"I knew it. I just knew it." Harry said as he paced around in front of the fireplace. They had sent Mundungus off after he told them what they needed to know. Hermione made sure he wouldn't squeal their whereabouts by casting a memory charm on him. They all knew 'Dung couldn't be trusted.

Ron snorted as he sat down at the table. "As if Umbridge needed a necklace to make her evil, she was bad enough on her own."

"Well, now that we know where the necklace is we need to start making preparations to steal it from Umbridge." Hermione said.

"Harry Potter...Dobby wonders if there is anything he can do to help?" Dobby asked as he turned his large, orb-like eyes on Harry.

Harry looked up, replying "No Dobby, we'll be alright. You've done brilliantly already, bringing 'Dung to us and all."

Hermione interjected "Kreacher did well too, don't you think Harry? He was a big part in catching Mundungus too."

Harry caught the sharp look Hermione gave him and nodded. "Yeah...sure, good job Kreacher. You both did brilliantly..." He then ruffled his hair awkwardly and sat down. He wasn't quite sure how to handle Kreacher yet.

Kreacher announced that he'd go make them all some supper, leaving Ron and Harry in shock. Ron's eyes were as wide as saucers. "I didn't know he could cook! He can barely clean!" Ron said in astonishment.

"He's a house elf Ronald, of course he knows how to cook." Hermione said in annoyance. Ron was quickly silenced. The last thing he wanted was to get Hermione mad at him again.

"How should we start planning?" Harry asked as Ron looked expectantly at Hermione. Hermione flicked her wand and the bottom drawer of the large cabinet, in the corner of the basement, opened. A large sheaf of parchment floated onto the table with a pot of ink.

Hermione produced a quill from her bag and said "We should start with any basic information we have about the Ministry. What floor the bathrooms are on, which floor each Department is on, anything really."

Harry added on "We need to map out the inside of the Ministry as well but I've never seen the Ministry in its entirety."

"I have though! Dad has worked at the Ministry ever since I can remember and he used to take me to work with him sometimes. I may not know everything about it but it's a start." Ron said.

"I think we'll need to go on scouting trips as well. We can't just rely on childhood memories. The layout of the Ministry may have changed since you were last there Ron. We can't take any chances." Hermione said.

"I think that's a good idea Hermione." Harry said.

"When has she ever had a shortage of those?" Ron asked as he grinned. Hermione merely smiled and Harry chuckled.

Their planning was cut short with the arrival of three, steaming hot bowls of onion soup. They all sat around the table and ate and when Hermione looked up she saw Harry looking at her. Ron was eating the onion soup with so much excitement that he would occasionally slop some down his front.

Harry looked directly at Hermione's chest. At first, Hermione was confused and a little bit uncomfortable but soon she realized what Harry was getting at. She almost laughed at her initial reaction of thinking that her best friend was a pervert. Hermione had taken to wearing her engagement ring on a chain, around her neck. She didn't want to deal with the outburst that Ron would no doubt make when he found out, so she kept it hidden. Harry had been telling her ever since Bill and Fleur's wedding that she had to tell him the truth but she kept putting it off. Hermione stifled a sigh. She knew she had to tell Ron.

As Ron get up to get seconds, Harry murmured to Hermione "You have to tell him 'Mione. It's not fair to him if you don't."

Hermione whispered back "I know, I just don't know when the right time to tell him is."

"I don't think there is ever going to be a right time. Ron loves you but you still have to tell him, right time or not." Harry whispered back.

"I can't tell him now though. We are planning a break-in to the Ministry. You know as well as I do that if I tell Ron, he will just make things difficult. We need this plan to go off without a hitch and in order for that to happen, Ron and I have to be on speaking terms." Hermione replied.

Harry knew that what Hermione was saying was logical but a part of him thought she was just making excuses to keep putting off the inevitable. Harry gave in and whispered back a quick "Fine" to Hermione as Ron came back.

XXX

As Viktor sat in the living room of the cottage, he thought about the meeting. His parents were upstairs, packing their things. Even amid Viktor's protests, they had decided to leave the cottage and stay with Viktor's maternal uncle for awhile. Viktor's mother's family weren't like his father's. They weren't nearly as crazed about blood status nor were they as dysfunctional. Even though they had made up their minds, Viktor made sure his parents knew he wasn't happy with their decision to leave.

Viktor had decided that he would start recruiting right away. He thought the best thing to do was talk to his friends on the Quidditch team. Viktor didn't know why it had taken so long for him to think of such an idea. He had known those men for many, many years. He knew which could be trusted and which couldn't be. He knew their personalities inside and out.

Viktor tried to put the recruitment plan out of his mind during dinner, since it would be the last dinner he'd share with his parents for awhile. His mother's side of the family lived in Varna, Bulgaria. Mrs. Krum took extra pains with dinner that night. She had been baking all day and freezing food and storing it away for Viktor so that he'd have something to eat when she was gone.

"Vika, vill you be okay vhen ve're gone?" Mr. Krum asked as he looked at his son critically.

"I vill be fine Papa, I just don't vant you to think that your stay here vas burden to me." Viktor replied as he squeezed his Dad's arm gently.

"I know Vika, I know." Mr. Krum said as he embraced his son. "If you feel lonely here, come to Varna."

"Yes Vika, your Chicho Branimir vould love for you to visit. It vill not be problem at all." Mrs. Krum said sincerely.

"I know Mama, I vill come visit but I haff vork to do here. I haff to help the Order, I can't just go to Bulgaria. My life is here now. My home is here. Hermione is here." Viktor said. His heart clenched at the thought of his fiancee.

Throughout the rest of dinner, Viktor listened to his father's childhood stories. Mr. Krum talked about how he would get into lots of trouble when he was younger. He would sneak out of the manor and down to the Muggle villages and pretend he was what they called a "magician."

"Your Papa impressed many Muggle girls in the village" Mrs. Krum said as she smiled teasingly at her husband.

"Vhat can I say? They vere suckers for magic. Vhen my Papa found out vhat I had been doing, he vas very angry. I remember he yelled at me for three hours vhen he found out. I had never seen him so angry." Mr. Krum said.

Mrs. Krum brought out the dessert as Viktor laughed at his father's foolishness.

"I understand now vhat my Papa vas feeling. He only vanted to protect me from getting into trouble. You vill understand von day vhen you have a momchentse of your own." Mr. Krum said as he smiled at Viktor.

"Papa not this again. It is too early for that. Hermione and I are not even married yet and you are thinking of these things!" Viktor said as he fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"Da, you say this now but just you vait." Mr. Krum said as his eyes twinkled. "Von of greatest joys in life is vhen you haff baby. It is hard vork but the experience is vorth it."

After dessert, Viktor walked with his parents to the door of the cottage. They pulled on their coats in the hallway and left the cottage. Viktor closed the door behind himself and walked down to the beach with his parents. Even down by the water, they could see the cottage lights twinkling against the dark night sky.

Mr. Krum hugged his son firmly and said to him "Be safe Vika. Hermione vill be home soon. If you ever need us, you know vhere to find us. Ve vill alvays be here for you."

Mrs. Krum hugged Viktor tightly and kissed both of his cheeks just about a dozen times. "Eat regularly Vika. I put avay enough food to last for a month. Sleep on time. Be careful at practices. Be safe!" Mrs. Krum said before finally permitting her husband to pry her off of Viktor.

"I vill. Don't vorry Mama, Papa. I vill be okay. I vill take care of myself. You take care of yourselves as vell. As soon as I get back to cottage I vill send your things to Chicho Branimir's home." He then hugged his father one last time and kissed his mother's forehead. Viktor stepped back and watched his parents Disapparate.

XXX

"What are you two on about?" Ron asked Harry and Hermione suspiciously as he sat down.

"Nothing!" Harry and Hermione said in unison as they both looked up at Ron.

"You two have been whispering all throughout dinner. Do you think I'm thick?" Ron asked in annoyance.

"It's nothing Ron, we were just trying to figure out what floor the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes was on." Hermione lied.

"You could've just asked me. It's on the fifth floor." Ron said still a little irked because he had the strange feeling that they were lying to him.

"Thanks" Hermione said as she jotted a note of it down on the parchment to make the lie believable.

Harry gave Hermione a look as he finished up his soup.

"Shall we continue the rest of the planning upstairs? It's a bit chilly down here, even with the fire." Hermione said as she looked around the basement and rubbed her arms.

"Yeah we're done anyway." Ron said as he looked at their empty bowls. He extinguished the fire and the three of them headed upstairs to the drawing room, where they had taken to sleeping lately.

Hermione locked and barricaded the door. She then started a fire in the grate and spread out the parchment on the coffee table. Harry and Ron brought over some cushions from the sofa as they all laid around and discussed the break-in some more. As Hermione leaned in to write something on the corner of the parchment, Ron could've sworn he saw something glitter in the firelight.

Harry noticed the look of confusion on Ron's face and quickly tried to distract him by asking him something about the Department of Transportation. He succeeded in distracting Ron temporarily but he made a mental note to warn Hermione before they went to bed.

At around midnight, they decided that it was time for bed. As Ron lay on the makeshift bed he had made for himself, with spare blankets and cushions, he wondered if his eyes had been playing tricks on him when he saw the glimmer of light from around Hermione's neck. What was it? He wondered as he fell asleep.