Gems in the eyes of the world

Disclaimer: I own nothing magical, or out of this world, so now it is obvious that I do not own Harry Potter. All things written in this fic are mostly fictional, depending on which way you choose to think of it. Imagination has no end, it will only stop if you will it to.

Chapter thirteen

(Spoilers in this chapter. Sorry for the mentioning it late)

Thank you SOOOO much to these people:

- Monikka DaLuver - Lol, thank you so much for reviewing, and yes, Draco kind of does suck, but you should wait until this is finished before you say that! Anyway, here's the next chapter, I hope you like it! Talk to you later!

- Milocachica - Thanks for reviewing! And saying those things about the chapter! And don't worry, I babble all the time (I mean, look at the chapters, lol) Thanks also, for your opinion on the ending, I'm thinking about writing two endings you know, but I'm not quite sure if I have the time, I will THINK about it though (and I mean think by, think a LOT). You'll know if I write two endings though, so . . .

- LythTaeraneth - Ah yes, I asked you again about the ending thing and I can still remember that little conversation we had about it (Heh, still remember that death list). Anyway, thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy!

- Crystalized Snow - Lol, no one guessed that it would come from Hermione though, so it wasn't just you. Here's the long-awaited chapter! Enjoy!

- NitenGale - Well, I did actually leave out a reviewer in my thanks last time . . . hold on, that might have been with my other fic though, I'm not actually that sure. Anyhow, thanks for reviewing the last chapter, and I hope you review (and enjoy) this one as well!

- Alexian-goddess - Hmm, I guess a month and a bit isn't exactly, hurrying. Sorry! Heh, I took a break I guess, and the writer's block was just getting too much, and my teenage hormones weren't really helping either. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope you review afterwards as well! Thanks for reviewing!

- Ding - Hey Ding, nice talking to you again! I will put the ending however I want it . . . even though I'm not quite sure how I want it yet. But, I'll probably ask reviewers for their opinions again in the next few chapters - just not now! Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

- Spaced Out Space Cadet - Hey! Thanks for giving my question some thoughts. You've had long enough to think now, right? Lol, I hope you enjoy this chapter (no matter how short it is)!

- Some12 - Thank you so much for your opinion on the ending! I've noted it down, and I'm still thinking about which way I should go with it . . . I'm so confused! TOODLES! And thanks again!

- Happigolucki616 - Thanks, I'll make a note of what you think . . . well, I'm making a note of what everyone thinks! It's really hard! Draco turned her over? When did he turn her over? Lol, I don't get it, but then again, I hardly get anything.

- Smileyface1314 - Lol, yeah, I know what you mean, when I re-read it, I kind of thought about how soft Hermione was, but oh well, that is the sort of person I'm trying to portray I guess. Thanks for reviewing!

-Storywritter10791 - Thank you for reviewing, and telling me what you think about the ending for this fic! I need as many opinions as possible, and some people aren't exactly helping me very much . . .

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Hermione shivered. She felt cold all of a sudden. She simply didn't understand how one man, no matter how evil he was, could make her feel so cold. His eyes seemed so unreal, and she didn't want to look into them. They could give her nightmares for weeks.

Lord Voldemort smirked maliciously before setting his snake-like eyes onto Draco. His eyes travelled towards his hand (which was still clutched tightly onto Hermione) and the smirk faded almost immediately.

"Hand those gems over to me, Draco," He hissed, "I shall give you your reward, if you hand them over to me."

Draco let go of Hermione's hand, taking one step forward before he suddenly stopped. He froze, and it looked as though he couldn't move. He took one step back this time, as though he didn't trust Voldemort enough to move any closer.

"You shall receive it, My Lord," Draco said slowly, "But may I ask My Lord a favour?"

Voldemort raised a thin eyebrow, "A favour? I think you hardly deserve one, after all the trouble you have caused me . . ."

"I would just like to ask, My Lord, if you could lift this curse that you have placed upon me," Draco said slowly as some of his fellow deatheaters gasped – shocked that he had asked the Dark Lord for a favour when he had clearly said that he didn't think he deserved one.

"I'm guessing that you would like me to lift it, before you hand those gemstones to me?"

Draco nodded, looking at the floor of the forest and bowing his head slightly. No, he would not kneel for someone like him. Not anymore.

"You're lucky, Malfoy, that I'm in a rather good mood today," the Dark Lord said, taking his wand and pointing it straight at Draco, "I could easily kill you and take the gems from you myself, but I have some . . . further tasks that you would be perfect for."

Voldemort grunted before tapping Draco three times with his wand. The wand began to vibrate and blood-red sparks flew from it and into Draco. The Dark Lord's wand remained raised, until ice blue sparks began to fly from the tip of his wand. Finally, he lowered it and placed it back into his robe pocket.

"Now hand me those gems," Voldemort said. It was clear from his voice and his face that he was beginning to get impatient. Draco looked up at the Dark Lord and then at his out-stretched hands. Slowly, he placed his hand into his pocket, but instead of pulling out the gemstone of elements, he pulled out Hermione's wand instead.

"Flipendo!" Draco shouted, as quickly and clearly as he could. Voldemort was most definitely not prepared for this. He was immediately knocked backwards into the air, and soon landed with a load crash onto the floor of the forest. All the deatheaters began to form a circle around their Lord.

"My Lord! Are you okay?" Wormtail shrieked, he was one of the many deatheaters that were beginning to fuss over Lord Voldemort.

But Voldemort was perfectly fine. He had, by now, stood up in anger. "AFTER THEM!!!" he bellowed. All the deatheaters turned to where Draco and Hermione had been only a few minutes ago, only to find that they had gone.

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"Draco, I don't think I can run anymore," Hermione said, as she tried her hardest to carry on running and not trip over any fallen branches or tree roots. After Draco had hit Voldemort with a Knock-back Jinx, he had taken Hermione's hand and together, they had run as fast as they could, away from the deatheaters and the Dark Lord.

"Just a bit more, Hermione," Draco said, pulling her through the forest as quickly as he could. Voldemort would have sent his deatheaters to look for them by now, and it would only be a matter of time before they found them.

"But, do you even know where we're running? Are you sure we aren't just running deeper into the forest?"

Draco didn't reply. Hermione knew that he didn't have a clue where they were going, but they had just run forward. She looked up and saw through the thick tree branches that the sky was full of stars, shining brightly, unaware that the situation could not be less bright.

They continued to run forward, never turning and never stopping to look back. Somewhere in the distance, Hermione could hear someone shouting, "EVERYONE SPLIT UP," which could only mean that the deatheaters were not far behind.

Suddenly, the pair came to a halt. Draco hurriedly took the gems from his robe pocket and pried open Hermione's hand, forcing her to take it. "Hurry, take these and carry on running forward. You'll get out of this forest eventually. Once you get out and into the Hogwart's grounds, head towards the ruins of Hogsmeade. The deatheaters have been there already; they won't go there again. I would know, I'm a deatheater myself."

"But –

"Don't. Just go, leave me. The more you stay and talk, the closer they'll come. Now go."

Hermione hesitated. She couldn't possibly leave Draco there, with her wand, to defend himself against all those deatheaters, could she? But if she didn't, then they would both be caught, and Voldemort would surely destroy the gemstones, and not only would Draco and her die, so would the innocent people who might just be the Dark Lord's next victims.

"Don't hesitate. GO."

She looked up at Draco and saw that his eyes were pleading her to run. She nodded and began to run as fast as she could. She didn't want to leave Draco there, but she knew that she had to, for the good of Harry, for the good of her friends and for the good of the wizarding world.

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Hermione tried her best to breathe quietly. The rubble that was once Hogsmeade seemed to be deserted, but she could never be sure. She didn't want to be too noisy, just in case one of the deatheaters had thought of looking here. She had done exactly what Draco had told her to do, and the gemstone of elements, along with the five other gems were still in her hand.

But now what was she going to do?

She had run, and yes, she could say that for now she was safe, but where would she go now?

She couldn't apparate anywhere, because she had not a clue where to go, and she couldn't fly because she had no broom. She was, in a way, stuck in Hogsmeade. There was the idea that maybe she could explore the ruins and then see what she could come up with, but she didn't want to risk that chance of bumping into anyone unfamiliar, especially if that someone was a follower of Voldemort.

Rubbing her shoulders and trying her hardest to think of something to do, her mind soon drifted to thoughts of Draco. She could only hope that he was safe, and that Voldemort hadn't already used the killing curse on him. But then again, Voldemort was ruthless. He wouldn't possibly let any follower of his get away with anything, after he had given them two chances and a favour, and still they had gone and betrayed him.

She shook her head and whimpered quietly to herself, trying to think positive thoughts, but again and again, her negative side got the better of her. She couldn't help but imagine Draco, lying, lifeless, on the damp floor of the forest. Just imagining it could make the tears well up in her eyes once more.

Suddenly, she heard a loud squawk from above her. Squinting and carefully shielding her eyes from the rays of sunlight, she looked up and saw some sort of bird, or rather, phoenix.

"Fawkes!" Hermione said, hoping that her guess was right. Indeed, it was Dumbledore's phoenix. As he flew closer and closer towards her, she could see that there was something following it - something larger than Fawkes, something with the head of an eagle, and the body of a horse. There seemed to be a person riding on this 'thing'.

"Hermione! Thank God we found you!"

Hermione smiled weakly as she stood. It was her former Defence Against The Dark Arts Professor, Remus Lupin, riding on the hippogriff – Buckbeak. They landed swiftly and Lupin immediately dismounted Buckbeak.

"Professor Dumbledore said that Fawkes could find you eventually. We didn't know if you were safe or not, but we couldn't wait for you to come back after your time travel. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has taken over Hogwarts, and he's not likely to leave," Lupin said. Smiling reassuringly at Hermione, he then added, "But I'm sure it's going to be okay. Hurry now, let's get on Buckbeak, we're going to have to leave here as soon as possible and head back to headquarters."

Hermione nodded and mounted Buckbeak as quickly as she could, Lupin soon doing the same. Fawkes began to fly once again, and Buckbeak soon began to follow.

"Where is the headquarters exactly, we aren't using the same place as we did before . . . are we?" Hermione asked. They couldn't possibly be using the same old house, after the master of the house had died, right?

"It's the same house, Hermione," Lupin answered, "I know what you're thinking, but that still is the best place for headquarters, and until we find a new and better place, it'll have to do. Have you still got those gems with you?"

Hermione nodded and held the gems tighter in her hand. She knew that she was safe for now, but she could only hope that both, Draco and Harry, would be too.

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Hello everybody! Yes, this is rather short, I know, and it does seem that I kind of . . . disappeared for a while, but at least the update's here now! I hope it was okay, I spent a while editing it, and reading it through, but as always, there's bound to be mistakes that I somehow overlooked! Please, PLEASE, forgive this author for updating so late, and please, also, review!

Next chapter will be posted as soon as I've written it!

- iluvronweasley