AHe came out here? Sirius scowled as he kicked the side of the tunnel behind the Nun's portrait. "Why would he come here?"

Snape scanned the shrubbery outside the tunnel. ADoesnt look like he did at all.

"Perhaps we should continue on into the trees," Remus said as he bypassed the pair of dark men, followed closely by Mr and Mrs Weasley. "He might have found a clear spot or path to the village from here."

"He better not," both Sirius and Snape growled and followed as the werewolf crashed through the foliage.

A short walk later Remus stopped suddenly and Mrs Weasley gasped as the remaining three fell into them. Mr Weasley looked over his wife's head at the scene that had met her before turning her around and pulling her face tightly into his chest.

"Why do I not like the sound of this," Sirius murmured. He shoved past Remus and then was himself shoved aside by Snape. He growled as he turned back, but his eyes widened at the sight of the abnormally pale Potions Master. He turned back to the small glade and fell to his knees. "No..."

Blood was splattered throughout the clearing. It dripped from green leaves and ran over what looked like a stone desk set. Nearer the center of the area, black robes lay in a pool of the crimson liquid that glittered in the light that filtered down. Nearby, nearly hidden by a thick bush that protruded into the clearing, lay a broken white mask that shone eerily in the sunlight.

"Death Eater..." Snape breathed, a flush creeping up his neck and into his face. "A Death Eater was here."

"Your brilliant observation skills never cease to amaze me, Mutt," Snape snapped, but his voice was as breathy as Sirius's own.

Sirius glared Snape before turning back to the bloody scene. "If Harry was here, he's long gone now."

Mrs Weasley gave a sob, "They've got him! They've got my Harry."

Sirius and Snape both glared over at her as Mr Weasley pulled his wife's face back into his chest. Snape gave a deep-throated growl and began pacing around the clearing, his eyes flitting over every detail of the grassy, leaf-strewn ground.

Remus shook his head, "Maybe not. Harry might have gotten away."

"He is good at escaping trouble," Sirius agreed, his stare still centered on the Weasley's.

Snape snorted and bent down to examine the robes at his feet.

"Find anything, Severus," Remus asked him, moving to stand beside.

"Not with you in my light," he snarled back.

Remus sighed and moved back slightly. Snape continued his inspection, his long fingers running just above the fabric before he lifted a corner of it. Blood coated his hands, but he turned it over and focused his gaze on one ragged section.

"Lupin, what do you think this is?"

Remus blinked and moved to kneel on Snape's other side. He reached out and took the robe from the Potions Master, gasping as he recognized the jagged edges.

"He was attacked by a wild animal!"

Sirius started and stared wide eyed at the robes in his colleagues' hands as Mrs Weasley screamed another sob. Mr Weasley stumbled back as the woman went limp in his arms. Sighing, he laid his wife gently on the ground before moving with Sirius to see the bloodied cloth.

The robes were dark and glittered with blood, but the streams of light that filtered down onto them showed the frayed edges that ran in fours and threes through the fabric at different places. Small bits of flesh clung to the edges, sticky and soft with the blood that covered them.

"Whatever it was, it wasn't human. Looks like a giant cat had its way with him." Sirius looked around the clearing again, his eyes falling on the broken mask. He walked over to the white plastic and leaned down to pick it up. Its edges were serrated and wandered through the center of the forehead down between the eyes and over through the right cheek to end at the edge of the curved right jaw-line. Sirius hissed and dropped the mask back down.

"Where is Harry? Did it get him too?"

The others looked around the clearing again before Remus answered, "There's no sign of him, not even his books, so maybe he's ok."

"He does have an amazing ability to escape impossible situations," Snape agreed. "But we need to find him before his luck runs out. Do you think your dog form could sniff him out, Black?"

Sirius nodded, melted into his alter ego and promptly put his nose to the ground. He sniffed around the clearing a bit, wandering slowly over to the stone desk set. He circles the set for a moment and then disappeared into the shrubbery beside it.

"Severus, Remus," breathlessly cried Madame Rosmerta as she raced into the clearing. "Death Eaters! Attacking the castle!"

Snape cursed under his breath and ran back the way they'd come. Mr Weasley pointed his and at his wife and magically lifted her, floating her ahead of him as he too hurried back to the castle. Remus turned to see Sirius standing next to the desk.

"Go on," he said, his face set into a determined expression. "I've caught his scent."

Remus looked back at the castle and then at his friend, "Do—"

"Go, I'll be faster alone as Padfoot."

Remus nodded and ran back inside. Sirius changed back into his black dog form and disappeared quickly into the underbrush, his nose never far from the forest floor.

bbbbbbbbbbbbbb

The forest was still and silent. It scared Draco more than the howl of a werewolf ever could. It was a forest for Merlin's sake! There should have been at least the song of birds to accompany them, but there was nothing. It seemed to him that not even the nearly insubstantial air around him dared to move, lest it disturb the delicate atmosphere of tension that permeated the darkness.

And where was the sun? It must be daylight by now, but no rays of light shone down to light the path around them. It only seemed that the darkness had lost a bit of its depth.

"I know why this is the Forbidden Forest," Draco gasped as he tripped over a tree root, for what seemed to be the thousandth time that day.

Harry turned to glare back at him, his light face nearly glowing in the darkness, "Because it's forbidden?"

Draco scowled back at him. "And it's forbidden because you can't bloody see to navigate!"

Harry laughed as Draco stumbled forward to stand next to him. "What? In danger of losing your dignity, Malfoy? Or just generally terrified?"

Draco growled then smirked. "You know, Potter, that comment was almost Slytherin."

Harry grinned, causing Draco to blink and his smirk to falter in surprise. "Thanks. Just goes to prove I'm not entirely Gryffindor."

Harry started cautiously walking again as Draco ground his teeth in frustration, "Just because Snape took you in—"

"That's not why."

"What do you mean, 'That's not why?' Of course that's why, no one in their right mind would even consider you being anything but a Gryffindor!"

Harry's snicker drifted back to him and Draco briefly considered pummeling him, hero or no. "It has been my experience that very little about this world is in its 'right mind.' And I'm not sure if the hat even has a mind, technically. I mean, it's a magical hat."

"The hat!" The snicker turned into a full laugh and the boy aristocrat ran to catch up. "Never would have thought I'd see the day a Gryffindor would joke about almost being in Slytherin."

"Hmmm. And what about you? I never thought I'd see the day you would willingly discuss anything with me, never mind join my on one of my adventures."

Draco snorted, but fell silent, his gaze split between the boy hero's countenance and the psuedo-path ahead. They kept walking for what seemed to be days, but was actually only another hour.

"Is it really this far to the forest center," Draco whined finally.

"I don't know, and you sound like you're three."

Draco harumphed, "Well, unlike some, there are those of us who need to sleep. Not all of us are superhuman hero's."

Harry laughed, "You mean I'm like Superman or Batman?"

Draco blinked and looked at the other boy blankly, "What?"

He watched as Harry shook his head, the silhouette jaggedly expanding momentarily as the black hair flew about his head. "No, never mind. Just a reference to muggle culture."

"Lived with them too long, Potter? Can't keep your world's straight?"

He was quiet a few moments, causing a pang of worry to tighten Draco's stomach. It only lasted a short time though, until Harry replied, "What about you? Are you keeping your world's straight, Draco? Or are you going to kill me still?"

Draco didn't answer him. If he was to be honest, he would have to admit he didn't know anymore. Should he follow orders? Or should he continue along with the Boy Wonder into unknown dangers?

And why was he questioning it? The Dark Lord was more powerful, wasn't he? Harry wouldn't stand a chance in the final battle. Or would he?

Perhaps he would wait and see.

The silence continued for a few more minutes until a crunch branches behind them startled them into flying around. Both boys stumbled and fell. Draco heard Harry cry out as he hit something, but was too distracted by the pain of falling on what felt to be a sharp, boulder-sized rock.

When the pain-induced haze cleared, he looked up to see a palomino bodied and white haired centaur standing over them, seeming surprised and slightly angered to see them.

"What are you doing in my forest so far from the castle?"

Draco looked over at his traveling companion and lifted his till lit wand to see the boy blush. The centaur obviously wasn't an immediate threat, but previous training and years of ingrained prejudice wouldn't let him simply accept the newcomer. "Who are you to lecture us?"

He winced as Harry leaned over to smack his arm as the boy answered the centaur. "We're hunting for the center of the maze. I think I may have found a way to defeat Voldemort."

The centaur stilled and Draco was sure that in better light he'd have seen the already pale creature go even paler. Deep blue eyes bore into Harry, a gaze that he matched with just as much intensity. Draco knew there was something off about this and had a sinking feeling that whatever was in the center of the forest was more than either of them would be able to handle.

"M-m-maybe we should just go back..."

"I'm sure Firenze would escort you to the castle if you want, but I'm not going back. Not until I've found what I'm looking for," Harry said. His voice surprised Draco. It was full of a kind of steel and nerve he'd only ever heard the professors' use in their most protective of capacities. But what did that mean?

"If there is a castle left," Firenze said in a very soft voice.

"What," Harry shouted, going rigid. Draco felt his own eyes widen with the realization that he was running out of time.

"You're going too far north, travel southwest a bit. That should lead you straight to the center."

The boys stared at the centaur, only coming to their senses enough to call out a plea to wait as he galloped back into the trees.

"What's going on at the castle do you think," Harry said, still staring after Firenze.

"How should I know, Potter," Draco sneered without his usual venom. "I'm not a seer."

Harry sighed and shut off his wand. He chanted a spell and watched as he wand spun on his palm in the dim light.

"Come on, let's go," he said once it had stopped. "Lumos." He stood and began resolutely marching off in another direction.

"Wait," Draco called after him. He jumped to his feet, grimacing as his body protested the quick movement, and stumbled after his companion. "Are you really gonna trust that guy?"

"He may not be human, but he's more trustworthy than you, Malfoy."

A stab of hurt hit Draco's heart and he had to bite back a retort at the insult. After all, it was true.

A/N:

Sorry this took so long all!!! I was busy busy busy for class even after Aug 5! My teacher wanted two, count them, two, poetry reviews to be sent in for actual publication. Seems she likes my stuff when it comes to poetry. Anyway, they should be in the next edition of The Potomac Review, if you wanna check them out! (That's a literary publication based in Maryland.)

Also, I'm now in Glasgow, Scotland. Very nice, but very rainy. Still, the people are friendly like you wouldn't believe! Though the jet lag has been hitting me hard.

I'll try to get these out more quickly from now on, but I think I'll stop making promises. Just when I think it's safe, BAM! Here comes the cosmic irony to bite me in the rear! Also, I'm starting to rebuild my website and am putting up pics from my stay in Glasgow at an online photo gallery. Links to the gallery can be found in my profile, am still working on the site, but is slow going as I have too much else to do.

Nightlight5: Wow... Mondo cookies for you!! I feel so loved now! Actually, alterer is the closest, since I was using the Latin, which seems to be able to mean altar and refuge or protection. So basically if you look at it from the point of view where the "alterer" is the protector, you are right.

Enahma: ::whimpers:: I sorry!!! But it was one crazy year!! Was full time working, student and was helping my family at home (an hour away from my old apartment) as well as helping my cousin with her wedding. Not sure when I even slept! Besides, I still worked on it as much as I could whenever I had a few minutes free I didn't dare relax too much in. It just sometimes takes a while to get an entire chappie done that way. And this chapter was a slow one, needed to lay a few hints and traps for our beloved heros! However, I promise I will not take a year's time to write again. ::proceeds to watch for that cosmic karma that likes her blood::  It even more dangerous than Lycoris!