A Secret

Chapter Two: A Time Apart

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Ron Weasley or Hermione Granger, or any other character for that matter. JKR does.

Hedwig flew through the air, knowing the urgency in the message she was carrying. She reached the Dursleys' quickly and flew straight into Harry's room. She pecked him, hard.

'What is it, Hedwig?' Harry said groggily. He had been asleep, but Hedwig woke him up with her pecking.

He undid the letter and opened it.

Harry-

Death Eaters at my house. My parents. Please come quickly with the Order.

-Hermione

The note woke him up immediately and he grabbed the secret stash of Floo powder he had hidden under the loose floorboard beneath his bed, and hurtled downstairs to the fireplace in the living room.

Harry threw the powder into the fire, stuck his head into the flames and yelled, 'Twelve Grimmauld Place!' Once there, Harry yelled, 'REMUS!'

Remus Lupin came running into the room, looking scared. 'What is it, Harry?'

'There are Death Eaters at Hermione's house! Get the Order there now!' Harry cried. He was scared about what would happen to Hermione. He didn't want to think about it.

'What? All right. You stay there and we will come get you. Don't go anywhere. I will contact Dumbledore and the Weasleys. Just stay there, Harry, we will be there soon,' Remus rushed.

'Okay,' Harry nodded, and backed out of the fire.

He turned around to find all three Dursleys behind him, waiting for him to come back out of the fire.

'What were you doing?' Uncle Vernon said spitefully.

'My friend is in danger. I had to contact my father's friend, but it's not like it is any of your business!' Harry said before storming off into his room.

'Hurry. Remus,' Harry whispered to himself as he shut the door, sealing himself from the people he felt most different from, from talents to personalities.

Pig's journey was longer, and less quiet. He kept hooting to entertain himself. But he too knew the urgency in the message he was carrying. He reached The Burrow in record time and flew straight up toward Ron's orange room at the top of the house.

Ginny was also in the room, trying to wake Ron but with no success. She had tried everything from yelling at him to emptying a bucket of cold water on him. But none of it worked.

'Pig! You're back so soon. Do me a favour and wake up Ron!'

Pig hooted in response and pecked at Ron, hard.

'PIG!' Ron screamed in pain. He sat up straight and rubbed his arm where Pig's beaked had collided with him. Ron then noticed the letter rolled up and tied with string on Pig's leg. He undid the letter from Pig's leg, read it, and then stopped.

Ron-

Death Eaters at my house. My parents. Please come quick. With the Order.

-Hermione

'Ginny, go get Mum and Dad, now!'

'Why?' Ginny said, defying him by standing in the doorway with her arms crossed.

'Because Hermione is in trouble,' Ron cried, as he handed her the letter. Ginny's reaction was the same as Ron, and she ran downstairs yelling, 'Mum! Dad!'

Molly and Arthur hurriedly ran over to their daughter, worry lines on their faces.

'Ginny what's wrong?' Molly cried and pulled Ginny into a hug, but Ginny pushed her away.

'Hermione is in trouble. There are Death Eaters at her house!' Ginny cried as she thrust the letter into her father's hands and waited for him and Molly to read it.

Molly and Arthur's eyes grew large in shock as they read the short note. Arthur walked over to fireplace and threw Floo powder into it. The green flames erupted as he stuck his head in and yelled, 'Twelve Grimauld Place!'

'Remus?' Arthur yelled, only to find Lupin directly in front of him.

'Arthur, I know about Hermione. I have contacted Dumbledore and he has informed the rest of the Order.' Lupin tried to appear calm, but failed.

'How do you know? Ron just got a letter from Hermione telling us,' Arthur inquired.

'Harry also got a letter. Hermione knew she needed help and was smart enough to write to both Harry and Ron. I'm just glad she the two owls with her. You and Molly go to the Grangers' now, and I will come and get Ron and Ginny. Tell them to be ready. I am going to try and set up two Portkeys. One for Ginny, Ron and I to Harry's and then another for all of us to Hermione's. Go Arthur, you and Molly will be probably the first ones there, unless Dumbledore has already gone,' Remus explained before bidding farewell to Arthur as he left the room to go arrange the Portkeys.

Arthur backed out of the fire and saw that Ron had come downstairs and was fully dressed, ready for anything.

'All right. Molly and I are going to go to the Grangers' now, but I want you two to stay here. Lupin will be here soon with a Portkey,' Arthur solemnly informed his family.

They all nodded and Molly grabbed her and Arthur's coat off the hooks on the wall. Only four hooks carried anything these days, as all the other boys had moved out.

'Let's go,' she whispered. Molly hugged both Ginny and Ron tight, kissing both of their heads. Ginny and Ron hadn't experienced such shown love from their mother in awhile, but they knew that now was an important time. No one knew what was going to happen. Molly squeezed Arthur's hand, kissed him and Apparated.

'Stay here until Remus comes,' Arthur told Ron and Ginny once more. He tried to smile and reassure his youngest children.

'Don't worry, Dad, we will,' Ron assured his father as he put his arm around Ginny's shoulder, forcing a smile. Arthur just nodded and Apparated as well.

Hermione hadn't left the top of the stairs for fear of being seen. She hoped the letters had reached Ron and Harry. She needed them both, and the Order.

Malfoy hadn't done anything drastic yet, just gone around the room destroying anything he could find that was remotely Muggle. But not before making fun of it.

'I wonder what this is?' Malfoy sneered as he picked up the toaster. He was apparently the leader of all this. No one else had dared to even make a sound. They just stood in a circle, surrounding him, Anne, and Eric.

Malfoy held the silver brand-new toaster up to Eric. He ran the cool metal by his face, hissing, 'And what is it?'

'A-a toaster. It cooks t-toast,' Eric stuttered. This pale white man was scaring him. But what scared him more than Malfoy terrifying him and Anne, was where Hermione was. He was scared that one of the men had snuck up the stairs and taken her. All he knew, and was relieved about, was that she had not been downstairs with him and Anne when Malfoy entered the house.

'Eric! Hermione has already had her breakfast. Where were you?' Anne called down the hall as she heard the door open.

'Sorry, Hun. I had to run down to the post office. It was my mum's birthday today,' Eric explained and ate the piece of toast that had just popped out of the toaster seconds before.

'Hey! That was mine!' Anne playfully swatted Eric. She then kissed him and decided she was full. 'Fine, you can have it,' Anne said as she laughed at her husband. This were the moments of happiness that Anne lived for. But, as per normal, it was a short lived moment as she remembered the heartache she had been feeling all morning. Her daughter, her baby girl, didn't want to stay in this world, where her mother could protect her. No, she wanted the other world, the world Anne knew nothing of.

'Eric, I think Hermione really wants to get back to the wizarding world. I am beginning to think that no matter what, you and I will always be completely different from her. And that hurts.'

Anne couldn't take it and she began to cry. Eric held her tight. He had been thinking the same things on his drive to the corner post office. He had looked at everything there, and he thought that none of it was what Hermione would ever use in later life. She was a witch and there was nothing, no matter how much they wanted, that could change that. It really hurt.

'I know sweetheart. I have been thinking about it, too. Especially with this Voldemort alive again. I don't want her in that world. I don't want her to get hurt.' Eric said. He could easily say his name as he was a Muggle and didn't quite understand the power Lord Voldemort held.

They swayed there, hugging and crying. But then they heard sounds outside, sounds that sounded like voices and foot steps.

Neither Anne nor Eric could make out what these people were saying, but both knew that it was not a good thing. They just looked at each other and hid in the pantry. It was lucky they hid then.

The back door was blasted open and Anne couldn't help but scream. These were what Hermione had described as Death Eaters, and both Anne and Eric knew that, even without magic, they had to keep these men away from Hermione. Their lives depended on it.

The man who had blasted the door open had heard the scream and sought after the one who screamed.

He walked towards the pantry and opened it, but without magic.

'Ahhh, Muggles.'

He, along with his men, pulled both Anne and Eric out. They surrounded them in a circle, with the couple in the middle.

'Who do we have here? Mudblood Granger's parents. How lovely to meet you. Your daughter should know my son. Though I doubt you would know that.' the man walked up to Anne and removed his mask. His white face terrified her, as did his raised wand that was touching her face. He hadn't really noticed Eric; he seemed more interested by Anne.

'Speak! You are her parents, aren't you?'

Anne and Eric did not know what a Mudblood was as Hermione had never told them about the horrific name. They could only guess what it meant. Hermione.

'Yes,' Eric mumbled.

'Say it louder!'

'Yes, we are,' Eric muttered a little bit more audibly.

'Louder!'

'Yes, we are,' Eric spoke loudly, not wanting to feel the wraith of this wizard.

'Good!' Malfoy laughed, and brushed his hand across Anne's face.

'Pity you aren't a witch. You have the looks. But then, why would you want to be a witch if you could have all this!' Malfoy laughed again and gestured to the Muggle objects that were in the atrium of the house.

He picked up a family picture of the Grangers. It had been taken in Diagon Alley when Hermione had first found out about Hogwarts. It was a moving picture, the only thing that wasn't ordinary in the room.

'Can you actually see this?' Malfoy spat towards Anne and Eric.

'Yes,' Anne spoke for the first time.

'Well now you can't!' Malfoy laughed loudly and blew the picture apart.

It became a ritual. Malfoy would go up to an object, jeer at Anne and Eric about it and then blow it to smithereens. He seemed to enjoy this as every time he did, his cold laugh filled the room, freezing Eric and Anne to the spot. All they could ever say in response to him was short and simple.

Lucius Malfoy never grew tired of making fun of others below him, nor did his son.

Then Eric saw her.

Hermione was hiding at the top of the stairs, fiddling with her wand and biting her lip. Her face held a frightened look. He hoped that she had sent for help, and that was why she was waiting.

'Oh, and what happens when I do this?' Malfoy taunted once more as he held the toaster up to his wand, which was raised above his head. But Malfoy never did find out as Dumbledore appeared out of thin air with a loud 'pop'.

'Expelliarmus!'

Malfoy's wand went flying towards Dumbledore. He looked around, flabbergasted.

'You!' Malfoy' said as his eyes narrowed.

'Yes, me.' Dumbledore's face looked suddenly old and he resembled what he had looked like last June. Suddenly, more people appeared around him, including Molly and Arthur.

Molly immediately saw Hermione at the top of the stairs and ran towards her. Arthur went straight towards Eric and Anne, and ushered them towards the back of the room.

Kingsley and Tonks Apparated in as well and immediately stared yelling Stunning Spells at the nine Death Eaters in the circle. They left Malfoy to Dumbledore.

Hermione watched this all of this as she hugged Molly as tight as she could. Hermione was just relieved to finally have somebody with her. But she still wanted to see Ron and Harry. She needed Ron.

And there he was, with Lupin, Ginny, and Harry. They had obviously just arrived by a Portkey as Ginny and Harry had fallen on top of each on the ground. Ron and Lupin were still standing, but Ron had evidently almost lost his balance.

Hermione stood up and ran down the stairs, even though the bottom floor resembled a battlefield.

Ron picked Hermione up into a hug, and everything seemed perfect just at that moment. Ron was just glad that Hermione was okay. He had been scared when he got her letter, telling him about the Death Eaters.

Hermione was just happy that she was in Ron's arms and that they had each other.