Woooohooo! Thanks for all the reviews people, you rock. I said I'd update if you did so here you are. Well done to those who got the author and book, it was The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S.Lewis, quality book and quality film. Anyway, hope you like this one, finally we find out why Ron's asleep. Hope it's not a disappointment! lol. Please R & R

Cheers, Step XxXxX ;)


Chapter 29

It was half past nine and Hermione was pacing. She had been doing it for five minutes, striding the length of the lounge in front of Harry and Ginny, who were both sat on the sofa watching her walk.

'Hermione,' Ginny said quietly.

Hermione kept walking; she was so deep in thought that Ginny's voice came nowhere near to getting through to her.

'Hermione!' Ginny shouted.

Hermione spun on the spot and looked at Ginny.

'What?' she replied.

'Please stop pacing, it's driving me mad! Sit down and calm down.'

Hermione did as she was told, sitting on the single chair nearest the television. Hers and Harry and Ginny's cloaks were hanging over the back of it ready for when they were ready to leave.

The three of them sat in silence; there was nothing left to say, they had gone over their plans at least seven times already.

They had decided that all three of them would apparate to Hogsmeade. Although only Hermione and Harry would be meeting Malfoy, Ginny had flatly refused to sit at home on her own, and on a purely safety issue, it was always best to have someone close by who knew what was going on and could raise the alarm if necessary.

Hermione would go to the cave on her own first (apparating of course, she was in no hurry to brush up on her rock climbing skills,) and check Malfoy didn't have his wand, then alert Harry via another enchanted coin that it was safe for him to approach. What would happen after that was anyone's guess but Ginny would be resolutely sat in the Three Broomsticks watching her enchanted coin closely, so that she knew what was going on and with Harry's wand safe in her robes next to her own.

After what seemed like an hour but was only fifteen minutes Ginny looked at her watch and decided to put Hermione out of her misery.

'It's quarter to, how about we go?'

Hermione jumped up from her seat as if the decision had been made in that question. She walked around the chair and picked up her cloak and pulled it around her in one fluid motion.

Harry smiled at Ginny as he stood up, silently thanking her for giving Hermione something to do to expel her nervous energy. Hermione was busy fastening her cloak; her two coins were already in the left pocket, although she had to physically hold them in her hand to convince herself they were still there.

She stowed her wand in her robes and then turned to watch Harry and Ginny don their cloaks and straighten themselves out.

She walked towards them and a shiver ran down her spine in anticipation of what was going to happen. Her hands were shaking slightly so she balled her hands as to not let Harry and Ginny notice. The three of them looked at each other, Hermione couldn't quite return the smile Harry had given her.

'To the Three Broomsticks then?' Ginny asked.

'Yes,' Hermione replied quickly.

'To the Three Broomsticks,' Harry replied.

The three of them turned on the spot and appeared outside the friendly looking pub in the Scottish village.

The noise coming from the building was friendly, punctured with laughter and the clinking of glass on wood and glass on glass as people made toasts to their friends, relatives, the Boy Who Lived and to the fact that they were alive.

Harry and Hermione turned towards Ginny who was looking through the window of the pub, hoping not to see anyone she knew too well, as this would make sitting inconspicuously in a corner harder to achieve.

Ginny turned to Hermione.

'Hermione be careful. I know what's at stake, but if things turn nasty or just feel wrong then leave. Just leave. Don't make me have to explain to Ron why you aren't there when he wakes up because you didn't look after yourself, ok?'

Hermione was slightly taken aback by the abruptness of Ginny's comment, but she knew Ginny was not one to mince her words.

'I will Gin, I'll be careful. If it looks like we're going to be a while I'll let you know via the coin, and you-'

'I'm not leaving without you!'

'I wasn't going to say that, I know you wouldn't. I was going to say you could check up on us too if you wanted. Just give it an hour or so ok?'

'Ok.'

Ginny stepped forward and hugged Hermione before pulling back and turning to Harry, but before she could say anything he cut in.

'I'll be careful too Gin, I promise.'

'Good but promise me another thing.'

'What?'

'Don't go off on one with Malfoy, I know you don't like him but there's a bigger picture here. From what Hermione's told us he's changed, he might want to make things right, I don't know if he'll be able to, but you'll have to see. So don't go in there fists flying ok?'

'I won't, I'll be good I promise, I know what's a stake. I won't risk that.'

'Good.'

Hermione looked at her trainers as Ginny hugged Harry and then kissed him goodbye.

'Look after each other,' she called to them as they started to walk through the village.

'We will,' they replied in unison.

They bowed their heads against the wind that was surging down the main street. Hermione pulled her cloak tighter around her, glad that she had decided to put her heavier travelling cloak on instead of her lighter one. They were still ten minutes early when they reached the stile at the end of the village. Hermione thought she saw a hint of sadness in Harry's eyes, realising he was probably thinking about the first time he had seen Sirius after his escape from the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

'I may as well go now, I'd rather be there before he gets there, then again knowing him he'll be there hiding so he can watch me arrive.'

'Ok, but Hermione-'

'Harry I'll be careful, really I will! If there's one thing fighting in a war will teach you it's how to watch your own back.'

'Yeah ok. I'll see you in a bit. Remember what we said about the coins.'

'I will, see you soon.'

Harry had demanded that Hermione use a code word in her message to him on the coin, so he knew it was her using it and not Malfoy. They didn't think it was likely he would try and pull anything but it was like Hermione had said, if fighting in a war will teach you anything; it's how to look after yourself. Hermione would, somewhere in her message, use the term 'pen exploder,' there's no way on earth Malfoy would know about that nickname so it was a good one to use.

Hermione turned on the spot and reappeared on the slightly more even rock outside the cave than that which mainly surrounded it. She lit her wand and carefully stepped across the threshold, it was slightly bigger than she remembered, but then again, the last time she had been there it had held four people and a hippogriff, but was presently, empty. She cast the light from her wand all around the cave looking for signs that Malfoy was there or had been recently. She found none, the cave was completely empty. A little too empty for an unused cave hidden in a hillside.

'A little early aren't we Granger?'

Hermione whipped round and saw Malfoy leaning casually against the opening of the cave. Her wand arm was raised straight out in front of her, illuminating his face. Her eyes widened when she looked at him properly. He looked little better than death warmed up. He had dark circles under his eyes and his skin was pulled tight across his cheeks and his nose, and he had three scars running down his left cheek.

'Granger, you're blinding me, lower your wand.'

She looked at him, his cold grey eyes looked deep into hers and it made her shiver.

'Raise your hands above your head, I need to check you don't have your wand,' she replied ignoring his demand.

Malfoy sighed irritably but restrained himself from saying anything.

'Fine,' he did as he was told, 'that ok for you?'

Hermione took half a pace back and pointed her wand at Malfoy's boots.

'Veneficium Retego,' she whispered.

A barely noticeable beam sparked from the end of her wand and hovered over the black boots.

'What, no strip search? I am disappointed!' he jeered.

'Well unfortunately for you I left my PVC catsuit and riding crop at home, otherwise we could have had some real fun, couldn't we?'

He stared at her lost for words and Hermione smirked. She continued to move her wand and the beam upwards looking for a bright red shadow that would show there was something magical under the beam. She saw nothing until the beam covered Malfoy's cloak under his right arm. A bright red circle had appeared.

'What's that?' she demanded.

'It's my enchanted coin, so I could contact you if I was held up, or the more likely scenario that you didn't show up.'

'Like that was going to happen,' she spat.

She finished covering his front with the beam then did the same when he turned round, although the look of contempt on his face as he did so was a picture in itself.

'Satisfied?' he asked, obviously annoyed.

'Yes I am. Now if you give me a minute I'll get Harry.'

'I can't wait!'

'You know what Malfoy,' Hermione snapped, 'I really don't think I can put up with many more of your snide and stupid comments, so for my sanity will you just do the decent thing and shut up!'

She dug her hand in her pocket and withdrew the coin with which to contact Harry from it, glimpsing the half smirk, half scowl that Malfoy had plastered on his face.

'My my, I knew you were feisty Granger but I'm seeing a whole other side of you I never knew existed.'

She looked at him and decided his words were, for once, not sarcastic, and she took them as some kind of a compliment.

'Yes well, things change and people change. I should think you of all people would know that.'

Malfoy didn't reply; he of course knew how people could change. It just happened to be most life changing (and most shocking) when it was you that changed.

Hermione waved her wand and the words on the edge of the coin changed to SAVIOUR BOY, EVERYTHING'S FINE. WHEN YOU'RE READY! PEN EXPLODER.

'Harry shouldn't be long,' she said quietly.

Malfoy nodded his head an inch and stepped a few paces into the cave so he was half hidden in the shadows. The small gap in the clouds disappeared and the moonlight that had been covering the entrance was extinguished. Hermione blinked as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. She lit her wand and then conjured a few candles on the floor so they had a bit more light to talk by. Her eyes scanned the floor and she remembered how the cave was far too clean.

'Did you clean up in here before I arrived?' she asked, a surprised tone in her voice.

'Actually I did, there was bones and the remains of something sprawled across the floor. I might not have the luxuries I once had but I refuse to stand in filth when it can be prevented.'

A crack outside the entrance echoed in the cave and Hermione jumped at the noise.

'Hermione?' Harry asked, he felt so vulnerable without his wand, and it showed in his voice.

'I'm here Harry.'

Harry stepped across the threshold of the cave and instantly found Malfoy in the semi-darkness. He quickly glanced at Hermione to check she was ok with no signs of curse or hex-marks.

'Are you ok?' he asked, to reassure himself everything was going as planned.

'Yes I'm fine.'

'I am too Potter, thanks for asking,' Malfoy drawled.

Despite himself Harry laughed at the comment.

'Well, I'd say it was good to see you but I'd be lying, and I do try to stay as truthful as possible!'

Malfoy smirked.

'Same to you Potter.'

'Lovely as it is to see you two getting on so well, we have things to discuss,' Hermione said with an air of irritation in her voice. 'I believe the deal was, Harry comes here, you tell us what Ron was hit with and then you and Harry talk. Well I think you can see we've upheld our end of the deal, now tell us what spell Ron was hit with.'

'Before that, I need to know he hasn't got a wand. Check him like you checked me.' It wasn't a request it was a demand.

Hermione sighed and said the spell again, Harry looked at her with a confused expression on his face.

'Just stand there for a minute with your arms out. It's only fair.'

Harry did as Hermione said, and he turned on the spot when she asked him.

'Happy?' she asked Malfoy.

'Perfectly.'

'Good, now tell us what Ron was hit with.'

'Straight back to business eh Granger? Fine.'

He paused, knowing Hermione was dying to hear the words that were on the tip of his tongue. He revelled in knowing how he was making her feel, and Harry too.

He left them hanging for a few seconds more, but decided against pushing it any further, he thought he had seen Hermione's wand hand twitch.

'Your beloved Weasel was hit with a curse that was devised by the Death Eaters as a new toy in the second war. It is one of a few complex spells that only a few select people know how to counter. I have managed to find out that Weaselbee was hit by the everlasting sleep spell.'

The words reverberated around the cave and hung in the air between the three of them. Harry was the first to reply, Hermione having been taken completely aback by the statement.

'I'm guessing from the look of absolute glee on your face it does exactly what the name says it does.' Harry said, disgust filling his face at the sight of Malfoy's malicious smile.

'You guess right Potter. Weasley is in an everlasting sleep.'

Hermione had been listening to Malfoy's speech and as soon as she heard the words she had been longing to hear for months, her brain went into overdrive, trying desperately to remember ever hearing or reading about the everlasting sleep spell. She remembered the Draught of Living Death; they had done that in their first ever NEWT potions lesson, but she couldn't for the life of her remember hearing about the everlasting sleep spell. She felt a bit sick as this realisation swept over her, from that alone she knew this was going to be more complicated than she had dared to hope.

'So how do we wake him up?' she asked.

Malfoy smiled, 'I can see that that information is worth a lot to you.'

'Stop pissing about Malfoy you know it is, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't.' she hissed.

'Well because of that I'm afraid I'm going to have to keep that information quiet until I've had my little talk with Potter here. I don't want you disappearing before I get to have my say do I?'

Hermione marched towards him, wand raised.

'That wasn't the deal Malfoy and you know it.'

'No it wasn't but this way I at least know my voice will be heard by the wizardkind wonder, or whatever else the stupid Prophet is calling you now. Don't worry, if you stay and listen to what I have to say and decide to help me then I'll tell you the counter to the spell.'

Hermione kept her wand hand where it was.

'Oh no not yet, you haven't told us the second spell he was hit with.'

'There's no need to bother your bushy head with that Granger, you see,' his voice took on the tone of explaining something very simple to a five year old, 'the spells that were invented by the Death Eaters were designed to obliterate the effects of any previous spell that person had been hit with, so the effects of their spell wasn't reduced in any way. For example, if someone has been stunned they wouldn't be able to be put in an everlasting sleep, as their mind would have been shut down, so the spell wouldn't work properly. Why would a Death Eater want to leave a victim simply stunned when there is so much more fun to be had with a much more dark and evil spell.'

'You're sick, you know that Malfoy? Sick!' Harry spat.

'If it makes you feel any better Potter, I didn't help make up these spells I was just taught how to use and counter them.'

'No, that doesn't make me feel any better, because of one spell from you and your so called friends, they made life hell for hundreds of good people, and why? Because it was fun for you wasn't it? Your sick idea of fun.' The venom with which Harry said his words seemed to reverberate around the cave like Malfoy's words had earlier.

The three of them fell silent. Malfoy was staring at one of the candles on the far side of the cave.

'Believe it or not, that's one of the reasons why I wanted to see you,' Hermione noticed a change in Malfoy's voice, 'I want to do what I can to put things right. I want to give information to the Ministry that will help them.'

'And what do you want in exchange?' Hermione asked, remembering he was there for personal gain as much as they were.

'I want my freedom.'