Chapter 11

Harry's POV

They were ready. They had made all their plans and completed all their preparations, which were all too easy. Rita Skeeter had been delighted to inform the wizarding community of the very important meeting being held about the, "Mystery Ministry Attacker," by the Order of the Phoenix and the Aurors, in general Harry was quite happy with the trap they were setting for Lestrange but so much relied on chance that, on Monday morning, he was extremely fearful of the consequences of this plan and he couldn't help worrying that something would go wrong, they always seemed to really.

"Don't worry Harry, it will work out," Ginny said quietly, as she fed James his breakfast, "There is nothing that could go wrong, the worst that could possibly happen is that he doesn't take the bait."

Harry nodded and marvelled privately at how well Ginny knew him, and they resumed eating their breakfast in comfortable silence, which was only interrupted by James giggling and playing with his food, mischievously. Harry laughed at his son's antics, as a surge of pride swelled inside him and a sudden thought came to him,

"Gin, what about his birthday? We didn't celebrate it," Harry had completely forgotten about the party that was organised for his son. There was the attack on the ministry 2 week ago and then Hermione was kidnapped just over a week ago. Harry felt a sharp pang of guilt as he realized that his best friend had been taken over a week ago and he hadn't found her yet.

"I don't know Harry," Ginny said in a small voice, bringing him back to reality, "I want him to have his birthday too but it hardly seems appropriate without her, she was his Godmother."

"Is, Ginny, is his Godmother," Harry reminded her irritably, and Ginny looked ashamed of herself for her words, Harry sighed and got up to give her a small hug before continuing, "I don't mean a big party, Gin, of course not, I just meant a small family gathering, it might help everyone cope, y'know?" his voice broke slightly at the end of the sentence, "and James can enjoy some time with his cousins."

"Yeah, you're right I suppose, that's a good idea, I'll organise it for after this meeting and, with any luck, everyone will be here, eh?"

Harry smiled at her optimism and the fact that she didn't seem to be angry that she wouldn't be involved in the plan, they had gotten into a huge argument when Harry told her that she couldn't possibly be involved, when it could easily turn into a fight, Harry shuddered as he remembered the deadly looks she had given him, but she gave in when she realized that their baby could be harmed.

Ginny's mobile rang suddenly, interrupting the silence, and Harry frowned, she didn't use her mobile. She had only gotten one after Hermione pestered her for months, so that they could talk more often. She looked at the phone and her face became sad, as she left the room to take the call, he could hear her talking in the other room but couldn't make out her words.

"Who was that?" Harry asked her when she came back into the room; she looked at him sadly, as if she was unsure of how to tell him something.

"It was Hermione's mum. I went to talk to her and her husband a few days after she disappeared. I thought they deserved to know and it was the only thing I could do to help, seeing as I can't go on any of the missions. She rings to check if there are any updates." Ginny informed him calmly.

"Oh, that's good, thanks, Gin," Harry smiled weakly at her, he was a disappointed that he and Ron hadn't thought of this but they were too stressed and worried to think about it , really, " I can't believe that we forgot them! Mind you, Hermione will kill us for worrying them." He chuckled slightly at the thought of his friend's face, determined not to consider the possibility that she wouldn't be here to tell them off again.

"Harry," Ginny began nervously, "I didn't only tell the Grangers about this."

Harry looked at her confusedly, who else was there to tell?

"I also went to see Tim," she said in a rush, "I know he's not in the Order but he'd be dead worried wouldn't he? I mean, he would know she was missing but nothing else. I just told him about the case and what we're doing to find her."

Harry raised an eyebrow at her, Tim wasn't in the Order and no one, except Hermione, knew him.

"Well, it's only fair isn't it? I know what it's like to be left out when you three get going!" Ginny said defensively and Harry rolled his eyes at her attempt to guilt trip him.

"I suppose, just don't tell him anything about the plans, ok?" He warned her but groaned when he saw the guilty look on her face, "What have you told him, Ginny?"

"I told him everything, even about today," she said in a tiny, guilty voice.

"Oh for the love of Merlin!" Harry moaned.

"Well, Hermione trusts him, come on Harry, he was devastated and he's worried about her." Ginny pleaded.

Harry sighed in defeat and nodded, "Ok, but don't tell Ron anything about this, we don't need another Krum," he smirked at her and they both laughed.

oo00OO00oo

Ron's POV

Ron walked into the conference room and found that he was first to arrive, looking at his watch he realized that he was 30 minutes early but he didn't care. He really couldn't stand moping around in his flat all day and doing nothing, being here felt like he was actually making a difference and doing something useful to help find her.

Ron tensed up and he immediately took out some paperwork to pass the time and distract him, he couldn't think about her or what she was going through, it only makes him more depressed and angry; he needed to be completely focused today or he would never find her and he needed to find her.

People started filing into the room 20 minutes later, after what seemed like a lifetime to Ron. He talked with everyone for a while, especially his family, who seemed to be going out of their way to make sure he was coping. He felt irritated, though, that everyone was giving him these odd looks, as if they knew something that he didn't.

Ron was momentarily distracted as he noticed lavender enter the room with Parvati and Padma. He felt slightly ashamed at himself for the outburst at the last meeting, but he couldn't stand annoying bad-mouthing Hermione. Ron had been surprised that Lavender had come back to the Order meetings, and he respected her hugely for that, but she usually remained quiet and didn't contribute in many ways. Ron secretly suspected that the only reason she came was so she could send him angry glares throughout the meetings but it didn't really matter why she came, she was helping Hermione after all. When Harry entered the room, they took their places at the top of the long table beside Kingsley to officially start their "meeting". Nothing happened. They began to repeat old conversations and talk about old leads while Ron's heart plummeted. This was the only thing they had come up with and it failed drastically. Ron felt angry at himself for actually believing that this would work, as it felt like he was losing her over again. He felt so useless, Merlin only knows what she could be going through and they had done nothing at all to help her.

He looked over to Harry and watched him get up and address the people in the room,

"Well, it looks like that is everything to discuss, the meeting is over." Ron could hear the disappointment and grief in Harry's voice and knew that he wasn't alone in his pain and anger. He watched as the Aurors left the room first, looking thoroughly confused as they hadn't been told about the secret plan, and eventually it was only Harry and Ron left in the room.

"We'll think of something else, mate," Harry said to him in a tone that did not match his hopeful words. Ron was about to retort that they didn't have anything else to think of, when a burst of light erupted into the room, Ron covered his eyes with his hands as they light blinded him.

The light was gone, and as Ron took his hand away from his eyes, he noticed a sheet of parchment on the table that certainly wasn't there before. Ron approached the table warily, his Auror senses warning him to be cautious, and lifted the parchment; he could feel Harry behind him, leaning over his shoulder to read it too.

Ron took a deep, bracing breath and read the note,

I cannot be trapped and you will pay a fatal price for attempting to

Ron gasped violently, as fury ran through his veins. He heard Harry's sharp intake of breath beside him but he didn't care. A grief like he has never known took hold of him and he didn't know what to do. Lestrange was going to kill her. And it was entirely their fault. The stupid, naïve plan of theirs was going to cost Hermione her life. He felt tears spring to his eyes as he ran from the room, he could hear Harry calling behind him but he didn't care, he needed to get as far away from there as possible.

oo00OO00oo

Hermione's POV

She could hear voices now. It was probably the Doom Soldiers that were guarding her. Hermione kept her eyes jammed shut, she couldn't take any more torture, a shiver ran uncontrollably through her body as she once again relived the horrors that she had been subjected to here, it was worse than the war and she couldn't escape it. She felt weak and vulnerable here and she knew it was only a matter of time before Lestrange realized that she would never tell them anything and he would kill her. This frightened her but it was nothing to the fear that she would put her friends in danger by cracking and telling them all the Order's secrets. She couldn't stand these thoughts, so she turned her attention to the conversation the Doom Soldiers were having outside the door, to distract herself.

"-really angry, he is,"

"We'll be in for it now then; did they really think that they could catch him?"

"Dunno, but apparently he has sources around the Order, Potter and Weasley planned it, of course," Hermione gasped as her friends were mentioned, she felt tears spring to her eyes as she realized that Harry, and Ron especially, would never give up until they found her. Hermione was anxiously awaiting every word of this conversation now, it was the most she had heard about anything since she got here and it gave her new hope to realize that Ron and Harry were fighting Lestrange.

"Ha, of course it would be those two; the three of them could never keep their noses out of anything, could they? Well, they won't know what hit 'em"!

"Yeah, we'll he's furious, couldn't believe that they tried to trick him."

"Yeah, well, everyone round here wants revenge on those three, don't they?"

They conversation ended around here and Hermione was left alone with her thoughts. She was terrified for her boys now, she knew better than anyone that Lestrange did not like to be made a fool of. She was so absorbed in her thoughts throughout the day that she didn't realise until nightfall that she had been left alone all day. This was not the routine she was used to, where she was tortured for hours at a time, although the Doom Soldiers and Lestrange now realised that she would not give them any information, they kept up the torture anyway, they seemed to get some sick pleasure from destroying a person.

She heard footsteps approaching outside the door now and she listened to the conversation that followed.

"What's happening?" asked a rough voice, that Hermione recognised as one of the guards from before, "We've been standing out here all day, with no orders."

"There's been a change off plan," a new, clearer voice said, they had evidently thought she was asleep as she had not made a sound or movement all day, "He doesn't need the mudblood anymore, he's going to deal with it tomorrow."

They had started to laugh as Hermione felt all the hope she gained from hearing about her friends drain from her. This was it, they were too late. Tears flooded down her face as she thought of all things she would miss out on and all the people she would never see again.

She thought of her parents, who would be devastated to her of her death, they were so reluctant to let her live in the Wizard world after she got back from Australia, they thought she was in danger and she had spent hours explaining to them that Voldemort was gone and she was safe. How wrong she was.

She thought of James and a smile came to her lips as she remembered all the times she played with her excitable Godson, she loved him dearly and just hoped that he would grow up happy and loved.

Hermione thought of all the Weasleys, who she regarded as her second family and all the fun times she shared with them. There were there for the best moments of her life.

She thought of Harry and Ginny and prayed that nothing happened to her friends and their small family. She hoped that her best-friends would always be happy together and knew somehow that they would.

She thought of the one person that she really wanted to see, the one person that was always there for her and could make her laugh and cry in equal measure. She would give anything to speak to him once again and, before she knew what she was doing, she whispered out into the darkness, in a hoarse voice, "Ron."

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