Chapter 9: Say You'll Love Me Again

"Mr. Malfoy, I understand your situation but we must know everything if we are to help you." Dumbledore prodded him.

"Tara has taken Hermione, how and why, I do not know but from what I can tell they are both in danger. What else do you need to know?"

"And you say that Miss Granger is awake?"

"Yes, so can we get a move on it please?"

"But how?" Dumbledore continued to press for details in order to get a grip on what was going on.

"Does that really matter?" Draco was becoming more and more agitated by the numerous questions.

"It could be helpful in determining why she would be taken."

"I don't know how, I only know that Tara took her and somehow she woke up."

"I see."

"See what? See the need to find them?"

"No. I believe that you need to go to the hospital wing so that Poppy can take a look at you."

"Albus, I don't think that will help matters. Look at him, he's frantic, I think that he's right and time is of the essence to get to them." Narcissa interrupted.

"That's right and I'm going to find them, with or without your help." Draco declared as he drew his wand to ensure his escape if the Headmaster did not agree.

Harry had almost reached the hospital wing when he ran into Ron and Katie but the reunion was less than calm. Both parties were talking feverishly, trying to make the other understand their situations and what was lost in the translation was the time lost in the confusion. All that Ron knew was that out of control and Tara was solely to blame, what he didn't understand was why Harry was so desperate to find Hermione.

Attempting to make his oldest friend see the urgency, Harry focused his persuasive upon Ron fully as he spoke. "You have to help me find Hermione. Time is running out."

"Think Harry, she's in the hospital wing right now. What could be more urgent that finding Tara and Malfoy, for that matter?" Katie reasoned with him while Ron took on the trance like gaze and stepped between the two to block her access to Harry.

"Harry right, we have to let him find her." He droned in a hollow monotone voice.

"What wrong with you? She's right behind those doors, we have to find and stop Tara and Malfoy. They are the threat and her limbo is because of them." Katie replied shakily.

"She's not in there but I think I can find her if you would just let me be." Harry stated sternly.

"If, and I repeat, if that's true then you'll need out help."

"NO! This is my responsibility and my fate and no one else can interfere. At least not this time."

Sensing his growing agitation, Katie opted for a slightly different approach. "We don't want to interfere, only help and understand what is going on. Maybe we should check with the Headmaster and see what he thinks."

"Tell you what, you do that and let me know after all this is said and done." He hadn't meant for it to sound so cruel and condescending but she wasn't listening and he was running out of time.

"Look here, you would still be sulking in the shadows if it wasn't for me. If I hadn't told you about Cheyan, you wouldn't be here right now." Katie shot back at him, clueless as to her own miscalculation.

"No, if you had really listened to her in the first place then we could have protected everyone before it got this far." Harry responded as Ron watched in horror at the scene unfolding before him. He was going to have to pick a side and pray that it was the right one.

Jumping ever so slightly from the sound of his voice, Tara turned and came face to face with Blaise and the menacing grin plastered across his face. In the dim light of the tunnel and the playful glow of the torches, his normally handsome features were contorted into a hideous mask. Her heart literally skipped a beat from the sight of him as he strolled closer to her but softened in the bath of light.

"Merlin's beard, you scared the hell out of me." Tara stated after finally managed to breathe properly.

"My humble apologies, I only wanted to join in the fun. I was worried that you'd ruin it by telling too much." He explained soothingly as they embraced in a friendlier hug. This newfound affection between the two confused Hermione more that she initially comprehended and only intensified as they talked.

"You should have seen what I saw in her head. It seems that someone else has a plan of their own."

"What are you talking about?" Blaise asked intrigued by Tara's reaction to the visions.

"Malfoy has a ghost on board and a mission, do you happen to know anything about that?" she questioned almost as if she knew the answer but that was impossible, wasn't it?

"Yes." Sure it was a simple answer but it was the safest way to test the waters since the true nature of what she'd seen was still unknown to him.

"Who is with him?" She continued undeterred from her own goal.

"The Dark Lord."

"Why call him that, especially considering what we know?" Now she was reeling him in slowly and methodically, just as he had done to her.

"Maybe because you don't know who he really is." Came his reply as the familiar smirk settled back into its final resting place.

Hades watched from his crevice far below the scene above with great interest. Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined such fervor or resilience by these individuals but this actually pleased him to no end. Much like your garden-variety reality show, the human condition was always entertaining and full of surprises. At least that was his take until he began to watch the situation unfold between Tara and Blaise.

He was beginning to see the allure of war to the likes of Aries and Athena but the pesky freedom of choice notion was irritating him immensely. The pieces were put into place to perfection more than fifty years ago; however, the hunger for power and dominance had caused the path to be strayed from. No matter how many times he tried to tie up loose ends and clarify the path, another rouge pawn put a kink in his plans. Madness seemed inevitable and now all his hard work and painstaking preparations were in terrible jeopardy by a band of hormonal teenagers.

"Get me the girl." He commanded to one of his many minions.

A few minutes later, Cheyan appeared before him in her current celestial state with a distinct look of fear in her softly opaque features. Had she been a living, breathing creature, he was sure that he would have been able to smell the terror emanating from her. Oh how he longed for that but that too was currently evading him and for what? His greatest desire was mocking him like a carrot dangling just beyond the reach of a jackass.

"Enjoy playing with minds?" came the menacing drawl mocking her hatefully. She should have known better but she had to try.

"You wanted me to do it, didn't you?" Of course, everything always came back to this. She was far too predictable and he was simply the most recent to exploit it.

"You always had choices, my dear. You simply have a habit of making the wrong ones." He teased her mercilessly until just then, she had an epiphany of her own.

"Then why am I here?"

"For a little fun." The reply came naturally.

"Really? Are you sure that's all?" After regaining her composure and some much needed confidence, the question rolled off her tongue like butter on hot waffles.

"And what are you implying, my pet?"

"Nothing, except…" She stopped short for a little mystery of her own making.

"Yes?"

"I see what you see. I see the real connection." The answer was vague for a reason, she needed to know if she was right and he might be the just the one to confirm it.

Author's Notes:

First of all sorry for the delay but getting these files downloaded was a real hassle this time…hope you enjoy as the plot grows thicker…

Thanks to returning readers: Lady Serpent, Blood-Red-Pen-Tip, natty123 and Harrena Potter…you all are wonderful and have done more for me than you know. Thanks again and hope it's worth the wait…