The Dark Side (Unedited)

Chapter 35

It felt strange to feel petrified in a place where so many happy memories had been shared. Hermione had gotten her wand from Ollivanders, the strange man offering her many options until she finally found the one for her. The shop now looked abandoned, with shutters pulled down on the windows and a 'closed' sign which didn't seem temporary.

Shadows emphasised every movement, while echoes made the smallest sound seem amplified. The two girls crept through the deserted Diagon Alley, desperately searching for the slightest trace of life.

"Ginny, you would tell me if something was wrong, right?" Hermione had noticed her friend's breathing becoming heavy, despite the fact that they were creeping down the cobbled road at a snail's pace.

"The only thing wrong is that I have no idea where the father of my child is. You have to trust me, Hermione. I promise I'm fine." She noticed a finality in Ginny's tone, so she decided to let it go.

On they went, one step after another. She thought of trying every store until they got lucky, but she knew that they would be completely unprotected, and could easily be killed in an instant if they stormed into a room full of Death Eaters with no defence.

She felt overcome with hopelessness, and thought of apparating back to Hogwarts to meet with members of the Order to make a plan instead of heading into a dangerous situation completely blind.

However before she could suggest this to Ginny, a hand covered her mouth and dragged her backwards. She pressed her feet into the ground, but whoever had captured her was too strong.

She felt Ginny reach out to her in fear, her fingernails clasping at her arm. Hermione judged by the muffled whimpering that they had also gotten Ginny. Cursing her stupidness, she began to thrash wildly but a voice in her ear immediately settled her.

"Hermione, it's Neville. We're here to help."

Neville had dragged her into what was once Eeylops Owl Emporium, and when he released her she saw Luna trying to steady a panicked Ginny.

"You could've picked a less frightening way to say hello, you know?" Hermione could hear hostility in her voice, so she tried to calm herself. After the events at the Leaky Cauldron, being locked in someone's arms frightened her immensely.

Luna began to apologise, but Hermione held out her hand to silence her. "Don't worry about it. Do you know what's been happening?"

"Yeah, we ran into Bill Weasley on the way to Dumbledore's office. I'm so sorry about your parents, Hermione." Neville glanced at Hermione and they shared a knowing look. "Bill said that Ron, Harry and Draco had gone to find Lucius, and that you two were supposed to be in the hospital wing."

"They should have known that you weren't going to relax while there are people you love in danger." Hermione softened as Luna's voice drifted over her, she sounded like a wind chime in the breeze. "We came through Aberforth's passage, we thought that you could use some help."

"Thanks guys, but I was actually about to return to the castle and see if anyone had any idea where Lucius was. You didn't happen to hear anything, did you?"

They both shook their heads, and Hermione groaned. She reached in her pocket for her wand and felt something scald her fingers. Slightly confused, she pulled out a few pieces of parchment that she must have forgotten about.

She was about to drop them back into her pocket when she realised that it wasn't just any parchment, it was her present from Draco that she used to communicate with Ron, Harry and Ginny. She unfolded one of the pieces that was still warm, and gasped when she saw the untidy scrawl that could only belong to Ron.

B&B

As realisation dawned on her, she felt a surge of hope appear in her chest. "Wait, I know where they are!" Everyone turned to look at her, their eyes dropping to the parchment. "They're in Borgin and Burkes!"