A/N: I hope you guys like this next chapter. I wrote this all tonight so hopefully it's not too bad. Also kajlima, thank you for your reviews, both Harry and Hermione's responses when breaking up with Ginny and Ron sound so much better in your version lol. I'll have to be more outspoken next time. Please read and review
Chapter 26: He's Taken Her
The next morning Hermione woke to sunlight streaming through the windows and Harry's strong arms wrapped around her. She smiled and snuggled closer to him. The events of the night before came into her mind and she smiled to herself. She couldn't have imagined it going any different. Harry being the one that she gave her whole self to was exactly what she wanted even if it took her a long time to figure that out. Her thoughts went to what happened with Ron as well. His behavior was very peculiar last night. It was hard to believe that he had forgiven them and been okay with Harry and Hermione being together. Hermione turned and slid out of Harry's arms. He shifted in his sleep, but didn't say anything. Hermione walked across the room and pulled on a sweatshirt and quietly left the room, wand raised.
She padded down the hallway to the library and shut the door quietly. Hermione locked the door and looked around. She read different titles of books and found one called: Potions, Draughts, and Anything In Between. She looked in the index and found the calming draught. She opened to the page and scanned through it to the side effects section.
The calming draught is a wonderful item to rest those nerves. There are some side effects, but nothing too nerve-racking. You may experience confusion, nausea, and drowsiness. Although these symptoms should only last for a day anything longer than that could mean something isn't right.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. Could they be any vaguer? She thought. She closed the book and thought for a moment. Ron didn't really seem confused just accepting. She shook her head feeling even more confused about the events the night before with Ron. She shrugged and stood up again and put the book back. She reached for the one that she was reading about what happened with Harry. She was to the point in her reading that she could find out how they could get rid of Voldemort's soul all together when the floo opened up. Hermione looked up setting the book down, open, and raising her wand at the fireplace. Out of the flames stepped Ron.
"Ron, what are you doing here so early?" Hermione asked leaving her wand up. Ron looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
"Um, first of all it's practically lunch time and secondly why do you still have your wand up?" He asked crossing his arms. Hermione blushed and lowered her wand.
"Well, I thought it was rather early and you know how you like to sleep in, so I uh didn't know if it could really be you," She mumbled. He nodded and shrugged his shoulders.
"Where's Harry?" He asked looking towards the door.
"He is still sleeping. What are you doing here?" She replied. He shifted his weight and looked back at her a worried expression crossing his face.
"It's Ginny. She's missing and I have no idea where she is and I wondered if you would help me find her. I'm worried that she's gotten herself into trouble or something," Ron said. Hermione gasped.
"How long has she been missing? Isn't she at Hogwarts?" Hermione asked standing up.
"She has been gone since yesterday morning and she always tells us when she's going to be somewhere. She didn't say anything to anyone and she didn't leave a note. I don't know what's happened to her," Ron said nervously.
Hermione paced around a moment and looked towards the door. "Let me go wake Harry up so he can help us." She began walking towards the door, but Ron sidestepped in front of her.
"No, I don't want him all worked up. You know how he is with his hero complex. He'll go in wands blazing and not even think of the consequences. I'm sure she's just having some R&R and just hiding out somewhere. No need to worry him," he said grabbing her arm. Hermione looked at him, unsure if she should go along with him.
"Well, I can at least leave him a note letting him know what's going on and that we will keep him posted," Hermione said walking over to the desk and reaching for a quill and parchment. Ron was at her side again grabbing a hold of her arm.
"Hermione that would defeat the purpose of looking for Ginny without Harry knowing. Just help me look for her. I don't want Harry involved," Ron said as he began pulling her towards the fireplace. She wrenched her arm from his grasp and stepped towards the desk and quickly reached for the quill. She scribbled quickly before Ron grabbed her arm again.
"Ron! What are you doing?! Let go of my arm!" Hermione cried. Ron increased his grip on her arm and pulled her towards the fireplace.
"Hermione, you should have just come easily," Ron uttered.
"Ronald! You are hurting me! Let go!" Hermione cried again trying to yank her arm free. His other arm came around and picked her up like she was a feather.
"Hermione, don't do this," Ron said through clenched teeth. He got her into the fireplace. He held her against his waist with one arm and dropped some floo powder into the pit and called out their destination.
"HARRY!!" Hermione screamed before she was pulled away through the floo.
XXX
Harry woke up and noticed that Hermione was no longer next to him. He sat up and looked around the room. She wasn't sitting in their tub or in the bathroom. Her wand was also missing from the nightstand. He slid out of bed and walked to the door. She probably went to the library to do some more research or something, he thought. He walked out into the hallway and heard a raised voice from the library. He raised his wand and quietly made his way towards the closed library door. As he reached the door he heard Hermione scream his name. Harry reached for the door to burst in, but found it locked.
"Oh shit! Hermione! I'm coming, hold on! ALOHRAMA!" Harry cried as the door unlocked itself. He flung open the door in time to see the flames die down from the fireplace. He ran to the fireplace trying in vain to follow, but to no avail. He looked around the room for any sign as to where she'd gone. On the couch he noticed a book lying open and saw some parchment on the desk. He ran to the desk and looked down. He picked up the paper and recognized the hurried handwriting of Hermione. The parchment said: Ron Ginny missing. That was it. Harry looked towards the fireplace. He walked back to the couch and picked up the book. As he quickly skimmed the page he knew that what was in front of him was very important. He made note of the page and closed the book.
He ran back into his room and quickly got dressed. He shrunk the book and stuck it in his pocket and ran back to the library. He stepped into the fireplace and flooed to the Burrow.
Harry stumbled out of the fireplace and looked around. "RON!! GINNY!! HERMIONE!!" He screamed. He ran out of the kitchen and glimpsed Ginny in the sitting room. He ran in as she was getting up.
"Harry! What are you screaming about?!" She cried running up to him. Harry looked at her reaching out to pull her into a hug.
"You're okay. Where's Ron? And Hermione?" Harry asked. Ginny stepped back and looked at him confused.
"Ron isn't here and neither is Hermione. What is going on Harry?" Ginny asked nervously.
"Harry, what are you bellowing about?" Fred asked walking in closely followed by George.
"Have you guys seen Ron?" Harry asked turning to look at them. He had worry written all over his face. Fred and George's expression softened.
"He just flooed over to Grimmauld a bit ago. Isn't that where you just were?" George asked. Harry's face paled and he began shaking and sweating. He slumped down into a chair and buried his face in his hands. The twins and Ginny exchanged fearful looks.
"Harry, what the hell is going on?" Ginny asked sternly, kneeling in front of him taking his hands into her own.
"He's taken her. I can't believe this. I knew something was off," Harry muttered.
"Who's taken who, Harry?" Fred asked.
"Ron, he's taken Hermione," Harry replied.
"What are you on about Harry? This is Ron we are talking about here. Why would he take Hermione?" George asked.
"Have you guys noticed that he's been acting funny recently?" Harry asked standing abruptly nearly knocking Ginny over. Ginny stood up and looked at him.
"Well, Harry, he's been a bit emotional lately, but you know why that is," Ginny replied narrowing her gaze a moment. Harry sighed.
"I know, but besides that. I mean last night he came by and totally forgave us for everything and told us he was okay if we were together," Harry replied not looking at Ginny. Ginny looked away from a moment, but then shook it off.
"Come to think of it Harry, he has been a bit more dazed since he went drinking the other night. I mean usually he's easy to scare you know, but we tried to play a joke on him a couple of times and he didn't even flinch or anything. He just sat there," George said. Harry looked at him realization hitting him.
"Oh no, I wonder if the calming draught did something to his mind," Harry offered.
"No. It's only side effects are some confusion and drowsiness and maybe some nausea. They don't make you change your whole response system days after. It's just something to calm you for the moment," Ginny said. Harry looked at her and then began pacing again. What could be going on with Ron? He thought. His behavior seemed familiar, but Harry couldn't place what it was. The twins and Ginny were watching Harry and glancing at each other. Harry stopped and looked at Ginny. Then it hit him.
"Oh no! We need to find them! Ron has the imperius curse put on him!" Harry cried. He started running to the kitchen with the other Weasley's following behind him.
"Harry, how do you know that?" Ginny asked.
"I saw it in his eyes last night. I stunned him because he just randomly showed up at Grimmauld and we didn't know who it was and when I woke him back up his eyes were glazed over, but I thought it was from the stunning. It makes sense that he would say something to us that is completely opposite from how he acted before. How could I not see that?" Harry exclaimed. He was nearly to the kitchen when he stopped again. The twins and Ginny nearly ran into him.
"Harry, you don't even know where they are and you don't know who would put him under the imperius curse," Ginny said.
"I have a pretty good idea. The people at the battle that's who did it. We need to go to Hogwarts. I bet they are in the forest and are holding Ron and Hermione captive. Let's go!" Harry cried running to the fireplace. Fred, George, and Ginny followed him in there and one after the other flooed to Hogwarts.