(AN: This is a build up chapter for the next scene. I hope you still like it. Thanks for your support!)
The Horrors of War
By: FayeValentine00
Chapter 19
The moment Harry watched Hermione walk out the door with Jessica, he regretted not going along. Something about the way Jessica's voice had sounded wasn't right. He only wished that he'd been able to see her face to try to place the problem. There was also the look in Hermione's face before she left. He could see the look of uncertainty in her eyes yet he'd let her go.
His reasoning had been that he didn't want to get Hermione upset. They had enough to worry about without him making mountains out of molehills. If she'd been truly worried about going alone then she would have said something, wouldn't she?
All this thinking made trying to read a book impossible. Harry threw the book aside and began to pace the room. He considered running out the door to follow the girls but he knew that Hermione would never forgive him for not trusting her abilities. He just kept praying out loud that she would just hurry up and get back upstairs.
"Come on, Hermione. How long does it take to go and get a book?"
His mind began making up the most horrible scenarios about what could be happening. In truth, Harry knew that the girls had only been gone a couple of minutes but, to him, it seemed like an eternity. The fear of losing Hermione made him worry too much.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-"
The scream cut through the otherwise peaceful evening causing the steady hum from the restaurant below to go still. Even before the scream cut off in an unnatural way, Harry was out the door and running down the stairs. He'd have known her scream anywhere. It was Hermione.
He reached the foot of the stairs to see all of the patrons huddled around the front door speaking in frantic voices.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!" Harry began yelling as he tried to fight his way to the front.
All the people around him were a blur. He could vaguely make out people trying to speak to him but he didn't care. He'd heard Hermione scream and he had to get to her before it was too late. The scene he saw when he got to the front of the group told him that his worst fears had just come true.
The street was empty expect for several members of the Order who'd obviously just apparated in and they all looked at him with apologetic glances.
"Where is she?" Harry asked forcefully to a member of the Order who'd Harry's met once of twice before.
The man just looked at him but said nothing, which made Harry angrier yet. He grabbed the man by his collar and yelled even louder while trying not to beat the man into telling him. "What the hell happened to Hermione?"
"They've kidnapped her."
Harry let go of the speechless man and whirled around to find himself face to face with his former Professor, Lupin. "What did you say?"
"They've kidnapped her, Harry," he said softly with a worried expression on his face. Lupin knew how important Hermione was to Harry so it pained him to have to be the one to give him the news.
Harry's eyes searched Lupin's for a long time. He knew the older man was telling him the truth but he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want this to be happening. The memories of his vision regarding Hermione made his blood run cold.
So many thoughts were going through his brain that he didn't even know what to say. Instead, he walked over to the nearest wall and punched it with all his force. A large crack appeared in the place where his fist hit and his knuckles began to bleed but Harry didn't even notice. His world had just been shattered and he wasn't even sure if he could fix it.
"The Order is having an emergency meeting. Are you coming?" Lupin asked quietly, a moment later, when Harry's violence seemed over.
The words seemed to take a long time for Harry to process. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do anymore. He wanted to find Hermione and bring her home now but he knew that he'd have to go to the meeting to find out where she was taken. "Umm… Yeah. I'll be there."
Slowly Harry turned around and the men exchanged another look. Lupin looked like he wanted to say something but thought better of it. He knew that Harry wouldn't be able to hear much of anything right now. Instead, he reached out and pulled him into a powerful hug, which Harry returned tightly.
Once the two men had regained a bit of composure, they apparated out and found themselves in a room full of people speaking in loud voices.
"How could we let this happen? Did anybody have an information about this?" Arthur Weasley was speaking loudly but the moment that Harry came into sight, the room went silent.
"HARRY!"
He saw a blur of red and then felt Ginny's arms wrap tightly around his neck. He could feel her tears dampening his shoulder but he didn't care. He clung to her as tightly as she clung to him. After Ron's death, Ginny had become very dear to Harry and Hermione so having her with him now was more comforting then anything else.
"Come and sit down," she said after she finally stepped back a bit and took his hand in a sisterly manner.
"Thank you," he said softly, trying to ignore the fact that everyone was watching him intently.
Fred, George and Bill came over to sit near Harry but none of them said a word. Their actions were simply to show support and he appreciated it. The whole room sat in dead silence for several minutes until Harry thought he'd go crazy. He was just about to get up and try to figure things out on his own when Dumbledore walked into the door.
His eyes rested on Harry briefly but didn't speak to him directly. He simply spoke out to everyone with a look of concern and pain.
"As you all know, Hermione Granger has been kidnapped by Voldemort. I am not quite sure how this event missed our intelligence but I have reason to believe that there may be a spy in our ranks."
That statement caused a major outcry throughout the room. They were all asking Dumbledore how he could even suggest something so horrible. All, that is, except for Harry, the Weasley's and Lupin.
Patiently, Dumbledore raised his hand and waited for the room to fall silent again. "Now is not the time to be pointing fingers. We must first find Miss Granger and bring her home safely." As those words came out of his mouth, the old man's eyes rested on Harry. They both knew that Harry would be the one to save her, there was no other way.
Harry's hands began to shake. He was trying to be patient and to wait until Dumbledore finished speaking but he felt too worried … too angry … too violated to stay quite. He fought with his own emotions quietly until Ginny's hand covered his once more and she whispered quietly into his ear.
"It will be okay, Harry. I know it will. It just has to be."
Harry gave the younger girl a weak smile but then Dumbledore said something that made him come to attention once more.
"The girl whose hair was used to make the Polyjuice Potion has been brought into the protection of the Order. Although we think that she was used simply because she was at the wrong place at the wrong time, we still worry about her well being."
A moment later, the door burst open and the tiny eleven-year-old girl, Jessica, came running in. She took a moment to locate Harry but when she did, she threw her arms around his chest. "I'm so sorry, Harry! I didn't know. I had no idea. I am so sorry."
Ginny pulled the petite blond off of Harry and wrapped her arms around the little girl. She had tears streaming down her red and puffy face. She obviously felt just as guilty as Harry did, maybe even more so and it broke Harry's heart.
"It's not your fault, Jessica. I know that … and I know Hermione knows that too. She'll be okay. Don't worry."
The girls blue eyes searched Harry's from her place in Ginny's arms but after a long pause, she nodded her understanding. Once she was calmed, Harry stood up and turned to face Dumbledore. "Where are they keeping Hermione?"
"Come with me, Harry. We need to talk," Dumbledore said with an understanding expression before turning away and walking out the door.
Harry followed him, leaving everyone else in the room to wait. He followed his former headmaster all the way to an office at the other end of the hall before the older man finally spoke.
"Harry, there is something that you need to understand. Only the people you know the best in the Order can be trusted. That includes your former Professors, the Weasley's and myself… no one else. Do you understand?"
Harry nodded slowly, not sure what to say. In the last year, many new people had joined the Order in order to fight off the dark forces. It was shocking that even Dumbledore didn't trust them. "I understand. Excuse me for being rude but I have to hurry. If anything happens to her then I'll…"
As Harry's voice trailed off, Dumbledore simply nodded in understanding. "I know, Harry. They've taken her to the home that Tom Riddle's family once lived in."
Harry nodded his head. "Tell me how to get there."
Five minutes later, Harry was heading out of the hideout so he could apparate to the location that Dumbledore had given him. He wondered if he should be scared because, much to his surprise, he wasn't. His fear was overridden by so many other emotions, such as fear, anger and regret.
He apparated into the trees along the border of the house and looked across the grounds. This was going to be the final battle. There was no going back. Voldemort was going to die for everything he'd done over the years or Harry would die trying.
With wand gripped tightly in hand, Harry made his way into the house. He expected to be attacked by Death Eaters at every turn but there were none to be seen. He knew it was a trap. Voldemort was luring Harry exactly where he wanted him but turning back was not an option. He had to find Hermione and he had to find her safe or nothing else would matter.