A/N: As the title might suggest, 'reader' was very helpful and also things are getting darker. There is one slightly gruesome description later on, so just to warn you…
Also Duchess1, are you OK, cos I'd feel pretty bad if I'd stayed up till 4am reading
Nightmares on the Underground
Hermione wouldn't say anything over lunch but when they'd finished they rushed back to the library and found an alcove to hide in.
"So Hermione, what have you found?" asked Harry, Ron and Ginny looked at her with a remorseful eagerness.
"I found lots of references to Dark Wizards around cellars in Barbican, there are none along here now, but there is Fenchurch St. Station, and we know Dolohov's been seen around there."
"So?" asked Ron,
"So, I think something's going on there. I also remember reading a Muggle newspaper article a while ago saying that there had been quite a few murders and missing people around there, and that part of the tube had been closed down due to disrepair. A part of the Underground that is not very deep. Think about it, put it all together, and…" she looked at them all,
"And…that could mean Dolohov's using part of the tube there, which may connect to old cellars used by Dark wizards before him; he'll use Fenchurch St. Station as it's fairly central, and take Muggles down there. And now maybe these people." Harry was on the home-straight, and had to take a few deep breaths at the end of his sentence.
"Exactly what I was thinking Harry," Hermione smiled at him,
"How do we know this?" Ron mumbled,
"Yes," said Ginny, "all we have is a few ideas, we're not gallivanting off to London again just because someone has an idea. Sorry Harry, I didn't mean-"
"I know, last time we did, awful things happened, I never want to take that risk again," Harry turned away,
"OK, so not now then, but we must act soon or something will happen. I think we should really make sure this idea is valid and then we can think about action." Hermione took the lead as usual.
Hermione was alone in her room again, it was Sunday evening and she'd just finished her homework. At least she'd had a more pleasant day; no vomiting in the morning, her stomach bug most be getting better, and dinner had been very delicious. The only thing she was unsure about was her period, she was sure she should have had one at least two weeks ago, but it was often late, and besides she had more important things to think about.
"Severus? Severus?" she whispered into the watch, she hadn't dared to use for the past month but now she really needed to talk. She sat on the edge of her bed gently calling his name, after about twenty times she was beginning to lose hope when she saw a frail gaunt face peering blearily back at her,
"Hermione?" he rasped, almost as if he had forgotten how to use his voice.
"Severus!" she smiled and felt tears streaming down her cheeks, "are you OK?"
"That's a bit of a brainless question don't you think?"
"Glad to see you haven't lost your sense of humour. Are you going to get into awful trouble using this again?"
"I don't think it could get much worse than it already is," his eyes averted her gaze,
"What d'you mean?"
"I don't know where I am but it feels more like a tunnel than a dungeon and there are bodies strewn across the floors. There's a large channel thing at one side and it's full of rotting bodies. Dried blood on the walls and all I can smell is decomposing flesh, flies and maggots everywhere and peoples' skin is turning a sickly green." He spat the words out of his mouth as if they were acidic.
"Severus," she looked horrified, "Do you think you might be in the Muggle Underground?"
"Well it's definitely underground here."
"We think you might be near Fenchurch St. Station, we're coming to rescue you soon, don't worry."
"NO! You can't come here; it's awful, Muggles and Wizards, all dead. I don't know how long they've been using this for, but I think I'll be joining them soon enough. They got Dedalus Diggle last week," Hermione put her hand to her mouth, "poor old man, he was brave put up a good fight but he was thrown on the pile with the rest of them in the end. Some they don't bother to duel with, they just get it over and done with, but there are special cases as with everything."
"And you'd know all about that of course," she wept bitterly,
"Never talk to me about those days! Do you understand? I will here no more about that, ever." She snarled at her, in a way she'd never seen before,
"I didn't mean it like that. I love you Severus."
"I know,"
"So we'll do what we can here," she smiled at him again,
"What's Dumbledore doing then?" he looked at her, "Hermione?"
"Harry and Ron don't want to tell him, they think he couldn't keep you safe so they don't trust him any more."
"What happened was NO fault of Dumbledore's. tell him, tell him now, go, goodbye. Tell Dumbledore."
She looked at him, half-scared, he ws obviously having a very traumatic experience, but she couldn't go against her word to Harry and Ron.
"Hermione promise me you'll go and tell him now…"
"I…"
"Promise me! – Argh!" there was a scream and his face disappeared.
"Severus!" she shrieked, her face reddening, "No!"
A/N: I've realised that some might liken his experience to that of the Holocaust, this was not my original intention of course, but I do see Voldemort as a very Hitler-like figure; trying to eradicate those he sees as impure. I did in no way wish to offend and I sincerely apologise if I did, if people think it completely unjust I will of course edit the chapter. Please tell me your thoughts via review.
But anyway, that was kind of dark, I'm sure the next chapter will be too. But hey, we might get the romance back in soon. Oooh, anyone got any opinions about Hermione's predicament?
See you, thanks for reading:D
