A/N: Hello. I normally don't like romance fanfics but I have to say I like slow-burns...it just doesn't make sense to me why people would get together in a matter of two chapters and it's like "Oh Ok"

I just realized I'm nearing the end of my very first fanfic and I just- I really appreciate- haha you thought this was gonna be sappy.

But yes, thank you to everyone who has been reading my fanfic, this has been my outlet for about five freaking months during quarantine and has given me an excuse to be in my room all day. I already have multiple new ideas for more fanfics (I'll ask for your opinion in the last chapter)

"So you're telling me that you found more of that powder the Death Eaters used to use to track you on our failed raid from two weeks ago and you didn't think to tell me that it's possible to trace it back to the Death Eaters location and, oh I don't know, save Ginny?" Harry exclaimed incredulously.

Hermione stared back unflinchingly, no emotion in her voice. "Yes. That's exactly what I'm telling you."

"You had two weeks to tell us this! Two weeks we've been chasing around aimlessly for her! We could have gotten her by now! You can't just keep important information that could save lives to yourself!" He shouted. "Did you know that twelve people have gone missing since Ginny?"

Hermione had not known this. She gulped, inhaling, asking quietly, "Are you done?"

"N-Yes." Harry fumed, still very angry.

"Stop. You are not going to save her, and the others, if you continue to be mad at me. We have the information now, tell me what you know. Fill Weasley in if you want. Stop complaining and focus."

"Fine, but don't think I've forgiven you." Harry snapped.

"Oh trust me, I know. I'm not looking for your forgiveness. I am looking for Ginny and then I'm getting the hell out of here."

"You'll have to go to trial."

"Who says I'll have to?" She said quietly.

Harry's face dropped. "I do. There's no way you could escape without anyone else seeing you. And when they do, they'll be back at it looking for you. Ron and I are going against the Ministry for the sake of saving the wizarding world."

"Brings us right back to the good old times, doesn't it?" She said dryly.

"That's not the point." He said furiously. "The point is you are going to turn yourself in, or I will, when this is over. We'll get you trial, but you can't just-"

"Can you promise it'll be a fair one?"

He grimaced. "No."

"Exact-"

"But you can't just leave-"

"Watch me." Hermione took a deep breath, making her face free of emotion. "Just get Weasley and tell him if you want. I will be back in an hour."

Ron's P.O.V

"So she came back?"

"Yes." Harry grumbled. "Weren't you listening?"

Ron shrugged. "Can she find Ginny?"

"I think so."

Ron looked at Harry, seeing his worried expression. "Mate… I'm worried about Gin too. But she's a lot stronger than you think. I mean, come on, she was only eleven when she dealt with old Voldy and that diary."

This didn't seem to calm his friend. Ron thought for a moment, before asking, "Isn't Hermione supposed to be here now?"

Harry wiped his eyes. "Hmm? Oh yeah… she is."

Three minutes later, Ron jumped in fright when there was a roar from the fireplace. Hermione appeared from inside the fireplace, coughing.

She immediately came up to them. "So you told him… Okay, where do you want to start?"

"Where have you been?" Harry immediately asked. Hermione sighed.

"None of your business." She snapped quietly.

"It is if Ginny is in danger because you didn't tell us in time. Where were you?" Harry growled back. Ron pulled him back, looking angry but containing it.

"I was researching, for your information." She lied easily, before adding condescendingly, "Have you been contacting Ginny?"

Ron's face froze and he looked at Harry, who nodded. Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Any information?"

"She says she still doesn't know any names." He paused as Hermione cursed loudly. "She also says she's okay."

"Did you ask if she's been tortured or hurt?" Hermione asked quickly, sitting down on the couch.

"No…" Harry muttered.

Ron's eyes flickered to his wrist, glancing at the time. "Well…it's too late to contact her now, she's probably sleeping and…" He looked down, "-And if she's been tortured, now's not the time to bother her, you know?"

"Ron…" Harry turned to his friend, and Hermione suddenly felt as if she was intruding. "I know. I'm worried about her too, but she's okay, I know she is…"

Hermione cleared her throat. "Sorry, but we have to focus."

"Right." Ron muttered.

Taking her cue, Hermione spoke. "Ok so, as you know, I think- no, I'm positive that I will be able to reverse the planting powder that I found to the brewer- the person who made it. Planting powder normally takes six months to brew, we don't have that kind of time, so instead I'll work to beat the Death Eaters at their own game." she finished with a smirk.

"You're sure of this how?" Harry questioned.

"Research. Well, mostly theory, but it's the best shot we have. I dropped by Malfoy Manor and collected some more books." She thought of Isla. "If I need it I can ask a contact in Australia to send me more books, but I'm sure what we have will prove to be sufficient enough."

As she said this, Hermione pulled out a huge stack of books from her beaded bag.

"She's right," Ron said. "This is our best shot."

Harry nodded. "What do we do?"

"Both of you should probably continue the search for her with the Aurors, but they'll probably give up in about a week and proclaim her dead. I... Can you also search all of Voldemort's old hiding spots? The Death Eaters might be hiding Ginny there. Weasley, I reckon Potter will be busy leading the Aurors and most of the raids, so I'd want you to check up on Ginny every day. Every. Single. Day. Make that at least twice a day." With a nod from both Harry and Ron, Hermione continued. "One week. At the most, one week until I find the Death Eater. Or at least get a solid lead. Tell Ginny to lay low, she's a hostage so-"

"Wait." Harry snapped. "Can't you track the necklace? You put a tracking spell, right?"

"You don't think I already tried that?" She fumed. "Death Eaters may be terrible, but they're not stupid. They have a spell blocking us from basic tracking spells."

"Of course they do." Ron muttered. Hermione nodded ruefully.

She thought for a moment. "I think that's it. Use the necklace if you want to contact me if you need to."

Harry nodded. Hermione asked a question she'd been wondering. "By the way, have the twelve other disappearances been in the paper?"

"Nope." Ron answered.

"Okay. Well- uh- goodbye." Hermione murmured as she strolled back to the fireplace and disappeared in a roar of green flames.

"Hermione! You're back." Astoria exclaimed the minute she appeared there.

"Hey." Hermione responded, the world seemed to sway under her. "What's up?"

Astoria looked back for a moment. "The sky?"

This brought a small laugh from Hermione. "I mean what's going on?"

"Well, I thought that since Draco is busy and we haven't talked in a while, do you want to talk ?"

"Sorry, Astoria, I'm just really tired-" Hermione spoke.

"It's fine Hermione." Astoria interrupted, a sympathetic look on her white face. "I have to go to Diagon Alley anyway."

"Sorry, maybe in a few hours." Hermione murmured apologetically and Astoria walked away.

She turned and made her way up the stairs, flopping onto the bed and stared at the wall.

"Twelve people." Hermione pondered. "Thirteen including Ginny. Because of me. This is my fault."

"What are you working on?" Malfoy asked, three days later. They were in a small room on the first level of Astoria.

"I already told you. I promised Potter I'd track down the Death Eater who brewed this powder in a week."

"You have four days left." Malfoy noticed. Hermione deflated, she had been too lazy to work on anything for two days. All of that time had gone to waste as she had unwisely spent it lazing around.

"Your point?" Hermione snapped.

"Can I ask you a question?" Malfoy asked suddenly.

She put down the book she was reading. "Yes."

"If y-When you find the Death Eaters, could you- umm- contact me the location?" Malfoy muttered.

"I don't know, you'd have to ask Potter." Hermione smiled wickedly. "Kidding. Sure you can, I'll send it on the necklaces. Deal?"

"Thanks, Granger." He said, turning the other way

"Why?" She called out.

Malfoy turned back to her. "I want to right all my wrongs."

Nott's went missing.

Harry's message had arrived two minutes ago. Hermione stared at the wall. He was a terrible person, but he did not deserve whatever the Death Eaters were planning. Bastard or not, it was her fault. Yet again.

Exiting her room, she tiptoed downstairs to the room Astoria allowed her to work in. It was well after dinner. She sat down in a chair and stared at the speck of sparkling substance sitting in a glass container.

"Two days left." She whispered. "You can do this Granger. If you don't, Harry will murder you."

Half an hour later, she was close to a breakthrough. Hermione theorized that with a solution of drained lacewing flies and jewelweed would lead her to the Death Eaters.

"Ok..." Hermione murmured as she squeezed the dropper and a drop of the solution onto the entire powder. Nothing happened. She cursed loudly.

"Wait…" Hermione muttered, mind racing. "Wait a second."

She dug around in her beaded bag for a moment before retrieving a vibrant blue Jobberknoll feather. Hesitating for a moment, she dropped the feather on the powder. The feather, to her satisfaction, floated in midair, right above the powder. Smiling, she grabbed the container and watched as the feather followed on top.

Her hand enclosed on the smooth sapphire stone and thought for a second:

I got it.

Hermione practically ran out of the room and upstairs, knocking on Astoria's bedroom door.

"Her-?"

"I figured it out." She interrupted.

Astoria smiled. "Do we think we should tell Potter?"

"Yes, although I don't care but Harry will be furious if he finds out I kept this overnight." Hermione said quickly. "Can you tell Malfoy? He said he wanted to be there, tell him to come to Potter's."

"Sure."

One minute later, Hermione was pounding on Harry Potter's door, not out of anger, but desperation. Harry answered immediately, eyeing the container and floating feather. "I saw your message and already contacted Ron."

"Ok. Astoria and Malfoy are going to be arriving-" A roar of fire from Harry signified they were here. "-now."

Harry let her in. She sprinted into the living room. Ron arrived in that second. "What can I do?"

"We have a lead." Hermione announced. "This might be it."

"What's that?" Malfoy asked.

"This is the powder I found. I dropped some drained lacewing flies and jewelweed with a Jobberknoll feather. Jobberknoll feathers are used in truth potions- it doesn't matter, the feather will point in the direction of where the brewer is right now."

"How will we get there?" Astoria inquired.

Hermione took a deep breath, aware of what she was about to do. "Brooms. It'll be easier to follow the feather instead of Apparating or walking. "

"You're missing something." Malfoy said. "What if the brewer was forced. You're assuming the person who made it is a Death Eater."

"Even if it's not, it'll still be a lead." Hermione was surprised to find Ron had said.

"Let's go then." Harry said irritatedly.

2 minutes later, five people were on brooms in the dark night, following Hermione's lead. She had attached the container to the top of the broom. Trying her best not to look down at the thirty feet below her that spelled death, she glanced at the feather, which was pointed to the left.

After about ten minutes in the air, the feather started tilting downward. Hermione's heart was racing, she had avoided flying in years, so the ride had been terrifying. Landing was an entirely different story, it was a new level of terrifying. She slowly put her weight forward, and the broom was suddenly racing down to the earth. Cursing, at the last second she pulled and the broom skidded to a stop. The rest of the group arrived seconds later.

"Where are we?" Astoria asked, pulling out her wand for light.

"We're not there yet. I put us off course just a bit, so we'd have the element of surprise."

"Smart." Malfoy complimented, whose wand was also out.

"Give me the brooms." Hermione collected everyone's brooms, shrinking them, then stuffing them into her bag. Before continuing, she put her hair up, knowing that it would prevent any hair-pulling. She started walking.

"I know where this is," Harry said sharply. "I saw it in a dream… years ago."

They followed the road until the feather turned right, revealing a huge manor.

"This- This is Riddle Manor." Harry said.

"Where do you reckon they are?" Ron asked. "The manor's huge."

"The dungeons most likely." Astoria answered.

Hermione gulped. "Well then, let's get on with it."

It was too soon before they were at the back entrance. Hermione led the group, Ron was about to break the window with his wand, but she put her hand out

"No." She hissed. "It'll be too loud, let me."

She stuck her palm out and focused for a second. The window burst into shards soundlessly.

"Remind me to never get you mad." Astoria commented from the back.

Not answering, she slipped in the house, quickly casting a revealing charm to reveal the people in the manor.

"The place's practically falling apart." Ron observed. He was right, the floors creaked and everything seemed washed out."

"Tons of people in the manor." She whispered to the others as they all entered. "Potter with me, the rest of you, find the prisoners and then get out."

"What are we doing?" Harry asked as Ron led Astoria and Malfoy another way. "I want to save Ginny."

"I know you do, but if you go for her, you'll be emotion-driven, and you won't use your head. We are looking for the Death Eaters. My spell sensed people on this level and downstairs." He looked angry at her reasoning for preventing him from saving Ginny, but he didn't argue.

"Well you came earlier than I expected." A very familiar voice said from behind them.

A/N : Hellloooo my friends :)

Don't you just love a good old cliffhanger? *Rick Riordan and PJO fans have left the chat*

This was *a lot* shorter than I expected it would be, but to be fair, my normal chapters are like 5,000 words and that's a lot of typing considering my school work's been piling up despite it literally being the second week of school. #TheAmerican_schooleducation_system_sucks (Idk I just made that up on the spot...don't judge)

The next chapter will maybe have some Ginny POV. (idk you tell me...whose POV do you want in these last few chapters we have together...options: Draco, Astoria, Isla, George, Fleur, Ginny)

I already wrote a scene for the end of the next chapter and the beginning of the one after that. Trust me, you will want to murder me after you read the cliffhanger for this next chapter. It will definitely (as in probably not) be one of my longer chapters.

Also, comment who you think that last person was... I really want to see your guesses ...and maybe watch you guys fail.

I'll give you a hint (scroll down)

Haha you thought (Byeeee)