The Darkest Hours
By: FayeValentine00
Chapter 3
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As Ginny and Remus walked down the steps and towards the front door of the Burrow, they could hear whispered voices coming from the sitting room. By the way the people spoke, Ginny could tell that the speakers were angry and there were a lot of them. She couldn't help but wonder if this was a meeting for the Order and that was the reason why Remus was trying to take her outside. He was probably the only one willing to miss out on such an important meeting.
She felt anger build up in her chest as her eyes darted towards the direction where the voices came. They were treating her like a child but she wasn't one. She was nearly in her seventh year but everyone insisted on treating her like she was too young to understand anything. They all said that they were trying to protect her but what if she didn't want to be protected anymore? What if she wanted to do her part to defend her family and her friends like everyone else?
Remus looked over at the young girl with an unreadable expression. He knew what was going through her head and he felt for her, he really did, but he also feared for her safety. She had a tendency towards hot-headedness and he knew that particular trait bred danger.
"So, what were you and Harry talking about?" Remus asked carefully.
Even though her back was to him, Remus could tell that Ginny was wound tight with frustration. There was a tense tone in her voice that seemed to unsettle the former Professor even further.
"Not too much. I was simply telling him not to blame himself for Hermione's parents. You know Harry, he always blames himself when something terrible happens." Her words trailed off at the end as if she wasn't really paying attention to her words at all. Her attention was clearly focused on something completely different.
"Why don't you tell me what you promised Harry."
Ginny's feet stopped abruptly and she took a deep breath before turning around slowly to meet Remus' eyes evenly. She couldn't explain the exact sensation but there was an aching in her chest that grew tighter every moment she thought about returning to Hogwarts alone.
"I didn't make any promise that I intend to keep," she finally said with barely concealed defiance.
Remus opened his mouth to tell her to stop being childish but almost immediately thought better of it. He knew one false move could cause Ginny to make a potentially fatal mistake.
Arthur and Molly had actually been the ones to ask Remus to have a talk with Ginny because they feared she wouldn't listen to anyone else. If her brothers or parents tried to warn her about the dangers of joining the Order, she'd simply think that they were trying to baby her. The same was to be said about Harry and Hermione. Remus was the most objective person they could think of that Ginny might possibly listen to.
"Alright then. Why don't you tell me what you said anyway."
Like a battle of the wills, the two stared into each other's eyes. Ginny's glare trying to prove her strength and Remus' trying to prove his neutrality. Finally, after what felt like an hour, Ginny sighed and dropped her gaze.
"I told Harry that I would return to Hogwarts and not join the Order until I finish my NEWTs."
"And what is so bad about that?" he asked placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I don't want to go back there and have to worry every day about whether or not my family is in danger. I want to stay here and fight like everyone else." As she spoke, there was a hint of sadness in her eyes that her former Professor had not expected.
"Ginny, I know this is going to be hard to take but your going back to Hogwarts is best for everyone."
Fire blazed instantly in the girl's eyes. "You don't understand what it's like, Remus! Do you know what it's like to be left out all the time, to be told that you're too young? Do you know how it feels to stay home while every other person you know and love is fighting for their lives?"
"You're right. I don't understand," he replied with a sigh and, to Ginny's surprise, he seemed to age with stress and worry right before her eyes. "I've never been left out of a battle because I was too young but what you need to understand is that things aren't always greener on the other side."
"Stop it!" In blind rage, she slapped Remus' hand off of her shoulder and moved forward until she was nearly chest to cheat with the man. "They killed my brother. They tried to kill Dad and me! How can I just stand back and wait?"
Something in Remus snapped at that moment and he took her firmly by the shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eye. "No, Ginny. You have no idea how I feel." The cold, dead serious tone in his voice rendered the smaller girl speechless as she watched a wave of emotion run through her former Professor that she'd never seen before.
"I've been there before, feeling the need to be useful, so I joined the Order with James, Lily, Sirius and Peter. I had to live for 13 years thinking that one of my best friends had been responsible for the murder of Harry's parents only to find out later that we'd all been betrayed.
"I've had to watch people around me die one by one and wonder every battle if it might be my time to go! I have tried to keep Harry and Hermione out of danger for as long as possible but now they've left school, the decision to join the Order is theirs alone to make.
"You're still in school, Ginny. You only have one year left. No matter how much you hate us for it, we're trying to keep you from having to see the same things we have. You've already seen things far more horrible then you should ever have had to endure. There is no way your parents, brothers, Harry, Hermione and myself would ever be able to focus on a battle if we thought even for an instant that you were in danger."
By the time Remus finished speaking, tears were streaming down Ginny's face. She'd never heard Remus' speak so candidly and it seemed to put everything into a different perspective. It made her realize things that she didn't even want to think about. "I just feel so useless," she choked out through tears.
"Don't. Being at school and learning everything you can is the most important thing you could be doing. Going into battle without a complete knowledge of what you're up against would be foolish." He paused a moment and offered Ginny a weak smile. "I'll promise you this… if, God forbid, we aren't over this hurtle by next summer, I will not stop you from joining the Order. In fact, I promise to bring you in personally."
She looked him over for a long time, trying to decide whether or not he was telling the truth. "What do you think my parents would say about your promise?"
Only then did a true smile spread across Remus' face and he pulled her in closer as if sharing a secret. "Well, I don't imagine that they'd be too happy about it but at that point, they won't really have much of a say."
Although she really didn't want to give in, Ginny knew a losing battle when she saw one. This was her only option. Hogwarts would once again have a Weasley in attendance for the new year. After a long pause, she nodded. "Alright. You win."
Remus concealed every sigh of relief from his face but internally let out a huge sigh. "Well, now that is out of the way, what do you say we actually take that walk now."
Realizing they hadn't gone further then a hundred feet from the Burrow door, Ginny left out a laugh and nodded, "Sure. Sounds good."
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Three days after the attacks, Hermione awoke to a bright light streaming in the bedroom window and she knew that today she was the day she would have to move on with her life. She knew that it was going to be hard and she'd miss her parent's every single day but there was work to be done. If she didn't get up right at that moment, she knew that she might never find the strength.
Slipping out of the bed quietly to keep from waking Harry, she took a quick shower and made her way down to the kitchen. At first she thought that no one else was awake but when she stepped into the kitchen, she saw that Molly already making breakfast.
"Morning," Hermione said in a soft voice, trying to sound more cheerful then she felt.
"Oh, Hermione. Good morning."
The older woman put down the bowl she'd been mixing and wrapped her arms around the younger woman's shoulders. "I heard you get up and I knew you hadn't been eating so I am fixing all of your favorites."
Gratitude filled Hermione's heart as she looked at the woman who'd become a second mother to both herself and Harry over the years. "Thank you. … Thank you for everything."
Molly looked at Hermione with a sad expression. She could tell that there were so many things that Mrs. Weasley wanted to say yet didn't and for that Hermione was eternally grateful. Although she knew that in the coming days, there would be many discussions, she appreciated that those conversations didn't have to start just yet. Somehow she knew it would all be easier to discuss if she had Harry by her side.
The women spoke idly as the food cooked. They were careful to avoid touchy subjects but Hermione quickly realized that being with her "second" family truly did make her feel just a little bit better. One by one, various members of the family made their way downstairs and although they were surprised at first to see Hermione, they hid it well and tried to make her comfortable.
Harry didn't enter the room until right before breakfast was served. He must have been worried about where Hermione had gone because when his eyes met hers from the doorway, he let out a sigh of relief.
Everyone ate together in virtual silence, which is how things had been ever since the attack on the Grangers. In fact, it wasn't until after Mrs. Weasley had cleared the table that Mr. Weasley dropped a bomb on everyone.
"Harry, Hermione, today there is a meeting for the Order. If you'd like to come, you are most welcome."
That was the closest thing to an invitation that the couple was ever going to receive. Both Harry and Hermione knew that what Arthur really meant to say was that if they wanted to join the Order, today was their chance.
Immediately, Harry wasn't sure how to respond. He was torn between his desire for justice and vengeance and his
concern for Hermione's well being. She'd only just been able to come down and have a meal with her friends. Was
she really ready to join the Order? Before he could even begin to vocalize his thoughts, Hermione answered for him with
a firm look in her eyes that he knew meant she was completely confident.
"We'll be there. Just tell us where and when."