hey so thanks for the reviews...here's the next chapter...my commentary will be short and sweet...plus i want to give out the cookies...(begins to hand out huge chocolate chip cookies to all those who reviewed) they're really good yum...

Disclaimer- Thibles ibles noblet minble...translation...This is not mine...

Linking to Death

Harry sat in his bed leaning against the headboard his mind racing. Although it was just before noon he was unable to sleep for it had been a number of days since he or anyone else had seen Hermione.

It was all over the papers. Her picture along with a story about who she was and why it was important that she be found were plastered across the front page. In the picture Hermione was standing with Harry and Ron and she was frowning. Sometimes she would walk in and out of the frame almost as if pacing.

Harry stared at the picture sometimes for minutes trying to figure out why Voldemort would possibly want to kidnap Hermione. She was only a girl about to go into her seventh year of Hogwarts. What use could she possibly be?

'She was a great help to us though.' Harry thought as he sat there his legs crossed over his pillow.

She was discovered to be missing the day that he Ron and Ginny went to Diagon Alley to meet Fred and George like they asked. Harry Ron and Ginny had arrived in Diagon Alley, not a scratch on them and proceeded down the street to where the Weasley's Wizard Wheeze's store was located.

They walked in and were greeted by a very surprised Fred and George.

"What are you all doing here?" Fred asked as he stopped stocking the shelves for a moment and turned to greet them.

"We got your letter asking us to come today." Ron said his face donning a confused look.

"Letter? We've sent no letter." Called George from the back where he was helping customers. "We've been to busy to write letters."

"You mean you didn't write us a letter asking us to be at the shop at one o'clock?" Harry said softly realizing that something was wrong.

"No of course not. We're at our busiest at one. If we were going to ask you over we'd have done it at night." Fred said shaking his head.

"Something's not right Ron. It's a trap." Harry said taking out his wand.

"A trap. But who would trap us here with all these people?"

"Not us. Maybe the traps meant for someone at Grimmauld Place." Harry said.

"Mum and Hermione are there right now!" Ginny cried.

After that it had been a mad scramble for Harry Ron and Ginny to get to the house as the Weasley brothers attempted to close the store. They had no time to contact anyone as they ran to the Leaky Cauldron to Floo back.

When they reached the house they immediately all started to call out to Molly and Hermione. That caused the portrait in the entrance hall to begin her screaming which immediately led to footsteps rushing about upstairs.

"What in the world are you all doing!" shouted Mrs. Weasley from the top of the stairs.

"Mum where's Hermione?" Ron said urgently seeing that his mother was fine.

"She's up on the third floor cleaning another room for me." Molly said her voice still filled with anger. "Now what is happening?"

"Everything's fine Harry." Ginny said as she closed the curtain shutting up the screaming portrait of Sirius' mother.

"Here mum you dropped these." Ron said picking up the keys on the floor by the bottom of the stairs.

"I was just going to get those upstairs. I gave them to Hermione to unlock a door."

"What!" Harry said quickly his head snapping back to Mrs. Weasley.

He dashed up the stairs not bothering to hear and explanation. He rounded the corner and took the next set of stairs. Eventually he reached the third floor and called out to Hermione. He got no answer.

"Hermione!" he screamed again. By then the others had joined them. "We need to search."

But Harry already knew that she was gone. He could tell just by the feeling that he had in the pit of his stomach. He knew the filthy followers of Voldemort took his best friend, probably back to the bastard Voldemort himself. Who knew what he was planning to do with her but Harry knew that when he figured out where she was there would be hell to pay.

The next day or so was spent trying to locate both Hermione and her parents who Mrs. Weasley thought should be notified. Neither search turned up anything. Ron was worried sick for it was well known that they liked each other and Ginny looked on the verge of tears constantly. Harry wasn't doing to good himself. He had started waking up in the middle of the night loosing an hour or so of sleep. But now he just couldn't sleep.

His mind was trying to retrace all the clues that he knew of when suddenly a searing pain erupted in his lightning blot scar. He knocked his glasses askew as he reached up to press his hand to his forehead to dull the pain. It didn't work however and the pain just seemed to escalate. Harry realized just before his eyes closed and he slipped into unconsciousness what was happening.

When he opened his eyes again he was looking out at an unfamiliar place. He'd never been in this room before. It would have been a cheerful looking room, had their not been mass panic within it. He saw people rushing about moving in all directions as Harry stood in the center of it. But he wasn't himself he was within Voldemort. He was seeing things out of Voldemort's eyes.

What caught his attention really quick however was the still form lying in the center of a bed that was beginning to be covered in blood. It was Hermione. She was soaked in her own blood still wearing the clothes he had seen her in last. She was pale and looked horrible.

As he watched he saw standing before her a tall blond head. It was Draco Malfoy for Harry would know that hair anywhere. He was crouching over Hermione's body and Harry had the suspicion that he had something to do with her disappearance.

"My Lord," Harry heard Malfoy utter. "She's…dead."

"Harry! Harry! Wake up mate!" screamed Ron's voice in his ear.

Harry's eyes opened. They were wide as he tried to sit up but was unable to. He knew he was about to become sick so he rolled over vomiting onto the floor. Ron was quick to hop out of the way as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley ran into the room.

"What's going on?" Arthur demanded.

"This is the same thing that happened when Harry saw that snake. I think his mind's been linked with You-Know-Who's again." Ron said staring at his friend who was shaking like a leave.

Harry's face was wet and he was shivering though his hair was plastered to his forehead from the sweat. His vivid green eyes were wide open in pain as he retched again on the side of the bed. Mrs. Weasley immediately began to help him, cleaning up the mess and easing the pain with any spells that she knew. Finally when Harry was able to talk he told the Weasley's for now Ginny had joined them that had happened in the connection.

"He's got her. He's keeping her in a room in I think it was a mansion because it was a nice room. But something's wrong. She was bleeding and Malfoy was there. He said that she was…" Harry stopped as the tears came to his eyes. He turned his head away so that no one saw him crying.

"She can't be…" Mrs. Weasley said her voice trailing off as the sun slowly drifted behind a cloud. The room grew dark as the sun's rays disappeared.

Harry remembered what he saw on that bed. If she lived through that, he would be astonished. It was the only logical explanation because he saw it right from Voldemort's eyes. As much as Harry hated to admit it…Hermione was probably dead.

"He killed her." Harry whispered to himself.

He felt the anger growing inside him but had to keep it under control. It was much to soon after the linking to get worked up. He didn't want to get sicker than he already was.

"We have to call a meeting." Arthur said walking to the door of the room. He disappeared into the hall leaving both Ron and Ginny to comfort their mother.

Harry rested his head against the pillow again trying to clear his mind. Now he was even more determined to find Voldemort and make him pay for the things that he's done. Voldemort had taken his parents his godfather Dumbledore and now Hermione. He was not going to get away.

Harry ended up falling asleep again which was the best thing that he could have possibly done. He was peaceful as he slept though Ron watched him like a hawk anyway. They couldn't take any chances of him waking up and no one being there.

He slept all the way until dinner waking when he smelled the food. He sat up in his bed and looked around the now dark room. There was Ron sitting on his bed trying to do homework but not getting much work done for he kept looking at Hermione's picture.

"What's going on below Ron?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Everyone's here from the Order. They want you to explain what you saw after dinner." Ron said looking up from the frame.

"She might not be…umm…"

"I know. That's what I'm hoping. I want her back Harry. It's not the same without her here." Ron said softly. Harry could tell that things were going to get emotional if he didn't change the subject soon.

"Do you know what's for dinner?"

"No. I haven't been allowed to leave the room. I've had to watch over you." Ron said starting to pack everything away.

"Sorry mate." Harry said smiling and giving a little chuckle.

The only way that they would get through the night would be to keep a light happy mood between them. Without that both boys would break down like small children. They were lost without Hermione. Even if she did refuse to let them copy she was still like the pillar that held up the trio. She was their glue and their backbone. They depended on her and she wasn't there beside them anymore, and might never be again.

"Harry Ron come down its dinner time!" rang out the voice of Mrs. Weasley.

Both Harry and Ron stood and made their way to the stairs. They hurried down and walked into the kitchen to see that there was a huge group of people waiting to have something to eat.

Half of the order was there including Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Mundungus. Charlie Bill Fleur Fred and George also sat together along the very long table. Arthur sat at the head of the table cutting the meat while Ginny sat across from Tonks discussing Hermione. The topic on everyone's lips was Hermione.

Harry took a seat across from Fred and George at the end of the table, Ron seating himself beside him. Ron looked a bit unhappy still and Harry knew that he would look that way until someone found Hermione.

The dinner was a slow thing because of all the people. Harry hoped that maybe Tonks would change her nose to entertain or maybe Fred and George would be their normal outrageous selves but everything was calm and somewhat depressing.

When dinner ended Mrs. Weasley started to clean up. She got a little help from Ginny and Tonks. Harry was about to help when Arthur told him to sit that they would be done soon and things would begin. So Harry sat.

His mind was racing on what exactly they wanted to know. The whole scene was growing fainter by the second now that he thought about it. He only remembered the image of Hermione on the bed covered in her own blood. That was something he didn't think he'd ever forget.

Mrs. Weasley Ginny and Tonks all took their places again as Arthur turned to Harry. He looked sad his eyes tired and his posture hunched. He looked like he'd been up all night the night before and was planning on being up again. Harry felt sorry for him.

"Harry can you tell us exactly what you saw?" Arthur asked.

Harry frowned. He'd known they were going to ask that and didn't want to think about what would happen when he told them that he didn't remember. He opened his mouth to deliver the bad news when a screech sounded through the room. A huge owl had landed on top of the cupboard behind Mrs. Weasley's chair and was watching everyone.

"Where in the hell did that come from." Remus said starring.

"It's got a letter." Arthur said standing and walking to the cupboard. He reached up and the owl dropped the letter into his hand. It then flew away squawking loudly as it flew. Arthur looked down at the sealed parchment. The wax seal was made of black wax and had a skull with a serpent for a tongue impressed in it. "It's for you Harry."

He handed it over and upon looking at the wax seal Harry knew who had written it. His anger resurfaced as he savagely tore at the parchment. His eyes were narrowed and his teeth were bared waiting for something to spring out and try to kill him. Everyone at the table had their wands at the ready waiting to defend Harry.

But when he opened it nothing happened. It just unrolled as if it were only a letter from Ron. The neat but very small and barely readable handwriting inside was all that greeted Harry. He began reading the letter aloud to all.

Potter,

I realize that you saw your little Mudblood friend earlier today. I can sense your presence just as you can sense mine only I'm strong enough to get through the effects with little problem. I would like to let you know that she is not dead, physically. But she is dead to you Potter. You wont be seeing your little Mudblood friend for a long while and when she does return I assure you that she will not be the same.

Normally I wouldn't be this generous to my enemy but I can still feel your fury even as I write this letter. I detest your feelings even if they are anger. Therefore you may stop thinking such thoughts (for I know what you're thinking) because you have my word that Hermione Granger will suffer no harm while in my company. But I warn you Potter. Do not attempt to locate Granger. Things may not go in her favour if you do.

The letter ended with that final threat. Harry looked up at the faces around him. Some seemed relieved while some seemed worried and unhappy. Harry knew where both sets of looks came from for you couldn't help but be relieved at the news but terrified as well.

"She's not dead." Ron said eventually. His tone was one of relief and happiness.

"We have to find her. Even if we cant get her yet we have to find out where she went." Remus said. Others around the table nodded and agreed verbally though Harry and Ron said nothing. Ron was too busy smiling happily to himself obviously trying to hold back tears of joy. Harry however was concentrating on Ginny.

She was seated across the table her eyes looking relieved. She was holding back tears as well. Her head was bowed slightly her watery blue eyes focused on the table. Harry felt the familiar pang of his heart as he stared at her.

It had been only a few weeks ago that Harry had told Ginny that they had to break up. He had told her that he didn't want her to get hurt but now he knew whether or not they were going out they would end up getting hurt anyway. He resolved to talk to her that night. He wasn't going to ask her out again, that would be stupid, it wasn't the right time. But he wanted to let her know that he still cared about her. That she could always turn to him.

With the thought of talking to Ginny later that night, Harry was able to get through the rest of the meeting without a problem.

so that's it...review and i'll continue with the writing and the cookie giving...will give cookies for reviews...you guys get the better end of the deal...lol

Starry