By the time that Blaise had begun to spin his tale, Draco had been doctored well enough by Hermione (she had put gauze and peroxide on his hand to numb the pain a bit), and now Blaise, Ginny, Draco, and Hermione were sitting down in the living room. Hermione was still in her towel, and Draco couldn't help but wish it would accidentally fall off. Ginny was sitting in the armchair, while Draco and Hermione had taken seats on the couch. Blaise had decided to stand up to add more effect.

"Alright," Blaise said, "At one point, I was one of the closest minions to the Dark Lord -so no judging." He twisted his gaze towards Hermione with a scowl. "Got it?"

"How do we know we can trust you, still?" Hermione said slowly, holding Draco's hand in her lap as if it were a baby.

"Because I'm telling the truth. If I had wanted you all dead, I think I could have done it already."

"Cept you're clumbsy as-"

"Would you two cut it out?" Draco snapped, feeling the pain in his hand shoot up to his arm. "Its getting worse!"

"Its very Dark Magic to make a Dark Mark." Blaise continued, ignoring Hermione's glare.

"We all know that," She snapped.

"And the Malfoy Mark," He continued, ignoring her snide comment, "Is the worst kind of Mark I've seen besides Voldemort's. It seems to act on a lot of emotions. Lucius made them that way so that if the adrenaline was flowing through one of us at a time of need, we could sit back and let the Mark control our fighting. That's why there's so many of us -and so small of you." He didn't meet anyone's eyes at this moment. "I knew as soon as Draco came in that door that something stronger had happened. -Basically, the Mark feeds off of raw magic -and since Draco doesn't have any anymore, I'm pretty sure that Lucius is sparing his powers to Draco -or THROUGH Draco."

"No way, these are my powers!" Draco retaliated.

"You don't know that," Hermione said, "I agree with Blaise. You had your powers taken away a long time ago, Draco. There's no way that these could still be yours. Lucius must be acting through you."

"For all we know, you could be a living, ticking time-bomb!" Ginny spoke up. Draco felt almost completely humilated. He was sent over the edge by Hermione chiming in, "Or a living spy system!"

"You said there was something about finding Harry?" Ginny looked to Blaise and Draco with an almost feeble smile.

"Its a loophole," Draco groaned, his flesh acting as if it were on fire. Apparently, his Mark did not want him speaking on the matter. As soon as he had spoken, his lips began to form together -and would not pull back apart!

"A curse," Hermione whispered. "Draco, you've been cursed!"

"I'm surprised it didn't happen earlier." Ginny spoke, leaning in to get a better look at the unsuspecting Malfoy. Draco tried to pry his lips apart, but lo! They were as if sewn together in a last resort to shut Draco up.

"Lets think. I know Lucius has been after Potter since he disappeared two years ago," Blaise tried to keep this fact brief, as to not cause Ginny any more discomfort.

"So... " Hermione piped up. " Will Lucius give you your full powers back if you catch Harry?"

Draco, unable to answer with his voice, nodded violently.

"Draco, if you find Potter, will this curse be lifted off of you?" Blaise looked apprehensive. Draco shook his head both side to side and up and down. "Yes and no?"

"He'll lift a curse off of you," Ginny guessed. Draco nodded in appreciation.

"He'll lift the Malfoy Mark?" Blaise's face became very serious. Draco sighed out of his nostrils and nodded once more.

"And what happens if you don't find him?" Hermione searched Draco's eyes. He could not answer her, but she already knew the answer. "Damn it all... the mark stays."

"And he'll be just as bad as any Death Eater," Ginny scorned, and then turned a nice flaming pink when she caught Blaise's eye. She had not meant to insult him the way she had.

"How long do we have?" Blaise asked.

Draco shrugged. The curse on his lips began to dissolve away. Gasping for air, he spat, "Dunno. I only have my powers for 3 days..." But something in Draco's mind hoped he had longer. Since his last chat with Lucius, there had been no time limits mentioned. Perhaps Lucius had extended his powers? He cast the thought out of his mind at once -how obsered! Lucius was more likely to take his powers away a day in advance more than extend a favor.

"He must have set you up for a downfall," Hermione groaned, "Even with proper tracking equipment, its been impossible to find Harry for two years! There's no way we'd find him in three days."

"Your confidence astounds me, Granger," Draco sneered. The only thing on his mind at the moment was how could the spell have released off of his lips.

"But Lucius must have some hope, right?" Ginny stated, "Because he could just send out his other minions to look for a hopeless cause -he must think Draco has a means that he doesn't know about."

They sat and pondered at the motivation behind Lucius's motives, but Draco couldn't concentrate. Lazily, he made the lamp on the coffee table turn on and off, on and off... Finally he spoke up. "I think we should return to the scene of the crime -Where Cho Chang died."

"Don't be an idiot," Hermione retaliated, "If they haven't found clues in TWO YEARS..."

"Well then, princess, what do you suggest we do?" Draco growled, feeling less loving towards Hermione.

"I think we need to go to Grimmauld Place." She whispered quietly.

"Where?" Draco growled.

"That place?" Blaise frowned. "I've only scoped in there once -that search for Potter and you?Our seventh year-"

"You were a Death Eater TOO?" Ginny gasped.

"Don't remind me -why do you want to go back to there?"

"It was... it was special to Harry," Hermione spoke quietly, silently hitting herself as to why she hadn't thought of it before. "His... Sirius... I... we just need to." She caught eyes with Ginny, pleading almost.

"Well, if that's the case..." Ginny nodded, agreeing with her friend.

"I think Ronald needs to come."

"What?!" Draco whined, "We just got rid of the dolt!"

"And he's been there before as well! I need him to help me with... with finding Harry..." She didn't like saying the words, because they almost gave her hope. "Ginny, would you...?"

"I'm on it," Ginny nodded, swooping out of the room in a flash.

"I'm going to go get dressed," Hermione said, not meeting eyes with the others. "I'll be back down in a minute." And with that she scooted out of the room at a quick pace.

"What's up her skirt?" Blaise scoffed.

"She's always been sensitive about the subject of Potter," Draco explained, "I never really expected her to go for finding him so quick..."

"Maybe she feels guilty," Blaise suggested. "Hows your hand?"

"Numb, now..." Draco stared down at it. "Perhaps dear ol' Dad finally came to his senses and accepted the fact that people know. I think he doesn't care now, so long as he gets Potter in the end."

"Are you really going to turn him in?" Blaise furrowed his eyebrows.

Draco opened his mouth, but to his relief Ginny Weasley was back, and with Ron. She dragged him into the living room by the ear.

"Ginny! Ow! I don't want to...! OW! She and I are OVER! Ahh! That's MY EAR!"

"She needs your help, Ron! You can't do that to an old friend!" Ginny pushed Ron down onto the sofa. "Even if she's your ex!"

"Harry's dead, Gin! Let it go!" Ron's face became red and his eyes flustered with water, "I've accepted it. Hermione's accepted it. Everyone in the entire world has accepted the fact that he's dead but you! You and this prick-"

SMACK!

"You hit me!"

"Damn right I did!" Ginny grimaced silently as her hand throbbed. "You think you've got it all figured out Ron Weasley, but you don't! You only agreed to Harry's death after the memorial service! -But guess what, Ron---"

"--There wasn't a body." Hermione finished her, gliding down the staircase. She had on a purple sweater and some slacks. "And that haunts all of us."

There was a pregnant silence where Ron and Hermione refused to look at each other, so they in turn decided to look at various pictures on the walls. "So..." Ron finally said, gulping down his pride, "You want to go back to Sirius's?"

"I think its a start," Hermione whispered quietly.

"Yeah..." Ron nodded, finally sparing a glance her way, "It's a start."

"So when do we get started?" Blaise rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"WE don't start. -Ron, Draco and I are going on our own."

"What!" Ginny now turned her anger to Hermione. "Why?"

"You need to be here when Colin and Neville get back."

"Why?" Blaise grumbled.

"Because," Hermione snapped, putting her wand in her back pocket, "They're going to know about this whole thing -they're better at the lab tech work than Draco and I, and we're better at snooping out the clues –besides, five people will cause a lot more of a scene than three."

"Make him stay!" Ginny crossed her arms. "I want to go!"

"I say if the Weasleyette wants to go," Draco piped up, "Let her." Everyone looked shocked at him. "She's got just as much a right, if not more- she was his girlfriend for a while, weren't you, Weasley? Before he got back together with Cho?"

"All because I joined the only all-girl Quidditch league... couldn't stand that I was away so long..." Ginny spoke softly. "I want to go."

"Fine," Hermione groaned, "But you're staying!" She cut Blasie off before he had the chance. "We'll have to take off on foot. Everyone should grab an umbrella -its raining..."