Harry and Ron where no exception to the majority of people who
hated doing dishes but lately it seemed that it had become their life. Not
willingly of course but within the threat of death. Most of the students
were down in the kitchens. Yet Harry and Ron felt no better that familiar
peers surrounded them. Hermione was gone. Left in the hands of a house
full of Slytherins who despised her. It gave them comfort though, that
Seamus was with her. At least they knew she had someone to protect her. It
was always tense for Harry though. Even though it seemed Voldemort had lost
interest in killing him, every time a Death Eater entered Harry was hidden
from view. It was awkward but a safe precaution.
"Ron, you don't look so well, are you feeling okay?" Parvati asked.
Most of the students had colds but Ron did look terrible. His skin was paler than usual and his eyes were dull and filled with sadness and stress. Although he was tall and gangly to begin with, he was beginning to look like a skeleton. None of them were as healthy as before but Ron was suffering the most it seemed.
"Perfectly fine," Ron said. "But you all know I am worried about Hermione."
"We all are Ron, but Seamus is with her so she isn't alone," Harry said.
Ron gave a weary nod and continued drying the dish that was soon to be worn if he dried it any more thoroughly. But Ron knew there had to be a means of talking to Hermione. Maybe the house elves would risk passing a note to her. If the Death Eaters ever found out though, it could become lethal. Letters were sent to parents once they had been checked to see if they sounded normal enough. If so, then they would be sent. No one outside Hogwarts had any idea there was anything wrong. There was no help coming. So they were just going to have to save themselves. This wasn't as easy as it seemed though. Death Eaters were onto your every move and if you took one step out of line, you were beaten back onto it. A rebellion was out of question. They were all to weak and to go against the Death Eaters wandless was plain lack of common sense. Everyone was thinking of escape but with out being able to rely on Hermione's quick-witted mind, they were lost. Only one thing was evident. They were in dire need of help.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Albus, Albus are you awake?" Minevra McGonagall called softly.
"Yes well I am now," Dumbledore said. "What is wrong?"
"Do you think the children have gotten away? Do you think they are safe?"
Dumbledore didn't know how to answer this. He knew the children were not alright. He could not protect them now though. He could only hope they were alive. After setting up the Great Hall for the feast Dumbledore had heard a murmur of voices. Figuring it was the students arriving early, he walked into the hall to great them. It had not been the students but a large flock of black cloaked men. He was tackled and the school stolen. He and the other teachers had been sent to Azkaban, which had been taken over by Voldemort. There was no hope of escape. They had only one hope. That the children could somehow get out and send for help. But hope was being a fickle friend.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermione and Seamus were barely holding themselves up by lunch. They barely got through half the chores on the list. The chores that would have been simple with a wand were brutal when done by hand. When the bell for lunch rang, Seamus and Hermione started to speed up their work, trying to get it finished before one of the men came to inspect. Dumtrious (as they later found out the one man was called) had walked through the portrait hole just when they were sitting down for a two second rest.
"What is going on here!?" he yelled.
"We only stopped for a minute," Seamus said quite irritably.
"Let me see that list," he said sharply.
Hermione grabbed it off the table and took it to him. He ripped it out of her hand fiercely. His eyes search over it looking at what was checked off. Barely half were. They had almost killed themselves working so hard. But as Dumtrious continued to read, his eyes filled with fury. He looked hardly at Hermione who still stood in front of him.
"You barely even began the list!" he shouted
Hermione flinched. "We worked really hard, but without wands, it's difficult."
Before she knew it, his hand collided with her cheek. She stumbled back, hand clutched to were he hit her. Seamus ran up and stood in front of her, but knowing from past experience, to just stay quiet.
"If this isn't all down by dinner you'll receive no food and suffer a worse punishment than that," he nodded toward Hermione. With that said, he left.
"You alright?" Seamus asked, looking at her red cheek.
"Yes, I'll be fine," Hermione said, trying to sound unfazed.
They sighed and once again, began working.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Draco, your nose looks like a balloon," Blaise Zambini said. "What happened?"
"That bloody Gryffindor punched me," Draco said.
"The Mudblood?" another boy asked.
"No, Finnigan, he was trying to protect her," Draco said angrily.
"Oh how cute," Blaise said sarcastically.
"That stupid filthy Mudblood has to learn her place," Draco mumbled.
"And do you have in mind," Blaise smirked.
Draco sneered and leaned in to explain the plan stirring in his mind.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ron was lying on the floor in the back of the kitchen with the other students when he heard the portrait open. He sat up and saw none other than Ginny walk through the door.
"Ginny!" He said.
"Ron, is that you?" she whispered.
Ron got up and ran over to her, wrapping her in a crushing hug.
"Where have you been, I was so worried," Ron said.
"I am working in the office but I am always having to run tings places. I have been looking for you!" Ginny said, tears running down her face.
"Have you seen Hermione? She is in the Slytherin common room," Ron asked.
"No I haven't seen her but I am delivering a list of something there tomorrow, I'll check then," Ginny offered.
"Oh Gin, it is so good to know your fine," Ron said, hugging her once more. "But be careful, don't do anything dangerous, keep yourself safe."
"I'm fine," Ginny said, " I have to go now but I'll be back tomorrow."
Ron nodded and watched her disappear out into the corridor. He went back to lay down and try to go to sleep. Tomorrow was a big day.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile.......
A/N: I know, sorry about the cliffie. I can't complain about reviews only because I usually post late at night and usually by the time everyone gets back on, twenty stories were posted already. But it's now I posted early so I hope to get more reviews!!!!
PREVIEW:
"Ron!" Ginny yelled, bursting through the portrait into the kitchen.
Ron through the plate he was washing down and ran to her.
"What happened?" He asked.
"It's Hermione, Seamus said when he woke up she was missing."
"Ron, you don't look so well, are you feeling okay?" Parvati asked.
Most of the students had colds but Ron did look terrible. His skin was paler than usual and his eyes were dull and filled with sadness and stress. Although he was tall and gangly to begin with, he was beginning to look like a skeleton. None of them were as healthy as before but Ron was suffering the most it seemed.
"Perfectly fine," Ron said. "But you all know I am worried about Hermione."
"We all are Ron, but Seamus is with her so she isn't alone," Harry said.
Ron gave a weary nod and continued drying the dish that was soon to be worn if he dried it any more thoroughly. But Ron knew there had to be a means of talking to Hermione. Maybe the house elves would risk passing a note to her. If the Death Eaters ever found out though, it could become lethal. Letters were sent to parents once they had been checked to see if they sounded normal enough. If so, then they would be sent. No one outside Hogwarts had any idea there was anything wrong. There was no help coming. So they were just going to have to save themselves. This wasn't as easy as it seemed though. Death Eaters were onto your every move and if you took one step out of line, you were beaten back onto it. A rebellion was out of question. They were all to weak and to go against the Death Eaters wandless was plain lack of common sense. Everyone was thinking of escape but with out being able to rely on Hermione's quick-witted mind, they were lost. Only one thing was evident. They were in dire need of help.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Albus, Albus are you awake?" Minevra McGonagall called softly.
"Yes well I am now," Dumbledore said. "What is wrong?"
"Do you think the children have gotten away? Do you think they are safe?"
Dumbledore didn't know how to answer this. He knew the children were not alright. He could not protect them now though. He could only hope they were alive. After setting up the Great Hall for the feast Dumbledore had heard a murmur of voices. Figuring it was the students arriving early, he walked into the hall to great them. It had not been the students but a large flock of black cloaked men. He was tackled and the school stolen. He and the other teachers had been sent to Azkaban, which had been taken over by Voldemort. There was no hope of escape. They had only one hope. That the children could somehow get out and send for help. But hope was being a fickle friend.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermione and Seamus were barely holding themselves up by lunch. They barely got through half the chores on the list. The chores that would have been simple with a wand were brutal when done by hand. When the bell for lunch rang, Seamus and Hermione started to speed up their work, trying to get it finished before one of the men came to inspect. Dumtrious (as they later found out the one man was called) had walked through the portrait hole just when they were sitting down for a two second rest.
"What is going on here!?" he yelled.
"We only stopped for a minute," Seamus said quite irritably.
"Let me see that list," he said sharply.
Hermione grabbed it off the table and took it to him. He ripped it out of her hand fiercely. His eyes search over it looking at what was checked off. Barely half were. They had almost killed themselves working so hard. But as Dumtrious continued to read, his eyes filled with fury. He looked hardly at Hermione who still stood in front of him.
"You barely even began the list!" he shouted
Hermione flinched. "We worked really hard, but without wands, it's difficult."
Before she knew it, his hand collided with her cheek. She stumbled back, hand clutched to were he hit her. Seamus ran up and stood in front of her, but knowing from past experience, to just stay quiet.
"If this isn't all down by dinner you'll receive no food and suffer a worse punishment than that," he nodded toward Hermione. With that said, he left.
"You alright?" Seamus asked, looking at her red cheek.
"Yes, I'll be fine," Hermione said, trying to sound unfazed.
They sighed and once again, began working.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Draco, your nose looks like a balloon," Blaise Zambini said. "What happened?"
"That bloody Gryffindor punched me," Draco said.
"The Mudblood?" another boy asked.
"No, Finnigan, he was trying to protect her," Draco said angrily.
"Oh how cute," Blaise said sarcastically.
"That stupid filthy Mudblood has to learn her place," Draco mumbled.
"And do you have in mind," Blaise smirked.
Draco sneered and leaned in to explain the plan stirring in his mind.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ron was lying on the floor in the back of the kitchen with the other students when he heard the portrait open. He sat up and saw none other than Ginny walk through the door.
"Ginny!" He said.
"Ron, is that you?" she whispered.
Ron got up and ran over to her, wrapping her in a crushing hug.
"Where have you been, I was so worried," Ron said.
"I am working in the office but I am always having to run tings places. I have been looking for you!" Ginny said, tears running down her face.
"Have you seen Hermione? She is in the Slytherin common room," Ron asked.
"No I haven't seen her but I am delivering a list of something there tomorrow, I'll check then," Ginny offered.
"Oh Gin, it is so good to know your fine," Ron said, hugging her once more. "But be careful, don't do anything dangerous, keep yourself safe."
"I'm fine," Ginny said, " I have to go now but I'll be back tomorrow."
Ron nodded and watched her disappear out into the corridor. He went back to lay down and try to go to sleep. Tomorrow was a big day.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile.......
A/N: I know, sorry about the cliffie. I can't complain about reviews only because I usually post late at night and usually by the time everyone gets back on, twenty stories were posted already. But it's now I posted early so I hope to get more reviews!!!!
PREVIEW:
"Ron!" Ginny yelled, bursting through the portrait into the kitchen.
Ron through the plate he was washing down and ran to her.
"What happened?" He asked.
"It's Hermione, Seamus said when he woke up she was missing."