A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or anything associated with it.

Just as promised, here's another chapter before Wednesday. I still plan to post Wednesday as well, so no worries. Like the last chapter, this one isn't as long as usual, but that's simply because they originally should have been a single chapter. Happy reading!

-Hermione-

The time to leave came before I felt that I was ready. I quietly made my way to Voldemort's room, focusing on the footsteps behind me. I knew it was Malfoy because I'd heard his door close seconds after I left my own. Upon reaching his door, I knocked softly. Voldemort quickly answered, and ushered Malfoy and I inside.

"How to alter your appearances…" he murmured tapping his wand against his chin, and getting straight to the point. Malfoy and I both stood silently as he thought.

"Ah!" he exclaimed. He stood directly in front of Malfoy and waved his wand a few times. Malfoy's hair darkened into dirty blonde, and his skin took on a slightly darker shade. His eyes changed from their stormy gray to a muddy green. I was almost sad when I looked at him. Voldemort then turned to me, and I closed my eyes. A few seconds later he told me to open them, and when I did, he nodded, seemingly satisfied with the changes. He handed Malfoy a handkerchief.

"In a few moments, that portkey will take you to the appropriate location. You will be staying in the hotel across the street from the alley you will arrive in. When you get to the desk, tell them you have a reservation for Bret Abel. That's you Draco. They will give you the key to a room, and everything else you will need can be found in this room," he explained, and Malfoy and I nodded our understanding.

"Both of you take hold of that handkerchief," he demanded, and we did as he said. In a mere second, I felt the pull at my navel that indicated the activation of the portkey.

Following Voldemort's directions, we quickly made our way into the hotel room, which we were to share. I immediately noticed there was only one bed and vowed to fix that problem before I went to sleep. We both stood just past the threshold of the room silently, neither of us knowing what to say for a while.

"We should form a plan," I finally spoke up. He shook his head a little and directed his attention on me.

"Yes. What do you suggest?"

"Well…we could just watch them for a while first to see how they operate, then slither our way in?"

"That actually doesn't sound too bad," he admitted. "But we should probably come up with something a little more specific." I was slightly surprised by his non-combative tone. "So tomorrow we will follow a couple of members of this group to see what they do, where they do it at, and how they go about it. Based on what we find, we formulate a plan to get in. Once we're in, we begin gaining their trust. Sound good so far?" He asked.

"Sounds like a good plan. We should probably wait until we know what they're like before we plan any further though. The rest really depends on what they're like."

"Agreed," he said as he approached the folder on the desk in the corner of the room. I followed him and peered around him to see the folder for myself. It was filled with dates, names, locations, and times. At least it was something useful. He made eye contact to make sure I could see the information, and then placed it back on the desk. He made his way to the bathroom silently just as the clock chimed midnight.

I quickly took stock of room, beyond the bed, and was pleased with what I saw. It wouldn't be so bad living here for a couple of weeks as long as Malfoy and I were able to stay away from one another somewhat. I wandlessly transfigured the king-sized bed into two queen-sized ones after a second of hard concentration. I needed to practice more if I was going to improve. Happy with my results, I walked over the closet on my side of the room, and organized my belongings. Pulling out a pair of pajamas, I sat on my bed to wait for Malfoy to exit the bathroom, realizing he'd only been in there for about three minutes. Magic made everything happen quickly if you wanted it to, including unpacking.

Two minutes later he exited the bathroom. I looked up at the noise of the door opening, only to be greeted by his slightly shocked face. I could only assume it was because of the drastic change in the room. He didn't say anything as he made his way to his side of the room, where he sprawled out on his bed. With a nod in his direction, I slipped into the bathroom, showering and changing into my night clothes. Thankfully I thought to bring my more sensible pajamas, meaning the ones Narcissa didn't pick out, as I hadn't known if we'd be sharing a room. Minutes later I made my way out of the bathroom, only to find him asleep in the exact position I last saw him in. He looked odd with his altered appearance, but knowing it was still him brought a small and reluctant smile to my face as I snuggled into my own covers. Tomorrow would be a long day.

I was surprised to hear the sound of a shower when I woke, but I quickly remembered where I was, which led to me remembering why I was there. I groaned into my pillow, reluctant to get up. I could tell it was still early, but I needed to get ready, and we needed to start investigating and getting used to our temporary names and stories. I sat up, staring at the wall and contemplating the day as Malfoy showered. After a few minutes I realized I was pretty hungry, so I grabbed the room service menu off of the nightstand, and started perusing through it. Before I had glimpsed anything to my liking, Malfoy exited the bathroom, and for a second, I was startled. He didn't look like himself, which I already knew of course, and I realized that I really didn't like it. Even though I knew it was him, I was still nervous. He looked confused at the look of mild horror on my face.

"What?" He asked, his hands quickly moving to his face and searching for any imperfection.

"Nothing," I answered quickly, not wanting to explain. It would make no sense to him anyways, considering he didn't know anything that happened before I got to the Manor. He looked at me oddly before dismissing it.

"Breakfast?" He asked, eyeing the menu in my hands.

"Yeah, although there doesn't seem to be anything appetizing on this menu," I answered. He held out a hand for it, and I obligingly handed it to him, so he could see it for himself. After a second he looked back up.

"I hate to say it Grang—Abella, but your right," he agreed. "We'll just have to grab something when we leave."

"That's fine. I'm going to go get ready," I said moving to my closet. I pulled out a pair of dark denim jeans and a long sleeved red t-shirt. I heard him snort from behind me.

"What's so funny?" I demanded turning around.

"Nothing. It just figures you would wear red," he said, alluding to my Gryffindor background. I just shrugged and left for the bathroom. I quickly brushed my teeth, washed my face, and got dressed, but when I went to handle my hair I froze at the sight in the mirror. A second passed before I shrieked.

I could hear Malfoy's quick footsteps to the door, followed by his loud knocks.

"Are you alright?" He demanded. After a few deep breaths, and some poking at my hair, I was able to answer.

"I'm fine," I stuttered.

"What the hell, Granger?" I opened the door and pointed to my head.

"No one thought to warn me of this?" I demanded. I could tell he was fighting a smile.

"It's not so bad," he tried to assure me. I wanted to smack him. My hair was just darker than his and perfectly straight.

"Ugh. Talk out freaking someone out in the morning," I hissed as he snickered. "I suppose I'm really awake now," I added sarcastically. He continued to snicker at my dramatics.

"You know I don't know if I can deal with this whole changed appearance thing. It just makes me feel…off. It is necessary though," I said, deep in thought.

"What's on your mind, Granger?" He asked.

"I was just wondering if I could make it so we didn't look different to ourselves, or each other, without changing how others perceive us." He thought for a moment.

"I don't know of anything," he finally replied. I was considering wandless, nonverbal magic. I didn't need a spell, merely an intention, but I didn't know if I'd be able to alter Voldemort's spell. I supposed it was worth a try.

"Please don't interrupt this," I plead as I closed my eyes. I was a little out of practice and I knew I'd need to focus to alter the powerful appearance changing spell on the two of us. Without waiting for an answer, I turned my attention to what I wanted. I wanted to see the real Malfoy, I wanted him to see the real Malfoy, I wanted to see the real Hermione, and I wanted him to see the real Hermione. I could feel my magic moving within me, and after a few seconds, I opened my eyes. Malfoy was looking at me with slight surprise, and I smiled at his appearance.

"It worked," I said happily.

"What, exactly, worked?" He asked. I was somewhat confused.

"Do I still look different to you?"

"Well, no, but how did you do it?"

"I just focused my magic on what I wanted and let it take action," I explained.

"But the changes in our appearances was one of Voldemort's spells," he said still confused.

"And?" I asked.

"And nothing." He finally said, shaking his head. "Are you ready to go then?"

"Yeah. An early start will be better anyways."

"My thoughts exactly," he replied.

A/N: Thanks to Mrs. A. Drake, Slytherin Princess 1313, shaymars, Snapesbloodredneko, the Guest, and Twizard2013 for reviewing! I'd also like to thank everyone who followed/favorited. You guys are awesome.

Please leave me your questions/comments/predictions/anything else in a review? Thanks for reading!