Wow e wow wow! What an incredible response to that last chapter - thank you all so much! So glad you're all enjoying it. Extreme apologies for not getting this out sooner - life's doing that funny thing it sometimes does at the moment where it gets a wee bit hectic
From here on out we'll really be getting into the nitty gritty of the plot. It's gonna get a lot darker. Hope you all enjoy the ride! Weeee!
Disclaimer: I'm eating a muffin as I write this.
Potentially Problematic_Chapter Ten_ Restless
Hermione had hoped that the Christmas holiday would have done something to quell Ron's anger towards her. But unfortunately, the distance only seemed to have made everything that much worse. Ron hadn't spoken one single word to Hermione since they'd both returned to Hogwarts two weeks previous. Generally, Ron would just ignore her…interspersed between shooting her moody looks whenever he apparently felt she deserved it.
Lessons had become quite an ordeal. Ron would always sit away from Hermione, which meant that Harry would usually be left choosing sides. Harry, to his credit, had very quickly vetoed this behaviour, stating to both friends' quite plainly, that he would 'not be put in the middle' and that 'he would not choose one person over the other.' To back up his claim, Harry would very often distribute his time evenly - sitting with Ron one lesson and Hermione the other. Hermione would have appreciated this gesture, if not completely ruined by the fact that Ron would scowl at her whenever Harry wasn't sitting with him, as if Harry's decision had been all her doing.
It brought Hermione close to tears most of the time.
Harry kept insisting that Ron would come around, but Hermione wasn't so sure anymore. It was terribly frustrating. If Ron would just give her a chance to explain everything -
She had been wearing the necklace Harry had given her pretty much everyday. In fact, it was a very rare occasion that she'd be seen without it. Hermione found the familiarity of the little pictures comforting and would often replay the last scene - the one featuring herself, Harry and Ron - over and over, holding it against her chest as the trio's tinny voices rang out from behind her clutched palm.
Hermione had even insisted on wearing it while in lessons - unfortunately, she had cursed herself for such a decision when, in one very silent Potion's lesson, her own tiny voice had rang out across the classroom - stating how much Ron's emotional range resembled a teaspoon and everyone had turned around to stare and laugh - Ron, of course, had scowled - and Hermione had been forced to quickly stuff the necklace into her robe pocket in an attempt to muffle the offending jewellery. This had been an highly embarrassing event for Hermione - and one that her classmates hadn't soon let her forget - so to avoid such incidents in the future she'd discovered a way to 'mute' the enchanted necklace whenever the need arose.
Harry had confessed to her that he hadn't actually made the object himself. Apparently, there was a person in Hogsmeade who made them for a living. It was all done by extracting and then copying certain memories and inserting them into an otherwise unremarkable piece of jewellery. Quite fascinating Hermione had thought. Harry also mentioned that there had been a selection of pre-prepared pictures to choose from and that he thought she'd enjoy the seaside scene the best. Apparently it had been a toss-up between that one and a sweeping overhead view of the British countryside.
Not much of anything had been said regarding Makaby Mcfinnius. She knew that Harry had been to see Dumbledore on a few occasions to broach the subject, but he always came back with the same story - that Dumbledore had spoken to Professor Slughorn and wasn't worried. And in all fairness to the Headmaster, there hadn't been one single sighting of Mcfinnius since the Christmas Party. Hermione wasn't sure if that was a good or bad omen. Hermione wasn't naïve enough to believe that the truth potion episode had just been all one big mistake - Viritaserum didn't just fall into people's drinks after all - but with Dumbledore now knowing of his presence, it was plausible that Mcfinnius had been scared off, never to return if they were all lucky enough.
Such simple solutions didn't seem possible in Hermione's world though - nor the bad guys she faced so easily foiled, so she continued to keep her eyes and ears open and persisted Harry to do the same.
If her waking world wasn't confusing and difficult enough - there were the nights of restless sleep she had to endure as well. The dreams of Harry had come back - and they'd returned with a vengeance, being much more intense and realistic than ever before. When Hermione awoke from these lusty fantasies it was always feeling as if she hadn't even slept she felt so exhausted.
Hermione almost wanted to believe that the reoccurrence of her night time desires had simply been caused by Ron's rejection of her…but inwardly, she knew that it was so much more than just that, as much as she wasn't ready to admit it to herself.
It was becoming increasingly difficult to act normally around Harry. If she wasn't flushing madly, she was stumbling over her own words. Luckily though, the poor guy was so torn by his friends feuding, that he hadn't seemed to notice her uncharacteristically awkward behaviour.
One night then, three weeks after resuming school and dreading the inevitable unconscious rendezvous
with her best friend and yet at the same time needing it to happen, Hermione lay down in bed and sighed.
"One person can't feel all that - they'd explode!" echoed Ron's little voice from her necklace.
"Perhaps I will," she mumbled, clutching the blue stone. She hadn't heard Ron's voice in such a long time. If she hadn't had the jewellery Hermione wondered if she'd even be able to remember what it sounded like. Another sigh and, eyes closing, Hermione started to drift…
As expected, there was dream Harry, giving her that sexy little smile and muttering breathless sweet nothings into her ear. She, dream Hermione, seemed a forever abiding creature - giggling and smirking unashamedly at Harry's naughty sentences.
Nothing was quite focussed for dream Hermione. Her vision was lost in a musky haze, and her head swam with the aroma of strong aftershave and guilty hot sweat. The whole world was an intoxicating mass of sensual fantasy - but then, quite suddenly, the images around Hermione faded - Harry and the room just fizzled out into nothingness and she was encased by a blinding white light.
Hermione's vision was clear now - startlingly so. Everything around her was white. Hermione didn't know if she was still where she had been with Harry only moments ago - or somewhere entirely different. She vaguely wondered if maybe Harry hadn't been the one to fizzle out, but that she had fizzled away from him. Perhaps Harry was still back in that musty room waiting for her. It was all very curious. What Hermione did know for a fact however, was that she seemed to be sitting down and quite wanted to stand instead - and then, in the next second, she just was - suddenly very upright and on her feet without her even registering the movement - and there in front of her was - Ron.
He was sitting on a white, overstuffed armchair. A tank filled with exotic, colourful fish was next to him. Ron seemed to admire these tropical wonders for a moment, before his eyes flicked to Hermione and he stood. Both the chair and the fish tank vanished instantly.
"Ron," stammered Hermione. Her voice sounded odd - as if not her own. The pitch of it went up and down and the volume from very loud to soft, almost as if she were in a television and someone was messing around with the remote control. "What?…Where's Harry?"
"What?" hissed Ron angrily, his face uncharacteristically stony and stare unwavering. "Am I not good enough for you now eh? …You used to love me, remember? Thought I was the greatest thing since bloody sliced bread. Yeah, really fancied me, you did. But now look. …Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore, now that you're getting your rocks off with ever-reliable Harry - the almighty chosen one. Actually - you know, now that I think about it - I guess that makes sense. What good am I against boy wonder - I look a right mug beside him."
"No," Hermione uttered, looking around in a kind of dazed panic. "That was a dream."
"Was it?"
Hermione stalled, struck by doubt. She wasn't even sure anymore - was this a dream?
"You're a bit of a tart, you know that?"
"No I -"
"Leading me on all those years - shouting at me at that bloody ball, crying about Lavender, attacking me with those pissing birds! …Lavender was a good piece of stuff you know, - and I broke up with her for you. You and your bloody bipolar personality, your goody-two-shoes book reading - you're so ruddy anal. Oh Ronald! It's Leviosa not Leviosar!"
Hermione blinked. She was sure that she had heard her own voice come from Ron's lips just then.
"…And now I'm a free agent, and you don't even have the bloody decency to have a quick look-in - telling me that you suddenly don't like me anymore? As if someone could just change their mind like that! That's ridiculous…and you're disgusting!"
Ron seemed to be getting more and more irate by the minute and took a bold step towards Hermione. She had never before thought of Ron as intimidating, but seeing him there - he looked like an enraged bull ready to charge.
"Ron," she said. "I'm so sorry…I've just…been looking at things quite differently these days."
Her voice shook and Ron sneered at her nastily. His eyes had an unnerving silence about them, as if something quite psychotic were laying dormant in wait. And then, quite suddenly, all his anger seemed to evaporate. He was stood casually now, with his hands in his robe pockets, although Hermione, as with herself, hadn't even seen him move.
"I suppose it doesn't matter anymore anyway. I shouldn't get upset; it's a waste of my energy right?" He paused, looking her up and down with a critical flick of his strangely cruel eyes. "I can definitely do better anyway. I've already got a bad enough name, being ruddy poor and all - the last thing I need is to have attachments with some grubby mudblood."
Hermione stepped back, feeling as if she'd been physically slapped.
"What?" said Ron. "I'm only saying what everyone around you is thinking. I bet Harry wants to say it himself. …You know what you are really. Just admit it - you're like a bloody cockroach to the rest of us. I mean, I might be a bit short on the loose change, but at least my family's pure. …Though, suppose it's not your fault that your horrid Muggle parents decided to spawn you."
"This is a dream," Hermione said, more to herself than Ron. "This is - it's just all my guilt projecting Ron's likeness into my subconscious."
"Why are talking to me like I'm not here?"
Ron laughed, and with it his voice changed - to something dark, something well beyond the boyish innocence of Hermione's best friend.
"You're not Ron are you?" she said in a dangerously quiet voice. "Tell me who you are!"
"Hermione," he uttered, that same demonic tone slicing through his words, with just a hint of Ron's own voice overlaying it - creating a grotesque mixture. "Don't you recognise your own friend? I'm me."
Hermione hesitated, knowing that the figure in front of her surely couldn't be her Ron, but doubt plagued and would not leave. "You're not," she shouted, after a rather long pause. She didn't sound as certain as she had before though. "Ron would never say those things to me!"
He shot her with a look. "After what you did to me? …Well, it's nice that you believe that at least. …Look, I need to warn you about something. That's actually why I'm here. I'm going."
"What? Going? Going where?" Hermione felt like she was going insane, never mind anything else.
"I can't tell you. I'll just be gone…mysteriously. I'll be waiting for you - and your make-out buddy - in the Muggle world. You'll have to find me."
Hermione shook her head in frustration. Nothing was making any sense. She vaguely wondered if she was tucked up in some mental hospital somewhere and this was all just some bizarre fantasy created by her insane mind.
"I don't understand -"
"I'll be gone," he said again, his terrible combined voice sounding very far away suddenly. "You have to find me before there's nothing left to find but some stain on the floor. It'll be fun…like hide and seek." He laughed then - laughed so hard and demonically that Hermione wanted to cut off her own ears just to make it stop -
and then she was awake, sitting bolt up right in bed and breathing heavily. Everything was dark.
Hermione took a second to allow her heart rate to slow, but only that - for before she even had time to stop and think about it, Hermione was running for the boy's dormitories.
Minutes later, she was bursting through into Ron's shared room, pulling out her wand and crying 'lumos!'
Her wand-tip lit up, somewhat helping to eliminate the darkness. Ignoring the groggy curses coming from the occupied beds she past, Hermione went straight for Ron's own.
It was empty.
The covers were strewn everywhere - quite a large pile was crumpled on the floor. Hermione let out a straggled sob.
"Hermione?"
She turned, finding Harry sitting up in his bed, looking very confused and blinking in the sudden light. "Er - what's going on?"
"He's gone Harry!" she cried frantically, rushing to him and thrusting her wand directly at his face. "Ron's gone!"
"What the hell's going on? - Hey, you shouldn't be up here!" came the unmistakable cry of Seamus Finnigan, causing a few of the other boy's to jeer in agreement.
Hermione ignored them. She watched with impatient desperation as Harry's eyes flickered, in what felt like extremely slow motion, to Ron's empty, messy bed and then back to her again. He gave her a look that blatantly said 'you're insane.'
"He's probably just gone to the loo Hermione. Now please would you turn off your wand and leave us to sleep," Harry mumbled, trying to get himself comfortable again, even as Hermione started pulling aside his blanket and wrestling him to his feet.
He groaned miserably, whining, "Her -mione."
"Please Harry - I had a dream…or something. In it Ron - well, someone disguised as Ron in any case - came to me and told me that he was going to go - to be taken - to the Muggle world and that we had to find him before…well, before there was nothing left to find."
Harry sighed and Hermione grabbed his wrist in ever-increasing panic.
"Come on Harry - if anyone should know the importance of prophetic dreams - it's you. I know this sounds crazy, but that dream - vision thing, whatever it was - was real. I know it. I think that whoever took Ron wants us to know that they have him…and wants us to find him."
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It turned out that Hermione had been right. The pair had rushed down to see Dumbledore that very same evening and first thing the next morning the Headmaster had arranged and deployed a full scale search of the grounds - including the Forbidden Forest. All lessons had been cancelled to allow the use of every teacher in the school - but nothing was found. Harry had even checked the Marauder's Map for signs of Ron, with no luck. In Hermione's mind that could only mean one of two things - either dream Ron had been telling her the truth, and he was alive and well and awaiting rescue in the Muggle world…or there was number two - an option she didn't even want to consider. Ever.
Harry and herself were sitting heavily on the stone steps of the courtyard. Hermione was curled up against her friend, head on his shoulder and his arm around her for support. She liked it there - Harry's arm made her feel safe - made her feel like everything would be ok despite the obstacles.
Professor McGonagall arrived moments later. Standing above the pair, she gave them a sad little glance, saying, "We haven't been able to find Mr Weasley yet I'm afraid."
Hermione burrowed her head tighter into the crook of Harry's neck, trying to block out the words. They were things she couldn't hear.
"We've searched everywhere. …Professor Dumbledore is arranging for the search to be broadened. Miss Granger dear…did you…do you have any other clues that may point to Mr Weasley's whereabouts?"
The witch looked up, revealing tearstained eyes and feeling at that moment, incredibly young and vulnerable. When she spoke, her voice shook in the way of someone utterly terrified. "No. O…only what I've already told you. He said that he'd be awaiting rescue in the Muggle world. That's all. No directions - no clues. I - I -" Hermione stammered to a stop, blinking back tears she couldn't imagine still having after so much crying. "I -"
"Please dear don't worry yourself dear. We'll find Mr Weasley. We will." Professor McGonagall placed her hand on the younger woman's shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze. "Now please promise me that you two won't go looking for your friend. I know how awful this must be for you, but trust me - Professor Dumbledore and ourselves are more than capable of handling this. There's no need to take matters into your own hands this time."
After the Professor had walked away, Hermione found herself staring at Harry. She felt so tired - as if she hadn't slept in a week. Her eyes felt heavy and if she had cared enough, she would have thought that she must look a state.
"…The last thing he said to me was not to talk to him and leave him alone. …The last thing I did to him - was break his heart." Hermione scrunched her eyes shut against this truth and didn't open them again until she felt she had some control over herself. "…We have to find him Harry."
Harry looked like he wouldn't have even humoured the idea of doing any less. "I know. …But where do we start?"
The pair were mildly surprised at that point to see Lavender walking towards them - and they were even more so when she actually stopped and knelt down beside them.
Hermione glanced eyes that appeared as bloodshot as her own, if that were possible. She narrowed her gaze in question at the blonde and opened her mouth to speak -
"I promise that I haven't come here to start a fight," Lavender said quickly before Hermione could get a word in.
Hermione closed her mouth abruptly, looked to Harry, who shrugged, and then turned back to Lavender. "Er - okay…"
"I thought that you might think that I would, you see."
"Right."
Harry peered around from behind Hermione. "So what are you doing here then Lavender?"
"I know what's happened to Won…to Ron."
Hermione sighed. "Yes well I suppose the whole school knows by now…"
Lavender blinked rapidly and then wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "I - I just can't believe it. Poor Ron! He never did anything to anyone. Who would ever want to hurt him?"
"We don't know yet," said Hermione. "But whoever it is will pay." She stared forward, feeling that if the kidnapper were to pop up in front of her at that very moment, then she wouldn't even think twice about blasting them into infinity. Hermione felt her body begin to tremble lightly in some kind of rage or upset, she wasn't sure which, perhaps it was a combination of feelings - but then Harry's hand was on her arm and the trembling stopped. Hermione looked down at his hand, glanced at Harry's face and smiled gratefully.
"I sincerely hope they do pay," Lavender was saying. "It's just - when I imagine…oh, when I imagine Ron and where he could be -"
Hermione felt like she needed to leave. She couldn't take hearing Lavender's dark ramblings right at that moment.
"He's strong, Ron," said Harry, cutting Lavender off to Hermione's relief. "He'll be okay."
"I pray so," Lavender whispered. Despite her low tone of voice Hermione heard it shake considerably. "I am sorry Hermione."
Hermione looked at the girl in surprise. "Sorry?"
"For that rubbish I was saying to you. It all seems so petty now…recent events put things into perspective…but I really am sorry. I was horrid and I probably made your life hell."
"You didn't, but thank you." It was true that Lavender certainly hadn't helped in the chaos that had quickly become her life, but she hadn't been the sole cause of Hermione's upset either.
Lavender nodded lightly, giving a loud sniff. "I found this by the way," she said, holding out an envelope that Hermione hadn't even noticed she'd been carrying. "On your bed. Someone must have left it there. It's addressed to you."
Hermione took the item, examining it curiously.
"My best wishes with you both," Lavender uttered. "Let's just hope that Ron returns to us safe and sound." She stood and walked off, leaving Hermione and Harry staring after her.
"Well that was rather…surreal," said Hermione. "I imagined that I'd see Malfoy call me a valued member of magical society before the day came that Lavender Brown would ever actually apologise to me! Huh - incredible." She turned her attention to the envelope she was now holding. "This is really strange - I mean if an owl delivered this surely it would come straight to me - not be left on my bed."
Harry was staring at the envelope with something like suspicious worry in his eyes. "Maybe an owl didn't bring it." He quickly held at his hand. "Maybe I should open it."
"Come on Harry," muttered Hermione. "It's only a letter - as long as it doesn't contain any Bubotuber pus I'm sure I'll survive opening it."
Despite the witch's boasting however, when it came time to open the envelope she did so gingerly and cautiously, half afraid that something really would jump out and maul her - and Hermione actually breathed a sigh a of relief when nothing did. She slid out the only thing to actually be in the envelope - a piece of folded paper.
On the paper were written large, loopy words -
The precious item in which you seek can be found in Muggle city
However, beware, for you must have left Ben at the count of twenty-two pm
At the final strike the gates will stay firm
And there you shall always remain
Entry will be granted after three taps on its side
And the voicing of 'Entry is as entry does'
Cunning and wit will be your greatest assets in this game
But tread carefully
A trip could mean your end
Hermione stared at the page and then to Harry, who had been reading over Hermione's shoulder. They looked at each other in shock.
"This is from the kidnapper," Hermione said. "It - it has to be. …But how did they get it on my bed without anyone noticing?"
She looked all around her guardedly, wildly hoping that she may spot someone loitering or acting suspicious - perhaps with a sign that read 'I am the kidnapper. Attack me.'
"Who care's how it got there? What we've got to be thinking is what we're going to do now."
Hermione regarded the letter in her hand for a moment. "Well it's clearly a trap isn't it? I mean whoever took Ron not only wants us to know about it, but has actually given us directions on how to find him. They'll be after you Harry. I'm sure of it."
She uttered this last bit very quietly.
"If they were after me - why not just take me? Why would they even bother messing around and wasting time taking Ron?"
"Because he's your friend Harry. Whoever this kidnapper is…they want to mess with us. …That dream last night - whoever it was in my dream said a whole lot of irrelevant stuff about me and Ron before even mentioning Ron being taken. It was as if he was…toying with me - playing with my head."
"Great," muttered Harry. "So we're not only dealing with a kidnapper - we're dealing with a kidnapper who likes to get their kicks out of messing about with people. Perfect. Well, after me or not - it doesn't matter - we're going to find him. We have to."
"I know that. And I know that I won't be able to persuade you otherwise. …Right, let's look at the clues then," Hermione said, holding out the letter so that they could both see it.
"So we'll find Ron in Muggle city…" Harry mumbled.
"City. …London perhaps?" mused Hermione, thinking allowed. "Oh wait! And look, that fits - Ben. That has to be Big Ben!"
"Oh yeah…Hermione you're a genius!"
Hermione flushed pink. "Never mind that," she said quickly. "We need to get to London. …"
"We can take my broom," Harry said instantly.
"And how do we get to London from here? Do you have any idea? Plus, with every teacher of the school searching for Ron …well, we wouldn't exactly be hard to spot would we?"
"Good point," Harry said, his eyes flicking around for apparent inspiration. After a couple of seconds his head snapped back to Hermione, eyes alight. "Wait. I've got an idea. - Come on."
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On their way through the halls, the pair bumped into Draco. There was a moment where the lone Slytherin traded nasty looks with the two Gryffindors.
"Watch where you're going," he muttered angrily, before ploughing past them and walking off briskly.
Harry and Hermione hesitated not even a second before continuing on themselves. If Hermione weren't so consumed with worry for Ron, she may have thought it odd that Draco Malfoy, constant tormentor to the trio, hadn't taken the opportunity to have a nice dig at them about Ron's disappearance, the anxiety it must be causing them or to call Hermione a 'mudblood' as he would always persist in doing.
She had no time to dwell on such things. They were in a hurry.
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And that is as they say - salami, uh I mean - that. Hope this made up for not updating in so long.
So - Harry and Hermione all alone, on a mission to save their best friend…will they??? Or will they get half way to London, say 'pfft' to saving Ron and leave him to the mercy of a possibly insanely mad fiend and decide to head off to Bahamas and elope instead???
All will be revealed in the next 'exciting' cough instalment!!! Woooooooo!
All reviewers will receive this genuine panda face _( ' ;' )_ (That kind of looks like a panda right?)
Disclaimer: After thorough counselling and hypnosis treatment Hermione found that she could finally sleep again without having to worry about her friends appearing in them and pelting her with abuse. God knows she gets enough of that in real life.