Chapter 3: The Help Of A Stranger

When Harry woke up, he was lying on a goose feather bed, in what looked like a low class hotel room.

Immediatley Harry sensed he wasn't alone.

He sat up, rubbing his forehead.

Sitting in a chair near the door was a figure in a grey robe with it's hood up.

It said something in Russian, and Harry shook his head.

"Sorry?" he said.

"I heard your offer in the tavern it vas very generous, you must be looking for something very important on that island" the man said in a heavy Russian accent.

Harry nodded, "My wife" he said quietly.

At that the man perked up, "Did she leave you Mr. Potter?" he asked.

"No she was kidnapped, and I've tracked her here" Harry said sadly.

"Vhy vas she kidnapped?" the man asked.

"Because of me, she's gone because of me" Harry said, looking at his shoes.

"I shall help you, but you keep the gold" the man said.

Harry looked up quickly, who was this stranger and why was he offering free help?

Harry decided to ask, "Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is… Isandorf" He said.

"Well thank you Isandorf, I appreciate it"

Harry couldn't help thinking that his voice sounded familiar, but he didn't know where he had heard it before.

They left the hotel at midnight and Isandorf led Harry to the docks.

"Ve vill row out to vere the island is and ve vill vait until the full moon rises in 20 minutes, and then the island vill appear" he said when the reached his boat.

Harry climbed in after him, and they set off.

They couldn't have picked a worse night for sailing.

The winds were blowing far worse than Britain had ever seen, and it was raining crups and kneazles.

"HOW FAR IS THE ISLAND?" Harry yelled over the roaring winds.

Harry could barley make out Isandorf's answer, but he heard.

"-OT -AR" Harry took that to mean "Not Far".

The waves were tossing the tiny wooden boat around like a toy in the bathtub.

And Harry knew, they might never find the island, they might be lost at sea forever.

Suddenly a huge wave loomed up over them and in a matter of seconds crashed onto them,

Harry was knocked unconscious by the wave.

Isandorf fought the waves and swam over to him. He grabbed Harry and tried to keep his head above water.

It worked for a few minutes, but then Isandorf too, lost all consciousness and sank beneath the raging waves.

Hermione could hear the storm raging around the island, even through the thick stone walls.

She remembered that on nights like this, Harry would always pull her close and comfort her.

She had always been afraid of storms, but Harry always made her feel safe.

She cringed at a particularly loud clap of thunder.

She could feel it, Harry was close, he was still looking for her.

And he had found her, she just knew, it was the connection they shared.

It told her he was close.

Hermione knew Harry would never stop looking until he found her,

But she hadn't been sure if he could find this island.

After all it was charmed to be unplottable, and only appeared during the full moon.

"Where are you my love?" she questioned aloud.

Harry awoke to the sun bearing down on him, he had apparently washed up on a beach somewhere, he hoped it was civilized land.

Harry groaned and sat up, his back was aching and his legs were stiff.

He opened his eyes, and was met by an unwelcome sight.

Water, lots of water, as far as the eye could see.

"DAMN IT!" Harry screamed so loud that birds in nearby trees fled.

"You might vont to keep it down"

Harry whirled around, Isandorf was standing behind him.

"Where are we?" Harry asked.

"I don't know, but ve can't apparate, I've already tried"

Harry felt a wave of panic wash over him, "What?" he asked.

"An anti-apparition jinx has been placed on this island for some reason" Isandorf said.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Harry muttered.

"Vatch your mouth or I'll vash it out vith bloody salt vater" Isandorf said.

Harry glared up at him, he still had his hood up, Harry hadn't seen his face.

"Take it off" Harry said in a menacing tone.

"Vot?" Isandorf asked, bewildered.

"TAKE THE HOOD OFF!" Harry said loudly.

"No, I don't…." he started.

"TAKE THE HOOD OFF NOW!" Harry bellowed.

Isandorf held up his hands in surrender,

"All right, all right" he said.

His hands glided up to his hood and pulled it down deftly.

A mane of thick brown hair fell out.

Blue piercing eyes, and a large hooked nose.

He looked like an overgrown bird of prey.

"Victor?" Harry asked in amazement.

"Victor Krum?" Harry hadn't seen him in years, aside from the world cup he had attended with his children after Hermione had disappeared, he couldn't say no.

Ron, who was England's keeper, had got tickets for them for the England vs. Bulgaria Game.

"Yes Harry, it's me" Victor said, blazing sapphire eyes meeting depressed emerald ones.

"Why did you…?" Harry trailed off.

"I did not think you vould vont my help looking for Hermio-ninny" Krum said.

"Victor, I would have accepted any help from anyone" Harry said.

Harry could see the tears welling up in Krum's eyes.

Quickly wiping them away, he said, "I am glad she found her happiness vith you" he said.

Then it clicked, "You don't still have feelings for her, do you?"

Krum looked away, "Apparently not as strong as you do" he said.

"Victor... I… Victor I'm sorry, but I love her" Harry stumbled over his words.

Harry could see the sadness in Krum's eyes as he turned around.

"Come on let's find a vay off this gotforsaken island" he said.

Harry smiled, "Let's"

They decided to split up.

"If you see anything shoot up green sparks, if you get hurt shoot up red sparks" Harry said, and Victor nodded.

Victor headed east, and Harry headed west.

After what Harry estimated was an hour of searching, he decided to rest.

He leaned back against a tree and looked up.

"What the bloody hell?" he said.

He saw something in the tree.

He debated for a minute weather he should send up sparks or not, and decided no.

He stood up and started to climb up the tree.

When he reached the thing in the tree, he almost lost his balance.

It was a skeleton!

Harry noticed light indentions in the left arm, where the dark mark had been.

"He was a death eater" Harry whispered.

Suddenly Harry saw a flash of blue, and lost his balance, he didn't know if he screamed or not, but the last thing he saw was the tree speeding away from him as he fell.

Victor saw a flash of blue light, and the shaking of a tree.

He was pretty sure he'd heard a scream too.

He waited and waited, for red sparks but nothing came, maybe Harry was too injured to send them up.

Victor decided to go look.

Being a Bulgarian assassin had it's advantages, Victor could move quickly through the trees without making a sound. If only he had his Firebolt, he could move faster.

But it seemed this island blocked any magic from leaving the island, so a summoning charm would be no good.

Victor had never been good in charms anyway.

He jumped into the next tree and kept moving until he reached the spot where he was sure he'd seen the light.

He jumped to the ground, and looked around for clues.

After a minute, he saw slight indentations in the ground where someone had obviously been dropped from a great height.

He then looked farther and saw tracks, as if someone had been dragged away from the spot.

He silently followed the tracks, they led to a cave.

Victor wasn't sure if he should go in or not.

After all, curiosity killed the kneasel.

"I haff to" he told himself.

Pulling out his wand, he walked in.

He didn't need to light it, he had been trained to see in the dark.

Victor crept through the dark tunnel, and saw no sign of light.

As he neared the back of the tunnel, it began to grow cold.

And that was saying a lot, considering where Victor came from.

When he reached the back of the cave, there was nothing, just a wall.

He figured there was a secret passage, so he lifted his wand.

"Open" nothing happened.

"Dissendium" Victor said, nothing.

"Lord Voldemort" again, nothing.

Victor was getting impatient.

"Dark Mark!" he yelled.

"STUPID DOOR!" He yelled, kicking it in fury.

A surge of pain jolted through Victor's foot and he suppressed a howl of pain.

He yelled something in Russian and tried again.
Again nothing happened, and Victor was getting angry.

"DAMN YOU, DAMN YOU TO HELL!" Victor screamed.

He decided to try one more time, and he thought hard.

"Morsmordre" He muttered, and to his surprise, the cave wall slid open.

To pass the time, Hermione would sit and think longingly of the days she spent with Harry, she had been here three years, and had almost gone over 18 years of memories.

The 29 year old witch would sit and remember her precious Harry.

Flashback

Harry Led The Team To The Teacher's Stands And Dumbledore Presented Them With

The Quidditch Cup. Harry Passed It To Ron Who Passed It Down The Line.

And After The Victory Ceremony, He Walked, Arm In Arm With Hermione Back To The Castle, Waving To The Cheering Fans.

"I Could Get Used To This" He Whispered In Her Ear,

"Money, Silver Cups, Screaming Fans, And Beautiful Women On My Arm"

She Slapped Him, "Fine, Except That Last One" She Said.

"Hey Pretty Baby, I Was Talkin 'Bout You" Harry Said Defensively.

"Well That's Fine" She Kissed Him, And Got Scowls From Female Onlookers.

"Looks Like They're A Bit Jealous Baby" Harry Said.

She Smiled At Them All Sarcastically And Said "He's Mine Girls"

She Showed Off Her Ring, "See?" She Said.

The Girls Scowled More And Hermione Smiled.

When The Team Reached The Castle, Harry Threw Open The Big Oak Doors And Walked In.

Upon Entrance, Harry Was Met By What Felt Like A Tornado Of Noise.

He Waved Everyone Off, He Just Wanted To Be Alone With Hermione.

He Whispered Something In Her Ear And She Nodded, "Good Plan" She Said.

The Team Marched Triumphantly Back Up To Gryffindor Tower, Where Harry Ran Up To His Dormitory And Snatched The Invisibility Cloak From The End Of His Bed.

He Put It On And Crept Back Down The Stairs.

He Threw The Cloak Over Hermione And They Proceeded Out Of The Portrait Hole.

Harry And Hermione Snuck Into Hogsmeade And Had An Eventful Afternoon. They Stumbled Back Into The Portrait Hole At About Midnight, Both Slightly Drunk.

They Kissed, Separated, And Went To Sleep.

End Of Flashback

Hermione smiled at that memory.

She had been so proud of Harry in that moment, he had made a lasting impact on the school.

Harry was perfection, and she missed him so much.

He always knew how to make her laugh, always made her feel safe, and was always perfectly sensitive when she needed him to be. Yes, they had their difficulties, but Hermione loved him more than life.

And Harry was always there for her, even now, he was with her, in her heart.

She had spent the first few months in captivity waiting for Harry to blast down that dungeon door, release her, sweep her off her feet, and carry her home.

But that was just a fantasy, Harry would never give up on her she knew, but he would never find her.

But she could still hope…

Because that's what Hermione did,

She hoped…..

Those were her words, "I Hope…"

She was always, Hoping Hermione….