Dispelling the Silence: a Harry Potter AU

By Indygodusk

Chapter 25: The Children Disappear

After a restless night, Hermione woke up feeling even worse than she had the day before. Witnessing the poisoning, being scanned by a Ministry healer for poison and curses and who knew what else, and then enduring that awful interrogation. Hermione wrenched her mind away from dwelling on it and forced herself to focus on eating a piece of toast and drinking a glass of water. Then she downed a blood replenishment potion and a pepper-up potion before going in to work.

After checking in quickly at her office to make sure she didn't have any more mysterious presents waiting on her desk, Hermione went up to see Gabrielle. She wanted to check up on her cousin after the unpleasantness of the day before. Besides, it was easier to focus on Gabrielle's troubles than on her own.

When she arrived, Gabrielle was sitting reading quietly. Her usual glow seemed dimmed. No one else was in the room. The desks of her two coworkers sat empty, with piles of folders still scattered haphazardly across the surface as if just waiting for them to pick up where they left off. Sandy Hao's desk still held her box lunch on one corner, wrapped in a brightly patterned cloth.

"Hey, Gabrielle," Hermione said gently. "How are you holding up this morning?"

Looking up, Gabrielle gave her an anemic smile. "As well as can be expected. I'm sorry you couldn't stop by last night. Fleur said to tell you that you have three days to come see her before she hunts you down herself. I'm trying to finish up Sandy's and Tyrese's work so they don't have to feel bad about leaving it undone. My current project can wait for a few hours."

Gabrielle stopped speaking as a loud commotion began in the outer office. They both turned warily to look at the door. Suddenly Ron Weasley burst into the room. Hermione braced herself for their usual bickering, but Ron only spared her a quick glance. He actually looked relieved to see her. A worried Gabrielle stood up and came around her desk to stand next to Hermione.

"Good, you're both here. There's a family emergency," Ron said urgently. "You both need to come to Bill and Fleur's house right away."

"What's happened?" Hermione demanded, stepping forward on high alert. Ron's usually ruddy complexion looked pale and grim, his eyes flat.

"Just come. They'll explain at the house," he commanded.

Gabrielle's face looked pale and sickly. She swayed back into the support of her desk. Hermione probably didn't look much better as the horrible possibilities raced through her mind. Had something happened to Bill or Fleur? To the children? But Ron's stubborn face said they'd get no news until they arrived at the house.

Stepping up to her cousin's side, she placed a supportive hand around the teenager's waist. "Do you want me to side-along apparate with you?" Hermione asked.

After blowing out breath, Gabrielle pulled away from Hermione. "No, I can do it myself. I'm not a child needing coddling. I'll meet you there." And then she disappeared with a loud, uncontrolled bang. Ron followed with a softer pop, leaving Hermione to poke her head out of the office and quickly inform the curious faces that there was a family emergency. She dashed off a note for her own boss and sent it into the departmental mail system. Then she apparated away.

A team of Aurors were pacing around Fleur's house when she arrived. They examined the walls and grounds for clues to who knew what crime. Bracing herself for the worst, Hermione ran through the door.

Inside, Bill paced back and forth across the room like a caged animal, mouth set in a silent snarl, his wolfish traits more prominent than she'd ever seen them before. Gabrielle must have run over to hug Fleur, who clutched at her sister desperately. Ron had disappeared.

But where were the children? Hermione thought with dread. This couldn't be happening to the Delacour family, not again. It wouldn't be fair.

"What's happened," Hermione demanded impatiently. "Where are Victoire and Dominique? Are they alright?"

Bill turned and howled in rage. In the ringing silence that followed, he growled out, "Someone snuck in and took them while I was out, placed a sleeping potion in the breakfast porridge."

"They drugged me with the porridge too. When I woke up, they were gone," Fleur said hollowly, looking very young and pale. "We called the aurors, but so far there are no clues as to where the girls were taken."

Gabrielle moaned and swayed in her sister's arms. "No, not again. I can't face it again."

Rearing back, Fleur smacked her across the face. "This is not about you, it's about my children! If you can't be helpful, leave!" The anger on Fleur's face made the sharp, birdlike edges of her cheeks and nose look more pronounced

Cupping her red palm in her hand, Gabrielle staggered back from her sister with a wounded look on her face. She looked about to cry, but then she firmed her trembling lips and dropped her hand. "You are," her voice wavered for a second before steadying, "You are right of course. All that matters is Victoire and Dominique. What can I do to help?"

Fleur stared at her coldly for a second before her face crumpled into tears. She lifted a hand to shield her eyes and Bill stopped his helpless pacing to enfold her protectively in his arms. "I'm sorry, Gabrielle," Fleur gasped wetly from behind her hand. "I did not mean that. We just need to find the children. I n-need to get back my ch-children," she sobbed.

"I forgive you, sister. Of course I do," Gabrielle said softly, wrapping her arms around herself tightly and biting her lip.

A few seconds later, Ron came back into the room, followed by a muscular black man. "Auror Akeem Bass is in charge of finding the girls," Ron said, gesturing to him. A second later, Hermione heard several pops as people apparated away outside.

Then Ron gestured for Bass's benefit, "This is Fleur's sister, Gabrielle Delacour, and her cousin, Hermione Granger."

Auror Bass stepped forward with a solemn but trustworthy looking face. "We've gathered up all of the evidence we can find, including the potioned porridge, and sent it off to be analyzed. I know Bill and Fleur have already finished their witness statements, but since you ladies are also close to the children and interacted with them this week, I'd hoped to talk to you and see if you can think of anything suspicious surrounding the girls over the past month or so."

"I've only been here in England for two weeks," Gabrielle said helplessly. "I can't think of anything suspicious happening around the girls, but I want to help. I can try to write down the events or talk to someone, see if anything pops out, but before I do that, I have to ask… are we absolutely sure that their disappearance doesn't have anything to do with me?" she asked carefully.

Bass's features sharpened. "What do you mean?"

Gabrielle took a hitching breath before replying. "Six years ago in France I was kidnapped by a pedophile named Troyes Durand. The police found me two days later. He was caught, but killed himself in prison rather than face a public trial. Could this be some sort of retaliation for that?"

"I'll definitely need to look into the possibility," Bass said grimly, taking quick notes.

Nodding, Gabrielle added, "You should also know that I've had two accidents that almost killed me this week. The poisoning yesterday at the ministry happened in my office."

"What?!" yelped Fleur. "Two! I only knew about yesterday. What else happened? When? And why didn't you tell me?"

Gabrielle shrugged and looked away. "We thought it was an accident. A sign fell above my head after lunch on Monday. Hermione knew. I'd hoped it would turn out to be a mistake and I wouldn't need to worry you about it."

"I find it hard to believe that it's a coincidence, though it is possible," said Bass gravely. "Who's in charge of your case?"

"Aurors Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy," said Gabrielle.

Bass cocked his head to the side, as if just remembering something. "The drugged porridge…," he muttered to himself. Then he looked up again. "I'll coordinate my investigation with them. Can you come down to the office now and give me a statement in light of your cousins being kidnapped?" Gabrielle nodded in agreement.

In the midst of the drama and revelations, no one had bothered to really look at Hermione. She'd been mumbling to herself almost sub-vocally while Gabrielle spoke, practicing what to say. There wasn't much. But she didn't want to get sidetracked giving statements at the Auror's office. The longer the children were missing, the more chance that there would be nothing for them to find. If they were dead, her spell would be useless.

"I can find them," Hermione said very, very carefully.

Bass didn't seem to have heard, continuing to talk logistics with Gabrielle, but Fleur's bright blue eyes turned and locked unwaveringly on Hermione's face. Meeting that gaze head on, Hermione repeated her promise, "I can find them."

Stepping away from her husband's arms, Fleur stepped towards Hermione. "How?" she asked desperately.

Hermione took a quick breath. "I can't say, but I promise you, I can find them."

"Do you know something about their kidnapping, Miss Granger?" Auror Bass asked heavily, dropping his hand casually near his wand.

Shaking her head, Hermione replied, "No, but I can find them for you. You just have to trust me."

"What are you going to do to find them?" Ron asked.

"I can't say," Hermione said levelly. Ron scoffed and turned away angrily.

"Your secrecy isn't helping those girls, Miss Granger," Auror Bass scolded Hermione. The tension in the room felt thick and gelatinous. Everyone seemed either demanding or hostile.

Firming her lips, Hermione rolled up her left sleeve. Then she cast finite incantem on the glamor covering her forearm. Immediately the ropy, six-inch long scar appeared on her skin. Hermione ignored the gasps and exclamations of shock and confusion.

Placing her wand in the same hand as her scarred arm, she reached down with her right to pull out her ceremonial athame. The razor-sharp blade seemed to almost swallow the light. Reacting as if to a threat, Auror Bass drew his wand. Ron stepped up next to Gabrielle protectively.

"Hermione," Fleur demanded, "just what spell are you planning to use to find my children?"

Pained, Hermione looked into her cousin's blue eyes pleadingly. "I can't say. But Fleur, I love them too. You know that. Trust me, please."

Fleur stared into her eyes for a long moment, then looked down at the scar on Hermione's arm. Suddenly she took a quick breath and looked back up intently. "Have you ever cast this spell to find someone before?"

Meeting Fleur's eyes, Hermione flicked her gaze over to Gabrielle. Then she looked back at Fleur steadily. "I can't say," Hermione repeated again slowly, begging her silently to understand and accept.

Eyes wide, Fleur asked, "Can't say? Or won't?"

Tears jumped to Hermione's eyes. One escaped to run down her cheek. Dashing it away, Hermione smiled painfully. "I can't say."

Blowing out a breath, Fleur stepped back and nodded. "Right, we'll figure that out later and fix you. For now, lead us to my children, Hermione. You're our family's miracle. I trust you."

"But how," demanded Bill as Ron said, "What are you on about?" and Bass protested, "Now wait just a moment." Gabrielle stayed silent, looking confused about what had just transpired.

"Silence!" shouted Fleur, magically zapping everyone in the room with a static charge. "Now, Hermione, continue."