Disclaimer: I own nobody but Hermionie's unborn child. Then again I don't own Hermionie or Ron so maybe I don't.

Chapter 3

Harry left Draco's side to answer the door and found Ron grinning for the first in months.

"Hello stranger." Ron laughed sheepishly and invited himself in. Draco, curious as to who it was, entered the room.

"Hi Ron."

"Long time no see."

Harry closed the door and moved over to where Draco sat.

"We're having a barbeque tonight. Ginny's bringing some fireman she picked up in a bar and Snape and Lupin are coming too. Do you and Hermionie want to come?" Harry looked hopeful and Ron sympathised with him. His job had gotten in the way of his and Harry's friendship too.

"Sorry, I can't. This is the first time I've finished early in weeks and I think I should spend some time with Hermionie."

"That's fine. I totally understand."

"Thanks. I might pop in tomorrow. Bye."

An hour later, as Ginny tried to pull 'the Venice story' out of Harry and Draco and Snape and Lupin were busy getting smashed, the doorbell rang.

Lupin staggered over to answer it and, being delayed when he tripped over the table and lay giggling like a smurf on speed, watched Ron run in.

"Changed your mind then. Where's Hermionie?"

"She's gone!" Ron looked dishevelled and almost desperate.

"What do you mean she's gone?"

"Percy's taken her! He must have."

"Are you sure Ron?"

"Of coarse I am! Her wand's broken, she hasn't changed out of her pyjamas and the phone's disconnected!"

Ginny, Draco and Harry looked grave, while Lupin and Snape seemed to instantly sober up and Ginny's poor muggle fireman looked confused. Ron's eyes were wet with tears, almost ready to fall and tumble down his tired face.

"Harry, he hates muggle born's. He'll kill her!"

A week later nobody was any nearer to finding Percy. Or Hermionie.

Percy stormed in to the airy, ominous cell and kicked the damp, mouldy wall. Hermionie looked down and drew her knees closer to her chest, fighting the urge to cry.

"Why hasn't he found you yet? I've made it obvious enough! Stupid little bastard." Hermionie bristled at Percy's hatred for her fiancé and glanced up.

"Don't talk so ill of him. He's ten thousand times the person you can ever aspire to be."

Percy gripped her arm and pulled her to her feet, his face-purple with anger- inches from hers.

"If he's so great, then how come he hasn't found you yet? Or maybe he just never loved the vile piece of filth you are to want you to live." Percy flung her back to the floor and a strange look passed over his face as he watched her.

"Did Ron get you pregnant?" Hermionie protectively covered her stomach with her arms.

"He did, didn't he?" Percy smirked " Oh, the little prat!" He snorted and left the cell, laughing to himself.

Hermionie listened to his malicious laughing and the clang o0f iron gates down the corridor, and finally let tears cascade down her face.

Draco stared out of the window feeling useless. Harry and Ron were at the Ministry; Lupin had left Hogwarts that morning to see what he could find out and even Snape had put his duties as Headmaster on hold to go out looking for Hermionie. Harry, still crushed by what had happened to Draco last time he tried to help, refused to let him leave the house.

Hearing the door open and thinking it was Harry, Draco wheeled himself into the living room, leaving his wand on the windowsill.

Percy smiled widely at Draco's weakness. He knew that Draco was lame but the feeling of power he felt when he witnessed that never failed to coarse through his veins.

As Draco realised it was Percy he tried to reverse his wheelchair, tried to regain his only means of defence, but to no avail. Percy whipped out his wand and the wheels jammed, leaving Draco at his mercy.

"Hello there Draco. You don't happen to know where Ron is do you?" Percy grinned what may have been a charming smile, were his eyes not laden with sarcasm and hate. "I have something of his." Draco flared at Percy's arrogance and malignity.

"Just let her go, you unfeeling bastard." Percy's eyes widened in fury, then he calmed and sneered.

"If I were in your position I'd think very carefully about what to say. I have a very bad temper." He crouched down until his face was level with Draco's and lowered his voice to a whisper." Just ask Hermionie."

"When Ron finds you you're going to wish that you'd stayed in the pit of slime you thought yourself good enough to climb out of!" Percy straightened, wandered over to the mantelpiece and started playing with a ornamental coliseum

"Ah yes. When he finds me. I must say he's doing a shit job of it so far. So I thought I'd come and find him." Percy froze before throwing to coliseum at Draco. Draco snatched his hand away before the ornament hit the armrest and smashed on the floor.

"You've come to the wrong place, Percy. I'm not going to tell you anything."

"Oh dear, what have you become? And the Dark Lord had such high hopes for you." He sighed before circling Draco.

"Come, come now Draco. I don't have all day. Stop pissing about with me." He stopped in front of Draco.

"Crucio!"

Pain surged through Draco's body; every fibre of his being was on fire; his heart wanted to burst free of his chest; his body twisted and his face contorted. Percy finally raised his wand and Draco fell to the floor, twitching.

"Would you like to tell me anything?" Draco looked at Percy with disgust, before spitting at his feet. Percy looked disappointed before crouching down beside Draco's reduced form.

"We could be here a long, long time."

When Harry came home that night, the first thing he noticed was the silence in the air, and then he slowly deciphered a low panting in the living room.

Draco lay in the middle of the wooden floor. His face and hands were clammy with sweat and blood matted his hair.

Harry helped him to the settee and rushed to the bathroom to get a cloth and water to sooth his wounds.

As Harry dabbed tenderly at a deep cut on his forehead, Draco recounted the excruciating events of the past hours.

"What does Percy want with Ron?" Harry looked puzzled as he kissed Draco's head and sat at his feet, his arms folded over Draco's knees.

"I think he wants his position as Minister of Magic." Harry seemed unconvinvced.

"Why would he?"

"The more I think about it the more it makes sense. If he just wanted to kill muggle borns or hurt Ron he would have killed Hermionie and left her at her house. I think Percy's using her as bait to kill Ron and take over the wizarding world." Harry got up and walked aimlessly about the room.

"It's hopeless."

"On the contrary, it's just what we need. If he's using Hermionie as bait then there's a good chance she's still alive. Harry, where's Ron now?"

"He's still at the Ministry. Why?"

Draco's eyes widened and he flinched.

"When Percy couldn't get me to talk, he went to the Ministry to look for Ron. Harry, we need to find Hermionie quickly. Percy will make Ron follow him to wherever he is, but if Hermionie's in the way Ron won't kill him. And Percy will kill them both."

At that moment the phone rang. Harry picked it up and heard Snape's excited voice on the other end. After a quick conversation Harry hung up.

"He's found her."

"Well where is she?" Harry paused.

"She's in…Azkaban."