My Missing piece (Harmione)

39.

Ember's impatience was evident as she let out a grunt, her anxiety intensifying. "Hermione, did she come back?" she pressed, the question hanging heavy in the air like an unspoken fear.

Luna, ever the empathetic soul, stepped forward, her eyes filled with sympathy as she gently addressed Ember. "Ember, right? You must be Hermione's cousin," Luna began, her voice tinged with sorrow. "I'm truly sorry, but no, she hasn't returned. Did she perhaps confide in you? Share any information?" Luna's fingers nervously fiddled with the hem of her dress, an anxious habit that betrayed her own unease.

Ember's eyes darted anxiously from one person to another, her desperation growing more palpable by the moment. "What do you mean, no?" she implored, her voice quivering with a mix of confusion and fear. The room seemed to close in on them as uncertainty hung heavy in the air, and the absence of answers only deepened their collective sadness and anxiety.

"Hermione disappeared last night," Ron began, his voice tinged with a heaviness that mirrored the sorrow etched across his face, "and we haven't the foggiest idea where she could be. We've been scouring everywhere for her, and Eleanor was sent to us, and that's how we ended up here, " Ron's words spilled out hastily, a torrent of worry and uncertainty in the face of Hermione's inexplicable absence. He hesitated, unsure of how much he should reveal to Ember, given her status as a Muggle. But the look in her eyes hinted at a deeper understanding, perhaps something Hermione had shared with her closest family.

Ember's brow furrowed as she processed Ron's words, her anxiety escalating. "McGollan Park," she murmured, as if searching the depths of her memory for any clues. "I think she mentioned something about McGallan Park before she left." Her words were tinged with urgency, as though the pieces of a puzzle were starting to come together.

Seeing Ember's distress, Ginny stepped forward, her heart heavy with empathy. She approached Ember, gently laying a comforting hand on her arm, and guided her towards the nearby couch. The weight of their shared anxiety hung heavily in the room, and the uncertainty surrounding Hermione's disappearance cast a pall of sadness over them all.

She offered Ember a soft, reassuring smile, though beneath her facade of composure, her own emotions churned with unease.

"Ember, I can see you're distressed, and I promise we'll do everything we can to make sense of this," Ginny spoke gently, her voice a soothing balm amidst the chaos of their situation. She settled herself next to Ember, Luna and Ron taking seats opposite them, forming a circle of shared concern.

Ember's eyes glistened with anxiety as she began to recount the events. "Hermione came in late last night, in a terrible state. She was so frightened," Ember's voice wavered as she spoke, the vivid memory of that night etched in her mind. "We ended up arguing, and she... she showed me everything, all that magic stuff," she paused, her eyes locking onto Ginny's, silently acknowledging the gravity of the revelation.

"And then she told me about why they took Eleanor," Ember continued, her voice trembling with fear. "They wanted her to do something for them, to lure Harry to a certain place they wanted him to be. She didn't go through with it, though," Ember said, her voice carrying a sense of admiration for Hermione's courage. "She used her magic to change her appearance into that man's, and she left." Her eyes darted between the three of them, uncertainty and anxiety weighing heavily on her. "She did mention something about McGallen Park and a deadline at 3 a.m. That's all I know."

The room seemed to hold its breath as the gravity of Hermione's predicament settled in, casting a shadow of sadness and anxiety over them all.

"Thank you, Ember," Luna spoke softly, her voice laced with genuine gratitude as she rose to her feet. Her expression conveyed both sadness and determination. "Please don't worry. We have a plan in motion, and we'll inform you as soon as we find her. Your help means a lot."