Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and characters belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing.

AN: Violence and disturbing things in this chapter. Warning you now.

Hermione Pov:

This chair is uncomfortable, the smell in the air nauseating, but none of that matters right now and nothing will bring down my excitement. It may be minutes, it may be longer hours, but at some point today, I'm going to meet my and Draco's new godson. Ginny went into labor at about seven this morning, and it's now two. Hopefully he will be making his entrance into the world very shortly.

Currently I'm sitting next to Draco with Molly and Arthur sitting across from us in the waiting room of St. Mungos. Molly and Arthur know about what happened at the quidditch game and were so ashamed. I want them to know that I don't blame them in any way and we don't bring it up when around each other. I'll always love them no matter what. Bill and Fleur had been here earlier for a couple hours as well as James and Scorpious, but the children got bored quickly and we couldn't expect them to stay here all day, so they took all the kids back to their house and said if the baby was born today they'd bring them back. Andromeda, Narcissa, and Teddy also made an appearance, but left a few minutes ago. Blaise came by around noon, but when he found out Gabrielle was back at Fleur's, he decided to go back with them to 'help watch the brats.' We all know he wants to be near Gabrielle, and the two have formed a tentative friendship, though she's still a little weary around him.

Draco sighs for about the hundredth time today and leans his head back against the wall. I place my hand in his and intertwine our fingers, and he in turn squeezes my hand. My ring catches one of the lights from above and it shimmers and shines beautifully. Draco watches the colors dance around then gives me a smile. We've been engaged for two weeks, and I absolutely cannot wait to be his wife, nor for Scorp to officially be mine. When everyone found out, we immediately began to plan the wedding and I must say that Narcissa truly has a gift for throwing celebrations. She's taking care of everything and has even done her best to include my mother in the planning.

The elevators open, and George comes into the waiting area and takes the seat next to Draco after saying hello to everyone. He closed the shop up a little early today so that he could be here for his little sister.

"How's it going mate?" Draco asks.

"Could be better" George says running a hand through his hair.

"What do you mean?" I say looking over at him.

"The strangest things have been happening lately" George says turning to the both of us. "Three days ago when Angelina and I came home from our day at the shop, we noticed our wards had been tampered with. Thinking someone had broken in we rushed into the house, but everything was fine and nothing seemed to be missing. It disturbed me, but since nothing was damaged or taken I didn't see the point in alerting the aurors. They've got enough on their plates as it is." I understood what he was saying, but this wards being messed with was something I was all too familiar with. I hope nothing is wrong.

"Then yesterday I got this document sent to me at the shop" he continues. "It said there was a problem from when I signed the contract buying the building all those years ago, and if I didn't get it straightened out, I would no longer hold ownership over the shop. It said it was in one of the clauses, but I read over that contract thoroughly before we signed it. I don't recall there ever being any mention of such a thing. I don't know what I'm going to do" he sighs tiredly.

"Do you still have a copy of the contract you signed?" Draco questions.

George nods. Of course, I keep it in the vault in the back room. I've looked over it and can't find this supposed error."

"I can come by sometime and check it out" Draco offers. "I've dealt with a lot of cases of faulty contracts. There's always a loophole somewhere. I can read over it for you to make sure, and represent you if this gets dragged out legally."

A goofy grin spreads out on George's face. "Oh Drakey-poo, I'm flattered!"

I laugh and he shudders from the nickname Pansy told us she gave him back in school. "Keep it up Weasley, and I'll falsely incriminate you."

An hour later, Harry comes into the room telling us that baby Albus Severus Potter has arrived. Molly and Arthur go back to see him first and I send one of the hospital owls out to everyone letting them know he's here. Draco and I go back next to see Ginny sitting up in the bed looking exhausted, but cradling her new little bundle of joy close.

Carefully, I take him from her arms and hold him close. He looks a lot like James, but he has Ginny's nose and lips. He's so adorable. He cracks his eyes open and squints at me, and I notice that they're the same bright shade of green as his father, brother, and paternal grandmother. He stares up at me curiously and I coo softly at him.

Draco comes to stand beside me and congratulates Ginny and Harry on their newest arrival. I transfer Albus over to him, and he tenses up as though afraid to drop him. He stands very still and rigid, but after a moment of the both of them staring at each other he relaxes and says how much it reminds him of holding Scorp as a newborn. He rocks him gently and the scene melts my heart.

"This will be you one day" Ginny whispers as I sit in the chair next to her bed. I share a smile with her, and can't help but think of how it will be one day if Draco and I stand here staring lovingly at a new child.

A week and a half later, I'm standing in my office looking over a case with Dean Thomas. I've been so caught up in the baby fever, and we spent the entire weekend over at Harry and Ginny's place as well as her family. James and Scorpious are fascinated by baby Albus. In fact, Draco and I sent Scorpious over to Andromeda's today who's taking him and Teddy to visit and help Ginny out. He was so excited to get to 'take care of Albie.'

Harry and Blaise are still caught up on this missing person's case. They've reviewed files of people who have gone missing over the past few years and concluded that this person or people have been kidnapping has been doing so for years. However, some of these women have been missing for as long as three years, and their bodies haven't turned up like those who have most recently disappeared and been murdered. A family came in at the beginning of this week looking for their daughter, the secretary of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. At first Harry was confused because they said she'd been missing for almost a month. But she hasn't shown up for work at all this week, and no one has seen her. It looks like she has fallen into the same trap as those other poor women, but I don't understand how her family hadn't seen her in almost four weeks, yet she's been at work every day except the past three.

Poor Harry has been on overload this week. When he came into his office today, he got a report saying that George's shop had been broken into last night and he and Blaise went to investigate. George told him over the weekend about how he thinks someone may have tried to break into his home a couple weeks ago, but there wasn't anything for Harry to do since nothing was stolen or damaged. George seems to have been having a rough week too, with the wards broken at his home, the document saying he could lose ownership of his shop, and now his shop being broken into. Draco decided to go on with Harry and Blaise and take a look at the contract while they investigate. That's where they all currently are now.

"You don't seem like you're really here today" Dean comments and I realize I've zoned out as he's been stating the facts.

"Oh, I'm sorry Dean. I've just got a million things going on in my mind right now" I tell him apologetically.

"Thinking about the missing secretary?" I nod and so does he. "Yeah, I think it's pretty strange. I mean, she's been here all these years, hardly ever missing a day and then suddenly she just vanishes without an owl or note letting anyone know where she is."

I furrow my brows. "You noticed that she never misses a day? I didn't think you really interacted with her since she's not in our department and you've never really been friends."

A blush forms on his cheeks, which is hard to do considering how dark his skin is. "Ah…well you see…we weren't friendly per ce…but we were very…ahm…familiar with each other…" he trails off not meeting my gaze. What does he me-oh! I get it. Well even if Dean is a decent guy and one of the few who didn't try to get into my knickers, he's still a man and that secretary was one of the more…willing young ladies.

There's an awkward silence for about thirty seconds before I clear my throat and say we should continue looking over our file. We make notes and plans to set up meetings for about twenty minutes, before I hear someone shouting outside my door. I go to open it and find George yelling at my guard that he needs to get in and see me.

"She knows me, I have to tell her something important!" he yells at him. I don't think I've ever seen George get so angry.

"Sorry boss' orders. No one gets in to see her that we don't know." The guard says sternly back to him.

"No, it's okay he can see me. I know him well" I tell the guard, then turn to George. "What are you doing here? I thought you were reviewing your contract at the shop with Draco. Did Harry and Blaise figure out who broke in last night?"

` "Hermione, you have to go to leave work now. Scorpious has been hurt! He's at Draco's place, it doesn't look good."

Oh no, Scorpious! What's happened?! I think to myself horrified. Attacked? By who?

"Go on ahead, Hermione" Dean tells me, who's heard everything from inside my office. "I've got everything here. Do what you need to."

"There's guards at my home, and I'm sure Harry and Blaise are there by now" I tell the guard who nods, and I begin racing down the hallway to the floo network. My mind is racing, but I can't think straight. Scorpious was hurt? How and why? How badly? What was he doing at home rather than at St. Mungos? Maybe that's a good sign, but George said it didn't look good. And why did Draco and Harry send George to tell me? Wouldn't it have been better to send Blaise who knew the guard?

"Hermione, wait up" George yells running behind me. We reach the floo network and he jumps in with me. I grab his elbow so Draco's wards will let him through. We are engulfed in the green flames, and finally come out in the living room. I look around and don't see anyone, but realize they may all be upstairs in Scorp's room. I zoom upstairs calling their names frantically, but no one is answering me. I charge into his room to find that no one's there.

How strange…it looks just the way we left it this morning, and there's no sign of anyone being here. Tobias has been left out of his cage, which Scorp always has a hard time remembering to put him in anyway, and comes over to sit on my shoulder before burrowing himself in my front pocket. I come out of his room and down the hallway into our room. I step inside and still no one is here. This is all making me uneasy. Something is very wrong. What is going on?

I catch movement out of the corner of my eye and see George standing in the doorway looking strangely at me. He's got his wand out and it's pointed at my chest. What is he doing?

"George, what's going on" I ask tremulously.

He begins to cackle, but keeps his wand trained on me. Suddenly, his face and skin starts bubbling and looks as though it's melting away. I've seen this before and have experienced it myself. It's a result of changing back through polyjuice potion after it's worn off. I gasp, cursing my own stupidity for not seeing the strangeness of this situation before, but it's too late. George has morphed into Ron, and he's still got his wand trained on me and cackling.

"Gotcha Herms" he says as though he's just told the punch line to a joke.

"Help!" I scream loudly hoping the guards can hear me from outside.

"Scream all you want, there's no one here to help you" he says. There's a glimmer in his eyes and smug satisfaction on his face. He's enjoying this. "Let's just say your two body guards are napping on the job. Napping permanently that is."

My mouth opens in horror. They were dead? No, no they can't be dead. Ron's many terrible things but he's not a killer…right? He has a maniacal look on his face as he takes a threatening step towards me. I have to get out of here.

I make a move to grab my wand, but he's quicker. "Expelliarmus!" My wand flies from my pocket and into his hand. "Stupefy" he shouts as the spell hits me in the center of my chest. As I fall to the ground, I hear him say, "Told you you'd never leave me" before my world completely succumbs to darkness.

Several hours later, I awaken with a pounding in my head and my limbs sore and achy from being in the same position for too long. I blink until my vision focuses, and groggily sit up. Looking around I see that I'm in a tent with a few lanterns around as my only source of light. It looks just like the tent we stayed in when we were hunting horcruxes. Where am I? As I get my bearings back together, all the memories from earlier fly back to me. It really happened! Ron managed to trick me into being alone with him, and has taken me. I've got to get out of here and back to Draco and Harry. But where exactly am I?

I'm not chained or tied up, and the tent opening is right in front of me. Ron is nowhere in sight and I don't know where he is or when he'll be back, but I'm not staying to find out. As quietly as I can I leave the tent and step outside. I'm in a forest. Is this…why would I be here? I sneak around and get about thirty feet away from the tent before I hit some sort of barrier that forces me back. Looks like there are wards all around the area. I reach into my pocket to grab my wand, only to realize it's not there. Of course, he took it right before he knocked me out! Can this situation get any worse?

"Trying to leave again Herms? How many times do I have to tell you you won't ever leave me again?" Apparently it can. I turn around to see Ron just as he emerges from behind the tent with a look of amusement on his face. His hands are covered in dirt and it looks like he's been digging or something.

"Where are we Ron?" I ask trying to keep my fear from my voice. If I show him I'm not scared of him anymore, maybe he'll back off.

"You don't recognize it? It's where you first betrayed me. Well, the first time you betrayed me with Harry that is. Who knows what you were doing before that with Krum, McLaggen, and Merlin knows who else" he says viciously coming dangerously closer to me.

It clicks in my mind, and I remember the galleon in my pocket. I grab it and think "FOD" and watch it transfer to the coin. Before I can get a reply, Ron grabs my wrist, and takes the galleon, then throws it somewhere behind him. I hope they've gotten the message.

"What's that, your allowance from your new boyfriend? Or fiancé now isn't it? Yes, I read all about it in the papers" he sneers squeezing my wrist. I manage to wrench it out of his grip, and back up as he still advances towards me. There's nowhere to go and I find myself backing slowly into the tent. "I have to say, I was very surprised when I read the story and saw the pictures. How in the world did you manage to convince the ferret to set up house and propose to you? You're nothing but an ugly mudblood whore. But then again, you've always been a manipulative and cunning little bitch, haven't you?"

This is the first time he's ever called me a mudblood, unless you count that time he burned it into my walls. "You won't get away with this Ron. Draco and Harry will come looking for me, and they'll find you. You'll be sent to Azkaban this time" I say as I've come into the tent and have nowhere else to go.

"They won't find us here. No one will find us here. I've been coming back now for three years, and no one has ever found any of us" he says in a false sweet tone.

"What do you mean 'any of us'" I ask confused. He's talking in riddles and not making sense at all.

"Everyone who betrayed me" he tells me with a smug smile on his face. "All those women thought they could leave me, or ruin my reputation. Said they didn't like it when I put them in their place, or punished them. Some even threatened to alert the aurors or go to the public. Couldn't have that now could I? I had to take care of them. Make sure they kept their filthy mouths shut. None of them had any idea what was coming to them. Then there was the whole fiasco with the Chudley Cannons team. They had the nerve to think they could get rid of me? Thought they could just replace me? No one just gets rid of me. Took forever to get the keeper out away from all those witnesses, but I got the brilliant idea to change my gender and lured him away one night at a party. Oh, he was scared! It was so much fun watching him writhe around in pain as I crucioed him over and over again. Tortured him into madness, I did. Killing him was my favorite part though" he rambles with a faraway look in his eyes. He's getting sick pleasure from this.

I process everything he's telling me, and then it all makes sense. I gasp as it dawns on me exactly what he's saying.

"Y-you? It was you?! All those innocent women and that quidditch player?" I ask horrified.

He laughs softly. "I wouldn't say innocent. They all tried talking back to me, or ran around behind my back. I tried taking the whores and prostitutes in and giving them a purpose. None of them could respect or please me. They had to pay the ultimate price. I only recently got the idea to give their bodies back. Send a warning that I was coming after all of the ones that wronged me."

"Where are the others? What have you done with their bodies?" I demanded.

"I told you! There here! They aren't leaving me anymore, and they finally learned their place! They're beneath me!" he says voice rising in anger.

He's crazy. Literally, Ron has lost his mind. He's a sadistic killer who enjoys watching other people in pain and killing them. He's manifested from an abusive drunk into a heartless monster.

"Of course, there was always that one that got away. She ran off and left me after betraying me with my so called best friend" he says glaring down at me.

"You made me leave" I tell him trying so hard to be brave. "I never cheated on you with Harry. Never! You were the one who cheated, and you hurt me every day for years!"

His fist connects with my face, and I fall to the ground. He stands over me, then grabs my hair and yanks it back. "You still haven't learned to respect your superiors whore!" he says. "I gave you your chance to come back and start over with me, but you refused. You shouldn't have done that Herms. Now you're going to join the rest of them." I try to twist out of his grasp again, but he smacks me again, this time right over my eye.

"You brought this on yourself." He says menacingly. "And you've brought it on that fucker's kid too. Just so you know, he's next."

"YOU SICK BASTARD!" I scream at him. "YOU STAY AWAY FROM HIM! YOU PERVERTED MONSTER!" He better not harm one hair on Scorpious' head.

He hits my face again, then grabs my arms and hoists me up violently. Shaking me forcefully he says, "You did this Herms! This is all your fault! No one makes a fool out of me, you hear me?! NO ONE!"

Tears stream out of my eyes and I realize that I am in fact going to die tonight, after he roughs me up. I'll probably be tortured too, but I don't care about me. All I can think about is Draco and Scorpious. I pray to whatever deities or spirits are out there to protect them.

As Ron continues hitting or shaking me, one thought comes to the front of my mind. Harry was right. My luck finally ran out.

AN: Okay now we've reached the dramatic climax. I'll elaborate a little bit more over what all has happened to the women that went missing over the next two chapters.