I Will Always Find You

AN: Here\'s to a super swift update!! *chugs down coffee* wheeeeeee!!!! LOL Sorry guys, here\'s the chapter. Once again, many thanks to Sunflower for beta-ing for me!

Reviewers:


angel: Thank you and sorry about the cliffhanger. The chapter was just getting a bit long, and I was getting tired.


mysticsong: Yeah I thought I\'d make her a good guy. I needed someone in the Malfoy household to be on Hermione\'s side.


Moi: OOPS!!!! I will go and fix that right away! Thanks for pointing that out! (I have to admit I was too lazy to go and look up how to spell it!) LOL You\'re right he is delicious! The things I could do to....*slaps self* Sorry! LOL Oh, and by the way, it\'s spelled luscious. Just to clarify. I can spell stuff like that, I just can\'t spell names.

TaintedAngel: LOL I started working on this chapter right away cause I knew you guys would be going crazy! LOL Yeah I\'m planning on having some lemons in here; but I wanted to drive everyone nuts waiting for them. LOL I\'m evil like that.


Anon: Well, it\'s explained more in this one. LOL He certainly is infuriating sometimes isn\'t he?


Cristie: Don\'t worry!!! Lots of happiness coming thier way after she gets back to the castle. You are quite correct about that. I was planning on him being very discreet....until they get some time alone! LOL LOL And yes I thought Narcissa would be a very good spy.


slytheringryffindor21: Thank you much dear!!


Tithen: *Blushes* I\'m glad you like my story so much! I wanted to make it realistic and I\'m really, unbelievably glad that it came off that way. I hope it stays as good. I have a lot of ideas for the next few chapters. I hope you like them just as much!



Chapter 16: Confrontations


\'The man doesn\'t miss a beat.\' Severus thought after Dumbledore had voiced his concern. \"How did you know?\"

\"I sensed an illegal portkey activated in the castle and now with the three of you here I know who has used one, wether it was her chioce or not. Unfortuately for us, I have no way of telling where she was sent.\"

Severus nodded. \"Sera was the last person to see her. I\'ll go and try to reach her on the floo network.\"


He was gone on a whirl of robes and Dumbledore reguarded Harry and Ron. \"Don\'t worry boys; we\'ll do the best we can to find her.\"

Harry had forgiven Dumbledore for what had happened in fifth year and he gave the old man a nod.


\"Sir, we can help find her, right?\" Asked Ron. He was extremely worried about Hermione and didn\'t think he could stand it if he wasn\'t allowed to help find her.


\"Of course you and Mr. Potter may help look for Miss Granger.\" Dumbledore smiled. \"I know that if I didn\'t give you permission you would go anyway, so I might as well keep you two close and out of harms way.\"


Harry gave a guilty sort of smile to Ron, knowing they had both been thinking the same thing. They would go no matter what.


Dumbledore watched the two, hoping that Miss Granger was allright. He didn\'t know if Harry could bear to lose another loved one so soon after losing Sirius. He knew that the boy was still not over the death of his godfather, no matter what brave face he put on.


~'

Severus quickly returned to his rooms and connected to Sera\'s house on the floo network. He usually preferred owls; but this was urgent.


He stuck his head into the green flames and called out for Sera.


\"Severus!\" She exclaimed, highly surprised to see him. \"Is something wrong?\"


\"Yes, Sera. Hermione is missing. You were the last one to see her.\"


\"I\'lll be right up to the castle Severus. Meet me at the front doors!!\"


Severus watched as she retreated and heard her throwing things around, getting ready to apparate to the castle. He pulled his head from the fireplace and exited his rooms, quickly making his way to the entrance hall and the front doors.


She was huffing and puffing her way up the lawn when he opened the doors and he cleared the snow out of her way with a spell.


\"Thanks Severus.\" she said gratefuly. \"I never was any good with those spells! Now what\'s all this about Hermione?\"


\"No one\'s seen her since before lunch, and she was supposed to meet her friends after your meeting. Hermione\'s a very reliable person, if she says she\'ll do something, she does it. The headmaster said that he sensed an illegal portkey in the castle; but had no way of telling who used it or where it was going.\"


They were heading towards Dumbledore\'s office as they talked.


When they reached thier destination, Dumbledore called them in before Severus even had the chance to knock. For once he was glad that the old man was on top of everything.


Dumbledore brightned when he saw Sera. \"How nice to see you Sera! I do wish that it were under happier circumstances, however\"


\"Me too, Professor. Me too.\" Sera replied, taking the older man\'s hand.


\"When was it that you saw Hermione last?\"


\"Well, I wanted to go down to the dungeons and say hello to Severus. She walked me down and then said she had something she had to do. I\'m assuming she was going to meet her friends.\"


\"Did you see anyone else there? Someone that didn\'t belong, maybe?\"


\"No. Well, I mean I saw someone; but someone who did belong. A Slytherin boy. He was blonde. Looked to be maybe a seventh year. He had a badge on his robes but I didn\'t see what it said. I didn\'t like the way he looked at me either.\" she added as an afterthought.


\"Malfoy.\" Harry and Ron stated at the same time.


Sera\'s eyes widened. \"That was Lucius\' son?\"


Severus nodded. \"I\'m afraid so Sera. And it sounds like he would have had plenty of time to catch up to Miss Granger and get her to touch a portkey without anyone else seeing him.\"


\"The question is, why? Why would he take her and not me?\" Asked Harry. \"Bringing me in would be a lot more important than her. Right?\"


\"Maybe not.\" Dumbledore said, looking at Severus. \"Hermione knows a few things that no one else does.\"


\"Like what?\" asked Ron looking between Snape and the Headmaster.


\"Ron, you know she knows certian things about the Order that we don\'t,\" Harry said, though he didn\'t miss the look between the Potions Professor and the Headmaster either. \"Just like we know things that she doesn\'t. It\'s a saftety issue. So that no matter who gets captured, no one has the whole story to give.\"


\"Miss Granger also knows that I am a spy loyal to the order. That is extremely valuable information. If I know Lucius, he wants information to give to Voldemort. Information that will ensure him a high place in the death eaters forever.\"


\"Hopefully Miss Granger had time to use the memory charm I taught everyone in the order.\" Dumbledore said.


\"The Order?\" asked Sera.


They all cringed, having forgotten that she wasn\'t a member.


\"The order of the Phoenix.\" Dumbledore said. \"We\'re working against Voldemort.\"


Sera looked surprised, then determined. \"Where do I sign up?\"


Dumbledore smiled. \"You can make your oaths to me right this moment if you like.\"


Sera was inducted into the Order within a few moments and then Harry reminded them all why they were there.


\"How are we going to get her back? There\'s no telling where they took her!\"


\"If I know Lucious, she\'s at Malfoy manor.\" Severus said. \"He never was one for discretion. Or intelligence, for that matter.\"


~'


Hermione looked up sharply as the door to her cell opened, creaking as it went. She cringed when she saw Lucius and then cursed herself for her weakness.


\"You should be afraid, because I will not show you any mercy.\"


He lunged forward and grabbed her arm, proceeding to drag her out of her cell and down the narrow hallway.


She struggled agaisnt him; but he was too strong. She gave up and let her wieght sag agaist his grip. She knew that dead weight was harder to move.


He reached the room he wanted and shoved her inside making her fall again; but she was ready this time and rolled when she fell, so that the wind was not knocked from her body.


Getting to her feet, she looked around the room. She was glad that Narcissa had come down and given her a chamber pot to use. Otherwise she thought she might have gone all over herself at seeing this room.


There were various instruments of torture everywhere that she looked. And nearly everything had blood on it. The room reeked of sweat and blood and excrement. Flies buzzed around the room.


She squared her shoulders and stared at Lucius Malfoy. She would not back down. And no matter what he did to her, she would not scream.

~'

Dumbledore stared at Draco Malfoy. The blonde boy squirmed under the hard gaze of the headmaster. He wouldn\'t admit it; but Dumbledore could scare him just as much as Voldemort could.


\"I know you used a portkey to send Hermione Granger somewhere, Mr. Malfoy. Did you honestly think you could get away with it?\"


\"I didn\'t do anything!\" He said. \"I havent seen Granger all day!\"


\"You are lying Mr. Malfoy.\" Came a soft silky voice that did not bode well for Dracos well being.


Severus stepped out of the shadows. \"If you do not come clean I will be forced to administer Veritaserum.\"


\"It was my father!\" Malfoy immediately squeaked. \"He\'s insane! He broke out of jail and he\'s making my mother and I do all of these crazy things.\"

\"Somehow I don\'t think you had a big problem kidnapping Hemione, Malfoy.\" spit out Ron, who had been listening with Harry. They both stepped into the room.


\"This is the last straw Mr. Malfoy. Either you assist us in getting Miss Granger back, or you will be expelled, and your wand taken away.\" Dumbledore was tightly controlling his anger.


\"I\'ll help you!\" Malfoy said desperately. \"Just please don\'t let him get me!\"


Severus was standing behind Malfoy now and he nodded to Dumbledore. He could tell the young man was just as afraid of Lucius as he was of getting expelled.


\"Mr. Malfoy all you need do is get us into your house. We know that one cannot apparate there.\" Dumbledore said more gently. \"If you help us do this, I will inform the governers that your part in this was forced by your father and your punishment should be less severe.\"


\"If Malfoy\'s anything he\'s a coward,\" Harry whispered to Ron. \"He\'ll do it.\"


Luckily no one heard him and Malfoy was in the process of making a portkey that would allow them into the Malfoy home.


\"My father taught me how.\" he explained as he turned a silver platter into a portkey. \"He\'ll know it was me.\"


\"You won\'t be coming along Mr. Malfoy. I think it would be a little dangerous for you if your father got ahold of you right now. You\'ll be staying here with Miss Coma.\" Dumbledore said.


Malfoy relaxed visibly. That is, until he saw the stern look on Sera\'s face.

\"You\'ll be in the dungeons with me cleaning the potions classroom top to bottom with no magic!\"

Severus, Dumbledore, Harry and Ron took ahold of the portkey and counted back from three as Malfoy had instructed. Suddenly they were jerked into movement and flying towards Malfoy manor.

AN: Don\'t worry the next chapter will be up very soon!!!