Voldemort pulled Hermione out of the house to his waiting servants. "Take her," he demanded.
Wilkes and Rosier quickly grabbed hold of Hermione, jostling her roughly between them. Voldemort toyed with her wand, before pocketing it. "Something to add to my collection," he said with a smile. "Let's go."
She knew she should save her strength and not struggle, but she just couldn't go quietly. "Where are you taking me?" asked Hermione boldly.
No one answered her. They just kept dragging her forward. Hermione ducked her head down to the hand that had a hold of her upper arm and bit down on it, hard. Wilkes or Rosier, she couldn't tell which, yelled in pain and released her. She used her free arm to fight against the other.
"Enough," thundered Voldemort as Hermione struggled against one of his Death Eaters. He raised his wand and stunned both Hermione and Wilkes. Rosier, who had been the recipient of the rather painful bite straightened up and approached his fallen comrade and their prisoner.
"Carry her," demanded Voldemort. "I want no more delays."
Rosier revived Wilkes and then picked up Hermione easily enough in his arms. The two Death Eaters gave each other irritated glances, before silently following their master away from Godric's Hollow.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Back inside Godric's Hollow Sirius, James, Remus, Lily, Dung, and Laura were still trapped behind the invisible barrier Voldemort had erected around them. They were frantically trying spell after spell to break the shield, but nothing was working.
"Come on," yelled Remus in frustration. "He could have her halfway out of the country by now."
"Calm down, Remus," said James. "Panicking isn't going to help Hermione now."
"That's easy for you to say," Remus spat back. "You have your wife right next to you."
James couldn't reply. He knew he would be feeling exactly the same way if their roles were reversed.
"Oh, why did she do that?" moaned Remus. "She's so damn impulsive sometimes."
"She's not impulsive, she's just brave. She was trying to save us," said Lily, putting a reassuring arm around Remus. "That's just the way she is. She would do anything to protect the people she loves. But don't worry. We're going to get her back."
"How?" he asked. "We're trapped. I've used every spell I can think of and nothing."
"What kind of shielding is this?" asked Sirius. "I've never seen anything like it in Auror Training."
"Me neither," agreed James. "Most shielding dissipates fairly quickly. Voldemort must have found a way to make it self sustaining."
"There has to be a way around it," said Remus.
"There is," assured Sirius. "We just have to figure it out."
"Why don't you just try to throw something through it," spoke up a small voice from the floor. Everybody stopped talking and looked down. Laura was sitting with her arms around her knees looking like she was using all her will power not to break down.
"Huh," said Dung.
"You know, like a window," she said even more timidly. "You could try to shatter whatever it is with a board or something."
"It doesn't exactly work like that," said Remus, not bothering to hide his annoyance.
"Wait a minute, she might be on to something," interrupted Sirius.
"Come on, Sirius. Get real. She's a muggle. What does she know about anything?" said Remus, his voice tinged with anger and frustration.
"Hey," yelled Laura, getting to her feet. "I don't know what you just called me, but I'm sure it wasn't a compliment. And may I just remind you that I didn't ask to be in the middle of all of this. But it seems to me that all your little wand waving isn't doing a bit of good and every second you all waste is a second Hermione doesn't have." Then Laura strode past Remus and picked up a medium sized lamp, sitting on the table nearest them, and flung it at the invisible barrier.
Everyone went running as the lamp sailed past them and shattered against the shielding.
"See," accused Remus. "Nothing. Now sit down, be quiet, and let us handle this."
"Wait a second, Remus," said James. "I think that might have done something. When the lamp hit the shield it flickered. Didn't you see it?"
"Here," said Sirius moving to grab the table the lamp had just been resting on. "Let's try this."
James moved to help Sirius. "Stand back," he ordered.
He and Sirius each took an end of the table and with all their strength heaved it toward the shield. The table broke, like the lamp, but not before the shielding flickered and then seemed to blink off. Remus rushed forward with his arm outstretched. When he reached where the barrier should have been, he encountered nothing. He didn't bother to stop or wait, he just ran through the house and out the door, with Sirius, James, and Lily on his heels.
When he got to the front yard, the emptiness of it overwhelmed him. "Hermione," he yelled.
James, Sirius, and Lily came up behind him. James put his hand on Remus' shoulder. "They're gone, Remus. We have to alert the Order now."
Remus wrenched away from James and moved further into the yard. "Hermione," he screamed hoarsely. "Tell us where you are, honey?"
"Remus," said Lily in a soothing voice. "We have to get help. I know you're upset, but we can't break down now. Hermione can't afford for us to."
Lily's soothing voice seemed to have a calming effect on Remus. He nodded once, before allowing Lily to lead him back to the house. "James, you have to alert the Order," ordered Lily. "Get everyone here as fast as you can. Sirius, Remus, and I will wait for you."
"If I get far enough away from the house I might be able to apparate," he said. "I'll be back as soon as I can." James took off at a run away from the house, while Lily ushered Remus and Sirius back into the house.
She forced Remus to sit down and sat next to him, talking quietly in an attempt to keep him calm, but more importantly to keep him in the house. She worried that he might try to take off and find Hermione by himself.
Sirius knew Remus was best left in Lily's capable hands so he went to check on Laura. She was standing next to Dung grilling him. Dung was looking around as if he'd very much like to escape.
"So exactly how many people are out there like you guys? Do you all know each other? Is it some kind of club? And who was that man?" Laura was throwing questions at Dung one after another.
"Laura," interrupted Sirius. As soon as Dung saw him, he quickly moved away from Laura.
She whirled around, surprised to see him. "I thought you went to get Hermione back."
"It's not that simple," said Sirius quietly.
"Have you called the police?"
"Umm, no."
"Why the bloody hell not? She's been kidnapped," said Laura angrily.
"Like I said, it's not that simple. We can't involve the muggles."
"Muggles, what does that mean? Remus called me one. Is it some kind of an insult?"
"No," said Sirius quickly, "of course not. It just means non-magic folk."
"Non-magic? You mean normal?" she said somewhat meanly.
Sirius set his jaw. "We are normal. We're just... different as well."
"To say the least," returned Laura, crossing her arms. "How could you keep something this big from me?" She laughed bitterly. "I don't think I even know what exactly this whole thing is."
"There are laws," explained Sirius. "We can't just run around telling muggles we exist."
"So then it's some kind of secret society?" asked Laura.
"No, not exactly. You have to understand. We're just trying to protect you all."
"Protect us," laughed Laura. "Yeah, you did a great job of protecting me tonight."
"Laura, I'm so sorry," said Sirius in a pained voice. "I didn't know what would happen tonight. Believe me, I never intended for you to get hurt."
Sirius seemed so upset that Laura immediately felt awful for being so harsh. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I just don't know what to think. I was so scared and I felt so helpless. I don't think I've ever been more scared in my life. I can still feel it."
Sirius looked down at his feet. "I can fix that, if you want."
"I don't understand," said Laura slowly.
"I can make you forget everything that happened tonight." He paused. "I could even make you forget that you knew me."
"How?" she asked curiously.
"It's just a spell. It won't hurt you," he said raising his wand.
"No," she yelled, backing away from him. "Stop!" She put her hands out in front of her as if he were attacking her.
Sirius quickly dropped his wand. "I swear it'll be fine. We do it all the time."
"You take peoples memories?" she said in a horrified voice. "That's awful."
"It's for your own protection," he tried to explain. "You said it yourself, you were scared."
"I don't want you using that thing on me," she said firmly. "Just put it away."
Sirius pocketed the wand. He sighed deeply.
"Are you okay?" she asked sincerely.
"I'm just trying to do the right thing. I just wish..." he trailed off. He couldn't have this conversation with Laura now. He didn't have the energy or the focus. The only thing he could think about was Hermione.
"Hermione seems like the kind of person who could handle anything," returned Laura quietly, reading his thoughts.
Sirius felt a lump grow in his throat. He nodded once, before turning his face away. "I'll take you home."
"No," she protested. "I want to help."
"You can't," he said simply. "If anything you'll be in the way."
Laura frowned, feeling the sting of the comment, but she let him take her arm and lead her to where Remus and Lily were sitting quietly. "I'm going to take Laura home before the others get here," he announced.
Lily looked up. "Okay," she said slowly. "But come right back."
Sirius nodded and gently pushed Laura towards the door.
"Sirius," Lily called. They both turned. "Come right back," she said firmly.
"Yeah," he said quietly and then he and Laura disappeared out the front door.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Hermione rolled over and felt pain shooting through her body. All her muscles seemed to have contracted and her bones seemed to creak as she stretched. She sat up slowly and took in her surroundings. She was in some kind of metal cage in an empty room with a concrete floor and gray walls. There was no sign of anyone else, but she bet that Voldemort and his Death Eaters weren't far.
She forced herself to stand, though she felt unsteady on her feet and walked to the edge of her metal prison. She put her hands on the metal bars and pushed, but nothing happened. She hadn't expected anything to happen.
She moved purposefully around her cage pulling and pushing at the bars, testing every one for weakness. She was startled out of her task when the door to the room opened unexpectedly. She jumped back and edged to the back of the cage.
She was definitely surprised to see who had walked in. "Peter," she gasped.
"I didn't believe it," Peter smirked. "I had to see for myself."
Hermione frowned. Peter definitely seemed more confident. She was sure he wouldn't sound as smug if a row of metal bars hadn't separated them.
"So this is where you've been hiding," she returned casually. She knew he was playing a game and as far as she was concerned she wasn't even going to act like she was the one who was completely helpless.
"Where'd you expect me to be?" asked Peter. "I'm a marked man."
"That really is the draw back of throwing your support behind the most hated man in the wizarding world."
"The most feared man," he corrected.
Hermione smirked, "if you say so."
Peter leered at her. "We'll see how long you keep your pretty little attitude once they start working on you."
"What do you want, Peter?" she asked through a clenched jaw. He had obviously come to gloat and she wished he would just do it and get it over with so she could get back to figuring out her escape.
Peter paused. He didn't really want anything. His only purpose in coming into the room had been to gloat over their new positions. Peter loved weakness in others, especially when he held the power.
"Wormtail," a voice shrieked through the air. Peter jumped and immediately scurried to the door.
"Hurry along," Hermione goaded him. "Your master's calling."
Peter gave her a hateful look before quickly leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.
With a sigh, Hermione returned to her previous task. An hour later, she was pacing in the confined space. Three hours later, she was beginning to feel claustrophobic. Seven hours later, she was sitting on the floor with her head between her knees forcing herself to take deep breaths. She had never thought of herself as claustrophobic, but the endless hours of entrapment were proving to be more than she thought she could handle.
The worst of it was the waiting. Not a soul had come to see her or check on her since Peter had disappeared. They hadn't bothered to feed her or give her any water, but she hadn't counted much on their hospitality. She almost wished they would hurry up and do whatever they were going to do to her and get it over with.
Hermione didn't know she had fallen asleep until she was being rudely awakened. She felt disoriented and slightly panicked as she woke to two men hauling her to her feet and dragging her from the room. She stumbled as she tried to get her footing and walk on her own. The two Death Eaters didn't seem to overly care whether she walked on her own or they had to drag her.
She blinked the sleep away from her eyes and began taking in her surroundings. Who knew the next time she might get an opportunity to examine her environment. Not that it mattered. They dragged her through one hall after another, none of them distinguishable from the last, before pulling her into a large empty room and unceremoniously pushing her to the floor.
"We have brought her, my Lord," said one Death Eater solemnly before scurrying away, followed by his partner.
Hermione righted herself and stood as quickly as possible. She was facing Lord Voldemort. She waited for him to speak, not caring to make any of this easy for him.
He didn't speak for several minutes. He only stared at her. She might have been unnerved if she had been a bit younger and seen a bit less in her life, but she knew too many people who had stood where she was and lived to tell the tale in the past, present, and future. That thought alone gave her the extra bit of courage she needed to return Voldemort's stare.
"I can see now," he began. "That Dumbledore's spy is nothing more than a weak little girl."
Hermione didn't respond.
"Stubborn to the end," he remarked and then continued to stare at her. Hermione couldn't understand what he was doing until it was almost too late. A sudden stray thought ran through her mind, an image of the door to the seventh floor that led to the Gateway.
Hermione shook her head, effectively clearing the thought from her head, but now she knew what Voldemort was doing. He was using Legilimens against her. She closed her eyes and thought back to fifth year. She had learned everything she could about Occlumency when Harry had been forced to learn it with Snape. She knew the theory, but she had never been able to practice and she didn't have a wand.
She could feel stray thoughts stirring in her memory, swirling and bobbing like if someone was stirring her memories with a spoon. He was searching, searching for her identity and her secrets. She had to keep him away from the truth at all costs.
"What, no Veritas Serum?" she asked, trying to keep her thoughts focused on the present.
"Unnecessary," returned Voldemort.
"But certainly more practical," she said, breathing deeply.
"Talking will not prevent me from getting what I want," he said. "I will know all."
Hermione didn't respond. It was taking all her energy to keep her focus. Then to her horror, the one image she wanted to see less than any other began to take focus. An image of Harry became clearer and clearer in her mind as Voldemort pulled him from her.
She felt like she was going to be sick and then she was on her hands and knees, unable to stand against the assault any longer. She tried to redirect her thoughts, but she couldn't, he was too far in. Then Hermione was on her back and she felt as if she were falling through a very large abyss.
When she woke she found herself back on the grounds of Hogwarts, under her tree by the lake. She felt disoriented and confused. Had it all been a dream? Then she noticed the considerable lack of noise she usually associated with Hogwarts. At this time of year, you could hear the students everywhere, but there was almost no noise, not even the sounds of the Care of Magic Creatures menagerie that was usually so loud near the lake. Also it felt unseasonably warm for January. She should have been freezing in just her robes, but she wasn't.
Then Hermione realized where she was. She had been here once before. She turned in a full circle, searching, and she wasn't disappointed. Near the lake stood two boys, one with a shock of red hair and the other with a mop of untidy black hair. She ran and when she reached them she threw her arms around both Ron and Harry, holding them tightly.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but life can be complicated at times. I'm heading for vacation soon, so I probably won't be updating for two weeks. I hope this is enough to hold you all over.
