The Missing Gryffindor

Prologue

Harry was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, staring into the fire while polishing his Firebolt. Ron sat in the chair opposite him, holding an ice-pack to his swollen eye. The two were the only ones left in the common room, besides a small figure on the two-seater couch, but had a very legitimate reason for being there; Hermione had not come in yet. It was at least two o'clock and neither boy had stirred for hours.

'Maybe we should get Ginny to check again,' said Ron suddenly, but Harry shook his head.

'No,' he replied, 'there's no point. We know she's not in her dormitory, and she's not in the toilets either. Let Ginny sleep.'

Both boys looked fondly at the small figure on the couch, which had been running around the castle for hours, searching for Hermione. Ginny looked so peaceful while she slept that Harry didn't have the heart to wake her. Ron sighed.

'This is stupid,' he said angrily. 'Where can she possibly be?'

Harry didn't answer and they again lapsed into silence. Harry was trying to think about what could have happened to her. His mind raced through the events of the last few days ... and suddenly stopped on a memory from that very day.

'Ron,' he said quickly, sitting up straight. Ron looked up. 'You know how Hermione lit Malfoy's robes on fire today?'

'Yeah,' said Ron dreamily, his eyes sliding out of focus as he gave in to the memory ...

They were in the entrance hall after lunch, ready to make their way out to Care of Magical Creatures, when they heard a loud, drawling voice behind them. With Ron fuming already and Harry rolling his eyes, they turned around to look at Malfoy, bragging loudly to his fellow Slytherins.

'What can he have to brag about?' said Hermione quietly to the other two. They shrugged.

'... Told you those stupid gits couldn't keep him in for long.' Malfoy was saying. His eyes rested on Harry and he smirked. 'He escaped, just like I said he would, and now he's gone back to the Dark Lord. Of course, he has to finish a little ... uh ... business, so it might take a little while. A prison wouldn't have held my father, Potter,' he sneered, his grey eyes narrowed maliciously. 'I'm joining him these holidays, in fact, to do a little ... sport ...'

'You bastard!' spat Ron. 'You're talking about killing people, aren't you?'

Malfoy cocked his head to one side and looked at Ron calculatingly.

'If I was, Weasley, I wouldn't be telling you now, would I? But ...' his eyes came to a halt on Hermione and he looked her up and down slyly. 'I'd keep her around trained wizards if I were you.'

Harry and Ron both started forward, but Dean and Seamus latched onto their robes.

'Let me go,' Harry growled, fury like he'd never imagined thumping through his veins, almost blinding him. Ron was putting up an equally vicious fight.

'I'll get you, Malfoy!' he cried, accidentally striking Dean across the face as he struggled to get free.

Hermione, however, was standing quite calmly, surveying Malfoy as though he was something intensely amusing. In fact, Harry saw a small smile playing on her lips. He stopped fighting for a moment, shocked, and Neville took the opportunity to get a hold on him too. Malfoy also seemed to see the smile.

'What?' he snapped at her.

'Malfoy,' she said slowly, as though addressing a child. 'I'm not intimidated by you or your father; he's all talk and dirty looks. And as for you ...' she let out a soft laugh that the entire crowd could hear; everyone had gone into a deathly silence. '... You couldn't kill something if you wanted to; you're lacking a little something called guts.'

The Gryffindors laughed and Malfoy turned pink. Then he suddenly took a few steps and reached her. He grabbed her by the neck of her robes and pulled her away from Harry and Ron. The Gryffindors stopped laughing. Malfoy sneered at them and lifted Hermione a foot off the ground. Harry and Ron stood in shock: neither of them had known Malfoy had any muscle, let alone that much. Hermione made a choking sound and grabbed his wrists, trying to make him let go; the robes were cutting into her throat and stopping her air flow. Malfoy just laughed.

'No guts, Mudblood?' he whispered. Hermione's face was starting to turn a pale blue, and Harry lunged toward Malfoy, Ron close behind, and Malfoy threw Hermione aside easily to Crabbe and Goyle, who grabbed her. Harry reached him first, and struck him across the face. As he stumbled backwards, Ron punched his stomach.

Crabbe pushed Hermione to Blaise Zabini, and he and Goyle grabbed Harry and Ron, each punching their captor. Neville ran forward with a cry and found himself on the floor with a bruised cheek a moment later. Hermione could hear Malfoy laughing as she turned towards him. He was sporting a cut lip and a bruised eye, but he was loving the sight of Harry and Ron getting beaten. She struggled against Zabini, who laughed cruelly. The laugh, however, was turned into gasping and groaning as Hermione thrust her elbow back into his groin. She pulled out her wand before anyone saw what she'd done and yelled 'Inflamaré!' Suddenly, Malfoy's robes caught fire and he yelped as the heat from the fire touched his skin. He yelled at Crabbe and Goyle, who dropped Harry and Ron immediately, and while they tried to remember a water charm, Pansy intervened by putting it out with her own charm.

Seamus grabbed Hermione and pulled her back into the knot of Gryffindors. Harry and Ron limped over, both sporting injuries a little worse than Malfoy's, but not hugely bad.

'Are you OK?' said Ron, his hand on her shoulder. Hermione nodded.

'I'm fine.' She looked at her two friends. 'What about you, are you two OK?'

'Course!' said Harry, feigning cheerfulness.

'Never better,' agreed Ron, spoiling the effect by wincing. They looked over at Malfoy and the other Slytherins, who were glaring back at them.

'You stupid Mudblood,' hissed Malfoy, who was covered in water. Hermione just shrugged, massaging her throat, and walked away. The rest took her lead and followed her out into the bright sunlight.

Harry grinned too at the memory. 'Yeah,' he said, 'Hermione really got him. But maybe that's ...'

'What?' said Ron urgently, taking his ice-pack off his eye as if to see Harry better. Harry tenderly touched the cut in his lip before continuing.

'Maybe he did something to her.'

The room seemed to echo after these words. Ron sat up straight.

'But ... he wouldn't kill her would he? I mean,' he looked around nervously. 'Not in school right? Too many people...'

'No,' said Harry, shaking his head. 'Not kill her, but maybe ... he'd attack her, though. That he'd do.'

'Oh my God, you're right!' cried Ron, leaping to his feet. Harry also stood, his heart hammering as flashes of what Malfoy could be doing to her spun through his mind.

Ginny stirred at the sudden movement. She opened her eyes blearily and twisted into a half-sitting half-lying position.

'What's going on?' she mumbled, peering at them.

'We think Malfoy's got Hermione,' said Ron quickly. Ginny's eyes snapped open and she started to sit up fully, but because of how she was lying, she fell onto the ground. She stood up immediately and rubbed her elbow.

'But how do we find him?' she said, as Harry packed up his broomstick repair kit and pocketed his wand.

'He's probably in the Slytherin common room,' said Ron, as he and Harry headed toward the portrait hole.

'But -' Ginny ran to catch up to them. 'But - we don't even know where that is!'

Harry and Ron exchanged guilty looks.

'What?' asked Ginny suspiciously.

'Well ... we know where it is,' said Ron and Harry grinned sheepishly. Ginny stared at them.

'You do?' she said blankly.

'Mmm,' agreed Harry. 'Ours is much nicer, though. Warmer.'

'You've been inside?!'

By this time they were outside in the corridor and heading towards the staircase.

'Yeah...' said Ron, avoiding her eyes.

'How? Why?'

'It's a long story,' said Harry uncomfortably. Then he looked at Ron. 'What do you suppose the password is?'

'We could try Pureblood again... I'd think they'd like that.'

Ginny pestered them all the way down to the entrance hall, where they took a left and headed down into the dungeons.

'But how did you -' she stopped talking abruptly when Ron waved his hand.

'We're here!' Harry announced cheerfully.

'Here?' said Ginny disbelievingly, staring the blank patch of wall.

'Yep,' said Ron, 'Pureblood.' Nothing happened.

'Guess they changed it,' stated Harry. Ron was hopping from foot to foot anxiously, glancing around.

'What's the matter?' said Ginny, staring at him. 'Do you need to go to the toilet or something?'

'No,' said Ron, glaring at her. 'I'm worried about Hermione. How do we get in there?'

Harry and Ginny stared at the wall for a moment, and then began rattling off all sorts of names that Slytherins might use for a password, and even some where it was unlikely. In the end, though, they simply banged on the stone wall and yelled insults and threats.

Eventually, just when they were about to give up, the wall slid aside and a disgruntled Slytherin stood in his pyjamas, glaring at them.

'Wadda you want?' he said sleepily.

'We want to talk to Malfoy,' said Ron.

'Draco? Nah, he's in bed. Like I was.' He glared down at them. 'Some people are trying to sleep, you know.'

Harry rolled his eyes and pushed past the Slytherin. Ron and Ginny quickly followed.

'Hey!' said the Slytherin as he was pushed aside. 'Who da hell you fink you are, burstin' in here?'

The three Gryffindors ignored him and ran across the common room, stopping in front of two doors. Ginny took the opportunity to gaze around the room, taking in the sight, knowing this would be the last time she would see it, and that her friends would all want to know about it.

'Which one's the boys'?' said Ron desperately, his eyes flicking between the doors.

'That one!' said Harry, pointing to the one on the left.

'How do you -'

'It has a 'B'.' He was right. High on the left door was a silver 'B', on the right, a 'G'.

Ron pushed it open and they hurried down the corridor, glancing at the plaques on the doors as they passed.

'There!' cried Ginny, pointing to a door near the end of the corridor that said 'Sixth Years'.

They stopped outside for a moment.

'I can't hear any screaming.' Ron whispered uncertainly.

'Maybe he's already done with her.' Ginny suggested, feeling sick even as she did so. Harry and Ron glared at her. Harry wiped his sweating palms on his jeans and swallowed back vomit. The thought of Malfoy hurting Hermione was unbearable and he nearly retched as he turned the door handle and him, Ron and Ginny ran into the room.

The dormitory was set up much like the Gryffindors' except the room wasn't round and it was decorated with green instead of red.

The trio did a quick scan of the room as they tried to decide which bed was Malfoy's. All the boys were starting to wake up, making incoherent words and sounds as they did.

'There!' said Ginny, pointing to a bed across the room. The trunk at the end was black and had the silver initials 'DM' printed on it.

They ran across the room and stopped beside Malfoy's bed. Ron wrenched the green curtains back and the three Gryffindors glared down at the stirring lump that was Malfoy. He sat up and gazed around blearily until his eyes came to rest on Harry, Ron and Ginny.

'Wha -' he began, then rubbed his eyes and peered at them again. Ginny found herself having to look anywhere but at him, for he appeared to be naked. The blankets were slumped around his middle, so it was hard to be sure, but from the waist up, he was nude. 'What the hell are you lot doing here?' asked an alarmed Malfoy. He glanced away from them to his wand on his bedside table; he was calculating how long it would take to get it if the three lunatics attacked.

But Ron saw him and snatched it up, pocketing it with a smirk. Malfoy glared at him, and then tried to rise, but Harry pushed him down again.

'What?' Malfoy snapped at them.

'Where's Hermione?' said Harry tightly, taking deep breaths so as not to lose his temper.

'What?' Malfoy glanced between them, apparently bewildered.

'Hermione!' snapped Ron, folding his arms across his chest. 'Where is she?'

'How the hell would I know?' demanded Malfoy.

'You tell us!' Ginny growled, settling her eyes on his.

'What the hell is going on?' said Malfoy hotly. 'Why would I know where Granger is? And why did you burst in here in the middle of the night to ask me that?' His eyes narrowed. 'How did you know where the Slytherin common room is?'

Harry and Ron smirked.

'Wouldn't you like to know,' said Harry. Ginny glared at them both, but didn't say anything. Malfoy shook his head.

'Whatever Potter. Just answer the questions.'

'Not until you answer ours first!' said Ron.

'I don't know where Granger is!' said Malfoy exasperatedly. 'Why the hell would I? I was asleep, if you didn't notice -'

'Oh yeah, now you are!'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'You tell me, Malfoy!'

Draco stared at Ron. 'What?' he said again. He didn't like having to ask that so many times, but the Gryffindors weren't making any sense, not that that was uncommon.

Ron knelt on the side of the bed.

'We know you did something with Hermione, Malfoy,' he hissed. 'Tell us what you did, and where she is now.'

Draco raised an eyebrow.

'Wouldn't you like to know, Weasley,' he smirked, receiving a blow to his chin for the remark. 'Bloody hell, Potter!' he yelled, trying to get out of bed and hold his face at the same time.

'Come on,' said Harry, breathing heavily, massaging his hand; Malfoy had a bony jaw. 'Get dressed; we're going to see Dumbledore.'

'What? Why? You can't make me go anywhere, Potter.'

Harry, Ron and Ginny pointed their wands at him, Ron also holding Draco's.

'Oh, alright,' he mumbled and climbed out of bed. Ginny made a small noise and looked determinedly away. 'What?' he looked down. 'Oh give me a break, Weasley; it's nothing you haven't seen before.' Ginny didn't reply. Draco looked coyly at Harry. 'Maybe not one this good, but... OW! Bloody Mudbloods, Weasley!' he yelped, his hand on his cheek again. 'Would you lot stop hitting me?!'

'No,' said Ron, massaging his own hand. 'You keep making the smart comments, we keep the blows coming. Now get dressed.'

Draco mumbled something they couldn't hear and pulled on some clothes and a pair of boots. He glanced around and realised that all the boys in his year were asleep.

'How can they sleep through this?' he said heatedly. 'They're supposed to beat you up...'

'Easy Malfoy,' said Ron cheerfully, twirling Draco's wand with his fingers. 'Simple sleeping spell. They'll wake up once we've gone.'

'Great,' muttered Draco, turning back to his captors. 'Fine. Let's go see the Headmaster!' he feigned cheerfulness and bounced on the balls of his feet like he wanted nothing more than to traipse around the castle in the middle of the night, suspected for a crime he didn't even know the details of.

So with four wands in his back, Draco led the way out of the dormitory, then the common room, then up to the entrance hall where Harry took over the lead.

As they walked along the silent corridors, Ginny and Ron had a quiet conversation, while Draco and Harry thought.

'Do you really think he did something to her?' said Ginny, glancing at Draco. Ron bit his lip and looked at her out the corner of his eye.

'I'm not too sure,' he admitted. 'I think he did, but he did a pretty good job of acting ignorant.'

Ginny nodded and the two fell silent for a minute.

'He has a pretty big -'

'Don't say it.' Ron interrupted. 'Don't even think it.'

Ginny bit her lip to stop from smiling.

'You jealous?' she said slyly.

'No!' Ron snorted. 'What makes you think mine isn't bigger?'

Ginny gave him a look.

'Shut up.'