Kidnapped

KIDNAPPED

Chapter 1

Ron woke up with a start, his body drenched in sweat. He had one of those dreams about Hermione again. It had been more than two months since she disappeared, and her face haunted his dreams every night. In his dream, she was beaten, tortured, raped, and then killed. He watched as a madman verbally and physically abused the only girl he ever loved. His heart was wrenched out at the look of pain and plea in her eyes. His voice shouted for the man to stop, his whole body shook with anger and pain. But no sound came from his mouth; his body didn't move. It was as if he was being forced to watch this hell by some unseen force to torture him too. He wished Hermione could see him. He wanted Hermione to know he was there, in spirit, and not to give in to this man. Whatever happened, this demon would never own her; he would never take away who she really is. He loved her and always will, nothing that would happen to her would ever change that.

The image of Hermione's writhing and bleeding body exploded in his mind and he wailed. He cried his suffering unabashedly. She was dead, the note said. A man in a dark cloak was seen taking her away from her house. In her bed was a note that said the Granger's daughter was dead. They might as well forget her.

It was so nonsensical because there was no warning. Everything about the world seemed to have turned upside down. The Order of the Phoenix had successfully defeated Voldemort, with key roles being played by the trio. Their power increased as the Dark War raged. But now to be kidnapped by, as was suspected, an ordinary wizard!?

Ron's mind burst at the thought. Intense emotions pooled inside him sending ripples of self-loathing through him. How could he have let this happen? How could any of them have let this happen to Hermione? His rage diffused into cries and sobs. He lay back down and buried himself under the covers. His Hermione...The thought of her pierced his heart.

Ron lay crying until he fell asleep. He would wake up later to go into training, as he usually did. After graduating from Hog warts, he had come in for Auror Training. What happened to Hermione shook him to the core, as with Harry. But through each other's help, their strength came. If they could just prevent what happened to Hermione from happening to anyone else, then maybe they could make up for their failure to save her. It was small consolation and they didn't take comfort in it. But they knew they would take comfort in catching Dark Wizards. Just to spare one other human being from being wrenched away from his/her loved ones so devastatingly, just for that one other person, they thought...So, they ploughed on. But, in their hearts of hearts, they knew they would never be the same again...

When he awoke, Ron was revitalized for the day ahead. He looked at the photograph of Hermione on his side table and greeted her a good morning. If Hermione were really dead, then she would hear him talking to her, wherever she was. Nobody deserved a place like heaven more than Hermione. She would always be his angel. He went through his morning ritual and finally found himself at the Auror Training Grounds about an hour later. He saw Harry by a walkway and approached him.

"Hey," he greeted Harry.

Harry answered with an incoherent murmur. He was holding a folder of reports and examining the contents closely with creased eyebrows. Ron knew better than to interrupt at times like these. Their roles in the previous Dark War gave them some privileges and they had high security clearance on Dark Wizard Activity records. But the Auror Agency required them to complete training if they were to participate in actual missions. Harry and Ron used the opportunity to find out more about what happened to Hermione. But nothing ever came of it.

Harry had been looking at the report for a while before Ron noticed he seemed to be having a hard time breathing. The papers he was holding were shaking, and some of it fluttered to the floor. "Harry?" he asked worriedly, putting a shoulder on his friend's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Harry's breathing did not recede. But his hands stopped shaking enough to give the papers to Ron. Ron looked confusedly at Harry before bringing his eyes to the report in front of him. He picked up the ones that fell and placed it at the back of the pile. He started reading.

The report talked about a wizard named Alain Rimdor living in a secluded mansion in Scotland. Rimdor had been an intelligent wizard, but he never seemed to have used his power or intelligence to fight for good or evil. He had lived a peaceful and isolated life with his wife, Helene, in Scotland. Then his wife died in the hands of a Death Eater almost a decade ago. After that, he had been found roaming around London aimlessly. A year ago, his whole mansion was wiped off the face of the earth. It was inferred that he had made the place unplottable. Fortunately, the wizards had staked the place out beforehand or they would never have been able to locate it after Rimdor charmed it. Later, an increased amount of magic was registered in the area where his mansion used to be. It was discovered that security in the mansion was increased incredibly.

Ron was starting to get confused about Harry's relationship to this seeming hermit, but he continued reading. The last time Alain Rimdor was seen was over two months ago. He was in the Central London area wearing a black cloak. Ron's mind halted its reading, and his eyes lost its focus. His breath caught. He turned over the page, nervous at what the rest of the report held. A picture of a 27-year old version of Hermione with a wealthy, scholarly-looking man lay in front of him. He heard Harry's breath catch beside him. Apparently, this is also the first time he would be seeing this picture.

"Oh my God..." he manage to choke out.

Ron started walking towards the direction of Auror Headquarters when Harry pulled him back.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"We have to show this to somebody. Hermione's with him! She's still alive!" Ron ranted. He trying to keep a rush of emotions from overwhelming him, but he was failing terribly. Tears were falling from his eyes and his breathing was erratic. Harry held his shoulders, keeping him still.

"They've already gone...We'll be knowing soon enough..." Harry said firmly, trying to keep his emotions in check. One of them had to be strong.

Ron's emotional dam burst and he knelt down on the concrete, crying like a baby. He buried his face in his hands, whimpering, "Oh God...Oh God...Hermione..."

Harry knelt down and gathered Ron in his arms. The two shook with grief, then happiness, then dread. They shook as they realized their bestfriend might be alive. They gathered comfort in each other's arms and calmed down, feeling the pain leave and determination take over. "Come on, Ron," Harry said soothingly. Then he added more firmly, "Let's go."

Ron gathered himself up and went with Harry. They headed towards Auror Headquarters to await word on the raid in Alain Rimdor's house.