Captivated

AN: This is my first story in a while. I am planning on it being a chapter story. I don't know when I will update. I will try to do it as often as I can but I start school on Tuesday next week and I still need to look after my 2 year old daughter as well.

- This story was a challenge on the PK forums in the H/Hr section. I will provide a link at the end of this chapter.

- Please read and review. Tell me what I need to change, whether you liked it or you think I am writing the characters wrong.

- This story is AU. If you don't like anything like that then please be warned now.

Disclaimer: Nothing I have written here is owned by me.

The Faceoff:

Hogsmeade was unusually quiet for this time of year. Normally there would be Hogwarts students running from shop to shop enjoying themselves. Ever since Dumbledore died the previous year the wizarding world had never been the same. The Hogwarts board of directors had decided it was best to close down the school until the war was over. All muggle-born and half blood witches and wizards were moved into safe houses with their families.

A small group of witches and wizards walked down the street dressed in black cloaks and silver masks covering their faces. To most people this would have caused fear but to the group hiding in a small alley way it meant the moment had arrived. Months of careful planning and surveillance had finally paid off. Harry felt his fingers twitching around his wand as he felt the excitement, nervousness and anxiety crashing into his system at the same time. It was now or never and he was certain that the only people walking away from this fight would be his side. Slowly he rounded the corner and out into the open.

"Expelliarmus" he shouted pointed his wand at the death eater in the middle of the group. Looking up in surprise they ran to different points around the town. Some choosing to hide behind chairs and tables, while others decided that hiding in the alley was a far better spot. To Harry it didn't matter where they hid. This would be their last fight and he for one was not going to leave anyone alive.

Harry heard shuffling behind him and turned quickly to see that most of his men and woman had come out of the alley to stand as a defined unit. He turned back when he heard one of the death eaters shouting at his group.

"Stop being cowards, get back up here and prepare for a fight" he yelled in a vicious tone. Slowly all of the death eaters; which Harry counted to be twelve, walked out from their hiding place to stand behind the masked man who had given the orders.

"Well, if it isn't Harry Potter" his smooth voice rang out threw the deserted town. As soon as the words left his mouth Harry knew who it was: Lucius Malfoy. Harry had a few encounters with the senior Malfoy, he was known for his unmerciful personality and authority in the wizarding world. While Hogwarts was open Harry had gone to school with Lucius' son Draco. Even though he wasn't as bad as his father, he found pleasure in taunting those who he thought were beneath him, Harry being one of his main targets. Even though he tried to ignore the younger Malfoy's taunts it wasn't until it was revealed that Draco was the one intended to kill Dumbledore that Harry began to truly hate him.

"I would say it is nice to see you to Lucius but I would be lying" Harry growled back, causing the death eater to laugh.

"Give yourselves up or end up dead" he yelled, trying to frighten some of the death eaters into submission. It almost worked. He saw a few to the sides leaning to put their wands on the ground. They would have succeeded if Lucius hadn't decided to turn around.

"What do you think you are doing?" he barked. The death eaters who were about to surrender snapped up with their wands still in hand. Once satisfied that they weren't going to turn themselves in he faced back to Harry.

"As much fun as this is, we have else where to be" he smirked. With a loud crack he had disapparated followed closely by the death eaters standing behind him.

"Shit" Harry yelled before turning and facing his group. The looks on his teams face said everything. Once Hogwarts had closed down most members of the DA (Dumbledore's Army) had joined the Order of the Phoenix, to help in the fight against Voldemort.

"Spread out, look for anything that can trace us back to Voldemort's hide out" he yelled. No one wanting to upset him further, they began scrambling around, looking in shops and alley ways trying to find any evidence. Harry just stood there hoping they would find something.

"I blew it Ron" he sighed, turning to see his best friend Ronald Weasley standing there. "I shouldn't have talked, I knew it was giving them time to escape" He turned back to watch the members of the Order still running around.

"Don't worry mate" he heard Ron say softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We’ll get them soon" Harry turned and smiled at his friend before watching him join the rest of the order on the street.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

It seemed like three hours had passed but Harry knew it had only been twenty minutes. Ron and Ginny Weasley had searched threw Honeydukes, Remus Lupin and Nymphodora Tonks had walked the road out of Hogsmeade and back and Seamus, Dean, Kingsley, Fred, George and Luna had searched in the Three Broomsticks.

It was then that Harry remembered he had hit a death eater with the spell he fired off after stepping out from the ally way. He walked over the spot where the death eater stood and looked around the area. He couldn't see any trace of an unconscious death eater anywhere.

"There is a death eater here somewhere" he bellowed, making sure everyone heard him. At the sound of this information everyone begin foraging around faster, eager to see if there was a body anywhere.

Harry continued down the road making his way slowly up to Luna and Dean, who were standing outside Zonko's.

"Sorry Harry there was nothing in there" Dean sighed, pointing a finger behind him at the shop. Harry was about to reply when he heard the words he had been waiting for.

"We found the death eater" came Ginny's loud scream. Turning his back on Dean he ran as fast as he could to where Ginny and Ron were standing. As he got closer he could see a small figure lying on the ground. When he reached them Ginny threw herself into his arms.

"We found her" she said gleefully. The smile which formed on her face quickly fell as Harry unwrapped her from his body and stepped forward to get a look at the death eater. By now the rest of the Order present had crowded around, determined to get a glimpse of the unconscious body in the woods.

"Must have been a powerful spell to knock them back this far" Ron chuckled.

"Remus, Tonks get this back to Grimauld place. The rest of us will make sure everything is back to normal" Harry shouted, a smile forming on his lips. Finally I can get some worth while information he thought to himself. The entire time school had been out the order only had sightings and rumours to go off. Even though they had worked months to get a face off, having a death eater to question would make his job much easier.

Remus and Tonks grabbed a hold of the death eater's arms before disappearing with a pop. Once they were gone the group left behind let out a loud cheer. Things were starting to look up.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

It was an hour before any of the remaining members at Hogsmeadee got back. They had restored everything back to normal, not that there was much they needed to do. They made sure that no shop keepers or shoppers were hurt before they had got there. Once their job was done they apparated into the kitchen at number 12.

"Where is the death eater?" was the first question out of Harry's mouth. Molly Weasley jumped around in surprise before pointing up the stairs. Looking around at his friends he walked out of the kitchen. He was sure they wouldn't follow; they knew he needed to see what vile, cruel person was under the death eater's mask by himself.

As he walked up the stairs and passed Mrs Black's portrait; which no one seemed to know how to move he heard shouting coming from one of the top bedroom. The closer he got the louder the yelling got. The last set of stairs before the landing he had made out that the voice yelling belonged to a woman. As he opened the door he stopped and looked at the sight before him. Sitting in a chair with her hands tied behind her back was the most gorgeous women he had even seen. She had wild brown bushy hair and big chocolate eyes which were burning with fury as she glared at him.

"Well if it isn't the boy who lived" she spat. "If you expect me to give you any information you are sorely mistaken. I would never give my masters location to anyone, especially not you" she yelled pulling against her restraints. Taken slightly by her aggressiveness he looked at Remus who was standing behind her.

"We haven't found out much. She refuses to speak and has been a handful since she woke up" he sighed. "The only thing that seems to come from her mouth is how her master is going to come and kill us all" he continued. Harry looked back at the women sitting in the chair still trying to free herself.

She looks about the same age as me he thought. He walked slowly over to her and kneeled down to stare into her eyes.

"What is your name?" he spoke softly. The response he got was nothing he expected.

"None of your fucking business" she screamed before spitting on his face. He stood up and wiped his face before looking back at Remus who was shaking his head.

"I have Tonks working on an ID for her" not a moment after speaking the words Tonks walked into the room with a smile on her face.

"I have a name" she practically screamed, before calming herself down to act more professional.

"Oh wow smart witch you have there" came a sarcastic remark from behind him. Not paying it any attention he continued to stare at Tonks. She seemed to understand the question in his eyes and spoke firmly.

"Her name is Hermione Granger"

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

AN: Link for the challenge: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26459

AN: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and for giving this story a go. There was on person who didn't like the first chapter and that is fine. I did get a beta to look over the first chapter and I have already re-uploaded it. Hopefully all mistakes etc are gone. If you see any mistakes or spelling/grammar errors then please let me know and I will fix them up.

Hope you like this chapter I stayed up until 3am last night writing away so it could get done. Please read and review :)

- This story was a challenge on the PK forums in the H/Hr section. http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26459

- Please read and review. Tell me what I need to change, whether you liked it or you think I am writing the characters wrong.

- This story is AU. If you don't like anything like that then please be warned now.

Thanks to my beta Digitallace, you are the best!

Disclaimer: Nothing I have written here is owned by me.

Of Nightmares and Fainting Ex's:

It had been three days since Hermione was captured and the Order was still no closer in finding out where Voldemort was hiding. In those three days, they only managed to find out how much of a vulgar mouth Hermione had; with Harry and Lupin bearing mainly the mass of those foul words.

Harry walked out of the room, away from Hermione and sighed loudly. Behind him, he heard Lupin close the door and perform the locking charm. Unlike most of the other prisoners, the Order voted that this particular case should be handled with care. She not only carried valuable information that they needed but she was also only a year older than Harry. She was still young and may not be that much of a threat to them. Of course, there were instances in their interrogation where they were forced to bind her due to her constant attempts to attack them.

As he and Lupin began walking up the stairs, Harry thought about the most recent interrogation. The only thing they had gotten out of her, amidst the insults and threats, was the fact that Voldemort was going to kill Harry and the Order for taking her.

“Just like theprevious interrogations,” Harry sighed tiredly. It was really frustrating that they had gotten nowhere with her while the world out there was fighting a war. She had been a very adamant and loyal supporter so far.

“Voldemort should be proud of her,” he mused. He remembered one instance where it was Neville's turn to interrogate her. He walked out of the room not five minutes later, literally shaking and looking pale as if he had seen a ghost. Harry chuckled at the idea.

"What you laughing at?" Lupin asked from behind him.

"Oh nothing much,” he shrugged. “Just wondering how long it will take for her to crack. She is a lot tougher than I expected. She's lasted far longer compared to the others and I don't think she will crack anytime soon.”

Lupin nodded in agreement as they continued walking up the stairs to the room he shared with Tonks. He gave Harry a quick hug before bidding him goodnight and disappeared into the room.

Harry trudged tiredly into his room. He hated this part of the day. Nighttime; it was during this time that nightmares came up and they are not exactly his favorite things. They had been rather constant lately, giving him a lot of sleepless nights. Ever since facing Voldemort again during his fourth year in Hogwarts, he had a constant stream of nightmares every now and then. But with the war going on and deaths a daily headline, they are an everyday occurrence. Or every night that is.

He dropped onto his bed and sighed. It had been a long day. He closed his eyes as he recalled the day's events starting off with a death eater attack in one of the small villages in North England. Two wizards and three Muggles were killed, with many properties damaged. They were too late. By the time they have arrived at the scene, houses were on fire, the Muggles' bodies were contorted in the air and two wizards, belonging to the Ministry's Department of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, lay dead at their feet. While some of them scattered and searched for survivors, Harry and Lupin led most of the team in searching for lingering death eaters. As Harry forced his way into a room in a charred house, he found a small innocent boy crouched in a corner, trying to hide his frail body. Fear was in his eyes and he trembled like mad when he saw Harry.

He squeezed his eyes in anger. How could Voldemort go on with his war against the wizarding world when there are innocent people being orphaned because of his greed and ambitions? What kind of a human being is he? Or is he even human at all?

Harry released a long sigh. He hadn't even noticed that he was holding his breath in anger. He sat up and sighed again. Guess there isn't much sleeping time again tonight he thought. He got up and walked out of his room.

The house was quiet now as it was already late into the night. He and Lupin spent four hours interrogating Hermione after dinner and the other occupants in the house had already gone to bed by the time they were done. He walked down the flight of stairs leading into the kitchen where he got himself a glass of milk. He sat on one of the chairs and tried to reflect on their upcoming actions against Voldemort. He didn't know how long he sat there but a crying voice drew him out of his reverie.

He sat straight, straining his ears for the crying sound. There it goes again he thought as he turned his body towards the sound. He stood up and went out of the kitchen, following the sound with blind steps. When he found the source of the sound, he found himself standing in front of the room holding Hermione.

Harry debated whether or not to go in but a pained cry made up his mind. He quickly lifted the locking charm and immediately opened the door stopping at the sight he saw. Hermione was on her bed, curled into a ball like an infant, trembling and crying profusely. He felt his heart squeeze at the sight of her so vulnerable. He approached cautiously and when he was near her, he could hear her faint voice crying out to her parents.

Harry stopped. He looked at her, shock and understanding running throughout his system at the same time. He never imagined this happening to her, this pain and anguish she had inside of her. She seemed an impenetrable person on the outside but deep down she was just like him, an innocent soul that was dragged into the war.

Harry was jolted for a second as that thought registered into him. Where did that come from? He thought. When did I feel pity for a Death Eater, let alone this Death Eater? He tried to be disgusted with himself but as he looked at Hermione's crying form, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her and a strong sense of wanting to protect her came over him.

He rushed to her side, cradling her into his chest while he tried to wake her, at the same time whispering comforting words in her ear.

“Hermione, wake up, Hermione” he whispered gently into her ear while shaking her shoulders gently. “It's just a nightmare, please wake up. It's going to be alright.” She was deep into the nightmare for it took a couple of seconds before her eyes snapped opened. Her eyes spoke volumes and showed the helplessness inside of her. This is the weak, powerless, frightened and innocent Hermione Granger. She looked up to him with such naivety that Harry felt his heart being wrenched out. She gave him a small, faint smile before falling back to sleep.

Harry stared at her blankly. “What the hell happened there?”

Ten minutes on, he was still staring at her. He gently moved and placed her back on the bed, covering her softly with the blanket.

Looking at her, sleeping peacefully now, Harry Potter knew she had struck something in him that no one had done before. But she is a Death Eater! He argued. She killed innocent people, she destroyed lives, she caused people fear and pain, just like that child earlier!

A few moments later, he turned his back and sat down on the couch to settle his mind. But the day was catching up to him and he decided to lie on the couch to get some much needed sleep. As he closed his eyes, something told him that he was not going to win this particular battle. Harry Potter was completely won over by the thoughts of a certain Death Eater named Hermione Granger.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A ray of sunlight broke through the curtains in the room which contained two sleeping individuals. One lay on a rather comfortable bed, while the other slept awkwardly on the edge of a rather small couch.

It was that sunlight that woke Harry from his restful sleep. Opening his eyes slowly, it took him a minute to realize where he was. He silently got up from the couch and made his way over to the bed, making sure Hermione was still asleep before walking to the bedroom door, opening it slowly then sneaked out as silently as he could. Shutting the door quietly and redoing the locking charms, he turned around ready to go up the stairs and to his room for a few more hours of shut-eye when he came face to face with a very angry looking Ginny, dressed and ready for the day.

“Uh…Morning Ginny” he stammered. He knew by the look on her face that she was less than impressed that he had spent the night in Hermione's room. Ever since he had met Ginny that day at Kings Cross, he knew she had a crush on him. Ron, her older brother, confirmed it when they sat on the train to Hogwarts for the first time.

Then came second year when he had saved her from the Chamber of Secrets and that just seemed to magnify her crush on him. Harry knew of course that she didn't see him as Harry Potter, ordinary boy. She saw him as Harry Potter: the boy-who-lived, hero of the wizarding world.

He thought that as they grew up, she would get over that notion of him, and it seemed she did. She started dating other guys at school, and interacted with him like one of her brothers. It didn't take long for Harry to like her. He practically grew up with her and she was a beautiful girl. They went out for a couple of dates but alas, once a fangirl, always a fangirl. It wasn't long into their relationship that she turned back into a fangirl, not to mention an overbearing mother breathing down his neck. He ended it before he could be shackled to her side.

Ginny's voice brought him back from his reverie.

“Don't you `morning Ginny' me” she whispered harshly, obviously making sure she didn't wake anyone up. Knowing any reply he would give would end up with an argument with the angry witch; he stepped past her and walked up the stairs, into his room, closing the door with a slam. Anyone who was asleep before surely wasn't now. He walked over to his bed and sat down with a long sigh. He should probably go and get a shower before getting ready for the day. But after seeing Ginny's face this morning, he knew he would get an earful from not only her but Mrs. Weasley as well.

Getting up from his bed, Harry walked over to the shower and immediately turned on the water the moment he had his clothes off. His mind and body started to relax as he felt the hot water cascading down his body. Once he was done, he walked towards his closet and grabbed out a pair of faded jeans and a navy blue shirt. He got dressed before sitting down on his bed and putting his shoes on. His mind drifted to the girl in the room a few floors below him. I wonder if Hermione is awake, he thought to himself before quickly banishing it with a shake of his head. He didn't need to be thinking about her. She was on the enemy side and she wasn't worth his thoughts or sympathy.

Walking down the stairs, he stopped briefly to listen for any noise coming from the room Hermione was in. Hearing none, he guessed she was still asleep. Even if she was awake there wasn't much she could do in there anyway. The first day she was there, she banged on the door and screamed bloody murder until she lost her voice.

Content that she was ok, Harry walked down the rest of the stairs and into the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley was over by the stove fixing some bacon and eggs while Ginny sat at the table closest to her mother. It was obvious they had been discussing something before he had entered.

“Morning Mrs. Weasley” he said, pulling up a chair and sitting the furthest possible he could from Ginny. Just as his bum hit the chair, Mrs. Weasley swung around with a stern look on her face.

“What do you think you were doing in that girl's bedroom last night?” she snapped. For a few seconds Harry felt like he was back at the Dursley's. He was always getting yelled at for the most inconvenient things. Although Mrs. Weasley was far scarier than his Uncle Vernon ever was. Shaking the thought of his Uncle out of his mind, Harry focused back on the steely glares he was getting from Ginny and her mother.

“What?” he questioned. He wasn't sure if they were waiting for him to answer the previous question or whether they had asked him a number of questions which he hadn't heard.

“Oh come on Harry, why did you spend the night with that Death Eater” Ginny spat. It was obvious that she wasn't impressed. Of course she isn't impressed, Harry thought. She has been trying to get back with you since you broke up. What makes you think she is going to change now. He looked at the table and then back at the two angry women facing him.

“I was only in there because she had a nightmare” he spoke softly. For some reason, he thought that if he told them calmly why he was in there, they wouldn't berate him for his actions. Only seconds later he knew his efforts were in vain.

“She had a bad dream?” Ginny screamed. “She had a bad dream?” she repeated again, as if she didn't believe what he had said. Harry just nodded knowing if he said anything it would only end up far worse.

“She's a Death Eater Harry” Mrs. Weasley spoke calmly. “She deserves to have bad dreams. All those wizards, witches and Muggles she had probably killed…” she drifted off at the end shaking her head.

“I know she has probably killed a lot of innocent people” he retorted. “But she looked so vulnerable and scared. She was screaming for her parents” That was probably the worst thing Harry could have said. At the mention that her dream consisted of her parents, both Mrs. Weasley and Ginny's heads snapped up, eyes ablaze with anger.

“She probably killed her parents” Ginny growled. Just as he was about to reply Tonks and Lupin walked through the kitchen door.

“Wotcher Harry” Tonks smiled, oblivious to what was happening between the three occupants before she came in. Saved by the werewolf, Harry thought, putting a false smile on his face.

“Morning Tonks” he nodded. “Hope you had a wonderful sleep?” he asked before piling his plate full of food. He was surprised that Ron and the rest of the Weasley boys weren't already up and eating their breakfast. Ron was never one to be late to a meal.

“I had a pleasant sleep” Tonks replied after swallowing a mouth full of her food. “Remus told me about your interrogation last night” she stopped to take a sip of her orange juice before continuing. “She seems to be a tough one to crack.” Harry just nodded.

Everyone continued to eat in silence. Harry looked up every so often towards Ginny who sat there glaring at him between mouthfuls of her breakfast. You would think she realizes I don't fancy her by now He thought.

“I actually have an idea on how we could get her to talk” Remus said suddenly. Everyone stopped eating and looked at him waiting for him to continue. “Although I don't think many would approve. I flooed Minerva and Albus this morning and they have agreed for this to go ahead” he stated. It was obviously something drastic for him to talk to both Professors before talking to them about it.

“Well get on with it then” Mrs. Weasley said impatiently. The pause was obviously getting to her.

“Harry is going to seduce Hermione” Lupin said quickly. The next thing anyone heard was a thump which would have been Ginny Weasley fainting, falling from her chair and onto the floor.

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AN: I am so sorry for the late update. My life has been so caotic for the past 2 weeks. I have 3 assignments for school due in like 4 days and I found out 2 weeks ago I was pregnant with my second child. So in between ultra sounds, morning sickness and school I have FINALLY managed to get this chapter finished. I hope you all like it. We get a bit of H/Hr interaction at the end of it which I think everyone is looking forward to.

- This story was a challenge on the PK forums in the H/Hr section http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26459

- Please read and review. Tell me what I need to change, whether you liked it or you think I am writing the characters wrong.

- This story is AU. If you don't like anything like that then please be warned now.

- Thanks to Riza (jediyoda) who beta'd this chapter, thanks sweetie

Disclaimer: Everything written here belongs to JK, I only play around with them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry sat on his bed with a sigh. He had left the kitchen soon after Remus had told everyone of his plan and Ginny had recovered from her fainting spell. He lay back on the bed with his head hanging over the side, thinking about the events that had just happened in the kitchen.

Flashback

Mrs. Weasley ran to her daughter’s unconscious body, and shook her body softly trying to wake her up. Harry looked from the two Weasley women on the floor to the Lupins now sitting across from him. Remus was still piling his plate with food as if nothing had happened while Tonks was trying to hide the giggles that were escaping her mouth.

It took a few more minutes for Molly to wake Ginny up from her fainting episode. As she helped her daughter back onto the seat, Harry could see the emotions running through her eyes: confusion, realization and then rage. With a sharp look towards Remus who had now stopped eating his breakfast she let everyone know how she felt.

“This is the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard” she screeched. “Harry would never agree to something like this. Why would he want to seduce someone who works for his worst enemy?”

She looked from Remus, to Tonks and then to Harry with an expectant look. He knew she wanted him to back her up but he knew that he was unable to do so. Even though he knew it was a stupid idea and he would never be able to achieve it, he thought it was a great plan.

“I need to think about this” he sighed before getting up and walking out of the kitchen, leaving his untouched breakfast on the table. He was about half way up the stairs when he heard Ginny’s anger filled screams.

End Flashback

Harry knew that Ginny was going to have a fit with this idea and she won’t stop until everyone has heard her. She would try to persuade everyone to side with her, but the way Remus informed them of the plan, it seems that it’s no longer open to discussion and he is determined to see this one properly executed. The calmer Remus is with a plan, the more confident and staunch he is about the upcoming operation. An example of that was earlier. Unfortunately, there is just one flaw in the plan. Harry had never seduced a woman before.

“Brilliant plan, Remus” Harry mused, snorting in the process. “Just bloody brilliant. If you could just give me tips on how to seduce a woman, then I am bloody perfectly fine.”

Harry turned over angrily and crawled towards his pillows and flopped down, not caring that his bed creaked loudly. It’s not like he can’t have any girl he wants. He, as they say, is Harry-bloody-Potter, the hero of the wizarding world. Girls would love to be associated with him, well in Hogwarts at least. According to Ron, if he would beckon, any girl would gladly throw herself at him. He, as they say again, has the dreamiest and greenest eyes they have ever seen and his kisses are such a dream (don’t know where that information come from, though he had his suspicions on a certain red-headed girl). But despite his Casanova reputation, he, Harry Potter, had never courted much less seduced a girl in his life.

Yes, he had fooled around with Ginny, shared kisses and snogs, but he never really courted her. She practically threw herself at him, with all those years of girly crush on the famous Harry Potter. And when the opportunity comes for a relationship, she never took a second to consider it. But courted someone? He never did. Look at the disaster that was Cho. He couldn’t even ask her decently to a dance. Now Remus is asking him for a full-on seduction?

His musings were interrupted by a knock on his bedroom door and a second later, the head of his best friend.

“Harry”, he asked tentatively, silently asking for permission to enter his room. With a nod from Harry, he entered the room and approached him cautiously.

Ron wore a somewhat somber - amused expression, telling Harry that he knew about “the plan”. He sat silently at the foot of his bed, his eyes trying to avoid looking at him. Harry watched him anxiously for a minute before speaking.

“You might as well as say it Ron.”

Ron grinned sheepishly. “Blood hell, Harry. Do you agree with Remus’ plan? Seducing that death eater? He’s barking mad for suggesting that.”

Harry shifted uncomfortably as he shifted into a sitting position across his friend. “It’s a good plan Ron,” he sighed. “But I don’t know if I can pull it off.”

Ron shot up, looking at him incredulously. “You mean you agree with the plan? You are actually going to do it? Blimey Harry! You cant be serious!”

“Its not like I have a choice Ron! What do you want me to do?” Harry snapped. “Its not like we have had success so far in getting information from her about Voldemort. WE are getting no where and Remus’ plan is the most plausible so far.”

“Well, you can always torture her,” Ron absent-mindedly mumbled.

Harry stood up and faced Ron. “We are not stooping down to their level.” He said hardly before walking to sofa at the corner of the room.

Ron sighed as he sat back down on the bed. He ran his hands through his hair, gripping the strands to calm himself and think rationally. After a few moments, he looked over at Harry, who was still sitting on the sofa, brooding.

“So how are you going to execute this plan?” Ron tentatively asked.

“I have no idea Ron” Harry replied curtly.

“Couldn’t you flash her with your mega-watt smile? And give her your puppy dog eyes?” Ron suggested trying to ease the tension.

Harry couldn’t help himself to grin. “Am afraid not. Death eaters are immune to my charm.”

“Well you got a lot of problem there mate.” Ron grinned before turning seriously. “Really, Harry. How are you going to do this? I mean have you ever tried seducing someone before? Well, there was Cho...”

Harry snorted. “Cho? I don’t think you can even consider that as seduction by a mile. I mean, that was a half-knit wit courting. Heck! I couldn’t even ask her to the Yule ball that year.”

“How about Ginny?”

Harry sighed. “Ginny and I... there...there wasn’t such a thing as courtship Ron. It was like a spur of the moment thing that we just decided to get together. Its like… I like her, she likes me, lets get together thing. It’s not exactly courtship.”

“Kinda like me and lavender right, sixth year” Ron smiled.

“Yeah, kinda like that” Harry said.

“So we are back to square one. How are you going to do it?” Ron asked.

“I have no idea Ron, I have no idea.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry listened to the silence in his room as his bedside clock ticked the midnight hour. The house has gone quiet now after an eventful day. After his conversation with Ron, Molly and Ginny had attempted to talk to him too. They had incessantly knocked on his bedroom door with Ginny pleading him to talk to her. But he just ignored them and decided to cast a strong locking and silencing charm on his door.

His thoughts lay once again on Remus’ plan. He still hadn’t thought of a single thing he would do but he needed it soon. The fate of the wizarding world depended on it. What information she can give about Voldemort would be vital to their plans in defeating him. Instead of burning himself in thinking of a plan, he decided to confront the problem. He stood up silently and crossed his room to open the door. He looked left and right at the long hallway, ears straining for any sound. When silence greeted him, he went silently out of his room and down one flight of stairs and in the direction of a particular room.

Standing in front if it, he gathered his courage before unlocking the charms that sealed the room. Once it was done, he opened the door silently, hoping its occupant was asleep. But much to his surprise, she was propped against the head of her bed, very much awake and staring at him with hateful eyes.

He smiled nervously at her. “How are you doing?” he asked timidly, as he made himself walk forward a couple of steps, silently gathering up his courage.

“What do you think?” She sarcastically retorted. “Comfy? You know, the Dark Lord will kill you for this. You, who they think is the saviour of the wizarding world, will be nothing but a mere boy once the Dark Lord is done with you.” She sneered.

Harry inwardly cringed. She hadn’t given up then and her demeanour was as strong as ever. Its now or never, he thought. Summoning his most charming smile, he flashed those pearly whites on her while trying to look as roguish as possible. Putting his hands on the backs pockets of his jeans, he leaned on wall and said leisurely, “You know, you have the fiercest personality I’ve seen on a woman. So feisty, like an attacking feline. I like that in a woman.”

“Then all of the death eaters must appeal to you then.” She snapped.

Harry managed to chuckle, making his emerald eyes sparkle and his face more boyish. “Well…the idea of Snape being a feline is not entirely appealing much less Crabbe, Goyle or even Dolohov and MacNair. I’m going to have a nightmare for days by just imagining that. I was more thinking of you. You know feisty as a cat.”

Her brows furrowed as she tried to get what he was up to. “What do you think you are doing?” She asked angrily.

Harry shifted and stood up from his position. Walking leisurely towards her, he looked at her eyes straight on, still maintaining that roguish charm he had projected. “Nothing,” he replied. “Just making conversation….or would you still prefer the usual routine. You know, you being tied up and all those questions being asked again and again.”

When he was greeted with silence by her still angry yet confused expression, he smiled again. “Thought so.”

Harry then simply sat at the edge of her bed, making her pull her legs towards her as she inched further into the headboard.

“There’s no need to be afraid of me,” Harry said conversationally, while holding his hands up as if trying to caution her. “I promise not to hurt you and I will be here just to talk. Okay Hermione?”

It was the first time she had heard him spoke her name so softly, that reminded Hermione of a dream she had last night, when she thought that soothing voice saved her from her usual nightmares. Doubt and confusion ran through her brain as she was left pondering on the game that the famous Harry Potter was playing. This side of him was certainly not being discussed during their training as death eaters. This was altogether strange and new to her.

But his roguish smile, boyish demeanour, silky words and charming attitude are reminiscent of only one thing. One thing that she can’t help think and blurt out from her mind.

“Are you trying to seduce me?”

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AN: Yes I know I am mean leaving it there. I actually have a full paragraph written after the last line but I thought I will make this bit into 2 parts. It just seemed a lot better that way. So until my next chapter please review and tell me what I need to change etc.

AN: I know it has been a VERY long time since I have updated but so many things have been happening. I had this chapter written for a while and only just found it recently on my computer. I can’t promise that updates will become a regular thing BUT I will try and get some more written for you.

- This story was a challenge on the PK forums in the H/Hr section. I will provide a link at the end of this chapter.

- Please read and review. Tell me what I need to change, whether you liked it or you think I am writing the characters wrong.

- This story is AU. If you don't like anything like that then please be warned now.

Disclaimer: Nothing I have written here is owned by me.

Seducing Hermione Part 2

Harry almost slid from where he sat at the edge of her bed if he hadn’t held himself quickly. Did he hear her right? Did she just say he was trying to seduce her? Was he that obvious? Was she able to read his thoughts?

“What makes you think that?” sending her another smile.

Hermione peered at him suspiciously as she tried to inch herself further into the headboard. “You’re acting suspicious Potter. This wasn’t how you acted before. Why the interest in having this kind of conversation now? Charming doesn’t become you.”

Harry chuckled slightly as he turned completely to face her. “Maybe you should get to know me then. I am not as bad as you think and I can be very, very charming.”

“Are you going charm me to death and convert me to the light side Potter? I think not. I serve the Dark Lord and my loyalty stays with him.” Hermione scoffed in reply.

“Nobody is asking you to be disloyal to him.” Harry asked. “I just want to know you better and maybe you might want to know me as well. I assure you, I am not the bad person you think I am. I promise there is no hidden agenda.”

Silence greeted him but he could see the hatred in her eyes. He sighed. “Tell you what; whatever we talk about inside this room will stay here. I will not divulge what you tell me, even for the order. If we become friends inside this room, it stays here. You can still consider me an enemy outside the four walls of this room and kill me if you deemed so.”

When there were no interruptions he continued talking. “For starters, you can call me Harry. Potter sounds so formal. Besides, only Moody calls me that and he is a cranky old guy. You wouldn’t want me to picture you in that image wouldn’t you?”

He hoped that the last part would earn him a smile but his attempt was futile. Moving up the bed a little he extended his hand, “What do you say Hermione?”

He could see the inner battle that was raging inside her. Through her eyes, he could see the confusion, anger and reluctance battling for control. Harry often wondered what went on in the mind of a death eater, as they seem so merciless on the battlefield. They seemed incapable of any emotions, only the instinct to kill at will.

However, what he saw in Hermione’s eyes may have changed that and Harry began to feel hopeful that Hermione would agree with him.

“In your dreams Potter, friendship between us can never be. I work for the Dark Lord and you, a pet for the ministry. We shall not be treated as pets. We are wizards, powerful beings we are. We should dominate, not hide through the lanky beings that you call as the wizarding government. Maybe next time we can be friends Potter. But not in this lifetime.” Hermione sneered at him.

Harry heaved a sigh. He tried he really did but even he has his limits. He knows when he needs to give up. “But remember Hermione, you may be powerful wizards but you are still working. However, I know when I am not needed.”

H walked to the door and just as he was about to go out, he tuned back to her “Goodnight princess” he said softly. Before she could react, he was out of the door, locking charms once again being placed.

****

Five minutes on, Hermione was still frozen on her bed. She was still clutching the sheets close to her. His parting words still reverberated through her mind. It had sent a tidal wave of emotions though her. Only one other person had said those words to her and that person has died a long time ago.

“Goodnight Princess…” How she has missed those words just as much as the person who used to utter them. Hermione slid down the center of the bed and curled into a ball as she let go of her emotions, letting them take over her. She had promised herself a long time ago that she would not falter, never shed a tear and to never show any emotions. But tears were now flowing down her cheeks. She cried out her frustrations, disappointments and all of the emotions she has been holding in.

Sometimes she wished that she was not spared, that she died with her parents. She missed her parents so much. Her father treated her as his one and only princess. He was her version of a knight in shining armour. He always looks out for his princess and his queen, making sure they were protected from any danger. Her mother was the perfect housewife, the epitome of a happily married woman. But someone has to take them selfishly away from her. Someone had destroyed her utopia. That someone was Kingsley Shacklebolt of The Order of the Phoenix.

Though she had killed him, she wanted more. She wanted to punish all those who held his beliefs, those who believed in him, those who loved him. She would not stop until they feel the pain that she is feeling and she was going to start with Harry Potter.

“You see now Harry,” she thought. “You see why can’t we be friends?”

****