Harry Potter and the Secrets from the Past

10. THE KIDNAPPING

...

It can be that

I don't know what I am saying

Choosing you

-a woman - as best friend.

But my job is living life

Either of everyday or unknown;

I love you, strong, weak mate

Who sometimes learns and sometimes teaches.

...

"A woman as a friend" by Lucio Battisti

The following day was a Saturday, and all the students were getting ready to go to Hogsmeade.

When Harry and Ron went down to the common room, they found Hermione waiting for them.

"Good morning guys... it was about time you came down!"

"Once on a while you could greet us without criticizing something about us, Hermione!" Ron answered back, while jumping from the last stair, followed by Harry, who immediately noticed her good mood.

"Why are you so happy today?"

"Last night Viktor and I talked a lot... he told me everything about what he has done during the last months," replied Hermione while exiting the common room and walking along the corridor followed by Harry and Ron, who were listening carefully. Then Hermione spoke again.

"He told me that now he is playing in one of the best Quidditch teams in the world. What was its name? Ah, yes... the Fiandler or Biandler... something like that..."

"The CHANDLER, you mean? The most famous Bulgarian Quidditch team?" Ron corrected her, horrified by his best friend's ignorance about Quidditch.

"Yes that's the one! He's now living alone in a large house in Bulgaria. He bought his house with part of his earnings... and he said that now he earns a lot! Anyway, he hasn't got much free time, because he's practically always at work..."

"Did he tell you the real reason for being here?" Harry asked the most important question for himself.

"No, not yet... but he said that he would like to talk to me about that this afternoon at Hogsmeade. He has something really important to tell me..." Then Hermione stopped and lowered her voice.

"Something about Voldemort!"

The three of them looked each other in the eyes. Harry had a bad feeling, and he told the others his doubts.

"But, what is Vikor Krum supposed to know about Voldemort? And why does he want to talk to you about that?"

"Well, my theory is this: since Viktor was a Karkarov's student, and Karkarov has been a Death Eater in the past, maybe now he knows some very important information about Voldemort. Maybe he's here to tell Dumbledore, and since he's a friend of mine, he'd like to tell me as well. Then I'll be able to tell you everything, Harry!"

"You mean that we aren't invited?" asked Ron, surprised.

"No... He just told me that he wanted to talk to me, alone."

"No way Hermione... I really don't like this, at all. I don't trust that guy." Ron told her about his doubts, which were the same Harry had: Couldn't Viktor tell all of what he knew directly to him? Why he wanted to meet her alone?

Now they were walking on the grounds, and were heading to the main gate. The day was very cold, even if the sky was clear and the sun was shining.

"Come on Ron! Don't be so suspicius! Viktor is on our side, you should know that by now... and then he wants to talk to me in private, because... well, with me he has got more confidence."

"What do you mean by CONFIDENCE?"

"Ron, stop it, please!"

Harry rolled his eyes and jumped in between them, trying to stop their bickering.

"All right, now stop it... Ron, it's useless to argue with her... because Hermione already made her decision."

Then he turned to Hermione.

"And you, please try to be really careful, because I don't trust Viktor Krum either. At the feast yesterday, he was talking with Malfoy like he was a very good friend of his. By the way, have you got your wand?"

"Yes, it's in my handbag, but I won't need it, I assure you!"

"Great! Let's go now, or we're going to be late...."

Harry cut her off. He was starting to get nervous about the whole thing, and he was really looking forward to going back to the castle that evening, with both his best friends alive and safe.

When they arrived in Hogsmeade it was already lunchtime, and they decided to stop at the Three Broomsticks to have something to eat. The place was really crowded, and they chose a table at the back of the room.

"Where are you going to meet him?"

"I thought that Madam Puddifoot's teashop would be the right place to talk quietly."

Harry nearly choked himself on his last bit of sandwitch. He remembered that place very well, because he went there the previous year with Cho on Valentine's Day: Cho kept talking the entire time about poor Cedric Diggory and had compared their date with the one she had with Cedric in the past.

Harry shuddered, remembering how Cho had rushed out of the place, leaving him there like and idiot because of something he had told her. That date had been a real fiasco.

"Why have you chosen that place? Just couples go there to be alone and... You know... not be disturbed..."

Ron was slightly disappointed, and like Harry's opinion, more like a jealous boyfriend than a best friend.

"I've chosen that place, and that's it! I don't believe to owe you any explanations for that, Ron Weasley!"

Ron didn't answer back, but he looked deeply offended, even if Hermione didn't seem to worry about that too much.

"Well... it's almost time to go..." said Hermione looking at her watch. But when she got up, Harry grabbed her arm.

"Wait... we're coming with you... let's go Ron!"

Hermione was a bit surprised, but she didn't objected and the three of them exited the pub and headed to Madame Puddifoot's, which was situated up a side road, at the end of the main street.

They stopped at a certain distance, then Hermione faced them to say goodbye.

"It's two o'clock now, and I think I'm going to be finished by three... you can wait for me at The Three Broomsticks. I'll meet you there."

Then Hermione realized that her friends were staring at her worriedly, and she tried to reassure them.

"Come on, I'm not going to war! And it isn't even a date! I'm just going to find out what Viktor has to tell me, and then I'll come back immediately to you..."

"We're going to wait here."

"No way Ron! Viktor is coming and I don't want him to see you... or he may think that you are tailing us! Everything'll be fine, trust me."

Suddenly she came closer to Ron and hugged him, then she turned to Harry and did the same, but this time she raised herself on her tiptoes and gave him a little kiss on the cheek. Then she turned and ran to the teashop, opened the door and bid them farewell them a last time with her hand before disappearing inside.

"Why did she kiss YOU?" asked Ron with a slightly envy in his voice, but Harry didn't pick up on the challenge. He felt he was going to blush and for a short moment, he wanted to follow Hermione inside the teashop.

"Come on, Ron... it's better if Krum doesn't find us here..."

Finally both of them headed to the pub.

When they entered, they saw that a few friends of them were sitting at a distant table: Dean Thomas and Ginny very close to each other, Neville Longbottom and finally Luna Lovegood dressed in her usual eccentric way.

Ron frowned at them for a moment; in fact he didn't accept yet that his sister was dating Dean Thomas. Then Harry signalled to him to sit at a smaller table close to the entrance, but Ginny was already getting up to greet them.

"Hey, Ron, Harry! Why don't you come this way?"

Almost sadly, Ron headed to their friends' table with Harry and took a seat.

"What are you doing here?" asked Neville curiously.

"The same thing you do!" replied Ron, slightly annoyed.

"Where is Hermione?" asked Ginny.

"Hermione had to go.... HAIOOOO!" exclaimed Ron, when Harry gave him a hard kick on his right leg; then Harry hurriedly ended the sentence for him.

"She had to go to the library! Right... she had a very difficult essay to finish!"

"Yes, an essay!" confirmed Ron, massaging his leg and frowning at Harry, who forcedly was trying not to look on his best friend's direction.

"Hey, guys... have you seen Fleur Delacour? She's even more beautiful, don't you agree?" commented Seamus extremely delighted.

"Yes, she's really gorgeous..." added Dean, causing Ginny to be jealous; she gave him a hard nudge in the side.

"But, what did I say?" asked Dean massaging his side, while Ginny rolled her eyes.

"I know what Fleur and Viktor are at Hogwarts for," stated Luna simply, as if she had just made a comment on the weather.

"You know about that? And say, who told you? Dumbledore maybe?" asked Ron quizzically.

"No, but I heard Fleur talking about that to Cho Chang and Heather McRow."

Everybody was now staring at her, waiting for the rest of the story, but Luna kept sipping her tea, quietly. Then Ron broke the silence.

"And so? Are you going to tell us the reason why Dumbledore has invited those two at Hogwarts, or not?"

"I suggest you to buy the next edition of "The Quibler", in which my father has published all the information you want! Anyway, I can anticipate that it'is going to be something really, really big..."

"Come on, Luna, can't you tell us something more?" pleaded Ginny.

"If you really want to know it, I can tell you that this story is just confirming my father's theory... he always knew that Cornelius Fudge had his Heliopath Army!"

"Beg your pardon?" said Ron aghast, so Luna hurriedly explained her theory.

"Fleur and Viktor know useful informations about Fudge's Army... the Heliopaths are now on YOU-KNOW-WHO's side, and if the new Minister of Magic doesn't do something soon, then the giants will change to his side as well, as the dementors already did!"

Everybody was in reverent silence: it seemed as if Luna knew a lot about this subject. Harry thought over it for a moment, and he realized that, after all, the whole thing could have been true.

***O***

Harry was nervously looking at his watch, which was telling him that it was two thirty. Then it showed a quarter to three, then three and finally three thirty, but Hermione wasn't there yet.

Ron was nervous as well, and was repeatedly turning to his friend, who finally nodded.

"Hem... we've to go now!" Ron dismissed his friends, and then rushed out from the pub, followed by a really worried Harry. They ran like mad to the teashop.

"Hermione is late! But when I find her, she'll see..."

Ron seemed furious, but Harry had the feeling that it was just his way to disguise the worry.

They entered the teashop in a fury: it was half empty, with the exception of two couples who were sitting at the far end of the room. Then they reached the owner, Madame Puddifoot, a short and fat lady, dressed with a long, pink robe, who was cleaning one of the tables close to the entrance.

"Excuse me, Madame.... we're looking for a girl..." started Harry nervously.

"A girl, dear?"

"Yes, a student... she had to meet a guy here..."

Madame Puddifoot raised her eyes and stared at Harry curiously. In that moment, he realized that he didn't ask a clever question, since that was the place where only COUPLES of students were meeting.

Anyway, Ron did his best to mix up the situation even more.

"We're looking for a "know-it-all" student with brown and bushy hair..."

Madame Puddifoot was now staring at them in a really surprised way.

"Well, why don't you tell me the name of this girl, then?"

"Yes, of course... her name is Hermione, and the guy's name is Viktor Krum... and he is shorter than us, with black hair and beard..."

Madame Paddifoot made a bright smile, because she suddenly understood.

"Yes, yes, yes... they were seated at that table over there!"

"And, when did they leave? Could you tell us? Please?" asked Harry even more worriedly, trying to speak politely.

"They left almost immediately... they even didn't finish their coffee!"

Harry and Ron stared at each other in shock. Then Madame Puddifoot spoke again, with her eyes gazing into space.

"They were a really strange couple! Expecially him, because he seemed in a great rush..."

"Could you maybe tell us, where did they go? I mean... in which direction?"

Again Madame Puddifoot was staring at Harry in great surprise, so he tried to add an explanation for that question.

"We must talk to Hermione... we must tell her something really important..."

"I see... well, unfortunately I don't know where they went... but I did see them heading toward the Forbidden Forest, and I was really surprised about that... hey, where are you running off to?"

Harry and Ron cut her off, and rushed outside, heading to the Forbidden Forest. The sun was going down, making it really hard to see the way.

They were leaving Hogsmeade now, following the path along the Forest.

Then Harry stopped abruptly, panting heavily because of the run, and Ron did the same. Both friends were now turning everywhere, looking for Hermione or at least any trace of her passage, but there was nothing there.

"I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT! I had told her, again and again, but she kept saying "Don't worry Ron, I trust Viktor"... on the contrary, there was NOTHING to trust about him!"

Ron was shouting to himself, while Harry was turning around, desperately looking for any clue, which might help him understand what had happened.

Then, finally he saw it: it was a small light, which was shining from the depth of the forest.

Without thinking it over, he rushed in between the trees, trying to reach the source of that light.

"Hey, Harry... what the hell..." Ron didn't see the light, but he followed Harry anyway.

The Forest was becoming thicker, and now little twigs were sticking out from the ancient trees and poking them in the face and the arms; the further they walked, the more the darkness was covering the Forest.

"LUMOS!" shouted Harry to light his wand, and then he continued to walk toward that little light, which was becoming bigger. Finally he reached the source: it was at the bottom of a large rock.

Harry crouched on the ground, with Ron looking on in shock, and then he understood where the light was coming from.

Harry slowly got up, horrified, and showed the object to his friend, who opened his mouth in surprise.

"It's Hermione's wand, I recognize it! Harry, what do you think has happened here?"

"I don't know, Ron! Maybe Viktor brought her here, in the Forest, and then he attacked her... maybe she lost her wand, while she was trying to defense herself... and then.... I really don't know what's happened."

"Do you think that.... he has... KILLED Hermione?"

Ron was completely shocked, and at that question Harry shuddered: it couldn't be true, Hermione couldn't be dead, she shouldn't be....

"I don't believe so... I'm sure that Viktor has had a very good reason for kidnapping her..."

"Do you think he's working for YOU-KNOW-WHO?"

"Of course!" whispered Harry and then added determinedly: "There is only one thing to do.... we must go to Dumbledore!"

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