A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I shan't keep you in suspense any longer, so
here it is. BTW, I got Honors on the California Golden State Exams in
Writing Composition! ::dances:: What did I write? An essay on Harry Potter,
of course.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to JK Rowling, as usual.
This time Ron was the one to start and try to go downstairs, but Hermione grabbed the back of his robes. "Don't even try it."
"Malfoy, the slimy git." Ron's hand was gripping his wand tightly and Hermione had to pry his fingers individually off of it. They could hear a heavy thud and a gruesome sliding noise followed.
"They took Angela. Oh, God..." Hermione sank back weakly, a little green. "We didn't do anything-"
"Hermione, if we had tried to attack them, they might've gotten us as well. We're going to go after them now," Ron replied. He heard the door shut and the shouting of an incantation.
"MORSMORDE!" Malfoy's voice was drawling despite the fact that he was shouting; they knew that the Dark Mark was now hovering over the apartment.
Ron poked his head out from behind the wall, cautiously. "I think they're gone."
Hermione grasped at the back of his robes again, but this time he pulled them out of her way. "Ron, they might still be here, you have to be careful."
Ignoring her, he stepped out into the hall, making his way out. "We have to go, they'll likely be heading towards Treno."
"Smart, Weasley. Really smart." A hooded Death Eater stepped out in front of him.
"Damn!" He shouted a counter-curse, dodging the attacker's beam deftly. "Hermione, get out, quick!"
In spite of herself, Hermione rolled her eyes, ducking out from behind her sheltered spot to hurl a hex at the cloaked man (at least, she thought it was a man). He was hit in the back and cast a hex in her general direction, but it was obvious that he was concentrating on Ron. The two continued their frantic dueling, but Hermione, determined to help, cast another spell, this time a more painful one.
He turned, fury blazing in his eyes. He could see her fear for Ron in them, and smirked; the twisted grin was the only thing visible under the hood. Returning to his first victim, he swished his wand menacingly and the sound of bone breaking was loud…but Ron's swearing was louder. The Death Eater advanced towards the now prone figure, wand held high. "Pity you didn't wait a minute longer; I was about to leave." He took a deep breath. "Avada- "
He got no further. Hermione stepped out into the hall, throwing a quick Stunning Spell.
Ron glanced at her happily despite his injury. There was a jagged cut down a corner of his lip, and his arm was quite clearly broken. "You really took care of that bloke, didn't you?" He struggled up to a standing position, cradling his arm, but Hermione quickly ushered him to a nearby stairstep.
"Yes, I suppose I did. But Ron…you should've *listened* to me when I told you to be careful."
He grinned, wincing as pain shot through his split lip. "I was careful. Didn't you see how I steathily crept out from behind that wall?"
"And got mauled by a Death Eater in the process?" Hermione tutted. "That wasn't very funny." As Ron shrugged, she stepped closer to him. "I suppose I'd better heal your wounds." She gingerly took hold of his arm, smiling empathetically as Ron sucked in a quick breath and winced. After a few quick first-aid spells, it was good as new, if not a bit stiff.
"Now for your lip." She reached for his chin in order to examine the wound near it, but Ron jerked it away.
"I don't need anything for *that,*" he replied.
"Don't be ridiculous; if I leave it like that it'll get infected."
"It won't kill me."
"It might cause it to fall off," she persisted.
"Ah well, better use it while I can, then." His lips came down on hers again, forcefully, but this time she didn't just melt into a weak puddle in his arms. It was an even sort of kiss, Hermione reflected as she began to nibble at his lower lip. "Argh!" He pulled away, nursing the still-sore wound she had just hit.
"If you had let me heal it, it wouldn't have been a problem." She glanced around the apartment. "And while you were snogging me, there was a Stunned body and a missing friend to find."
"I didn't hear you complaining."
She sent him an evil glare, listening as the siren of a Ministry car came closer to the door. "Maybe we'd better tell them about Angela."
"Yeah, maybe."
"What do you mean, *maybe*?" Her voice was incredulous.
Ron sighed. "D'you know how long it takes for them to pursue cases? I personally think it'd be better if we went after her ourselves."
"What if we get caught?"
"We'll do what we always do; get out of it."
"In case you haven't noticed, we're not seventeen anymore."
He looked at her for a long time in silence before speaking. "No, we're not."
She shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze, toying with her wand absentmindedly. "Should we get going, then?"
"Yeah....yes, I suppose so." He squinted out of the window at the Ministry cars that were fast approaching. "I say we Apparate out to Treno and see what we can get there."
She nodded her assent. "D'you think we could ask-"
"No Viktor," he interrupted quickly.
"Just because you don't like him doesn't mean he isn't trustworthy."
"I think it would be too dangerous to turn to the same source more than once."
She rolled her eyes. "Alright, lets just go. Time is of the essence." Turning, she ran smack into another tall figure.
"Sorry...I must've been sticking my head into the fireplace for ten minutes waiting for you to answer, Hermione. Got a crook in my neck, so I decided to just come here. Luckily for you two." Harry straightened out his robes and grinned at his other best friend.
"Harry!" She gave him a quick hug before becoming serious again. "I'd really like to chat, but Ron and I have a friend to save."
He didn't reply, only looked at her with melancholy green eyes. The corners of his mouth fell, completing the picture of an old soul in a young man. Then he spoke. "I'm coming with you."
Ron grinned. "It'll be like old times."
"Except that we have cynicism and skepticism and disillusionment to deal with. We didn't have those when we were children." Hermione's words, however sad, were partly true.
"We'll still be bloody brilliant," Ron said. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!"
His mouth set in a hard line, Harry let Ron and Hermione preceed him before apparating out to Treno.
A/N: Seriously, you guys, I'm very much stuck with this. I know how it will end, but not everything that should happen in-between. Have any ideas? I don't want to have to stop!! Also, please review!
Disclaimer: All characters belong to JK Rowling, as usual.
This time Ron was the one to start and try to go downstairs, but Hermione grabbed the back of his robes. "Don't even try it."
"Malfoy, the slimy git." Ron's hand was gripping his wand tightly and Hermione had to pry his fingers individually off of it. They could hear a heavy thud and a gruesome sliding noise followed.
"They took Angela. Oh, God..." Hermione sank back weakly, a little green. "We didn't do anything-"
"Hermione, if we had tried to attack them, they might've gotten us as well. We're going to go after them now," Ron replied. He heard the door shut and the shouting of an incantation.
"MORSMORDE!" Malfoy's voice was drawling despite the fact that he was shouting; they knew that the Dark Mark was now hovering over the apartment.
Ron poked his head out from behind the wall, cautiously. "I think they're gone."
Hermione grasped at the back of his robes again, but this time he pulled them out of her way. "Ron, they might still be here, you have to be careful."
Ignoring her, he stepped out into the hall, making his way out. "We have to go, they'll likely be heading towards Treno."
"Smart, Weasley. Really smart." A hooded Death Eater stepped out in front of him.
"Damn!" He shouted a counter-curse, dodging the attacker's beam deftly. "Hermione, get out, quick!"
In spite of herself, Hermione rolled her eyes, ducking out from behind her sheltered spot to hurl a hex at the cloaked man (at least, she thought it was a man). He was hit in the back and cast a hex in her general direction, but it was obvious that he was concentrating on Ron. The two continued their frantic dueling, but Hermione, determined to help, cast another spell, this time a more painful one.
He turned, fury blazing in his eyes. He could see her fear for Ron in them, and smirked; the twisted grin was the only thing visible under the hood. Returning to his first victim, he swished his wand menacingly and the sound of bone breaking was loud…but Ron's swearing was louder. The Death Eater advanced towards the now prone figure, wand held high. "Pity you didn't wait a minute longer; I was about to leave." He took a deep breath. "Avada- "
He got no further. Hermione stepped out into the hall, throwing a quick Stunning Spell.
Ron glanced at her happily despite his injury. There was a jagged cut down a corner of his lip, and his arm was quite clearly broken. "You really took care of that bloke, didn't you?" He struggled up to a standing position, cradling his arm, but Hermione quickly ushered him to a nearby stairstep.
"Yes, I suppose I did. But Ron…you should've *listened* to me when I told you to be careful."
He grinned, wincing as pain shot through his split lip. "I was careful. Didn't you see how I steathily crept out from behind that wall?"
"And got mauled by a Death Eater in the process?" Hermione tutted. "That wasn't very funny." As Ron shrugged, she stepped closer to him. "I suppose I'd better heal your wounds." She gingerly took hold of his arm, smiling empathetically as Ron sucked in a quick breath and winced. After a few quick first-aid spells, it was good as new, if not a bit stiff.
"Now for your lip." She reached for his chin in order to examine the wound near it, but Ron jerked it away.
"I don't need anything for *that,*" he replied.
"Don't be ridiculous; if I leave it like that it'll get infected."
"It won't kill me."
"It might cause it to fall off," she persisted.
"Ah well, better use it while I can, then." His lips came down on hers again, forcefully, but this time she didn't just melt into a weak puddle in his arms. It was an even sort of kiss, Hermione reflected as she began to nibble at his lower lip. "Argh!" He pulled away, nursing the still-sore wound she had just hit.
"If you had let me heal it, it wouldn't have been a problem." She glanced around the apartment. "And while you were snogging me, there was a Stunned body and a missing friend to find."
"I didn't hear you complaining."
She sent him an evil glare, listening as the siren of a Ministry car came closer to the door. "Maybe we'd better tell them about Angela."
"Yeah, maybe."
"What do you mean, *maybe*?" Her voice was incredulous.
Ron sighed. "D'you know how long it takes for them to pursue cases? I personally think it'd be better if we went after her ourselves."
"What if we get caught?"
"We'll do what we always do; get out of it."
"In case you haven't noticed, we're not seventeen anymore."
He looked at her for a long time in silence before speaking. "No, we're not."
She shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze, toying with her wand absentmindedly. "Should we get going, then?"
"Yeah....yes, I suppose so." He squinted out of the window at the Ministry cars that were fast approaching. "I say we Apparate out to Treno and see what we can get there."
She nodded her assent. "D'you think we could ask-"
"No Viktor," he interrupted quickly.
"Just because you don't like him doesn't mean he isn't trustworthy."
"I think it would be too dangerous to turn to the same source more than once."
She rolled her eyes. "Alright, lets just go. Time is of the essence." Turning, she ran smack into another tall figure.
"Sorry...I must've been sticking my head into the fireplace for ten minutes waiting for you to answer, Hermione. Got a crook in my neck, so I decided to just come here. Luckily for you two." Harry straightened out his robes and grinned at his other best friend.
"Harry!" She gave him a quick hug before becoming serious again. "I'd really like to chat, but Ron and I have a friend to save."
He didn't reply, only looked at her with melancholy green eyes. The corners of his mouth fell, completing the picture of an old soul in a young man. Then he spoke. "I'm coming with you."
Ron grinned. "It'll be like old times."
"Except that we have cynicism and skepticism and disillusionment to deal with. We didn't have those when we were children." Hermione's words, however sad, were partly true.
"We'll still be bloody brilliant," Ron said. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!"
His mouth set in a hard line, Harry let Ron and Hermione preceed him before apparating out to Treno.
A/N: Seriously, you guys, I'm very much stuck with this. I know how it will end, but not everything that should happen in-between. Have any ideas? I don't want to have to stop!! Also, please review!