It was black. Nothing but pitch black. There was no light to speak of, not a speck of it for Hermione to discover where she sat, or if she was alone. She began to feel cold and could feel fear wrapping itself tightly around her chest…Where was she? Why was it so dark? Where was Malfoy?

"Malfoy?" Hermione called softly, trying to move. It was so dark that she couldn't even tell if she was sitting, standing or lying down. How is that for trippy? Her fingers didn't move when Hermione ordered them to. Her feet didn't twitch. Her neck didn't turn. Where the hell was she?

"Malfoy?" Hermione heard the panic echo in her voice and around her prison. If this was another one of his jokes…

But it wasn't one of Malfoy's jokes. Malfoy wasn't even there. Hermione became aware of this fact when she couldn't hear him breathing or moving. She felt the cage of fear in her stomach press down harder on her lungs and it became difficult to breathe. Hermione tried to calm herself. She could feel cold sweat on the back of her neck, and she was trembling.

She was alone. Alone in a place that she didn't know. She couldn't move.

Then suddenly, an unbelievable bright light flashed before her eyes. Hermione tried to cower away, but she couldn't turn her head far enough. What was wrong with her? The light caused spots in her vision, and made her feel sick. Wait, that wasn't right. Light? Making her feel sick?

Hermione could feel herself start rocking and swaying, as if she was drunk. The light was growing brighter. Was she dead?

Well that's not bloody fair! She thought angrily.

Maybe the bright light was something it shouldn't be…maybe it was the gates to Saint Peter's. How had she died though? Well, this just screwed with logic. At least she didn't feel any pain, and that was bound to be a plus…

"Hermione?"

She heard her name being called softly from somewhere in the light. Was that God? Hermione didn't really believe in god…but then, God was better then roasting, wasn't it?

"Hermione?"

She felt herself walking- how, when she didn't feel connected to her feet?- towards the bright light. It only took her seconds before she was standing before it, squinting in it. She couldn't see anyone for a brief moment, then suddenly, Harry appeared, smiling, arms open, as if to hug her. Ron walked out from behind Harry, smiling and beckoning her forward. Her father and mother were there too, both laughing and making gestures to their mouths for her to brush properly. Then Dumbledore stood in the very middle, smiling, eyes twinkling.

"Come with us Hermione."

"You're all dead?" she heard her voice crack. "How did that happen?"

Then a shocking feeling, something that was tearing at her heart- what if Malfoy was dead? For the second time in a short while, Hermione found herself wondering if that were true, and why she hadn't explained to him how she felt. Why hadn't she just bloody kissed him? She felt like her stomach had dropped out through a trap door. What if Malfoy had died, but she would never, even as a spirit, see him again? Since when had you ever heard of a Malfoy going to heaven? That's exactly right- never. But then the thought caused her to nearly throw up.

"I can't go…" Hermione was saying, looking behind her, as if hoping to see Malfoy standing there. Then to her surprise, he was. There he was, standing in the shadows, smiling evilly, using one finger to beckon her forward, but he seemed to cringe away from the light, and she noticed he had red rims under his eyes.

"Hermione, you belong with us…" Harry was saying.

"But i…"

"Come on Hermione." Malfoy was winking. "I'll make it worth you're while."

Hermione looked over her shoulder at Harry and the others. She was sorely tempted to accept Malfoy's offer. After all, it was ironic- now that she was dead, she was more prepared to take risks. Live life, even though she's dead. Hermione hated that.

"Hermione…" Malfoy's voice dragged her eyes back to him. "Come to the dark side…we have pumpkin pasties and plenty of books."

Hermione felt her face screw up in a mix of laughter and confusion. The real Malfoy wouldn't have said that- far too corny for him. He would have said something like "Come here right now, I wont bloody wait!" Yeah, that was his character in a nut shell.

Then it hit Hermione like a sledge hammer- what was before her. The choice. Either chose the light side, with her friends and family, or chose the dark side, with the boy she could possibly love. What a fricking choice to ask a gal to make…seriously, how much did Merlin hate her? Honestly!

"Hermione, we can protect you here." Ron was trying to tell her. This brought her back to the choice. How horrible.

"Ahh," Malfoy said, still smiling wickedly at her. "But over here, you won't need protecting."

"You won't be happy with him…" Harry said.

"I think we both know that you will be." Malfoy said, winking once more.

"Hermione, come home with us." Her father suddenly chimed in.

"I can't think with all of this noise!" Hermione shouted. "Being dead is much less glamorous then I thought! I can't think!"



The voices continued to play into her mind until Hermione was on her knees, hands to her head, eyes tightly closed, trying to think clearly. Then a new voice, one she hadn't heard yet spoke.

"Hermione," it said, silencing all others. It was Dumbledore. "Tell me where you are."

"What the hell kind of a question is that to ask a dead person?" she said incredulously.

"You are not dead Hermione." Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "Tell me where you are and we can get you out."

"Oh come off it." Hermione snorted. "You guys don't even want me."

The looks on their faces was impassive- didn't even flinch.

"See!" Hermione shouted accusingly, pointing at them. "You don't even defend yourselves! Maybe I will go with him," she jerked her thumb at Malfoy who flashed a dangerous smile. "Because you don't want me."

"Hermione, you are safe with us."

"You will be safe with me- you don't need bodyguards if I'm with you…"

"Hermione, we are your best friends…"

"You can form better friends, ones that will come to your aid if you were ever, which wont happen, in trouble…"

"Shut up!" she screamed. "Shut up all of you!"

Then, suddenly, she was back in the cell, shaking, lying down, Malfoy's feet still planted on her stomach, looking up at the ceiling. The steady breathing of the boy near her told Hermione she hadn't woken him even though she was sure she had screamed. She could feel the sweat covering her body. But the odd thing was, Hermione couldn't bring herself to make that choice that her nightmare was trying to make her …

Hold up- NIGHTMARE? She wasn't dead!

Well of course you're not, you twat. She scolded herself. How could she have been so silly?



It was night time when Harry, Ron and Ginny landed at the gates of the Malfoy Manor. Luckily, Ginny knew many spells to hide them from any that the Malfoy's may have put on their home so when they flew over the gate, the Malfoy's would be none the wiser. It must have been late- there weren't any lights on in the manor. Silently, Harry led the other two, still on their brooms, up to the highest tower, where unbeknown to them, Hermione had had her coughing fit. Harry quietly pushed the window open, then landed smoothly on the ground. They didn't wait. Wanting to keep their brooms with them for a quick get away, though afraid they would get in the way, they opted to leave their brooms in this dingy room, then tip toed over to the door.

The corridors were silent, with an eerie air. Harry and the others crept past the portraits and paintings on the walls, looking for…what?

Harry silently cursed- why hadn't they thought of this? He looked at the doors, hoping to find a hint of a study. But the first room he came to and tried was Malfoy's bedroom. They could immediately realize it wasn't his parent's room. They hesitated- should they pry in his private bedroom? Then, as if deciding using telepathy, they took a step into the room, figuring that when would they ever get this chance again? All their jaws dropped open as they stared around the room, taking it all in. Then Ginny walked over to the walk in robe, and studied Malfoy's clothing.

"Ginny, how is the guy's pants going to help?" Ron asked her angrily as Ginny pulled a pair of pressed and folded pants off the shelf.

"Ron, these pants cost like seven hundred galleons." Ginny hissed, putting the pants back as if they were made of gold.

"What? Seven hundred on that?" Ron asked incredulously.

Ginny shook her head. "You are not, my dearest brother, a man of fashion. How can I expect you to understand?" she ran her fingers over some of his tops. Damn.

Harry was smiling. "Come on. Ginny, his clothes wont help, and Ron, pick your jaw off the floor- you are starting to dribble."

Ginny was giggling as she came out of the wardrobe. She crossed to Malfoy's bed and began searching through the beside table. All she found was a few pieces of parchment, wrappers of certain sweets, and broken quills. "Harry," Ginny said, looking as Harry was checking out another cupboard of some kind. "I think we should look for Lucius's study."

Harry nodded. "I know- we'd be there now if I knew where it was."

Ron held the door open for them as they left the room in the exact same condition they had found it. After ten minutes of trying doors and either finding a reading room, a book room, a drawing room, or locked doors, they finally found the study. It was just as grand as one would expect. They didn't hesitate as they started searching through the desk draws, and in between the books.

Most of the draws were locked. Ginny was searching through the papers on the top of the desk, and came across one slip of parchment that had one word on it. "West."

"Harry," Ginny said, handing the paper to Harry. "I think this might be it."

Ron looked over Harry's shoulder and read it. "Are you serious? It could be anything. How are you sure?"

"A gut feeling." Ginny said confidently.

Harry was thinking. Then he nodded. "Mine too."



"How far west?" Ron asked as they went back to the door- none of them were particularly eager of lingering in case someone spotted them. It might be a tad hard to explain why they weren't in school, and why, instead, they were here at the Manor, snooping around.

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out." Harry said as they started back up the way they had come, looking for the tower room. In ten minutes, red in the face from jogging, they were in the air, flying towards the gate. It had been a unanimous decision to find somewhere to rest and sleep for the night, then head west in the morning. Actually, it had mostly been Ron's decision.

The next morning, they paid for their room, avoided questions then climbed onto their broomsticks and were off. They flew in silence. No one had anything to say. Soon, they were landing to have something to eat. This is when the plan took a turn for the worst. While they were sitting in a café after stashing their brooms in some near by bushes, Harry felt an odd prickling on the back of his neck- your natural instinct that tells you someone else has their eye on you. Harry slowly looked around but couldn't see anyone. Then he felt a chill go down his spine, and someone was breathing in his ear.

"Potter, what do you think you are doing?"

The voice caused Ginny and Ron to jump, the later spilling his tea all over himself. Harry spun left, and accidentally hit the speaker in the nose. Then he realized it was Snape. Snape had narrowed his eyes into deadly slits and was looking at Potter like a squashed bug.

"You have broken rules Potter." He said smoothly. "Dumbledore is not happy."

Harry swallowed, as did the other two people his age.

"What was it you were hoping to accomplish?" Snape continued, sliding into the seat beside Harry and staring at him.

"None of you-"

"Be quiet Miss Weasley." Snape said sharply. "Potter."

"I would have thought that was obvious." Another voice said sharply. With a disappointed sigh, Harry realized it was Professor McGonagall. She was walking towards them swiftly, then stopped before them, crossing her arms, lips pursed into thin lines. "Was there a memo that went around saying 'first to give Minerva a heart attack wins bertybotts every flavor beans'?"

"No…" Ginny said softly. "We just wanted to find Hermione."

"What did you think our intention was?" Minerva asked, turning around to grab a chair from a group of people. They immediately protested. "You can get another chair!" McGonagall snapped, slamming the chair down and placing her butt on it, facing Harry, Ron and Ginny. "I am so very, very angry at the three of you. As Gryffindors, I expected you to handle this more discreetly and with more pride."

"But we are so close!" Ron said angrily.

"No more protests Mr. Weasley." Snape barked. Ron cowered in his chair. "You three are returning to school within the next hour, where I swear, I will see to it that you are severely punished."

"I'm not going anywhere." Harry said firmly. He couldn't believe he was saying this- Snape looked so furious…and yet, he stood his ground.

"Potter, we can force you if we-"

"You can try, but we are so close. I will not turn around and go home now." Harry said, glaring at both of his teachers.

Snape and Minerva exchanged a glance, and Harry thought he caught a glimpse of questioning in their looks. They seemed to know something the teenagers didn't.

"Well…" Minerva began slowly. "Severus wasn't particularly happy about this," Even though Snape was looking at Harry, his eyes narrowed as if Harry had said this. Minerva continued. "But you three did lead us here. It would have taken us a few more days to figure out which direction to go in…though," she said, her tone flicking to anger "Breaking into private property is extremely unacceptable."

Harry resisted the urge to smile. This wasn't a laughing matter.

"However," Minerva went on. "Since we are so close, Albus did request that we took the three of you with us to get Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger back."

Harry, Ron and Ginny exchanged looks, smiling.

"Don't get too excited." Snape growled.

"Now, the plan is to have a look at this forest, only a few miles away." Minerva said.

"Great- we brought brooms."

"Brought? Stole is more accurate." Snape said and Ginny flushed a deep red.

"Severus, please. We can ridicule them another time." McGonagall said, sighing heavily. She looked as if she dreaded when that time would come, as if she knew exactly what Snape would be saying…the man was probably forming a speech on it. "And you," Minerva said, glancing at Ginny. "Brooms will be completely useless. What you three must understand…" she stopped. "This isn't the place. Come with us."

Without waiting, Minerva stood up, flicked the chair towards the people she had stolen it from, then marched out the door. Harry made sure he tipped the café, threw the money on the table then hurried after them. McGonagall, followed by Snape then the others was crossing the road with purpose. She marched right up to an old, discarded phone booth just off the main road, and pulled the door open.

Harry couldn't help but think it was another entrance to the Ministry- that was one place he didn't want to go to. But no. When he, Ron and Ginny hesitantly followed and stepped into the phone booth, they found 

it was a large lounge room of some kind, complete with stuffed couches, tables, a fire place and some scattered books and pieces of parchment. McGonagall locked the door behind them then sat herself down in a comfy arm chair. Snape sat as far away from them as possible. He looked awkward in the warm surroundings.

"Now, where was I?" Minerva said, as everyone was settled. "Right. What the three of you must understand is that we are about to enter into Voldermort's private home. He wont take kindly to intruders, and as such, he doesn't welcome them. So, his home is safe guarded for miles around. No one has ever seen his home and lived to tell someone on our side what it's like. It will be completely uncharted waters, so to speak."

"What has that got to do with using our brooms?" Ginny asked politely. She was sitting ridged and uncomfortable in her chair next to Harry.

"A few miles around his home, Miss Weasley, is guarded with every possible spell of stopping intruders you can imagine. If you tried to fly through this boarder, your broom basically stops working and you plummet towards the ground. There is no spell to disable it. Now, that makes it difficult for us because it's a few days hike to his home. Mind you, you have to do it without your wands because all magic, except for at his house, is disabled, and you wont know where you are going."

"So how do we get around that?" Harry asked.

"I said brooms are disabled. Planes however, are a different matter. He couldn't have planes constantly going off the radar near his home- the muggles would come looking eventually." Minerva gave them a tight smile. "Albus has pulled a connection or two and so…we are…" she looked very uncomfortable. "Tomorrow morning, we are scheduled to take off from a little air strip near by. When we are near the house, we are getting out and walking the rest of the way."

"Getting out?" Ron replied incredulously. "What, are we parachuting?"

"I do not think so." Minerva said sternly. "It seems like your brothers are much more useful out of school then they ever were within it."

Ginny and Ron smiled at each other.

"They seem to have developed a strange 'pillow' system, that envelopes the jumper, so when they land, they don't feel it…just a little bumpy, as Mr. Fred Weasley described it. Honestly, Albus must have spent twenty minutes in there looking around. I think he joined their special members club." Minerva was shaking her head. "So, back on track. We will sleep here the night, then tomorrow morning, we set off."

"Is it just us?" Harry asked.

"No. I believe six members of the Order have been asked to come. If they do or don't, it is their choice." Minerva replied, looking like she doubted they would be joined by anyone. "So, rest up."

"That's the plan?" Harry said, eyebrow raised. In the last few days, he had learned to plan far ahead, not just in the immediate future. "What happens after we land?"

"We go to the home and free our students."

"You're not expecting any resistance?"

"Of course we are." McGonagall said, looking briefly at Snape. "But we think you three are more then capable of handling yourselves."

"Damn straight we are!" Ron growled.

"Mr. Weasley, please."

"Right well, tomorrow will be a big day. I suggest everyone tries to go to sleep."

"It's the middle of the afternoon." Ron complained.

"Then I will clonk you over the head." Snape said. "Or drug you with a potion."

"I'll take the second option thanks." Ron snarled.

Harry was smiling. He was going to get a chance to help Hermione, without killing himself, hopefully, in the process.

Within ten minutes, everyone, thanks to one of Snape's always-on-hand-for-the-night-before-a-rescue-and-you-need-a-good-night-sleep potion, was snoring away on the couches.



Hermione was not feeling well. She had thrown up in a bucket three times in the last hour. Needless to say, Malfoy had kept well away from her for the last two. When one of the Death Eaters came to collect her bucket, he made no effort to make Hermione feel better, in fact, he went out of his way to make her feel worse. Malfoy, on the other hand, told the prick to get out, while trying to comfort Hermione from a vomit-spray safe distance.

She had no idea why she felt so horrible. Maybe it was something she ate. Maybe it was stress. What it was, as she didn't know, plagued her mind. She tried to swallow some water, but it came straight back up. She wanted to go home.

When she had stopped vomiting for a whole thirty minutes- a personal best- Malfoy hesitantly returned to her side and wiped her mouth with the corner of a sleeve- hers of course. He gave her a nice smirk, then sat down, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

"I want to die."

"No you don't." Malfoy said. "If you die, then you could think of it as being unconscious- if you're unconscious, you cant dream about me."



"Gosh, someone is full of himself." Hermione said smiling, though she was reminded of how true that actually was. And how she had dreamed of him…well, not exactly strolling down a beach holding his hand, but he had appeared in her dreams and not as a demon.

"Well, self confidence is the key." He replied. Neither of them was aware what was happening outside their cell and for the moment, neither of them actually cared.



The next morning, Harry rolled over, and consequently, rolled off the couch. He hit the floor with a dull thud. Dragging himself off the floor, grumbling and groaning, he saw that no one else was awake. Snape, who still was as far away as he could get, sat slumped in a chair, looking, for once, peaceful. Minerva was stretched out on one of the couches, one leg on the arm rest, while the other hung limply down to the floor. Harry smiled. Ron was on the floor, stretched out like Jesus on the cross, and Ginny was curled up like a cat on her chair.

Harry had to wait for ten minutes before everyone slowly woke up. When they were awake, Minerva herded them out of the strange little room, and out onto the street. Ten minutes later, they were climbing into a cab, and were speeding to some air strip. Neither Harry, Ron or Ginny knew where they were heading. Soon, they were out of the taxi, standing on a tarred airstrip, facing a tiny airplane. A tall man, with messy hair was standing in front of them, smiling warmly.

"You must be Albus's crew." He said, holding his arms up. "Well, come along then! As I understand it, we do not have all day! Come on, let's skedaddle into the plane."

Harry, Ginny and Ron walked forward, with the teachers close behind. They climbed into a tiny cockpit and strapped themselves in.

"Now, let's see here…" The man said, stepping into the cockpit behind them and looking around. "Which one of you have jumped before?" From the empty faces that stared up at him, the man rolled his eyes. "Right…going to have to start from scratch…Give me a moment." He quickly jumped out of the plane and ran across the strip.

Minerva looked at them. "Don't worry- Albus said he loved to talk a lot. Just ignore him while he's talking. We aren't parachuting."

"He doesn't know anything does he?" Ginny asked, tightening the belt on her stomach.

"Not about us he doesn't. He is under the impression that Albus is a wealthy business man." Minerva mumbled, then went silent as the man returned to them carrying their chutes.

"Right-o then. Take one of these…and hook them on like that…yes, young Miss, that's right."

A moment later, they were ready to go. The plane stared up, and rolled itself into the right spot on the tarmac. Then is shook slightly as it gathered speed, and its nose arched upwards. They were in the air.

Ginny had closed her eyes and was gripping Harry's hand with a dangerous amount of strength. Harry gently prized his hand away.

Soon, their pilot was smiling over his shoulder, proudly saying that they were nearing destination drop off. Once Minerva had unclipped herself, she handed everyone a strange pillow, that looked similar to a folded blanket.

"What do we do with this?" Ron asked quietly. The pilot was too busy counting down.

"At the right moment, pull the trigger." Minerva whispered. They all nodded, even though they wanted to know exactly when the right moment would be.

"Right-o then." The pilot said loudly. "Just yank that door open, jump out, pull the trigger. Enjoy the float down to the ground."

Snape was rolling his eyes as he jerked the door open and jumped out first. Harry went next. The wind sailed past his ears, making a dull roar, and he felt the pressure of it against his face. His hair flew around him wildly as he clutched the pillow type bundle to his chest. Then, as he watched the ground blew him come closer, he spotted Snape a little below him, but it wasn't Snape- instead it was a large, yellow bubble. It was now that Harry decided was the right time to pull the trigger. When he did, the pillow bundle in his hands immediately blew outwards, making a strange circle that wrapped itself around him like a cocoon.

He couldn't tell how much longer he had to go before he hit the ground. Then he suddenly heard branches snapping all around him. He hit the ground, bounced roughly, then could feel himself rolling around until he eventually came to a stop. A second later, the bubble around him popped and Snape was standing in front of him, arms folded across his chest.

"Maybe not the most useful mode of transport, but it is certainly effective." Snape said, watching as the others bounced their way down and came to a stop. Once everyone had regained their composure, they began to pick their way through the thick undergrowth.



After an hour, Ron's pathetic jokes were wearing thin, and Ginny had vowed to rip out his voice box if he dared utter another syllable. McGonagall was quiet, as was Snape, and Harry was sure both of them were hoping to see other Order members somewhere near by. Neither of them seemed keen to burst into Voldermort's home without invite, and low numbers. Harry kicked a branch out of his way and kept his head low. His mind was racing with spells he could use to get Hermione out, and he knew Malfoy would be with her. He wondered if Malfoy had helped or hindered Hermione. Harry vowed that if it were the later, Malfoy would pay dearly. Hermione had been through enough without that creep making it worse.



Ginny was biting nervously on her lip. She hadn't really given this much thought, and now, they were so close to getting into the thick of it, and she was beginning to have doubts. She didn't know if she was ready for a fight. She hadn't come prepared for one. Harry sensed this, and gripped her hand tightly as they stumbled up a hill.

Two minutes later, Snape halted, and held up a hand. He wordlessly pointed ahead of them, then pressed his finger to his lips. With his other hand, he gestured to some bushes. McGonagall silently ushered Ron, Harry and Ginny under cover, then followed Snape, wands out. A second later, they reappeared, McGonagall smiling, Snape looking sour as always. Harry looked past them and saw Lupin, Tonks, Mad Eye and both Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"Mum!" Ginny squealed, leaping up from the bushes and running to Mrs. Weasley.

"I am so angry at you three!" Molly growled, though she hugged her daughter tightly. "Running away from school? What were you thinking? Honestly!"

"We weren't!" Ginny replied to her mum's shoulder.

Ron and Harry slowly emerged and shook hands with the new arrivals. After a moment, they continued on.

Soon, they all smelt a strange, sour smell and raised their hands to their noses to try and block it out. Moments later, they saw the bog and were standing on the banks of the Dead Lake. Harry and Ron made faces while Ginny stood close to her mum, shivering slightly.

"How do we get across?" Minerva asked softly.

"It doesn't really matter." Snape answered. "The dark lord will know we're here by now. He would have sensed it."

"Then we had best get a move on." Arthur said, straightening up and walking forward. He found a rather flat pebble and transfigured it into a tiny row boat. "Come along now, hurry!"

The rest of them scrambled into the boat, which tipped and rocked under the weight, before beginning to head off into the mist. The boat rowed it self and seconds later, Harry spotted the cliff.

"Voldermort doesn't have a great decorator." He confessed. Ginny mumbled something in agreement.

"Right, listen up." Snape said softly as if the mist had ears. Harry wondered if it did. "This is the plan. You three," he pointed to Harry, Ginny and Ron, "Will not engage in any fighting. You will pass us, and begin to look for Malfoy and Granger. If you see anyone, hide as best you can, but if need be, you will defend yourselves."

"Please use this as a last resort." Minerva interrupted. They nodded.

"The rest of us will distract the Death Eaters. We will only have moments to actually do this before we are over run, so you must be quick. Understood?"

Harry, Ron and Ginny nodded again.

"Good." Snape nodded in approval. "Now, when we hit the little lake inside- you will see- you three jump out and swim the rest of the way. You can slip up a passage and you can't miss it."

"Everyone clear?" Minerva asked. She received nods all around. "Good."

At this point, the boat was passing into the tunnel and along the stream inside. Snape nodded to the three teenagers. They slowly and silently slipped out of the boat and into the water. It was dark, but luckily not deep.

"Good luck dears!" Molly whispered as the boat sailed into the darkness and out of sight.

"Alright," Harry said, taking charge. "Come on." They swam up the stream, luckily going with the current. Ginny was shivering after a few moments but didn't dare complain. Soon, they were entering the small cavern with the fireplaces. Harry wondered how the floo network hadn't picked this up, but didn't have time to ask anyone. They continued swimming, looking for a passage. The water lapped at their chests, and they could feel their fingers numbing. None of them wanted to think about what it was they were swimming in. It sure wasn't anything pleasant. After a few moments, they could see the passage way Snape had spoken about. Harry swam to the side of the stream, dug his foot into a jagged hole and hoisted himself up onto the dirt path. He rolled over and held a hand out for Ginny and pulled her effortlessly up out of the water. Ron came next and then the three teenagers were staring at each other, trying not to laugh and remember the serious situation they were actually in. The only funny thing they found was that each of them looked like drowned rats.

After an odd moment, Harry quietly pressed his finger to his lips then crept up the path, his feet noiseless hitting the ground. Ron had trouble- his feet dragged and left a strange track behind them, but luckily, Ginny followed him and wiped the tracks clear with her own feet. They were creeping along the path towards the passage way which was a few metres away, backs against the wall, hand out in front in case they needed to catch themselves.

Harry came to the passage first. He came to a halt then glanced around into the mouth of the passage, searching for Death Eaters. When he couldn't see anyone, he nodded at Ginny and Ron. The passage was the staircase Hermione and Malfoy had seen on their way in- but Harry, Ron and Ginny weren't to know this. They turned into the passage, and began climbing a winding staircase quickly. After a moment, the ground leveled out for a few metres before they went down a couple of steps and found themselves in a corridor.

Harry stopped abruptly, causing Ron to bump into him. Harry pressed his back against the uncomfortable rock and listened quietly. He could hear two men, hurriedly walking past them in the corridor, talking angrily.



"How the Merlin did they get here?"

"I don't know- I thought Aarons was on patrol?"

"Well he obviously-"

A new voice entered the talk.

"Shut up the two of you- come on, they're in the entrance passage."

The voices scurried away. Harry waited a moment in case someone returned but all he could hear now was loud angry shouts from coming down the bigger staircase to his right, and spells being yelled. The battle had begun. He knew they only had moments to do this.

"Come on!" he said to the other two then started running down the corridor, checking every door, and hiding when they heard someone coming.



Hermione was lying down, her head resting in Malfoy's lap. Neither of them could remember quite how this happened, but they couldn't be bothered to move. Malfoy stared at the opposite wall, thinking deeply, while he listened to Hermione's steady breathing. He slowly became aware of shouting coming from somewhere outside. Something was ruffling the Death Eater's feathers.

Ha, we'll I think this is a good place to leave it.

Right, so as you may have realized, we don't have much longer to go with this story!! It's nearly over!! Oh no!!

Hehehe, so make sure you review for the last few chapters!

Thanks,

Aj