Disclaimer; I don't own the characters of Harry Potter.
A/N Here is the next chapter. I have to say I really like where this story is going. I hope you do too. Just to clear up some confusion Dumbledore destroyed Marvolo's ring after their fifth year. He couldnt havedestroyed it after thier sixth year because he had died :( I hope that cleared up any confusion for this chapter.Happy reading and don't forget to review.
Ron's arrival
After breakfast Hermione helped Draco down the stairs and sat him at the dining room table. Harry barely looked up from his work.
"Harry," Hermione called "you need some rest. Let us go over some of these things. It won't do you any good to discover anything if you are too tired to remember it." she said soothingly. Harry looked at her with bloodshot eyes.
"'Mione you know how important this is." Harry scolded in a weak voice.
"I can handle it for an hour or so while you rest. Now I won't take no for an answer."
"Yes mum." Harry said sarcastically. Just then he realized Malfoy was there.
"Feeling better?" he asked wearily. Malfoy nodded. "Hermione can I have a word?" Harry motioned towards the sitting room.
"Be right back." she said to Draco before following Harry into the darkened room.
"What is he doing down here?" Harry asked.
"I thought he could help. Look, he may know something. Any one of those papers could trigger a memory." she told him.
"What if he is a spy?" Harry asked slightly annoyed.
"He's not. I will take full responsibility for him while he is here." she told him.
"Fine. Just be careful." he said hugging her before heading upstairs. Hermione returned to the dining room and sat down next to Draco. He was looking over the papers that were sitting in front of him.
"So, see anything that you recognize?" she asked him leaning close to read the paper he was holding.
"Not yet." he said, silver eyes scanning the rolls and rolls of parchment.
"There are lots of books to go through." she sighed.
"What exactly are we looking for? I mean how will I know if I have found something if I don't know when I have found it." he said staring at her.
"Alright, I will fill you in on the basics. Voldemort found a way to split his soul. Into seven pieces to be exact. He stored these pieces in items that meant something to him. They are called Horcruxes. Harry and Dumbledore have already destroyed three of them. There are three more to find. Once all six are gone Voldemort will be mortal. He can be killed." Draco's mouth hung open slightly.
"I heard when I was on the run that he was getting weaker and he didn't know why." he suddenly said.
"Well that is because half of his soul pieces are gone. There are three more things to find. Helga Hufflepuff's cup, Rowena Ravenclaw's mirror and Voldemort's snake Nagini. Harry destroyed the diary your father gave to Ginny Weasley in his second year. Dumbledore destroyed Marvolo Gaunt's ring just after our fifth year. That's why his hand had died. Apparently only Harry can destroy the Horcruxes without harm coming to him. And when we returned here after Dumbledore's death we found the locket that Sirius' brother had hid here. Harry destroyed it. And that's where we are now. Three Horcruxes to go. No clue where to look."
"I don't see how I am going to help you." he admitted. "I have been out of touch with most of the wizard world for the past year and I don't even have a wand."
"Well, if we need you that will be our first priority." she said rifling through the stack of papers closest to her.
"Right now we need to research Rowena Ravenclaw's mirror. It used to reside at Hogwart's in our first year. After that Dumbledore moved it to a secret room. Voldemort found it in our first year when he tried to get the sorcerer's stone. We don't know what happened to it after that."
"What exactly is it?" he asked. "I mean I know what you mean by a mirror but is it large, small, what?"
"It's quite large. About 8 or 9 feet tall. It is inscribed at the top with a saying. It is called the Mirror of Erised."
"Never heard of it. What is the saying that is inscribed on it?" he asked more curious than ever.
"It says 'ERIDEDSTRAEHRUOYTUBECAFRUOYTONWOHSI'"
"What language is that?" he asked.
"English." she laughed. "It means 'I show not your face, but your heart's desire.' It's just written backwards."
"Oh," he replied. "So what does this mirror do?"
"When you look into it, it shows your deepest desires. For instance when Harry looked into it he saw his mum and dad alive."
"Oh." he said again feeling like he would very much like to look into this mirror and see his mum again.
"So we have been all over looking for it. Of course we searched Hogwart's first. Top to bottom. No sign of it."
"I see." he said grimly. "I would have no idea where to even start looking for that. But if there was anyone who would know it would be my father."
Hermione's mouth fell open in surprise.
"He is locked up in Azkaban. And even if he wasn't he would not help the order. Or you for that matter."
"I know, but Malfoy manor is empty. Death eater's meet there occasionally but only at night. We could go through my father's things and see if there are any clues." he said.
Hermione looked hopeful.
"When Harry wakes up we will talk it over with him. In the meantime let's finish this stack of papers over here." Draco nodded and began to read.
About an hour later the pair heard footsteps coming from the entrance hall. Soon after a mop of red hair entered the dining room.
"Hermione!" Ron called opening his arms wide. He had grown even taller it seemed to Hermione. His skin was tanned and looked to be covered in one gigantic freckle. He had cut his hair shorter and it suited him well.
"Ron, I missed you!" she said hugging him tightly. "How did it go?"
"Fine, nothing going on in the states right now. Florida was nice." he grinned. Then he noticed the blonde sitting at the table trying to look inconspicuous.
"What is he doing here?" he seethed.
"I found him injured while on assignment. I am not going to go into it now but he has agreed to help us in the Horcrux hunt. Harry trusts him and that is that. Got it Ronald?" she put her hands on her hips and tapped her shoe showing that she meant business.
"Right." he said throwing his traveling sack on the floor next to the table. "What's to eat?"
"I can make something quickly but we have already eaten breakfast. I made Harry take a rest. He has been working non-stop for days." she said going into the kitchen and leaving the two men alone.
"So." Ron said in a mock nice voice.
"So…" Draco replied coolly.
"What is this little scheme of yours Malfoy? Spy? Traitor? What?"
"Look, not that it is any of your business but I was just as shocked as you when Granger found me. She saved my life. I am repaying my debt."
"I will be watching ferret, and know that I will find out if you do anything to jeopardize Harry's mission. This is the most important thing maybe that will ever be done for the wizard world."
"Agreed." Draco said to Ron's utter shock.
"We'll see." Ron said as Hermione came out carrying a large platter of food and set it in front of both of them.
"Eat up." she said cheerfully before heading upstairs to talk to Harry.
In Harry's room he laid on his bed tossing and turning. Nightmares plagued his every dream. People and children being tortured into submission and him helpless to stop it. He woke up in a cold sweat to hear Hermione softly knocking at his door.
"Harry, are you okay? I heard screaming." she said peering through the crack in the door.
"Fine, just a dream. Come in." he said. For the first time in weeks Hermione noticed how terrible he looked. Pale skin, red rimmed eyes and a permanently tired expression on his face.
"Did you get any rest?" she asked.
"Not really. What brings you up?"
"Ron just got here." Harry's eyes perked up. It had been three months since he had sent Ron on a dangerous mission to find an American witch who used to specialize in teaching Horcrux creation. She was always on the move and it was rumored that she herself had made over 100 Horcruxes. Ron had just missed her in Florida.
"How does he look?" Harry asked worried.
"Great, like he had been on vacation." she smiled. "He is eating with Malfoy now."
"That had to be a sight." Harry commented.
"They are getting on fine." she replied. "There is something else though. I think it is worth looking into."
"What is it 'Mione?" he asked, emerald eyes focusing only on her.
"Malfoy recons that his father might have notes and important stuff hidden in his old house. He said the Death eaters meet there sometimes but only at night and his father is locked in Azkaban. I think we should head there tomorrow morning. All four of us and check it out."
"What if it is a trap Hermione? He could be setting us up for the Death eaters."
"I don't think so Harry. He seems to loathe Voldemort for killing his mum. He was attached to her."
"We won't be giving him a wand." Harry said in a commanding voice. Hermione nodded.
"Agreed. When you feel up to it come downstairs and we will discuss plans. Do you think we should call Ginny, Neville and Luna as backup?"
"Not this time. But maybe we should fill in Lupin and the elder order members on our plans."
"I will send an owl when I get downstairs. Can I use Hedwig?" she asked. Harry nodded and flung himself back down on the bed taking off his glasses and rubbing his tired eyes. Four of them going on a mission. Could he trust Malfoy? He reached under his mattress and grabbed a small vial of Veritaserum.
'I will slip this in his drink at dinner and find out before we commit to this.' he thought before stowing it back under the bed.
That afternoon that four of them scoured through piles of papers and mountains of books. It was nearly 7 before Hermione realized that they had gone the entire afternoon together and had forgotten to eat.
"I'll get dinner." she said wearily.
"No 'Mione let me get it tonight. You don't have to take care of us all the time, you do too much as it is." Harry said standing and heading for the kitchen.
"Thanks Harry." Hermione said smiling.
Harry headed upstairs briefly before starting dinner. He had grabbed his small bottle of veritaserum to put in Malfoy's drink. He decided that this was too important to simply trust someone who had been deceptive in the past. They would be going into a death eater's meeting place. Harry refused to lose the two people who meant the most to him in the world. Harry waved his wand and a huge meal appeared. He didn't know why Hermione bothered to cook the muggle way anymore. He supposed she was just used to it. He levitated the tray from the kitchen into the dining room and set it down gently on the huge wooden table.
"I'll be right back with the drinks. Any requests?" he asked.
"Just some pumpkin juice." said Hermione.
"Anything." Ron said.
"Same." Draco replied.
"Alright." Harry said slipping back into the kitchen. He poured four glasses of pumpkin juice and added three tiny drops of the potion to the one right by his left hand so that he wouldn't give it to Ron or Hermione. He entered the dining room and handed everyone their glasses. They had already began to eat the dinner he had prepares. Roast beef and roasted potatoes. The four of them ate heartily and soon their stomachs were full. Ron cleared the table and they went back to work. After fifteen minutes Harry started to interrogate Draco in a casual manner.
"So Malfoy, do you really think that there is information in your father's house?" he asked.
"I dunno. I know that our library is filled with books on dark arts and such that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else."
"You don't know when the death eaters meet though."
"At night. No regular times. That's why I said we should go in the daytime. Only the house-elves will be there and they will take orders from me."
Harry didn't know what to think. He was obviously telling the truth and yet he didn't seem surprised by the words coming from his mouth. Most people that are under the influence of veritaserum don't want to tell the truth. Harry could only assume that he had been telling the truth all along.
"So where have you been since you fled with that slimy git Snape?" Ron suddenly asked. Harry kicked him under the table.
"What?" he asked shrugging.
"You are such a prat Ron." Hermione huffed.
"It's okay." Draco suddenly said. Hermione looked shocked. "I have been hiding."
"Figures." Ron mumbled.
"Death Eaters killed my mum, right in front of me. She died to save me and I wouldn't give those bastards the satisfaction of killing me." he said before turning red.
"Draco you don't have to…" Hermione started.
The three men looked at her oddly. She blushed realizing she had called him Draco.
"I mean you don't have to tell my insensitive friend there anything." she said.
"I know."
"Alright." she said defeated.
"Anyway, I went from town to town working to stay alive. I was nearly caught and killed when Granger here found me."
"Malfoy working? HA!" Ron blurted. "How did it feel having to earn something for once?" he laughed.
"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione shouted. "How dare you!" Her fists were balled up on the table top and her face bright red.
"I don't need anyone to fight my battles for me!" Draco yelled at Hermione. "Especially you!"
Draco stood up and walked up the staircase. His pale face red. Harry looked ready to choke Ron. Hermione stood up ready to follow him.
"I don't know if that is a good idea 'Mione." Harry said seriously. She ignored him and bounded up the staircase after him. The door to her room slammed shut a second before she reached it. She turned the knob and went inside. On the bed Draco sat hands over his face.
"I'm sorry." she said. "I didn't realize you were ready to tell your story. Ron is a prat sometimes." She sat on the bed next to him.
"I wasn't ready. I just felt like I should. Like I didn't have a choice." he replied quietly.
"Thank you." he told her. "For sticking up for me."
"Its nothing." she said wrapping her arms around his shoulder.
"I shouldn't have shouted at you. You were only trying to help." he said.
"I know." she patted his shoulder lightly. He laid his head on hers and sighed.
"I never thought my life would turn out this way." he said.
"Me either." Hermione admitted. She had such high hopes when she entered Hogwarts, now she just hoped she lived long enough to become a healer, find her true love and have a family.
"Never thought I would be sitting her confiding in you." he grinned. She lowered her head and smiled back.
"Me either." His pale eyes invaded her own as they shared a moment of uncomfortable silence. And then he brought his head up just slightly. Close enough to see every speck of silver in his eyes that gleamed in the rooms pale light. Close enough for him to count every eyelash on hers…