Summary: Ron and Hermione summon help to find Harry. Where is he, and can they rescue him in time for the wedding?
Disclaimer: These characters belong to JK Rowling, except for a couple I've added.
Author's Notes: See end. Lots of action in this part, though! I've rated it PG13 to err on the cautious side. Not that violent, but see if you can spot the suggestive remark...
This story has seven parts:
1. Harry. 2. Hermione. 3. Ron. 4. The Party. 5. The Danger. 6. The Long Night. 7. The Dawn.
Part 6: The Long Night.
Ron checked the time again, tapping his fingers impatiently on the dashboard. They seemed to have been waiting in the lane for ages, although it couldn't have been more than half an hour since he had had the reply to his owl, telling him that his squad would be there as soon as possible. The other message he had sent, to London, had not been answered yet.
"They've got better information at headquarters," he had told Hermione. "They can run a check on Malfoy and pinpoint places we might look for him."
"That's if we're right, and it was Malfoy in the pub," Hermione said. "It did sound like him though - pointy nose and all!"
"Yeah, though I didn't know he had a moustache now. Anyway, we should get the information back from London soon." Ron was silent again for a moment.
"I wonder who's working with Malfoy." Hermione was leaning against the steering wheel again. They had parked just down the lane from The Burrow, hidden from the house by a tall Devon hedge, and were sitting in darkness, since Hermione had turned off the headlights. Shadows moved in the lane ahead of them, as a badger ambled across from hedge to hedge.
"I'd forgotten how beautiful it was here," Hermione remarked suddenly. "It seems so long since I was down here -" She broke off, as though she hadn't meant to bring up memories of the reason why it had been so long since her last visit. Ron looked across at her. She was looking away from him, and he took the opportunity to study her. She looked more - polished - somehow, even in trousers and casual fleece. More poised. The mental picture he had carried in his mind for six years was slightly out of date. He liked her hair short - if they weren't now sitting in the dark, he knew he'd still be able to see the chestnut lights that shone in the brown locks, and he wondered if it still felt as soft to touch. Despite the awkwardness he had felt around her since he arrived, it felt quite natural, somehow, to be sitting here with her in the dark.
"You know, it's ironic," he said abruptly. "Bill's death actually brought Harry and Ginny together in a way."
She looked startled, he thought, though he couldn't see her face clearly. She was probably surprised that he had voluntarily mentioned Bill, since she knew how badly Bill's death had affected him. "How?"
"Well, they hadn't seen much of each other since Hogwarts. But after - Bill died, Harry came down here a lot, trying to make us feel better, I think."
"I remember that."
"Well, over the next year, he and Ginny saw a lot of each other, and that's when they became really close." Ron couldn't stop a smile, despite the seriousness of the situation. "I can tell you, I was pretty chuffed last year when I found out Harry was finally planning to become my brother-in-law."
"I can imagine." She looked round, jumpily. "What was that noise?"
"They're here." Ron opened the car door quickly and got out. Four dark figures on broomsticks swept out of the sky and landed beside the car. They all wore dark robes, and hoods, but Ron was able to make out their faces. "Good, you found us." He turned to Hermione, who had also got out of the car. "This is my squad - Leander - Bernard - Ivan - Alexandra." They all nodded in greeting. He turned to them. "This is Hermione Granger."
The M.L.E.S. people obviously knew Hermione's name, either from her involvement in the battle against Voldemort, or from her books. "Any more leads?" asked Ivan, who was stocky and dark-haired.
"Not yet - ah!" An owl swooped down towards them. "This could be the answer from the Ministry." Ron read the message quickly. "The C.E.O. says if we don't notify him that we've found Harry by 5 a.m. he'll send down reinforcements in strength. And...well, what do you know?"
"What?" Hermione demanded.
"Apparently they've traced a hush-hush house purchase made by Draco Malfoy a few months ago - at Fairmile Cross - that's only a mile from here. He bought it under another name, so he obviously didn't want people to know he was around. The C.E.O. suggests looking there first."
"Right. What are the orders?" asked Bernard, who was middle-aged, with thinning hair, and a red scar across one cheek from a close encounter with a griffin.
Ron considered for a few seconds, before saying briskly, "We'll go in the car - I know exactly where it is. You follow on the broomsticks - stay with us."
"Right you are." They mounted their broomsticks again, and Ron and Hermione returned to the car.
As she started the car, Hermione remarked, "So, I get to see how the M.L.E.S. works from the inside. I suppose civilians aren't usually allowed on operations?"
"No. But the C.E.O. knows your background. You're different." Driving, she smiled sideways at him, briefly, and he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. It was a long time since that smile had been directed at him.
They drove rapidly towards Fairmile Cross, Ron giving brief directions at turnings - "Left here. Then right" - until they reached a small lane that appeared to be a dead end, with a five-barred gate at the end. "Stop here."
The broomsticks landed beside them again. They gathered together and Ron conducted a whispered meeting.
"The house is up that driveway. I can see some lights, so it looks like Malfoy's home, and hopefully not alone. Stay close, and we'll see if we can get a good viewpoint. I'll lead - Alex, Bernard, you bring up the rear, and keep a look out for guards or any kind of ambush."
They advanced stealthily through the gate, and up a drive lined by overgrown trees. Dim light from the house appeared and disappeared as the drive twisted and turned, but when they got to the edge of a rundown lawn, they could get a clear view. The house was old, and fairly small, with six windows at the front. Only two of the downstairs windows were lighted. Light leaked from gaps in the closed curtains. The peeling front door was firmly shut.
"There's probably a back door too," said Hermione softly. "They're bound to notice if we go in at the front."
"That'll be our next resort if we can't get in by stealth," Ron told her. "Official Ministry raid." He beckoned the others closer. "Alex and Bernard, you stay here, under cover, watch out for guards or anyone coming in or out at the front. Leander, Ivan, you scout round the right hand side of the house, see if you can hear anything or find another entrance. Hermione and I will go round to the left. If we don't find anything, we'll meet back here in ten minutes, and try the official approach."
The group split up, and Ron and Hermione walked quietly through the grass to the left-hand side of the house, where a window was lighted. Ron kept watch as Hermione squirmed in between the window and a shed, trying to see through one of the cracks in the curtains. "Can you see anything?"
"No, but there's someone in there - I can't see properly - people moving about," she breathed in frustration.
"Keep going." They moved silently along the wall to the rear corner of the house, and found a back door, behind which there seemed to be no light. Ron tried the handle. It was locked.
Leander and Ivan appeared round the other corner of the house, and joined them. "Hermione and I will try to get in," Ron decided. "You stay here - if you hear a struggle, or if we're not out in ten minutes, come in after us and alert the other two." Leander and Ivan nodded.
"Alohomora," Hermione murmured, bringing back another vivid memory to Ron. The first time he had heard her say that...But the door was swinging open, revealing a darkened passageway. Ron lit a tiny light on the end of his wand, just enough to see where they were going, and they advanced carefully. The passageway seemed empty, but at the end of it was a door with light shining underneath it - one of the occupied rooms. Beside the door was a tall cupboard.
As they drew closer to the door, Ron hoped fervently it would not open suddenly. He was quite prepared for a confrontation - confrontations were part of his job - but he wanted to find out more first, if he could, about who or what awaited them on the other side. He flattened himself against the wall by the door, and Hermione came up beside him. They both listened intently. From here they were able to make out voices. A man was mumbling something, but they couldn't make out the words. However, a sharper, louder voice answered him, a voice they both recognized instantly.
"Don't be stupid! He'll do it eventually - even famous Harry Potter wouldn't want everyone to think he'd run out on his wedding." There was a nasty sneer to the voice.
Ron's eyes met Hermione's, and they both mouthed the same word. "Malfoy!"
They listened further. "And what will your precious friends say, Potter? Weasley won't be happy that you ditched his sister - and what do you suppose his bosses at the Ministry will say when they find out the famous Harry Potter has vanished without a trace, right under his nose?"
Ron and Hermione exchanged another glance, before Ron felt enormously relieved to hear Harry's own voice answering, though sounding groggy.
"My friends trust me, Malfoy. Which is probably more than you can say about yours."
Ron could imagine the expression on Malfoy's face at that remark. There was a pause.
"Why doesn't Harry just blast him?" Hermione murmured, very softly. "He's a better wizard than Malfoy."
"They must have some sort of restraints on him," Ron murmured back.
Malfoy's voice came again from inside the room. "I think it's time for another dose. Go and get it." The first voice murmured in agreement, and heavy footsteps headed for the door. Ron looked around for a hiding-place, threw open the door of the tall cupboard and beckoned Hermione urgently to get inside. Luckily, apart from a few cobwebs, the cupboard was empty, and there was room for them, though Ron couldn't stand up straight. They were only just in time. As Ron got the door shut, leaving a tiny crack through which he could see, the door of the lighted room opened. Footsteps passed them, and went along the passage, and they heard the man going upstairs.
"Did you see him?" Hermione whispered in Ron's ear.
Ron frowned. "Yeah, just a glimpse - I may be wrong, but it looked like - I think it was - Gilderoy Lockhart."
"Lockhart!" Hermione forgot herself and raised her voice in surprise.
"Sssh! Yeah, I haven't seen him for years, but it looked like him, only older, and a lot shabbier."
"He lost his memory," Hermione remembered. "Seamus told me the publishers had lost contact with him, that he'd gone down in the world - maybe Malfoy found him and used him as a stooge -" She broke off as they heard footsteps returning.
His eye pressed to the crack, Ron watched as the man went back into the room and closed the door. "Yep, it definitely is Lockhart. And he was carrying a bottle of some kind."
"We have to get in there and help Harry!"
Ron turned round, with difficulty in the cramped space of the cupboard. "Yeah, but we need the whole team. We have to go and tell the others what's happening. I think the coast is clear."
He pushed the door open cautiously, and let Hermione slip out of the cupboard first. As she passed him, a gleam of silver caught Ron's eye. Inside the neck of her fleece, she wore a necklace with a little silver cat hanging from it. He knew that cat, he had given it to her on her nineteenth birthday, the night they had first...And she was still wearing it. He did not say anything, but followed her down the passageway to the back door, suppressing an urge to break into a smile. Even if she was with this writer, Stephen, now, at least she still valued the memories...
Leander and Ivan were waiting alertly outside the back door. Ron explained quickly the location of the room they must target. "We've only heard Malfoy, Lockhart, and Harry, but there *could* be others in the house. And we don't know what weapons they have. This is what we'll do -"
Five minutes later, they had agreed on their plan. Alex and Bernard had been summoned, and given the job of watching the room from outside, and making sure no-one escaped through windows or front door. The other four were going inside to raid the lighted room. Ron, Leander and Ivan were going in first, "doing your Ministry stuff", as Hermione said, and she was going to go last, and check the passageway behind her to make sure no-one came to help Malfoy and Lockhart from another part of the house.
As they crept back down the passageway, they could hear raised voices inside the lighted room. It sounded as though Malfoy was getting to the end of his patience. Ron nodded to the others, raised his wand, and put his hand on the door handle. "One - two -"
He flung open the door, and they rushed into the room.
"MINISTRY OF MAGIC - THIS IS A RAID - STAY WHERE YOU ARE!"
There was a moment of frozen silence as the occupants of the room stared at each other. Ron took in the situation with a glance. Harry was bound to a chair, the right sleeve of his shirt rolled up, a bloodstained piece of cloth tied round his upper arm as a makeshift bandage. He blinked dazedly as his rescuers entered the room, not fully alert. He looked as if he had recently had a dose from the big green potion bottle on the table next to him. Beside the bottle was a bowl, half full of crimson liquid.
The big, fair man standing behind him, looking flabbergasted, was undoubtedly Gilderoy Lockhart, but with his dropping jaw, untidy hair and shabby robes he was a far cry from the dapper celebrity Ron and Hermione had known some fourteen years ago.
Draco Malfoy was standing by the windows, his face pale and his grey eyes blazing with hatred. His wand was in his hand, pointing at Harry.
"Put the wand down, Malfoy," Ron said evenly. "You're already facing kidnapping charges, don't make it worse for yourself."
"Kidnapping!" spat Malfoy, turning his wand towards Ron. "What's kidnapping compared to murder? He -" he jerked his head towards Harry - "he murdered my father!"
"That's not true!" Hermione's clear voice came from behind Ron. "Your father tried to kill Harry to stop him getting to Voldemort that day. What Harry did was in self-defence."
"All Harry did was to turn your father's own spell on him," Ron added, thinking back to that desperate day at Hogwarts, eight years ago. "You can't blame him for that."
Malfoy's face twisted. "He killed my father! The least he can do is bring him back!"
"Bring him back -?" Ron asked, not sure what Malfoy meant. He heard Hermione gasp behind him, but kept his eyes fixed on Malfoy's wand.
"That bowl - you were trying to make Harry do a Resurrection Charm?" Hermione said, sounding horrified. "That's terrible! I know you've suffered since your father's death, but-"
"Like you'd know about suffering, Granger - you haven't lost anyone," Malfoy hissed at her. "I know about you and your cosy little life, writing books -"
"Losing someone isn't an excuse for Dark Magic, Malfoy," Ron broke in coldly. "And I should know. My brother's dead, thanks to one of your lot, but I don't go round kidnapping people -" He broke off, controlling his temper with an effort, but, thanks to his training, managing it.
"I'm not doing it, Malfoy, I've told you," Harry said, sounding very groggy. "Give up-"
Malfoy gave him a look of hatred. "If you won't bring him back, you can join him, Potter!" And he raised his wand again, and muttered a curse. Ron, Leander and Ivan all spoke at once, blocking it before it could hit Harry. Furious, Malfoy spun and sent a green flash of power straight at Ron, but Ron jumped out of the way, and there was a loud sizzle of burning paint as the curse hit the wall behind him.
"I say, Malfoy, you can't *kill* them, they're from the Ministry," Lockhart said suddenly, looking confused.
Malfoy turned to snarl at his henchman, then turned to the long window and muttered a spell to dissolve the glass. But as he prepared to go through it, he saw Alex and Bernard outside, waiting for him, with grim expressions. He paused for a moment, just distracted enough for Ron to say,
"Expelliarmus!" He caught Malfoy's flying wand at the same moment as Leander and Ivan sent long, thin cords from the ends of their wands to wrap around Malfoy's body. He toppled to the floor, trapped, but still cursing loudly, until Ron put a swift silencing spell on him.
Lockhart chose that moment to try to make a run for it through the door. Hermione was ready for him, though, and blocked him with a quick Leglocker Curse. As he stood motionless, she proceeded to tie him up, helped by Ivan.
Ron looked down at Malfoy, whose eyes were full of helpless fury. "You really are an idiot, Malfoy," he said, thinking of various incidents from the past. "Alex - Bernard - I don't think there's anyone else around, but check the rest of the house and then report back here." When they had gone, he crossed the room towards Hermione, just in time to see her looking disgustedly at Lockhart as she tied his hands.
"To think I once had a crush on you," she was muttering. Ron grinned.
"What is a Resurrection Charm, anyway?" Ivan asked her.
Hermione looked serious. "It's very, very dangerous Dark Magic. To bring a murdered man back to life, you must force the person who killed them to speak the charm and stir the potion, and you also need a pint of that person's blood to add to the potion. I heard of it when I was travelling in Russia."
"Russia? That must have been interesting," Ivan remarked, tightening the cords on Lockhart's feet.
"Yes - I wrote a book about it, actually," Hermione told him.
"I know - I bought it," Ron said, startling her by appearing at her elbow.
"D-did you?" she said, sounding disconcerted. "Did you like it?"
"It was very good. I've got all your books," he admitted.
She coloured slightly, but didn't say anything, except "We'd better see how Harry is."
Leander had already freed Harry from his bonds, and was examining the wound on his arm. "He's lost a good bit of blood, but I think he'll be OK," he said, as Ron and Hermione joined him.
"Leander's got a special gift for healing," Ron explained to Hermione.
Hermione sniffed the green bottle. "Smells like a sedative draught. I suppose Malfoy wanted to keep Harry too drowsy to fight back."
"They knocked me out - when they got me -" Harry said, still sounding very hazy.
"He's got a nasty bump on the back of his head," Leander said, feeling Harry's scalp carefully.
Hermione sniffed the green bottle again. "Actually, it smells a lot like that sedative draught we made with Snape, back at Hogwarts. I wonder if Malfoy brewed it, or -"
"You think Snape might have been in on this too?" Ron said alertly. "He's been keeping a very low profile lately - the Ministry haven't had anything against him since he left Hogwarts -"
"I bet you won't be able to prove it, but it wouldn't surprise me if he was still supplying potions to Dark Arts types like Malfoy," Hermione said.
"Put the bottle in an evidence bag," Ron told Leander. He looked at his watch. "It's nearly four o'clock. I'd better send a message to the C.E.O., tell him we've got Harry."
Harry struggled to sit up. "We've got to get back - Ginny - the wedding -" he muttered anxiously.
"Take it easy," Hermione reassured him, patting his shoulder. "Ginny was asleep when we left, she wasn't worried yet. Malfoy forged a note from you."
Harry nodded, though he didn't really seem to be taking all this in.
"I hope he is going to be all right for the wedding," Ron said worriedly.
"He'll be fine in a few hours," Leander said, rebandaging the cut on Harry's arm, which he had managed to heal partially. "The sedative will have worn off by morning."
"Malfoy said - he'd keep me here till I agreed to do the charm -" Harry muttered, struggling to keep his eyes open.
Alexandra and Bernard arrived back to report that they had checked the rest of the house and it was empty, although they had found more bottles of various potions in an upstairs room, and some illegal Dark Arts paraphernalia.
Ron scribbled a quick note to the C.E.O., reporting that they had captured Malfoy and Lockhart, and asking for prisoner transport to be sent to Fairmile Cross as soon as possible. "Better keep them here till the Ministry people get here," he told Ivan. "I'll leave you in charge. Hermione and I have got to get Harry back to The Burrow now, before the rest of the family wakes up and starts worrying." Ivan nodded in agreement.
Hermione went to fetch the car from the lane, and drove it up to the front door. Between them, they managed to help Harry outside and into the front passenger seat, where he closed his eyes, looking as though he was about to pass out.
"Are you sure he'll be all right in a few hours?"
Leander nodded. "Yeah, with a bit of sleep. I've fixed the bump on his head." He turned and went back into the house to join the others, and the prisoners.
Hermione got out of the car, and tipped the driver's seat forward to let Ron climb into the back seat, since her car had no rear doors. He squashed himself in, and waited while she got in and slammed the door.
"So that's how the M.L.E.S. works," she said, turning the key in the ignition. "I wasn't expecting this weekend to be so exciting."
"Some sorts of excitement I can do without," Ron said behind her, as the car started bumping down the drive towards the gates. Glad of the cover of darkness, he thought of something he had been wondering, and asked suddenly, "Why didn't you bring Stephen with you?"
"What?"
"Stephen. The writer bloke Lavender said you were living with. I thought you would bring him with you to the wedding."
He couldn't see her face, but there was an odd note in her voice as she said, after a pause, "We broke up - I haven't seen him for two months."
"Oh." And I haven't seen you for six years, he thought, as the car gathered speed along the lane. What a waste of time, 'Mione, he thought, and wondered if it was too late to do anything about it.
End of Part 6.
Author's Notes:
I know someone called Hermione, and everyone calls her "Mione" for short (My-oh-nee, emphasis on My). I prefer it to Herm or Hermy as a "short".
Anyway, only one more part to go, folks - what will happen on the wedding day itself?
Disclaimer: These characters belong to JK Rowling, except for a couple I've added.
Author's Notes: See end. Lots of action in this part, though! I've rated it PG13 to err on the cautious side. Not that violent, but see if you can spot the suggestive remark...
This story has seven parts:
1. Harry. 2. Hermione. 3. Ron. 4. The Party. 5. The Danger. 6. The Long Night. 7. The Dawn.
Part 6: The Long Night.
Ron checked the time again, tapping his fingers impatiently on the dashboard. They seemed to have been waiting in the lane for ages, although it couldn't have been more than half an hour since he had had the reply to his owl, telling him that his squad would be there as soon as possible. The other message he had sent, to London, had not been answered yet.
"They've got better information at headquarters," he had told Hermione. "They can run a check on Malfoy and pinpoint places we might look for him."
"That's if we're right, and it was Malfoy in the pub," Hermione said. "It did sound like him though - pointy nose and all!"
"Yeah, though I didn't know he had a moustache now. Anyway, we should get the information back from London soon." Ron was silent again for a moment.
"I wonder who's working with Malfoy." Hermione was leaning against the steering wheel again. They had parked just down the lane from The Burrow, hidden from the house by a tall Devon hedge, and were sitting in darkness, since Hermione had turned off the headlights. Shadows moved in the lane ahead of them, as a badger ambled across from hedge to hedge.
"I'd forgotten how beautiful it was here," Hermione remarked suddenly. "It seems so long since I was down here -" She broke off, as though she hadn't meant to bring up memories of the reason why it had been so long since her last visit. Ron looked across at her. She was looking away from him, and he took the opportunity to study her. She looked more - polished - somehow, even in trousers and casual fleece. More poised. The mental picture he had carried in his mind for six years was slightly out of date. He liked her hair short - if they weren't now sitting in the dark, he knew he'd still be able to see the chestnut lights that shone in the brown locks, and he wondered if it still felt as soft to touch. Despite the awkwardness he had felt around her since he arrived, it felt quite natural, somehow, to be sitting here with her in the dark.
"You know, it's ironic," he said abruptly. "Bill's death actually brought Harry and Ginny together in a way."
She looked startled, he thought, though he couldn't see her face clearly. She was probably surprised that he had voluntarily mentioned Bill, since she knew how badly Bill's death had affected him. "How?"
"Well, they hadn't seen much of each other since Hogwarts. But after - Bill died, Harry came down here a lot, trying to make us feel better, I think."
"I remember that."
"Well, over the next year, he and Ginny saw a lot of each other, and that's when they became really close." Ron couldn't stop a smile, despite the seriousness of the situation. "I can tell you, I was pretty chuffed last year when I found out Harry was finally planning to become my brother-in-law."
"I can imagine." She looked round, jumpily. "What was that noise?"
"They're here." Ron opened the car door quickly and got out. Four dark figures on broomsticks swept out of the sky and landed beside the car. They all wore dark robes, and hoods, but Ron was able to make out their faces. "Good, you found us." He turned to Hermione, who had also got out of the car. "This is my squad - Leander - Bernard - Ivan - Alexandra." They all nodded in greeting. He turned to them. "This is Hermione Granger."
The M.L.E.S. people obviously knew Hermione's name, either from her involvement in the battle against Voldemort, or from her books. "Any more leads?" asked Ivan, who was stocky and dark-haired.
"Not yet - ah!" An owl swooped down towards them. "This could be the answer from the Ministry." Ron read the message quickly. "The C.E.O. says if we don't notify him that we've found Harry by 5 a.m. he'll send down reinforcements in strength. And...well, what do you know?"
"What?" Hermione demanded.
"Apparently they've traced a hush-hush house purchase made by Draco Malfoy a few months ago - at Fairmile Cross - that's only a mile from here. He bought it under another name, so he obviously didn't want people to know he was around. The C.E.O. suggests looking there first."
"Right. What are the orders?" asked Bernard, who was middle-aged, with thinning hair, and a red scar across one cheek from a close encounter with a griffin.
Ron considered for a few seconds, before saying briskly, "We'll go in the car - I know exactly where it is. You follow on the broomsticks - stay with us."
"Right you are." They mounted their broomsticks again, and Ron and Hermione returned to the car.
As she started the car, Hermione remarked, "So, I get to see how the M.L.E.S. works from the inside. I suppose civilians aren't usually allowed on operations?"
"No. But the C.E.O. knows your background. You're different." Driving, she smiled sideways at him, briefly, and he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. It was a long time since that smile had been directed at him.
They drove rapidly towards Fairmile Cross, Ron giving brief directions at turnings - "Left here. Then right" - until they reached a small lane that appeared to be a dead end, with a five-barred gate at the end. "Stop here."
The broomsticks landed beside them again. They gathered together and Ron conducted a whispered meeting.
"The house is up that driveway. I can see some lights, so it looks like Malfoy's home, and hopefully not alone. Stay close, and we'll see if we can get a good viewpoint. I'll lead - Alex, Bernard, you bring up the rear, and keep a look out for guards or any kind of ambush."
They advanced stealthily through the gate, and up a drive lined by overgrown trees. Dim light from the house appeared and disappeared as the drive twisted and turned, but when they got to the edge of a rundown lawn, they could get a clear view. The house was old, and fairly small, with six windows at the front. Only two of the downstairs windows were lighted. Light leaked from gaps in the closed curtains. The peeling front door was firmly shut.
"There's probably a back door too," said Hermione softly. "They're bound to notice if we go in at the front."
"That'll be our next resort if we can't get in by stealth," Ron told her. "Official Ministry raid." He beckoned the others closer. "Alex and Bernard, you stay here, under cover, watch out for guards or anyone coming in or out at the front. Leander, Ivan, you scout round the right hand side of the house, see if you can hear anything or find another entrance. Hermione and I will go round to the left. If we don't find anything, we'll meet back here in ten minutes, and try the official approach."
The group split up, and Ron and Hermione walked quietly through the grass to the left-hand side of the house, where a window was lighted. Ron kept watch as Hermione squirmed in between the window and a shed, trying to see through one of the cracks in the curtains. "Can you see anything?"
"No, but there's someone in there - I can't see properly - people moving about," she breathed in frustration.
"Keep going." They moved silently along the wall to the rear corner of the house, and found a back door, behind which there seemed to be no light. Ron tried the handle. It was locked.
Leander and Ivan appeared round the other corner of the house, and joined them. "Hermione and I will try to get in," Ron decided. "You stay here - if you hear a struggle, or if we're not out in ten minutes, come in after us and alert the other two." Leander and Ivan nodded.
"Alohomora," Hermione murmured, bringing back another vivid memory to Ron. The first time he had heard her say that...But the door was swinging open, revealing a darkened passageway. Ron lit a tiny light on the end of his wand, just enough to see where they were going, and they advanced carefully. The passageway seemed empty, but at the end of it was a door with light shining underneath it - one of the occupied rooms. Beside the door was a tall cupboard.
As they drew closer to the door, Ron hoped fervently it would not open suddenly. He was quite prepared for a confrontation - confrontations were part of his job - but he wanted to find out more first, if he could, about who or what awaited them on the other side. He flattened himself against the wall by the door, and Hermione came up beside him. They both listened intently. From here they were able to make out voices. A man was mumbling something, but they couldn't make out the words. However, a sharper, louder voice answered him, a voice they both recognized instantly.
"Don't be stupid! He'll do it eventually - even famous Harry Potter wouldn't want everyone to think he'd run out on his wedding." There was a nasty sneer to the voice.
Ron's eyes met Hermione's, and they both mouthed the same word. "Malfoy!"
They listened further. "And what will your precious friends say, Potter? Weasley won't be happy that you ditched his sister - and what do you suppose his bosses at the Ministry will say when they find out the famous Harry Potter has vanished without a trace, right under his nose?"
Ron and Hermione exchanged another glance, before Ron felt enormously relieved to hear Harry's own voice answering, though sounding groggy.
"My friends trust me, Malfoy. Which is probably more than you can say about yours."
Ron could imagine the expression on Malfoy's face at that remark. There was a pause.
"Why doesn't Harry just blast him?" Hermione murmured, very softly. "He's a better wizard than Malfoy."
"They must have some sort of restraints on him," Ron murmured back.
Malfoy's voice came again from inside the room. "I think it's time for another dose. Go and get it." The first voice murmured in agreement, and heavy footsteps headed for the door. Ron looked around for a hiding-place, threw open the door of the tall cupboard and beckoned Hermione urgently to get inside. Luckily, apart from a few cobwebs, the cupboard was empty, and there was room for them, though Ron couldn't stand up straight. They were only just in time. As Ron got the door shut, leaving a tiny crack through which he could see, the door of the lighted room opened. Footsteps passed them, and went along the passage, and they heard the man going upstairs.
"Did you see him?" Hermione whispered in Ron's ear.
Ron frowned. "Yeah, just a glimpse - I may be wrong, but it looked like - I think it was - Gilderoy Lockhart."
"Lockhart!" Hermione forgot herself and raised her voice in surprise.
"Sssh! Yeah, I haven't seen him for years, but it looked like him, only older, and a lot shabbier."
"He lost his memory," Hermione remembered. "Seamus told me the publishers had lost contact with him, that he'd gone down in the world - maybe Malfoy found him and used him as a stooge -" She broke off as they heard footsteps returning.
His eye pressed to the crack, Ron watched as the man went back into the room and closed the door. "Yep, it definitely is Lockhart. And he was carrying a bottle of some kind."
"We have to get in there and help Harry!"
Ron turned round, with difficulty in the cramped space of the cupboard. "Yeah, but we need the whole team. We have to go and tell the others what's happening. I think the coast is clear."
He pushed the door open cautiously, and let Hermione slip out of the cupboard first. As she passed him, a gleam of silver caught Ron's eye. Inside the neck of her fleece, she wore a necklace with a little silver cat hanging from it. He knew that cat, he had given it to her on her nineteenth birthday, the night they had first...And she was still wearing it. He did not say anything, but followed her down the passageway to the back door, suppressing an urge to break into a smile. Even if she was with this writer, Stephen, now, at least she still valued the memories...
Leander and Ivan were waiting alertly outside the back door. Ron explained quickly the location of the room they must target. "We've only heard Malfoy, Lockhart, and Harry, but there *could* be others in the house. And we don't know what weapons they have. This is what we'll do -"
Five minutes later, they had agreed on their plan. Alex and Bernard had been summoned, and given the job of watching the room from outside, and making sure no-one escaped through windows or front door. The other four were going inside to raid the lighted room. Ron, Leander and Ivan were going in first, "doing your Ministry stuff", as Hermione said, and she was going to go last, and check the passageway behind her to make sure no-one came to help Malfoy and Lockhart from another part of the house.
As they crept back down the passageway, they could hear raised voices inside the lighted room. It sounded as though Malfoy was getting to the end of his patience. Ron nodded to the others, raised his wand, and put his hand on the door handle. "One - two -"
He flung open the door, and they rushed into the room.
"MINISTRY OF MAGIC - THIS IS A RAID - STAY WHERE YOU ARE!"
There was a moment of frozen silence as the occupants of the room stared at each other. Ron took in the situation with a glance. Harry was bound to a chair, the right sleeve of his shirt rolled up, a bloodstained piece of cloth tied round his upper arm as a makeshift bandage. He blinked dazedly as his rescuers entered the room, not fully alert. He looked as if he had recently had a dose from the big green potion bottle on the table next to him. Beside the bottle was a bowl, half full of crimson liquid.
The big, fair man standing behind him, looking flabbergasted, was undoubtedly Gilderoy Lockhart, but with his dropping jaw, untidy hair and shabby robes he was a far cry from the dapper celebrity Ron and Hermione had known some fourteen years ago.
Draco Malfoy was standing by the windows, his face pale and his grey eyes blazing with hatred. His wand was in his hand, pointing at Harry.
"Put the wand down, Malfoy," Ron said evenly. "You're already facing kidnapping charges, don't make it worse for yourself."
"Kidnapping!" spat Malfoy, turning his wand towards Ron. "What's kidnapping compared to murder? He -" he jerked his head towards Harry - "he murdered my father!"
"That's not true!" Hermione's clear voice came from behind Ron. "Your father tried to kill Harry to stop him getting to Voldemort that day. What Harry did was in self-defence."
"All Harry did was to turn your father's own spell on him," Ron added, thinking back to that desperate day at Hogwarts, eight years ago. "You can't blame him for that."
Malfoy's face twisted. "He killed my father! The least he can do is bring him back!"
"Bring him back -?" Ron asked, not sure what Malfoy meant. He heard Hermione gasp behind him, but kept his eyes fixed on Malfoy's wand.
"That bowl - you were trying to make Harry do a Resurrection Charm?" Hermione said, sounding horrified. "That's terrible! I know you've suffered since your father's death, but-"
"Like you'd know about suffering, Granger - you haven't lost anyone," Malfoy hissed at her. "I know about you and your cosy little life, writing books -"
"Losing someone isn't an excuse for Dark Magic, Malfoy," Ron broke in coldly. "And I should know. My brother's dead, thanks to one of your lot, but I don't go round kidnapping people -" He broke off, controlling his temper with an effort, but, thanks to his training, managing it.
"I'm not doing it, Malfoy, I've told you," Harry said, sounding very groggy. "Give up-"
Malfoy gave him a look of hatred. "If you won't bring him back, you can join him, Potter!" And he raised his wand again, and muttered a curse. Ron, Leander and Ivan all spoke at once, blocking it before it could hit Harry. Furious, Malfoy spun and sent a green flash of power straight at Ron, but Ron jumped out of the way, and there was a loud sizzle of burning paint as the curse hit the wall behind him.
"I say, Malfoy, you can't *kill* them, they're from the Ministry," Lockhart said suddenly, looking confused.
Malfoy turned to snarl at his henchman, then turned to the long window and muttered a spell to dissolve the glass. But as he prepared to go through it, he saw Alex and Bernard outside, waiting for him, with grim expressions. He paused for a moment, just distracted enough for Ron to say,
"Expelliarmus!" He caught Malfoy's flying wand at the same moment as Leander and Ivan sent long, thin cords from the ends of their wands to wrap around Malfoy's body. He toppled to the floor, trapped, but still cursing loudly, until Ron put a swift silencing spell on him.
Lockhart chose that moment to try to make a run for it through the door. Hermione was ready for him, though, and blocked him with a quick Leglocker Curse. As he stood motionless, she proceeded to tie him up, helped by Ivan.
Ron looked down at Malfoy, whose eyes were full of helpless fury. "You really are an idiot, Malfoy," he said, thinking of various incidents from the past. "Alex - Bernard - I don't think there's anyone else around, but check the rest of the house and then report back here." When they had gone, he crossed the room towards Hermione, just in time to see her looking disgustedly at Lockhart as she tied his hands.
"To think I once had a crush on you," she was muttering. Ron grinned.
"What is a Resurrection Charm, anyway?" Ivan asked her.
Hermione looked serious. "It's very, very dangerous Dark Magic. To bring a murdered man back to life, you must force the person who killed them to speak the charm and stir the potion, and you also need a pint of that person's blood to add to the potion. I heard of it when I was travelling in Russia."
"Russia? That must have been interesting," Ivan remarked, tightening the cords on Lockhart's feet.
"Yes - I wrote a book about it, actually," Hermione told him.
"I know - I bought it," Ron said, startling her by appearing at her elbow.
"D-did you?" she said, sounding disconcerted. "Did you like it?"
"It was very good. I've got all your books," he admitted.
She coloured slightly, but didn't say anything, except "We'd better see how Harry is."
Leander had already freed Harry from his bonds, and was examining the wound on his arm. "He's lost a good bit of blood, but I think he'll be OK," he said, as Ron and Hermione joined him.
"Leander's got a special gift for healing," Ron explained to Hermione.
Hermione sniffed the green bottle. "Smells like a sedative draught. I suppose Malfoy wanted to keep Harry too drowsy to fight back."
"They knocked me out - when they got me -" Harry said, still sounding very hazy.
"He's got a nasty bump on the back of his head," Leander said, feeling Harry's scalp carefully.
Hermione sniffed the green bottle again. "Actually, it smells a lot like that sedative draught we made with Snape, back at Hogwarts. I wonder if Malfoy brewed it, or -"
"You think Snape might have been in on this too?" Ron said alertly. "He's been keeping a very low profile lately - the Ministry haven't had anything against him since he left Hogwarts -"
"I bet you won't be able to prove it, but it wouldn't surprise me if he was still supplying potions to Dark Arts types like Malfoy," Hermione said.
"Put the bottle in an evidence bag," Ron told Leander. He looked at his watch. "It's nearly four o'clock. I'd better send a message to the C.E.O., tell him we've got Harry."
Harry struggled to sit up. "We've got to get back - Ginny - the wedding -" he muttered anxiously.
"Take it easy," Hermione reassured him, patting his shoulder. "Ginny was asleep when we left, she wasn't worried yet. Malfoy forged a note from you."
Harry nodded, though he didn't really seem to be taking all this in.
"I hope he is going to be all right for the wedding," Ron said worriedly.
"He'll be fine in a few hours," Leander said, rebandaging the cut on Harry's arm, which he had managed to heal partially. "The sedative will have worn off by morning."
"Malfoy said - he'd keep me here till I agreed to do the charm -" Harry muttered, struggling to keep his eyes open.
Alexandra and Bernard arrived back to report that they had checked the rest of the house and it was empty, although they had found more bottles of various potions in an upstairs room, and some illegal Dark Arts paraphernalia.
Ron scribbled a quick note to the C.E.O., reporting that they had captured Malfoy and Lockhart, and asking for prisoner transport to be sent to Fairmile Cross as soon as possible. "Better keep them here till the Ministry people get here," he told Ivan. "I'll leave you in charge. Hermione and I have got to get Harry back to The Burrow now, before the rest of the family wakes up and starts worrying." Ivan nodded in agreement.
Hermione went to fetch the car from the lane, and drove it up to the front door. Between them, they managed to help Harry outside and into the front passenger seat, where he closed his eyes, looking as though he was about to pass out.
"Are you sure he'll be all right in a few hours?"
Leander nodded. "Yeah, with a bit of sleep. I've fixed the bump on his head." He turned and went back into the house to join the others, and the prisoners.
Hermione got out of the car, and tipped the driver's seat forward to let Ron climb into the back seat, since her car had no rear doors. He squashed himself in, and waited while she got in and slammed the door.
"So that's how the M.L.E.S. works," she said, turning the key in the ignition. "I wasn't expecting this weekend to be so exciting."
"Some sorts of excitement I can do without," Ron said behind her, as the car started bumping down the drive towards the gates. Glad of the cover of darkness, he thought of something he had been wondering, and asked suddenly, "Why didn't you bring Stephen with you?"
"What?"
"Stephen. The writer bloke Lavender said you were living with. I thought you would bring him with you to the wedding."
He couldn't see her face, but there was an odd note in her voice as she said, after a pause, "We broke up - I haven't seen him for two months."
"Oh." And I haven't seen you for six years, he thought, as the car gathered speed along the lane. What a waste of time, 'Mione, he thought, and wondered if it was too late to do anything about it.
End of Part 6.
Author's Notes:
I know someone called Hermione, and everyone calls her "Mione" for short (My-oh-nee, emphasis on My). I prefer it to Herm or Hermy as a "short".
Anyway, only one more part to go, folks - what will happen on the wedding day itself?