Pairing: Regulus/Hermione.

A/N: This is AU Deathly Hallows, starting from after they got the locket from the Ministry. Yaxley didn't find out they were in Grimmauld Place when they escaped.

Summary: Magik, the ancient, dark kind, now banned, has brought Regulus a semblance of life back when Hermione discovers the spell. He isn't truly alive, but he's here and he's helping in the second war to defeat Voldemort. However, when Hermione, who brought him 'back', thinks it's time for him to leave again, he doesn't want to go.

This magik was banned for a reason.

It was getting increasingly harder for Harry to concentrate on the book in his hands with Ron's tapping. He looked up again - he had lost count a while ago - to see his best friend tapping his fingers on the table he was sat on top of, staring into space. It was as if Ron didn't even know what he was doing and Harry needed him to stop.

"Ron!"

He jumped at the mention of his name and turned to Harry. "What?"

"Is something on your mind?" he asked.

Ron nodded and continued to stare at the open door. "I was thinking about Snape."

Harry scoffed, "daydreaming about him is not going to get us anywhere with these Horcruxes." He shut the book and dropped it onto the table. "Neither is this." He was only half lying. Honestly, he had only able to concentrate on half of it, but what he had read sounded useless.

"Shut up," Ron replied, rolling his eyes. "We know he's a Death Eater on Dumbledore's orders, we know he can get the information about You-Know-Who's whereabouts when you're not in his head, but he's in Hogwarts now, as Headmaster."

Harry looked confused, "so?"

"So, with him there and You-Know-Who somewhere else, how is he still getting information?" Ron finished, looking at Harry once more. "I can't see You-Know-Who communicating with him through the floo network."

"I don't know," Harry shrugged. "There must be another Death Eater who's helping Snape, getting the information to him. But not while You-Know-Who's away obviously, or we would have heard something. We haven't had any news in days. Remus does know we're here, he would have told us if he heard anything."

Ron thought quietly about what Harry had said about there being another helping; it seemed a logical reason, but he couldn't get it to make sense. "Do you really think so? Do you think another Death Eater is helping us? Who?"

"The Malfoys."

They turned to the new voice at the door. Ron chuckled at the idea. "That's a good one, Hermione. You almost had me, you sounded so serious."

Hermione folded her arms and raised her eyebrows. "I am serious. Malfoy has been giving information to Snape to help us."

"Why?" Harry asked. "Why would he help us?"

"Narcissa Malfoy went to Dumbledore during Sixth Year," she answered. "She said they would help if Draco was kept safe. They were given protection for information."

"How are they getting protection?" Ron asked next. "They're not with the Order."

Hermione shook her head, "I'm not talking about being protected during the war. After the war, they'll be protected from jail. No Azkaban for 'joining' the Order. They won't fight us when the time comes either."

"Sneaky gits," Ron muttered.

"How do you know all this?"

Hermione looked guilty as she sat down next to him, "before school started, I overheard Snape talking to Malfoy; he was worried about what would happen if they were caught, apparently Draco's life is already in danger because You-Know-Who doesn't trust Lucius. This was all Narcissa's idea."

Hermione took a deep breath and looked down, "hearing him talk about his family was actually quite sad. I don't much like them as people, but I respect them as a family. They would do anything to keep each other safe… Like we would."

Harry smirked a little, "when the war is over, you can tell them that over tea and cake at Malfoy Manor."

She swatted his arm lightly and laughed. "No way." When their laugher died down, Hermione changed the subject. "Have you found anything?"

Ron shook his head. "No. You?"

Hermione was quiet for a few minutes, almost reluctant to answer. "Yes, I think so."

Ron jumped off the table to sit on the chair next to Hermione. He brought it as close as he could and the two boys leaned in. "That's great. What is it?"

"I don't know what to do yet," she answered slowly. "I'd rather wait till I have everything." She tried pleading with them with her eyes, but she could tell that they weren't ready to listen. She knew they were frustrated and wanted the information now, the looks on their faces said more than their words could. Sighing, Hermione gave in.

"Hundreds of years ago, the Ministry had this really powerful, dark magic that could temporarily bring people back from the dead." She could tell that they were confused. "If a suspect died, they could bring them back and get what they wanted to know."

"Had?" Harry asked.

"Yes," she nodded. "It was banned for being dangerous, there are risks, and people thought it was unethical."

"And you want to perform this spell?" Again, she nodded. "How? The Ministry's been taken over, they'll be able to trace it."

"Can't," she stated. "It's undetectable. The Ministry made it so, that way if they brought someone back and they got out, they couldn't be traced back to the Ministry. That way they're kept out of trouble. Especially with other governments, only the UK was performing it."

"Using the Ministry's tools against them?" Harry nodded his head appreciatively. "I'm OK with that."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "We're not going to using it to get back at the Ministry; we're going to using because the person may be able to help us."

Harry apologised. "Do you have access to this spell?"

"I will do."

"How?"

This was the part Hermione didn't know how to explain. "Snape's talk with Malfoy was the last time the floo connection was used. I used a spell and found out their talk was between here and a private room in Malfoy Manor. You just shout 'Private room, Malfoy Manor', not the most original but it must be a safe part of the house."

"Hermione," Harry sighed.

"I spoke to Narcissa Malfoy," she rushed. "She was very surprised to see me, but after an explanation and talking about the risks, she agreed to send me the book with the spell in from Malfoy Manor's private library today. As soon as I get the book, I'll know exactly what the spell is and what we'll have to do." After she spoke, she took a deep breath and finished, slowly this time. "She swore to keep it a secret and, given what her family are doing, I believe her."

It was a while before anyone else spoke, Ron didn't know what to say and Harry was trying to process what was said.

"OK," Harry said at last. "Remus is coming today; we have to tell him so the Order knows what we're doing. Who are we going to bring back?"

They heard the unmistaken sound of floo and Hermione stood up to get the book. "Regulus Black."

"No!" Remus walked away from them, shaking his head. "It's too dangerous."

"I don't think we have any other choice," Hermione argued. "We've tried everything else."

"How am I to know that?" he asked. "You won't even tell me what you need him for! I didn't even know a spell like this existed and I was a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, how did you?"

"I read about it," she replied. Hermione held up the book. "I know the risks, I know what I have to do, and I know I can do it."

Remus glared at the book, as if wishing he could make it disappear. "You can't bring back the dead."

"I won't be, not really," she explained. "I kept reading and when he comes back, he will look real and he will feel real, but it won't be him exactly, it'll be like a part of his soul."

"Kind of like Tom Riddle's diary," Ron said.

Hermione nodded, "yes. And it will only be for the amount of time we give. I don't know how long this war will last, but I think a year from now will do. If we need more time, I'll wait for the year to be up and perform the spell again. Trust me."

Remus moved across and place one hand on her shoulder, the other on Harry's. "I do trust you, all three of you," he looked at Ron. "But this is dangerous."

"No more dangerous than fighting in a war," Harry stated. "This maybe our best chance at winning."

"But you won't tell me why it has to be Regulus Black?" They shook their heads. "Alright, "he conceded. "But Regulus' soul is your responsibility. It will only be for the year; if the war's not over, we'll just have to find another way. And I want to know everything you can tell me." They agreed to that and Remus told them he would tell the Order, then left.

When he was gone, Ron spoke. "How are we going to find him?"

"We know he died in the cave," Harry answered. "From what Kreacher told us, he could have drowned. He'd be at the bottom of the water."

"But from what you said, we can't just go there and accio his body," Ron argued.

"We won't need to." They turned to Hermione. "When he comes back, he'll be confused; he'll want to go somewhere familiar to him, a place he knows more than anyone. He'll come straight to us."

"Why?" Harry asked. "Where is this place?"

Hermione looked around the room they were in, around the familiar walls of 12 Grimmauld Place. "Home."