If she just closed her eyes and buried her face in the Invisibility Cloak and clutched Ginny's waist, Hermione could almost pretend that she was just having a bad dream, and that she wasn't actually hurdling through the sky, just one mistake away from torturous pain and death.

"Hermione, could you let up a bit?" Ginny wheezed. "I can't breathe!"

"Sorry!" Hermione squeaked, eyes still firmly shut. She felt the broom dip under her and squeezed Ginny again.

"You have got to get over this." Ginny grumbled. "We're just a few minutes away now. Try not to strangle me before we land, please."

True to her word, a few minutes later, Ginny lowered the broom and Hermione felt her stomach drop. "Be careful, be careful, be careful!"

"Hermione…" Ginny muttered warningly.

"Sorry."

At long last, after what felt like a century, Hermione felt ground beneath her feet. She timidly opened her eyes and sighed in heavy relief.

Ginny sighed too, mostly because Hermione finally released her from the death-grip.

"I really hope that we don't have to fly back." Hermione groaned.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Were you at least able to think of a plan while we were getting here?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded. "Your plan of apparating in is a good idea, but it's risky. Even if the wards haven't been changed, I could alert Constantine. I think it's best if I take a Muggle approach."

"Muggle approach?" Ginny was mystified. "Won't that take longer?"

"Yes, but it's safer." Hermione replied. "I'm going to apparate to a spot near the Manor and walk. Since I was apparently there over the entirety of Christmas break, I should be able to sense how the wards are set. If something is wrong and the wards don't allow me in, I'll apparate out and get the aurors. If everything goes well, I should be able to go right in and find the boys."

Ginny nodded. "Take the cloak. I'll fly back, and Luna, Pansy, Daphne, and I will stay up all night. If there's any emergency and you need help, send us a Patronus. Pansy and Daphne should be able to apparate right to you, and we can side-along with them."

Hermione nodded. "I'll keep you all updated as much as I can. If I wasn't worried about putting one of them in danger, I would have taken Daphne or Pansy with me. It's already bad enough I can't take you."

"Stupid Malfoys and their stupid hatred of all things Gryffindor." Ginny growled. "If Malfoy had just kept his head out of his ars-"

"Ginny!"

"– I could have visited often enough to be admitted through the wards." Ginny finished lamely.

"There's no point in complaining now. We don't have a lot of time." Hermione reminded her friend. "Come on. Get the broom."

Ginny mounted the broom and kicked off, and Hermione gripped her wand tightly. She said a soft prayer to any gods who would listen and closed her eyes.

The tug of the apparition was harsh, and as soon as she landed Hermione checked herself for injuries. Thankfully, she seemed wholly intact, and so she sent a quick Patronus to Ginny.

She had apparated to a spot nearby Malfoy Manor. She knew it well; Harry, Ron, and she had been there when they'd been hunting for horcruxes.

Hermione shivered, trying not to dredge up memories of the War. She wished she could remember the time that she'd been a little girl – at the very least so it could overpower her worst memory of the Malfoys' Manor.

"Focus, Hermione." She whispered to herself.

The path to the Manor was off-beaten and would have been invisible if she hadn't known what to look for. Soon, however, she was facing an empty and barren field, so large that she couldn't see the end of it. If she had been a Muggle, she would have suddenly remembered a dentist appointment, or had an inexplicable yearning to seek out some pancakes.

As a witch, Hermione simply held her wand up and closed her eyes, concentrating on the magical frequencies around her. She located the Malfoy Manor wards easily.

The wards let her in! Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and opened her eyes to the impressive sight of the Malfoy estate, sprawling over miles. She was standing right at the edge of the garden, one of their most beautiful displays.

She drew the Invisibility Cloak over her and crept forward, half-expecting an explosion as her Muggleborn feet stepped onto the grounds. The wards stayed true, though, and she made her way down the garden.

The closer she got to the Manor, the eerier everything felt. She kept close to the huge hedges and beautiful trees and flowers in the garden, hiding in the shadows and behind the looming vegetation. Something was definitely wrong. It was almost reminiscent of the Forbidden Forest when Constantine had trapped her, like the magic itself was in agony.

Hermione was not a fan. Despite her better judgment, Hermione didn't send a Patronus to Ginny. She wasn't entirely sure what was happening, and she didn't want to panic anyone for no good reason. She needed more information – if the boys weren't even here, it wouldn't matter.

With bated breath, she reached the side of the Manor. She suddenly wished she had Fred and George's Extendable Ears on hand. She regretted her vigilance in banning those.

As quickly as she could, she started down the path and circled the Manor, searching for a backdoor entrance. She found her luck at the back of the Manor – a servants' entrance! It was hidden behind creeping ivy and lavender, almost melting into the décor of the garden. Hermione could imagine the elaborate garden parties that must have taken place here, back when Malfoy Manor was in its most lavish splendor.

The part of Hermione's brain that wasn't completely occupied with the situation at hand wondered why the Manor even had a servants' entrance. House elves could simply apparate, after all.

Visions of enslaved muggles came to mind, and Hermione decided not to think about it.

To her slight surprise, a simple Alohomora did the trick. The door swung open, and Hermione crept inside.

The corridor was long and tight, and Hermione stumbled on a few uneven steps along the way. She tried not to think about those who used to use this entrance. She couldn't imagine their lives could have been anything other than miserable.

The corridor opened into the kitchen, which was not being used. Past that, Hermione could see into the main hallways of the Manor.

She hurried forward, hoping that she would find her friends quickly, and that she wouldn't run into the parts of the Manor which held her worst memories.

One of those hopes came true.

Skidding to a stop, Hermione stared into what could only be described as ballroom. She had a niggling feeling that she'd been here before, almost like she could see a Christmas tree and beautiful decorations – but that was nothing in light of right now.

The room was lit up, lanterns blazing on each wall, but there were still some shadows. Hermione hastily slid into the first dark corner she could find, trying not to make any noise.

The first thing that she'd noticed was a chair in the center of the room. She could only describe it as a throne; golden, with the arms and outline encrusted in more emeralds and diamonds then Hogwarts had students.

The second thing she'd noticed was that there were people in the ballroom.

There was a figure on the throne. He was wearing a black, hooded cloak, resting easily in his seat. He turned a wand in his hand, that Hermione instinctively knew to be Draco's. The man was caressing it gently.

Narcissa Malfoy stood to the left of the throne, staring ahead blankly. Constantine Lestrange stood to the throne's right, grinning gleefully.

And kneeling before the throne was Draco Malfoy.

He wasn't speaking, or even moving. He had a look of absolute shock on his face, and Hermione's heart twinged. She wanted to run to him, to apparate him away from this horrible place, but she forced herself to stand still.

The figure on the throne – Hermione needed confirmation.

With her heartbeat thudding in her ears, Hermione toed closer to the throne. She was just two steps away from peering underneath the figure's hood when Constantine stiffened.

"Stupefy!" She shouted, and Hermione ducked to avoid the spell.

She looked down and realized her foot had slipped from under the cloak. She hastily covered it and ran, but it was too late.

"Oh," The figure on the throne cooed. "Someone's here with us! How exciting!"

Hermione had only heard Voldemort's voice a handful of times – the most prominent when he'd told the Order that Harry had died. The same shudder of terror and repulsion went up her spine – but something was different about his voice this time. It was almost…huskier.

She really hoped it wasn't another Quirrel situation. Harry's description of Voldemort hitching a ride on the back of her professor's head had left her feeling rather ill.

"Constantine, my dear, send the guards. I am not up for too much excitement."

Constantine nodded. She narrowed her eyes and shouted. "Go!"

Blaise, Theo, and Ron materialized in the ballroom. They all stumbled forward, and then turned toward Constantine, who pointed in Hermione's direction.

"They're wearing an Invisibility Cloak, now go!"

Blaise shouted another "Stupefy!" and Theo picked "Expelliarus!"

Ron, on the other hand, left his wand and just started running blindly in her direction, his arms outstretched, as though he was going in for a hug.

Hermione was baffled for a few moments, just before Ron nearly caught her cloak. She managed to stoop and avoid his fingers, but his strategy suddenly made sense.

She lurched backward and took off running, trying to avoid the haphazard spells and Ron.

She rounded the corner into what looked like a parlor and hastily cast a Patronus to Ginny. "Emergency – Malfoy Manor. Bring everyone!"