DarkRavenHaven (jumping the gun is the expression), Frog, Bex Drake, DragonGirl81, Sami Sue (Thanks a thousand thanks, you're praise makes everything worthwhile! Now where are my TRHG fics?).

Apologies all; I'm feeling rather ill so this chapter is not riveting. I'm still working for you!

Chapter Fourteen

Lies

Multiple Homicide at Azkaban

The group of Dark Assassins, as named by the Daily Prophet, have struck again this time at Azkaban prison. The 'victims' of the horrible killings have been named as McGrew, murderer of the Pox family, Vincent Crabbe and his younger brother Arthur Crabbe. All convicted Death Eaters their deaths will be mourned by few but the agonies of their demise will pay little homage for the pain they caused. Recently acquitted Lucius Malfoy commented it was an 'appalling crime' whilst looking highly scared.

These are the latest in crimes which have rocked the country and the entire war against You-Know-Who. Again the loss of these crucial Death Eaters will have surely weakened his plans.

Hermione felt a little bile rise to her throats as she thought of Crabbe's untimely horrific death. How could he do that to one he once regarded as his friend? Her horror was muted slightly as the back door slammed. The sound of rushing paws across a slippery surface, then a wet muzzle greeted her. "Hector, this is Hermione. Hermione, Hector." She wondered whether she was suppose to shake paws with this creature but it seemed unnecessary as he licked her hand, before scrapping his way across the floor and out into the hallway. Theodore only just managed to send a cleaning spell to Hector before he bounded up the stairs. "He's been waiting to meet you since last night."

He smiled at her and it seemed rather forced. Perhaps he was trying to make up for his rudeness the night before. She accepted the smile and returned it in kind. She hurriedly replaced the Daily Prophet and offered to make him coffee.

--

"Mercury?" Hermione asked, looking up from her long and complicated transcript in front of her. "Where are you going?" She had been pouring over the location spell which would enable her to pass through most modern counter locator charms. And contrary to all his protestations of the otherwise Nott was doing no work, instead sitting at the kitchen table playing a complicated wizard card game.

"I'm going to explore." Mercury told Hermione with the 'challenge me if you dare' attitude she saw often in the Slytherin house. Nott looked up from his game, his gaze resting on Hermione. She felt the eyes watching her.

"You won't be going alone." Hermione said rising from her seat. "I need a break. We can take... Hector, if you want." She offered to Nott.

"I'll come." He said waving his wand, so all the pieces of his game gathered back into their original position. "You'll need a guide the first time, these cliffs a perilous." He told them in a patronising manner. Hermione swallowed the Gryffindor in her.

And they walked out into the bright sunshine, the world glimmering with the water from the rain the night before.

--

It was Malfoy's eagle owl which disturb their momentary peace. It glided down the cliffs towards them, looking more like a majestic eagle than the owl it was. Hermione instinctively held out a hand for it as it swooped low, feathering out its wings to land. The creature's claws dug into her skin, drawing tiny specks of blood. The only drop of blood left the deepest of the wounds and trailed a bright red stream down her arm until it fell onto the yellowed sand below. She heard Nott turn away and begin walking away.

"Dad." Mercury said, looking up at the bird with great amazement. Hermione removed the parchment from the bird's feet before letting it fly off again into the great blue above. She placed it into her belt, between the leather and the denim of her jeans, turning back towards the house, where Nott stood with Hector at his feet twenty paces away. His face portrayed nothing. Which meant he was hiding whatever he was feeling. Did he recognise-

"I know that owl, Hermione." He said to her as she and her daughter came closer to him. Hermione looked into his eyes with the strength of the lion. "I won't do anything, but I don't want that animal in my house." Hermione looked back at the black dot on the peak of the cliffs, but when she turned back he was looking at Mercury.

They returned to the house in silence.

--

The Abbey, midnight. The Avenging Angel. P.S. have you found out what Snow Faerie's White Flowermeans yet?

--

The evening passed into night. Hermione told Nott that she would be out for an hour at least around midnight. "Are you going out? If so I'll take Mercury with me." She did not know if she did want to take the child or not. The child certainly wanted to come. Somehow she had found her way into Hermione's room and looked at the parchment. But to her eyes it was blank. So instead she had used her instinct to guess what it said. She was, of course, completely right.

"No. You can leave her here. I'll be here." He spoke in a limp voice from the kitchen table, where once again his game of war and logic was being fought against an unseen opponent. Mercury was sulking. The once strong relationship between the two had disintegrated in a matter of hours. Hermione had come from feeling the outsider, to feeling the peacemaker.

Hermione leant over the sulking child to kiss her goodbye. She did so as she would hope any mother would. "Keep your wand near you." She told the child quietly. Mercury nodded indistinctly. "You'd better get to bed. Make sure you have a shower or bath, okay?"

"Quite the mother." A sneering voice came from behind her. He had not looked up from his game.

"Funny, I thought I heard Malfoy then." Hermione commented bitterly before swinging her cloak around her and leaving, head held high.

--

The clear day had sunk into a clear night, with bitterly cold wind brushing the face like the spectre of death. Hermione was half an hour early waiting out in the gated graveyard, sitting on the floor next to Sirius's grave. She was glad he had not turned up yet, for all she saw in the enclosure, without Malfoy in it, was herself and Ron barely weeks ago. And she had shed a tear.

But not she saw quietly, leaning on Sirius waiting. He appeared, as he always did, melting out of the darkness with no noise. Goodness did he look like heaven! Hermione sent that errant thought into the sick bin where it belonged and rose to greet him. "Thirteen Fawn Road, West London." She told him, passing him a rolled up parchment with a magical map inked on the inside. He pulled his hood down as he took it.

He smirked, placed the map into his cloak and stole a kiss. "Oh if only old Dumblepants were here to tell us off." Well someone was in a jubilant mood. "Now Mr Malfoy I don't think you should display such appropriate behaviour in the presence of the dead. Not that they mind. Probably the most exciting thing they ever see is the curator's bum crack. Must be awful depressing, in fact I bet they are pleased we're here." He finally looked back to his girlfriend, who was staring at him with a look of pure fear in her eyes. He coughed before unleashing his information. "The Death Eaters like doing a spell called Properate spell. It causes Muggles to hallucinate their worst nightmares. But it's traceable, thanks the wizard who invented it. You can make a magical map, just like this," He brought out the map she had made him, "And see wherever it's being cast. I think you'll be able to work out the details from that." He could not say anymore as he had a Hermione Granger attached to his lips.

"Thank you!" She almost screamed with happiness. Draco jumped back a little unsure with contact not started by him, as she had thrown her whole body onto him. Hermione fell to the ground laughing slightly. He smiled rather unconvincingly.

"Well at least your not crying any more." He commented dryly and Hermione face lit up like a lightbulb. A hand appeared in her field of vision and she took it pulling herself up.

Draco spun round. "Shit." Was his exact thought and word. His body sheltered Hermione. "Think about your home. Now think!" He ordered her. Hermione tried to peer over his shoulder, but he was too tall and his arms were holding her behind him were too strong. She obeyed, thinking of the beach where they had walked in the morning. She imagined it so deeply she thought she heard the sea. And her feet were wet.

"Hermione!" She heard Draco yelp from in front of her. She jumped as she felt the sea seeping into her shoes. And jeans. She opened her eyes. They were standing in the sea. Dizziness came over her and she leaned forwards too far, trying to reach out to Draco, but he had moved in the water, and, the water. She felt an arm grab at her neck and pulled her up from the back. She almost over balanced backwards again. A fingernail had dug into her neck. She looked up slightly annoyed at Draco. He looked slightly more annoyed. "This isn't your home!" He said in accusatory tone.

"How do you know?" She answered huffing as they began to plough their way back to the shore, as they were knee deep in the sea.

"Well duh!" Draco returned gesturing to the sea. Hermione nearly chucked water at him. But the bitingly cold wind was whipping around her knees which had just emerged from the water and she just wanted to leave the sea behind.

"I'm staying up there." She pointed up the winding cliff path to where a blue house stood upon the headland. He glanced back at her, before shrugging. "Can you put me in something warm?" She asked removing her cloak and wringing it out back into the sea. It made little effect as she was shivering too violently. She felt the instant warmth again, which stayed this time, so she guessed it was some kind of warming magic that had been used as well as the changing clothes spell. She felt the wetness around her feet turn to warmth. She dropped her cloak onto the rock and looked down at herself.

"MALFOY" She yelled almost falling over with rage.

"What?" He asked innocently, staring oh so innocently at her body. She was wearing a deep green bikini. She walked up to him and slapped him. Or she would have done had her hand not frozen in mid air. "You're warm aren't you?"

She turned and stormed away, walking towards her home. "Oh come on Herm!"

"Don't call me that."

"Please! Come on it's not that bad! You look fucking fuckable!"

"Argh!"

He materialised in front of her with the largest grey eyes. A puppy could not look worse. Cute? Puss in Boot could take a master class from this guy. She could not look at him so she stopped and examined the sand between her toes. Two ice cold fingers pushed her chin up. And he looked so... and she felt so... and so they...

It was two in the morning before they stopped laughing and giggling. They were lain in the sand, looking completely terrible. Hermione's hand was touching his neck. And they were happier than any child has ever been. She still had on that green bikini, but now Draco was wearing only black trousers. ONLY black trousers. His boxers were on their way to France.

It was two in the morning when Draco rolled on top of her and kissed her like she was his last chance of life. It was two in the morning when the laughter stopped. It was two in the morning when...

--

(I will answer no questions about what happened at two in the morning. )