it contained a part of the person to revert back to.

The rest of the cave had gone back to their tasks, but Hermione had decided to wait and watch the normal procedure of introducing a new arrival. She curled up in her armchair and thought about how Snape had described these missions to her.

Snape had told her that it was easiest when he led, or partook in the particular raid, because then he could direct the Inferi if needed. He had made an effort to be included in as many raids as possible, and over the past year, his reputation with the Death Eaters had changed from being a coward to being a 'bloodthirsty old bastard.'

When Snape learned about attacks and wasn't involved in the raid, the exchange was made in advance, if possible. He would order the Inferius to act shocked and dazed and either to freeze or run around screaming when the attack began. Snape would then come to the scene after the raid and make sure that the Inferius was completely destroyed.

It didn't always work. Snape wasn't always informed about upcoming attacks in advance and sometimes arrived too late when he rushed to the scene. The attack on the Burrow and Madam Bones' murder had been such incidents. Once again, Hermione had to suppress the sadness that Mrs Weasley's death still caused her.

Several hours later, Hermione's ruminations were interrupted when someone yelled, "They made it! They've just left the corridor and are on the brooms." Soon, a beaming Emmeline Vance walked into the cave, leading a tired and shocked grey-haired woman to the sofa to sit down.

"Everyone, this lady here is my old friend, Carlotta Pinkstone."

"Oh, my goodness," Hermione thought. Carlotta Pinkstone was the famous campaigner for the lifting of the International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy and for telling Muggles that wizards existed. Hermione didn't even want to try to imagine what would happen when Ms Pinkstone and Narcissa Malfoy ran into each other. Clearly, interesting times were ahead.

---

Two days later, the first Sunday after Hermione's 'death', Minerva McGonagall visited the caves again. She asked Hermione to accompany her to a small cave in the 'dungeons' that had obviously been used as an office. Hermione had only seen it once when Emmeline Vance had led her around the area.

When they entered the office, Snape was already there. He nodded a greeting, and all three of them sat down.

"How are you getting along, Hermione?" Minerva asked.

"Things are a bit clearer than they were a week ago," Hermione admitted. "But there is still a lot I don't know yet or don't understand."

She glanced at Snape, who stared back, stony-faced.

"If I can help with anything..." Minerva offered.

"I want to do something," Hermione said. "I feel so useless, so out of the loop. I have no idea what's happening out there...to Harry and Ron, to the Order. I know that I'm supposed to get acclimatised, but Professor Snape mentioned that I don't need a, ah, quarantine phase?"

Minerva gave Snape a fond smile, but he glared at her and scowled at Hermione.

"I'm not your professor any longer."

"Then what shall I call you?"

"Nundu!"

At her hesitant glare, he grunted, "Like it or not, it's my name here, and if you want to operate outside this refuge, you'd better get used to it. You don't seem to have this problem with Bee."

"All right, then. Nundu." Hermione rubbed her forehead. "What can I do?"

"There is plenty you can do. I will take you to a dig in a few days, then we'll see how you fare on a simple field mission."

Hermione nodded. She had been told that this would be asked of her.

"If you do well, you will help me with other, more important missions. We need to get this plan going."

"But...." Hermione glanced helplessly at Minerva. "How... what?"

"Severus means to say that we plan to coerce, or force, You-Know-Who into action, rash action."

"And Harry and the prophecy?" Hermione felt panic rise within her. They couldn't push things; Harry had to destroy the Horcruxes first before he could even think of confronting Voldemort.

"The delay has been long enough. We can't put our complete faith in the hands of Harry Potter." Snape snarled, only to continue, "Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays. In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns."

"Sun Tzu again," Hermione exclaimed. "Do you know the whole book by heart?"

"Almost." Snape smirked. "And so do you, it would appear."

"But what about Harry? He has to confront Voldemort. He isn't ready yet."

"Price will continue with the training. Potter is fit; he is a skilled fighter. All he needs to work on are his emotional outbursts and a basic level of control. He'll never be good at it, but it should suffice. We cannot wait forever."

"Uhm...." Once again, Hermione glanced at Minerva, wishing that Professor Dumbledore had trusted someone else with the Horcrux information, not only Harry. "Harry has to do something. You know that, Minerva!"

Minerva McGonagall nodded.

"Harry has to finish this task before he can even start to think about defeating Voldemort. You need to delay your plans long enough to give Harry time to do this."

Snape jumped up from his seat and stalked towards her, glowering. "What kind of task is that?"

"I am not allowed to tell you. Professor Dumbledore must have thought that you don't need to know."

"Yes," Snape growled. "He kept reminding me that it would be disastrous if my Occlumency shields were broken and the Dark Lord read the secrets in my mind. Does Minerva know?"

"Albus didn't tell me, either." Minerva McGonagall shook her head sadly. "But I believe it when Hermione says that this is essential. However, you are right, Severus. We must move on with the plan, but we must also give Harry a chance to fulfil his task."

Snape was silently contemplating the rocks on the cave wall.

"It might be faster if I am allowed to help. I've been searching for information in old archives. I could do that again. Please! If I find something, there would be ways of getting the information to Harry, surely? Please?"

Snape stood with his back to them, breathing deeply. He stood there for a while, not speaking. Hermione cast an anxious glance at Minerva, but she only smiled gently and shook her head.

Finally, Snape turned around, his face a stony mask, his eyes cold. "Very well then, Miss Granger. We shall see how the dig goes, and then I'll think about it."

"Thank you, sir." Hermione was relieved.

The meeting didn't last much longer, and once Minerva had left, Hermione went to her own room, alone, to have some time to herself and to make plans how to proceed with the research.