`I know everyone's figured it out ages ago,' he said at last, rain thundering in the distance. `Except me of course. I've been too much of a coward to admit it.'
~ The Hermione Hunt ~
Harry and Ron followed Professor McGonagall into her office. Harry could sense she was extremely concerned about something. She was reminding him of the time when Hermione was petrified by the Basilisk in second year.
`Please, sit down,' she said, gesturing to the two seats in front of her desk.
Harry swallowed loudly. Ron too, was nervous. On top of everything else that happened that day, what else could go wrong?
`What's the matter, Professor?' Harry had asked, just as Hagrid, very unexpectedly, charged in through the door behind them.
`No sign of her any where, Professor McGonagall! I searched high and low - '
Hagrid, who was soaking wet and talking abnormally fast, quickly stopped in mid-sentence when he saw Harry and Ron in the room. They were staring at him over the back of their chairs, wide-eyed.
`Oh,' Hagrid grunted, running a hand down his long, soggy beard. `Hello Harry, Ron…I'll come back later.'
Easing backwards, Hagrid left the room and gingerly closed the door. Harry and Ron immediately spun back to Professor McGonagall, sitting with her hands clasped on the desktop.
`I'll get straight to it,' she said, not wasting any time. `Lucius Malfoy's visit to Hogwarts earlier this morning has caused some trouble. For one, he's taken Draco without Dumbledore's permission, and two, is about Hermione.'
Harry and Ron sat on the edge of their seats.
`I tried to speak with Hermione after the incident with Lucius. However, she was quite inconsolable. She escaped Hagrid on the way to my office and ran out into the school grounds. She's been missing ever since.'
`Missing?' croaked Harry. Professor McGonagall nodded.
`I'm afraid the matter is quite serious. I've had the entire staff looking for her, including Hagrid, who's been searching the Forbidden Forest.'
`The Forbidden Forest?' said Ron timidly.
`Have either of you been in contact with Hermione since breakfast?' Professor McGonagall inquired. Both Harry and Ron shook their heads.
`Don't you have any leads as to where she could be, Professor?' pressed Harry.
`Possibly. I still have to talk to Dumbledore about Lucius…'
`He's probably kidnapped her!' Ron burst out abruptly, half out of his seat.
Harry expected Professor McGonagall to reprimand Ron for this sudden speculation, but she didn't.
`While we can't be certain at this stage,' she related, motioning for Ron to sit, `that is one possible explanation. I need to know, from both of you,' she eyed them sternly, `is there something wrong with Hermione Granger that I don't know about?'
Ron was about to open his mouth, but Harry got in before him.
`Not that we know of.'
~ Way To Salvation ~
When their meeting with Professor McGonagall concluded, Harry and Ron went outside to a courtyard for some air and, consequently, a spot of yelling. They made sure to stay under shelter, seeing it was still pouring with rain.
`What were you thinking, Harry!'
`I know what I was doing, Ron!'
`We should have said something!
`No, we shouldn't!'
`The hell we should! We should've told McGonagall about Malfoy and the love potion and - '
But Ron quit his yelling when he saw how upset Harry suddenly was. He'd withdrawn, leaning against the wall opposite with his head hanging low.
`What's the matter, Harry?'
Harry looked up. `It's all my fault,' he muttered.
`What's all your fault?'
`Lucius was right,' Harry chuckled sadly. `Who knew I had it in me?'
`Harry, make sense!' Ron begged, becoming confused again.
`I'm how Lucius found out about Hermione and Malfoy,' Harry confessed. `I sent him an anonymous letter telling him they were together. I used a charm to disguise my handwriting, but he must`ve dismantled it…'
Crossing to a near by bench, Harry flopped down, defeated. Ron, listening hard, sat next to him.
`I was jealous,' Harry continued. `I wanted Malfoy destroyed. But I swear,' he fought back his tears, `I swear I never meant for anything to happen to Hermione.'
`Wait a second, back up!' said Ron, doing his best to understand. `What if Lucius doesn't have anything to do with Hermione's disappearance?'
`I know he does, Ron. I can feel it. She probably caught up with him after she escaped Hagrid, trying to get to Malfoy. Remember what Lucius said in the Great Hall?'
Ron thought back. `Something about keeping Hermione away from him and his son, if she knows what's good for her?'
Harry gave Ron a minute to think this through.
`If she knows what's good for her…' Ron said again, pondering. And then, it hit him. In a doomed, panicked voice, he said, `oh know, that's a threat isn't it? Lucius has done something to Hermione! The GIT! Harry what are we going to do?'
`What am I going to do, you mean. It's my fault, I'll handle it.'
`Not without me you won't!'
`No, Ron,' said Harry solidly. `Just me. I won't be able to live with myself if anything happens to her.'
`And neither will I!'
`It's my problem not yours…'
`I don't care!'
`You don't understand!'
`Yes I do!'
`No, you don't!'
`Yes I DO!'
`NO - '
`I LOVE HER TOO!'
The silence following Ron's divulgence was a long and awkward one. Harry stared at Ron, stunned. He guessed Ron fancied Hermione, but never this.
`I know everyone's figured it out ages ago,' he said at last, rain thundering in the distance. `Except me of course. I've been too much of a coward to admit it. That's why Ginny's the way she is. I made an Aphora Bewitching Potion for Hermione to drink so she'd fancy me, but Ginny accidentally drank it instead. I couldn't stand the thought of Hermione with Krum, or Malfoy, or - well, anyone else...'
`I'm not in love with Hermione,' said Harry blankly.
`Huh?' said Ron, confounded. `Of course you are, you told me!'
`It's relapse, Ron. It's not real. It's why I've been acting so crazy, and why I fell for Hermione so fast. But you're not on a potion...you…' his voice collapsed slightly, `...you love her for real. You should tell her.'
Ron went a little pink.
`Er, I dunno,' he said clumsily, and changed the subject. `So tell me, how are we going to get Hermione back?'
`Lucius would be at the Annual Drakon Hunt by now,' Harry assessed. `I say that's where we start looking.'
`Go to Greece?' said Ron, sounding as if he were unsure of Harry's sanity. `How are we going to manage that?'
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