"You had no right to do that, boy. I belong in the house of my ancestors."

"Shut up already."

Kreacher had taken them to a small forest, and Draco thought he recognized the area as the one where they had put the tent a few weeks ago. He heard a cry and turned around, finding Hermione and Potter bend over Weasley's pale body. Without thinking, he went to them.

"What happened?" he asked, worried.

"Splinched. We need to stop the bleeding and make him scar as soon as we can," answered Hermione in a small voice.

"Kreacher," he called. "Can you help him?"

The elf got closer and looked at the boy in front of him.

"Does Master have any essence of Dittany?"

Wordlessly, he cast a charm in the direction of Hermione's bag and a small bottle flew towards them. The elf took it and instantly began healing the red-headed.

"We should put the wards up," he said softly to Hermione.

She nodded, still grasping Weasley's hand.

"It was all my fault. Yaxley caught hold of me and I had to apparate again. Because of me we've lost Grimmauld Place, and… How did you even find us?" she asked Draco.

"Kreacher got me here. Said he had sensed you come back and felt the wards go down, and that I was in danger. If not for him, I think I would have reacted too late. I was talking to Phineas here and…"

"… And he took my portrait away from my home, without my consent," continued the portrait, crossing his arms.

"Think of it as a chance to travel," answered Draco. The old director continued glaring at them before Draco had enough of him.

"I think you'd be better in Hermione's bag," he said smoothly. "Might give you enough time to ask Severus what I told you before we came here."

Phineas started to protest, but Draco had already summoned the small bag and was now trying to push the frame into it.

"Great. Should I take care of wards, then? Potter, you know how to set up a tent, right?"

The Boy-Who-Lived nodded, and they left Hermione and Kreacher to take care of Weasley. While he was reciting the charms, Draco moved towards Potter.

"So, what happened? Did you get the Horcrux?"

"Yes," said Potter, lifting his shirt to show Draco the golden locket. "Had to put Umbridge and Yaxley down. He found us while we were trying to apparate away from the Ministry and…" he stopped, glancing at his friends. "Well, I think we were lucky, this time."

"Really Potter, how come you always end up in situations like this?"

"I'd like to know. Maybe because I'm too curious for my own sake. Or I don't like the way things are. I hexed Umbridge after I heard her talk about that woman's parents. Maybe I could have been more careful. But we knew she had the locket and we could not wait the entire day to have it."

"Right. Still," continued Draco. "Less stupid Gryffindor absence of planning, more Slytherin way of thinking."

"I'll try to make my Slytherin side shine, then. Did you know the hat almost put me there?"

He did not, and had to admit it was difficult to imagine him with the snakes.

"I have ambition, apparently."

"But you lack the rest of our traits. You would have had a hard time in the Dungeons, Potter."

"Yeah, probably."

The continued their task in silence, and before long Kreacher was back next to them.

"Kreacher can cast his own wards, too. Do the Masters want Kreacher to do that?"

The elf had continued addressing them both as "Masters", but Draco had found that he had a new respect towards Potter. If they were in danger, he would be the first one the elf would protect.

"Yes please, Kreacher. After that, maybe you can look into Hermione's thing. I suppose we could all use something to eat after all of that."

The elf bowed deeply and disappeared into the tent, probably looking for the kitchen.

"Potter," he began. "I think it's time for you and Weasley to take your own bags. We've put a few things in them and if you find yourself alone, you should be able to survive on your own for a few weeks."

"Great, thanks Malfoy," he answered, taking the small satchel Draco was handing him. "You really thought of everything, did you not?"

"It was more Hermione, but I like to think I helped too."

Potter grinned and gestured for him to follow him inside the tent. Hermione and Weasley were already there, and they saw that Kreacher had begun preparing a new meal. He would not dare summoning anything from the house, but Draco was confident they would have enough food to survive at least six months. That was, if Weasley knew how to refrain himself from eating everything he saw.

"How is he?" asked Potter to Hermione, looking at their friend.

"Better. Kreacher was really quick, and I gave him a blood-replenishing potion. We should let him sleep for a bit, and maybe try to see what we have with us. I don't think we left anything important behind us, I always tried to take my notes with me."

"I've left some of my clothes," answered Potter, "but nothing else really significant. I think it's the same for all of us."

Draco nodded.

"Alright. I'm going to have some tea. Do you want some?"

Both of them agreed and followed her to the kitchen.

"So basically, Potter shares the Dark Lord's thoughts?"

He and Hermione sat together on the large sofa of the library – Hermione still could not believe that there was a library in his family tent – and she had just explained that Potter had had some kind of visions since fourth year.

"Yes."

"That's not good at all. What if the Dark Lord tries to see what we do?"

"I don't think he will, at least not anymore. This link was the reason for Sirius's death but since the Ministry attack, You-Know-Who has shut the connection down. It's only when he has intense feelings, like earlier with Gregorovitch, that Harry sometimes sees something."

"I see. Still, I don't like that. Has he ever tried Occlumency?"

"Well…" Hermione began. "Do you remember the time you went into Snape's classroom and saw them together?"

"Oh, he was not tutoring him in potions then. I found that funny, I remember. But Severus is the one who taught me. How come Potter can't shut his mind?"

"Snape does not like Harry. And something happened, Harry never told me what but the lessons stopped suddenly."

"Hmm. If you talk to him, I can train him. I can train you and Weasley too, if you want. But I will have to concentrate on Potter first. He's the one in danger."

"Thank you, Draco, that's very nice of you," she said, before kissing him on the cheek.

The movement should not have startled him, but it did. He was used to her habits, or so he thought. She seemed to consider Potter like her brother and often hugged him tightly or kissed him fondly on the cheek. She did that with Weasley too, but to a smaller, more awkward scale. She also had gradually shown him some kind of affection in the past few weeks they had lived together. But this time, something felt different, and he could not figure out what it was. He stared at her blankly while she got up and left the library.

"I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow?"

"Yes," he answered quietly, still trying to understand what could have moved him so deeply. "See you tomorrow."

Harry had been moody for an entire day before she found out what was wrong. Even Ron had told him that he should not bark at them like that, and Draco had agreed, which was rare enough to be noticed. She felt the weight of the locket on her chest as she tried to sort all the notes Draco had worked on before they had left Grimmauld Place. They should definitely check the orphanage where Riddle had lived as a child (she thought Riddle was easier to say that You-Know-Who, or all of the other nicknames people had come up with. After all, it was his name) but she also thought that going to the castle might be a good idea. They had had no chance with Phineas yet, and she remembered bitterly that he had not answered their call. If Snape could look into the Room of Requirement and give them the sword, it would help them a lot.

She glanced at the wall where they had put the portrait, just above the Sneakoscope she had given Harry for his birthday. The frame was definitely empty, but she was sure Phineas was watching and listening carefully.

"Wanna come with me, 'Mione? I'd like to bury Mad-Eye Moody's eye…" Harry had appeared behind her, looking a bit sad.

The eye. She had almost forgotten the horrible tale that Harry had recounted yesterday, after all of them had had a good rest. She felt sick just thinking of the way Umbridge had used the eye.

"Alright, let me get the boys."

"Ron says he wants to come but I told him to stay where he is. We don't want to repeat this morning's accident, don't you think?"

Ron had tried to take a shower by himself, and he had needed the help of both Harry and Kreacher to get out of the bath.

"And Malfoy's coming. I'm not sure why, he should hate the man," he said, probably referring to the ferret incident.

"He never really met Moody, but I think he knows enough to want to pay his respects."

"Yeah, right."

"About the incident, if you could try not to mention it when you're in front of him? We talked about it a bit and… let's say it was not as funny as it seemed." He was looking at her quizzically. "Ferret bones are fragile, Harry."

"Oh, right. Right," said her friend, this time wincing a bit. He was surely remembering the time when he had lost all of the bones in his arms. Skele-grow definitely left a bad memory.

"Kreacher," Harry called, and the elf appeared before them. "We are going to bury what's left of Moody. Would you mind making sure that Ron is alright while we're outside? I think he said he was going to have a quick nap."

"Master's friend is sleeping, Kreacher can tell."

"How can you, when you're here?" asked Harry, impressed.

"Kreacher added his own wards. He knows who is where, and how they are. Kreacher has more affinities with his Master, of course, but Kreacher can tell if someone's ill, for example."

"How is it possible I never read anything about that?" wondered Hermione aloud.

"Miss surely never asked an elf properly," answered Kreacher a bit harshly. "Miss should not always believe what's written in books. Wizards know nothing of elves, they only write what they think they know."

"But…"

"Told you Granger," added Malfoy. "You don't know elves at all. You only encountered exceptions."

"But…"

Hermione did not know what to say. Books were supposed to contain knowledge, right?

"I think you'll have time to have an existential crisis later, Hermione. We should go before it rains."

A few days later, Harry could tell they had found their rhythm.

Every morning, they would get up at the same time and everyone would try to help Kreacher around the tent, even if he said he did not need any help. They all knew that, but they had to keep themselves busy so they mostly ignored him. Kreacher would then serve breakfast and after they were done, he would send them out of his kitchen.

The first part of the day was dedicated to reading (for Hermione and Malfoy), planning (Hermione, Ron and himself), Occlumency lessons (Malfoy and, sadly, himself) visits in different libraries that could tell them more about the orphanage where Voldemort (Harry did not like the name 'Riddle', it sounded too human for him) had grown up (Ron and himself), and foraging rare plants when the area was favorable, potion brewing, or spell-creation (Malfoy, and sometimes Hermione).

Harry really liked the fact that they had Malfoy's tent. He remembered too well the smell of the one in which he had stayed during the Quidditch Cup. Another benefit was that he had his own room and only shared the bathroom with Ron, which reminded him a lot of Hogwarts, only without his best friend's snoring (there was a spell soundproofing each bedroom, a real luxury!).

Around lunch, they would all gather around the table and eat whatever dish Kreacher had prepared (Harry suspected him of discreetly leaving the camp in order to find fresh products, but he could not complain because the elf's cooking had drastically improved since their meeting during summer) and everyone would summarize what they had done in the morning. Before leaving for a quick nap (Ron's second favorite part of the day, after mealtime), Malfoy would brief them about their afternoon.

Hermione had told them how she had trained with Malfoy, and Harry had quickly agreed to join them. Ron had been more reluctant. At first, because he was not well enough. Then, because he still had a hard time accepting Malfoy with them, and the blond giving him orders got on his nerves quite a bit. In the end, Malfoy trained more often with Hermione while giving them advice and teaching them new hexes they had to learn quickly enough so that they could demonstrate at the end of the day. The session would end with Malfoy trying to defeat them all, something he still easily achieved.

Seeing Malfoy that powerful had made Harry wondering about his own abilities. He had always been under the impression that he was good at dueling but he had never been able to beat Malfoy, even with Ron's and Hermione's help. However, the blond had told him that he was good enough to duel most of the Death-Eaters, which had reassured him a bit. Still, knowing that Hermione was now almost as good as him was something difficult to accept.

Where she had the knowledge, he had the reflexes. Harry dueled mainly on instinct, and was quicker than his friends. Hermione knew a lot of spells, and she sometimes tried to get creative, like the day when she had transformed Malfoy's cloak into an angry squirrel. That had almost worked, but Malfoy had been quick to react and had immobilized Hermione who was already beginning her winning dance before transforming his cloak back.

After that, they were free to do whatever they wanted. Ron usually asked him to play chess for a bit while drinking a warm cup of tea (Hermione had not packed Butterbeer), and Hermione and Draco usually locked themselves into the library to read more about the subject they were currently studying (a library in a tent! And he thought only Hermione would have bought something like that!).

It would be lying to say that he had not noticed the recent changes between Hermione and Draco. Admittedly, there had been something between them the first time he had seen them together. He had instantly recognized the trust she placed in him: it was the same kind of trust they shared, but after a few years of friendship. She had only known him for a month, but it was clear that whatever had happened during his stay at her home had brought them closer.

But now, he was beginning to wonder.

He had seen Malfoy looking at her a few times, and he had recognized that glaze. He had seen the same in plenty of his comrades. But had the blond realized? Probably not. No more than Hermione had realized that she was slowly moving away from Ron.

"Focus Potter, I could have killed you three times already."

"We've been dueling for half an hour, Malfoy," interrupted Ron. "Can't you let us have a break?"

"You won't have a break during a real battle, Weasley," retorted Malfoy venomously. "You're lucky I'm nice enough to stop myself from hexing you every time you need to catch your breath."

Ron said nothing but glared at the Slytherin. Harry suddenly remembered that he was wearing the necklace which made him insufferable, especially when they trained.

"Maybe he's right, Malfoy," he said quickly. "We've trained later than usual; I think we all deserve to stop for the day."

The blond said nothing but lowered his wand.

"Are the Masters and the friends done with their training? Kreacher made a cake for Miss. Hermione's birthday, and Kreacher thinks it's time to eat it."

"My birthday? But how did you…?"

She looked at Ron, then at him, and saw his smile.

"Oh, thank you Harry, that's so nice of you! I had totally forgotten the date," she said, hugging him tightly.

"I didn't know it was your birthday," Malfoy said, looking a bit guilty.

"I don't mind really; I had forgotten myself. I'm just happy we are all together to celebrate it," she added, hugging Ron who had just wished her a happy birthday.

"But I don't have any present…" he continued.

"She doesn't need you to spend your money for her, Malfoy," said Ron roughly.

"You really think I still have money to spend, Weasley? What I mean is that I could have transfigured something."

"Ha, Malfoy with no money, that's something I…"

"LET'S JUST EAT," said Harry loudly to catch their attention.

Weeks had passed, and they had been able to talk to Severus a few days after Hermione's birthday. Phineas was still looking at him warily, but the fact that he was not in a bag anymore seemed to have improved his mood.

"Headmaster Snape says he is happy to hear that you are all doing well." He had stopped, daring Weasley to say anything more than 'ah, worried for us now, is he?'. "He has been very busy and has had little time for himself. The Dark Lord called for him almost every day, and all the teachers are nervously trying to make him fire the new ones that were hired."

"New teachers?" had asked Hermine. "I suppose that he won't teach DADA anymore, but that's the only open post, right?"

"They needed a new teacher for Muggle studies. Waste of time, if you want my opinion, but…"

"If you could stick to Snape, Mr. Black."

Phineas had shot an offended look at Potter and resumed his speech.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, there is a new teacher for Muggle studies, and you were right, Miss, another teacher came for Defense Against the Dark Arts. They are siblings, twins if I recall correctly."

"The Carrows?" Draco questioned, horrified.

"Quite right, young Malfoy, that's their name."

"Do you know them, then?" asked Potter.

"I've encountered them a few times, yes. Let's just say that Umbrige would seem civilized to you in comparison."

"Civilized?" Hermione had blanched after hearing him.

"Yes, civilized…" he had not felt brave enough to tell her about that. "But about Snape, what did he say about our questions?"

"Headmaster Snape," had snapped the portrait, "told me he would try to go into the room. Apparently it is harder than before, even for him, because the twins and other Death-Eaters roam into the castle at night. He does not know how to send it to you, however. The same thing can be said about the sword."

The trio had looked at each other, and Draco had guessed that this was not what they had been expecting.

"Please tell him we thank him," he had quickly answered. "I think it is safe to say that we will try to keep him up to date as often as we can."

The three friends had nodded in his direction, and Potter had spoken.

"Mr. Black, do you think you could take Dumbledore's portrait with you next time? There are a few questions we would like to ask him and…"

"Tell me, boy, even if I could do that… Do you think he would accept?" the former Headmaster had smirked. And with these words, he had left the frame.

"Well," Hermione had said, "at least he came back."

They had gone to the orphanage, only to find that nothing was left of it. They had not expected anything, to be honest, it was unlikely that the Dark Lord would leave something so valuable in a place he had hated.

Still, tension had increased after that, and Draco could say that the trio was beginning to lose hope. Snape had not given any news, except to tell them that Ginny Weasley and her friend had tried to steal the sword but failed miserably, and they had no idea what they could do next. They had spent days looking at the different places he had lived in, but most of them were unattainable for now. Hope was slowly but surely leaving the group, and the fact that the three friends were sharing the Horcrux on a daily basis did not help for their mood to improve.

Today was Weasley's turn, and Draco had left the living room as soon as it was humanly possible. From where he was (the library, because Weasley never came in and Hermione loved it) he could hear him arguing with Potter.

"It's the end of November and we have nothing yet."

"We never knew how long it would take, Ronald."

Draco could tell that Hermione was irritated. They already had had that debate, but Weasley could not stop himself from complaining.

"Dumbledore should have left more. He should have told more. His portrait could at least help us."

Draco had left the library and was now trying to get a look at the scene without being spotted. It was the worst he had witnessed since the beginning.

"Black told us he could not bring him, and that his portrait had no clues."

"You bet he has no clues. He's making fun of us, that's all."

"Maybe he didn't have enough time to tell his portrait about everything, Weasley," interrupted Draco. "If you don't speak to them daily, then the portraits won't know everything."

"Nobody asked you, Malfoy. Stay out of this conversation."

"I can hear you from the library, Weasley," he said while crossing his arms. "I think that's enough for me to be part of it."

"He's right Ron, we can hear you from outside. Maybe we should stop arguing all the time," confirmed Hermione.

"'He's right'," mimicked Weasley. "Malfoy's always right, those days."

"Don't bring him into this conversation, Ronald. He's done nothing to you."

"Nothing really? You've replaced me with him."

"Don't be stupid Weasley, your friends would not…" but Weasley would not listen.

"Oh shut the fuck up, Malfoy. Everything was perfectly fine before you came in!"

"Do I need to remind you that I accepted him, Ron?" Potter was fuming, and his wand had begun shooting sparks.

"Yeah right. Like you accepted me. And you know what? I think you should not have bothered. I'm done with that bullshit."

"What now, you're going to leave us? Don't be stupid Ron."

"But I'm always stupid, I am not Harry?" spat Weasley before summoning his things. "Well, I'd rather be stupid than stay with you."

"Ron, stop!" Hermione had tried to reach for his hand, but he had pulled away harshly and thrown the locket on the ground.

"Ron…" she tried again, this time with tears in the eyes.

Draco followed him outside, leaving a stricken Hermione with Potter.

"You can't leave like that, Weasley. Potter needs you. Hermione needs you."

"Don't play dumb with me, Malfoy," he said bitterly. "Both of them are on your side, now. And I've seen the way you and Hermione look at each other. What?" he asked when he saw that Draco had stopped, shocked. "You really thought I would be stupid enough not to see was under my nose? I don't know what you've done to her, Malfoy, but clearly it worked," he spat, before turning around.

"But Weasley…"

Before he could say anything however, the red-headed had crossed the wards and apparated away.

"… You're the one she wants."