AN: Ok, here's what you've been waiting for--Chapter 3! I wrote most of
these on my way to NC, so I hope it turns out all right. (Bumpy roads +
Laptop = um, NOT GOOD!!!) Please read, and then please review! (I say that
a lot!) BTW, thanx to all that sent reviews so far-Loz, Nabeeha, 368writer,
****Hermione****, Gary Skinner, jenni_ellen12, goldensnitchgirl,
Hermione0018, Isis, and probably more by now!
Disclaimer: I still only own one of the characters!
Chapter 3--Back to the Burrow
"Harry! Harry! Oh, Harry, we've been so worried about you!" Harry allowed himself to nearly be choked to death as Mrs. Weasley gave him a firm hug.
"Hi, Harry," Ginny grinned, as she watched the tousled Harry pull out of the hug. She was sitting at the table, books and scrolls of paper spread in front of her, and a feather quill sitting in an ink bottle.
"Hey, what are you doing home?" Harry asked, flabbergasted. (I love that word!)
"Do you really think the Ministry was going to let us stay at Hogwarts after what happened?" Ginny inquired, "They sent us home."
Mrs. Weasley obviously agreed, because she shook her head, and said, "Mm hum, right good decision that was. If they hadn't done it, I definitely would've."
"Mother!" Ginny exclaimed, annoyed, "Besides, we might as well still be in school, they've pounded us with so much homework."
Harry nodded in agreement, understanding how Ginny felt. Even though it was a lot of work, Harry missed Hogwarts. He missed the Quidditch, Gryffindor Tower, the people, being a Prefect...
Harry, suddenly remembering what he was there for, turned to Mrs. Weasley, and began, "Mrs. Weasley, more people have been kidnapped."
Mrs. Weasley placed her hand on her heart, and exclaimed, "Unbelievable! Who?"
"Well, Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil--"
"Ron's girlfriend?" Ginny interrogated, incredulously.
"Yes, but that's not it..."Harry trailed off. He looked at Ginny, then Mrs. Weasley, realizing how tough this was going to be on them. He felt tears spring to his eyes, thinking about Ron--his best friend, and Hermione--his girlfriend. He wiped his eyes prior to saying, "Ron and Hermione as well."
"Dear God--" Mrs. Weasley swayed on the spot, and with a heavy sigh, fainted.
***
"Is she going to be okay?"
"I think so...once she wakes up, she'll recollect her thoughts, and everything will be fine."
Harry watched through the kitchen doorway as Mr. Weasley pulled a crying Ginny into a hug. Feeling tears again, Harry spun his head around, so they wouldn't see the teardrops when they fell. How great it must be to have a family that loves you. That actually cares for you, that doesn't get thrilled when you go missing. (cough, Dursleys, cough) Harry fell truly sympathetic towards the Weasleys. He wished he had someone that someone would feel sorry for him 24/7, but hey, you don't always get everything you want.
Harry felt the tears actually fall down his face, as his thinking turned toward Hermione. When would he ever see her again? He remembered back to 6th year, when Malfoy had gone a little crazy with the Cruciatus Curse on Hermione, and she had been in the Hospital Wing for almost a month. Harry and Ron visited her everyday, and, even though Ron missed her, Harry's heart ached just to look at her. Oh, how his heart ached now.
***
Hermione fell to the ground with a thump. She winced as she tried to stand up, and rubbed her bottom to ease the discomfort. She looked around at the room that had enveloped her, and soon, she realized someone very close to her.
"Ron!" She screamed, and tried to run over to him. He looked up in amazement, and Hermione was about three feet away from him, when the girl (Voldema, duh), said, snapping her fingers:
"Not so fast, Miss Grange'," Voldema said cruelly, as ropes bound themselves around Hermione. Hermione gasped with struggle, and fell to the floor with a thud.
"Ugh.ugh," Hermione groaned, then looked up at Voldema with pure hatred on her face, "Who are you?"
"Hmm, same reaction ya' friend Mr. Weasley gave," Voldema said observantly, "I am the daughter of the great Voldemort, Voldema."
"So that's who are," Hermione muttered, just low enough for Ron to hear, who snorted.
"Having trouble breathing, Mr. Weasley? Good, that might get rid of you instead of us having to kill you."
Hermione's jaw dropped. She looked around at Ron, and asked him, "What does she want with us?"
"Good question, Mrs. Grange'," Voldema started before Ron had a chance to begin, "I am correct in the fact that ya' are a friend of Mr. Potte'?"
"Harry, yes, yes I am."
"And you know what Mr. Potte' is, don't ya'?"
"Um, well, if you mean he is the boy that lived, yes," Hermione stuttered.
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Harry Potter somehow miraculously survived my Father's attempts to kill him six or seven times. And now it is my duty to kill him for my father."
Voldema let out that high, inexorable laugh again, as she watched Hermione's face spread to horror.
***
AN: Ok, this is directed toward one of my good friends-here's the part you've been waiting for, RWP!!!!! The Sirius section!!!!!! Ok, read on!!!
"Sirius! Sirius, where are you!"
Harry wondered around the gloomy depths of Sirius's house. It was dark in here, and Harry was starting to think that they had kidnapped him too from the looks of things. The kitchen and living room were in a disarray, and there weren't any signs of living in any of the rooms. He was about to leave, when he heard a voice distantly yell, "Harry!"
Harry wheeled around. Where was that voice coming from? He yelled out, "Sirius? Is that you? Where are you?"
Harry began wondering around the house again, and was just about to head upstairs, when the thundering of footsteps coming down told him Sirius was approaching.
"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed, and pulled the man into a hug when he got to the bottom of the stairs.
Sirius looked a whole lot better than when he lost saw him. His face was clean and shaven, his hair neat, and his body clean. He was also modeling better cloths-not being a convicted murderer any more had its advantages, you know.
"How are you?" Harry asked almost immediately.
"Never mind about me-how are you?"
Harry paused to think on the subject of this simple question for just a moment, "Well, considering the fact that five people close to me are missing, two of them Ron and Hermione, I'm perfectly fine!"
"Harry, don't be ridiculous," Sirius said, his voice comforting. He forced Harry to sit down in a dusty chair, and started drilling him with questions, "How did Ron and Hermione go missing?"
"I don't know about Ron, but I witnessed Hermione's kidnapping. I was spending the night at her apartment, and I was making breakfast for her when she called out my name-I ran into her room to find her being taken."
"Oh, Harry," Sirius murmured. Sirius wasn't much for comforting, but right now, Harry didn't care. Besides the rest of the Weasleys and Dumbledore, most likely Sirius was the only person that Harry had to care him, "Isn't Dumbledore missing as well?"
"Yes," Harry responded miserably.
"So who are the other two?"
"Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown."
"Okay, whoever they are," Sirius said, confused, "Sorry, that was mean. So, why are here anyway?"
"Well, I need you to-," Harry started, but was interrupted by Sirius.
"Wait! No, don't speak! Shut your mouth!"
"Huh?"
"I think my house is bugged."
"Huh?" Harry said again.
"Well, a few weeks ago, Dumbledore and the Ministry Leaders met here for an important meeting. Well, not three or four days later, the private information that we discussed was somehow released. So, believing that my house was being bugged, I-wait, if I say it up here, someone might hear. Come on."
Sirius dragged Harry out the front door, and around to the back of the house to where a ladder was standing.
"Sirius, why can't we just use the stairs like normal people?"
"Don't want to be followed," Sirius said, beginning to climb up the towering ladder.
Five minutes later, Harry was panting from climbing up the ladder, going through a trapdoor, and down a rope, then climbing down a flight of what must have been a hundred steps to an 'underground hidden compartment'. Harry let out a deep breath, as he plopped down on a small bed. After recollecting himself, he took a look around.
He was in a large room, which had the appearance of a cave. There were two rooms, the one that he was currently in, and another one, which Harry assumed was the bedroom. He stood up slowly to look around at the living/kitchen/and storage area that he was recently standing in. Sirius had already sat himself in a revolving chair behind the Buffet table type thing (What's it called? Oh, well.) ,that Harry had a feeling he had conjured out of nowhere. Harry seated himself back down, and Sirius continued:
"I moved down to this hidden place that came with the house. Only I know about it, and now you, so keep mum."
Harry promised to do so, and Sirius asked again, "So why are you here?"
Harry had thought for a good while how he wanted to put this into words, and now he couldn't remember any of his mental notes. Thinking deeply, he stood up and began pacing.
Finally, he began, "I need your help."
"Well, I figured that much," Sirius said sarcastically.
"Yes, well, good. But I don't need your help for any old reason. I need to help me fight Voldema."
"Who?"
"Voldema-Voldemort's daughter, you know? Well, you probably haven't heard of her-but I don't have a good felling about her. I think-or, rather, I know she kidnapped Dumbledore and the others."
"And." Sirius said, not getting Harry's point.
"Well, don't you think I want to get my friends back?" Harry retorted, irritated with Sirius's slow understanding.
"Harry, I know that, but I have a feeling you're not telling me something."
"Well, it's just-," Harry broke off, wondering how he should put into words what he wanted to express, "I-I have a feeling that all of this that is going on with this Voldema girl is somehow linked to me."
Sirius nodded his head in compromise, but he didn't look stunned, "I wouldn't be surprised, a lot of things going on with the Dark Side have to do with you."
"I know, and I've got to do something. I'm not just going to lie down in front of her to make her murdering me easier. I've got to fight her, and get my friends back before she kills them as well."
"And how are we going to do that?"
"Well, I think I have a plan."
***
Minerva McGonagall looked around nervously. It was scary, now, to still be at Hogwarts after what had happened to Albus. Now, it was surreal to be at the school with only the Professors to accompany her.
She tiptoed through the corridor, afraid that her heels were going to attract the villain that wasn't there. She headed quietly to Snape's office, opening the door with great caution. After she closed it and turned around to face the office area, she gasped in surprise at the catastrophe that seemed to be taking place here.
"Severus Snape! What on earth is going on here?"
Snape threw back his head in surprise. He hurriedly tried to cover up the cauldron he was
mixing things in, and began throwing random paraphernalia into a bag that lay open. After he managed hiding at least half of what he was doing, he wheeled around to face Minerva, and said, "You're late," in his iciest tone.
"Yes, well, it looks like you were doing all right without me," Minerva said, observing the
mess that consumed most of Snape's office now.
"Humph!" Severus tried to look like he knew that, for he didn't like being corrected,
"Well, you're here now, and I have an important issue to discuss with you."
"Fine, get on with it then."
"Yes, well, erm." Severus stopped for a second, considering how he should say this, "Well, Minerva, I think our help is greatly needed."
"Help, help for what?" Minerva said, unconcernedly.
"Dumbledore."
"I've known that, Severus, what else?"
"Well, I think-erm-I think Harry Potter is in great need of our help."
"What!? What has all this got to do with Harry Potter?"
"Everything. Just think about, Minerva. Who on this earth would want to kidnap Dumbledore just for the heck of it?"
Minerva though for a second on this, and, realizing that Snape was right, said, "Correct. Go on."
"Well, I have a feeling that he will need our assistance in the coming weeks, to dodge out of the path of that wicked girl, Voldema."
"All right," Minerva said nervously, still not sure why she was doing this, "Where do we start?"
***
"Paper, rock, scissors."
"Ah! I got you!" Lavender squealed in excitement. She threw her 'paper' on top of Hermione's folded up fist, which was supposed to resemble a rock.
"Wait-I still don't understand," Parvati complained, "How come Lavender beats Hermione?"
"Because the paper beats the rock, the rock the scissors, and the scissors the paper," Hermione said grumpily.
"Well, excuse me if I'm mentally challenged when it comes to Muggle games," Parvati snapped, "I'm not exactly Muggle, am I?"
"Parvati," Ron said quietly, "Cool it."
"Oh, I'm sorry Hermione, it's just hard to be in a good mood now."
Hermione nodded in agreement, thinking about what her parents reactions were when they were told she had been kidnapped. Even if they had been told. Her parents being Muggles, it was hard to keep up to date with the Magical World.
Hermione lay her head down as her thoughts turned to Harry. He wondered if he was thinking about her at this present moment-but probably not, avoiding being killed by Voldema at the present moment was trouble enough.
When will I ever get out of here? She thought miserably. Surely Harry would come and rescue and them, and get them out of here.
She converted her thoughts to something else as the tears came. She wanted to avoid the stares of Ron and Parvati; they already thought she was abnormal for wanting to be back at work-but who could blame her, anything was better than being stuck in this stuffy room.
Hermione curled herself on the floor (Voldema had finally untied them, figuring there was no way they could get out, since they didn't have wands.), and tried to make herself comfortable on the stony ground. She fell asleep listening to Parvati and Ron talk softly to each other, and Lavender's snores.
***
Harry thought to himself about how he should break the news to Hermione's parents. He never met them, after all, so he didn't know how he should explain himself to them.
He had been sitting on their doorstep for twenty minutes, and he still didn't have the guts to go in. He finally gathered his breath together, and shakily rung the doorbell on the porch.
The door was answered almost instantly by a smiling woman of about the age of forty-five. In the background, she could hear music playing loudly, and the loud noise of people talking. It sounded like they were having a good time, and Harry hated to break the saddening news to them when they were having such a good time.
"Yes, darling?" the lady asked sweetly, and Harry assumed she was Hermione's mother.
'Um-yes-um-,"Harry smiled at the woman, and she smiled back with a rather forced smile.
At last, Harry, figuring they didn't have all day for him to think of an explanation, "I'm here about Hermione."
Mrs. Granger's smile altered, "What about Hermione?"
"Maybe I'd better come inside to tell you this."
Mrs. Granger admitted Harry into the nice house, and directed him to the living area. There he found about ten people, laughing, talking. They stopped when they saw Harry, and Mrs. Granger said, "Honey, he's here about Hermione."
Mr. Granger jumped up, shook his hand, and asked, "What about her?"
"Well," Harry started, knowing this was going to hit them hard, "Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Hermione's been kidnapped."
They reacted in the same way that Mrs. Weasley did. They fainted.
AN: End of Chapter 3! End of Chapter 3! Ok, I'm excited; this is the farthest I've gotten when writing a story! PLEASEEEE review, even if you have already reviewed! Thanx a lot, Chapter 4 will be up soon!
Disclaimer: I still only own one of the characters!
Chapter 3--Back to the Burrow
"Harry! Harry! Oh, Harry, we've been so worried about you!" Harry allowed himself to nearly be choked to death as Mrs. Weasley gave him a firm hug.
"Hi, Harry," Ginny grinned, as she watched the tousled Harry pull out of the hug. She was sitting at the table, books and scrolls of paper spread in front of her, and a feather quill sitting in an ink bottle.
"Hey, what are you doing home?" Harry asked, flabbergasted. (I love that word!)
"Do you really think the Ministry was going to let us stay at Hogwarts after what happened?" Ginny inquired, "They sent us home."
Mrs. Weasley obviously agreed, because she shook her head, and said, "Mm hum, right good decision that was. If they hadn't done it, I definitely would've."
"Mother!" Ginny exclaimed, annoyed, "Besides, we might as well still be in school, they've pounded us with so much homework."
Harry nodded in agreement, understanding how Ginny felt. Even though it was a lot of work, Harry missed Hogwarts. He missed the Quidditch, Gryffindor Tower, the people, being a Prefect...
Harry, suddenly remembering what he was there for, turned to Mrs. Weasley, and began, "Mrs. Weasley, more people have been kidnapped."
Mrs. Weasley placed her hand on her heart, and exclaimed, "Unbelievable! Who?"
"Well, Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil--"
"Ron's girlfriend?" Ginny interrogated, incredulously.
"Yes, but that's not it..."Harry trailed off. He looked at Ginny, then Mrs. Weasley, realizing how tough this was going to be on them. He felt tears spring to his eyes, thinking about Ron--his best friend, and Hermione--his girlfriend. He wiped his eyes prior to saying, "Ron and Hermione as well."
"Dear God--" Mrs. Weasley swayed on the spot, and with a heavy sigh, fainted.
***
"Is she going to be okay?"
"I think so...once she wakes up, she'll recollect her thoughts, and everything will be fine."
Harry watched through the kitchen doorway as Mr. Weasley pulled a crying Ginny into a hug. Feeling tears again, Harry spun his head around, so they wouldn't see the teardrops when they fell. How great it must be to have a family that loves you. That actually cares for you, that doesn't get thrilled when you go missing. (cough, Dursleys, cough) Harry fell truly sympathetic towards the Weasleys. He wished he had someone that someone would feel sorry for him 24/7, but hey, you don't always get everything you want.
Harry felt the tears actually fall down his face, as his thinking turned toward Hermione. When would he ever see her again? He remembered back to 6th year, when Malfoy had gone a little crazy with the Cruciatus Curse on Hermione, and she had been in the Hospital Wing for almost a month. Harry and Ron visited her everyday, and, even though Ron missed her, Harry's heart ached just to look at her. Oh, how his heart ached now.
***
Hermione fell to the ground with a thump. She winced as she tried to stand up, and rubbed her bottom to ease the discomfort. She looked around at the room that had enveloped her, and soon, she realized someone very close to her.
"Ron!" She screamed, and tried to run over to him. He looked up in amazement, and Hermione was about three feet away from him, when the girl (Voldema, duh), said, snapping her fingers:
"Not so fast, Miss Grange'," Voldema said cruelly, as ropes bound themselves around Hermione. Hermione gasped with struggle, and fell to the floor with a thud.
"Ugh.ugh," Hermione groaned, then looked up at Voldema with pure hatred on her face, "Who are you?"
"Hmm, same reaction ya' friend Mr. Weasley gave," Voldema said observantly, "I am the daughter of the great Voldemort, Voldema."
"So that's who are," Hermione muttered, just low enough for Ron to hear, who snorted.
"Having trouble breathing, Mr. Weasley? Good, that might get rid of you instead of us having to kill you."
Hermione's jaw dropped. She looked around at Ron, and asked him, "What does she want with us?"
"Good question, Mrs. Grange'," Voldema started before Ron had a chance to begin, "I am correct in the fact that ya' are a friend of Mr. Potte'?"
"Harry, yes, yes I am."
"And you know what Mr. Potte' is, don't ya'?"
"Um, well, if you mean he is the boy that lived, yes," Hermione stuttered.
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Harry Potter somehow miraculously survived my Father's attempts to kill him six or seven times. And now it is my duty to kill him for my father."
Voldema let out that high, inexorable laugh again, as she watched Hermione's face spread to horror.
***
AN: Ok, this is directed toward one of my good friends-here's the part you've been waiting for, RWP!!!!! The Sirius section!!!!!! Ok, read on!!!
"Sirius! Sirius, where are you!"
Harry wondered around the gloomy depths of Sirius's house. It was dark in here, and Harry was starting to think that they had kidnapped him too from the looks of things. The kitchen and living room were in a disarray, and there weren't any signs of living in any of the rooms. He was about to leave, when he heard a voice distantly yell, "Harry!"
Harry wheeled around. Where was that voice coming from? He yelled out, "Sirius? Is that you? Where are you?"
Harry began wondering around the house again, and was just about to head upstairs, when the thundering of footsteps coming down told him Sirius was approaching.
"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed, and pulled the man into a hug when he got to the bottom of the stairs.
Sirius looked a whole lot better than when he lost saw him. His face was clean and shaven, his hair neat, and his body clean. He was also modeling better cloths-not being a convicted murderer any more had its advantages, you know.
"How are you?" Harry asked almost immediately.
"Never mind about me-how are you?"
Harry paused to think on the subject of this simple question for just a moment, "Well, considering the fact that five people close to me are missing, two of them Ron and Hermione, I'm perfectly fine!"
"Harry, don't be ridiculous," Sirius said, his voice comforting. He forced Harry to sit down in a dusty chair, and started drilling him with questions, "How did Ron and Hermione go missing?"
"I don't know about Ron, but I witnessed Hermione's kidnapping. I was spending the night at her apartment, and I was making breakfast for her when she called out my name-I ran into her room to find her being taken."
"Oh, Harry," Sirius murmured. Sirius wasn't much for comforting, but right now, Harry didn't care. Besides the rest of the Weasleys and Dumbledore, most likely Sirius was the only person that Harry had to care him, "Isn't Dumbledore missing as well?"
"Yes," Harry responded miserably.
"So who are the other two?"
"Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown."
"Okay, whoever they are," Sirius said, confused, "Sorry, that was mean. So, why are here anyway?"
"Well, I need you to-," Harry started, but was interrupted by Sirius.
"Wait! No, don't speak! Shut your mouth!"
"Huh?"
"I think my house is bugged."
"Huh?" Harry said again.
"Well, a few weeks ago, Dumbledore and the Ministry Leaders met here for an important meeting. Well, not three or four days later, the private information that we discussed was somehow released. So, believing that my house was being bugged, I-wait, if I say it up here, someone might hear. Come on."
Sirius dragged Harry out the front door, and around to the back of the house to where a ladder was standing.
"Sirius, why can't we just use the stairs like normal people?"
"Don't want to be followed," Sirius said, beginning to climb up the towering ladder.
Five minutes later, Harry was panting from climbing up the ladder, going through a trapdoor, and down a rope, then climbing down a flight of what must have been a hundred steps to an 'underground hidden compartment'. Harry let out a deep breath, as he plopped down on a small bed. After recollecting himself, he took a look around.
He was in a large room, which had the appearance of a cave. There were two rooms, the one that he was currently in, and another one, which Harry assumed was the bedroom. He stood up slowly to look around at the living/kitchen/and storage area that he was recently standing in. Sirius had already sat himself in a revolving chair behind the Buffet table type thing (What's it called? Oh, well.) ,that Harry had a feeling he had conjured out of nowhere. Harry seated himself back down, and Sirius continued:
"I moved down to this hidden place that came with the house. Only I know about it, and now you, so keep mum."
Harry promised to do so, and Sirius asked again, "So why are you here?"
Harry had thought for a good while how he wanted to put this into words, and now he couldn't remember any of his mental notes. Thinking deeply, he stood up and began pacing.
Finally, he began, "I need your help."
"Well, I figured that much," Sirius said sarcastically.
"Yes, well, good. But I don't need your help for any old reason. I need to help me fight Voldema."
"Who?"
"Voldema-Voldemort's daughter, you know? Well, you probably haven't heard of her-but I don't have a good felling about her. I think-or, rather, I know she kidnapped Dumbledore and the others."
"And." Sirius said, not getting Harry's point.
"Well, don't you think I want to get my friends back?" Harry retorted, irritated with Sirius's slow understanding.
"Harry, I know that, but I have a feeling you're not telling me something."
"Well, it's just-," Harry broke off, wondering how he should put into words what he wanted to express, "I-I have a feeling that all of this that is going on with this Voldema girl is somehow linked to me."
Sirius nodded his head in compromise, but he didn't look stunned, "I wouldn't be surprised, a lot of things going on with the Dark Side have to do with you."
"I know, and I've got to do something. I'm not just going to lie down in front of her to make her murdering me easier. I've got to fight her, and get my friends back before she kills them as well."
"And how are we going to do that?"
"Well, I think I have a plan."
***
Minerva McGonagall looked around nervously. It was scary, now, to still be at Hogwarts after what had happened to Albus. Now, it was surreal to be at the school with only the Professors to accompany her.
She tiptoed through the corridor, afraid that her heels were going to attract the villain that wasn't there. She headed quietly to Snape's office, opening the door with great caution. After she closed it and turned around to face the office area, she gasped in surprise at the catastrophe that seemed to be taking place here.
"Severus Snape! What on earth is going on here?"
Snape threw back his head in surprise. He hurriedly tried to cover up the cauldron he was
mixing things in, and began throwing random paraphernalia into a bag that lay open. After he managed hiding at least half of what he was doing, he wheeled around to face Minerva, and said, "You're late," in his iciest tone.
"Yes, well, it looks like you were doing all right without me," Minerva said, observing the
mess that consumed most of Snape's office now.
"Humph!" Severus tried to look like he knew that, for he didn't like being corrected,
"Well, you're here now, and I have an important issue to discuss with you."
"Fine, get on with it then."
"Yes, well, erm." Severus stopped for a second, considering how he should say this, "Well, Minerva, I think our help is greatly needed."
"Help, help for what?" Minerva said, unconcernedly.
"Dumbledore."
"I've known that, Severus, what else?"
"Well, I think-erm-I think Harry Potter is in great need of our help."
"What!? What has all this got to do with Harry Potter?"
"Everything. Just think about, Minerva. Who on this earth would want to kidnap Dumbledore just for the heck of it?"
Minerva though for a second on this, and, realizing that Snape was right, said, "Correct. Go on."
"Well, I have a feeling that he will need our assistance in the coming weeks, to dodge out of the path of that wicked girl, Voldema."
"All right," Minerva said nervously, still not sure why she was doing this, "Where do we start?"
***
"Paper, rock, scissors."
"Ah! I got you!" Lavender squealed in excitement. She threw her 'paper' on top of Hermione's folded up fist, which was supposed to resemble a rock.
"Wait-I still don't understand," Parvati complained, "How come Lavender beats Hermione?"
"Because the paper beats the rock, the rock the scissors, and the scissors the paper," Hermione said grumpily.
"Well, excuse me if I'm mentally challenged when it comes to Muggle games," Parvati snapped, "I'm not exactly Muggle, am I?"
"Parvati," Ron said quietly, "Cool it."
"Oh, I'm sorry Hermione, it's just hard to be in a good mood now."
Hermione nodded in agreement, thinking about what her parents reactions were when they were told she had been kidnapped. Even if they had been told. Her parents being Muggles, it was hard to keep up to date with the Magical World.
Hermione lay her head down as her thoughts turned to Harry. He wondered if he was thinking about her at this present moment-but probably not, avoiding being killed by Voldema at the present moment was trouble enough.
When will I ever get out of here? She thought miserably. Surely Harry would come and rescue and them, and get them out of here.
She converted her thoughts to something else as the tears came. She wanted to avoid the stares of Ron and Parvati; they already thought she was abnormal for wanting to be back at work-but who could blame her, anything was better than being stuck in this stuffy room.
Hermione curled herself on the floor (Voldema had finally untied them, figuring there was no way they could get out, since they didn't have wands.), and tried to make herself comfortable on the stony ground. She fell asleep listening to Parvati and Ron talk softly to each other, and Lavender's snores.
***
Harry thought to himself about how he should break the news to Hermione's parents. He never met them, after all, so he didn't know how he should explain himself to them.
He had been sitting on their doorstep for twenty minutes, and he still didn't have the guts to go in. He finally gathered his breath together, and shakily rung the doorbell on the porch.
The door was answered almost instantly by a smiling woman of about the age of forty-five. In the background, she could hear music playing loudly, and the loud noise of people talking. It sounded like they were having a good time, and Harry hated to break the saddening news to them when they were having such a good time.
"Yes, darling?" the lady asked sweetly, and Harry assumed she was Hermione's mother.
'Um-yes-um-,"Harry smiled at the woman, and she smiled back with a rather forced smile.
At last, Harry, figuring they didn't have all day for him to think of an explanation, "I'm here about Hermione."
Mrs. Granger's smile altered, "What about Hermione?"
"Maybe I'd better come inside to tell you this."
Mrs. Granger admitted Harry into the nice house, and directed him to the living area. There he found about ten people, laughing, talking. They stopped when they saw Harry, and Mrs. Granger said, "Honey, he's here about Hermione."
Mr. Granger jumped up, shook his hand, and asked, "What about her?"
"Well," Harry started, knowing this was going to hit them hard, "Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Hermione's been kidnapped."
They reacted in the same way that Mrs. Weasley did. They fainted.
AN: End of Chapter 3! End of Chapter 3! Ok, I'm excited; this is the farthest I've gotten when writing a story! PLEASEEEE review, even if you have already reviewed! Thanx a lot, Chapter 4 will be up soon!
