A/N: Okay, I know my updates keep getting slower and slower, but I've been busy and I kind of had writers block for a while there. So, to make up for it, I've posted two chapters tonight.

Thank you to everybody who reviewed my last chapter-it means a lot to me.

Full credit for Chapter 8 goes to my beta, Angel. The prophecy is her writing and I'm really grateful that she gave it towards my story.

Enjoy! Review if you like it- I won't know otherwise!

7. Taken

It was the stench that hit her first. The permeating odour stung her nostrils sharply. She began to cough hoarsely and found that when she tried to lift her hand to her mouth, she couldn't. It felt bound, but not with rope. The coldness that filled the place slowly enveloped her, making her numb. With difficulty, she rolled over and opened her eyes.

A feeling of dread fell upon her. Grey, stone slabs met her eyes as she gazed upwards. Cruel, steel bars were around her. She was in a cage.

Hermione Granger had never been claustrophobic, but the bars that confined her held barely any room to move and she began to feel closed in.

Feeling the numbness in her neck slowly wearing off, Hermione raised her head slightly off the ground. Her eyes burned. Someone had stripped her of her robes, left her naked.

Suddenly, a voice cut through the heavy silence to her. "Awake?"

Hermione's first impulse was to turn, as best she could, to the direction from which the voice had came. But then she realised, the last thing she wanted was for him to know she was awake. Then he could carry out whatever he had been planning to do to her. Instead, she closed her eyes and gently turned her head back to the ground. She tried to still her breathing, but Hermione's heart had other ideas as it pounded away in her chest.

"You may be a great student Hermione, but you can't act for peanuts."

"…Please…don't…" she whispered.

An unseen force lifted her upwards, and pinned her back against the bars. She shivered at the sub-zero contact.

"Don't do what?"

Hermione lifted her head, her eyes meeting those of a familiar redhead, who smirked at her, an unpleasant glint in his blue eyes.

"Don't give you the punishment you deserve for leading Dumbledore to murder my master?" The familiar voice sneered, just inches away from her face.

There was now pressure on her back, pulling her downwards, her head to her knees, still suspended above the ground. She moaned in pain.

"You really are pathetic, Granger. Any decent Mudblood would have managed to stand the pain at least a few moments longer." His eyes trailed down her body, leering. "But I think I understand what my misguided brother sees in you now."

Hermione managed to find her voice, through the agony that was searing through her. "You can't be. You're not Charlie."

The figure of Charlie Weasley laughed. "Oh, I think you'll find that I am very much myself. Just stronger than my Muggle-loving family knows."

She felt the vile churning in her stomach as reality began to crumble around her. The man who was part of the family she loved very much, the same man who she'd laughed with at the Quidditch World Cup, who'd been a member of the Order, was now holding her captive. Naked and ashamed, all she could do was stare at him in mute shock. She knew what was most likely to happen. Her wand had been taken; she was unrobed and had no way of escape.

As if reading her mind, Charlie spoke. "I can't admit I would certainly enjoy…using you for that purpose. But that would be wasted on you. You have so much more potential…to suffer."

He began to pace slowly around the cage that held her. "You see Hermione, an act of rape would emotionally injure most women, including you. But after watching you for some time, I realised something. Your emotions range higher than many. You would feel violated, betrayed…but most of all, angry."

As he passed her, he drifted his fingers across her bare back, making her flinch but leaving her with a lingering feeling of warmth.

"That would not be true punishment for you, Hermione. I wanted you to be stripped…emotionally. It starts with shame. Which you are already feeling. Then guilt. You may have recoiled from my touch," he paused, looking slowly over her.

"But, your mind cried out for that feeling of warmth to be with you again."

"Eventually, my dear. I intend to leave you isolated. From your happiness, from your sorrow. From everything. Your entire world will be a void."

His words sank through Hermione. She felt no relief from the fact he was not about to rape her. It would have been preferable to the fate she was now facing.

She would not admit this to anyone, but it embodied her greatest fear. From her beginning at Hogwarts, from the moment she had received her letter, she had reached what she had always wanted. A way out. The wizarding world had shown her all the amazing things she could be. And she intended to fulfil those dreams.

When her parents had simply suggested leaving it for just a while, she had been afraid. Something had threatened the security she had found at Hogwarts. She was scared to leave it, scared that it would forget her and she would wake and this would all just have been a wonderful dream. It might have been irrational, but she feared it.

She could have laughed. This fear had been taken to the extreme. She was about to live out the rest of her life - in a box.

Minerva McGonagall stared at the grave faces of the two wizards who stood before her.

"Do you really think she's been…taken?"

"It is a possibility that we must not overlook," replied Dumbledore.

"But, Albus, who would have done such a thing? V-Voldemort is gone and all his supporters, all of his Death-Eaters have either been killed or sent to Azkaban."

"Correction, Minerva," interjected Severus tersely. "All known Death-Eaters have either been killed or sent to Azkaban."

McGonagall fixed him with an icy glare. "I still do not see, or have not been told, what part you have to play in all of this, Severus."

"That isn't important right now. We must find Miss. Granger first, than we can deal with the rest," responded Dumbledore, gently.

"I still do not see why he-" McGonagall was interrupted in her defensive reaction by an abrupt Umbridge-like cough from the door.

Sir. Nicholas, the Gryffindor ghost had just floated through it. His mouth was in a straight line, his eyes serious.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir?"

"Sir Nicholas?"

"No spirit in this castle has been able to find her, Professor. The portraits have also searched the castle thoroughly. We suggest the grounds be searched for Miss. Granger."

"We've already searched the grounds!" Snape hit the desk with his fist, causing all the others in the room to look round in surprise. The Potions Master rarely showed displays of frustration amongst his colleagues.

"Severus, please calm down," said Dumbledore. "Nicholas, the grounds have already been searched thoroughly and Miss. Granger is nowhere to be found. Is there anywhere else you think she may be?"

Nicholas thought for a moment. "Perhaps the Forest? The village of Hogsmeade?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I do not think Hermione would have strayed into the Forest. But Hogsmeade…"

He looked to Snape who was waiting for his decision silently. "We cannot search Hogsmeade at this late hour without arousing too much attention. I think we should enlist further help."

"But from who, Headmaster?" asked McGonagall.

"I will send an owl to the Ministry."

Snape scowled. "You would have Fudge come here? That bumbling fool would simply get in the way."

"Severus," the wizened headmaster admonished. "Fudge is not the man he was. The events of last year changed him. Changed us all," he sighed heavily.

"I am simply going to ask him to bring the help of Ministry Aurors. Their searching methods will prove more effective, I feel."

McGonagall's face was worried but she seemed in agreement with Dumbledore.

"I think this is the best thing for Hermione now, Severus. We can only hope we're making a mountain out of a molehill."

Finally, Snape nodded resignedly. "Very well."

Nicholas turned to the door. "Unless you require me any longer Professor, I will tell the others to be on their watch and to offer their assistance to the Aurors, should they need it."

Dumbledore nodded to him. "Thank you, Sir. Nicholas." The ghost exited the room through one of the walls.

"All we can do now is wait."

Everything progressed quickly after that. Within an hour, Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic arrived, bringing a team of three Aurors with him- Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks and a tall, rather weedy, young man with blonde hair that Snape did not recognise.

Fudge's face paled as Dumbledore told him what had happened.

"But Dumbledore, do you really think…I mean, is it possible…"

"We have no idea if any Death-Eaters left Voldemort before his demise, or if any managed to escape, unharmed on that day. I do not imagine that all supporters of Voldemort were public about their identity during his reign."

"If that is possible, why would they wish to take Miss. Granger? It makes no sense."

Snape cut in. "It makes perfect sense, Minister. Miss. Granger led the Ministry straight to the Dark Lord and to his death. She, through no fault of her own, is a perfect target for revenge."

The Aurors, standing behind Fudge, looked as if they agreed with Snape. Kingsley Shacklebolt came forward.

"If we might, Minister, I suggest we start with Hogsmeade."

Fudge nodded helplessly. He seemed to be at a loss for words. He was not a man who responded well under pressure.

Suddenly, an idea came to Snape. "I'll be back in ten minutes," he said and darted through the door of the office. Nobody made a move to stop him.

Five minutes later, he emerged from the Gryffindor Tower, a piece of parchment that looked as if it had seen better days, in his hand. He unfolded it and drew out his wand.

Sighing, before he muttered the necessary words, he said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," and tapped the parchment with his wand.

Like a spider weaving its web, neat lines of ink appeared on the page, twisting and turning in all directions. He scanned it eagerly, but then cursed. He had forgotten the Marauder's Map only showed passages into Hogsmeade, not the village itself.

Teeth gritted, he shoved the map into one of the deep pockets of his robes, deciding to return it to Potter the next day, and made his way back up to the Headmaster's office. He would have to offer his assistance to the Aurors, instead of taking matters into his own hands.

On the way there, he passed the staff room. A dim light burned within. Forgetting how much he loathed the room, he went inside.

Shining in the glow of the candle, which was placed next to her, the Divination teacher, Sybil Trelawney looked up. A wide smile suddenly appeared on her face.

"Severus! How nice to see you! You know, I was just taking a look at your tealeaves this morning and I noticed something very interesting." Her face took on and expression that she must have perceived as all knowing and mysterious.

Snape merely saw her as he usually did- a rather ostentatious woman who he detested for her pretentiousness.

"There are dark omens clouding your path, Severus. I am sure you would like to discuss them with me-"

"On the contrary Sybil, I have no interest whatsoever," Snape put her down sharply. He could not be doing with her ridiculous 'fortune-telling' tonight.

Trelawney looked at him reproachfully. "Each to his own, Severus."

He turned from her and walked to the door. There was no one of use to him here.

A clatter from behind him struck his attention. He turned swiftly to see that the candle had been overturned. The rug it had landed on had now been set alight.

Quickly, he snuffed the flames out with his wand, and replaced the brass candlestick onto the table. Suddenly, his eyes turned to Trelawney. Her figure lay still and quiet in her chair.

He shook her roughly.

"Sybil!"

 There was no waking her. Trelawney's eyes were closed and her breathing was slow and steady. It was almost as though she had fallen asleep but he doubted very much that she was narcoleptic, or could have fallen asleep so quickly any other way. He was considering going for Dumbledore, when a pair of hands gripped his arms. Wild, bespectacled, green eyes met his own.

Suddenly, Sybil Trelawney found her voice. Looking intently at him, she spoke words, in a hoarse, deep voice quite unlike her usual soft and misty tone, words that chilled Severus to his very core.