Disclaimer: I don't own any of it…on with the story

Chapter 9

Malfoy Manor, 9:00 am (A/N same day as before)

Maury slipped into the secret room and found Draco and Hermione in deep conversation, leaning over a book about Hogwarts. "Um…Excuse me master." He interrupted timidly. To Maury's great surprise, when Draco looked up he was grinning, Draco hardly ever sincerely smiled.

"Yes Maury?" he asked.

"I thought you'd like to know your father has a meeting going on, there I someone here who he wasn't expecting who says he has information about Harry Potter." Maury explained. "Would you like me to spy? I did very well last time."

"Harry Potter?" repeated Hermione thoughtfully.

Flashback

"I'm Ron Weasly," Ron muttered.

"Harry Potter," said Harry.

"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course-I got a few extra books for background reading and you in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century.

End Flashback

"Do I know him?"

"Yeah. Do you remember him?" asked Draco.

"A little bit, I think I remember knowing somebody with that name." she replied.

Draco suddenly got an idea, "What about Ron Weasly? Do you remember him?"

She nodded, "I think so."

"Well master?" Maury asked. Draco shook his head.

"No, I'll spy this time," he turned to Hermione, "You wait here, I'll be back in a little while. Keep looking at books and trying to remember."

She nodded, "Okay…but why do you need to spy on your father?"

"It's complicated. I'll explain later."

Applewood still 9:00 am

"What are we going to do?" asked Ron.

"Well, since Malfoy obviously lives near here we have to keep a low profile, his dad can't know Harry's here." said Fred.

"Maybe we should try to find our way back to London ourselves," suggested Harry, "It can't be too far."

George rolled his eyes, "There's an idea! We'll just wander around the country side hoping that we will some how end up in London. It only took us4 hours by train."

"It was only a suggestion." snapped Harry before George could go on, "Besides, it's only common sense we would follow the train tracks back to where we came from."

"I dunno Harry, something tell me we should stay here." said Ron.

"Don't be a prat Ron, Harry's right. We have a better chance of finding Hermione if we go back and start over. The sooner we make it back the better." said Fred.

"Well then it's decided, we leave for London today." George said, "The train was face that way, "he pointed east down the tracks, "so we should go west."

So the four boys set out down the tracks, unaware that they were straying further from there destination than they thought.

Grimmauld Place, 10:00 am

Ginny sat outside the kitchen door hoping to hear something useful. So far the kitchen was silent and empty. Most of the order members were out searching for the boys, Hermione and the missing order members.

"They can't have just disappeared!" came Sirrius's frustrated voice finally.

Someone sighed, "There is no sign of any of them. They could be anywhere." Ginny recognized Remus' voice.

"Dumbledore thinks Hermione must be with Arthur and Mad-eye….wherever they are. As for the boys……" Molly joined the conversation. "Well they can't have gotten far; none of the trains leaving were going far from London." Ginny could hear the worry in her mother's voice.

"Well, we should be going Molly, Tonks will be waiting for us." said Remus. Ginny waited until her mother and former professor leave before entering the kitchen where Sirius was staring at the door.

"Hi." she said causing Sirius to jump.

"Oh, hi." He turned back to the door and sighed, "I wish there was something more I could do." (a/n though we all know him leaving might end in disaster so he will stay where he is.)

"Has anyone checked Mercer?" Ginny asked.

"No."

"Has anyone told Hermione's parents she's missing?"

"No."

"So the boys went to look for Hermione but no one checked the obvious town of where she lives? And no one told her parents that her daughter might be a captive of the evilest wizard ever to walk the planet?"

"That's right." answered Sirius.

"Did any of you ever think that maybe Hermione might not have been on the train? Maybe something happened that caused her to stay home. She could be safe." Ginny said. Sirius just nodded and stared off into space. Ginny realized he was to busy sulking to help her. Rolling her eyes she went upstairs and scribbled a not to Luna.

Luna-

I'll be there as soon as possible.

-Ginny

10:15 am

For the past hour all Draco was done was sit at the top of the stairs watching a strange man standing at the bottom of the stairs outside his fathers study. For the past hour, the man had hardly moved from that spot. Draco guessed it was because his mother was sitting a few feet away, staring at him suspiciously. Draco was about to give to and go back to Hermione when the door to Lucius' study flew open.

"Alright Fletcher," said, Lucius, "get in here." Draco could see a crowd of death eaters crammed in the small office. Draco figured they had been debating whether or not to let this Fletcher guy in or not.

The man disappeared in the room and the door was shut behind them. Narcissa watched the door for a moment as if expecting them to throw the man out right away. Finally she left the room and Draco was able to move closer to the door to eavesdrop.

"So, tell us what you know." Draco recognized his father's voice.

"Well I ain't gonna just had the information over to ya." Came an unfamiliar voice Draco guessed was the strange man's, "What's in it fur me?"

"You get to keep your life." Came a cool voice of one of the death eaters.

"Don' get touchy now. I just wan' a little somethin' in turn for the boys whereabouts."

"What is it you want?" asked Lucius impatiently.

"Well I duuno. How valuable I the information? What are you willing to give?" asked Mundungus.

So for the next half hour the men negotiated, neither side wanted to settle. Finally, the death eaters decided to give Mundungus a small but fair amount of money.

"I'm warning you Fletcher, if you r lying you will regret it." threatened Lucius. "Leave and come back same time tomorrow. We will have the money."

Draco hid under the staircase until the man was gone and went once again to the door.

"How are you so sure we can trust him?" asked McNair.

"We can't, we give him the money, he gives us the information, we he hold him here until we know whether he was right. If he lied we kill him." Lucius explained.

"What about the other prisoners?"

"I haven't been able to get anything out of them yet but Moody is old and weak and Arthur could crack any day now." Lucius answered.

"And the girl?" asked Bellatrix (A/N: evil!). "Any sign of her?"

Avery answered her, "There was a missing persons report on her in the prophet today. Apparently we're not the only ones who can't find her."

"Why is she so important?" asked Crabbe.

"We can use her as bait." replied Lucius, "Harry wouldn't be able to stand the thought of her being tortured."

Draco felt his stomach drop. He couldn't stand the thought of Hermione being hurt either. When did I start caring for the mudblood so much? He thought to himself as he turned and hurried up the stairs.

Bridgeford castle 10:20 am

McGonagall and Snape waited in silence, hoping there plan went right. Finally, there was a small pop and Mundungus appeared before them.

"Well?" asked Minerva eagerly. Mundungus shook his head.

"I couldn't find anythin' out." He said. "I'm going back tomorrow to give them the information and get my reward."

"Reward?" asked Severus.

"Well I couldn't just give them the info without bargaining. It would seem to suspicious."

Minerva nodded, "Good thinking but you need a way to able to look further in the house."

"I'll try tomorrow."

A/N: So that was bad ending to a chapter but I had to end it somehow. I couldn't think of a name for this chapter…any suggestions? Let me know.