Unofficial Portkey Archive

Author's Note: A huge thank you to everyone who's reviewed! The enthusiasm and positive feedback has been utterly overwhelming! All your encouraging words have really inspired me, so for all of that, and more, I thank you. I hope you enjoy chapter three!

Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold

Taken was the love I knew
Stolen was the fight in me,
Battered was the heart I had
Lost was my motivation to see

But no longer will I allow
Your reign to take hold,
This time I will finish you
And be avenged sevenfold.

"Alright," Harry breathed quietly, his voice betraying his will to sound steady. "It's- I have to go now."

Standing, he turned towards his suitcase with slumped shoulders, the warm wind making one last effort to be heard.

"You mean we," Hermione corrected, her face devoid of emotion as she tried to appear determined.

Harry stopped abruptly, his hands falling to his sides. He tilted back his head, his weary eyes briefly surveying the ceiling before fluttering shut.

"I knew you'd-"

"Yes, as you very well should have," she interrupted, straightening her knees and standing. "Don't try to be noble with me, Harry, I'm not some damsel in distress, I can take care of myself perfectly well, and if you think for a second I'm going to sit around and let you-"

"Easy Hermione," Harry breathed, his body shifting to face her. "I'm not… I wasn't going to- I knew you'd be coming," he said. "I didn't ask because… I mean, I assumed…"

Hermione's mouth was hanging agape, bobbing open and shut like a fish out of water.

"You… it's… ok?" she questioned, feeling winded that he was letting her follow him without any argument whatsoever. She stared into his eyes, searching for any hint of the lost little boy she'd met on the train so long ago, or even the overly-righteous, exceedingly independent adolescent from fifth year. But she found none, and nearly gasped at the strength and maturity emitting from his familiar green eyes.

Harry merely smiled.

"There's a problem, though," he continued, ignoring Hermione's question and apparent perplexity. "I haven't the faintest-"

"-idea as to where we're going, yes, I know," Hermione commented airily as she snapped out of her trance. "It doesn't matter."

Harry blinked. "It… doesn't?"

"No," she confirmed, feeling decidedly less shaky as she smoothed out her nightgown. "I've gotten some good pointers from the Order. They've been discussing possible locations in the kitchen."

Harry gaped at her, the beginnings of anger rushing through his blood. "You mean- they told you where to go? After Lupin tried to tell me n-"

"No, no," Hermione hurried, eyeing Harry anxiously. "While you were talking to Lupin, Moody and McGonagall were discussing where they might have taken Ron. It wasn't- they didn't know I was paying attention, and they certainly didn't suspect we'd use the information to go looking for him on our own."

Harry took a deep breath and nodded, his hands digging into his pockets. "Alright. What did they say?"

"Well," Hermione considered. "They feel certain Ron's being held captive somewhere away from Voldemort. It makes sense, because… well, you heard Lupin, Harry… we've been over this… it's- this is all a ploy to distract you, to trap you-" she cut off short at the miserable expression suddenly buried beneath Harry's eyes. "Err… well, in light of that, they're not going to keep him somewhere that'll lead you or the Order directly to Voldemort's headquarters. They decided it would be some place remote, but not too far, since they need to keep him within your reach…"

Harry removed the last jumper from the dresser and tossed it into his rusty brown, overflowing suitcase. "Well," he sighed, "seems like pretty flimsy logic, but if that's all we have to go on…"

"It's not flimsy," she muttered indignantly, folding her arms protectively over her chest. "It's just… it's just a bit vague. But I think I have an idea."

She flicked her wand, and the remaining belongings piled themselves into Harry's open trunk. Another complicated pattern through the air, and the objects and clothing within organized themselves.

"The mountains," she said softly, watching a pair of jeans iron themselves flat. "I think- well, I read that Death Eaters used to hold meetings in the mountains a lot during the first war. Particularly because that's where the Giants are, so it proved a very secluded place, away from Muggles and such."

Harry's possessions stopped stirring, leaving a considerable amount of space left within. Waving her wand once more, it shut and locked itself, before Hermione's smaller trunk appeared with a tiny pop.

Harry gazed at it with detached eyes. "You know the Ministry's going to-"

"Honestly, they're much too busy to worry about a seventh year witch packing a trunk. I'm nearly of age anyway. So are you, for that matter. I'd be surprised if they even notice."

Harry shrugged, not really caring if they did. "So, where are the nearest mountains?"

Hermione busied herself with the latches of her tattered trunk before removing several articles of clothing. She took the few short steps towards the attached bathroom and shut the door behind her with a decisive click.

"Hogwarts," she called from behind the wooden barrier, her voice muffled. "Remember? There's a stretch of them just north of the grounds."

Harry nodded to himself and instinctively felt for his wand in his pocket.

A moment later, Hermione emerged, fully dressed and grasping her night robes. Folding them neatly, she locked up her things, and stood to meet Harry's intense stare.

"Ready?"

Harry swallowed hard and felt his stomach lurch unpleasantly. "Hermione…" he whispered, taking a step closer. "I can't…" he stopped, lowering his head and breathing deeply. When he lifted his head to meet her gaze, his eyes were grave and somber, making his soft face appear ten years older.

"Harry?"

He licked his lips and took a steadying breath. "I can't let them get you," he finally spoke, his voice rough and breaking between syllables. "If they… it could mean… they'd have so much power over me, if they captured you too, more than… I just… can't…"

Hermione's stomach gave a strange flutter. The echo of far off laughter riding on the wind was the only sound piercing the gentle quiet that was suddenly pressing down on her. Harry's loss for words lingered between them, manifesting into unanswered questions and burning impulses thick enough to suffocate the thoughts from the girl's mind.

"Oh, Harry," she managed to murmur, ever so gently, taking his hand in hers and receiving a heartrending jolt when she found it was trembling. "They won't. I promise-"

"You can't promise me that," he mumbled, watching their hands with a furrowed brow.

"Harry," she whispered again, "I won't let them take anything else from you… I won't let them take you from me," she breathed.

Harry moved nearer, catching her eyes with a heart-stopping gaze. "Just promise me you'll be careful. Promise me… Hermione, if something happens and I ask you to leave, if I tell you to run-"

"Shhh," she whispered. "It's all right, Harry. I'll be okay. We'll be okay."

Harry offered her a weak smile, tightening his grip on Hermione's hand, unwilling to break her confidence with his throbbing doubt.

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Two days.

Forty-nine hours and thirty-seven minutes…

Since Ron had been taken from beneath Harry's nose.

And as Harry sat in a cold, wet indent, hidden in shadow cast by the great cave ceiling above him, he could not help but count down the time.

He and Hermione had Apparated to a snowy mountaintop, from which they could almost see the tall trees that outlined Hogwarts. Luckily, the icy peak had forgiven their forgetful ignorance at not realizing that mountaintops were indeed cold, despite the season, and felt fit to provide the couple with a deep, accommodating cave on the south-most ledge.

There, the two had been hiding, constantly on the lookout, constantly searching for any signs, for…

Forty-eight hours and thirty-nine minutes, Harry recited, his mind flashing unbidden images from his last conversation with Ron.

"The only reason you have tension is because all you do with her is bicker. You don't listen to what she says, you're not hearing her. Instead you're- you're hung up on hormones and pretenses… it's… ridiculous, that's what it is."

"Don't reckon I would've said it if I didn't."

Harry sighed and shut his eyes, hoping it would shut out the memory. The heavy weight in the pit of his stomach seemed to squirm and tear at his insides, reaching his heart until a fiery ache twisted behind his chest.

Why had he been so short with him? Why had he been on pins and needles, uncharacteristically ill-tempered towards his best friend? He remembered feeling frustration and… something else, something unidentifiable, burn through his throat and rise inside of him.

But why? None of what he recalled feeling made sense. What had he been feeling? It was a new sort of pain, one of the few he hadn't been experienced with handling.

Guilt.

"Do you fancy her?"

Silence.

"No. Happy?"

Harry tore his focus from the deep, inky sky, feeling suddenly restless and aggravated. Removing his glasses, he buried his face deep in his hands, eyeing a small pool of half-frozen water from between his fingers.

One of Harry's hands reached up to comb through his hair, his eyes stinging as he allowed them to flutter shut.

"Harry?"

Hurrying to lift his head and appear emotionally unscathed, Harry turned to face Hermione, his glasses askew.

"Hermione, you should be sleeping," he said, nodding towards the bluebell flames which encircled a makeshift bed of blankets in the corner.

"It's three in the morning, it's my turn to be on the lookout," she reminded gently as she crouched beside him, tucking dangling strands of hair behind her ears. "Harry, are you all right? You look…"

"Tired?" he offered, trying to sound kind and absorbed, but instead sounding awkward and flat.

"Well," Hermione mulled slowly, watching him with suspicion. "I suppose."

Harry tugged on the sleeves of his jumper so that his hands were tucked inside, safe from the nighttime chill. His eyes returned to scanning the sky, the trees below, on the watch for any signs of movement. His eyelids weighed heavily against his piercing green orbs, but otherwise he felt wide awake, and was terrified of giving his mind the opportunity to run rampant.

He was acutely aware of Hermione's presence, her distinct vanilla scent wafting with the wintry frost.

"The bed's still warm," she spoke softly, still crouched low. "Go sleep, then. I'll wake you at eight."

Harry shook his head. "No, I couldn't sleep if I wanted to. Go on, I'll stay up."

Hermione clicked her tongue, a frustrated groan escaping her lips. "Honestly, I knew you would do this. Harry, you must slee-"

"Shhh!" Harry suddenly commanded, his hand flying to grasp her arm. "Did you hear that?"

Hermione shot the dark air an anxious look, her face swiftly changing expressions. "No… Harry, what-"

"Right there! Again, I heard it… Hermione, put out the flames," he ordered hastily, jumping to his feet and unsheathing his wand.

Hermione obediently flicked her wand, all five flames vanishing. She turned back to him, clutching his sleeve with wide eyes. "What did it sound like? Was it close?"

"No," he whispered. "It sounded pretty far off… but it sounded like… like someone Apparating…"

Hermione strained her ears, taking a tentative step closer to the cave's opening. The only sound she heard was the muddled dripping of a melting icicle.

But suddenly, a faint yet distinguishing pop resonated through the air.

She slowly turned her head, hoping to catch Harry's gaze. Her grip on him strengthened as she kept her wand steady beside her.

Harry's eyes blazed, his face screwed in concentration.

"Harry, what do we… should we…"

But before she could finish stammering, Harry had sprinted to the back of the cave, returning a second later with his Firebolt and invisibility cloak.

-------------------------------------

Minutes later, they were soaring across the black, star-patched sky, utterly invisible to anyone besides themselves. The chilly wind pounded harshly against Hermione's ears, the ends of the invisibility cloak flapping against her shoes.

Hermione could feel Harry's urgency in his tense muscles, in his strained shoulder blades, as she felt the broom tip downward, Harry bringing them closer to the treetops.

"What're you doing?" she whispered in his ear, barely audible over the gushing wind.

Hermione felt him shiver.

"We'll never see anything from this high," he called back to her, twisting his neck. "Just hold on tight."

Hermione didn't object. She cast her eyes below for the first time since ascending into the night, and her stomach gave a sudden leap. She hurried to refocus her gaze on Harry, but the damage was done. An anxious moan pressed against the back of her throat as her arms tightened around Harry's waist.

Then Harry's voice overrode the loud wind. "There," he pointed out, one hand motioning just to their left. "D'you see that?"

Hermione took a breath of courage and tore her eyes from his face. Squinting, she could just make out the bleary form of thick red smoke rising between a broad cluster of evergreens.

But before she could respond, Harry was kicking off faster, the invisibility cloak whipping furiously around them.

Hermione quickly closed her eyes, her fingers bunching up Harry's jumper. But soon, she felt them slowing down and registered the slightly warmer climate.

"Hermione?" Harry asked uncertainly, craning his neck.

"I'm fine," she replied shrilly. "Are- where are we?"

Harry lowered the broom a few more inches and gently loosened Hermione's grip on his shirt. "On the ground, for starters…"

Hermione opened her eyes to find they were hovering not more than a foot from solid earth.

"Oh…"

"We're in a valley… right next to the mountain we're staying in," he explained quietly, hopping off the broom and lending his hand. "The smoke we saw… it's not far… and it was red, meaning… it was from some sort of spell… can't be muggle campers…"

Hermione took Harry's hand gratefully and felt the ground beneath her feet with a contented sigh. "Well, what do we do about your Firebolt?" she said in a hurried whisper. "We can't carry it around with us… it's too big, if we're trying to be invisible…"

"We'll leave it here." Harry bent and tapped his wand to the broom's shaft. In seconds, it had vanished into the soil itself. "Stay close, and make sure you're under the cloak…"

Then they sprinted off, Hermione still grasping Harry's hand. He dashed between shrubs and thickets, occasionally glancing back to make sure Hermione was well-concealed. Hermione's legs worked feverishly to keep up with him, but her heart was racing too fast to notice their protesting pains.

Soon- sooner than Hermione expected- Harry came to an abrupt stop and threw out his arm to keep Hermione behind him.

"What? What is it?" she whispered, eyes straining to see through the dark.

"Voices," he answered shortly.

Tiptoeing, Hermione stayed close behind Harry, chewing her bottom lip raw as she struggled to hear.

She had only taken five steps when a loud explosion rung through the air.

Hermione jumped.

"Wormtail!" came a woman's irate voice. "One more time and I'll have you screaming for death, I swear it…"

Hermione felt Harry's hand strengthen around hers. Slowly, he took another tentative step nearer the voices, moving past a tall, thick tree.

"S- sorry, I-"

"If it weren't for the Dark Lord, I'd have killed you already," the woman spat.

"Where is Narcissa, Bellatrix?" came a deep, familiar voice.

Harry stopped. His back straightened and Hermione read his look of outraged alarm.

Snape.

"With Draco," she responded, sounding annoyed. "I doubt she'll be coming. What's this all about, Severus?"

Hermione's mouth hung open, her eyes wide and anxious. She pressed herself close to Harry's side and felt his fingers open to entwine with hers. She couldn't see a thing. It was all voices in the dark, sounds without faces…

Hermione watched Harry out of the corner of her eye. His jaw was set as he swallowed hard, his chest suddenly rising and falling unsteadily.

"Harry…" she whispered warningly, but he shot her a dangerous glare.

"I do not have any intentions on proceeding without the required audience," Snape commented impassively. "The Dark Lord wishes that Narcissa and Lucius be made aware, and I intend on-"

The sound of two Apparating bodies pierced the hushed voices.

"My apologies, Severus," said Narcissa in a distressed tone. "I was with-"

"Draco. So I've been told," said Snape indifferently. "Lucius, I trust everything is in order?"

"Yes, Draco has been given his instructions."

"Very well. The Dark Lord has asked me to inform the three of you that there has been a slight change in plans."

"Change? To what?" Narcissa asked.

"Firstly, neither his nor the Weasley child's locations-" Hermione heard Harry intake a sharp breath. "-are to be known to any other Death Eaters. Evidence of treachery has been… uncovered," he stated tersely.

"Treachery?" Bellatrix huffed. "What-"

"He insists that this be honored," Snape continued, ignoring Bellatrix's confused inquiries. "I'm not at liberty to address specifics, I'm afraid. In light of this, tomorrow's meeting has been temporarily postponed. I've already informed the others-"

"But-"

"More importantly," he persisted, "The Dark Lord asks that we cease the hunt for Order members. There role is now crucial if Potter is to be lured. This new approach requires that they live. At least… for now."

Bellatrix made no sound. The crescent moon reflected lightly off Harry's glasses as Hermione eyed him worriedly.

Finally, Snape resumed.

"Is everything understood?"

"What of the dementors?" Lucius asked quietly.

"What of them?"

"Are they… cooperating?"

"Of course. The Dark Lord delivered the boy to them himself. They are not foolish enough to disobey his requests."

"Surely, though, they will have… difficulty… restraining themselves. Their eagerness has been troublesome in the past," Lucius persevered with deadly calm.

"As I've said," Snape reiterated, the first hints of frustration lingering on his lips. "They are not foolish enough to disobey a direct request. It is of no concern. Presently, we must only concentrate on our other objective. Who will be escorting Draco?"

"I had hoped yo-"

"You know I cannot, Narcissa," Snape responded expressionlessly. "They will have already placed protective charms against me. The castle is sure to be heavily-"

"Of course, I understand," she replied quickly. "Then… I will go with him."

There was an extended pause.

"You will be caught. I've told you, Goyle or Crabbe would be ideal candidates. As students, the three of them are likelier to gain access…"

"But they are useless!" Narcissa suddenly shrieked. Lucius hissed at her to stay quiet, but she ignored him. "They cannot provide protection or- or any amount of help! He needs a skilled wizard, if he's caught-"

"He won't be, I assure you," said Snape. "I know their safety precautions. Having been employed there for a great many years, I should think my confidence would put your nerves at ease, Narcissa…"

Narcissa sighed. "Of course, Severus."

"Good. Then we're finished here. I will call for you if there are any developments. Lucius, Narcissa, be sure to contact the Dark Lord and inform him of Draco's progress, when he is finished…

"Oh, and also," he added. A soft crumpling noise met their ears as Snape spoke. "The Dark Lord asked me to deliver this, Wormtail. Your next orders, I presume. Be sure to discard of the parchment properly this time."

Hermione felt the air shift as Snape Disapparated. Harry looked furious, his free hand balled into a tight fist. Hermione gently touched his arm. He turned to look at her, but his expression didn't change.

Hermione knew he had wanted to attack Snape.

"I'm going back to my son," Narcissa muttered indistinctly.

Another sound of disapparation.

Harry jerked forward but Hermione caught his sleeve. "No, you musn't!" she hissed in his ear. "We're far outnumbered, Harry!"

Harry bit down hard on his tongue until he felt a bronze taste sweep through his mouth.

Another sound of disapparation met their ears as Lucius left Bellatrix and Wormtail alone.

"Well. I'll leave you to your orders," she spat nastily. Soon she had gone too.

Harry suddenly whirled around and began pushing Hermione backwards.

"Harry, what're you-"

"Quiet!"

He led her away until he was sure they were out of earshot. Dropping her hand, he said in a determined whisper, "Hermione, I need you to run."

Hermione stared at him. "What?"

"D'you remember, I told you to promise me… if I asked you to run…"

"Harry, what's going on, what's-"

"I'm going back. I need to face Wormtail. He'll be able to tell me where Ron-"

"No!" she cried, shaking her head vigorously. "Harry, he'll kill you! He won't tell you anything about Ron-"

"Then I'll make him," Harry said lowly between gritted teeth. He gave her a look of solid resolve, his eyes boring deeply into hers.

Hermione's chest hitched. He looked fearless… utterly fearless… and that reckless bravery she found flickering in his eye's light frightened her.

"I'll make him," he repeated steadily. "I won't let him escape again. I've had enough."

Harry threw off the invisibility cloak and took a step back. "I need to do this one on my own, Hermione," he said quietly. "I'll be fine. But I need you to run back to the Firebolt and send word to the Order- Malfoy's going to be at Hogwarts. Tell them everything, but not where we are, alright?"

When Hermione gave no answer, he repeated, "Alright? Hermione I need you to answer me…"

"O- okay…" she stammered.

Harry reached out and found her invisible arm. "The Order needs to know what we heard."

Hermione nodded distractedly, internally struggling as to whether she should listen to him.

"Now run," he told her, letting go. "Run…"

And before Hermione had finished making up her mind, he dashed boldly away into the thick, black forest, heading straight for Wormtail.

One too many times
You've stolen the air from my lungs
One too many times
You've eclipsed the rightful sun

But no longer will I allow
Your reign to take hold,
This time I will finish you
And be avenged sevenfold.

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