Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K.Rowling does

Chapter 1

Hermione stumbled over the rubble trying to keep her footing as it moved under her. To think that this had once been a beautiful village. There was destruction everywhere; large piles of rubble, potholes in the roads and the few houses that had managed to stay standing were neglected and had a haunted look about them with their dark interiors and empty window frames.

Night had fallen and the beginning sounds of the night were upon them, sound of predators and prey, sounds that Hermione knew all too well. Hermione shivered as a wolf howled in the distance, there were no wolves in Britain only werewolves. Flashes of the great battle sped through her mind each more horrific than the last. She tripped as she tried to catch up with the distant figure ahead but managed to catch her footing.

"Wait, Theodore" she demanded keeping the fear from her voice. The man stopped and held a finger to his lips signalling silence but waited none the less. They carried on, Hermione tightly gripping her wand in her hand, eyes flickering in every direction trying to see everywhere at once. There was the noise of a falling rock and the two companions froze, wands held aloft; ready. A fox trotted from behind a hill of rubble and across their path. Relaxing slightly the two continued onwards.

Suddenly, Theodore swung an arm out to stop Hermione in her tracks, he pointed a head towards a small solemn looking building. Hermione could just make out the words 'Betty's Café' upon the faded crooked sign. There in front of the cafe, so out of place in this wild environment stood a large pitch black motorbike.

Hermione started as she realised her companion was already striding towards the dank building. Hermione stumbled after him and was glad when her feet hit the potholed tarmac of the road. Theodore had already reached the motorbike and had crouched beside it inspecting the side with his wand lit.

"I don't think it's a very good idea to have your wand lit. Do you?" she said as she drew level. Theodore shrugged,

"It's better than being tricked, we don't know –" Hermione had heard it too, the sound of approaching footsteps - heels. Theodore rose to his feet smoothly and used his wand to see into as much as the shop as possible, this had the disadvantage of lighting up his entire top torso. The footsteps had stopped.

"Put it away!" Hermione gripped her wand tighter at the husky command, her companion, however, unlit his wand and then slowly slipped it into his back pocket.

The sound of heels clicking on a tiled floor echoed from the building, it took a moment for Hermione to recognise the shape of a woman emerging from the darkness as she was dressed all in black. Dressed in a short black leather jacket and black leather trousers and black boots and with her raven coloured hair the woman blended perfectly into the darkness. Only her bright blue eyes shone brightly in the pale moonlight. She appeared unthreatened by Hermione holding her wand ready in the air. Hermione angered at this woman's disdain instantly straightened her back and allowed her wand hand to fall to her side. The woman smirked before turning to Theodore.

"Follow me," she then exited the small building and started down the street. Hermione's temper rose due to the woman's rudeness and she opened her mouth to give the woman a piece of her mind but Theodore shot her a glare.

"Leave it, Granger" he said in that condescending tone that all slytherins used so well, before he followed the woman. Hermione stood for a moment before gathering her senses and she rushed to catch up with her companion.

"You listen, Nott! Your whole attitude – "

"No, you listen, Hermione. You can give me one of your long winded speeches or you can let me do what I am here to do. Your choice, just think about your precious Potter before you decide." Hermione huffed but said nothing more.

They followed the woman down what had once been the main street of the deserted village then down a small street. The woman had stopped several feet ahead and was waiting for them to scramble – not that Theodore was doing much scrambling, Hermione envied how all slytherins seemed to have that natural grace - over the rubble and dodge the potholes. The woman had been standing in front of a faded red door and once they had reached her she jiggled the handle then used her shoulder to push the door open.

She entered without saying a word and made her way easily through the dark narrow hallway she had revealed. Theodore indicated for Hermione to go first, she hesitated then strode into the hallway – she had trusted him this far plus this was for Harry. Ahead there was the flickering of light before a solid stream spread into the hallway. Hermione stepped back in surprise, shook her head and her own silliness then started forward.

At the end of the hallway, they reached a small muggle country kitchen. The walls had faded to a dull sick colour of yellow while the flower patterned curtains were so dirty it was hard to distinguish what colour they had once been. Everything from the counters along the walls to the large pine table that dominated the room was covered in a thick layer of dust.

Hermione's gaze flickered over the room before fixing on the woman who was now standing with her back to them at the sink. Finally Hermione could see the prove that this rude woman was in fact the one they were looking for. Exposed on the small of the woman's back, to the pair standing in the doorway of the kitchen by the woman's short jacket, was a small tattoo of a red and black dragon.

The sound of running water reached Hermione's ears before it suddenly stopped and the woman turned now holding a glass of clear water. Hermione stared at the water for a full minute before her gaze was dragged away to fix on the woman's face as she spoke.

"This house has its own water source as well as a generator," she indicated the light bulb shaded by a dusty lamp shade. "So, let me get this right. You," She nodded to each of them "want to put me in this fortress to help you free some wizard"

"He's not just some wiz-" Hermione's mouth snapped shut as Theodore frowned at her, but seriously she couldn't let the woman talk about her Harry like he was no-one. Then to this woman he was nobody. The woman was looking at her curiously, with a raised eyebrow.

"You free this wizard for us and we have a hope of winning the war" Theodore said drawing the woman's attention back to him to Hermione's relief. The woman shook her head and disappointment slashed through Hermione.

"You wizards don't understand, do you?" she replied angrily, Hermione frowned as Theodore's face remained blank, both not understanding. "This isn't war for us! Its survival, we're fighting to stay alive every day"

"He's not killing muggles anymore," Theodore glared but Hermione ignored him, the woman needed to understand they were on the same side and they were fighting a war "as long as you follow his laws – " Hermione stuttered to a halt as the woman raised an eyebrow she glanced at Theodore who was wearing a similar expression. The woman knew this. Just standing there the woman was already breaking about a dozen and that didn't include the motorbike she had left on the main street.

"Save Potter and this will end, you're tired of fighting, we all are" The woman looked back at Theodore as he spoke then turned her gaze away to the window on Hermione's right. Hermione crossed her fingers they needed this woman for the plan to work. Suddenly the woman focused on the two of them.

"You have someone on the inside?" Theodore nodded. There was a moment's pause then she nodded. "Fine, what do you want me to do?"

The tension swept from Hermione's body and she sighed in relief. Hold on Harry I'm coming.