Sorry! I went shopping yesterday!! I didn't have much time to write. Don't worry if your review was short... the chappie – I must admit – was pretty short itself!! Sowwy!!

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The sun shone distressingly in Hermione's eyes and woke her up. She scrunched her fingers on her left hand and rubbed her eyes. Using her right hand she searched aimlessly for Draco who should've been adjacent to her.

She didn't find him.

Sitting up she finally opened her eyes. Blinking several times, she searched the room for a sign of where he was. How could he just leave her here? The window was opened and she could hear the melody of the birds; how irritating.

Hermione walked over to the door, but stopped as she saw a note; she was sure it wasn't there before last night; 'Be right back' it read, no doubt in Draco's handwriting. Hermione haughtily continued to storm out the door, to find it was charmed from the inside so no one could get in from the outside.

Good thinking; she would've hated to find one of his fellow Slytherins beside her when she woke up. Before clasping the doorknob to enter the Slytherin dungeon and demand to know where their Prince was, Hermione looked down and perceived what she was wearing and decided to get her clothes back on.

---

"WHAT???" Hermione exploded, "You don't know where he is?" she insisted,

"No," Blaise and Malcolm grimaced.

And so she walked off to the Gryffindor tower. Walking down the hallway, she cursed to herself; preparing the string of very un-Gryffindor-like insults to shout at Draco. So deep in thought, she didn't see Harry, or Ginny, coming towards her.

"Hey," Ginny piped,

"Hi, uh... Harry!" Hermione looked up,

"Where the hell is Malfoy?" Hermione demanded, the stress making disturbing cress marks on her forehead; boy, would Draco have to pay for this. She even returned to using his last name.

"What?" Harry dumbfounded. Ginny looked very confused.

"Where is he?" Hermione asked, calming herself down,

"Ask the Slytherins," Ginny suggested,

"Already have," Hermione was worried, where was Draco? "Does anyone know where Draco is?" Hermione muttered,

"Oh well, let's go to breakfast, Hermy," Ginny cooed, using the nickname Hermione ever-so hated,

"Fine," she agreed, ignoring Ginny's spite, but she muttered something under her breath.

---

Where is he? Hermione couldn't figure it out; he wasn't there during breakfast... now she didn't have a Potions partner.

"Ms Granger, where is your partner?" Snape inquired, sneering at her,

"Uh... I-I don't know, professor," Hermione answered, unnerved by Snape's intent glare,

"Yes..." he agreed with her; why would a Gryffindor know where his favourite pupil was? Because Lucius' sone seems to be infatuated with her, a nagging voice in Snape's mind told him. (But, of course, Snape didn't believe that and just told the stupid voice it didn't know what it's talking about and to bugger off)

"Does anyone know where Mr Malfoy is?" Snape demanded of his class, raising his voice. He looked mainly at the Slytherins. It stopped at Harry, giving him an accusing glare. No one in the class did.

"Ms Granger, you may work with Ms Parkinson," Snape commanded, "you have some of the period to plan your project, if I come back and this class isn't in immaculate condition; detention for irresponsibility will be placed on every member of this class," he threatened, "Potter; you're coming with me."

Harry gulped, what did he do?

"Y-Yes, Sn... Professor," Harry replied, obliging and following him out the room,

"What is it?" Harry chanced to ask,

"What have you done?" Snape snapped,

"N-Nothing," Harry answered, what was he talking about?

"Where is Mr Malfoy?" Snape asked,

"I don't know," Harry answered, again, truthfully,

"What have you done?" Snape asked again,

"Nothing," Harry emphasized,

"Just have to stir up trouble don't you, Potter? Just like your old man; Cedric wasn't enough, eh?" Snape muttered darkly as he dragged Harry towards the main hall.

Harry was shocked, he thought he'd gotten over this; Hermione had helped him, but Snape's words stung terribly. Cedric; death... it wasn't his fault, Hermione had told him... but was it? What about Malfoy? Is Draco in danger? Was it his fault?

"I-Is Draco... in danger?" Harry managed to choke out,

"How would I know?" Snape took a sharp turn, into Dumbledore's office, "Professor, I demand to see you now,"

Harry was shock at how one could speak to another of higher authority with such discourtesy. The door opened immediately, and gave way to Dumbledore's office, where the Headmaster, taking a nice nap, sat.

Snape cleared his throat.

"Professor," he muttered lightly,

"Wh-" snort "Yes," Dumbledore awoke from slumber with surprising grace. The headmaster entwined his hand together and sat up in his chair.

"Dr- Mr Malfoy is missing," Snape stated.

Both professors turned to Harry; either awaiting his confession, excuse or further information... he didn't know... so Harry just stared glumly back.

"Are you sure he isn't just... sleeping?" Dumbledore excused,

"No," Harry interjected; Snape looked horrified at Harry. Bad, bad thought.

"No!!" Harry assured, Snape looked a bit calmer, "I mean, Hermione was with," Harry blushed, and Snape eyes bulged. More bad thoughts.

"I see," commented Dumbledore, his eyes still twinkling mischievously. "So, Harry." Dumbledore began, stifling a yawn that remained from his rest, "Do you have any idea where Mr Malfoy is?"

"N-No, sir," Harry answered,

"Well," Dumbledore, replied, deep in thought, "I will owl Mr Malfoy senior and ask for the whereabouts of his son; perhaps Mr Malfoy Junior has decided to go and visit his parents," Dumbledore suggested and showed them out the door, "Tomorrow," he concluded,

"Oh and Snape, can I have a moment with you please," Dumbledore asked,

"Yes," Snape agreed, giving Harry a dark look, "sir,"

---

"What happened?" Hermione demanded of him the moment he entered back into the classroom, without Snape. The classroom was thrown into a pool made of endless chatter and a snog fest; surprise, surprise.

"Dumbledore's gonna owl his dad," Harry replied; Hermione looked very, very nervous.

"Here," Hermione gave Harry the note. It was very creased and looked like she had been holding it for a long time... or she had been holding it very tightly. Harry guessed the latter.

"Be right back..." he read out, what the hell? "Thanks,"

"How's your project going?" Hermione asked, trying to keep her mind off Draco. Harry gazed at Pansy, sulking away in the corner, flicking her hair at Malcolm. Hermione followed his gaze and nodded her head.

"Yours?" Harry returned; big mistake.

"Uh... My partners not here," Hermione answered, looking down.

Where the hell is Draco?

...And Snape!

---

It was Thursday, and so Hermione walked down to the lake. Tradition.

She sat down at their usual spot, a usual silence followed, the water continued to flow in its usual – flowing? – way. Everything was perfect, like usual, except Draco wasn't here. He was missing.

She got up to leave; everything was just so sad with out him. Where was he?

A pair of hands clasped over her eyes;

"Guess who," the owner whispered, a deep husky voice; the voice she longed to hear muffled over. The hands smelled of lemons. Lemons - something about that's... familiar.

"Draco?" she asked, her hopes high; her hands slipping over his, pulling them down. She turned and saw – surprise, surprise – that she was right; Draco stood behind her. His hands were held out, his outfit totally black, his face in a familiar smirk.

"Did you miss me?" he asked, taking her into his arms,

"Wh-Where were you?" she managed while squeezing all the possible air from his lungs,

"Went to look up something," he answered mysteriously, "need to talk to Potter," he grimaced, making Hermione smirk in return.

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Cliffie... but a lil one, at least I didn't leave it before he returned... bet it would've drove you all mad!!! BUT, wonder where he's gone?? Review.