A/N Please review – and thanks to all who have already taken the time.
Chapter 8 Interrogation
Fleur slipped out of bed, not disturbing Hermione so she could get more rest, she went through to the kitchen and began to brew a fresh pot of coffee. She sat at the table while the coffee brewed and rubbed her temples as she took a deep cleansing breath. Her head snapped up at the sound of a noise in the bedroom, she tilted her head and listened, but the sound stopped and Fleur surmised that Hermione was just tossing and turning as she tended to do and went back to trying to will her headache away. After a moment she got up and walked over to the open bedroom door, she had to be sure that Hermione was ok.
She stopped in the doorway and leaned against the frame, tilting her head and taking in the sight before her. Hermione seemed to be resting peacefully for a change, her hair had fallen around her face like a frame. Under all the bruises, malnourishment and the tiredness there lay a beautiful young woman and Fleur was very aware of that fact. She studied Hermione laying there and remembered her looking at herself in the mirror, she remembered every cut, bruise, scar and burn mark on the younger witch's body and tears sprang to her eyes. She was strong in front of Hermione because that was what Hermione needed from her, but now that she was asleep Fleur could let her emotions out in private. She wiped her face and turned back to the coffee pot, pouring herself a cup and sitting at the table again.
Fleur sighed, revelling in the comfort she gained from simply holding the hot drink in her hands. Pigwidgeon announced his presence with a gentle 'tap, tap, tap' on the window and Fleur got up to let the now familiar owl in, handing him a treat from the jar on the counter as she relieved him of his mail. She turned the envelope over and examined the writing on the front, it could only be Ginny's: block capitals spelling Fleur's name out, betraying the anger she clearly felt as she wrote it. Fleur took a deep breath and opened it; a single strip of parchment fell out, with the same block letters scrawled across it.
I AGREE TO HELP HER. WE WILL FLOO THERE AT 5PM TODAY.
Fleur left the parchment on the table, staring at it. It was clear from the message that Ginny was on board with the plan that Fleur had laid out in her letter when she asked her for help, she was more worried about what she had not said. The letter had been deliberately non specific. No names, no destinations, and no details. Fleur smiled, Ginny had known that there was a chance that the letter would be intercepted and took no chances, clever girl. She drank a mouthful of coffee and looked up at the clock, it was already 4:30pm but all she needed to do was tell Hermione that she was leaving for a while. Fleur poured a cup of coffee and headed into the bedroom setting it down by the bed and sat on the edge of the bed. Hermione stirred as Fleur's weight on the bed caused the mattress to sink but she did not wake, Fleur reached over and tenderly stroked her head, Hermione's eyes shot open.
"shhh Ma Petite, you are safe." Fleur smiled reassuringly at her and she seemed to relax. "'Ermione I am sorry but I must go out for a while," she told the young witch. Hermione's body tensed. Fleur reached over and grabbed Hermione's wand from the bedside table and placed it in her hand, "I swear no one knows where you are, no one in ze wizarding world knows zis place exists except my Maman, Papa and my sister and they will not come 'ere." Hermione nodded slowly and sat up, Fleur helped her out of bed. Fleur went through a chest of drawers and pulled out a sweatshirt and a pair of sweat pants that she kept in the cabin, she cast a quick scourgify on them and handed them to Hermione. The younger witch smiled and slowly pulled the clothing on, Fleur then handed her the cup of coffee. "I will be 2 hours at most." She told Hermione as she stoked the fire with plenty of wood so that it would not need any tending while she was gone.
Hermione sat in the chair by the fire, tucking her legs beneath her, her wand sticking out between the arm of the chair and her body, ready to grab. Fleur pulled the blanket off the bed and gently wrapped it around Hermione and then handed the young witch 'Hogwarts: A history'. Hermione smiled flicking through the book curiously, feeling comfort at having the familiar book in her hands. "zere are wards here at zis cabin do not allow apparating in the same manner as ze ones at 'Ogwarts. Our family takes our safety very seriously. No one can find zere way 'ere accidentally, not even by floo. You either must 'ave permission to travel to and from 'ere or be brought 'ere by a Delacour." Fleur told Hermione. It was meant to be reassuring but Hermione's face lit up with curiosity at the information and her eyes glinted with just a hint of her old thirst for learning as she flipped through Hogwarts: A History and read the appropriate chapter on the wards surrounding Hogwarts castle.
Fleur smiled at her, maybe the reading would keep her grounded enough to fight off Bellatrix if she decided to attack. "Send me a patronus if you need me?" Fleur asked Hermione and the young witch smiled and nodded, "Zere are more books in ze living room just off the kitchen if you would like to 'ave a look. Please 'elp yourself to anything you need. I promise not to be any longer zan necessary." Fleur was beginning to second guess her decision to leave Hermione but she felt she had no choice. As though she could sense Fleur's indecision she looked up, "I will be fine Fleur, I will send you my patronus if I need you." She reassured fleur nodded.
She reached out grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it into the flames as she clearly spoke, "Shell Cottage." As she arrived she noted that the cottage was not empty she was not worried as the wards were still in place here too, so she dusted herself off and made her way to the kitchen. She smiled as she entered to find the two young Weasley's sitting at the kitchen table, she took a seat with them at the table, for a moment none of them said a word.
"Where is Hermione," both Weasley's chorused at the same time, but while Ron's tone was laced with anger and bitterness, Ginny's voice was full of concern. Fleur smiled at them both, "She is somewhere safe." As though this was explanation enough she did not explain her statement any further. She had chosen to sit opposite Ron, where as Ginny was sitting at the head of the table. Fleur looked at Ginny, grief etched into her face, she was clearly grieving over the loss of Harry and probably others as well and Fleur was suddenly grateful to the girl for pulling herself out of it to help Hermione. Fleur stared at Ron, glaring she wanted nothing more than to reach across the table and choke the boy for letting harm come to Hermione, she wanted to scream at him and punch him until perhaps she could knock some sense into him. Ron seemed to wither under Fleur's glare and she fought to control herself as she felt the beast within start to rise, she squashed it back down. If she was angry at Ron then the beast was bitterly enraged and would quite literally tear him apart if she let it, no matter who he was.
Ginny broke the silence by clearing her throat, "What is it you need from us?" she asked Fleur. Fleur tore her glare from Ron and looked at Ginny, her question was just enough to bring her back to reality. She looked back at Ron, but this time her look was not quite as intense, "Ron, what 'appened at Malfoy Manner?" she asked him. Colour flushed Ron's face, at least that was something, at least he was ashamed of his actions. "We swore we would never tell Hermione, Harry and I," Ron said more to the table than to anyone else and at this point his guilt was evident to Ginny as well as Fleur. Ginny reached over and smacked him across the back of the head, "Harry is dead Ron and Hermione is in a bad way, you bloody answer Fleur's questions so that she can help Hermione or so help me I will thrash you to within an inch of your life then hand you over to mum," she yelled at her brother. Ron took on a defiant look and turned to Ginny, "You don't know what you are talking about!" he yelled right back at her.
Fleur thought that Ginny was going to explode as rage tore across her face, the anger was probably good at her, anger at the loss of Harry and rage at Ron for being the roadblock to Hermione's recovery. She stood up so quickly that her chair tipped over and Ron shot to his feet ready to run should she approach but Ginny was quicker than he was and with a flick of her wand all three doors leading out of the kitchen slammed shut into the frames and her wand was poised mere inches from Ron's face. "Ronald Billius Weasley! You think I don't know what I am talking about? I know enough, i know you left Harry and Hermione when they needed you most and they almost died because of it, Harry losing his wand and probably his upper hand against You-Know-Who! I know that you couldn't keep it in your pants and shagged Lavender Brown and I know that when it really came down to it Harry died in the forbidden forest on his own and Hermione ran away from you for some reason! You better start talking of I swear to Circe I will body bind you, take you home and tell mum and dad everything!" by the time she had finished yelling her voice had turned hoarse and tears of anger, and probably loss, were dripping out of her eyes. Ron's face had turned pale and he sank back down into his seat, as though his legs could no longer hold him. What Ginny had yelled at him hit him like bludger and suddenly he realised that some of what happened might actually be his fault.
Ron looked at Ginny and then to Fleur and nodded. Fleur stood and gently placed and arm on Ginny's still raised wand arm pushing it down. Ginny looked to Fleur and then chose to sit next to her rather than re-taking her seat, she seemed to need the table between herself and her brother though Fleur did not know if it was to protect him from her rage or if she was so disgusted in her brother she couldn't stand to be any nearer to him. Ron noted that she had not let her wand go, she was simply resting her hand on the table, wand still clutched within. "Dumbledore sent us on a mission that no one else knew about it, we were returning from information gathering with Xenophilius Lovegood when somehow some snatchers caught up with us," Ron began to explain but Fleur interrupted "Why were you speaking with Monsieur Lovegood," she asked him. Ron sighed, "Dumbledore told us we couldn't tell..."
Ginny interrupted him mid excuse "Dumbledore is dead, and Harry too Ronald! You need to tell us everything." Ron sighed and then he told them about Horcruxes and Hallows and everything in between, after a few moments he got into the story, feeling as though somehow he was unburdening his soul. When he got to Malfoy Manner her faltered and again shame coloured his face as he explained that Dobby had dropped the chandelier, how Bellatrix had thrown Hermione away from her and she had fallen to the floor and how when the chandelier had begun to full he had grabbed Harry and the pair of them ran out the front door to the Manor as Dobby apparated Luna and Olivander here to shell cottage. Then he stopped telling his tale and a silence hung across the table as Fleur struggled to control the Veela and her anger and Ginny processed what he had just told her.
Fleur found that she was shaking with rage, despite already knowing that Ron had left Hermione there, hearing it from him now somehow made it a thousand times worse. Ron sat staring at the table top not daring to utter another word. It was Ginny who chose to speak, but rather than screaming at her brother she spoke in a very low and disconcertingly calm voice, "So what you are telling me is that your best friend was tortured by a mad woman while you didn't get a scratch on you and the first opportunity you had you tucked tail between your legs and ran, leaving her there alone injured and at the mercy of Bellatrix Black and Lucious Malfoy? Is this what you are telling me Ron?" Ginny spat the last question at him.
Ron opened his mouth to answer Ginny's question but found that he couldn't, his voice seemed to have abandoned him just as he had done with Hermione, all he could do was nod. For the second time in as many minutes Ginny shot to her feet but quick as a flash Fleur was also on her feet holding Ginny back, "'Ow long was she there Ron? Do you 'ave any idea what 'appened to her after you left?" Fleur yelled at him. Ron just shook his head and she gave him a look of utter disgust, "'Ow long Ronald?" she repeated her first question. Ron's eyes began to dart around the room as he looked for an escape. Fleur did not ask again, she knew that the only escape for Ron was if she and Ginny let him go and the only way they would do that would be if he answered their questions. Ron seemed to have come to the same conclusion as he sighed and mumbled something. "Say it again Ron we don't speak mumble," Ginny snapped at him her patience on it's very last thread and it was only there because Fleur was holding on to her. "Twenty seven days."
"Merlins balls" Ginny exclaimed. It was Fleur's turn to go pale as the blood drained from her face and she slowly sank to her seat, she had thought a week perhaps two at worst but twenty seven days? That was almost double what she uhad thought, nearly a month! She could only imagine that at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange, and who knows who else, twenty seven days must have felt like an eternity. Suddenly Fleur felt the need to return to Hermione, "Leave this place Ronald and know that you are not welcome in this house or any other that belongs to me." She told the boy he did not answer he got up and headed for the floo.
Ginny was not ready to let him go, "You're a right foul git you know that? Percy is a better brother than you." If it was possible then Ron's face fell further as he stepped out of the kitchen and floo'd away. Ginny and Fleur sat in silence for a moment before Fleur got to her feet. Ginny reached out and grabbed her arm and fleur turned to face her, "How is she?" the redhead asked after her friend. Fleur swallowed, "She is remarkably well given what we have just been told, but zat is not to say she is recovered. I do not zink zat she ever will be from zis. But 'Ermione is strong." Fleur told Ginny and the girl nodded her understanding. Ginny thought for a moment, "Can you ask her if I can come and visit?" she asked and Fleur smiled, Ginny had gone about it the right way, not demanding to see her, taking Hermione's vulnerability into consideration, she nodded in response and reached out and pulled the young girl into a hug. Ginny pulled away and headed to the floo before turning back one last time to Fleur, "Is there anything I can do to help?" Fleur considered this for a moment before nodding, "Some how 'Ermione's mind is being attacked by Bellatrix Lestrange, we need to find out 'ow and 'ow to stop 'er." Fleur told Ginny, whose eyes had gone very wide at what Fleur was implying. "There are books on the dark arts at Grimmauld place in the library, now that Harry's...well he left it to me." Ginny told Fleur.
"If 'e left you Grimmauld place zen 'e left you Kreacher as well, use ze 'ouse elf to get ze books, do no go zer as it iz likely compromised, if you find anyzing of use send me an owl." Fleur instructed the young witch who nodded, grabbing some floo powder and throwing it into the fireplace before stepping into the emerald green flames and stating, "The Burrow."
Fleur sat on the couch, grabbed a cushion clutching it to her face and screamed. She screamed and screamed her anger until sobs wracked her body, she could not bare to think what Hermione had been through. She felt a murderous rage towards Bellatrix Lestrange, the Malfoy's and Ronald Wealsey. She sat on the couch and wept for some time until no more tears would come, then she took a deep shuddering breath and went back into the kitchen to splash some cold water on her face before flooing back to the cabin.
Fleur stepped out of the fire and dusted herself off. Hermione was sitting in the chair where Fleur had left her, but her wand was in her hand and subtly pointing it at Fleur. "'Ermione, are you alright?" Fleur asked keeping very still, she was proud of the young witch for having maintaining her reflexes, but at the same time did not want to be stunned accidentally. Hermione nodded and lowered the wand, fleur let out a breath she had been holding. Hermione studied Fleur and could tell that something was wrong, she wondered what it might mean and how it would affect her. Fleur stepped forward and gently placed a kiss on Hermione's forehead, wishing she could offer so much more comfort. "Are you 'ungry Ma Petite?" she asked and Hermione nodded. Fleur disappeared into the kitchen to make them some supper.