A/N: A really long quote/lyric thing. Um…what's to say? The few anonymous reviews are answered below…I hope everyone has had a great vacation, I'm sad because I have school again tomorrow. tear

Chapter 20: Confessions, Betrayals and Kidnappings…Oh My!

CHRISTINE

Can I ever
escape from that face?
So distorted,
deformed, it
was hardly a face,
in that darkness . . .
darkness . . .
(trancelike, then becoming more and more ecstatic)
But his voice
filled my spirit
with a strange, sweet sound . . .
In that night
there was music
in my mind . . .
And through music
my soul began
to soar!
And I heard
as I'd never
heard before . . .
RAOUL
What you heard
was a dream
and nothing more . . .
-Raoul, I've Been There,The Phantom of the Opera

"Hermione…I can't believe this!" Ron was almost giddy with excitement. "We thought we'd never see you again!"

Hermione laughed and then clutched her stomach in pain. She waved at the boys, motioning to them that she was okay. "It'll pass," she promised. "They always do."

"Hermione, what's happening to you? Exactly?"

Hermione looked at them, taking in everything. They had become men since the last time she'd seen them. They were no longer the romping boys she'd met on her first trip to Hogwarts. Without understanding how she knew, Hermione felt instinctively that the men in front of her were stronger, harder than the boys she'd left all those months ago. She wondered how she must look to them. A woman now, one corrupted by Dark Magic and six months of prison. Could they see just how deeply tainted she was now? She prayed that they could not.

"Where should I begin?" She asked, smiling weakly.

"From the beginning." Harry said firmly. "Tell us everything."

"Well, you know that I was captured, and put into the dungeons-"

"Did…" Ron spoke for the first time. "Did they…hurt you?"

"Not really," Hermione's eyes took on an otherworldly quality, though they stayed their natural brown. "I was force fed once, but other than that…" she saw Harry and Ron's shocked faces. "Don't get me wrong, it was far from comfortable. But I left relatively unharmed."

"When did you find out about Snape?" Harry asked. "I'm still confused about that. I mean, he did kill Dumbledore, I saw him!"

"Yes, he did. I knew he did. But while I was in the dungeons, he visited me. He told me what had happened, and I knew he had no reason to lie. He was the only person I had to trust and I had nothing else to lose."

"What did he tell you happened?"

"That he did kill Dumbledore," Harry's jaw clenched. "But only because Dumbledore told him to. It was a huge thing between them all through our sixth year, they argued about it. And when it came down to Draco killing Dumbledore or Severus doing it, Severus made a choice."

"Severus? You call him by his name?" Ron's voice dripped with disdain and disgust. Harry put his hand up.

"Ron, this isn't the time to assign blame," Harry motioned to Hermione. "Go on."

Hermione spilled out the whole story, her stream of conversation surprisingly continuous. But when she reached the part about her and Lucius and Severus, Ron couldn't help but jump in.

"Slept together," Ron croaked the words out. "You slept with…both of them."

"Ron, with Lucius at least, it was a mistake, I know that. It's just…I was overcome by the power…I don't expect you to understand-"

"We do," Harry broke in with a voice that assured Hermione that he at least did know what she was talking about. "It takes control and you just don't know what happened. And afterward, you just have to pick up the pieces."

"Yeah," Hermione nodded, shocked at his utterly correct explanation. Thankfully, neither of them asked about her encounter with Severus.

Ron however, was silent. He had been able to handle his almost girlfriend had been kidnapped; he could even cope with the fact that she'd been seduced by Lucius…in time. But that she had slept with their former teacher? One whom Ron thought they hated mutually? It was too much but he refused to blow up. "So, here we are."

"Here we are." Harry repeated.

"Where's Draco?" Hermione looked around Harry. "I heard about his 'death'. Interesting. But how did you guys fake the finger? Something of Fred and George's, I imagine."

Harry and Ron exchanged a look. "We have something to tell you," Harry admitted.

"What?"

"That finger wasn't fake. Draco's finger was really cut off."

"Ripped off, actually," Ron amended trying to hide his hurt by this new information.

"By who?" Hermione asked, bewildered.

Harry raised his hand sheepishly. "That's what we've been meaning to tell you. It seems that I have some…enhanced powers."

Hermione frowned. "Enhanced? What do you mean enhanced?"

"He hypnotized an assassin, ripped off Malfoy's finger and then had it return to normal length within the hour," Ron supplied for Harry.

"Oh," Hermione's voice was small. "So I guess you really do know what I was talking about."

"Yeah. But I wanted to talk to you about it. It fits into the prophecy-"

"But he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...I remember," Hermione said quietly. "So you think this is what it meant? This new power will help you defeat Voldemort?"

"I hope so. We have to find a way to defeat him without..." Harry stopped.

"Without killing me, you can say it."

Harry took her hand in his. "We'll find a way, I promise you."

Hermione laughed to herself. "You sound like Severus," she murmured. She could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness.

"Hermione, we're going to go, but we'll be back soon, okay?" Harry's promise was the last thing Hermione heard before drifting away.

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep…"

LHSLHSLHS

The door opened and Harry and Ron emerged. Their faces were ashen and Draco wondered just what had gone on in that room. Had they too sensed the evil that was flowing in torrents off of her?

Severus said nothing, only led them to his rooms, and sat them on his couch. "What do you think?" He asked, not harshly.

"She loves you." Harry said the words as if he were trying them on for size. "You didn't tell us that you two fell in love."

Everyone in the room gaped at Harry.

"So that was what you were hiding from me," Draco said to Snape. "I knew something was wrong."

"How much did Ms. Gr-Hermione tell you?"

"Everything," Ron's voice was hard and unforgiving of the man who'd stolen everything from him and Harry.

At this, Harry broke in. "Okay, so now we're briefed. Now, what are we going to do?"

His interruption was met by blank stares all around. "About Hermione, what are we going to do?"

Draco and Snape fought to keep from looking at Harry or Ron. "We have few options," Draco said at last. "There is a way of extraction, but it would most likely result in her death."

"We'll do it," Harry said without a moment's hesitation. "The chance of her being okay is greater than the chances she has now."

"There is a reason I haven't tried to extract the soul," Snape began before being interrupted by an unforeseen interference.

"Draco? Is that you?"

Lucius Malfoy was paler than usual and his pallor only worsened as he faced his presumed dead son.

"How can this be?" He breathed in disbelief. With clumsy fingers he reached out to his son's robes. "You're dead," unshed tears shined in his cold gray eyes.

"Yes, I am father. Because of you, to you I am dead. Don't let my sudden appearance change that."

Lucius glanced around the room to the facts laid before his eyes. It was flashing before him like a Shakespearean play; Snape was indeed a traitor, Potter and Weasley here to save the day.

"What do you propose we do?" He asked softly.

"What?" Draco asked with more than a healthy dose of venom. "What do you mean 'what do you propose we do?' I don't propose we do anything with-"

"Extraction," Snape butted in determinedly, not looking at Draco. "You have the book, I believe?"

Lucius jerked his head to the side, "Follow me."

The Malfoy Library was painfully empty as Lucius thought of all the times he'd seen Hermione reading in it. Looking at Severus, they went into a corner as the three boys eyed them distrustfully.

"You're turning?" Severus asked Lucius with a snort of derision.

Lucius turned his burning eyes onto his enemy, his competitor. "This isn't about sides. When the Dark Lord discovers Draco is in fact, alive, he will kill him. I cannot, will not allow the Dark Lord to take my son twice. I will do everything in my power to prevent my son's death."

Severus studied him, searching for anything that may've lent proof to Lucius' claim. Slowly, he nodded. Besides, he reasoned. Lucius betraying them now would mean nothing in the present situation.

A half an hour later the five men had formed a circle around the newly 'kidnapped' Hermione. It'd been hell trying to whisk her away from her numerous guards, but they'd succeeded at last. Lying on the floor, she was encircled by herbs and stones; everything was ready for the ritual. Draco had been appointed the one to comfort Hermione as she looked warily around her.

"He knows we're here!" Draco exclaimed with a hiss of pain. The Dark Mark was glowing on his skin with horrifying intensity. It hurt the others just to look at the Mark.

"Why is his the only burning?" Ron asked hurriedly. "You two seem to be fine," he motioned to Lucius and Snape.

"He wants to deal with Draco singularly," Lucius replied knowingly.

Harry stood up slowly. Leaning down to kiss Hermione's cheek he came close to her ear. "I'll be back, don't worry." He turned to the others. "I'm going. This is it. Extract the soul as fast as you can, I'll hold him off until then."

"And if it doesn't work," Draco gasped out through the pain. "What happens if she dies?"

"Then I'll still be able to kill him." Harry said darkly.

"I'm coming too then," Draco said wincing.

"You can barely stand," Harry pointed out. "Malfoy," he motioned to Lucius. "And Ron, come with me. Snape," Harry was at last able to spit out his name. "You… stay with her."

Secretly, Severus' heart leapt. If Hermione was to die he'd rather be at her side when she did. A groan rose up from next to him, bringing him back to reality.

"It's okay," he assured her. "Draco, talk her through it as I perform the ceremony." Rolling up his sleeves, he began chanting.

"Iacio sicco is everto

evict is cultor

licentia tantum suus animus…"

LHSLHSLHS

Malina: I like how you keep a tone of encouragement throughout your review. Thanks for the suggestions!