Hey guys! WE ARE UP TO 10,000! Isn't that insane?! Wow, keep telling your friends and family and whoever will listen! :D And most importantly, review! Keep em comin! So, we're moving right along with the plot of the Deathly Hallows, and for those of you who read the book or seen the movies, you know what's coming up next. We saw a lot of what the trio was doing during that time, but not The Order and not Voldemort. So, I'm going to incorporate those two things into the story more so we can see things from all viewpoints. As always, if you have suggestions, please PM me. I would love to hear from you. Cinnamon Muffin Punk – thank you for your sweet message this morning. You really know how to brighten a girl's day Pgoodrichboggs – I know, right? Finally; it felt like forever until they destroyed the damn thing.
Chapter 23:
Weeks had passed without the knowledge of what the symbol meant or how to decipher it. They also didn't know what it meant pertaining to destroying the remaining Horcruxes. Hermione was sure it meant something, and was busy connecting the dots in her head, but quickly found that some were inevitably missing. The boys were doing their fair share of work as well, and all of them agreed they had indeed seen the symbol at least once before, but could not pinpoint where. It was frustrating to say the least, and at times like these, Hermione wished she had Draco here to help her.
But, she knew that she didn't have that luxury so she put that brilliant mind of hers to work, scouting everything she could think of, all the places she had seen in the past seven years of her life, knowing it had to pertain to something magically related. She took notes to add to Harry and Ron's, but it wasn't until Harry had an awakening that they finally had a lead on it.
"Hermione, I think I remember where I've seen this before," Harry said and tapped the page of the book with his pointer finger. Hermione's eyes shot up to her friend, begging him to continue. "When Ron and I visited my parent's graves, we noticed that it was the grave of a man named Ignotus Peverell."
Hermione's eyebrows raised. "Harry… that is the surname of the brothers in the story. That means that they were real."
Harry nodded slowly. "Yes, and if I remember correctly from when we took that potion last year in Slughorn's class – remember the one that Parkinson and Nott made that showed our family histories with a drop of blood – that name was part of the Potter line, my line."
Hermione ran her left fingers over her lips. Why hadn't she thought of this before?! Of course, Harry was right. The Peverell's were related to the Potter's. The family name died out fairly early in wizarding history, around 1382, if Hermione remembered correctly from the books she had read. But, that only meant that the Peverell's had daughters, who were eventually married to the Potter's. It all clicked together; Ignotus was given the invisibility cloak for cheating death… And now it was in Harry's possession.
"That means that you are distantly related," Hermione said as Ron sat down next to her.
"You guys remember how Luna and her dad came to Bill and Fleur's wedding, right?" Ron asked the two, who nodded in response. "I'm almost a hundred percent certain that he was wearing that same symbol around his neck."
"Why would he?" Harry asked, taken aback. "That symbol means dark magic, and as much as we want to think that Mr. Lovegood is nutty, he definitely is not evil."
"Harry's right, Ron," Hermione agreed. "Mr. Lovegood is not evil. He may be mad, but certainly not evil."
"Maybe we should go check it out, though," Ron said only to have both sets of eyes in the room turn to face him in shock and surprise. "What's the worst that could happen?"
"Oh, you know, we're kind-of wanted," Harry replied.
Hermione rolled her eyes, seeing both sides of the argument. "Maybe Dumbledore wanted us to figure it out, though. It does keep popping up places, doesn't it? Besides, it's around Easter… Luna will probably be on holiday."
Ron quickly nodded, and Harry rolled his eyes, knowing what his best friend was up too. "I think we should go." Hermione looked sideways to him, and then back at Harry. "Let's take a vote. All in favor?"
Ron raised his hand, but Hermione ignored him. "It's up to you, Harry. Do you want to go see Mr. Lovegood?"
Harry took a moment to make a decision, thinking about all the things that could possibly go wrong. There were quite a few, but he had known Lovegood to be a supporter of him, and his magazine proved that. So, thinking that the benefits outweighed the risks, he reluctantly agreed. "Fine… But, we have to be careful."
"I'm glad you've finally adopted that way of thinking, Harry," Hermione nodded almost starkly.
"It was always there, Hermione," Harry smirked.
"Well, we best be getting ready then," Hermione sighed and began to stand up. She stretched, and caught Ron starting at her slightly exposed midriff.
"Lovegood lives right over the hill from my parents," Ron told them. "I can get us there easily."
Hermione knew that Ron agreeing to go and offering to lead the party was all because he was trying to impress her. It wasn't that she didn't want to be impressed; destroying a Horcrux was a huge deal, especially on Ron's level. On most – if not all – levels, all she wanted to do was tell Ron that he wasn't for her, and that her heart laid with another. It wouldn't be easy letting him down easy, but the last thing she needed was for him to storm out on them for telling him she was in love with Draco Malfoy… So, all she did was do her job, hope for the best, and pray to Merlin that Harry didn't tell Ron about their relationship.
Draco had seen a lot of terrible things in his lifetime. He had seen a man drinking unicorn blood, a Hypogriff get decapitated, the cold dead body of a classmate, his father in Azkaban withering away, the killing of hundreds of people at his father and the Death Eaters' hands, people being eaten alive by that damn snake, the fall of the Ministry, and the torture of people with crucial information. But, as he sat at the huge table in the Parlor for another midnight Death Eater meeting, he had not been prepared to witness something so horrific.
After Voldemort's briefing on what to do at the Ministry to keep daily affairs somewhat normal and a progress report on Hogwarts, courtesy of Snape, he had told the people around him that he had a treat for them. Draco had immediately tensed again, and Blaise, who was now at his place beside him, shared a look with the young Malfoy that begged not another initiation. But, the boys would have taken another initiation any day over what they were about to see.
Thicknesse had appeared in the south doorway of the Parlor with a girl who looked defeated. Her clothes were tattered, torn, and hanging from her body in pieces. Her dirty blonde hair was hanging halfway down her chest, which was partially exposed, and she was chained around her neck, with Thicknesse holding the chair in his hand. Draco's eyes widened and he involuntarily turned to his mother, hoping she would say something – they would listen to her. But, deep down, seeing his mother's expression so close to mirroring his own, he knew that they wouldn't.
The Death Eater pulled on the chain and the girl crawled on her hands and knees to the table, behaving such as a dog would. She had obviously been held by them for quite some time; there were bruises marking her body and her eyes had bags under them. When she was brought onto the table, Draco recognized her as a classmate. One that he openly knew was a Muggleborn. That's when he began to feel sick again. He knew before they did it what was going to happen to this poor girl. He looked at Snape, who was sitting beside his father on the other side of him, but once again, Snape's eyes posed the threat of staying calm or paying for it with his life.
Voldemort introduced the girl – Draco caught that her name was Emma over the fire his in eyes and soul. The Dark Lord told the group that she was caught trying to flee the country and their good friend Thickneese had stopped her and brought her here, where she could be made an example out of. Voldemort than reprimanded the Death Eaters for being too soft towards their "kind" and that they should spill all the Mudblood blood they possibly could. It would not only lead them towards their goal of exterminating all Mudbloods but also would make Potter come out of hiding.
After his speech of victory over this girl, Voldemort had allowed Thicknesse to torture her. The Cruitatus, as she withered in pain and screamed on the table. Even Narcissa had to look away, and focus her eyes on the dents in her table. Draco felt bile creeping up in this throat and he met eyes with the girl as she finally lay still after the Death Eater relinquished his hold on her. He wanted to help her – he wasn't sure how he would, but he wanted too. She began screaming again when other Death Eaters joined in on the torture, demeaning her in every way possible. Voldemort had only called on his most trusted men to do this and had even denied Bellatrix in her bloodlust. He had said that it was something that the men deserved – as they had been working so hard for him.
It wasn't long before the torture-fest became rape. Draco had seen more of the Death Eaters than he wanted too already, but seeing the girl being forced on plus being tortured was more than he could handle. She must have been penetrated by twenty men or so – including his father – before she just gave up and allowed it to happen. Draco was thanking Merlin that Voldemort hadn't invited him on the table, because he wouldn't have been able to do it. Every time a new man took the others place, another wave of torture was inflicted onto the girl, as well as the Death Eaters using it in their way. Some was terrible, others weren't such, but it was still an awful scene to witness.
After every man Voldemort had named took their turn with the girl, he rose to the table and stopped walking in front of her face. This girl only stared at his ankles; she was red from spanking, there were chunks of her hair on the table around her, and blood from her lips, both holes, and fresh cuts running along the crevasses of the wood. He had reprimanded her again, saying that that was how her kind deserved to be treated, because they were filthy animals. All they were good for was pleasure toys and sport. And he promised her that every last Mudblood would receive the same treatment as her.
The girl had lost the will to fight. At first, she put up a pretty decent fight against them, but now… now, she was defeated. She had succumbed to her fate, and knew what it meant for her. Voldemort had admired her courage, and leaned down to pull her head up to face him by the back of her hair. She looked him dead in the eyes, trying to focus them, before he put his wand to her heart and whispered the killing curse. She immediately fell limp and Voldemort allowed her head to hit the table as he released her hair. Then, he had turned away and commanded Travers to get rid of the mess.
Draco didn't sleep that night. He hadn't spoken a word to his parents – just went straight for his room. He vomited so many times that his throat began to sting, and tossed and turned, but couldn't get the horrific images of what he had just witnessed out of his head. He had known Voldemort was pure evil, but this… this even he couldn't have imagined.
"I'm sure you know why I have called this meeting," Snape said to the group at large.
The Order was meeting that evening in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, on a very serious matter that Snape insisted they were all present for. Almost every Order member was present, minus Bill and Charlie Weasley and Fleur. The rest were sitting quietly at the table, all staring down it to the other side where Snape sat with Arthur on one side of him and Kingsley on the other. Everyone in the room could tell that the tension was unsettling.
"The Ministry has fallen," Snape said in his normal monotone. "Those of you who work there know this. There is a campaign to trap Muggleborns, and force them to surrender their magic. About a quarter of Muggleborns have already had their wands confiscated. A few have also been brought into the Dark Lord's meetings, and killed for sport."
Some of the Order members gasped and began murmuring to one another.
"Do you know these people, Severus?" Lupin asked from beside his wife, his hand protectively over hers, knowing that the Death Eaters would not spare her or their child if they were to find her.
Snape's face was blank. "I did."
"Tell us, Severus," McGonagall's voice was shrill, but she knew as everyone did, they needed to know exactly what was going on behind Voldemort's lines.
Snape looked onwards, not moving one inch. "A seventh year by the name of Emma Magunson was brought in after being found by Snatchers last night. I believe she was in Hufflepuff. The girl was questioned, tortured, raped, and then disposed of in the lake behind Malfoy Manor. The Dark Lord ordered the Snatchers to bring any other Muggleborns they find to him and do the exact same."
The look on the people's faces were of disgust and were distorted. Molly had tears in her eyes, and Tonks was gripping her husband's hand furiously.
"We don't have any pull now," Arthur sighed and set his wand on the table. "The Ministry is aligned with Voldemort now. It will make finding these Muggleborns and getting them to safety that much harder."
"It is something that we must try," McGonagall said with her fingers tracing over her lips, as she always did when she was anxious. "I ordered most of the Muggleborns home during the Christmas holidays explaining to their parents that there was an unfortunate outbreak in Spattergroit. None remain at Hogwarts."
"That mean that Voldemort will begin looking for them outside of the wizarding world," Moody growled. "We need to protect the homes of these children."
"It's not just children that he's targeting, Alastor," Snape replied, now looking his direction. "He has been having Rowley go through the Ministry's official records as well, and locating all Muggleborns. He has the plan to exterminate them all."
"Well, we must stop him!" said Molly shrilly, raising her hands in the air. "He can't just go out and kill all the Muggleborns!"
"He's not," Snape replied. "The Death Eaters are."
"I'm assuming that they're brainwashed into believing this is the right thing to do," Lupin sighed.
"Take Lucius, for example," McGonagall said. "I'm sure most of his followers are Slytherins because it was easy to manipulate their Pureblood values."
"Indeed you are right, Minvera," Arthur agreed.
"That and they're all about as thick as a box of rocks," George offered his two cents and got a slap on the back by his twin and a stern glare from his mother.
"But, Narcissa came to us for help," Molly said, thinking of her distantly related cousin in some sort of empathy. "She at least saw what we're doing is right."
"Yes, but Narcissa is one out of a million," Tonks said softly. "She is very thankful for us, and she put herself and Draco on the line by going back into the Manor to spy for us."
"Narcissa and Draco were welcomed back as heroes, I assure you," came Snape's voice. "Both are keeping up their charade."
"We need a course of action," Alastor said to the group at large.
"I assume the very best thing is to give Harry more time," Arthur said and crossed his fingers. "We will have to make sure Hogwarts does not fall under Voldemort's control."
"I agree," McGonagall nodded. "It is best to continue doing what we're doing and defending Hogwarts to the best of our ability."
"There will inevitably be a war," Alastor said from across the table.
"Yes, inevitably," McGonagall sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "But when it comes, we shall be ready for it, Alastor."
Hermione Apparated with the boys to the field between the Weasley's and Lovegood's. The three of them felt the same: it felt so odd to be so close to Ron's home, yet not able to go visit. Harry had wondered if they could – apparently he was just as homesick as Hermione and Ron were. But, Hermione quickly shut down the idea, saying that if the Death Eaters were watching the Burrow, which they inevitably were, then it wasn't safe for them. The last thing they needed was to be in the clutches of Voldemort when they were close to solving this puzzle.
They walked in silence for quite some time, unsure of what to say. It appeared as though the feelings of the day were the same: loneliness and sorrow. All three wanted to go sprinting back the way they came, be given a warm welcome by Ron's parents, sit down at the table and enjoy Molly's cooking, and go to sleep in nice, warm beds. Harry longed for a conversation with Arthur about Muggles, and some testing for the new products at the joke shop. Ron longed for his bed and food… and a hug from this mother. Hermione longed for her life to go back to normality, so she could marry Ron, have seven children, and work in the Ministry. As the three all longed for their specific desires, they didn't notice that they had crossed the top of the hill to where a rickety house stood.
"Well, it certainly fits them," Hermione breathed, scanning the area for Death Eaters.
"Look, we're definitely at the right house," Harry said, gesturing to the signs saying "The Quibbler" and the pile of magazines next to them. He also eyes the sign saying "Keep off the Dirigible Plums" and rolled his eyes. Her father was just as insane as she was.
"He's batty, Luna's… batty," Ron shook his head as the three began to walk up the pathway leading up to the home. "This is not going to go well, trust me."
"Nonsense, Ronald, it's just your anxiety," Hermione said dismissively. "Harry… since you're the one he supports, why don't you knock on the door?"
Harry looked slightly uncomfortable and muttered something about not wanting to come in the first place before climbing the three stairs and awkwardly knocking twice on the wooden door. To their surprise, the door was opened quite quickly by Xenophilius Lovegood. Hermione indeed recognized him from the wedding. He was a slender man, with hair as blonde as Luna's and his eyes were wide and studying over the situation in front of him. He was barefoot, Hermione noticed, and wearing a nightshirt, looking as though he hadn't slept in months. The man at Bill and Fleur's wedding the summer before was not nearly the same man as the one standing before them.
"Who is it? Who are you? What do you want?" the man cried, startling the three of them. He looked down at the three before his eyes landed on Harry and his mouth dropped almost comically.
"Hello, Mr. Lovegood," Harry said politely and held out his hand. "I'm Harry Potter."
Mr. Lovegood didn't take Harry's hand, much to Hermione's disappointment. He looked over the three teenagers before him, and clenched his jaw, unsure of what to say or do. Hermione began to second guess this now – maybe Ron was right. Maybe they should leave. Just as she was about to grab Harry's arm and steer back down that overgrown path, Harry spoke again.
"Could we come in for a moment? There's something we'd like to ask you."
Mr. Lovegood stared back at Harry. "My goodness… that's quite a request… I don't really think that's advisable… My word… I just…"
He looked around his garden, and Hermione noticed that he was swallowing rather quickly. She saw the look in his eyes was confinement and could almost see the gears turning their way through his brain. Harry looked disappointed that he wasn't welcomed warmer.
"It won't take long," Harry insisted. "Please, Mr. Lovegood, we need your help."
"Oh all right then," Mr. Lovegood ushered them into the house. "Quickly, come on now!"
The three hurried inside the house only to be met by a slam of the door behind them. Hermione jumped and reached for her wand, but Ron put his hand over hers instinctively and gave her the look of patience. She envied Ron for his outlook of the world: everyone had good in them. As Hermione took in her surroundings, she realized that they were in the oddest kitchen-like room she had ever seen. It was in the shape of a circle, and even the appliances were curved to fit the walls. And it appeared as though Luna had painted a variety of animals on the cabinets. It was such a burst of color that it made Hermione have a piercing headache. Not to mention that above them, were sounds that mimicked clanking and grinding. Hermione could only imagine what Luna could be doing up there, and how happy she would be to see her friends.
"Come on up here," Mr. Lovegood led them up the stairs in the middle of the room to the upper floors, still looking incredibly uncomfortable with their presence.
When they got to the upper level, the three realized that it was an office of some kind. There was a press printing out the magazine along with many papers hanging up on the walls. Hermione took to looking around as Mr. Lovegood cleared a table for the four to sit and talk. She walked around, distantly hearing him ask Harry why they were there before landing her eyes on a grey-horn.
"Mr. Lovegood, I apologize for interrupting you, but what is this?" she asked, although she was fairly certain she knew the answer.
"The horn of a Crumple-Headed Snorkack," replied Luna's father with narrowed eyes.
"No, it isn't!" Hermione said in shock.
"Hermione, please, now is not the time," Harry tugged on her arm, embarrassed.
"Harry, stop tugging on me! Mr. Lovegood, this is an Erumpent horn. It is very dangerous to have in a house! It can explode at the slightest touch! You need to get rid of this right away before it brings down your home," Hermione explained to the man.
But, Mr. Lovegood was adamant that it indeed belonged to a Snorkack. He explained that he had bought it a few weeks early as a present for Luna. "Now, Mr. Potter, would you explain to me why you are here?"
Harry sighed. "We need help."
"Help?" Mr. Lovegood asked dreamily, looking up at the ceiling. But, his eyes wandered down to Harry's scar and he looked both frightened and mesmerized. "But… helping Harry Potter… it's rather dangerous, you know…"
"Aren't you the one printing magazines that support him?" Ron asked. Hermione almost hit him.
"Yes, I have," Mr. Lovegood replied. "That is the viewpoint of the magazine –"
"How about you personally?" Ron demanded.
Harry studied the man as he did not answer. He could see that his eyes were darting back and forth and was beginning to share Hermione's reservation about wanting to leave. "Where's Luna? I'm sure she would vouch for us."
The man gulped, and looked at the three then out the window. "Luna is down by the stream, fishing for Freshwater Plimpies. I'm sure she would like to see you. Very well, Mr. Potter. I will go and call her and then… I will help you."
With that, he turned and went downstairs. The three heard the door open and shut loudly. Ron looked at his friends and let out a low whistle.
"What the bloody hell –"
"He's probably worried about what will happen to him if the Death Eaters find out that he helped us," Harry reasoned and took a seat on one of the chairs.
"He's hypocritical, Harry," Hermione replied. "He's out telling everyone else to help you yet he was reserved about doing it himself. It's one thing to talk a big game, but he should have tried to help you without incident. Ronald – keep away from that damn horn!"
It wasn't long before they heard the door open and close again, and Mr. Lovegood was up the stairs carrying a tray for tea. Hermione sighed happily and sat down in the chair beside Harry, and Ron on the couch. Mr. Lovegood looked a bit more relaxed then when they first arrived, and Hermione blamed that on Luna. She had that certain way with people. He set the tray on the table and explained what the tea included, something Hermione tuned out, as she just wanted tea. And then, she found herself looking up to a bust of a witch wearing an odd headdress.
"I see you've spotted my invention. It was modeled upon the bust of Ravenclaw," Mr. Lovegood explained to her and handed her a cup of tea. Hermione thanked him warmly and took a sip, feeling at ease. "Now, Mr. Potter, how may I help you?"
"Well, it's actually about the symbol you were wearing at the wedding this past summer," Harry replied, jumping in on information. "We were wondering what it meant."
Mr. Lovegood's eyebrows ceased. "Are you speaking of the sign of The Deathly Hallows?"
Harry turned to look at his counterparts, but both of them looked back unknowingly. "I'm sorry?"
"You haven't heard of them?" Mr. Lovegood asked. "I'm not surprised, as this is widely known as a symbol of dark magic. But, very few wizards believe in them. It is, how shall I say this… a way to reveal ourselves to other believers so that they may help us in our Quest."
"So, what exactly are The Deathly Hallows?" Hermione asked.
Mr. Lovegood had drained his teacup by then and set it aside. "You have read the Tale of the Three Brothers?"
"Yes," the three of them said in unison.
"Then you should know what The Deathly Hallows are," Mr. Lovegood said and leaned over the table to where a piece of parchment was. He drew a straight line. "The Elder Wand." He drew a circle on top of the line. "The Resurrection Stone." And lastly, he enclosed the line inside of a triangle, completing the symbol that had haunted Hermione for months. "The Invisibility Cloak. The Deathly Hallows."
"Mr. Lovegood, The Deathly Hallows aren't mentioned in the story…" Hermione began.
"Of course not," he rebutted, leaned back in his chair, and laced his fingers in front of himself. "It is a mere children's tale, my dear. It is meant to entertain, not to entice people to chase after the Hallows. Those of us who do understand what it means, however, know the story refers to these three objects, which, if they are once again united, make that person… the Master of Death."
Ron let out a low breath, and Hermione's eyes narrowed. "You mean to tell me you think that these items all actually exist?"
"Of course I do," Mr. Lovegood said assertively. "Luna has told me all about you, Miss Granger, and although you are intelligent, your mind is limited. I advise you to think… outside the box."
Hermione bit her lip, but did not back down from her argument. "Okay, I will humor you. Invisibility Cloaks are rare, and even if one did exist like the one in the story (she glanced at Harry and Ron to make sure they were following her), the man who possessed it would be famous and… rich? He wouldn't want to give it up. We have all heard of The Elder Wand. But, what about the stone? How can you prove that exists?"
"Prove it does not." Was Mr. Lovegood's reply.
Hermione was becoming increasingly irritated with the man. He stood up and looked out the window, probably checking for Luna. It was quite a hike back from the stream.
"You will stay for dinner? Luna will make our Freshwater Plimpy soup; it is marvelous!" he strolled away before disappearing downstairs and outside once more.
Harry looked at Hermione. "What do you think?"
"Don't look at me like that, you know I think it's rubbish," Hermione replied. "The symbol is the sign of dark magic, Harry. It even surprises me that this is the first time we're hearing about these 'Hallows'."
"I think it's one of those stories that are made up to teach children not to do bad things," came Ron's suggestion, his hands behind his head now.
They heard the door open again, and began to smell a smell similar to burning underwear rising from the kitchen below. Hermione clenched her jaw in disgust and Harry and Ron met eyes, praying to Merlin that they would not be forced to eat that. Even though Mr. Lovegood was inevitably cooking downstairs, Harry had found it strange Luna had not come back yet. He glanced up the staircase to the room above him, unarguably Luna's room. He ignored the warning from Hermione not to go up there, and when he did, he saw Luna's room was tidily kept. There were pictures of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dean, Seamus, Ginny, and Neville hanging about. Harry smiled at them: they were quite lovely. But, when Harry examined the pictures closer, he realized that they had dust of them. He allowed his eyes to wander down to her bed, and saw the covers were pulled straight, as though the bed hadn't been slept in in months. As Harry looked around the room, he saw there were no clothes in Luna's closet, and a thin layer of dust crept along the windowsill, reflecting off of the bloodred sky behind it.
"Harry, what is wrong?" Hermione asked as Harry came back downstairs. Mr. Lovegood was already on the top stair from the kitchen, staring at them.
"Where is Luna?" Harry demanded, his voice strong with emotion.
"I already told you: she is fishing," he replied hastily.
"Then why have you only set that tray for four people?" Harry asked, pointing to the tray that Mr. Lovegood held in his hands. Hermione's heart stopped as Mr. Lovegood's hands began to shake.
"Her bed is empty, her room is dusty, and there are no clothes in her closet," Harry continued, watching at the man looked out the window. "I don't think she's been home in months. Why do you keep looking out that window? Are you expecting someone?"
Mr. Lovegood dropped the tray and the bowls fell and shattered. At that instant, the trio knew something was wrong. They all drew their wands, putting distance between themselves and Mr. Lovegood. Next to Hermione, she noticed that the printing press had stopped and a stack of finished magazines sat on a pile next to her. She turned and when she saw the front page, her eyes widened.
"Harry," she whispered and picked one up. On the front page was a picture of Harry, with the words: Undesirable Number One underneath of it.
"So, the Quibbler is going for a new angle then?" Harry asked, his eyes going back to the man.
Mr. Lovegood licked his lips nervously. "They took my Luna… because of my support of you. They told me that they may give her back if… if I …"
"Turn Harry over?" Ron asked. "Fat chance, we're leaving."
Mr. Lovegood put his arms out, blocking the three from descending down the stairs. "You do not understand. They have Luna… You must not leave!"
Hermione saw the figures on the brooms outside the window before the others and screamed as Lovegood pulled out his wand. Not in any position to defend themselves, Lovegood shot a stunning spell at them, which Hermione pulled Ron down to dodge. There was a deafening blast, and suddenly, Hermione was buried half deep in rubble from the room. Her brown eyes opened, looking around at the situation: Harry and Ron weren't as buried as she was, but the spell must have hit the horn because the room was blown to pieces, as well as a section of the wall, exposing the outside.
Hermione pulled herself up, but heard footsteps downstairs, and motioned for the boys to stay hidden as they listened.
"I told you there was no need to hurry, Travers," said one of the voices. It was rough and deep. Hermione recognized it. "I told you he was lying… as usual."
There was a shrill bang and a scream of pain from Lovegood. "No, he's upstairs!"
"I told you last week, Lovegood, that we weren't coming back until we got a decent piece of information!" came the voice again. Another bang, and another squeal. "We are tired of dealing with you and your lies!"
"No! NO! Potter is upstairs!"
"Now, you tried to lure us here to blow us up," the other voice said. Another bag, another squeal. "Think you're clever now, do you?"
But, Hermione gasped at a strange sensation moving over her, and knew that one of the three people downstairs had cast the revealing charm. Their position was lost, and they were going to be found. She had to think… had to do something quickly. Between Lovegood's pleading for his daughter and the men's threats, Hermione made her way closer to Harry and Ron, who agreed they needed to leave immediately.
"Okay… okay…" Hermione whispered, coming up with a plan. "Ron, take my hand. Harry, hold onto Ron."
"Hermione –"
"Ron, stay out of sight," Hermione whispered, as the footsteps drew nearer.
It took a few agonizing seconds, but when the three men appeared at the top of the stairs, Hermione blasted a hole below them with her wand, watching the three men fall into the pit of rubble in the kitchen before quickly Apparating the trio out of the house. When they landed, Hermione scrambled to her feet while Ron praised her for getting them out of there alive.
"I hope they don't kill him," Hermione groaned. "Harry had to be seen so they would believe him and hopefully, they would give Luna back to him."
"You are such a genius, Hermione," Harry gushed at her. "I just hope that they really do give Luna back."
Hermione's cheeks flushed but left just as quickly. "Harry… we need to talk about the Hallows."
"I was thinking, Hermione," Harry began and started pacing. "Dumbledore had the cloak the night my parents died… what if he wanted to examine it? I mean, this cloak… it's exactly like the one in the story, and besides I am related to the brothers..." Harry's voice rose the more excited he became. Hermione's face fell. Harry turned to look at his friends, who stood panting a few feet away from him. "Dumbledore left me snitch! Don't you see? The stone is in the snitch! And that means… that means…"
Hermione looked close to tears. "He is after it, Harry. We figured it out a long time ago."
"But, that means that I have one, maybe two of them," Harry said after a long pause. "If I can get the third, then it would be done –"
"No, Harry, you don't understand," Hermione begged him. "This is wrong, all wrong. He wouldn't have known about the Hallows, Harry… He's just seeking the wand. He doesn't know that it's a Hallow."
"That means that I'm ahead –"
"NO!" Hermione shouted at her friend, so confused and oblivious to why he didn't understand. "This isn't a game, Harry! This is real life! You cannot give up trying to find the Horcruxes to go off on a quest to find the Hallows! It wouldn't matter anyway, Harry! You need to destroy the Horcruxes before you can defeat You-Know-Who anyway!"
"Hermione, why are you so determined not to admit it?" Harry demanded of her. "Volde—"
"HARRY, NO!" Ron yelled so loud that it shook the forest around them.
" – mort's after the Elder Wand!"
"SHIT! Oh no," Ron looked around him. "His name is Taboo, Harry! That's how they find us!"
It was too late. Hermione saw the men in black surrounding them, all of their wands pointed to the trio. They moved closer, and the trio began to ran, and although Harry and Ron got further than Hermione, she was pulled back by her shoulder and toppled to the ground. One of the men was on her, pinning her down, and she was kicking at him while screaming at the boys to run. At that moment, it didn't matter if she survived, but Harry had too.
When she was brought to her feet, she saw that Harry and Ron had been captured too. One of the Snatchers, who appeared to be the leader, walked by the three, starting with her. He called her beautiful, then moved onto Ron, who he scowled at, and when he saw Harry… his face looked like a child inside a candy store.
"Well well well… it looks like we've caught Harry Potter, boys," said the leader with a smile. He turned to his troop. "We'll take them straight to You-Know-Who."
Hermione thought she was going to be sick as she struggled against the man who had subdued her. She met eyes with Harry, and although he didn't look frightened, she could tell he was. Ron looked worse, tossing and turning and begging them to let Hermione go.
"I believe he's still at Malfoy Manor," said one of the Snatchers.
"Let's go," the leader said. "I'm sure he can't wait to see you."