Hermione was happy to see the Weasleys at Grimmauld Place, though Harry looked a bit worse for wear.

When she’d arrived, it had been to find out that Harry had barricaded himself in his room, refusing to speak to anyone. It had even taken some convincing from Hermione to finally let her in so they could resolve the matter.

Finally, once everyone was back on speaking terms and she was in the quiet of her and Ginny’s bedroom, was she able to slip a small scroll of parchment from her bag.

It seemed the day she left the Manor was the day two of her friends decided to make her into their matchmaker. After Pansy’s quiet request to be introduced to Luna, Theo had slipped into her room when the girl left but before Draco arrived for their final goodbye.

“Would you, uh.” Theo cleared his throat. “Give this to Ginevra for me?”

“What is it about you snakes and witches from other houses?” She teased. “Can’t you court a girl yourself?”

Theo blushed, running a hand through his unruly curls.

“Not when the girl in question is a Weasley and a Gryffindor. Come on, Hermione, please? Tell her I passed the note to you on the last day of potions and you never got to give it to her!”

Hermione rolled her eyes but tucked the scroll into her bag all the same.

Theo bounced on the spot, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“Thank you, thank you. I owe you hundreds of honey cakes.”

“That would not be a fair payment as it’s Fimsy who makes the honey cakes,” she scolded, but it was softened by the bright smile she gave him.

Now as she watched the red head pull a brush through her long hair, staring absentmindedly out the window, she wondered what the scroll said.

“Hey, Gin?”

Ginny turned to Hermione, the brush pausing halfway down.

“Yeah?”

Hermione walked over to her small twin bed and took a seat beside her, holding the scroll out.

“Uh, Theodore Nott gave this to me in potions the day before we left – he’s my tablemate – and asked me to give this to you.”

Ginny’s eyes widened as a small blush trickled in beneath her freckles as she snatched the parchment from Hermione’s grasp and unrolled it hungrily.

“Merlin, Gin, you almost gave me a papercut!”

“Oh, however would you survive, Mione?” Ginny deadpanned as her eyes flicked back and forth.

They sat in silence for a moment, Hermione listening to the sounds of Sirius slowly climbing the stairs while singing God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs in a slightly unsteady voice while Ginny appeared to read and reread the note.

“Mione?” Ginny asked after a moment, her voice barely above a whisper.

“What is it, Gin?” Hermione could see tears sparkling in the younger girl’s eyes.

Ginny took a slow, deep breath, before squaring her shoulders. Many times, Hermione thought Ginny was the perfect blend of her brothers. She had Charlie’s bravery, Bill’s cunning, Percy’s intelligence, Fred and George’s humor, and Ron’s resolve (or pigheadedness as Hermione sometimes unkindly thought in moments of frustration with both siblings).

“Do you think… Is it possible to have a relationship with someone from another house?”

“Ginny, aren’t you dating someone from Ravenclaw right now? Michael Corner?”

The red head waved that question away.

“That’s not what I mean – Michael’s a prat and I plan to break it off with him as soon as we get back to school. I mean… Do you think what house you belong to defines who you truly are and… who you can be with?”

Hermione understood exactly what Ginny was trying to ask.

She was asking Hermione if Slytherins and Gryffindors were so fundamentally different that they could never find common ground, let alone love.

“Personally,” Hermione said slowly. “I think it would be a terrible loss to allow the boxes we’re placed in by others to stop us from learning who someone truly is. I mean, what is a Gryffindor? Brave, daring, determined. But we’re more than that, aren’t we?”

Ginny thought for a moment before shrugging.

“You, Ginny, are brave and daring and determined. But you are also intelligent, honest, and ambitious. You are fiercely loyal and protective of your own. We all hold qualities of each house – we are more than the house we have been placed in.”

The younger girl appeared to visibly relax at these words and smiled gratefully at Hermione, who threw an arm around her.

“Do you think it could ever work, between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin?” Ginny finally asked.

Hermione thought for a long time about how to answer the question, knowing the answer was yes, but with many sacrifices on both sides.

“I think… that anything is possible if you think it through hard enough.” Ginny couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the stereotypical Hermione Granger sentiment to which Hermione gave her a playful nudge. “But seriously, Gin. Think about everything going on right now with Harry and the Da –” She stopped herself, clearing her throat, grateful that Ginny didn’t appear to notice her slip. “You-Know-Who. I think that if Theo is who you want, you have to accept that he may come with baggage you aren’t initially prepared for.”

Ginny’s bright eyes widened, this train of thought obviously not crossing her mind.

“Do you think Theo is involved with You-Know-Who?” she asked in a shocked whisper.

Hermione pursed her lips, trying to navigate the minefield that was this conversation.

“I think it’s a possibility – you just don’t know where people’s loyalties lie. But I do know from my interactions with Theo that he is fiercely loyal and protective of those he loves – just like you.” She tapped the parchment in Ginny’s hands. “So before you judge him too harshly, I would take some time to get to know him.”

Ginny threw her arms around Hermione, burying her face in her hair.

“Thanks, Mione.”

Hermione hugged her back tightly.

“I support you, Gin, no matter what you decide to do,” she said softly, stroking the girl’s back.

…

By the time they made their way back to Hogwarts, Hermione would have been happy to never set foot in Grimmauld Place again. Between the drafty curse infested house, a sullen and moping Sirius, and his screeching blood purist of a mother, the Headquarters of the Order had become suffocating. However, she was intrigued to hear from Draco that the house elf Kreacher had been popping into the manor regularly.

Time passed in fits and starts.

There were bright spots, namely whatever was growing between Theo and Ginny the few times she’d seen them huddled together in a back alcove of the library, and when Hermione was able to introduce Luna to a strangely stiff Pansy.

She had finally made it happen after a Herbology lesson as Luna was getting out of Magical Creatures class and the fourth years typically walked with the fifth years back up to the school. Hermione had been able to pull it off by keeping Daphne with her since they were partners in class and Pansy trailed behind. Then, when she’d spotted Luna, she’d taken the opportunity to introduce the two Slytherins.

Luna had smiled in a vague sort of way before turning to Pansy with a sparkle in her light blue eyes.

“You have a cloud of nargles above your head, did you know?” she asked in a dreamy voice.

Pansy blushed wildly before clearing her throat.

“Uh… no… Is that… bad?” she choked.

Luna had merely blinked owlishly at her for a moment before shaking her head.

“Oh no they’re harmless,” she replied, then linked her arm with Pansy. “Oh look at that! They just disappeared.”

Pansy’s face turned beet red as Luna began to lead her away from Hermione and Daphne towards the castle.

“Maybe I should keep you around then, Lovegood,” Pansy said in an approximation of her normal voice.

Hermione could just hear Luna’s, “ I’d like that” before they were out of sight and collapsed into a fit of giggles with Daphne.

Umbridge’s regime at the school made things just as unpleasant between her educational decrees and teacher assessments. Harry seemed to have detention with Umbridge every week and would come back sullen and aching from her different methods of torture.

She could also see the mental toll the Dark Lord was taking upon her friend’s mind mixed with the emotional toll his occlumency lessons with Snape took. She’d been surprised to learn that Dumbledore had set the task to who she considered to be the last person she would ever want in a room alone with Harry, let alone trying to teach him to calm and control his mind.

The Dark Lord’s mission to ensure Harry went to the Department of Mysteries, however, was constantly on her mind as spring turned to summer. She was aware of Harry’s dreams and was sure that was the work of the Dark Lord, but didn’t know how to be of any help.

“Miss Granger, please stay behind. I need a word with you about your recent Moonstone essay,” Snape drawled at the end of a particularly difficult potions lesson.

From where she was seated beside Theo but across from Harry and Ron, she had a clear view of Draco the next table over who gave her a swift wink as he began to pull together his books. Harry and Ron wasted no time scampering from the dungeons, throwing quick see ya at dinner, Mione! ’s over their shoulders as they tried to get as far away from their least favorite professor as possible.

It wasn’t long until only she, Theo, and Draco were left in the dungeon with Snape who turned to the three of them with a tired air.

“Surely Miss Granger does not require a bodyguard?” Snape intoned, striding around his desk and waving an air freshening charm on the room that was still thick with potion steam.

“Not at all, sir. But I am intensely nosey with a severe abandonment complex that forces me to involve myself in everyone’s business in order to feel important,” Theo quipped, leaning against their work table and knocking Hermione’s shoulder.

Draco strode to Hermione’s other side, sliding his hand over her back before turning to his godfather.

“My father said it’s our job to help Hermione and to protect her. So, whatever you have to say to her you can say to us,” Draco said firmly.

Snape rolled his eyes.

“Your theatrics are not appreciated,” Snape said impatiently. “However, I am aware of your loyalties and the Dark Lord no longer wishes you to be in the dark. You may stay.” At the satisfaction on both their faces Snape quickly added. “ Quietly .”

“Yes sir,” they agreed in unison.

Snape blew out a tired breath before turning his black eyes on Hermione which she was surprised to see were not brimming with dislike as they had been during class. More and more she wondered if his antagonism towards her was as much a mask as Lucius’ cruelness was.

“You are aware of my lessons with Mr. Potter, yes?” he asked in a voice that clearly stated he did not require a response, so Hermione merely nodded. “Good. The Dark Lord informed me that it is through you that he has been able to infiltrate the boy’s mind, which means you are an adequate legilimens.”

“Yes, sir,” she said quietly.

“Mr. Potter’s mind is not compatible with occlumency, no matter how hard he tries. It is physically painful for him to learn to control his mind and emotions – something that does not surprise me in the least seeing how arrogant and temperamental he is. Just like his father ,” Snape muttered the last part under his breath. “Have you tried to help him with his occlumency?”

She straightened, blinking a few times in surprise, wondering if this was a test from the Dark Lord.

“Of course not, sir. It would be going against the Dark Lord’s orders to do so.”

Snape nodded, his eyes flicking between her and Draco who stood very close and kept his hand low on her back. She could see the small twist of pain in Snape’s eyes at this realization.

“Good. It is best if you act as though you know very little about the practice so as not to arouse suspicion whether from Mr. Potter or Dumbledore.”

“Dumbledore already suspects me sir,” she said quickly.

Snape shook his head, his greasy hair barely moving with the action.

“He does not suspect you as he did before the holidays. Though he may be gone from the school for the time being, he is still very much aware of the goings-on. Whatever you said and did has made him believe that whatever may be going on with you is happening without your direct knowledge of action.”

She grimaced.

“He believes I’m just a stupid girl,” she gritted through her teeth.

“Indeed,” Snape agreed. “He believes you to be an unknowing pawn in a pureblood game. Which pureblood, however, he is unsure of.”

“Good,” Draco sighed with relief then stiffened when Hermione shot him a murderous look. “What? Better he think you’re innocent but manipulated than soon to be the Dark Lord’s instrument.”

“Did you forget the definition of quiet , Draco?” Snape snapped.

“Apologies, Severus,” Draco said with a dip of his chin.

“When Mr. Potter is called to the Ministry, I will assist you in getting him there,” Snape said after a moment, almost daring Draco or Theo to interrupt. “Though I do not think it will take much to convince the boy – his likeness to his father means he runs into trouble without considering the risk.

“It is important, however , that you make all appearances of trying to stop him from going in order to maintain your cover.”

Hermione’s brows pulled together.

“How do I do that, sir?”

“I am sure with that brilliant brain of yours, Miss Granger, you will think of something.”