Horcrux Surprise

Hermione left Dumbledore's office, in an excited mood--the boys were waiting for her in her room. She hadn't seen them in over two weeks because of their Auror training. She ran up the stairs and burst through the door, smiling from ear to ear.

"Harry! Ron!"

"Hermione!"

She walked into her room, arms opened, and embraced her best friends. The boys squished her in the middle, Ron's lengthy arms wrapping all of them into a tight hug. Tears welled to her eyes. For a brief moment, she felt like everything in the world was the way it used to be--just the three of them hanging out like when they were younger, before Voldemort came back, before they left school and became adults. Ron began to pull away, but she squeezed around his waist tighter, bringing him back to her body--she wasn't ready to let go.

"Hermione. I can't breathe," Ron teased.

"Oh, Ronald," she said, sniffling. "Stop being such a prat."

Harry chuckled, but it turned into coughing. "Hermione, your hair... It's in my mouth."

She huffed and lowered her arms. "I can't help not wanting to let go of you two. It's been too long."

"We agree," Harry said, smiling at her.

"Come on, it's a nice day out. Let's go for a walk." Hermione put her satchel on the ground. Opening it, she reached inside and grabbed a heavy tome that she had borrowed from the library. But before she lifted it out of the bag, she paused--Snape's words about her not being able to go anywhere without a book echoed in her mind. She let the book fall back into the bag. She smirked to herself--it excited her to prove Snape wrong.

"Could we swing by the kitchens first? I'm starving," Ron said, patting his stomach.

She smiled at him, her eyes still filled with tears. No matter how much their lives changed, some things stayed the same.

"Of course, Ron. Anything you want."

Finally, after gathering Cornish pasties, ham and mustard sandwiches, crisps, and three large slices of chocolate cake, Hermione and the boys walked to a cliff overlooking the Black Lake. They found a large boulder and settled themselves on top of it.

She had told them about some of the events of the past week while walking from her room to the kitchen and down to the lake. The boys had been intrigued at hearing how Snape was treating her. Of course, she had kept most things a secret--she wasn't in the mood to hear them bashing Snape.

"So, how's training going? Where have you been?" she asked, after wiping her mouth free of crumbs.

"Eeeegeept," Ron said with his mouth completely filled with food.

"Egypt," Harry clarified.

"Egypt! How exciting! I wish I could go. What have you been doing there?"

"Annncent Meeejek," Ron tried saying while taking a second bite of his sandwich.

Harry looked at him with disgust.

"Whhut?" Ron said, shrugging his shoulders. He chewed three times, and then swallowed. "She asked a question."

Harry turned back to Hermione. "We've been studying Ancient Egyptian curses, spells, hexes, and techniques. Moody says we should be well trained in all different areas of magic and to not ignore history. Constant vigilance! So, we started in Egypt and have been there for two weeks. Where are we going next, Ron? South America?"

"No, not yet. We have to learn about the Mayas, Aztecs and Incas. They have some wicked magic!" Ron said excitedly.

Hermione smiled, but inside, she felt pangs of jealousy. She had always wanted to travel around the world and study other types of magic--to have an adventure. Something that wasn't as sad and horrible as the war.

"You all right?" Ron asked her, patting her knee.

"Yeah, sorry. That's great! I really wish I could do that too. I hope you take Moody seriously and study everything you can; this is an opportunity most people do not get."

"We know. Trust us; we've been working extremely hard. We get a bit homesick, but other than that, it's been an amazing journey, and we have learned so much. In fact, that's why we are here--I mean besides to see you, of course."

Hermione was confused. "What do you mean that's why you are here? What's going on?"

Ron and Harry looked at each other, smirking.

Hermione grinned nervously. "What?"

"You remember how we started researching ancient magic to help with the Horcruxes? And found nothing. Well--"

"You found something!" she shouted.

"Calm down," Ron said. "We think we found something while we were in Egypt. But we aren't sure."

Hermione was practically jumping out of her skin with excitement, and she nearly throttled them for teasing her and building the suspense with their story.

"So when we were looking at the artifacts of the chest that we discovered hidden behind a magical ward in that empty pyramid, we noticed that there was a large tome made of stone. It was extremely heavy, and it was covered in hieroglyphics and--"

"What Ron is trying to say, is that we had it translated, and it mentioned how to locate Horcruxes!"

Hermione's eyes grew wide. "What did it say?"

"Well... that's the problem... The person translating the book for us stopped reading it as soon as it said anything about Horcruxes. He said we were too young to know of such a power. He took the book from us, placed it back in the chest, and hid it back in the spot that we found inside the pyramid! He re-warded the wall where it was hidden, but we didn't know the spells to undo it, and we ran out of time... We had to get back to our training."

"Damn! We have to get that book, Harry!" Hermione grabbed his arms and squeezed tightly.

"I know, I know," Harry said slowly.

She removed her grasp from his arms, her mind racing on ways to get her hands on that tome.

"How long are you going to be in Central America?" she asked while staring in the direction of Ron's shoelace--a plan was formulating in her mind.

"Three weeks," Harry said.

"I can't wait that long." She looked into Harry's piercing, green eyes. "I'll have to go by myself."

"What? No. No, Hermione! It's too dangerous!" Ron said, coming to his feet and jumping from the boulder onto the dirt. Hermione and Harry followed him.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't start arguing!" Harry said, standing between them. "Look, Hermione, you are right. We aren't going to be able to go with you--you will have to do this without us. But Ron is right too--it's dangerous, and you can't go alone."

Hermione sighed. "I know. But is it anymore dangerous than running from dragons or battling Death Eaters? Maybe Dumbledore will come with me, since this is very intense magic we are talking about."

"That's a good idea. Just don't go alone, Hermione," Ron said. He was looking at her intensely, and his brows were pinched. Hermione recognized this look--it was the look he had when studying a chessboard.

Harry reached in his pocket and brought out the gold watch that had been given to him by the Weasleys on his seventeenth birthday. "We've got to go. Moody is expecting us back before noon--we have to go to St. Mungo's for a medical every time we travel. Something about long distance Apparition and multiple Portkeys."

Hermione was disappointed. She had only spent a few hours with them and hadn't finished catching up, not to mention that she simply missed them immensely. "Oh. Alright then. I'll walk you to the Apparition point."

They walked in silence most of the way, chatting about nonsense such as how different the grounds looked during the summertime and what type of food Ron was looking forward to while in Central America.

Hermione was full of mixed emotions. On one hand, she was sad that she was missing out on adventures with her best friends and was going to miss them terribly. On the other, she was excited about the possibility of going to Egypt to search for the answer to the Horcrux problem, and she couldn't wait to talk to the Headmaster.

She hugged and kissed both of them as she bade them farewell. She watched them Apparate, then began the long walk up to the Dumbledore's office, ready for a new adventure.

"Do you think you will be able to escort me to Egypt so we can find this book?" Hermione asked Dumbledore, after she had explained to him in a rush everything Harry and Ron had told her.

"Miss Granger, this is indeed a remarkable revelation. I would love to join you; unfortunately, this couldn't come at a worse time. I am leaving in two days--I have some business at Salem University that I must attend to."

"Oh, no," Hermione said, slouching and feeling defeated.

"However..."

Hermione perked up and looked into his twinkling eyes.

"I have the perfect person to escort you. And you can leave tonight, if you so choose. I certainly do not want you to go alone--it's extremely dangerous."

Hermione nodded and smiled. "Wonderful! I'm sure whoever you have in mind will be perfect. We need to get our hands on that book before someone else does."

"I agree. I will ask your escort to come to your room later this afternoon, as soon as soon as I have a word with them. I would like to warn you though. Egypt is filled with great mysteries and dangers. Only get the book and nothing else. The curses and traps in pyramids are real. Please be careful. If it proves to be too dangerous, come home. We will locate and destroy the Horcruxes the same way we have been doing before we knew of this book."

"Yes, sir.

Dumbledore rose from his desk and walked to a large cupboard. He removed a ward, opened the door and stepped inside. When he returned, he was holding a necklace. A white pearl the size of a Knut was dangling from the chain.

He handed her the piece of jewelry. She looked closer at the pearl--tiny yellow stars were orbiting it.

"It's beautiful," Hermione whispered, mesmerized by the stars fluttering and glittering around.

"It's for reading a foreign language, particularly ancient languages. Just slip it on and you will be able to understand hieroglyphics as though they were your first language. Ingenious, yes? A friend of mine gave it to me before he passed away."

"Sir... Thank you. I will protect it with my life."

Dumbledore smiled. "Your life is worth more than this bauble, Miss Granger. But do care for it."

After she had left the headmaster's office, she had gone to the library in search of all the books she could find written about Ancient Egypt.

Since she had full use of the library, Hermione gathered stacks of books, transfigured them to fit in her pocket, and took them back to her room where she took several pages of notes and questions. She knew the exact pyramid that she needed to visit and researched the Pharaoh that was buried there, hoping for any clues regarding curses or spells she might encounter. She was immersed in her research when a sudden knock at her door jolted her.

Hermione suddenly felt nervous. In her excitement, she hadn't asked Dumbledore who her escort was going to be. She assumed that it might be an Unspeakable, someone who was aware of Horcruxes and Dumbledore's plan.

"It's open," she shouted from across the room. She was sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, surrounded by stacks of tomes and papers. She could barely see over her piles.

She began gathering her notes, putting them in logical order, when the door squeaked opened. She barely heard the footsteps on the stone floor, and then the door closed shut.

"Miss Granger."

Hermione froze--her heart nearly stopped beating. No... it couldn't be. She slowly turned her head, dropping the papers in her hands. Kneeling up, she peered over the tall stack of books.

Snape was standing by her door, a small smile playing about his lips as he took in her shock.

"Severus?" she whispered to herself.

"Yes, Miss Granger. That is my name."

"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly, still rooted to the floor. She knew the answer, but didn't know what else to say. She didn't think her escort would be him.

"I believe we are going to Egypt tonight," he said.

"Um--yes. Yes, of course."

She lowered her head, hiding behind the books as she gathered her papers absent-mindedly. He was her escort. She would be having an adventure with him. Oh, gods. Her heart fluttered as she thought back to her bubble bath yesterday night--her fantasy was still vividly fresh in her mind; what if he delved into her mind while in Egypt and saw that? What would he say? How would he react--

"Miss Granger, if you are not ready to leave this evening, we can go in the morning; I, however, am ready to leave now," he said loudly, interrupting her thoughts. She watched in dismay as he walked into her kitchen. There was the sound of the chair as it was pulled out from the table.

"I'm almost ready," she squeaked. Hermione cleared her throat. Idiot! You sound like a little school girl! Get a grip!

"Just give me a few minutes while I gather my belongings--I wasn't expecting my escort until later."

She stood up, piles of paper clutched to her chest and slid between the stacks of books.

He was sitting at the table drinking a cup of tea, legs crossed, looking completely... relaxed.

"You weren't expecting me," he stated.

"To be honest, no. Although it makes sense. You might be the only other person besides Harry and Ron who know about the Horcruxes," she said, setting her papers on the table. Then she flicked the pile with her wand, and they snapped into order. She put them inside a folder and finished gathering her belongings.

"True. But that's not why I was... assigned this project."

She looked at him. "Oh?"

"Not only am I a member of the Order, but have you forgotten that I'm a Death Eater too?" he said, all expression gone from his face. "I am the best person to protect a member of the Golden Trio from attacks from... my kind. Besides, after all this time that I have been escorting you to and from your house and Hogwarts, did you really think it would be anyone else to take you to Egypt, a most dangerous exploration?" he asked softly.

Hermione was surprised that he wasn't being condescending; that he was in fact being earnest.

"You're right. I should have known it would be you. I'm sorry for taking you away from your work and being a burden, but we really need that book."

Snape gracefully stood up and placed his mug on the counter. He walked over and stood in front of her, looking down at her through his dark lashes. "You're not a burden. Besides, I could do with a change of pace by going on a little excursion in the middle of a desert."

Hermione's first thoughts were that Severus Snape and the hot desert did not mesh well. Then, she realized that he had said something nice to her--that he hadn't degraded her, or threatened her--and that his attitude from this morning was still pleasant. And she wasn't a burden to him.

That certainly was new.

"I will need to return home to gather some items, and then I will be ready. How are we traveling there?"

"Well, since this is a secret mission, there will be no Portkeys or Floos. I'll Apparate us to Naples. It is the closest location to Egypt to which I have traveled and therefore know the destination so we can safely Apparate."

"And how are we going to travel from there to Egypt?"

The corners of Snape's lips turned upward.

"We'll fly."

Hermione's eyes became wide. "I do not fly on brooms. I hate them!"

"I didn't say on brooms," he said in a low voice. "Nor aeroplanes," he said before she could get the words out of her mouth.

"You mean--"

"Ah, good. Someone has told you that I have the power to fly."

Hermione felt all the blood in her face drain--and she briefly wondered if she was a nice shade of green. "P-professor McGonagall did mention your... magical ability," she said, trying to swallow away the sudden dryness in her mouth.

He smirked, turned on his heel and headed out of her room, toward the Apparition point. Hermione quietly followed him, her mind trying to wrap itself around the idea that in a few moments she would be flying.

Literally.

Up next: Come fly with me--the adventure begins.

Many thanks to my girls, Lariope and Lulabelle72. Much love to RedSkyAtNight for her wonderful Brit-picking and giving me a crash course in they types of food one would find at Hogwarts.