The writing is improved...but of course, the plot still remains as weak and feeble as it was before.

But having fun is more important, right?

...right?

-sigh- You are just too hard to please.

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Precarious Silence

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Chapter 4

Hermione clenched her fists in frustration. "What do we do? What do we do?! She can't find me."

Ron searched her face for a moment, but she knew what he was looking for.

"I prefer you ten times over to that woman." Her cheeks burned. She was shocked that those words had just escaped her lips...but she found they were entirely genuine.

"She's got to be around her somewhere!" A loud voice echoed across the clearing—Hermione's heart beat in her throat.

Ron grasped her wrist and looked about frantically for an escape. She watched him scan the room. She could practically see the thought processes behind his pale eyes as they occurred. The crusty window to the side was painted shut and impossible to open, and it would bring too much attention to that side of the house if they attempted to break it. The back door was probable, but that required moving through the kitchen and the mudroom, which had a squeaky door—thus bringing more attention to themselves than necessary.

Cat walked by with her tail high in the air and drew Hermione's gaze towards the storage room. Cat jumped onto the piano and looked up at the skylight curiously, then back at her.

Hermione understood immediately and crawled towards the piano, ignoring Ron's frantic tug at her sleeve. She pointed to the skylight, but he seemed hesitant to believe it would work.

"It's our only option!" She whispered to him hoarsely.

The footsteps had stopped in front of the cabin, and he moved to shut the door to the storage room as quietly as possible. He seemed to realize how fruitless it was to argue at the moment.

Ron stepped on top of the piano and helped Hermione up behind him, the piano wobbling slightly under the weight. There was a loud BANG in the other room and a loud, obnoxious voice echoed in the small cabin.

"I know she's here somewhere…she ran off without telling me, and I'm sure she's been kidnapped. I'll search every cabin, nook and cranny in this whole bloody forest if I have to!" Hermione's entire form trembled. She was willfully disobeying her mother—and the change in the woman was frightening.

"Can't you move any faster? There are only so many places to hide in here."

"Don't worry ma'am. We'll find her." The man's voice resounded just inches from the door.

"The fire's not been out for long. Looks about--" a different voice spoke and paused, "...they're still here."

The doorknob rattled suddenly, and Hermione held her breath. Ron reached up quickly and slid back the skylight window. It scraped against the tin roof, but Hermione's mother spoke loud enough to hide the sound.

"Is she in there? Open the door! That kidnapper can have done so many terrible things to my baby!"

Ron traced his fingers along the edge of the window and then deftly pulled himself through the rectangular the opening.

One of the men spoke up, "Are you sure that this is the right cabin? We don't know if we can legally search this house…we don't have a warra--"

"This is the only house for miles. She must be in here!" She pounded her firsts against the door, and Hermione gasped—then covered her mouth, but it was too late.

"HERMIONE! Dear GOD, she must be hurt!"

Ron took advantage of her mother's incessant beating on the door and screams to pull Hermione onto the roof. Cat managed to get out in one giant leap. As Hermione gripped the window lining for balance, she knocked her knuckles against the window. She reached out to grab it, but it slipped off of the metal roof, scraping down the slant of the roof until it fell inside and onto the piano. Hermione and Ron froze as they sat together on the roof, hardly breathing.

The banging stopped suddenly, and the men's voices could be heard.

"Stand back, I'm breaking the door."

Cat blinked once at Ron and then jumped onto the piano. Hermione opened her mouth to call out, but Ron placed his hand over her lips to silence her.

She had no time to think anything else as Ron took her hand and pulled her to the edge of the roof, away from the window. There was a loud CRASH and she could hear the door falling from its hinges and to the floor.

"FREEZE!" There was a click of a gun being cocked. "Blimey! It's just a cat. I told you this house was empty, George."

"Oh? Then how do you explain the smoke I saw when we came in here in the first place? Besides, I could smell--"

He was interrupted by a harsh scream. Ron took this moment to grab Hermione and jump to the ground. The loud thump of their landing went unnoticed by those inside, whose ears were being filled by piercing screams.

"MY BABY! My Hermione has been killed!"

Hermione gasped….the clothes in the sink…

Ron lifted himself from the leaves and held out his hand to help her up.

"Ooooooh the misery…. Why me? Oooh…" She was sobbing, her words no longer recognizable.

"Don't touch those, ma'am! That's valuable evidence!"

"Evidence? Evidence? My daughter has been in this house with a murderer and all you can talk about is evidence?"

Ron motioned emphatically for her to move, but she was frozen in place. They could run away...they could leave all this behind right now. All she had to do was get up and run...

"Ma'am, you don't know if it's a murder--"

"I know full well that it is!"

"But why would the murderer bother soaking her clothes? I mean…wouldn't he just dispose of them?"

"Ooooh…" Hermione's mother moaned loudly, but she was easily talked over now that her voice was hoarse.

"Hmm…yes…very strange…" the other man remarked.

The voices continued, but Hermione remained frozen in place until she was startled when Cat landed beside her. The leaves crunched loudly now in the silence.

"What was that?" Someone cried out, and all was immediately still, even her mother.

Neither of them breathed.

"The cat's gone, sir!"

"Nobody said that the cat had to stay, did they?"

"No, but that could have been valuable evidence--"

"Evidence from a cat? What were you going to do, hold it under a light and ask it questions? That's--"

"I think they went out the roof!" Her mother suggested among the arguing men.

Ron's face showed his despair as he looked down at her.

"That could have been anything. That skylight looks ancient anyway...it was probably just the cat."

You could still turn back. Come with me and you leave everything behind...but you have to decide now.

"I want you to go check it out." Her mother ordered. Her tone was clear--it was not an option.

"Suit yourself. Bob, you go check it out."

The man's grumbling and footsteps receded as he left the room to go through the front door.

Without thinking twice, Hermione took Ron's outstretched hand and was pulled to her feet. She barely knew him, but she owed him her life.

She would see her mother again, but not now...not so soon.

Her head throbbed slightly; running would only open the wounds. "Carry me," she mouthed to Ron.

He nodded and lifted her easily in his thin arms.

"Freeze!" a gun cocked behind Ron's head.

His muscles tensed around Hermione's body. She winced—her bandages were coming loose. Ron took a step forward, his back still towards the officer.

"I SAID FREEZE!"

Ron looked into Hermione's eyes. Silent communication passed between them; she knew what he had planned.

Ron swung her around, and Hermione kicked the officer in the stomach. The officer fell to the ground on his knees from the impact, the gun falling out of his hands into the leaves. Ron leaned down in an attempt to grab it, but she stopped him.

"We don't need it! GO!"

"Bob?" Raised voices came from inside, and Ron took it as his cue; he lifted his feet and took off with surprising speed.

"NO!" Hermione's mother screeched behind them.

Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tightly.

"Stop them!"

BANG! The sound echoed eerily in the forest clearing. Everything was absolutely still for a split second.

Ron faltered, almost dropping Hermione. She screamed as the front of his shirt began to drip with blood from his right shoulder. The bullet missed her by mere inches.

"Ron…" she said softly.

"My daughter--that man has my daughter! Why isn't he dead? Shoot him again!"

"NO! We might hit the girl—stop!"

Hermione looked over Ron's shoulder to see her mother fighting with George for a gun.

Ron was gasping for air, and saw that he was going pale.

"I'm not ready to leave you..." Hermione whispered into his ear before she stood suddenly.

She took his hand and pulled him to his feet, grabbing onto his waist before he lost his balance. Gripping onto him with all her strength, she forced herself to move one foot in front of the other.

"I don't believe it...they're getting away!"

There were sounds of a struggle, but she wouldn't look back now.

"Hermione! Stop right now!"

Ron grasped her shoulder, his face twisting with pain. A black shadow ran past them. Cat. She pranced in front of them, and suddenly Ron picked up speed. His legs brought him close enough to touch Cat's tail, but she stayed just out of reach. Ron seemed to barely breath, yet his body worked intensely. Her sides heaved, the world spinning as the pain spread from her wounds.

This was too much…too soon to be doing all this running….

In one great motion, Ron swooped Hermione up into his arms. She yelped in surprise and looked into his face. Color was creeping up his neck and he seemed to be in a trance. She stared at him intently and tried to ignore the sickening green flying past them.

A house loomed in the distance…no, two houses. A house and a barn.

Hermione did not chance a look behind, but there seemed to be no trace of the three figures. Cat ran up the white steps of a house and disappeared. Ron stumbled and fell, but did not drop Hermione. He gripped her tighter. He sat on his knees and tears streamed down his face. His hot tears fell onto Hermione's face and mixed in with her own. She held and held and held him...

"My dears…my dears come inside…" a soft voice spoke behind her and she felt a cool hand on her back, but she did not want to tear away from Ron. She wanted to stay. To hold him until all his pain would disappear.

"You must come inside or they will find you both. You'll be taken away." The woman spoke once more, and Hermione allowed herself to be pulled out of Ron's arms. He suddenly went limp. She tore herself from the woman's arms and caught him before he fell back into the grass.

"Help—help me…" She pleaded the blurry figure. Tears blocked her vision until all she could see was the glow of the sun against the white painted steps.

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I mustn't ruin the moment with my silly ramblings…REVIEW I tell you!

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Readers:

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