Summary: Hermione is worried about Ron...and then visitors arrive with more bad news...
Disclaimer: These characters belong to JK Rowling, except for a couple I've added.
Author's Notes: Hermione's POV. I'm sorry there's been such a long wait since I posted Part 3, but a lot has happened in real life. I will try to get Part 5 out sooner, but the next two weeks will also be very hectic! I have already jotted down some good romantic and scary bits for later though...
The Best Man 2: The Search for Snape, Part 4.
Three days later...
"Professor Granger! Professor Granger!"
Hermione, on her way down the corridor, turned to see three of her fourth-year Gryffindor students hurrying towards her, puffing. She recognised Isabelle Inkpen, Ben Peacock and Jonathan Wild, who were usually seen together around Hogwarts - just as she, Harry and Ron had once been.
"Yes, Isabelle?" she asked, rather wearily. Hermione had just had a rather difficult hour with the third year Hufflepuffs, during which one boy, asked to turn his shoe into a lizard, had managed to conjure up an extremely bad-tempered crocodile which had narrowly missed biting off his partner's hand before Hermione had managed to turn the reptile back into a shoe.
Isabelle, a tall, fair girl, looked anxious. "Sorry to bother you, Professor Granger, but we can't find Nigel Spinnet. He was in our Potions class this morning but he didn't turn up for Arithmancy and Professor Gaunt was furious."
Hermione knew the answer to this problem. "Don't worry, I saw him with Madam Pomfrey halfway through the morning. She was marching him off to the hospital wing - something about him needing to catch up on the sleep he's missed after all that sleepwalking he's been doing lately. If you recall, he dozed off in my lesson yesterday!"
"Oh - yes!" Ben Peacock grinned. "I expect he's still with Madam Pomfrey then."
"I suggest that when you see Nigel again you advise him to go and grovel to Professor Gaunt about missing her lesson," Hermione said, smiling slightly herself.
"Professor Granger, have you heard about Draco Malfoy escaping from prison?" Jonathan Wild put in. "You were at Hogwarts with him, weren't you?"
Hermione gave him a piercing look. Jonathan was famously inquisitive. "Yes, I had heard the news, and yes, I was at school with him. We did not get on!" she said.
Isabelle had given Jonathan a dig in the ribs. "Haven't you read *any* books, Jon? They were on different sides when Voldemort attacked Hogwarts - the Malfoys were on Voldemort's side but Professor Granger and Harry Potter and - "
"Yes, all right, Isabelle, Jonathan can read up his history later," said Hermione, who did not feel this was the right moment to rehash all the events of her seventh year at Hogwarts. "May I remind you that lunch is in five minutes?"
The three Gryffindors apologised and hurried off, and Hermione continued on her way to her office, where she left her books on her desk and tidied herself for lunch, thinking about Malfoy's escape, which had made headlines in the "Daily Prophet" every day for the last three days. Apparently, no trace of Malfoy had been found since his disappearance from prison, and interrogating Lockhart had proved useless, which did not surprise Hermione.
The paper had reported that every M.L.E.S. agent was working overtime on the case. Hermione had heard from Ginny how Ron had been abruptly summoned back to London to lead his squad in the investigation. She had mixed feelings about his departure. On Saturday night, she had felt so comfortable with him for a few hours - the first time they had spent so long alone together, just talking, in a very long time. When he had got up to leave, she had been reluctant to break the mood, and she thought that he had too. For a moment, as Ron hesitated before saying goodbye to her, she had thought that he was going to touch her, and had felt a pang of disappointment when he did not.
She had lain awake that night re-running the evening's events in her mind, and wondering if she would see him again on the Sunday while he was staying with Harry and Ginny, and how he would behave to her if they did meet. She could not work out whether he was merely happy to be friends again, or if he genuinely wanted more, but she had felt torn between relief and disappointment when she had found out that he had gone. She could not help wondering where the search for Malfoy had taken him now, and whether he was thinking about her at all, as she was thinking of him. But she was determined to get on with her life - she didn't want to spend it sitting around waiting for him to get in touch with her.
The gong sounded, and Hermione followed her usual routine as she entered the Great Hall. As ever, students thronged the tables, a buzz of conversation filled the air, and at the staff table there was a spare seat between Neville Longbottom and Remus Lupin. Remus had heard about the crocodile incident already, and kidded her gently about it. "I sometimes worry about that boy - some of his ideas of Defence Against the Dark Arts are very odd too!"
Hermione and Neville were smiling at this when Grace Gaunt, the thin-lipped Arithmancy teacher and current Head of Slytherin, leaned across the table and said cuttingly, "When you see Nigel Spinnet in your house, Professor Longbottom, would you inform him that I wish to see him over his non-attendance at my lesson this morning? I will, of course, be deducting points from Gryffindor and imposing a detention."
Neville's round face fell, and he looked as disappointed as he usually did if he thought one of his Gryffindors had let him down. Hermione leapt to his defence. "I hardly think that would be fair, Grace - you see, Madam Pomfrey took Nigel off to the hospital wing at morning break. Obviously she forgot to tell you, but you can't take points away from Nigel, he didn't choose to go."
Professor Gaunt's lips thinned even further. "Indeed?" She turned away towards Professor McGonagall. Hermione exchanged meaning looks with Remus and Neville.
Remus, evidently trying to change the subject and distract the worried Neville, pulled the "Daily Prophet" towards him. "Have you seen the paper today? They still haven't caught up with Malfoy, and now the plot has thickened."
"Oh - how?" asked Hermione, buttering bread.
"Apparently a squad of M.L.E.S. agents were sent to Cornwall following a tip-off on Sunday night. They haven't been heard from for the last two days. The Ministry is beginning to get worried and thinking about sending out rescue parties. You wonder how five agents can vanish into thin air, don't you?"
The butter-knife in Hermione's hand was suddenly still. "Five M.L.E.S. agents? Does - does it say who they are?"
Lupin flicked down the page. "No...I suppose it doesn't give names for security reasons..." He looked up, and noticed the sudden pallor of Hermione's face. "Oh - I'd forgotten about Ron - he's an agent, of course. But I shouldn't worry, Hermione, the odds are it isn't his lot, and I should think they'll probably turn up soon anyway."
"Yes..." Hermione forced herself to swallow a piece of bread, and continue with her meal, although the food felt like lead in her stomach. It probably wasn't Ron's squad - but what if it was? Where were those missing agents? She thought of the likeable people she had met the night that she, Ron and his squad had set out to rescue Harry - Ivan - Leander - Bernard - Alexandra -. Were they all in some unknown danger, or were they safe and busy investigating Malfoy's disappearance? She knew it was illogical to feel like this. She knew Ron had been in danger many times because of his job, during all those years when they had not been speaking to each other. She hardly had the right to worry about him...and yet...she couldn't help feeling as though a weight was pressing on her chest, and she spent the rest of lunchtime crumbling her food. Lupin and Neville were particularly nice to her, chatting about other topics. After his seeing them together on Saturday night, she could hardly blame Remus for thinking, as he obviously did, that she might have a special concern for Ron.
Hermione made an effort not to think about the Malfoy case or the missing agents during the rest of her working day. Her afternoon classes passed uneventfully - no unexpected crocodiles appearing this time. She was relieved when classes were finished for the day and she could escape to her room to think in peace and correct students' work.
She was just waiting for the dinner gong to sound, and straightening up her room, when there was a firm knock on her door. Hermione went to the door, and was surprised to see the Headmistress, Professor McGonagall, standing there. "Can I help you, Minerva?"
Professor McGonagall was looking unusually grave. "Ah, Hermione. It is not I who needs your help, in fact. There are some visitors from the Ministry in my study, and they would like to speak with you about a very important matter."
"With me?" Hermione said in surprise, her thoughts immediately jumping to Ron again. "Has - has something happened - have they had news - ?"
"I think you'd better come and they can explain matters to you themselves," Professor McGonagall said, almost kindly, as she steered Hermione down the corridor. Hermione made an effort, as they walked, to collect her thoughts, but inwardly she was trying not to panic. What if the worst had happened? But she wouldn't hear it from the Ministry, surely - they would tell Ron's parents, she would hear it from them...
Hermione and Professor McGonagall took the moving staircase up to Professor McGonagall's study, once Professor Dumbledore's. Hermione had always thought it was a beautiful room, but today she only had eyes for the three people sitting in armchairs, waiting for her. There was an older man in dark robes with an intelligent face - she did not recognise him, but she recognised the other two men. One, sitting in a corner with a notebook on his knee, was Martin, the young wizard who had brought her coffee on the day she had visited Ron's office. The other, who was looking very serious, and got to his feet as she came in, was -
"Harry! What are you doing here?" Hermione asked in surprise.
"Take a seat please, both of you," Professor McGonagall instructed them, as she herself sat down behind her desk. Used to obeying her, Harry and Hermione both sat down. The older man leaned forward and shook Hermione's hand.
"Miss Granger - my name is Priskett - I am the C.E.O. of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad -"
"Oh yes, I've heard of you," Hermione interrupted.
"Really? Well, I expect Ron has mentioned me - no doubt you are wondering why we are here, though, Miss Granger - or should I say Professor?"
"Please, call me Hermione," she said politely. "Is it - is it something to do with the missing agents who are looking for Draco Malfoy? Is Ron -" Hermione broke off, and avoided the sympathetic gaze of Harry, who was looking at her across the room.
"Ah, you are well up on recent events, I see. Good. Yes, Hermione, I'm afraid we are here in connection with that matter. On Sunday, we at the M.L.E.S. received information which led us to believe that Draco Malfoy might have taken refuge in Cornwall. I sent my best squad to follow up the lead, with instructions to report back and let me know if reinforcements were needed. Ron Weasley was leading the squad - Harry tells me you have both met the other members of the team - Leander Vine, Bernard Turvey and the others?"
"Yes - I've met them once."
"Mm. Well, they went off on Sunday night. We had one communication to say that they had reached the search area, and then we heard nothing - all our attempts to contact them failed - we couldn't find out anything - until this morning."
"You heard something?"
"Yes - in a way." The C.E.O. exchanged solemn glances with Professor McGonagall and Martin. "A local wizarding family who live on a remote farm found Bernard Turvey lying in one of their fields, very badly injured. He is now being given the best care, of course, but I'm afraid he is very ill and hasn't been able to talk to us yet. But we found this letter in one of his pockets." The C.E.O. produced a rather tattered looking piece of parchment, wrapped in an evidence bag, from one of his own pockets. "It is unsigned, and our wizards haven't been able to identify the writer, but we have to believe that Malfoy or one of his accomplices must be responsible for it."
"What does it say?" Hermione asked impatiently.
"The gist of the message is that the person who attacked Bernard Turvey has somehow managed to take Ron, Ivan, Alex and Leander prisoner and is holding them at an unknown location - together, I'm afraid, with the two small daughters of another local wizarding family, who have been missing for two days. The writer threatens to kill all of them - my squad and the children - unless we meet their demands."
"And what are their demands?" Hermione said quietly, her eyes fixed on his face.
"The writer - Malfoy? - whoever - is prepared to exchange Ivan, Alex, Leander and the two children for yourself and Harry. Naturally, I can't agree to such a demand, but we may be able to work out a plan to trick these people if you and Harry would agree to travel to the area - if you appeared to be willing to hand yourselves over - "
Hermione looked straight at Harry for the first time. They knew each other well enough to be able to read each other's expressions, and she could see her own feelings written on his face. "Of course we'll go."
"Think carefully, Hermione," Professor McGonagall urged her. "No one can guarantee your safety - whoever is behind this, it's obviously very dangerous -"
"Minerva, I have to go." Hermione was imagining how the parents of the missing children must be feeling. She was trying not to think about Ron too much. "I'm sorry about my classes -"
"Oh - " Professor McGonagall dismissed that with a wave of her hand, "- never mind your classes. We can manage. I can fill in with the Transfiguration. It's your safety I'm concerned about. And Harry is newly-married -"
"Have you talked to Ginny about this?" Hermione asked Harry.
He nodded, looking strained. "She's in a terrible state - worried about Ron, and worried about me going, but she agreed I had to go and help if I could."
"Yes." Hermione looked back at the C.E.O. "When do we leave?"
End of Part 4.
Please review!
Disclaimer: These characters belong to JK Rowling, except for a couple I've added.
Author's Notes: Hermione's POV. I'm sorry there's been such a long wait since I posted Part 3, but a lot has happened in real life. I will try to get Part 5 out sooner, but the next two weeks will also be very hectic! I have already jotted down some good romantic and scary bits for later though...
The Best Man 2: The Search for Snape, Part 4.
Three days later...
"Professor Granger! Professor Granger!"
Hermione, on her way down the corridor, turned to see three of her fourth-year Gryffindor students hurrying towards her, puffing. She recognised Isabelle Inkpen, Ben Peacock and Jonathan Wild, who were usually seen together around Hogwarts - just as she, Harry and Ron had once been.
"Yes, Isabelle?" she asked, rather wearily. Hermione had just had a rather difficult hour with the third year Hufflepuffs, during which one boy, asked to turn his shoe into a lizard, had managed to conjure up an extremely bad-tempered crocodile which had narrowly missed biting off his partner's hand before Hermione had managed to turn the reptile back into a shoe.
Isabelle, a tall, fair girl, looked anxious. "Sorry to bother you, Professor Granger, but we can't find Nigel Spinnet. He was in our Potions class this morning but he didn't turn up for Arithmancy and Professor Gaunt was furious."
Hermione knew the answer to this problem. "Don't worry, I saw him with Madam Pomfrey halfway through the morning. She was marching him off to the hospital wing - something about him needing to catch up on the sleep he's missed after all that sleepwalking he's been doing lately. If you recall, he dozed off in my lesson yesterday!"
"Oh - yes!" Ben Peacock grinned. "I expect he's still with Madam Pomfrey then."
"I suggest that when you see Nigel again you advise him to go and grovel to Professor Gaunt about missing her lesson," Hermione said, smiling slightly herself.
"Professor Granger, have you heard about Draco Malfoy escaping from prison?" Jonathan Wild put in. "You were at Hogwarts with him, weren't you?"
Hermione gave him a piercing look. Jonathan was famously inquisitive. "Yes, I had heard the news, and yes, I was at school with him. We did not get on!" she said.
Isabelle had given Jonathan a dig in the ribs. "Haven't you read *any* books, Jon? They were on different sides when Voldemort attacked Hogwarts - the Malfoys were on Voldemort's side but Professor Granger and Harry Potter and - "
"Yes, all right, Isabelle, Jonathan can read up his history later," said Hermione, who did not feel this was the right moment to rehash all the events of her seventh year at Hogwarts. "May I remind you that lunch is in five minutes?"
The three Gryffindors apologised and hurried off, and Hermione continued on her way to her office, where she left her books on her desk and tidied herself for lunch, thinking about Malfoy's escape, which had made headlines in the "Daily Prophet" every day for the last three days. Apparently, no trace of Malfoy had been found since his disappearance from prison, and interrogating Lockhart had proved useless, which did not surprise Hermione.
The paper had reported that every M.L.E.S. agent was working overtime on the case. Hermione had heard from Ginny how Ron had been abruptly summoned back to London to lead his squad in the investigation. She had mixed feelings about his departure. On Saturday night, she had felt so comfortable with him for a few hours - the first time they had spent so long alone together, just talking, in a very long time. When he had got up to leave, she had been reluctant to break the mood, and she thought that he had too. For a moment, as Ron hesitated before saying goodbye to her, she had thought that he was going to touch her, and had felt a pang of disappointment when he did not.
She had lain awake that night re-running the evening's events in her mind, and wondering if she would see him again on the Sunday while he was staying with Harry and Ginny, and how he would behave to her if they did meet. She could not work out whether he was merely happy to be friends again, or if he genuinely wanted more, but she had felt torn between relief and disappointment when she had found out that he had gone. She could not help wondering where the search for Malfoy had taken him now, and whether he was thinking about her at all, as she was thinking of him. But she was determined to get on with her life - she didn't want to spend it sitting around waiting for him to get in touch with her.
The gong sounded, and Hermione followed her usual routine as she entered the Great Hall. As ever, students thronged the tables, a buzz of conversation filled the air, and at the staff table there was a spare seat between Neville Longbottom and Remus Lupin. Remus had heard about the crocodile incident already, and kidded her gently about it. "I sometimes worry about that boy - some of his ideas of Defence Against the Dark Arts are very odd too!"
Hermione and Neville were smiling at this when Grace Gaunt, the thin-lipped Arithmancy teacher and current Head of Slytherin, leaned across the table and said cuttingly, "When you see Nigel Spinnet in your house, Professor Longbottom, would you inform him that I wish to see him over his non-attendance at my lesson this morning? I will, of course, be deducting points from Gryffindor and imposing a detention."
Neville's round face fell, and he looked as disappointed as he usually did if he thought one of his Gryffindors had let him down. Hermione leapt to his defence. "I hardly think that would be fair, Grace - you see, Madam Pomfrey took Nigel off to the hospital wing at morning break. Obviously she forgot to tell you, but you can't take points away from Nigel, he didn't choose to go."
Professor Gaunt's lips thinned even further. "Indeed?" She turned away towards Professor McGonagall. Hermione exchanged meaning looks with Remus and Neville.
Remus, evidently trying to change the subject and distract the worried Neville, pulled the "Daily Prophet" towards him. "Have you seen the paper today? They still haven't caught up with Malfoy, and now the plot has thickened."
"Oh - how?" asked Hermione, buttering bread.
"Apparently a squad of M.L.E.S. agents were sent to Cornwall following a tip-off on Sunday night. They haven't been heard from for the last two days. The Ministry is beginning to get worried and thinking about sending out rescue parties. You wonder how five agents can vanish into thin air, don't you?"
The butter-knife in Hermione's hand was suddenly still. "Five M.L.E.S. agents? Does - does it say who they are?"
Lupin flicked down the page. "No...I suppose it doesn't give names for security reasons..." He looked up, and noticed the sudden pallor of Hermione's face. "Oh - I'd forgotten about Ron - he's an agent, of course. But I shouldn't worry, Hermione, the odds are it isn't his lot, and I should think they'll probably turn up soon anyway."
"Yes..." Hermione forced herself to swallow a piece of bread, and continue with her meal, although the food felt like lead in her stomach. It probably wasn't Ron's squad - but what if it was? Where were those missing agents? She thought of the likeable people she had met the night that she, Ron and his squad had set out to rescue Harry - Ivan - Leander - Bernard - Alexandra -. Were they all in some unknown danger, or were they safe and busy investigating Malfoy's disappearance? She knew it was illogical to feel like this. She knew Ron had been in danger many times because of his job, during all those years when they had not been speaking to each other. She hardly had the right to worry about him...and yet...she couldn't help feeling as though a weight was pressing on her chest, and she spent the rest of lunchtime crumbling her food. Lupin and Neville were particularly nice to her, chatting about other topics. After his seeing them together on Saturday night, she could hardly blame Remus for thinking, as he obviously did, that she might have a special concern for Ron.
Hermione made an effort not to think about the Malfoy case or the missing agents during the rest of her working day. Her afternoon classes passed uneventfully - no unexpected crocodiles appearing this time. She was relieved when classes were finished for the day and she could escape to her room to think in peace and correct students' work.
She was just waiting for the dinner gong to sound, and straightening up her room, when there was a firm knock on her door. Hermione went to the door, and was surprised to see the Headmistress, Professor McGonagall, standing there. "Can I help you, Minerva?"
Professor McGonagall was looking unusually grave. "Ah, Hermione. It is not I who needs your help, in fact. There are some visitors from the Ministry in my study, and they would like to speak with you about a very important matter."
"With me?" Hermione said in surprise, her thoughts immediately jumping to Ron again. "Has - has something happened - have they had news - ?"
"I think you'd better come and they can explain matters to you themselves," Professor McGonagall said, almost kindly, as she steered Hermione down the corridor. Hermione made an effort, as they walked, to collect her thoughts, but inwardly she was trying not to panic. What if the worst had happened? But she wouldn't hear it from the Ministry, surely - they would tell Ron's parents, she would hear it from them...
Hermione and Professor McGonagall took the moving staircase up to Professor McGonagall's study, once Professor Dumbledore's. Hermione had always thought it was a beautiful room, but today she only had eyes for the three people sitting in armchairs, waiting for her. There was an older man in dark robes with an intelligent face - she did not recognise him, but she recognised the other two men. One, sitting in a corner with a notebook on his knee, was Martin, the young wizard who had brought her coffee on the day she had visited Ron's office. The other, who was looking very serious, and got to his feet as she came in, was -
"Harry! What are you doing here?" Hermione asked in surprise.
"Take a seat please, both of you," Professor McGonagall instructed them, as she herself sat down behind her desk. Used to obeying her, Harry and Hermione both sat down. The older man leaned forward and shook Hermione's hand.
"Miss Granger - my name is Priskett - I am the C.E.O. of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad -"
"Oh yes, I've heard of you," Hermione interrupted.
"Really? Well, I expect Ron has mentioned me - no doubt you are wondering why we are here, though, Miss Granger - or should I say Professor?"
"Please, call me Hermione," she said politely. "Is it - is it something to do with the missing agents who are looking for Draco Malfoy? Is Ron -" Hermione broke off, and avoided the sympathetic gaze of Harry, who was looking at her across the room.
"Ah, you are well up on recent events, I see. Good. Yes, Hermione, I'm afraid we are here in connection with that matter. On Sunday, we at the M.L.E.S. received information which led us to believe that Draco Malfoy might have taken refuge in Cornwall. I sent my best squad to follow up the lead, with instructions to report back and let me know if reinforcements were needed. Ron Weasley was leading the squad - Harry tells me you have both met the other members of the team - Leander Vine, Bernard Turvey and the others?"
"Yes - I've met them once."
"Mm. Well, they went off on Sunday night. We had one communication to say that they had reached the search area, and then we heard nothing - all our attempts to contact them failed - we couldn't find out anything - until this morning."
"You heard something?"
"Yes - in a way." The C.E.O. exchanged solemn glances with Professor McGonagall and Martin. "A local wizarding family who live on a remote farm found Bernard Turvey lying in one of their fields, very badly injured. He is now being given the best care, of course, but I'm afraid he is very ill and hasn't been able to talk to us yet. But we found this letter in one of his pockets." The C.E.O. produced a rather tattered looking piece of parchment, wrapped in an evidence bag, from one of his own pockets. "It is unsigned, and our wizards haven't been able to identify the writer, but we have to believe that Malfoy or one of his accomplices must be responsible for it."
"What does it say?" Hermione asked impatiently.
"The gist of the message is that the person who attacked Bernard Turvey has somehow managed to take Ron, Ivan, Alex and Leander prisoner and is holding them at an unknown location - together, I'm afraid, with the two small daughters of another local wizarding family, who have been missing for two days. The writer threatens to kill all of them - my squad and the children - unless we meet their demands."
"And what are their demands?" Hermione said quietly, her eyes fixed on his face.
"The writer - Malfoy? - whoever - is prepared to exchange Ivan, Alex, Leander and the two children for yourself and Harry. Naturally, I can't agree to such a demand, but we may be able to work out a plan to trick these people if you and Harry would agree to travel to the area - if you appeared to be willing to hand yourselves over - "
Hermione looked straight at Harry for the first time. They knew each other well enough to be able to read each other's expressions, and she could see her own feelings written on his face. "Of course we'll go."
"Think carefully, Hermione," Professor McGonagall urged her. "No one can guarantee your safety - whoever is behind this, it's obviously very dangerous -"
"Minerva, I have to go." Hermione was imagining how the parents of the missing children must be feeling. She was trying not to think about Ron too much. "I'm sorry about my classes -"
"Oh - " Professor McGonagall dismissed that with a wave of her hand, "- never mind your classes. We can manage. I can fill in with the Transfiguration. It's your safety I'm concerned about. And Harry is newly-married -"
"Have you talked to Ginny about this?" Hermione asked Harry.
He nodded, looking strained. "She's in a terrible state - worried about Ron, and worried about me going, but she agreed I had to go and help if I could."
"Yes." Hermione looked back at the C.E.O. "When do we leave?"
End of Part 4.
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