Hey guys! Sorry for the delay. :P I'm really getting annoyed with the last few chapters. Hope it's still alright for you. Oh, and by the way, I'm assuming all you readers have read or watched Deathly Hallows. Or else these might not make sense to you.

Thank you for your reviews!

A little reminder. I DO NOT own Harry Potter or anything related to the series mentioned below. J.K. Rowling does.

"Impendimenta!"

The spell went straight, right towards Hermione, passed her and hit the Death Eater behind the trio. Hermione watched the Death Eater get knocked off his feet and land crashing down on to a table. Hermione looked back at Draco, her heart still beating violently.

"Damn it, let's get out of here!" Draco yelled as he grasped Hermione's arm.

She stared back at him.

"Hermione!" Ron yelled.

She looked at Draco right in his eyes, still recovering from her horrific thought that he had being about to attack her. His silver blue orbs searched her brown ones urgently. His trusting eyes, filled with worry, determination and a hint of fear. But nothing murderous.

She finally nodded and focused on her apparition to somewhere safe.

Coming back to Grimmauld place now, Draco couldn't help feel as if the place had suddenly died. Just like Dumbledore. He noticed that Hermione was still feeling shaken after the unexpected Death Eater attack at Tottenham Court Road. Weasley's face was still pale; clashing horribly with his red hair and Potter seemed to have gone deranged as he muttered to himself.

After confronting Moody's protective charms in the house, they moved in to the living room. Draco went off to check the rooms upstairs and calm his nerves. Though he refused to admit, he also was pretty much freaked out. But he had made himself useful by somehow stunning one of the deathly duos at the café.

Draco rattled the door knob of the rooms. They were locked with some complicated spell, which didn't even allow Alohomora to open it. Lupin or Kingsley or most probably Moody had probably locked the rooms for ….. Precautions? Or was it because that they didn't expect anyone to come back to the gloomy house? He didn't know. Draco trudged downstairs.

When he came to the hallway Hermione was yelling at Potter about closing his mind. Harry looked pissed off and Ron looked extremely anxious. Draco cleared his throat.

"The rooms are locked." He said. The trio turned to look at him as if they had forgotten he was there.

"I guess we'll have to sleep in the living room then." Harry sighed. "And food…. I guess Kreacher could make himself usef—."

Suddenly a blinding pain came to Draco's left arm. "Arrrgggh!" Draco cried, as he clutched his arm. He doubled over and his face twisted in to a grimace.

"Draco!" He heard Hermione call out, as if she was distant. "Draco?"

"My—My arm….aaaaah." his hands clenched in to fists. He felt someone grasp him and pull him on a couch. Tears sprang in to his eyes as he gasped. He felt hands shove his robes off him and fingers pull his sleeve up of his shirt. His arm felt like it was burning as it exposed in to the air.

Hermione gasped. The dark mark that was tattooed on his skin was glimmering.

"Bloody hell." Ron whispered.

"Ron, go get some water." Hermione ordered and Ron didn't hesitate.

"What's happening to him?" Harry asked urgently, watching Malfoy writhe in pain. Hermione had him gripped in to place, stroking his head.

"Well, of course. He must have been seen by the Death Eaters. This probably is a message from You-Know-Who." Hermione whispered.

"Wait. So he's causing this?"

"Harry, you know how Death Eaters communicate. They press the Dark Mark and they're summoned to whoever's pressing it. Draco's being careful not to press it all this time…."

"Wait. But how about when he ….. Hugs you…..? Doesn't it get pressed somehow?"

"No. I think it's something to do with the fingerprint." Hermione explained between Draco's groans. "So don't you see? When someone pushes their dark mark, the others sense it. So to feel what Draco's feeling…."

Draco's cries subsided. He was now panting.

Harry shuddered, his scar prickling. "But the other Death Eaters must be feeling it, right?"

Ron came with a glass of water.

"They should be." Hermione nodded, biting her lip. She pushed Malfoy's hair off his face. "Draco?"

Malfoy's face was covered with slight sweat. His eyes opened slightly as he turned his head to look at Hermione and Harry.

"I can't wait to get those bloody horcruxes smashed." He moaned.

"This is dangerous."

Hermione simply ignored as she continued to explain her plan to Harry and Ron, as they sat by the table. Malfoy was pacing in front of them like a caged lion.

"Hermione, there are plenty of places where it could go wrong." Malfoy said.

They were in the dining room, after a hearty lunch from an improved Kreacher after the 'locket incident'. Hearing from Mundungus Fletcher that the locket was with Umbridge, Hermione had instantly gone in to researching and planning mode.

"Look. We can't stay cooped up in here forever." Hermione said patiently.

"Do you realize the consequences if you get caught? If I get caught? If Potter gets caught?"

"We won't." Harry said firmly.

"It's worth it." Hermione agreed.

"Bloody hell, Hermione. Why do you have to be always heroic? Why do you have to be stupid to try a plan that could just go horribly wrong with one misstep?" Draco asked angrily.

"Oi! Don't talk to her like that." Ron snapped.

"Shut up, Weasley."

"Why don't you sod off? We're at least trying to do something useful."

"Ron…" Harry warned.

"Useful? You call waltzing in to the Ministry with no back up plan USEFUL?" Draco spat.

"What do you suggest? Hide like a ferret till it's too late?"

Malfoy opened his mouth to retort, his fists shaking slightly.

"Draco." Hermione stopped him. "We don't have anything else to do. We have to get that locket somehow. We are willing to take the risk."

"Well, I'm not." He spat.

There was a silence. Draco's eyes bored in to Hermione's. Her eyes searched his as she bit the corner of her lip absent-mindedly.

"I'm not…." Draco's voice was quiet now. "…. Willing to let you risk your life either."

Harry pointedly studied the sketched plan of the Ministry, his thoughts instantly wandering towards Ginny, then to his two loyal best friends. Ron just looked away, feeling oddly frustrated. Screw Malfoy. What a coward.

Hermione sighed. "Draco, nobody's actually willing. But we haven't a choice. This is war. Even though you don't want anything to do with it, it concerns you." she looked at her hands. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Look." Harry spoke up. "You don't have to do anything if you don't want to. I'm not forcing you to."

Hermione looked up at Harry. She realized that he wasn't just talking to Draco.

"Malfoy, you can stay here and be safe. I'm not gonna make you come. We included you because Dumbledore wanted us to." Harry looked at Hermione. "I tried to shake them off but they're too stubborn, so they're coming with me, after of course, being called 'Thick' and 'Barmy'." Harry said, with a slight teasing tone. Hermione's mouth twitched in to a smile and Ron grinned. "Your pick, Malfoy."

Malfoy just watched Hermione who was fidgeting in her seat. He opened his mouth but Hermione cut him off.

"I'm sorry I just dragged you in to this, Draco. I-I was being selfish." Hermione said. "It wasn't right. I didn't even properly ask you."

"No, you didn't." Malfoy agreed.

"Just go away, if you're done deciding." Ron scowled seeing Hermione's eyes moisten.

Draco sighed and simply came and sat beside Hermione. "What do we do after Potter gets the locket?" he asked grudgingly.

She stared at him. Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but Malfoy leaned in, effectively cutting her off with his lips. Hermione felt her eyelids droop in to a close and a flip-flop in her chest. "If you think I'm going to let you go with these accident prone retards, you've got something else coming on to you." he said against her lips.

"Merlin. Get a room." Ron groaned.

"Shut up, Weasel."

"Hermione….." Ron whined.

"Shut up, Ron."

"Urrrrgggghh" Draco's groans echoed in the woods.

He had been right. Things hadn't gone well as planned. All he knew was that his arm was giving him a raging pain and it was twisted in an impossible angle. Not the arm with the Dark Mark, but the other one. He knew that it happened when the group had hurriedly apparated from the Ministry, with Yaxley in tow. But Draco had seeing the door of Grimmauld place and felt someone grab but before he knew it, his arm was aching like never before and he was lying on the ground with the sun in his eyes.

"Hermione…" He whimpered tears pouring down his face..

"Harry, quickly. Give me the dittany." He heard Hermione say. Her voice almost cracked.

Dark spots danced around Draco and he felt numb. He heard Weasley's voice somewhere and Potter shouting a spell. The darkness invaded his visions and he fainted.

Draco moaned. His eyes fluttered open. He was now lying on something less hard. For a few wonderful moments, Draco thought that he was back in the burrow, with Mrs. Weasley waiting downstairs with her amazing dishes. Draco tried to sit up but a pang ran through his arm. He gasped and laid back down. He looked at his arm. It was wrapped with a clean clothe neatly. Then things came back to him like a rush of waves. The ministry, the locket, Yaxley. He looked around. He was in a huge tent, with a kitchen and bathroom in a corner. Two more rooms peered on the other side. There was a table in the middle and Hermione, Ron and Harry were sitting with steaming mugs of tea, discussing something in whispers. On the table was the darned locket.

"Where are we?" Draco asked, his voice hoarse. The trio turned to look at him, surprised. Hermione rushed over to his side.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit. Where are we?"

"We're—we're in the woods where the Quiddich World Cup was held."

Suddenly a memory flashed in to Draco's mind.

"Hadn't you better be hurrying along, now? You wouldn't like her spotted, would you?"

He nodded at Hermione, and at the same moment, a blast like a bomb sounded from the campsite, and a flash of green light momentarily lit the trees around them.

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Hermione defiantly.

"Granger, they're after Muggles," said Malfoy. "D'you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around… they're moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh."

"Hermione's a witch," Harry snarled.

"Have it your own way, Potter," said Malfoy, grinning maliciously. "If you think they can't spot a Mudblood, stay where you are."

"You watch your mouth!" shouted Ron.

"Never mind, Ron," said Hermione quickly, seizing Ron's arm to restrain him as he took a step toward Malfoy. There came a bang from the other side of the trees that was louder than anything they had heard. Several people nearby screamed. Malfoy chuckled softly.

"Scare easily, don't they?" he said lazily. "I suppose your daddy told you all to hide? What's he up to - trying to rescue the Muggles?"

"Where're your parents?" said Harry, his temper rising. "Out there wearing masks, are they?"

"Well… if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I, Potter?"

"Oh come on," said Hermione, with a disgusted look at Malfoy, "let's go and find the others."

"Keep that big bushy head down, Granger," sneered Malfoy.

"Come on," Hermione repeated, and she pulled Harry and Ron up the path again.

Draco shook himself off from the memory. That wasn't him. That wasn't him who had being proud of what the Death Eaters had being doing during the riot of the Quiddich World Cup.

"What did I…..ah, miss?" He managed to ask.

"Well, you splinched yourself." Hermione said slowly. "And we can't go back to Grimmauld Place because of me."

"Hermione, quit it." Ron said.

Hermione ignored him. "Well, it was because of me. We got the locket. We have to somehow find a way to destroy it. I think Vo—"

"Don't!" Draco snapped.

Hermione looked at him bewildered.

"Don't say his name."

"Draco….a fear of name—"

"Just—just don't say his name! He's a bloody jinx."

"Fine. Well, we'll have to keep moving and stay undercover for a while."

"How long am I gonna be staying like this?" Draco groaned.

"It'll be better by tomorrow." Hermione assured. "You look pale. Here, have my tea. I didn't think you were going to wake up just yet, so I didn't make any for you." She helped him sit up and gave him her mug.

"Where did the tent come from?"

"I was prepared." She said with a slight smile as she went over to the kitchen. He watched her go before looking at Harry and Ron who were staring at him.

"Quit staring." He said, taking a gulp of the tea. His throat felt better.

"You do look crappy." Ron said weakly.

"No need to rub it in my face." Malfoy scowled. "Can I see the locket?"

Harry and Ron glanced at each other.

"Trust me, Potter. With an arm like this I don't think I would even be able to take my wand out of my pocket." He said dryly.

Kind of reluctantly, Harry handed the locket to Draco. An S was carved elegantly on it. Draco turned it over his hand. Suddenly his left arm stung. With a thump the locket dropped on the ground as his gasped.

"What the hell, Malfoy?" Ron asked irritated as he picked the locket up.

"What happened?" Harry asked curiously, seeing the little colour on Malfoy's face drain.

"My-my arm….. The mark…" He managed to say.

Harry frowned. "Did it ache?"

"Yes."

There was a silence.

"How do you get the mark, Malfoy?" Harry asked.

"None of your business, Potter." Draco snapped. He avoided the pair or blue and green eyes looking at him as he sipped his tea. He didn't want to remember that day. It had been horrible. Scary. A nightmare.

"Hold out your arm Draco."

Cold hands.

"Are you afraid?"

Cold red eyes.

"This is a mark of loyalty towards me. I hope you don't disappoint me."

Cold voice

"You are now part of the new future. Part of me."

Cold pain.

"Hermione, you can have my bed. I'll sleep on the ground. You said you brought sleeping bags right?"

"Oh no! I left them at Grimmauld Place."

"Well, I'll sleep on the armchair."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron. Look at you. It'll be uncomfortable for someone lanky as you. I'll take the armchair."

"No. Take the bed, Hermione."

Draco had enough listening to the two. He felt frustrated. He hated being immobilized like this. And he hated Weasley sucking up Hermione's attention. And he hated feeling like the third wheel. Or more like the fourth wheel. He also hated the lack of food and the quality of it. He was starving and all they had were crappy mushrooms.

"Shut up, Weasley." Draco called out from his bed. "She's sleeping with me."

"What?"

"Draco…." Hermione started.

"C'mon. I want to sleep." Malfoy said, yawning.

"Hermione's not sleeping with you, you idiot." Ron sputtered.

"Of course she is. Just like usual." Draco drawled.

"Oh, Ron. It's nothing like that. We just…. Enjoy our company."

"Hermione, are you coming?" Draco asked.

"No, she's not. This disgusting. No, no, no. I'm not gonna…."

"Merlin, grow up. You sound childish." Draco sneered.

"It's alright Ron. I won't do anything that'll make you uncomfortable." Hermione assured.

"But-but—" Ron's face was red.

"Do you want to her to sleep in the armchair?" Draco asked.

"Alright, fine." Ron said defeated.

Draco grinned. He looked at Hermione who had come to the bed with her PJs on, shaking her head, looking amused.

"You somehow get your way, don't you?" She said sitting on the bed.

"That's my specialty." Draco gave a crooked smile.

"I'm sorry about the food."

"It's temporally."

Hermione was silent at this. "Draco… this might not be quick as we assume."

"Potter better have a plan then. His bloody business. Well, I don't care about it now. Are you planning to sleep?"

Hermione smiled at him and laid herself next to him.

"Hermione." Draco said. "Move to the other side. I mean, come to my left side."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Hermione got up and crawled over Draco's body and moved to his left. Draco held out his good arm and Hermione gladly snuggled next to him as his arm wrapped around her.

"Good night." She said.

"Hmmm…"

"Hermione?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you-do you think that we're getting anywhere?"

"I…..don't know, Ron. I hope so."

"Reckon Harry knows what he's doing?"

"I think so…."

"Scary thought, huh?" An unexpected grin broke on his face.

"Yeah." Hermione smiled.

"I wonder if they are alright…at the burrow."

"I'm sure they're alright."

"Ginny must have gone to school….. with that git in it."

"Well, we'll have to trust Snape."

"You still think he's in our side?"

"He—he has to be."

Was it still the fourth week? Or had the fifth week already started? Hermione had lost count. So many things ran through her mind. Thank Merlin that Draco's arm was better, or else that would have been another one in the list of worries. But their hunt for the other horcruxes weren't successful. Nor were the attempts of destroying the one they had. The days rolled by slowly as if torture, with no progress. Hermione started feeling uneasy. She doubted Harry knew what he was doing. But he had to. They couldn't be wandering around aimlessly

Ron hardly talked. He just listened to the wireless, all day, worrying about his family. At times Malfoy would yell at him to turn it off and a fight often followed.

"Shut the damn thing down, Weasley."

"Get lost, Malfoy."

"You're making this place sound like a funeral, you asshole."

"Well, I'm sorry you don't have a family."

"Well, I'm sorry if all you can think is their death, you miserable git."

"Do us all a favour and go curl up somewhere and die."

"That would have being loads better than being stuck with you and your wretched radio."

But soon it would be dispersed by Hermione's and Harry's intervention. Malfoy would then go and sulk off, refusing to talk to anyone till the next day. Hermione knew it was partly because of the locket. Since Malfoy rarely left the tent, he was given the task to guard it, in other words to wear it around his neck. He had being especially difficult, often grumpy and complaining. He often was in a bad mood. And then there were those nightmares Draco had. Hermione often woke up in the middle of the night, to see him struggling in his sleep next to her. Whatever it was Malfoy refused to talk about it.

Harry felt exhausted. He felt tired of the hunt, tired of Malfoy's moaning and tired of Hermione and Ron talking behind his back about him. He felt clueless and he would often curse Dumbledore for not being specific. Why the hell had he left a snitch and some kid's storybook for Hermione? What use was the deluminator? Were they supposed to play Quiddich while reading the stories as they flicked lights on and off? He felt pathetic. He wasn't helping at all.

The period of time they had gone to a nearby village to get some food had been merry. Even Malfoy cracked a few jokes and managed to stay lively and cheerful. But now the food had run out. They were back to whatever they could find around wherever they had camped. This time it was fish. Ron wasn't helping at all. He was too worried about his family, too wrapped up in his thoughts. Malfoy was useless. He felt no reason to help for something he had nothing to do with. It was their fault that they were stranded. So Hermione and Harry did the best they could with the fish. And Harry noticed that day by day, Hermione's patience was running out as the cooking of the food became half-hearted.

"What the hell is this shit?" Draco groaned, as he pushed away the plate.

"Shut up, Malfoy." Ron snapped, though he silently agreed.

"I'm not eating whatever this crap is."

"If you want to have some kind of energy, you don't have much of a choice." Hermione said.

"Why can't we just call Kreacher?" he moaned.

"We can't risk it. For all we know he may be watched by Death Eaters or probably taken to the ministry or something." Harry said.

"Way to go." Draco muttered, and Hermione felt a pang of hurt knowing that it was directed at her.

"We're doing all we can." She mumbled.

"Yeah right."

"Just shut up and eat." Ron grunted.

"Why don't you sod off. I don't want you interfering."

"He can interfere all he wants. At least he isn't moaning and making faces at every effort I'm making." Hermione defended Ron.

"You call this effort?" Malfoy sneered.

This made Hermione angry. She stood from the table. She had enough. "God, I'm sick of your whining! Just because you've been spoilt all your life….Why don't you catch the fish next time? Why don't you clean it and cook it without sitting in one place and lamenting about your sorry arse. I suppose it's because I'm a girl that I have to—"

"Incase you forgot, it's because of you lot that I'm stuck here with my arm mangled."

Ron left the table, his apatite gone.

"You could still try contributing by at least keeping that damned mouth shut."

Malfoy got up in fury, ignoring the pain on his arm. "I have every right to complain. I told you that things would go wrong. I told you that going to the Ministry was the shittiest plan. Because of your dumb plan, my arm is useless."

"It's not only you who's tired, Draco. If you haven't noticed, we all are tired and exhausted. You're too self-centered for that, aren't you? You just think that you are the only one who has the biggest worries."

"Oh yeah? Aren't you worried that you might be just spending the rest of your life searching for every bloody little object all over the world? Aren't you worried that we might get caught? If we had just stayed and taken it slowly—"

"Guys, stop it." Harry said uneasily. The pair ignored him.

"At least we're making progress. If we had being cooped up in that house we wouldn't have got hands on the locket. I'm sorry if you're too scared." Hermione spat.

"It's not called fear, its called common sense. Just because I don't do anything stupid like you Gryffindors, doesn't mean that I'm scared."

"Merlin, will you both shut up?" Harry said, trying to tune the radio. They just continued to glare at each other. It had started to rain. The drops pattered on the tent.

"Well, you shouldn't have come then. You should've stayed in Grimmauld Place like a typical Slytherin. We gave you a choice."

"And I obviously took the wrong one. I can't believe I'm actually stuck with people who have no idea what they are doing. Potter with his delusional visions and poor planning…. and Weasley's pathetic emotional moods. I really should have stayed behind."

"Why didn't you?"

"I came because of you."

That didn't soften Hermione, It actually made her more angry. "Because of me? Oh, that's rich coming out of you. Ever since we were here, all you did was be a pain in the arse. All you did was groan and curse and tell me how my efforts were rubbish. You never offered a word of thanks, even once."

"Of course. You've got Weasley for that. Why did you even bother dragging me in to this?"

"Because I thought you'd be helpful." Her voice cracked. "I though you would be supportive. But apparently you've been anything but that. It wouldn't have made a difference if you were left behind."

"Well, then I don't see why I should be here. You've got Weasel for that bullshit."

"I don't see why you're here either." She snapped and left the table.

"Way to go, you numb-skull." Harry said with a glare. "Go after her, you git, if you upset her."

"Why don't you go?" Malfoy sneered, his fists clenching.

Harry sighed. "Look, Malfoy. You've got to co-operate with us if you're gonna—"

"Potter, I'm not your friend. I'm not one of your bloody Gryffindor minions either. I don't take orders from you." Malfoy scowled and left the table as well. "Don't expect me to follow you lot anymore." He wrenched the locket off him and threw it at the table.

Malfoy grabbed a shirt of his and he put a bunch of his stuff in to it and tied the corners together as he swore under his breath. Both his arms ached and his eyes stung with tears. He walked out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked stonily.

"I'm leaving. I'm not needed."

"No…..Don't." Hermione said with alarm. "I didn't mean it. Stay."

He said nothing.

"Draco!"

Malfoy completely ignored her and went outside.

"I'm sorry. I lost my temper. Please, Draco."

He kept walking.

"Draco, you can't leave. Please. I love you."

He was soaked but he kept walking, till he was out from the wards they had put around the tent.

"Draco, please. Come back. I-I need you. Come Ba—"

CRACK.

Draco had disapparated.

Whaddya think? I wasn't very in to this chapter, to be honest. and I'm really bad at writing arguments... Do you guys have any suggestions? I'm all ears.

Please review. Thanks for reading :)