Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot
::written October 9, 2004::
::posted October 11, 2004::
AN: well if you're reading my other story Life Takes a Turn then you'll see that the 15th chapter came to you courtesy of my hotel room in Nadick. But this one has a much more interesting location. Guess where I am? In a car. Great isn't it lol. I'm at the soccer field in the car typing on my mom's laptop and the battery is going extremely fast so this might actually be finished when I get back to the hotel later but still. Well if you want to know about my wonderful life at the moment nothing interesting is happening – I put some stuff in my author's note in the other story. But ugh my brother ruins everything – there was a football game and soccer game back home yesterday that I was going to go to but we had to leave. And a guy asked me to do something this weekend but of course I'm not home. If you did read my other one no it's not the guy I like or the guy who likes me who I don't like it's a completely different one. This guy likes me but I'm not sure if I like him since I barely know him. Then again one of my friends is like obsessed with a guy she just meant a couple of weeks ago. But I'm going to ask you guys too – since there's different people that read my stories. Does anyone write on fictionpress? Original stories? Cuz I wanted to do that but I'm not sure what people read or if people would read mine. Well I'm not going to say anything else...
NOTE: in the last chapter I said when Harry got called to the Ministry he talked to the Minister of Magic. Well in the first chapter I wrote that Hermione was the Mistress of Magic. Whoops. Alenor pointed it out (thanks!) and I apologize – I thought I had made her Mistress but then I wasn't sure. I'm going to go back and change that...soon. I think I'm going to repost most of my chapters for all my stories and edit them some more and maybe talk out the author's notes since I always make them so long lol. Well that's all for now...
"Well I went in and the Minister of Magic came to talk to me, said he had an important assignment. He told he Lucius had been in earlier and asked them to find his son for him."
"So."
"He threatened us if we don't."
"With what?"
"He has a captive."
"Who?"
"He has...he has..." Harry trailed off.
Chapter 7 – Findings
"Harry just tell me, it can't be that bad. Can it?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know how you're going to take this."
"I'm not that emotional."
"But..."
"Now."
"Fine..."
"Harry?"
"It's Ginny."
"Giiinn...Ginny?"
"'Mione I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but it kind of just slipped my mind."
"It SLIPPED YOUR MIND?!"
"Yes."
"HOW does something like THAT slip your mind?! She's one of our BEST friends Harry!"
"Well if you hadn't gotten mad at me maybe it wouldn'tve!"
"If you weren't such a pervert I never would've gotten mad at you in the first place!"
"Well if you weren't so damn irresistible maybe I wouldn't be!"
"WHAT?!"
"You heard me."
"HARRY JAMES POTTER! If you're trying to use flattery to make me forgive you then you should stop right now! In the past couple days you have done so many things that were wrong!"
"It's not flattery, it's the truth."
"We've been friends for TEN years!"
"That doesn't mean I can ignore the fact that I want you."
"But I always thought you and Ginny would end up together."
"That's long since over. When we broke up, we broke up. We're just friends now. Nothing more."
"But what about all those girls you used to bring home?"
"They were to make you jealous."
"I'm not the jealous type."
"You think I don't know that by now?"
"You should've known that long ago."
"Well it doesn't matter anyway."
"But..."
"You don't have to deny it, I know you want me too."
"WHAT?! You selfish cocky bastard! I can't believe you just said that!"
"You know it's the truth. You want me 'Mione, don't fight it anymore." Harry said as he leaned toward her and tried to kiss her.
"Get away from me! Harry, we're just friends!"
"But I thought you liked me."
"As a friend."
"Then who do you like?"
"I don't know right now."
"Or you just don't want to tell me."
"I really don't know."
"But..."
"This isn't the time to be discussing this. We need to decide what to do about Draco and Ginny."
"I thought it was obvious. We give Malfoy to his father and then we get Ginny back."
"Harry, we can't do that! His father will practically kill him!"
"So."
"We can't let that happen!"
"But he has Ginny."
"So we have to figure out a way to get her back without giving him Draco."
"There's no way."
"Even if we did give Draco to his father you know he wouldn't give Ginny back to us. Lucius Malfoy doesn't keep his promises."
"But we have a better chance of getting Ginny back if we turn in Malfoy."
"Not necessarily."
"What do you mean?"
"Can't we just somehow find her and take her."
"We're dealing with Lucius Malfoy here, he probably has a dozen death eaters guarding her."
"Maybe this is something bigger."
"What?"
"Maybe Voldemort's ready for a war and this is the way he wants to start it. He has it all planned out."
"He doesn't work like that."
"How would you know?"
"I've dealt with him – how many times before?"
"You weren't alone. Ron and I have helped."
"But I had to face him on my own."
"Not all the times."
"Most of them."
"Why are we arguing about this? We need to form a plan."
"We already have a plan. Turn in Malfoy, get Ginny."
"That's not going to work and you know it. Even if we did want to turn Draco in how would we find him. I have no idea where he went."
"I work in the Ministry."
"So."
"We're skilled in this kind of thing."
"Then how come you're acting like you've never dealt with it before?"
"I have."
"Oh never mind. Why don't we go to Dumbledore?"
"What's he going to do?"
"What's gotten into you lately? Before we would always go to him, why the sudden change?"
"I just think the answer is simple, we turn in Malfoy."
"But Harry..."
"I don't care what you say, I'm going to find him. Ginny's life is on the line. I thought you were a better friend to her than this."
"Harry did anyone actually see Lucius with Ginny?"
"I don't know, why does that make a difference?
"He could be bluffing."
"But he's most likely not."
"Or he could be creating a distraction so that when Voldemort strikes we won't be ready."
"Why don't we just find Malfoy."
"That's a great idea Harry!"
"I don't get it."
"Draco would know what's going on and what they're planning, he could help us."
"He's a death eater."
"No he's not. But he knows what does on at the meetings. We can ask him."
"I don't think it's a good idea. What if he tells them all our plans?"
"He's changed Harry. Whether or not you believe me he has. Now let's not waste time." She got up off the bed and dragged Harry with her down the hall to Ron's room.
"Ron!" she yelled while knocking on the door. When no one answered after a while she did a unlocking spell and her and Harry entered the room.
Ron was on the floor curled up with the room smelling of alcohol and smoke.
"What the hell!" Harry exclaimed as Hermione rushed over to Ron.
"Ron? Can you hear me? It's me, 'Mione."
"Mi-ne." he spoke slowly as his hand reached out a caressed her cheek.
"Ron, what did you do?" Harry asked.
"Fi-er wissssKEY."
"He's drunk." Hermione said while Ron stroked her cheek and giggled. "Really drunk." She added just as he rolled over and threw up on the floor.
"Even I've never been that drunk."
"What do we do?"
"Ron, did you do anything else but drink firewhiskey?" Ron lifted one hand with two fingers up and sucked in air.
"He smoked something."
"But what?"
"Either cigarettes or pot."
"But this is Ron we're talking about."
"Well with how he's been acting lately."
"He still wouldn't get that drunk to do drugs. I mean I know he does get drunk every once in a while," he said and at Hermione's look he added, "okay every time we go out to a club but still."
"He would do drugs if he was drunk enough let's just leave it at that. But the real question is where would he get them. The firewhiskey obviously we have downstairs, bottles and bottles because we drink it every once in a while but we don't keep drugs anywhere in the house. And drugs are muggle things...we live in a wizard neighborhood."
"Trust me, you can get them if you want to."
"Harry, have you ever tried drugs?"
"Uhhh..."
"YOU HAVE?!"
"It was only once and I didn't know what it was. I found out later that it was ecstasy."
"And you never told me?"
"I knew you would overreact."
"I'm NOT overreacting."
"Okay, now tell me that you've never once done any sort of drugs?"
"Never in my life."
"What about when you get drunk?"
"I check everything the next morning in the pensive."
"Every time?"
"Yes."
"You're sure?"
"Harry, why are you asking me all this?"
"I'm sure you had to do something once in your life."
"Nothing other than alcohol."
"Fine."
"We need to deal with Ron right now not my drug record or lack there of."
"Okay, so what do we do? Don't we perform a sobering charm." Harry took out his wand and said the incantation.
"HARRY!" Hermione exclaimed when she realized what he was doing but by then it was too late.
"What? Isn't that what I was supposed to do?"
"No, if drugs and alcohol are mixed and you perform a sobering charm it just makes the effects worse."
"Why didn't anyone ever tell me that?"
"I don't know."
"And how do you know that?"
"Just because I've never done drugs doesn't mean I've never been with people who have."
"And when was this?"
"Harry, not this again. Can't we just focus on the matter at hand?"
"Well I seem to be finding a lot of things out about you today that I never knew."
"I could say the same so I'd shut up if I were you."
"Fine."
"Now, we need to lay him on his side so that if he throws up again he doesn't swallow it and choke."
"Gross."
"God Harry, you're as bad as a girl."
"I'm not going to respond to that."
"Lift him up and put him on his bed."
"I have to touch him?"
"Harry!"
"Alright, I'm going." He lifted Ron up off the floor and carried him over to his bed.
"Weeee." Was all Ron said as this was happening.
"Now what?" Harry asked as Ron was safely on his side.
"We have to bring him down from the high."
"How do we do that?"
"I'm not really sure. Considering we don't even know what he smoked."
"Can't we figure it out with some spell or something?"
"I don't know it. So go get a cool wash cloth and bucket with water."
"Why?"
"Just listen to me."
"Fine." Harry left and was back in about a minute, he held out the cloth to Hermione. "Take it." She did and put it on Ron's forehead.
"I'm not sure if this will work but it's what you're supposed to do for fevers and all that."
"Is this going to take long?"
"Harry!"
"Alright now what do we do?"
"I'm not really sure."
"Don't we have to go find Malfoy?"
"Oh my god, I completely forgot."
"Why don't you stay here with Ron and I'll go find him." Harry said and then started to exit the room.
"HARRY JAMES POTTER GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!" Hermione exclaimed and Harry made his way back to her side. "I know if you find him you won't be nice to him and most likely you'll throw curses and use a body bind to bring him to the Ministry."
"No I won't."
"Don't lie to me."
"But..."
"No, you'll stay here with Ron and I'll go find Draco."
"But it's too dangerous."
"What did you just say?!"
"It's...nothing."
"That's what I thought."
"Just make sure you don't get captured too."
"Do you believe in me at all?"
"Not with the Malfoys. You seem to fall weak to their...dare I say...charm."
"Are you implying that I'm going to fall at his feet and beg to be his slave forever?!"
"No but you might go along with whatever he says because you believe his story and feel bad for him."
"I will not be brainwashed. When have you even known me not to think for myself?"
"You got me there."
"Good, I'm going to go find him and then go to Dumbledore."
"Be careful." He called as she walked out the door.
"Shut up Harry." Was her only response before leaving.
AN: well that was a lovely chapter...hmmm...
Alenor: omg thank you thank you thank you! I can't say it enough. I'm such a ditz I can't believe I put Hermione as Mistress then...well you know what I did. Lol thank you so much for pointing it out. Is it a bad thing Ginny's the captive? Cuz as you can see, she is. And the story with Draco...hmm...we'll all find out now won't we. Lol. Well I love to hear from you – thanks for reading and reviewing
andii( ): hey – draco will come back...soon. Not right away but soon. You'll see. Well thanks as always for reading and reviewing...
Alanpatty07: your story is NOT bad!!! I love it! lol. The triangle theory is very interesting lol. But the relationship developments are coming...soon. Well as you guessed the captive was Ginny – which was predictable but still. I was going to make it someone else but then I didn't. well I hope you keep reading and reviewing and if I have any ideas for your story I'll let you know
AN: the story is about to get...interesting. And the plot will thicken. But I have a new idea for a story it's going to be rated r (just a warning) and it will be a combination of Hermione and Draco one-shot fics. Different scenes and all that. I'll take suggestions or opinions (please). Well that's all for now...