Chapter Seven Hermione's Disappearance
Harry trudged up the stairs from Knockturn Alley, thinking about the last several hours. It almost broke his heart to watch Hermione crying. He didn't know what it was about females but crying seemed to be a natural outlet for their emotions. He could understand wanting to cry, he had felt that when he was younger. Only, crying at the Dursleys was a waste of time, and he'd outgrown it.
He made his way through the dark hallways with his illuminated wand. The loft was silent and even Peabody was not in his study. He crept down the hall to his room and
slipped in. A fire was burning merrily in the fireplace, his bed was turned down. He noticed that a light was burning in the bathroom. He thought to himself, Blackmoore's started a bath for me.
Harry undressed and set his clothes aside. He knew they would be hung up and even pressed by morning. The thought that a vampire entered his rooms and took his clothes had initially been heart-stopping and he'd laid awake as long as he could in order to catch him at it. However, the vampire- given his natural talents- was not seen.
Harry trudged to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He thought that bathing so late would have been nice but he was tired and wanted to sleep. Wearing only his pajama bottoms he stepped into the brightly lit room. A hundred candles sat on the floor and lined the shelves, and laying in the tub with her eyes closed and bath bubbles foaming all over, was Hannah.
"Good grief!" Harry gasped, stopped and was about to turn around when her hand came out of the bubbles and languidly waved him in.
"Come in Harry dear. Sit and talk to me while I enjoy this heavenly bath," she said while keeping her eyes closed. Her hair splayed down over her breasts and the bubbles clung to her shoulders.
Harry found himself staring at her and then coming to his senses he looked around uncomfortably and finally settled on a stool at the head of the bathtub. The only thing that was visible were her toes peeking out from the bubbles.
"Hannah, why are you in my bath?" he asked.
"I came to talk to you and I thought it would be wonderful to relax while I waited," she murmured. "Did you have a nice evening?"
"Yes," Harry said, taking up a bar of soap to examine it. He was feeling hot and unusually uncomfortable. I have a naked woman in my bathtub! he thought and then realized when she laughed that Hannah could actually read his thoughts. He studied the writing on the soap and tried to clear his mind.
"Good, good," she said her lips curled into a tiny smile. "We also had a nice evening."
That brought the memory of Snape back to Harry's mind. "How do you know Professor Snape if you don't mind my asking?"
Hannah sighed. "In my world, Harry, I know many people." There was a moment of silence before she continued, "I feel like I need to speak carefully because it has always been the case that people make up their minds too easily about someone. I wouldn't have you thinking badly of me."
Harry's mind once again flew to the fact that she was laying in his tub naked.
She laughed aloud, "Naked yes, but not exposed. I am not here to seduce you. I am here to take a bath." The dark eyes came open and she rolled over languidly to look at him, her head resting on her hand at the edge of the tub. "There is a difference. I am not here to take your innocence, I am here to be your friend."
He nodded and swallowed hard, trying as hard as he could to keep his mind empty.
"I am a gypsy as I've told you. Before I owned my little shop, I traveled the roads with my people. We are very solitary people, keeping to ourselves and not wanting to mix with others. It is our custom and important to us. Other wizards and witches seek us out sometimes. In this world, we have many special gifts; special magic that is sought after."
Dark magic?" Harry asked, thinking of Snape.
"Some would think of it as so," she nodded pursing her lips. "But to us, all magic has a natural source. We do not use wands, we do not use magic for purposes other than just living." She turned and slipped back into the water. "We are known for our talents in making amulets and talisman, for concocting potions and for healing. There are other gifts; each tribe has its' own." She slid back into the soapy bubbly water, "Anyway, Severus came to us by accident. I traveled with my father in his vardo, that is what we call a wagon. It is our home. Severus was injured and needed our assistance, so my mother healed him and he stayed with us for awhile."
Harry listened. Although he remained angry with the man and still loathed him, the history drew his curiosity. "He must have been much younger."
"Yes, I was a girl, not older than you. He was a man in his twenties," Hannah answered. "Harry take the soap and wash my back for me." She sat up exposing her back to him and he could barely make out the curve of her breasts. Her exposed back was beautiful and unblemished.
He looked at the soap and then her back and scooted the chair over so he could reach her. With a trembling hand he started to wash her. "What did you want to talk about?" he asked trying to keep his mind off her smooth skin.
"You did not warn Hermione of Percy," she began and her voice echoed slightly in the cavernous steamy bathroom.
"No," he answered. He could barely see through his steamed up glasses and he took them off and dropped them on a nearby table. He hesitated before continuing, "If I did, then she would react in a bad way and change the events of the evening. Remus would react to her action and double the negative outcome."
"Yes, Rolly has taught you well," she nodded, handing him a sponge over her shoulder. "That feels wonderful." She moaned and leaned her head back. "Come take some of this and I will teach you to wash a woman's hair. It is a sensuous and delightful thing," she murmured. He leaned back while she ducked her head into the water. Harry couldn't take his eyes from her body.
He began to massage the shampoo into her long tresses and could feel her slender neck and delicate ears. He felt sweat bead up on his body and it was all he could do to not step into the bath with her. He wanted to press his naked chest against her. "You are always Peabody's messenger. Why doesn't he come to me himself? Harry asked.
She moaned and leaned into his massaging fingers, "I think you know by now, Harry. He cannot be near many people. It burns his soul to know of their feelings. He knows what is to happen and he cannot bring himself to be the bearer of bad news any longer. You know this because I can see it in your mind." She reached for and held his hand and kept her eyes closed. They were silent for a moment and then she spoke. "You are becoming knowledgeable. You know what is to happen next? What is already happening even as we speak?"
Harry dropped his hands to the side of the tub, gripping it firmly and feeling overwhelmed with sadness. "So it is happening."
She turned to him and took one of his hands, and said softly, "Hermione was captured only moments ago. Your friend Remus was hurt, but will live and has already been found and taken to the hospital. Blackmoore is following Percy," she nodded with deeply sorrowful eyes. "Yes, he is the kidnapper. He will keep her for only a short time and then Voldemort will have her taken to him. I'm sorry Harry."
Harry sat back and sighed deeply, closing his own eyes. "Hannah, I don't really know what happens next. Can you tell me?"
She slipped beneath the water once again and came up to wipe the wetness from her eyes.
"Hannah," a deep voice said mockingly, "you're going to ruin this boys' reputation."
Harry's head jerked up and he saw Snape leaning against the door. He was dressed very casually in his slacks, and a white shirt rolled at the cuff and unbuttoned. Harry took in the scene and knew with some accuracy that Snape had stayed the night; had stayed with Hannah.
"What do you want?!" Harry said jumping to his feet and glaring at the man. "This is my room. Get out!" Harry was past the point where he would tolerate Snape, especially outside of Hogwarts.
Hannah stood up and Harry quickly reached for a towel and held it in front of her, wrapping it around her as she raised herself from the suds. "Thank you, Harry. It's a little late for modesty don't you think Severus. I'm not much for it as you know." She stepped from the tub and left the room covered only in a towel. She swept past Snape and disappeared into the bedroom only to return a moment later in Harry's robe. His dark eyes followed her and he continued to lean against the door with his arms crossed. She walked over to Harry and faced him, taking his chin in her hand. In her bare-feet she was almost the same height. "Harry, look at me."
He clenched his jaw and forced his eyes from Severus who remained at the door looking at him with a smirk on his face.
"Harry, you must use what you have learned. Tell me what you can see. Forecast it."
Harry stared into her brown eyes just inches away and then frowned. He thought of the chessboard and the figures on it. He placed the black Knight on the board, the one that symbolized Snape and wanted to push it over, knock it out of the way.
He had not wanted to assign him a piece but knew that Hannah was telling him that Snape was involved. He couldn't bring himself to give him a place of honor on the white side.
Harry envisioned the board and began to manipulate the pieces in his mind. He knew that Peabody was using the chessmen and board as a way to instruct and help Harry govern his thinking and calculations and giving each piece a symbolic name of the person he was thinking of helped him calculate the events that were yet to transpire.
"We can rescue Hermione," he began. "We can't do it yet, something else has to happen first. We have to wait for Voldemort's man to come." Harry struggled and closed his eyes still struggling to juggle all the players, all the events that had already occurred and that would predict what would happen next.
He was thinking of all the reasons Percy had allowed himself to be involved with Voldemort, all the reasons he had kidnapped Hermione and how it had been done. He felt the tearing sensation of his worry and concern fogging his mental notes.
"Harry, dear," Hannah's face was a inch from his and off to the side. She murmured softly, "I can hear your thoughts. You are caught up in your emotions; about your friend, about me. Take a breath and calm yourself. Think about what has happened. Use what has already taken place as your foundation, use it to launch new thoughts. Now…try again."
Harry breathed in the scent of the bath and felt her fingernails touch his bare chest. Curls of her hair lay wet against her shoulder and he ached to reach out and pull her even closer. He forgot everything he had been doing.
Snape laughed. "Hannah, the boy can't think let alone do any sort of calculation if you keep touching him like that. What she's trying to make you understand Potter, is that unfortunately I am involved in the rescue of Miss Granger."
Harry's eyes opened in surprise and he stared over Hannah's shoulder. "You!"
"Yes, Potter," Snape turned to leave and said, "Somehow our destinies are intertwined. I wish it weren't so. How I wish it weren't so!" Snape turned and left the room. Harry could hear him as he moved about. "We're probably both going to get ourselves killed. B Believe me when I say, Potter, it will be a nasty way to go." The door to his bedroom slammed shut.
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Hermione and Remus stepped from the Leaky Cauldron.
"Hermione I wish I could take you to the theater or to the opera in muggle London. Everyone would be dazzled by how pretty you are," Remus said. They were in the shadows trying to remain unobtrusive so that they could make their way back to No 12. Grimmauld Place.
Hermione knew that he was trying to make her feel better. After Harry left they had continued their supper and talked about him. She felt fear and anger and worry and yet she appreciated his efforts to sooth her. "Remus, that's very nice of you to say. I've been to the theater and it's great fun. Maybe we can do that sometime. There are very few wizards who feel comfortable in the muggle world. Of course, I've been raised here and it's easy for me."
"Will you find it hard to leave?" Remus asked. They had talked about her final year at Hogwarts, leaving and beginning life as a witch.
"No, I don't think so," Hermione said. "Somehow it's all so much more natural when I'm in a place like that," she looked back over her shoulder at the Leaky Cauldron, "then out here." She turned to look at the London street. "What?" she reached for her wand.
A figure approached them in shadow and then stepped out into the street light.
"Percy!" Hermione and Remus exclaimed together.
"Shhh," he whispered touching his lips to indicate that they needed to be quiet. "Glad I found you."
Hermione frowned. Percy had been living in London after leaving his parent's house. He had been estranged from his family for almost the entire year, believing in what Cornelius Fudge had been telling him. After the incident at the Ministry, and Voldemort's existence exposed, Fudge had been embarrassed and had turned his opposition to Dumbledore and Harry around. Hermione wondered what had happened to Percy, if it had changed his mind. She knew he'd been a vehement critic of Harry, owling Ron several times to warn him that he was making a mistake in remaining his friend. No one in the Weasley family had seen him for months. Hermione knew because Ron told her everything.
"What is it, Percy?" Hermione asked. They were waiting for a cab and trying to remain unobtrusive. "What's wrong?" Given what she knew, Hermione was being very gentle and concerned.
"It's Ron and my…my family." Percy said choking back sobs and grabbing her arm. "They've been attacked."
Hermione's heart stopped in her throat and she reached for him. "Are they alright? Ron… is he alright? Percy, tell us!"
Remus was following the conversation, his eyes roaming the street and on the look-out.
Percy glanced over his shoulder as if looking for anyone that might be nearby and wrapped his arms around her. "Yes, yes they'll be fine." His voice sounded cold and Hermione drew back, struggling to release his arms. They tightened around her.
Remus turned at that moment and saw what was happening. His wand came up but Percy's was already pointed in his face.
"Don't Remus!" Percy shouted his free hand coming up, holding a wand. He shouted a curse at the older man, stepped back and in a moment disapparated with Hermione held tight to his chest and Lupin lying stunned and hurt on the ground.