Hermione sat curled up and cowering in the corner of the dark, shabby room. Her arms protectively wrapped around her belly, she shook as she cried. Her wand lay in pieces a few feet away and she could still feel the raw flesh on the inside of her cheek from when he kicked her in the face.

After being hit with the spell at the train station, the man had taken her away quickly to this old, abandoned building. Upon arriving, he took and snapped her wand and then ripped through the contents of her bag. Finding nothing worthwhile, he simply tossed it aside and told her to get into the corner. When she hesitated, the kick to her jaw had come quick and hard. As she felt the blood leaking into her mouth, she scrambled quickly to the corner, afraid that he would kick lower the next time.

The man sat across the room in a dusty chair. She had watched him write and send out a note the other day and wondered vaguely who he was contacting. Perhaps it was an accomplice who was going to join him. Or… her heart skipped a beat. Maybe he was contacting Severus. She knew things between them didn't end well, but it had been weeks since she left him and she knew he was most likely looking for her. Had he given up yet? She wondered if there were any spells on this old building preventing Severus from finding her.

"I wonder how long it'll take him to find you." The man sneered. Hermione curled up tighter as he rose from his chair and strode over, squatting down beside her. His foul breath made her stomach turn. He had been feeding her every day, thankfully (just water and bread), and she had so far managed to keep her nausea at bay. Any sign that she was ill could mean trouble. She couldn't let any harm to come to Severus's child.

He didn't seem too concerned about the passing of time. He occasionally looked out the windows, but didn't seem concerned about noises outside or whether anyone saw him. He must've cast a spell. There was something familiar about the space, but her head was fuzzy from the morning sickness and repeated blows to her head. He left her alone most days but every so often punched or kicked her hard in the face. She wondered if this was to keep marks visible for Severus or whoever he would be ransoming to see.

"You are quite a lovely one, aren't you?" His filthy hand rose and brushed a stray curl off her face. It took all the strength she had not to recoil from his touch. "And so well behaved. Good thing too, I'd hate to cause too much disfigurement to that attractive figure."

His eyes raked over her body as his hand traced along her thigh. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him lick his lips hungrily. Her stomach heaved without warning. Covered in sick, the man shouted out a string of obscenities, ripping off his drenched jacket and wiping off his pants.

"You little bitch." He hissed. Hermione's eyes were wide and her heart raced as she watched his anger get the better of him. Within seconds, he had dragged her out of the corner by her hair and was kicking her ruthlessly. She tried to cover her stomach but eventually the pain took over and everything went black.

"Mister Snape, you cannot just go in there. Stop! Mister Snape!" The girl at the front desk kept shrieking at him as he passed her, half-running down the hall to Kingsley's office. Banging the door open, he found the Minister of Magic himself sitting at the desk with someone of no importance to Severus sitting across from him. He flung himself forward, hands hitting the desk loudly.

"Kingsley, I need the Order. NOW. It's a matter of life or death, I'm sure of it." His voice was raw with desperation.

"Sorry, Mockridge, I believe we'll need to reschedule." Kingsley said quietly. The man sitting across from him nodded and exited, throwing a quick inquisitive glance at Severus before walking out. Severus waited for the door to close before continuing.

"He's got Hermione."

"Who?"

"I don't know. I don't know!" He cried, shoving his hands into his hair and pacing the room in frustration. "I just got a note that said that he had her and I needed to find her. I don't know who, I don't know where."

"Alright, I'll call the Order together right now, Severus." Kingsley said soothingly. He rose and walked over to Severus, laying a hand on the man's shoulder. "We'll find her."

Under an hour later, the two men were standing in the dining room at Grimmauld Place as Order members trickled in. Molly had immediately gone to Severus, pulling him into a warm embrace. Ginny and Harry sat side by side, their arms wrapped around each other. Ron was pacing the other side of the room, a helpless look upon his face. The other filed in quietly and took their places. Kingsley quickly got to work, filling everyone in on Hermione's disappearance and the note.

"It's a Death Eater." said George. Everyone turned to look at him. "It has to be. Who else would hate Severus enough to do something like this? Who else would want to harm someone like Hermione?" The room was silent for a moment.

"Ron and I will talk to the Aurors tomorrow." Harry announced. Ron nodded distractedly from the corner. "There are only a few left alive that aren't already in Azkaban. We'll make a list and we can double the efforts to hunt them down."

Kingsley agreed and began giving out orders to the rest as Severus's mind raced. A former Death Eater at large. He knew instantly that George was right. Without a word he turned on his heel and swept out of the room and onto the front stoop, Apparating away immediately.

He arrived in the entry way to Malfoy Manor with a loud pop a moment later.

"Lucius!" He growled. A house elf appeared in front of him, cowering.

"Master is not available. If Mister Snape will return-"

"Where is he?" He roared, stepping past the elf and striding into the manor. "Lucius!" He shouted.

"Severus?" He whirled around to see Draco stepping out from the library.

"Draco, where is your father?"

"In his office, perhaps? I'm not really sure. What is it?" Draco walked towards him, holding a book against his chest. The house elf let out a nervous squeak and disappeared. Severus curled his hands into fists to try to keep calm.

"Some Death Eater has Hermione." He ground out. Draco's eyebrows rose.

"Hermione? Well, if it's a Death Eater, my father probably knows who it might be and most likely where to find them. He seems to have a talent for such things." Draco nodded his head towards the stairs and turned to go back to the library. Severus didn't wait a moment before charging up the stairs and into Lucius's office.

"Lucius!" The man was sitting somewhat reclined in an armchair by his fire, a nearly empty bottle of Ogden's best in his hand. His head lifted to show unfocused eyes.

"Severus?" His voice was heavily slurred. With a growl of frustration, Severus stalked out of the room to find where the Malfoys kept their potions stored and returned quickly to force a vial of sober-up potion down his throat. Spluttering and dropping the bottle to the floor, Lucius seemed to start regaining his senses.

"Lucius I need your help."

"Oh yes, Severus, what can I do for you? Please tell me. I'm so desperately longing to patch you up yet again. What has she done this time, left you at the altar?" He hissed.

"Someone's taken her. She's pregnant, Lucius. And someone has taken her." Severus's voice shook.

"Shit." Lucius breathed. He picked up the bottle and drained what little was left of it. "What do you need from me?"

"The Order thinks it's one of the Death Eaters that escaped. I thought you might have an idea who."

"Ahh." Lucius sighed. "Well, I haven't heard from Yaxley, though I would presume he is still alive out there somewhere. Travers is still at large. I heard he went to America though. Macnair, but he's probably useless after Hagrid smashed him into the castle wall…." Lucius trailed off, a strange look in his eye.

"And? Anyone else?" Severus asked breathlessly.

"I…I did catch wind that Dolohov was still in the area. He and Yaxley used to be thick as thieves, you know."

Severus felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. If the two of them had her…would there be anything left to find?