The Prophecy

CHAPTER FOUR - Living a nightmare.

Hermione awoke with a start. She was disoriented for a moment. Startled to find that the ever-present curtains surrounding her bed were missing, she looked around to see if the other bunks were in a similar state. Realization dawned on her when her eyes fell upon an off-white dresser, which was standing where Pavarti Patil's bed ought to have been. She fell back onto the mattress with a heavy sigh. She was home. It was summer break. She had not seen Viktor for three weeks, six days, and...she checked the clock...fourteen hours.

She wondered what had wrenched her from her slumber. Listening carefully, she thought she could make out some noises coming from downstairs. Thinking that perhaps it was one of her parents, she rolled onto her side and tried to go back to sleep. Again she heard the noises, this time gaining in intensity.

Suddenly, the door burst open and she saw a dark figure with a wand pointed at her. She grabbed hers from her nightstand without hesitation. She knew that she wasn't allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts, but this seemed like a situation in which she would need to protect herself. But before Hermione could focus on the intruder, she felt her wand being whisked from her hand and heard it drop somewhere in her room. She was paralyzed with fear. But before she could move or speak, the figure was gone.

Hermione got up quickly, watching the doorway and searching desperately for her wand. It had only flown a few feet away from her bed. Its weight felt reassuring in her hand. Desperate to see if her parents were all right, she wandered into the hallway, wand at the ready. The house was quiet now. It was dark and felt quite deserted.

Where were her parents? Hermione thought, her fear rising. From the top of the stairs she noticed that the front door was wide open and that the coat rack immediately next to it was lying on the floor. Wildly, she thought that it must have been a burglar, but how (and why?) would a muggle burglar come into her room and disable her wand? She frantically ran through the house in search of her parents. It was no use. They, and the intruder, were already gone.

She didn't know if she should call the muggle police or try contacting someone from the Ministry of Magic. For the first time in her life, she felt helpless and alone. Briefly she thought of Viktor, thinking that he would know what to do. At least he would be able to calm the rising panic in her stomach.

Hermione went downstairs and closed the front door, locking and dead-bolting it as well. She ran to the family room and reached into the small container of floo powder on the mantle. She thought of who she wanted to call, and throwing the powder into the fireplace, she said loudly, "The Burrow!"

It was two o'clock in the morning, so she assumed that all of the Weasleys would be asleep. She was startled to find Molly sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea, which she immediately dropped to the floor when she noticed Hermione's head peeking through the fireplace.

"Oh my...Hermione! Is everything alright?" Molly waved her wand, and the broken pieces of the teacup mended themselves.

"Mrs. Weasley, I'm so sorry! I didn't know who else to call. I think someone...I think my parents are missing!"

It sounded bizarre and childish to her ears, but Molly had a frightened expression on her face. She yelled at the top of her lungs, "Arthur, get down here right now!" Hermione knew she would wake up the entire house, but she obviously didn't care. Molly had always treated her like one of her own children.

"Hermione, we'll get you as soon as we can. Stay put. Oh dear, we need to contact Professor Dumbledore. Hermione..." Molly froze when the thought finally dawned in on her

"Are you alone? Is anyone still in your house?" she practically screamed.

"No. At least, I don't think so. It's really quiet and eerie." Hermione felt tears streaming down her cheeks.

She could hear a commotion at the Weasley house; the entire family, led by Arthur, was stumbling into the kitchen.

"Molly, what happened? Is everything ok?" Mr. Weasley tried to focus his eyes on the bushy-haired girl's head sticking out of their fireplace.

"HERMIONE! Merlin's beard, what happened?"

Hermione was now sobbing uncontrollably.

"Arthur, apparate to Hermione's house and get her out as soon as you can. Fred and George, go with your father...just in case. Hermione dear, we're coming to get you right now. Don't move from the room, the boys will get your belongings later."

Hermione nodded in silence. She pulled her head out of the fireplace and sat on the couch, curling up silently. She heard a loud pop that startled her a bit, but the sight of three red heads and smiling faces was a welcomed one.

"Hermione, let's get you out of here. Fred and George," said Mr. Weasley, "Go get Hermione's trunk that I just packed for her." He gave a swoosh of his wand in the direction of Hermione's room.

He looked at Hermione, concern etched in every line of his face.

"Come on. Fred and George will apparate right after us."

"But Mr. Weasley, I...I can't apparate," she stammered.

"This is an emergency, Hermione. I am responsible for you right now, just grab my hand and we'll go".

Hermione reached for Mr. Weasley's hand and closed her eyes. A second later she was in the warm - and now crowded - kitchen of the Burrow. All of the Weasleys present were now starring at her, and she suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

Molly ran up to her and hugged her. Hermione couldn't help herself; she started crying again. Molly held her in her arms for a moment, until Hermione had calmed down enough to take a few shuddery breaths.

"I'll make some tea, dear, and then you can tell us what happened."

The twins were back shortly with her trunk, and they settled her belongings in Ginny's room. Hermione felt a bit ashamed now. She had just barged in on this family, waking them up in the middle of the night. Though she didn't know where else she could have gone. She didn't even know yet if her parents had actually been...no. She didn't want to say the word, even in her head. She knew it was irrational, but it was almost as if thinking it would make it true. It seemed that Molly was reading her mind.

"Sweetie, you're safe here. Don't worry about waking us up; I wouldn't have wanted you to contact anyone else. You know that." She smiled warmly and handed her a cup of steaming tea, which Hermione took gratefully. It gave her something to focus on rather than the curious and frightened stares of the Weasley children.

"Molly, did you contact Albus already?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, I did. He's on his way." As if in answer, there was s loud knock on the door, and suddenly Dumbledore was standing at the entrance of the kitchen. The expression on his face was not the friendly, genial one that Hermione was accustomed to. He looked...frightening. She was reminded that this man was not only the quirky headmaster of Hogwarts; he was the most powerful wizard alive.

"Ms. Granger, if I may speak with you..."

"Albus, I think we all need to hear what happened." Molly interrupted. "She's part of our family too, you know. We are all concerned about her welfare," she stated matter-of-factly.

Dumbledore nodded and took off his cloak, walking quickly to the kitchen table.

"Molly, may I have some tea, if you don't mind? We need to get to the bottom of this." An extra chair was found, and they all sat at the table, their eyes fixed on Hermione.

She had stopped crying, but she was finding it difficult to concentrate. She felt like her head had been stuffed with cotton, and she was viewing this absurd midnight congregation from somewhere outside of herself.

"When you're ready, Hermione dear, please tell us what happened. Whatever you remember," Molly encouraged.

Hermione's throat felt dry. She took another sip of the calming chamomile tea that Molly had prepared for her. It was soothing, and the action of putting the cup to her lips and was mundane and oddly comforting. She needed something familiar to ground herself in reality; her mind was drifting lazily towards complete and utter blankness. She collected her thoughts, and spoke in a voice that she did not recognize as her own.

"I remember being woken up by a strange noise from downstairs. At first I ignored it, thinking maybe my mom was getting something to drink, or maybe Crookshanks had knocked something over. But then my bedroom door opened. I managed to grab my wand off my nightstand." She stopped to wipe away the tears that were now falling on the table against her will.

"Somebody came in with their wand out. They didn't say anything, but there was a green flash and my wand was torn out of my hand, and..."

Her voice caught, and they all looked at her with concern.

"...and then they left. I heard more sounds coming from downstairs, so I got up and found my wand. The front door was open and the coat rack was on the floor. I searched the whole house, but my parents were gone."

She gulped as she said the last words, and then continued.

"I thought of the only place that I would feel safe and called here..." Her voice was shaking so hard now that she couldn't get another word out. She covered her face with her hands and slumped onto the table, sobbing. Molly and Ginny were on either side of her in an instant, trying to comfort her with soothing words. Molly rubbed her back in small circles. The others looked on in melancholy silence.

Hermione didn't have the heart to tell them that their gestures were meaningless. She took no comfort in Molly's ministrations; the feeling of the nightshirt being rubbed against her skin repeatedly was so irritating that she wanted to scream. She could not connect the murmured words of comfort to any real emotions. She was sobbing, yes, but she had no control over it. It was as far removed from her.

Dumbledore spoke first.

"Ms. Granger, your parents were..." He adjusted his half moon spectacles and gave a heartfelt sigh. "They were abducted." She had been dreading that answer, even though she had already suspected it herself. Dumbledore's words only served to take the knife that was already stuck in her belly and twist it further. She wanted to tell Molly to stop rubbing her back. The sensation was becoming too much to bear. Distantly, she was aware of the sound of her own voice raised in anger.

"But why? Why would anyone want anything to do to my parents? They're muggles! They aren't even part of the magical world!"

"I have already spoken to the Ministry. Their sources say that your parents have been taken by the Death Eaters."

If you already knew that, then why did I have to explain it in detail? she thought bitterly. Some part of her mind was still conscientious enough to pursue more specific answers. "Why would Death Eaters take my parents? They were in my room! Why didn't they take me instead?" She was livid, and her voice was steadily rising.

The entire room was shocked by her outburst. Dumbledore spoke once again.

"Hermione, the Ministry believes that Voldemort attacked you specifically because of your closeness with Harry Potter. Obviously there is more to it than that; as you said, why didn't they simply take you instead? They had more than enough opportunity. I believe that they wanted to take your parents away, knowing that you would have to go somewhere, to a place where you would feel safe. As long as Harry stays with his relatives, he is undetectable. But it is well known that Harry is close friends with both you and Mr. Weasley." He inclined his head in Ron's direction. "Since Voldemort cannot find Harry at his current location, the next best thing would be to lure him away from it. And where else would both of you feel safe enough to go, should the worst occur?"

This pronouncement was met with stunned silence. Hermione stared at him with a horrified expression. She felt sickness rising in her gut. It couldn't be, she couldn't have led them straight to the Weasley's doorstep...

"You see the direness of the situation. You did exactly what was expected of you, and no one can blame you for that. But now we must give due concern to the safety of everyone here. Whoever disabled your wand most likely placed a tracking spell on you, as well. The enchantments guarding this house are quite strong, but if they don't know where you are already, they will soon."

Hermione looked frantically around at the faces of the people that she loved and cared about most. How could she have put them in such danger? How could she have been so stupid?

"What do you suggest we do now, Albus?" Mr. Weasley spoke quietly, not looking in Dumbledore's direction.

"We need to get Ms. Granger out of your house. I have spoken to someone, and he is already on his way here."

Dumbledore looked at Hermione with a faint smile. She felt anger flair up in her, with not a little twinge of fear.

"Where am I going to go, Professor? Won't I be placing someone else in danger, if I am being tracked?"

They were interrupted by another knock on the door.

"That must be him now." Dumbledore stood up and allowed their mystery guest into the house.

A hood concealed his face, but Hermione thought that the loping gait looked oddly familiar. She put two and two together and felt her stomach drop to the floor. All of the emotions that had been numbed by shock came roaring back, and the jolt was so powerful that she let out a small whimper. He pushed his hood back, and everyone let out a gasp when the identity of their visitor was revealed. Hermione gripped the edge of the table.

"Viktor." She thought for a moment that she was seeing an apparition. He looked so out-of-place, standing there in the Weasley's kitchen. But it was him, of that she had no doubt. There was no mistaking that slumped posture or that scowling expression. He looked much thinner than when she had last seen him, and his skin was a bit darker, but he was there. Wonderfully, reassuringly there.

She stood up slowly from the table and walked over to him. His eyes tracked her every movement. In a few short strides she was standing face-to-face with him. He inclined his head towards her.

"Hermione. I haff missed you."

His voice broke through the remaining fog clouding her brain. The last of her self-control shattered. She immediately choked up and flung herself into his arms.

He looked surprised, but nonetheless wrapped his arms around her tightly and held her while she sobbed into his shoulder.

"It is alright, Hermione. Obicham te. Everything vill be alright," he murmured into her ear, low enough that no one else could hear. All but one person in the room respectfully looked away.

Ron had a shocked look on his face. He wasn't at all happy to see Krum again so soon. He wondered what on earth the Bulgarian Bon-Bon could possible have to do with his best friend's protection. He felt like Dumbledore had betrayed him somehow.

Dumbledore filled them in. "Mr. Krum has agreed to take Hermione with him to Bulgaria for the time being, until we can figure out the best course of action. Rest assured, Ms. Granger, we will do everything in our power to find your parents, and apprehend those responsible for their abduction. The Ministry of Magic is conducting an investigation, but since we all know the expediency of Ministry responses..." he said, winking at Molly and Arthur, "We will be doing our own. We will let you know of any progress as soon as we can." He looked at Hermione with care.

She had stopped crying, and was looking back at him with an unhappy expression.

"I don't want to put anyone in any danger, but how can I go to Bulgaria? What if you need my help? These are my parents that have been taken away," she protested.

Viktor tightened his grip around her waist, but said nothing. She didn't mind. She felt safe in his arms.

"Hermione, you will know all the details as soon as we do. Viktor is part of the group that will be helping..." Dumbledore paused and looked at Viktor. "I hope you don't mind, Viktor. They would have known soon enough." Viktor nodded, and Dumbledore continued.

"Viktor has taken my offer to join the Order. It's a secret society that Molly, Arthur, myself, and few others are part of, and now Viktor as well. I asked him to join after the Triwizard tournament and Karkaroff's departure. We believe that his skills will be very useful to our cause."

Ron looked at Viktor suspiciously. That meant that Viktor would be a frequent visitor in his house. He had to get used to the idea of seeing his favourite Quidditch player, whom he had once adored, but now hated a bit.

Hermione looked first at Dumbledore, then at Viktor. He was not meeting her eyes. She felt a stab of anger...and betrayal. Why hadn't Viktor told her this earlier? Why did he not want her to know about something so important? Viktor sensed her disappointment.

"Hermione, ve shall have plenty of time to discuss this later. Professor Dumbledore asked me to consider the offer over the summer. I did not haff any idea that I vould haff to make up my mind so soon. But ven he told me this night vot had happened and asked for my help, I could not hesitate and not be by your side."

Hermione felt her heart skip a beat. Looking around, she couldn't imagine that this many people cared so much about her. Now the anger was bleeding out of her, and she felt ashamed for her eariler behavior. Still, the feeling of helplessness filled her.

"Hermione, there is no time to be hesitant right now," Dumbledore said sternly. "Viktor, the portkey is just up the hill past the burrow. It's a silver can, right by the Willow tree. It will take you back to your location."

Molly and the rest of the Weasleys stood and hugged her in silence. She finally spoke to Ron.

"Ron, please let Harry know..."

"I will. And Hermione, please take care of yourself. Try to stay calm and..." He looked at Viktor. He broke off in mid-sentence and gave her another hug, this one more heartfelt. What else could he say? He couldn't imagine what he would do if his parents had been the ones to go missing. What could you say to comfort someone experiencing that? He acknowledged that Hermione would probably be as safe with Viktor as she would have been here, although he would never admit it. He still didn't trust Viktor's motivations.

Hermione took one last look at the group assembled in the hallway. Viktor had her trunk and was already walking out the door. Hermione followed him, dropping her gaze as she walked by the Weasley clan. She did not want to look at the sad faces, especially Molly, who was now wiping her tears with her nightgown.

Viktor walked very quickly to their destination, and Hermione was having a hard time keeping up. Once at the top of the hill, she saw that the can was right where Dumbledore had said it would be.

"Hermione, you have used a portkey before, correct?" Viktor turned around to look at her.

"Yes, for the World Cup," she remembered. Viktor looked at her again, and he couldn't help but give her a lopsided grin. She looked so innocent and lovely in her blue pajamas with little yellow star patterns. Hermione looked down at herself to see what Viktor was staring at and gasped.

"I...oh my! I'm so sorry! I didn't have time to change!"

She was obviously embarrassed, but he smiled at the sight of her flushed cheeks and downcast eyes. Anything that chased the gloomy from her face had to be a positive thing.

"Not to vorry. Ve vill be home soon, and you can change...or not change. Votever you wish."

He smiled again, grabbing her hand. They both touched the can at the same instant. The familiar tugging and swirling sensation filled her head, but to her surprise, she didn't fall flat on the ground like she did the first time she had used a portkey. Somehow in the middle of it, Viktor had put his arms around her, and now he was standing firmly on the ground, holding her to his chest and setting her feet down gently.

Hermione looked at her surroundings. "Where are we?"

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