CHAPTER NINE


The faint sound of banging drifted down the stairs and into the Library, assaulting Hermione's ears. She lowered her book and waited for the offending noise to stop before she could resume reading. The noise stopped briefly before the silence was followed with a loud crash. Hermione chuckled to herself as she heard her ex-professor swear rather colourfully.

Marking her chapter and leaving the book on the sofa, Hermione ventured up the stairs and in the direction of all the noise. As not to be seen by the man, Hermione walked carefully to the door way and stuck her head around the wall.

"Where did I put that damn Fire Whiskey?" Severus Snape stood at the end of the bed searching through a large trunk. The pile behind the man seemed to get bigger and bigger as he pulled another item out of the trunk and threw it on top.

"Ah ha!" He declared, pulling a dusty bottle of Fire Whiskey out of the trunk, only to repack it into a smaller bag.

"You're leaving?" Hermione asked, panic rising in her voice. Severus whipped around suddenly as the girl emerged from the doorway.

He nodded and turned from the confused witch. "The Order has assigned me to find Kingsley and his men."

"When will you be back?" Her sad voice asked.

Severus stopped gathering his things and turned to Hermione. Her eyes where down cast to the floor as she played with the hem of her dress nervously.

"What I meant to say." She stumbled "Is that I don't think I could bare sitting in this old house for days with no human contact" She coughed a little to cover the last word. "Conversation" She corrected.

"If I were you, Miss Granger, I would take this time to give your voice a rest. Gods knows I've only been listening to it for the last week, nonstop." Hermione huffed furiously and raised her chin to the man.

"Are you going to tell me where you are going or are you going to stand there and insult me all day?"

Severus turned from Hermione, a small smirk playing on his face as he resumed packing his bag.

"I have been called away by the Order to try and shed some light on Kingsley's disappearance."

The last time she had seen Kingsley was the night in the kitchen. No one had heard any news from the man or his group of Aurors since they were to raid the Malfoy Manor. With no sign of any of the men, everyone assumed the worst.

"Yes, I understood that part." Hermione began. "What I want to know is where you are going? How will you know where to look? And I am sure there are plenty of other Order members who could to the mission, why did they have to send you?" Her words merged together into one long sentence, leaving Hermione no time to breathe.

Severus rubbed the bridge of his noise and took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Are you done?" He asked lazily. Hermione's face turned a deep red colour as she looked away from Severus' piercing eyes.

"The order needs someone who knows their way around the Malfoy Manor. Who better to send then me? I have spent countless hours at that damned house and know of more secret rooms and passages then Narcissa herself. I can get in and get out without being noticed. I am the best wizard to send." His back remained to her as he finished packing his bag.

"You've made your point." Hermione whispered as Severus shrunk his bag and slipped it into his robes.

Hermione followed Severus silently out of the room and down the stairs to the hall.

"I shall explain more when I return. "

He pulled the long black cloak up his arms and rested it on his shoulders, then fastened the buttons on the front of the robe. She watched him from the bottom step of the stairs, jealous that he got to venture out of the house, and get some fresh air. Sensing that she was upset, Severus turned to Hermione and pulled a small book, similar to the last one, out of his robes and handed it to her.

"Do you keep the whole library in there?" She asked, sarcasm evident in her voice. Severus crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at the girl.

"Do you think you could pull me out a Hamburger and some fries? I'm not sure if I could eat one more bite of Kreachers Bubble 'n' Squeak"

Severus suppressed a smile and reached out a hand.

"If you do not want the book Miss Granger, I could always put it back in my robes with the rest of my library?"

Hermione held the book tightly and broke eye contact with the professor. "I thought so." He mumbled.

"Will you be careful?"

Severus cringed and inwardly cursed the girl.

She looked up, waiting for an answer. His reluctance to answer told her everything she needed to know. It was a dangerous mission into the lions den, he wasn't sure if he would return.

"That's A.R Snesters first book he ever wrote." Severus offered, desperate to change the subject. Hermione sent Severus a hurt look. "It was never published and quite frankly is worth more than your life. You'd best remember that when you are carelessly turning the pages" Hermione nodded as the professor prepared to leave.

"I shall return before the night is through. Do not leave this place Miss Granger, I can guarantee that Lucius will have his henchmen watching the place."

Hermione only barely heard what Severus said as she flipped through the pages excitedly, eager to read the yellowing pages. Walking to the door, Severus turned Hermione and sent her a concerned look.

"Remember what I said Miss Granger." Severus warned before he left the house, slamming the door behind him. Hermione sat on the step pretending to read until she heard a loud pop from the front door step. Tucking the book under her arm, Hermione ran up the stairs to her room and sat on the creaky old bed. She had been secluded in this dusty old house for the past week and hadn't had a breath of fresh air since she first arrived. She knew she wasn't held captive, but she felt trapped.

She needed to stretch her legs. She needed to feel like she wasn't trapped in this creepy old house. There was only one thing that could quench that hunger for freedom. Placing the book under her pillow, Hermione stood up and pulled her robe up over her shoulders and then grabbed her wand and placed it securely up her sleeve.

She made her way out the bedroom door, locking it behind her, then walked down the stairs.

Sneaking through the hall, Hermione opened the front door quietly, as not to alert Kreacher of her departure.

Pulling her wand from her sleeve, Hermione took a deep breath and walked on to the front step. She looked around the street before her, for any sign of movement. When she was satisfied no one was there, she Disapperated from the front step of Grimmuald Place.

The bright morning light hit Hermione's face with full force, nearly sending her falling to the ground. Shielding her eyes form the sun, Hermione looked eagerly down into the alley, almost expecting to see one of her friends from school.

Diagon Alley was bustling with noise and laughter. Mothers dragged their children around the from shop to shop, desperate to finish their shopping and leave the busy alley. Hermione breathed in the fresh morning air and took in the sun greedily. A smile spread across Hermione's face; the only care she had at that moment, was which shop to visit first.

As she looked through the mass of witches and wizards, a flash of white caught her eye. Squinting her eyes and looking further down the alley, Hermione began searching for where the flash had come from.

Her chest became tighter, making it hard for her to breathe as the source of the white came back into view. His back was turned to her and he seemed to be searching for something...or someone.
It would have been the perfect opportunity for her to run, but something kept her feet rooted to the spot. As the world slowed down around Hermione, Lucius turned on his heels, and for a brief moment his eyes past over her trembling body, only to snap back and fix on her terrified brown eyes.
The heat from her blood was stolen from her body as his lips turned into a cruel grin. Her breath hitched as Lucius picked up his cane and began to walk towards her.

Was she the only one who could see Lucius? Why wasn't anyone else pointing and screaming. He was an escaped prisoner from Azkaban for Merlin sakes.

With each step he took towards her, Hermione felt another piece of her dignity and self control break away from her fragile body. An unwanted burning sensation in her stomach made its way up to her chest, giving her the sudden urge to want to spill her breakfast all over the ground. He was only meters away when he pulled his wand from his cane and opened his arms to Hermione.

"Come back to me have you pet?" His eyes lit up like fire.

Lucius reached out his hand to caress her cheek, only to have Hermione slap it down. She began to tremble as his hand tightened his grip around his wand.

"You will regret that." He hissed through gritted teeth.

Just as Lucius made a grab for her, Hermione felt a strong pair of hands snake around her waist and pull her into the familiar feeling of disapperation.

As the feeling began to fade Hermione felt herself falling then dropping onto a hard wood floor. It took her a moment to come around, before she realized she was still in the arms of the person who snatched her way. Thrashing around until the grip loosened, Hermione pushed herself from the arms of the kidnapper and scooted away from his body, until she was cowering in the corner of an unfamiliar room. She heard the man stand up, then the sound of him straightening his robes. The old wooden floors creaked and complained as the man began to walk slowly towards Hermione.

Hermione held herself tightly, determined to protect herself from whoever or whatever was about to happen. Her fingers gripped tightly around her ribs, bruising them in the process, as she pulled her legs closer to her curled up body.
What have I gotten myself into? Why couldn't I just stay in the house? Severus is going to...

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR BLOODY MIND?!" Came a familiar low boom from the other side of the room. Hermione relaxed a little and lifted her head, daring a look at the man.

A/N: I would just like to thank everyone one who reviewed; hiddensparrow, Sampdoria, notwritten, SweetCaterina, Hermin22, Sjrodgers108, debjunk, Animaltalker, Omgahitsbritt08, phelslover4life and mystic pammy... just to name a few. You guys give me the motivation to write. THANKYOU!!

Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Snellee