DISCLAIMER: Although I am rich on love and all that good stuff, I am not rich in the money department…I'm a poor senior that has to pay for all my senior goodies, so I obviously do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Okay, sorry for the delay people but I have a GOOD reason. The internet people finally figured out that they were giving me free internet so until I get it hooked up and actually pay for it, I don't have it. Blaze also lost her internet so I can not use her computer. And Spirit, well…Spirit and her computer hates each other so that's no use. Sorry.

Chapter 27:

The only sound in the room was Hermione's audible gasp….

"Who is she?" Lucius demanded of Hermione and his trusted Death Eaters, staring down at the blonde woman lying on the ground in front of him.

"We don't know my lord," Garrison answered in a soft voice as he too gazed down at the woman.

"Harlem?" Hermione inquired, stepping closer to the woman on the ground.

"Hermione?" Harlem choked out, gazing hopefully at her. Fear was apparent in Harlem's eyes as she looked around the room at the looming Death Eaters.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked as she squatted down beside her. She looked at her once rival in concern as she looked for any sign that she was abused before being brought directly here. She let out a relieved breath as she noticed none.

"Just a little confused," Harlem admitted quietly so that only Hermione would hear.

"That's understandable," Hermione told her gently. Although she didn't really like Harlem, they were in the same boat now and they had to look out for one another.

"Where am I?" Harlem asked.

"Somewhere where you will not be leaving," Lucius said from his place near them.

Hermione raised her eyes and looked deeply into his. "Let her go," she pleaded.

Lucius smiled mockingly at her. "And why would I ever want to pass up the perfect opportunity for a muggle torture, hmm? I do say we've waited long enough for one."

"Muggle?" Harlem whispered to Hermione but looking at Lucius.

"Filthy, non-magical folk," Lucius answered her with distaste evident in his voice. His eyes hardened as he looked down at her where she was whimpering under his scrutiny.

"Just let her go," Hermione tried again. "She's of no use to you and you know it."

Lucius shrugged with an evil smirk plastered on his face. "Then it doesn't really matter if she goes back or not does it? Does it really matter to you?"

Hermione hesitated a fraction of a second before she answered. "Yes it matters."

"Does it?" Lucius drawled as he slowly walked towards her, his steps menacing.

"You can't lie to me Hermione, I can see that you don't care for this woman," Lucius told her truthfully. "What did she do to you? Hmm?"

Hermione refused to answer. Instead, she stared straight ahead, not answering his questions.

"Ah, I can see that you don't like her very much. Let's see, could this have anything to do with a certain black haired blood traitor that just so happens to be the father of your daughter?"

Hermione bit her lip to keep from lashing out. She did not want to give Lucius anymore leverage than he already had. He knew too much already.

"Come on, Hermione," Lucius smiled, "you can tell us. Do you hate her?"

"Hermione," Harlem pleaded in a broken voice and Hermione found herself turning her head to look at the other woman that, for a while now, Hermione had despised for her intents towards Sirius.

Tears sparkled in Harlem's eyes. She didn't understand the situation nor did she realize what would happen to her if Hermione showed the least bit of concern.

"Let her go," Hermione said again.

"Why?" Lucius asked. "What would I receive in the bargain?"

Hermione bowed her head and knew what she had to do. "I…I will…" She raised her head and looked him straight in the eye. "I will finish our unfinished business."

Lucius paused and observed her through narrowed eyes. "What?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "I will do whatever you want me to do, just…just let her go, that's all I ask."

Lucius shifted and studied her. "If I let her go, then you'll come willingly to me?"

Hermione swallowed her pride and her intense wish to tell him where, in no nice terms, where he could go and settled on saying, "Yes."

Lucius smiled. "And you will not fight me?"

"No, I won't."

"Brinson, Garrison."

The two men stepped forward and bowed to Lucius. "Yes, my lord?" they asked.

"Take Hermione to my room," Lucius ordered them. "Supply her with some fresh clothes so she can bathe and freshen up a bit. Guard the door."

They both bowed again. "Yes, my lord."

They walked over and lifted Hermione to her feet. They were uncannily gentle as they ushered from the room and down the hallway leading to Lucius' chambers.

Once they were out of sight, Lucius turned to the blonde that still sat upon the floor gazing up at him in absolute terror. Lucius smiled in satisfaction.

"You have every reason to be scared muggle," he told her scathingly. "What Hermione doesn't know, will not hurt her. You will not walk from this place alive. But first, I have to go see my son."

And as Lucius walked from the room, he smiled when he heard her cry out as his Death Eaters circled her, preparing for a long-waited muggle torture. If, if, she was alive later, maybe he would have his fun with her. But first, his son and then Hermione.

She was his.

qpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqp!AMAYA!qpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqp

Sirius opened the door to his and Hermione's cottage and froze. His stop was so abrupt that Remus crashed into his back, sending him forward a few steps. Sirius glanced down quickly to make sure his daughter was okay and found her snuggled up to his chest.

"Sirius?" Remus asked from behind him as he stepped into the doorway.

"Something's wrong," Sirius told his friend as he looked around the room.

Remus glanced around. "Everything looks fine to me, all neat and tidy."

"That's the problem," Sirius stressed. "Don't you remember how havoc it was the day we left here? Everything was strung out and nothing was put up."

Remus shrugged. "Maybe Harry or someone stopped by to clean up."

Sirius relaxed. "Maybe….," and then he saw the door. "The lock's been picked."

"How can you tell?" Remus asked.

"I just can."

Sirius sniffed the air and Remus followed suit, both using their animal senses.

"A woman and four men," Remus said after a moment.

"Harlem," Sirius said, catching the familiar whiff of her perfume.

"Who?"

"Hermione's neighbor. She subtly came on to me when I first moved in here. She's not my type, though, and Hermione made it clear that I was hers," Sirius smiled as he remembered the look on the blonde's face when he had revealed that he was Sirina's father.

"I take it she didn't like that too well."

"Well, she didn't try anything after that so I sort of forgot about her," Sirius admitted.

"Obviously she didn't forget about you," Remus said.

"I wonder what she was doing here and who she was with…"

"I don't think she was with them," Remus said softly, sniffing the air.

Sirius turned towards him. "What do you mean by that?"

"Her scent is stronger and I think she was here longer than them so they might have found her here and took her. I can't be sure though, but that's what it smells like."

"The four men probably tried to put everything in place afterwards."

"You might want to check around to see if anything is out of place or looks like it's been messed with."

Sirius nodded and placed Sirina carefully into Remus' outstretched arms so as not to wake her up. He walked over to the first thing, the desk, and began to look around. He noticed a piece of parchment that didn't look like it belonged and picked it up.

"Oh no," he sighed as he let the letter drop back to the desk.

"What?" Remus asked as he walked over to him. "What is it?"

"It's a letter to Hermione from Ginny after she graduated," Sirius told him in a grave tone.

Remus looked at him confused. "So?"

"It talks of her travel to our time."

Remus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay, we need to look around and see if there is anything else that is out of place and any clues they might have left."

Sirius felt his anger boiling. "What clues do we need? They were Death Eaters, I'm sure of it! Who else would have done this?"

"I don't know Sirius, that's why I said we need to look around."

"No common thief would clean up," Sirius pointed out.

"I know that but still…"

Sirius sighed. "Okay, just let me go lay Sirina down."

Remus handed the sleeping girl over and Sirius walked to her bedroom and placed her in her own bed that hadn't been slept in since Hermione's disappearance. He stared down at her face for a moment before lightly kissing her forehead and whispered, "I love you baby girl."

Remus was already looking around when Sirius came back downstairs.

"I think I might have found something Padfoot."

Sirius rushed over to his side. "What is it?"

Remus held up a bright orange stapler that he retrieved off the ground.

"A stapler!" Sirius asked confused. "It probably just fell to the floor."

"I doubt it unless it was stapled to the wall. Look where it is Sirius."

"So?"

"So…this tells us that there was a struggle before they left. These men were not friends of this Harlem or whatever."

Sirius scoffed. "I could of told you that. I'm telling you, they were Death Eaters."

"I'm going to go look around outside, you look around in here."

Sirius nodded. "Okay, but a lot good that will do since we already know who it was and that they aren't here."

Remus gave him a pointed look before walking out the door. Sirius sighed and looked around, mostly at the ground. He didn't see the point in this. They weren't going to find anything of great….

There. He walked over and picked the object up off the floor. It was a bobby pin.

Sirius paused in thought. This meant that Harlem was the first to enter, as Remus had earlier guessed, since she had to break in the muggle way. The other men must have used magic for Death Eaters would probably never use anything non-magical.

"Moony! I found something," he called and listened as his friend approached.

"I did too," Remus said, his face grave.

Sirius held up the bobby pin. "Muggle way of breaking a lock. This means that Harlem was the first to enter. What did you find?"

"There are tracks outside. They took her and they are wizards."

"What gave you that clue?" Sirius asked sarcastically.

"There footprints stop so they must have apparated," Remus said seriously.

"We need to talk to Dumbledore about…," he stopped as a green flamed roared in the fireplace and a letter came zooming out.

Remus picked up the letter. "It's from Dumbledore."

"What does it say?"

Remus opened the letter and read it before looking at Sirius anxiously. "There's an Order meeting tonight," he said. "They must have found something."

"Do you think it's about Hermione?" Sirius asked.

Remus looked thoughtful for a moment. "It has to be, or Snape. But wherever Snape is, Hermione is somewhere near. Lucius would want to keep Snape close for the sheer pleasure of torturing him."

Sirius nodded. "I'll be at the meeting."

He walked out of the room and Remus watched him. "Where are you going?"

"To call Lauren," Sirius answered.

"Lauren?" Remus asked.

Sirius' head appeared in the doorway. "The muggle babysitter."

"Oh."

qpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqp!AMAYA!qpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqp

Far away in the Headmaster's office of Hogwarts, Dumbledore sat in front of the fire, the piece of parchment that he had received earlier clutched tightly in his hands.

"Soon Hermione," Dumbledore promised softly to the girl far away, "soon."

His promise hung in the air as a light breeze blew in the window. Fawks nodded his head and flew over to perch on the aging man's shoulder. The promise would be fulfilled.

qpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqp!AMAYA!qpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqp

A/N: And that's where I will leave this chapter. I don't know when my next update will be since I don't have internet. I sincerely thank either Stephanie or Daniel, which ever one was kind enough to update for me. I'm hoping to wrap this up soon so I can begin to post my new story which already has 7 chapters written and edited by my beta, Ashley. Well, actually only the first 4 are edited since I never got the others sent to her before my internet got shut off but any ways…. I have another Sirius/Hermione story up under the penname Silenzioso Lupo (or something along those lines). The story is called Walk Alone.

BRAD PAISLEY AND JOSH GRACIN WERE AWESOME! I love those West Virginian guys (Brad Paisley). His ENTIRE band is from West Virginia which is awesome since most people don't even know we're a state.

Please review!