When Draco woke up the next morning, he found Hermione looking at the sunrise, clutching something inside her robes.

He got up yawning, saw Blaise and Ginny still asleep (a/n in different places, of course!) and walked to Hermione.

'Morning, Granger' he said softly, as to not startle her.

It had no effect however, as Hermione didn't seem to have acknowledged his presence. He watched, frowning, and gasped softly when he saw a lone tear fall on her cheek.

'Granger?' he tried again, his hand on her shoulder.

She still didn't answer, and now he was getting worried. He looked around him for Polar, but didn't see him anywhere.

'Granger? Come on, snap out of it! HERMIONE!' he finally yelled.

His outburst seemed to produce an effect as Hermione started, shook her head and looked at Draco 'W-what? Malfoy, what are you doing?'

'Yeah, Draco, what are you doing?' Blaise asked groggily.

'Nothing, just go back to sleep' Draco snapped at his friend, who obeyed and did as he was told. To Hermione, Draco said 'You were in a trance or something, and I tried to talk to you, but you wouldn't even notice.'

When Hermione didn't answer, and just turned her head away, Draco put his hand on her shoulder and, sitting beside her on the grass, whispered 'What's wrong?'

The Gryffindor sighed and turned to him 'Let's wake up the others and I'll tell you.'

Draco nodded, and he went to wake up Ginny and Blaise –who yelled and screamed and growled, but finally got up –and then they sat around the no longer existing fire.

'So, what happened?' Draco asked –while handing her some food (mostly fruits) -Hermione when the latter joined them, still holding something hidden under her robes.

The brown-haired girl sighed yet again and said 'Polar is gone.'

'What?' the three teenagers yelled.

Hermione looked them each in the eye, and said once again 'Polar is gone. He has left.'

'B-but why?' Ginny asked. 'Wasn't he supposed to be our guide? I thought he was going to stay with us until we reached the cure, and walk back to the castle with us.'

The boys nodded, having thought the exact same thing.

Hermione smiled sadly, and they could all see that she was fighting away tears. 'Yes, well, Polar has gone on his own path. And we have to go on, or else his sacrifice will be wasted.'

'Sacrifice? Hermione, what are you talking about?' Ginny asked her friend.

'I-I can't tell you now, sorry, Gin.'

'Does it have something to do with our 'quest'?' Draco asked Hermione.

She only bowed her head, but that was enough of an answer for him. Nodding slightly, he then asked 'So, what are we going to do? How are we gonna get to the cure without Polar helping us? He was the only one of us that knew this forest so good.'

'Don't worry' Hermione said 'He hasn't left us unguided. I'll show you how we're gonna get to the cure after we pack everything.'

And so, the four teenagers packed all of their belongings and then waited. Hermione went at the head of them, and she motioned for Draco to come to her.

He did so frowning.

When he was in front of her, Hermione took something out of her robes. As she held it out, a silvery light enveloped them all. Draco watched the orb in fascination, then asked the Gryffindor 'What's that?'

'This, Malfoy, is our guiding light. Polar hasn't left us alone. This light will guide us to the cure, following a path where most dangers aren't allowed to enter.'

The three teenagers watched Hermione a bit confused as she explained. 'But, Granger,' Blaise asked 'how could the centaur have left that ball when he doesn't have any magic to have conjured it with?'

'A ball like this doesn't need to be conjured, Zabini' explained the Gryffindor 'The tears of a centaur worried for his friends can easily create one. This is a magic old as time, that not many centaurs use now.'

'If it's old as time, then how do you know about it? 'Ginny asked her.

When Hermione raised her eyebrows a bit mockingly, Ginny rolled her eyes. 'Right. The library.'

Giving a slight smile, Hermione turned to Draco and handed him the ball. 'You're the only one that can activate it.'

'Why me?' Draco asked.

'If the ball would have been meant to guide us to Hogwarts, any of us could have activated it. But it is meant for the cure, and so only an enemy of those in pain can activate it.'

Draco nodded, and then 'How do I stimulate it?'

'You order it to lead you to what you're looking for' was Hermione's answer.

'Very well' Draco said as he stood up straighter. To the ball, he said 'Lead me to the cure for Potter and Weasley.'

When his words were pronounced, a ray of light erupted from the ball and began slowly tracing a path in the air for the teenagers to follow.

Draco, Hermione, Ginny and Blaise walked for hours purchasing the light until finally, it stopped moving. When Draco arrived to where the path led, he gasped.

They were in a sort of clearing and there, in the middle, was the cure: a silver and golden flower looking as if it was made of diamonds. The sun's light that entered the forest went through it and gave it an aura of supernatural. The flower wasn't big. It was about as big as a cat's head. (A/N: sorry, it was the only height that came in mind, what with my cat purring on the computer…)

But soon enough, Draco saw that the flower wasn't the only thing in the clearing. There, not even a few meters away, laid Polar. He turned to Hermione to stop her from seeing him, but it was already to late.

She ran to her friend and kneeled close to him, letting her tears free. 'Polar' she whispered. 'Polar, wake up. Please, wake up. It's me, your little tiger.'

But Polar didn't give any sign of life.

'Hermione' Draco whispered from behind. 'He's no more.'

'No!' the brown-haired girl shook her head frantically. 'NO!' To Polar, she whispered sadly 'Why did you do it, Polar? Why? You should have never done it. Now I'm going to get back my friends, but I will have lost you forever.'

Whimpering, she bent her head and kissed the centaur's forehead slightly, before breaking into sobs, and clenching on him as if her life depended on it.

The others could only stay there and watch the two: the broken Gryffindor, and the centaur who befriended humans.

Miles away from where the teenagers stood, at the Hogwarts castle, two Gryffindors were desperately fighting for their lives.

'They won't make it if the others don't get back with the cure fast' Mme Pomfrey told the other man in the room.

'They will be back. But for now, they have to deal with the loss of a friend' Dumbledore whispered, as a lone tear slid on his cheek.

But all may not be lost, he told himself.

Dun dun dun… Now they have found the cure, but at what price? Is Polar really dead? It sure looks like it. Will Hermione be able to live with it? Will they all be able to go on with the 'quest' and bring the cure back to the castle in order to save Harry and Ron before it's too late?

If you want to know, review…

Oh, and don't kill me yet! You still need to know the rest of the story, right? laughing uneasily

Tigerlilystar