Disclaimer: Im only putting one of these in the story so remeber it... I DONT OWN HARRY POTTER! and if you dont know who does then... I have nothing more to say to you.

CHAPTER ONE

Hermione tilted her head and stared at the blank stonewall before her.

"What do you reckon?" Harry's voice echoed in her left ear.

"Could be it" Came Ron's doubtful voice from the right.

"Course its it!" Hermione snapped. "Where else could he be hiding? We've destroyed all the Horcruxes, save the snake, and the tracks led to here!"

Ron stepped back and peered curiously at the wall.

"But there's no door or anything! Where do we get in? Forget it, Hermione, this isn't it"

"I think it is" Harry said quietly, raising a shaking, thin hand to touch the cool, smooth surface.

Almost immediately a thin strip of red light, starting at the bottom of the wall, arced up and over their heads, then down again, forming a shining doorway.

"How do we get in?" Ron was obviously having second thoughts about seeking out Voldemort so soon.

"I think I know" Harry spoke, even quieter than before. Without moving his gaze from the doorway, he reached into his pocket for then small silver knife that had once belonged to Dumbledore and drew it quickly across his arm. Blood splattered the wall and a slow humming filled the air.

Hermione whipped out her wand and healed Harry's wound then turned her full attention on the humming, which was steadily increasing in volume.

"Jesus, what is that?" Ron clapped his hands over his ears as the humming reached screaming pitch. Suddenly it stopped.

"It mustn't have worked" Hermione said regretfully.

"Just wait..." Harry took a step back, braced himself, and then ran at the wall.

He disappeared through it in an instant. Hermione and Ron glanced at each other; Ron's look doubtful while Hermione's eyes danced with eagerness, then, together, they slipped through the doorway behind Harry.

The three found themselves in a massive cavern lit with glowing red torches that led the way down a single dark tunnel.

Hermione shivered and wrapped her arms around her thin figure. The temperature had dropped several degrees.

Harry looked at his two best friends, giving them a stern look that told them this was their last chance to go back.

"We're with you Harry"

"All the way"

"Thank you"

Harry took out his wand and headed down the tunnel. For a long time they walked in silence, Harry boldly leading the way, Ron frightfully bringing up the rear. The tunnel, which had been straight so far, turned a corner and into another large cavern, though this one had an ancient wooden throne in the centre of it.

"Wands at the ready" Harry whispered, almost jokingly. They stepped into the cavern.

"I've been waiting for you" Voldemort, wrapped from head to toe in a flowing black cloak, his slit, red eyes glowing from beneath the hood, stepped out of the shadows.

"Go back" Harry, said, his voice suddenly filled with a desperate urgency. "Go… get out!"

Ron's Hand closed over Hermione's wrist and she felt herself being pulled backwards.

"Harry!" she struggled against her captive but failed miserably.

In the middle of the cavern, Voldemort and Harry raised the brother wands in union.

"Prepare to meet your end, Potter" Voldemort snarled, throwing back his cloak, revealing his gaunt, skull-like face.

Harry, despite the look of twisted pain on his face, and the blood trickling from his scar into his eyes, stood his ground.

The two enemies glared at each other, as if both were willing the other to just drop dead.

The room around them began to shake dangerously and bits of the high ceiling began to crack and fall.

Ron gave one last feeble attempt to pull Hermione to safety but now the most of his attention was fixed on the battle before them.

Wands were raised and words were spoken…

"Arvada Kadavra…"

Blinding green light filled the room at the same time as the ceiling crumbled completely.

Hermione was thrown to the floor as something struck her face. Her vision swam just long enough for her to see the green light to be replaced with white light, then she lost sight altogether.

Noise continued to fill her ears, though, people, men, shouting, someone tripping over her fallen body, crashing rock, and then someone grabbed her.

"Hermione? Hermione can you hear me?"

"Harry? Harry is that you?"

"Hermione! Look at me!"

"I… I cant"

There was a sudden scuffle and they were separated for a minute or two then some one crashed into her, wrapping their arms around her, and pulling her away from the noise, away from the violence.

"Harry?" Hermione gasped as the person flung her against a wall as an explosion erupted behind them.

"No, not Harry. Hold still"

The voice was indeed male, but it defiantly wasn't Harry. Hermione took a stab in the dark.

"Ron?"

This time the voice didn't say anything.

There was another explosion, a woman screaming, then footsteps coming towards them, colliding with them.

"What are you doing to her, you prick!"

"I was getting her out of the way, dickhead! Can't you see she's bleeding!"

"Harry?" Hermione tried again.

"I'm here, Hermione"

"Where's Ron?"

"I don't know. Just hold still. We'll get you out of here"

"Harry I can't see…"

Something slammed across the back of her head and suddenly she knew nothing.

"I can't believe you hit her over the head!"

"Well she wasn't going to come quietly. I had to knock her out somehow"

"With a fucking rock! Jesus, Malfoy, I know your good now but you can still be an asshole at times…"

Malfoy? Hermione knew she had recognised that voice somewhere. Hermione sat up and opened her eyes. Nothing. There was just darkness. A horrible, soulless darkness that terrified Hermione to her bones.

"Where am I?" she called hysterically.

"Your in the hospital wing, Hermione. Can't you see that?" Harry's hand closed gently over hers and she turned in the direction of his voice.

"No, Harry, I can't see. I can't see anything!"

Harry paused and Hermione could only guess that he was staring at her.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Malfoy called from her other side. Hermione jumped. She hadn't realised he was so close.

"What, what is it? Is she awake?" the snappish voice of Pomfrey could be heard coming towards them from across the room.

"She's blind"

"I know…"

"You know? What do you mean you know!" Hermione asked hysterically, trying to get out of bed. Harry held her down.

"I didn't tell anyone just in case you were fine but last night I noticed that your pupils were dilated and your retinas had shut down."

"So I'm blind for life?"

"There's a slight chance you will get partial sight back but yes, I believe your blind for life"

Hermione sank back into the bed as hot tears pricked her eyes. Well at least she could still cry.

"We'll leave you alone if you want" Harry said gently on her left. Malfoy shifted uncomfortably on her right.

"No" she said suddenly. She wasn't going to let this illness get in the way. Not yet, anyway… "Tell me what happened. Where's Ron?"

"Ron is…" Harry paused, considering his words carefully. Hermione felt as if a bucket of ice had been tipped over her head.

"He's not dead is he?"

"No, no of course not. But…"

"He vanished in that fight in the cave," Malfoy said abruptly. "No-one knows what happened to him"

"And Voldemort?"

"Voldemort got away. But it doesn't matter… we don't have the snake anyway… but guess what, Herm!" a note lifted in Harry's voice, something Hermione hadn't heard for a long time. "Guess who's back?" he fell silent until Hermione finally blurted out; "who?"

"Dumbledore!" both Harry and Malfoy said in union.

"What?" Hermione sat up again, looking from left to right, though never actually seeing.

"That white light in the caves, that was him! He said he faked his death to make me take action… and now he's back!"

"Is he here, in the castle?"

"Yes!"

Hogwarts castle, after having closed down, had become a safe haven and a base for the good guys. Even after Dumbledore had left, it had still been considered the safest place in the magical world so the order of the phoenix had moved its headquarters from Grimmauld place to the castle. Now Harry and a few very select close friends lived in the castle.

Over time they had turned the empty classrooms into living quarters and everyone had their own rooms. Every now and then they would find stragglers, like Malfoy, who were desperate to leave the dark side, and hide them in the castle.

Although it was a safe haven, it was still prone to attacks from the dark side. That's why it had four secret keepers, to make the protection even stronger.

The secret keepers were Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Harry. Having four keepers meant that, if one of them told, or one of them died, the castle would still remain hidden. Though sometimes death eaters were able to break through the spell and attack, just like Harry and his friends were able to break through the protection spells that Voldemort used.

"Its almost dinner time" Harry said, letting go of Hermione's hand to check his watch. "Do you want to come down?"

"Of course" Hermione struggled out of bed and immediately tripped over Harry's chair.

"Whoops" Harry caught her and set her upright as Pomfrey came out of her office to join them on their walk to the great hall.

Dinner had become a traditional communal meeting for the residents of Hogwarts. They all realised that their time was short-lived so they had made a silent vow to attend a nightly dinner, rain, hail or death eaters.

The four of them made their way slowly downstairs, Harry holding onto Hermione's upper arm and guiding her, Pomfrey and Malfoy walking a little way ahead.

"Harry, you never told me why you bought Malfoy home" she whispered. The question had been picking at her since she had first awoken but she had been too afraid to say anything.

"He saved you ass in that cave, Hermione" Harry said in a scolding voice, as if accusing her.

"I know, I know… I just wondered why you trust him now, when you never have before. And it cant just be that he saved me… there must be more than that..."

"There is" Harry paused as he helped her down a set of stairs. "But I'm going to keep that to myself for a while, ok?"

"Ok"

They entered the great hall and happy but subdued voices filled Hermione's ears. Thirteen chairs were set at the table tonight for Harry, Hermione, Draco, Ginny, Dumbledore, Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley, Neville, Luna, Pomfrey and McGonagall. One chair was left empty where Ron usually sat.

"How are you, Hermione?" Tonks asked, sitting on her left.

"Yeah, Pomfrey just told us what happened… we're really sorry" Ginny sat on her right.

"I'm fine. I'm still alive and walking" Hermione smiled and stared straight ahead into her private darkness. For a few seconds she wondered how she looked from the outside.

"Any news of Ron yet?" Ginny asked quietly when everyone was seated.

"I searched the caves this morning" said the familiar voice of Dumbledore. Hermione felt a sudden rush of warmth spread over her, as if hearing Dumbledore's voice would make everything ok. "But they've vacated the entire area. I am positive, though, that young Ronald is still alive. The Weasley family clock says so, anyway"

There was a mumbled relief from around the table then a clattering of knives and forks.

"Are you going to eat, Hermione?" Neville asked from across the table and a little to the left.

"I cant…" Hermione lifted her hand and touched her empty plate.

"I'll help" Tonks said remorsefully. Hermione could pick up a hint of definite pity in the older woman's voice. "Do you want chicken or lamb?"

"Chicken, please"

Tonks loaded her plate with food and Hermione reached clumsily for her knife and fork.

"Just use your hands, Herm. Everyone else is" Harry said from the end of the table. Hermione felt suddenly aware that everyone was watching her.

Blushing, she picked up a leg of chicken and bit carefully into it.

Dinner continued normally after that. Conversation picked up again but Hermione didn't speak. Not being able to see made her feel isolated and alone. At the end of dinner Tonks was the first to stand up.

"Remus and I have some news" She said delightfully and everyone fell silent. "I just found out this morning that… well… I'm pregnant!"

"Congratulations!" yelled Harry and everyone began to cheer. It was common knowledge that Remus and Tonks had been trying for a baby for some time.

"To Tonks and Remus" Dumbledore said from the other end of the table. "May they have many joy filled years in this dark time of ours"

Hermione realised they were making a toast and she reached for her glass. She suddenly found it handed to her from the person sitting directly opposite her, though she had no idea who it was.

"To Tonks and Remus" she spoke along with the rest of them. "Many happy times…"

Hope you enjoyed... the next chapter will show a few betrayals so watch out for it...

EM