"It's a good thing it's the weekend." Hermione grumbled as she and Harry returned to the common room after breakfast. "He'd be missing classes if it were a school day."

"Which would be absolutely unthinkable." Harry commented as he sat down heavily in a chair by the fireplace. She shot him an angry glare.

"I think its time we went to go and get him." She said determinedly.

"Lets make sure he's where we think he is first, yeah?" Harry said and ran upstairs to fetch the Marauders Map and back down to the common room again. He laid it out on the table in front of them and tapped it with his wand saying, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." He quickly located Jas' rooms on the map. There were four dots all quite close together; Ron Weasley, Jasrene Bellatrix Poliakov-Black, Draco Malfoy and Bethany Evelyn Snape.

"I thought Malfoy was supposed to come and tell you if Ron was there." Hermione said, Harry nodded distractedly as he frowned at the fourth name. "Hang on, why would Malfoy help you? What was in it for him?" she asked suspiciously.

"Who do you s'pose Bethany Snape is?" he pondered aloud.

"I've no idea. Poliakov and Professor Snape are pretty close aren't they? Maybe a friend of hers who's related to Snape." She said hurriedly. "Never mind that now, lets go and get Ron." She left 'so I can end his pathetic excuse for an existence' out, but Harry heard it anyway and smirked.

"Sure." He agreed as she stood up and hurried towards the common room entrance. Muttering, "Mischief managed," and putting the map in his pocket, he followed her out.

"Argh!" Draco complained loudly as Bethany wailed loudly, "Forget everything I said yesterday, she's a brat, a complete brat!" he exclaimed, glaring at the ceiling as Jas got up to quieten the crying child.

"Shut up." Jas snapped at him. "Go and make yourself useful and make us some breakfast." She said, waving a hand at the kitchen.

"Me? Cook?" he sneered. "Weasley? I'm sure you must have some skills in the area." He said as he sat up. He was great with a glare from a scruffy haired Ron.

"Get your own sodding breakfast Malfoy." He grumbled as he ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. Jas sighed and rolled her eyes at them before making her way to her bedroom and shutting the door behind her.

"Well that was rude." Draco commented.

"So were we." Ron said as he stood up and stretched out his lanky limbs. Draco shrugged and stood up and waved his wand at the bed which quickly returned to it's former sofa like state.

"Perhaps." he agreed as he glanced around looking for his clothes, sometime in the night he'd decided it was rather uncomfortable to sleep in his uniform and as a result was now only clad in his boxers and his socks. He noticed Weasley had forgone the thought that went with that action and remained in his uniform, his shirt barely still half tucked into his trousers.

"Breakfast." Weasley murmured as he shuffled blearily over to the kitchen area and began searching through the cupboards.

"Sounds like a plan." Draco said as he picked up his shirt and pulled it on. Before he could button it up there was a loud pounding on the door. He glanced over at Weasley, who was still perusing the kitchen cupboards. "I'll get it then shall I?" he questioned and took the answering grunt as an affirmative.

Squelching a very undignified yawn he made his way over to the entrance to Jas' rooms where someone was still thumping on the wall.

"All right, all right." He muttered and pulled the door open.

"Where is he?" A very irate Granger growled at him. Potter was standing next to her, trying very hard to look like he wasn't amused.

"Good morning to you too Granger." He drawled, leaning casually against the door frame.

"Malfoy." She growled.

"I'm afraid dear Ronald is still sleeping off the night of rampant sex he and I had last night." He said forlornly. "And I was so hoping for another round this morning." He sighed dramatically.

Harry snickered and Granger shot him a furious glare which she then turned upon Draco, it reminded him so much of McGonagal the time she had caught him sticking stink bombs to the bottom of all the Gryffindor seats before Transfiguration in second year that his cool, calm and collected veneer almost cracked. Almost.

"Don't glare at me Granger." He said coldly, Harry cut in before he could say anything truly insulting.

"Is Ron there or not Draco?" he asked. Draco took a step back and glanced across at Ron who was working his way sloppily through a bowl of cereal.

"Weasley!" he hollered. "Visitors for you." Ron's head snapped up and he glared at Malfoy.

"Shut up you prat, you'll wake up Bethany." He grumbled as he walked towards the door.

"You think Jas would have left us two alone in the living room without putting a silencing spell on her door?" he sneered in return as he stepped back from the door ad let Ron stand there.

"Ron!" Harry exclaimed dramatically, stepping inside the room and pulling Ron into a hug. "You're alive! Oh thank God!" he breathed, wiping away imaginary tears. Draco smirked, if Harry thought he was going to diffuse the situation that way he was definitely wrong, judging by the look on Grangers face.

Draco smirked as Harry pulled back and glanced between Hermione's furious face and Ron's terrified one and decided it'd be safest to remove himself from between them.

"Why on earth have you been here all day and all night?" Hermione questioned, sounding dangerously calm.

"I, er . . . you see, well . . ." Ron stammered.

"I'd like to see him get himself out of this." Draco grinned maliciously as he made his way over to the kitchen, Harry followed him.

"Mmhmm." He said distractedly, the bare glimpsed of Draco's torso catching his eye. Draco grinned.

"I do hope you're thinking what I think you're thinking." He drawled. Harry shot a glance at Hermione and Ron.

"Later." He murmured as Hermione's voice took on a rather high pitched quality.

"Rubbish!" she squealed. "You have spent twenty-four hours helping her out with her homework?" she said incredulously.

"Well no, but-" he was cut off by a tremor like shake that shook the room and they all exchanged worried glances. The door to the bedroom swung open and a wide eyed Jas stepped out, cradling a screaming Bethany in her arms.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded, her voice taking on an edge of panic.

"Well that," Harry said looking at the child in her arms, "Is a baby."

"Funny I noticed that when I was pushing it out." She snapped. "Back to my original question, what the hell was that?"

"No idea." Ron was the only one who spoke up. "Maybe we should go and-" he was cut off by the arrival of the Headmaster's head in the fireplace.

"Ah children, I thought you might all be here." he smiled thinly at them. "I think it would be safest if you all stayed here for the moment." He said sternly.

"What's going on?" Harry asked.

"Nothing to worry about." He said, although his expression contradicted his words.

"Sir." Harry said, "What's going on?" he asked again. Dumbledore sighed.

"There are Death Eaters in the grounds." Hermione gasped and the others looked shocked.

"And the shaking?" Harry prompted.

"Their attempt to take down the wards on the castle itself, but they are far stronger and older than those on the grounds and so have held, for now." He added sombrely.

"What can we do to help?" Ron and Hermione gaped at Draco as he stepped forward.

"Nothing Mister Malfoy, your bravery is commendable but you should remain here for now." Dumbledore instructed, his tone left no room for argument, but Jas tried anyway.

"But sir,"

"Miss Poliakov, you have more important responsibilities to consider now. Reckless sacrifice of your own life is not an option." He said smiling at the child in her arms, she nodded reluctantly. "Stay here, I will send someone to check on you soon." He said and promptly disappeared.

There was a tense silence broken only by the occasional gurgle from Bethany.

"Screw this." Draco said abruptly. "Accio pants." He muttered and once his trousers had flown across the room into his hand he pulled them on and walked towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Harry said, grabbing his wrist.

"To do something!" he protested trying to shake Harry off.

"You heard Dumbledore, he said to stay put."

"How am I ever going to earn anyone's trust if I sit on my arse while they're out there fighting?" Draco hissed angrily.

"By doing what you're told." Harry said.

"Even if what I'm told is to hide away like a bloody coward!" he demanded.

"Sometimes it takes just as much courage to do nothing." Jas said quietly, still rocking Bethany in her arms.

"But-"

"We might need you here Draco, if they get in the castle we'll need your help." Harry said. Draco nodded reluctantly.

"Fine." He murmured and dropped down onto the sofa with a sigh. "Wouldn't want to leave you on your own, we all know you could use the help." He said sarcastically.

"That's right." Harry smirked and sat down next to him. Jas gently laid Bethany down in the crib before sitting down next to Draco. She raised an eyebrow at Ron, who pulled Hermione down to sit on the other sofa.

"So what do we do now?" he asked.

"I guess we wait." Harry said.

Oooooooo, that ending was a bit of an anticlimax wasnt it? I'll make up for that in the next chapters . . . promise.

Thanks to Captain Oz and DestinyEntwinements for reviewing the last chapter! I'm still grinning! Please REVIEW and make me happier, because the happier I am, the more I write and the sooner I'll update!