A/N: See Chapter 1 disclaimer, it applies to all chapters.

Chapter Nine

"So, what took you so long?"

That mockingly accusatory phrase was said in the most welcome voice Harry could imagine hearing. He turned to the speaker and found himself bowled over by one of her patented, bone-shattering "Hermione hugs". This one was so fierce that it toppled them both to the floor. He laughed as she peppered his face with kisses.

"Hermione!" he gasped when she eventually let him breath again. "You're sort of ruining my big rescue of the damsel in distress." She snorted, but was smiling broadly as she sat up, still straddling him. Harry rose to his elbows and looked around the room. It was a large sitting room, with a fireplace and comfortable furniture scattered around. Along one wall was a bookcase. Up against the books were eight figures. The first was a giant yellow slug hanging upside down, covered in angry red boils. Next to the slug, lined up in a row, were Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Great Aunt Muriel, and a surprised looking house elf. All were petrified and wrapped in thick ropes. Like her youngest son, Mrs. Weasley's face was thickly dotted with oozing boils.

Harry looked up at his girlfriend and asked seriously, "Are you okay?"

"I am now that you're here," Hermione said with a chuckle, getting off him and giving him a hand up. "Don't worry, they didn't get a chance to do anything bad to me. I've still got all my memories, and no unwanted compulsions." They stood staring at each other, a long reassuring and reaffirming conversation playing out silently between them. Hermione nodded and Harry smiled thoughtfully. Smiling back, Hermione turned to look at the elves that had accompanied Harry. "Dobby! Kreacher! It's wonderful to see you both! Thank you for helping Harry find me!" Dobby smiled, bobbing up and down with excitement. Kreacher bowed his head respectfully, though Harry thought he caught a brief smile of pleasure at his Mistress' words before relaxing his face into its customary scowl. Hermione bent over and hugged them both.

"Hermione," Harry said, looking again at the people against the wall. "Here I was, all worried sick about you, only to find that, as usual, you had complete control of the situation." He shook his head with pride, "You do realise, don't you, that you've taken out six trained members of the Order of the Phoenix. Two of them Aurors! Plus a house elf and Great Aunt Muriel! You're amazing, you are!"

"And don't you forget it, Potter," Hermione said with a laugh, giving him a big hug, followed by an even bigger kiss. Harry felt all the worry and despair of the last day slip away under the passionate ministrations of his lover's lips and tongue. He wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss with even greater passion. "Wow!" gasped Hermione, when they finally pulled their mouths apart. "I should get kidnapped more often, if that's the way you greet me when we get back together."

"I thought I lost you," Harry said softly, his voice catching.

"You can never lose me, Harry," she said, kissing him on the nose. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me forever. I'll always find my way back to you, if you don't find me first." Harry nodded, wanting her to make it a promise, but held his tongue. He knew that neither of them could really keep a promise like that, especially given what they were up against.

"Tell me everything that happened," Harry said a few moments later after he sent Dobby to check on the Death Eaters outside, who were still unaware of their presence, and Kreacher to place his own elf-ward around the house.

"Apparently," Hermione said as they sat down on a loveseat holding hands, "Ron managed to work an arm loose from the ropes. Just as I activated the portkey he grabbed it and touched it to my arm. Next thing I knew, we were both here in the middle of Ron's Great Aunt Muriel's sitting room while everyone was having tea. It turns out the picture of your parents is tethered to one of Molly's knitting needles!" She pointed to the photograph and needle, sitting on a nearby table next to a neat stack of a dozen or so wands, presumably confiscated from the people against the bookcase.

"Anyway," she continued, "they were quite startled when we appeared out of nowhere, but Mrs. Weasley reacted quickly and disarmed and petrified me." Then she laughed, "But not before I got a few good hexes off at her and Ron." She threw a scowl at the mother and son. "They couldn't figure out how to turn Ron back from a slug, or get rid of the boils!" she exclaimed proudly.

"That's my Hermione!" Harry laughed with her. "Brilliant but scary!"

"Professor Lupin and Tonks didn't understand why I was fighting against them," she continued more seriously. "Mrs. Weasley told them it was secret Order business. Lupin was furious. He demanded to be let in on whatever secret it was, since they were part of the Order too. That lead to a huge argument, with Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Shacklebolt on one side and Tonks and Lupin on the other, and poor Mr. Weasley stuck in the middle, mostly confused about it all. Aunt Muriel kept out of it, but wanted to know if I was that skinny-ankled, homely girl that her grand-nephew was all a-twitter about. I should have given her boils, too," she added under her breath, giving the elderly woman a glare.

"You've got sexy ankles, Hermione," Harry said sincerely, "And you are the most beautiful woman in the world to me." Hermione smiled lovingly at him, then kissed him again before continuing with her story.

"They argued for ages, with me still petrified on the floor. Finally Mrs. Weasley gained the upper hand. She claimed that she was operating on Dumbledore's orders and that the others had just better suck it up if he never trusted them enough to let them in on the whole of his plan. Tonks and Lupin really weren't happy about that at all, but when Shacklebolt said he knew the plan and that Molly was telling the truth, they eventually acquiesced. He sent the two of them and Aunt Muriel from the room. Since Ron was in no shape to talk they gave me Veritaserum and made me tell them everything that's happened since Bill and Fleur's wedding. Mrs. Weasley was not pleased that we had our memories back, nor that Ron wasn't able to keep us under control. She was even more upset when she found out we're engaged!" She glanced down at the transfigured ring on her finger.

"I'll bet," Harry chortled, squeezing her hand. "That doesn't fit in Dumbledore's plan, does it? But how did you get free to petrify them all?"

"I have a confession to make," Hermione blushed, looking down and rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand in her lap. "It was all because of you."

"Me? How?"

"Mr. Shacklebolt had unpetrified me for the interrogation and Mrs. Weasley was getting ready to obliviate me again. They thought I wasn't a threat anymore, so I bided my time waiting for the right moment. With both of them holding wands on me, I didn't know if I would get any chance, but your arrival gave me the distraction I was hoping for. Tonks and Professor Lupin ran in and frantically announced that someone just walked through the outer wards. That's when I pulled out my spare wands and started casting hexes as fast as I could at everyone. They never even searched me for extra wands! Even though we lifted the idea of carrying spares from them," she said shaking her head. "Anyway, I petrified Mr. and Mrs. Weasley right away, then caught Professor Lupin when he jumped in front of Tonks to protect her. It was touch and go for a few minutes with her and Kingsley, but then Mrs. Prewett and the house elf came in and said that someone was breaking through the elf wards on the house. They were confused enough that it was easy for me to finish the rest of them off."

"But how'd you manage to stun an elf?" Harry asked, curious.

"I'm not sure, but I think she was using a lot of her magic to keep you from getting through her wards. She's the only elf left at the house. Apparently the Prewett fortune is fading. When you broke through she sort of shrieked, as if in pain. My spells seemed to work on her then." Hermione looked apologetically at the little elf. Then she looked at Harry quizzically, "How did you get through the wards?"

"Kreacher and Dobby got us through the outer, wizard wards," Harry smiled at the two elves who had returned and were standing guard over the prisoners. "Apparently elves have more power than wizards when it comes to certain things." Hermione nodded, the look in her eyes indicating she knew a lot more than he did about elf and wizard magic, most likely from her research for S.P.E.W. Harry shrugged. "As for the elf wards, I'm not sure. I saw the fight up here through the windows and knew you were in trouble. I had to get inside. I wasn't going to let anything keep me away from you. I just did it. I don't know how."

"Harry Potter is a great wizard," exclaimed Dobby enthusiastically from across the room.

Kreacher nodded in agreement, "Master has power he knows not."

Harry and Hermione paled and jumped up, running over to the ancient elf. "What did you say?" shouted Harry, incredulous. Kreacher's eyes became wide with shock and he cowered in fear, refusing to answer.

"It's okay, Kreacher," Hermione said soothingly, kneeling down in front of the shaking elf. "Harry isn't angry with you," she said giving Harry a sharp look. "He just wants you to repeat what you said is all."

"Master must punish Kreacher. Kreacher is too bold speaking out of turn," the elf said, his voice quavering with both fear of Harry and disgust with himself.

Harry knelt next to Hermione and reached out to the elf, who flinched, but accepted the gentle touch on his arm. "There's nothing to punish, Kreacher. I want you to speak your mind to me always. It's important that we hear what you said."

"Kreacher said that Master does not know his own strength. Kreacher suspects it comes from Master being raised by fil… by Muggles."

Harry and Hermione shared another silent conversation, green eyes to brown. Both wondered if it was just coincidence that Kreacher's original statement matched the wording of Trelawny's prophecy about Harry. They each knew they would be talking more explicitly about this later, but now was not the time or place.

After a few moments, Harry turned to look at the row of petrified prisoners. "So," he said with a sigh, "what should we do with them?"

"Harry," Hermione said carefully, looking at him like she was about to say something he wouldn't like to hear. "I think we need help." Harry bit back the angry retort he wanted to make. This was Hermione. If there was one thing he learned over the years, it was that he needed to hear her out. Even if he didn't like what she said, she was usually right. He nodded slowly without speaking. She pursed her mouth and continued, "You have to admit we don't know what we're doing. We found one horcrux, just by luck, and got away by the skin of our teeth, but we have no idea where any of the others are. For that matter, we haven't even a clue how to destroy the one we do have. Then there was the disaster at the inn." Tears threatened to spring to her eyes as she thought of the death and destruction they brought with them to that idyllic village.

"You're right…as always," Harry said with another sigh and a slump of his shoulders. "By all rights, we should be dead several times over already, blundering around like we have been. We've been plain lucky." He paused, reaching out to pull her into a hug. "What do you suggest we do? I'm not ready to trust the Order ever again."

"Me neither," she said forcefully, hugging him back. "I'm not sure about the rest of them, but given what Ron said when we interrogated him, I think we should see if those two are really on our side," Hermione said, pointing her chin at Tonks and Lupin.

Harry nodded and stepped over to their werewolf former professor and his young wife. Lifting his wand he said, "Ennervate."

"Harry! Hermione!" shouted Lupin angrily, "What's going on?"

Harry smiled grimly, then said, "First, let's follow the lesson you taught us at the Burrow, Professor."

He looked at Tonks, who was nearer. She was trying to hide a glimmer of fear behind her eyes with false bravado. She, too, was impressed and more than a little frightened by what these two teens had just managed to do. Swallowing her fear, she said nonchalantly, "Wotcher, Harry?"

"Hey Tonks," he replied with a slight grin. "Tell me, at Sirius' house, what piece of furniture would you most like me to not give you for a belated wedding present?"

The young woman frowned for a moment, her purple hair turning brown, then flashing bright pink when she smiled. "That umbrella stand in the entrance hall!" she laughed, "I trip over the bloody thing every time I'm over there!"

Harry nodded, then turned to Lupin, who appeared eager to answer his question. "What did I say to you when you came to Grimmauld Place and tried to get us to let you come along on our quest?"

The thin, careworn man's face fell and he looked from Harry to Tonks, then down at his feet. "You refused to let me," he said reluctantly. "You chastised me for wanting to leave my wife and unborn child." He gulped and continued, "You told me that James would have been disappointed in me, that my top responsibility was to my family, not to taking part in an adventure."

"Thank you for that, Harry" Tonks whispered softly. Lupin and Tonks shared a look, then the haggard former Marauder looked sharply back at Harry and Hermione.

"Turnabout is fair play," he said. "If you're Harry, tell me what happy thought you used when I taught you the Patronus charm."

Harry smiled, "I tried to use the memory of the first time I flew a broom, but you said that wasn't nearly good enough. Then I used a memory of having parents, of having a loving family. That worked to make a shield form of the charm, enough to stop the boggart which was in the form of a dementor." Hermione gave Harry a squeeze around the waist and he smiled at her. "But to make a fully corporeal Patronus, all I've ever had to do is think about Hermione," he said, returning her embrace and kissing her on the forehead.

"Um…Okay…" said Lupin, furrowing his brow in slight confusion at the last part. "Hermione, the year I taught at Hogwarts, what form did your boggart take in my class?"

Hermione blushed bright red and replied, "It turned into Professor McGonagall. She told me I had failed all my exams." Then she added defensively, "I'm not that shallow anymore!"

"No, I never thought you were shallow… just young." Lupin said, looking penetratingly at the two of them. "You two don't seem so young anymore."

"Now that we're all happy that we are who we say we are," interrupted Tonks impatiently, "can I repeat Remus' question? What the bloody hell is going on?"

"That's a long story," Harry said.

"We are, as they say, a captive audience," Lupin replied flatly, looking down at the ropes still encasing them.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Harry said, not looking either in the eye, "but you'll have to put up with it for a little longer, until we find out where your loyalties lie." The two began to object, but were silenced by Harry raising his hand.

"Tonks?" Hermione asked. "Do you know the obliviation revealing spell?"

"Of course," the still pink-haired young woman responded. "We use it in the Auror Department all the time, to make sure witnesses haven't been tampered with. Why?"

"Watch carefully and verify that I'm casting the correct spell," Hermione ordered, raising her wand to Lupin's startled face. Moments later over a dozen glowing orbs appeared around his head.

"Remus!" Tonks cried. "You've been obliviated!"

"Several times, by the looks of it," he said, eyes wide with shock. He watched as Hermione turned and performed the same spell on his wife. She had fewer orbs than he, but the evidence of having erased memories floated silently about her now flame-red head.

"But!" Tonks cried. "I'm an Auror! We get scanned for memory charms every month!"

"Do you actually remember the last time you were checked?" Harry asked quietly. As the orbs around the couple's heads started fading away.

"Sure! It would have been just before Bill and Fleur's wedding. We always get scanned before a big operation like that."

"But do you remember actually being scanned?" Harry insisted.

Tonks furrowed her now ice-blue eyebrows for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "No. In fact, I have no memory of ever being scanned! Why didn't I raise an alert?"

"Who would have checked you?" Hermione asked gently.

"Mad-Eye, of course," she said, "until he died, then…" She shot an accusing eye down the line of petrified Order members. "Kingsley." The look of betrayal on her face was uncomfortably familiar to the young lovers.

"We understand," Hermione said, nodding reassuringly.

"Believe me, we know what you're feeling," agreed Harry. "Much of what we thought we knew was all lies."

"Do you trust us to restore your memories?" asked Hermione. Tonks nodded eagerly, followed by a more reluctant, but accepting, Lupin.

Thirty minutes later the two couples sat on facing loveseats, drinking tea that Kreacher brought for them. Tonks hands shook with anger, spilling tea onto her saucer while Harry and Hermione recounted their part of the story. Lupin was glaring lividly.

"I still can't believe Dumbledore would do such a thing!" he growled. Harry and Hermione looked at him with wide eyes, catching a glimpse of the barely caged wolf within. "We're members of the Order! We're on the same side! That bastard! If Dumbledore were still alive, I'd kill him all over again!" He seemed to calm down some, suddenly getting sad, "Poor Sirius…Poor you two! I can't believe he'd go to such lengths to keep you apart! He went on and on about the power of love, yet he refused to let it flower where it was most needed." Lupin reached across to grasp his pregnant wife's hand. They smiled ruefully at each other.

"What can we do to help you?" Tonks asked, looking up at Harry and Hermione.

"What do you know about the Fidelus charm?" Harry asked.

"What do you think we should do about them?" Hermione asked at the same time, gesturing at the others.

"To answer Harry's question first," smiled Lupin, "quite a bit. I take it you have a place in mind that you want secured?" Harry nodded.

"Before we answer your question, Hermione…" Tonks said as she got up. The young Auror walked purposefully over to stand in front of her boss, snatching her wand from the stack on the table as she passed by. Her hair flashed through half a dozen bright colors during the short trip. Grabbing a chair, she stood on it to look the tall, senior Auror in the face. Staring at his wide eyes for several moments, she suddenly spat in his face. "Kingsley," she said with a barely restrained rage, "I quit!" Then she stuck her wand in his face and, with a deathly calm voice, said, "Stupefy!" The light of awareness went out of Shacklebolt's eyes as he slid into unconsciousness, Tonks' spittle dripping off his nose. The metamorphmagus climbed off the chair and stepped back, her hair now the color of midnight, streaked with white lightning bolts. One by one, she stunned each of the other prisoners. "I quit the Auror Corps! I quit the Order of the Phoenix! I quit our friendship! And I quit blindly following the misguided plans of a bigoted fool!" Stomping back to the loveseat, she sat down with a huff. Lupin took her hand and smiled at her approvingly.

"I believe," he said turning back to Harry and Hermione, "what my passionate wife is trying to say is that you have our complete allegiance."

"Good," said Harry, as Hermione nodded. "Let's get down to business."