I awoke the next morning to an empty dormitory. The light stung my eyes for a moment, causing me to blink, and my black eye gave a nasty throb as I sat up and looked around. Confusion. It was a Saturday morning. No one woke up on a Saturday morning this early. The birds were still chirping outside, a signal of the time. It couldn’t have been past nine o’ clock. Yet there they all were, the empty beds, left unmade and untidy. Something was wrong. Swinging my feet over the side of the bed, I pulled on the jeans lying on the floor. There was a shirt that was slung over my trunk, and I yanked it over my head and made my descent down the stairs.

What I found was the equivalent of chaos. Girls sat against the wall, some holding each other against tears. Ron was sitting on the couch, staring into the fire as though it had a hypnotic power. I spotted Dean in the corner, in deep conversation with Seamus. I passed by them, looking for Hermione. Dean grabbed my shoulder.

“Where’d she go?” he asked me, his voice shaking and terrified. My eyebrows knitted. I had no idea about what he was talking about. I shook my head to tell him so.

“You don’t have any idea?” he begged of me.

“What are you talking about?” I demanded of him, but I heard another voice call out from behind me.

“HARRY!”

I turned, knowing that it was Hermione, standing there to explain it all to me. I was going to apologize to her for last night, to tell her that I had been out of line. Why had I kissed her like that? I’d just come at her, and then to make matters worse, yelled at her for not returning my feelings the way I had. We needed to talk about the argument we had both had with Ron and the kiss. But as my eyes focused on the girl coming towards me, I didn’t see a bush of brown hair. Instead, the hair was red and flaming, and though the eyes were a deep chocolate, they didn’t belong to Hermione.

“Ginny,” I breathed, “what’s going on? Everyone’s acting like Voldemort showed up last night.”

“There’s something I’ve got to show you,” she said, anxiety strung throughout her voice. She gripped my arm tightly and pushed through a group of goggling girls who were shaking and appeared to be petrified. I followed her as best I could up the stairs to the girl’s dormitory.

“How is it I’m getting up here?” I asked, for I remember an attempt by Ron to get inside one time. He had been thrown backward onto the ground.

“Something’s happened to the magical barriers,” she relayed to me, and I found the information to be a bit disturbing. “No one knows how or when, but they seemed to have stopped working.”

“How’d you figure that one out?” I asked.

“Because of what happened last night.”

She opened the door, and my eyes met a sight that I wasn’t prepared for. There was Hermione’s bed, completely and totally empty. But her sheets were twisted, as though there had been a struggle in the night. The window was thrust open, a strong wind blowing into the room. And resting on her pillow and standing out against the deep red of the material was a letter. The ink was black and bold, and I knew what it said before I read it.

My legs were numb, unable to move. I was rooted to where I stood, merely staring at the empty bed. I thought that if I stood and stared hard enough, she would materialize in front of me, telling me that it was all a horrible prank and a misunderstanding. But nothing happened. She didn’t show up. She didn’t come back. It was just me and the envelope and Ginny. No one else. In my mind, I knew that I had to read it. But there was something holding me back from reading it. It wasn’t fear or anger. It wasn’t remorse at the person who had taken her. It was pure guilt, and for something that I didn’t understand. They had taken her because of me. But who were they exactly? I didn’t know. I had an idea, but I didn’t want it to be right. If it was right, it meant she was dead. And that couldn’t be.

“You have to be the one to pick it up, Harry,” Ginny told me from somewhere far away. My eyes snapped onto her. “If you don’t pick it up, it’ll just sit there. Lavender tried to take it this morning, to bring it down to you, and she was thrown into the wall. It’s like a curse has been put on it or something. No one else can touch it but you.”

Nodding, I felt my shaking knees ease toward the letter. My hand shook as I extended it outwards, groping for the piece of paper. It was in between my fingers, and I found myself waiting for something to happen. Nothing. I stepped slowly from the bed, the envelope now vibrating back and forth against my unsteady hand. My fingers fumbled with the seal, and it took me nearly a minute to break it. I wasn’t aware of my feet moving, but I knew that I was moving down the stairs and back into the crowd of people waiting. Some heads turned, including Ron’s. I threw the envelope down at the floor and tore the letter from the inside. Professor McGonagall was standing there now, and she came forward.

“Potter!” I heard her holler at me. “Let me read it, see what it says.”

“Harry’s got to be the one to read it,” Ginny explained to her. “No one else can touch it but him.”

“But are you sure, dear?” she asked her, but I wasn’t listening. My eyes and complete attention were focused on the words that sat on the parchment in my hand. I read it, and it must have been aloud, for the entire crowd that had gathered began to form a circle around me. I felt Neville behind me, and Ginny gripped his hand and came around to have a better look.

Harry, Do hope you enjoyed Slughorn’s little dance. You and Hermione seemed to have a splendid time. We all decided that we couldn’t help but have a little fun as well. Sorry to say that Ms. Granger won’t be joining you for anymore little play dates. If you ever want to see her alive again, you must come to us. There will be no need for backup or a wand. We just want you.

Valil

“Valil?” Ginny asked. “Whose Valil, Harry?”

“The new Slytherin student?” McGonagall asked. “The one who sits on his own?”

“I don’t think he’s a student, Professor,” I felt myself say, though I had no idea how I was able to form words. My mind was focused entirely on the letter and Hermione. This was my fault, all because of me. If I hadn’t acted on stupid emotions, if I hadn’t let my own teenage tendencies get in the way, she would have been here with us right now. I had told them all before, but none of them had listened. I had told them that I had to go it alone, but they had pressed me to include them. And I, being the weak and insecure boy that I still was, let them phase me. I had obeyed them, and for that, Hermione was gone.

“You’re going to go after her, aren’t you, Harry?” Neville asked me. “You’re going to save her?”

“Course I am,” I said, and my voice didn’t sound like my own. “Can’t just leave her to die now, can I? She’s…she’s my…”

But I broke off. I wasn’t sure what she was to me. I wasn’t sure if she was merely my best friend or something more. I knew that the feeling I had in my heart for her wasn’t friendship. It was something stronger, something that I had only known once, and something that had come back stronger than ever. But I had to push it away. I had to let it die inside of me now, because it was putting people in danger. It had put her in harm’s way, and so I had to release myself of the feeling.

“Do you know where to go?” Dean asked me, and the room was bustling now. People were going in separate corners to whisper. Some continued to glance at me, a questioning and frightened look in their eyes. It was only Ginny, Neville, and Dean standing near me, along with Professor McGonagall.

“You’re not going anywhere, Potter,” she said to me strongly. “No, this is a manner for adults. This is a manner that should be taken care of by the Order and, I am sorry to say, the Ministry of Magic.”

“You get those prats on the case, she’ll be dead in hours,” Ginny spat at her.

“You put anyone else on but me, and she’s dead,” I said, staring intently at Professor McGonagall.

“You have only just come of age, Potter,” McGonagall said. “You are not yet capable of fighting Dark Magic completely. And it seems to me that they don’t want you to. They want you to come unarmed and without protection. Do you honestly think that as Headmistress, I’ll let you walk into something like this?”

“Yes, and you must,” I told her, and my mind was now back with Dumbledore. I felt as though I were pulling strength from him. If he had been standing in front of me now, he would not have argued. He may have been uneasy with the idea of my leaving without him, but he would have let me go. Because the truth was, the woman in front of me didn’t know the prophecy. She didn’t know what I had to do. She didn’t know my destiny. But there was no time to convince her. I just had to speak the truth, but quickly.

“It’s me, Professor,” I said, my voice calm. “I’m the one who has to kill Voldemort. All those rumors last year, about me being the Chosen One…they’re all true. Dumbledore knew it, and that’s what all those lessons with him last year were for. That’s the knowledge that we shared, and he knew that he would have to let me go one day. He thought I was ready, and he told me that when the time came, I would know what to do. This might be the time, and then it might not. But whether it is or it isn’t, I’ve got to do this alone. I’m not losing her. She’s not going to die because of me. I’ll see to that.”

McGonagall stared at me, her eyes a pool of fright and concern. And none of it was for herself or the Wizarding World. All of it, in that moment, was for me. And I couldn’t have felt more honored knowing that she cared for me in such a way. But there wasn’t time for any of this. I nodded at her, as if asking for her permission again. She shook her head.

“I can’t let you go,” she told me sternly, “Not by yourself. I’ll send for some Aurors and…”

“It’s an ambush, Harry,” Ginny interrupted, and McGonagall looked at her as though prepared to kill her. “They’re doing this to get to you. Just like…just like you said they would. They don’t want anything with her, they only want you. And God knows what they’ll do to you once they’ve got you. You’re going to need backup. You’re going to need people with you.”

“Not on this one, Ginny,” I said bravely, shaking my head at her. “On this one, I go alone. I’ve got to.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Yes, Neville. Yes, I do.”

I looked at McGonagall, a pleading look in my eye. I took a deep breath.

“I’m going whether you want me to or not, Professor,” I said, “but it would be a whole lot easier if you’d just say it’s all right. So please…just let me go.”

McGonagall’s face fell in complete and utter defeat. She stared at the ceiling as if searching for an answer, and I thought I saw something such as a tear form in the corner of her eye. Then she looked at me, and I knew that she would give me permission. I knew that she would let me find Hermione.

“But do you even know where you’re going?” she asked, as though she had already told me that it was okay. “Do you know where to find her?”

“I do,” said a voice behind me. There was the sound of a chair moving, and then I looked over McGonagall’s shoulder to see Ron standing there, looking at me with mud in his eye.

“You know where they’ve taken her?” I asked him, my mind now whirring into action. How could he possibly know? There wasn’t a soul in the entire dormitory who had an inkling.

“I overheard Valil talking to one of his Slytherin cronies,” he said to me, not looking at me. “He said something about a place called Spinner’s End. Said that that’s where they meet.”

“I didn’t know Valil had cronies,” I said, confused, “thought you said that he kept to himself.”

“For the first couple of weeks,” he snapped back, his voice growing louder and louder. “He got to know people like any other normal person. Ended up with a tiny group of friends.”

“And you just overheard them talking, did you?” I asked, and I wasn’t being mean about it. If he really had heard something, I would be at Spinner’s End as quickly as I could get there. I’d probably Apparate. Couldn’t be sure if there was a fireplace there, could I?

“Yeah, I did,” he replied, “and he definitely said Spinner’s End. I looked it up on the map already and it’s…”

“Somewhere in the country,” McGonagall told us.

“How do you know that, Professor?” Neville asked.

“Because that is where Professor Snape spent summer holiday,” she said strongly.

In two seconds, I was up retrieving my Invisibility Cloak. No one had to say anything more. I tossed my wand at Ginny, who held it in her hands as though she were scared of it.

“Why are you giving this to me?” she asked. “I didn’t think you were actually going to go without it!”

“They said they’d kill her if I showed up armed,” I said strongly. “I’m leaving it with you for safekeeping.”

“Take it,” Neville begged me. “Harry, who knows what they might do. They might kill you both. Just take the wand and hide it. They might never find out.”

I sighed, but took the wand back from Ginny and stuffed it into the inside pocket of my jacket. The portrait was opening for me, and I set one foot outside. I took a backward glance at Ron.

“Thanks for the information, Ron,” I said sincerely.

“Don’t thank me,” he said plainly, and then he was gone from sight as the portrait hole sealed me off to the rest of Gryffindor.

The pressure in my ears threatened to pop my eardrums. I hated the sensation that came along with Apparition, but it was the only way I knew to get to Hermione. I had thought Spinner’s End! with every inch of my brainpower, and as I opened my eyes again, I saw that I had landed in a field. No splinching had occurred, and I breathed a small sigh of relief at that. It was short lived, however. Looking up, I saw a small shack on the corner of a hill. Dark tents, as black and billowing as Dementor’s cloaks, sat sprawled around it. Smoke colored a faint purple swirled from the chimney of the shack, and I saw someone walk on the outside. The pale hair and tall stature made me think of Malfoy. Mustering up the courage that sat in the pit of my stomach, I felt myself running. The wind stung my face, but I didn’t care. Racing, I was getting closer. I wanted to call out her name to let her know I was there, but I refrained myself. Past one tent. Past another. The hill threatened to kill my legs, but I ignored the exhaustion building up within them. And then, I felt my feet go out from underneath me. Tripping, I slid from the top of the hill down, rolling. I stopped somewhere in the middle and leapt to my feet, refusing to draw my wand without seeing Hermione safe. Looking up, I saw the familiar, horrible face of Bellatrix Lestrange. Her eyes were as wide and malicious as ever, but the skin didn’t hang from the bones anymore. She had become more nourished, and the beauty that had disappeared in Azkaban was slowly beginning to ebb back into her being. To me, however, she would always be the ugly, vile woman who had robbed me of my godfather.

“Come looking for your little girlfriend?” she asked me, her deranged cackle filling the stormy air. “We were worried you weren’t coming, little Potter! She screamed all night, and I nearly killed her, she was so annoying.”

I wanted to curse her into oblivion but did not draw my wand. But I couldn’t hold myself back from her. I ran madly at her, tackling her to the ground. Her laugh grew more maleficent, and then I felt the hands on my back. I was drawn off of her, and I felt myself struggle in arms that refused to release me.

“WHERE’S HERMIONE?!” I demanded of my captors, and I recognized them now as Avery and Nott. They didn’t say anything, but merely led me up the hill to the shack. Bellatrix ran in front of them, walking backwards so as to tantalize me.

“She knows how to dance, the little Mudblood,” she told me. “When that Cruciatus Curse hit her, she wriggled so badly you would have thought she was a snake.”

I lunged at her, but the two Death Eaters held me fast. They used my body to open the door, and I let out an involuntary grunt of pain. Throwing me on the floor, my head collided with the wooden planks there. Forcing myself up, I stood on my own feet. Then, I felt myself run to the corner.

Hermione was tied to a chair, the ropes around her a hot and blazing white. Her eyes were closed, as though she were asleep. But she was too pale for slumber. The cuts on her face and neck were too horrible for her to sleep through. I touched her cheek, and then felt myself be thrown back and away from her. Someone came into the room from the stairs, and I looked up to see Draco Malfoy standing in front of me, a small smirk on his ignorant face.

“Nice of you to join us Potter,” he said, and I watched him walk over to Hermione. He put both hands on each of her shoulders as though massaging her. I watched with a jolt of hope as she moved under the pressure of his fingers. “We’ve all been anxiously waiting for you.”

I attempted to get up, to go back toward them, but Malfoy pointed his wand at me and screamed “ INCARCEROUS!“

In a split second, I was bound with ropes. My body collided once again with the floor, and I wriggled there, trying to get free. My eyes never left Hermione. I watched as Malfoy rubbed his cheek against hers, and she moved a bit. He came around to the front of her and his lips locked with hers.

“NO!” I heard myself say, and Malfoy laughed.

“Don’t worry, Potter,” he said, “she can’t kiss me back.”

“She’s not…”

“Oh no. No, she’s not dead. Just unconscious. I dare say those Torture curses wore her out a bit.”

“You let her go, Malfoy!” I demanded. “I let you and Snape live, so you can just get away from her.”

Malfoy chuckled and then said something that sounded like “Snape.”

“Yeah, he certainly was a character, wasn’t he?” he asked me, and I looked at him quizzically. “Good actor, wasn’t he?”

“You just shut up and let her go!” I told him.

“I killed him, Potter,” Malfoy told me, “so there’s no need for you to worry about doing it. He tried to get me to go to your side, you see. Thought that I might change my mind. But I knew who my master was. Not like him. And pretty soon, you’ll know your master. Both you and Hermione. And the entirety of Hogwarts. All of you will know who you REALLY serve!”

I lashed around inside the ropes, fighting against their pressure. Then, without a word, I felt them slacken. They fell from me and then evaporated into the air, swept away by some invisible spell. Malfoy’s mouth opened in what seemed like surprise, and I gave him a smile.

“Shouldn’t underestimate me, should you, Malfoy?” I asked him, and in a second, my wand was out. I threw a curse at the three Death Eaters near the door. Bellatrix was sent flying out of the door, and Avery and Nott collided with the glass in the windows. They fell, Petrified, upon the doormat. Malfoy looked at me as though frightened, fumbling for his own wand. I didn’t give him the opportunity to find it.

“ Petrificus Totalus!” I bellowed, and he fell to the floor, stone still. I could hear voices from outside the shack, coming in to see if they could help. There wasn’t a moment to waste. The ropes binding Hermione had something to do with me not being able to touch her. I didn’t know what to do. Closing my eyes, I tried to picture the ropes falling from her and onto the floor. There was nothing else I could have done. Then, I opened them to see that my vision had been realized. She was free, her head propped against the wall. I rushed to her and took her into my arms, wishing so badly that she would just wake up. But her eyes remained closed as I held her to me, and I saw Valil come into the door.

“POTTER!” I heard him bellow, but I saw that he was smiling and began to grow uneasy. Instantaneously, I gripped Hermione harder in my arms and thought Hogsmeade! Valil and the shack evaporated before my eyes, but not before I saw him laugh.

And then, we were safe. But Hermione didn’t stir as my feet collided with the Earth. She didn’t wake as I brought her to the edge of the village, my breath catching in my chest. It was not until we approached the gate to the school that I saw her eyes flutter open.

“Harry?” she asked, as though confused.

“Yeah!” I said, and I smiled down at her. “Yeah, it’s me! It’s me, and you’re safe! I’ve got you! We’re at Hogwarts.”

She looked around, as though dazed. Then, she let out a horrible, resounding scream. She shook in my arms and tugged at my hands.

“LET ME GO!” she demanded, scrambling to get away. She pounded her fists into my shoulders, and I winced but refused to release her.

“Hermione, it’s me!” I told her. “It’s Harry! It’s Harry, and you’re okay!”

“DON’T TAKE ME INTO THAT SCHOOL!” she bellowed, and she pushed me from her and fell out of my arms onto the ground. She tried to get up and run, but she was too weak. I caught her around the waist and pulled her to the school. Already, a crowd of students was forming. How they saw us, I can never be sure, but I knew that I couldn’t understand what had happened to Hermione. It was almost as if she had lost her mind.

“Hogwarts is your home, Hermione!” I reminded her. “You have…you have friends here! Friends who…l-love you!” It was a hard word to say. “You’re safe!”

“GET AWAY ALL OF YOU!” she shouted as the students began to come closer. “HARRY, DON’T TAKE ME ANY CLOSER!”

“WHY?” I asked her, now shouting over her dulcet tones. “WHY CAN’T I?”

Then, I felt her body go rigid beneath me. She fell to the ground where she began to twitch violently, as though having a fit. My eyes grew wide in complete and total confusion.

“Hermione what…what is it?”

She groped for the corner of my jacket and pulled me down to her. I could barely hear her through the sputtering, and her hands jerked so violently that I thought she might be wanting to hit me.

“I’m infected, Harry. I’m infected, and so are you.”