Face to Face

(Chapter Four)

Almost five minutes later Mrs. Weasley had finally managed to get Mrs. Black to quiet down. She was flushed pink and breathed deeply. It didn't take long for her to remember what she was so worried about though. Hermione. She wasn't back yet! And neither was Mundungus. Maybe Hermione put some kind of hex on him because he wouldn't leave her alone. Or worse, they had both been attacked.

Just as Mrs. Weasley approached the door to check on the two, Lupin, Kingsley, and Harry all entered and offered the flustered Mrs. Weasley a curious look.

"Everything ok Molly?" Lupin asked her.

Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips together in concern. "Did you see Hermione and Mundungus as you came down the hall?" She asked with concern.

Lupin suddenly returned her troubled expression. "No, no one was there, why? What's happened?"

"She wasn't out there!" Mrs. Weasley gasped "Oh no!"

"Why?" Kingsley asked more frantic.

Mrs. Weasley hesitated searching for an explanation.

"Hermione and Ron had a row not to long ago, Hermione was furious and ran out the door, and Mundungus went after her and now neither has returned," She said with fear in her voice.

Lupin and Kingsley both frantically searched for a piece of parchment. "We have to inform the rest of the order! Get a search started. They could have been taken!" Lupin ordered.

"And if Voldemort has them, we can only expect the worse," Kingsley added gravely.

At that exact moment Ron had entered the room and looked at all of them shocked and horrified.

"This is all my fault," He said furiously and ran back up the stairs, Harry frowned and ran up after him.

The floor was cold and hard. Her limp body ached as she slowly came to and her eyes flickered open. She was on her back, staring up at a rotted wood ceiling. The floor was damp and the moisture had soaked through her shirt causing her to shiver. As the surroundings and the darkness started to sink in so did the fear she felt course through her. Hermione started to breathe frantically and sat up abruptly, ignoring the throbbing pain in the back of her head. What had happened? Mundungus had attacked her...but where had he taken her?

Her questions were soon answered as if the other person in the room had heard her frantic thoughts.

"He was under the imperious curse," Said a cold drawling voice. "You are now at the private home of the dark lord himself."

Hermione's heart skipped a beat and she snapped around quickly to see whom the voice had come from. She caught her breath and nearly choked. Before her was a tall, extremely thin, pale man. He looked as if he had never stepped a foot out in the daylight and he had the chilling resemblance of a snake.

He approached her slowly so they were now face to face. His wide scarlet eyes stared deep into hers. Hermione wanted nothing more than to scream and hide from those eyes, but she couldn't move.

The man let a small grin creep across his face. It only made him look even more terrifying.

"Do you know who I am?" He whispered. He was too close. Hermione was too afraid to speak, but the man stood there not budging, not even blinking, and waiting for an answer.

"V-V-Voldemort," She said it! His name, right to his face!

Voldemort's smile spread. And to Hermione's terror, he extended a long, pale, skeletal arm and stroked her cheek with his icy cold fingers. Hermione felt a deep chill invade her body and she wanted to run away, but her body wouldn't budge. Voldemort let his hand and stare linger for a few second before he withdrew from her completely, taking a few steps back. Hermione let out the deep, horrified breathe she had been holding.

"I have heard much about you Ms. Granger… Your intelligence, your courage. But even I couldn't have imaged that a 15 year old girl would have the nerve to utter my name right to my face. You indeed are different from most wizards," His voice was still chilling, but he spoke to her as if he were someone she had just met on the street, but what frightened her the most was that he knew who she was. "Most are terrified of my name," he continued, "of course nothing could really happen to someone just by saying it, but as the wise Dumbledore once said 'fear of the name only brings fear of the thing itself' it's very true."

Hermione was growing uncomfortable. What was he doing? Playing with her?

"If you're going to kill me; get it over with," She said with a surprising strength. She had no idea where it had come from, but she figured if she was going to die, she was not going to go like a crying, frightened, little girl.

Voldemort's blood toned eyes flashed at her.

"Dear girl, I do not wish to kill you," He said as sweetly as an evil, bastard could. What was he playing at?

"Then why am I here?" she questioned.

Voldemort faced her and gently folded his boney hands in front of him. "I want to make you an offer," he said simply.

Hermione looked at him confused and scared witless at the same time.

"What's that?"

There was silence, then…

"Join me," he whispered enticingly.

Hermione stood before him; wet, cold, frightened and staring at the most evil wizard ever known as if he were insane.

They owls had been sent and Lupin, Kingsley, and Mrs. Weasley all stood in the kitchen waiting for the others to reply and trying to organize a search. Suddenly the door opened wide. All looked at it expectantly waiting for Hermione to appear from it, but it wasn't Hermione, it was Mundungus.

Mrs. Weasley practically attacked him.

"What have you done with Hermione y-you-you!" she shouted, but Lupin pulled her off Mundungus and began to question him himself.

"Mundungus where is Hermione?" He asked calmly, however, Mundungus only offered him a blank bewildered stare.

"What are you talking about Remus?"

Lupin grabbed him by the collar and spoke more firmly and slowly. "Hermione had a fight with Ron, she ran out and you went to talk to her! Where is she?"

Mundungus looked scared as memories started to flood back. Lupin relaxed his grip on Mundungus only slightly as his eyes started to glass over in fear.

"I-I was, I saw her sitting in the hall, crying. Then I don't know what happened," He said reflectively.

Kingsley shot a wary glance at Lupin. "The imperious curse," he said quietly.

Lupin turned urgently back to Mundungus. "Try to remember! You must remember!"

Mundungus looked unsure of himself and he closed his eyes tightly, searching his memory. "I petrified her!" he said with fear "I took her a few miles from here into town! To a portkey! I don't remember where. She's with Voldemort!"

They stood before him, horrified.

Once again, thank you for your support! Reviews are appreciated.

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