DISCLAIMER: Okay, listen up! I, one Meia Crites of West Virginia, do not own one Harry Potter. This is a declaration of un-ownership from before said party. All complaints against one said Meia Crites is thereby proclaimed deficient and unstanding without a basis for suing. Thank you.
WARNING: Anyone who gets extremely purple in the face with anger when faced with cliffhangers should take deep breaths throughout this chapter to avoid explosion. Thank You.
A/N: Okay, since last chapter…it's the day after Hermione was taken. Sirius has yet to return. A rumor reached the Order of the new Dark Lord's hide out. Dumbledore sent a team out to investigate. And that is where we are now…
Chapter 21:
"Keep quiet Tonks!" Moody growled, his magical eye swirling around frantically, searching the wooded area they were currently bedded down in. (A/N: anyone else think of deers there? Nope, probably just me.) Harry, Tonks, Moody, Emmeline Vance, and Bill were combing through the forests nearby a town that it was rumored to be the home base of the new Dark Lord.
"Mad-Eye, I don't see anything," Tonks huffed.
"Of course you don't see anything!" Moody scolded. "Can you see through the trees? I think not so kindly keep quiet while I make sure there is no one around."
Tonks made a face at his back and Moody growled, "I saw that," but Tonks remained quiet thereafter.
"Anything Alastor?" Emmeline asked quietly.
"No," he muttered, "nothing. But that doesn't mean we go rushing through here without being cautious," he added as Tonks made to jump up. "Remember,"
"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Harry and Tonks finished for him, grinning.
Moody shook his head and muttered something that sounded like "Youngsters these day…no respect."
He moved silently, well as silently as he could with the peg leg, over the forest floor, being careful to avoid twigs or anything that might give away their position. The others followed without questioning, following his path, watching all sides for any signs of an attacker.
They had only moved about thirty feet when a twig snapped suddenly near them. Everyone held their wands out, looking around frantically for the unwanted visitor.
Then, "Er…sorry bout that," Tonks muttered, blushing a mad red.
"TONKS!" Emmeline and Moody whispered furiously. Bill and Harry just grinned at her.
"I can't help it!" She immediately said, defending herself. "I'm clumsy, it's in my genes."
When Harry saw that Moody was about to let her have it, he decided to help her a bit. "Maybe we should just keep moving incase someone else heard it," he suggested.
Moody's magical eye swiveled to him. "Good thinking Potter. Let's move."
They once again followed his lead, more carefully now of course. Tonks creeping along more carefully than anyone else.
Harry stopped and since he was right behind Moody, everyone else had to pull to a stop also. "I don't think she's here."
Moody turned towards him. "What makes you say that Potter?"
"I…I just have this feeling that this is a trap," he muttered. There was an uneasy feeling in his stomach that had been bothering him since they first stepped into this forest.
"We can't just go on your feelings Harry," Emmeline said. "We have to search these woods. There was a rumor…"
"The rumor could have been started to draw us here," Harry said impatiently.
"All the same," Emmeline said quickly.
Bill looked at Harry seriously for a moment, studying him. "Look, maybe Harry is right. I mean, what if the Dark Lord or whatever he's calling himself didn't want us to know this soon about him. He would want to cover up his mistake by taking out as many of us as possible in one go. He could of just been after Hermione and Ron got in the way, revealing himself in the process of killing Ron," he said thoughtfully.
Moody's eye was swirling more madly than ever. "That is something we cannot overlook, I agree, but we were given orders to…"
But suddenly he stopped and motioned for them all to get down. They hunched behind anything that could hide them and waited. Distantly, the sound of hushed footsteps and the rustling of cloaks over fallen leaves could be heard. They were getting closer….
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"Shh, come on now, don't cry," Ginny begged a screaming Sirina. Ginny was nearly hysterical, not being all that great with dealing with deafening babies. This one had to top a new high of how ear-splitting a baby's scream could be. "Oh please Sirina, please for me…"
"What's wrong here?" Molly asked as she entered room where Sirina's stuff had been temporarily been set up.
Ginny looked thankfully at her mother and handed the baby over. "She won't stop crying. I don't know what's wrong with her."
"Did you try feeding her?"
"Yes."
"Changing her?"
"Yes."
"Putting her down for a nap?"
"Yes."
"Rocking her?"
"YES MUM!"
Molly studied the baby in her arms, bouncing her lightly hoping that would quiet her down some. "She must be missing her parents."
"So what do we do?" Ginny asked desperately.
Molly shook her head sadly. "I don't know, I honestly don't know."
Ginny bit her lower lip and looked at her mum. "Do you ...do you think Hermione and Sirius are alright?"
A single tear escaped Molly's eye. "We can only hope for the best Ginny dear."
Ginny looked defiantly at her mother. "Well, maybe the best isn't good enough."
"Ginny…"
"No!" Ginny protested. "I refuse to think the worst. They have to be alright. They just have to be. Maybe Sirius has found her already and they're together. Maybe she's escaped and ran into Sirius and they're on their way home right now. Maybe…"
Fear engulfed Ginny as she realized the unlikelihood of each situation. She collapsed to the floor, her tears overcoming her. She felt her mum sink down beside her, Sirina's cries now subsided, and engulf her in a hug.
"We have to be strong for them Ginny. We have to be strong for everyone, especially Sirina. She isn't old enough to understand the situation, though I'm sure she has the general idea that she may never see her parents again. We have to take care of her."
Ginny nodded mechanically and fought back the tears that threatened to spill. "It's just hard…"
"I know baby, I know, but everything will be alright in the end, you'll see."
"I miss him mum," Ginny muttered into Molly's shoulder and felt her mum's grip tighten around her.
"I do too, honey, I do too."
The sound of the front door shutting down below broke them apart. Ginny drew her wand, Dumbledore had warned them about protecting themselves more than ever since they did not know who the enemy was, and walked stealthily to the door. She peered down the stairs. Her mouth fell open as she saw who was standing there. It was….
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Sirius sank down behind the tree, listening for any signs of movement. The rain fell steadily down, beating the hard earth in a savory dance. His body shivered involuntarily as the rain soaked clear through to the bones. But he would not stop his search.
He had followed the two death eaters that he had heard in the pub talking. They were both idiots for talking openly Sirius thought. But they may lead him to Hermione and Sirius refused to give up hope.
He had been tracking them since they left the pub. They had led him into the country side near a muggle village. It looked vaguely familiar but Sirius did not take time to try to remember where he had seen it before. He had to keep his mind focused.
They had disappeared inside a small cave some time ago and had yet to emerge. Wanting a closer look, Sirius silently changed into Padfoot and made his way surreptitiously to a patch of bushes near the cave entrance where he could hide.
He remained in animagus form since he blended in to the darkness of the night better and undoubtedly could hear better. He strained…yes, there was talking, a low murmur of voices echoing softly from the cave walls.
Laughter rang out from inside the cave, a shrill sound sending shivers down Sirius' spine. He inched closer…
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The flames licked at each other, a small puff of smoke escaping from the small fireplace while the tired Headmaster of Hogwarts sat in a large chair, head in his heads, staring but not seeing the fire in front of him. The last battle had worn him out and now…. now his age was finally catching up with him. But he had to fight….he had to fight one more time.
Dumbledore shook his head slightly to draw himself out of his trance. He couldn't lose concentration now. Hermione and Sirius were in trouble. They had to be found.
A light knock sounded at his door and Dumbledore smiled softly. He was expecting this.
"Come in," he said in his quiet, calm voice.
The door creaked open, "Albus?" Snape questioned as he stepped silently into the room. He glanced around the room and saw the headmaster sitting in front of the fire.
"Come in my boy and take a seat," Dumbledore said, waving his hand slightly to indicate a chair near him.
Snape walked to the chair and took a seat. Neither talked for a while. Dumbledore continued to stare into the fire while Snape studied his mentor, also known as the greatest wizards of all time.
"No my boy," Dumbledore said gently as if he could read Snape's thoughts, "I am not the greatest. That title is reserved for someone else."
Snape narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Who?"
For the first time since Snape entered the room, Dumbledore looked at him. "Harry."
"Potter?" Snape said in shock. "I see nothing special about him," he added with distaste evident in his snide voice.
Dumbledore chuckled softly. "You will in time. All he needs is to believe in himself and he will surpass any other wizard. He has more powers than he knows of."
"What sort of powers?" Snape asked quietly.
"Powers that will need to be mastered. Powers that could be dangerous if he does not know how to control them. Powers that will help the light prevail." (hint, hint!)
Dumbledore sat there for a moment, lightly stroking his long white beard. And then he said, almost to himself, "But first, he needs to understand. Only with understanding will he find the way."
Snape nodded but did not question the old Headmaster. He knew he would not get a direct answer from him. Instead..
"Albus?"
"Yes Severus?"
"Do you…do you think we are on the verge of another war?" He asked quietly. He was afraid of the answer he might receive.
"I'm afraid so," Dumbledore answered in an equally quiet voice.
"What are we going to do?"
"We will alert the Ministry first. Kingsley Shacklebolt will undoubtedly be more cooperative than Cornelius about this issue. We then need to get people behind us."
"How many?"
"As many as possible. We do not know the enemy or how many they have already on their side. We need to be prepared for the worse."
Dumbledore sighed. "If only we didn't lose Minerva in the last battle."
Snape nodded. "I am not trusted as I was with Voldemort."
"I expected as much," Dumbledore said with a slight nod of his head.
They elapsed into a silence again, both of them staring into the intricate dance of the flames. Both of them wondering what would happen to the wizarding world but not daring to voice their fears.
Finally Dumbledore looked away from the flames and at the Potions Master. "Go to bed. It will be a while before any of us hear any news and you will need to be well rested for what is in store for us during the next couple of days."
Snape nodded and rose from his seat. "You should get some rest too Albus."
"I will in due time. Goodnight."
"Goodnight Albus."
Dumbledore listened for the soft 'click' of the door signaling Snape's exit. Then he went back to thinking. Sleep would evade him this night.
A soft screech and a small 'peck' alerted him. He rose, withdrawing his wand just to be safe, and looked for the maker of the sound. He saw a large black owl sitting on the widow ledge staring determinedly back at him. Tied to it's leg was a letter.
Dumbledore made his way to the window and allowed the owl entrance. It hooted softly at him as he removed the letter from it's leg and flew back out the opened window. Dumbledore then looked at the letter addressed to him in unfamiliar handwriting. Written in blood red ink was…
Albus Dumbledore
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster Office
Carefully, he slit the letter open, the contents spilling out onto him. He gave a small gasp and…..
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Hermione jerked at the chains holding her to the wall, trying against all hope that maybe she could somehow escape. No such luck. The chains held tight, rubbing her wrists raw.
The dungeon she was being held in was very small with little light seeping in, giving her just enough so that she could see around her. Water seeped in through the cracks giving the place a musty smell, causing an annoying drip to run constantly. (think when water drips into your sink all night and you can hear it…drip, drip, drip, drip)
Hermione sighed loudly and collapsed to the ground. She didn't know how long she had been in here but she was tired, hungry, and very agitated. She wanted to know why she was here and who the bloody hell was in charge of the flank of idiots that kept coming to check on her every little bit.
She wanted someone with intelligence to converse with. She didn't even bother speaking to those that came into her cell. She doubted they'd understand any words with more than two syllables anyway.
She jerked her head up as footsteps sounded down the corridor leading to her cell. They were drawing closer. She waited patiently…
"Er…you okay in there?" A gruff voice asked from outside her door.
"Oh yeah, I'm perfectly content sitting in a puddle of stagnated water," Hermione said sarcastically, glaring at the man through the little peep hole in the door.
"Er…alright then," he replied and Hermione groaned. How stupid were these people?
The footsteps walked back down the corridor, away from her small cell. She sighed in desperation and drew her knees up to her chest, seeking warmth. Where was she?
Her eyes slowly drifted shut from exhaustion. Her head lolled around, resting softly on her shoulder… she was so tired….
"WAKE UP!" A gruff voice called, bringing Hermione out of her dreams of salvation.
She looked up to see a tall man looming over her. He reminded her of a young Crabbe- big muscles, little brains. "May I help you?" she asked sweetly, glaring at the man.
"You can help me by standing up," the man growled.
With slow resolution, Hermione stood, making sure to take her dear old sweet time in doing so just to irk the man further. When she finally was all the way standing, she smiled sweetly at the man. "Anything else?"
The man bared his teeth at her. Up close, Hermione deemed that this man was even more bigger than she had originally thought. His skin was a sickly color and his eyes showed no emotion. He had little hair upon his head and his face was badly scarred.
"You've got a visitor," he growled.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. A visitor? Who could it possibly be?
Her eyes snapped to the door as it creaked open. A figure stood there, illuminated by the glow of the torches lining the corridor behind him, his body a silhouette against the light. And then he stepped further into the room and closer to her.
Hermione's eyes widened and she immediately took a step back, not truly believing her eyes. "Y…you? You're the new Dark Lord?"
The figure smiled (sorry, I can't give it away just yet…), "Yes Hermione, I am. Did you expect it to be someone else?"
Hermione shook her head slowly, wishing for a way to escape as he loomed threateningly towards her. "No….You're dead…," she whispered.
He chuckled, "No Hermione, I'm very much alive and I have a little present for you."
He motioned towards the door where the two idiots that came to check on her every day entered dragging something or someone behind them. Hermione's eyes widened and her breath caught as she saw that it was….
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A/N: And my chappie of cliffies is finished! Am I horrible or what? Hee, hee, hee. So now your faced with a series of unanswered questions… have you figured them out yet? I might take pity on you guys and tell you who the Dark Lord is in the next chapter but we'll see…. No, it's NOT Ron, though I did consider it. It would have been an evil twist on things. I'm sorry but someone had to die in this story and, like one reviewer said, better him than Hermione. Let's face it, he wouldn't have been a major character anyway. Maybe Luna…hmmm….she has blondish hair…. Or…gasp! Neville! There are clues, after all, pointing to him. He 'supposedly' died, he had blond hair, he could have a reason for taking her. Oh, the possibilities!
Moving on, I'm having a little problem with checking my reviews. It only shows some of them so if I missed you and you got the answer right, I am SOOOO sorry! The winners (and they get a free IMAGINARY 6th book) are….
Morena-Forever- wow, you get a lot of these right…hmm….; sirusblackshottie- preordering wouldn't do me any good since our mail lady has a temperament of only delivering mail on days she wants too… ; and orlandoschick08- hee, hee, you act the same way about your guys' holidays as I do our…really it's just a chance to blow things up with fireworks..
The answer was… JOHNNY MATHIS!
Congrats to all you! Now I have a new question. And since this one should prove to be relatively easy, by my standards at least, the prize is an imaginary season pass to any sport you so choose. Please, PLEASE state which sport you wish to gain the season pass to. If not, I will be forced to choose for you and you will probably end up getting passes to my favorite teams and such (Nascar, Greenbay, Patriots, etc.)
Q: What actor 'danced' his way into children's hearts playing a news anchorman in a 1992 children's tv series and later became a "king". (Of course you realize not really, really a king.)
Got an answer? Review!
Okay, being stuck in the house without any company proves to be very boring. But I force myself to write. I had this chapter mostly done and would have had it up a couple of days ago if it hadn't been for the storms we got recently. Finally! Some rain! I could of updated then, but I was out chasing my dad's escapee of a dog around my neighbors yard all day. Not fun and not pretty. My dog, being so much like me I guess, just sits by the dog dish and looks at me expectably to feed her. And they say animals are dumb! But I might be getting a goat! Yippee! Er…ahem, back to the topic at hand… I apologize for the wait.
You know the drill! PLEASE REVIEW! Thank you to all of you that do. You make my day! Thank you!
!Amaya!
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