Sell My Soul

Prologue:

How do you feel?

She never thought she would see this day.

She thought she had already done the unthinkable by falling in love with one Slytherin and becoming friends with another, Lucius Malfoy's son, no less. Yet, it seemed as though an equally incomparable situation was unfolding before her eyes.

On a blistery January day, 12 Grimmauld Place was packed full with every witch and wizard who claimed to have dealings with the Order of the Phoenix, no matter how obscure the connection. Every one of them wanted to judge for themselves the loyalties of Dumbledore's two newest recruits. Each of their expressions held extreme suspicion, yet there were a few hopeful souls in the crowd who were anticipating the proceedings.

Said recruits were presently at the front of the room, in full view of every curious onlooker. The dark-haired one to the left was discreetly shifting his weight from foot to foot, his excited eyes and worried half-frown betraying his nervousness. The blonde one to the right stood still, standing tall with pride and a hint of condescension. From her position, half-hidden behind the shoulder of Severus Snape, she could clearly see that both boys were impatiently awaiting the end of Dumbledore's droning speech.

Thinking of Dumbledore's love of rambling reminded her of reining in her meandering thoughts. She stilled her mind and managed to catch the end of his long-winded talk. " -And so, my fellow warriors, I ask you to greet our two new members: Mr. Blaise Zabini and Mr. Draco Malfoy!"

The applause was scattered but respectful; the other members were still trying their hardest to discern the two boys' true affiliations. Only she, Snape, and a few other members clapped loudly. Looking up at Snape with pleasure and pride in her eyes, she could have sworn that she saw a half-smile on his normally sour visage. Smirking at the sight, she turned her eyes to the two boys once more.

Both Zabini and Malfoy were embarrassed by the loud praise from their headmaster, yet their reactions were very different; Malfoy seemed to revel in it, while his dark-haired friend shied away from attention. When the clapping ended, both boys sat back down in their seats, and the meeting began.

"Now that that's settled," Dumbledore began, his twinkling eyes quickly losing their shine, "I'd like to bring up some important information that we've received from our sources." Although everyone's rapt attention was focused on the Headmaster, no one noticed the imperceptible nod that he sent Snape's way; she noticed Snape sit up straighter in response.

"I now ask our esteemed member, Severus Snape, to share this valuable information with us," Dumbledore concluded.

Snape rose from his seat and gathered his billowing robes about him, as though shielding himself from the opinions of everyone in the room. Looking around, she noticed that frowns and serious expressions dotted the room. She couldn't understand why so many people hated and distrusted the man. Surely they could see that he was their ally, his eagerness to share any information that he had garnered thinly veiled by his awful façade. Yet, perhaps she was the only one in the room who could glimpse the man paying penance for his past sins behind that mask. Her glance landed on the two newest inductees, and she reminded herself that she was not the only one capable of seeing past the surface. The dark-haired boy had been quite adept at looking past her bushy hair and know-it-all attitude, while the blonde...

Snape quietly cleared his throat, which brought her attention back to her Professor. "The Dark Lord has been very interested in the Muggleborns currently residing in Hogwarts," he stated flatly. A snicker or two came from the other members, but Snape's hard countenance and stern poise discouraged that bit of amusement. "In particular, he has had spies watching the movements of these Muggleborns very carefully. At this moment, he knows each of their actions and can predict their movements with the precision of clockwork."

She couldn't stop herself from paling at this news. Voldemort had been keeping tabs on her? Curiosity got the best of her, and she was dying to know just how Tom Riddle had managed to accumulate that kind of information. To her disappointment, and secret relief, Snape did not mention Voldemort's methods.

"The Death Eaters have been on constant alert since last week," he continued with a stoic expression. "Voldemort will strike down these students and their families en masse in a single day in the near future. We must do everything we can to protect them from his wrath." Finished with his pedantic account of the news, Snape gracefully seated himself and turned his attention to the Headmaster.

Noting Snape's actions, everyone turned their heads to look at the old man expectantly. Dumbledore covered his eyes wearily with his hand, and then straightened up in his seat with a weak smile. "So, my warriors, we need more protection for our Muggleborn students. My dear Nymphadora and Kingsley, will you be able to station Aurors..."

At this point, murmurs started buzzing throughout the room as Dumbledore slowly rose from his seat and made his way closer to Shacklebolt and Tonks. Surrounded by the noise, she took the opportunity to drown out everyone else and return to the haven of her mind. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Voldemort now knew everything he would ever need to know to hurt her or capture her. Dear Merlin, that meant that he knew where her parents were...

"Professor Snape," she began hesitantly in an intent, low voice.

Snape turned to her and scowled slightly. "Yes, Miss Granger?" he rasped out impatiently.

"Sir, my parents-"

Before she was able to finish her sentence, Dumbledore slightly amplified his voice with a Sonorous Charm and interrupted, "Those of you who are Aurors, please meet with Nymphadora and Kingsley after the meeting. The rest of you who are willing to volunteer for extra protection of Hogwarts, please join the Aurors in that meeting. Those who are left," his twinkling blue eyes rested on hers, "rest assured. You and your family will be safe in our hands." After a momentary pause, he asked, "Is there anything else that anyone would like to mention?" Silence met his question, and he replied, "Very well, then. Meeting adjourned."

She felt the worry and fear drain out of her at the sound of those words. She completely and fully trusted Dumbledore to protect her and her family, and in the Order's hands, they would be safe. Instead of dwelling on tonight's meeting, she rose and sought the dark-haired boy that she'd been watching previously. After all, tonight was a night for celebration.

She moved quickly through the conversing crowd and finally reached his side in record time. He had been waiting for her, his arms wide open and his eyes sparkling with mirth. With a smile of her own, she threw herself bodily into his arms and planted a loud kiss on his lips.

Loosening her hold on him a bit, Hermione Granger looked up into Blaise Zabini's eyes and asked with mock seriousness, "So, how does it feel to finally be a member of the infamous Order of the Phoenix?"