Breakfast at Natalie's

Hermione's alarm rang at half past nine the next day, startling her awake. She sat up, feeling queasy. She stood up to get dressed and was suddenly overcome with a wave of nausea that sent her sprinting to the adjoined bathroom. She leaned over the sink, retching. Then she brushed her teeth, glad for the refreshing minty scent of the toothpaste. She took a quick shower and threw on a sweater and jeans. She went down to the kitchen and found that everyone else was already there.

"And I thought I was going to be the first one awake," she said, pulling a box of cereal out of the cupboard. "Apparently not."

"I admit, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep," said Natalie, who was scrambling eggs for everyone.

"I just got up five minutes ago," said Malfoy.

"I envy you," said Hermione. "It always takes me such a long time to get ready in the morning."

"Mummy? Can you help me pour this?" Cassie was struggling with a jug of orange juice. Hermione helped her pour a glass and then poured one for Riley too.

They all sat down at the table to eat. Hermione took a few bites of her cereal. It tasted funny, and it made her feel nauseous again. She pushed it away.

"What's wrong?" said Malfoy, looking at her with concern.

"I don't..."

She quickly ran to the sink and threw up what little she had eaten.

"I don't feel well," she said.

"Maybe we shouldn't go," said Malfoy.

"No, no," said Hermione, shaking her head. "You guys go. I'll just stay home and rest."

"Do you have a fever?"

She put her hand on her forehead. "I don't think so."

Malfoy stood up and walked to her, then placed the back of his hand on her forehead.

"No, I don't think so either. Do you want me to stay with you?"

"No, you should go with Natalie," said Hermione. "I'm really sorry. I feel so bad about this."

"It's not your fault," said Natalie consolingly. "We'll get you a costume too."

"I'm sorry, Mummy," said Cassie, hugging her leg. "Feel lots better."

"Yeah," said Riley. "Lots and lots better."

"Alright, then," said Natalie, helping the children put their coats on. "We'll be going now."

"Take care," said Malfoy, giving her a light kiss on the cheek. "If you need anything, call me."

"I will," she said, nodding.

"I want to be a princess," she could hear Cassie saying as they left.

"It's a Christmas party, you dummy," said Riley. "I'm going to be Santa Claus with a real beard."

After they left, Hermione made herself a cup of tea, and then sat in front of the television, flipping aimlessly through the channels. There wasn't anything very interesting on, so she settled with some celebrity gossip show.

"...the singer is now recovering in a nearby hospital. His agent has declined to comment."

There was a commercial break, some annoying jingle about pizza, and Hermione suddenly found herself craving junk food. She went into the kitchen and rummaged around in the cupboards, but could only find some crackers. Natalie apparently didn't believe in buying potato chips or anything of the like. She sat back down in front of the television with the box of crackers, trying not to get crumbs all over the sofa.

Now the show had switched to a live interview with an actress who was pregnant.

"Do you have any really weird cravings?" asked the show host.

"Oh God, yes. Sometimes I'll just be taking a shower or whatever and I'll suddenly want mustard. I don't even like mustard that much. My husband was really baffled."

Hermione's mind wandered, and she stopped paying attention to the show.

Could I possibly be pregnant? she thought. Fatigue, nausea, food cravings...why didn't I think of this before? Oh God. What am I going to do?

She stood up and began pacing on the carpet.

Wait, Hermione, don't panic. You don't know if you're really pregnant. The most logical thing to do would be to buy a pregnancy test. Or maybe a few of them. Yes, that's it. Go out and buy a pregnancy test.

She threw on her coat, grabbed her purse, and rushed outside. She was in such a hurry that she didn't notice the touch of an invisible hand on her arm as she Apparated.

----------------------

The man had been watching her since he brought her back to the house. He had snuck inside with her, and had been hiding in the library, which no one used. It was chilly in there, as the fireplace was never lit, and the floor wasn't very comfortable to sleep on. He'd stayed there, listening to all the activity in the house, but to Hermione in particular. He'd been delighted when Hermione had decided to stay behind; it would make his task so much easier.

But then she had rushed out of the house with no explanation whatsoever. He'd hurried after her, grabbing her arm just as she Apparated. She'd been so preoccupied that she hadn't even noticed.

Now she was walking quickly, and he was trying to keep up. After they had walked about two or three blocks, she stopped and went inside a drugstore. He managed to duck inside just before the door clanged shut.

She was going down the aisles, muttering to herself. Then she finally stopped, bending down to reach for a small box. She hesitated, put it back on the shelf, and grabbed a different box. Then she went up to the counter, where the cashier gave her a warm smile when she paid. He was wondering what the box was, and almost went back to the aisle to check, but he couldn't risk being left behind.

She went back inside the house and barricaded herself inside the bathroom. The television was still on, so he couldn't hear what was going on, but he didn't want to turn it off. A few minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom, holding something in her hand. She sat down in front of the television and set a small, white plastic wand down on the table. She stared at it, obviously in shock.

He edged closer, leaning in to see it. There was one pink line on it, faint, but still visible. Positive.

He gave her a sideways glance, and saw that she was crying silently. His stomach dropped. How could he possibly do this now?

-----------------------

Hermione stared at the faint pink line. This couldn't be happening. She'd bought two different tests, and both of them had shown positive. She didn't know how she was going to tell Malfoy, or if she was going to tell him. She didn't even know if the child was his.

Suddenly, she heard a noise behind her, and turned to see a man standing at the foot of the stairs.

"Who--"

"Don't move," he said, pointing his wand at her when she began to stand up. Not that it would have mattered anyway, since her wand was in the kitchen, completely out of reach. "Now listen--and don't interrupt. I need you to come with me. You will write a note telling your family not to worry and that you had some business to take care of. Got that?"

Hermione nodded mutely.

"Good. Got a pen and some paper? No? Accio pen! Accio paper!"

The pen and paper came hurtling out of the library and landed neatly in front of her.

"Start writing," said the man, "and don't even think about trying anything. I'm going to read it when you're done."

Hermione began writing shakily.

Draco and Natalie,

I have some business to attend to, and I will be back soon. Sorry it was on such short notice.

Take care,

Hermione

The man snatched it up as soon as she was finished, his lips moving as he read it to himself.

"Good enough," he said, leaving it on the floor in the middle of the room where it couldn't be missed. "Put your coat on and let's go."

Hermione quickly put on her jacket and buttoned it.

"Can I get rid of this?" she asked timidly, motioning to the pregnancy test on the coffee table.

"Do it quickly," said the man.

"I don't have my wand," she said.

"I'll do it then. Evanesco! Okay, let's go now."

She turned off the television, gave the house one last glance, and followed the man outside.

"Grab hold of my arm," instructed the man. Hermione did as she was told. She felt that it would probably be better not to argue; after all, he was the one with the wand. There was a slight jerk as they Apparated, and a moment later her feet were touching the ground again.

"Get in front of me," said the man. "You will go where I tell you to. Don't try to run away. Understand?"

"Y-yes," she stammered.

"Forward," said the man, and they began to walk.

They were in a seedy looking neighborhood, where the buildings were dilapidated and the streets filthy. Hermione had never been to this part of London before; in fact, she wasn't even sure if they were in London anymore.

"Left," he said, and she found herself walking down an alleyway. He directed her through the tangle of alleyways, until at last they arrived at an apartment building that was just as shabby as the others around it. The man stepped up to the door and tapped it twice with his wand, muttering something. The door slid open, and they stepped inside.

The room was surprisingly tidy, yet the sofa was moth-eaten and the carpet was threadbare. It smelled strongly of old pizza and cigarette smoke. The kitchen was adjoined, and there was a hallway which led down to a bathroom and two bedrooms.

She saw a dark shape emerge from one of the rooms, and she gasped when it finally stepped into the light.

"Joseph!"

"Well, well, well," he said, stubbing out his cigarette and flicking it into the ashtray. "Surprised to see me, aren't you? I'll bet you thought you were clever, running away like that. You thought you'd never have to see me again."

"Why did you bring me here?" she demanded.

"Bring you here? Why, you came willingly, didn't you? I don't see any chains or ropes on your wrists."

"What choice did I have? It was either come or--"

"Yes, either come willingly or come by force. You made a choice. A good one, I think. Otherwise, you would have faced this."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wand.

"Where did you get that?" she asked. Did he even know what it was?

"It's mine," he said, twirling it. He chuckled at the look of disbelief on her face. "Yes, mine. I did go to magic school, you know. The Academy of Magic in Wales. Never told you that, did I? It must've slipped my mind...oops..."

He laughed.

"Oh, there is so much you don't know about me," he said, almost gleefully. "My parents? They're dead. They've been dead since I was three. The man and the woman you met were hired actors."

"It isn't...you mean...none of this is real?"

"Oh, this is real," he said. "Very real. Incarcerous!"

Thin, snake-like ropes shot out of the end of his wand and bound her tightly. Joseph nodded at the other man, who half-lifted, half-dragged Hermione into one of the bedrooms. It was dark inside, and he didn't bother turning on the light. He left her propped against a wall.

"You won't be going anywhere soon, that's for sure," said Joseph, laughing evilly and shutting the door.

The only light she could see was a thin beam issuing from the crack beneath the door. She heard Joseph talking with the other man, and then the opening and shutting of the front door. Then footsteps came down the hallway, stopped in front of her door, and went away again.

Hermione sat there in the dark, thoughts racing through her head.

How am I going to get out of here? she wondered. Draco will never be able to find me here...I don't even know if I'm still in London... I wonder why Joseph brought me here. Is he going to kill me? No, he wouldn't. He must still care about Cassie and Riley...they're his children... But that night he said that they might as well be someone else's...

I can't believe I thought he was a Muggle all that time...his parents...dead...hired actors...Wales...

What else has he lied about?

Is this really happening, or am I just having a nightmare?

Oh, God...