CHAPTER 11 Damsel In Distress The Hermione Way

Bill and Charlie led her outside, gave her an address to Apparate to and the Disapparated with a loud crack. Hermione sighed as she read the note. On it, it said; 24 Griffin Alley Hertfordshire.

"Hertfordshire", Hermione mused, "Why does it ring a bell? Well there's no time like the present", she sighed as she folded up the note and stuffed it in her pocket. She took out her wand, but paused.

"Oh god Hermione, what's wrong with you?" She said to herself shaking her head. "You see Ron and all of a sudden you can't go on with your work anymore? Come on Hermione pull yourself together!" But a voice in her head disagreed. Why was it so hard to just go, yet every time she held her wand up high to Apparate away, she paused. Sure she hadn't seen Ron in three years and it was a shock, but just a few minutes ago she wished she was anywhere but at the Burrow in the kitchen talking awkwardly with Ron, yet now she couldn't leave the place. Her heart wouldn't let her.

Hermione sighed and calmed her erratic breathing. Ron was just on the other side of that wall, not more than twenty yards, and so nearby, yet he never felt further away from her. For the first time in years she was feeling alone again, so alone she hadn't felt since he left her. Everything came rushing back just by seeing his face so close, but he wasn't. Physically he had been standing right in front of her, yet mentally he was further away than ever, Krista was the cause of that. Hermione hated the way their once great friendship had turned out, she was alone and pathetic and he was dating every girl he could get his hands on, and they hadn't properly spoken since that fight all those years ago. She could do without loving Ron, which she had for three years now and she had gotten over him and moved on, yet she could never truly go on without his friendship. Even if she had to sacrifice love for their friendship she would, but now she had neither and that hurt the most.

Hermione sighed once again, closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. Her heart was racing, now that she was away from Ron, her heart had suddenly become active once more and beating with such ferocity.

"Why am I acting like this?" Hermione asked herself, but she did not have the answer. For once the know-it-all Hermione Granger didn't have an answer. "And why am I still talking to myself?" she cried out and Disapparated with a loud crack.

She Apparated in front of a large manor like house, with gloomy tall windows and ivy creeping along the walls. It was most foreboding and intimidating. Hermione shook her head to stop her fears building up, she couldn't even face Ron without paling and being lost to words, getting a wildly beating heart and nerves, yet she wasn't half as afraid of the house and who might own it, for it was certain that this house had either once belonged to a Pureblood and dark wizard family or it still was in the possession of one. It was stupid really, she thought to herself. She had always been more afraid of Ron's tempers, the fear that he might dump her or break her heart, yet when faced by a Death Eater in school or some other dark arts group, she could face it and handle it. It was probably because the dark arts groups were so predictable, you could always trust them to do something predictable and evil; yet you could never trust Ron to be predictable because he had a knack of surprising you.
She walked up to the large oak door and banged on the large lead snake and crow knocker, hearing the deep sound vibrating through the door and through the hall behind the door. The door opened and Hermione saw a small house elf behind the door, its shy and curious large eyes looking up at her.

Hermione let out a small oh, but smiled at the house elf and said, "I believe I'm expected. My name is Hermione Granger".

"Yes Miss Granger, my master and two other guests are expecting you in the lounge", the house elf replied opening the door wider for Hermione to walk in. "Your coat Miss", the house elf asked holding out its hands.

"Oh yes", Hermione replied taking off her long coat and handing it to the house elf. "And what is your name?" Hermione asked politely.

The house elf looked up at her confused and replied, "Doris Miss".

"Ah Doris and how are you today?"

"Fine Miss, but Miss should not be asking such things, there are nasty people out there who want to spoil things for house elves and start nasty rebellion", the house elf replied.

"Oh", Hermione said abashed and followed Doris the house elf through the large hall decorated with moving portraits, large tapestries and antique tables. Doris showed Hermione into a large well lit lounge decorated with wood panels on the walls, portraits and a very worn out carpet on the dark mahogany floor. A small man with greying hair that had once been black, stood up and walked over to her shaking her hand. He was wearing expensive robes and it was obviously his house, for the manner in which he acted showed that of a self confident and arrogant man, who thought of himself as lord.

"Ah Miss Granger, glad you could make it", he said shaking her hand. "I am Aldabert Rosier, lord of the Rosier estate and I'm pleased to meet an Unspeakable". He was smiling at her and Hermione smiled back politely, though deep inside her senses were quivering. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr Rosier", Hermione replied.

"Come sit down and have a glass of tokay", Rosier said indicating to an antique chair. "No thank you but I will sit down", Hermione replied politely and sat down on the chair. Bill and Charlie were sitting opposite her as Rosier walked to a cabinet and took out a decanter of rich burgundy wine and three glasses that were presumably made of crystal.

Bill leaned closer to her and asked, "Where did you go to Hermione? You arrived so late".

"Sorry, Apparated to the wrong place", Hermione replied laughing to herself.

"God Hermione that's so unlike you, to get something wrong", Charlie said looking at her surprised.

"Yes well I suppose we all get it wrong sometimes, I have a lot on my mind today", Hermione replied meekly.

"Now I wonder how much of that has to do with our little brother", Bill grinned and Hermione blushed and said nothing.

"Ah here you go gentlemen your tokay", Rosier said handing Bill and Charlie some of the wine.

"Now Miss Granger I believe you wanted some information on a specialised dark arts group. Which one would that be?"

"Yes they go by the name of Dark Wizards group, but we believe there is a second group involved in our case. We believe they were the ones that attacked the Ministry", Hermione replied taking out a notepad and a quill.

"Ah yes I read about that, very unusual I must say. They must have been very stupid to break into the Ministry to want a book", Rosier replied laughing a little. "Tell me is the book still at the Ministry?"

"Oh", Hermione said looking surprised to Bill and Charlie.

"Oh we told him a precious book was stolen, don't worry he won't leak it to the press", Charlie said.

"Ok", Hermione replied feeling a bit relieved, "No it was stolen a few days before the break-in".

"Dear, dear, so you have two groups, both want the book, one has stolen it and the other stupidly broke into the Ministry to get it. Now which group has the book and which one doesn't? What a pickle", Rosier mused.

"Yes we have also came to this conclusion, that is why I need your information to infiltrate the only group we know anything of, the Dark Wizards group", Hermione replied.

"So you want to become an undercover agent and you need my help for this", Rosier said smiling to himself.

"Yes and since you act as a double agent, helping out the Ministry and with your connections you are the ideal person", Hermione replied.

"Well it does seem so, though I am not a double agent, I serve only the Ministry and the other is just a pretence", Rosier joked and Hermione laughed politely.

"Yes well now I need your help. Can you help me?" Hermione asked.

"Sure I can, let me see I can't help you much with the Dark Wizards group for they are not in my list, but this other group I can help you with, the group that has the book. Luckily I have heard recently of a group boasting to have a very powerful book, this group claim to have stolen it from right inside the Ministry without anyone noticing. Their leader, though I do not know who he is, is the reputed new lord who is vying for the power of all the groups that deal in the dark arts and wants to become the next Lord He- Who-Must-Not-Be-Named", Rosier said with satisfaction.

"You don't say", Hermione said intrigued, "Well that certainly explains a few things and I understand now why they want that book. You don't suppose you know the name of the group?"

"Of course I do", Rosier replied joyfully. "They are an old group that have been restarted, the Blood Kindred. Very powerful a few hundred years ago, I believe they fell to their diminish when their leader of the time, Grindelwald was defeated by Dumbledore".

"Yes I remember now, we learnt that in History in seventh year at Hogwarts", Hermione mused.

"Very exciting too. Well the Blood Kindred I know usually meet at the Chudley Canon's grounds, I don't exactly know why but I do know they are meeting there tonight", Rosier said triumphantly.

"Yes that's great", Hermione cried out. "Thank you very much Mr Rosier, you have greatly helped my research". She jumped up off her chair and beamed at them as Bill and Charlie got up as well.

"Thank you very much Mr Rosier you have helped us greatly", Bill said shaking his hand. Charlie did the same and lastly Hermione shook his hand.

"Thank you very much Mr Rosier".

"No problem Miss Granger, just if you do go there be careful as you never know who's watching you", he added with a wink, though the wink did not exactly seem friendly.

"Yes thank you anyway", Hermione said letting go of his hand. "Goodbye".

"Doris please show these guests to the door", Rosier said and Doris, who had been standing in the corner quietly showed them out.

As the opened the door, Hermione smiled at her and said "Goodbye".

"Goodbye Miss, goodbye Sirs", Doris replied though rather more coldly and did not look Hermione in the eyes.

When the door was shut behind them, Charlie turned to Hermione and asked, "God Hermione you didn't try and convert her to your pet project SPEW too now did you, because house elves from such prestigious families find that an insult".

"I was just asking if she was fine", Hermione replied defensively.

"When it comes to house elves you have to be very careful", Bill said.

"Now Hermione, as people who are older and a little wiser than you, we should tell you not to go to that meeting tonight, its very dangerous and you could get yourself killed. Tell Harry and his Aurors instead", Charlie said.

"Now don't worry, I won't go and get myself killed", Hermione replied.

"Well this is where we say goodbye", Bill said smiling at her and Charlie nodded his head.

"Goodbye Hermione, and take care", Charlie added.

"Don't worry I will", Hermione replied, "Bye Bill, bye Charlie". They both smiled and Disapparated with a loud crack.

"Right", Hermione said to herself as she Disapparated home and opened the door to her flat. "Lots to do if this is going to work", Hermione muttered to herself starting to work.

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At eleven o clock that night, Hermione pulled on her old black robes over her dark clothes, tied her hair in a tight bun and got her wand. Making sure she had everything, she locked her flat door and Apparated to the Canons' grounds. How exactly they could hide the Canons' grounds in the suburbs of London, yet there it was hidden from all the muggles, Hermione still didn't know, but as she approached the locked gates she noticed a small flicker of a flame deep within the grounds, past the outer large buildings. All was dark outside and Hermione could hear nothing, apart from the wind whistling and some muggle traffic passing by on a nearby road.

"Alright", Hermione said to herself as she walked up to the locked gates and took out her wand. "Alohomora", she cried as the spell left her wand but she did not hear the familiar click of the gates unlocking. She tried the spell but they were still locked.

"Of course its not that easy", Hermione said to herself crossly. "Alohomora Interbia!" A white light struck the gates, but they did not open.

"Impedimenta!" Hermione cried as the white charm burst out of her wand, hit the gates and rebounded. Hermione ducted just in time, managing to only singe the top of her hairs.

"Alright so its not that easy", Hermione muttered annoyed. "Revealio!" she cried as the yellow charm struck the gates and illuminated them from the highest tip of the gates right down to the ground in a semi-solid wall of yellow light. There were no cracks, no gaps or holes in the wall of light, nowhere to get through.

"So its been Imperturbed", Hermione exclaimed. "Damn! That means it will allow no magic through and I can't Apparate inside. Well if magic won't let me through, maybe something more simpler will. Something like a good old fashioned hair pin", Hermione said with satisfaction as she took a pin out of her hair and tried the lock of the gates. After a few minutes of gentle wriggling, and with a little help of some transfiguration, Hermione managed to prise the gates open.

"Now that wasn't that hard", Hermione said happily as she pinned a loose strand back up. She walked through quietly, making sure not to make any noise, and locked the gate behind her. It was quite odd for wizards to use a standard lock and charm it, but then maybe most wizards didn't know a thing about muggle inventions. If you thought about it that way, it was quite ingenious. She walked around the few outer buildings first, always staying in the shadow, but she found nothing and heard nothing. The flicker of a flame had disappeared and as she approached the main stadium, she looked out onto the stands with its many hundreds of seats. The half moon shone down quite brightly onto the grassy pitch, the two goalposts being illuminated by the silver moonlight. Ron took Hermione here once on one of their earlier dates, when it was full moon and fooling around they did in the stands still made Hermione blush to this day. She smiled and blushed as she remembered that memory, but pushed it out of her mind and got back to the matter at hand. She walked around the pitch and when she concluded there was no-one there, she walked on into the changing rooms. She blushed as she entered them, imagining all the men getting changed and left quickly again. Just when she thought she had searched everywhere, she spotted some stairs going underground, near the changing rooms and when she heard faint voices, she decided to investigate.

"Lumos", Hermione whispered as her wand lit up and she made her way down the steps. Two, three hundred stairs later, Hermione finally reached the bottom. She made her way along the dark and narrow corridor, until she came to an opening about the size of the Great Hall back at Hogwarts. Gathered around a large bonfire, were about thirty men and women all robed in blood red robes and masks of some sort on. She were gathered in a circle around the fire, chanting something as their hands were raised and one man stepped out of the circle. He also had a mask on and was carrying the leather bound book, that had been stolen out of Hermione's office just days beforehand. Hermione hid behind a pillar at the entrance, and looked again. So Rosier was right when he said the Canons' grounds they met there, but why they were meeting at Quidditch grounds was something Hermione didn't understand. And that Hermione needed to find out, and fast. Whatever they were about to do, she needed to stop it, before something disastrous happened. She herself knew the power the book held, and obviously so did they. And they knew how to extract the power from the book.

"Now we are all here, let us begin the ritual, but first we have a surprise guest. Miss Granger could you please step out of the shadows, and don't even think of running away, I have men coming down the steps as we speak", a cold harsh voice said of the man who was holding the book and looking right at her.

Hermione held in a cry and looked away as his piercing sneering glare was unnerving her. She slowly stepped out of the shadows, her wand raised and pointed at the leader of the group, the man with the book.

"Don't even think of trying anything, people know where I am and they will find me", Hermione cried out, her voice feeling much braver than she was. She walked towards the man as some of the other members came up behind her and grabbed her arms, making Hermione jump in fright.

"I certainly don't remember you being so jumpy in school", the man sneered and walked back into the centre of the circle, his two henchmen dragging Hermione along, who followed, though reluctantly at first. She was outnumbered and she knew it.

"Alright well I'm here, what now?" Hermione asked haughtily as she pushed her captors away from her.

"Now Miss Granger, you should pay some more respect to us, after all I could kill you right now if I wished. Now hand over your wand like a good little girl", the man sneered and he roughly pulled the wand away from her, and handed it to one of his henchmen. "Now that we are all here, we can start the ritual", the man said.

"I know you", Hermione cried out as her eyes widened. The sneering voice, the cold harsh tongue.

"Let us begin", the man continued ignoring Hermione. "Astla de maria avon le dorum."

"Why didn't I notice it before", Hermione cried again.

"Will you be quiet or I will kill you!" the man threatened getting angry.

"You're Draco Malfoy", Hermione cried.

"Shut up!" he roared.

"You are. O course it makes sense, I mean your father was a Death Eater. Seems only natural", Hermione said realising what she said.

"SHUT UP!" he roared once again.

"You are, I know its you Malfoy. You can stop hiding behind your mask", Hermione cried. "And you didn't want the Ministry to know. Well they will have field day when I tell them this!"

"Well if you insist on being such a nuisance", Malfoy raged as he took off his mask and revealed a much older though the same Draco Malfoy with shoulder length white blond hair, still as sleek as ever. "Petrificus Totalus!" Malfoy cried and cords sprang around Hermione, binding her tightly. "Quietus!" he shouted and Hermione could speak no more.

"Yes Miss Granger, I am indeed the Draco Malfoy you once knew and hated and now I will become the greatest Lord there is. Now you see this book, its such a simple thing. It was built to hold a lot of magical energy and all I do now is mutter a curse and I will unleash the magic!" Malfoy cried. "And this whole world will be under my control! If you ever escape from here you can go and tell the Ministry that. They have a new dark lord to count with. That is if you ever escape", Malfoy said menacingly and Hermione gulped. She was in real trouble now!