The Road Ahead

Chapter Two

"...And she sits right back, thinks of the reason

Why nothing will fall into place

She gets more and more curious with every day

More furious in every way

And screams out loud,

'Why's it happening to me?'

And the answer is 'It's meant to be"

-From "Somebody Out There" by The Calling

Hermione felt the room crumble around her. Although, once she blinked, she could see that her parent's living room was securely in tact; her mind was a jumbled mess.

"Ten? Who?" Hermione finally choked out.

"All of the new ones, except May. Then Kirk is the tenth," Ron responded, quick but solemnly.

"Kirk's dead?" Hermione sighed. Deaths were to be expected quite frequently, but the abruptness of this attack caused her to mourn Kirk. The sound of her voice forming the word "dead" chilled Hermione even more. Besides her unpreparedness, Hermione was also shocked to hear that Kirk Lune, of all people was dead. Kirk was a year behind in training from Hermione and Ron, but a few months ahead of the others and very skilled. His charming blue eyes and blonde hair...but now his body was empty; his soul had moved on. Hermione gave herself a mental kick. She knew she couldn't ponder on one death for too long while others lives were in danger.

"Yes, he is," Ron responded.

"So that's all we have left now? The five still alive and ourselves?" Hermione inquired. She knew how much more helpless things would be if that was the entire defense they had against the Death Eaters and their accomplices. "How many Lords are there, and how many have they recruited?"

"I'm not quite sure how many, but it looked like almost fifty were there at the time. I sent Leslie to alert the Order, and they sent an emergency team of about twenty, but they're out getting others to help," Ron replied hastily. "And we really-"He turned to Mr. and Mrs. Granger. "I apologize, but Hermione and really have to leave right this minute, there's a bit of an emergency at work..."

The Grangers stared back, their eyes wide after witnessing the recent rushed conversation. Mr. Granger spoke for the two of them, "No, of c-course. It sounds extremely urgent. Please, go ahead, we, um, don't mind."

"Ron, we'll have to use Floo Powder again, the Lords are probably just waiting for us to fall into their trap in the apparation plane," Hermione said as she stood up from the couch and kissed Lavy, who had been extremely quiet during the whole ordeal. "Sorry again, mum and dad."

"Be safe!" Mrs. Granger said faintly.

Ron and Hermione ran over to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of Floo Powder from the mantle. First Ron leapt into the fireplace and disappeared, and Hermione followed right after. Just as the fire pushed her through to her own fireplace in Rome, she heard a distant scream of "Noooo!" from her mother. She wondered what her mother was screaming about, but just as her thoughts started she popped out of the fireplace next to Ron. They started running out of their house immediately, Hermione telling Ron about her mother's scream in bits and pieces.

"You know, I think my mum--I think she didn't really know--know about our job. Just as I left I heard her scream. She screamed 'No'. Do you think she's worried or something?"

"I don't know," Ron replied. "We'll have to ask her next time."

Hermione pushed all thoughts that there might not be a 'next time' out of her mind instantly. Being an Auror was the career she chose, and being an Auror and member of the Order of the Phoenix meant she was always in constant danger of dying. She knew she had to accept that completely, but it seemed that before every mission or when she was going into a battle, she had to remind herself to not let unsure and discouraging thoughts wander into her conscious mind. Rounding the corner, Hermione stared unbelievingly at the sight before her. An apartment building two blocks from them was aflame, and many Muggles were running from it in fear, only to meet their deaths when a Lord of Darkness caught them. Probably a hundred to a hundred and fifty bodies lay across the two blocks, from what Hermione could tell. Moving around the bodies, Lords were battling the many Aurors who had come when they heard of the terror unfolding.

"It'd be best if we split up," Hermione commented after a minute of silence.

"Yeah," Ron agreed. He quickly gave her a quick hug around the waist. He whispered a farewell as he ran towards a group of screaming and injured Muggles. "Bye, 'Mione."

They both knew better than to make a big deal of this kind of moment, so they refrained from doing so. Still, Ron's face as he said goodbye lingered in her mind. What if she did never see him again? Maybe it was just the fact that they hadn't faced a battle of this magnitude in about five months. The Lords had been lying low, so the uncertainty of which moment would be there last together wasn't as big of an issue. Yet, all the time, there still weren't many conversations that involved the words "when we're older". Being an Auror was a tricky business, you could say.

Hermione snapped herself out of her dream, or nightmare, world and looked once more at her surroundings. She prepared herself to run towards a Lord who was about to curse a Muggle who held his fists out, but the heavy falls of feet behind her stopped her in her tracks. She pivoted around abruptly to a see a figure draped in a rich velvet black cloak, which sharply contrasted his bleach-white hair.

"Malfoy," Hermione sneered. She should have known she would see that rat here. He was probably high commander now, she thought bitterly.

"Ah, yes, Granger. I so hoped you would join our little, oh, gathering, here. I can always rely on you to be the life of the party...but perhaps not for long. You see, Granger, I can't go around playing favorites, so I'm afraid I'll have to kill you just like all the others. But not before we catch up a bit. So I hear you have a daughter now? Weasel's daughter, nonetheless. I would have thought you'd have married someone with a bit more intelligence and money, I must say. You always seemed like a fairly sensible girl."

Seven years ago Hermione would have seen Malfoy's comment an empty threat, but now she wasn't so sure. All she knew was that she was not going to let his taunts and threats get to her, or she knew she would indeed be dead before long. "You've certainly been busy, Draco. Making your way up the ranks?"

"Ah, so I see you don't want to answer my questions. That's all right though; I'll give you the answers you want, seeing as I'm not so inconsiderate."

Hermione scowled.

"I have been busy with my, well, business. But it's quite rewarding and the benefits are wonderful. I see you were not so lucky."

"And what's that supposed to mean, Malfoy?"

"I mean, you look a bit dirty," Malfoy commented, eyeing Hermione.

"I what?" Hermione looked down at her shirt and saw that she was indeed covering in soot. "Oh, Lord. Scourgify."

"That's right, Granger, you're learning to call me by my rightful name."

"What, Lord? Get a grip," Hermione said irritably. She really could not believe how incredibly sneaky and conceited Malfoy was acting. But then again she could believe it. After all, not much had changed, even after twelve years. "Yeah, well, Malfoy, I'm afraid I have to go now." She raised her wand, preparing to stun him. "Stupefy!"

Malfoy blocked it quickly. "Ah, no, no Granger. I'm not done with you yet."

Hermione felt her stomach turn cold. Draco Malfoy could be a very dangerous man these days.

"I believe I mentioned your daughter before?" Malfoy nodded his head in the direction of the road behind Hermione. She whirled around as quickly as she could; not wanting to think of what he was taunting her about now.

It was if she was watching the scene played in slow motion. Out of the alley coming from her apartment came a little girl. She was glancing around with a terrified look on her face. "Mummy!" She screeched in a high-pitched voice full of fear and yearning. Hermione turned around to face Draco again, and saw him raise his wand and shout, "Stupefy!" She didn't think before running towards the little girl, her little Lavender. But she slowed and came to a stop as she saw a hooded Lord run out of nowhere and scoop up Lavender's limp body before apparating.

"No!" Hermione screamed in anguish. If there had been any decent onlookers besides Malfoy, they would have rushed forward to attempt to ease this devastated mother's pain. But Hermione was alone in her suffering. She sank to the ground and looked up at the sky, filled with smoke, and cried.

"Aw, poor little Granger. What will she do with her baby gone?" Malfoy sneered, an extremely pleased expression on his face.

Hermione rose. She couldn't take this. She took one last look at Malfoy and apparated in a flash.

***

The decadent smells of chocolate cake filled the kitchen as Ginny pulled open the oven door. Ginny had a craving for chocolate cake, and she decided that the only way to truly fulfill it was to make the cake the Muggle way. Harry walked into the kitchen from the living room and closed the oven door after Ginny had carried the cake to the counter.

"Honestly, Ginny, what's all the fuss with cooking the muggle way?" He questioned.

"Oh, I don't know...it just tastes better that way," She replied thoughtfully. "At least cake does, as far as I know. There are tons of brilliant wizard chefs out there that have come up with recipes for quick magic-made cake, but I prefer cake this way!"

Harry grinned at her. "Sure, whatever you want."

Ginny glared at him. "Exactly." She giggled and threw a towel at him. "Why don't you make some use of yourself and help clean up?"

Harry grudgingly started to clear the counter of the splattered cake batter. His wife grabbed a knife from a drawer and sliced into the cake.

Both of them where snapped out of their work when a sudden snap! erupted behind them. They turned around abruptly and pulled their wands out, only to put them back in their pockets.

Albus Dumbledore stood in the Potter's kitchen. He looked at the chocolate cake sitting alone on the counter almost mournfully, and then looked into the faces of his former students. "I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but I'm afraid this is quite urgent."

Harry and Ginny looked at each other worriedly, awaiting news that could only be bad. "Um, yes, Professor Dumbledore?" Harry said cautiously.

"There's been an attack in Rome. The Lords of Darkness are behind it, and there's a muggle apartment in flames and about thirty for our cause there. The Lords were much more prepared--there's about fifty of them, and more coming."

Ginny sighed deeply as Harry's face immediately furrowed in anger. "Let's go." Harry declared. "I'm sorry, Professor, but what are you doing here? They could have sent anyone for us, and you certainly should be in Rome."

Dumbledore glanced around. "Yes, I must most certainly be there, but I had to get you first. Right, Harry, we should go. We've created a safe plane to apparate on, just picture the color blue along with the place you want to apparate to."

Ginny cleared her throat. "I'm coming too, you know."

"Ah, well, you've stumbled upon the reason why I came to get Harry."

"Only Harry? Need I remind you I am a fully qualified Auror too?"

"Ginny, and need I remind you that more than one lives are at risk if you fight? And no matter whether you are injured or die you could still hurt of kill your child even if you don't intend to, just from fighting. Surely you wouldn't want to bring any harm to yours and Harry's child?" Dumbledore said, his eyes shining with sympathy over his half-moon glasses.

"I'll be careful! I'll place a protecting charm! But I am not going to stay here when my husband, family, and friends are in danger. Need I remind you that Ron and Hermione live in Rome? And that many of my friends and family are for our cause and will be fighting too?" Ginny protested. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her face was etched in fury.

"Please do think rationally, Ginny."

"I am."

A sudden pop from Dumbledore's left side announced the arrival of the second uninvited visitor to the Potter house that night--Professor McGonagall.

"Albus, you go with Harry, I'll stay with Ginny," Professor McGonagall said before anyone could welcome her. Dumbledore nodded sharply and glanced at Harry before disappearing. Harry looked at Ginny with sympathy and guilt but then disappeared after the Headmaster.

"Oh my," Ginny said exasperatedly, her elbows on the counter and her head buried in her face. "This was all planned wasn't it, Minerva?"

Professor McGonagall flinched slightly at the sound of Ginny calling her Minerva for the first time.

"You all sat down in Dumbledore's office and put your heads together and thought 'Little Ginny Weasley is stubborn fool, we'll have to go talk her out of going to battle. You go first, Albus, but if all else fails I'll come and you can go along to the little Death Eater pow wow in Rome with Potter to save the hopeless muggles.'" Ginny said sarcastically, the famous Weasley red flushing her cheeks, ears, and nose.

"No, not exactly, Ginevra," Professor McGonagall said calmly, "But I must admit the idea is quite entertaining. And from what I've heard you're Ginny Potter now."

Ginny screamed in fury and clenched her hands into fists. "Oh come on, Professor, I'm not stupid! I want to help fight, but I know that I'll have to take the proper precautions, which I most certainly will!"

"Ginny, those protecting charms aren't always accurate, even by the best witch or wizard, and we certainly do not need a pregnant witch running around trying to curse Lords of Darkness! Don't you understand? You'd be a perfect target! You're Harry Potter's wife, and you're carrying his child. They'd be desperate to kill both you and your child--accomplishing something like that would earn them a place in the Darkness Hall of Fame!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, not quite as calm as before, in fact, quite annoyed.

Ginny was silent for a moment. I must admit, she has a point... As much as Ginny didn't want to pay attention to what she was saying, she knew in her heart that all of it was true.

"Well, I-" But Ginny was interrupted by yet another crack! as someone appeared in the kitchen doorway. The visitor knelt down and sobbed into her hands, letting out moans of anguish every once in a while.

"Hermione?" Ginny cried, not believing her eyes. What had happened that was so horrible that forced Hermione to apparate into her kitchen?

"Mrs. Gra--Weasley, er, Hermione? What is wrong?" Professor McGonagall said awkwardly as she rushed over to Hermione's side, followed closely by Ginny.

Ginny wrapped her arms around Hermione. She was scared of this Hermione, this Hermione that could not control herself and wouldn't speak. "Hermione, what is it? Please, tell me." Hermione's sobs continued until she gently pushed Ginny's arms off and stood.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and opened her mouth. "They took her, they kidnapped her! They took Lavy!"

Ginny exchanged a look of terror with Professor McGonagall. What she had said was true, but it was happening to Hermione and her child instead.

Hermione continued, her gaze far off. "Malfoy was in an alley, and he said he wanted to catch up with me, but that then he would kill me. He insulted me, but I thought that he threats were empty. He kept taunting and then I was going to stun him but he blocked the curse."

Professor McGonagall looked utterly annoyed at the thought of Draco Malfoy, once a troublesome Slytherin and now a commander of the Lords of Darkness.

"Then he said something about him mentioning my daughter before, and when I turned she ran out of an alley down the street and Malfoy stunned her. Before I could get to her, a-another Lord came and...and he took her and apparated." Hermione broke down crying.

Ginny held Hermione in her arms and led her to the couch in the living room. Professor McGonagall followed and looked Ginny sternly in the eye.

"The tables are turning, Ginny Potter. They have new targets to spread terror and sadness...and you are next in line."