Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. Just a few characters and plot twists I've slipped in here and there. Hope you like them too, though ;;;. The rest comes from J.K.R.'s genius. ALL HAIL J.K.R.!!!
Apologies: Soooo sorry, I had work. My genius of a mother decided to loan a sizeable amount of money from a loan shark months ago, which I had never even laid my eyes on, and gave the debtors the deed to our house as collateral and now, she's left me, my two younger brothers and little sister to run off with some hobo. Now I have to triple on shifts on all my jobs to pay 60,000 grand just to freeze the interest or we'll soon find ourselves out on the street. I wish she's told me this sooner (sigh). Damn, parents suck! Based on my calculations, my savings aren't going to dry up soon if I was really, really careful with the expenses around the house.
Anyway, I wrote this chapter to relieve some stress. My friend (the one who owns this computer) was kind enough to let me stay in her place for a while. Away from the chaos. Hope you guys like it. DON'T WORRY, I PLAN TO FINISH THIS STORY EVEN IF IT KILLS ME.
I can't believe you guys actually like this story. I just made this through a 'what if' situation and it kept bouncing around in my head until I just had to write it! Wow!() It makes me feel guilty about my long absence. So sorry, you guys! If I've only known...
Spoilers: You'll know 'em when you see 'em! ov!!!
Author's Note: Enjoy!!!
Chapter Three: Dead Man Walking
Remus stared at her blankly for a second or two before raising a skeptical eyebrow at her and asking steadily. "Hermione... do you know what you're saying?"
Well, she thought. At least he wasn't laughing.
Hermione sighed deeply. "Look, I know it's weird and personally, I don't know how to tell you either. But I have doubts. And my gut instincts have not failed me yet."
Remus shook his head. "But, Hermione... Harry said—"
"Harry said that he saw Voldemort wither into dust when he plunged Gryffindor's sword into his body. Dumbledore said that what killed Voldemort was the basilisk's magical blood that clung to the sword after he defeated that basilisk during our second year at Hogwarts. But think Remus, think!" she pleaded with him while remembering Harry's recount on how his 'final battle' with Voldemort ended. "If the body is destroyed then so will the spirit. But what if that body was only borrowed? Don't you think that a spirit like Voldemort's would find a way into another body in order to revive itself?"
Remus was stunned. Hermione saw him process what she was saying in his mind although he didn't want to. "Hermione..."
Hermione looked down on the table. "I know it seems strange. But it's been bothering me for a while now. And then I saw Harry thrashing in his sleep last night so I had to wake him up and he told me his scar was hurting. He just shrugged it off as a headache. I had my suspicions though and I wanted to talk them over with you. That's why I waited up for you last night."
She saw him flush in embarrassment and her eyes softened. She reached out and held his hand. He looked up at her, startled and she smiled at him. "Don't worry, you shouldn't be embarrassed about that. If anyone had a right to grieve over Sirius... it's you. You knew him longer than Harry did. I don't blame you for your grief. Don't hesitate to confide in me if you ever feel the need to. You know I'll always be your friend."
A friend, Remus thought bitterly. Guess that's all I'll ever be to you. But then it's better than nothing. At least, as a friend, I'll still be able to touch you like this. Friendship will have to be enough.
Hermione gave his hand a little squeeze before letting him go to help herself to some more chocolate ice cream. She never noticed the way Remus' other hand close over the hand she touched as though trying to keep the warmth she left there in his skin, and the aching look in his eyes as they stared at her, hardly breathing. These were hidden quickly though, when she again looked him in the eye.
"You don't believe me, do you?" she asked him gravely.
Remus struggled with his words and thought about everything she just told him (except for the part about understanding his grief) in a logical sense. "It's a bit hard don't you think? We've gone on in the summer believing Voldemort is dead."
I know." Hermione answered quietly. "But still... I just can't get it out of my head. Harry's scar—"
"Maybe it was just a simple headache."
"Or maybe it was a sign." Hermione met his eyes once more, her chocolate brown eyes alight with anxiety. "Harry's scar only hurt when Voldemort was near during our first and second year. It didn't hurt in our third year because Pettigrew was not Voldemort. Fourth year, his scar was hurting bad because Voldemort was rising and after that, the scar would only hurt when Voldemort was near him physically or when he was conveying a strong emotion. If Voldemort was in essence once more..."
"Then the scar would pick him up only when he is near or when he was most active." Remus finished in wonder for her.
"Exactly." Hermione said.
"I don't believe this..." Remus groaned. "You must be mistaken. You have to be! Do you know what you're getting at?!"
"Of course I do! Do you think I want to see everyone else tense up again after everything that's happened?! Of course I want all of you to be happy but I can't ignore what I feel!" Hermione snapped at him.
Remus crossed his arms over his chest and thought this over. Hermione kept talking.
"I don't know who his new host body is but I'm pretty sure that he's acting the way when he possessed Professor Quirrell's body." She said as she proceeded to torture her ice cream. "I've been thinking about this all summer because I can't not think about it. I wanted to tell somebody but I don't know if they'll listen and all I can think about who'll even give me the time of day was you."
Remus felt his heart bang in his chest as his ears focused on her last sentence. Damn it, she didn't even know what she was doing to him!
"Fine. Supposing that what you're feeling is real and Voldemort is still alive, how will you prove this and how will you trace him?" Remus asked at last.
"Professor Snape." Was her short answer.
He eyed her questioningly. "What about him?"
"I'll know if my suspicions are correct if I meet with Professor Snape." She repeated matter of factly. "Remember the D.A. during our fifth year? Well I used a Protean charm on some coins so Harry can inform everyone of our meetings without us having to be seen talking together. I got that idea from the way Voldemort summons his followers. Harry told me all about it and I've seen and heard Professor Snape when he showed his mark to Fudge."
Remus' mouth dropped open when he heard this. Of course, it wasn't unheard of of Hermione Granger casting a N.E.W.T. level Protean charm during her fifth year. It was just so... amazing for one so young! James and Sirius would have worshipped her for it! Even invite her to join the Marauders!
Remus shook his head when he realized what he was thinking. James and Sirius were dead. They're all dead. No use going over memories that will only hurt him even more. He assumed an air of polite, though forced calm for Hermione.
"And what are you hoping to find?" Remus asked again, brows furrowing more deeply. Keeping his voice steady.
"I'm not sure. But I'll know it once I see it. Trust me. It's a gut instinct and I won't be able to be at peace until I'm certain that Voldemort is really dead." She said.
Remus shook his head and stifled a sigh. He admired Hermione's analysis. He knew she had a point, but there was a part of him that didn't want to accept the theory. "It still sounds a bit farfetched to me, Hermione."
"Farfetched or not I'm still going through with it. Especially since there are some strange things happening around that's been gaining my attention these past few days." She told him before licking the back of her spoon.
Remus swallowed at the sight of her pink tongue and he had to look away. Oh to be that spoon right now... "What things?"
Hermione, still unmindful of Remus' change of breathing, licked her lips to clear any sign of the treat from her face. Remus gritted his teeth to prevent himself from groaning out loud.
Temptress. Bloody, beautiful, seductive little temptress...
"Several robberies on local apothecary shops and charmed objects." She answered.
"I read about those, but there's nothing alarming about a handful of petty robberies. And what does it have to do with Voldemort?" he asked, trying to keep his line of thought on a professional level, no matter how hard that was.
Hermione eyed him solemnly. "Add a handful of little things together and you'll find yourself with a great big surprise. Sure the robberies seem to be insignificant if you look at them individually, but haven't you noticed how close in between they are? Or the fact that, whoever was doing these robberies, are only taking ingredients needed for healing, Remus? I've studied most of them in Potions and believe me when I say anyone who needs manticore skin is a very desperate wizard indeed."
Remus eyed her seriously for five long minutes, unmindful of the ice cream melting in his bowl. There was nothing wrong in checking out Hermione's story. If, perhaps, she does have something here...
"How will you want to proceed with this then?" he asked her finally.
She smiled. A slow, unconsciously seductive smile that brought men to their respective knees. A smile that pulled men to courtesans' beds or to their deaths. On Hermione, it only meant that she was planning something. That didn't help with his breathing, though. Or the way he was reacting to that one, bloody, beautiful smile.
"Here's what I want you to do, Remus—"
She never got to finish her sentence because, all of a sudden, an explosion from directly behind her from a stall that was selling magical pinwheels for children. Remus and Hermione got thrown forward. Remus' vision blurred badly because of the sudden flash and pain but it was fleeting. As soon as his eyes cleared, he started looking for Hermione, panicking. Amidst the crowd or screaming people, he looked up and saw a short, hooded figure, holding Hermione by the collar of her jumper and getting ready to Apparate. He reacted. Almost on instinct.
"STUPEFY!"
The spell prevented the kidnapper from Apparating. He ducked and pulled something out of his robes. A silvery piece of cloth that had Remus' eyes widening in horror.
An Invisibility Cloak.
"NO!" he made to get near but the crowd was pushing him to the other direction. Fortunately for him, he had enough presence of mind to mutter out one last spell before he was completely swallowed by the crowd and the man holding Hermione disappeared from sight. "Traktus!"
And then, they were gone...
"Sekhmet keep her safe... Morgana deliver her..."
Remus was muttering like mad and praying to every known deity he knew that has been known to protect women in the past to keep Hermione safe from whoever's clutches she was in right now.
It took a while before the crowd calmed down enough to make him find a quiet place to concentrate and, with a complicated wave of his wand, had the image of the globe in front of him. It rotated for him and only stopped when he saw a blue dot, softly shimmering on a place called Ambleside before it disappeared. Remus was sick with panic.
The disappearance of the blue dot would mean either one of two things. One, that powerful magic was concealing her now and two, she was dead. He hoped, with every breath of his body that it wasn't the latter. He will never forgive himself— never live with himself, if she ever came to harm. He'll no longer wish to live if it were the case.
"Remus!"
He turned and saw Kingsley coming towards him with Tonks following closely. Both were dodging the still hysterical crowd.
"What happened here?!" Tonks asked him as they drew near him.
Remus tried to calm the raging fear inside him long enough to explain what just happened. "Someone has Hermione."
"WHAT?!" Tonks cried out in shock.
"Hermione? HERMIONE GRANGER?!" a nod from Remus gave him the confirmation he needed. His dark face turned grim. "Must be former Death Eaters. I'll inform my team. Tonks, you better come with me."
"But, Remus—"
"I'll be fine. I need to find her."
"Do you know how?" Kingsley asked quickly.
"I aimed a tracking spell on her before they disappeared. The man who took her had an invisibility cloak." He told him, busily trying to aim his thoughts on Hermione's essence to make himself Apparate to her side.
Kingsley violently pulled him back. "No! You can't do that! You don't how many they are. It's too risky to Apparate there alone!"
"I WILL NOT LET THEM HARM HER!" Remus growled at the dark man, barely restrained fury radiating through him. "It's my fault she was taken! I should have been more alert!"
"No, you will stay here. Tonks, you better keep an eye on him." Kingsley ordered the witch before turning and walking away.
Remus took off in search of a quieter spot as soon as Kingsley was out of sight. Tonks followed him closely.
"And just where do you think you're going?" she asked him immediately, almost tripping on a couple of stones. "Didn't you hear what Kingsley said?!"
Remus, usually a natural gentleman, would have helped her before his brain registered the fact. But his mind was too focused on Hermione to think of anything else. He had to get to her. She can't just disappear.
She can't die on him too...
This was a fear he had never felt before. It ate at him and ripped his insides with cold claws and teeth. He'd experienced worry and anxiety before... Being a two time member of the Order of the Phoenix with friends can do that to you. But he'd never felt this level of fear for the safety of another. This desperation to be by her side no matter what the cost.
Remus stopped in an alley behind an apothecary shop and waved his wand again. He stared at the spot where he last saw the dot that indicated Hermione's presence and prepared to Apparate.
"Remus!" Tonks cried out after him.
But she tripped on a piece of rubble and fell face forward on the pavement. When she looked up again, she saw that Remus was melting away from her eyes, deep in concentration.
"Oh crap," she muttered as she got off the ground and patted herself clean. "Kingsley is going to kill me for this..."
Hermione was struggling like mad. Fuelled by the desperate need to be free from this man's clutches who was holding onto her like her life depended on her!
Once they were under the Invisibility Cloak, the bastard that held her concentrated and Apparated away. After the disorientation that came with joint Apparation was over, Hermione opened her eyes and gazed at the surrounding area, immediately thinking of ways on how to get away as much as possible.
They were in the middle of a very dry glade. Magic filled the air with thick, heavy fog. It indicated that there may be dangerous magical creatures about. It was like being in a dryer version of the Forbidden Forest back at Hogwarts.
"Let go of me!" she screamed as soon as she got her bearings again.
She wanted to run screaming from the place. The raw magical energy surrounding her was frightening and alien and almost as tangible as the grip her captor had on her. And yet, curiosity also bade her to find out why she was being dragged here. Was this a deranged Voldemort fanatic? A lot of those around in Knockturn Alley. Just her luck to be the target of a lunatic frenzy. But then, this might as well answer her fears about the suspicions she mentioned to Remus.
Still struggling against her captor, however, she was dragged off deeper into the forest. "I said, LET ME GO!"
Her captor turned to her but his hood was pulled down, so low that she could see nothing but darkness. She could feel that darkness in his soul, too. He let go of her for a second before his hand returned to close around her neck and lift her off the ground easily. "SILENCE, Mudblood!"
Hermione's eyes watered as she clawed at the hand around her neck and tried to breathe but it was useless. She knew, without a doubt, that a little more pressure would break her neck and kill her. Just as she was about to pass out from asphyxiation, she felt the hand let go and grab the collar of her jumper again. She dimly realized that she was being dragged into a cave with a bright interior. After warding the place against outside intruders, she was thrown unceremoniously onto the cave floor, still choking.
She sat on the cold stone floor for a moment, giving herself time to think and catch her breath. Where was she? Who was this man, and more important, how can she get away?!
"Don't even think about it, Mudblood." The man hissed at her. His back to her was turned and seemingly warming himself with a log covered in enchanted fire. The blue tinge of the fire made her eyes widen.
"Gubraithian Fire..." she breathed, feeling the warmth surround the cave ang feeling the dread running up her spine. "Forever lasting flame..."
Such a powerful spell can only mean that, whoever this man is, was a powerful wizard as well! She looked around the cave and saw cauldrons, vials and several jars of strange things not out of place from Snape's storerooms back at the dungeons. If she were a person in gambling, she'd bet these were some of the ingredients that were reportedly stolen from the shops around Diagon and Knockturn Alley. Cold suspicion laced through her blood as her eyes settled on her captor's back once again.
"Damn that filthy werewolf..." she heard the man mutter as he continued to warm himself by the fire.
Gathering what was left of her strength and senses, she pulled herself up on her feet and asked a question. "Where are we?"
The man slowly turned to face her and Hermione felt as though a Dementor passed her by. The cold shivers of dread coming from her spine warned her of a danger here. She should be prepared to defend herself against this man.
"Where...?" his voice was a hissy form of sound. It was barely a whisper and it emitted a cold, so strong, it penetrated her very marrows. "We are situated in one of the most deadliest Forbidden Forests in Europe, my dear..."
Hermione tried to stand up with more confidence than what she was used to. Cowering was not going to help her here. "So... we're still in Europe then. That's a start."
"Don't bother trying to plan your escape, Mudblood," he hissed at her again. "You will never get passed my wards. If— by some freak of nature you have managed so— the creatures of this forest will never allow you to leave here alive."
Hermione sized him up. The man was short and stocky. He demonstrated to a very strong grip no human possessed. His hand was ice cold and she could feel the marks on her neck starting to surface. No part of his body was visible to her, but she instantly knew he was dangerous...
And he had her wand.
"What do you want from me?"
She could feel the force of his enmity clear to the roots of her hair and it placed her on immediate guard. Her wand was in his robes somewhere, having been taken amidst the chaos back in Diagon Alley. Hermione swallowed. She could not afford to make a mistake with this one. She could feel the darkness of his magic right where she stood. Like a hidden current of electricity trying to reach out to her.
"What I want from you...?" he chuckled coldly, sitting on a large stone nearby with a depression on the middle that made it look like a comfortable seat. "There are a lot of things I 'want from you', Mudblood..."
"Such as?" Hermione asked coldly.
Think, Granger, think! Use that brain of yours! Get out of here!
"One of them are answers to certain questions..." The man leaned back and stared at her, seemingly from head to foot. Hermione fought the urge to cover herself and cringe in revulsion. "Such as why a filthy little Mudblood like you should live? How such an inferior freak of nature can think of a way to defeat the best and most powerful Death Eaters of wizard kind...?"
Humour him, Granger. Strike up a conversation. Maybe you'll think of a way to escape and he'll slip up and tell you who he is and why he really took you!
"It is not easy to outsmart those Death Eaters on the battlefield. But there is no spell they can conjure that I cannot. And I have friends then. Brave and powerful friends who fought courageously till the end with me."
"Ahhh... You speak of... Harry Potter." He hissed the name like a curse.
The bitterness and resentment was thick in his words. Suspicion made her eyes narrow at her captor. "If you think that taking me as a ploy to make Harry come to you, will work then you have another think coming! Dumbledore will never allow him to be harmed. I will not allow him to be harmed!"
The man laughed at her. Actually, it sounded more like wheezing rather than laughing. His breath rattled like a bag of scrolls. As though his lungs were filled with water or something. "You? Not allow? Are you forgetting how his godfather was killed in the first place?"
Hermione's eyes widened at the words. "What do you know about Sirius?"
"I know that he is filth. As was James and Lily Potter." He sneered.
Hermione forgot her caution. Her fear was replaced by rage. "No, they aren't filth, they were the bravest people in history!"
"They are weaklings! Succumbing to emotions that were far too easy to manipulate and exploit. It was what led to their deaths."
"They lived their lives to the fullest. There is no sweeter death than to die for someone you love." She bit back in her fury.
Calm down, Hermione, she told herself mentally. Calm down...
The man stared at her for seemingly endless minutes, before he crossed his arms over his chest and spoke. "How is it... that a Mudblood... one with not a drop of wizard blood in her veins... should possess power such as you? How is it, that a Mudblood like you should have an intellect that surpasses every other pure-blooded witch I've ever known...?"
Hermione was both insulted and flattered in so many levels. A lot of Slytherins have asked her those questions and more these past years. She's used to it. "I work hard, that's how. The blood in one's veins does not necessarily mean instant intellect. What's the use of a heritage you can only take pride in but can never fully uphold with your morals intact?"
"Those were the words of the great Salazar Slytherin himself!" the man cried out, standing up in fury. "How dare you claim them false!"
But Hermione forgot to be scared. She'd already had enough with this prejudice going on at school, she was not going to stand up for it here. "Salazar Slytherin is dead. He believed in such a principal because he was afraid of the changes around him. Afraid of the evolution of power Muggleborns might bring into the world of magic and overthrow those who started the philosophy in the first place."
"He has also witnessed the destruction brought upon kingdoms by Muggle greed and how they destroyed themselves!" her captor snarled at her. "Filthy Muggles and their hunger for power over each other and the world—"
"There are boundaries that separate humans. There is good and evil in all of us!" Hermione answered back passionately. "Take Voldemort for example (her captor looked taken aback by her use of the name). He allowed himself to be blinded by his hate and greed for power and knowledge. Killing and plundering and rendering children homeless and orphans for his 'Great Cause'. He forced his beliefs on others never realizing that he was turning into that which he was hoping to destroy! I can't see anything noble in—"
"ENOUGH!!!" the man waved his hand violently in her direction and Hermione was thrown against the cave wall by a dark and powerful force. She was suspended there, held against the stone by a large, invisible hand. She was clawing at her neck, trying to breathe as she watched the man walk three swift sides towards her. Her agile brain noted that he moved rather fast for a man og his stature. She could feel wads of extremely powerful and angry magic emanating from him as her eyes watered from the pain. "YOU KNOW NOTHING! YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A FILTHY MUDBLOOD, UNFIT TO KISS THE SOLES OF MY BOOTS! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME IN SUCH A FASHION?!"
Hermione struggled and gasped. As she did, her eye caught a flash and she saw a transparent crystal orb the size of a full grown man's fist. She recognized it instantly and, suddenly, her suspicions took a frightening turn for the worst. She looked back at the man in front of her. Her eyes wide as she placed the pieces of the puzzle together...
"Wh-who are you...?" she whispered hoarsely as she tried to breathe.
She could almost feel the smirk on his face as he answered. "Do you really wish to know, Mudblood? Very well... I will give you that honor. But it is an honor you will suffer for..."
Hermione watched as the man slowly pulled back his hood from his head and met her wide, shocked eyes with his own smirking face without letting her off his stranglehold. A face filled with blood and wounded flesh and familiar features she thought she would never see again... It was a face that belonged to nightmares. Ones that leave you trembling in the night and making you hesitate to leave the doubtful safety of your own bed.
The face of a man she thought was already dead...
"Wormtail....."
kishkitten36: Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it. I'm sorry about the delay on the updates.
lee74: Thank you! You really think so? I hope I can live up to your expectations then v.
Dyrim123: Thanks. Sorry for the delay. Hope you're still there .
Avestia: Glad you liked it. Sorry, okay? (don't hurt me!)
Mizuki Ashiya: Ahh, my favorite RL/HG writer. Thank you for reading this. I hope you weren't offended or anything because I asked you to review this story. I like that scene too but I love this chapter better. Hope you read it, k? You look like you have Remy very well in hand. (pats Remus sympathetically on the back) Well if Remy is staying in your attic and I can't have him then I guess I'd have to settle for Sevvie-poo. Right, Sevvie-poo?
Severus: (rolls eyes) Since I have no relative choice in the matter, I do not see how I can refuse.
Maybe we can meet in your attic and play with them sometime? LOL
Anyway, Hermione's age has been advanced here because of the Time turner incident. I will explain it later. Remus hasn't had a chance to reflect on it yet because he was drunk at the time. You'll see v.
Angela3: (blush) Gee thank you so much. I'm so happy you liked it that much. You have no idea how flattered I was that you actually quoted one of my lines in your review! Thank you so much for the compliments. I don't know about the elegant touch thing though since I've only started writing fanfiction this year. I'm an amateur compared to the other authors around here. Thank you so much and I hope you get to read this next chapter and stay with me .
Angela3: (blush more) J.K??? Wow... it's one thing to be awed by her, its another thing to be considered her equal! Honestly, dear, I don't think I'm worthy! I just write this thing the way I want to read it, really ;. Thank you so very much and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story. Sorry if it takes me ages to update... Real world has it's cruel ironies.
Amariel: Glad you liked it! Will do, ma'm!
Lady-of-Thetford: You're wish is my command... VOILA! An update at last! Sorry if it took some time. Really unavoidable circumstances. I plan on completing this story so don't fret! Just stay with me, k? v