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Black is Our World

A Safe Haven

"Bill…Bill, time to get up," Hermione murmured, shaking my shoulder gently. I stubbornly kept my eyes closed, wanting to stay asleep. The shaking stopped and I thought I was in the clear. Allowing my body to relax, I wasn't prepared for the blanket to be ripped off, the crisp morning air biting at my skin.

"Hermione!" I yelled, jumping to my feet, glaring at the Gryffindor who merely smiled and walked over to a bag to put away the blanket. Looking around the camp I took a deep breath of the morning air, scents of pine tickling my nose.

Remus was digging through a pack and coming up with bananas for breakfast, while Tonks was kneeling next to Malfoy, attempting to rouse him. The Slytherin remained unresponsive and Tonks gave up after a few minutes, instead opting to pick him up in her arms and walk over to Remus.

"What riddle were you talking about last night, Bill?" Remus asked, handing me one of the yellow fruits. "Trelawney has proved to be accurate in two occasions before, both prophecies regarding Voldemort."

"I don't think this one was talking about him," I said slowly. "Do you want me to recite it? It's more riddled then she's ever made them before."

"Please do," said Remus.

I paused a second to collect my thoughts and remember the woman's voice, hand gripping the leaf in my pocket. "Crystal lights line the way, shimmering softly gone by day. From the first battleground, follow the trail up, then around. Down the copper snake you shall go, heed your step or you'll face woe. Through the moonlight bathed pond and towards the trees, let yourself be blown in the midnight breeze." I stopped, freezing up, as the words seemed to flee my mind.

"Take your time," comforted Tonks, "I would already have forgotten it." Across from me, Remus was scribbling down the lines for future reference.

There had been something about a shower…ducks? No...rainbows! "Behind a shower, made of rainbows, is a hole, only a stone's throw. This is where the old one lies, out of sight of prying eyes…that's it," I said when they all continued to stare at me.

"Perhaps the old one is Dumbledore," Hermione breathed, eyes lighting up with hope. "He is old…and he's in hiding."

"That's it!" cried Tonks, pulling Hermione into a hug, the unconscious Slytherin being squashed in the middle.

"Oh thank the heavens you were there when she said it Bill! Never once more will I ever call Sibyll a fraud!"

"What's so important about finding Dumbledore?" I was completely in the dark, the headmaster never having been mentioned at the camp.

"Draco overheard a conversation between Lucius and Voldemort," Hermione bubbled excitedly. "They were talking about a second prophecy that told about someone else who could destroy Voldemort. Dumbledore memorized it and then got rid of the prophecy…he's currently hiding somewhere we're led to believe. If we can find him, we may have a chance of defeating Voldemort!"

"And no one has any idea who this person is?" All three shook their heads. "So we're basically going blindly off of a riddle? What if it's wrong?"

"We'll just hope it isn't," Tonks said gravely, quite different from her normal chipper tone. "Besides, it's our best bet at the moment. What else do we have to work with?"

"Crystal lights line the way, shimmering softly, gone by day," Hermione murmured thoughtfully. "Gone by day…the moon disappears in the day…but so do-"

"Stars!" I filled in, jumping up in excitement. "The first part of the riddle is talking about stars!"

"The first battle ground…well, we've only had one battle," chuckled Tonks. "The riddle must mean Hogwarts…"

"Follow the trail up, then around," repeated Remus. "That must be talking about the stars. So from Hogwarts we have to follow a path of stars."

"What's a copper snake?" Hermione wondered, looking at us for some spark of inspiration.

"We'll figure that part out when we come to it," answered Tonks. "For now we just have to get to Hogwarts."

I looked at the auror faintly. "Tonks, that's over two hundred miles…we're located down by the Northax forest, it's the only kind in England that has this white pine. Hogwarts is about two hundred and fifty miles west of here!"

"Then we'll just have to pick up the pace a bit."

"A bit," Hermione said faintly. "Tonks, I'm not in that great of shape and we're hurting Draco even more! He's been unconscious since yesterday around three! He isn't ready for this Tonks, he isn't healed yet." Hermione looked close to tears, her lower lip quivering in her concern for Malfoy.

Remus leaned over Tonks and pressed a hand to Malfoy's forehead, the boy letting out a soft moan and turning away. "He has a fever again," Remus sighed, running a hand wearily through his graying hair. "And it looks like his leg bandage slipped." Sure enough, blood was seeping through the thin pants Malfoy had on.

Hurriedly, Tonks rolled up the pants leg and grimaced. A white bandage that had been wrapped heavily around the cut was soaked red, the liquid running down the length of his leg. "Bill, can you hand me the roll of bandages in that bag over there?" Tonks asked, nodding her head at the duffel next to me.

Rummaging through the pack I tossed a roll of white bandages at Tonks, who caught them easily. Setting them in her lap, she slowly began to unbind the wraps on Malfoy's leg, dropping the saturated cloth to the ground. My stomach churned at the sight left when the bandages were gone. The skin was red and inflamed around a large, jaggedly sewn cut, blood leaking slowly from between the stitches.

Tonks seemed unfazed by the injury and began to rewrap the wound tightly, ignoring the small whimpers the boy gave off as he shifted in his sleep, perspiration dotting his forehead, face scrunched up in pain.

Hermione took his pale hand in her own, gripping onto it like a lifesaver. "He's so warm," she murmured, using her other hand to feel his forehead. "And we don't have time to cool him down do we? Of course we don't," Hermione laughed softly to herself, "we can't stay here."

A sudden thought struck me. "Umm, hey, guys? There are probably going to be Death Eaters looking for me once they realize I'm not in the camp…" Tonks froze, Remus started, and Hermione's eyes widened.

"Then we'd better get going," Tonks said firmly, tying off the end of the bandage and putting the wraps away. "Bill, could you carry Draco? Remus has his wand and it would be best if we're both able to use them in case of attack."

After a pause I gave a small nod, the idea of Malfoy not weighing well. Tonks scooped the boy into her arms and then gently laid him in mine, her hands brushing through his almost silver hair before dropping to her sides.

I myself was surprised at the heat Malfoy was giving off, a small spark of concern actually beginning to grow inside. He didn't appear to be the cold hearted boy my brothers always talked about.

I'm not sure if it's the way he almost seems to press himself against me, seeking comfort and reassurance in my grasp, or knowing the pain he's feeling and yet he's still fighting that made me change my mind several hours later.

We'd been walking at a rather fast pace, the woods seeming to never get behind us, the sun still being blocked by the large, leafy canopy over head. Malfoy had remained sleeping the entire trek and through lunch, his skin ashen save two bright patches of pink on his cheeks.

"Tonks…can we…please…take a…break?" panted Hermione, collapsing on the ground, hair fanned out around her head, several strands clinging to her sweaty face. "I can't…move…"

"We'll rest for a few minutes…Remus, I hear a stream up ahead. Do you want to come with to fill the canteens?" In answer, Remus handed his wand to Hermione, who loosely gripped it, all energy spent, before taking off the canteen over her shoulder and disappearing with Tonks into the trees.

I carefully sat down next to Hermione, shifting Malfoy in my lap so I could find a more comfortable position against one of the thousands of pine trees. Seconds later, Hermione maneuvered herself off of the needle covered ground to sit next to me.

"He's changed you know," she whispered, honey eyes shimmering up at me. "He really has, Bill…please at least give him a chance."

I blinked in surprise at the sudden change in Hermione. "He's Malfoy, Hermione, remember? The one who said all those terrible things to you?"

"But he's not like that now…when…when Ron died he was crying…I saw it.," she sobbed, burying her head against my shoulder. "And when we were talking about Ron and George he said something nice about them…"

Slowly I felt my anger begin to ebb away into nothingness at the boy in my arms, while Hermione continued to talk. I looked down at him, and a sad smile began to form on my face, knowing that if we continued how we'd been going he wouldn't be with us much longer.

"I'll give him a chance, Mione," I whispered, looking back at the girl, her honey eyes shimmering with tears.

"He deserves one." The smile she gave in return made my whole heart feel light, and I knew I'd done the right thing.

At that second, Malfoy shifted slightly in my arms, a whimper rising up in his throat as his leg moved a bit.

"Draco? Can you hear me?" asked Hermione, leaning over the blond, hand tightly grasping his. "Please open your eyes," she begged.

A pair of bright silver orbs slowly opened, glassy with pain and fatigue. "Mione?" he murmured, seeming to stare straight through the girl. "Where…Tonks?"

"Off with Remus getting water." His face momentarily scrunched with puzzlement. Then it hit me, he thought I was Remus. "Draco, Bill is here with us now. I don't think you ever met him but he's a very nice person."

The bright eyes turned to look at me, and I felt as though I was being scanned through, his gaze so piercing. "A Weasley," he muttered and I felt a wash of anger overrun me. Was he insulting my family? "Good…they aren't so bad."

"Glad you think so," I chuckled, watching as his lips upturned in a small smile.

"When did you…get here?" he asked weakly, eyes starting to drift closed.

"Last night," I answered. "You were sleeping."

Malfoy didn't answer and at a glance, I realized he'd fallen asleep once more, breathing labored and heavy. His cheeks were still bright pink, sweat dotting his forehead and making some of his bangs cling to his face.

"He isn't going to live much longer," I murmured. "His fever is rising fast…I've felt him getting warmer all day. He needs medical care…but there's no way we can find it in the middle of a forest."

"I won't let him die," Hermione said stubbornly, giving the boy's hand another reassuring squeeze. "We're all going to make it through this…we promised to get help for the others and I will not let him break that promise."

"How's he holding up?" asked Tonks, dropping to her knees next to me, the canteen she'd been holding landing with a soft thump on the soft ground.

"Not well," I answered truthfully. "He woke up about a minute ago and didn't sound so good."

"What are we going to do, Remus?" sighed Tonks, looking worriedly up at the werewolf. "He's dying…and we can't do anything."

"We have to do something!" cried Hermione. "You can't let him die!"

"It's not like we aren't trying to heal him," grumbled Remus. "We just don't have anything to heal him with."

Tonks, meanwhile, had been wetting a scrap of a blanket she had torn and had tied it around Draco's head like a bandana, hopefully to help lower his body temperature even a bit. "We'd best be going," the auror sighed. "There's no telling who's on our trail."

With a groan, Hermione picked herself off the ground and took back her canteen. "Do you want me to take him?" offered Remus, nodding his head at Draco, who I had decided to call by his first name at that moment.

"Nah, I'm all right," I replied, easing myself gently up as to not shift Draco too much. "My arms aren't tired yet." Remus nodded and moved to the front of the assembly line, Tonks taking up the rear and myself in front of the auror, Hermione in front of me.

We were still walking through the same forest when night came upon us, the path almost unreadable and trees looming up out of nowhere. "Shouldn't we stop?" asked Hermione, as she tripped over a large root rising out of the ground.

"Just a little farther," encouraged Remus. "Then we'll rest for the ni-" The werewolf suddenly vanished from view, right in front of me.

"Remus!" I cried, dashing forward, not realizing the danger until it was too late. The ground I had been running on ended and down I fell, protectively curling my body around Draco's so I'd absorb the impact.

Seconds later, my back hit something solid, though sort of squishy. "Get off of me," moaned Remus, his face pressed in the dirt.

"Sorry," I mumbled, scrambling off, just in time as Tonks and Hermione came down on top of the werewolf. Also muttering apologies, the girl climbed off, Remus getting stiffly to his feet.

"Where are we?" Hermione whispered, glancing around at the pitch blackness that surrounded us. No one ever got to answer as a shrill voice pierced the air.

"BAKAS! KAMI-SAMA! BAKAS! YOU RUINED MY HOUSE! BAKAS!" A small candle was suddenly seen before a wooden ladle connected solidly with Remus's head, and he stumbled back, wand out and ready.

The light illuminated a rather tiny woman, no taller then five feet. She had to be in her fifties, graying black hair pulled back in a tight bun, her almond shaped eyes burning with anger, bright against the bronze coloring of her face.

Held in her hand, was the wooden ladle she'd used to hit the professor, the other hand holding the candle.

"We're very sorry," said Tonks, stepping forward. "We didn't realize you lived here…but isn't living in a hole a bit odd?"

"A hole?" the woman snorted. "What do you take me for, a horinezumi? I would never step so low! This is an underground network of tunnels…and you just came through my beautiful camouflaged roof!"

"Sorry again," Tonks apologized with a grin. "We really didn't mean any harm…"

"But it is so good to see some other living soul!" the woman cried suddenly, launching herself and hugging Hermione tightly. "You have no idea how lonely it's been down here since my son died."

"Who was your son?" asked Hermione curiously, patting the woman awkwardly on the back.

"Razien, Razi I called him for short. Oh!" she exclaimed, placing both hands on her cheeks. "How rude of me, not even introducing myself. Why don't you all come in for a cup of tea…after you patch up my roof. I don't need any of those robed men finding me in here."

Passing Draco off to Tonks, as Hermione knelt down beside Remus and shook him, I climbed a small footstool the woman had pointed out and had in no time replaced all of the pine branches with the wooden boards above to form a solid roof once more.

Leading us down a rather short passage (I had to duck to make it through), the woman brought us to a round, circular room, other tunnels branching off of it. A small fire crackled merrily away in a tiny stove, a large braided rug filling up almost the entire floor.

Crossing over to a small stove, the woman took off a tea pot and poured tea into the strangest looking teacups I'd ever seen before. No handles were on them and unless my eyes were deceiving me, the tea was green. Wasn't tea supposed to be brown? "Sit, sit," she bubbled, pointing at the rug. Obediently we all settled ourselves, Draco still in my lap, my arms around him protectively.

"My name is Akimara Kagami," she said politely, passing the cups around. "Or as you all say, Kagami Akimara. I'm very sorry for my rudeness earlier…I have been very on edge since Razi died and those men started to come by."

"I'm Remus Lupin," the werewolf introduced. "This is Nymp-" a hand was clamped over his mouth by the auror.

"My name is just Tonks," she smiled. "Really, you don't want to hear my first name."

"I'm Hermione Granger," said the Gryffindor softly, staring down into her tea.

"I'm Bill Weasley," I said. "And this is Draco Malfoy."

"Kami-sama! What happened to the dear boy?" Kagami exclaimed, placing one of her wrinkling hands on Draco's head. "He's burning up with fever!"

"We know," sighed Tonks. "Both he and Hermione managed to escape from You-Know-Who's castle a little while and Draco isn't doing so well."

"You mean the man in charge of all of those other men?" Kagami asked. "I am a muggle as I understand, non-magic folk, but I do understand a bit, especially after listening to those men talk."

"'Those men' are Death Eaters," filled in Remus. "They work for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I am certain then you know of the current situation going on?"

"Not quite," she admitted. "Once Razi died, I haven't been outside at all."

"How did your son die?" asked Tonks.

"He was outside, gathering some wood for our stove," Kagami sighed, staring into her own cup of green tea. "The men came up and saw him and demanded he come with them…we did not know that they were magical at the time…and when Razi tried to attack, they killed him; burned the body… I saw it all from behind another tree and came straight back here…haven't been outside since. But what is happening? I am quite curious…"

"What's happening is the Death Eaters are basically running loose all over the world," said Tonks. "Some of them were put in enslavement camps, like Bill, but he managed to escape, and others are killed. Draco and Hermione were brought directly to that monster…and some things happened."

"But what about that one boy I heard so much about?" queried Kagami. "Harry Potter, I believe."

"Harry died," Hermione whispered. "He couldn't do it…and I don't blame him in the slightest. He wasn't ready to face V-Voldemort…but he had no choice."

"Is there any hope left then?" murmured the woman, twisting her hands in her lap.

"Yes," I smiled, "there actually is. A prophecy was foretold to be with a friend of ours. We have a riddle to find him…unfortunately we haven't managed to get there yet."

"Do stay here for the night," Kagami encouraged. "Draco-chan looks like he could use a good night's rest."

"Chan?" repeated Hermione, eyebrows raised.

"Yes. If you haven't guessed by now, I'm Japanese…chan is a suffix name meaning little. He is under fifteen, ne?"

"I think he's seventeen," giggled Hermione.

"Ah well," Kagami shrugged. "He's so kawaii…we'll leave him as a chan. You, would be Hermione-chan…the term is generally used on girls or children…but that sounds a bit odd, doesn't it? How about Mi-chan? Hai, I like that one better."

"Would you like us to call you anything special, Kagami?" asked Tonks.

"Iie, Kagami is fine. I would feel much too old to be called a Mrs. Bill-kun, could you please follow me with Draco-chan? I have some futons for you all to sleep in…and some medicine. Oh! Remus-san, would you like an icepack?"

"That would be very nice," the wizard smiled at Kagami, having already forgiven her for hitting him earlier. She had merely been acting out of self defense and I honestly couldn't blame her either.

Walking down several more tunnels, Kagami led us to another circular room, this one with another stove for warmth and several odd looking blankets stacked in the corner. "Please make yourselves comfortable," she instructed. "I'll go get some medicine for Draco-chan."

"What are these?" asked Tonks, picking one of the blankets off the stack, after Kagami disappeared down another tunnel.

"Futons," said Remus, examining one. "They're Japanese style beds," he clarified.

"And you know this…how?"

"I saw them in a picture once," he smiled. "Why don't we get Draco in one? I'm sure he'll feel much better in a little while."

Tonks unrolled one of the bundles and I slid Draco gently beneath the layers, removing the now warm bandana and feeling his forehead, a frown creasing my features as he seemed to feel even warmer then before.

"Whatever did happen to Draco-chan?" asked Kagami, rushing back in, her arms laden with several towels, some odd looking night gowns, and a basket hooked on her arm.

"It's a long story," sighed Tonks. "But his leg needs some new bandages and we really need to get his fever down."

"You all go relax," assured Kagami. "If you follow the left tunnel, you'll find a bathroom. Here's towels and clean yukata for you to change into when you're done."

"Yukata?" I repeated.

"A Japanese sleeping garment," Kagami laughed. "You all go freshen up and get some rest; I'll watch over Draco-Chan." The bronze fingers ran through Draco's hair, before lighting on his forehead.

Hermione knelt down and gave Draco's hand a squeeze, before rushing off with a towel and yukata for the bathroom, desperate for a shower. Kagami frowned and placed a wet cloth over Draco's forehead, absentmindedly handing Remus an ice pack.

"You all rest," she insisted, "you look like you're about to fall asleep on your feet." I had to admit, Kagami was right. I didn't even want a shower, just to lie down would be satisfactory. Crawling into one of the futons, I was asleep before I knew it.

Draco's POV

Cold. That's all I felt, the only thing that was bothering me. Kind of like when you have an itch on your back and quite can't reach it. Something so little makes you so irritated…that's how I'm feeling.

This chill…it just won't go away. If anything, I keep getting colder. Why? We aren't moving anymore…I can't feel myself swaying. Did we settle down for the night? With a small groan, I forced my eyes open, looking at my surroundings.

We had stopped, that much was true. But where we did…that was what was odd. Above and around me rose dirt and rock walls, nothing I'd seen before in the forest. "Oh good," whispered a voice to my left. "You're awake." Craning my neck slightly, my eyes widened as I saw a woman, her hands clasped in her lap, a dimpled smile on her face. "It's all right," Draco-chan," she smiled. "I'm Kagami, you're at my house."

I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was a whimper. "I know," she comforted, taking my hand in hers. "Would you like some tea to drink? It should warm you up." I gave a feeble nod and Kagami left, presumably to get the drink.

During that time, I continued to look around the small room. Different dark holes stood around it, exit ways to somewhere. And four people were sound asleep in the blanket things I found myself, all familiar and all making me feel safer.

Hermione was snuggled up to Bill, while Tonks was leaning against Remus, although I don't know if she realized it. Soft footsteps sounded through the hard packed earth, and Kagami settled herself down next to me, a steaming cup in her hands.

"Do you need help sitting up?" she asked kindly. Stubbornly, I shook my head and attempted to prop myself up, but I wasn't prepared for the sudden jolt I gave my leg, and I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out.

"Let me help." Her arms, though frail looking were rather strong, and Kagami brought me to a sitting position, leaning against her for balance. The cup was pressed to my lips and I took a sip, the liquid warming me inside and out.

Once I was finished, Kagami laid me back down, tucking another blanket over the first. My eyes closed tiredly, all energy spent.

"Nemuri Draco-chan," Kagami whispered, voice gentle. "Nemuri…"

xxx

xxx

Author's Notes:

And there's chapter eleven. One chappie left. :P I'm posting this from a friend's house...aren't you all lucky I saved it on the sitebeforeI left? As always, reviews appreciated

Nemuri - sleep

-chan - little

-san - Mrs. or Mr.

horinezumi - gopher

Baka - Idiot, moron; stupid

Kami-sama - Lord God

Kami - God

Hai - yes