Inconcessus Amor

Chapter One: Wrong House?

Some say the world will end in fire,

some say in ice.

—Robert Frost

It was not unusual for Hermione Granger to be reading a book in the comfort of her own bed, what was unusual, was the size of the book. It was rather thin, to be precise and could not have been more than ninety pages long. It was a small, hard-backed book with gold gilding down the sides of the inside pages. She rested her book down for a moment and sighed discontentedly.

Her room was of an average size. The walls were decorated in a Cherry Blossom pink and the carpet a mint green. The furniture was pine; the bookcase in the far corner of the room—crammed with books—the wooden trunks where she kept treasured possessions, her wardrobe and a chest of drawers—on top of which was delicately resting a large mirror. Her bed was just beside the large, open window; a blue spread with an oriental pattern in red and finally, the bedside table, also in pine, where rested a lava lamp. Her large ivory curtains were pulled back to the sides.

Hermione ignored Crookshanks— her large ginger cat who deposited fur wherever he walked— as he ventured into the room and slipped her legs over the side of her bed, knocking her table as she did so. She grimaced for a moment and rubbed her knee with her spare left hand, before resting her book on the side of the bed. Standing up, she brushed out the creases in her genes and pulled her black t-shirt down so that it covered her stomach.

It had been an extremely dull day, one of many during what seemed to be the longest summer holiday since she had started attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It seemed unlikely that the weather would improve at all that summer and being home alone was no joy, especially as she could not even sit outside to bask in the sunshine.

Her parents had been at home for the beginning of the summer holidays. The first four weeks had been extremely enjoyable and a well needed break from the disastrous affairs that had been swirling in the magical world that year. Now the fifth week was almost at an end and her parents would nearly have finished the first week of two at a resort in Devon. Hermione had originally planned on attending the holiday as well but due to the lack of sunshine and the amount of work she had neglected, she had decided to remain at home.

Over the last couple of days, the weather had become increasingly worse and it had been the worst Sunday that she could remember for a long time. Hermione glided over to her window, dodging a hooded top that had fallen onto the floor and peered out of the open window, catching her reflection in the glaze as she did so. She'd tied her hair back into a high ponytail; the brown, wavy locks bouncing about as her head tilted and her dark brown eyes lightening as she looked out into the rapidly darkening sky.

The avenue below her bedroom window was not surprisingly quiet. There were only seven houses—including Hermione's own—and they were all extremely familiar when examining the exteriors. Large square houses; plastered with climbing plants and layered with symmetrical bricks and windows. Two of the houses—Hermione's and the opposite—had been extended into the attic and the window in the house opposites one, was gleaming from the reflection of the light.

Turning her head away from the outside world, Hermione turned back to look at Crookshanks, who was happily stretched out across her bed with his face squashed against the pillow. She smiled and sat beside him so that she could stroke the skin behind his ears, where the fur was softest. She kissed him on the chin and he rolled over to escape.

Hermione giggled. 'Meany,' she informed her pet, tickling him on the stomach quickly and then avoiding his claws as he became restless.

Hermione grinned again and scanned the window; tiny flecks of moisture had appeared on the side that was closed. She leant forwards to close the window and could hear the family opposite rowing again. Their conversations she had become quite accustomed to; apparently, their son did not want to go to University.

She clipped the latch of the window firmly and pushed the glass with the back of her hand to check that it was not loose. She then moved across the floor and left her room via the door in front of her bed, deciding to get herself a drink before going to bed.

Yawning, Hermione stepped into the hallway and ran down the stairs, her feet brushing against the backs. It was a rather narrow hallway, painted in Magnolia and carpeted in a light brown. There were several framed pictures and a mask her parents had bought whilst on holiday in Africa.

The ground floor to the house was very much closed; the landing into the front door was pretty wide, with several closed doors cutting off of it. Hermione took the first door to her right and closed it behind her so that she was in the kitchen of her house. It was one of the back rooms and overlooked a small but well-kept garden.

There appeared to be a tint of Greek in the décor of the kitchen and rested along a windowsill, where several large olive plants. Everything was clean and in its place; from the spotless, shiny tiles on the floor, to the heavy lampshade that hung from the ceiling.

Opening a cupboard to the side of her, Hermione took out a glass and laid it on top of the counter beside the sink. She then moved to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Butter Beer, the last of the dozen Ron had sent her. She poured it into her glass appreciatively.

The empty bottle disappeared and she began to steadily carry out the glass of drink from the room and closed the kitchen door behind her. A flash of light through the stained glass window in the front door caught her attention but she decided that it was just lightening from a gathering summer storm.

Climbing the stairs carefully, Hermione approached the landing and walked back into her room, sparing a glance for Crookshanks, who was now asleep on the end of her bed and snoring gently. She rested the glass on her bedside table and walked over to her window to close the curtains.

The red and blue lights were the first thing to catch her attention. An ambulance was parked outside of her opposite neighbours house and she remembered that the sirens where never used when people had had a heart problem. However, two police cars then pulled up outside of her own house and Hermione gently pressed her hand against her trouser pocket. It was safely there.

She could have sworn she had seen someone in the window of the attic opposite; watching her from under what appeared to be a hooded … cloak. She could not control her eyes from widening and she doubled back. There was a Death Eater at the Flanders house. She was sure of it.

Against all of her best interests, she knew that if there was more than one and they were still in the area, the police would not really be prepared for a magical attack; she was also pretty sure that Ministry of Magic officials would arrive shortly and perhaps Mr Weasley. She was worried that they may have been looking for her, especially as she was positive none of the Flanders where in any way sourced with magic.

Hermione ran down the stairs as quickly as she could manage, pulled on a pair of trainers that were rested on the mat beside the front door and quickly pulled herself around the now open frame, before closing it behind her. She wasn't the only person who had come out of their house. It appeared that all of the neighbours had been aroused by the gradually building noise.

Dodging a couple of people that she didn't recognise, Hermione scooted over to the other side of the road, only to be stopped by a policeman. She had to get into that house somehow.

The policeman tilted his curved hat. 'Sorry, miss,' he began, 'you can't come any further.'

Hermione put on the best watery eyes she could muster. 'Is he okay?' she asked the officer, allowing her voice to fluctuate. Thankful for the rows the previous evening, she finished, 'is Dan alright?' she asked again, checking for her wand once again. It was safe.

The policeman's eyebrows met slightly. 'I'm afraid that I don't know who you mean. There was only a couple in that house,' he paused briefly, 'there was an empty bed in the attic room that looked like someone had been in it,' he added, 'do you know the family well?'

She had to get into the house. 'Very,' Hermione continued to allow her voice to fluctuate. 'I go to school with their son,' she informed him, realising that it was a crime to lie to an officer.

He looked at her sadly. 'I'm afraid the husband and wife have been taken to hospital. It must have been the son who called the ambulance but he's not there now. The house is empty,' he informed her.

Hermione bit on her lip. 'Could I go in and get their dog for them then. I know they'd be heart broken if anything happened to it,' she added, praising herself for her quick thinking.

The police officer pursed his lips together. 'Just a minute,' he requested and Hermione watched as he approached another officer who was writing down information provided from other neighbour. She saw him nod and then return to her as quickly as he had left. 'You may get the dog but be careful; the house has been checked but nobody saw the attackers leave,' he informed her.

Hermione nodded. 'Thank you very much. I'll leave a note so they know that I've got their dog,' she added quickly, before rushing into the neighbour's house before the officer had a chance to change his mind.

She used to be a well known visitor to the Flanders' when she had been younger. The two families had used to baby sit for each other from time to time but since attending Hogwarts, she had seen very little of the family. Nothing much had changed. The rooms still smelt musky and where painted in neutral colours. She sighed to herself; there was no evidence of an attack.

The officer stood in the door and Hermione quickly remembered that this was not a trip down memory lane. 'Here, Olbas,' she cooed, hoping that Dan had not taken the dog with him. There was something about his disappearance that didn't feel right. 'He must be hiding upstairs,' she called, 'I'll go and get him.'

Feeling her heart miss a beat, she ran up the stairs of the house and looked about the landing in a three hundred and sixty degrees spin. She was pretty sure that nobody was in the house but Hermione pulled her wand from out of her pocket and put it in front of herself.

Walking into what appeared to be the master bedroom; Hermione scanned the room once again. Deciding that she had better check to see that the dog wasn't in there, she walked forwards. How it happened, she'd probably never understand but the next thing she knew, was the fact that she was lying on the floor next to an unconscious Draco Malfoy, who was half visible under what must have been an invisibility cloak.