It was close to one in the morning when Anne finally appeared outside the protective enchantments, shimmering into view from her Disillusionment. She tapped her little wooden communication charm to send a message.
Technically, she could have stayed the night at the outer headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, but the thought of falling asleep with Hermione in her arms pulled her here instead.
The wards opened just wide enough for her to slip through.
Hermione was standing in front of the tent, wand in hand, smiling when she saw her.
"I thought you'd gone to sleep," Anne said, walking up to her. "Aren't your watch shifts supposed to last all night?"
"No, we divide them, first half and second half. I swapped with Harry," Hermione said, checking her watch. "There's still about an hour before the next changeover. Go get some rest."
"Oh? And why did you swap the later shift for the earlier one?" Anne asked, grinning as she wrapped her arms around Hermione.
Hermione's cheeks flushed pink. "Just… because. Now go wash up and sleep."
"Alright, alright. I'm going." Anne tilted her head playfully before heading inside.
Watching Anne disappear into the tent, Hermione couldn't help smiling to herself. Then she sat back down on her little stool and opened her book under the soft glow of her wand.
Anne went straight into the master bedroom, which was half again larger than the other two rooms and had its own bathroom. She took off her robes, pulled sleepwear and toiletries from her pack, and went to shower.
Outside, Hermione flipped through A Dictionary of Ancient Runes, glancing every so often toward the dark forest. The night was utterly still, except for the occasional rustle of leaves or the snap of a twig, sounds she knew came from small animals.
When Anne had carried her through woods like these before, the only things she could hear had been Anne's breathing and her own heartbeat.
"Hermione—"
That familiar voice made her turn. Anne was standing there, smiling mischievously.
"I'll take the rest of your watch. You go shower."
"But—"
"No 'but.'" Anne plucked the book right out of Hermione's hands. "You'd rather finish your shift and collapse straight into bed, wouldn't you? Go on, it's fine."
She took Hermione's hand and gently pulled her up. Sitting down on the stool with her wand, Anne waved her toward the tent. "Go."
"…Alright." Hermione gave in with a sigh and went inside.
Anne picked up the bookmark that had fallen from Hermione's rune dictionary, a little beech-wood one she'd given her, and smiled softly before tucking it back into place.
Setting the book aside, she fished three coins from her pocket and idly rolled them between her fingers while she waited.
It wasn't long before Hermione came back out, hair damp from her bath.
"Anne, all done. Now go to bed."
Anne slipped the coins away, nodded, and turned toward the tent. Hermione exhaled with relief, she'd half-feared Anne would insist on staying with her.
But before she could reopen her book, the tent flap lifted again.
Anne stepped out, pillow in one arm, blanket in the other.
Hermione stood up, startled. Anne had already spread the blanket out on the grass.
"Anne, what are you—"
"I know you're on watch," Anne said, tossing the pillow down and taking Hermione's hand. "But who said keeping watch has to mean sitting on a hard stool staring into a creepy, empty forest? Did anyone say that?"
She kicked off her slippers and stepped barefoot onto the blanket. The thick wool felt soft and warm, straight from the tent's linen cupboard.
"Come here." She tugged Hermione down beside her until both were seated in the center of the blanket. With a flick of her wand, Anne summoned the dictionary back into Hermione's hands.
"Here, your book. Read, keep watch, don't mind me," she murmured, wrapping her arms around Hermione's waist and resting her chin on her shoulder.
Hermione couldn't help laughing helplessly. "Anne, there's no way I can concentrate like this."
"Oh, then don't. It's not exactly urgent," Anne said, eyes closed. "Just… keep watch."
Hermione sighed, setting her wand aside. She caught Anne's hand where it circled her waist and said softly, like coaxing a child, "Anne, be good. Go get some sleep, alright?"
"No." Anne's voice was muffled against her shoulder. "Can't sleep without you."
The blunt honesty sent heat rushing up Hermione's neck. She could hear Anne's warm breath by her ear, steady, rhythmic, unbearably close in the still night.
Her face burned hotter. "Then lie down at least. I'll sit and keep watch."
"Mmm… that sounds nice," Anne murmured. "But, if we're lying down, we're lying together."
"Anne!" Hermione gasped as Anne suddenly pulled her backward into the blanket.
"No one said you can't keep watch lying down," Anne said in a teasing voice. "Besides, it's not just you on watch now, half of me is helping. The smart, sensible half of Anne is already asleep."
"Anne, if you keep this up, I'll get angry."
"Okay, okay." Anne released her. Hermione sat up, exasperated.
Anne hugged her pillow to her chest and caught Hermione's hand. "Don't be mad."
Hermione looked at her, sighed. "I'm not mad."
Anne smiled again, a little too brightly. "Really, there's no need to worry. Word is, the Dark Lord's still somewhere in Europe. He's not coming back to Britain anytime soon. Even Snatchers need to sleep. And besides, there's the Order's 'double plan.'"
"'Double plan'?" Hermione frowned.
"Uh—" Anne buried her face in the pillow. "Forget I said anything."
Hermione pulled the pillow away, eyes sharp. "What's the 'double plan,' Anne?"
"I—" Anne's eyes darted sideways. "You misheard."
"I definitely didn't."
Anne hesitated, then sighed. "Fine. It's exactly what it sounds like. The Order's inner circle came up with it, at the right time, use Polyjuice Potion to divert attention."
"You mean… have someone impersonate Harry to protect the real one?" Hermione's voice rose. "That's far too dangerous! We can't do that!"
"But the inner circle already voted almost unanimously. It's out of my hands."
"Even so, Harry deserves to know," Hermione said firmly.
"Don't!" Anne sat up, clutching her pillow. "If Harry finds out, the whole plan's doomed!"
"It should be doomed," Hermione shot back. "We can't base our safety on someone else's life!"
"It's wartime, Hermione." Anne frowned. "And the Order agreed unanimously. I swore to keep it a secret."
For just a moment, disappointment flickered in Hermione's eyes, brief, but sharp enough for Anne to catch.
The anger that had been simmering in her chest flared to life. She tried to swallow it, but couldn't.
"Hermione, there's no such thing as a war without deaths," she said, forcing her voice steady.
But Hermione's thoughts were already elsewhere. Her voice dropped.
"Anne… you told me once you have veto power over all of the Order's proposals."
The spark ignited into a blaze.
"Fine!" Anne's tone turned icy, terrifyingly calm. "You're right. I did agree. Not only that, I supported it. The first time Moody mentioned it, I thought it was brilliant. When the meeting came, I pushed for it. That's the truth."
She gave a short, bitter laugh. "It passed unanimously. I made sure it did. Every decision I make for the Order, I only ask one thing: does it serve our goal, and does it maximize our odds?
Mrs. Weasley was right, I'm nothing like Dumbledore. I use people. Efficiently. Half the Order's outer members, I just pay them. I've never once considered whether they live or die."
"Anne—" Hermione's voice trembled. "Please don't, I'm sorry—"
"No." Anne jerked away from her touch, stepping barefoot onto the cold grass outside the blanket. "I'm not done. You want the truth? Fine. I use people. I'm cold. The night we caught those three Death Eaters, I baited them with thirty thousand Muggles."
Her laugh came out harsh, almost a sob. "What's the matter? Shocked? Disappointed? Didn't think I was that kind of person?" She flung the pillow down. "Sorry, Hermione Granger, but I, Anne Laurence Reeve, was never the noble Gryffindor type you like to imagine."
"Uh, what's going on?"
Harry stood frozen in the tent's doorway, bewildered.
Hermione, tears streaming, didn't even look at him.
Eyes red, Anne strode past him toward the bedroom. Harry instinctively raised a hand to stop her.
"Anne, wait—"
"Get out of my way!" she shouted. The raw pain in her voice made him stumble back.
"I, uh…" Harry glanced helplessly at Hermione, but she was already rushing past him like the wind, chasing after Anne.
Harry hesitated at the door, took one step toward the master bedroom, then stopped.
"I'll… keep watch. If Anne storms out, I'll stop her," he muttered to himself. "Girls are impossible. How did they end up fighting again?"
Anne stormed into the bedroom, eyes blazing, and scanned the room. She grabbed her bag and robe, determined to leave. She couldn't stay here, not another minute.
But just as she reached the door, Hermione caught her from behind.
Anne couldn't break free, not with her hands full. Then came a kiss, salty with tears, then sharp with the taste of blood.
Anne had bitten Hermione's lip, hard, but Hermione only held tighter, deepening the kiss.
The robe and bag fell to the floor. Eyes still wet, Anne pushed Hermione back against the door as it slammed shut, plunging the room into darkness.
"What are you doing?" Anne's voice was hoarse.
"I—" Hermione clung to her like she was drowning. Her voice broke. "I'm sorry, Anne. Please, don't go. I love you. Please, don't leave me."
The tears came suddenly. Anne choked on a sob, curling in on herself like a wounded creature.
"Anyone can be disappointed in me. But not you, Hermione."
Her voice cracked with pain.
"You're my girlfriend," Anne whispered, trying to wipe the tears streaming down her face, but they wouldn't stop. "So why… why would you—"
"I didn't mean to—" Hermione tried, voice trembling.
"I wanted to find a perfect plan, to protect everyone, save everyone," Anne whimpered. "But I'm not a god. This is all I can do…"
"I tried, Hermione. I've tried so hard to keep Dumbledore's promise, to protect the Order. I never wanted anyone hurt. But if I don't take drastic measures, they won't listen—"
"I'm sorry," Hermione sobbed.
"Every time they go on a mission, I can't sleep. I'm terrified the next report will be about their deaths. Every order goes out with my signature on it." Anne's voice broke, small, lost, childlike. It made Hermione's heart ache like it was tearing apart.
"Most of the outer members are hardened fighters," Anne said through tears. "I have to deal with them, I have to drink, bluff, threaten. I pay them more so they won't feed me false intel, but not too much or they'll bleed me dry. I hide the truth from them, hide the Order's plans, because if they knew—"
"Anne, stop… please," Hermione begged.
"You said I built my safety on others' lives. You're right. But what else can I do?" Anne pressed her face into Hermione's neck, sobbing. "My uncle's out there too. Every time I see his name on a mission order, my hands shake—"
"It's my fault," Hermione whispered. "All my fault."
"I know you meant what you said," Anne whimpered. "But you shouldn't have, you shouldn't have lost faith in me."
"I was wrong, Anne. Completely wrong," Hermione said quickly. "You can yell at me, hit me, whatever you want, but please, don't leave. I know how much you carry, how hard you fight to make everything work. I know how much of yourself you pour into it all—"
"You know…" Anne sniffled, amber eyes glistening with tears, her nose red and scrunched like a child's. "Then why?"
"I'm sorry." Hermione met her eyes squarely. "Maybe it's because I can't do what you do. Maybe I don't know how to be a good girlfriend. I've asked myself that, and the answer's yes, I've failed."
She wiped her own tears, then brushed the ones from Anne's cheeks and kissed her gently.
"Forgive me. Please?"
Forehead to forehead, Anne sniffled. "You made me cry. You owe me."
Her tone was petulant, childlike. Hermione smiled faintly. "Alright. I owe you. What do you want me to do?"
Anne pouted. "I just remembered, you still owe me one favor. Now you owe me another. That's two."
Hermione chuckled softly. "Then I guess I'm in your debt."
Anne looked at her for a long moment. No matter how hurt she was, she could never truly be angry at Hermione.
She turned away, murmuring, "I'm going to sleep."
After two steps, she noticed she wasn't wearing shoes. Neither was Hermione.
"I'll go get them?"
Anne stopped her, rummaged in the bottom drawer, and pulled out two new pairs of slippers.
By the time Hermione came out of the bathroom, Anne had already hung up her robe and bag, and climbed into bed, clutching a pillow and cocooning herself in the only blanket.
Hermione pressed her lips together, opened the closet, and fetched a thin spare blanket. She slipped into bed, close as she dared.
Moments later, Anne sighed softly. Half the main blanket fell over Hermione's side.
"Lift your head," Anne mumbled.
Hermione did, and half a pillow was pushed her way. She wrapped her arms around Anne, who didn't resist, only closed her eyes.