A Haunting Lullaby – fire-and-ice89
A/N: A big thank you to all the people who reviewed the first chapter. Lots of compliments, wow!
A few questions were asked:
Which house was 'sleeping'?: You know I can't tell you that! You'll discover more about it as the story progresses.
Who was the second person at the end of the chapter?: Draco Malfoy! I did say that, in the very last sentence. Maybe you were skim reading.
How does Dumbledore know what will happen to Hermione?: He doesn't. I know that sometimes it seems like 'Dumbledore knows all', but there's no way he could know what will happen to Hermione. It's basic logic though: Hermione is Voldemort's captive, his main playing card in the war. Dumbledore knows that there is practically no chance of a successful rescue, which is why he said she was out of reach forever.
Okay, on with the next chapter. If anyone is confused about anything, ask about it in your review. I might be able to help you out.
Last Chapter:
Hermione looked fearfully to the other person standing before her. Ever so slowly, they started to bend down, like Lucius, until they were facing her.
Hermione's breath caught in her throat, and her world turned upside down.
The boy smirked, a natural gesture.
"Well, Granger, we meet again," murmured Draco Malfoy.
Chapter Two – Voldemort's Plan
Hermione reigned her composure quickly.
"You weren't always so cocky, Malfoy," she said with distaste. "But you're pretty confident now, aren't you? There's bars separating us, and your daddy to back you up if something goes wrong."
Malfoy was riled, she could tell.
"Shut up, mudblood." He hissed.
Hermione grinned widely when she saw Lucius step into view.
"Can't stand to see your son being beat?" She taunted.
The older Malfoy, however, was rather wiser and more experienced than his son.
"We'll see who's smiling once Voldemort's through with you," he said coolly, and Hermione's grin dropped from her face.
Lucius pulled his wand from his pocket.
"Expecto Patronum," he muttered, and a silver shield exploded at the end of his wand, lighting up the room.
Hermione flinched back from the sudden light. Quickly, she glanced around the room, taking in her surroundings. In the far corners, the dementors still hovered. Apart from the cage, there was nothing else in the room.
She turned back to Lucius and his son. Malfoy was scowling, looking very sour, and Hermione felt a flare of triumph.
But Lucius' face was cruel and cold, set hard. He looked her in the eye.
"We are going to take you out of the cage," he said slowly, as though she was stupid. "My spell will protect you from the dementors. If, however, you make a wrong move, I will no longer protect you, and trust me, the dementors will seize the opportunity."
Hermione gulped, looking at the dark shapes, and nodded to show that she understood.
Lucius gave a small nod towards Malfoy, who in turn pointed his wand towards the cage. "Alohamora," he muttered, and the cage door swung open.
Hermione stood, bent over double in the cage, and stepped out.
Her muscles were cramped. She stretched for a brief moment, before being cruelly prodded in the stomach by Malfoy.
She glared viciously at him, but he looked coldly at her and didn't react.
There was a hint of a smile on Lucius' face. He turned and started walking towards a door on the far wall, and, very aware of the dementors, Hermione stayed close on his heels.
Once they had stepped into the hallway, Hermione relaxed. She turned towards Lucius for directions, only to find his wand pointed towards her chest.
"Stupefy," he uttered, and she knew no more.
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Harry was taking slow steps across the room. He wasn't fully recovered from the battle, and he knew it.
Baby stepshe told himself, holding onto the wall. The most important thing here is getting Hermione home. Focus on Hermione.
Several minutes earlier, he had been awoken by a commotion downstairs. Out of the clutter of voices he could pick out several that he knew: Moody, Dumbledore, McGonagall…
Harry pieced two and two together, and decided there must be a meeting in process.
He wasn't going to miss it.
There was a full length mirror adorning one of the walls. He looked at his reflection, and smiled wryly.
He looked ghastly. His face was deathly pale, and there were huge black rings under his eyes.
He still had that bruise on the left side of his jaw. He winced, remembering the death eater's fist of steel hitting home, and rubbed the bruise tenderly.
He had bed hair, and he hadn't washed in God knows how long.
All in all, he was a mess.
The bathroom was behind a brown door. Harry walked slowly over and turned the handle.
It contained old-fashioned furniture, as did the rest of the house.
He was at the Black's. He'd figured that out for himself, by taking a look at several of the enchanted items still plastered to the walls. One of them was another family tree, similar to the one Sirius had shown him ages ago.
He'd woken up several times now. Mostly, he found himself alone, but just yesterday, Dumbledore had been sitting by his beside. Apparently, he had decided that Harry was well enough to hear an account of the events.
When Voldemort had launched his surprise attack on Hogwarts, no one had been prepared. No one had even considered that Voldemort would dare attempt to overtake the mighty wizarding school.
As soon as Dumbledore had realized what was happening, he'd traveled through the floo network to warn the ministry. He'd arrived back with an army of helpers just in time to save the school.
But too late to save Hermione.
Several death eaters had been captured in the battle, but Voldemort slipped through the Ministries fingers, taking Hermione with him.
And apart from Harry's 'dream', no one had seen or heard from her since.
Harry sighed heavily. He had the feeling there was something Dumbledore wasn't telling him, but there was nothing he could do about it.
He walked unsteadily to the sink, where he splashed his face. The cold water shook him awake further, and he rejoiced to feel his senses alive once more.
Refreshed, Harry left the lavishly furnished bedroom for the first time in days.
The hallway was just was he remembered. Moving from memory, he turned to the right, passing all the other bedrooms.
He was curious to take a look and see who else might be in them. Perhaps Ron? He hadn't seen Ron since the battle, and he hoped his friend had also been brought to the Black's house.
But no, he reminded himself. The meeting was his first priority.
By the time he descended the staircase, the foyer was empty. Mrs Black's painting muttered something in her sleep, and Harry shuddered.
He tip-toed past her, towards the large door to the meeting room. From behind it, he could hear voices murmuring, but it was too quiet for him to decipher what they were saying.
Carefully, he turned the door knob, and pushed open the door.
About twenty surprised faces turned to face him. Dumbledore half rose out of his chair, then sat back down in defeat.
"Please, come join us, Mr. Potter." He said wearily.
"But Albus, he won't – " Professor McGonagall began to argue with him, but Dumbledore held up a hand for silence.
"He needs to know." Dumbledore said quietly.
Harry looked around with apprehension.
"What?" He asked. "What's happened? Look, will someone please explain what's going on, because I've been told next to nothing."
Everyone in the room looked at each other, but didn't say a word.
Dumbledore gestured to a seat near him, and Harry went to sit down slowly.
Professor McGonagall said sharply, "Now, I'm sure Mr. Potter has lots of questions, and we can answer them later. Right now, we really need to discuss the urgent matter of – "
"That's enough, Minerva," Dumbledore said with force, and there was no trace of a sparkle in his eyes.
"She's right, though," said Harry. "I do have lots of questions, but I want them answered now. Did Voldemort win the battle?"
Dumbledore paused. "No. Hogwarts is still ours, but at a great cost."
Harry froze. "What cost?"
"During the battle, as well as our best student falling captive to the Dark side, three more students lost their lives."
"Who?" Harry whispered.
"Laurie Parker, George Baker…" Dumbledore paused, looking at Harry. Harry didn't know who the first two students were, but he had a fair idea he'd know who the third one was.
"Tell me." He whispered again. "Who else?"
Dumbledore was silent for a long moment before speaking.
"Ronald Weasley."
It hit him like a brick wall.
Before he knew it, Harry was sobbing. In front of all those grown men and women, he was sobbing like a baby.
But something deep down inside him changed. Some deep determination arose.
Harry tried desperately to still his sobs.
"We have to….we have to find Hermione," he gasped.
No one would look at him. Dumbledore opened his mouth, then closed it.
Minerva McGonagall took action.
"We were just discussing the situation with Ms. Granger." She said, rather gently. "It's a trap, you do realize that."
"Of course." Harry said, staring at her. "Of course it's a trap. They want to lure me there. But we have to go! We have to save Hermione!"
"I'm afraid that's not an option." She said bluntly.
"What do you mean?" Harry whispered. Then he raised his voice to a yell, and everyone jumped with fright. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, IT'S NOT AN OPTION? VOLDEMORT'S GOT HERMIONE, AND WE HAVE TO SAVE HER. WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO IT?"
"Please calm yourself, Harry. Yelling won't do anyone any good," Dumbledore said sadly.
"You! Why didn't you tell me," hissed Harry, rounding on Dumbledore. "You didn't tell me anything. Why didn't you save her? Where were you?"
"My dear boy, if Dumbledore hadn't gone to fetch the ministry, you-know-who would most certainly have possession of Hogwarts by now," said a jolly round lady on one side of the table.
Harry chose to ignore her.
"Harry, this is an extremely vulnerable time for witches and wizards around the world," said Dumbledore. "I understand that Hermione is your first priority, but it would be selfish to sacrifice the lives of witches and wizards around the world, just to save the life of one. Even if that one person is a very special girl, and very close to your heart."
Harry wasn't listening. He understood Dumbledore's logic, but it was so cold-hearted. To just leave her there…
He glared coldly at everyone around the table. They were all looking at the ceiling or the ground, anywhere but him.
"I see how it's going to be," Harry said softly, choking on his words. "But I've already lost one friend. I'm not going to lose another."
No one followed him when he left the room.
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"…really necessary, Lucius?"
A chilling voice.
Hermione shivered, and retched violently.
"Ah, she awakens." That voice.
Footsteps rapped across the stone marble floor. It sounded like three people…two at least.
Hermione rolled over and raised her arms above her head, trying in vain to protect herself from whoever, or whatever was coming her way.
Someone laughed, a small, cold laugh.
"You don't have to bother, girl. You could never protect yourself against me. Now, get up off the floor."
Hermione struggled to her feet, and found herself face to face with none other than dark lord himself.
"Voldemort," she gasped involuntarily.
She was hit around the back of the head, hard enough to make her fall to the floor again.
Lying on the cold marble, she whimpered. Stars were forming in front of her vision, but she struggled to stay conscious.
"No mudblood utters the dark lord's name." She heard Lucius hiss.
She remained crumpled on the floor.
"Get up, and apologize."
Slowly, she picked herself up off the floor again.
She was surrounded.
In front of her stood Voldemort, coldly inspecting her. Behind her stood Lucius and Malfoy, ready to grab her should she decide to run.
Wandless and idea-less, she had no choice.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled, staring at the ground.
Voldemort raised a finely sculptured eyebrow.
"…my Lord." She added, realizing what she wanted. It made her sick to her stomach.
"Look at him when you speak," hissed Lucius.
She looked into his red eyes, and was repulsed.
"I'm…" she swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, my Lord."
Something swirled in the depths of his red eyes. Hermione tried to look away, but found that she couldn't. He stared deep into her eyes, right to her soul it would seem. Assessing her.
For a short moment, he kept eye contact, but it seemed like a lifetime to Hermione. Finally, he looked over at Lucius, breaking the bond.
Hermione cast her eyes downwards, feeling incredibly dirty. She brushed off her clothes with her hands, as though she could brush the feeling away.
She turned to look at the two Malfoys, aware that something was happening.
The youngest Malfoy was sneering at her. She ignored him, and looked to the older Malfoy.
Out of his robes, he drew a small vial. Hermione's eyes widened when she saw the transparent liquid inside.
Verita-serum.
"Hold her, Draco," Lucius directed his son, who did so obligingly.
Hermione struggled against his grasp, but she had been weakened after her encounter with the dementors, and Malfoy held fast. Lucius reached out and pinched her nose. He held the vial in front of her face with the other hand, ready.
Hermione gasped quickly, realizing what he had planned, then clamped her mouth shut. She held her breath for as long as she could, but eventually she ran out of air. She needed to breathe, but Lucius was holding her nose tight.
She opened her mouth to draw breath, and the liquid poured down.
Satisfied, Lucius let go of her nose, and Draco loosened his grip. Hermione closed her eyes. It was all theirs. Anything they wanted to know.
"Ms. Granger," said Voldemort with a cold smile. "Where is Dumbledore right now?"
Hermione's eyes flew open. "I don't know." She answered truthfully. Voldemort frowned, trying to pick his questions more carefully.
"What is Harry Potter's greatest weakness?" He asked her.
Hermione paused. "I don't know."
It wasn't going well, and Voldemort knew it.
"What do you think is Harry's greatest weakness?" He asked.
This she had to answer. "Love."
"Ah." Voldemort said, contemplating that thought briefly before asking the next question.
"What is the Order's next move?" He asked her.
Hermione could have laughed out loud. "I don't know."
"The child is ignorant," Lucius hissed, shaking her roughly by the shoulders. "Didn't that fool Dumbledore tell her anything?"
Voldemort did not acknowledge Lucius' outburst.
"How much do you know about the Order?" He asked her.
"Not much." She answered shortly.
"Useless. Bloody useless." Lucius said, despairing.
She was. The information she held was virtually useless to them.
Yet still the questioning process went on. Hermione deflected away question after question, revealing very little to the three, yet telling the truth every time.
One part of her loved frustrating the Dark Lord and his most dangerous death eater, not to mention her arch enemy, Malfoy. But another part of her was afraid, realizing how foolish it was to rile someone so powerful.
She didn't fear for her life, though. Not yet.
Hermione wasn't stupid. She knew that she was the bait for Harry, and to lure him here she had to be alive. She also knew that no matter how much danger that would put him in, Harry would never leave her alone here. He would come. Of course he would.
She just wished he would hurry.
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Voldemort looked out the window, not really seeing the view.
Lucius and Draco had just left to return the girl to her cell. She had known very little. Voldemort smiled grimly. Dumbledore wasn't a fool.
He didn't turn around when he heard the door open. For a few minutes, he stood there in silence, waiting. Finally, he heard Lucius speak.
"My Lord," he began, but Voldemort held up a hand to stop him.
Slowly, he turned around. Lucius and Draco stood by the door, uncertain, trying to gauge his reaction. They obviously expected him to be angry.
He was not.
"She couldn't tell us anything," he stated simply. Lucius hesitated, then nodded.
"She is not, however, useless. She is the bait for Harry Potter, and as we all know, he will come for her. And while we wait for his arrival, I have a plan. A way to put her to use."
"What's your plan, my Lord?" Lucius asked eagerly.
Voldemort paused, and seemed to ignore Lucius' question. Instead, he turned to Draco.
"You've done very well, Draco," he said, and the boy puffed up with pride. "You've proved yourself to be a loyal supporter. Without your inside information, the attack on Hogwarts wouldn't have been nearly so successful."
Draco suddenly looked confused. So did Lucius.
"My Lord," he interrupted. "The mission failed."
Voldemort turned on him.
"Do you dare to defy me?" he hissed.
"No, my Lord. I'm sorry, my Lord," Lucius said hurriedly, backing away.
"We have the girl." Voldemort said. "You might think she's useless, but that just proves how short-sighted you really are."
Lucius winced at the insult, and Voldemort turned back to Draco.
"As I was saying, you have done very well. I think you might be ready for training."
"Training?" Draco asked, and his eyes lit up. Lucius made a sound of disagreement from the corner, but wisely chose not to interrupt again.
"However," Voldemort continued, and Draco looked wary. "I think you need a partner. The two of you could train together, and embark on your missions together."
Draco was puzzled, but Lucius was catching on.
"My Lord, I agree with you completely, but you can't possibly mean that – "
"Hermione Granger will be your partner."
Draco was horrified. "I'm not working with a mudblood!" He exclaimed.
Lucius presented his argument rather more rationally. "My Lord, she's the best friend of your enemy. Do you really think she'd work for the dark side so willingly?"
Voldemort sighed. "You see, Lucius, this is why I am the dark lord, and you are merely my right hand man. You don't have the creativity necessary to complete a job. Hermione would not knowingly work for the dark side, I agree. But what if she didn't know any better? What if she, say….forgot about Dumbledore and Harry and that fool cause. If all she knew was us, and all we showed her was kindness, wouldn't she be in our favour?"
Comprehension dawned.
"So…you'd wipe her memory?" Draco asked, and Voldemort nodded.
"My Lord, it's a brilliant plan, I must admit," Lucius said, "but the fact still remains that she is a mudblood. I won't have my son work with one of those." Draco nodded vehemently.
Voldemort sighed. "I had hoped it wouldn't come to this. You see, I plan to go ahead with this, whether you agree with me or not."
"What do you mean," Lucius asked suspiciously, but Voldemort already had his wand raised.
"Obliviate!" He cried out, and a blast of light hit Lucius Malfoy in the chest. Draco gave a yell and tried to run, but Voldemort called out the curse again, and he stopped in his tracks.
Father and son both shook their heads, obviously disorientated. They looked around confused, but when they saw Voldemort they both stood to attention.
"Sorry, my Lord, I didn't realize you were there," said Lucius.
"You're forgiven, Lucius. I was just speaking with Hermione Granger," said Voldemort, with a sly smile.
"Who?" Asked Lucius, puzzled.
"Exactly."
A/N: Now, I did my research like a good girl. In book two, Gilderoy Lockhart used "Obliviate" to wipe memories clean. However, in the beginning of book four, when Harry and the Weasleys are going to the World Cup, the exact same spell is used on the muggles there to make them forget that wizards are around. They still know who they are and where they are, though.
So, the conclusion I came to was: the person casting the oblivious spell must be able to choose how much of the person's memory to wipe. In this case, Voldemort only erased Lucius' and Draco's memory of Hermione, and nothing else.
I'm absolutely begging you to leave a review. I've planned out most of this story, but I haven't written that much and I want to know if I should continue. So, leave a review. Tell me what you think.
Next Chapter: Harry tries to play hero, but he's too late. Voldemort's plan is underway.