Hermione was the first to wake. She looked around, seeing only trees and grass surrounding her. The area was unfamiliar to her. Her mind began to wander. Suddenly the memories of the day rushed back to her. She looked around wildly, her eyes finally stopping on her red haired companion. She stood and ran over to him, dropping to her knees at his side.
"Ron," she called, shaking the boy vigorously. "Get up!"
After a minute or so of no response, he finally stirred. He sat up slowly, staring in the face of the girl. "Hermione?"
"Get up," she said as she rushed from his side. She ran over to the unconscious body of their former Professor and turned him on his back. Reaching into his robes, she pulled out three wands.
"Here," she said, tossing his wand back to him. "Get up. I'm not sure how long before he wakes up."
"Where the bloody hell are we?" Asked Ron, standing and dusting himself off.
"I don't know," Hermione responded quickly. She used her wand to tie up Professor Snape.
"How don't you know?" Ron asked incredulously. "You were helping him make the potion."
Hermione rounded on him, fury in her eyes. "You were in the room with me. Did you hear him tell me where the Potion would take us?"
Ron looked frightened by Hermione's tone. "No," he said quietly. He mumbled something under his breath before he looked around. "What do you think we should do with him?"
"I don't know," Hermione said. "We can't just leave him, can we?"
"It'd be no more than he deserved."
"We can't turn him in," Hermione said.
"Why not?" Ron looked at her wildly.
"At least not now!" Hermione looked at him. "Ron, he created this potion. We don't know what it has done to us, or where its taken us. We need him until we can find Harry."
"So how do you suppose we do that?" Asked Ron. "We'd be walking around with a known murderer. Not to mention the fact that Harry is wanted by the Ministry of Magic and we're his two known best friends."
Hermione paused, her mind racing. "We have to get to an Order member."
"Like who?"
"Your parents!" Hermione concluded. "We could just tell them what's happened."
"I guess," said Ron, feeling a bit apprehensive. If Bill told his parents about Ron's abandonment of Harry and Hermione, they would never let him live it down. "Let's go then," he finally said. Something about the woods they were in was unsettling to him.
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"Harry, this is war," began Professor Dumbledore. He and Harry were in Grimmuald Place. His parents along with his baby self were upstairs. Sirius had gone out, though no one knew where he had gone to. Peter was still tied to the chair, asleep now. "Peter Pettigrew has given us some new information, though nothing too monumental. I believe that the key to bringing down Voldemort is you. Harry, you have been here for enough time. The Order trusts you, or trusts you as much as they can. I believe that once Voldemort discovers that Pettigrew has been turned in, he will do something drastic."
"Something like what?" asked Harry.
"As to that, I have no clue," said Dumbledore. "But if I were to fathom a guess, I believe that Peter's relationship with Voldemort is like those of all his other Death Eaters. He regards him as a servant. However, I think that their relationship differs as Peter was kept closer to Voldemort than he intended. He most likely let something slip, as I do not believe Voldemort intends to let all his Death Eaters know what the others are doing unless absolutely necessary. I believe that now that we have this vital information, Voldemort will make an attempt to know the full contents of the prophecy."
"But why now, sir?"
"We have taken away the secret keeper. Severus knows nothing more about the prophecy. I doubt that he will want to make another move until he knows what he is up against."
"So what do we do?" asked Harry
"I will make sure that the Department of Mysteries is well guarded," said Dumbledore calmly. "However, Harry, you and I shall be embarking on our own tasks. The Horcruxes are the most important thing. Voldemort can not be truly defeated until they are all destroyed. I know it is late now Harry, but we must discuss this. What do you remember of them?"
Harry didn't have to exert much thought to think of the Horcruxes. They'd been on his mind constantly for the past few months. "There is Tom Riddle's Diary. Lucius Malfoy has that one. Marvolo Gaunt's ring is one too. You found it in the ruins of his house. There's also the cup of Hufflepuff's, and Salazar Slytherin's Locket. You also suggested that his snake, Nagini, might be a Horcrux. I don't think that's right though."
"Why not?" asked Dumbledore.
"You told me that Voldemort chooses to make Horcruxes with only the most important murders. You thought that Nagini would have been the sixth Horcrux, but now, it couldn't have been. He never attacked me, so he has no murder to create it with."
Dumbledore was silent for a moment before smiling and putting his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Your wit is amazing, my dear boy. If that's true, then we are doing quite better then we could have hoped. Voldemort only has five Horcruxes, four of which we know about." He paused for a moment, glancing up at the scar on Harry's head. "I wonder…" he mumbled quietly.
"What?" Harry asked.
"Nothing," said Dumbledore, and he stood and headed into the next room so quickly, Harry thought he had only seen a blur. He followed quickly. Dumbledore had already untied Peter Pettigrew and was levitating his body towards the Fireplace.
"Harry, I will be in contact with you. Our real task begins in the morning, for now, get some sleep. I sense that in the coming weeks you will be needing it."
Harry nodded and watched Dumbledore and Pettigrew vanish in a whirl of green flames. He headed up the stairs, hearing Kreacher wandering around somewhere above him. He climbed into bed and without removing his glasses, fell asleep.
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Albus Dumbledore stepped out of the flames. Peter Pettigrew's body wavered a little before him, floating limp in the air. It was late, and the Atrium was mostly empty, save for the night guard.
"Good evening," said Dumbledore, striding past the man.
"Good evening, Albus," he returned. "Where are you headed?"
"I'm going to the Auror office, and then I believe that the Minister and I have matters to be discussed."
The trip to the Auror office was a short one. Dumbledore noted that most of the members of the office had gone home. Far off to one of the sides, a light was on in an office. Dumbledore knocked lightly on the door before pushing it open. He ended his spell and the unconscious body of Peter Pettigrew landed with a soft thud on the floor.
"Dumbledore, who the hell is that?" asked Rufus Scrimgeour, head of the Auror office.
"That is the body of a Death Eater, by the name of Peter Pettigrew. Check his arm, the Mark is there," said Dumbledore. "Do not worry, Rufus, he is still alive."
"How?" was all the shocked Head of office could manage to say. The Ministry of Magic had been having quite a bit of difficulty identifying Death Eaters. Dumbledore had managed to capture one.
"That is not important right now," he said. "I have questioned him, but there is no doubt you will want to do the same. Perhaps he will have useful information."
"I owe you one, Dumbledore," said the man as he bound the Death Eater.
"I must be going now," said Dumbledore. "I need to speak to Cornelius before I get back to my school. Goodnight, Rufus."
"Goodnight," said the man.
Dumbledore then made his way up the elevator to the office of the Minister of Magic. The two had corresponded only a few nights before. Cornelius Fudge was a very unsure man. As Minister of Magic, he was constantly faced with tough decisions to make. He constantly found himself consulting Dumbledore on some of the most simple of matters.
Dumbledore knocked lightly on the office door. He hoped that Cornelius hadn't gone home early. Hearing no response, he knocked again.
"Come in," came a voice from inside.
Dumbledore pushed his way into the office. Fudge sat behind his desk, a mound of papers on either side of him. "How can I help you tonight, Dumbledore?" asked Fudge, glancing up from a stack of papers.
"Cornelius, I'd like you to raid the Malfoy Manor again," said Dumbledore simply.
This had gotten Fudge's full attention. "What? Why?"
"A Death Eater has been captured. I have information that leads me to believe that the Malfoy's are harboring something that will certainly lead to the downfall of Lord Voldemort."
"Dumbledore, I need my Auror's," whined Fudge. "I can't just go giving them away to you just because a Death Eater has given you information."
"Cornelius," began Dumbledore, and it was obvious he was losing his patience, "I am not asking you for your Auror's. Truth be told, there are very few people in the Ministry that I feel I can trust. I have my own people that I would like to search his home. I am merely asking for your permission to carry out the search."
Fudge screwed up his face for a moment. He surveyed Dumbledore for a moment. "Fine, Dumbledore," he finally said. "But if you find anything of interest, the Ministry, and more importantly me, gets full credit."
"Of course," said Dumbledore. With a nod to Cornelius, he strode quickly from the room, heading back to Hogwarts.
