Chapter 9 - Harry and Ron go to Venice
Draco was at a loss for what to do next. Hermione had a muggle gun, which was comforting to know. Draco learnt what a muggle gun could do a few weeks before and he was certain Hermione was not at all squeamish about using it. But even so, he could never leave her, there was no way. He was sitting under a tree in a nearby park, watching the sun go down, it was beautiful, at least it would have been if had taken the time to notice it. He gave a frustrated growl and punched the grass with his fist, only it wasn't the grass that he hit.
"That package from Hermione," he said to himself.
He picked up the box, which was slightly dented from Draco's violent outburst and inspected the opening, it use to be taped shut but Hermione had cut the tape before. Hermione. It hurt to think of her, he couldn't imagine why. 'Focus, Malfoy, the package.' He slowly reopened the box and looked inside. The package was full of muggle money, and I mean a lot of muggle money, just by inspection Draco estimated there was a few thousand pounds, more than enough. But that didn't help Hermione, he knew he couldn't get her out alone, his father would be expecting that. He needed help. There was one particular name that kept rearing its ugly head, Harry Potter. Out of all the people he could think of, Potter was the dumbest and most idiotic, in his opinion anyway, and also the most likely to barge into a room full of Death Eaters, and most likely Voldemort, demanding they hand over the girl, like some badly made Western muggle movie. But with all his qualities, he was the last person Draco wanted to ask for help. Draco thought this over for a minute or so. It didn't seem he had much choice, it was either Potter or he was on his own and he didn't really fancy that idea much, well less than the other idea, anyway.
Draco hailed a cab and asked for the National Art Museum, the closest muggle building, that he knew of, to Flinder's Cabin. He wanted to send Potter an owl before he found somewhere to spend the night. Flinder's Cabin was almost empty, which suited Draco fine, the owlery was just about to close when he arrived, he did some fast talking and threw a few charming smiles and the girl let him in to send off an express owl to Godric's Hollow.
"Should be there this time tomorrow," she said and smiled at him.
***~~~***
Harry Potter had his face squished into the pillow, he could barely breathe, how long could he last before he passed out. What would happen if he passed out? Would he see his life flash before him? Would the pain stop? He couldn't take it anymore, he refused to give in. The pressure became more intense and he groaned with pain. There was a voice, his assailant was speaking but his couldn't make out his words. His glasses were digging into the bridge of his nose. With a last futile attempt he gathered the last of his strength and heaved the attacker off his back and with one swift movement pinned him to the ground, digging his elbow into his assailant's throat.
"You give?" Harry asked getting his breath back and grinning at Ron.
Ron somehow choked out a 'yes' and Harry let him go. Remus came into the dimly lit lounge room smiling at the two boys.
"If you boys don't stop wrestling in here you are likely to break something, or kill each other," he said, still smiling. "Gee, look at the time, I wonder how long dinner is going to be."
Sirius was in the kitchen cooking up a storm. Harry, Ron and Remus all trooped into the kitch to find Sirius affectionately scratching an owl Harry had never seen before.
"He came in with this," Sirius said, handing Ron a folded piece of parchment.
"Thanks, Sirius." The two boys headed into Harry's bedroom to read the letter. The note was written in an unfamiliar scrawl, it was brief and to the point. Hermione was in trouble, the letter was from none other than Draco Malfoy, it said his father had her and he needed Harry's help to rescue her, he knew Hermione was in Venice, but that was it, he didn't know exactly where Hermione was or Draco for that matter, he didn't know how to contact him, he didn't know how much trouble she was in, how long they had before it was too late or what they were up against. Harry read and reread the letter countless times, Ron, however, read it once and began packing the necessities, like wands and potions. It took Ron a few minutes to notice Harry had not moved, he was, in fact, in some sort trance, staring open mouthed at the wall. Ron walked over to him and snapped (A/N: conflict of interests, Australians say clicked) his fingers.
"Harry!" Harry didn't move, he continued staring at the wall, blankly.
"This is all my fault, Voldemort is using Hermione to get to me." He said after a few seconds of silence.
"No, Harry. This is all Malfoy's fault. After we get Hermione out, I'm gonna kill him."
"This is all my fault." Harry said again.
Ron smacked Harry upside the head, then continued packing. Harry, after a few seconds of recap on what had just happened, got up and helped him. Neither said a word.
There was a loud bang from the kitchen. Harry and Ron jumped. Harry noticeably paled, before sprinting out the door and down the staircase, in the direction of the noise. The sight that met Harry's eyes was not at all what he expected, Sirius was standing in front of a charcoal chicken, his wand raised and look of surprise on his face. Harry couldn't help himself even after all that had happened with Hermione, he just had to laugh. Ron, who was close on his heel all the way down the stairs, was already cracking up beside him.
"Mm Hmm, I hope you boys weren't too hungry," Sirius said sheepishly. "Remus," he added, "we have a problem."
"I gathered that," Remus said with a smirk, "what are you going to do about it?"
"I am not going to do anything. You, however, are going to get another chicken."
"Me? Oh no, no, no, my dear, old friend, you are sadly mistaken, you see, you are going to get another chicken."
"How about," Harry suggested, "you both get the chicken."
"Capital idea, Harry," Sirius said with a smile, "Remus you get the gold, I'll get our coats."
Remus and Sirius apparated out a few minutes later, and unbeknownst to them, they left Harry and Ron to frantically pack. Harry left a note on which he wrote:
Sirius and Remus,
Back tomorrow, we'll be fine.
Harry.
Sirius and Remus knew Hermione was holidaying in Venice, it was too much of a risk to mention her in the note, because he knew they would follow them to Venice. They needed as little fuss and attention as possible, and I'm not sure if it is just because they were old, but it seemed that they would make a fuss. Adults were fuss makers and that was that.
The boys soon found themselves on the Knight Bus drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows and discussing the best way to kill Malfoy, once they got their hands on him and, of course, once Hermione was safe again. Boy, did this bus bring back memories. Good memories and bad memories. Harry had used this bus once before, four long years ago, he was escaping, escaping the Dursley's, escaping Aunt Marge, escaping the Ministry, escaping life. Everything had been going wrong for him that year and he just had to get away. But, he had to admit, that year was the first year he'd had a real birthday with real presents. He had been by himself that time on the Bus, but now he was with a friend, a friend who, he knew, will be by his side forever, he will be with him tomorrow when they save Hermione and when they kill Malfoy, he will be there when he fulfils his so called destiny, which Harry thought was a load of tosh, and kills Voldemort and he will be there on his wedding day, he better be there on his wedding day, after all, Harry was intending to marry his sister. Stan was still working on the Knight Bus, he was about twenty three now and as a result had lost his acne, but it seemed to Harry, although the last time he saw Stan was quite some time ago, his ears poked out more than before. Ron was snoring beside him and Harry thought he'd better get some sleep, Stan said it was going to be a long trip.
***~~~***
It was almost midnight when the boys were dropped off at Flinder's Cabin, they stumbled out their eyelids heavy, they didn't get much sleep the night before, they were too busy wrestling, laughing and just talking. Flinder's Cabin was deserted and there was no sign of a nearby hotel, neither of them had any muggle money and not nearly enough wizard gold to pay for a hotel room.
Harry walked over to a bench and looked it over, "Well," he said, "this looks as good a place as any."
"Great," Ron looked at Harry and then the bench and back to Harry, "What for?"
"Ron, where else do you suggest we sleep?" Harry asked, as he settled himself on the bench leaving a space for Ron.
"Sleep? Here?" He stared at the bench, "you're kidding?"
" 'Fraid not, Ron."
Ron sat down next to Harry, who was already half asleep, with a disgusted look on his face, he tried to stay awake, but eventually he slowly drifted off. He dreamt of Hermione and Harry, how they met in the train, the troll, Devil's Snare and the chess board, he dreamt of Ginny and the Chamber of Secrets and how, last year, he had accidentally caught Harry and Ginny making out one night in the Quidditch broom closet, but they were too into each other to notice him. Ron had been waiting for this to happen, there was no one he trusted more for his sister than Harry.
The next morning, the boys woke with the sun, Venice was slowly waking and for the first time they saw this beautiful city come to life. Harry and Ron clumsily fixed themselves up and made their way down the street in search of some food and Draco Malfoy.
Draco was at a loss for what to do next. Hermione had a muggle gun, which was comforting to know. Draco learnt what a muggle gun could do a few weeks before and he was certain Hermione was not at all squeamish about using it. But even so, he could never leave her, there was no way. He was sitting under a tree in a nearby park, watching the sun go down, it was beautiful, at least it would have been if had taken the time to notice it. He gave a frustrated growl and punched the grass with his fist, only it wasn't the grass that he hit.
"That package from Hermione," he said to himself.
He picked up the box, which was slightly dented from Draco's violent outburst and inspected the opening, it use to be taped shut but Hermione had cut the tape before. Hermione. It hurt to think of her, he couldn't imagine why. 'Focus, Malfoy, the package.' He slowly reopened the box and looked inside. The package was full of muggle money, and I mean a lot of muggle money, just by inspection Draco estimated there was a few thousand pounds, more than enough. But that didn't help Hermione, he knew he couldn't get her out alone, his father would be expecting that. He needed help. There was one particular name that kept rearing its ugly head, Harry Potter. Out of all the people he could think of, Potter was the dumbest and most idiotic, in his opinion anyway, and also the most likely to barge into a room full of Death Eaters, and most likely Voldemort, demanding they hand over the girl, like some badly made Western muggle movie. But with all his qualities, he was the last person Draco wanted to ask for help. Draco thought this over for a minute or so. It didn't seem he had much choice, it was either Potter or he was on his own and he didn't really fancy that idea much, well less than the other idea, anyway.
Draco hailed a cab and asked for the National Art Museum, the closest muggle building, that he knew of, to Flinder's Cabin. He wanted to send Potter an owl before he found somewhere to spend the night. Flinder's Cabin was almost empty, which suited Draco fine, the owlery was just about to close when he arrived, he did some fast talking and threw a few charming smiles and the girl let him in to send off an express owl to Godric's Hollow.
"Should be there this time tomorrow," she said and smiled at him.
***~~~***
Harry Potter had his face squished into the pillow, he could barely breathe, how long could he last before he passed out. What would happen if he passed out? Would he see his life flash before him? Would the pain stop? He couldn't take it anymore, he refused to give in. The pressure became more intense and he groaned with pain. There was a voice, his assailant was speaking but his couldn't make out his words. His glasses were digging into the bridge of his nose. With a last futile attempt he gathered the last of his strength and heaved the attacker off his back and with one swift movement pinned him to the ground, digging his elbow into his assailant's throat.
"You give?" Harry asked getting his breath back and grinning at Ron.
Ron somehow choked out a 'yes' and Harry let him go. Remus came into the dimly lit lounge room smiling at the two boys.
"If you boys don't stop wrestling in here you are likely to break something, or kill each other," he said, still smiling. "Gee, look at the time, I wonder how long dinner is going to be."
Sirius was in the kitchen cooking up a storm. Harry, Ron and Remus all trooped into the kitch to find Sirius affectionately scratching an owl Harry had never seen before.
"He came in with this," Sirius said, handing Ron a folded piece of parchment.
"Thanks, Sirius." The two boys headed into Harry's bedroom to read the letter. The note was written in an unfamiliar scrawl, it was brief and to the point. Hermione was in trouble, the letter was from none other than Draco Malfoy, it said his father had her and he needed Harry's help to rescue her, he knew Hermione was in Venice, but that was it, he didn't know exactly where Hermione was or Draco for that matter, he didn't know how to contact him, he didn't know how much trouble she was in, how long they had before it was too late or what they were up against. Harry read and reread the letter countless times, Ron, however, read it once and began packing the necessities, like wands and potions. It took Ron a few minutes to notice Harry had not moved, he was, in fact, in some sort trance, staring open mouthed at the wall. Ron walked over to him and snapped (A/N: conflict of interests, Australians say clicked) his fingers.
"Harry!" Harry didn't move, he continued staring at the wall, blankly.
"This is all my fault, Voldemort is using Hermione to get to me." He said after a few seconds of silence.
"No, Harry. This is all Malfoy's fault. After we get Hermione out, I'm gonna kill him."
"This is all my fault." Harry said again.
Ron smacked Harry upside the head, then continued packing. Harry, after a few seconds of recap on what had just happened, got up and helped him. Neither said a word.
There was a loud bang from the kitchen. Harry and Ron jumped. Harry noticeably paled, before sprinting out the door and down the staircase, in the direction of the noise. The sight that met Harry's eyes was not at all what he expected, Sirius was standing in front of a charcoal chicken, his wand raised and look of surprise on his face. Harry couldn't help himself even after all that had happened with Hermione, he just had to laugh. Ron, who was close on his heel all the way down the stairs, was already cracking up beside him.
"Mm Hmm, I hope you boys weren't too hungry," Sirius said sheepishly. "Remus," he added, "we have a problem."
"I gathered that," Remus said with a smirk, "what are you going to do about it?"
"I am not going to do anything. You, however, are going to get another chicken."
"Me? Oh no, no, no, my dear, old friend, you are sadly mistaken, you see, you are going to get another chicken."
"How about," Harry suggested, "you both get the chicken."
"Capital idea, Harry," Sirius said with a smile, "Remus you get the gold, I'll get our coats."
Remus and Sirius apparated out a few minutes later, and unbeknownst to them, they left Harry and Ron to frantically pack. Harry left a note on which he wrote:
Sirius and Remus,
Back tomorrow, we'll be fine.
Harry.
Sirius and Remus knew Hermione was holidaying in Venice, it was too much of a risk to mention her in the note, because he knew they would follow them to Venice. They needed as little fuss and attention as possible, and I'm not sure if it is just because they were old, but it seemed that they would make a fuss. Adults were fuss makers and that was that.
The boys soon found themselves on the Knight Bus drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows and discussing the best way to kill Malfoy, once they got their hands on him and, of course, once Hermione was safe again. Boy, did this bus bring back memories. Good memories and bad memories. Harry had used this bus once before, four long years ago, he was escaping, escaping the Dursley's, escaping Aunt Marge, escaping the Ministry, escaping life. Everything had been going wrong for him that year and he just had to get away. But, he had to admit, that year was the first year he'd had a real birthday with real presents. He had been by himself that time on the Bus, but now he was with a friend, a friend who, he knew, will be by his side forever, he will be with him tomorrow when they save Hermione and when they kill Malfoy, he will be there when he fulfils his so called destiny, which Harry thought was a load of tosh, and kills Voldemort and he will be there on his wedding day, he better be there on his wedding day, after all, Harry was intending to marry his sister. Stan was still working on the Knight Bus, he was about twenty three now and as a result had lost his acne, but it seemed to Harry, although the last time he saw Stan was quite some time ago, his ears poked out more than before. Ron was snoring beside him and Harry thought he'd better get some sleep, Stan said it was going to be a long trip.
***~~~***
It was almost midnight when the boys were dropped off at Flinder's Cabin, they stumbled out their eyelids heavy, they didn't get much sleep the night before, they were too busy wrestling, laughing and just talking. Flinder's Cabin was deserted and there was no sign of a nearby hotel, neither of them had any muggle money and not nearly enough wizard gold to pay for a hotel room.
Harry walked over to a bench and looked it over, "Well," he said, "this looks as good a place as any."
"Great," Ron looked at Harry and then the bench and back to Harry, "What for?"
"Ron, where else do you suggest we sleep?" Harry asked, as he settled himself on the bench leaving a space for Ron.
"Sleep? Here?" He stared at the bench, "you're kidding?"
" 'Fraid not, Ron."
Ron sat down next to Harry, who was already half asleep, with a disgusted look on his face, he tried to stay awake, but eventually he slowly drifted off. He dreamt of Hermione and Harry, how they met in the train, the troll, Devil's Snare and the chess board, he dreamt of Ginny and the Chamber of Secrets and how, last year, he had accidentally caught Harry and Ginny making out one night in the Quidditch broom closet, but they were too into each other to notice him. Ron had been waiting for this to happen, there was no one he trusted more for his sister than Harry.
The next morning, the boys woke with the sun, Venice was slowly waking and for the first time they saw this beautiful city come to life. Harry and Ron clumsily fixed themselves up and made their way down the street in search of some food and Draco Malfoy.