~~ Chapter Twenty-One: The Common Factor ~~

            "I'm not George, he is!"

            Percy Weasley groaned and rolled his eyes at the twins.  The mail had just arrived via owl.  The first was for Ron from Harry, and the second was addressed to George.  Percy had said, "Here you go, George," and held the letter toward the twin standing to the left, only to hear the one on the left insist that the other was George.  Percy, on the other hand, was certain the one on the right was Fred.

            "Come on, you two," Percy said.  "I'm not in the mood for twin switch."

            "Neither are we!" said the twin on the right.  "Give me my letter!"

            "The letter's addressed to George, Fred," Percy replied, holding it to the twin on the left.

            "I'm Fred!" insisted the left twin.

            "I'm sure you are, George," Percy said dryly.  "Now take the letter."

            The twins groaned.  "You're no fun," said the left twin, who was indeed George, as he took the letter.

            Percy turned his attention away from the twins and to the next letter.  It was addressed to him.  His first reaction was that it was from Penelope, but that was completely illogical because Penelope was at the Burrow with them.  He looked at the return address, and his brow wrinkled with confusion.  "What the…"

            "What?" the twins asked in unison.

            "This letter," Percy said.  "It's from Abby Wood."

            "Isn't that Oliver's mother?" inquired George.  "Why would she be writing to you?"

            Percy was wondering the same thing, but instead of voicing his agreement, he opened the letter to find out the answer to the question.  He began reading.  Suddenly, he stopped, and that letter and the ones that still remained in his hands fluttered to the floor.  He stumbled backwards, then found the wall with his hand for support.  "Oliver's missing," he said.  "He went to visit Hermione two days ago.  He sent an owl when he got to Carlisle, and the Woods haven't heard from him since."

            "Maybe he just forgot to write," George suggested halfheartedly, even though he knew it wasn't possible.

            Percy shook his head.  "Not Oliver Wood.  Something could be wrong.  We should write to the Grangers.  Ron!"

            A few seconds later, Ron poked his head into the room.  "What?" he asked.

            "What's Hermione's address?"

            "Why?"

            "I just got a letter from Mrs. Wood," Percy said.  "Oliver went to visit the Grangers two days ago, and they haven't heard from him since he arrived at Carlisle.  It's not like Oliver to not write, and they're worried."

            "I'm sure he's fine," Ron said with an undertone of irritation in his voice.  He knew about Oliver and Hemione's forming relationship, and he couldn't help but feel jealous.  "Wondrous Woody can take care of himself."

            "Just give me her address," demanded an exasperated Percy.

            Fred bent over and picked up the letter from Mrs. Wood.  His eyes skimmed over the rest of the page, and he said, "Hey, Bighead Boy, maybe if you had taken the time to read the rest of this letter, you would have noticed that Mrs. Wood has already written to the Grangers.  Hermione's missing, too."

            Ron's face went white.  Percy, almost unable to believe what he just heard, stammered, "We've got to find them."

            "But how?" asked George, unable to hide his concern as well.

            Percy had an ability to remain levelheaded in situations such as this, and although he was deeply upset by this event, his rationality never left him.  "Ron, you write to Harry and let him know what's going on," he instructed.  "Fred and George, make sure he does.  And while you're at it, ask Penny to write to Mrs. Wood and tell her what actions we're taking."

            "What are you going to do, Percy?" asked Fred.

            Percy took a deep breath, then answered, "I'll go to the Ministry of Magic."

            Slowly, painfully, Oliver Wood's consciousness returned to him, and he opened his eyes.  His vision was blurred at first, but when it came into focus, he saw that he was lying on the hard stone floor of a dark room that appeared to be a dungeon cell.  He tried to move his hands, but they were bound behind his back with some sort of cord.

            Then, he had a thought: Hermione.  He tried to speak, but there was a gag over his mouth, and the best he could come up with was a muffled grunt.  It was enough, though; in response, he heard a soft moan come from a few feet away.

            He turned his head in the direction the sound had come from and saw Hermione.  She was sitting up, leaning against the wall of the dungeon.  There was a large cut above her right eye and her matted hair hung in clumps around her dirty face.  Her right eye was closed, probably owing to the swelling around the cut, but her left eye was about halfway open.  She was wearing a gag as well.

            Oliver struggled to a sitting position and pushed himself over to her with his legs.  Once that task was accomplished, he had no idea what to do next.  His entire body ached, and he had no idea where they were or how long they had been there.  The only thing he did know was that somehow, they had to escape.

            Hermione closed her eye and rested her weary head on his shoulder.  He tried to say, "Are you all right?", but it came out as, "Mm hmf hm hmh?"

            Suddenly, Hermione jerked her head up, and both her eyes opened as wide as they could.  "Mmf hmm hmf hm hmm!" she said excitedly.

            He blinked and shook his head, indicating that he wasn't following her.

            "Mphf," Hermione said, tossing her head and pushing against the floor with her feet.  Her back was supported by the wall, and she slowly inched upwards until she was standing.  She turned around so her back was facing him.  Like him, her hands were tied behind her back at the wrist with what appeared to be mere rope.  Her fingers were free, and it was by using her fingers that she slid the gag off his mouth.

            "Thanks," Oliver said, taking in a deep breath of air.  "Your turn."

            She knelt down, and his fingers found her gag and removed it.  "Thank you," she said when the hateful thing was off.  "I thought we were going to suffocate."

            "Where are we?" he asked, looking around the cell.

            "I don't know," she replied, "but we have to get out."

            "But how?" he wondered.  "We're wandless."

            "Let's take this one step at a time," Hermione suggested.  "Are your wrists tied with rope?"

            "I think so," he said.  "It feels like it."

            "Look for a rough spot on the wall," she said.  "Perhaps if we rub it against the wall, it will weaken the ropes enough for us to break through them."

            Her ability to stay levelheaded amazed him.  He soon found a rough spot and began rubbing.  She did, too.  "Is it working?" he asked.

            "Not like I'd hoped," she grumbled.  "Do you have any ideas?"

            "Keep trying," he said.  "Maybe it just needs more time."

            They continued to rub their wrists against the wall in hopes to weaken the ropes.  Soon, Oliver began to feel the tension lessen, and before long, he was able to break free.  "They're off!" he announced, holding his hands up.

            "Hooray," Hermione said.  "Can you help me?"

            "No problem."  He rushed over to her and slid the ropes off her wrists.  Once her arms were free, they hugged each other.  "Let's figure out how to get out of here," he said.

            She nodded.  "Sounds good to me."

            There was only one obvious way in or out of the cell, and that was the main door.  In the door was a small barred window.  Oliver looked through it in hopes to discern something more about their location.  Suddenly, he drew back in horror.  "What is it?" Hermione whispered, walking over to him.

            Oliver couldn't speak.  All he could do was nod his head toward the door.

            Hermione stood on the balls of her feet and peered out the window.  She saw at once what had startled Oliver – a giant leopard, five feet tall at the shoulder and more than twelve feet long from the end of its nose to the tip of its tail, was walking down the corridor just outside of the door.  It moved gracefully, making no sound as it walked along the stone floor.  She dared to watch it for a few more seconds, and then it rounded a corner and was gone.

            She pulled away from the door and looked at her companion.  Her heart was beating so fast, she thought it was going to explode.  Oliver's eyes were wide with worry.  "Was that… the Nundu?" he asked.

            "It had to have been," she said.  "I've read about them, and they're supposed to be about that size."  A shiver ran down her spine.  She never imagined that a creature as deadly as a Nundu would be so beautiful.  If she and Oliver escaped, they would be among the handful of people throughout history that had seen one and lived to tell about it – the operative word in that thought being if.

            A Nundu patrolling the corridor changed everything.  Escape, which seemed unlikely before, was nearly hopeless now.  "Do you think it's the same Nundu that killed everyone?" Oliver asked.

            Hermione couldn't help rolling her eyes a little.  "Oliver," she said, "how many Nundus do you think are in the United Kingdom at any given moment?"

            "Oh, true."  He paused in thought for a moment, then spoke again.  "I don't understand," he said.  "Why Malfoy Manor?  Why Fudge?  Why Su Li?  Why the Terringers?  Why us?  What's the connection?"

            Hermione gasped, and her eyes flew open as the truth hit her.  "That's it!" she cried.  "Why didn't I see it before?"

            Percy Weasley was walking as fast as he could toward his father's office at the Ministry of Magic when he passed a person he swore he recognized.  He halted his movement and looked back at the person, an elderly woman wearing robes of emerald green.  "Professor Dumbledore?" he asked.

            Minerva Dumbledore stopped walking and looked at him.  "Mr. Weasley?" she said, equally surprised.  "How did you…"

            "Know your name isn't McGonagall anymore?" he asked, smiling in spite of the bad news he came here to report.  "My father told me.  Congratulations."

            "Thank you.  What are you doing here?"

            "Oliver Wood and Hermione Granger are missing," Percy answered.  "Oliver went to visit her and her parents in Carlisle two days ago, and no one has seen or heard from them since."

            Minerva's hand flew to the base of her neck, and she gasped.  "No!"

            "Is there anything the Ministry can do?"

            "There had better be," she said.  "Come.  I will take you to Professor Dumbledore and Minister Chang immediately."

            "This is horrible."

            Unable to hold still, Eko Chang stood up, walked across his office, walked back to his chair, sat down, leaned back, and stood up again.  "This is horrible," the Minister of Magic repeated.  "First the Malfoys, then Fudge, then Su Li, then Professor Terringer's parents, and now Wood and Granger." 

He walked over to the wall and slammed his fist against it.  Percy, Minerva, and Dumbledore, the room's three other occupants, jumped in surprise at the loud sound.  Chang looked at the wall.  He had hit it so hard that it left a dent.  The Minister of Magic looked at his hand next.  It was red and throbbing.  He swore as the pain registered in his overcrowded mind, then turned around.  His eyes were wild with agony and frustration.  "Is there a pattern?" he almost shouted.  "And if so, what is it?"

            "Su Li's death was random," said Percy.  "She just happened to be in the same place as the Nundu."

            "And the Nundu," said Chang, "just happened to be in the vicinity of Hogwarts."

            "But what about Jonathon and Rebecca Terringer?" inquired Minerva.  "Alina's parents are Muggles, and Alina didn't even go to Hogwarts."

            "Neither did Fudge," said Chang, "and he's dead."

            "Cornelius Fudge was the Minister of Magic," Minerva said.

            "Alina Terringer may not have gone to Hogwarts," said Percy, "but she teaches there.  Is there a connection to the school?"

            "If there is," responded Chang, "then that doesn't explain why Fudge is dead."

            "Then the common factor isn't Hogwarts," Percy concluded.

            "But if Hogwarts isn't the common factor," asked Minerva, "then what is?"

            "Malfoy!" Dumbledore suddenly shouted, speaking for the first time during the course of the informal meeting.  "Lucius Malfoy is the common factor!"

            Three pairs of eyes looked at the Hogwarts headmaster, and three faces had looks of surprise and confusion on them.  "What do you mean, Albus?" his wife asked.

            "Every one of the victims has a connection to Lucius Malfoy," Dumbledore explained.  "The attack on Malfoy Manor is obvious.  Malfoy had incredible influence on Fudge.  The Hogwarts student could just as easily have been Draco Malfoy or someone close to him.  When Alina Terringer's parents were killed, she and Lucius were romantically involved.  Malfoy is the common factor, and the focal point of all these antagonistic acts."

            "How do Oliver and Hermione link into it?" asked Percy.

            "They're Draco's friends, and two of Professor Terringer's star students," Minerva realized.

            Dumbledore nodded.  "Exactly."

            Almost thirty seconds of silence was broken by the voice of Eko Chang.  "I'm glad we've established that connection," he said, "but that still doesn't tell us where Wood and Granger are."

            "Well, I can give you one place to start looking," said Dumbledore.

            "Where?"

            "Loch Lomond."

A/N: Tomorrow marks the start of Christmas break, and we all know what that means… spare time, which means… updates!  Many updates!  As many as I can crank out between December 21st and January 2nd, that is.  ^_^  It's quite possible that I could finish it in that time span, but I can't make any promises.  This is a huge story; the end of this chapter marked eighty-six pages on my computer.  When it's finished, it should be anywhere between one hundred twenty and one hundred fifty pages, possibly even more.  I do not only go off on tangents, but sines and cosecants as well.  (Sorry, sorry, stupid math joke… saw the opportunity and couldn't resist!  ^_^)  Anyhoo… Dumbledore's caught on to the connection, Hermione and Oliver are trapped in a castle with a Nundu, and Eko Chang is going to have to find a picture or something to cover up the dent he left in the wall.  *dramatic chord*  Keep your eyes open for the next installment in this story of fate, magic, honor, adventure, sacrifice, true love, and chocolate chip cookie dough.  Thanks for reading and good night.