Chapter 25

"I want to help you get out of this mess," Hermione said as she lay in the hospital bed with Draco.

Draco looked back at her sadly, "But I don't want you to get hurt because of the bad choices I made."

"Well you can forget it if you think you're leaving me behind. I'm not letting you do it alone. If you go and face up to Voldemort on your own, and you die, then what am I left with? Happy memories? I can't survive off that, you are my life, and I never plan going on without you. I'd rather die with you than die alone as a frail old woman who can't remember who her husband was."

Draco narrowed his eyes, "Are you...proposing to me?"

"What?"

"You just said you didn't want to die alone as a frail old woman who couldn't remember who her husband was..."

"Oh, boyfriend, sorry." But her cheeks lit up with a red glow.

Draco grinned. So, she'd like to get married eh?

"I'm just saying; if this is going to happen, we're going to do it together."

"So, what do you propose we do?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at his emphasizing of the word 'propose.' She punched his shoulder playfully.

"Shut up," she smiled.

"Well, I think running away is out of the question. I don't think killing him would be as simple as the killing curse, he's not that stupid," Draco began, now serious.

"No," Hermione agreed.

"But..."

"What? But what?"

"I remember hearing something...something about his soul. It was split I think."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Horcruxes...."

"That's it...and there was something about seven, that particular number."

"He's split his soul into seven parts..." Hermione pieced together, "We need to tell Dumbledore, he can help."

Draco drank some more of the blood replenishing potion before joining Hermione on the way to the Headmaster's office. Hermione explained on the way how Horcruxes work and what they were. Draco listened, getting more and more doubtful that they would be able to defeat the dark lord. Seven pieces. Seven average everyday objects. Seven carefully hidden pieces to the puzzle.

* * *

"Professor," Hermione began.

"Ah, Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy...I presume this visit may be a result of something serious?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

Dumbledore nodded at Draco, in his pyjamas, an exceedingly pale shade to his face and a bloodied bandage around his left arm. Nothing more need be said.

"Well, we may have discovered how to defeat the dark lord," said Draco.

Dumbledore's expression suddenly became very serious. "And how, may I ask, have you come across this information.

Draco became uncomfortable as he looked down at the bandage that wound around his arm.

Hermione shifted from foot to foot. "Well, um, Draco...he's a...kind of a...Death Eater."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows.

"But he doesn't want to be," Hermione added hastily, "Hence the...um...bandage."

"I see," replied Dumbledore, looking down at said bandage. "So, what is this information you talk about?"

"Horcruxes, seven of them," replied Draco.