A/N: Sorry for the long wait, thanksgiving really through me off, not to mention that I went out of town and wasn't able to write at all! Oh that was really crappy. Well, anyways the long awaited chapter for you all. Enjoy!

Swooping down, seemingly as one, the various owls each held a blood red letter, and dropped them in front of their respective student. Dumbledore stood up, solemnly looking out at the startled students. His eyes rested on Harry and Harry saw the tiniest tear fall down the headmasters cheek. Harry looked around worriedly, each student who got an envelope was starting to open it. Neville, the closest one to Harry who had a red envelope, read his silently. His face fell as he read more of the letter, and tears started to fall down his face.

"Neville, what's wrong? What's the letter say?" Harry asked softly. Neville looked up, tears streaking down his face. He handed Harry the letter with a shaky hand. Harry quickly read the letter, and past it on the Hermione, and Ron who had tuned in when he realized Neville had gotten a letter, looked over her shoulder.

"Oh Neville. I'm so sorry. He was your uncle?" Hermione ask, her eyes glistening with tears.

Harry took the letter from Hermione, and reread it. "Says here, Voldemort did it." The others flinched at the name but Harry ignored it. "I'm going to see Dumbledore."

~You hear about this?~ Draco asked through the mindlink. ~Pansy's grandfather was killed. He was the only Ravenclaw in the family, but it seems she's still upset over it.~

~I'm going to talk to Dumbledore. He might know what happened.~ Harry replied, as he rounded up on the Professor's table.

~I'll be listening.~ Draco informed him, and he went quiet, though Harry could still feel his presence in his mind.

"Professor Dumbledore." Harry said the moment he reached the table. Dumbledore looked up, and gave Harry a look that clearly said he was expecting this. "I would like to speak to you in privet." Harry stated, looking back at the professors lined along the head table, watching him intently.

"After dinner." Dumbledore replied simply, his tone inviting no argument. Harry rolled his eyes and moved down the table to Mr. Axel, who was sitting next to Dumbledore.

"What is this about?" Harry asked the man. Mr. Axel looked up form his food.

"Dumbledore said after dinner." Mr. Axel said. Harry huffed and headed for the door.

"We're going to have some trouble." He barely heard Dumbledore say. He felt someone's eyes on his back as he slowed his pace slightly. He angled his wand in his pocket to place a increased hearing spell on himself.

"What are we going to do?" Mr. Axel whispered.

"Continue as planned. He needs to be fully developed before he can become a Auror." Dumbledore said. Harry suppressed a growl as he hurried out the door.

"I guess you're right. But it still feels like we're using him." Mr. Axel told Dumbledore, concern and a tinge of regret laced in his voice.

"We have to." Dumbledore said, almost roughly.

Harry raced up the stairs, and headed for the tower, taking the spell off as he went.

~Wait up!~ Draco called to, but Harry ignored him. He reached the portrait just as Draco came up behind him. Harry quickly told the fat lady the password.

"Do not be thinking of doing what you are thinking." Draco said, then paused to think. He suddenly nodded to himself. "Yeah that made sense."

"Look, you heard them. I'm not going to stay here and be some little toy soldier for them. I've got other more important things to do." Harry told him, as he entered the common room.

"Well, I'm coming with you." Draco said, following him in.

"No you're not." Came the reply.

"You'll need me." Draco persisted. Following Harry up to the dorm.

"It would be better for you to stay here. You can continue to train." Harry said as he threw open his trunk.

"Yeah so they can question me until I give in where you are? You know they have truth potions, they'll know that I know where you'd be and they'd get it out of me. I'd be a liability." Draco said reasonability.

Harry sighed, knowing Draco was right. "Fine, but you might want to pack quickly." Harry told him. Draco immediately headed for the door. "Here." Harry said quickly, as he tossed Draco the invisibilty cloak. "So no one will see you."

Draco hurried out the door and Harry went to his bedside table. He tossed in his belongings and grabbed his blanket off the bed. Harry tucked everything he owned into the trunk, did a shrinking spell, and grabbed his cloak. With his broom in hand Harry headed to the window. He paused a moment, and looked back at the room. His eyes fell on Ron's bed and Harry dropped everything and went over to his friend's bed. Harry pulled out a piece of Ron's parchment from the table beside him and wrote a quick note.

Ron and Hermione,

I'm sorry for being such a jerk. I know you have no idea what's going on but I have to go. By the time you read this I'll be long gone. Draco is coming with me but please don't tell anyone of this. I know you can't understand this right now, but I will contact you before too long. Trust me, I finally know what I am doing. Please forgive me, and tell Hermione I'll miss her, as well as you. But things need to be stopped. I can't tell you where I'm going, heck I don't even know. But I'll be back, you can't rid of the boy who lived that easily. Give the second note to Ginny for me, please? And don't try to open it, Hermione. I've sealed it so only Ginny can open it. Make sure she reads it alone. You guys are the best friends ever. Thanks.

~ Harry

Harry grabbed another piece of paper and proceeded in writing the mysterious note for Ginny.

Ginny,

I wouldn't let the others see this. They'd object to it. But Draco likes you, a LOT. Don't worry about him, I'll make sure he makes it back for you. We'll be in touch.

~ Harry

Harry sighed, folding up the parchment and lay the two letters side by side. Waiting for Draco to tell him when he was ready, Harry thought about how he was going to get out of the dorm. Walking out the front door really wasn't advisable.

~You ready?~ asked Draco.

~Yeah, can you get outside? When you do make sure you have your broom ready.~ Harry told him.

~Yeah, and I've got enough money too. I just floo'd my dad and got money from him. Told him it was for more black robes.~ Draco said with a chuckle.

~All right. See you at the front entrance.~ Harry told him. Gathering up his things, he threw open the window. Once again he leapt from the safety of the school and into the wind. He mounted his broom with ease and he soared around the school to the main entrance.

~Up here.~ Draco said. Looking up, Harry saw Draco's grinning face, and within his outstreched hand he held up a small bag that jingled with coins. Harry smiled at his friend and readied his broom.

Harry smiled. ~Lets go then before anyone notices our leaving.~ Harry told him and together they sped off across the grounds and over the forbidden forest.

~*~*~*~*~

The wind was icy on their faces and they realized the only way they'd survive was to stop and at least warm up. They started looking for a glimmer of light in the trees and dived down when they finally found one. Harry was off his broom first, his teeth clattering. He pulled out his wand, and turned his trunk back to its normal size. He pulled it open and brought out his blanket.

Something slithered across his foot and he glanced down, his mode automatically switching to defense. A snake. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly he realized something. He forgot Nessem

"Damn! Neesm! I forgot him!" Harry whispered.

"I'm here! And I can't believe you shrunk me!" Came a voice from inside his trunk.

"How'd you get there?" Harry asked, relief flooding though his veins once again.

"I hitch-hiked." Neesm answered sarcastically. "I've been in here since the night you woke up. I didn't want to go back to the room, what with everything going on." Neesm explained.

"You knew Dumbledore was using me?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"They had a suspicion down at the council of elders but they had no real proof." Neesm said, a hint of sorrow accompanying his hiss.

"Look, I hate to break this up just when things are getting good, but I freezing my arse off. Can we please see if anyone is home?" Draco interrupted, motioning towards a one-story cabin cleverly hidden by trees.

Neesm looked over at it, his tongue flickering. "Someone is up, sitting in the main room." He informed Harry. Harry let his own power leak out of its constricting hold to 'feel' out the person inside. An old man, living a lone for twenty years, with minimal contact with the outside world. A perfect place to rest, Harry surmised studying the man's character through his aura. No indication of incessant wrongdoing, nor any trace of black arts.

"Perfect. This guy is one hundred percent innocent." Harry said, and Draco headed to the door.

'But what if, some how, Voldemort finds me? The innocent man could be killed.' Harry thought, as he followed Draco up to the door, after shrinking his trunk again.

Draco knocked on the door. A moment later it opened a little hesitantly. An old man, with too many wrinkles to count, stood before them. "Hello." He said quiet startled.

~Seems that the old man hasn't had company in a long while.~ Harry said before addressing the man out loud, "I'm sorry sir, for imposing. But we are lost and very tired not to mention cold. We were wondering if you had an extra room to spare?"

The old man looked at them quizzically, but soon relented, subconsciously summing them up to be two normal teenagers. He said. "Yes I do. But I'm afraid you'll have to bunk together. I only have one extra bed. Please come in." He opened the door wider, and allowed them to enter. Harry followed Draco in, after checking the rest of the house for anything living, the old man had a dog, nothing else.

"My name is Michael, and this is my friend Arthur." Harry said quickly, and shook his head slightly at Draco's puzzled look.

"I am Nicholas, but you may call me Nick, and that over there-" He said pointing to the snoozing dog. "-is Dizzy. He's my dog." He walked over to the couch and sat down, Harry and Draco followed in suit.

"So what are you two doing in these neck of the woods?" Nick asked, a hand laying on the dog next to him.

"We were camping, and went off to find fire wood, and we've gotten lost." Draco answered.

~Quick thinking! It's believable.~ Harry told him.

~What that I can think on my feet? You aren't the only one who can make things up.~ Draco said with a chuckle.

"Oh dear. Well, you are welcome to stay here until morning then it should be light enough for you to search for your camp." Nick offered.

"Thank you." Harry and Draco replied thankfully. Nick looked over Harry, his eyes searching, and wondered up to his scar.

A single eyebrow rose.

~Uh-oh!~ Harry said, watching Nick's face, but the old man said nothing.

~Oh, that's worse then him saying something.~ Draco said, as he faked a yawn.

Nick turned his attention to Draco. "Arthur, are you tired?" He asked, concern in his eyes.

"Yeah." Draco admitted.

"Well, come this way, I wont keep you up any longer." Nick said, as he stood on wobbly legs.

"Are you all right?" Harry asked, reaching an arm out to steady the old man.

"Yes, I'm fine. Its just these old legs, they take a while to get started." He said with a chuckle. Harry allowed Nick to lean against his arm as he slowly walked them to their room.

"Here you are. I'm sorry to say I only have one extra bed, one could sleep in here and another on the couch if you'd like." Nick said. Draco and Harry looked at each other.

"I'll take the couch." Harry offered, and Draco nodded.

"All right." Nick said, then directed his attention to Draco. "You'll find everything you in here." He said, opening a cabinet. "You can follow me." He said to Harry as he scuttled out of the room.

"Night." Harry said as he followed the old man.

~Night!~ Draco echoed. Nick opened the hall closet and produced a few blankets, handing them to Harry and reached for a pillow.

Once he handed that over he said. "There now you have everything. Go to bed." His tone suggested that he once possibly had children.

"Thank you." Harry said sincerely and he headed to the living room. The old man followed him to make sure he was all right.

"Well, have a good night's sleep. Wake me if you have any trouble." He said, watching Harry make up the couch.

"I will. Good Night, Nick."

"Good Night, Michael." The old man retreated to the back room, with his dog on his heels and closed the door.

Harry laid on the couch and Neesm appeared out of nowhere and curled up on his chest.

"Night, Neesm." Harry whispered.

"Good night, Harry." Neesm said into the darkness. Harry reached over and grabbed his potion from his trunk at the front of the couch. He took his dosage and settled back on the couch. Harry closed his eyes, and the blackness overwhelmed him, sending him spiraling into the land of dreams.