Chapter 9
"Hermione, what's wrong?"
She was typing away on the laptop. The rapid pace and loud clicks paired with the expression on her face were probably what gave her away. She didn't care, and she didn't answer.
Earlier, she'd read an article, released by the offices of another Muggle MP. It was supportive of the MSAVI idea, but condemning the return to the cruelty of the Café de Paris prank. "It goes too far when people are hurt. This magical prankster needs to be found and shut down."
"Hermione, answer me," Severus said, and it was in an angry tone that would brook no refusal.
"I need to focus on this right now, Severus. I need to make it believable that a combination of foot powder and a hallucinogenic gas would have caused what happened inside the shopping center." Hermione slammed a hand down on the table next to her laptop. "It's not going to work, but I've got to try!"
Hermione could feel Severus watching her while she went back to typing. She couldn't pay attention to that right now. She had to finish this article before she could move on to the next thing. Whatever the next thing was, because she just couldn't focus right now on anything other than trying to focus!
When she sensed that Severus had turned and left the room, she was both relieved and disappointed. But she had to keep to the task at hand. She needed to accept the vilification of MSAVI if she was going to explain this one.
Twenty minutes later, article complete, Hermione shut the laptop, pillowed her head onto her arms, and let a few tears fall.
Within seconds, she felt Severus's hand on her, pulling her out of the seat at the table. He guided her to the couch and cradled her in his lap. He said nothing, just held her, and Hermione leaned into him.
"I don't like failing," she said after a moment.
Severus snorted.
Hermione lifted her head and glared at him. "It's not funny!"
"No, it's not," he said, stroking her back. "I am not laughing at you. I'm angry about it, too."
Hermione relaxed and settled back against him.
"I'm angry," he continued, "that so often hard work gets no result. Life has never been fair."
"As far as I can tell, nothing over the last four days has changed. Except that I don't remember MSAVI from the original timeline."
"How do you know MSAVI wasn't there all along?"
"We would have heard. Especially since we were on the Board."
"I didn't spend much time on the internet. Did you?"
"No." Hermione shook her head. "But I should have."
"If we retraced our steps, we'd probably come across instances of MSAVI we didn't recognize the first time through."
Hermione looked up at him. "What do you mean?"
"Wasn't there graffiti of some kind in Bristol, near Raglan Rd?"
"Was there? I don't remember." Hermione's brow was furrowed, but then she shook her head. "If there was, it would only prove the opposite of what we want. Our efforts haven't changed anything."
Severus frowned at her. "Are you giving up?"
"No, of course not," Hermione asserted, goaded. Then she sighed and rested her head against him again. He resumed stroking her back. "The only thing good to come out of all of this is being with you," Hermione said.
The stroking stopped, and Hermione looked up at him. Severus was gazing at her intently. Lifting his hand, he stroked her face, thumb running along the side of her jaw. Hermione could feel her heart beating against her chest as he looked at her like that. Yes, too far gone already, she thought to herself. She was ready when Severus lowered his head and kissed her lips.
Only this kiss had nothing to do with sex. It was long and tender, and he held her tighter when it was over.
==S==S==H==G==
Hermione and Severus were getting ready to head out for another night of damage control when a message came through from Lucius.
It didn't work! I'm on my way.
"I don't suppose you have any idea what he's referring to," Hermione said dryly.
"I'm sure he'll enlighten us once he's here," Severus answered.
It didn't take long before there was a heavy knocking on their door. Lucius entered without waiting for a response, and his expression was one of controlled anger. Hermione felt her blood run cold at the sight, and unconsciously she touched her chest where she'd been cursed 5th year.
"Astoria was kidnapped tonight. Everything we've been doing for the past few days has been to prevent Draco's bride from being hurt, and she was taken less than an hour ago!"
"What!" Hermione cried.
"How did it happen, Lucius?" Snape asked, surprisingly calm.
"She fought with Draco and Apparated away. She didn't show up back at her home and no one has heard from or seen her. I told him to keep a close watch on her, and to not let her anywhere near Muggle territory for the time being."
"Did you tell him why?" Hermione asked.
"Draco doesn't need to know everything. Only that she would be in danger with the Mu-ggles behaving as they have been."
Hermione was bristling. "After everything Draco's been through perhaps you could have trusted him more and not had him operating blindly. It's no wonder she fought with him."
"Well, Miss Granger, you must forgive me for preserving your secret. Should there be a next time, I'll know better. Now, what are you two going to do about it?"
"We know only that tomorrow morning the Aurors locate and rescue her from a warehouse in Manchester."
"It's a place to start." And Lucius swung on his heel and began to stride out of the hotel room.
"Hold it!" Hermione said. "You're not going anywhere alone. The three of us would be better than just one." And if you think I'm going to let you go after Muggles who've kidnapped and intend to harm your future daughter-in-law…
Lucius turned and sneered at her, fully aware of the unsaid statement. "Come along then."
Hermione dug in her heels. "Do you have any idea where you're going?"
"I'm going to use a contact and find out how many warehouses there are in Manchester and narrow it down from there."
"Sure. Or I could just look it up on the internet."
Lucius gave her a funny look. "What?"
"Information network, remember?" Hermione turned and went for her laptop. "Come in and watch."
"How much time is this experiment of yours going to take, Miss Granger?" Lucius peered over her shoulder as she opened up a search engine. "What is that nonsense? Those aren't words." Hermione glanced up briefly to see he was squinting at the URL address.
"It's how you keep track of which page you are getting your information from. Now…" She typed "warehouses in Manchester" into the search bar, and clicked on the top result. "There. No time at all."
Before them was a chart of over thirty warehouses, complete with address, pictures, and a brief history.
"Is this accurate?"
"I am familiar with the page. It's as accurate as we're going to get. And," Hermione couldn't help rubbing it in. "I didn't have to threaten or browbeat anyone to get this information. How boring and unimaginative these Muggles are, huh?"
"Now, now, Miss Granger, who said I was going to use violence? Speaking of violence, what is that on your neck?"
Startled, Hermione's hand flew to her neck, where she'd forgotten Severus's mouth had recently spent a lot of time. Lucius chuckled.
"Get on with it, Lucius. We have a list," Snape said. "Hermione, do you know anything else about where Miss Greengrass was rescued from? Did Potter mention anything?"
Hermione shook her head. "No." The only time she and Harry had been in touch after Astoria's kidnapping had been when he'd found her in the archives. "I can call him now. We'll need extra people to search each warehouse."
"Ri-ight." Lucius took out his wand and pointed it at the laptop. "Gemin—"
"Don't!" Hermione pushed his wand arm up. "You'll destroy it. You can't make a copy of it."
"Then what use is the information if you have to lug it about?" Lucius strode to the side desk and grabbed the hotel notepad, tearing off the top sheet and handing it to her. "Get copying, Miss Granger, and make haste."
"Oh, honestly." Hermione sent the page to the printer. Lucius raised an eyebrow at the noise.
He waved the note paper in his hand at Severus and Hermione. "'Vicranda'? Honestly…"
"You really enjoy mocking me, don't you?" Hermione crossed her arms and glared at him.
"It is one of the few pleasures this situation has afforded." Lucius let the paper fall to the floor. "Though I am more intent on getting Astoria back."
"It's unlikely that there will be many Muggles in the buildings this late at night," Severus pointed out. "I suggest not bringing in Potter just yet, Hermione. We can Apparate to each location and search for people present."
"There could be overnight crew, janitorial staff."
"I imagine that a hostage situation will have guards stationed," he responded. "We'll be able to tell from their positions what their purpose is inside."
Hermione nodded. "No engaging the Muggles until we establish they have Astoria. Then we call in the Aurors for aid."
Lucius snatched the papers out of the printer. "Let's go," he said, striding toward the exit.
==S==S==H==G==
Eight of the warehouses did not have accompanying pictures. Hermione had to remember a visual based on the address and Side-Along both Severus and Lucius with her on a couple occasions. Severus, however, having grown up in the area, was more familiar than she. He took over after her second attempt resulted in them being 2 miles from the warehouse they wanted.
"I wish you'd done that from the beginning," Lucius said, happily stepping away from the touch that had connected the three of them for the journey. Hermione silently agreed. Letting Lucius hold onto her arm was discomfiting, to say the least.
"You two need to learn to get along," Severus said wryly.
Hermione harrumphed. "We're doing fine, under the circumstances."
"They're here. She's here." Lucius said, having wasted no time in casting the spell. Several markers appeared, standing in pairs in a narrowing pattern around the corner of the building. There seemed to be 11 people total.
"Let's confirm first that…" but Hermione trailed off when Lucius made a wide swishing motion around himself, and disappeared. "Dammit!" she exclaimed, then felt the icy cold trickle as Snape Disillusioned her as well.
"Don't jump to conclusions, Miss Granger," Lucius's voiced sounded near her in the darkness. "We can more easily confirm Astoria's presence if we aren't seen."
You can do a lot of things more easily without being seen, Hermione thought. But she had to show a little faith, if while remaining cautious.
"Come, Hermione," Severus said, and the three of them made for the desired corner of the building. In the pre-dawn light they could see by only streetlight, which was more than enough. The markers had told them that there would be two guards just inside the door, but there was no one near the windows.
A simple opening charm granted them access. Hermione's elbow got jarred as both she and, presumably, Lucius tried to go through at once. She managed not to make a noise, but Lucius gave a small sound of disgust. A small nudge at her back allowed her to know that he was letting her go ahead, as did a touch on the shoulder from Severus. Hermione didn't take the time to ponder how she knew who was who. Glancing back at what she could now make out as the shimmery frames of the two wizards, Hermione hoisted herself into the window.
There was a young woman tied to a chair. Bruises were on her face, and her hair and clothes were disheveled. Three men stood around her, though that was an exaggeration. They were boys really, no older than herself, dressed in jeans, trainers, and oversized jackets. Two of them had handguns, while the third was leaning over, talking directly into her face.
"Tell us how you do it, witch."
Astoria turned her face away. The sound of the smack from his flat hand hitting her was loud throughout the space.
Hermione turned and sent a Patronus to Harry. After the light left her wand, Hermione felt herself pushed further through the window, but she held fast to the frame.
"Let me through," Lucius hissed.
"We do this together," Severus whispered at Lucius.
Hermione dropped from the window and sealed it shut behind her with her wand. "I don't want to wait for Harry, but we'll be better off once he gets here. There are three of them in the room with her. Now, I'll Apparate us in there. Lucius and Severus, go for the two in black jackets. They're each armed with a handgun, so be careful. I'll go after the third guy." Hermione saved the assailant for herself. "Be as silent as you can because the sound of a gunshot will bring the other 7 in. They're just kids—younger than Draco," she added for Lucius's benefit.
"Is she hurt?" Lucius wanted to know.
Hermione nodded, not thinking whether they could make out her shimmer or not. "She has only bruises, as far as I can tell. They're hitting her. Let's stop them before things progress to worse. Agreed?"
She held up her hands for them to grab onto. Severus's hand clasp was immediate and reassuring.
"I can't believe I'm taking orders from you," Lucius muttered.
"Think of it as a partnership," she answered. When his hand took hold of hers she pulled them through.
Pop.
They arrived inside the warehouse, and immediately separated. Astoria's assailant had his hand raised for another hit when he turned at the sound.
"What the…" one of the guards said, whipping his gun out.
"Stupefy!" Hermione shouted, and the man in front of Astoria fell in an unconscious slump. "Diffindo!" She turned her wand on the ropes that bound the other witch to the chair. Immediately they fell away. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," Astoria nodded, eyes wide.
Hermione turned around to see that both the guards were bound with ropes and on the ground. Severus's shimmer was binding the one Hermione had knocked out with ropes as well, when a door on the opposite end of the room opened. Another kid walked in, an envelope in his hand. "Ralph, I've got…" he trailed off at the sight of his three comrades down and Astoria rising from her chair.
Screaming, he turned and ran for it, but Lucius had him bound and unconscious before he could leave the room.
From other parts of the warehouse, the sound of pops and alarmed cries could be heard.
"What's this?" A now-visible Lucius strode over the kid in the doorway and picked up the envelope. He unfolded the piece of paper inside.
"The ransom note?" Severus asked, undoing his Disillusionment Charm.
"Indeed," Lucius answered.
"Who are you?" Astoria asked from Hermione's right.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Hermione made herself visible again, and Astoria took a step back. "I'm Hermione Granger."
"Yes… well, thank you."
"Astoria, dear," Lucius approached the two of them. "Might I have a piece of your hair?"
"Why?"
"Not to worry, dear, it's just for continuity." Accepting the strand from Astoria, Lucius placed it inside the envelope and pointed his wand at it. After a few jerks, it turned into a finger.
"Ugh!" Hermione stepped away. "Why did you do that?!"
Astoria was backing away, too. In the meantime, through the same entrance that the messenger boy had come through, Aurors began to enter.
"Hermione!" Harry called, rushing over to the three of them. "Are you alright?" he asked Astoria in a gentle voice.
Astoria touched her fingers to her face. "It's just a few bruises."
Another Auror was coming over, and Hermione recognized him as the one with Healing training that had shown up in the archives… or would show up in the archives that very night, depending on how you looked at it. Time was running out.
"Here, Potter," Lucius handed Harry the envelope. Dumbfounded Harry looked at it. Shock lit his face, but he held his cool and checked Astoria over again.
"What is this about?" he asked, once he'd assured himself that her hands were whole.
"Astoria was never supposed to be kidnapped, and yet she still was. She is the reason I got involved in helping our two friends here. Since she was still taken, then Hermione still must have the knowledge that a finger accompanied the ransom note. Otherwise she can't come back and tell me about it."
Harry gave a small nod. "Alright. So why don't you come with me now and give me testimony about your cousin?"
"Happy to." Lucius gave Harry the smile that Hermione knew to distrust. Harry knew it, too. "As soon as you catch her, I'll be sure to tell you everything I know. Until then, Potter, Granger, Severus, I have a distressed son to reassure." With a formal bow of farewell, Lucius Apparated away.
Harry turned to Severus and Hermione. "What exactly has he done to help you?"
==S==S==H==G==
"Are you seriously suspecting Lucius of playing us, Potter?"
"Yes, I am!" Harry raised his chin. "All he's done to be helpful is point the finger at someone else."
"Harry, have you turned up anything about Miranda Selwyn and Victoria Irving?" Hermione asked.
They were back in their hotel room. Astoria was back in her home, bruise paste taking care of her physical wounds. Harry had reported in to the Head of the Auror office about the situation, leaving out the involvement of Hermione and the two Slytherins. He was extremely agitated, and Hermione could sympathize. Lying to his boss wasn't anything she wanted him to do.
Harry nodded. "It's true that they know each other, but I'm not sure how they met. And Victoria Irving's policies are strongly protective of corporate rights. So it fits what Lucius says. That doesn't mean he isn't telling the truth to protect himself."
Hermione rubbed her face with her hands. "Well, we'll know for certain one way or another tonight. It's the final event."
"What?" Harry asked.
"Nobby Leach's death in the archives."
"Hermione…" Harry spoke with concern. "Are you alright?"
"I'm just tired."
"That's not what I mean. You sound like you've given up. Nobby Leach is still alive."
"He can't give me his wand and send us back in time if he survives! Everything we tried to prevent has still come to pass. It's pointless!" Hermione set down the cup of tea she'd been holding. It was all she'd consumed since she and Severus had returned to the suite to wait for Harry's arrival. "Muggles are still swamping the Ministry. Astoria was still kidnapped. Ron wasn't even there this morning because Molly was at the hospital after having been nearly trampled!"
"Hermione…"
"No. I'm going to bed. I'm sorry, Harry, Severus, I'm just tired. And I'll need some sleep today before we go to the archives. I'm obviously not at my best right now. Excuse me."
Both Harry and Severus were giving her worried looks, but Hermione was just too run down to care. Sleep would sort her out, and she could apologize for being curt with them later. As Hermione shut the door to her bedroom she thought she heard one of them mention Ron, but in the next second she was prostrate and asleep on the bed.
==S==S==H==G==
Hermione stirred briefly awake once when she felt a blanket being pulled around her.
"Sleep," Severus murmured. "There's still time to get more rest."
Hermione went back to sleep with him by her side, arm around her.
==S==S==H==G==
"Are you ready, Hermione?" Severus's hands were on her shoulders.
"Yes." Hermione gave a nod. "We're going to catch Miranda, or whoever's doing this, tonight."
"Does part of you believe it's Lucius?"
"Truthfully? Not really, after our talk with him today. But I'm prepared for it to be him, should it turn out that way."
It was ninety minutes before the time that past-Hermione would go down into the archives. Severus had to wait and be with her in order to get the wand. He would also, as they now knew, protect her. Hermione was going to be lying in wait, to prevent the attack on Nobby and catch the perpetrator. Past-Hermione couldn't give chase, because they would encounter each other. There was a chance her past-self could recognize that she was time-traveling—as Severus had done—due to the fact that she'd done it before. However, unlike Severus's case, Hermione wouldn't be free to Apparate away once seen by her past-self. It was better to keep them apart.
Severus squeezed her shoulders "We are not going to fail."
Hermione smiled up at him and stepped forward to give him an embrace. "There's just one thing you have to remember, Severus," she said, a twinkle in her eye.
"What's that?"
"When you are with past-me… don't forget to be a bit of an ass."
Severus smiled and leaned his head down. "Point taken." And he kissed her.
Since both of their past-selves were currently in their own homes, Harry had arranged for Ginny to be out of Grimmauld Place so that they might use the Floo there to get to the Ministry. It also cut down the risk of them being seen. As they had been doing daily, Severus and Hermione Disillusioned themselves.
Most offices had closed by that time, and the Atrium was relatively people-free. Hermione had been half-afraid they'd see Muggles camping out to be first in line in the morning, but that wasn't the case. Sadness threatened to sweep over her, thinking of all the desperate people out there.
She and Severus managed to get onto a lift with only one other person—Harry. He stayed in there with them to level 8 before letting them off. Only two other people joined them for the journey down, and they got off at level 6. Hermione partly wished that Harry could join her for the stakeout in the archives, even though she had been the one to refuse his inclusion. Harry had found something that night, after coming from the other direction. Also, Harry had been magnificent in tempering Ron, and letting her and Severus go without too many questions asked. Now, obviously, she knew the reason for that.
She and Severus separated with only a squeeze of their hands while she continued on to wait near the access to the twentieth century archives. She deliberately didn't wear heels this time, to aid the silence of her presence.
Five minutes passed.
Ten.
Fifteen… but it had really only been about 6.
Hermione hated waiting around doing nothing. She couldn't even read a book. And Severus was just a few hundred feet away, but she couldn't use magic to be in touch with him. The next time he spoke to her, it wouldn't even be her, but past-Hermione. That was probably going to be weird for him. Hermione thought about the conversation that they'd had and tried to think of anything he might have said or done that she would have more insight to now, though she drew a blank.
The only thing she could think of was how she'd drawn comfort from him while standing alone in the dark. Perhaps that had been the beginning for her, when she started to think of him as something more than a former instructor. And maybe, he'd been so comforting because he already thought that way about her. He'd certainly hid it well, though.
But if that had been her beginning… and Nobby wasn't going to get hit this time around… then did that mean she and Severus wouldn't happen?
Don't be silly, she told herself. He would still be with past-her. He had to get the wand after all. They would still plant the Time-Turner for themselves. Hermione fingered the chain around her neck thoughtfully. She couldn't keep second-guessing everything. Her mission was to capture Nobby's killer. No, would-be killer.
This was so much easier to keep straight when all she had to do was get to class on time.
At the sound of footsteps, Hermione refocused herself. Adrenaline started to pump through her when she recognized Nobby Leach. Affection surged as well; it was so good to see him. Nobby stopped at the door to the twentieth century archives. The interior torches lit when he opened it.
"So," Miranda stepped out from the archive door. She looked slightly older than Lucius, with graying hairs scattered in an unattractive mess across her long brown hair. She also had a pattern of moles on one cheek. "You're the one who's been trying to flout me with all this prankster nonsense."
Hermione scoffed at herself over the fact that she and Miranda had only had a door between them for the last hour. Yet, the proof that she was involved still needed to occur.
"My dear," Nobby said to the witch, "I don't know who you are."
"What are you doing down here, then?" Miranda countered.
"I simply had something I wished to look up. It's what the archives are for."
"Of course you did. You may not know me, but I know plenty about you. Uncle Abraxas absolutely despised you, and from what I see he was completely right to." Her sneering voice made Hermione tighten her grip on her wand. "I figured whoever has been behind sabotaging me would show up here, so you're not going to talk your way out of this."
Nobby made to speak again, but had to raise his wand to defend himself when Miranda shot a curse at him.
"Protego!" Hermione shouted. The Shield Charm protected Nobby, and Miranda spun around to see who else had been lying in wait. Hermione revealed herself.
"You! It's been you!" Miranda screeched. The words "I should have known" fell from her lips before she went on the attack.
It's wonderful being a famous face, Hermione thought sarcastically as she dodged and shot out her own hex. I didn't even get any monologuing. "Run, Nobby! She'll kill you!"
Miranda sent a very itchy hex at Nobby, and he stopped running in order to scratch himself everywhere he could reach.
Incarcerous! Hermione thought at her silently, but Miranda seemed to be prepared for that. Hex after hex flew between the two witches. Hermione deliberately stepped closer to the witch each time, trying to drive her back toward the entrance to the archives. In the periphery, Hermione saw Nobby cancel the hex on himself and move away.
Miranda seemed to cotton on to Hermione's driving attempts and she stopped moving. "Mudblood bitch!" she cried and Hermione failed to anticipate the blow to her jaw from Miranda's fist. As pain exploded up her face strong enough to rock her eye socket, Hermione kept her head enough to fall down onto Miranda, knocking them both to the ground.
Miranda's wand emitted a flash of light when it banged into the hard stone corridor. Hermione thought she heard a masculine cry follow right after.
"No!" Hermione made to scramble off Miranda, but felt her hair grabbed and yanked.
Seriously? She shot her free left hand out in a quick jab to the older woman's face. The grip on her hair was loosened, but not released. It still gave Hermione enough maneuverability to get her wand hand out from under her own body.
Then all was darkness as Miranda let go, shoving Hermione into the wall, and taking off running deeper into the archive corridor.
Hermione did the first thing she thought of. With a long arc of her wand arm, Hermione shot her own invention down the corridor. When she heard Miranda cry out in anger, Hermione couldn't keep the grin off her face.
Pulling out the Hand of Glory she and Severus had earlier that day asked Lucius to get Draco to lend them, Hermione got up and strode down the corridor, fully able to see ahead of her. Miranda, arm on the wall to aid in orienting herself in the darkness, was trapped between Hermione and the barrier spelled to prevent passage to those who were feeling greed.
Speaking aloud to triumph over Miranda, Hermione pointed her wand. "Stupefy! Incarcerous!"
The selfish witch collapsed, unconscious, and securely tied up.
Hermione lost her smile and left the woman there and she hurried back up the corridor to Nobby. When she saw what was ahead, Hermione doubled over.
Her past-self was touching Nobby's hair, starting to crouch down as she realized that Nobby was sitting against the wall.
Hermione closed her eyes against the grief. I didn't save him! I didn't save him!
"How are you hurt?" past-Hermione asked.
"Entrail… Curse."
"Oh no!"
Hermione couldn't stay here. She had to leave before she was seen. Barely able to stand, Hermione ran for it, ignoring her own voice calling her to stop.
(Six)