Pathalon – All will be explained, just wait. I know it seems like I've been a little lax, but there's so much that I want to get to in so little time!
On with the story! Like I said, last chapter's shortness was because I didn't want to have too much happening in one chapter so I had to split it up so I could keep the story moving.
Los Angeles, California
"And Miss...Granger you said?" a sleazy looking man with greasy black hair and a stained white pantsuit guided Hermione into a dark, tiny apartment. "You can shack up here until one o' the nicer ones is empty. Since you're such a pretty face, I'll bump you up to the top of the waiting list," he winked. Hermione was surprised he thought so highly of her face since his gaze had not left her slightly exposed cleavage.
Lloyd Barrett handed her the key and left Hermione to get acquainted with her new surroundings. Putting her entirely too heavy bags on the floor she decided that her best choice would be to find the room she would need to get acquainted with first – the bathroom. Morning sickness was going to be a problem, since she had poured that horrible potion down the toilet.
That's right. Hermione Granger was still as pregnant as she had been the day before. Just as she was about to take the potion, she was hit by a startling realization that she did want this baby. It would be something to occupy her time, and to stop her from sliding into depression. In essence, by saving this child, Hermione would be saving herself.
But what was she being saved from? A life alone and unloved? The chance to stay in England – where he was. No doubt running was a cowardly thing to do, and very unlike a Gryffindor but nonetheless, desperate times called for desperate measures. She did not want Severus to marry her, let alone be in the same room as her since he clearly could not handle either. Yes indeed in her overly hormonal mind, leaving everything that she knew was the best choice for Hermione Granger, pregnant woman abroad.
"What do you mean she's gone!" Ron exclaimed as Severus broke the news to him and Harry. The shock on his face was apparent as his eyes became saucers. Harry remained silent, only his eyes displaying the true concern he had for his best friend.
"I went to her flat, to try to straighten things out with her. I searched the entire place and she was nowhere to be found. I thought she might be here with you two..." Severus's threatening demeanor had disappeared completely. He was exhausted with worry, having been searching for his missing, pregnant sort-of-ex lover for the last twenty-
seven hours. It showed on his face, bags under his eyes, a five o'clock shadow making him look more pale than he already was.
Suddenly Harry jumped off the couch he had been sitting on. "I know!" he cried excitedly. " Since I joined the Ministry, I've been checking out some of the new stuff that they're looking into. There's a somewhat experimental spell we've been working on and I think it may be just what we need to find Hermione." He continued to explain that all you needed was something that contained the missing person's DNA, such as a hair or toothbrush. The spell was cast over that, and a self-writing quill and piece of parchment were set next to the object. If that person had their wand on them, the spell would give you the exact latitude and longitude that the missing person was at within one hour. If they did not have their wand on them, the spell could take up to a week to complete.
"'Mione would never go anywhere without her wand. It's like another part of her body," Ron's hopes were back up now that there was a chance that they could find Hermione – and soon.
"I have to warn you though, this is an experimental spell. There's no telling if it will really work." Harry was completely serious as he knew that a good part of finding their friend relied on this one chance.
One hour later they were at the Ministry of Magic, in the second floor men's washroom specifically, crouched over a piece of parchment. Severus had Hermione's Hogwarts files in his hand, and Harry was re-reading the steps to the spell.
"Okay Professor, we need you to state what type of wand Hermione is carrying," he instructed, with a nod at Severus.
Loud and clear, Severus said, "Ash and unicorn hair, ten inches." The quill began to glow
Harry then did his part. "Locatus Hermione Jane Granger."
Ron set the quill on the piece of parchment, poised to write. Harry finished the spell with a few flicks of his wand and turned to other two men. "Now, we wait."
Being men, they did not understand the saying "a watched pot never boils". This also applied to "a watched quill never writes". For forty-five minutes, Severus, Harry and Ron stared intently at the quill until Ron whined. "It's not doing anything and I'm bloody starving."
"Shut up you insolent...never mind. This is your best friend we are talking about here, is it not?" Severus snapped. He too was getting impatient.
Ron glared at the dark man. "It's your fault that she's gone. You broke her bloody heart when you left last month. Why did you do that anyways? Nobody understands. Voldemort was gone, you had the girl you wanted, you didn't have to be a spy any more..."
"If you must know, and really I believe you two are the last that I should tell this, I left because I did not want her to waste her life with me. She deserves so much better. And to think that she would give up a life with a handsome, kind, caring man for me...I know I can not do that to her. The only reason I came back was because Albus sent me a letter telling me something terrible had happened."
Harry gazed in astonishment at his cold-hearted, seemingly emotionless ex-professor. "Professor, she chose you. She loves you, and to her you are handsome and caring. You are what she wants, and sure she is pretty enough to have any wizard who is lucky enough to meet her fall at her feet, but she doesn't care. She wants you, despite all your faults–" Severus smirked at that coment. "–And you really did break her heart when you left."
Before Severus could retort, the quill began to move quickly.
While in the midst of eating some Chinese food, Hermione noticed as her wand, which was sitting near her on they dull grey counter, began to turn an odd bright yellow. Although she was momentarily confused, she realized very quickly what was going on – this was that spell Harry had been talking about last week at work. They were trying to find her. That could not happen.
"Oh shit oh shit oh shit!" she yelled as she scurried around boxes. "They'll find me. And they'll make me go back with them to England – where he is. Oh what do I do!" Just as she had grabbed a bag to throw some clothes into a loud knock on her door made her freeze.
As the knocking continued Hermione debated opening it. Surely if it had been Harry or someone they would have opened the door by magic at this point. Quietly walking across the bare wood floor she opened to the door to...
"Hi there Miss Granger. It's Lloyd again. I found the spare key to your apartment, just in case you had a boyfriend or someone move in–" he winked "–you might want to give it to him."
Breathing an obvious sigh of relief, Hermione thanked her landlord and took the key. She raced back to her bedroom to throw more clothes into her bag. Surely they would not be able to get the spell to narrow her location down that specifically, perhaps she could just get out of the city...
The sound of a door being thrown open and male voices threw Hermione into a frenzy. She couldn't Apparate out of there – pregnant women held a very high risk of being spliced, and there was nowhere to run...
"Maybe she's in here." Ron's voice was dangerously close to her room. This was it...she would be caught.
Severus, Harry and Ron burst into the bedroom, wands drawn. "She's not in here," Severus muttered, keeping his face mute but letting his eyes betray his true feelings of disappointment.
As they neared the front door of the apartment, Harry said, "I'm going to write Hermione a note, to tell her that we were here. Why don't you two just go on downstairs to get us a cab. I'll only be a minute."
As Severus and Ron left, with the door clicking shut behind them, Harry returned to Hermione's bedroom. "I know you're in here Hermione. Stop being a coward. You're ruining both Severus' and your lives." He waited but there was no response. Sighing deeply he left the room, and Hermione removed her invisibility charm.
Stick with me. I swear on my little brother's life that the next chapter will kick butt.
