Chapter 17

..~**~..

There's a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out the dark
Finally I can see you crystal clear
Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your ship bare
See how I'll leave with every piece of you
Don't underestimate the things that I will do

Adele song

..~**~..

..~**~..

Hermione paced about her living-room tirelessly.

For goodness sake, what's Abigail even doing? She should be here by now.

Biting her lower lip, she tried to focus but it was no use. She was angry – no, infuriated. Those bastards had kidnapped Ryan – they had kidnapped Ryan, Ginny's two-year old son.

And Ginny, poor Ginny…

Heart-wrenching sobs came through the bedroom door and Hermione froze. Molly was in there with her now. She would know what to say, she would know how to soothe her own daughter until they figured this whole mess out.

Hermione closed her eyes, remembering how she had found Ginny sprawled on the lawn outside her flat, gasping for breath and her hands clutching tuffs of grass in pain.

"Hermione!"

The utter despair in Ginny's voice as she half-sobbed, half-screamed her name had caused Hermione's blood to run very, very cold.

Something was wrong. Something was most definitely wrong and when Hermione had found out that Ryan had been taken, she had barely known what to do.

She had sent word out to Molly and Arthur immediately with a Patronus charm and they had arrived shortly followed by Ron. Ginny had remained conscious long enough to explain what had happened and Arthur had returned to Grimmauld Place to warn the Order quickly after. Ron had wanted to follow him but Ginny begged him to find Christopher instead and bring him to her.

Hermione had helped Molly the best she could to relieve Ginny from the pain of the Cruciatus curse and had then left them alone, eager to get hold of Abigail.

"Hermione!"

Her heart-breaking cry echoed in Hermione's mind again and she sat down quickly, the dreadful scene replaying again and again before her eyes. Something squirmed within her and she fisted her hands tightly into balls. They were going to pay – she would make them pay.

How could Malfoy do this? How could he do this?

The thought made her sick once again and she vividly remembered her final words to Malfoy during their last encounter that very same morning.

To me, you'll always be a monster.

She just hadn't realised how much of a monster he truly could be and the thought terrified and angered her at the same time.

Not only that, but all the work she had done until now at the Ministry felt completely futile when Death Eaters were still able to kidnap babies on the streets. Clearly becoming a Defender and taking Death Eaters to court wasn't helping the wizarding world as much as she had hoped. Blaise Zabini had still been able to kidnap Ryan and torture Ginny in the middle of Hogsmeade. The wizarding world had turned into a dangerous place once more despite her best efforts and if she couldn't do more to stop them at the Ministry then she would turn to the only organisation where she could actually make a difference.

Hermione might have refused Dumbledore's offer once on principle, but that time was long gone. Malfoy seemed to have become exactly what Dumbledore had been afraid of – Lucius, his father.

Well enough was enough.

Right then and there, sitting on the couch in her living-room, Hermione took the decision she should have made months ago.

As soon as she had a moment to do so, she was joining the Order.

Her thoughts were broken as the fire in the chimney place suddenly turned green and Ron appeared in her living-room, followed by Christopher. The Quidditch player was ghastly pale and remained silent as Hermione greeted him inside.

"Ginny's through here." She showed him the way down the corridor and knocked lightly on it before letting Christopher in.

A few minutes later, Molly came out red-eyed and tired, her face set in a deep frown nonetheless. She was obviously annoyed by her daughter's ex-boyfriend's presence.

Reaching in her pocket for a handkerchief, she dabbed her eyes quickly before entering the living-room where Ron was waiting.

Hermione remained silent, silently praying Abigail would quickly arrive. She had not spoken to Molly let alone Ron since the wedding and both had made it perfectly clear that they wanted nothing more to do with her since she had cancelled it. However, given the situation, it seemed their resentment towards her had been put on hold.

"It pains me to leave Ginny like this, but she won't rest until she knows the Order has taken action," Molly announced, looking at Ron. "I'm going back to Grimmauld Place to join your father. Hopefully Remus or Alastor will have contacted Dumbledore by now."

Ron nodded, his face grave. "I'll go with you. As soon as Abigail gets here, Hermione can tell her where we are."

Hermione nodded in return and was taken by surprise when Molly suddenly came to hug her.

"Thank you for taking care of my daughter."

"I wish I could have done more," she answered honestly.

Ron merely nodded at her and together they left through the chimney in a burst of green flames.

Minutes later, the front door opened and Abigail stormed through, her eyes darting wildly about the living-room. "Where is she?"

"She's resting in my bedroom. Chris is with her," Hermione explained softly.

Abigail moved down the corridor and Hermione resumed her pacing around the living-room, her mind thinking quickly. The Order wouldn't know where to find Ryan and would waste time trying to figure it out, however, there was one person who would know his exact location.

But would Malfoy be willing to help her? Most likely not, but he held the information that they desperately needed and Hermione was going to make sure that the bastard told her.

Rushing off to the spare bedroom down the corridor with half a plan in mind, she locked herself inside the room and headed for the small fireplace.

Without hesitation, she grabbed some powder from the a small pot and firecalled Malfoy Inc. already knowing that Flooing or Apparating directly to the office was out of the question considering the heavy wards surrounding the whole building. She tried Malfoy's office directly guessing that even though it was past dinnertime, he was most likely still working.

Unless he's with Zabini and Ryan and doing God knows what to that poor child….

Her thoughts were disrupted when Malfoy's head suddenly appeared in the flames before her.

"Granger." He sounded surprised. "I thought our next meeting wasn't until -"

"You sick son of a bitch!" Hermione interrupted, anger overtaking all rational thought. "How could you do it, Malfoy? How could you?"

His face looked stunned in the flames.

"You think I'm going to help you after what you've done? You've just lost your case. Once the Wizengamot is through with you, you're going straight to Azkaban where you belong, you monster!"

"Granger -"

"The Dementors can have you, I couldn't care less, although the Kiss would be too sweet for such a sick -"

"Granger!" he cut in, clearly annoyed. "What the bloody hell are you talking about?"

"Don't you fucking dare!" she hissed. "Don't you fucking dare pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about!"

Comprehension seemed to dawn on his face. "Is it Abigail?" he asked in a firm voice. "Is this why you're screaming at me like a Banshee through the fireplace, did something happen to Abigail?"

"Forget Abigail, you kidnapped a baby, Malfoy! A baby!" she screamed at him through the flames. "How can you even think that I will continue to defend you in court after that? The Order will never let you get away with this – never! You are -"

"A baby?" he echoed in confusion. "What the hell are you on about? What the hell happened over there?"

His questioning caused her to stop abruptly and truly look at him through the fire. Suddenly anger dissipated and reason kicked in.

"But you're their leader," she blurted out, as she tried to piece everything together. "How could you not know?"

"What don't I know?" he asked in frustration, scowling at her. "Damn it, Granger, don't make me come over there -"

"Blaise kidnapped Ginny's son," she explained, staring intently at the fire. "He kidnapped her two-year old son and used the Cruciatus curse on her in the fucking street!"

Malfoy's face immediately set into a deeper frown.

"How could you not know?" she repeated, until it finally ticked in her head. "You don't have full control over them, do you?"

He didn't answer her, but he didn't have to.

"Jesus Christ, Malfoy!"

"You have no idea what you're talking about," he answered with his usual sneer, but Hermione could see past his façade. She had discovered the first cracks among Malfoy's organisation and she didn't know how to feel about it. Wasn't it a good thing?

But all of that didn't matter right now.

"Do you even know where Ginny's son is?" she demanded, unable to hide the hint of desperation in her voice. "If you don't want me to let you rot away in Azkaban then I suggest that you help us and tell me where Blaise took him -"

"Parkinson Manor," he admitted, looking her straight in the eye. "That's where I told him to bring Abigail."

Hermione sucked in a breath at the revelation. She didn't know whether to be relieved that he'd answered so quickly or appalled by the revelation that he had in fact meant to take Abigail instead.

"Blaise must be using the boy as bait. You won't be able to Apparate there directly, the wards are too strong and either way, the whole thing is a trap. Abigail is your best bet."

His last words were final and Hermione realised he wouldn't be imparting any more information, nor would he help her any further. He had already done enough.

She watched him intently a few seconds through the fire, her mind desperately trying to make sense of all these revelations. What did it all mean? What was he playing at? Wasn't he betraying the Death Eaters? Was he really helping them? Did that mean he had some shred of humanity left in him after all?

"Thank you," she finally spoke up, sincerity laced in her voice.

She didn't wait for his answer before she stepped out of the fireplace and headed back to the living-room, intent on telling Abigail the precious info Draco had given her.

She found the Serpent girl still dressed up for her date pacing about the room, her face pale and her eyes betraying her inner state.

"He was looking for me," she finally choked, turning to face Hermione. "Blaise. Chris just said that he was looking for me but took Ryan instead. Is it true?"

Hermione nodded, although it pained her to see Abigail's face crumble with guilt.

"How - how can I show up at Grimmauld Place when all this is my fault to begin with?" She put a hand to her forehead. "How can I even face the Weasleys -"

Sensing her cousin's distress, Hermione stepped forward and pulled her into a tight hug.

"No, this isn't your fault," she whispered fiercely against her ear. "This isn't your fault. We'll find him, Abby. The Order will get him back."

"No, they won't," a quiet voice spoke up behind her.

Hermione turned around to find Fred coming out of the fireplace with a livid Ron.

"What? What do you mean 'no'?" she asked him.

"At least not in time," the older Weasley continued, stepping into the living-room. "Our inside source, Daphne, had no clue of what had happened. Nothing unusual has happened according to her. Blaise wouldn't be stupid enough to take Ryan back to his family manor. And besides, the whole thing is a trap and after the whole disaster with Smith, Moody doesn't want to risk it."

"WHAT?" Abigail's loud voice startled Hermione. "He's just going to leave Ryan with those sick assholes?"

"He doesn't want to risk it until we find out where they are and receive enough intel from our inside spies," Fred informed them, barely holding his own anger back.

"But that could take days!" Abigail retorted, visibly shocked.

"I know where they are." Immediately all eyes fell on Hermione. "I just spoke to Malfoy. I'm his only hope to escape Azkaban after next week's trial and so I made him a deal he couldn't refuse. They're at Parkinson Manor."

She purposefully avoided Ron's eyes as she spoke and looked at Fred instead.

"What? But that doesn't make any sense," he exclaimed, confused by her revelation. "Why on earth would Malfoy give up their location?"

"Because he had no idea about Ryan," she admitted, surprising the two Weasleys. "It seems like Blaise acted of his own accord."

"So Malfoy's losing control then." Fred was already thinking of the implications. "I'd better head back and report this to HQ and Moody. Hopefully it will speed up the rescue plan."

Before he even made a move, Ron snatched his arm.

"No." He spoke up for the first time since the brothers had appeared. Hermione noticed he hadn't stopped shaking with repressed anger and dread since they'd arrived. It reminded her so strongly of their encounter by the lake that she looked away. "There's no time and you know it."

"Ron, I want to save Ryan as much as you do, but we can't simply waltz in there -"

"No!" the younger brother insisted, holding tightly onto his arm. "The more people get involved the less chance we have of bringing him back alive. It's a two-person mission tops, in and out without anyone noticing. We have to do this ourselves, Fred. We have to."

The determination and rage in Ron's voice caused Hermione's heart to jolt in dread. Surely he wasn't suggesting some sort of rogue attack? But from the grave looks around her, she realised he did and furthermore, it seemed she was powerless to stop it.

"For Ginny," he added, emotion betraying his voice.

Once again their sister's muffled cries reached their ears and Hermione noticed Abigail's eyes were brimming with tears.

"Abby." Ron's head turned to face her, his voice steel again. "We're going to Parkinson manor. Just you and I."

Hermione inhaled sharply, dreading their desperate situation would come to this. She turned to face her cousin, hoping the Serpent would think this rationally and talk some sense into Ron.

Abigail remained silent and merely turned away from their stares as she paced the room again, breathing out loudly as she seemed to think things through.

"I don't know, Ron," she answered after a moment. "Going rogue sounds insane. We'd have no intel, no back-up, no potions, nothing! Plus, Moody would have our heads. The Order has always been very clear about -"

"Fuck the Order," Ron hissed before he roughly grabbed her by the shoulders. "There's no time to wait around for inside info, sit around the kitchen table making plans or debating who's the best team for the mission. Ryan is gone! Those sick psychopaths took him in broad daylight, Abby! In broad daylight in the middle of Hogsmeade and tortured my sister! They're not getting away with this, we are not letting them get away with this!"

Abigail remained frozen. Only her darting eyes revealed the uncertainty still inside her mind.

"You owe us, Serpent," he added, his voice low and fierce as he gripped her upper arms. "Zabini was waiting for you. They were there for you, but they took Ryan instead."

The Slytherin girl looked down in shame, guilt obviously tearing at her and Hermione made a step to intervene but Fred quickly held her back.

"Besides, you owe Ginny your life, remember?" Ron continued, digging up memories that Abigail clearly wanted to forget. "My family is not losing another member tonight. Ginny is not losing her son tonight. With your powers, we can get him back. We are going to fix this, even if we lose ourselves. We will make them pay."

They stared at each other for a moment. Ron's blues eyes fixated on Abigail's dark ones and a silent agreement passed through them before she finally nodded once.

Hermione let out a breath and knew it was too late to stop either of them. It was bloody suicide. She didn't know if they would even make it to Parkinson Manor in one piece, let alone find Ryan. But if she couldn't stop them, then she would make damn sure that they got all the help she could give them.

"I'll make a Portkey for you before you go," she offered, grabbing her wand, "and I don't care what either of you say but I'm contacting Harry and letting him know in case things go wrong."

Ron nodded once but froze as Christopher suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"I'm coming with you."

"Like hell you are!" he growled in return as Fred held him back.

"I'm coming with you," Christopher repeated more firmly this time, looking Ron dead in the eye. "He's my son and I want to help. Besides, I know where you're going. I've been to the Parkinsons many times and know the estate and house very well. Have either of you ever even been there?"

Ron turned to face Abigail, who shook her head.

"I can guide you. Tell you where to go and how to access the house," the Quidditch player continued, looking more serious and determined than Hermione had ever seen him. "Please, he's my son. Let me help you. Please!"

His final plea caused something to stir within Hermione. The poor man looked a mess with dishevelled hair and ashen-gray skin, but clearly his intentions seemed pure. No matter what had happened with Ginny and him, Ryan was still his son and if he wanted to help, then perhaps it would somewhat redeem him in the eyes of the Weasleys.

Ron, however, still looked infuriated, although his silence meant he wasn't dismissing Christopher's idea completely.

It was Abigail who spoke first. "We need him," she said flatly, turning to Ron. "I can Apparate us to the grounds but then we'd have no idea where to go. Those old Pureblood estates are huge, you know that. We'd be wandering around blindly and probably get caught by the enemy before we'd even find the house. And if they cast that Instant Darkness spell like at Lestrange castle then we'd be doomed."

Ron sighed angrily. "Fine," he conceded through gritted teeth. "But I don't like it and if you get in our way even for a second, I'll fucking kill you."

Christopher nodded and Hermione felt the slightest bit better that Ron had accepted his help. The Quidditch player wasn't a trained Auror or Order member, but at least he could guide her friends.

"Bailey, you're with me. We'd better head back to the Burrow to grab armour, weapons and any potions lying around," Ron informed them, heading back to the Fireplace. "Abigail, get changed and ready and meet us there in 10 minutes. You'll be able to Apparate us all to Parkinson Manor from there. Fred?"

Hermione noticed the older brother looked horribly torn between stopping his brother and saving his nephew. The usually cheerful Weasley son looked pale and grave as he desperately tried to find a way to save his family members.

"I'll head back to the Order and see if I can sneak a communications mirror for you guys. If I'm not back in ten, then don't wait around."

Ron nodded, before turning to Abigail. "See you soon."

And then he was gone. Fred quickly followed while Abigail left for her room to get ready. Hermione grabbed a wand and began working on making a Portkey. Ten minutes was barely enough time to make a fully-functioning one so she decided to make a smaller one instead. Barely enough to transport two people for a short distance.

A small Portkey, however, was better than nothing.

Once she was done, Abigail came back into the room once more in full battle gear downing a potion that Hermione recognised as the one Snape specifically made for her to replenish her magic.

Hermione silently handed her the square magnet she had transfigured and watched as her cousin slipped it inside her pocket. She prayed the small Portkey would bring everyone back safe and sound but doubted it.

"The password is 'bookworm'," Hermione informed her quickly as Abigail headed to the Fireplace. "I didn't have enough time to make a proper one so it will only carry two people at most."

"Thanks. We'll manage, we always have."

Abigail's voice, however, didn't seem so sure. Hermione realised that now was the last chance she had to make her reconsider their plan.

"Abby," Hermione began in a whisper. "This is suicide. Without the Order's help, you won't stand a chance and you know it. Call it off. Call this desperate plan off right now before it's too late."

"I can't," her cousin answered simply, looking over her shoulder towards Hermione's room where Ginny was now resting. "I owe her. I owe her so much."

"And you have repaid that debt time and time again through your work with the Order, Abby. Don't throw your life away because of guilt."

The Slytherin merely shook her head. "It's not guilt, Hermione. It's what I want. I owe Ginny so much for everything she did for me at Hogwarts and now I want to help her like she did for me. She saved my life, Hermione! I was awful to her back in school. I pushed everyone away in seventh year but she stuck to my side. She was the only one to give a damn about me in school and she was the one who found me when…"

She trailed off and Hermione swallowed, her throat tight as she remembered that terrible day almost three years ago.

"Ginny was my first friend at Hogwarts," she admitted. "She's the reason why I got mixed up with you lot in the first place, the reason why I even joined the fight against Voldemort. I owe her a lot. Without you guys, I could very well be standing by Malfoy's or Zabini's side right this instant."

"That's not true!"

"Yes it is, and you know it," Abigail retorted, a sad look on her face. "I can't simply stand by and watch her suffer like this. You know, I can't. I have to do everything within my power to save Ryan and if that means going with Ron and sacrificing myself for them, then you know I will."

Hermione inhaled sharply before throwing her arms around her into a fierce hug.

"Save Ryan, do what you must, but come back alive, you hear me. I can't lose you too," she lectured her cousin, who nodded in return.

Abigail gave Hermione a tight squeeze before pulling away. "Take care of Ginny for me."

She grabbed a handful of Floo powder and stepped into the fireplace.

"We'll bring him back," she promised, and then she was gone.

Hermione continued to stare at the fireplace with a sinking feeling in her stomach. After a moment, she went to look for her mobile, determined to get hold of Harry.

..~**~..

..~**~..

Abigail looked at the mansion ahead and noticed all the lights were out, except for a small one in the east wing, which seemed definitely suspicious considering the fact that it was still early evening. Clearly the Death Eaters had condemned the lights so as not to give away their positions. She looked back at Ron, who was furiously trying to come up with some sort of plan, and then to their newest addition, Bailey, without whom they clearly would never had made it this far.

Parkinson estate was just a big and pompous as the Malfoy one and within the gardens lurked just as many traps and dangerous plants to keep intruders out. Without Bailey, someone would have been hurt or killed for sure before even reaching the house.

Now, crouched behind the ostentatious marbles statues and ancestral tombstones, the small team was clearly undecided as to what their next step should be.

"Well it's a trap for sure." Abigail sat back down against the statue's base with a sigh while facing Ron. "They're probably all huddled up in there armed to the teeth and just waiting for someone to show up. So, what's the plan?"

Ron barely paid her any attention, as his eyes watched the house intently for any movement. "We infiltrate the house separately and search for Ryan. Whoever gets noticed first, draws as much attention as possible to give the others a chance of finding him."

Abigail exhaled slowly. Ron was too riled up, too angry – and his anger wasn't making him think clearly. Infiltrating the mansion separately was madness.

She turned to the other man in their group. "Any ideas where Ryan could be kept?"

Bailey shook his head. "The manor doesn't have any kind of dungeons or basement even, only a ground floor and two upper levels. The East wing contains the main family's bedrooms, which is where I would probably keep a baby but with these bastards you never know."

"I doubt Zabini is into bottle-feeding and changing nappies," Ron sneered, keeping his eyes ahead.

"If the Parkinsons don't like babysitting then they might have passed Ryan on to the house elves," Abigail argued.

"In that case, the kitchens seems like a suitable place to look too," Bailey agreed, "but I've never been to that part of the house before."

Abigail gave an audible sigh. "Well this keeps getting better and better. So, where's our entrance point?"

Bailey pointed towards the West wing. "There's a back entrance there that leads to a smaller staircase. It can take us both to the upper floors and away from the main foyer."

Ron abruptly turned back to face them, wand in hand. "That's good enough. We've wasted enough time as it is. We sneak in, we sneak out. First one to get into trouble, makes a bloody ruckus to draw as many as those bastards outside. Fred couldn't get us that damn mirror so we have no means to communicate except for Abby -"

Bailey looked surprised but said nothing.

"- and we only have one Portkey, which I hold and which can transport at most one of us along with Ryan. The odds suck, but we'll manage – we have to. Ryan is counting on us. Abigail, you'll take the ground floor, Bailey and I will go upstairs."

Abigail nodded, understanding that she was the heavy-hitter of the group and could hold her own better against a group of Death Eaters while the other two looked for Ryan. However, it also meant that she was the one most at risk.

"Let's go," Ron ordered, heading off hurriedly without waiting for their answer.

"Damn it, Ron," Abigail muttered under her breath before following Bailey.

They moved swiftly across the lawn before reaching the house and following the walls round to the west side. Listening intently inside for any sound or movement, they heard none and broke in through the back door without raising any alarms.

This was it. They were finally inside the majestic house. It wasn't quite as large or grand as Malfoy Manor but it was by far more richly decorated than most houses these days. They quickly found the staircase and with a quick nod, Ron and Bailey disappeared upstairs as Abigail continued on the ground floor. She followed the hallway silently, wand at the ready and carefully stopped at every door to listen for any sound or movement. The house seemed awfully quiet and it only confirmed what she feared most. They were walking into a trap and she could only pray that one of them would find Ryan and extract him from the situation as quickly as possible.

Coming across a door slightly ajar, Abigail peered inside and realised she had found the kitchen. Just as she slipped in, she heard noises coming down the hallway and quickly backed against the wall, hoping they wouldn't come closer.

"What do you mean you and your men will be staying the night?" a feminine voice sharply demanded, her heels clicking along the floor.

"Does it look like the Serpent girl has shown up yet?" a man grunted in return. "We'll be staying as long as we need to. Lord Parkinson already knows about this and has given his permission."

"Well it seemed like no one deemed it necessary to inform me…"

Their voices trailed off and Abigail let out a small sigh. Slipping back out in the corridor, she decided to follow the voices and see where they lead. She noticed bright lights ahead as the hallway opened up into the foyer and stuck to the shadows, making sure no one was around. Just ahead was another set of double large doors no doubt leading to a bigger room, from where several voices emanated. She couldn't hear what was being said and wondered what would be the best way to proceed if Ryan was being kept inside, in the thick of it all.

Deciding to create a diversion within the foyer, she barely had time to think before a high-pitched shriek suddenly erupted all around the house, making her jump out of her skin.

Shit!

Her heart leapt to her throat.

No doubt Ron or Bailey had triggered a Caterwauling Charm, foolishly alerting every Death Eater in the house to their presence.

Shit!

She slunk back to the shadows, just as a dozen or so Death Eaters busted through the set of doors she'd been surveying and rushed in all directions.

Abigail hurriedly ran back to the kitchen as footsteps rushed behind her and slipped inside again. She sneaked behind one of the counters trying to calm down her racing heart and praying she hadn't been seen.

Unfortunately, it was too much to hope for and within seconds the kitchen doors burst open and several sets of footsteps came through.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" one of them taunted her and Abigail swallowed hard, the cabinet doors behind her digging into her back as she tried to make herself as small as possible.

"We know you're in here," another added with a dark chuckle. "If you come out now, we promise to play nice."

From the sound of their footsteps she counted four in total and her mind rushed with ideas to fight her way out. Four was feasible. She could take them on by herself with her family shield protecting her. She steeled her nerves and waited for the first one to approach her side of the kitchen. As soon as he had his back turned, she hit him with a stunning spell and a slew of curses immediately bombarded her hiding spot.

Covering her head as the kitchen seemed to explode all around her, she scrambled behind another counter for cover. She felt a couple of spells bounce off her shield and heard a loud yelp from one of the men, who had probably been hit by his own curse.

"Stop!" another yelled to her right, allowing her to pinpoint his location. "Stop firing spells, you idiots! It's the Serpent girl! You'll just get us all killed."

The chaos briefly stopped and Abigail could also feel the sudden hesitation among the Death Eaters as they realised their spells would only bounce off her shield. Taking advantage of their moment of weakness, Abigail rolled to her side and aimed for the one who had previously spoken, stunning him as well.

Immediately, the two remaining Death Eaters resumed their attack and Abigail dodged as best she could, her shield protecting her until she got an opening. She stunned the broader man, who flew backwards in the wall and kicked the other man's wand out of his hand, before knocking him out consciousness with a well-aimed punch to the head.

She looked down at the unconscious men around her, rather satisfied with her work until she heard running footsteps head her way. She barely had time to run to the farthest counter and duck behind it before the kitchen lit up with spells and curses thrown in every direction.

"Come on, Serpent," a gruff voice she recognised as Mulciber's jeered, "no need for child's play. We'll get you eventually. You're only making it worse for yourself."

A few other men snickered, and Abigail had half a mind to shout 'fuck you' in return if only it didn't give away her position.

She was doomed, she quickly realised. The Death Eaters were advancing throughout the kitchen and were bound to find her and this time, there was no way she could take all of them on.

"Zabini will be so pleased to see you again," another added with a dark chuckle.

Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt her hands begin to shake. She was bloody trapped, there were no windows and no doors around her to hope for a quick exit.

Taking a deep breath, she fought down her feelings of panic. If she was going to go down, then there was no way she was doing it without a fight. If she was successfully distracting as many Death Eaters as possible and giving Ron and Bailey precious time to find Ryan, then so be it.

She looked up towards the ceiling and noticed the complicated patter of wooden beams forming an arch over them all and an idea hit her.

Without missing a beat, Abigail aimed her wand from behind her hiding place and shouted, "Reducto!". The spell hit part of the ceiling closest to the door and immediately large wooden beams exploded into dust while others came tumbling down.

Death Eaters shouted and screamed all around her, but Abigail continued her onslaught, casting a couple more curses upwards while praying the whole ceiling wouldn't come crashing down on her.

"Get her!" someone roared to her left.

"She's going to bring the whole place down!" another shouted in a panic.

Among the confusion and cloud of dust, Abigail weaved her way through the debris, throwing curses at any visible opponent, until a well-aimed red spark hit her in the shoulder, breaking through her shield and throwing her off her feet. She crashed into the wall with a cry and immediately heard the remaining Death Eaters converge towards her.

Scrambling to her feet, she jumped through the large hole she had caused in the side wall and found herself back in the hallway. Death Eaters jumped after her, throwing curse after curse and she deflected as best she could. She barely noticed the warm blood trickling down her shoulder as she ran, gasping for air, her heart pounding in her chest.

Sending another blind curse over her shoulder, it hit the wall instead which promptly exploded, momentarily blocking her pursuers and Abigail turned a sharp corner before rushing towards the nearest door she could find.

It was locked.

She tried door after door in a panic, looking over her shoulder for any sign of the enemy.

Suddenly at the end of the corridor a door creaked open and her heart jumped a beat thinking it was a Death Eater.

"Serpent, over here," Bailey hissed at her, his hand summoning her to follow him and Abigail let out her breath. She had never thought she'd ever be so happy to see Bailey's face and quickly rushed towards him, slipping just in time through the door.

The room beyond was brightly lit and her eyes barely had time to adjust to the sudden brightness before she felt something hard knock the back of her head and her mind gave out to darkness.

"See?" Bailey said to Dolohov while watching Abigail's unconscious body lying at his feet. "I told you they'd believe me."

..~**~..

..~**~..

Her head hurt like a bitch.

Her back was sore from sitting with her hands tied behind her and her shoulder felt swollen and numb, although she could clearly feel that the sleeve of her shirt was soaked in blood.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, dazed as she heard a muffled voice screaming around her and saw a myriad of bright lights.

"Nice of you to join us again, Abigail," a voice called out and the masculine tone sounded vaguely familiar.

Lifting her head, she flinched in pain as the pounding in her head intensified. Blinking a few times, her eyes finally started to distinguish her surroundings and her memories came back in full.

She quickly realised she was tied to a chair and froze. The luxuriously decorated lounge around her told her she was probably still at the Parkinsons, but what caused her to suddenly go rigid were the tall black-cloaked figures standing around the room, their faces covered by masks. Standing among them was Bailey with a glazed look over his eyes.

He had been under the Imperius Curse the whole time, she realised in despair.

And lounging comfortably on the sofa before her was none other than Blaise Zabini, the only other person whose face wasn't hidden.

The sight of him made her whole body turn cold.

Her eyes quickly darted about the room, desperate to come up with some sort of escape plan, however, instead she noticed another hunched figure tied to a chair a few feet away.

Ron!

He was hunched over in pain, breathing heavily and his face was half-covered in blood. Abigail's stomach twisted violently as she realised the screams that had woken her up had been his.

"Abigail, babe," Zabini began, slowly lifting himself up from the sofa. "You didn't really think you could infiltrate this place and save the boy, did you?"

He stopped in front of her and the malicious look on his face made her sick to the stomach.

"But I guess in a way I am rather impressed at how you escaped from the kitchen and killed two of us in the process," he drawled, taking a step closer. "Fortunately your little act of bravery precipitated our reunion."

His eyes roamed over her figure and she turned her head in disgust. It only made him bolder and he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Lucky me."

"Get away from me," she snarled, fighting against the bonds trapping her hands to pull away from Blaise.

He stood up again, chuckling at her attempts until his hand sprung forward and snatched her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"Still a firecracker I see." His tone was dangerous as his thumb rubbed circles against her cheek.

She held his gaze, spitting venom through her eyes and letting her anger seep through her body in an attempt to cover her fear.

Out the corner of her eye, Ron sat immobile on his chair except for his shoulders twitching as he struggled for air. His bright red hair fell into his face clashing with the blood leaking from his mouth.

"Abby… leave…" His voice was hoarse and weak and she wondered how much he had suffered while she had remained unconscious.

Her eyes flicked between him and Blaise, unsure of what to do next. He expected her to Disapparate, to get help, to save him. He expected her to use her powers to save them from a tight spot as she had done a dozen times before. And in normal circumstances, she would be disappear in a blink, save Ron and kick Blaise's ass.

But that was all in the past. Now, she was weak.

"Abby…"

The pain in his voice broke her heart. Tears shone in her eyes as she stared back at his swollen face, and gave the slightest shake of her head.

"I can't," she answered through her mind. "My magic isn't strong enough."

His one good eye went wide and above her Blaise chuckled at their situation.

"Oh Abby," he began, delighted to have them at his mercy. "They haven't figured it out yet, have they?"

He held her chin up, his bright eyes drinking in the guilt plastered all over her face.

"Not to worry." He traced a finger down her cheek and then played with a loose strand of her hair. "Once we're married, your magic will be restored."

"In your dreams, Blaise," she spat out, wrenching her face from his grip.

His eyes turned cold and Abigail feared the worst but a knock on the door interrupted them.

"My Lord." Another Death Eater appeared in the doorway. "Lord Malfoy is asking for an update. He was quite adamant that he speak with you at once."

Blaise grit his teeth. "I'll be right there." He then turned to the others in the room. "You three, go check the grounds in case other members of the Order followed them and you," he pointed to the one in the doorway, "go find Pansy and the boy. I want them right here where our guests can see them. If anything goes wrong, if they give you any trouble, threaten the boy first."

He left without another word and the Death Eaters followed him out all except for one.

Abigail turned to Ron who remained eerily still in his chair. She struggled with her bonds, trying not catch the guards' attention and quickly realised it was useless.

She was trapped, they were trapped, and this time, no one was coming to save them.

The door opened again and a slim blonde wearing the latest fashionable robes waltzed in, a little boy held tightly in her arms.

"Ryan!" Abigail gasped. The little boy looked scared and confused but otherwise he looked perfectly safe.

"Hello, Abigail," Pansy greeted and the Serpent heir was surprised her tone didn't hold its usual venom. It was almost friendly.

"Just set the boy down on the couch and leave," the Death Eater ordered gruffly, pushing them along.

"Leave?" Pansy countered, "And then what? Blaise said the boy wouldn't be harmed."

"Seems like he changed his mind." The Death Eater sounded almost gleeful behind his mask.

"Well then," the blonde began and Abigail noticed something glide out of her sleeve hidden from the Death Eater's view, "I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

Before he could react, she pulled out her wand and stunned him. He hit the thick carpeted floor with a dull thud.

"Pansy?" Abigail looked back astonished as she watched her Obliviate the guard. "What are you doing?"

"Saving a child." She propped Ryan back up in her arms and purposely stepped on the fallen Death Eater. "I may be known for my loose morals, but even I have my limits."

With a flick of her wrist, Abigail's bonds disappeared.

"I usually wouldn't give a damn what Blaise and his followers are up to, but when he showed up with a baby and a Pureblood one, no less, I knew he had crossed a line."

Abigail couldn't believe what she was hearing as she slowly stood up to her feet, testing her legs.

"Draco would never have approved. Here, take him and save yourselves."

Pansy thrust Ryan into Abigail's arms and the Serpent girl hugged him at once, before checking him all over to make sure he was unharmed.

After a moment, the blonde huffed and pushed her towards Ron. "Hurry up, would you? They could be back any minute."

Abigail nodded, before quickly undoing Ron's bonds.

"Ron." She shook him gently and he groaned, opening one eye. The other was bright red and swollen.

She kneeled down before him, securely placing Ryan in his lap. "Look, Ron, it's Ryan! Everything's going to be okay now, we have Ryan. We got him back."

Reaching inside his jacket, she retrieved a small magnet, Hermione's portkey, and placed it in his hand.

"Abby…"

"It's okay, you take him home. You take him straight back to Ginny. Don't worry about me."

She struggled to put on a brave face as Ron stared at her in silent gratitude.

"I'll see you soon." She kissed the top of Ryan's head before tapping the Portkey with her wand.

She watched them vanish from the chair and breathed a sigh of relief knowing they would be safe.

"Portkey was too small, huh?" Pansy observed in a quiet voice. "I thought the Order would be better prepared than that."

Abigail struggled as she stood back on her feet. "If you were hoping to escape with us, I'm sorry to disappoint. The Order never gave us the green light to rescue Ginny's son so Ron and I took matters into our own hands."

Pansy gave a low whistle. "Well I'll be damned. Always knew you were a Gryffindor at heart."

As she spoke, Abigail was already staring through the living-room windows, at the grounds outside.

"Please," she scoffed, scowling back at Pansy. "I'm resourceful, I'll find a way out."

"The grounds are crawling with Caterwauling Charms, jinxes and Death Eaters. Your best bet is through the cemetery. If you keep going straight, hopefully you'll reach the edge of the Anti-Apparition wards before they catch you."

"Thanks." She carefully opened the French door leading to the outside patio and gardens before pausing.

"Pansy, come with me. The Order can protect you. As soon as Blaise finds out what you did -"

"Ha! So that I can end up like that new recruit, Smith?" the blonde retorted with a scowl. "Yeah thanks, but no thanks. I'm better off alone. Just knock me out or something."

Abigail turned to face her. "You think they'll believe that?"

"They will if you make it good," she insisted, going back to stand next to fallen guard. "Knock me out and then use a slashing curse like Sectumsempra or something."

"Pansy-"

"Just do it, Serpent." Her lips were pressed thin as she faced Abigail. "The longer you wait, the less chance you have of making it out alive."

Abigail was struck by the blonde girl's concern for her before grabbing the closest heavy object she could find. "I'm in your debt, Parkinson. Anytime you need me, I'll be there."

Pansy scowled in return, but before she could say anything else, Abigail knocked her out with a strong blow to the head.

Taking a deep breath, she gathered what little magic she had left and used a cutting spell on the poor blonde until blood soaked the carpet beneath her.

Just as she finished, the door swung open and a couple of Death Eaters reappeared.

"Shit!"

Before the two guards could react, Abigail bolted through the open French door and outside into the gardens. A green stream of light whizzed past her and still she kept going, running as fast as her legs would take her.

"It's the Serpent girl! Get her!"

She ran straight for the white tombstones in the distance, ignoring the thundering footsteps and shouts behind her. Suddenly, a wailing cry erupted beneath her foot and she cursed out loud realising she had set off an alarm.

A couple of Death Eaters appeared on her left and she swerved right, sprinting forward and ducking her head as curses flew past her, crashing into the statues, bushes and trees around. A large marble statue exploded ahead and she barely lifted her arms in time to protect herself from the flying debris.

"There's nowhere to run, Serpent!"

A flash of red hit her calf and instantly pain erupted throughout her skin and muscle.

She fell hard on her knees and the cries around her increased.

"She's down, we got her!"

Her heart pounded against her chest and blood rushed to her ears. Still she pushed on, struggling to stand up and then limping forward, one leg uselessly trailing behind.

She could almost see the field ahead, the edge of the Parkinson estate where the wards no longer applied. She had almost made it and yet she was still so far.

In an instant, they were upon her, tackling her to the ground before two strong hands gripped her upper arms and pulled her up to her knees, wands at her throat.

"Little bitch thought she could get away," one of her snatchers snarled above her, tugging at her hair.

Three more Death Eaters approached them and Abigail gulped as she recognised Mulciber and Dolohov. The third one remained masked.

"The great Lady Serpent," Mulciber sneered, drinking in her reaction. "How the mighty have fallen."

She held his stare, wincing as the grip in her hair tightened.

"Looks like she finally learned how to keep her mouth shut," Dolohov added, his twisted smile revealing yellow, crooked teeth. "What should we do with her, Mulciber? Hand her over to Zabini? He'll be so pleased."

"No, not yet." Mulciber stepped forward, his wand suddenly pointed at Abigail's throat while his eyes promised violence. "First, let's have some fun with the bitch. A little payback for all the trouble she's caused us over the years."

The others chuckled darkly around them and Abigail froze, readying herself for the pain headed her way as her heart hammered inside her chest.

"That's funny, I was thinking the same thing about all of you," the third Death Eater spoke up and a jet of red light erupted from his wand and hit Mulciber squarely in the chest.

The iron mask disappeared from the Death Eater's face and Abigail stared in shock at familiar untidy black hair and green eyes.

Harry.

Immediately the other Death Eaters turned on him, bright flashes of colours blinking through the night.

"It's Potter, get him!"

Abigail felt the steel grip in her hair pull her up to her feet. She winced in pain, struggling to stand on one foot as the fight roared around them.

"You made a big mistake, Potter!"

"Someone get some back-up!"

A sudden, bright yellow light exploded on one side and a great fire roared through the gardens effectively separating Abigail and the Death Eater holding her from the mansion and any further back-up.

The Death Eater held her tightly against him, his wand at her throat as Abigail sensed him look around in a panic as the voices of his comrades died out one after another.

"Where is he?" he roared over the crackling fire. "Where is that bastard? Since when is he even part of your group?"

"Since you threatened my friends," Harry's voice answered calmly. Abigail stared with wide eyes as the wall of fire parted to let him through. "I warned Malfoy not to provoke me, so now be ready to face the consequences."

With a flick of his wrist, the wall of fire closed behind him causing the Death Eater to panic even more.

"Don't come closer or she dies!" he yelled, tugging Abigail flush against his body as he prodded her neck with his wand. "You've been warned, Potter."

"That's funny," Harry retorted, his wand in his hand again. "Mulciber wouldn't shut up about how the Serpent girl had to be captured alive. I wonder how Zabini or Malfoy would react if you harmed her in any way."

The Death Eater froze for a moment before his grip disappeared and he pushed Abigail forward with great force. She fell to the ground again with a grunt and watched as the Death Eater attempted to flee in the other direction.

A large ball of fire surged forward from the wall racing straight for the panicked Death Eater. As it whizzed before Abigail's eyes, she noticed in astonishment that the raging blaze of fire was shaped like a lion. It caught up to the black hooded figure in no time and clutched its wand arm in its jaws as the man shrieked in fear.

His wand stood no chance against the blazing heat and soon his shrieks grew louder as his robes caught fire as well and he attempted to snuff out the flames to no avail.

"Come on, we have to go!" Harry was instantly at Abigail's side hauling her to her feet.

He grabbed her side and she held onto to him too as they headed towards the open field.

"How are you doing this?" Abigail asked, her eyes still fixed on the Death Eater battling with the flames.

"With great difficulty." He sounded out of breath and turning to face him Abigail realised the amount of energy and focus wandless magic required.

Suddenly his nose started to bleed.

"Harry!"

His face turned pale and he stumbled a little.

In an instant, the lion-shaped ball of fire was snuffed out and the wall of fire began to die down. Abigail could already hear the distant shouts of the remaining Death Eaters behind them.

They continued as fast as they could towards the field until eventually she no longer felt the wards.

"Quick, we can Apparate now, let's get out of here."

Her heart stilled as she noticed Harry breaking into a cold sweat. She put a hand on his cheek and his unfocused bright eyes looked to hers.

"Come on, Harry, you got this," she urged him, ignoring the dozen black figures headed their way at high speed. "All we need now is to Apparate home. You can do this, use your wand."

He closed his eyes and gripped his wand as he focused his magic.

"Hold on tight," he warned her before they Disapparated with a loud pop and a stream of curses missed them.

..~**~..

..~**~..

They reappeared in a white-carpeted lounge surrounded by boxes and immediately Harry crumbled to the floor, his body thrashing wildly as blood spurted from his mouth.

"Oh my God!" Hermione's voice rang out behind them.

Abigail barely noticed as she struggled to turn Harry on his side.

"He exerted his magic," she explained, panic seeping through her voice as Hermione appeared by her side. "He needs Snape's potion! Did you still keep some in your bag?"

The brunette took one look at Harry before disappearing again.

The fireplace abruptly glowed green and a tall figure stepped out.

"Hermione, any news yet from – holy shit!"

"Fred!" Abigail stared up into his shocked face. "Help me hold him down."

Immediately the redhead did as he was told and within seconds Hermione returned by his side.

"Here, I got it!" She uncorked the small bottle and the familiar tangy smell of Snape's secret potion filled the air. "Fred, you have to prop him up."

The older Weasley struggled to hold a blood-covered Harry but eventually Hermione held his chin in her hand and brought the potion to his lips.

"Come on, Harry," she coaxed him gently as he seemed to regain consciousness. "Come on, you need to drink."

Abigail did her best to hold him steady as his lips slowly parted and the potion slipped down his throat.

"That's it, mate, just drink up!"

The more Harry drank, the quieter he became until Hermione dropped the bottle and pulled out her wand instead, reciting a string of healing spells linked to magic exertion.

Abigail watched her work, relief replacing fear as the shaking gradually stopped and Harry passed out again whilst his body relaxed under the effects of the spells.

"Abby, it's all right, it's going to be all right," Hermione reassured her, noticing her eyes well up. "I've had a lot of practice curing you the past few months. He'll be fine."

Abigail nodded, wiping her tears away. "How's Ron? Did he get back safely with Ryan?"

"Ron's with Mom now and Hannah," Fred explained, reaching out to her. "They roughed him up pretty bad but nothing he hasn't recovered from before and Ryan is just fine, not a scratch on him."

A fresh wave of tears appeared in Abigail's eyes and Fred pulled her into a hug, one arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

"You did good, Abby," he comforted her, his own voice breaking. "You did good. You saved them. Merlin, my family owes you so much."

Abigail shook her head, unable to say a word.

"What about Bailey?" Hermione dared to ask. "He didn't make it?"

Taking a steadying breath, Abigail looked from Hermione to Fred. "He was under the Imperius curse."

Fred went rigid beside her.

"He helped the Death Eaters capture us. I don't know what they'll do to him now."

"I'm going to settle Harry onto a bed and then we'll talk," Hermione cut in, standing to her feet and ready to levitate Harry's body. "Abby, we also need to take a look at your leg. It's covered in blood."

The Serpent girl looked down and noticed the pool of blood staining the ivory carpet.

"Is this… is this Harry's place?" she asked, recognising the flat-screen TV and boxes.

Fred seemed lost in his thoughts, thinking about Bailey and how to break the news to Ginny no doubt. After a moment, he helped Abigail up and settled her down on the nearest couch. "Yeah we're in Harry's flat. Hermione and him agreed to meet back here once he found you."

"He went there looking for me?" she asked, surprised.

He nodded in return but remained silent as he carefully cut up her pants leg revealing lacerated skin underneath.

Abigail looked away in disgust as Fred stared in horror. "Merlin… what kind of curse is that?"

Hermione came back into the room and cringed at Abigail's leg.

"Fred, head back to Ginny's and bring Hannah here. This is beyond our skills. Abby, I'm going to move you to Harry's room so I can keep an eye on both of you."

Fred squeezed Abigail's hand before heading back to the fireplace. "I'll be right back."

He disappeared in a flash of green flames and Abigail let Hermione levitate her to a large plush armchair set up in Harry's room.

Harry lay still on the bed, his skin unusually pale in the dimly lit room.

Hermione did her best to clean up Abigail as she lay back in the chair, her dark eyes set on Harry.

"Did you know what he could do?" the Serpent girl asked in a whisper. "The wandless magic?"

Hermione turned to look at Harry and then back at the injured girl. "He told me about it, but I never saw it. How was it?"

"Incredible," she admitted, her eyes meeting Hermione's. "I've never seen anything like it. He was manipulating fire with his hands like one of those heroes the Muggles are so fond of. It was really something."

"Well I had a feeling something like this would happen, that he would go overboard." She conjured a stool and carefully propped up Abigail's leg. "You should have seen the look on his face when Ron and Ryan reappeared at Ginny's flat and you weren't there."

"The Portkey was only strong enough for two."

"Yes, I know, but I guess we were hoping for a miracle or at least for you to famously Apparate out of a tough spot as you usually do."

Abigail nodded but remained silent, unsure whether to reveal or not how much her magic had weakened.

They heard the familiar burning sound the Floo and Hermione gave Abigail a reassuring smile. "That must be Fred with Hannah, she'll heal you -"

"Wait!" Abigail grabbed Hermione's arm pulling her back, her face turning pale. "That's not them! That aura is much too powerful."

Shook by the revelation, Hermione turned towards the door, wand in hand.

The three auras approached the bedroom door and as they knocked, Abigail recognised the most powerful one and groaned.

"Shit."

"What, who is it?" Hermione whispered.

"Miss Granger, may we come in?" Dumbledore's muffled voice spoke up behind the door. "I believe Mister Potter and Miss Serpent are in need of medical help."

Hermione blanched. "Just a minute, Professor," she answered weakly before turning to Abigail.

"How did they find out?"

She shrugged. "Does it matter now? Merlin, Moody is going to bite my head off."

Putting her wand away, Hermione went to the door and opened it wide.

She was met with a pair of twinkling eyes. "Thank you, Miss Granger."

He stepped inside the room followed by Mad-Eye and Remus.

"Serpent, you incompetent fool!" Moody roared, stomping towards her. "Do you have any idea how stupid and dangerous it was to storm the Parkinson's manor. There's a reason why we repeatedly tell agents not to go rogue, it's because most of them don't come back!"

He ranted on for a couple more minutes before Remus stepped in. "All right, that's quite enough Alastor, I believe you've made your point."

Moody still looked outraged, his magical eye rolling from Abigail's fatigued face to Hermione's mortified one to Harry still sleeping on the bed before he stormed out in anger and headed straight back to the fireplace.

"Hermione, how about we go make some tea and let Abigail and the Professor talk," Remus suggested and gently led her out by the shoulders, closing the door behind.

"I apologise for Alastor's foul mood," Dumbledore spoke up, sitting down at the foot of Harry's bed. "But I do believe he was voicing the anger and hurt that many Order members felt when they found out about your mission with Ron."

"I know, Professor," Abigail answered, trying not to sound rude despite her fatigue. "I knew going rogue was a stupid plan, I know I can act rashly sometimes but in this case, I knew it was a terrible idea. They were expecting us, the whole thing was a trap and Bailey was under the Imperius curse and just waiting to hand us over. I knew it, but I also knew there was no way to change Ron's mind. It was Ginny's son, he is a just a child and knowing that he was in the minds of that psychopath would drive anyone crazy. It's exactly what Zabini was hoping, that we would charge in there without a plan and get caught."

She paused, noticing Dumbledore hadn't made an attempt to interrupt her once and was patiently waiting for her to finish.

She sighed, looking down at the damage to her leg. "I know this mission could have done so much worse than it did. But I owe the Weasley family so much, how was I to refuse?"

Dumbledore retrieved his wand from his sleeve. "Let me do my best to heal your leg." He scanned her lacerated limb with his eyes before his wand suddenly glowed bright blue from its tip. "I do recall a similar situation when I healed your broken ankle. It's a good chance for me to dust off my healing skills."

Abigail gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you. Do you know what kind of dark spell was used on my leg? I'm scared it might have some lasting effect."

"I am not aware of which spell caused the damage, but I do believe it could be a combination of several curses at once," he explained and Abigail watched in admiration as his spell counteracted the throbbing pain and her skin began knitting itself back together.

"As for your admirable loyalty towards the Weasleys," he continued, his eyes still focused on his work. "You must not let yourself be burdened with guilt because of Miss Weasley's loyal friendship during your time at Hogwarts. No matter what Ronald Weasley says, they do not expect you to throw yourself in the face of danger so recklessly. After all, who do you think informed the Order of your mission?"

The twinkle in his eye didn't go unnoticed and Abigail thought hard about who could have warned Dumbledore of their acts. Obviously it couldn't be Ron, and Fred would never have betrayed them either. There was no one else who could have known except –

"Molly?"

"Exactly." The spell died out and Abigail looked down at her leg that looked almost as good as new except for the swollen red skin. "I believe Miss Granger will have a salve to help with the redness, but you must also rest to recover. Before you do, I must ask to you to tell me in as much detail as possible, everything that happened tonight."

Abigail nodded and starting from Hermione's frantic call on her mobile towards the end of her date with Mike Roberts, she told Dumbledore everything she could remember.

He listened to her intently, asking a few questions here and there and seemed genuinely surprised when he heard about Pansy's help.

"Miss Parkinson returned Ryan and stunned the guard?" he questioned deep in thought. "I must say I am pleasantly surprised by her involvement. Did you believe her to be sincere in her actions?"

Abigail thought about it for a moment. "Yes, I think so. It wouldn't make sense for her to go against Zabini's plans. I believe she's caught in the thick of it all because her parents were so heavily involved with Death Eaters, especially Lucius Malfoy."

"Well let us hope we can return the favour someday when she needs our help."

Abigail nodded although she doubted Pansy would ever consider asking the Order for help anytime soon. Her eyes caught sight of Harry lying still on the bed again and felt a pang of guilt.

"Will he be all right?"

Dumbledore followed her gaze and looked at his favourite student. "Magic exertion is a very serious condition for any witch or wizard, but Harry is a mage. He'll recover faster than most."

She stared at the old man again, memories of a time during her seventh year when she sat for hours in his office came to her mind. That dreadful day when she failed to put words on her pain and sorrow, and then the fear and realisation that followed after he had shown her the Orb...

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Her voice came out weaker than she intended.

Still facing Harry, Dumbledore remained silent.

"During all that time, instead of just watching me wilt away, you could have just told me." Anger simmered beneath Abigail's words. "A simple sentence would have sufficed, 'he left to learn control over his magic', 'he's actually a mage', 'he didn't leave because of you'!"

Her voice cracked at the last word and she covered her face with her hand, struggling to keep her emotions in check.

"Harry's departure was not the only reason for that terrible day. Your relationship with your father and Mr Malfoy's return to the school, they were also factors -"

"I know!" she blurted out, damning herself for not keeping her cool. "I know perfectly well what led me to that dark and twisted idea to commit suicide. And yet I can't help but think that if only someone had told me about Harry, it might have relieved some of my pain."

"I'm so sorry," Dumbledore's tone was so frail that Abigail blinked up at him, startled. "You were put in an impossible situation and I believed I was doing what was best for you at the time. I thought I was keeping you safe by making sure you remained at Hogwarts instead of chasing after Harry. I realise now that perhaps Professor Snape and myself didn't make the right decisions that day and for that I truly apologise."

Abigail nodded, wiping the corner of her eyes as more tears threatened to fall. "I know, and I'm sorry too."

A heavy silence fell between them and Abigail wondered if she would ever be able to trust her old Headmaster as she once did. Perhaps Hermione had the right idea refusing to associate with him or the Order since he had failed Draco so terribly.

But it was all in the past now, even if she still had nightmares sometimes about that bloody orb. She wondered what Blaise could possibly want with it.

Finally her eyelids grow heavy and she stifled a yawn.

"I believe I have overstayed my visit," Dumbledore announced, getting up to his feet. "We will have another discussion about tonight's events with the Order tomorrow, but in the meantime please get some rest and one of the healers will come by in the morning to check up on you both."

He patted her shoulder and then left without another word.

Abigail continued to watch Harry peacefully sleep on, his face lit up by the moonlight streaming through the thin curtains. In the end, she wiggled out of the armchair and took Dumbledore's seat on the bed.

Before she knew it, she reached out for his hand and held it in hers.

"I looked for you all over Europe and America, twice, but it never even crossed my mind that you could be in Asia," she whispered as memories of her seventh year at Hogwarts flooded her mind. All the time and money she had spent during her holidays hopelessly looking for him.

All the pain and heartache.

"I never even thought of Japan. Why didn't I think of Japan?"

A fresh batch of tears welled in her eyes and she let them fall on her cheeks, sobbing quietly in the night. She cried for all the pain she could have been spared after Harry left, for the fiasco rescue mission at Parkinson Manor that could have ended with a death, but most importantly, she cried in relief that Harry had come to rescue her and that they had both made it out alive.

A few minutes later, Hermione entered the bedroom with a warm cup of tea in her hands and was surprised to find her cousin passed out on the bed beside Harry. She set the tea down on the night stand and pulled the blanket over them both before leaving again, a smile playing on her lips.

..~**~..

Just a small treat, surprise!

I still re-read some of my fics when I'm stuck writing my own original stories and felt compelled last weekend to finish this chapter that I had started years ago. I hope you are all well and there are still some true HP fans out there!

Man, I have missed my favourite Dramione couple! xxx