In fairness to you lovely readers, I will warn you this one ends on a rather large cliffie. If you are not a fan of cliffies, then you might want to wait until the next chapter is posted and read them together. The good news is- that chapter is nearly complete, so it should be up in the next week. :)

Chapter 39

Theo straightened, brushing himself off, looked about wildly. Draco and Harry froze in the doorway their eyes moving between Hermione, obviously upset, and Theo, panicking.

"Are you okay?"

"What did you do?" Theo and Draco spoke at the same time, Theo moving towards Hermione, and Draco blocking him.

"Move, Drake." he demanded.

"Why is Hermione upset? What did you do?"

"I don't know why she's upset, because she isn't upset at me." Draco continued to block him, "Move, or I will move you."

While they argued, Harry sat next to Hermione. He began rubbing small circles on her back. "Are you okay, Mione?"

She sighed, "I am, or I will be. Just coming down from the adrenaline high." She made eye contact. "I just faced down and kind of told off two possibly deranged Death Eaters."

"What?" Draco turned around to look at her. "Why would you do that?"

"I was waiting for Theo in the library. All three Lestranges arrived. Rabastan got creepy." Theo sucked in a breath. "He didn't do anything; just leered and called me pretty bird. So, I channeled my inner Pansy and told him to stop. I left as quickly as I could."

Draco let out a whistle. "What do we do?"

"Nothing." Theo told him. "My father won't promise them money or anything right now, but he also won't summon the aurors. He's letting them go through the library for something. He just won't let them be there when he is, gives him plausible deniability, or some shite. And for the record, not even Pansy would have the stones to tell off the Lestrange brothers. Bravo."

"You should tell your parents and Padfoot." Harry said quietly.

"Yeah, They're going to freak."

The adults took the news surprisingly well, all things considered. Hermione only engaged because she had no choice, and she extracted herself as soon as possible. Lucius did request that none of the teens hang around Nott Court for the foreseeable future.

"Perhaps they should spend most of their time at Black Cottage." Narcissa suggested, a hint of desperation in her voice.

"No, Cissy, no hiding, remember?" Sirius replied.

She sighed, "I know, I just worry. Bella wasn't exactly stable before Azkaban. Salazar knows what she's like now."

"Fanatically devoted and ready to begin subjugating the world for her master." Lucius told her. "In a surprisingly candid move Thoros informed me of their visit. Should they come to call I intend to follow his lead. Allow them access to my library to assist Riddle, but promise nothing more. Not until I feel his summons proving he has returned. "

"That could prove a dangerous stance." Sirius told him.

"Not if most of us take it. Riddle always needed our money and political clout more than we needed him."

"Why wouldn't you call the aurors?" Harry asked.

"As far anyone in Riddle's circle knows, Father is still a faithful follower. Summoning the aurors would be announcing his defection." Draco answered.

"Not something Riddle ever took well. He expected eternal devotion and our children to serve him as well."

"We will not be serving up our children on silver platters this time." Narcissa declared fiercely.

"The longer Lucius can put off declaring for one side over the other the better. That was everyone's mistake in the first war, making people declare sides. Painted targets on all our backs. Both sides did that, they refused to allow neutrality. You were in or out."

"Indeed." agreed Narcissa is a soft voice. Sensing the need to change the subject, she began reviewing the list of items everyone would need for the upcoming trip to France to watch Viktor's quidditch match.

The closer departure for France drew, the more anxious Narcissa felt. Despite what Lucius thought, she doubted it was entirely that her somewhat insane sister roamed the countryside free from prison. Everything about the Bulgaria/France game made her nervous: the openness of the stadium, the publicity of Hermione's friendship with Krum, the face that the last time her darling daughter went out and about in France someone stole her. She didn't think she could stand the idea of not seeing her daughter again for thirteen years. She tried to reassure herself Hermione could take care of herself. She kept a level head in the face of danger. She remained cool and calculating, even when outnumbered. She also did not like that due to France's strict anti-werewolf laws, Lupin would be unable to join them. Lucius promised to increase the privacy wards on the chateau. No luxury hotels this time, no staff watching them, no chance for a stranger to slip in unnoticed; only loyal family house elves, whom Narcissa would lavish with praise for a job well done, the best reward in their minds.

Chateau Malfoi's white walls glowed against the lush greens and sable browns of the surrounding hills. Beyond the garden, a vineyard covered the rolling hills with rows upon rows of grape laden vines. Looking through the windows one could hear the birds singing and feel the peace. Or at least Hermione imagined she would if the shouts of five rambunctious teenage males didn't shatter it.

Harry, Neville, Theo, Draco, and Dudley discussed the merits and flaws of the French and Bulgarian national teams. Each attempted to use increased volume as proof of their point of view, before those that could fly insisted on taking to the air to prove their points. Dudley positioned himself on one to the upper balconies so he could observe the results.

Their exuberance earned indulgent grins from the adults and annoyed eye rolls from Hermione. She avoid the group, instead assisting Sirius in his preparations for Cedric to start work when they returned. He intended to start dismantling Umbridge's years of anti-werewolf and other prejudices against sentient magical beings. He promised that everything would create the groundwork to eventually include better treatment for house elves. They might need to serve people, but that didn't mean they should be mistreated. "Not even Kreacher." she sassed.

"Not even if my mother's sycophant hadn't decided to tolerate the rest of us because he adores you." Sirius laughed before shooing her from the room.

Bright sunshine elevated the excitement the morning of the match. Both Draco and Theo teasingly moaned about wearing burgundy and gold to support Bulgaria. "We look so Gryffindor." Theo groaned.

"Gryffindor is not a dirty word." his girlfriend told him primly. She stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. "I think you look hot."

"This is my new favorite jersey. I'm never taking it off." Theo declared, squeezing her waist. "Are you sure you want to go watch a boring quidditch match? We could just stay in."

"Forget it, Lothario." Sirius pulled him away from Hermione by the collar and marched him to the floo. "Let's get this show on the road, people." The group filed past him and into the fireplace. Narcissa raised an eyebrow as she passed Sirius. "Can't let Lucius have all the fun, now can I?" She laughed as she flooed away.

Crowds streamed into the stadium, excited fans chattering loudly, bright banners flapping in the breeze, parents called for children to stay close. Fans jostled one another as they moved towards their seats. Hermione held Theo and Harry's hands to keep from being separated from the group, as the shortest person, she had the hardest time moving through the press of people.

Good to his word, Viktor used his connections to obtain an excellent private box. Most of the other attendees would not be able to see them, even though they could see out over the pitch. Laughing at the boys' antics, Hermione settled onto one of the couches as the boys shoved each other playfully at the railing, each of them jockeying for the best position. A Bulgaria team official checked with them and passed along Viktor's promise to see Hermione tomorrow for lunch.

The game kicked off with both teams flying along the stands to pyrotechnics and the cheers of the crowd. While never a real fan of the game, Hermione could appreciate the professional level of game play before her. The quaffle rapidly passed from hand to hand as the players zoomed about the pitch. Eventually, the action drew Sirius and Lucius to the railing cheering along side the boys as Bulgaria scored another goal. The French team rallied, and launched a more solid defense, giving them the momentum to turn the tide of the match in their favor. Hours later, Theo came to sit next to Hermione. She smiled wanly at him. "Is it wrong that I'd brought a book?"

He chuckled. "Maybe a little, at the same time, totally you." He squeezed her hand. "How's Tangle?"

"Tucked in my shirt because she's cold. Too much wind up here for her."

"Lucky Tangle."

"I'd offer to let you warm your hands there, but I like you having hands."

"I don't think Sirius or your father would actually main me."

"Draco would."

"Draco would try."

At the sound of his name, the blond turned to them. "What am I trying?"

"To remove my hands."

"Nothing." she glared at her boyfriend. "Ignore him."

"Which one should ignore which one?" Dudley teased.

"They should ignore each other. They are both idiots." she sniffed.

At the eight hour mark of the match both teams agreed to use a time out to give the players a thirty minute meal break. The mass exodus of people to food booths made Hermione appreciate that their box came stocked with food. The buffet table received several rounds of replenishment during the meal break. "Even Ron might have to admit defeat and stop eating." joked Harry.

"You know, it isn't the size of his appetite that is the most off putting, it's his table manners." Hermione shuddered.

"I don't know where he gets them, either. None of the rest of them eat like that." Sirius remarked. "I would have thought Molly would have trained him better."

"Maybe she lacked the time when he was younger, and it is too late now. He was baby number six, and number seven was right behind him." Lucius offered. Privately, Hermione wondered if it wasn't more the gender of baby number seven that resulted in Ron getting overlooked, if that was in fact the cause of his atrocious table manners.

Invigorated by the break, the players renewed game play with fast paced vigor. It promised to be a lengthy game. Two or three times the seekers raced after the snitch, only to have the tiny golden ball escape. At the twelve hour mark the scores remained neck and neck and both teams began substituting players. The snitch remained hidden despite a few more teasing appearances. "Someone remind me how long the longest game on record lasted?" Hermione whined.

"Three months." Harry supplied.

Dudley stared in amazement, "Seriously? And people stayed to watch the whole time?"

"Yep." Draco told him.

"That's insane."

Theo shrugged, "That's quidditch."

As hour fourteen ended, Hermione stood up and stretched. "I need to use the facilities."

Harry popped up, "Me, too. That's the one flaw with this box, no bathroom." A quick survey of the room revealed no one else need to use the bathroom at that time. Promising to stay together, the pair headed off.

Once reunited after having to separate, Hermione, again, grabbed Harry's hand. She let him lead, parting a path through the throng of people. Later people would remark how grateful they were for her habit of doing this.

She felt someone grab a handful of her hair. She tightened her hold on Harry and grasped the chain on her emergency portkey. She felt the pull on her midsection and briefly thought she had accidentally triggered it as the world spun away. She did not recognize the room they landed in. The hand released her hair.

"Wha-?" Harry's question broke off into an agonized scream. He fell twitching violently. Hermione pulled her portkey, breaking the chain. She activated the emergency beacon and dove for Harry. Before she could power the portkey she heard an electric snap and everything exploded in pain. She collapsed, her extremities going numb.

An ill kept middle aged woman stood above them looking down. "You have to leave your tracking charm here. This time you stay missing." She pulled the chain from Hermione's fingers before turning to Harry. "And what have we here? Excess baggage? No passengers, my poppet. No, no passengers." She raised a muggle taser and shocked Harry twice more just above his heart.

A/N:

Told you.