Readers: I am so sorry for taking so long in updating. Before you know it time gets away from you. I hope to have another chapter posted for you before Christmas break is over. I have part one written, I just have to find the time to type it up and post it. Thanks for reading!
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Chapter 9: Stealth in the Night
Ron and Hermione crept closer to what they assumed to be the Riddle House. From what Harry had said to them, besides the fact of getting lost once or twice, they had made it there in good timing. Snape had mentioned something about not rescuing Harry till tomorrow night. They figured they could rest up 'til then, lying low, then sneaking in to help Snape.
Not far from the Riddle house stood an old abandoned church. Between the church and the house was a graveyard.
Ron and Hermione snuck around the side of the Riddle house.
"Ron!" Hermione snapped in a harsh whisper, " Quit stepping on every twig you see! Do you want every Death Eater to hear?"
"Sorry Hermione, I can't exactly see now can I? It's pitch black. Where are we going anyway?"
"We'll head for that old abandoned church over there. We can lie low in there and see how the Death Eaters cone in and out. I don't know exactly where the entrance is, but we'll figure that out once we watch it for a while."
They had now reached the entrance to the graveyard. A five-foot high stone wall ran around the graveyard, enclosing it. Two eight foot high iron gates, were placed one facing the direction of the Riddle house, the other facing the church.
Ron reached up to push the gate open. Hermione grabbed his hand to stop him from doing so.
"Ron! We aren't going to use the gate! Do you know how old this is?"
"Ah…very old?"
"Exactly. So since this is 'very old', more the likely this gate's going to make some noise when we push it open. I suggest we climb over the wall." Hermione bent over, toward Ron with her hands knitted together, looking up at Ron expectantly.
"Oh alright." Ron put his foot in Hermione's hands and grabbed the wall. Hermione boosted the rest of Ron up enough for him to scramble ontop of the wall. He reached down a hand to grab Hermione's when a noise caught their attention. On the outside of the stone wall, to their right, rose a dark figure, which could only be the form of a death eater. Hermione hissed for Ron to jump down on the other side.
Hermione was able to hop onto the wall and pull the hood of her sweatshirt over her face, before the death eater turned and spotted her. To her horror, she could just catch a wisp of long blonde hair out of the corner of her eye. Hair that could belong to none other than Lucius Malfoy.
The death eater walked over and stepped right in front of Hermione. She kept her head lowered so he could not see her face. She could tell by the way his boots were positioned he was facing her.
"And what are you doing her?" he snarled.
Hermione kept her eyes lowered and her head down. She said nothing.
"Speak, child, before I force you too!"
Hermione put on her best matter-of-fact voice, thankful that she had taken theatre classes during the summer holidays previous, and thankful that she was small for her age, she answered, "My father says that I should never talk to strangers." She took a breath and continued, " And to answer your first question; I'm praying."
It was the first thing that had popped into her head. And it was partially true; she was praying Lucius would leave her alone and not recognize her.
"Praying? Shouldn't you be doing that in a church?" Lucius asked sarcastically.
"No," Hermione replied simply, "God can hear my prayers anywhere and anytime." Hermione had her hands in her sweatshirt pocket, her right hand grasping the handle of her wand tightly in case the exchange turned too dangerous.
"Are you sure? Could this god of yours be powerful enough to hear from someone underground?"
"Well yes-"
"How about we try it out. Come down here and we'll try it."
Hermione's mind was racing. She wouldn't go with Lucius Malfoy if her life depended on it! In no way was that an option either. She had to somehow give Ron an idea or something to get Malfoy Sr. out of their way, but without magic and without him recognizing them.
"Well I have to think about it, but while I'm thinking about it; can I ask you a couple quick questions?"
"Depends on-"
"Great! I'll be 'quick' then, get it? 'Quick?'" Hermione let out a small, forced laugh and continued, "Do you like rocks? I sure don't, but my little brother is so fascinated with them! He loves to throw them around. I don't like them, because when they hit people, it can really-"
Smack! Malfoy Sr. groaned and pitched sideways, falling to the ground out cold.
"-hurt them." Hermione finished, smiling. "Nice one, Ron."
"No problem."
Ron helped Hermione into the graveyard. They reached the church not long afterward with no further entanglements.
"Praying huh?"
"What? I had to think of something and it was partly true. I was praying we would some how get out of this mess without getting captured. It worked didn't it?"
"Whatever you say Hermione. I think it was just luck."
Hermione shrugged her shoulders and dropped it. They kept watch from the church windows, being careful to stay out of line of sight whenever a dark figure appeared.
Once it got too dark to see, Ron and Hermoine spent their time discussing in hushed whispers what they should do, or sleeping. The old church pews were an eyesore, but were softer than the cement floor. By midnight, they were both curled up on their own pews fast asleep.
Snape stood impatiently at the door of Grimmauld Place. Someone finally came to the door and let him in.
"Remus I need to talk with you." Snape said curtly to the open-mouthed werewolf with had let him in.
Remus closed the door (and his mouth), locked the locks on the door, then followed Snape into the kitchen. Snape raised his wand into the air and said, "Silencio." This would keep any unwanted ears from hearing anything. He turned to Remus, "I need some of your hair, Remus."
Remus stood there dumbstruck for a few seconds, before he found his voice, "My…my hair? Whatever for?"
Snape was trying very hard not to loose his patience when he replied, "I need your hair to complete the polyjuice potion, idiot."
" But doesn't polyjuice take a month to brew?"
"Yes, however I normally keep some extra stored away in case of emergencies."
"Severus how was I supposed to know you were using it for polyjuice, there are hundreds of potions out there that require a person's hair…"
"Get on with it Remus! Can I have some of your hair or not?"
"I will as long as you tell me what you are using the polyjuice for."
Snape huffed annoyed with all the time he was wasting, "Fine. Dumbledore wants me to keep spying for the Order, but he also wants me to rescue Potter tonight. Now I obviously can't save Potter and still spy for the Order. Al least not as myself."
"Well then why didn't Dumbledore have me save him?""
Snape, exasperated, drew up the last of his patience, taking on a voice as if he were explaining this to a group of first year potion students. "Because, Lupin, you have to have the dark mark to get into the place."
"Well then how are you getting in if you're me?"
"I an not going to drink it right away. I have to let the Dark Lord know I'm there, otherwise they will know it's me." Snape was ticked by now.
"Here." Remus dropped a couple of his hairs into the container Snape held out to him, "Good luck."
Snape left Grimmauld Place with his robes once again billowing behind him.
