A/n Thank you REVIEWERS! Over 100 reviews! :blows kisses to reviewers: THANK YOU! Not a lot of fluff in this chapter, a lot of Ron. Yes Allie, I added it just for you.
11
After Draco closed the window, they both sat down on the bed. "It's weird." Hermione said after a few minutes. "What is it?" Draco asked, looking at her. "Well, everything that has happened to us the last few weeks has had something to do with the dark arts. Harry, this fog, the vision- and I am sure that Harry is perfectly sane. It just doesn't seem like he would do something like this, even if he hates you." Draco thought. Potter could be a prick, but he and Ron were not crazy… they couldn't be. "Ron has been normal, only a little irritable this year, right?" Hermione nodded. "In the beginning of the year, I think that he might have had something to do with my attempted murder, but, well, he is pretty normal." Draco nodded, and stood up. "I'll go get something to eat and bring it up." Hermione stood and took a deep green towel from the shelf. "I'll just take a short shower."
Ron watched through a crack in the boy's bathroom as Dumbledor looked at the two vials. His eyes widened when Dumbledor tucked the unicorn blood in his front pocket and sat down. An owl fluttered in, dropping a letter. Dumbledor was reading it when McGonagall came in. "Pro- oh my, I am terribly sorry for interrupting you." He stood up. "Not a problem, Professor McGonagall. I just have an urgent call from the ministry. I must leave immediately. If you could cover, while I'm gone?" "Oh, of course professor." Dumbledor picked up a small bag that was resting next to his desk and pulled on a small hat. Just as he opened the door, he paused. "What was it you wanted, Minerva?" McGonagall frowned. "Just to tell you that the fog- it's changed. There is a break in it, and it's possible to open the door. Perhaps the ministry knew this and called you out. But- Why? This is serious dark arts!" Dumbledor fumbled with his hat. "Not necessarily. If it happened at a place that had two people attending here, it will happen. Just not for as long. It seems that Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy had the same thing happen to them. Narcissa saw it coming when she was traveling by floo. She said that a purple light came down and forced her to fall out of Professor Snape's Fireplace, and topple his desk over!" Dumbledor chuckled, and McGonagall just looked completely confused. "Right. Well, I suppose I should go now. Breakfast is starting in 10 minutes, and I should be there. Will you not grab a bite before leaving?" Dumbledor shook his head. "I do not eat in the mornings. I'll be off now. Good day." McGonagall said nothing, and just headed out behind him. Ron's stomach growled loudly. He shook his head, waiting for all that he heard to sink in. Hermione. Stuck in a manor with that bloke, how terrible that must be for her! Something sparkled out of the corner of Ron's eye. The pensive's liquid was still on the table. "Expamandos" The crack in the wall grew to the size of a large pizza box, and he just barely squeezed through. Grabbing the vile, he crawled back in through the hole, and ran to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. "Myrtle! Is that old caldron still in here?" Myrtle stared at him through her thick frames. "Oh. Yes. It is. Care to use it?" Ron rolled his eyes. "No. I came in here to go back down to the chamber of secrets and move rocks. Yeah. That's it. No shit I want to use it!" Myrtle started to wail and threw the small caldron at him before diving back down into the toilet and splashing water all over Ron. "Thut tumpur!" she bubbled from within the pipes. Ron ignored her and threw the liquid into the caldron and looked in. here was a face, like a ghosts, of Hermione sleeping. Ron watched, but before he could move, he was tumbling into the memory.
(This is the memory)
Hermione screamed, and opened her eyes. A few seconds later, Draco burst into the room and took her shoulders, talking to her, trying to comfort her. She began to cry, and Ron watched, confused, as they held each other. A white light, and he was standing outside of the manor. A cloaked wizard ran past Ron and ducked behind a tree. "Frostgentts" a purple mist erupted from the wand that the wizard held. It swirled and changed to a thick fog, flying quickly to the manor and swallowing it whole. The figure muttered "Lumos" and the knight bus came. Ron followed the figure onto the bus. It sat down and turned to the driver. "Diagon alley" The bus roared and they stopped ten minutes later outside of the leaky caldron. The wizard never once stopped staring at the window. A white light, an explosion, another white light, and two seconds later, Ron was sprawled out across the bathroom floor. His head ached and he was a little shocked. "That was interesting…" He muttered before pouring the liquid back into the vile and running to the owlery. "Professor- You forgot this." He put the vile, along with the note into an envelope and tied it to hedwig. "Take it to Dumbledor." Hedwig hooted softly and flew out the window.
Draco made two more turkey sandwiches and walked back to his room. He heard the water running and waited for Hermione to get out of the shower. He sat back against the pillows on his bed, reading the ancient spells book. "Amandemor… it's awful." "What's that Draco? Oooh! Turkey sandwiches! How ORIGINAL!" Draco rolled his eyes and handed her the sandwich. "What can I say? I'm lazy and I don't feel like getting you anything else. Hermione snorted and kept eating.
Six days later, the fog lifted and was gone. "New years eve. Do you want to go back to Hogwarts now, or tomorrow?" Draco asked Hermione as they sat in the study. Hermione shrugged. "I guess today. I don't want to get locked in here again." Draco nodded and they grabbed their trunks out of the foyer. Tossing some floo powder into the fire, they each took a turn yelling "Hogwarts!" and spinning down to the head dormitories. "How about a nice stroll around the castle?" Hermione suggested, looking to the door. Draco shrugged and they walked out the door. As soon as they did, they saw a paler than usual Ron walking past them. He paled even more when he saw the two, and jumped a mile when they spoke. "Hi Ron! What are you doing down here?" Hermione asked, pretending not to notice the pale look on the other boy's face. "Uhh… just. Walking?" Draco noticed the pale look. "Something wrong, Ron?" "Since when have you called me Ron you bloke?!" Draco shrugged. "Since now. Something wrong, Ron?" Ron shook his head and walked on. "See you guys at dinner!" Hermione and Draco gave each other sideways glances and walked in the opposite direction. "I'll be right back." Hermione muttered when they passed the painting of the fat lady.
Hermione checked to see if Ron was there before sneaking into the boy's dormitories. Harry's trunk was still at the foot of his bed, and Hermione pulled out her wand. "Alohamora" she muttered, unlocking and opening the trunk. "Where is it…" she muttered, shifting the textbooks, candies, parchment, and quills out of the way. "Ah ha!" At the very bottom of the trunk was a piece of crumpled parchment and a red cloak. "The map, and what do you know, it's the invisibility cloak!" She stuffed the map into her back pocket, locked the trunk, and ran back down the stairs to the portrait hole. Jumping out of it, she looked around for Draco. Nobody was there. "Draco…?" she called. Her voice echoed off the walls, sending chills up her spine. Her footsteps making a soft pounding on the ground, she kept walking back to their dormitories. "Duh!" she muttered, getting the map out. Hogwarts bled onto the parchment, and the dots were just about to form, when someone grabbed her from behind. Hermione screamed, and whipped around. Draco doubled up laughing while Hermione shot some daggers at him. "It WASN'T funny!" "Yes- it- was-" he managed to say between breaths. Rolling her eyes, Hermione took off. "Wait! Mione! Where are you going?" "Library." Draco paused. "Figures."
In the forbidden forest, the wind rustled the leaves on the trees. "Do you have it?" a voice asked. A second voice whispered softly to the first. "Not yet. Soon. Soon she will come. We will get her back. Do not worry." The first chuckled. "Soon, she will know the truth."