To dancing in rain I'm really glad you are enjoying the story so far. :) I'm having a blast writing it. For the question about the veil, I'm unsure of whether or not I will touch on it and explain some of what happened, or if I want to make it a prequel to this story in the future. I haven't thought out all the details on what Hermione did exactly, but I have thoughts for sure on it. As for what is going on in this story..heh I suppose you will have to wait and see what they want with the witches and wizards. :) Some of Hermione's thoughts will be coming up soon, so you will get to know more about what she thinks of Sirius soon. For now I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Only a few characters will be mine in this story, otherwise the rest belong to JK.
Hermione was pleased with Draco's progress in learning the alphabet in sign language. The two of them were communicating with simple words here and there, but were careful not to look as if they were doing more than keeping each other entertained. Soon hopefully though they would be able to talk more about what was happening to them both.
Hermione turned her attention to the chain that hung down her neck. The man had left it on her and she wondered if that was intentional or a mistake. Her guess was that it was intentional. First it would degrade her, making her feel like nothing more than an animal that is meant to be led. Secondly it roused her curiosity so that she was quick to learn that either the leash was only in tune to him in particular, or that there was a trick to turning it on. She had of course tried the two buttons on the handle to see if they would work, but there was no pain as a result.
She also learned that there must be a certain trick to attaching and detaching them because there was no clasp to be seen on it. Hermione made a mental note to watch very carefully if she saw anyone else using it.
As she flipped over the handle she noticed a small bit of writing. She looked closer at it and read Crane Industries. Dropping the handle she furrowed her brow slightly. She recognized the name from somewhere and dug through her mind to figure out what it was that she remembered it from. Not triggering on it immediately, she decided to store the information for later hoping that it would come back to her at some point.
Movement drew her attention at the end of the aisle and Hermione tensed thinking it was the man from earlier. Her body only relaxed slightly when she saw it was a woman. The woman strode with confidence until she reached Draco's cell. Waving her hand slightly, two burly guards jumped at her command and opened the door to let her in.
Hermione watched as the woman's body language turned from professional to sexual and she was pretty sure that the woman's voice was much like a purr right about that moment. Her gaze drifted over to Draco who had stood up and looked resigned to whatever was to happen next. The woman lifted a silver chain up in her hands and Hermione tried to focus on the clasp. She sighed as she realized it was obscured from her view.
With a slight tug on the chain the woman led Draco out of his cell and back the way she had come from.
It was nighttime and Hermione's house was dark and empty. Ginny and Sirius entered through the back entrance and listened for any sound of intrusion. Hearing nothing Sirius gave Ginny a quiet pointed look and she nodded in response. Sirius watched as the young witch left the kitchen and headed into the dining room before he shifted into his animagus form. When he was fully shifted he shook out his fur and stretched his muscles. He put his nose to the ground to sniff around, trying to pick up any strange scents.
Having found nothing in the kitchen, Sirius followed Ginny's path knowing that the witch would keep her eyes open for anything suspicious so he could concentrate on the smells. Suddenly his hackles rose and a low growl rumbled through his throat instinctively.
There was someone else in the house with them. Padding quietly into the living room Sirius looked around before lifting his nose to the air. There, he could smell the foreign scent now, but it was the noise that disturbed him most. Ginny. He was worried now for the witch. Swiftly he ran through the room and came to the front hall. Looking around he couldn't see Ginny, but his nose told him that she had gone upstairs and so had the stranger's scent.
How many were there he wondered to himself. He could pick up at least 2 different people other than Ginny. He had to go help her now. Sirius bounded up the stairs and he tried to contain the growl that wanted to break the silence surrounding him.
Nose to the ground he moved silently in the hall until he came to what he could tell was Hermione's bedroom. Her scent was thick in his nose now and the animal in him reacted immediately to the one that he wanted as his mate. He opened his mouth and the scent could touch his tongue now, tasting her was even better and he wondered what her lips would be like under his.
Sirius shook his head to clear his thoughts. There were at least two people that he needed to take care of and he was filling his head with thoughts of kissing Hermione. What kind of person was he? With a soft sigh he crept forward and twitched his ears. Whoever it was had gone silent, and the fact that he could not hear Ginny disturbed him greatly. He had not even heard a struggle.
He poked his head through the door and nearly recoiled from the strong alien scents within. They shouldn't have entered her sanctuary, it only made Sirius's blood boil. This time the growl escaped this throat and he suddenly sprung into action. He had taken one leap into the room and yelped as he felt a sudden sting in his hind quarters. He wheeled around as he landed and his mouth clasped around a dart, yanking it out of his hindquarters before seeing the man hiding behind the door holding up a gun.
He barked loudly and went to lunge at him but suddenly his head started to spin and he stumbled sideways a few steps. Sirius tried to shake his head but it only made it spin worse. His vision started to blur and he started to see things in double, like the two Ginny's asleep beside the bed. His knees buckled on him and he tried to look around to see the other person. There by the curtain he saw a man smiling broadly and rubbing his hands together as if he had just found a most precious thing.
He slumped his head to the floor and tried to fight the sleep that wanted to overtake him, but he was not strong enough and soon he was breathing steadily in deep drugged slumber.
"A dog. She has a dog does she? Well I think this may make a certain witch very happy. We will take them both. My witch will have to be most grateful if I bring her pet as a present for her." Malcolm purred.
He had yet to really get to know the witch he had been paired with, the only real thing that he had on her was that her name was Hermione Granger, she seemed to love reading and that she apparently owned a dog. Malcolm watched as Douglas moved to the unconscious girl on the floor.
"Do you think she is one of them?" He inquired as he reached down and pulled the girl up into his arms.
"Probably yes seeing as she knows Hermione." Malcolm responded.
"Maybe I'll get a reward for helping to get her you think?" Douglas said hopefully. Malcolm smiled at his friend. "I'll be putting in a good word for you."
"Thanks." Douglas replied.
Soon, Malcolm thought to himself. Soon they would become one of the most powerful corporations in the world and it would all be thanks to the company's prized invention. His fingers slid over the silver bracelet that sat upon his wrist. The witch thought it was the leash that controlled the collar, he could tell that by the way he had watched her examining the chain that hung between her breasts. Malcolm suppressed a groan as he thought about Hermione's naked body. No in fact it was the bracelet that controlled both leash and collar and it was what tied Hermione to Malcolm.
"Get her to the van and then help me with this dog. This fucker is huge." Malcolm grumbled as he approached the black dog on the ground.
"Did you shoot it with enough Tranq?" Malcolm asked cautiously.
"Yeah, the thing should be out cold for a few hours at least." Douglas responded.
"Good. Lets get moving then. We will come back to search the house later. I want some of those books of hers. A couple look like they could answer a bunch of questions we have been wanted answers for." Malcolm stated.
Douglas nodded and took the sleeping witch out of the house while Malcolm waited.