A/N: I'm BAACK! ) Sorry for taking so long to update. I've been getting hooked on fictionpress too, and I'm writing a story there same penname if you were interested!. I've also been practicing real hard for my piano exam, which is in less than 20 days! Eek!

Dianne, thanks for coming back to comment! ) it's taken me a while but it's all good! ) yeah... school work. sigh

sassy, thanks! Here's another chapter for you! Hope you like it!

Chapter 16:

Hermione leaned back in her chair and yawned, stretching her arms above her. She was sitting in the library, trying to complete her Charms essay. They were already half way through the school year, and Harry was still yet to return. She wondered how he'd make it through to seventh year if he DID come back at all. How can you be thinking of that? she asked herself. Harry's out there doing goodness knows what and you're sitting here thinking about whether he'll get through sixth year?!

"'Mione?"

Hermione glanced up. It was Ron. "Hey."

Ron sat down in an empty seat at the Library table. "What are you doing?"

Hermione looked down at her blank piece of parchment. "TRYING to do my Charms essay," she replied wryly.

"Oh," Ron said quietly.

They sat there in silence, each contemplating their own thoughts.

"'Mione?"

"Mmm?" Hermione murmured.

"Do you know where Ginny is?"

Hermione shook her head. "Have you checked the Common Room? Or she could possibly be up in her room." Hermione sighed and began to pack away her things. "Come on, let's go see."

Ron hugged her gratefully. Between the two of them, things weren't really turning out how Ron had expected it to be. Hermione was beginning to seem more distant from him than ever before, and she wasn't really into the whole smooching business. Was it HIS fault that he was just randy?

As if in reply to his thoughts, Hermione turned to face him and placed a warm kiss on his lips.

Ron spluttered. "Wh-What was that for?"

Hermione blushed. She wasn't quite sure either. "I'm just... just glad that you're here."

Ron smiled, shyly. "I'll always be here for you 'Mione."

She nodded. "I know."

They headed up to the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Ron, just wait here. I'll go see if she's up there."

Ron sat down on one of the sofas. "Yeah, ok."

Hermione ran up the stairs. "Gin?" she called, knocking lightly on the door.

She heard a muffled sound coming from inside. She tried the doorknob. Locked. Hermione sighed. "Alohomora!" The lock, well, unlocked.

"Gin?"

Someone sniffed in reply.

"Gin?" Hermione repeated.

"Go away. Leave me alone."

Hermione was taken aback. "Gin, come on."

"You don't understand!"

Hermione was confused. "About what?"

"How come Harry tells you what's going on, and he doesn't tell me? He told me he loved me! He never told you did he?"

Hermione shook her head.

"EXACTLY!"

"Ginny, wait. You're jumping to conclusions. Ok. I DID tell McGonagall what I knew about Harry but Harry didn't tell me!"

Ginny looked at her in pure confusion. "If not Harry then who?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "I think I should be telling Ron everything too. Come downstairs."

Ginny got up and they walked back down to the Common Room.

"Gin! I've been looking for you!"

"Ron, sit back down," Hermione instructed.

Ron sat.

"I told you about my sister, right?"

Ron and Ginny both nodded.

"And how she ran away?"

Again, they both nodded.

"My parents have owled me telling me the real reason why she ran away."

Ron and Ginny didn't say anything.

"She's adopted."

Ginny spoke up first. "What?"

Hermione nodded her head. "I'd always thought that she looked different to Mum and Dad. Well anyway, she's safe."

Ron and Ginny both let out a sigh of relief.

Ginny thought for a while, then raised her eyebrow. "Hermione, please, remind me WHAT exactly does this have to do with how you know about H- Oh."

Hermione simply nodded, while Ron shook his head in confusion. "How do you know about Harry through your sister?"

Hermione laughed. "Ron, you ARE thick. Miranda's with Harry right now."

Realisation dawned on Ron. "Oooh. I see."

"Remember that time McGonagall was going to tell me something and she made the two of you go outside? She told me then that Miranda was with him. She also told me that they Firenze had had a vision of him at Malfoy Manor. I've simply just told her what my sister told me about what happened there." Hermione suddenly paled.

Ron rushed to her side. "What? What is it?"

"I can't believe I forgot to mention it to McGonagall!"

"What?" Ron cried, exasperated.

Hermione looked him in the eye. "Miranda was targeted by Malfoy."

Ron gasped. "What do you mean?"

"She got kidnapped by him."

"But... but..."

"Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"Mmm?"

"What colour eyes does your sister have?"

"Grey... wh- Oh my god," said Hermione, understanding overcoming her. "I never noticed before. That's got to be why... This is all my fault!" she cried.

Ginny put one arm around her shoulder. "It's not your fault. You had no idea."

Hermione took a deep breath and then ran up to the Girls' Dormitories.

Ron gave Ginny a questioning glance. "What's she doing?"

Ginny shrugged. "I dunno."

Hermione ran back down, parchment and quill in hand. "Let me write all this down."

"Miranda has grey eyes. Malfoys have grey eyes. Malfoys have half-blood relative, adopted out through Muggle system."

"Don't forget that Miranda's adopted," Ginny offered.

Hermione scribbled this down then read over what she had. "That can only mean that..." She fell into a chair, the piece of parchment still in her hand. "That Miranda must be the Lost Malfoy!"

A few days after their discovery, Ron, Hermione and Ginny headed up to Professor McGonagall's office.

"Professor?" Hermione called, knocking the door.

The door flew open. "Miss Granger. Mr Weasley. Miss Weasley." Professor McGonagall acknowledged each of them. "What mischief have the three of you gotten into now?" she asked, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

Hermione sat down. "Professor, is my sister a Malfoy?"

Professor McGonagall smiled. "Granger, it did take you a while didn't it?"

Hermione blushed. "I wasn't actually concentrating on that fact."

McGonagall sighed. "Not a Malfoy though, Granger. A Black."

"But Professor, how does she have the trademark Malfoy grey eyes then?"

At this McGonagall took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "It's not certain. If she is indeed a half-blood as books say, then I have absolutely no idea. There had been some concern as to whether or not she indeed is half-blood. Some cast out relatives of the Malfoy family have said that your sister IS full-blood, but with Lucius Malfoy's brother. A/N: someone tell me if Lucius DOES have a brother? They say it is for this reason, she was adopted out, because Lucius didn't want the reminder−"

"That his wife liked his brother better," Hermione interrupted.

Professor McGonagall smiled. "Exactly."

Ron furrowed his eyebrows. "But why would he want her now?" he mused. "OW!" He turned to Ginny. "What was that for?" he whined.

McGonagall turned to Hermione. "He's taken her?"

Hermione winced, under her gaze. "He did Professor, but that's why Harry was at Malfoy Manor."

"Is she alright?"

"Last I heard from her, yes."

"Alright. Thank you Miss Granger." She turned to Ron and Ginny. "Weasleys." She turned around to shuffle some papers on her desk. "I'll pass this information along to the Headmaster and it might aid in finding Harry. If she is still with Harry, then we will find her too. Granger, I ask that you do not tell anyone about this. You too, Weasleys."

The three nodded.

"Alright, now go and leave me." She waved them away.

They all hurried out the door, bumping into Draco and his cronies.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the little Mudblood." Draco sneered as he watched Ron struggling in Hermione's and Ginny's grasp.

"Let it go, Ron," Hermione whispered.

"And you, Weasley, you ain't much better, being her boyfriend and all."

"Let it go, Ron," Hermione repeated.

"Ah... and the little Weasley."

"Sod off Malofy," she scowled.

Draco narrowed his eyes. "I just thought that I'd let you know that although your sister escaped, my father is already planning to take her again."

This time Hermione exploded. "You leave my sister out of this. Just because your mother−" Her hand flew over her mouth."

"Don't talk about my mother, Mudblood." He gestured to Crabbe and Goyle to follow him, as he walked away. He paused, then turned back around. "He's almost found Potter too."

Hermione held in a gasp and waited till Draco was out of hearing range. She turned to Ron and Ginny. "If Malfoy knows then−"

"Then Voldemort knows too," finished Ginny."

A/N: There we go! Now everyone's happy! I'm happy coz I've finally finished this chapter, after much editing and rewriting, and you're happy coz you've got another chapter. I only hope that you guys make me happier by RR-ing! ) teehee! Love yaz all inandout