a/n: Hello! I realized that since I did a prologue, all of my chapter numbers are kind of one ahead (ex. my chapter 1, AKA. Thoughts, is #2, according to the site). So just ignore that, and count it as one before that number, lol. Sorry this one is so late, I'm super super busy, it actually surprised me that I got this one done by today. And I don't know if it's just in Canada, but Happy Harry Potter DVD Release Day! I don't know about you, but I've already got my DVDs beside me! Song recommendations! I really like the idea with one song for each of their POVs. So for Hermione, I listened to Nobody's Home by Avril Lavigne while writing, and for Draco, Wake Me Up When September Ends, by Green Day. Enjoy! x

Hermione panted heavily and sank down onto the floor as soon as she was far enough away from her... Former house. She let out a choked sob that she didn't know that she was holding, and then, with no warning, the tears started streaming steadily down her face then.

Her life. Her whole life. Gone. All with that simple spell. Merlin, what had she DONE? Hermione wrapped her arms around herself in efforts to stop her sobbing. It didn't help any. She didn't care who saw her like this. Her parents don't know her. How is she supposed to carry on with that?

The answer was simple. She just had to. She had no choice. People were depending on her and she was never one to let people down. Heck, she was relying on herself. She needed to pull herself together, so she could get on with the dark times that were very within her range now. It was coming. And fast.

With one last shaky breath, she wiped her tears away hurriedly. She didn't even care that she probably looked like crap, she had to get back and help. Thinking of the Hogwarts castle, she apparated without one look back.

"Hermione!" Professor Minerva McGonagall rushed to Hermione's side and clutched her arm worriedly. "How did it go?" she addressed Hermione gently.

With those four caring words, Hermione let out her second stream of sobs, and collapsed onto the floor in the Headmaster's room.

"Oh... Hermione... it's going to be alright..." Professor McGonagall awkwardly patted Hermione on the back. Hermione could clearly tell she didn't have experience with raw and heart-felt moments like this, but she didn't mind. Hermione was one of the type of people where, if you comforted her, she would just end up crying harder.

"Professor-" Hermione hiccuped. "My parents... It-it's over... Profe-" Hermione choked and started coughing.

"Hermione. I'm so sorry, I really am. I understand what you are feeling and I really don't want to have to tell you this right now, but I have no choice," McGonagall nervously cleared her throat. "There's no time."

Hermione looked up at her with her eyes swimming with tears, confused.

"You-Know-Who has infiltrated the Ministry."

[~]

"This is it?" Draco huffed. "This is the top secret location you've sent me to?" He rolled his grey eyes in amusement and frustration. The suspense that built up in his body... For nothing.

"Do you have a problem with this, Mr. Malfoy?" Snape retorted, clearly annoyed.

"Of course not. I guess I'll just.. go in now." Draco said awkwardly. He gazed up at the old winter cabin that his parents used to use during their winter holidays. It was completely secluded, and there was the small forest on the right that Draco remembered so well. He shuddered. He didn't want to think about it. Not right now.

And there were the hills that would be made when the snow came. Snowboarding. Draco used to love it, before he discovered that he was a wizard. He remembered him and his mom flopping down the hills, not even on their snowboards when they got down to the bottom of the hill. Draco missed it a lot, he just didn't realize until now.

"No thank you?" Snape hissed in Draco's direction, putting emphasis on the "thank".

"No, not really," Draco said. "You can feel free to leave whenever you want."

He grabbed his bags, levitating one. (who the hell was going to see him do magic out here?) He started moving up the path to the house when he heard a small smirk.

"Goodbye Draco Malfoy, and good luck." Snape said, quiet enough to still sound like him, but loud enough to let Draco know it was meant to be heard. With that, the familiar crack sounded. Draco turned around and realized Snape was gone. And he was alone; again.

Draco huffed, pulling his stuff with him inside.

Draco wasn't expecting anyone inside, so when he found somebody standing in the front hallway of the house, his shock caused him to drop all his belongings.

"Draco Malfoy. Hello, I have been waiting for you."

The stupid half-blood witch with the pathetic and annoying pink hair stood in front of him, grinning evilly with her hands crossed across her chest. Her face was smeared with dirt from Merlin knows what.

"What do you think you're bloody doing here. I don't want a pathetic excuse of a witch in my house. And that's what you are. A half-blood. Filthy half-bloods don't have any use to be on this planet, Nymphadora." Draco got straight into the ridiculing. He hadn't teased in about twelve hours, and now that his life had drastically just changed, he was desperate to cling on to whatever was left that had just an ounce of normal still etched in it. Teasing was almost his... Lifesaver, he guessed.

"It's. Tonks." She seethed, her hair turning blue for a minute. Strangely, it was the only thing she got pissed about. "Mister Malfoy, do you want to know why exactly I've been expecting you?"

"No, but if you don't mind, you can get out of my house now." Draco breathed, shoving past her.

A firm hand gripped his wrist and shoved his body back into the door at an alarming speed, with vigorous strength. "Not so bad a witch now, am I?"

"What the fuck do you want, Tonks," Draco gritted his teeth, reaching into his robe pocket for his wand. "I can call my dad. He would be pleased to hear about a half-blood in my house." Draco hissed the word "half-blood".

"You think I don't know what's going on with you and your family? Oh no, Draco, you are very wrong indeed." Tonks smirked. "You think you're so much more high and mighty than everyone. Do you even know what it does to people when you taunt them about their most touchy subjects?"

"What the fuck is this, a therapy session?" Draco muttered, tightening his grip on his wand.

"Expelliarmus." Tonks lightly flicked her wand, and caught Draco's in her hand.

"Give me back my wand. I'm not fucking interested in playing your stupid little games." Draco tightened his fists for the second time that day. Now she was getting him mad.

"Oh, you won't even want it back when I'm done with you," Tonks whispered.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Draco yelled.

"It means that I've had enough of you and your ways. It means it's getting old, Draco. I don't like it, and I know other's don't as well. Draco, you have to learn your lesson, but I really don't think you have yet."

"How the fuck do you know what I do at Hogwarts? What, do you stalk me?" Draco rolled his eyes in frustration.

"Watch your language. And in fact, yes, I have been keeping a close eye on the way you treat people. Draco, you don't get it. You only do it because you aren't comfortable with your own life, and it makes you feel better. Aren't I right?"

"You don't fucking know me, stop telling me what to do, and stop telling me what you think you know about me. You know nothing, and you never will." Draco sneered at her.

"Draco Malfoy, I know more about you than you are willing to admit to yourself." Her wand hand twitched, lifting the wand a bit higher.

Draco took a small step back. "You. Don't. And now, you need to get out of my house now, and you better give me my property back. This is a crime. I can get anyone involved in this and you will be in a shitload of trouble. So I think it'd be wise if you left. Now."

Draco noticed that she hadn't moved a step. "LEAVE!" He shouted at her, resisting the urge to toss one of his heavy trunks at her.

"Oh, Draco. You still have a lot to learn," Tonks said. She pointed her wand at his face, and Draco didn't have time to hear the words before a bright blue flash blinded him. And then it was black.

[~]

Hermione's jaw fell slack to the ground, and when she found her voice, she whispered "What... what does this mean? For us? For me? For... Harry and Ron?" She managed to not talk about Harry and Ron for quite a while now, but it just came tumbling out. Naturally she was still worried for them, but she was still touchy on the horcrux subject.

About a month ago, Harry and Ron had decided that this was one mission that they were going to have to face without her. Ron said that it was far too dangerous, and having three of them there would increase the chances of being found. Hermione argued profusely, she said she had to go, she was very good with spells and charms, and they needed her. There was always that nagging in the back of her head, though; Ron was right. With the three of them together, the chances of being caught and found were very high. They ended up leaving without her one early September morning.

They had had a rough night at the Burrow, it was one of the more serious and severe fights between her, Harry, and Ron. Hermione went up to them after dinner the night before, when they were in their room. She stomped in, not bothering to knock. She stood her ground and told them, firmly, that she absolutely had to go with them, for their good. Harry and Ron ganged up on her, and it left Hermione feeling tiny and useless. The stress and tension was so thick that night that Hermione couldn't take it.

"GO. GO THEN! GO ON WITHOUT ME, SEE HOW WELL YOU DO WITHOUT ME." Hermione hurled at them with tears stinging her eyes. "Go. Go then." she whispered, wiping her eyes.

Harry and Ron looked at her sadly. Ron reached out to gingerly take her arm, but she pulled back quickly.

"Goodnight," Hermione hissed, running out of the room, and closing the door quietly; it was late at night, she didn't want to wake anyone up.

When she got back to her room that she shared with Ginny, she quietly got into bed, not falling asleep until the early hours.

Next morning, she woke up. Ginny had already gone down for breakfast, so Hermione guessed that she had slept in. Hermione groaned, remembering her argument with the boys. She was going to go back to their room and apologize this instant. She always felt uncomfortable when they were even a tad bit upset with her.

She gently sat up, the bed creaking underneath her. And then a slip of paper caught her eye. She reached over and snatched it up from her nightstand, slowly reading it in horror.

Hermione.

I decided to take your advice. We had to go, and this fighting between us isn't getting us anywhere. I was stalling, and I realized that after you left last night.

So by the time you read this, we'll be gone. We have to start searching somewhere, and please, PLEASE don't be mad at us Hermione. We just want the best for the wizarding world.

Love, Harry and Ron.

Hermione remembers staring at the paper for about an hour, before she went down to join the Weasleys around the dining table. They were laughing at a joke that Fred and George had just told, and Hermione suspiciously asked, "Where's Harry and Ron?"

"Oh, Ronald's come down with a horrible case of spattergroit, dear. And Harry has gone back home to get some remaining stuff for Hogwarts, although I wouldn't call that horrible Muggle house a home." Mrs. Weasley huffed. "You can go up to see him. Ron, I mean."

It occured to Hermione that Harry and Ron had been thinking of ways to leave without bringing any suspicions to the Weasleys for a very long time. They didn't just think about it when she left their room yesterday, they had decided they were going to leave without her a long time ago. It was yesterday that just gave them a little push.

"No, that's alright Mrs. Weasley. And I'm not hungry, either, I think I'm going to go and catch up with my reading."

And with that, Hermione went to Hogwarts, except without her two best friends at her sides. That was that. She tried not to think about it.

Until now. It just came, thrown out of her mouth so carelessly she almost didn't recognize that she said it.

"Well, this means that now, You-Know-Who is in control of the Ministry. He has set up a taboo on his name, so that whenever his name gets called out, the Snatchers can locate you specifically. It is quite efficient, I'm afraid." Hermione's professor pursed her lips. "He has also enforced a Muggle-born Registration Commission. Hermione, do you know what this means?"

Hermione shook her head, casting a glance down at her feet.

"The registration commission now means that You-Know-Who wants to interview Muggle-borns and see if they're fit for wizarding schools or not. Hermione, you are a muggle-born. And he does not want you for a simple interview, he wants you for information on Potter and Weasley. I'm afraid... with you here, Mister Potter, as well as Mister Weasley are not safe."

Hermione processed her words. Slowly, Hermione rose to her feet, and stared into Professor McGonagall's eyes. "I have nowhere to go." She stated, her voice cracking.

"No, Hermione, I've found you a place to stay. Just for now. But you can't stay at Hogwarts, that's for sure. It's too obvious. It has to be somewhere where no one would think of searching. I know this planning does not have to be made for another couple of week, but I want to know that you are safe."

"No. Professor, I'm staying here. You need me." Hermione stood her ground, squinting at her professor.

Professor McGonagall sighed. "If we need help, I will contact you. Through my patronus or something along the lines of that. Don't worry, Hermione. You will have plenty of time to help."

Hermione's shoulders slumped with defeat. She didn't have the strength to put up a fight anymore. "Take me where you have to take me."

Okay, tell me how it was! Reviews are magical(: