I own nothing but the plot!
The grass was wet with the rain that had sporadically fallen through out the day as Harry and Ron crept through it, crawling on their bellies like muggle soldiers and cursing the water still dripping from the trees above them. Together they pushed through the last barrier of bushes and pushed their backs up against the outside wall of Malfoy Manner, using the shrubbery to cover them from sight of guards. The moon was reaching its nightly zenith; now was the time to act. Harry poked one eye between the brambles and checked for guards within hearing range. Coast declared clear, he turned to his friend.
"Now, remember-" Harry began, but Ron cut him off.
"I know, in and out and don't draw any attention. I got it Harry," Ron grumbled, folding his arms. They were both wearing black muggle clothing to blend in with the night. It was cheesy, and wouldn't fool magic, but the naked eye was less likely to pick them out of the shadows and arouse suspicion. Harry smiled at him.
"It's just always good to make sure with you," he stated good-naturedly. Ron huffed in a low snuffle, making Harry smile again. In single file the two of them moved around back, keeping themselves between the shrubs and the house and staying low. The vines growing up the back wall provided a natural ladder for the boys to climb up and unlock a second story window with no light on. They slipped in and risked a small wand light to check where they were. It appeared to be a guest room of sorts; a ladies travel bag was half packed nearby and the rest was strewn about the floor and bed. Ignoring the belongings, Ron put an ear to the door and, when he heard no footsteps, eased it open. The hall was empty, and the sounds of revelry were close by. Unfortunately, they were also in the direction the two boys needed to go. Hermione has to be somewhere nearby, Harry thought, I can feel the tracking charm from her tattoo! Ron must have felt it too, because he made a sound very much like a dog whine and made to bolt forward. Harry quickly grabbed his arm.
"Calm down Ron," he admonished his sharply in a whisper. "We've waited nine months to plan this, we can wait the nine more minutes it will take to find her." Ron took a deep breath and nodded. Harry let go of his arm and started forward on silent feet. Both held their breath as they were forced to pass right outside the door a Death Eater gathering was evidently taking place behind. Voldemort wasn't there though, or Harry would have felt him too. Voldemort was off being distracted by Arthur Weasley and Seamus Finnigan. When they were by the door they breathed again and continued on, checking doors and searching tapestries for hidden doors. Ron froze when his hand reached for a doorknob when he realized that the door was partially open already. What froze him was the voice that suddenly came from the room.
"They are pleased," came the silken voice of Lucius Malfoy. A snort was heard.
"They are idiots," retorted another voice. "It takes nothing more to please them than cheap wine and cheaper women." It was unmistakably the younger Malfoy who had spoken. Harry and Ron grinned viciously at each other; all orders and reminders to not get sidetracked left their minds as Harry pointed to the window in the next room. Ron agreed with a silent nod and they made their way over to that window and eased it open. The wrap-around balcony on the first floor had a roof that provided the boys a perfect place to stand as they climbed out their window and made their way over to the next. It was closed. Ron scrunched his face in disappointment until Harry brought a flesh colored lump out of his pocket: an Extendable Ear. Ron punched the air. Harry set it on the sill and pointed his wand at it.
"Waddiwasi," he whispered. It squeezed through and sat there on the sill, and suddenly it was as if the two boys were in the room with it. They watched through a slit in the curtains as Lucius paced in a circle, stalking, as it were, his only son. Draco stood still, though his eyes never left his sire.
"If you are sure, I shall mention it to him," the older man conceded to something. Draco did not speak, but Lucius tilted one corner of his mouth. "And what of little Miss Granger?" Draco didn't even blink.
"What of her?" he asked. Lucius grinned in a feral manner.
"I saw the bruises when she came to serve us today," he stated warmly. Ron gritted his teeth. "It would appear you are appreciating your gift in a proper manner." Draco inclined his head a fraction.
"She is my favorite entertainment," he replied in a bland voice. Harry narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the younger blond.
"Does he look a little sick to you?" he asked he friend. Ron blinked and took a closer look. He shrugged and went back to gnashing his teeth in anger.
Ron muttered, "Probably his father's foul breath." Harry covered his mouth to stifle a snicker, then piped up and kept listening as the two Malfoy's discussed something trivial and frivolous, then the older one left. The younger took a deep and steadying breath, straightened his formal jacket, and left as well. Harry and Ron crawled in the window and Harry pocketed the Extendable Ear. They looked at each other.
"Shall we follow him?" suggested Harry.
"Oh yes, let's," Ron agreed. They shimmied the door open and caught Malfoy's figure flitting around a corner. As they followed him from one corridor to the next and up and down a maze of stairways, Harry noticed the tracking charm on Hermione was humming warmer and warmer in his own tattoo on his arm. Malfoy was leading them right to her! Gleefully he followed closer. Eventually the man stopped before an ornate door with ancient protection symbols carved all throughout the wood. He slipped a key from his pocket and turned the lock. Not bothering to check that the door shut behind him, Malfoy was unaware that it swung back open and afforded Harry and Ron a full view of the whole room. There was Hermione! She sat on a couch knitting elf-sized sweaters. Same old Hermione, thought Ron. When Malfoy walked in she looked up and tossed aside her knitting, keeping one needle. Harry realized which a shock that it was her wand. How did she still have that? Then he noticed that she had not a single blemish on her – anywhere. And her outfit revealed quite a lot.
"Did they say anything?" she asked nervously, seemingly not afraid of him or feeling obliged to address him formally. He shook his head, unoffended.
"Not a peep," he replied. "They couldn't tell you two apart. Only Lucius picked you out, and only because you were so close." She gave a large relieved sigh and walked closer to him.
"Oh Draco. What's going to happen?" she worried her bottom lip with her teeth. He smiled and gently tugged the lip out of harms way.
"Help is about to arrive. Not to worry, love, I have things worked out." He took her hand in his. Harry and Ron shared a look of disbelief, and then dropped their jaws in unison when, instead of looking repulsed, Hermione sighed and hugged herself to his chest. They held each other silently for a moment until Malfoy kissed the top of her hair and pulled away.
"Hermione, you have to leave," he told her suddenly. She seemed shocked, and scared.
"What? No," she protested, "I can't leave you!" She grabbed his hands, making him smile sadly. He squeezed them and looked her in the eye.
"It's not safe for you here. Now, finally we have the chance for you to leave and you must take it. You must! I won't have you hurt for real. The fake bruises have bothered me enough on their own. Please Hermione, for me, you have to leave!" he didn't look away from her the whole plea, and as he spoke tears gathered in Hermione's eyes, threatening to spill over. She sniffed but bravely raised her chin.
"If I must," she conceded, "but I will be coming back for you. I will not leave you to their mercy!" Her voice had an iron will that made him stroke her cheek fondly.
"Ah my little warrior maiden, when you speak like that I see you on horseback with a sword and armor. Do not return alone," he cautioned her. They were silent again then he turned his head and calmly looked directly at the two boys eavesdropping by the door. He wasn't the least bit surprised. "And I believe your safe passage has arrived. Look," he urged her. She wiped her eyes and turned to where he gazed, then gasped. The three best friends stared at each other in shock until Hermione let out a soft shriek and hurtled herself at them. They caught her together and she bawled in to their shoulders.
"Oh Harry! Ron! How?" she sobbed, almost incoherent. They could only stare at Malfoy. He calmly gazed back.
"They snuck in a while ago, love," he informed her. "They will take you somewhere safe, I'm sure." He made no move to take her back from their arms. Hermione wiped eyes again as she got a hold on herself. Her face fell.
"Please, Draco. Won't you consider coming with us?" She begged him. Ron spluttered a trifle.
"Why would we help him?" he demanded. Hermione steeled herself for his reaction, but looked him in the eye as she made her announcement.
"Because Ron, we're in love," she whispered. Ron dropped his jaw all over again, but Harry rolled his eyes. That much had been all too obvious from the so-called private conversation the two had had.
"Well if he's not coming," Harry told them, "then we three have to go. Now." Hermione looked back to Draco, but Ron took her hand and pulled her along. Draco nodded, looking heart broken.
"Go," he implored her. "You will see me again, Hermione, I promise. Now go." With reluctance she allowed herself to be dragged around the corner, looking back to Draco until she couldn't see him any more. Her boys took one hand each and they all fled back through the house twice as fast as they had come through, but just as silently. The ivy still held as they all climbed down it and slipped behind the cover of the bushes again. The ground was soaking and too late Hermione realized she wore only a pair of velvet house slippers. At least it's done raining, she told herself. She followed behind her friends as they made their way to the spot closest to the woods. Just as Harry checked the coast a racket burst out from the house. Voices were yelling and glass things were being shattered. Suddenly the huge double front doors flew open and Draco came charging out. He carried his wand, but fled for his life, his legs hampered by his formal robes. The reveling Death Eaters packed the front hall and leaned out of various windows, shooting spells and shouting. One word seemed to dominate their calls: "traitor".
"No," Hermione whispered. He'd been found out, she was noted missing. She watched in horror as Draco stumbled and slowed. A few of the running men closed in on him. Without thought, Hermione burst from her concealment. "NO!" she cried, running towards the fight. Her voice caught the attention of many. With vile oaths, Harry and Ron ran after her, drawing even more attention. "Draco!" Hermione called to him. He looked back in horror, how could she expose herself?
"Run Hermione!" he called back. She stunned the closest man, and cursed a woman. Harry and Ron shielded her and threw spells at the windows, making their occupants duck for cover. Draco stunned a few men before Hermione reached him and took his hand. Ron and Harry caught up then too and together they ran. Each kept an eye over their shoulder, shooting curses at their adamant pursuers.
"The apparation wards," Draco panted, "are just beyond that gate." With renewed determination, the four ran for the fence. Abandoning all safety, they stopped defending themselves and put all their effort in to flight. As the gate loomed out of the darkness, dread filled them.
"The gate is shut! How will we get through!" Ron despaired out loud, but Hermione was not to be deterred.
"Clasp hands!" she ordered. They did what they were told unquestioningly and kept pumping their legs. Hermione took up Draco's hand and the other two linked in to the line and ran straight towards the fence. At first they thought she meant to try and jump it – even though it was taller than her head. However, she jumped at it, throwing one hand over and crying out something unintelligible.
Suddenly they were squeezed through the air and landed on the dusty, dry dirt pathway that led to the Burrow. They had apparated. The moon was the only light they had as they all stood their gasping for breath and massaging their legs, aching from such sudden and strenuous use. Finally they were all more or less able to breathe normally and stand straight. Draco finally turned and took Hermione's hand.
"What did you do?" he demanded. She grinned.
"I side-along apparated us," she stated matter-of-factly, "silly!" He blinked and shook his head disbelievingly.
"But we were inside the wards!" he insisted. She laughed outright.
"Ah, but my wand wasn't," she declared. They all looked down. Indeed, her wand was in the hand that she had thrust over the fence line. They all looked at each other.
"Is that possible?" Harry asked.
"Apparently so," shrugged Ron. They all trudged towards the house. As soon as they stepped in the kitchen noisily, lights flew on all through the house and the sound of feet thundering down the stairs filled their ears. The room suddenly flooded with people, whom all stopped and stared at the presence of Draco Malfoy. After a moment, Hermione giggled viciously and swooped down upon him, grabbed his head, and pulled him in for a long kiss. Harry and Ron looked at the faces of the Weasley family and grinned. The rest of the night would be spent in explanations. Ah well, they could sleep when they died.