Hey guys, I went out of the city for a couple of weeks so I didn't get to write and I know you're probably used to this by now but sorry again for such a delayed chapter! My school work is also killing me but I forced myself to make time to write this (in other words: I procrastinated). I really hope you like this chapter and I realize that my previous one had loads of typos in it...sorry about that. Anyway, enjoy and do review! :)

It was in a matter of minutes that the company had reached the gates of Hogwarts. They hadn't encountered any trouble. Upon reaching Hogsmeade, they met a lanky, gruff-looking Deatheater whom Hermione assumed was Rowan. Petrov gave him a few, curt instructions and almost no explanation as to why this odd company was going to Hogwarts at this time of the night. He seemed twitchy and anxious upon seeing them but he escorted them to Hogwarts with only a few mumbles on the way. Petrov was looking more and more uncomfortable as they approached the snowy Hogwarts gates. Malfoy, on the other hand, bore his usual hard glare with which he scanned his surroundings and Hermione did her best to avoid all stares that came her way.
She shivered in the cold, chilly night and it wasn't long before snowflakes covered her eye lashes, her shoulders and her head. Hermione's mind kept wandering off to all the ways that things could go wrong when once they enter Hogwarts. It was very easy to come up with those. The only consolation she felt was that Harry and Ron would be at Hogwarts soon. Ron said they would come. They had to. She had no idea how they planned to not get killed there, or how they would even get inside but Hermione had faith in her friends.
She just hoped their faith would be better than what she feared hers would be.
By the time they reached the doors that opened to Hogwarts, Hermione's heart was banging on her chest and her body felt numb from the cold.
Hogwarts looked more desolate and dark than Hermione had ever seen it to be. The halls were gloomy and cold and they met no one on their way up the stairs. Right when Hermione began to feel as though the entire castle had been abandoned, she saw a few Slytherins pass by and after they finally recognized her, they sneered and laughed. However, seeing Malfoy made their eyes widen with shock and they stopped in their tracks. Malfoy did his best to remain act natural as his old acquaintances and friends stared at him. Hermione heard the sound of screams coming from a room they passed but she continued walking straight ahead and when they reached the second floor, her heart stopped.
In front of them, looking bewildered and paler than usual, was Snape.
Hermione turned to look at Malfoy who had pursed his lips. So he didn't have a plan after all.
Snape's eyes traveled from Hermione to Malfoy and then back to Hermione but Hermione thought she saw him discreetly swallow and, for a split second, his eyes revealed pain.
Suddenly, there was a outburst of incoherent shouting and Snape, back to his usual cruel self, angrily turned his attention to the stairs, where the shouting was slowly increasing. A dark-haired Slytherin student whom Hermione recognized as Bliase Zabini ,came running towards him.
"The Dark Mark! It's been cast by Alecto!" he exclaimed while panting. Snape's expression turned fearful and then was replaced immediately by a threatening one.
Petrov and the ginger twins exchanged stunned looks and then stared at Snape. When he turned towards the stairs without a word, they followed him hurriedly, leaving Hermione, Malfoy and Blaise behind.

"Draco what the hell are you doing here?" Blaise exclaimed. His eyes then went t Hermione and his shock increased further. "And with her!"
"No time to explain," Malfoy replied hurriedly."Why has the Dark Mark been cast? What's going on?"
Somehow Blaise managed to overlook Hermione's presence once again and Hermione found out why.
He lowered his voice and grimly replied: "I think I heard someone say Harry Potter's back. I didn't tell Snape because if I was wrong, he'd kill me."

At Harry's name, Hermione felt her pulse rise. As soon as Blaise had finished his sentence, she kicked him hard in his shin and punched Malfoy so fast, she wasn't sure of what she had done until she had sprinted halfway up the stairs. She snatched a wand from a shrieking First Year who had just spotted the glowing green Mark in the sky. She felt bad for leaving the poor girl shrieking in even more terror, but she couldn't help it. It had to be done. Hermione dodged the swarm of screaming confused students who were stumbling down the stairs and looked around at the crowd in confusion. Suddenly, she hit her head against one and stumbled back to regain her balance.
"RON!" she squealed in a mixture of delight and bewilderment.
"Hermione? It's you!" he exclaimed, rubbing his nose."How-where, HOW DID YOU GET HERE? WHERE WERE YOU?" he screamed over the noise of the crowd.
"I..it doesn't matter!" she shouted back beaming, in midst of a swarm of confused and shouting students. "I thought you and Harry were going to come to Hogwarts tomorrow!"
"You got my message?" Ron shouted with a huge grin on his face. Hermione nodded enthusiastically.
"We planned to but the Harry kept having these dreams…nightmares actually, so we decided to come tonight!"
Hermione nodded again to show that she understood. Then they both looked around at the crowd.
"Where's Harry?' she shouted.
"He's talking to McGonagall! He's looking for the diadem!"

"I know where it is," spoke a voice from behind. They both spun around to face Malfoy with a bloody nose, staring at them nonchalantly.
Ron appeared to be on the verge of attacking him but Hermione quickly intervened by taking hold of his clenched fist.
"I'd get it for you but I'd need something in return," Mafloy spoke softly, but grimly.
Suddenly, Hermione realized that they were now standing in an empty hall. The murmur of the students' voices could be heard downstairs and McGonagall's strict voice giving some sort of instructions. But then, everyone went silent as a new, more unfamiliar voice boomed through the castle.
"I know that you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood. Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."
Hermione felt her heart beat violently against her chest as the last words echoed through her head. She stared at Malfoy who looked as though he was lost deep in thought.
"Where is it?" she asked calmly and sternly. She didn't bother to raise her wand and her arm still ached slightly from the punch.
"I said I wanted something in return-"
"What is it!" Ron bellowed threateningly. Malfoy didn't flinch though. He continued speaking in his cool manner.
"My mother and I… and my father of course,"- he added hastily-"are given freedom to live how we always did…without any interference from the bloody Ministry. And we are provided safety from any old servants or supporters of the Dark- ehrm- from Voldemort".
Hermione gazed at him, transfixed.
"Oh and if the Dark Lord wins this battle, because it really looks like he will, then this deal never happened, understood? No one will ever know about this" Here, he stared hard at Hermione, as if she held the number one prize for being a tattletale. Ron let out a sarcastic laugh.
"How about I beat you up instead, you coward!"
Malfoy dodged out of the way before Ron's fist connected with his face and they both whipped out their wands immediately and pointed them at each other's faces.
"STOP!" Hermione shouted. "This is not going to get us anywhere! Malfoy, no one's punishing your family, alright? But if you want to fight on both sides, then go ahead. If Voldemort wins, no one will protect you or your parents Draco. Not us and definitely not Voldemort and I doubt he'll bother listening to our claims about any deal so fine, you can be a successful traitor, are you happy now? So where's the diadem?"
Malfoy didn't seem to have taken in much of what Hermione had said due to the commotion downstairs and probably because Hermione assumed that he stopped listening whenever he felt even slightly downgraded. Still, he responded with: "In the Room Of Requirement. But it'll take days for you to find it."
"It's a trap," Ron seethed but just then, they heard Crabbe and Goyle shouting nearby. They were approaching the hall they stood in. Malfoy cursed under his breath.
"I don't have all day."
Ron looked at Hermione."I know how to destroy the Cup. The Basilisk fang…I have to destroy it." Hermione nodded. She felt as if her head was about to explode.
"Go, find Harry. I'll get the diadem. Meet me in front of the Room of Requirement."
"No way!" Malfoy said.
"It's not like your friends won't be there soon, looking for you either Malfoy. It's fair."
And with that, Hermione took off running towards the third floor and she could hear Malfoy's steps follow, just missing Crabbe and Goyle.