Dungeon

Chapter 2 - Messages and Masks

Hogsmeade weekend came bright and sunny and full of the promise of an escape from continuous studies.

"I have to get some new quills. I lost three last week," Hermione said as they left the Three Broomsticks. "You guys go on to Zonko's and I'll meet you back at the gate."

Harry and Ron took a long time in Zonko’s trying to decide whether the Whizzbies or the Zepher smoke was a better purchase. Finally they made it back to the castle gate beside the lake, surprised that Hermione hadn't beaten them there. They hung out for a while chatting about Quidditch and which girls would be most likely to say yes if Harry asked them out for coffee. Students passed them on their way back to the castle and it started to get late.

"Stay here, Ron. I'm going to go look for her in town."

"No, you stay here," Ron insisted.

At Ron's determined expression, Harry relented. Ron ran back into the town and looked around him and down each street before moving out of sight. Even Hermione couldn't spend this long in a quill shop. Meanwhile, Harry started asking every group of students who passed if they had seen Hermione.

Luna, walking alone with her usual dreamy expression, was the only one. "She was in the post office about an hour ago." She stopped and looked at Harry. "Do you want me to go look?"

"Ron is, but . . . would you?"

"She doesn't seem like the type to get lost." Luna shrugged and walked back along the street, peering into each window without regard to what kind of shop it was. Harry was annoyed at first but then realized that was the rational way to do it, as Hermione was clearly not behaving normally, since she wasn't here like she said.

It was getting close to curfew when Ron and Luna returned. Ron looked a little frantic and he shook his head as he approached Harry. "Maybe she went back to the castle?" Luna suggested.

"She said to meet her here and Hermione is always spot on with that," Ron commented.

They stood in a tense silence a each deep in their own thoughts. Luna broke it by saying, "Well, I'll go up to the castle and see if she's checked in. If she has I'll see if they'll let me come back to get you. If she hasn't I'll tell a teacher."

"Thanks, Luna," Harry said. His imagination was running full tilt now. When Luna was gone, Harry whispered, "Malfoy keeps threatening to get even."

Ron, still unnerved, said, "Yeah, but I saw him and his thugs and they didn't look occupied with anything more than Honeydukes chocolates. I gave them a good eyeing, too."

"I saw them go by a long time ago," Harry added.

It grew darker.

************

Luna finally got Filch to tell her that Hermione had not checked in. He seemed keen to know where Harry and Ron were because he was hoping they would be late. Luna moved on and found McGonagall in the Great Hall speaking with another student as everyone gathered for dinner. Luna went over and tugged at McGonagall's robe.

"Ms. Lovegood?" McGonagall asked over her spectacles.

"They've lost Hermione," Luna said.

"Who?"

"Harry and Ron. They were supposed to meet her at the gate to Hogsmeade. I came ahead. Curfew is almost up and I don't think they are going to leave."

"Go and tell the headmaster, Luna," McGonagall pointed at the head table and stalked out.

Luna wandered up to the head table where Dumbledore was speaking in low tones with Professor Sprout. "Ehem," Luna cleared her throat.

Dumbledore turned his bright gaze to her.

"Professor McGonagall said to tell you, um. Well it is like this, Harry and Ron have lost Hermione in Hogsmeade and I guess Professor McGonagall has gone to look."

Dumbledore stood up and scanned the table. Snape's gaze came up to meet his and Dumbledore flicked his head at him very subtlely. "Sprout, get Flitwick and come with me."

************

Harry's stomach turned over when he looked up at the path to the castle and saw McGonagall striding down the path, followed closely by Dumbledore, Flitwick and Sprout.

"What happened, Potter?" McGonagall asked sharply.

Harry related how they had split up, estimating times as best he could. His expression grew pained near the end. "This isn't good, is it, Professor?"

She breathed in and didn't answer him. The teachers headed into town with strict instructions for Harry and Ron to stay put and stay alert. Harry pulled out his wand and he and Ron leaned back-to-back against the sign into town.

Over a half hour later, the teachers returned. Dumbledore looked at the boys. "It is as you said. No one has seen her since the post office and the quill shop after she left you."

Harry's face took on a look of determination and Dumbledore's index finger flicked hard under his chin. "Don't try it, Harry. It is exactly what Voldemort would want you to do."

Harry frowned but obeyed.

"Volde-!" Ron choked. "You think that -?"

Dumbledore turned to him. "Until we see evidence otherwise, Mr. Weasley, we shall assume the worst. If we find that Ms. Granger has fallen asleep in a field of poppies we shall chide her gently and be grateful. But until that time . . ." He turned and started on the path back to the castle. "There are a few students I would like to question." Ron and Harry followed reluctantly, giving the village repeated backward glances as they rounded the lake.

Harry, Ron and Ginny had stayed awake in the common room and were staring at the dwindling fire when McGonagall found them. She forced a calming draught on each of them and sent them to bed.

As they headed up the stairs, Ron stopped and said to Harry. "You know how you were at the beginning of the year and Hermione and I were trying to be nice to you? Well, I apologize for that. If you tried to be nice to me right now, I'd hit you one."

"Ron," Harry chided him. "I'm sorry too. If it weren't for me, this wouldn't have happened."

Ron stopped on the landing and stared at his feet. "Harry, I've never regretted being your best friend and I don't intend to start now." They opened the door to their dormitory and crept in.

************

Hermione opened her eyes and stared at the silk scarves wrapped tightly around her wrists. The second thing she noticed was that her robes were soaked with dew and her throat was sore from the cold night air. Dawn spread a pink light around the forest floor as she shifted and stopped with a gasp. Four hooded Death Eaters stood around her in silence.

One of them, upon seeing Hermione awake, came and crouched before her. "Nice touch, don't you think?" Belletrix Lestrange asked as she pulled her hood and mask back and put her nose right up to Hermione. Her breath smelled of garlic as she said, "The silk, I mean."

"Lovely," Hermione commented, then cleared her throat. The other Death Eaters turned toward them, but didn't move. They rest remained hooded.

Belletrix left her alone for an hour or so, until the full light of morning dappled the forest floor. "Your knight in shining armor is late, by my estimate," Belletrix finally said to break the quiet of the forest. "I think he needs a little encouragement." With a grin as though she were enjoying herself immensely, she pulled out a howler kit: basically a blank red note card and envelope where the notecard had a little pull tab for recording.

"Let's practice one, shall we. A bit misnamed, I should think," she said, holding up the outer wrapping that said, ‘howler’. "We are going for something I would call a 'screamer'." She smiled happily again.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the woman and braced herself. When the crucio hit her she gasped and tried to flail herself away, but she managed to not even make a peep. Breathing heavily when the spell stopped, she gave Belletrix a defiant glare.

"Well. I am impressed," she said and then added as though speaking of a basket of kittens, "You look so soft on the outside."

The curse hit again and Hermione managed to only gargle incoherently. She was definitely screaming on the inside and starting to wish for unconsciousness. When the spell stopped again, one of the other hooded figures approached. "You are too blunt, Belletrix." It was Snape's voice. He took the howler card away from her.

Hermione managed to not react visibly to that, although her heart pounded madly. Dumbledore must know he is here, she thought wildly. He would have every teacher under his direction and out looking.

"You are complicating things, Severus. Our Lord will not be pleased."

"Let me worry about that," he said sharply and pulled out his wand. "Ms. Granger," Snape said in an excruciatingly conversational voice. "We are going to send this message in order to get the required response from Mr. Potter. I am sure you understand that."

Rather than look at him as though to penetrate the doublespeak, she looked away with a scowl and decided that he was still on their side, but playing his part. Which meant she had to play hers. But I don't want Harry to come, she thought madly. It is a trap. I won't urge Harry into a trap; I refuse. But Snape was bringing his wand around and he was trying to save her from more of the cruciatus curse and if she gave that away then he would be in trouble and. . .

A very strange spell hit Hermione at that moment. Snape hadn't made a sound, so she had no idea what it was. It felt like electricity, like having a battery wired across your hands and feet. She yelped and glared at him. The spell stopped and Snape said, "I think we are ready." He made a show of peeling the tab off the howler. His wand sliced in the air again and this time Hermione was ready. She screamed out her helplessness at the situation, then screamed her agony at saving herself and helping to trap Harry.

"Goodness," Belletrix commented when the echoes faded.

Snape sealed the envelope and tossed it to one of the others, who called a ruffled brown owl down from a tree to take it.

"What spell was that?" Belletrix asked eagerly. She fake pouted at the tears that had formed in the corners of Hermione's eyes.

"It is not just the spell; it is the the Legilimency that goes with it," Snape stated.

"I never mastered that. What a pity." She sighed theatrically.

Hermione put her head on her knees and didn't look up at her professor. It seemed like the right part of the role to play, like she didn't expect any help from him.

"You must really work to make these children hate you, Severus," Belletrix commented as she looked at their captive.

"Oh, he does," Hermione commented into her arms so that only Belletrix could hear it. She pumped all of her frustration about Harry's treatment by Snape into her voice and it came out nice and nasty, and full of angry tears.

Belletrix laughed heartily. "How do you keep dear Dimplemore in the dark, Severus?"

"He always wants to see the good in everyone. It makes him easy to manipulate. And the students always complain about every hard professor. They are incessant whiners." Snape sounded like he meant that.

Breakfast in the Great Hall was under way when a few morning owls came in. Everyone pointed at the red envelope as it was conveyed to Harry who looked up at it in confusion. "Harry Potter" was written on it in a disturbingly familiar hand that Harry couldn't place.

"Open it!" Ron shouted and covered his ears.

Harry didn't realize immediately that the teachers were on their feet. He looked up, surprised to find McGonagall bearing down on him with a look of purpose. Harry, angry at them for not finding his friend overnight, ripped open the envelope with purpose. Hermione's screams filled the Great Hall, making McGonagall stop in the middle of the aisle and close her eyes a long moment. The card dissolved in Harry's hand.

The entire Hall had gone completely silent. Ron whimpered into his hands. As the echoes faded from the stone walls, Harry thought, That isn't Hermione in pain; that is Hermione pissed off.

As McGonagall came closer, Harry threw his arm out to hand her the envelope, suddenly remembering where he had seen that handwriting. It was one of three missing staff members this morning, though Harry assumed that Flitwick and Hagrid were still searching the forest for clues and not tormenting Hermione. She grabbed the envelope and glanced at it, then at Harry, who glared at her.

Harry turned from Professor McGonagall as though she didn't matter and sat back down to deal with Ron. The rest of the school sat in stillness as Harry grabbed Ron's hands and peeled them from his face. Ron refused to budge. Harry stood back up and grabbed his friend and whispered in his ear that it was a fake. Ron jerked back and looked at Harry for confirmation. They stared at each other, then Ron calmed considerably. He pushed his breakfast away, though, which really showed how upset he still was.

Harry finally chanced a glance up at the staff table. The teachers, including McGonagall, were gathered around the headmaster, their heads close together as they conversed. Fake screams or not, Harry was losing patience.

Dumbledore stood up and addressed the students. "As you have undoubtedly figured out, we have an abduction situation on our hands with Ms. Granger." The school started whispering madly. "We are certain this is an isolated incident, but nonetheless, no one is allowed outside the castle walls until further notice. All outdoor activities are cancelled. Some of your classes may be cancelled. A revised schedule will be posted." Dumbledore had started out a little shaky but, by the end of his speech, his voice carried a lot of force. "If you will please excuse your teachers while they deal with this crisis. . ." he added as the teachers moved off.

McGonagall swept back down between the tables. She grabbed Harry by the back of his robes as though he were in serious, serious trouble. "I'm coming too!" Ron shouted and leapt from his bench and followed along on the other side of the table. "If you insist, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall said, tightlipped.

McGonagall dragged Harry to her office. "Potter, you knew I was coming to cancel the howler," she said angrily as she slammed the door to her office.

"What have you got to hide all of a sudden?" Harry asked, anger building.

"The other students do not need to hear that. They are not in any danger."

"Yet," Harry snapped. "Some of them still don't believe Voldemort is back," Harry pointed out.

"You should at least have had a little sense not to publicize your friend's torment."

Harry chuckled a little and McGonagall stared at him as though he had completely lost it.

"She would want it this way, I am sure, Professor," Harry said. "Wouldn't you? All alone with a bunch of Death Eaters, thinking of all the happy students tucking into a nice breakfast back in the Great Hall. How nice to imagine that it would all be ruined by one little letter. . ." Harry's sweet voice shifted to vicious. ". . .intended to get people off their bums to rescue her."

McGonagall looked away from Harry and moved to the far side of the office. "Don't you think we are working on it? There is more at stake here than you realize."

"No, I realize it. I recognized the handwriting on the envelope. He intended me to I'm sure."

"What!?" Ron exclaimed. McGonagall fidgeted with the papers and things on her desk.

"Just a second, Ron." Harry said to his friend. "Give me a time limit I can live with or I go ballistic right now," he said in an even voice.

"You are not in a position to make ultimatums, young man," McGonagall responded in a hard tone. She was more angry than Harry ever remembered seeing her. "You will go to your room and stay there. Now."

************

Hermione was getting stiff. Hours had passed since the howler had been sent off. At first she had been happy that Harry hadn't gone off the deep end. Now she wasn't so sure. The morning passed into afternoon. Her stomach growled at her.

One of the other Death Eaters grew bored and gradually moved closer to her over the course of a half hour, finally crouching beside her and giving her a tilted head expression that reminded Hermione of Crabbe. A rough hand reached out and touched her cheek. "You are very pretty," he said. "Too pretty."

Uh, oh, Hermione thought and decided that she had been lucky up until then. With great effort, she fought down the instinct to check where her professor was, whether he was close enough to hear this. "Funny," Hermione commented, "no one has ever said that."

"I believe it," Belletrix said. Hermione hadn't noticed her approach, but she crouched about ten feet away and plucked at the carpet of pine needles. Hermione didn't know whether this crazy woman might be an ally in this or not.

"You should be nice to Constantz," he said. "Constantz will be nice to you." He tried to run his fingers through her hair, and Hermione jumped back as far as her bonds would allow. He grabbed her violently and pressed his mouth over hers without removing his hood. Even through the thin fabric, he nearly sucked the breath out of her. He then shoved her back and looked at her.

Hermione's eyes narrowed to slits. "Give me a wand and try that again," she said in a low voice.

Snape, who had been feigning indifference turned when Goyle did, in response to that comment.

"You have a lot of spunk," Belletrix said. "If it were up to me, I'd give you the wand just to see how it turned out."

Hermione continued to glare at Constanz Crabbe. Her eyes fairly dared him to try again. Snape hadn't thought she had that much in her either. He frowned inside his hood; he was fast reaching a point of no return, where he was going to have to make a decision: one with far-reaching ramifications. He knew Dumbledore would be insistent that no harm come to this student, at the same time as he would not want to lose Snape's inside view of Voldemort's organization. One clearly outweighed the other in the grand view but, in the immediate, the other had precedence. Too bad if they were in total conflict.

Snape found himself wishing Potter would hurry up and fall into their trap to avoid his need to decide, even though he suspected Dumbledore had locked the boy in the dungeon to prevent it. It looked that way given the long time that had elapsed.

Crabbe was closing in on Hermione again. Snape thought of forcing Belletrix to stop him, but that interference would be seen later by the Dark Lord almost certainly when he next examined the woman's mind, which he seemed to do frequently just for the sheer communal joy of it.

Hermione snapped at the man with her teeth, which made him back off. Snape took a few steps in their direction. "We do need her whole long enough to lure the boy in," Snape commented, as though bored with the notion of capturing other replacement bait.

"I won't hurt her too much. Not if she is nice to me."

Hermione had backed up against the tree as far as her bonds allowed, so Crabbe's hand ran over her hair this time when he attempted it. "Soft," he murmured.

Fat chance, that, Snape thought to himself. He then heard a very unusual noise remarkably like the snapping of false teeth, as unlikely as that was. He narrowed his eyes and looked around carefully. The other Death Eaters were watching the entertainment. Glancing around surreptitiously, Snape stepped back a few yards to get out of the way of whatever Potter had cooked up.

"Leave me alone!" Hermione shouted and, as if on, cue a thousand hexed pairs of wind-up false teeth descended. Snape threw a shield spell around himself, and the teeth aiming for him bounced off and picked another target. Crabbe and Goyle howled as they were bitten in a hundred places at once. Belletrix swatted at them casually and picked them off with a spell in an easy rhythm. Snape longed to curse. This had the hallmark of a lone Potter rescue. He would shout the boy senseless when he next got the chance; if he got the chance.

An explosion went off overhead and powder fluttered down on them. Snape stared at the snow-like world in confusion until it revealing two other cloaked Death Eaters that even Snape didn't know were there. Revealed now, the teeth descended on them as well. Dirvish and Nott stood up and tossed off their invisibility cloaks and beat at the attacking teeth. Snape glanced over at their captive and shook his head. Ms. Granger was gone.

Snape rushed over to the tree where the girl had been and looked around. Two pairs of tracks led away from the roots through the powder. Something about the tracks didn't look quite right. "They are getting away!" Snape yelled and ran in the direction following the trail. The dark prints in white powder gradually changed to white prints on forest carpet. Belletrix overtook Snape; Crabbe and Goyle huffed behind them. Snape glanced back in time to see Dirvish and Nott go down, apparently struck by spells.

By the time they caught up to the magical shoes that were leading them on a merry chase, Snape was certain the boy would be gone. They stalked back to the center of the circle and looked around. Snape looked as disgusted as the rest, given that he was faced with returning to one cocky Gryffindor.

"I have to go back and try to intercept them. Put a hard memory charm on Ms. Granger," he said and stalked over to his broom and grabbed it up. No one moved to stop him. Dirvish and Nott were still unconscious, making Snape curious what Potter had hit them with. He would undoubtedly get a chance to ask him.

Belletrix grabbed her broom as well. "All of you. Take to the sky, see if we can find them."

Above them a short distance away, Harry sailed between the upper tree branches, his arm wrapped around Hermione, his invisibility cloak fluttering around them, probably only partially covering them as a result. Their progress was slow but he felt confident that this was the safest route. Above the tree tops they could be spotted for miles; too low and there were other hazards, like the centaurs and spiders.

"You all right?" Harry asked her once he decided they were far enough away to not be heard.

She nodded. "You were just in time."

"It looked that way. I'm going to kill Snape when we get back."

"He was moving in to intervene, which was a very bad idea."

"Frig that," Harry said. They dipped low below a giant willow with drooping branches, then back up again.

"Snape saved me from Belletrix earlier, so don't be too hard on him. Did you like the howler?" Hermione asked.

Harry grinned. "I opened it in the middle of the Great Hall even though it was clear McGonagall was coming to take it away. She was really angry at me for that. I got the message though, between your pissed off hollering and Snape's handwriting. Bought me a little time to prepare."

Harry was getting the hang of this tree flying and picked up the pace considerably. "Whoa," Hermione said as the branches rushed past. Harry slowed down some. When they were about three quarters of the way back to the castle, Harry dipped to a stop and landed. It was early evening now and thick clouds had moved in, making the forest floor very dark.

"Why are we stopping?" Hermione asked.

"Are you hurt?" Harry asked her, grabbing her shoulder.

"No, just wondering what you are thinking."

Harry frowned. "We have to be found by Snape, otherwise his spying days are over and maybe his life." Harry walked a little ways and looked around. "We need to find someplace to wait. I think it is starting to rain."

Indeed, the patter of drops on the upper leaves began in earnest. It would be a while before it trickled down to them on the forest floor, giving them some time. Eventually they found a hollow old tree. Hermione used a Scourgify spell to clear out the brush and cobwebs as well as a large hedgehog. As they climbed inside, large, spattering droplets started to pelt the ground.

Harry leaned back against the old wood and let himself relax.

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said and took his hand.

"Sorry I couldn't get there sooner. Sorry we split up in Hogsmeade," Harry said. He was tired now more than relieved. Hermione’s hair was badly tangled, he whinged at the thought of her having to comb it out.

"Where is Ron?" she asked, starting to pull at a few tangles in her locks as though noticing his gaze.

"Somehow he got a double dose of the calming potion McGonagall tried to slip us. I don't know how it happened," he added with extra innocence.

Hermione laughed.

"I was afraid of having him along. He was so freaked out by the howler. I tried to explain that you were angry and screaming not terrorized or in pain, but he didn't quite believe me."

"You caught that?"

"Wasn't that the point?" Harry asked.

"Maybe in Snape's mind. He took over from Belletrix and left me no choice. I was handling the Crucio just fine, thank you."

Harry ran his fingers through his own hair, tugging on it in the back nervously. "Hermione, don't put yourself through something like that on my account, please."

They fell silent. As the gloom gathered, the wind picked up. They shifted closer together for warmth until Harry just gave in and wrapped himself around Hermione.

"Just don't tell Ron," Harry said.

"Nope."