Disclaimer: If you recognize anything, it belongs to someone else. I own
nothing. I'm running out of fun things to add after this in an attempt to
make it more interesting. Bear with me.
Summary: Harry and Hermione are in love, engaged and ready for action. They've made it past their personal troubles, but what does life have in store for them once they leave school?
A/N: Once again, I have proven what a horrible and lazy person I am by making you all wait ridiculous amounts of time for this chapter - sorry!! I have something of an excuse - I experienced insane writer's block. But, I got over it (eventually) so here is Chapter 6; I hope it was worth the wait!! And in order to give credit where credit is due, the idea of Apparation Talismans is from a story called The Paradigm of Uncertainty (or possibly one of the other stories in that series); I would like to recommend to everyone that they read this series - it is amazing!!! It can be found at
f%20Uncertainty/ - everyone read it!!! Back to the point - Chapter 6!!!!
~*~*~ Poisoned ~*~*~
"Mr. Potter?" One of the agents from the Homing Squad walked into the room where Harry and Ron waited, pacing back and forth.
"Yes? Have you found the location?" Harry asked eagerly.
"Yes, sir, we have. Here is an Apparation Talisman to take you two there. It's an apartment in - " the agent began.
"Dispatch a recovery team right away, and be sure we have plenty of back up - we don't know what on earth we are walking into but it can't possibly be good."
"The team's already ready, sir. They are waiting at the Apparation checkpoint."
"Great, thank you." Harry said, dismissing the agent. "Are you ready, Ron?" Harry said, ready to follow the agent out the door.
"Ready? I'm allowed to go? Don't I need some kind of authorization?" Ron sat up straight in his seat at the prospect of taking action, in spite of his uncertainties.
"You love Lavender, don't you?"
"Of course!"
"Then you're authorized; let's move." Ron followed Harry to the Apparation checkpoint.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Sean!! What the hell is that?" Yvonne asked her boss, agitated that he insisted on doing one last thing before leaving.
"A little potion of my own invention. I'll admit that I didn't expect such a failure, but I did plan for it. We can't kill them, but we can certainly make them look dead!" Sean took the potion and hurried out to the room with a frighteningly manic look in his eyes.
"I don't suppose that you'll stop if I tell you what a horribly disastrous idea this is?" Yvonne shouted after him, looking very exasperated.
"Not likely, no." Sean said without looking back.
"Well, it is."
"Your objection is noted, Yvonne, and ignored." Had Sean waited for a response, he would have heard Yvonne mutter a number of rude words under her breath.
"Hermione . . . Lavender . . . How are you doing, my dears?" Sean whispered in an eerily gentle voice.
"You son of a - " Lavender started, but was stopped with a quick Silencing Spell.
"Now, now, Lavender. Do you kiss your Mother with that mouth?" Sean chuckled. "I've brought you ladies some tea!" He held up two mugs of something that didn't look remotely like tea; boiling tar would be a more accurate description.
"We're not very thirsty, thanks." Hermione said, frightened.
"Don't be silly, Hermione. Drink the tea." Sean ordered in a resolute tone. Hermione opened her mouth to protest once again, but Sean gripped her face harshly, forcing her mouth open. He poured the vile-tasting potion down her throat, leaving her to choke and sputter as he moved on to Lavender to do the same.
Hermione began to feel weak and tired; she was using all her energy just to keep herself from falling her onto her side. The room was swirling out of focus and she kept hearing a vague buzzing in her ears. She wasn't quite sure if she could trust her senses, but she thought she heard a sharp pop. Was someone Apparating? she thought to herself. But she was quickly losing the fight to stay conscious and fell into a heap against the wall before she could tell for certain.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry watched Hermione fall limp against the wall seconds after he appeared in the room; his heart skipped a beat as his worst fear began to play itself out. Could she be dead? Harry froze over completely, but only for a moment. A man in a black cloak jumped up at the sound of the team Apparating into the room, letting a cup of horrible looking potion smash on the floor, spilling its contents everywhere. Lavender looked as if she was trying to scream, but some sort of silencing charm was preventing her from doing so.
Three agents from the recovery team had already restrained a woman that recognized from Lavender's vision. The man in the black cloak turned to face Harry for a split second before running at top speed from the room. Harry sped after him, followed closely by Ron and a few other agents. They chased him through two rooms before they got the man cornered.
"Put up an anti-Apparation charm!!! Quickly!!" Harry shouted as soon as he saw that they had the man cornered. He heard an agent somewhere behind him call out the incantation.
"You can't get out now." Artimus told Sean plainly. "You're under arrest. Come with us now, or we'll take you by force." Artimus kept his voice steady and without emotion; Harry, however, was using every once of his determination not to run forward and choke Sean's life slowly from him.
"You won't arrest me." Sean replied defiantly.
"The hell we won't!!" Harry cried before Artimus held his hand up to silence him. Sean chuckled smugly.
"I'm the only one with the antidote to Hermione's poison." He said with a smile.
"You're lying." Harry retorted, short for breath. "You're lying!!" His voice gained force.
"Am I?" Sean asked. Is he? Harry thought. Had Hermione really been poisoned? No, she can't be dead; She can't be dying. But as sure as Harry wanted to be, he wasn't.
"Give us the antidote. Now." Harry struggled to keep the desperation out of his voice.
"Only if you'll let me go." Harry opened his mouth to agree - he needed Hermione back - but Artimus interrupted.
"We can't agree to those terms. Contem Acima!" Artimus cried, conjuring magic ropes (that are impossible to escape from) to tie Sean securely. Two agents grabbed him roughly. "Take down the anti-Apparation charms." Artimus ordered.
"Artimus, please!" Harry pleaded. "I need the antidote!"
"I'm sorry, Harry, but we can't let this one get away. He'd just try it again, and next time we may not be so lucky. It would be Voldemort all over again." For the moment before they Apparated back to the Ministry, Sean looked torn between anger at getting caught and joy at seeing Harry so distraught.
As soon as they disappeared Harry and Ron ran back to Hermione and Lavender; as he ran towards Hermione, Harry could not help but fear that he was about to lose her.
Once they reached the girls, Ron immediately lifted Lavender's Silencing Charm and Lavender fell into his arms. Harry removed Hermione's ties and drew her into a tight embrace, willing her to wake. He brought his head down to her chest to see if she was breathing. She wasn't. He reached almost mechanically for her wrist to check her pulse. He felt relief flood over him like a tidal wave; she still had a pulse, albeit a weak one.
"I need a Healer over here!!" He called to one of the agents who had stayed behind. "GET ME A HEALER!!" Her pulse grew weaker by the second.
"Mr. Digger said he'd send one as soon as he arrived at the Ministry, sir. He should he on his way." The agent replied.
"Oh, Ron, it was terrible! He made me watch and . . ." Harry heard Lavender recounting the kidnapping to Ron somewhere behind him, but his attention was glued to Hermione.
"Stay with me, Mione." Harry whispered with his face only inches from hers. "Stay with me." Harry's eyes welled over and a tear slid gently down his cheek. Her pulse continued to grow weaker. Where was that Healer? Harry knew Hermione only had moments left; if she died before the Healer arrived . . . Harry couldn't think about it.
"I love you, Hermione. I love you now, and I will love you forever." Harry whispered to her. As a tear fell silently from his face and landed on hers, Harry felt her pulse stop. He had lost her; he had lost the only woman he'd ever loved.
A/N: That's all for Chapter 6!!! I hope everyone will stay tuned for Chapter 7, which I hope will be up soon - BUT ONLY IF I GET REVIEWS!!!! I know, I'm evil. Please Review!!!
Summary: Harry and Hermione are in love, engaged and ready for action. They've made it past their personal troubles, but what does life have in store for them once they leave school?
A/N: Once again, I have proven what a horrible and lazy person I am by making you all wait ridiculous amounts of time for this chapter - sorry!! I have something of an excuse - I experienced insane writer's block. But, I got over it (eventually) so here is Chapter 6; I hope it was worth the wait!! And in order to give credit where credit is due, the idea of Apparation Talismans is from a story called The Paradigm of Uncertainty (or possibly one of the other stories in that series); I would like to recommend to everyone that they read this series - it is amazing!!! It can be found at
f%20Uncertainty/ - everyone read it!!! Back to the point - Chapter 6!!!!
~*~*~ Poisoned ~*~*~
"Mr. Potter?" One of the agents from the Homing Squad walked into the room where Harry and Ron waited, pacing back and forth.
"Yes? Have you found the location?" Harry asked eagerly.
"Yes, sir, we have. Here is an Apparation Talisman to take you two there. It's an apartment in - " the agent began.
"Dispatch a recovery team right away, and be sure we have plenty of back up - we don't know what on earth we are walking into but it can't possibly be good."
"The team's already ready, sir. They are waiting at the Apparation checkpoint."
"Great, thank you." Harry said, dismissing the agent. "Are you ready, Ron?" Harry said, ready to follow the agent out the door.
"Ready? I'm allowed to go? Don't I need some kind of authorization?" Ron sat up straight in his seat at the prospect of taking action, in spite of his uncertainties.
"You love Lavender, don't you?"
"Of course!"
"Then you're authorized; let's move." Ron followed Harry to the Apparation checkpoint.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Sean!! What the hell is that?" Yvonne asked her boss, agitated that he insisted on doing one last thing before leaving.
"A little potion of my own invention. I'll admit that I didn't expect such a failure, but I did plan for it. We can't kill them, but we can certainly make them look dead!" Sean took the potion and hurried out to the room with a frighteningly manic look in his eyes.
"I don't suppose that you'll stop if I tell you what a horribly disastrous idea this is?" Yvonne shouted after him, looking very exasperated.
"Not likely, no." Sean said without looking back.
"Well, it is."
"Your objection is noted, Yvonne, and ignored." Had Sean waited for a response, he would have heard Yvonne mutter a number of rude words under her breath.
"Hermione . . . Lavender . . . How are you doing, my dears?" Sean whispered in an eerily gentle voice.
"You son of a - " Lavender started, but was stopped with a quick Silencing Spell.
"Now, now, Lavender. Do you kiss your Mother with that mouth?" Sean chuckled. "I've brought you ladies some tea!" He held up two mugs of something that didn't look remotely like tea; boiling tar would be a more accurate description.
"We're not very thirsty, thanks." Hermione said, frightened.
"Don't be silly, Hermione. Drink the tea." Sean ordered in a resolute tone. Hermione opened her mouth to protest once again, but Sean gripped her face harshly, forcing her mouth open. He poured the vile-tasting potion down her throat, leaving her to choke and sputter as he moved on to Lavender to do the same.
Hermione began to feel weak and tired; she was using all her energy just to keep herself from falling her onto her side. The room was swirling out of focus and she kept hearing a vague buzzing in her ears. She wasn't quite sure if she could trust her senses, but she thought she heard a sharp pop. Was someone Apparating? she thought to herself. But she was quickly losing the fight to stay conscious and fell into a heap against the wall before she could tell for certain.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry watched Hermione fall limp against the wall seconds after he appeared in the room; his heart skipped a beat as his worst fear began to play itself out. Could she be dead? Harry froze over completely, but only for a moment. A man in a black cloak jumped up at the sound of the team Apparating into the room, letting a cup of horrible looking potion smash on the floor, spilling its contents everywhere. Lavender looked as if she was trying to scream, but some sort of silencing charm was preventing her from doing so.
Three agents from the recovery team had already restrained a woman that recognized from Lavender's vision. The man in the black cloak turned to face Harry for a split second before running at top speed from the room. Harry sped after him, followed closely by Ron and a few other agents. They chased him through two rooms before they got the man cornered.
"Put up an anti-Apparation charm!!! Quickly!!" Harry shouted as soon as he saw that they had the man cornered. He heard an agent somewhere behind him call out the incantation.
"You can't get out now." Artimus told Sean plainly. "You're under arrest. Come with us now, or we'll take you by force." Artimus kept his voice steady and without emotion; Harry, however, was using every once of his determination not to run forward and choke Sean's life slowly from him.
"You won't arrest me." Sean replied defiantly.
"The hell we won't!!" Harry cried before Artimus held his hand up to silence him. Sean chuckled smugly.
"I'm the only one with the antidote to Hermione's poison." He said with a smile.
"You're lying." Harry retorted, short for breath. "You're lying!!" His voice gained force.
"Am I?" Sean asked. Is he? Harry thought. Had Hermione really been poisoned? No, she can't be dead; She can't be dying. But as sure as Harry wanted to be, he wasn't.
"Give us the antidote. Now." Harry struggled to keep the desperation out of his voice.
"Only if you'll let me go." Harry opened his mouth to agree - he needed Hermione back - but Artimus interrupted.
"We can't agree to those terms. Contem Acima!" Artimus cried, conjuring magic ropes (that are impossible to escape from) to tie Sean securely. Two agents grabbed him roughly. "Take down the anti-Apparation charms." Artimus ordered.
"Artimus, please!" Harry pleaded. "I need the antidote!"
"I'm sorry, Harry, but we can't let this one get away. He'd just try it again, and next time we may not be so lucky. It would be Voldemort all over again." For the moment before they Apparated back to the Ministry, Sean looked torn between anger at getting caught and joy at seeing Harry so distraught.
As soon as they disappeared Harry and Ron ran back to Hermione and Lavender; as he ran towards Hermione, Harry could not help but fear that he was about to lose her.
Once they reached the girls, Ron immediately lifted Lavender's Silencing Charm and Lavender fell into his arms. Harry removed Hermione's ties and drew her into a tight embrace, willing her to wake. He brought his head down to her chest to see if she was breathing. She wasn't. He reached almost mechanically for her wrist to check her pulse. He felt relief flood over him like a tidal wave; she still had a pulse, albeit a weak one.
"I need a Healer over here!!" He called to one of the agents who had stayed behind. "GET ME A HEALER!!" Her pulse grew weaker by the second.
"Mr. Digger said he'd send one as soon as he arrived at the Ministry, sir. He should he on his way." The agent replied.
"Oh, Ron, it was terrible! He made me watch and . . ." Harry heard Lavender recounting the kidnapping to Ron somewhere behind him, but his attention was glued to Hermione.
"Stay with me, Mione." Harry whispered with his face only inches from hers. "Stay with me." Harry's eyes welled over and a tear slid gently down his cheek. Her pulse continued to grow weaker. Where was that Healer? Harry knew Hermione only had moments left; if she died before the Healer arrived . . . Harry couldn't think about it.
"I love you, Hermione. I love you now, and I will love you forever." Harry whispered to her. As a tear fell silently from his face and landed on hers, Harry felt her pulse stop. He had lost her; he had lost the only woman he'd ever loved.
A/N: That's all for Chapter 6!!! I hope everyone will stay tuned for Chapter 7, which I hope will be up soon - BUT ONLY IF I GET REVIEWS!!!! I know, I'm evil. Please Review!!!
