In Demand

I think you know you lost the love of your life


I THINK YOU KNOW YOU LOST THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE
 


“This is the third evening in a row you two have sat here
playing chess.   Will one of
you just hurry up and win already?”
 


Hermione Granger wasitatitated beyond belief.  
Irritated with Harry.  Irritated
with Severus.  Irritated with the
never-ending heat.  The two wizards
were once again locked in battle in front of the fireplace of the Great Hall.  “Gods forbid should they miss a night.” 
She had heard about chess games going on for days on end, but had
never actually seen it.  She was bored.  She
had gone to bed alone the last three nights due what the castle referred now to
as “The Game.”  She had awoken
in the morning to find the bed empty as well. 
Severus awoke early to plan his strategy in The Game. 
Had she not had dim memories of waking briefly to find a warm body
wrapped around hers, she would have sworn she slept the nights alone. 
Harry had no time to spend with her eithebsp;bsp;
He too was obsessing about The Game. 
Everyone else spent the days talking about The Game and the evenings
observing The Game.  She was bloody
sick of The Game and it was all she could do not to raise her wand and
incinerate the board and pieces. 
 


She was through with The Game.
 


Hermione stormed into the Great Hall, “I have had it with
this Gods Damned Game.  If this is
not over TONIGHT, then I am moving back to Gryffindor.  Oh and don’t look so smug Harry. 
I mean to have the whole tower.  You
can move to the friggin dungeons so you two can continue The Game there. 
I’m going for a walk!”  SLAM
went to door.
 


Harry looked at Severus and smirked. 
Harry Potter actually smirked at Severus Snape. 
“You want to throw in the towel, old man?? 
Sleeping in the dungeons is not as big of a change for me as sleeping
alone will be for you.”
 


“Shut up and play, Potter.”
 


But Harry was right.  He
didn’t want to spend his nights alone.  Hermione was too important to him.  Although he was sure she would calm down in a day or two, he
didn’t even want to be parted from her for even one night. 
He studied the board carefully and made his move.
 


There was a sharp intake of breath from those around him. 
Harry’s mouth dropped. Slowly Harry reached out to the White Queen, and
moved. 
 


“Checkmate?”
 


“So it is Harry.  Very
good game.  Now if you will all
excuse me, I have a pressing matter that needs my attention. 
Goodnight all.”  The Potions Master was out the door in a swirl of black.
 


Harry sat back in his seat and smiled. 
“Well, if I had any misgivings about Hermione and Snape, they sure are
gone now.  I can’t believe he just
threw the game for her.” 
 


Dumbledore stood up and placed a hand on Harry’s
shoulder.  “I can, Harry. 
I most certainly can.”
 


Harry began cleaning up the pieces, carefully placing each
one back in its box after thanking it for a game well ed. ed. The small audience
was moving around and saying their goodnights. 
 


Suddenly there was a crash. 
Harry was on his knees grasping his forehead; the chess box forgotten at
his feet.  “Voldemort.”
 


Dumbledore was upon Harry in a flash, helping him to his
feet.  “Can you tell how far away
he is??”
 


Harry closed his eyes, trying to steel himself to the
burning pain.  “Not sure exactly,
but I can tell h act active and his attention is focused at Hogwarts.”
 


Dumbledore sat down and appeared to be deep in thought. 
He suddenly looked to Remus Lupin.  “Get
outside and find Severus and Hermione.  They
are not safe even on the grounds right now. 
Hurry.”
 


Before Lupin could reach the door, Severus Snape came
flying through it.  “He was
breathing heavily and he face was several shades whiter than normal.  “There is a Dark Mark in the sky over Hogsmeade. 
I can’t find Hermione.”
 
I WAS THE BEST YOU EVER HAD
 


Below Hogsmeade, a broom flew high and fierce. 
Sirius Black had a very important gift for his Dark Lord. 
He held a limp form on the broom in front of him. 
Setting down near an oak tree, he threw the bundle over his shoulder and
was gone.
 


Almost instantaneously he reappeared, dropped his cargo,
and fell to his knees in front of Voldemort. 
“Master, I have brought the mudblood. I snatched her right from under
that old fool Headmaster’s nose.  She
never knew what hit her.”
 


Demon red eyes gazed at the figures on the floor. 
Voldemort motioned for Sirius Black to rise. 
“Well done Sirius. You have once again proven yourself and have earned
a spot back in my good graces.”  He
pointed his wand at the unconscious girl.  “Enervate.”
 


Hermione immediately opened her eyes and made to get to her
feet.  She felt a boot in the center
of her b for forcing her to the ground.  “You
will bow before the Master.”  She
looked sideways into the face of Sirius Black.
 


“Bastard, I bow to no one.” 
Her hand flew to her sleeve and found her wand ….missing.
Sirius dangled it by its end, swinging it back and forth. 
“Did you lose something, you lousy mudblood whore?” 
He kicked her hard in the side, forcing her to roll to her back.  “What’s wrong Hermione?? 
You don’t look so good.  Too
many late nights in the dungeons?  Don’t
look so shocked.  It’s a pity that
incompetent buffoon you call a Headmaster never made sure the passageway from
Hogsmeade to Hogwarts was kept sealed.  You
never know who could find their way in at night.”
 


Another kick had her back on her stomach. She struggled to
stay conscious. Several more blows exploded, in her head, in her ribs, across
her back.  She could feel a trickle
from her nose and could taste blood in her mouth. 
 


Voldemort spoke now.  “As
much as I do enjoy the sight of filthy blood being spilt, I must insist that you
stop, Black. She is of much more use to us alive, than dead.  
Ah, I see our host has joined us.  Draco,
get Mirangranger to her feet.”
 


She was aware of being drug to her feet, and of ice blue
eyes meeting her own.  “Granger we
meet again.” 
 


Draco released her and moved out of her view. She tried to
lift her head to meet Voldemorts eyes, but the view swam and she dropped to her
knees, wretching violently.  She was
unable to open her eyes at this point, never the less rise again to her feet.
 


“Draco, get her up again and stop this bleeding. 
She must remain alive until I have time to complete stripping her
Source.”
 


She realized that she was being carried gently. 
She felt herself being lowered onto a hard surface. 
Then soft words were spoken as a warmth moved through her body. 
She looked up into the blue eyes of Draco Malfoy. 
They flashed briefly with a warning.
 


“Are you finished with her yet, Malfoy?” 
Voldemort hissed. 
 


“In a moment My Lord. 
Just a few more charms.”  He
bent over her once again, closely examining the injuries to her head. 
She felt the gash on her forehead heal and she was helped into a sitting
position.  Gentle fingers probed the
blood-matted hair on the back of her head. 
The blond man moved in for a closer look at the wound. 
She heard him speak almost directly into her ear. 
“Obey him, play along, and we all may survive this.” 
She felt healing warmth on the back of her headsp; sp;
 


She was able to look around the room. 
She was in a large dining room.  Draco
had laid her on the banquet table in the middle of the room. 
She quickly took note of the painting over the fireplace and realized it
was Lucius Malfoy. 
 


“Are you quite through with the trollop, Draco?”
 


She was drug to her feet. 
“Yes Master.  She will
live, for now.”
 


“Very good.  It’s
time to start the ritual.”
 


 


She stood proudly on her own feet as the skeletal figure of
Tom Riddle approached her.  He
looked her up and down, appraising her.  He
lifted his upper lip in disgust and sneered “Which one of you two wants to
strip her?”
 


Draco immediately stepped forward.  “Please Master, let me.”
 


“Quite eager are we, Draco. 
Well for the short time she lives after her powers are stripped, you may
have her.  Although, I am surprised
you have a taste for Mudbloods.”
 


Before she had a chance to react, she felt her pants
disappear. 
 


 


At Hogwarts mayhem had broken out.  Wands were drawn, theories formed, voices, shouts, general
confusion.  Only Dumbledore sat
quietly with his eyes closed, mouth moving. 
After several minutes he opened his eyes.  “SILENCE” came the commanding roar of Albus Dumbledore. 
 


“Sit down, all of you. 
Get a grip on your emotions.,” he instructed.
 


Minerva McGonnegal, Remus Lupin, and Poppy Pomfrey
instantly obeyed.  Severus Snape and
Harry Potter did not.  They
completely ignored Albus when he gave the order the second time. 
So caught up in forming a rescue plan, they didn’t even hear him the
third time.  But, when Albus
Dumbledore drew his wand, they could not help but feel the power that surged
through the room.  They turned, eyes
wide and mouths shut, to face the Headmaster.
 


“I believe that I do not have to point out the fact that
emotional outbursts such as this will not only accomplish nothing; but, will
most likely end up getting us all killed.  I
believe that I said to SIT DOWN.”  Immediately Harry and Severus dropped into chairs.
 


“Now then, I raised the invasion wards on the castle
proper as well as summoned the remainder of the staff from their rooms. 
They should be arriving momentarily.   
I also have shut the floo network in the castle down to avoid invasion by
that method. Remus, get up to the owlery and owl the ministry and let them know
what has happened.” 
 


Various members of the summer staff began arriving and were
quietly cued in by the others to what had occurred.
 


Albus turned to Harry and Severus.  “Obviously, your first and foremost concern is Hermione’s
safety. I want to remind you that we do not actually know that Voldemort has
taken her.  She may be somewhere in
the castle or on the grounds.  A
thorough search must be undertaken immediately.”
 


Severus Snape’s eyes flashed as a spark ignited. 
Mumbling something about “why didn’t I think of this right away,”
he went running from the Great Hall.
 


Albus began to assign duties to those stseatseated such as
preparing for casualties, keeping lookout from the 4 towers, and further
strengthening and expanding the wards.
 


Severus Snape rushed back into the Great Hall carrying his
Pensieve.  “I can watch Hermione
through here.  Maybe we can figure
out where she’s at.”
 


He sat the Pensieve on the table and called her name into
it.  “Hermione Granger.”
Because I\'m in Demand 



Hermione came into view.
 


 Draco Malfoy
stepped in front of her and reached up to obviously knead her breasts roughly.
Once again, warnwarning was in his eyes. Then with a wrench of his hands, he
tore her shirt from her.  Her bra
followed behind.  He trailed one
finger over her right nipple as he stepped away again and came in behind her.
 


Over her shoulder, Severus could make out the painting of
Lucius Malfoy.  “She’s in Malfoy
Manor.”
 


Voldemort loomed over her. 
The red eyes were drawn to the pendant which dangled between her breasts. 
“What have we here?  A time
er?&er?"   One bony hand reached for the minature pensieve and
tore it from her neck.
 


Severus Snape had only a second to react. 
“He’s coming here, NOW!”
 


In a flash of light, Voldemort stood in the Great Hall,
surrounded by a dozen witches and wizards. 
He turned to find himself face to face with Albus Dumbledore.