This chapter is brought to you in part by a snow day! I'm a junior in high
school with no life, so here's another chapter! I'm glad that rose-petal-
forever and Zille were crazy about my little cliffhanger, but now you get
to figure out what happens next. Dun dun dun!
VENGEANCE by MyKonstantine
Chapter 3: The Hidden Capture
The ceremony at the Château Creux was in chaos as the stage quickly filled with smoke. The hotel's wizarding security flooded the area.
Ron Weasley lay on the floor of that stage with a bloody gash in his right arm. Barely seconds before the stage was safe and brightly lit as he stood with Hermione, who he could no longer see.
"Hermione!" he called out into the fog. Another scream was all he got in return.
Ron followed the sound of the scream to find a shadow of two people. A man with his wand extended, along with an unconscious woman over his shoulder that must have been Hermione. The shadow moved swiftly through the smoky area and out a small door.
Ron yanked his wand out of his suit and began to run after the mysterious captor. He rushed through the door into the brightly-lit halls of the hotel. The man was not in sight, but Ron raced after the sound of heavy footprints.
He started to catch up with this villain, but could only see him from behind. He was a tall, thin man who had rich brown hair sprinkled with grays. As the man reached the back staircase, he turned back.
"Avada Kedavra!" he shouted, aiming his wand at Ron.
Ron barely dodged the spell. The wall crumbled where the curse had punctured it. Before Ron even dared to stand up, he jerked his chin up and stared into the face of his predator.
Ron gasped. Remus Lupin stood in front of him, smirking on delight.
Ron stood up, but Lupin had already started climbing up the staircase.
"Remus!" Ron shouted as he chased his old friend up the stairs. "Don't do this! You don't know what you're getting yourself into!"
One flight later, Ron watched the shadows of Remus and Hermione depart from the staircase through a side door. Ron followed them, but he was very confused. Why was Remus Lupin rushing toward Hermione and Ginny's hotel suite?
Lupin pulled open the door, but before he closed it again a wizarding security officer from the Château Creux slipped his way into the suite.
The door was shut and locked by the time Ron had reached it. "Alohamora!" he cried, but the door did not budge.
Realizing a simpler route, Ron rushed into his room and then yanked at the door connecting his part of the suite with Hermione's. But Hermione and Lupin were not there.
The security officer lay dead on the carpet by the door, but there was no sign that any other people had been in the room. No smashed lamps. No hole from spells deflecting off the walls. Not even an open window.
Ron continued to scream for Hermione and listen for any strange sounds, but there was nothing for him to find.
Hurt and shocked by his surroundings, Ron began to feel ill.
The corpse of the young Parisian bodyguard was the last thing he saw before he fainted against the wall.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ron shifted awake looking dazed and confused. Bright lights flooded the room and made his eyes sting. He could feel the tight bandages encompassing his wounded arm.
When he was able to open his eyes fully, he saw his parents standing above him with Harry and Ginny. His eyes moved and he saw his brothers in various areas of the room. None of them seemed to notice that he was conscious.
For a moment, he had no recollection of what had happened. Then he realized he was on a bed. A hospital bed.
"Hermione!" He yelped, his body snapping up. His memories burst through him like a broken dam.
"Ron!" cried Ginny, the first to react. She pushed his upper body onto the bed once more, trying to calm him.
"Where is she?" Ron asked urgently. He searched for hope in the eyes of his best friend and his family, but it was only greeted with unsure visages.
"WHY THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU ALL HERE IF YOU DIDN'T FIND HER?" He bellowed.
"We're looking for her, Ron. She's going to be fine." Mrs. Weasley placed a comforting hand on her youngest son's shoulder. "There's aurors and International wizarding security guards and even untrained wizards looking for her."
Ron groaned into the pillow as another gruesome memory trickled into his brain.
"That man.. the security guard. He's dead."
There was a reverent silence at first, but it was broken by a rich French accent. "His name was Pierre Mariselles. He was a young man in area with no surviving family members, unfortunately. His brother was in ranks with Voldemort, but he was killed. Death Eaters shortly after murdered his parents."
"I'm Doctor Cleftémoin." The man sighed. "You seem to be recovering well."
He took a small flashlight out of his pocket and pulled up Ron's eyelids, shining the light into his icy blues.
"We could have used some of those awful potion injections on you, but in dire situations such as these it's best to let people wake naturally."
"Where the hell is Hermione?" is all Ron murmured in disgruntled reply.
"Listen to me, Ronald." Dr. Cleftémoin's tone seemed a bit stricter than his introduction. "We found something next to the body. Does it mean anything to you?"
Cleftémoin pulled a small silver charm out of his coat pocket and placed it on the bedside table. Ron recognized it immediately.
"It's Hermione's locket." Ron answered sounding almost disappointed. With every wizard in Paris on alert, he expected more sufficient results than a single piece of jewelry.
"Yes, Mr. Weasley." The doctor continued. "But what is this?"
He opened the locket, and Ron stared at it quizzically.
Inside there was a thick, green liquid pressed behind the glass that smelled of old cabbage.
"I never knew what she kept inside that thing." Harry whispered. "I just assumed it was pictures. What is it?"
The Doctor raised his hands into the air and shook his head. "We don't know! We've run tests, but we've never seen this potion before! There's some pretty potent ingredients in there though."
He put the locket back on the table. "Well, I'll be off then. Good luck retrieving your girlfriend."
Ron opened his mouth to tell Cleftémoin that Hermione was never his girlfriend, but decided against it. The doctor turned to leave, and through the open space he had left in the wall of bodies surrounding Ron's bed, Ron noticed another man on a bed a few feet away. He was sitting nonchalantly on the edge of his bed with a glass of water.
"You bastard!" Ron yelled suddenly, jumping off his bed and toward Remus Lupin with violent speed.
It was Bill who pounced on Ron and held him down to stop his raging pursuit.
"It wasn't Remus, Ron! It was Polyjuice Potion!" With a loud grunt, Bill shoved Ron back toward his hospital bed.
His family's faces showed all the mixed feelings that floated in the air. Bill shot him withering glances after his efforts to keep Ron from beating Lupin senseless. Charlie gaped at him in utter shock. Percy stared down upon him with a look of sheer pity. Fred and George both seemed very confused. His parents stood over him; their concerned faces casting shadows on Ron. Little Ginny was overcome with sadness and sobbed loudly. Harry embraced Ginny, whispering soothing words into her ear and combing her fiery hair through his fingers.
"I'm so sorry." Lupin said in the background. "I wasn't expecting it at all. I got hit from behind, so I don't even have a description to give you."
Ron nodded solemnly into Lupin's guilt covered eyes.
"Let's get out of here."
As Ron left, he snatched the charm from the locket off the table and placed it into his pocket.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry peered into the room next to his one last time before he carried the last of Hermione and Ginny's possessions into his room and shut the door.
He plunked the bags onto the floor next to Ginny, who was sitting on the edge of his bed.
Ron shut the door forcefully. He clutched a large oak desk and pushed it into place in front of the connecting door. He paced back and forth in a commander-like manner before addressing Ginny.
"Don't even go in that room. All your things are in here. You don't need to be in that place. It belongs to the aurors now."
Ginny fell back into Harry's bed and sighed. "Ron, I may be a year younger than you, but I'm not daft." She stood up and began setting up a sleeping bag. "You're the one who needs to stay away from that room."
Ron grabbed his wand and flicked it at Ginny with conviction. Ginny threw her arms up to block whatever curse was being aimed at her, but realized that he had only set up her sleeping bag magically.
"I should put a Bat Bogey Hex on you for scaring me like that!" She giggled. Her brother gave her a cheeky grin.
"I don't understand why you want to sleep in that thing. You know we could just conjure up a third bed for you."
Ginny's eyes shifted between Ron and Harry before she gave an unsteady answer. "I think it's more comfortable on the floor. You know how hard my bed is back at The Burrow."
Ron simply shrugged before climbing into his bed. As Harry and Ginny climbed into their respectable sleeping spots, he reached for the lamp next to his bed.
"Goodnight then." He said. The light clicked off and the three were left in darkness.
However, Ron was restless. For many hours he lay still, thinking of Hermione. Ron had only just begun to show her how much her cared for her. He didn't know what he would do if he never saw her again. Though his eyes were shut, his ears strained for any sound that might have come from the next room.
He heard a rustling from below, but realized it was Ginny. He squinted through the darkness and watched as she shimmied out of her sleeping bag and into Harry's bed. Harry, whom was also pretending to sleep, wrapped his arms around her frail body and kissed her cheek. They snuggled close and slept peacefully almost at once.
"The floor's more comfortable, my ass." Ron mumbled, smirking his way into a much-needed slumber.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Was that a good continuation to the cliff? Anything else you'd like to see?
Then.. 1, 2, 3! Review with me! * Does the review dance *
VENGEANCE by MyKonstantine
Chapter 3: The Hidden Capture
The ceremony at the Château Creux was in chaos as the stage quickly filled with smoke. The hotel's wizarding security flooded the area.
Ron Weasley lay on the floor of that stage with a bloody gash in his right arm. Barely seconds before the stage was safe and brightly lit as he stood with Hermione, who he could no longer see.
"Hermione!" he called out into the fog. Another scream was all he got in return.
Ron followed the sound of the scream to find a shadow of two people. A man with his wand extended, along with an unconscious woman over his shoulder that must have been Hermione. The shadow moved swiftly through the smoky area and out a small door.
Ron yanked his wand out of his suit and began to run after the mysterious captor. He rushed through the door into the brightly-lit halls of the hotel. The man was not in sight, but Ron raced after the sound of heavy footprints.
He started to catch up with this villain, but could only see him from behind. He was a tall, thin man who had rich brown hair sprinkled with grays. As the man reached the back staircase, he turned back.
"Avada Kedavra!" he shouted, aiming his wand at Ron.
Ron barely dodged the spell. The wall crumbled where the curse had punctured it. Before Ron even dared to stand up, he jerked his chin up and stared into the face of his predator.
Ron gasped. Remus Lupin stood in front of him, smirking on delight.
Ron stood up, but Lupin had already started climbing up the staircase.
"Remus!" Ron shouted as he chased his old friend up the stairs. "Don't do this! You don't know what you're getting yourself into!"
One flight later, Ron watched the shadows of Remus and Hermione depart from the staircase through a side door. Ron followed them, but he was very confused. Why was Remus Lupin rushing toward Hermione and Ginny's hotel suite?
Lupin pulled open the door, but before he closed it again a wizarding security officer from the Château Creux slipped his way into the suite.
The door was shut and locked by the time Ron had reached it. "Alohamora!" he cried, but the door did not budge.
Realizing a simpler route, Ron rushed into his room and then yanked at the door connecting his part of the suite with Hermione's. But Hermione and Lupin were not there.
The security officer lay dead on the carpet by the door, but there was no sign that any other people had been in the room. No smashed lamps. No hole from spells deflecting off the walls. Not even an open window.
Ron continued to scream for Hermione and listen for any strange sounds, but there was nothing for him to find.
Hurt and shocked by his surroundings, Ron began to feel ill.
The corpse of the young Parisian bodyguard was the last thing he saw before he fainted against the wall.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ron shifted awake looking dazed and confused. Bright lights flooded the room and made his eyes sting. He could feel the tight bandages encompassing his wounded arm.
When he was able to open his eyes fully, he saw his parents standing above him with Harry and Ginny. His eyes moved and he saw his brothers in various areas of the room. None of them seemed to notice that he was conscious.
For a moment, he had no recollection of what had happened. Then he realized he was on a bed. A hospital bed.
"Hermione!" He yelped, his body snapping up. His memories burst through him like a broken dam.
"Ron!" cried Ginny, the first to react. She pushed his upper body onto the bed once more, trying to calm him.
"Where is she?" Ron asked urgently. He searched for hope in the eyes of his best friend and his family, but it was only greeted with unsure visages.
"WHY THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU ALL HERE IF YOU DIDN'T FIND HER?" He bellowed.
"We're looking for her, Ron. She's going to be fine." Mrs. Weasley placed a comforting hand on her youngest son's shoulder. "There's aurors and International wizarding security guards and even untrained wizards looking for her."
Ron groaned into the pillow as another gruesome memory trickled into his brain.
"That man.. the security guard. He's dead."
There was a reverent silence at first, but it was broken by a rich French accent. "His name was Pierre Mariselles. He was a young man in area with no surviving family members, unfortunately. His brother was in ranks with Voldemort, but he was killed. Death Eaters shortly after murdered his parents."
"I'm Doctor Cleftémoin." The man sighed. "You seem to be recovering well."
He took a small flashlight out of his pocket and pulled up Ron's eyelids, shining the light into his icy blues.
"We could have used some of those awful potion injections on you, but in dire situations such as these it's best to let people wake naturally."
"Where the hell is Hermione?" is all Ron murmured in disgruntled reply.
"Listen to me, Ronald." Dr. Cleftémoin's tone seemed a bit stricter than his introduction. "We found something next to the body. Does it mean anything to you?"
Cleftémoin pulled a small silver charm out of his coat pocket and placed it on the bedside table. Ron recognized it immediately.
"It's Hermione's locket." Ron answered sounding almost disappointed. With every wizard in Paris on alert, he expected more sufficient results than a single piece of jewelry.
"Yes, Mr. Weasley." The doctor continued. "But what is this?"
He opened the locket, and Ron stared at it quizzically.
Inside there was a thick, green liquid pressed behind the glass that smelled of old cabbage.
"I never knew what she kept inside that thing." Harry whispered. "I just assumed it was pictures. What is it?"
The Doctor raised his hands into the air and shook his head. "We don't know! We've run tests, but we've never seen this potion before! There's some pretty potent ingredients in there though."
He put the locket back on the table. "Well, I'll be off then. Good luck retrieving your girlfriend."
Ron opened his mouth to tell Cleftémoin that Hermione was never his girlfriend, but decided against it. The doctor turned to leave, and through the open space he had left in the wall of bodies surrounding Ron's bed, Ron noticed another man on a bed a few feet away. He was sitting nonchalantly on the edge of his bed with a glass of water.
"You bastard!" Ron yelled suddenly, jumping off his bed and toward Remus Lupin with violent speed.
It was Bill who pounced on Ron and held him down to stop his raging pursuit.
"It wasn't Remus, Ron! It was Polyjuice Potion!" With a loud grunt, Bill shoved Ron back toward his hospital bed.
His family's faces showed all the mixed feelings that floated in the air. Bill shot him withering glances after his efforts to keep Ron from beating Lupin senseless. Charlie gaped at him in utter shock. Percy stared down upon him with a look of sheer pity. Fred and George both seemed very confused. His parents stood over him; their concerned faces casting shadows on Ron. Little Ginny was overcome with sadness and sobbed loudly. Harry embraced Ginny, whispering soothing words into her ear and combing her fiery hair through his fingers.
"I'm so sorry." Lupin said in the background. "I wasn't expecting it at all. I got hit from behind, so I don't even have a description to give you."
Ron nodded solemnly into Lupin's guilt covered eyes.
"Let's get out of here."
As Ron left, he snatched the charm from the locket off the table and placed it into his pocket.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry peered into the room next to his one last time before he carried the last of Hermione and Ginny's possessions into his room and shut the door.
He plunked the bags onto the floor next to Ginny, who was sitting on the edge of his bed.
Ron shut the door forcefully. He clutched a large oak desk and pushed it into place in front of the connecting door. He paced back and forth in a commander-like manner before addressing Ginny.
"Don't even go in that room. All your things are in here. You don't need to be in that place. It belongs to the aurors now."
Ginny fell back into Harry's bed and sighed. "Ron, I may be a year younger than you, but I'm not daft." She stood up and began setting up a sleeping bag. "You're the one who needs to stay away from that room."
Ron grabbed his wand and flicked it at Ginny with conviction. Ginny threw her arms up to block whatever curse was being aimed at her, but realized that he had only set up her sleeping bag magically.
"I should put a Bat Bogey Hex on you for scaring me like that!" She giggled. Her brother gave her a cheeky grin.
"I don't understand why you want to sleep in that thing. You know we could just conjure up a third bed for you."
Ginny's eyes shifted between Ron and Harry before she gave an unsteady answer. "I think it's more comfortable on the floor. You know how hard my bed is back at The Burrow."
Ron simply shrugged before climbing into his bed. As Harry and Ginny climbed into their respectable sleeping spots, he reached for the lamp next to his bed.
"Goodnight then." He said. The light clicked off and the three were left in darkness.
However, Ron was restless. For many hours he lay still, thinking of Hermione. Ron had only just begun to show her how much her cared for her. He didn't know what he would do if he never saw her again. Though his eyes were shut, his ears strained for any sound that might have come from the next room.
He heard a rustling from below, but realized it was Ginny. He squinted through the darkness and watched as she shimmied out of her sleeping bag and into Harry's bed. Harry, whom was also pretending to sleep, wrapped his arms around her frail body and kissed her cheek. They snuggled close and slept peacefully almost at once.
"The floor's more comfortable, my ass." Ron mumbled, smirking his way into a much-needed slumber.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Was that a good continuation to the cliff? Anything else you'd like to see?
Then.. 1, 2, 3! Review with me! * Does the review dance *