Chapter 37: Tuesday, June 17, 1980 cont'd

"Very few things in our privileged life are entitled to the distinction, or the stranglehold, that fear can have on us."

-Debbie Lynn


The trio landed in a village called Upper Flagely on the outskirts of Yorkshire. From what Hermione could tell, it was a completely wizarding village. Down the main stretch of town laid a few shops and cafes, a small apothecary, a wand repair shop, a second hand robe and supplies shop… The village was quaint and quiet and very familiar.

As she walked the streets, looking in the shop windows, she stopped in her tracks as the memory surfaced. She had been here before, with Harry and Ron when they were on the run during what would have been their seventh year at Hogwarts. They had snuck into the village, into the small grocers to try and nick some food under Harry's invisibility cloak.

The same night the snatchers had caught them and dragged them back to Malfoy Manor. Hermione felt her mind slip momentarily, the rush of the wind as she ran through the woods, the snapping of twigs under her feet, the feel of Scabior's hands grasping her hair as they dragged her back toward camp…

"Are you all right?" Remus' voice came from over her shoulder, his reflection in the glass.

Hermione closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and gave her head a quick shake, "Fine. I'm fine. I thought Marlene went to Banchory?"

"Peter said that after Kingsley left, they were informed to come here, don't you remember?"

Hermione wracked her memory, trying to pinpoint the assignment change. Had she heard it? Perhaps it was written in her journal at home, she would need to look over it later. Her fingers pressed lightly at the cool glass of the shop window.

"That's right…" she trailed off, her mind still swimming with the memory of snatchers.

Hermione turned around to face Remus, his brows pulled together in concern as he looked at her, his lip still split open, right eye half swollen shut. He had refused to allow her to finish healing him before they came, said he didn't want to waste the time on it. Hermione had the distinct impression, however, that he felt he deserved the injuries and didn't want to forget them just yet.

She tried to push forth a small smile, reaching out to lace his fingers through hers, "I'm fine, Remus. I swear it."

"Where'd you go from here?" Sirius asked, his boots scuffing the ground as he walked to their side.

"We did a lap around the outskirts of town and split up. I went west, Ted north, J-James east." Remus answered, stumbling over James' name.

"Then we go east," Sirius commanded, turning on his heel and stalking off. He stopped a few paces ahead, looking over his shoulder, "Are you going to stand there all night?"

"Right. Yeah… Coming." Remus mumbled, tugging on Hermione's hand to pull her with him toward Sirius.

"This is ridiculous," Hermione said. "Sirius, stop!"

She could hear the frustrated sigh Sirius blew out before he turned around, shoving his shoulder length black hair from his eyes, "What?"

"You're being an arsehole!"

"Oh, I'm sorry kitten, did you want me to be nicer? Moony, would you be a doll and please point me in the direction of where our best mate got captured because you decided it was a good idea to split up and go on your own?"

"Pads, I'm so-

"Remus John Lupin, I swear to Merlin if you apologize to him one more time I'm going to hex you!" Hermione said, her patience wearing thin. "Sirius, pull your head out of your arse. Throwing a tantrum is not conducive here! I know you're angry, but you're angry at the wrong person! Use that anger when we find whoever snatched James, not toward Remus!"

Sirius' jaw tightened for a moment, his eyes growing dark with anger before he huffed out a breath and rolled his eyes, "Fine!"

"F-fine?" Remus asked, looking between Hermione and Sirius, confused.

"Yeah, mate. Fine. You forget, I've seen Death Eaters on the receiving end of those hexes she's threatening you with. They aren't fun. I'd rather not have a repeat of the last time we were one a mission together. For such a tiny witch, she can throw a punch."

Hermione smirked, trying to bite back the smug look on her face as Remus continued to look between the two for another few moments before giving a small shrug and a nod. Sirius turned back toward the path he had been walking and they all quietly moved through the streets, heading to the east end of town.

It had been two hours.

Two hours of wandering aimlessly around the outskirts of the town, of using every tracking spell she could think to cast, of listening to Sirius take jabs at Remus' expense, knowing Remus would say nothing to defend himself. Two hours of nothing. No footprints in a random patch of mud, no signs of struggle or burn marks to buildings from stray curses…

Hermione was beginning to feel like their search was futile.

There had to be a reason that it was James who had been taken and not Remus or Ted. But the reason simply would not come to mind, it made no sense as to why James would be captured and they would drag Remus toward…

The lake.

Remus said he had been searching the west end of the village but had woken up near the lake. When he saw the spark shot into the air, he had cut through the village, so someone would have had to physically remove him from the village streets.

"Remus," Hermione said, turning to scan the surrounding area, and seeing him walking through a copse of trees. "Where were you when you were knocked unconscious?"

"In town," he answered.

"Yes, but where in town?"

Remus did a short jog, closing the space between them, "I don't know," he said, breathlessly. "I can't remember. I know I was in front of the shops, where we first apparated in at. But I… I can't remember exactly which off the top of my head."

"We need to go back into the town," Hermione said, turning quickly around and speeding back toward the brownstone buildings.

She didn't wait to see if Sirius and Remus had followed, but judging by the sound of footsteps behind her, she was certain they had. She reached the center of the town in only a few minutes, Hermione slightly out of breath from nearly running all the way back. She began looking closer at the buildings, peering inside the windows she could see into, looking for a sign of something. There had to be an answer. There had to be a reason they moved Remus away from businesses and to the outskirts of town. It didn't make sense to…

Her eyes landed on one of the frosted glass windows of the Apothecary. She squinted as she looked inside the dark business, eyes scanning the narrow aisles of objects. She pulled her wand, casting a Lumos to shine it into the shop. She could see a few cauldrons behind the pay counter, all held in stasis as they brewed. Something about the inside of the shop didn't feel right to her. She tilted her head to the side, narrowing her eyes further as she found a symbol carved into the heavy wood of the door behind the counter.

Two symbols, actually- runes. Serpent and Death. The very same runes she had seen carved into the door on the building that she and Sirius had been watching in February, the one where Greyback and the Lestrange Brothers were depositing kidnapped children.

"Sirius!" Hermione hissed, waving him over. "Sirius, come look at this!"

She grasped onto the sleeve of his t-shirt and pulled him next to her, pointing to the door behind the counter. Sirius cupped his hands and pressed them against the glass, trying to see what she was pointing at.

"The door! Look at the door!"

"Aren't those the runes-

"Yes!"

"Fuck," Sirius swore, taking a step back and running both hands through his hair. "Fuck! Hermione, what do we do?!"

"Did you find something?" Remus asked.

Sirius pulled Remus to the window, pointing in the direction of the counter. Hermione knew that with Remus' lycanthropy, he could more than likely make out the symbols far easier than she or Sirius had. He stepped back from the window and turned to look at Hermione.

"Death and Serpent. You've seen these before, I take it?"

Hermione's mouth twisted off to the side as she chewed the inside of her cheek, "Back in February, when Sirius and I were in London."

"We need to get in there," Sirius said.

"Do you reckon we can?" Remus replied.

"Honestly, you two!" Hermione chided, "It's like you don't even realize you're wizards! Evanesco."

The large window Hermione stood before vanished and Sirius rolled his eyes. "Leave it to Queen Swot to show us up," he grumbled.

Hermione shook her head, and climbed up the ledge, stepping through the open window, waiting to see if it would trip an alarm of some sort. When it didn't, she motioned for Remus and Sirius to follow behind her. With quick, light steps, Hermione moved her way around the shop, careful to not disturb anything on the shelves or counters. She pulled herself on top of the pay counter, slipping over the wood to land behind the till. When her hand grabbed the handle of the door, it felt as if an electric shock jolten through her, causing her to whimper as she let go of the brass, her hand blistering and swelling almost instantly.

"Shit," she mumbled, starting to work on the wards to break them down.

"Ah, werewolf." a voice called from behind them, "I wondered if you would return."

Hermione spun on her heel, nearly tumbling over from the force of the turn. She opened her mouth, her wand slashing up before the words died in her throat. Standing on the other side of the counter was a tall man with dark facial hair, neatly trimmed into a goatee and matching dark hair pulled into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. His obsidian eyes shone with amusement, his broad chest puffed out and his back ramrod straight.

"Dolohov," Hermione whispered.

A smug smile pulled at his mouth, "I'm certain we have not met before, I must assume that my reputation precedes me."

Hermione scowled, her nose wrinkled in disgust.

Dolohov turned his attention to Remus, the smile broadening. "I had so hoped we'd meet again, werewolf. I do believe Greyback will be pleased to know you have not escaped him completely. Quite a fight you put up yesterday."

Remus remained still, a low growl rumbling in his chest, his jaw tight and his eyes flashing to gold as his nostrils flared with anger.

"Oh, and look at what we have here! Oh yes, you look so like your lineage, Mr. Black. I must admit, I have been eagerly awaiting a time that our paths may cross. I had hoped it would be sooner, of course, I was so heartbroken to hear of dear Regulus' passing... I would have liked to have the set."

"Don't talk about my brother," Sirius spat.

A wicked grin took Dolohov's features and Hermione felt nauseous. "Where is he?" She said, her tone even. "What did you do with him?"

"Ah, I should have guessed you were here for Mr. Potter. I could only be so lucky to have you three brought to me without reason of fight," he said, his tone venomous.

Hermione could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Her eyes began to roam the area, trying to look for a way out, a weakness, anything. Sirius and Remus may not know the dangers of the man who stood before them, but she did. And she had been on the business end of his wand more than once, an experience she would rather not repeat. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sirius move, his hand slashing upward.

"Sirius! No!" Hermione yelled.

It was too late.

Dolohov had caught the motion before she did, and had turned his wand to him, disarming him with ease and sending him to his knees in a crumpled heap on the ground, laughing as he crucioed him. Sirius screamed, a blood curdling, hair splitting, scream that reverberated around the shop. Remus moved, faster than Hermione had ever seen him move before. His wand brandished as he began firing curse after curse at Dolohov, pulling his attention off Sirius.

"Get him out!" Remus yelled over his shoulder, "Take him!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Hermione yelled back.

"W-we d-d-don't split… up!" Sirius forced out, angry breaths coming in pants as his body trembled violently on the ground, trying desperately to recover from the vicious torture curse.

"Unfortunate for you, really." Dolohov laughed, his wand slashing upward upon Sirius' words, sending Remus to the ground, clutching his head and screaming in agony.

"Stop! Please! What do you want from us?!" Hermione shouted, falling to her knees next to Remus. She wanted more than anything to fight, but she knew all too well how Dolohov played, and one split second misstep would have her killed.

"I wanted for you to mind your own business and keep your nose out from where it doesn't belong. But apparently, I couldn't be so lucky. Crucio!" Dolohov's voice sounded bored as the curse hit Hermione square in the chest.

She fell backward, her head bouncing upon impact against the stone floor. Her top row of teeth drove into her bottom lip, breaking the skin to keep from screaming, the taste of blood filling her mouth as her eyes slammed shut against the force of the curse, her nerve endings set on fire. She began writhing on the ground, her muscles felt as if they were being flayed from her bones with hot knives. Her lungs ached from the force of the scream that finally tore through her throat and Hermione's back arched off the stone, her bones like glass as they shattered and repaired themselves only to be shattered again. There was nothing but pain, nothing but searing hot pain as the torture curse ripped through her body.

Finally, it stopped. Hermione laid on the ground, panting heavily as she tried to get her heart rate to slow, her head burning and her body shaking. She could feel the chatter of her teeth knocking together as she tried desperately to move.

"Funny," Dolohov said, appearing over Hermione and leaning down to shove the hair from her sweat soaked face. "You are seasoned when it comes to the torture curse, unlike your comrades. It should seem I may need to be more… creative with you."

Hermione's chest tightened with fear as she swallowed down the bile that burned up the back of her throat, she closed her eyes, waiting for the next curse to hit. Instead, she felt his hand grasp just above her elbow, pulling her to her feet. The second she was upright, her wrists were bound together, a thin rope tied tight around them that encircled her waist to keep her hands down. She looked around her and saw Remus and Sirius in the same position, a thin rope connecting the three of them. With a wicked smile, Dolohov opened the door they had been trying to get through, prodding Hermione in the back with his wand to urge her forward.

Hermione stumbled forward, nearly slipping down the steep and narrow stairwell. She kept her eyes open, ignoring the lingering pain from the cruciatus, ignoring the trembling in her muscles and the tight cramps that jerked her body forward.

Answers.

She had come here for answers, and finally she may get some.

The corridor seemed never ending, dark and dank, twisting staircases through uneven cobbled floors. The narrow walls were slick with moisture, the smell of decay and mold thick in the air as they went deeper into the tunnel, the air unseasonably cold around them. Finally, they came to an opening, a large circular room with six doors. She could hear the sounds of talking behind one of them, though she couldn't make out what was being said. She hoped that Remus could, and perhaps she could ask him about it later.

Hermione felt a small tug as the rope connecting her to Remus and Sirius vanished, leaving her with only her hands bound. The second she opened her mouth to say something, she felt her vocal cords tighten, but no sound came through. Dolohov must have casted a wordless silencing charm…

"I can tell you're eager to ask questions," Dolohov said, stepping into her line of vision. "Don't worry, I won't keep you quiet for long, I find I quite enjoy the sounds of screams as I work. It works as motivation, you see."

Hermione met his gaze, lifting her chin defiantly as she sneered at him.

"Oh, I do believe you will be fun," he said, his voice nearly singing with excitement. "I think we'll leave your friends here for now. I have something I think you'd really like to see!"

Hermione felt her eyes widen a fraction of an inch but she resisted the urge to turn around and look at Remus or Sirius. Instead, she squared her shoulders and clenched her teeth, waiting for him to make a move. Moments later, he pulled her forward, steering her to the door directly ahead.

"Wait in here for me, won't you? I have a very pretty blonde witch who has told me that she has a special… affinity for a certain Black heir. I would love to be able to deliver her to him."

Hermione's stomach dropped at the mention of Marlene and before she could turn to look at Sirius, the door was pushed open. Dolohov's hand gave a hard shove that sent Hermione stumbling forward to land hard on her knees before the door slammed shut, a lock clicking into place.

The room was akin to a cellar. Dark and dirty, the stone floor was covered in a layer of dirt, the walls illuminated with a few fire-lit sconces. Hermione pushed herself to her feet and looked around the room, her eyes landing on a shadowy figure in the back, against the wall. As her eyes adjusted to the low light, she could make out the outline of a rickety chair, to which someone was tied. Broad shoulders, square jawline, and dark hair that stuck up in every direction.

"James!" Hermione gasped, realizing her silencing charm had been lifted when she fell through the doorway and onto the floor. She rushed over to the chair, her hands shaking against their binds.

James was slumped forward, his head lolled off to the side. His face was beaten black and blue, swollen and bloodied. She felt panic surge in her chest as she tried to figure out how to get out of the ropes that kept her wrists bound together.

Wandless magic was not something she made a habit of doing. It was difficult to do more complex spells wandlessly, and it was incredibly draining to one's magical core. But right now, she didn't see many other options. James was unconscious, that much was clear, and his breaths were coming in raspy pants. From only looking at him, she could tell the bulging of his left eye meant the bone that laid beneath it was more than likely shattered. His nose looked broken as well. If his face had been so badly beaten, she could only imagine the state of his body and she had her bag tucked safely into her pocket.

Hermione settled on using simple spells, she could work out the more complex issues soon but she cuoldn't do anything with her hands, quite literally, tied. Casting wandless diffindo to slice through the binds, she felt immediately exhausted, although she was certain the after effects of the crucio she took not even an hour ago had a lot to do with that as well. She pulled the bag from her pocket and used more wandless magic to enlarge it, shaking off the exhausted feeling and digging through the phials, searching for things that may help. Healing without a wand was not ideal, but she had several potions that could at least ease some of his suffering. Pulling several different phials from the bag, she uncorked them and crouched down in front of James, carefully tipping his head backward and pulling his mouth open. She dumped the potions into his mouth, begging him to swallow the contents.

The last potion she gave him was an intensified Pepper-Up, meant to send a jolt of adrenaline to him to wake him. She waited for several seconds after the liquid slid down his throat, the only sound she could hear was the chatter of her own teeth as another aftershock of the torture curse ripped through her.

"Fuck!" James said, leaning forward against the ropes that tied him to the chair.

"Oh my god, you're alive!" Hermione breathed in relief, "Thank Merlin!"

"Hermione?" James asked, squinting as he tried to focus on her. "Is that you, Hermione?"

"Yes, yes it's me! God, James! What happened to you?!"

"Dunno," he said. "Was with Remus and Ted and then I woke up here. They beat the fucking piss out of me, crucioed me a few times, and then brought me in here. Why are you here? Lily… Lily isn't..?"

"No, no. Lily isn't here. She's safe."

"Good," James said. "Why are you here?"

"Remus and Ted came back without you. They were both attacked, left unconscious and when they woke up you were gone."

"Bastards," James said, spitting onto the floor. "They've got Marlene-

"I know," Hermione said. "I know they do. They took Sirius to her."

"What?"

"I said-

"I heard you," James clarified. "Marlene… Hermione, she's got to be dead."

Hermione's eyes widened, "What?"

"I think they killed her last night. I heard them… I tried to get to her but I… I…"

"It's okay," Hermione whispered, moving around the back of the chair to begin untying him. "You don't have to tell me."

"They want me," James whispered. "They want me to join them. I told them no."

"I know you did."

"You don't understand, Hermione. These aren't… You can't say no. That's why they killed the twins, why the ones who have gone missing never come back! It's why Marls..." He trailed off, swallowing hard, his chest still pulling rapid puffs of air.

"James, Sirius and Remus are out there." Hermione said, "And we are going to get out of here, but right now, we need to figure out a plan. They took your wand, I assume?"

"Of course."

"Mine too," she said. "Can you fight?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," Hermione said, looking around the room for something to use. Her eyes landed on the wooden chair beneath James as an idea came to her mind, "I have an idea. It's completely mental-

"Hermione, we have to do something. They'll kill them! They'll...They'll kill us all. I don't care how mental it is, I'm all ears."

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a/n: Another bonus chapter because I have no chill. 3

I just want to leave a little reminder/warning here...

While this is a time travel AU, it is also a war fic. So please keep in mind that there will be violence, there will be some gore, there will be some torture. (as you've already seen in several chapters) I choose not to trigger these things because 1. I started right out the gate in the middle of a battle with the first chapter, so if you've read this far, you know what you signed up for lol and 2. I don't want to spoil things for other readers. If there is something that I personally feel needs a TW, it'll be in the author notes at the end of the chapter (the beginning a/n will state this and tell you to scroll, like I did with the kids and the werewolves)

Okay. so there's that.