JK Rowling owns all the rights to the books and the amazing characters she created. I write only to satisfy my imagination and use my creativity and make no money from my writings.

Chapter 12 – Fixing Hermoine's Wagon*

Poppy Pomfrey woke up around 5:30ish and it was a good thing (for Hermione) that the girl had taken possession of the Medi-witch's wand. Poppy threw a fit worthy of Harry Potter in a crazy mood. What was worse than being disobeyed, stunned, wandless and placing them in danger for not following orders, it was the indifference with a hint of smugness on the girl's face as she watched the older witch vent her spleen.

Half way through Poppy's chastisement, the girl calmly went back to reading her book and basically just ignored her. Poppy had to take a walk down to the stream to get her composure back. She had never liked Hermione Granger, for many reasons, all of them good. However, Minnie adored the girl almost (but not quite) as much as she did Lily Evans – and look what happened to her once she finally "gave in" to James Potter's charms.

The rumors were that the girl, who had hated Potter for six years, had been potioned and Poppy knew it to be true as Dumbledore had forbidden her to treat the girl for any illness or injury without his permission or Minnie's supervision. Minnie considered the marriage an excellent match for the brilliant girl as due to her status as a Muggleborn, her talent, knowledge and power would be overlooked.

Poppy did smile thinking that although Lily Evans had married a very wealthy, politically powerful only heir and last of a line Pure-blood, the only "reward" for Hermione Granger would be a forced marriage to one of the Weasley boys, probably the human vacuum. It would shock the hell out of her but it would serve her right!

After she got control of her emotions, Poppy quietly walked back into the house and asked for her wand back. However, the smug girl said "No. You will get your wand back when Professor McGonagall returns and not a minute before" and that said she went back to reading that damn book.

Desperately trying not to attack the little bitch, Poppy calmly asked the girl to unpack the kitchen equipment so that Poppy could make dinner as she was hungry and IF Minnie returned, she too, would want a good meal. Hermione paused to think it over and for a moment Poppy thought she would refuse but then the girl relented and unspelled the kitchen supplies.

"I'll have an omelet as I know that four eggs are left and a bit of cheese" the girl ordered "And there should be some…green things to mince and make it tasty." Keeping a straight face Poppy went into the kitchen to cook the girl a "special meal" and she did.

Since she did most of the cooking, Poppy had a few tricks up her sleeve, such as keeping certain potions and/or the ingredients to make them in the spice cupboard. Fifteen minutes later, the girl was served a lovely-looking dinner with the last of the milk.

Not even thanking Poppy, the girl started eating and continued reading - until she keeled over when the "special ingredients" took effect.

Poppy retrieved her wand AND Hermione's. She stunned the girl to "sleep" for several hours. Then Poppy repacked the kitchen, shrunk everything (including Minnie's possessions) and put everything in her purse, left the house and apparated away into the night. She had also taken the remaining cash and all of the valuables.

Now before you think that Poppy Pomfrey, efficient, knowledgeable, powerful, highly ethical and a caring and merciful woman (normally) had taken everything of value and abandoned the girl – she really hadn't. The girl would think so when she awoke later in a darkened house without a wand or food, but that was the girl's punishment for defying, insulting and disobeying not only the Medi-witch but Minnie. She had endangered them all and Minnie couldn't live with herself if they had been captured.

Instead, Poppy went house-hunting. She knew of a few old cottages which had been abandoned and there was a recently closed American Air Force Base near a "haunted forest known for its witches and ghosts" so that should have at least a few empty houses.

First, she apparated into the middle of the forest and tried to find a house of a friend of her Mum. Elspeth Gobblerette had once upon a time mentored Poppy's Mum. Once a year on the old witch's birthday, Mum had taken Poppy and her sister to visit the "old, weird lady" as Poppy called her, and they always brought a large, heavily iced cake because Elspeth had a sweet tooth. Actually, she only had one front tooth left. They'd bring other gifts, such as a bottle of Muggle brandy, a warm shawl, a few pair of socks or anything else that an old lady might want or need.

One year they found the house in disarray and one very old, very dead witch. "It had to be natural causes" Mum said "as she was nearly 200 years old" but she ran a diagnostic to confirm it. It was a shock to Mum and after placing bubbleheaded charms on her children and self, they gave the "old dear" a small but dignified funeral, burying the old gal near her potion patch.

"Shouldn't we notify someone?" Poppy had asked.

"No, Elspeth never married or had children and many of those she mentored have died or…neglected her. We were all she had left." Both girls felt very sad.

Still wearing the charms, they cleaned up the small house as best they could. They had buried her with her favorite cauldron, in her only silk dress and a large moon ring which she had always worn and used her best (and only) quilt as a shroud. Besides some kitchen things, old, threadbare linens, blankets and a radio (a Wizarding Wireless model which Elspeth had runed to receive Muggle stations), there wasn't anything of real value. Poppy thought it was tragic to have lived so long and have no one or much in the way of material things to show for that life.

Elspeth had been a Runes Mistress and the notice-me-not runes set around her abode had not faded with her death. Hopefully, Poppy could still find the house and if it wasn't too dilapidated, she'd clean it up and at noon go back to fetch Bushy Bucky Bossy Beaver Bitch or B5 which was a very nasty name given to Hermione by Luna Lovegood.

Since only Poppy and very few people knew, Harry Potter had met Luna Lovegood during the time Hermione had been petrified by the Basilisk. Luna had come to the Infirmary after being "pranked by some people" and she would never tell Poppy who had done this to her as "It wouldn't do any good and would only get much worse" and sadly, the girl was right.

Harry and Luna became secret friends because, again sadly, Harry wasn't allowed to have any friends except the ones Dumbledore allowed him to have. Surprisingly, when Poppy had chastised Luna (for the first and only time) for calling Hermione such horrible names, the girl replied "I heard it from Harry – but don't tell anyone – and it is a nickname Harry uses when Hermione has stretched his last nerve to the breaking point. You really don't want to hear what he calls Ronald."

Well actually Poppy was curious but decided if she knew it might slip out at the wrong time. Considering all that had happened, if Poppy ever saw Harry again (and he wasn't looking for revenge for the things Dumbledore made her do), she just might ask him! She had a few "special names" for Ron the Weasel and others (like Draco Malfoy) and she had dearly wanted to use them but knew she would be punished – especially the ones she had for Dumbledamnit.

She did find the house, which had looked bigger when she was a girl, and it wasn't in too bad a condition. Dirty yes, broken down, no. They would be safer here than an abandoned house closer to or at the base. Since she had had a "nap" she had energy and used several cleaning charms that were used in the Infirmary and sterilized everything. It was only a one-room home much like Hagrid's without the extra-large furniture and the hams and other things he had hanging from the rafters. She had used all of the eggs for Hermione's meal and besides the herbs, spices, stale bread, a few tins of veggies, and half a box of cereal, they had been counting on Minnie's shopping to resupply the kitchen.

She remembered that there was a small stream and hoped it hadn't dried up. Fortunately, it hadn't and she tried to accio a fish for a meal but it took a long time to find one small trout, which she should have thrown back but she was too hungry. She ate the fish and bread, cleaned up a bit and set up an alarm with her wand to wake her at 8:00 a.m. Despite all that had happened that day, she had no trouble falling into a deep and refreshing sleep.

Severus Snape had a lot of trouble bringing his "prize" to the Dark Lord. There were too many Death Eaters lurking about, but Bellatrix would be the one to successfully rob him and claim it for herself. Sev had to take the chance of transfiguring a human into a box of potions. As Transfiguration was the one skill he lacked mastery over, he had to try three times before the unconscious witch was successfully turned into a potion vial and placed with the other potions. He hoped it wouldn't wear off before he had a chance to deliver it to the Dark Lord.

Despite knowing full well that Voldemort had given Snape orders to make some difficult potions, Bellatrix decided to inspect the contents if only to annoy him. She made some of the usual derisive comments and delayed him a good 15-20 minutes and would have kept him longer but the Dark Lord came out of his office and greeted him.

Bellatrix was gushing adoration and pledges of loyalty but Voldemort sensed Severus had something important to tell him, so he brushed her aside and told Snape to follow him in the office and loudly announced "No one is to bother us at the risk of something…dire…happening and that especially means you Bella."

Oh how she wanted to curse and torture that filthy Half-blood Snape insane and completely incapacitated. But her Lord had specifically told her several times to keep away from Snape as he was very valuable to his plans. There would be no argument or else!

Once they were safely behind closed doors, Sev took out a special vial and said "Forgive the…disguise…but it was the only way I knew to keep this prize from Bellatrix's interference." Voldie knew that Bella would risk disobeying him if there was any possibility of torturing ANYBODY, be it Muggles, Mudbloods, Half-Bloods, Half-breeds and even Pure-bloods if she thought they posed a threat to her and her status in the Inner Circle and, of course, for fun or revenge. McGonagall would be too good to pass up despite the Dark Lord's orders.

Placing the vial on the floor, Sev cancelled the transfiguration revealing the stunned body of Minerva McGonagall. Sev thought he heard an in-take of breath from the Dark Lord, but his ears must be playing tricks on him.

"You've done very well, Severus. What about Pomfrey and the Granger girl?"

"According to McGonagall, who I had to stun to capture, they had their orders that if she had not returned by a certain time, they were to bugout – which means…."

"I know what it means" Voldie snapped out. "No doubt she didn't awake until after the appointed time?"

"Yes my Lord. I even legitimized her and it was so."

Voldie thought for a moment before telling Snape he would be rewarded but to leave now. Snape did so, only to be hexed in the back by Bellatrix, whose laughter brought the Dark Lord out of his reverie and he in turned cursed her with a Cruciatus for several minutes. He would have to do something about her unruly behavior or else, although she was loyal, talented and powerful, he might have to put her down.

He removed the hex from Snape and told him to visit Narcissa who was acting as the resident healer. He then summoned a house elf and ordered him to take Bellatrix to the dungeon to "sleep it off" and NO ONE was to release her.

He then went back to his plans for his prize.

*Fix someone's wagon, Slang: To get even with or punish someone: He'd better mind his own business or I'll really fix his wagon. History is my hobby and I like using some outdated slang on occasion. See, you probably learned something new!