Sooo guys... I know I haven't written in a LONG time, but a lot has been going on. However, I can proudly and honestly say that i am So. Much. Better. And I finally feel like I can write again. Truth be told, I'd forgotten about how much I liked writing during the last few months, and today I received a message telling me that someone was asking me when/if I was going to update, and I've suddenly started writing again, and I've been doing that for the last few hours. So a HUGE thank you to kelly-Ann Little for reminding me of how precious fanfiction is. :) I hope you'll like this chapter!

PS: Also, I've nearly finished the next chapter, so it should be up soon! And as usual I haven't bothered reading over for grammar mistakes as I was in a hurry to share it with you ^^ so I hope it's good enough!:) xx

AS A REMINDER OF THE LAST CHAPTERS:

Btw, this is what you probably don't remember has previously happened: ;)

- Malfoy & Hermione are hiding together in the RoR, and even though they can't stand eachother they're looking for the horcruxes together

- They're on their way to find the Sorting Hat for advice about old hogwarts founder owned objects

- Malfoy is still weirdly protective or stalker-ish? with Hermione and is up-to-something (haha, Snape! ;D)

- Luna is locked up in Malfoy Manor (in bad shape :/) and has produced an Expected Patronum Charm

- Harry & Ron are still on the run

- And many little things ;) xx

Night was falling when the door to Dumbledore's old office swung open silently. The place remained untouched. The same wooden desk sat in the centre of the room, covered in all of the strange things the late headmaster seemed to collect endlessly. Fauxes stand was leaning against a wall, long deserted by its owner. The only thing that had changed was that the paintings hung on the walls were covered up with brown cloths that were slowly taking in dust. Draco and Hermione crept in, bound by respect for the room. Neither of them said a word as they stood there, caught between shelves filled with old books and mismatched objects. And then Hermione pointed at a stool that stood at the foot of a stone arch which overlooked the office. On it, sat the Sorting Hat.

Draco and Hermione glanced at each other and Draco walked across the silent room, before lifting the hat from its sleeping place. A crack in its rim opened and it yawned loudly. The blond man shook the dust off of it and put it on his head. Unlike in their first year, the hat simply sat there instead of falling down over his eyes. How much he had grown since then, how much had changed...

"Mister Malfoy… " it chuckled in his ear. "Here you are again. Did you feel the need to be sorted into a different house than Slytherin? You know, I think you could do great in another and leave the path that you are being forced upon..."

Draco gritted his teeth in despise and Hermione gave him a questioning look.

"Stupid poems again." he shrugged. The hat continued: "Oh but you are already trying to leave that path, impressive Mr. Malfoy... And later on when you find trouble, the girl in your house presently will be your deliverance. You should do well to remember. But on another note, explain this to me: when are you going to tell her?"

With a growl, Draco whispered:

"None of your business, now tell us what you know or I'll throw you in the fire."

"Oh-oh" it chuckled in his ear. "Indeed a Slytherin. Right, let's see, it's all here in your head: you wish to find the old and powerful Hogwarts objects. Well I'm sorry. I. Don't. Know."

Draco glanced upwards upon hearing the hat's childish answer.

"What do you mean you don't know? You've been here all these years you stupid thing!"

"Insulting me won't help you know, I refuse to tell you!"

The wizard yanked the hat off his head and pointed his wand straight at it. The Sorting Hat squealed in horror. Draco opened his mouth to curse it when a hand touched his shoulder. He looked behind him and his eyes met Hermione's. In an instant he knew she would back away with that look of disgust he knew so well, but she simply squeezed his shoulder sand said, "Let me try." Trying not to shake, he handed the rugged hat over to her and she put in on her head. Only a few seconds passed before she took it off and said:

"Okay, let's go Malfoy."

"What?! That's it?"

"Yes, we should get going now, all it knows is that we've come here for nothing."

Draco moaned in disbelief.

"What?! Are you sure? I'm sure I could persuade it to talk..." but he was interrupted by the stern look the Gryffindor girl gave him.

"Always a Slytherin eh Malfoy?" She said, "but there's no need to anyways. The Hat may know a lot about Hogwarts, but that's about it. All he could tell me is that there is one possible horcrux here, and we've just come from there. We should go back, if you're willing to admit that my way with the Hat was by far the most intelligent of course. Otherwise, feel free to try your way."

Malfoy sighed angrily, and Hermione she smiled as she turned to put the Sorting Hat back onto the shelf. They turned towards the door, but just as they were about to leave the room, the magical hat shouted out: "Miss Granger, you should listen to people when they talk! Beware of the Moonstone Wolf she said, and cautious of the wolf you should be!"

Draco and Hermione stood frozen at the door for a second, and then Hermione shook her head and walked out as Draco stared at the Sorting Hat with a confused look. What the hell was wrong with that thing? Moonstone what? The girl in his house? Who, Luna? How would she ever be of help? She was locked up in his father's dungeon and there was nothing she could do about it. Well in fact there wasn't much he could do about it either. With a resigned sigh, Draco turned and the door closed shut behind him.

Night-time had fallen over Hogwarts. When Draco emerged from the passageway, Hermione was nowhere to be seen. He muttered a disillusionment charm and sunk into the shadows.

He found the Room of Requirement just as Death Eaters passed near him and he was getting desperate, which in fact did made sense. As he shut the door and turned around, he suddenly flattened himself against the wood in fear. Hermione Granger had been standing on top of a really, really high mound of chairs, tables and other unidentified objects. Wand raised at the ready, she suddenly shouted "Accio forks!" and all the metallic death spike handles came flying straight at her through the air. Just as they were about to decorate her body with a thousand metal stems, she dived off the mound, and for a second, her body flew through the air like an angel falling from above. She hit the sofa underneath her with a soft thud, and Draco desperately remembered to breathe.

The Gryffindor girl turned towards him just as he was striding towards her.

"Oh, there you are!" she said, ignoring the look on his face. "I was just thinking that if the horcrux can't be summoned, then we sh..."

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!" bellowed Malfoy at the top of his voice. "Forks straight at your face?! Who has that little common sense?"

Hermione took a surprised step backwards.

"I was thinking that we really need to find that Horcrux, Malfoy, except if you'd prefer just sitting around some more. The Sorting Hat told me it was in here somewhere; some head-worn jewellery from Rowena Ravenclaw. So I thought that if we cleared away all the clutter, we'd be left with small things that fit the bill. The only way I could do that was by summoning them and then jumping out of the way. Do you have any better ideas?"

Draco lifted a frustrated eyebrow. He couldn't figure out whether he thought she was brilliant or downright stupid. And she wasn't even bothered with him shouting at her. And then there was the way she was looking at him like he was a friend of hers. An ally.

"Okay, what do we do?" he answered, as the last traces of his Death Eater past dissolved into the wind, leaving only a young man behind.

Hermione started explaining the details of her plan, and in a second they had revised it and were ready for action. Malfoy looked up at her as she turned to get into place, and he grabbed the first step of the unsecure mountain of furniture then followed her up, right to the top. He climbed onto the mound of chairs and desks to stand next to his Gryffindor ally, and then he pulled out his wand and stood at the ready.

"Ready Malfoy?" said the muggle-born girl as she turned to look at him.

"Ready Granger." he answered with a smirk.

And with that spell cast not by a mudblood and a pureblood, but by an allied witch and wizard, hundreds of knifes came flying towards their faces, and with an equally terrified scream, they jumped off into the air and landed, still screaming, onto the green sofa beneath them. A few seconds later, the room echoed with the sound of their laughter.

It's not much; I know! I'm sorry, but the next chapter'll be here soon! :D Review if you read please, it'd be great to know if anyone is still following me despite my absence ^^'. Oh and also, I love you guys! xP

See you soon!