Disclaimer: J.K's, not mine

The twins

Misty didn't enjoy the Apparating back at all, and made a determined bid for freedom the second we arrived in the alley I had set out from. I scrabbled desperately to hold onto him as he flowed with feline grace from my grip and leapt onto the street. He instantly belted out of the alley, confused, lost and not at all sure he liked the strange man who had brought him here. I raced after him, cursing under my breath. Alarm spread through me as I ran; I couldn't risk using magic to catch him in broad daylight. He dashed out into the road, a tabby blur, and out of the corner of my eye I saw the car coming, the horn screaming in my ears, saw him freeze in horror. He'd never seen a car before, and it was bearing down on him, a ton of metal clad death.

"No!" I screamed in a voice that was not my own, my hand scrabbling for my wand. In a second I had hauled it out and pointed it as the car swerved desperately. "Impedimenta!" The car froze, stopping instantly, the muggle inside pale and wide eyed. I stuffed my wand away and closed in carefully on Misty, not wanting to spook him. When I picked him up he was trembling. I whispered soothing words to him as I walked towards the car. Slowly the driver's door swung open, and a man stepped shakily out. I forced a smile.

"Thank God you hit the brakes in time!" He reached out and touched the bonnet for support as his legs threatened to give way.

"I don't understand… I just stopped." I rearranged my grip on Misty in case he should try to escape again, but he had obviously had enough adventure today and cuddled closer to me.

"Look, I'm sorry my cat gave you a scare. Still, no harm done, eh?" He nodded and I held out my hand. He took it tentatively.

"Yeah, sure…"

"Good good," I said. "Look, I'd love to stay and chat, but I really have to go home now." He nodded again, dazedly, and I pulled my wand out.

"What's that stick for?"

"Just before I go, sir. For your own good."

"What?"

"Obliviate."

I watched as he turned and mechanically walked into the car, started it up and drove on. To my left, in the alley I'd dashed from, I thought I saw a sudden movement. I turned my head, catching a glimpse of something… dark hair? Perhaps a scarf. I couldn't be sure. When I crossed the road back to the alley it was empty, the dead end staring blankly at me. Frowning, I rubbed Misty behind his ears and he started purring, obviously recovering fast from his fright. I left the alley cautiously, still glancing behind me every now and then, and crossed to in front of Grimwauld Place. Then stopped. I still had about half an hour of Polyjuice time left, and if I walked in looking like I did I'd probably be cursed before I had a chance to open my mouth to explain. Sighing, I walked moodily back to the alley, which was still empty, and sat down on the filthy floor, with Misty on my lap. I'd already worked him into the sort of mood where he'd rather stay and be caressed than leave, so he settled down happily, his purr vibrating around the alley as the sunlight shafted in on us from above. I pursed my lips, trying to clarify what I had seen. A shadowy figure… it had caught my eye because it was so dark, not a muggle in jeans and a coat but someone dressed entirely in dark clothing. Or had my eyes been playing tricks on me? Was I growing too paranoid? I glanced around the alley, looking for clues that would confirm the presence of my stalker, but the grimy walls and floor of the alley mocked me with their bareness. Still, I was sure there'd been something there.

Again Misty didn't notice as the potion wore off. When I'd changed fully back to Draco Malfoy I leapt up, grabbing him as he made a startled attempt to leap away, anxious to share my news. The twins are at Erebos, the twins at Erebos. Why was Voldemort holding them there, amongst the ruins and rubble? Because of its remoteness? Why had my father told me? Were they still alive? The answers didn't matter, the questions were irrelevant. All that mattered was that I knew where they were. The possibility that I was wrong never even occurred to me as I bounded up the steps to Grimwauld Place and let myself in. I slammed the door open and the curtains on the portrait in the hallway blew back. The ghastly woman in it opened her mouth to scream, but I drew my wand in time.

"Silencio!" She opened and closed her mouth a few more times, looking furious, but no words came out. I smiled smugly. "Ha! That's shut you up, you old bat." Her accusing gaze followed me as I made my way into the kitchen, still holding Misty.

The kitchen was empty.

So was the downstairs sitting room.

So was Potter's bedroom.

The paranoid prickly feeling was returning as I set Misty free in my room, feeling very uneasy. Where was everyone? Why wasn't Potter reclining in bed? Why wasn't the kitchen overflowing with red-haired Weasleys? I shut the door on Misty and walked up to Weasley R's room. A knock on the door received no reply. Two knocks.

"Come in," a grumpy voice said. I opened the door and walked in. He was lying on the unmade bed, making a shoe scoot around the piles of clothes on his floor with his wand. He glanced up and instantly frowned. "Get out." I raised my hands.

"Believe me, Weaselby, I'm here as a last resort." He lost concentration, and the shoe ploughed into the wall. I sniggered and he flushed.

"What do you want, ferret boy?" Fighting the urge to utter a sharp retort, I forced a neutral tone of voice.

"Where is everyone?"

"The grown ups are out. What's it to you?"

"I need to talk to your father now," I said softly. "I know where your brothers are." He leapt up instantly, eyes blazing.

"I knew it. I knew it!" Sighing, I raised my hands.

"Weasley, I've only just found out. If I'd known sooner I would have said, believe me."

"I don't," he hissed. "You knew all along, didn't you, Deatheater?"

"Insult me, and there's a high chance I won't bother telling you where to find them." He flung out an accusatory arm, pointing at me.

"Then their blood is on your hands!"

"So dramatic," I sneered. "If you truly cared you'd best get your father here as soon as possible so that I can tell him where to find his sons." He hesitated for a minute, fighting an inner battle. I groaned. "Please, Ron. Trust me this once?" He delayed a second longer, then reached over to his bedside table and pulled the drawer open. He took out a small green beetle, shiny and iridescent.

"My dad gave this to me. He's got its mate. When I need him I just press its back and he'll know." So saying, he touched the beautiful wing casing gently and the beetle responded by unfolding like a flower, opening its wings and beating them, a buzzing blur, too fast for the human eye to see.

Within seconds I heard a whooshing sound and Daddy Weasley shot out the fireplace, rolling across the carpet. He straightened up, instantly alert, wand in hand.

"Ron, what is it? Are you all right?"

"Malfoy says he knows where they are," Weasley said bluntly. Daddy Weasley did a double take.

"Is this true, Draco?" he asked. I ignored the use of my name.

"First, where's Potter?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Where's Potter?"

"If he's not in bed then I don't know," Daddy Weasley snapped. "Malfoy, where are my sons?" Last minute doubts let themselves be known, but I ignored them. "Please," he begged, seeing the doubts flickering in my eyes. "I don't care how you know, but tell me where my boys are."

"They're at Erebos," I whispered.

The great iron gates of Erebos stood as proud as they ever had, the outer walls towering high on the otherwise deserted moors. There weren't even any of the Dartmoor ponies in sight, and I could have done with seeing their friendly faces. The wind wailed past us across the barren plain, tearing at my jacket and causing my shirt to flap. I wondered where Potter was. We'd been unable to find him, and so he had not joined the expedition. Alongside me stood Weasley R. (who had whined his way into coming), the Weasley girl, their father, Tonks and Lupin. Moody and the other Auror were too busy to come and Granger was missing as well as Potter. Seven of us. And the Dark Lord could quite possibly be waiting for us. I felt the adrenaline pumping through my body, making me light-headed.

Under the crisp blue sky I walked up to those familiar gates and gently laid my hands on them. Beyond them I could see the ruins of Uncle Rudolphus' pyre. And then… a shack of some sort. It had not been there the last time we visited, and my heart quickened. My sweaty palms slipped on the metal as I whispered Aunt Bellatrix's password.

"All is dust." Dust, the wind repeated. Dust. Not this time, I prayed. Don't let us arrive to death here again. Uncle Rudolphus' empty face and dead eyes rose in my mind and I felt ill as the gates opened in front of me.

"Quietly and slowly," Daddy Weasley warned. "Ron, Ginny, Malfoy, you go behind me." We slid up the drive together, wands drawn, the Auror and the werewolf on either side of Daddy Weasley. Moving silently, we made our way up the driveway, past lawns that were no longer immaculate after having been abandoned for over a month, until we reached the burned remains of the funeral pyre. A gust of wind blew debris from the long dead fire into my face and I fought the urge to sneeze.

"In the house," the Weasley girl whispered.

"You three stay here," Lupin murmured. "Arthur, on my right. Tonks, my left."

"I've got you covered," she replied, her eyes blending from green to a steely blue. We remained, huddling behind the skeleton of the pyre as the three adults advanced cautiously on the hut. Daddy Weasley and Tonks each stood on either side of the rough door, made from what looked like a sheet of corrugated iron. I frowned as I surveyed the shack. It was built out of the sort of rough materials we had left behind after our search for my mother and Bellatric; corrugated sheets of metal, dirty glass, bricks. We had not vanished the entirety of the rubble of Erebos, and what was left had been glued together with spells into this shed. It was windowless, but light would have entered through the holes between the sheeting and the doorframe. The Dark Lord obviously hadn't intended to spend much time here. My heart suddenly skipped a beat as a thought occurred to me. Would we find evidence of Bellatrix's work here, at the sight of her desecrated home?

With Daddy Weasley and Tonks in position, Lupin advanced on the door cautiously, listened for a minute, and then kicked it down. All three of the adults leapt into the shack, wands raised.

"Don't move!" Tonks yelled.

"Stay where you are!" Daddy Weasley bawled. There was a pause, a moment of silence, and then Lupin's voice wafted to us.

"Arthur, Voldemort's long gone." Tonks' voice followed.

"Oh God, Arthur. I'm so sorry." And then… an inhuman howl. A scream of anger and despair and terror. We all jumped, and Weasley R. leapt up.

"What's going on there?" He started to run forward, but I grabbed his jacket sleeve and hauled him back.

"Wait until they call you."

"Let go of me!" he yelled, struggling to break free. As I fought to restrain him the Weasley girl raced past me, heading for the hut.

"Get back here you!" I shouted after her. She ignored me and ran to the door, almost colliding with Daddy Weasley, who was emerging from the dark interior. His face was a terrifying shade of scarlet, and his eyes blazed murder.

"Where's that slimy son of a Deatheater? I'll kill him!" he bawled, eyes too clouded with tears to see me immediately. Weasley R. instantly stopped struggling, turning to me in revulsion.

"What did you do?" he snarled. I released him, backing away.

"I didn't… I never…"

"Malfoy!" Daddy Weasley had finally spied me, and he started towards me, his wand drawn. I fell back, frightened, tripping on the uneven lawn, and landed on the grass, my foot twisting sharply beneath me. I stifled a cry of pain. Weasley R. drew away from me as his father advanced, wand pointing at me.

"Arthur! Stop!" a voice cried. Daddy Weasley ignored it.

"I'll kill you!" he howled, his voice choked with pain. "I'll kill you! Avada Kadavra!" My heart nearly stopped as death sped towards me, death a deadly green that I saw in my dreams every night. I rolled desperately aside, and the spell buried itself in the turf, scorching the grass where I had been. The Weasley girl screamed in horror.

"Dad! Don't-" Weasley R. shouted. Still the man advanced, and I scrabbled backwards, on my hands and heels, an awkward, ungainly movement, dragging my aching foot.

"Arthur! NO!" Tonks dashed out of the hut and grabbed Daddy Weasley, wrestling with him. He threw her off, turning towards me again, but her intervention had bought me the time I needed to draw my wand. The Unforgiveables leapt to mind, bringing with them a desire to hurt, to kill this man who had tried to murder me, but I thrust them aside.

"Stupefy!" Amazingly my aim was still good enough from this position, and the spell hit his chest. He instantly buckled and collapsed. Lupin had run out of the shack by now and he raced to Daddy Weasley's side, checking his pulse. Weasley R. seemed to have frozen immobile, whilst Tonks dashed past him towards me, holding out her hand. I ignored it, standing up on my own, testing my weight on my foot and wincing as pain shot through it.

"Draco, are you all right?" she asked.

"Let's see," I began bitterly. "I think I sprained my ankle, one of the 'good guys' just tried to murder me, and there's mud on my jeans, but apart from that, yeah I'm fine." She had the grace to look embarrassed.

"I apologise for his behaviour. It's just, oh Draco… you're going to need to see this."

"See what? What's happened?"

Behind her back the Weasley girl slipped into the hut. A second later I heard her scream, a shrill penetrating sound. She screamed and screamed and screamed, even when Lupin carried her out, scooping her up like a doll and depositing her by the pyre. She curled up on the ground, crying and whimpering, and Weasley R. crouched down by her side.

"Ginny?" he began uncertainly. "Ginny… shh, Ginny. Come on, you've got to stop crying. Ginny, please." The helplessness in his voice was pitiful, as she rocked, oblivious to the world around. Eventually he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

Tonks left me and squatted down beside them, but Lupin came and took my arm and led me to the hut.

"I don't want to see," I protested, limping. His grip was like iron, uncompromising.

"Draco, you need to see this. It involves you." We walked through the door into semi-darkness, and my stomach pitched. The smell of human distress hit me, the smell of sweat and blood but most of all the residue of horrific, all-consuming terror resonated in the air we breathed. In the gloom I could make out two forms on the floor, strewn like dolls thrown down carelessly by a bored child. Lupin took my chin and guided my eyes to the far wall.

"Lumos," he whispered, and the light that emanated from the wand tip exposed the writing to me. Writing. One the far wall. Not written in blood, as I thought at first glance, but scorched onto the makeshift wall. Six words, and I knew that whilst Voldemort didn't usually go in for such dramatics, this message was from him. The black words burned themselves into my soul, and I felt my heart race as I was branded with them.

THIS IS JUST A TASTER, TRAITOR.

"It's my fault," I whispered. Lupin shook his head tiredly.

"Draco, Voldemort is obviously attempting to turn us against you, to make us push you away." He reached out for my hand and spoke gently. "This is not your fault. You could not have foreseen it; you could not have prevented it. And thanks to you we can… bury them." The pain in his voice was unbearable. I turned away from the words, turned away from the wall, and fell to my knees. Reaching out, I lifted the limp wrist of the twin closest to me and pressed his knuckles to my forehead.

"I'm sorry. I'm so very, very sorry." I felt like crying. "I'm sorry you were hurt. I'm sorry I couldn't save you." I'm sorry we found you. I'm sorry we'll know what he did to you. I held his wrist, and then… I felt it. Fluttering beneath my fingertips. A pulse. A pulse! "He's alive," I breathed. "Lupin! He's alive!"

"What?" Lupin cried. He knelt down and grabbed the slack wrist, searching for the pulse, and then breathed out deeply. "He's alive!" He reached down and gripped the twin's face, lifting the head. "Hold on! Can you hear me? Hold on!"