Confused: Chapter 5 by CleanFics (gl1346)
A/N: Sorry about last chapter, although thank you all for your encouraging words (you know who you are)! I guess, although I didn't mean it like this in the beginning, that the title refers not only to H/R/Hr, but to the readers as well! (Not to mention me when I'm writing this story :) ) Also, I wanted to get this out, so it hasn't been beta'd. I hope it's ok.
Just a quick continuity note, I've been using the word "concourse" to describe Newark airport's sections. In reality they're called "terminals", just based on how the airport's shaped. I'll be using the proper terminology from now on. Just wanted to mention that. And now, without any further ado...
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Day 1, 4:50 PM EST
*Flash*
Harry and Ron silently apparated into separate high-speed internet access terminals, got up, and walked into the hallway.
"Where is he?"
"Or she" Harry appended. "Walking down this corridor to our right."
"What about the plane schedules?"
"Perfect. There's a 5:00 flight leaving from gate 25." He pointed at the "5" sign above his head. "There's reason enough to be running."
Ron nodded, and they quickly started out in that direction. They were so intent on catching their suspect that they didn't notice the woman staring at them from behind the internet access booth, nor did they notice when she disappeared into thin air.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
"There! I see her!"
"Hermione? Where?"
"Right up... oh. She just turned the corner up there."
Running to the hallway that separated gates 20-40 from gates 1-19, Harry and Ron both turned to find...
"A restroom???" Ron realized that this could be hopeless. Hermione, or whoever it was, could easily apparate out without suspicion, making this chase a lot more difficult. He turned to Harry only to find him smiling.
"What's so funny about this?"
"You're forgetting something."
"What?"
"She can run, but she can't hide. Remember?"
"Oh, yeah, right." Ron, recalling Harry's tracking spell, admitted sheepishly. "Where is she now?" He asked, trying to recover.
"Still in the restroom, actually. Wait, she's moving out."
As he spoke, a woman walked out, carry-on in hand, and Harry heard a little alarm go off in his head. He signaled to Ron who turned and said to her, "Excuse me ma'am."
She turned, but when she Ron and Harry her eyes grew wide. She kept her composure, though, and said, "Yes?"
"Sorry to disturb you, but would we be able to speak with you for a moment? The name's Weasley, by the way, and this is my partner Potter. We're with MI6."
Harry raised his eyebrows internally at Ron's name-dropping introduction, but his eyes revealed nothing. The woman's expression remained the same as before, as if unfazed at being confronted by England's Finest.
"Oh, of course. How can I help you.. Officers?" she finished off, unsure of how to address these men.
"'Gentlemen' will do. Now please, this way." Ron motioned to the now-empty Gate 25, the flight having left around three minutes before.
They took seats next to each other while the woman sat across from them. As soon as she was sitting she said, "Ok, let's drop all pretenses. What do an Auror and his friend want from me?"
This time Harry decided to step in. "We're searching for our friend Hermione Granger." he reached out through the weak mental link established as a side effect of his tracking spell, but it was unnecessary. She immediately answered,
"Yeah. What about her?"
Harry knew they had to tread carefully here. If this woman- whose name they didn't even know- was in league with Hermione, she might alert her and cause this whole operation to be rendered worthless. He spoke up, choosing his words carefully:
"We know she chose to go on a vacation for a little while. However, we're not sure if she's in the proper state of mind to just be roaming around a foreign country like she is. Therefore we'd like to observe her and make sure she's all right. Do you know where she is?" He held his breath and waited for her reply. It seemed to take a while, but finally she stood up, and pulling a business card from her pocket, said,
"The name's Sarah Goodman. Pleased to meet you." With that she mouthed the words 'follow me' , and vanished. Without a word Harry and Ron followed suit.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
The street was quiet. Too quiet, some would think, had they been walking down it at this time. Even though it was the middle of the day, not a sound could be heard. Not a car, for no one in their right mind would ever drive down here. The locals had known it for years, and visitors were immediately warned by locals if they ventured too close. Nor could the sounds of birds, dogs or cats be heard. They too, by whatever instincts led them to survival, knew to stay away. It was too quiet. But not for long.
One man knew this as he stood inside of one of those many derelict buildings. He himself was a large part of the reason that no kid came close enough to walk on this street "just to say he had." He had his reasons to want his own perverse form of privacy, and he had the means to get it. Neither Police nor the AMP (American Magic Patrol) would ever expect this derelict old building to carry the responsibility it did, not that they'd ever checked. After all, there were so many of these kinds of buildings scattered throughout the street, what was one more?
The man checked his watch. The numbers 22:02:35 and 17:02:35 blinked back at him from two sides of the timepiece. Robert was late. He frowned. He didn't like it when people were late. It got on his nerves. Finally he heard a small 'pop' come from somewhere off the side of the house. He ran over there and immediately said,
"Pipe that down. Do you want to be caught? You're late. It better be good."
The man, dressed in all black, knew he should be used to this treatment by now, but somehow one never got used to being abused by, well, by Him. Instead he explained,
"I'm sorry, sir. I haven't got this army time down. I apologize ."
"What!?!? That's your amazing excuse? How hard is it to take the number and subtract the hour by twelve?! You know full well why we have to work in 24-hour time. Now, report!"
The unfortunate sentry snapped to attention.
"Sir! 683-948 detected. Tracking procedure has been initialized. Request further orders, sir!"
His superior looked please. "And just where is this 638 located?"
"Upstate New York, sir. Approximately 35 miles North of the City, sir!" He had an exact address, but wasn't about to give it so soon. Fourtunately for him, the point wasn't pressed.
"Dismissed" was all he said before dissapearing into the house. The sentry paused for a moment before following him inside. He stared into the night, smiled, and walked inside, leaving the street as empty and deserted as before.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Uh-oh! Who are these people? Well, here we are, Chapter 5. Next chapter I'll start tipping my hand a bit, maybe... ;) ;) Please, please, please review, even if you already have on previous chapters. It really keeps me going. (Plus, it makes up for the lack of reviews on ff.net :( ) Thanks guys!
-->