Harry Potter and the Dark Year
Chapter 4

"Hermione! Ron!" Harry called for his friends. "We're late for the Order meeting!" Hermione and Ron walked down the stairs, hand in hand. Harry felt something inside of him hit him. A spark of...dare he think it...jealousy.

"I'm here!" Ginny walked from the kitchen and over to Harry. She kissed him on the lips. Hermione's smile faltered, for a second, but only a second.

"We're late," Harry repeated. "We'll apparate a few blocks away. It'll be safer."

"Okay." Hermione, Ron, and Harry disapparated. Ginny stood in the hallway, tapping her foot. Harry apparated in front of her.

"Oops. Sorry. I forgot that you couldn't apparate yet," Harry explained.

"Lucky you. Just disapparate already!" Ginny sighed, grabbing his arm.

Harry and Ginny apparated back to where Hermione and Ron were waiting. A group of ten death eaters appareated around them. "Expelliarmus!" Snape yelled. All four of the teenager's wands flew out of their hands, toward him. Snape caught them.

"CRUCIO!" Snape pointed his wand at Hermione. She started to shake. After a few minutes, she fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Ron and Ginny had been stunned. Harry just stood there, looking between friends. It only took him about a second to choose who to save. Hermione. Harry threw himself between Snape and Hermione. The spell stopped hitting Hermione, and redirected itself toward Harry. Hermione lay on the ground, shaking because of the after effects of the spell.

A man with longblond hair on Harry's left walked toward Hermione. He bent down, touching her face. "Filthy little mudblood." Hermione looked away from him. His hand floated downward, to her inner thigh. Hermione tried to scramble away from him, but she was shaking too much to keep herself steady enough to do that. "You'd be a good maid," Lucius whispered in her ear. "Let's go home."

Harry yelled out upon hearing this, "NO!" His hand glowed white and his wand flew at him. He was too enfuriated at what Lucius had just said to Hermione to feel the pain of the curse. He threw his hand out at Lucius, but Lucius and Hermione were gone.

"HARRY! She's...gone," Ginny yelled.

Harry quickly threw his hand up, and the two death eaters closest to them flew backwards. All of the death eaters quickly disapparated. Harry undid the stun spells. Ron flew over to the spot that Hermione was last seen. "Hermione..."

"Ron! Move!" Harry yelled. "We lost Hermione already. We have to go...NOW! Before others come!" Harry told him.

"She's...gone," Ginny whimpered. "She's going to die before we get to her..."

"She's not going to die," Harry comforted her. "I'm sorry Hermione, I just wasn't quick enough," Harry whispered.

The wind started to speak. "Harry...Come for me..." The three teenagers walked the rest of the way to Grimmald Place.