K15: Okay guys, here's the next chapter. I hope you're still with me. Sorry it took so long. A great thanks to my beta, Rachel, for looking over this chapter. Don't forget to review. Later. K15
Disclaimer: I don't own HP.
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Chapter 10 something returned, something kidnapped
"If you're sick Hermione we have to get you out of there."
Hermione looked blankly out the window. Harry told her that just last year when she was staying with her father. She had come down with cold, but her father didn't want her to leave. She was stubborn, just like her mother. That was probably the reason she went with the twins to the wedding earlier that month. That was the reason she went behind Draco's back. She was stubborn and wanted to bend the rules to her liking.
"Hermione, you must take care of yourself. Nothing is more painful than an emotional sick witch."
Her mother's voice echoed through her head. It was hard to accept the fact that she was dead. The one person that Hermione could really talk to, besides Harry and Ron was dead. And deep inside Hermione blamed herself for her mother's death. She had told herself not to, but she couldn't help it. It was just something that she did; much like Fred blamed himself for Percy's death. It was like the natural order of things. Especially when one protects another from death, then it gives the surviving one even more reason to hate him or her.
"No Fred how could you!"
It was the only part she could remember of her dream, the only part and it had to be something less clear. Was she yelling for Fred, or was yelling at him? The second choice was the best option. It was without a doubt the best one at that matter. She never did once yell for his safety, well the Final Battle doesn't count. She was always yelling at Fred to do something with his life. In the end Hermione was no better than Pamela. And that was something she really didn't want to admit to.
"You must learn your place you pathetic little whore!"
It came from Pamela's mouth. She could remember it in a battle. They were gathering up all the Death Eaters and Pamela had put up a fight saying how she didn't do anything wrong that she was innocent. She couldn't stand being her any more. And personally with Malfoy being around her all the time, she couldn't handle it. Malfoy seemed to spend less time with Hermione and more time with Pamela, and Hermione had been there for a week. Had Draco just forgotten about the witch he was supposed to marry? She shook her head, it wasn't right, Draco never forgot about her. He was just busy.
"To fight for what one believes in, it's a matter of truth. To fight for what one loves, then it's a matter of destiny."
Hermione could remember Dumbledore's words. At least that's where she thought it came from. After the final battle, she had visited the old man's painting. She had talked about everything that had happened to him. Even down to Percy saving Fred. It was then when Dumbledore had told her that advice. She listened to it and she lived by it, or at least she tried to live by it.
"Why can't you see that I love you?"
It echoed through Hermione's mind time after time. Why would Fred go and tell her that he was madly in love with the smartest witch, and then go and tell Pamela the exact same thing? Was there some sort of spell that the witch had put on the twin? Hermione truly wanted to know. She didn't want to see Fred get hurt, and if Pamela had just done something wrong. Something the little bit out of place then Hermione would be the first to know.
"Expelliarmus."
Hermione's eyes shot open. It took a while to grasp the situation at hand. Fred had backed up to the wall next to George, and Harry and Ron had their wands pointed at Malfoy's throat. Malfoy had a look that was a mix between terror and a glare plastered onto his face. It was kind of funny.
"Working over time Potter?"
"Shut up Malfoy," Harry snapped.
"I've been waiting to say this to you for a long time," Ron had a smirk on his face.
"Keep dreaming Weasley, I've done nothing wrong."
Ron pulled out a piece of parchment. "This is our search warrant, that Kingsley issued us two weeks ago. When we searched your place we found nothing."
"Ron, leave him alone!" Hermione shrieked running over to Draco. This separated him and her two best friends. "He's done nothing wrong!"
"This search warrant allows us to search the guesthouses to," Ron continued.
"What's your point Weasley?" demanded Draco.
Harry smirked. "We are to detain you while our superiors do a thorough search of the boundaries."
George grabbed Hermione and pulled her off to the side. "No, Hermione don't get involved with this stuff. This is Auror business."
"Let me go."
"No."
"I said let me go! This is my boyfriend!"
Harry lowered his wand slightly and turned to Hermione. "Hermione we have reason to believe that he's murdered your mother."
"I did no such thing! I wasn't part of that raid!"
"You were an accomplice then!" Ron accused. He was trying to get Draco to confess to something that he never did.
"You know nothing of what happened on that night!" Draco yelled.
"We have several eye witnesses."
"That have nothing…"
Hermione looked at Draco. "Draco, shut up."
"What?"
Harry and Ron looked at their best friend. She was there, but refused to testify against anyone else that was there but Bellatrix. There had to be something else wrong, she wouldn't have told him to shut up other wise.
It was then a wizard in green robes Apparated next to Harry. The Boy Who Lived leaned down and listened to what he had to say. Sighing he shook his head, muttering something, glancing at Hermione. The man in green robes sighed and shrugged, it was soon after that he was gone.
"Draco Malfoy due to the unfortunate…"
Ron looked at Harry. "Can I say it?"
Harry laughed. "Yes Ron, you may say it."
"Draco Malfoy you have the right to remain silence, anything you say can and will be used against you in the Wizarding Court. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one, which I highly doubt, one will be given to you. If you attempt to flee you will be stunned and your wand will be snapped," Ron stated.
Hermione took a deep breath and tried to rush towards her fiancé. Fred and George both grabbed her. Ron shoved him forward and smirked as Pamela was shoved by. Fred's eyes widened and he heard a snicker from Hermione next to him.
"I'm sorry Fred."
"What is the reason she's charged with!" Fred demanded.
Harry flinched as he told Fred. "She is being charged with attempted murder on Hermione during the night of the raid," Harry answered, and then took a deep breath in.
Fred's blue eyes widened and he lunged at Harry. George pounced on his brother. "No, Fred. She'll be proved innocent."
"Harry you can't do this!" Hermione yelled.
"Hermione," Harry started. "You must understand that…"
"Draco didn't murder my mum! It wasn't him!" she yelled, tears rolling down her face. "Damn it, listen to me!"
"Hermione, we have reason to believe when he showed up to the house tonight everything added up."
"NO!" Hermione cried out.
Fred pushed his brother off of him and pinned Harry up against the wall. "Pamela has done nothing wrong."
"If you do not release me Mr. Weasley, you will be taken into custody as well." Harry said, warning in his tone.
Fred let go of the Boy-Who- Lived and dropped his hands to the side. He refused to look at anyone. How could this happen to Pamela, she hadn't been in contact with Death Eaters since the night that Lord Voldemort was defeated, unless he wasn't told something. It wouldn't have been the first time that the older of the two Weasley twins wasn't told something.
"Thank you. George, I'm going to leave Hermione and Fred in your charge." Harry liked the fact that he was in charge of this situation. It was something that didn't come up often. In fact, it has been a while, three years to be exactly, since he had control of someone's actions.
George laughed. "Are you enjoying the fact you're in charge?"
"Just a little," Harry answered with a laugh. "Please watch out for Hermione, I'll be back as soon as I can to help take…"
"I AM NOT A CHILD!" she shrieked, throwing her shoe at the Boy-Who-Lived. "No, I refuse to be treated like a child any more!"
"You're acting like one," Fred scoffed.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at Fred. "Excuse me? Who is the one that owns a joke shop?"
"It's a business Ms. I-Work-For-the-Ministry," Fred argued.
George took a step in between his brother and the person his brother supposedly loved. "Enough you two. I can only handle this bickering for so long. It's not like it's Hermione's fault that Harry took Draco into custody and it's not Fred's fault that Pamela was taken in either," he paused. "Wait, reverse that."
Harry chuckled. "Look guys, it's probably nothing. Kingsley just wanted me to take them in for questioning."
"But you accused Draco…"
"That's exactly what it was for. The questioning of the murder of your mother," said Harry. It was odd to see him remaining so calm. "I will be back shortly. George, will you look after these two?" George nodded and rolled his eyes at the same time. Harry had just asked the younger twin to baby sit. Harry nodded his thanks and Disapparated.
Hermione sighed as she stared at the now empty spot. Her life was officially over, no one was going to be able to replace Draco. And how was she going to explain to Umbridge, who didn't like Hermione to begin with, that the young witch's fiancé was stuck deep within the cells of Azkaban.
Hermione glared at Fred. "What is wrong with you?" he demanded. "Why can't you play nice?"
"You're the one who is always yelling at me."
"Would you two shut up!" George finally yelled. "I'm sick of your bickering!" George placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and Hermione's head and pushed them to the floor and the bed. Then there were silencing charms placed up on both of them.
Fred opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. So he settled for a glare instead. His own flesh and blood betrayed him like this.
"Have you listened to yourselves? Have you heard the shrieking, the yelling, the constant threats, and hate messages towards each other? Have either of you thought about your best friends in this situation? Me or Ginny, Ron or Harry? Have you thought about us?" George continued his rant. Hermione and Fred looked away from the younger twin. "Let me tell you something, it's not pleasant to listen to you guys. Just ask Angelina and Bill. Even at the wedding you two were arguing over something."
Hermione turned back and glared at George. "What is wrong with you?" she shrieked. The silencing charm had long since been taken off. "Why this? Why now?"
"I have no idea why I thought of this. But you two used to be pretty decent friends," he scoffed. "But hey, what do I know? I'm just the other twin."
Hermione opened her mouth but shut it when Fred took his time to yell at his brother. "I told you not to tell her."
"I haven't, but if you don't tell her, then I will," George firmly growled. "The exact same thing that you told me and Charlie three weeks ago."
Hermione sighed. "Then I want both of you out. And I don't want to see either of you again. Not at my wedding, not in my line of sight again."
George smirked. "You've got it hon. But after…"
"Enough," Fred bellowed. "Get out so I can tell her."
"I'm leaving the Silencing Charm on 'Mione. And I'm freeing you. However, you cannot lay a hand on Hermione." He waved his wand and then left the room.
Fred sighed and began to pace in front of Hermione's bed. "I wanted to tell you this since the wedding." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I've been trying to be your best friend. Take my brother's spot in the Golden Trio.
"But I shouldn't. I can't be your best friend. I can't be something that you want or something you need." He looked away. "I want you to come to me when you've got problems, I want you to help me with my nightmares. And I want I want to help you with yours."
He sighed and reached up to the shielding charm that had blocked Hermione from his touch. He reached out and touched an invisible barrier. Their hands were just barely weren't touching. Fred sighed for a third time and reached for her fingers.
He lowered his voice down to a whisper. "Hermione, I love you more than anything else." He kissed the barrier between them and then Disapparated.
Hermione felt the tears begin to fall down her face. It wasn't too much of a heartfelt confession, but it still struck her deeply that when he shouted out that he was in love with her it was the truth. Dumbledore was right, Hermione stood up as the barrier that separated her and Fred disappeared. She knew that she wouldn't see the twins again.
"To fight for what one believe in, it's a matter of truth. To fight for what one loves, then it's a matter of destiny."
--
Hermione sighed as she watched the rain falling out the window. It was a slow weekend, usually there was something going on, but this weekend? Everyone left, so this left Hermione alone with a few people. The biggest talk was how Draco was taken, but not only him but Pamela as well. The other talk was about how Fred nearly attacked Harry and the argument that she had gotten into with Fred.
Suddenly a pair of arms was wrapped around her. The young witch jumped slightly and snuggled into the embrace. "I thought your trial wasn't until tomorrow."
"They let me out early." He pushed her hair off her neck and kissed it gently. "They had no proof that I murdered your mother, so they're using your statement."
"I know you didn't murder my mother."
A smile crossed Draco's face. He buried his face into her hair and took a whiff of it. He smiled even bigger as he turned Hermione around, and kissed her passionately. Hermione could almost feel the hesitation in it.
"Is there something the matter?"
He shook his head, his blonde hair coming out from his slicked back position. Hermione was willing to admit that she enjoyed Draco's kissing more, when she could run her fingers through it. She smiled as she pulled her fiancé's face closer to hers so she could kiss him.
He pulled back and finally voiced what he was thinking. "I was thinking that we could celebrate our engagement correctly."
Hermione's grin grew. She threw her arms around Draco and let out a little squeal. He spun around and kissed her again. "Are you serious Draco?"
"Yes, I am." He laughed. "You and me up at the Manor. We can have dinner together, without my parents, and of course celebrate this engagement properly and then announce it publicly tomorrow."
"Does that mean I can move up to the Manor?"
"Tomorrow night."
"Promise?"
"On Aunt Bellatrix's grave." He laughed. He gave her a kiss to seal the deal.
"But what do I wear? I mean it's obviously going to be special night."
"There's a little red dress that I placed in the back of your closest. I figured that it would be perfect for you, when you were at my side at many of the different dinners that I have to be present for." Draco placed his hands on her shoulders. "I want you to be up at the Manor at six o'clock sharp." He kissed her passionately again. "I love you so much."
"I love you too."
She gave him a hug and then turned to looking out the window. She wondered what the twins were doing at this time. Was Pamela really free? Or was it something to do with money? She jumped slightly when a clash of thunder sounded. Shaking it off, she curled up on the couch; it was the perfect time to take a nap.
--
George glanced over at Fred. His older brother was emotionally drained. It was weird to see a boy sleep so much, even with nightmares plaguing his every sleeping moment. He sighed as he tossed and turned. It reminded George when he watched over at Hermione.
Both of them were weird, it was strange to see both of them sleep so soundly, but at the same time they were both plagued by the nightmares. He shook his head. That was just the same thought as before.
"Hermione."
George sat up; he moved his papers off to the side. It was Sunday, and of course the shop was going to be closed. With the summer holiday coming to an end, things were going to be a little more hectic. The profits usually didn't a significant sign to stay open on Sunday, thus why the twins used the day off to relax.
"Fred?" George called out.
"Don't hurt her," he moaned.
George raised an eyebrow and debated reaching out to his brother. Mrs. Weasley walked by and stopped in the doorway. She didn't know about Fred's reoccurring nightmares. Sure, she knew about the fact that he would dream about Percy's death, but other than that she had no idea of what was going on.
"George, will you wake Fred. Pamela's been released."
He held up his hand to get his mother to stop her command. "Listen," he whispered.
"If you do not tell her, then I will take your life," Fred's voice changed into a falsetto.
Mrs. Weasley treaded up next to her two sons. "What is going on?"
"I will tell you when he wakes up," George stated.
Mrs. Weasley nodded and George took a seat. "Please, I've told her. I have told Hermione! Don't take her away from me!"
George knew what was coming next. It was the same curse that Hermione would wake up screaming from night after night. It bothered him, which is why as soon as Fred was into this deep sleep his wand would suddenly find itself hidden until the morning.
"Crucio!"
George thought about what he was hearing. Then he thought about what Fred said to the person before. It was different from all the other times. George knew that Fred's nightmare was only starting. He would starts swearing and yelling. The curses would keep coming. George knew, from what his other half had told him, that this was because Hermione's body was being tortured even more greatly.
Something was different though. It was the way he said the curse, and the comment before. George raised his fist and hit his brother before their mother could stop it.
"Oi!" Fred growled, sitting up quickly. "I was trying to sleep."
"You're being stupid again!" George snapped.
"I'm sorry, I can't control on what in the world I dream about," he growled.
George glared at his brother. "Then maybe you should stop sleeping."
"I'd like to see you try to get through these nightmares in one piece."
George let out a cruel laugh. It wasn't cruel in the sense it was evil, but it was rude. "I dream good thoughts. Like about Luna, and Luna and I…"
"We don't want to hear about your dreams George."
Both twins jumped. They had forgotten that their mother was in the room. Not that Fred knew she was in there to begin with, but it still shocked them that she didn't stop their bickering.
"Mum, what are you doing?" Fred asked, as his mother sat next to him. She grabbed his hand and began to draw little circles around it. Much like she used to do while he was sick. "Um, not that I don't appreciate this little act of kindness on my day off. I just want to know if you're alright?"
"Fred, I'm worried about you."
"I'm fine."
"These nightmares have gone on long enough. Who is the girl that you have to tell or you're loose your life for."
"Mum, it's nothing. There's nothing wrong with this, it's just a dream, not to be taken seriously."
However, Mrs. Weasley wasn't convinced. She sighed and shook her head, her red hair of curls bouncing. "Fred, if there's anything I've learned from Harry," at the sound of his name the Boy-who-just-wouldn't-die-no-matter-how-many-times-you-used-the-Killing-Curse-on-him, stuck his head out of the kitchen.
"Hey Fred, George, Mrs. Weasley. I heard my name."
Ginny laughed and there was suddenly an explosion. Both were then covered in a white powder. "Ginerva Weasley! What are you doing?"
"Making cookies, except George put something funky in them."
"I did not!" The younger twin roared.
"Did to." Ginny stuck out her tongue.
"Would you two stop it? You're acting like a couple of children," Mrs. Weasley scolded.
Fred laughed and the dream that he had was momentarily forgotten. He laughed as their mother grabbed George by the ear and pulled him into the kitchen. Fred was close on their heals. It was rare that one twin got punished and the other didn't. A moment for the history books if you please.
"Ginny, I want you and George to clean up this mess. I want it spotless. No magic." She emphasized. She then rounded on Harry and Fred. "I want you two to degnome the garden. It hasn't been done since the neighbor sent over about six gnomes."
Fred opened his mouth to argue, but Harry beat him to it. "I didn't do anything."
"I don't want you to flirt with Ginny, and I don't want you to help your brother. Now out, both of you." She pushed them out into the backyard.
Fred and Harry laughed. "You know this is your fault." Fred laughed, as the rain came crashing down onto their heads. "I hate this weather."
"You and me both."
--
Hermione sighed as she walked out into the cold. It wasn't too bad, just a little moist. She hated the weather; it was acting grotesque ever since two days ago. This is the first time since the rain had lightened up.
Hermione was surprised that the red dress fit her, it was much like the blue one she wore to the wedding. It sparkled and had spaghetti straps, it fell a little bit past her knees and you could hear the black Italian heals click across the ground.
She walked into the Manor. She was few minutes early, but it wasn't anything that she couldn't handle. Draco was usually punctual about these types of things anyway, so a minute earlier wouldn't hurt anyone.
She walked into the living room and was surprised to see Draco there. But instead of a suit and tie, or even good dress robes, he was naked. Hermione closed her eyes, and took a couple of deep breaths in. She knew immediately whom he was with that lying cheating bitch of a Death Eater. As silently as she entered the room, she backed out.
Hermione stood at the entrance of the door and tried to regain her breathing. Hermione had to control her thoughts and what was going on. She just couldn't. She felt the tears roll down her face, Hermione made a mental note to thank Lavender when she had suggested little to no make-up.
Hermione's lip began to quiver and she knew that she could let out a squeak soon. But she had to control her tears. She heard more moaning and then a scream. She took a deep breath and slunk back into the shadows. It was only a few minutes later that Pamela walked by.
Hermione pulled out her wand, and fixed her face (adding make-up this time). She was ready to face Draco. Of course she was going to put on the biggest façade that anyone had seen in a while.
Stepping out of the shadows she offered Draco a smile as he finished setting out wine glasses. "Hey sweetie." He walked up and kissed Hermione. He looked at her when he pulled back. "Is something the matter?"
Hermione offered the sweetest smile she could muster. "No, nothing's wrong." She lied through her teeth.