Prophecy 472

12- Gone

Panic, that's the only emotion Ron could make out. He was panicked. Information was overwhelming him and people were moving swiftly all around him, trying to make sense of what was happening, but all Ron could do was stand stock still in pure panic.

Lavender Brown was holding Rose. His Rose. Ron's brain tried to catalogue the information, but he couldn't sort it out. How could Hermione be gone? She was just here. He saw her in the living room and then he saw her in the pensieve, and then she was all he saw for a long time, and now he needed to see her again. Needed to. And she was gone?

"Where did she go Lavender?" Harry asked quickly. Good, Ron thought. Harry can keep a cool head in a crisis, he'll help work this out and then they'll all be fine.

"Well, I have no idea," Lavender replied, as if it were a stupid question. "I got a floo call from her fifteen minutes ago telling me I had to come over right away. I thought maybe you," Lavender indicated Ron with her eyes, "might need me." She said the last bit as if very put out. "I got here and she said she had to run off, that she'd just got a call from Kingsley and needed to respond. She said I should come watch the children."

At that, Fleur walked over to where Victoire sat in a high chair and picked her daughter up, holding her close. Ginny moved forward to take Rose from Lavender's hands, peering down at the child as if looking at her for the first time. There was pride in Ginny's eyes.

"That doesn't make any sense," Harry said impatiently. "What would Hermione need to do right this instant?"

"Search me," Lavender said. "Whatever it is, it made me feel like you all were up to your old Hogwarts antics."

Both Harry and Ginny blinked at Lavender, clearly not getting the point.

"She took your invisibility cloak." Lavender said it as if that fact should have been obvious.

This information snapped Ron out of his daze. Hermione had run off to God knows where and the only person with any clues was Lavender Brown. He'd never been so grateful to see the poor girl, not in three whole years of dating her. Oh God, he'd been dating Lavender for three years. What upside down world had Hermione created? As soon as he got his hands on Hermione he was going to…well he wasn't quite sure, but words would be exchanged.

"Lavender," he said suddenly, grabbing the girl by the shoulders. "Where did she go? You have to tell us where she went."

Lavender gaped at Ron like he was a lunatic, gently shaking off his grip on her shoulders.

"Relax. She left you a note."

Lavender held out a piece of folded up paper and Ron snatched it from her fingers.

"I wouldn't get too excited," Lavender said sarcastically. "It's doesn't say much."

Ron flipped the paper open to see the sprawling, dainty cursive he would recognize anywhere, spelling out four words: I don't hate you.

It said everything.

Ron squeezed his fist, bunching up the paper in the process. He turned to look at Harry, ready to put some sort of plan into action. Harry wasn't there however, and Ron noticed his friend over by the fireplace, crouched down as if talking to someone. Ron recognized Kingsley's face in the embers and bent down to listen.

"I know, Kingsley," Harry said. "But Hermione's gone and Lavender thinks she may have spoken to you before she left."

"She did, Harry. I flooed to get a warning message to the burrow and Hermione was the only one there, so I made sure she got the message and she assured me she'd let you all know immediately."

"What was the message?" Ron asked, cold dread filling him.

"We have reports of a muggle attack in Ottery St. Catchpole," Kingsley said stoically. "It was Shraxen and Willigsbee. They're on their way to the burrow as we speak."

Ron took a step back from the fireplace as if trying to put distance between himself and the news. It didn't make any sense. She was protected by the wards, no one could get in. Why wouldn't she stay put, where she was safe? Hermione would never run into danger without any backup or help. A realization hit Ron then and it made him want to cry out.

"Harry. She doesn't have a wand."

Ron began taking deep breaths. He felt dizzy. The information stunned Harry as well, who obviously hadn't considered that fact before. Movement in the living room was reaching a peak, as Fleur and Audrey ran with Rose and Victoire to the basement, Bill and Charlie following to place strong concealment charms on the closed basement door. Mum and Dad were waving their wands around frantically checking and rechecking that the wards were safe and firm throughout. Percy was flipping madly through a book, Ron didn't know what he might be looking for, and George and Angelina were running around locking every window and door available.

In the middle of it, Ron, Harry and Ginny stood facing one another, minds racing to piece together their next actions.

"Kingsley said he's rounding up some of the top aurors and they'll be here in a matter of minutes," Harry said quickly.

"She couldn't have got far," Ron said. "We'll canvas the area, we can find her before they do."

Ginny shook her head, something not adding up for her.

"Hermione left here without any protection, no wand, nothing," Ginny said. "She hasn't gone to fight them."

"Well what then?" Ron shouted, frustrated and running on panic once more.

"In the memory, Harry told Hermione that Ron would jump in front of her, to keep her from being struck with an Avada Kedavra curse…" Ron nodded, quietly urging Ginny to hurry up. Harry was quiet, his face a solemn mask of sudden understanding.

"She's taken my invisibility cloak, Ron," Harry said, his eyes drilling into his best mate's. "She's made it so you can't see her, so you can't save her."

"She's gone out there to die."

A/N: Thanks for reading and please vote and comment!