Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters that JKR has created for that matter!!!

A/N: Sry for the cliffhanger i left in the last chapter, but it keeps ppl coming back to see what i've created... but anywayz, pls keep sending in reviews! I really do like getting comments and such signaling that my work is certainly appreciated! VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!===} i might not be updating for awhile, but i'll get back ASAP... this is so b/c i'm gonna be writing the 4th and 5th chaps in a seperate book and it may take awhile for me to produce and retype it on the computer.... but i reeeeaaaaallllly would like some ideas on any forth coming chaps, so pls (and i can't stress enough on this) review me something pls! ; )

Read on....

Chapter 3: True Confessions

Harry's first glimpse of the hooded figure, reminded him dreadfully of the happiness sucking dementors, that roamed the walls of the wizarding prison, Azkaban, but Harry knew better as the air around him wasn't marrow- freezing cold. The hooded figure slowly opened its way to the bathroom, obviously looking for something or someone, stealthingly making sure the door didn't make a loud groan on its hinges. Harry suspected the figure was a woman; from the looks of the physique and color of the woman's blood red robes.
"Looking for someone?" Harry was now aiming his wand sternly at her back and was trying his best to sound masculine. Is she a Death Eater? Harry tensed at the thought that this woman could be Bellatrix Lestrange, the crude Death Eater that had killed Sirius. Harry's anger boiled inside him; he didn't care if he was expelled from Hogwarts, if this was truly Bellatrix, he would kill her, just like she had killed Sirius.
Harry clutched his wand so tight now, his hand was shaking furiously, and Harry was pale in the face as the woman turned on her heels toward him. Though Harry could not see her face, her figure was beautiful; she wore tight jeans with white flops and, from what the red robes were allowing to his eyes, a white shirt that hugged her form. The whole outfit was hugging her hour glass figure nicely, and Harry mentally kicked himself for the thinking this way toward a complete stranger.
"Harry!"
"Wha-" the woman brought Harry into a bone crushing hug. The robe's hood slid back slightly to reveal curly hair and Harry had to mentally kick himself flat from what he had thought earlier.
"Her-Hermione? What-" he noticed that his wand was still clutched scarcely in his hand and he quickly thrust it into his pants' pocket.
"Who else? Who else did you think I was, Voldemort?" Harry turned a pale white and chuckled nervously at her question.
"Uh-er- no, I thought you were-er- Tonks..." Harry stuttered to cover up his slight nervousness as she pulled her hood down to reveal her face. Harry knew that if he said that he thought she was Bellatrix, she'd think him mad, so he didn't mention it again as she walked past him, into his room. Harry glanced down the hall at Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia's room, knowing that if they caught Hermione in his bedroom, it wouldn't look good on his behalf.
"Hermione, why are you here?" he whispered as he shortly followed her into his dimly lit room, closing the door behind him.
"To take you back to the Burrow, of course... Didn't you get our letter? Ron and I sent it about three days ago..." she looked at him as though taken aback.
"No, Hedwig hasn't returned since I sent you and Ron my letter about four weeks ago." Harry furrowed his brows.
"Strange... Pig hasn't returned to the Burrow, either. Has Pig even showed up?" Hermione asked him; he nodded, "Are you sure?" Hermione asked him as though he were playing a joke; he nodded again. She bit her lip and as she started to pace his room in deep thought. "This all seems as if its not a coincidence. Do you think they were intercepted?" Harry pondered a moment and turned to her.
"It's possible, but, wouldn't Hedwig have returned?" Hermione shrugged as she stopped to stare out the window as if Hedwig was to turn up suddenly. But, who would do it though?" she seemed to ask the window. but Harry wasn't paying attention. Harry suddenly screwed up his face and stared at her.
"What?" she asked sternly as she saw his face in the window's glass, "I know I'm not that attractive, but you don't have to make it obvious." she turned on her heel toward him.
"No, I wasn't thinking that at all... I don't think you're unattractive, I was just wondering; How'd you get here in the first place?" He knew she didn't know how to Apparate- he would have heard the crack even if so- and the fireplace was closed off again since the Dursleys didn't particularly want anyone busting out of it again.
"Portkey." she answered shortly.
"Oh," Harry frowned a bit in embarrassment, "So, where's Ron?"
"At the Burrow; he said that he wanted to wait there, in case Pig turned up. Honestly, he acts as though he despises the animals he's given, and then when they come up missing, he goes into a rampage." Harry gave a small snort. He remembered how Ron had practically killed Crookshanks for "killing" his rat, Scabbers. "Besides, I wanted to come by myself." Harry snapped his attention back on Hermione and looked at her curiously.
"Why d-"
"I wanted to talk to you...um... about your...um... prophecy..." Harry stared at her and got the feeling that he had swallowed an ice cube whole and turned away from her. He had completely forgotten that he hadn't told Ron nor Hermione about the prophecy.
"What do you want to know about it?" he asked tonelessly.
"What did it say?"
"I- er-Hermione..."
"You don't have to tell me if you d-"
"It just said that-well- Voldemort and I can't live at the same time... One of us has to kill the other." he finished in a monotone. Hermione suddenly engulfed him in a reassuring hug.
"Harry, I'm sorry... You're having to fight battles you don't want to... This whole situation has changed your life for your whole life... But, if you do fight Voldemort, I'm coming along with y-"
"No, when I fight him, I want to do it alone. You've already done your share of fighting on my behalf. You almost got killed at the Ministry because of me." Hermione let go of him and shook her head stubbornly.
"Harry, don't blame yourself for something that we decided to do on our own. Besides, I know your not a born murderer, you don't want to kill him on your own... I'm going to help, I'll always be here for you, and I know Ron would feel the same way." Harry didn't know what to say to her. Hermione had been genuine about every word, though, he didn't know if he ever heard Hermione say anything she didn't mean. He sighed and hugged Hermione back; she took a sharp intake of breath and he felt her tense up.
"What are you so nervous about?" Harry asked as he pulled away to look at her. She turned and looked out the window again and sighed; she then turned back toward him and smiled.
"Nothing." she shook her head as though trying to shake out a bug in her hair. He had a feeling she was hiding something from him, but he gave it a mental shrug. He then noticed as he stood there, that there was a great deal of tension that was so thick, he could have choked on it. He also gave the window a worried glance and then one at Hermione. Would Ron and her be hurt again? Harry knew from experience that no matter where he went, he, along with Ron and Hermione, found themselves clutching for dear life.
"Hopefully, Hedwig will know where you are and go to the Burrow..." Hermione grabbed Hedwig's cage and gave it a worried frown.
"She will..." Harry smiled at her reassuringly and nodded faintly; she nodded back. He then grabbed his trunk and motioned her to follow him silently down the stairs. Harry hadn't really realized how heavy his things were until now, for Fred and George usually were the ones to carry it to the Burrow and elsewhere. He padded downstairs in his peeling trainers and jumped a little when the clock hanging in the living room struck 11:00 p.m.
"Hey-Hermione-when was-the-Portkey supposed to-leave?" Harry panted.
"10 minutes from now..." she whispered; Harry nodded in front of her. They placed Harry's things down in front of the bordered up fireplace and waited for five minutes. Harry noticed that this area of the house got particularly dark, except for when a car passed and it's head-lights shown through the net window curtains.
Hermione then, at 11:05, dug in her pants' pocket and pulled out a royal blue, wooden napkin ring.
"You remember how to use a Portkey, right?" Harry nodded, not wanting to tell her that that was a pretty irrelevant question. Harry got up from his position on the couch, picked up the trunk, and staggered over to her as she picked up Hedwig's empty cage. Harry noticed he had one hand not enough to grab hold of both the trunk and Portkey. He looked at Hermione, the trunk, then the Portkey. He then laid the trunk on it's short side, while listening to the trunk's contents all move noisily to one side, and grabbed to handle that now faced upward toward him. He noticed Hermione try to sustain a small laugh at his short problem. "Sorry, Harry..." she coughed and regained her composure, "Alright here it goes..." Harry grabbed the Portkey and the trunk's handle and felt the small tug at his navel. He heard the familiar whistle of the wind as his surroundings became blurred with colors.

A/N: that chap took the longest so far to produce! but i assure you that the 4th chap is on its way!!! the 4th chap is gonna be set at the Burrow. Harry finds out where Hedwig and his letters have been.... some what. There's a weird letter that's sent back to the Burrow... just keep those reviews coming ppls!!!!!