Hp: Hermione and Darkness

"Pardon me," Dumbledore said from behind the pair, causing Hermione to startle. "I was wondering if I could have a word with you both and Mr. Weasley."

Hermione nodded and followed Ginny and Dumbledore up the stairs and into the drawing room. The drawing room was at one time exquisite, with large windows overlooking the street in front of the house, a large fireplace flanked by two ornate glass-fronted cabinets, and an entire wall covered with a tapestry of the Black family tree. Ron was already there, having gone to the twins' room right after dinner.

Hermione felt her pulse quicken and looked around nervously at Ron and Ginny. They seemed as confused as she was, though not nearly as uneasy. There was just something she couldn't shake about that letter. It was invasive and put her on guard around the Headmaster.

"Thank you all for indulging me and my need for a brief word. As Miss Granger has probably already told you, I have asked her not to reach out to Harry at this time. I'd like to extend that request to you, Mr. Weasley, and you, Miss Weasley, and reiterate it for you, Miss Granger. I am aware of how this request may sound, but I must insist that you all adhere to it for Harry's safety. He cannot know what is happening in the Wizarding World, and he cannot know about the Order."

"But why?" Hermione blurted out.

"As I said in my letter, Miss Granger, you are going to have to trust my judgment on this," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye that made Hermione shiver.

"But he is all alone," Ginny blurted out and then seemed to remember who she was speaking to.

Hermione nodded along stubbornly and continued on Ginny's behalf. "All alone with his uncle and aunt, who we all know are ghastly. All alone after watching his mortal enemy rise from the dead and his classmate take his place!" Hermione's voice had risen so much it rivalled Mrs. Black's.

Dumbledore nodded slowly and crossed to the window, turning his back to the trio to look outside. Ron's face was one of surprise and awe. He had never seen Hermione stand up to a professor quite like that before.

They stood in a very awkward silence for a few moments. Just as Hermione was about to continue her rant, Dumbledore cleared his throat and spoke with his back still to them. "I understand your frustrations and concerns, Miss Granger. I, in fact, share them. However, as we all know, Voldemort has returned. He intended to kill Harry in that graveyard, and I believe he will not stop until he completes that task."

Dumbledore paused and turned around to face them. "Whilst I know Voldemort's return is a solemn and terrifying thought for you three, I fear you do not fully comprehend how much danger Harry and, frankly, the rest of the world is in."

Hermione started to interject again, but Dumbledore held up his hand. "I am not infantilising you. No, not in the least. I know the three of you can and do recognise the threats. However, it would be quite easy for you to minimise those threats because your best friend has faced and survived Tom Riddle four times in his life. It would be quite simple, quite logical to deduce that if a child with limited magical experience can do that, then Voldemort can't be that bad. That thought has crossed my mind a few times as well.

"Nevertheless, I must caution myself and you to ignore that line of thinking. Harry has been lucky. So incredibly lucky. But I fear that with Voldemort's full return in the graveyard, Harry's luck will run out soon."

"And that is why I must insist Harry be kept in the dark, at least for now," Dumbledore said with authority. Then, he sighed. "May I be frank? Knowing Harry's propensity for taking action before knowing all of the facts can, I fear, be his downfall. If you provide Harry with even some of the information you may learn whilst here at Headquarters, I'm afraid of what he would do or what the Death Eaters would do if that letter were intercepted. He is much safer with his Aunt and Uncle under the surveillance of a rotating Order of the Phoenix member."

The room was silent for a few moments. Hermione did agree about Harry's tendency to act first and think later. It made sense, as much as she didn't want to admit it, but knowing Order Members were watching him did help slightly.

"But," Ginny broke the silence, "isn't there a very, very good chance that Harry will do something stupid because he doesn't know anything and feels as though everyone is ignoring him?"

Dumbledore thought for a moment. "Yes," he said simply. "But the difference between doing something stupid and doing something dangerous is worth the risk. Now, do I have your word?"

Hermione looked from Ron to Ginny. She could tell they were as uneasy as she was, but did they even have a choice?

"Yes," the three friends agreed. Hermione just hoped that this wasn't one of the few instances when disobeying a teacher was the right thing to do.

After Dumbledore accepted their promise to stay contactless with Harry, he left them and joined the other Order members for their meeting. Ginny offered to take Hermione on a house tour and show her the bedroom they would share. Conveniently, it was right down the hall from the drawing room. The room was dim like the rest of the house, with two twin beds and two decent-sized wardrobes. Hermione's trunk was already at the foot of one of the beds, and Crookshanks was also balled up there.

Hermione gave Crookshanks a few pets and followed Ginny up the staircase to the second floor, where Ron's bedroom was. It was a complete mirror image of the one she and Ginny stayed in, down to the serpent door knobs. There was another bedroom that Charlie or Bill used when they visited, a bathroom, and a sort of weird parlour.

The second-floor landing, Ginny explained, was a great place to sit and watch who entered Headquarters without attracting much notice.

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