Chapter 18 –Plan
Maps.
Laid over the large kitchen table of the safe house.
And we have poured over them, narrowing down the location, crossing out unsuitable places.
Why do I feel like I'm missing something?
It's right in front of me, I know it.
What are we looking at here?
And it clicks.
Beaches.
Long, isolated patches of sandy beaches.
An image flashes through my mind.
The beach.
The one Draco and I spent so much time at in my mind.
I didn't know why we were there.
I couldn't understand any significance it might have.
But my mind was trying to tell me something.
There.
It's there.
And I know that, whatever beach was in my head, is where Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange will be attempting to bring Voldemort back.
Tomorrow.
We're running out of time.
"Pictures," I whisper.
"What?" Ron asks, still staring at the writing covered map.
"Pictures. I need pictures of the last few possible locations,"I say.
"Why? Do you know something?"Harry questions.
"Maybe," I state.
"What, Hermione, what do you know?" Harry inquires.
"It sounds insane, but I swear it's true," I warn them before I even begin. "When I was in the coma, I was somewhere else, well, in my mind. And Draco was there, and helping me to remember things, because I couldn't remember anything. And we spent a lot of time at this beach. I didn't know why, couldn't think of any significance, but I must have overheard something when I was being held. I think I'll recognize the beach."
Silence.
"That really does sound insane," Ron admits, making Harry elbow him in the ribs. "Ouch!"
Four locations.
That's all we have left.
But we don't have much time and I need them to believe me when I say I need to see pictures.
"Alright," Harry complies.
"Alright?" I clarify.
He nods. "I'll be right back."
And he's gone, and Ron is looking at me with disbelief, with pity.
I'm getting fed up with him. He thinks I've gone mad, that Draco was never there and I've been made to think all these crazy things. He doesn't believe me that Bellatrix is alive, I don't even know if he believes they are truly trying to bring Voldemort back, and that's been our real problem.
It does sound quite mad, but I thought at least my friends would believe me.
And we need him.
We need people to fight.
That's rather hard when you don't know who to trust.
We don't know how many they have.
They've been in hiding, gaining strength, since the war in 1998 and we don't know how far their influence spans.
And yes, they captured quite a few when they found me, so their forces are smaller and weakened, but that doesn't mean it's going to be an easy fight to win.
"Hermione," he starts. "We're playing a guessing game here."
"No, that's what I'm telling you," I say. "We're not. I think I know where they'll be." I pause. "When are you going to start believing me?"
"I do believe you," he insists.
He believes that I believe.
"I just, think it's a little far fetched is all. And you've been through a lot. I don't know how all that stuff works, but it can make you paranoid, believe things that aren't there." He catches himself. "And I'm not saying this isn't real, it very well might be, but I also think you need help."
"Yes, I need help, Ron," I say in frustration. "I need help finding Draco, putting an end to all this. Then I'll need help being me again. I know, I was there a long time. Over a month in fact. And the only thing that kept me sane, the only person who gave me any sort of comfort, is still there, facing the same things we faced together."
Ron's jaw tightens and I can see the pain in his face. He doesn't like to hear about how long it took them to piece together what I found out in less than a week. He can't handle hearing about what went on there.
And I can't think about it.
But it's always there.
I can't let myself focus on it. Not yet.
Once Draco is here, we can cry about it together.
But not now.
"So yes, I'll need help, but don't you dare tell me that the person who tortured me isn't alive unless you yourself have killed her since then," I finish.
Ron is silent.
"I've got them."
It's Harry, he's back.
He sets his bag on the chair and pulls out the pictures.
I have no idea where he managed to find a camera.
And on second thought, I may not want to.
Desperate times.
But once again, I am so thankful for his trusting, yet absolutely reckless nature.
Looking at the images, I see it.
"That," I say, pointing to the second picture he sets on the map. "Where's that?"
And I know.
That's where they'll be.
Because it's where we were.
The beach of my mind.
Author's Note:
Hello everyone! I hope you had a great week! Mine was nice and relaxing after getting home from Uni :) Thanks for stopping by and reading.
I had a few people comment that the plot needed to be moved forward a bit more, so I hope that this chapter did that. Leave me your thoughts and let me know! Will they get to Draco in time?
Thank-you so much to those who reviewed, I really appreciated your praise and critiques. I try to take them to heart when preparing the next chapter.
I hope you have a wonderful week!
