Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series.

So, I just went back and fixed the first chapter... Apparently I had Ginny on the brain and not Hermione, but it's all fixed now. :D This chapter and the next one are a little short. Sorry about that. I'm kind of liking the way I'm splitting everything up, but I'm sure it'll start to get irritating if I never get to Hermione, and if the chapters are only a few lines. They'll get better (I hope! XD)!

Please, let me know what you think about this story by giving me a review. I love them, they make me feel special!

My mum had looked into finding out about any trackers being sent after me, but she didn't come up with anything. I breathed a sigh of relief, but I knew that it could just be a trick. I learned long ago that nothing is ever what it seems at first glance; I was still going to need to be very careful about being followed.

As I slowly started my way down the drive of the Malfoy Manor, I couldn't help but worry about what I was going to have to do. I was racking my brains as to where Hermione might be, but I didn't know for sure how long they had been on the run, and been using Hermione's hiding places. I did know that they left the burrow the night of one of the Weasley son's wedding. That was the day the ministry was taken over.

I wanted to start out randomly popping around to different places, staying there for a few nights, and making it look like I was really looking for the three young wizards on the run. If I was secretly being followed, then I would need to be careful. As long as I paid attention to my surroundings, then I should be okay. Mum told me that I had to look for signs from the trackers.

I couldn't keep my mind from Hermione. I had made myself stop thinking of her for over a month, but I could no longer make myself keep her memory at bay. As soon as the gates to the Manor closed behind me, my mind was flooded with the memory of her smell, the ghost of her smile, the way she looked when she slept, even the way she said my name. Especially the way she said my name; it seemed like there was so much more behind the word when she said it. It never failed to make my heart skip a beat. That was what I lived for.

I pictured in my mind an abandoned forest, only a few miles from the home I grew up in. I had gone camping there once with Blaise and his family when I was young, and still thought of it from time to time. I had never gone camping before; my father didn't like nature much, so we mostly stayed in the house. I grew very fond of books when I was a child, and that made a different kind of bond with my family than most other kids I knew had. I knew my family through books, not experiences.

I held my wand and turned on the spot, the ancient forest never leaving my mind. After a split second I looked around, and was no longer in front of the Manor, but an insignificant spec among the thousands of enormous trees that now surrounded me. I felt instantly comfortable, and had to remind myself that I needed to protect myself from any unknown dangers.

I went in search for a clearing in the trees, and started to set up the perimeter of my camp space with different protective spells. When I was satisfied that my spells would hold up against intruders, I set to work on my camping tent. As it was just me setting up camp, it took quite a while. I had to get things set up in the tent, and after I moved to a different site, it would take less time to set up.

It was nearly lunchtime when I finished my campsite, but I wasn't hungry. I was wondering what I was going to do with all of my time; I didn't have anyone to talk to, I didn't think to bring a radio, and I really didn't feel like reading. I sat back in my chair, and thought of what Hermione might be doing at that moment. She had her two best friends with her, granted, they were on the run from the most evil and feared wizard in history, but still, she had the comfort of her friends with her. God, I missed her.

I remember the first time I saw her, in our first year at Hogwarts. It wasn't until the sorting had begun that I had really started to look around at the other new students. You could tell from first glance that she was a kind, intelligent person. I caught myself staring several times. Even then, I knew she was different to me. I was only eleven, but I could tell something was not the same about her. She knew more than anyone in our year, and that never changed.

She didn't look like the Slytherin type, but I hoped beyond hope that she would be sorted into my house. I never told anyone that of course, and I didn't show it on my face that I was interested in her fate at all. When she was sorted into Gryfindor, I knew I couldn't ever have a relationship with her. That was even before the Dark Lord returned, but my father knew he was not really gone. I tried my best to ignore her from that day forward, but it only got harder as they years went on, and she started hanging around with Potter and Weasly.

I sighed. I missed the way her body fit perfectly beside mine. The way she would stand on her tippy-toes to give me a kiss. I really just missed the way I always felt when I was with her. I was starting to forget the way my heart always sped up. Her touch was electric, and the hair on my arms would stand on end when she would brush her skin against mine. I couldn't ever picture myself with anyone but her. I knew the way I wanted my life to end up, I just needed to think of a plan.

The next few days passed like that. I thought of different things I loved about Hermione. I tried to think of ways to protect her from You-Know-Who. I imagined the world the way I thought it should be, where You-Know-Who was defeated, where Hermione and I could live in peace, and not have to hide the love we shared. I didn't know how much longer I would be able to go without seeing her; without talking to her; without kissing her soft lips.

I had to keep myself away for just a few more days. I had to be sure that I wasn't being followed. There would be nothing I could do if I was followed and captured after I had found them. There would be no way for me to hid them from You-Know-Who successfully. I shuddered at the thought of what he would do to me if he knew what I was planning on doing. He wouldn't kill me quickly, that's for sure. As for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, it would be even worse. I shook myself from the thought.

Nothing bad was going to happen to them. I would make sure Potter knew what he needed to defeat You-Know-Who. He was the only hope I had of being with Hermione for the rest of my life. I hated the fact that I had to trust everything I held dear to my heart to Potter. If he failed, the whole world would be doomed.

I started to pack up my camp the next morning. I was going to move on to just outside a little town about twenty miles from where I was. I didn't want to bring attention to myself by making big leaps. If I was being followed, they would wonder why I wasn't looking in more places. Although, it would be pretty stupid if the three of them were anywhere near the Manor. Hiding in plain sight might work for some things, but You-Know-Who could see through that. I was getting paranoid about looking around myself for any signs of a tracker, but no matter how often I looked around in the cloak of the trees, or searched the ground for any signs of human life other than my own, I found nothing. Apparently I wasn't important enough to waste You-Know-Who's precious spies. This did nothing but ease my mind over the next week or so, when I started to move around more frequently and without any real thought.

It was actually an accident when I stumbled upon them after only a week and a half of mindlessly meandering in old deserted forests.