Insane Complexity

Chapter Two

It's Time to Let Go

Get some rest, Neville had said. That was exactly what Harry was trying to do, yet with the mayhem and the knowledge that Neville wasn't telling him something, the sleep didn't want to come on pleasantly. Harry rolled onto his back. Or it might have been because of this mattress, Harry added silently to himself. This mattress was stubbornly firm, as he had got it from a five Galleons mattress sale and the time and money (that he was willing to spend for a mattress) were tight.

Harry rolled onto his side. He was supposed to get a new mattress soon,

that was whenever the Hogsmeade Mattress Store owled for his appointment. Harry looked up at his ceiling. It wasn't white like others, but was glass. True, the house dated back to the 1800s, but the owners who lived here before the Weasleys, Potters, and Malfoys had took out the ceiling and made a glass roof. It was a cloudy night with only one bright star peeping out; it reminded him of the night he got his last letter from Hermione...

Harry shook the thoughts out from of his head. It was useless trying to get some rest. He looked at his Muggle alarm clock. 3:18 A.M. Harry bit his lip. It was either sitting here in a dark room doing absolutely nothing or going through Hermione's paperwork...

However, before Harry could decide between these two, his Raphometer went off.

"Harry Potter, get your sleazy butt over here! If I heard correctly from an Auror friend of mine, you are in so much trouble," the voice of his boss screeched out into his bedroom.

Correction- he had three choices. Sit here doing absolutely nothing or go through Hermione's paperwork or getting yelled at for not following standard procedure of a Covertly Agent. Harry sighed. There could only be so much a person can take before he went rebellious. And now this rebellious stage was so close. And everything was going so wrong. He felt so horrible sitting here in a dark room when Ally could be in horrible conditions. Yet, what could he do to help his little Ally at 3:18, no 3:20 in the morning?

"Potter, this is the last time I call you before I have to send out the Cheka and have you in for condemnation!" his boss called again. The Cheka was the term for the Covertly Agents' Secret Police. They were rarely used, as it was to bring agents or captives to the headquarters. But when they were used they were brutal. Harry shuddered at the fact of the Cheka coming to get him.

That made up his mind and off to the C.A.H he went, though if he would have picked going through Hermione's paperwork, he would have learned more.

Neville ran a hand through his hair. He couldn't believe this. Right in front of him was a piece of St. Mungos parchment sentencing death. He could feel the stares of the two others in the conference room with him. No, it wasn't true. His mind was fighting back. It couldn't be true. Yet, it was. Those words stood out at him. Patient number 805518 or Granger, Hermione was next in the line-up for execution.

He looked up at the doctors, "Why her?"

The tallest doctor shifted in his chair. "She is next on the list." Seeing Neville's look, he added, "You know we can't keep her. The war with Voldemort has diminished our resources. You also know that in order to feed the other," he paused here searching for the right word, "Sane patients who can show that they can survive without help. Remember that St. Mungos resources are limited, and even if there is magic, it won't work, as you should know. Patient number 805518 is this month's execution."

"Stop speaking of her as a number!" Neville barked, getting up out of his chair. He covered his eyes with his hands. Sighing, he said, "When is she getting...?"

"December Thirtieth. In five days, Mr. Longbottom."

"Nice Christmas present for Hermione," Neville muttered, sarcastically.

"What was that?" asked the blonde doctor.

Neville shook his head, "Never mind," then, "What if she gets well in the next five days?"

The doctors raised their eyebrows. "Mr. Longbottom, patient 805518 has been in our care for eight years. Never has she shown much growth. She will be doomed with being a St. Mungo's Gricrucio Ward until her life ends."

Hot droplets tickled out of his eyes as he looked at the ceiling. Oh Harry, you'd better work fast.

Harry walked into the C.A.H from the front doors, and turn immediately left. The interior of the building was very plain, but the magic that was surrounding and securing the headquarters made up for it. Harry kept walking until he got to a dead-end. A clear cylinder came down promptly, locking him in with no means of escape.

Golden rays came out of the cylinder walls, running all over Harry's body. He stood still and waited until this process was completed.

"Body is identifiable. This is now the spell part. Please take the wand out of the slot on the right," said a monotone voice.

Harry followed the instructions. His hands lifted the piece of wood out of the slot. All of this was part of the procedure of security.

"Please say the spell that was design for you now," said the monotone voice. This part of the procedure was to ensure that no one using a Polyjuice Potion or glamour to get in the headquarters. There were voice and technique apparatuses ensuring that the person was who they said they were and were allowed in the C.A.H.

Harry said his spell. The golden rays disappeared and there was another, less monotone, more emotional voice. "Welcome Agent Potter. Where would you like to go today?"

"Section 41-902," Harry said. Suddenly the cylinder lifted off the ground. To anyone standing before it, they would of see a cylinder with a human body vanish into the thin air.

Section 41-902 had the same plainness as the lobby. However, the mood was darker. There weren't as much people here as there were in the lobby or in any other sections in fact. Section 41-902 was where Harry's boss held her forces.

The golden cylinder reappeared and Harry stepped out of it. With the same uninterested and detected mood as when he had entered the lobby, Harry entered his boss's office- without knocking. He had long since known that Desiree Curry had a mother's view about her work- or in other words she knew everything that happened at the C.A.H.

Desiree Curry was sitting at her desk when he came in. She had midnight black hair that was always up in a single braid. She was very young to be at her position, which she always bragged about. Her age was always classified, though, since there was Desiree's refusal to tell anyone her true age.

Desiree looked up at him, raising a thick eyebrow. "You didn't knock." It was made to be a simple statement.

Harry almost rolled his eyes but held back just in time. "Just cut to the crap and say you're angry, Curry. Yell at me and get it over with. I've got things to do today."

Her pleasant manner disappeared instantly and she jumped to the chase. "Would you like to show me the note?"

"No. It's my mission, no one else's."

"Potter, You-Know-Who is the Covertly Agents' entire mission. They share the mission to take him down. Not just the Boy-Who-Lives."

Harry's blood was starting to boil. "Oh really? Where are they when Voldemort attacks? Certainly not trying to subdue him. Oh no, they are planning secretly to hurt him, but it's always too late! He already attacked those certain places when he was rumored to attack. No, your agents are always one step behind Voldemort."

"Oh and you're much better than they are?"

"No, but it's my mission. You want to know why they are always the defense of the attack and afraid to take the offence?" Desiree's eyes blinked furiously as Harry dared to go on. "They're afraid of him. Oh everyone is, but they are afraid to face him. They heard about how cruel and vicious Voldemort is. It's my mission alone."

Desiree glared at him. "So, you are so powerful?"

Harry put his hands down on her desk, looking intimidating. He was throwing tranquility and common sense to the wind. "You want another reason? There was a prophecy that basically said that either I have to die or I have to kill him. Me alone. It's my mission because he has taken five of my loved ones' life and kidnapped another precious one. When you say it's not my mission alone, you are wrong! In the end it's going to be Voldemort and me fighting each other- ALONE!"

Harry turned to walk out of Desiree's office.

"Harry Potter!" Desiree called out to him. "Don't you dare walk out of here." Harry continued walking. "I'm going to court marshal you and expel you if you walk out of--" she didn't get to finish because Harry slammed the door on his way out.

It didn't hit Harry that he may not have a job anymore until he had once again reached Hermione's door. Harry paused before he looked into the square window and took the time to look at his watch. Five o'clock A.M. He was momentary surprise to know that no one had stopped him to tell him he couldn't visit. Nevertheless, the surprise had soon washed over him and he looked through the window. A sight greeted him.

As it being five AM in the morning, Harry wasn't surprised to see Neville there. Neville had told him that he worked night shifts, eight-thirty in the night to five-thirty in the morning. Nevertheless, it was the sight that greeted him that gave him the chills. Hermione was sitting on her cot bed, tears escaping from her eyes and Neville shaking his head. He too had a ___sad___ look about him.

"They can't Neville. That can't just do that!" sighed Hermione, looking down at the floor. "Oh, what am I going to do? I can't go out there, with Vold--"

Harry didn't want to hear anymore. He walked away from the door, shocked. According to paperwork describing Hermione's illness, she shouldn't have been able to talk calmly and sensibility. His instincts kicked in all of the sudden felt that something was fishier than usual in this huge mess.

His feet carried him to Neville's office. He opened the door with the spell Neville had used earlier and walked in. Neville had straightened up Hermione's file on his desk, but it was still there waiting to give out more clues. It was as if Neville thought Harry would be back. Harry locked the door behind him and sat down in a chair. He opened up the file and begin to read. It both nerved and inspired him to see that on top on the packet wasn't the piece of paper Harry left off with when he went home to get some rest. Instead it was of something further down in the file. He noticed that something at the top of the page was written in a red pen and was in Neville's handwriting:

A page out of Hermione's journal. (I took it out of her journal - just in case.) August 25, 2007

Harry's eyebrows went up. That was just months ago. As his eyes traveled down the page, which was full with Hermione's tiny and neat print, his eyes widened to their maximum.

Voldemort has thumped again. It was in the Daily Prophet: 'Dark Mark Floating over the Branstone's Home. Family Found Dead.' You'd think that Voldemort would have gone onto more powerful and bigger things. Why am I writing that? I know why he doesn't want to go onto bigger killings. That safety- net rule again. And Harry. Harry is featured in the Daily Prophet sometimes; the reporters talk about what he's off doing and the girlfriends that he has at that period of time. At least I get some update on Harry's life. I haven't got any updates on Ron since five years ago. Neville refuses to give me any updates on my friends... he say that doesn't want me to have an emotional attack.

But I know the real reason why. He's taking another leaf out of Harry's book; he's trying to protect me. I can't say I don't want his protection, since I'm better safe in here than out there, with all what I know. I wonder if Voldemort knows I hold his beloved information. But I'm not that curious to go out of here, I'm not risking my friend's life. Remember curiosity killed the cat? I'm staying put.

I'm going now, Neville just said that time is almost up and I have to go back to acting. I'm getting really good at it, acting I mean.

Harry looked at the date again to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. He was right. August 25, 2007. Hermione wasn't insane- she was the opposite.

Ally sat in a stone room, looking all around her. She was with three other wizards. All of who had long black robes. One of these guys had his sleeve pulled up and he had something scary tattooed onto his shoulder. Ally didn't want to look directly at it- what if these guys hurt her? But out of her corner of her eyes she could tell that the tattoo involved a snake and a skull.

She was scared. But not as much as that little brat Benjamin Malfoy would be. As she tried to recall what her Daddy had said about Ben's father, a Death Eater snored and broke her thinking. She watched fearfully as another kicked the snoring Death Eater.

"You're not supposed to be sleeping- I should report you," one barked.

What was it that her father had said about Ben's father? Oh yes, 'I still don't trust him, though he claims to be good... he demonstrated this in school, always bragging about his Death Eater father.' Ally blinked. No, she was brave. Her father certainly didn't think she was brave and she had to show him. Be like Uncle Harry. But she was scared! What did her mother do when there were reports of Voldemort's attacks around them... sing!

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love," her voice timidly came out catching the Death Eaters' attention.

"What do you want?" snapped one of the evil wizards.

Ally put her head downwards and refused to speak. This didn't go too well with the Death Eaters. The Death Eater who spoke to her yanked her head up. "When you're asked a question, girl, you answer it!"

Tears started to run out of her eyes. She was so frightened now but didn't let up on the singing. "What the world needs now is love, sweet love...not just this song but for everyone..."

Nevertheless, the singing didn't work. She had got all of the Death Eaters' attention- and from the looks on their faces, anyone could tell that it was unwanted attention. She swallowed fearfully, looking around at their faces. She saw a Death Eater raise his wand, pointing it at her... oh boy, what was going to happen... the wizard opened his mouth-

"Seth McDonall. Lower that wand," a snakelike hiss came from the doorway. "There'll be no harming the victim. I'll do that."

Ally's breathe caught in her throat. She immediately knew who he was. Voldemort was here, pointing his red eyes on her.

*****

Harry angrily clutched his hands. From this movement, he could hear the crumbling of the paper that had Hermione's entry. She had played and deceived both Ron and himself. Why? But that wasn't on his mind. What was on his mind included knowing that his blood was boiling from the anger that swelled up inside of him. Not only that-Neville, a person who he thought that he could trust- also deceived him. Couldn't he trust anyone now? There was no answer as he came upon the door with the numbers 434 inscribed upon them once again- Hermione's door.

He was about to bust in, demanding that Hermione stop this absurd act and be a true Gryffindor. Yet, Neville came out, quietly shutting the door. When he looked up, Harry could read a startled look, but that quickly disappeared as he said, "You can't go in there, Hermione just got to sleep, and she has had a terrible night."

"Why are you still here, Neville? It's six o'clock already and it's Christmas morning. Don't you have somewhere else to go?" Harry asked coldly, not responding to what Neville said.

"Reasons."

Harry's eyebrows heightened. "Why are you here, Neville?" he asked again.

"Reasons. Now, you can't go in there. Why don't you--" Neville started to say, but Harry had slammed him up against the wall. Neville made an excruciating face. During his training for the C.A. his instructors made sure that he could defend himself successfully. All Neville simply had was his work as a caretaker and that wouldn't do him any good in a fight against Harry. They both knew that and yet Harry wasn't about to let up.

"Neville, I'm being whipped around so much that I can't understand anything. Everything is going at 100 miles per hour and I have been patient. But when a man's pride and joy gets taken, he isn't going to be a gentleman when the opportunity to know more shows itself. Do we understand each other now, Neville?" Harry hissed.

Neville's face darkened. "I'm not going to be bullied anymore by you, Harry." Neville used his strength and advantage to push Harry away. They were attracting unwanted attention. "I'm a caretaker, Harry. My first priorities are to my patients." Neville started backing away, walking towards his office. "As being a caretaker, I have to protect my patients. And Harry, I want to protect one of them, but I am connected to a wizard's pact to not tell you any information directly.

"But I won't let you barge in on Hermione, demanding answers. Sure, the world is at risk, Harry, but Hermione has been all by herself for eight crappy whole years without so much as two visits from her 'supposedly' best friends. Then here you come waltzing in, demanding that Hermione give you what you want. On top of that, she has that stupid knowledge and let me tell you, it's probably dangerous if she had to lock herself up here.

"On top of that, she's been told of her upcoming death five days from now." Neville took a deep breathe to calm himself and looked into Harry's guilty eyes. "And she's not taking her death sentence very well. So you can't just go in there, angry as you are because bad things are going to happen."

Harry nodded. Boy, Neville's speech had given him some perspective. He suddenly felt very guilty. Yet, he didn't forget the task at hand. He was just angry that he had missed eight years of his best friend's life. But now that he knew she was sane, he suddenly wanted to make up for the lost time. He still had twelve days until Voldemort's deadline was up and whatever destructive act he had planned today couldn't be stopped. Besides, Harry would rather be here with his friend, apologizing than out there spying and fighting. Somehow during Neville's speech, all of the anger had disappeared. And Ally would be safe. Voldemort wouldn't hurt her. She was now too important in his evil scam to be hurt.

Looking up at Neville, Harry asked, "Could I go in there if I promise not to blow up at her?"

Neville nodded, "I put a sleeping charm on her, though," he added as Harry opened door 434 and went in. Neville closed his eyes, picturing his fifth year at Hogwarts. However he didn't picture himself--but Harry, Ron, and Hermione playing a game of gobstones. They were so happy...with each other. Hopefully she'll be happy now, Neville thought.

Hermione lay there. It took a little while for Neville's sleeping charm to work. He may be good at Herbology but Charms wasn't his forte. She waited. Oh where did she go wrong? Within five days, they were killing her. Oh course she knew why, she was a priority. A priority and a burden to everyone. Oh Hermione, you've got yourself in so deep. How are you going to get out of this one? Hermione mentally asked herself as waves of sleepiness come over. Obviously she couldn't just walk outside of this room and say, 'Hey, I'm sane.' So what now?

Nevertheless, Hermione was growing more tired by the second. In this state she'd rather let herself to think about it later, when she would be more focused.

Just as her eyes were drifting close, she heard the door slowly open then shut. Her breathe was coming at a much steadier pace. Suddenly, just before her heavy eyelids shut, she saw the one person who could have changed her mind about anything- Harry. And the look on his face, oh the look on his face. Hermione would have jumped off a cliff for him if he wanted her too. His blurred face was the last thing she saw, his warmth of his hand, the last thing she felt as she drifted off.

*****

There was another error with having a lack-of-confidence wizard performing a sleeping charm on you. While having a proper sleeping charm had the effect of a dreamless-sleep, a non-proper didn't have that gratitude.

It was chilly. Noticing the fog situated around her, Hermione concluded that it was early morning. But it was still cold. In front of her was a small pond. There was a crackle as her feet touched the oddly feeling stiff grass. All around her, the fog moved so she could see in front of her. Her eyes landed on a pond. Within the depths of water were three living humans. At the sight of these three her feet walked towards the pond. Two had red hair and one, black.

"Harry? Ron? Ginny?" she whispered.

Indeed it was Harry, Ron, and Ginny, yet they weren't as she remembered them. Harry looked the same as he did recently; Ron and Ginny looked older. Ginny's features had sharpened a bit, her fine red hair was styled nicely around her face. And throughout the splashing that was happening in the pond, her hair dampened.

Hermione watched as Ginny and Harry stopped splashing each other. Harry's green eyes brightened as he looked in Ginny's eyes. As slowly and delicately as a sun arising, Harry and Ginny moved closer to each other and forgot Ron. As Hermione noticed, Ron disappeared back into the fog. When she looked back over at Harry and Ginny, she saw a tangle of red and black hair, a man's hand clutching the back of the red head.

A small tear tickled down Hermione's cheek and she had to turn away. She looked down within the waters and screamed. There was a body- her body floating, her face and lips a pale blue.

With her lasting strength, she turned away, and noticed that there was a little girl with strawberry-blonde hair standing in front of her. Upon closer inspection, the girl had Ron's blue eyes and nose.

"Help me. I am going to be... Red Rum! Bait!" The girl turned away and disappeared before Hermione could even question her.

Away a distance, Hermione could hear sirens going off. She started walking towards the source of the sirens. She was visibly shaking. She walked until she saw Neville standing in between a gap of two gates. Upon the two gates were the words: Laugh and Cry, Live and Die. You are leaving Cry and Die.

"What are you doing, Hermione?" asked Neville

Miraculously, Hermione found her voice. "I want to leave."

"Now you can't do that. You're confined here until you die. Even when you do die, your ashes will be confined to this ground, never able to leave again!" Neville laughed.

Hermione looked past the gates where she saw the strawberry-blonde girl who had asked for her help. The girl was being choked to death by an invisible force. When the last breathe was taken out of her, the invisible force moved onto someone else-Ron. Hermione turned back to Neville. "You have to let me go! Something's killing Ron!" Didn't he get the urgency of the situation?

Neville's eyes slowly changed red, his face into snakelike. "No you don't. I'm what's killing them, me. Give me the information!"

Sirens went off in her head again. She had to tell the truth! "It won't work!" she yelled.

"Hermione?"

*****

Hermione sat up quickly in her bed. She felt hands behind her back and heard sirens. St. Mungos' hallways had suddenly turned dark. Hermione turned instinctively to her left. Harry was here with an alarmed expression in his eyes.

"We need to get out of here, Hermione." And he stood up, holding out his hand. Hermione blinked at it. No questions asked. No accusations of acting like she had Gricrucio. Just panic. Noticing Hermione's thoughtful face, Harry added, "Death Eaters have attacked. Neville came back and said that we had to evacuate the building and then left to help his other charges to escape." Hermione met his hand and got out of her bed. Before Harry started pulling her out of the room she managed to grab Ally's stuffed hippogriff.

It was dark in the hallways, she couldn't see anything. With competent planning, Harry took the stairs instead of the wizard elevator. There was a tiny hole on one of the walls-one that she made when she first came in. Harry was taking her outside- where Voldemort could get her. Hermione's insides were rotating. As realization came over her, she stopped in a dead stop.

Harry turned to look at Hermione, annoyed and frightened. "C'mon Hermione!"

Hermione shook her head as it was no use to keep acting in front of him, "I can't go out there."

"Why?"

Hermione sighed, "Harry, Voldemort is after me. Now I know he is, if he had kidnapped Ron's daughter and you're here."

Harry threw a glance over Hermione's shoulder to make sure that a Death Eater hadn't caught up with them. There was a slight whooshing sound that his ears picked up on and suddenly there was a horrible pain in his shoulder but he managed to keep from screaming in pain. Meanwhile, Hermione was rambling on.

"I just can't. I'm already risking my life by dropping my charade in front of you. If Voldemort found out that I--" Hermione stopped at Harry's painful face. Last time she checked- and that was ten seconds ago- he was listening with a thoughtful and an angry face. But now... "What?" Hermione asked fearfully, looking at his face.

"We have to go now!" whispered Harry, a rising urgency in his voice, his hand clutching his shoulder. Hermione let out a frustrated sigh, while her eyes were traveling his arm length.

"Harry Potter, how many times do I-" she stopped. Her eyes were now leveled on the arrow sticking out of his shoulder. She felt her eyes widened as she looked up at him. "Death Eaters?" she questioned. Harry nodded. "Since when do Death Eaters use arrows?"

"I don't know, but we've got to get out of here," Harry's good arm went to re-grip Hermione's forearm and was ready to yank her out of St. Mungos. But as soon as he gripped her arm, he felt fear. Now, he knew it wasn't his own fear, as he didn't have any that involved leaving the building. Somehow, it had to be Hermione's. Harry sighed and closed his eyes. He couldn't just force her out of here. It wasn't right and just what Voldemort would do. Ever since he was twelve, he had been determined to not turn out like Voldemort. But they were losing time before a Death Eater had found them! Finally he said, "Do you trust me to protect you?"

"What?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do, Harry, but that isn't the point."

Suddenly there was sound of footsteps at the top of the stairs. Harry yanked on Hermione's arm and started flying towards the doorway. He heard Hermione flying after him; it was apparent that all doubt had retreated into the recesses of her mind. But Harry had other problems. The pain from the arrow was getting to him. As a C.A. he received training on how to survive with pain. This however was more than pain. It was getting so intensified as if it was the Crucio curse. It had to be whatever was on the arrow.

At the doors, Harry quickly stopped. Hermione gave him a questionable look and sat down of the floor, trying to catch her breathe. Harry prepared himself and yanked the arrow out. The pain was even more insulted, and he was sure that moisture was forming at his eyes.

"Why didn't you do that before?" Hermione panted from the ground. Being locked up in a cell for eight years with nothing to exercise with except practicing her jinxes on Neville and dance whenever she felt too cooped up; she was in no shape to run down the stairs fastly.

"Standard procedure," replied Harry before pulling her up again.

"What?"

"I'm a Covertly Agent, C.A. for short, and standard procedure dictates that you leave the wound how it was until you can see a healer, but the pain was horrid."

Hermione didn't reply because at that time, they were running at a fast speed off of St. Mungos' grounds. And as Harry intended, they stayed in the shadows.

Just as they were leaving, Hermione turned her head back to the building. Goodbye safe haven. It was fun while it lasted. Now it's time to help Harry. This thought ran through her brain until she realized that Neville was still in there. But she wasn't afraid he would die. She had confidence that he would get out alive, hopefully.

*****

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked, looking around her. From signs she gained that she was in the outskirts of London. Her hand was gripped in Harry's as sweat tickled down. But the body language told her that this was an "I'm-the-Protector-So-Leave-Me- Alone" expression of Harry's.

"Home."

Hermione's eyes narrowed, "But your arm."

"Ron's wife can heal it."

"What about his child and V-Voldemort?

"It'd have to wait. We've done all that we can for now."

They walked the London streets in silence. Harry's eyes were fixed solely before him, but nothing was out there. The streets were oddly clear of human beings.

"Where's everyone?"

"Hiding. It's now not safe for Muggles to walk the streets with Death Eaters about," Harry said grimly.

"Where are the Aurors then?"

"Dead, at least half of them anyway."

"What in the world are you talking about? The half of the Auror Population can't be dead. Can they?"

"Voldemort attacked the headquarters during a very important meeting."

"What about the other half? Where are they?"

At last he looked into her eyes. "Hermione, this is the deadliest war ever. The Aurors still alive can't just go around protecting only Muggles. And why are you asking me this. Didn't Neville tell you anything?"

"No. I know nothing, except facts from the occasional Daily Prophet. Neville thought it best to keep my curiosity down so I wouldn't escape."

"Does he know what the information that you hold is?"

Hermione bit her lip and looked down. "No. I've been the sole bearer of the information for eight years."

"It isn't anything that can harm you, is it?" Harry asked, looking at her.

"It depends on-" Hermione stopped herself from saying too much.

"What does it depend on, Hermione?" Harry urged.

Hermione didn't reply for awhile. She didn't want to tell anyone or else she'd be force to put it in effect. That or Voldemort would capture them and torture them until they told him. And he certainly could remember the information; not unlike others, who the information just slips their minds and they forget. "They were going to kill me."

"I know."

"I didn't want to die."

"I could tell. But you aren't going to die. Not now, not in a hundred years. You are going to find someone and make babies with IQs of 400."

Hermione eyebrows went up. "Harry, I'm only twenty-four years old and probably one of the key players in the war now. If I don't die in the war, then I'd die because I faked having an illness. But still, I don't want to die, but I probably will. Besides, you should be the one to live and make the babies who can give you the family you'd always wanted. It'd be your chance."

"But I'm probably going to die too. You heard the prophecy. I have to kill or be killed. Also add the fact that Voldemort is more powerful than I am and ta-da, I'm dead."

Hermione looked at the ground. "Well, that's just it. The Potter and Granger lines end with us."

"I guess."

Silence grew between them once again. Hermione still had plenty of questions but they disappeared when Harry brought her around a corner.

Gold and green lights flashed in her vision. There were cars parked along the curb of a particular house. If she squinted long and hard enough, she could make out the letters: C.A.M.F. Even though she was kept locked up, her brains were still at a higher intelligence of her peers. From looking at Harry's expression, she could tell that these were wizard vehicles. C.A.M.F She searched her brain for something that would fit. "Covertly Agents Magic Force," she whispered.

Harry turned to her, "What?"

"Aren't those the people you work with?"

"Yeah. Look, we need to turn around."

"But they can help your arm probably."

"No--" Hermione narrowed her eyes and Harry had to elaborate. "I'm not-"

"HARRY!" said a voice behind Harry.

Harry spun around, ready to protect Hermione. However, he relaxed once he saw it was just Ron, Ginny, and Abby.

Ginny left out a great gust of air that she'd been holding ever since the C.A's had busted in. Her arms went around Harry, hugging him tight like a sister would. "Oh, good! You are still safe. Your work buddies just came in!"

"More like busted in," Ron corrected.

"And then we heard that you were in serious trouble and oh Harry!"

"So they're trying to find me?" Harry asked. He felt Hermione's presence hovering behind him.

"Yeah, mate. What did you do?" Ron asked.

Harry looked behind him, towards the Janus. "I walked out on Desiree."

"Your boss?"

"Yeah. She kept saying that destroying Voldemort was all of the C.A's jobs, and not just mine."

"Did you tell her about the prophecy?" Ron asked.

"Yeah." Harry looked behind him again. No one had yet catched sight of the group standing fifty meters away. But he didn't want to take the chance of getting caught by standing there. "Look, isn't there a coffeehouse around here that we can wait until they've got done searching the bloody house for me?"

"There's a Starbucks a block away." Abby replied, her voice silent.

But Ron was looking behind Harry. Ron flickered. There was a person that was standing behind Harry. A person about the height of 5' 4", and was wearing a blue uniform with a crest with a wand and bone crossing. He recognized the clothing a St. Mungos patient. One that was there permanently...and it was then when he looked into her eyes that he figured out who it was. "Hermione," he whispered.

This stopped all conversation as to where to campout until the C.A's were done. Both Ron and Ginny were frozen to the spot. Harry quickly stepped out of Hermione's way and to the side. The pain in his arm was reaching its climax. But luckily he had training to survive with the pain. Now wasn't the time to ask Abby to heal it. He was also sure that the white blood cells had formed a wall. His side of his cloak had stained red. But now wasn't the time.

Ginny was the one who broke the silence. She ran up to Hermione and threw her arms around Hermione's neck. She started running her mouth. "Oh! I missed you and I don't care if you're insane! Ron wouldn't let me or tell me anything so I couldn't come and see you. He kept saying, 'What is the point of talking to a person who isn't in the right mind. But I would have if I had the chance!"

Ron turned to Harry. "Why did you bring her?" He hissed.

Harry shooked his head. "Not now; things aren't how they seem."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You won't understand if I told you now. There's not much time and too much to explain. We have to go now." Harry tugged on Ginny's shoulder gently to pull her off Hermione. Hermione was unusually tense and was breathing deeply.

Ron, however, wasn't about to let up. "Oh, and did you hear that? He's talking to me like I'm back to being a fifteen-year-old-hormone-bomb!"

"Ron," Harry warned.

"No! Just tell me Harry. I need to know now or I'll just blow up into little Ron slimy guts from not knowing. Harry, knock off, I'm talking. My daughter was kidnapped on Christmas Eve, and now it's Christmas and she's gone! And now no one is telling me anything! For all I know You-Know-Who could be torturing Allison to death! And then there's that mysterious note. You-Know-Who had to write something bloody horrid to cause that sort of reaction from you. Then you bring home a bloody mental person and refuse to tell me anything! Harry Potter! I'm not leaving this spot until I get some answers."

Harry glanced behind him again. The C.A's hadn't shown any reaction that they heard Ron's rant. Ron's rant had stunned everyone; Ginny was quite still in her pajamas, Hermione was stiff as a board, and Abby was blinking furiously in order to keep her tears in check.

Finally and ironically, it was Abby that broke the silence. "Well, that was bloody stupid Ron. You got nothing out of him except silence. But if you do blow up into slimy pieces I call dibs on Jon Thomas."

Everyone gave her weird looks. "Abs," said Ron, "Please don't call dibs on my penis when we are standing here out on the streets. I'm not going to blow apart in pieces because Harry is going to inform me on everything, right?"

Harry nodded, "But not now. I have to get us into a secure location. It's not safe here." His arm throbbed madly and Harry hurriedly added, "Abby, I need you to look at my arm. A Death Eater at St. Mungos thought that an arrow would look nice in my shoulder."

Abby nodded as Ginny asked, "Where are we going?"