Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and Co. J.K. Rowling does.
Summary: After one very eventful night ten years ago, Voldemort was destroyed and Harry disappeared. Where did he go? What happened that night? Only one man knows the answer: a teacher named James, aka Harry. Hermione's plan to get Harry back is going into action.
Author's note: Yes, I know this is the most evil cliffhanger in the entire world, so for those of you who hate cliffhangers, wait until the next chapter is out before reading this chapter (underlining is for emphasis, so I don't end up with death threats and hate e-mails for the cliffie). It's mostly because this chapter would be way to long if I put the rest of what I've written on, so I had to cut it off somewhere (plus, I'm sadistic… 0) ). Anyhoo, I hope that you enjoy the chapter, even though it is outrageously short and had the world's best (worst) cliffhanger. Hey, you can't say I didn't warn you.
Chapter 25: Morning Meetings and Midnight Taxis
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Hermione was thrilled. This was the climax of her big plan. She had been planning meticulously for months. She wore dark black robes and had pulled her hair into a low, tight ponytail. She had two watches on her left wrist and a belt around her waist that held the SpySphere, a roll of papers, a pair of black gloves, and her wand. This was it. Her big hour. She was going to get her best friend back.
"Now, is everyone ready?" she asked, looking at each person in the eye.
Unfortunately for Hermione, George, Fred, Ron, and Ginny were the antithesis of all that she was trying to do right then.
Fred and George were each sprawled in their own chair, half asleep.
Ginny was examining her nails.
And Ron had his arms crossed and was looking at his wife with such a dubious expression it would have made even the most practical of plans seem outrageous.
"C'mon guys," said Hermione, trying to liven things up. "We're going to get Harry back! Isn't it exciting? He can't hide forever." Harry has made his point by now, she thought. He can't keep blaming me for what happened. Once he realizes that it was a complete mistake, he'll come back. She was going to stop the grudge she knew Harry to be holding against her. She was going to put an end to the guilt that had been consuming her for so long. And above all, she was going to bring a well-loved figure back into her world.
"Yeah, we're thrilled," said Fred, yawning. "Now can we go back to bed?"
"I second that," said George. "Honestly, was it really necessary to wake us up a 5:00 am?"
"I thought the plan was going into action tonight anyway," said Ginny.
"Yes, it is happening tonight, but I just wanted to get an early start," explained Hermione.
"And she couldn't sleep, so she decided to bestow the same fate upon all of us," said Ron wryly.
Hermione glared at her husband. "I wanted everyone to synchronize their watches. So we would all be working at the same times."
"Isn't all this a little unnecessary?" asked Ron.
"No," said Hermione hotly. "It is all necessary. Every bit."
There was a pause while everyone grudgingly compared and reset their watches.
"Can we go now?" asked Fred finally.
Hermione waved her hand towards the door. "Yes, you are all dismissed. Don't forget-- we are going to meet here at 8:00 pm sharp."
Fred, George, and Ginny apparated away in a flash. Ron smiled weakly at his wife and headed back to the bed to sleep some more.
Hermione didn't notice her husband leaving the room. She was too busy working on the SpySphere to alert her when Harry would finish eating dinner. She smiled. If all went well, --which it would-- she was going to be seeing her old best friend in a matter of hours.
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James gave a quick knock on Peter and Sarah's hotel room door. He was meeting them in their room along with Jacob and Emma.
Sarah opened the door. "James! Well, don't you look handsome..."
"Uh, I took a shower?" said James slowly as he walked in.
"I really hope that doesn't mean you don't normally take showers," shouted Peter from the bathroom.
"Ew," said Emma, who was playing for Sarah on the video game, "That would be really gross, Jamesie."
"Well, hello to you too," James said smiling.
Emma turned to look at James. "Wow," she commented, "You really do look nicer than usual."
James reflected that the reaction he was getting from Sarah and Emma was mostly likely caused by his nerves. For some unexplainable reason, he was extremely nervous about this dinner. Maybe it was because he was going to be in a smaller group at night. Or maybe it was because he had just seen long-lost family members in a bizarrely coincidental situation, and he was worried that more long-lost people would find him. Whatever the reason, James was so nervous that he took two really hot showers, scrubbed his skin and hair way too hard, and used almost three bars of soap. And apparently, this rigorous cleansing process left him looking a bit nicer.
There was a knock on the door, and Sarah let Jacob in.
"Peter!" shouted Sarah, "Get out of the bathroom! We're all ready to go!"
Peter came out while adjusting his tie. "Alright, alright. It's only 8:00, we have nothing to worry about."
"Yes, but I'm hungry," said Sarah. "Are you ready?"
Peter slipped on his jacket. "All set."
"Good," said Sarah, "Let's go."
The restaurant was ready to close. It was almost midnight and there was nobody left eating. Well, almost nobody. There was one table in the back. A group of five, and it was because of them that Italia was still open.
The manager massaged his eyes. "Mamma mia..." he groaned. A waiter walked up to him and patted his shoulder.
"Che sfortuna!" said the waiter, "I wanted to go home early tonight."
The manager looked at the waiter wearily. "They've been here for almost four hours. Four hours! Mamma mia! They've eaten and drank so much..."
"No worries. I'll ask them to leave right now, if you want."
"No, no. I'll do it." The manager sighed. "Vado, I go, I go..." He walked over to the table in the back.
"Scusi," he said, "But are you all finished? Mi dispiace, but we need to close soon..."
One of the women looked around the restaurant. "Hey, we are the last ones here!" She was speaking loudly, as if she had had a little too much to drink.
A man looked down at his watch. "Oh, goodness," he said apologetically, "It's so late! I am so sorry! Of course we'll be leaving right away."
"Grazie, signore. Thank you very much." The manager looked relieved, to say the least.
The other four people continued talking. It seemed to the manager that the man he was currently talking to was the only sober one.
"Oh, and I think we paid the bill with the last bottle of wine here," said the man. "All we need now is our jackets from the coat room."
"Va bene, signore. I'll get them right away." The manager hurried off towards the coatroom. By the time he came back, the group was standing at the front door, laughing loudly.
"Here they are, signore." The manager held up the coats.
"Thank you," said the man from before. He handed the coats to their owners. "Do you close before midnight?"
"Si, signore, but don't worry. We had things to be doing anyway."
"I am dreadfully sorry. But thank you so much for accommodating us."
"No, thank you."
The man smiled at the waiter. Then he called to his friends and herded them out the door.
"Grazie, signore," called the waiter. "Arrividerci Buona sera!" As the customers closed the door behind them, the waiter massaged his temples. "Che giornata!"
The weather was cold outside. Sarah, Peter, Emma, and Jacob had all been slightly drunk inside the restaurant, but the freezing wind brought them to their senses.
"We really need a taxi," noted Peter.
"Yeah, but where are you going to find a taxi at midnight?" asked Sarah.
"Hey, it's not my fault we're standing in subzero temperatures in the middle of the night," said James. "I warned you not to order that last bottle of wine."
"You should have had some, Jamesie. Didn't you have anything to drink?" asked Emma.
"Two cokes."
"But the wine was so yummy!"
"Well, someone's got to stay sober. Besides, I don't like to drink."
Jacob was about to say something, but Peter cut him off. "Hey, look!" said Peter. "A taxi just pulled up!"
The group rushed over to where the taxi was sitting, but, unfortunately for them, someone else reached it first.
"Well, there goes our ride," said Sarah as the taxi drove away.
Emma and Sarah sat on a nearby bench. Emma sighed. "We're never--" she started, before suddenly yelling, "Taxi at three o'clock!"
The group looked to their right and saw another taxi.
"Well, this is Leicester Square," said Sarah as the group headed quickly towards the car. "It's a pretty popular place."
But right as the group reached the car, another man came running from out of the blue, hopped into the taxi, and told a very surprised taxi driver to step on it.
"Bastard!" muttered Sarah, "Another red-headed man stole our taxi."
James did not like the idea of two redheaded people in close vicinity to him. True, it could be a coincidence, but anything strange that happened around James was generally not a coincidence.
"Um, another taxi pulled up over there," said Jacob tiredly. "But I'll bet you five-- Oh, it's already happened... a red-headed girl just took it. What is it with all the red-heads?"
James nervously walked a few steps to the right and pulled out a bottle of water he was carrying in his coat pocket. Better be safe than sorry, he thought. James quickly swallowed a couple of pills while his friends were looking for more taxis.
Suddenly a taxi screeched around the corner and pulled up near James. James turned around to call to his friends. "Hey, I think someone is getting out of--"
James was cut off by the person who was getting out of the taxi. James was grabbed from behind and a cloth was put over his nose and mouth. James suddenly felt sleepy and closed his eyes as his was dragged into the car, the rest of his sentence dying on his lips.
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I am so happy that you guys enjoyed the last chapter! I had tons of fun writing it. Thanks bunches!
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