Into the Woods.
The bitter wind whistled through the trees as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger slowly trudged through the muddy undergrowth in a small forested area. The trio had been in the forest for several hours now, and they were still no nearer to finding what they'd set out to find.
"This is just bloody great," Ron spat as he almost went flying courtesy of a loose log on the ground. "At this rate I'm going to break my sodding neck."
"At least it would give us some peace and quiet," Hermione muttered under her breath.
"What did you say?" Ron demanded, whirling on his friend as he caught some of what she'd been muttering.
"Nothing," Hermione said with a sigh.
"This is all your fault you know," Ron bitched, glaring at Hermione. "You're the idiot who got us lost. Can't you read a map?"
"Better than you can," Hermione retorted. "You were looking at it upside down before we left."
"Will you two stop bickering," Harry interjected, giving both his friends a stern gaze. "It's unfortunate that we seem to be lost, but it's no-one's fault. It wasn't as if we had a decent map to go off in the first place."
The map the trio were currently using had been found among the notes Hermione had managed to liberate from Albus Dumbledore's office after his death six months previously. The former Headmaster of Hogwarts had been making notes on his research into Voldemort's Horcruxes before his death, and Harry had needed the notes to carry on where the Headmaster had left off and destroy the Horcruxes so that Voldemort himself could be killed. For the last six months the trio had been continuing Dumbledore's work without much success, which was why Harry had insisted they followed the map when Hermione had found it hidden in the back of an old book the previous week.
"We shouldn't have even come," Ron grouched, unfazed by Harry's order to behave himself. "How do we even know Dumbledore had marked the location of a Horcrux on the map? He might have been marking something else entirely."
"Which is why we came to investigate," Harry reminded his friend. "The trip was only to find the location Dumbledore had marked and to see if it warranted further investigation."
"Which would have been fine if someone hadn't gotten us completely and utterly lost," Ron spat, once again glaring at Hermione.
"For Merlin's sake, Ronald, if you're having such a bad time, bugger off home," Hermione snapped. "It wasn't even as if you were supposed to be here. You were the one who decided to join us at the last minute."
Throughout all the preparations, Ron had been adamant he wasn't needed and Harry and Hermione could handle things. However, when it came to actually letting them go off by themselves, he couldn't do it and had changed his mind. Both Harry and Hermione knew his change of mind was purely down to the fact he didn't want to be left out of anything, and his moaning had only proved that he didn't actually want to be helping them. He was with them to avoid feeling left out, it was as simple as that.
"Maybe I will go home," Ron huffed as he pulled out his wand.
Harry began to argue that Ron didn't have to leave, but Ron paid no attention and began preparing to apparate back home. Unlike Hermione, who was good at apparating and could come and go at will, Ron found the magic tricky to pull off and he always needed his full concentration to apparate without splinching himself. However, even concentrating fully he found he couldn't move a muscle when he tried to go home.
"Something's wrong," he informed his friends with a pout. "I can't apparate."
"Maybe you're not trying hard enough," Hermione suggested half-heartedly as she once again studied the map and tried to work out where they were and how they'd gotten so off track.
"Believe me, I'm trying my hardest to get away," Ron snapped.
His friendship with Hermione had always been fraught with tension and they often wound each other up, but things had been getting worse between them over the last couple of months as in Ron's opinion, Hermione was trying to push him out. In Ron's eyes, Hermione was starting to think she was more important to Harry and his fight against Voldemort, purely because she was smarter than he was and was vital to carrying on the research Dumbledore had begun, whereas Ron really couldn't offer his best friend much more than moral support.
"Ron's right Hermione," Harry said as he tried to apparate and found he also couldn't move. "I can't apparate either."
With a sigh, Hermione folded up the map she'd been looking at and placed it back in her pocket. She then removed her own wand and waved it in the air, fully expecting to disappear with a crack. However, she remained where she was standing and no amount of trying on her part could get her to apparate.
"Sod it," Hermione swore, aware that Ron was smirking smugly at her inability to apparate. "There must be some anti-apparition charms around here."
"But why?" Harry asked. "We're in the middle of nowhere."
"I have no idea," Hermione replied with a frown as she removed the map from her pocket once again. "Maybe we're closer to our destination that we realised."
Peering over Hermione's shoulder, Harry tried to help her decipher the map they'd found, but since they were surrounded by trees, it was hard to pinpoint their exact location on the map. No further forward, the pair tucked the map away again and decided to keep on walking until they found something they could hopefully use as a point of reference on the map.
"Are you coming?" Hermione asked Ron as she and Harry prepared to carry on their journey.
"It doesn't look like I've got much choice, does it?" Ron grouched, following after the pair with a scowl on his face.
"Look on the bright side Ron, it's better than being stuck at home doing chores for Molly," Harry said. "I heard her tell Arthur that she wants to spring clean Grimmauld Place, now we're sure it's my house and no other Blacks can gain access to it."
"Now that would be worse," Ron agreed. "I can still remember cleaning the damn place the summer before fifth year."
As the two boys began to reminisce about the summer The Order of the Phoenix was reformed following Voldemort's return, Hermione concentrated on weaving her was through the dangerous undergrowth and muddy patches of forest floor. For nearly an hour the trio continued to trudge through the trees, getting increasingly cold as daylight began to slip away.
"Are we going to be stuck out here all night?" Ron asked, sounding more nervous than annoyed at the prospect of spending an unexpected night under the stars.
"I hope not, we haven't brought any provisions," Harry replied with a shudder.
"I'm sure we would cope," Hermione said, trying to sound positive.
"Maybe we don't need to cope," Ron said excitedly as he raised his hand and pointed to the sky. "That's smoke. Someone else is out here and they've got a fire."
Without waiting for a response, Ron took off in the direction of the smoke. Harry and Hermione were right on his heels, and the trio skidded to a halt when they entered a clearing and a small cottage sprung into view. The smoke was coming from the cottage's chimney and the windows were lit up, indicating that someone was inside.
"Brilliant," Ron gushed, rushing towards the cottage.
"Ron wait," Hermione called, chasing after her friend and stopping him from banging on the door. "We don't know who this cottage belongs to. We need to be cautious."
"Don't be such a worry wart, Hermione," Ron said, shrugging Hermione's hand off his arm and knocking on the door.
Shaking her head at Ron, she stepped back as Harry joined them in front of the cottage's door. With the lights on inside the house and a fire burning, they all expected a quick answer, but a couple of minutes after Ron had knocked on the door, they were still waiting for an answer. Growing impatient, Ron knocked a second time but there was still no answer and no sound of anyone moving around inside the house.
"Maybe no-one's home," Hermione suggested.
"But there's lights on, and there's a fire burning," Ron argued as he wandered over to the window and peered inside.
"What can you see?" Harry asked.
"Just a front room," Ron replied. "I can't see anyone, but the cottage looks lived in. Maybe whoever lives here is just in the back. Knock again, Harry."
Harry did as Ron asked him and knocked on the door again, only when he knocked the door crept open slightly with the force of his fist against the door.
"Hey, it's open," he informed Ron.
"Let's go in then," Ron said, re-joining his friends in front of the door.
"Is that really wise?" Hermione asked, installing some caution to proceedings. "Why is the door suddenly open?"
"Maybe it was always open," Ron suggested.
"If that was the case, you would have noticed when you knocked," Hermione pointed out. "I don't like this. Something feels wrong to me. I think we should leave."
"And I think you should grow a backbone, Hermione," Ron snapped. "Are you a true Gryffindor or not?"
"There's a difference between bravery and recklessness," Hermione argued, even though most of the times she felt Gryffindors tended to be more reckless than brave.
"I'm not scared, and I'm going in," Ron announced, pushing open the door. "Hello, is there anyone there?" he called into the cottage.
"Are you going in as well Harry?" Hermione asked as Ron cautiously entered the hallway.
"We could at least take a look around," Harry replied as he pulled out his wand. "Are you coming?"
"Against my better judgment," Hermione muttered, pulling out her own wand and following Ron and Harry into the cottage.
"I don't think there's anyone here," Ron remarked, as the trio looked around the front room.
"Let's check the rest of the place," Harry suggested, heading towards the back of the cottage which was still cloaked in darkness.
"I really don't like this," Hermione grumbled as she inched her way into the cottage. "This feels like a trap."
"Don't be so stupid, this is not a trap," Ron snorted.
"Actually Weasley, that is exactly what it is," a very familiar voice called as a shadow moved in front of Harry and the familiar figure of Draco Malfoy emerged into the light spilling from the front room.
"Malfoy," Harry gasped, whirling around as the sound of the front door slamming echoed around the cottage and he found a smirking Blaise Zabini standing beside their exit. "Zabini."
"Don't forget me," a pouting Theo Nott called as he appeared beside Draco.
"What is this?" Harry gasped, feeling both Hermione and Ron moving to cover his back as he turned back to Draco.
"We've already established that, Potter. This is a trap," Draco said slowly as if talking to a child.
"How?" Ron demanded, his wand pointing towards Blaise, even though he hadn't moved from his position leaning against the front door.
"That's for us to know and you to find out," Draco replied with a low laugh. "Get them boys," he ordered his two best friends.
Blaise and Theo had clearly been waiting for permission to strike as they both shots spells at the Gryffindors before they even had a chance to raise their own wands. Fortunately for Harry and Ron they weren't slow on the uptake and they were soon shooting spells of their own at the Slytherins. As spells and curses where hurled around the small cottage, neither Harry nor Ron noticed that Hermione wasn't involved in the action. The second the first spell had been thrown she'd dodged out of the way and was standing with her back against the wall, wand at the ready in case a rogue spell came towards her.
"Hermione, get to the front door," Harry called, not able to see his best friend but aware that Blaise had moved out of position and was no longer blocking their escape route.
Edging around the duelling wizards, Hermione did indeed head to the front door, but rather than escaping and going for help, as Harry obviously meant for her to do, she placed her back against the wood and stood rooted to the spot as she watched the action. Clearly growing impatient with how long things were taking, Draco had joined the fray and it was now two Gryffindors against three Slytherins. Although even if they hadn't been outnumbered Harry and Ron still would have struggled as the Slytherins played dirty and weren't afraid to use nasty hexes and curses to subdue their enemy.
After nearly fifteen minutes of fighting, Harry and Ron were finally brought to their knees. Both of them had been disarmed and both of them were bleeding from different places. Harry had a nasty cut above his right eye, while Ron's lip was bleeding and he had a red patch on his cheek where someone had landed a fist to his face.
"I have to admit, you're spirited," Draco remarked as Blaise and Theo magically restrained the pair of Gryffindors. "I wasn't expecting such a fight."
"Sod off Malfoy," Harry spat, his head swivelling from side to side as he suddenly realised Hermione hadn't been subdued along with him and Ron.
"Don't get your hopes up Potter," Draco laughed, seeing the relief light up Harry's face. "Granger is not bringing help."
"What have you done to her?" Harry demanded.
"Nothing. I'm right here," Hermione called, leaving her place beside the front door and joining the Slytherins in front of her two tied up friends.
"Hermione?" Harry frowned, noticing there wasn't a mark on Hermione and she didn't look as though she'd been involved in a battle of any sort.
"Yes Harry, what can I do for you?" Hermione asked.
"What's going on?" Harry questioned in confusion.
"Are you really that stupid Potter?" Draco laughed. "I'm sure even Weasley knows what's going on."
"Or perhaps not," Blaise remarked, noticing that the redhead looked just as confused as Harry.
"Let's fill you in," Draco said magnanimously. "This is a trap, and Hermione delivered you to us. She planted the map and brought you to this place, although it was just supposed to be you, Potter. Weasley's an added extra."
"I've always said he hated to be left out," Hermione remarked with a shrug. "He just couldn't stay behind and let Harry and I go off without him."
"I bet he wishes he had now," Theo chuckled.
"Why Hermione?" Harry interrupted, his attention on his best friend. "Why did you do this? How did they get to you?"
"They didn't get to me, Harry. I've always been on their side," Hermione answered with a smirk. "Everything you know about me is a lie. Hermione Granger the innocent muggleborn is just an act. I used it to get close to you and the Order, and I used my knowledge to feed information to the dark. I've played a part in almost everything that's happened to you, Harry. Now I've completed my mission and delivered you into the hands of The Dark Lord."
"Bitch," Ron spat, speaking for the first time since the end of the fight which had resulted in he and Harry being restrained.
With a low growl, Draco balled his right hand into a fist and lashed out at Ron. He hit Ron squarely in the nose and blood gushed from the redhead's face as he cried out in pain.
"Speak to Hermione like that again and I'll cut your tongue out," Draco snarled.
"I don't believe it," Harry whispered. "Now only are you betraying us, but you're involved with Malfoy."
"I would think my love life is the least of your worries right now," Hermione remarked. "In case you haven't realised it yet, Harry, you've lost. From here we're taking you to The Dark Lord, and he'll kill you. The war is over."
"It'll never be over," Harry predicted. "You can kill me, but people will fight. The rest of the Order will continue the battle."
"The rest of the Order will crumble like a pack of cards without you," Hermione said confidently. "They're already lost without Dumbledore, but when they lose you, they'll be broken beyond repair."
Harry continued to protest, but Hermione was no longer listening. Instead she was focusing on the fact that at long last her act was over. Finally after six and a half years of living a lie, she could be herself. Her time with the Order was over, and now she could embrace her true self, which was a dark witch who would be among Voldemort's supporters as he won the war and took total control of the wizarding world.