Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. A/N at end.

Some Scars Never Fade

WendyNat

Chapter 20

~~~~~~~~

"I'm not sure, Albus. I haven't been able to find out anything else about their plans. I'm just stuck brewing all day… First has been getting more and more on edge about Crabbe…"

Albus nodded, concern showing in his blue eyes. "Hermione – be wary of him. Severus wanted me to tell you that – he knows the boy well – too well. Stay as far from him as possible."

Hermione laughed humorlessly. "I'm trying, believe me."

"Do you have any idea who First might be? Any clues at all?"

Hermione sighed and sat on the bench beside the lake. "No. They're still wearing the same outfits whenever I see them, masks and all, and First seems to be very intelligent. Crabbe has slipped a couple of times when he's left to guard me… nothing major, just stupid little cracks about our school years together. But First… First doesn't give anything away in conversation… and I'm trying to avoid asking questions. The less they think I know…"

"That's wise."

Hermione's shoulders slumped dejectedly. "I'm sorry I don't have any more information, Albus. They are letting me see more rooms in the house, at least – there's a lounge of sorts off of the main lab that I've been allowed to enter when there's a long simmering time. Under surveillance at all times, of course."

"Any furnishings? Decorations? Portraits?"

Hermione laughed. "I wish – I know you have those nosy portraits in your office…but no, that would be too convenient, wouldn't it? I haven't seen any wall hangings at all, now that I think of it. Um… there's a wardrobe-looking piece of furniture – a cabinet of sorts, doesn't look very impressive… and a couple of couches – all fairly plain, nothing out of the ordinary. No rug."

"Nothing distinguishing, then," Albus said in a tired tone.

The scene faded in and out for a moment, and Hermione closed her eyes, sighing. "Go now, Albus – you're wearing yourself out, aren't you?"

Albus smiled. "Don't worry about me, my dear."

"Just go, Albus – I'll speak with you tomorrow night. Tell Severus… tell him that I love him," Hermione said in a strained voice. Albus nodded, and the scene faded.

She woke with tears on her cheeks. The room was still dark, but with the lack of external windows the amount of light didn't help her determine the time. The pitch-blackness was beginning to get to her. It was just a small irritant, to be sure, but the many small irritants were starting to wear on her nerves. It had been four days, now, since she had been kidnapped. Progress was slow on the Manere adjustments; unfortunately the Polyjuice potion had turned out to be quite complex to work with once the human DNA was added. That explains why they were interested in Severus' DNA notes, I suppose, she thought wearily, shifting a bit to get comfortable.

She had overheard enough snatches of conversations between Crabbe and First to put together some of the pieces of the mystery. She had, at least, some idea concerning the background of their original plan – which she and Severus had destroyed with their assertions to the press concerning the Leaf Leacher potion's inability to be used in a wide-scale attack. The kidnappers had originally thought that the potion's only drawback was the shelf-life – they hadn't recognized the Apparition limitation of the chief ingredient – and therefore had been desperate to get the notes for the Manere. And thus – the attacks on Hestia and Nathan.

When the first plan had fallen through, they had reverted to what they referred to as "Plan B." She remembered stifling a chuckle at that – it sounded too much like a line from one of the detective novels her father liked to read. Plan B's main thrust was the Polyjuice potion. She had overheard enough to reason out that they had intended to adjust the Polyjuice all along, but it had become more urgent when Plan A fell through. Which explained the early requests she and Hestia had received, as well as her own kidnapping when Plan A was ruined.

What she couldn't figure out was why they were trying to adjust the Manere for Polyjuice. What possible use could it have? How could its use, or the urgency of its use, have been changed by the destruction of their original Leaf Leacher plan? She had racked her brain over the past few days without coming to any conclusions. Dumbledore had told her that the Aurors analyzing the situation did not have any ideas, either.

Sighing, she rolled onto her side on the hard mat. Despite the darkness, she was quite fond of the nighttime hours. It had become her refuge. She was able to speak to Albus and be alone with her thoughts. Not to mention - at night she didn't have to endure the lecherous gaze of Crabbe, or listen to his disgusting innuendos…

She hadn't said so to Albus – no point in worrying them all more than necessary – but she was concerned that Crabbe may be losing his grip on his already shaky control. She had heard numerous stories of his father's… appetites… and she rather thought that the apple hadn't fallen too far from the tree in this case. She was grateful when First was close by, as the other kidnapper seemed to have some sort of control over the hulking man.

Involuntarily, she shivered, pulling the threadbare blanket tightly around her. The man had a way of making her feel stripped naked whenever he looked at her, and the feeling was only growing worse with each passing day. Albus' words echoed in her mind: Severus wanted me to tell you… stay as far away from him as possible.

Severus.

Pushing all thoughts of Crabbe from her mind, she closed her eyes tightly, remembering Severus' scent… the feel of him laying beside her… the sound of his even breathing… Slowly, as she allowed her imagination to take hold, she began to relax.

And she slept.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

"What do you think, Harry?" Neville asked. The two men were having lunch at a restaurant close to the Ministry offices, where Harry had been speaking to Kingsley. It had now been five days since Hermione was taken, and they were all feeling the strain.

Harry shook his head, the ex-Auror's eyes showing the fatigue and strain he had been under over the last few days. "I don't know, Neville. I just don't know." Harry had, with the full consent of his supervisor, taken time off from his regular job at the ISC in order to help the Aurors in any way he could. "It's so hard to figure out what… what these people could want." Suddenly his fists clenched. "Damn it all – I thought all of this would be over now, all the worrying, all the…" Harry trailed off and Neville nodded slowly.

"I know what you mean. After the Last Battle… that should have been the end of it, shouldn't it?" Neville said quietly, standing from his chair. A moment later he returned with two glasses of Firewhiskey. "No more worries, all of us – all of us who survived – we should be safe," he commented as he sat down.

Harry took the glass from Neville with a grateful nod. "Yeah." He took a sip and gave Neville a short smile. "Thanks. You're almost as good as Tom at knowing what your customer needs. I didn't even know they served Firewhiskey this early in the day."

Neville shrugged. "It pays to know the owner." They sat in companionable silence for a time, eating their meals, both lost in thought. Finally, Neville set his fork down and sat back in the chair, eyeing his friend.

"How's Snape holding up?" he asked. Harry didn't answer, just shook his head. "That well, huh?"

Harry sat back on the couch and studied the amber liquid for a moment. "About as well as you'd expect. I'm going by Hogwarts later – I'll check in on him, let him know you and Susan are thinking about them. I wanted to be there tonight when Dumbledore contacts her."

"Thanks, Harry. And," Neville said, placing a hand on Harry's arm. "Don't worry. We'll get her back."

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

As Hermione worked in the lab later the same day, First called Crabbe out into the hallway. After a few moments, she realized that First had failed to cast the normal silencing charm. Their voices, muffled, drifted through the closed door intermittently.

"No, you stay here… watch her while I'm gone… back tonight… remember what I told you…"

"I don't see… problem would… just a little…" That was definitely Crabbe's voice. He sounded petulant.

"You do as you're told!" First's voice was loud and sharp. The next words were back to the normal volume, "Tonight… doesn't work… you have to…"

"Still can't believe… Snape took her… turned down your own…"

"Shut up!" In a more moderate tone, First continued, "I couldn't either, but… past a traitor like him… but you won't be… touch her…"

"I can handle… tempting me…"

"You'd better… no mistakes… don't let her… your sight…"

An instant later, the door flew open. Thankfully, she was able to keep herself from flinching at the noise as she carefully added the drops of bezoar extract. She was unsurprised when she heard First's voice behind her.

"I'll be leaving you with him this evening, Mudblood. Don't cause any trouble, and keep working in here until I get back. I expect to see some progress soon." She nodded her head in answer, and First turned quickly and left the room. She didn't have to turn around to know that Crabbe remained behind – the feel of his eyes on her was like a physical weight.

For the first time since she had been kidnapped, she was truly afraid.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

"Damn," Harry muttered under his breath. Beside him, Tonks sucked in her breath.

"Gods, Harry…" she said, tentatively advancing into the potions lab. She stepped gingerly, and for good reason – shards of glass from shattered flasks littered the floor, crunching under her feet. "I don't know how much more of this he can take," she whispered.

Harry nodded, a hollow feeling in his abdomen as he stared at the wreckage. Pulling out his wand, he whispered, "Scourgify." The glass shards tinkled as they hovered in midair and flew to the trash bin. When Tonks glanced at him, he shrugged. "Well, I doubt your abilities with cleaning spells have gotten any better over the last couple of years, have they?"

"Not much," Tonks said with a grin. The grin faded quickly as she continued through the lab to the office door, which was shut. Harry followed her a few paces behind. She knocked lightly on the door and it swung open silently. "Not even latched," Tonks mumbled under her breath, her tone one of disbelief. Harry's breath caught as he saw the slumped figure in the desk chair.

Severus didn't move when the door opened. Harry was shocked to see that his hands, cradling his head, were covered with lines of blood. Must be from the flasks, Harry realized.

"Oh, Severus," Tonks breathed, moving to the black-haired wizard's side. Whipping out her wand, she performed a couple of quick healing spells on the cuts. Still, the wizard didn't move. "We'll find her, Severus," she said, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Finally finding his voice, Harry strode forward until he stood in front of the desk. "Yes, we will," he said in a confident tone, knowing what the man needed to hear. "I'll stake my life on it."

Slowly, Severus lowered his hands and sat back in the chair. Harry winced inwardly at the haunted look in the other man's eyes, the dark hollows underneath, the supreme pallor of his cheeks, his hair hanging as limp and lank as it had when Harry was a student. "You look like shit, Snape."

Tonks threw him a quelling look and opened her mouth to speak, but subsided when Severus' shoulders began to shake and a strange, choked sound came from the man's throat.

He was laughing. 

Tonks stared at them both in amazement. Harry gave her a smirk before seating himself in the chair opposite the desk. Severus fixed his gaze on Harry, a hint of his usual sarcastic air showing in his eyes and voice as he drawled, "I don't recall giving you leave to sit, Potter."

"So take House Points from Gryffindor, then, Snape," Harry said with a grin, pleased when Severus responded with a wry smile of his own. "Listen, go get cleaned up. You never know when we'll find Hermione, and if you show up looking like this, she's likely to turn around and run back into the kidnapper's arms."

Another snort of laughter at that. Severus looked down at his hands without speaking for a moment, a small smile still playing on his lips. Finally: "You may have a point there, Potter."

Harry sat back in the chair and nodded at him. "You've got about two hours before we're expected in Dumbledore's office for tonight's contact. Get cleaned up. Eat. We missed your smiling face and sunny disposition at dinner."

"Did Dumbledore send you?" Severus asked, scowling. Harry and Tonks both shook their heads.

"You're wrong there, Snape. Guess again," Harry said with a grin. When Severus didn't respond – other than to deepen his scowl – Harry said, "Listen, Snape, you've got friends. Remus, Hestia, Tonks here… they're worried about you." Harry held the other man's gaze for a moment before saying, in a quiet voice, "We're worried about you." 

Severus looked from Harry to Tonks and then back to Harry before standing and striding to the door, the familiar sweeping motion of his cloak reminding Harry of his first Potions class. Would I have ever believed that one day I would consider this bastard a friend? Harry wondered with a small smile on his lips. When Severus reached the door he stopped and glanced back, his eyes catching Harry's. "Thank you," he said in a low voice before disappearing through the door.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

"Not so smart now, hmm, Mudblood?" Crabbe's guttural tones whispered in her ear. She shivered slightly before she could stop herself, and she closed her eyes in disgust when she heard his breath hitch. The man seemed to get… aroused… whenever she showed nervousness, or fear. They had been alone for hours now, and she was desperately hoping that First would return soon. It was well past the normal time they allowed her to return to her darkened room for sleep, and as the evening wore on Crabbe kept getting closer and closer. She didn't know if his self-control would last much longer.

A hand fell on her shoulder as he leaned toward her. "You see where brains get you? Fucking Gryffindor bitch. Always walking around with your nose in the air – you and those two boys… thought you were better than all of us, didn't you? Even with that filthy blood running through your veins."

She stared straight ahead, hoping he would get bored if she continued to ignore him. Don't respond… don't respond… It had worked an hour ago – the last time he'd tried to provoke her. Please, just leave me alone. Where the hell is First, anyway? With horror, she realized that his hand was still on her shoulder; was, in fact, moving slowly down her arm. She swallowed convulsively, unable to stop the shudder that tore through her. His voice lowered, its rough tone growing ragged as his breathing quickened. "I always wanted to teach you a lesson, Mudblood. Little Miss Know-It-All. I think I deserve it, having to put up with you and those two boys all those years. So, tell me – were you fucking them, too? Were you fucking Snape back then? Is that how you got those good grades in Potions? By fucking the traitor?"

Suddenly, his other hand grabbed her hair near the nape of her neck. "Answer me, Mudblood!" Tears sprang to her eyes as he pulled hard, twisting her head around to face him. He trailed one finger along her cheek, smiling evilly. "Crying for it, are you, Mudblood? Got a taste for Slytherins now, haven't you?" She tried to shake her head, but his hand was still tightly wound in her hair, making it impossible to move. She began to tremble harder, and his eyes raked down her body, pausing on her chest, before he looked back at her face. "Well, I can help you with that… we've got some time left before my partner gets back."

With a hard yank, he pulled her away from the cauldron and dragged her into the connecting room. She was shoved roughly to the floor as he shut the door and she immediately leapt to her feet. She backed away from him as he advanced, her eyes searching the room for possible weapons, for possible means of escape, for anything

All too soon, her back hit the opposite wall and Crabbe smiled evilly. Slowly, he reached up to peel off the mask; his wand poking him in the neck as he clumsily removed the scrap of fabric. "Remember me, Mudblood?" he said, attempting to sneer. On his less-than-intelligent-looking face it appeared more of a grimace, but her blood ran cold just the same.

He advanced on her then, and, with all the strength she possessed, she directed a kick at his groin. It connected. With a sudden roar, he dropped his wand and bent over double. Immediately, she dashed for the door. Yanking at the knob frantically, she cursed when it didn't budge. She had been sure he was too stupid to ward the door, but she had been wrong. Damn! And then she felt his presence behind her.

"Mudblood whore!" He grabbed her by the neck, the fingers of one hand digging into the flesh while the other seized her hair close to the scalp, and threw her back into the room. She landed hard, her shoulder exploding in pain when the weight of her body drove it into the stone floor. He advanced on her quickly, but she was able to roll onto her back and kick out brutally with both legs, catching him just below his right knee.

When he hissed in pain and stumbled, she frantically struggled back to her feet, ignoring the burning pain in her shoulder. He was still bent over, cursing loudly. The only way… I have to get his wand… it's the only way… Taking a deep breath, she spun and sprinted for the back of the room, scrabbling for the wand he had dropped there when she had first kicked him… stretching frantically, she sent a silent prayer to any deity that may be listening… her fingers touched the end of the cool wood… her heart leaped in her chest…

…and then sank as she was yanked back and lifted just before she was able to grab hold of the precious length of wood. She fought frantically, but with one massive push she flew towards the nearby wall and smashed into the side of the large wooden cabinet. The wooden side shattered and splintered from the force, and as she slumped to the ground amidst the wreckage she saw a faint gleam near her hand.

Her necklace.

This cabinet must have been where her kidnapper stowed her belongings… her robes were crumpled underneath her and she dully realized that they had fallen under her when the cabinet was destroyed. Her head hurt so… she could feel the warm trickle of what she assumed was blood running down her face and neck... Focus, Hermione! she berated herself. With a slight shake of her head, she stretched out her hand and grasped the pendant in her fist. SEVERUS! she sent with a silent scream, praying fervently that he was wearing the matching pendant at that moment.

She almost sobbed with relief when the pendant grew warm in her hand, and she knew he would be able to track her location. She only prayed that it wouldn't be too late. She heard his voice in her mind, his cherished, welcome voice… HERMIONE! Are you all right? Where are you?

The room was spinning around her. Taking a few deep breaths, she sent, First is gone, and Crabbe's gone mad, he's- And then a large hand gripped her arm and jerked her from the wreckage of the cabinet, causing her to lose her grip on the pendant. Please, please let that have been long enough for him to track! Please!

Through the fog in her mind, she felt herself being rolled onto her back, felt a hot, heavy weight settling on her. It felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her, bringing her immediately to awareness… and she pushed against him, struggling feverishly until she felt a cold length of metal press against her neck. "Recognize the knife, Mudblood? It was a gift from the Dark Lord himself… specially made to spill the blood of people like you." He leaned down, then, and she closed her eyes in horror and disgust when she felt his hot breath against her ear. Her head pounding, her shoulder burning, her entire being rebelling against the weight of the man on top of her… hot tears seeped from her eyelids as she began to pray to any deity that may be listening.

Her prayer was answered by the most unlikely of angels.

"Crabbe!" A black clad figure stood in the doorway, staring at the tableau before it. First… oh, thank Merlin! As First strode into the room with angry steps, Crabbe clumsily stood and turned, immediately dropping the knife still clutched in his hand.

"I... I was just… she kept … it was her fault, she kept tempting me!" Crabbe looked terrified at the figure that stood still and silent before him. When no answer came, he continued in an even shakier voice, "Please, I wasn't going to hurt her… not bad… just wanted to teach her a lesson."

"I know all too well how the victims of your 'lessons' turn out, you imbecile. I need her alive – she can't brew the bloody potion dead, FOOL!" The final word came out in a shout. Even in anger, the voice was unrecognizable. Man? Woman? Both?

Hermione giggled at the thought, realizing dully that she was on the verge of hysteria. With a kind of drunken inattention, she vacantly stared as her kidnapper – now her savior, for the moment – flicked its wand and whispered, "Stupefy." Crabbe fell to the ground heavily, narrowly missing crushing her body.

And then the figure turned its head towards her, and the bubbling hysteria vanished in a wave of fear. First crossed to her quickly, yanking her up by her arm so roughly that she was certain tendons had torn in her shoulder. "You bitch! I told you not to cause trouble!" First screamed, giving her a full-armed slap in the jaw which sent her sprawling back to the floor. Her cheek and eye throbbed with the sharp pain, and she was sure she could feel a couple of teeth that had been loosened by the blow.

At least the mask is still on… Hermione thought gratefully. As long as it was still on, she was safe. As long as it was still on, there was a chance she'd still be let go. As long as it was still on, there was time for Severus to find her.

"Must you always make things more difficult?" the figure continued. "Look at me!"

The voice sounded different… changed… She lifted her head to look at her attacker and gasped, the cold dread in the pit of her stomach growing quickly to nausea.

Her kidnapper had removed the mask.

And she couldn't believe the face she saw before her. 

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

"I wasn't able to reach her," Albus said tonelessly. The others in the room seemed to wilt at the words. "Perhaps she hasn't been allowed to sleep yet." Remus and Hestia both nodded mutely.

Severus stood and walked to the fireplace, staring at the flames silently. "We can try again shortly, perhaps she hasn't been allowed to sleep yet-" An inarticulate cry from Snape stopped him and they all turned to stare at the dark-haired wizard. His back was bowed, and he was clutching his chest, ripping at the collar to his robes…

Tonks closed her eyes against the anguish outlined in the man's form. Harry caught Albus' eye and shook his head solemnly.

They were all shocked when Severus straightened, a wild look in his eyes, and reached out a long arm to grab Tonks' wrist tightly. "I don't know where – you have to help me – she just contacted me –"

The room erupted in a cacophony of sound.

"What?"

"What are you saying?"

"Is she all right?"

"Where is she?"

"Silence!" Albus thundered, leaping up from his desk chair. "The charm was activated?"

"Yes! But the connection was lost – she said Crabbe… Damn it all! Tonks, I need your help, I'm not familiar with the locator charms…" Severus said urgently, dropping Tonks' wrist and looking at her. Tonks nodded and pulled out her wand. Hermione… Crabbe… Merlin, no…

"Concentrate!" Tonks snapped, gripping Severus' arm to get his attention. He nodded and focused on opening his mind to her invasion. She seemed satisfied, fixing her eyes on his as she raised her wand. "Legilimens!"

Memories flew from his mind. He saw himself standing at the fireplace, blankly watching the smoke wafting from the flames. The startled look on his face as he felt the pendant grow warm, his hands ripping open the neck of his jacket to allow him better access to the precious link. He concentrated on his impressions of where she was… Tonks nodded slightly and dropped her wand. At the impatient look on his face, she smiled. "I know where they are. We need to get-"

"No!" Severus roared. "We need to go, NOW. Where is she?"

"We are going now, Severus, but I have to make contact with my colleagues. I don't wish to walk into Merlin only knows what without some backup." Racing past him to the fireplace, she grabbed the can of floo powder and tossed some into the fire before thrusting her head forward with a yell of "Ministry Auror Center!"

As she spoke in the fire, Harry lifted a paperweight from Albus' desk and transfigured it into a long metal bar. "Portus," he murmured, creating a Portkey.

After what seemed an eternity to Severus, Tonks pulled her head from the fire and sat back on her heels. Rising to her feet, she turned to face the others. "Let's go – they'll be meeting us there. As soon as we're outside the gates, we need to Apparate to La Maison de Mal Foi in Paris." Severus frowned in sudden confusion – he thought that location was abandoned, and the Aurors had found no sign of anyone - but held his tongue. He had to get to Hermione.

Everyone in the room aside from Albus – who was stopped with a quelling glare from Harry – grabbed hold of the Portkey and were pulled to the area just outside of the Hogwarts gates. Immediately, they Disapparated and an instant later appeared outside of a large, poorly maintained chateau. The wind whipped their robes around them as they crouched down behind a hedge.

"Do you sense any wards?" Severus hissed to Tonks, who was crouched beside him. She shook her head wordlessly. He saw her left hand covering the bracelet on her right wrist, and her lips silently moving. "Viktor?" Severus asked in a low voice.

She nodded. "Yes." At Severus' look, she said, "He would want to know. And he can be of help – he knows more curses…"

"I know. I was a… colleague… of his teacher you realize." Tonks nodded again. Severus frowned suddenly, impatience gnawing at him. "When will those colleagues of yours show up, anyway? Anything could be happening in there!" He knew, with the logical part of his mind, that they had to wait for the other Aurors to arrive. They had no idea how many people they would be dealing with – it was foolhardy to assume that there were only two, no matter how many had revealed themselves thus far - and any mistakes could cost them their lives. Or, more importantly to him, Hermione's life. His mind shrunk from the thought that she may already be dead – he refused to consider it.

"They'll be here soon, Snape," Harry said grimly, his brows furrowed in concentration as he cast ward detection spells. Remus and Hestia had readied their wands beside him and were conferring quietly. A couple of minutes later, the other Aurors finally arrived – along with Viktor.

With a sharp nod at everyone assembled, Kingsley began to issue orders. 

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

"You will tell me how to brew it. Now."

Hermione shook her head, belatedly realizing that it wasn't such a good move. Leaning forward as far as she could in her bonds, she retched onto the floor. She suspected that she might have a concussion from the impact with the cabinet… what were the symptoms of concussion again? Confusion, confussion, someone's got a concussion… Her thoughts jumbled in her head. It was no use - it was too hard to concentrate on anything.

Raising her head back to face her kidnapper, she said, "You're dead."

"Threats, Mudblood?" A smile played on the blonde woman's lips.

She almost shook her head again, but remembered the nausea at the last minute. Instead, she just replied, "N-no. You're supposed to be dead. Severus… Tonks… they saw your body, found your note. How can you be-"

Narcissa Malfoy laughed and pushed her hair back with one black-gloved hand. "I thought Draco said you were bright. He obviously was exaggerating." At Hermione's blank stare, she sneered. "Polyjuice. One Muggle, one flask of Polyjuice potion, one small vial of fast-acting poison, one pathetic suicide note… one faked death. Making sense now?" Hermione stared at her uncomprehendingly, her mind trying desperately to make sense of everything. "Did you really think that a mother could send her only son, her only child, into possible death? Lucius may not have liked the idea, but his pride in his bloodline was strong – the sole heir could not be risked."

Narcissa smiled then, lost in memory, and her face became truly beautiful. Mesmerized, Hermione could do nothing but stare. "My son, my beautiful Draco… I couldn't let anything happen to him… I was sure we would be victorious… but I knew there would be casualties." She frowned, a delicate line formed between perfect eyebrows. "I couldn't let my beautiful Draco be one of them. And I couldn't let him be called a coward. So I took a flask of Polyjuice, and took his place on the battlefield. Beside my husband."

The distant, musing look left the blonde woman's face and a cold gleam came to her blue eyes. "Now, enough with your pretense – you're stalling with the potion. You have become too much trouble to deal with. I know you can tell me how to brew the potion myself. Then, a simple Obliviate, and you'll be back in the arms of your lover."

Hermione shook her head without thinking, and closed her eyes at the nausea that threatened to overwhelm her again. Her mind was muddled, but even in its muddled state she was able to deduce that Narcissa would never let her leave alive. Memory charms could be broken, and there was no way the blonde woman would take the risk. Cold perspiration beaded on her forehead. "No," she croaked, dimly feeling the sting of Narcissa's hand as the slap snapped her head to the side. She was beginning to see black spots in front of her eyes, and she knew it wouldn't be long before she lost consciousness once more.

"Stupid Mudblood bitch – you'll tell me, or I'll cut each of your damned fingers off one at a time," the blonde woman hissed, pulling out a familiar-looking blade. The knife that Crabbe had dropped. The black spots began to multiply, and a red haze began to grow in her mind… "WAKE UP!" Narcissa screamed as Hermione slumped to the side, her bonds the only thing holding her to the chair.

Hermione heard the scream, distantly, and smiled slightly before everything went blissfully dark.

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A/N: Well – hope you enjoyed the chapter! I was going to stop it before First was revealed, but my husband said that would be too mean, so I didn't. More explanation next chapter, of course… and I'll be posting the correct guesses and points earned after the next chapter, also. I think the "why" of the Polyjuice should be more evident now. Anyhow – read and review!!! Please!!

Lizzie – Thanks for reviewing!

Keket Amunet – Thanks again for reviewing – and I agree – the necklace would have been far too easy that early in the "game."

Louise Luvgood – Thanks for the review, again… more on the "why" of the Polyjuice next chapter. Good luck with your friend….

Jinxd n Cursed – Thanks for the review – were you able to predict the kidnapper?

The great and masterful Yoda – Thanks! ;).

Evilution – Thank you! I put a little blurb in this chapter about Harry's job – it was mentioned way back in the first few chapters when Hermione met the boys for lunch, but it wasn't blatant.

Dru – Done! Many flasks broken, at your request ;)

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