New Beginnings

DISCLAIMER::: Everything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling and Warner Bros. I just love them so much I wanted to play with them a little.

Summary::: Hermione learns a little about her abductor.

New Beginnings

Chapter Twelve

Hermione awoke to the sound of metal scraping on cement. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw that the door to her cell was being pushed open. Sitting up quickly, she tried to find something to be used as a weapon should the need arise. Finding nothing, she scooted back into the corner and watched as a small figure entered the space and crouched to pick up her bucket and tray.

"I mean you no harm, Miss," whispered a gentle female voice. "All I ask is that you do not attack me."

"You mean me no harm! What do you mean, you mean me no harm?" Hermione questioned. "You have kidnapped me and are holding me against my will. Who the hell are you? What do you want with me?"

"I have done nothing but feed you, Miss. My master would not have been so kind," the girl stated. "Who I am is of no importance. You are all that matters." With that, she stood and left Hermione alone in her cell.

Once she was sure the girl had gone, Hermione stood and crept over to the door. Pulling the sleeve of her jumper down over her hand, she reached out gingerly to touch the door. Tapping the door, she was thrown back onto the ratty old mattress. 'Damn, she put the blasted ward back up.' Hermione thought. Sitting up again, she propped herself against the wall and thought about everything the girl had said to her. 'Her master wasn't kind enough to feed me? She had said that I was all that mattered? But why? What is it about me that matters? I'm nothing special. Who is this master of hers?'

Hermione was so engrossed in her thoughts, that she didn't hear the door opening again just enough for the girl to push Hermione's now empty bucket back into the room, along with another tray of food.

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Severus had spent the last half an hour questioning Harry Potter-Malfoy about his day shopping with Hermione in Hogsmeade, and still wasn't any closer to finding her. Now, as he and Harry stepped out of the Floo into Draco's office at the Ministry, all he wanted to do was strangle the boy for leaving her alone.

"Severus, Harry, what brings you both here at this time of night?" Draco asked, smiling. Then, seeing the worried looks on their faces, his smile faded. "What has happened?"

"Draco, Hermione has been abducted. It seems that she never made it back to the castle after I left her this afternoon," Harry gasped.

"What do you mean, abducted?" Draco shot out of his chair and rounded his desk. "Who was the last person to see her? How long has she been missing?"

"I was," Harry groaned, dropping into a chair. "I left her at the gates to Hogwarts at around five o'clock. She told me she would be fine. I should have insisted on walking her up to the castle, or at least waited until she was inside the gates! Damn, this is all my fault."

Secretly agreeing, Severus had had enough. "Mr. Potter-Malfoy, stop your whining this instant!" he yelled, making the other men jump. "We have enough to worry about, without you having a breakdown."

"Harry, Severus is right. Freaking out right now is not going to help us find Hermione. You can't blame yourself for this. It won't help you think, and since you were the last to see her, that is exactly what I need you to do," Draco commented, trying to remain calm himself.

"Okay," Harry agreed, taking a deep breath. "I know you're right. I just wish I had followed my instincts and not left her alone."

After another frustrating hour of Draco questioning both Harry and Severus, they still had no idea what could have happened to Hermione. Draco was now in a meeting with several of his best Aurors, explaining the situation. Harry was sitting in a chair, wrapped up in his own misery, and Severus was pacing the office, trying to figure out what he should do next.

Suddenly, Draco rushed into his office and over to a cabinet in the corner. Pulling the second drawer open, he shuffled through some files and pulled out a parchment form.

"We have been permitted to use all our resources to find Hermione and return her to Hogwarts," he exclaimed, waving the form in the air. "The Minister himself has approved the mission and is having a team of highly skilled Aurors sent out to collect the Weasley family as we speak."

"You think the Weasleys kidnapped Hermione?" Harry choked. "But why would they do something like that?"

"After what Severus has told us about the encounter with Bill in Hogsmeade, and the letter he saw that Molly sent to Hermione, it has been decided they are the most likely suspects." Draco took a deep breath before continuing, "Also, Minerva has just informed us that the letter Severus saw was not the only one sent to Hermione. She has personally intercepted four other letters from Molly. Although no threats were issued in them, they were far from friendly and a violation of the Ministry's no contact order."

There was a knock at the door. A large, blonde Auror entered and said, "Sir, Misters William, Fred, George, and Charles Weasley are in room six waiting for you. We are still trying to locate Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. They are supposedly out of the country, and we are having trouble tracking them."

"Thank you, Auror Garvey, I will be right there," Draco replied. The Auror dipped his head and left the room, closing the door behind him. Turning to Harry and Severus, Draco asked, "So, do you two want to watch me do my job, or sit in here wondering what is transpiring out there?"

Severus said flatly, "I want to watch. Maybe I can glean something from their behavior to help you."

"I want to watch too. I want to watch them try to lie to you," Harry smiled grimly, standing up and moving toward the door.

"Let's go then," Draco smiled as well, leading them out of his office and into room five. There, he cast a monitoring spell on the wall connecting rooms five and six, and they could see the four Weasley sons. Bill was pacing the small room, irritation all over his face. Charlie was leaning against the wall opposite the spelled wall, his hands in his pockets, a confused and slightly frightened expression etching his features. The twins were slumped in two of the chairs provided, chatting away, their feet propped up on the small table.

"Well, here we go," Draco grimaced, exiting room five.

All four Weasleys looked up when the door opened, and in walked Draco Malfoy-Potter.

"What is the meaning of this? Why have you brought us here?" Bill demanded.

"Good evening, gentlemen," Draco said conversationally in response. "Let's all have a seat. I have some questions for you."

The five men sat down, the redheaded Weasleys on one side of the table, and Auror Malfoy-Potter on the other.

"Now that we are all comfortable, why don't you tell me which one of you kidnapped Hermione Granger?"

TBC

AN::: As always I would like to thank my fabulous betas, Allison and Piper. I would also like to thank all those who have reviewed. In the next chapter the interrogation continues.