Harvest Moon

Sorry this is so short, everyone. It just didn\'t want to be longer.



Thank you to everyone still reading and reviewing. I sincerely appreciate it.



***





Lucius followed the false Liren down several corridors. He reached out and laced his fingers through Hermione’s, giving her a reassuring squeeze.



Hermione smiled faintly up at him. Not quite believing herself that she was following a madman possibly to her own demise. She just had to hope that somehow Draco and Harry would find them if worst came to worst. That was certainly a possibility.



She studied Liren’s back as he led them down various hallways and passages. She’d continue to call him Liren in her head until she had another name to pin to him. She watched him walk very carefully, calculating the way he moved. His steps were fast and light, there was a definite flow to them that she’d seen before. That flow was one of the things that worried her most. It spoke of serious martial arts training, not just the sport training the countries of the West embraced. The kind where you went to the mountains for years to study.



She shivered a little. Lucius had the sturdier build, more muscular through the upper body. However, that could be easily countered if Liren had the kind of training she thought he did. Dangerous ground, she thought as they were led to yet another door. This one leading outside.



As they stepped out, Hermione noticed the fine mist raining down on them and shivered a bit more. At least the heavier rain from earlier had ceased but that had left its mark. The ground was muddy and slippery under their feet. That would make a fight all the more difficult if and when it came to that. There was no doubt in her mind that Liren would attempt to kill them. It was just a matter of how and when.



Liren spun on them suddenly and smiled. It took only a few moments to figure out why he was smiling when they found they couldn’t move forward or indeed any other direction more than a step.



“Ah, force cage. One has to love it,” the Liren clone laughed. “Especially since neither of you can leave it unless I release you or I die. And I have no intention whatsoever of dying any time soon. I do have to say that I’m wildly disappointed in you Ms. Granger. Really, following someone whom you know to be a killer right into a trap. Tsk! And I’d always heard you were the smartest witch of your age.”



“A mere momentary lapse of sanity,” Hermione said.



He laughed again. “Of course, of course.” He paused, looking at them thoughtfully, tapping a finger on his chin in contemplation. “Now, what to do with the two of you. So very many options. I could just Avada both of you where you stand but that would hardly be entertaining. I could torture Lucius in front of his lady love but that wouldn’t be any fun either since he’d just be stoic and refuse to play along nicely by screaming. What to do, what to do with the both of you?” He pondered for a few more moments. “Hmmm. You have training, do you not, Ms. Granger,” he said, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.



“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” she said, sticking her nose in the air.



“Oh, I’m sure you do know what I mean. You were studying me as we walked here. Movements, possible reaction time, etc. That speaks of training. Do be a good girl and answer, since you aren’t going anywhere anyway and I’ll find out one way or another.”



Hermione glared at him for a moment before lifting her chin and looking down her nose at him. “And if I do?”



A nasty smile played over his lips. He reached inside the force cage and grabbed her by the throat, yanking her out and away from Lucius. “Then I think, I should find out what you were trained in and how long you can survive.”