63Chapter 15: And So It Begins…
True to Hermione's word to Draco, she had not even attempted to do any research or anything in the way of working towards defeating Voldemort the rest of the time that she'd been pregnant. But now, Alexis was two months old and Hermione had been officially cleared by her Healer to go back to her normal everyday activities and that's exactly what Hermione did, regardless of Draco's numerous arguments.
"Mia, come on! You cannot be serious about this!" Draco said to her exasperatedly one night while the couple were in the mansion's library.
"I am completely serious Draco." Hermione responded, not looking up from her research and notes. "We already talked about this a few months ago. I promised you that I would not do anything until after Alex was born and I kept my word but now I need to get things done."
"But this is crazy, Mia! You do realize that even if you do happen to find it, going back into that place is practically suicide!" Draco tried again to get some sense through to her stubborn mind.
Hermione finally closed her books and rolled up her notes, standing and facing Draco for the first time in the past hour.
"Look, this is something that I need to do. It's not up for debate so either you're going to support me or I leave with you being pissed at me. Either way, I'm going." She walked over to him completely composed and kissed him lovingly on the cheek.
"You know I love you and right now I just need you to support me." She said, turning and walking purposefully from the library.
After yet another screaming match from Draco and kissing her infant daughter lovingly on the forehead, Hermione left the mansion with Bethany in tow and headed to Grimmauld Place for an impromptu Order meeting. As the two young women entered into the dining room, they found that the other members were already awaiting their arrival. Sitting down at the head of the table opposite Remus Lupin, Bethany at her side, Hermione unrolled her parchment containing her notes and began the meeting.
"Okay as you all know, I've been studying and researching another Egyptian book supposedly believed to be the exact opposite as the one that Voldemort currently contains in his possession. After many months of research and locator spells I think that I may have finally narrowed down the possible location of the Book of the Living." Hermione began, looking determined and confident in her research.
Two long hours later the Order began putting together the plans for the group of members that would be accompanying Hermione to Egypt the following day to look for this supposed book of legend. After careful consideration, Remus and Hermione together decided that a small but powerful group would be their best bet as to not draw too much attention to themselves in the accidental event that Voldemort was still keeping watch on Hermione's actions and followed the group to Egypt.
After finishing up the planning for the night, the Order members dispersed to gather their needs for the following day's mission, some returning home to tell their loved ones goodbye and others simply shopping for any extra necessities they might require. As for Hermione, she and Bethany returned to the mansion in order for Hermione to talk to Draco about the mission for the next day.
Unfortunately for Hermione, when she arrived at the mansion she was immediately bombarded with bad news.
"Hermione!" Jasmine Davies came running into the entry hall as soon as Hermione and Bethany walked through the door. "He left and he took Alexis with him!"
Hermione looked at the young girl as if she had sprouted three heads and immediately tore up the stairs to their wing of the mansion, tearing through each room looking for any sign of her fiancé and newborn baby girl. She burst through the nursery door and found herself staring at an empty room. Her eyes widening in disbelief, she burst through the connecting door into their master bedroom and found that it too had been almost completely cleaned out of all their possessions-well at least anything that belonged to Alex or Draco. Hermione's anger overwhelmed her and she screamed out her anguish, causing the walls to vibrate. Looking determinedly around the room her honey eyes came to a stop on a single piece of parchment folded on the desk with her name in Draco's familiar scrawl. Striding purposefully over to the desk and tearing the letter off of it, she opened the note and immediately felt overcome with every emotion known to man.
My Dearest Mia
Things have gone far enough. I have realized over time and have even come to accept your connection to the situation with Voldemort but I simply cannot sit idly by any longer and watch you put yourself in danger without any regard to my feelings or our daughter. It appears to me that over time you have let this so called issue with Voldemort overwhelm your entire life. It's as if nothing matters to you anymore except for getting revenge with Voldemort for what happened to you and Harry.
I have taken Alexis and have gone into hiding until whenever the time comes that it is once again safe for us to be in the open. I hope that you will eventually realize what you have with us and return to your family where you belong. I love you Mia and will always love you with every fiber of my being but it is no longer safe for our child to be around you while you are on this mission of yours to destroy Voldemort.
I will contact you soon to let you know that we are safe and well. I miss you Mia, I just wanted you to know that.
My love forever,
Draco
Hermione tore up the letter into miniscule pieces and tossed them into the nearby fireplace. She couldn't believe he would do such a thing.
How dare he take my daughter! Who in the bloody hell does he think he is! She thought angrily to himself as she paced their bedroom. When I find them, Draco is going to wish he'd never ever known who Hermione Granger is.
She set her resolve and, grabbing her warm shadow cloak that Draco had given her when she had been rescued from Malfoy Manor the year before, strode from the mansion, Bethany following closely on her heels and apparated back to Grimmauld Place.
First thing in the morning, Remus, Ron, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mad-Eye Moody and Jeremy Donavon (as well as Hermione and Bethany) congregated around the dining room table of Headquarters to go over the last minute preparations for the mission to Egypt. They were going to be traveling together by Portkey to the City of the Dead where Hermione had narrowed down the possible locations of the legendary book. Apparently the city was legend as well seeing as no one had ever found it and those who had, had either died in the desert or were considered insane.
After everyone was clear on their plans, the group congregated in the backyard and circled around a medium sized amulet that had been transformed into a portkey just for this mission.
"Remember everyone," Hermione said just before they left. "Keep together at all times. If anyone finds anything suspicious or that you think might be the book, send up the signal but do NOT try to touch it yourselves. You all know the legend and the rules around it and I really don't want to see anyone else get hurt because of this stupid crap that Voldemort had built for us. Good luck everyone."
They all placed their fingers on the amulet and Remus counted down-3.…2.…1. Immediately Hermione felt a pull behind her navel and was sent spiraling through the air, crashing into the others around her. She felt the others let go and disappear one by one till finally she was alone. She tried to let go herself but found herself unable to release the portkey. All of a sudden, she felt herself falling rapidly as if dropped from an excruciatingly far height.
When she hit the ground, the force knocked her on her back and she cracked her head against something hard, knocking her unconscious. The last thing she heard before being overcome in darkness was an evil far away cackle.
Back in London, hidden in Hogwarts by an understanding Professor McGonagall, Draco watched as his daughter slept peacefully in a crib beside a small twin sized bed down in the unused portion of the dungeons. His heart ached that he had to go to such extreme measures in order to keep his family safe. If Hermione was going to practically commit suicide trying to fight off Voldemort than he would not sit idly by and watch the love of his life die.
Hermione had been everything to Draco since that moment almost two years ago back at Grimmauld Place the summer before their seventh year when they had shared their first kiss. That summer changed everything for Draco but he never regretted any of his decisions, except perhaps this latest one. He wasn't sure what he was going to do without her, especially when it came to their little baby girl who Draco had really absolutely no idea how to take care of himself and was almost glad to be at Hogwarts where he had all the professors there to help him out and give him advice when he needed it. He knew that it was going to be tough but he also knew that it was something that he had to do to protect his family and he just prayed that Hermione would survive all this to come back to them.
Hermione awoke with a splitting headache in the middle of a cold dark room. She tried to get up and move around to examine her surroundings only to find that she was bound to the floor by magical chains around her wrists and ankles. She suddenly heard an all too familiar raspy voice fill the room but she could not see the person to whom the voice belonged to in the darkness of the room.
"Welcome back young Mudblood. Did you really think that you could escape me? Did you honestly believe I'd allow you to find a way to destroy me? You have a lot to think about Mudblood but I will give you a bit of thought while you ponder your choice, not that you really have one." The raspy voice filled the room. "If you ever want to see your beloved traitor boyfriend or your filthy half-bred child alive again, I suggest you make the right decision and give me what I want."
With that final comment, Hermione heard a heavy door slam shut, shaking the walls of the tiny cold room she was in. She curled herself into a tight ball and cried herself to sleep, thinking about Draco and Alexis and wondering if she'd ever see her family again.
The days went by and they turned into weeks which then turned into months. No one in the Order could explain what had happened to Hermione during their trip to Egypt. All they knew was that when everyone landed in the soft sand of the desert, Hermione was no where to be seen. The Order and even some ministry workers had launched a full scale search for her but had not even come up with a single lead. Many were beginning to give up hope of ever seeing their brown eyed friend again. Ron was taking everything especially hard thinking that within a time period of two short years he'd lost both of his best friends.
Six long months after Hermione's disappearance, Draco was also growing readily worried about his wife-to-be. It was now October and no one had seen or heard from Hermione since the last week of April when she had left Grimmauld Place with the others on the mission to Egypt. It was one cold day that Draco felt his life fall away when Minerva came down to their secret room to deliver some unsettling information. She handed him that morning's copy of the Daily Prophet and Draco sank to his knees as he read the words staring up at him from the page along with a toothy grinned picture of Hermione smiling up at him.
Former Hogwarts Head Girl Found Dead on Egyptian Beach
Late last night, two Egyptian vacationers came across an unusual site while visiting a popular beach. They came across the washed up body of what appears to be former Hogwarts Head Girl, Hermione Granger who was reported missing almost six months ago after leaving for a secret unknown mission with the Order of the Phoenix.
Hermione Granger leaves behind many loved ones who will forever remember her spirit and zest for life. Ron Weasley, youngest son of the new Minister of Magic Arthur Weasley, remembered many great adventures with his two best friends during their days of Hogwarts. Hermione was a member of what the wizarding world had dubbed the "Golden Trio" along with Ron Weasley and the late Harry Potter.
Also left behind by this heart wrenching discovery is Hermione's fiancé, Draco Malfoy and their now eight month old daughter Alexis.
Hermione will be missed by many and our condolences here at the Daily Prophet go out to her family and loved ones.
Draco felt his heart rip from his chest as if someone had literally dug it out with a very dull butter knife. He felt his entire world crash down around him and all he could think about was the fact that the last time he'd ever seen or spoken to Hermione it was during an argument and he hadn't even gotten a chance to apologize for everything that had happened and tell her that he loved her.
Back in the cold damp room that had become her lifetime prison, or so it felt, Hermione awoke groggily to another day, her entire body aching from the violent tortures that Voldemort's Death Eaters had preformed on her yet again the day before. Unknown to her, the rest of the wizarding world now believed her dead and no one be searching for her again. She hadn't given up hope yet though. She was sure, though not sure how yet, but positive that someday, somehow, she would get out of that prison and that Voldemort would pay dearly for what he has done to her and her loved ones. Hermione was already plotting her revenge.
A/N: HEHEHEHE...Cliffhanger! HAHA dont you all just hate me now? Well so ends another exciting installment of the Destiny Series. Please make sure you all keep an eye out for part 3 entitled Long Road Home...i know that this one wasnt exactly as great as Kindred Spirits but it was mostly a filler part...all questions will be answered in part 3 i promise!
Till next time, love to all!
Kai