All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

Chapter Nine: Working on the Solution

Hermione Granger - Present Day

November 4, 1999

There was no blood in George. There was nothing at all in George. Hermione gasped out loud, and everyone looked at her, puzzled. They all seemed upset with McGonagall's announcement, but Hermione just realized the importance of what she just learned.

"George has no blood, don't you get it? George is empty, he's a shell!" Nobody understood why Hermione was so happy, their confused looks actually made her laugh.

"You need to explain, Hermione!" Harry finally said.

"Gladly!" she smiled. "We've been going at this all wrong, trying counter curses and potions. None of that is going to work because George isn't here!" She couldn't believe it had taken her this long to figure it out.

"George is upstairs," said Ron, looking the most confused out of all.

"George's body may be, but his soul isn't." Hermione was getting frustrated that nobody seemed to understand. "What the spell did was not put George to sleep or any other enchantment, it removed himself from his body! So although he may appear dead, he's not, he's just somewhere else!"

"So all we have to do his bring his body to wherever it is that he is?" Asked Arthur.

"Exactly!" Hermione beamed.

"Hermione, you are a genius!" Said Helen. "His... his soul, for lack of a better word is probably somewhere magical, so we need to start looking. Once we find it, we can bring his body and have him restored. Maybe we'll be able to find out what other souls are stored there so we know which bodies to dig up!"

"Wait a minute," said Ron confused. "His soul? So like he was kissed by a Dementor?"

"Sort of," said Hermione. "Except that with a Dementor's kiss, you keep all your vital organs. With this spell, your body is literally just a shell, the rest of you is somewhere else, somewhere safe from threat."

Harry went into leader mode. "Alright, everyone, we need to find this place and fast. Kingsley, organize search parties, I want every magical place searched and make sure you check known Voldemort locations as well, I'm positive this spell came from him." Kingsley nodded. "Helen, brief Essa on her mission. Professor McGonagall, I know it's probably not there but I need Hogwarts searched, too."

"Leave it to me, Potter." Harry nodded his thanks.

"Alright everyone, until next week then, or sooner, if we find George. And don't worry Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, we will." Everyone left number 12 Grimmauld place at once, excited with the new discovery. All who were left were Hermione and Harry.

"What's up, Harry?" Hermione asked him. "You're hiding something, I know you."

"So are you," Harry responded.

Hermione smiled. "You first."

Harry sighed. "My invisibility cloak is gone and I think Ginny took it." Harry explained to Hermione what was asked of him by Mr. Weasley and about Ginny's surprise visit to his home. "That's why I brought Essa on board, I can't tell the Weasley's what's going on, they have enough on their plate, and I don't know what Ginny is up to, but I'm worried and she won't talk to me still."

"Let me talk to her," Hermione told him. "I'm sure I can get through to her." She saw the relief overcome Harry's face.

"Thanks. Now your turn." Hermione looked around, she knew everybody had left but she had to be sure.

"Promise to keep this between us, right now? Until I have more information?" Harry nodded. "Remember the night of the Hogwarts battle?"

"How could I forget?"

"Well, in the Room of Requirement there was that Fiendfyre attack and everything left behind perished."

"Right," said Harry.

"Everything and also everyone should have perished."

Harry thought back to that day. "We had tried to save Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, but it was too late for Crabbe. Crabbe... Blimey Hermione, Crabbe is alive!" Hermione folded her arms and smiled. "How could I have missed that?" Harry wondered out loud.

"We all missed it, Harry. There's only one possible spell that could have saved him."

"Abracadabra!" Harry said excitedly, finally clueing in. "But how did he get his body out?" He asked.

"He clearly had an accomplice, and I think it's Malfoy. But really, I don't care how he did it, I want to know where they restored him to his body. This is the answer we need for George!" Harry nodded in agreement. "I'm going to work on Malfoy, this is huge Harry, but I don't think we should mention it to anyone yet."

"No, I agree. But Hermione if you can get this information…"

"I know, I know," Hermione said. There was so much riding on this, and she needed to do whatever it took.

Draco Malfoy - Present Day

November 10, 1999

Draco walked out of Honeydukes with his pockets full. He wasn't one for sweets, but when you rarely got out anymore it was hard not to indulge. Hermione had asked him to accompany her to Hogsmeade to restock on school supplies, claiming she wasn't his errand lady and wouldn't do it for him, but Draco knew she had other motives. Whatever she tried, though, he wasn't going to tell her anything. He had promised he would take his Father's secret to the grave.

"The Ball is coming up," she said to him as they continued walking down the path.

"And?" he asked her.

"Do you want to go?"

"You want to go to the Ball with me?" he asked, shocked.

"Don't be silly!" she said. "I'm going with Viktor, of course! But if you want to go, I'll arrange a date for you. Someone I trust."

"You've got to be joking," Draco said to her.

"Draco, my life is on the line here. Now, I'm letting you go so you could enjoy yourself. It's like you said, I didn't let you get locked up by Kingsley just to be locked up by me, but I still need you to be in my eye sight. Besides, I don't think Pansy would be okay with sitting at my table, anyway."

Draco snorted. "Definitely not."

"Exactly. So, I'll have a friend escort you, and that way if I get up to dance or whatever, I won't have to worry about you." Draco shrugged. Why not? At least it would get him out of the common room for awhile.

"Where are we going?" he asked, as he noticed that she was leading him out of Hogsmeade.

"I need to meet up with Viktor quickly," she told him.

"You're bringing me on your date?"

"It's not a date! Viktor has Quidditch practice, so he can't stay, but I needed to discuss the Ball with him, in person, so he agreed to meet me here quickly." Draco understood. He wouldn't be happy if his girlfriend was bringing her ex to a Ball either. "Draco," she started. "This conversation with Viktor is important but also sensitive. Can I leave you on a nearby bench? And... and do you promise to stay?"

"Hermione, I know the risk you took for me. You have my word that I won't let you go to Azkaban." She still looked uneasy. "I promise," he reassured her, then, to show her how much he meant it, he grabbed her hands and pulled her close to him. He felt her tense up. "I'm not the one who left the relationship, you may hate me, but I still love you and I won't do anything to jeopardize your life." Hermione stepped back and looked shocked. Before she could answer him, he saw Viktor apparate nearby. "Fuck," he whispered. He thought he had something going there. She pointed to a nearby bench and he obliged; He sat down and watched her walk over to Viktor, stunned. He knew he still loved her more than anything, but saying it out loud made it so much more real. And now she knew it, too.

Ron Weasley - Present Day

November 10, 1999

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Jessica asked him, as she opened her front door.

"Thought I would come by, tough day at the office," he shrugged.

"Well, you can come in, but Amelia is here so we can't do anything." Ron walked into the house and saw a little girl playing with some dolls.

"Cute," he said. "Whose kid?"

Jessica chuckled, "Amelia is my daughter," she answered him.

"I never knew you had a daughter."

Jessica shrugged. "You never asked."

"Right, but I thought that would be a bit important to mention."

"Why? I thought this was just casual?" Ron didn't respond. She's right, he thought, an easy relationship, no strings attached, but still, a child she failed to mention?

"So, where's her father?" He asked her.

"We aren't together. Relationship ended before she was even born. Don't even know where he is to be honest." There was silence for quite awhile. Eventually, Jessica broke it. "So, you were saying you had a bad day at the office?"

"Yeah, turns out my ex was brought in to a big project we're working on."

"Oh, ex from how long ago?" Good, he thought, a little jealousy was needed, at least he knew this easy casual relationship was still a relationship nonetheless.

"Recently," he answered. "Just before you and I, actually."

"You left her for me?" Jessica asked, frowning. Yes, he thought, but didn't say that aloud.

"Nah, I just happened to meet you around the same time I was done with her."

She nodded. "Know anything about kids?" She asked him.

"No," he laughed, "but I guess I will with Bill's baby coming soon."

"When's that supposed to happen?"

"Around May." The two sat quiet for another short while. It dawned on Ron just how little the two had in common. He had been so caught up with the sexual aspect of what they did that he hadn't realized that it was all they had. He brushed that thought away, though. Jessica was not complicated, she was easy, and that's what he needed in his life. He removed his cloak and placed it across the back of the couch and then moved closer to Jessica. He began by rubbing her arm and slowly started to kiss her shoulder and work his way up to her neck. She started to giggle.

"Ron, Amelia is playing in the other room!" She said.

"She's in the other room," Ron repeated. "I know how to keep quiet." Jessica giggled but didn't stop him. It didn't take him long to have her laying on the couch with himself on top of her and his hand up her blouse.

"Mommy," he heard Amelia call, but either Jessica didn't hear her or chose not to answer. "Mommy!" Came Amelia's voice again, this time much closer.

"Shit, I think she's in the room," Ron whispered. Jessica lifted her head up and sure enough, there was Amelia at the end of the couch.

"Sweetie, go play in the next room, Mommy will be there soon." Obediently, Amelia turned around and headed to the other room. Ron went right back to kissing Jessica and if lucky, doing a lot more. It wasn't very long, however, before they heard a small explosion in the next room. They both jumped up, Jessica shirtless, and ran into the next room. What Ron saw was horrific; Amelia was laying face down on the ground motionless with blood oozing out of the side of her head. Jessica screamed and ran to her daughter.

"Call an ambulance! Call an ambulance!" she was screaming at Ron. Ron could only assume that was the muggle way of contacting Healers, but before he could ask her how, he noticed what looked like a wooden stick in Amelia's little hand.

"No," he said to Jessica, panic rising in his voice. "We are going to St. Mungo's." Petrified, Ron walked over to what he had thought was a wooden stick previously and pocketed it; She had gotten a hold of his wand.

Hermione Granger – The Past

June 20, 1998

"Harry?" Hermione called out, but either he did not hear her or did not want her to know that he did, Harry Potter did not reply. Hermione frowned as she made her descent down the long benches to the middle of the room. She remembered the last time that she had been here with Harry and their friends. Unlike Harry, Hermione had only seen the room briefly in her fifth year, she was not one of the group that had fought the Death Eaters here. She, of course, knew the story well, however; Harry, alongside The Order, had fought Death Eaters who were trying to steal the prophecy made about him and Lord Voldemort. The prophecy was smashed, however, but the Death Eaters still gained one thing; Sirius Black had died. Hermione approached Harry slowly, unaware of what state he may be in. He was sitting cross legged facing an archway standing on its own on top of a dais. Silently, Hermione sat beside her friend and stared at the archway. There was a mysterious beauty to it, however, the whispers that could be heard coming from it was eerie and made her very uncomfortable.

"He fell through it, Hermione," Harry started to tell her. "Bellatrix casted a spell that caught him in the chest and he went through, but he never came out of the other side." Hermione said nothing. She could understand the pain Harry felt when he lost his Godfather, so soon after they had reunited.

"Harry," Hermione started quietly, being cautious of Harry's current mindset. "Why do you keep coming here? It's the sixth time in the last month!"

"He's in there, Hermione, I know it."

"Oh, Harry, I'm really sorry, but he's not. This isn't healthy. It's just like when you discovered the Mirror of Erised."

"It's not like that at all!" Harry yelled. "I know that my parents are dead, the mirror just allowed me to see them, it's not like the Dursley's gave me any pictures!" Hermione bowed her head. She knew the pain of not having your parents, but she at least had photographs and an abundance of memories. "He's in there, Hermione," Harry continued. "Don't you hear the whispers?"

"I do, Harry, but we don't know anything about this archway, that could be part of the dark magic, to lure people to their deaths."

"Or," Harry started, anger rising in his voice, "It's all the innocent victims stuck in there trying to find a way out!"

"I'm sorry, Harry, but there really is no sugar coating this. Sirius is gone, just like Dumbledore, just like Remus and Tonks, just like.. like your parents."

"How do you know that for certain?" Harry snapped. Hermione paused for a long time before she finally answered.

"Because, Harry, when we arrived to the Ministry in our fifth year, I couldn't see the Thestrals that we rode in on, but after I woke up in the hospital wing and went outside, they were there, very visible. And you know, Harry.."

"A person can only see a Thestral once they've seen death," Harry finished, defeated.

Author's Notes: For those still asking about Harry and Ginny's relationship, I briefly explain in the previous chapter's "author's notes." In terms of why Ginny has not broken up with Harry, she will explain, herself, in chapter sixteen. For the hatred I keep receiving about this new Harry (lol) I promise he will redeem himself!