I've changed the rating of this fic, I don't feel the M is needed. If you feel really strongly to the contrary, well, I don't. So. Anyway... I've written some review replies! At the bottom. Check if your questions have been answered :) and on with the show! (Oh, and sorry if you get 2 alerts for this, I messed up the first submission)

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'Hello Draco, I'm sorry I'm a bit late, Ron caught me on the way out asking about the files on Dolohov and-' The guest stopped short. 'Of course! Our helper. Will you introduce us?'

Hermione looked the new arrival up and down in disbelief. 'Malfoy?' she asked dangerously.

This was not going as he had planned. The Auror didn't recognise Hermione, and Hermione was looking as if the last person she ever wanted to see on the entire planet was standing five feet away in the doorway. He started to speak, but the Auror got there first.

'Hermione?'

Hermione looked down at her feet and tried not to cry. Even if Ginny had always been the least judgmental and quick-tempered of her friends, Hermione had been expecting a stranger, not her. Never her. Why hadn't Malfoy told her? And she couldn't leave now, not after Ginny had recognised her. Ginny would return to Harry and Ron and tell them, and Hermione would have to run away again, but she had nowhere to go. So she had to stay, if only to tell Ginny to keep quiet.

Ginny's mouth was still open in shock as she walked over to Hermione and brushed a hand through her hair. 'What in Merlin have you done to your hair?!' she laughed, half crying, as she hugged her old friend. 'Where have you been? It's been almost two years!'

Draco blanched. He knew Hermione had been… there… for a while, but two years?

Hermione bit back a sob. 'I can't tell you, I— let Malfoy tell you, when I'm not here,' she whispered.

Ginny just hugged her tightly, both women crying softly to see each other again. Hermione pulled away, sniffing slightly. 'Please, don't tell Harry and Ron that you've met me,' she said.

'But—' Ginny caught Draco's eye, and he shook his head a fraction of an inch. 'Of course, Hermione, I won't tell. I would never tell, unless you wanted me to. But you don't want to see them yourself?'

Hermione shook her head.

'We should be going,' he said briskly. 'We need to get Hermione's hair changed back before we go to the clinic.'

'Oh, I can do this in a trice,' Hermione said, vaguely waving her wand at her head. Her hair turned blue.

'Merlin's beard Hermione, you know it doesn't work without a mirror,' laughed Ginny, returning Hermione's hair to normal. Draco blinked. He had almost gotten used to Platinum Blonde Hermione.

'Where is the clinic, Hermione?' Draco asked quietly in her ear as Ginny walked a few paces ahead.

She looked at him in disbelief. 'You don't know where it is?'

'No, or I wouldn't have asked,' he hissed. 'Where is it?'

'I only know it's in Streatham somewhere, I saw an envelope from the doctor once but Madame snatched it away really quickly. His name is Haettenschweiller,' Hermione answered. 'I know his practice is down a back alley, because Desdemona – she's such a chatterbox, she'll blab about anything – had Chlamydia and she was complaining about the smell of the garbage bins and being spat at by a cat and tripping over a soggy cardboard box on the way to the door. And it was common knowledge that it was in a Muggle area.'

Malfoy snorted. 'Streatham is practically nothing but back alleys and Muggle areas.'

'You've been?' Hermione looked at him in surprise.

'Yeah, some Death Eaters causing trouble there a while back. We should start in that area first, it wasn't particularly Wizarding,' Draco answered dryly.

'It's an old building, I remember that too. Because Desdemona said the bricks were crumbling. She likes to think she's very poetic, and she doesn't know what concrete is, so if it was a modern building she'd just have said 'that grey stuff that swarms all over Muggle London nowadays.''

'Right, well, it's a start. Thanks,' said Draco briefly, quickening his pace to catch up with Ginny. Hermione slowed. Had he just thanked her?

They took the Tube to Streatham, being unable to risk Apparating in front of a potential Muggle audience.

'Which way?' Ginny said cheerily when they reached the platform. Hermione was relieved to see that Malfoy had apparently not told her the source of his directions.

Draco led the way towards the familiar ground upon which he and three other Aurors had fought seven Death Eaters just over two years ago. It had been his first mission where they had been outnumbered, but nevertheless they had won victory without losses, although Longbottom had to spend a week in St Mungo's recovering from an extended Cruciatus Curse. They had all been thankful that he had recovered well – no one could forget the fate of his parents. Despite the time that had passed, he still remembered the way. They wound through dilapidated old streets before stopping outside what looked like an abandoned warehouse.

'We battled them in there,' he said quietly. The other two were silent. Hermione was looking around the area for anywhere that that resembled Desdemona's instructions about Haettenschweiller. She spotted an alley running down a break in the row of narrow terraced houses opposite the warehouse.

'Should we look down there?' she whispered to Draco. Ginny was absorbed in her thoughts.

'Ginny, let's try this way. My source said the entrance was off an alleyway,' he said in reply to Hermione's suggestion.

'We may as well,' sighed Ginny, coming back to the present.

The alleyway was indeed narrow and smelly, with a high brick wall marking a dead end. A door was set deep into the wall to its left, unremarkable with peeling white paint, a hole where a door handle used to be, and no post-slot or marker of any kind.

Draco drew his wand. 'Revelio!' A brass nameplate popped silently into view, bearing simply 'O. von Haettenschweiller'. 'That's him,' Draco stated. He turned to Hermione and Ginny. 'Listen. When we get inside, if there's any sign of danger, Apparate back to my apartment. As soon as we've found Miss Caster, if possible I'll try and hold on to her and bring her back to my apartment – if I can't, one of you must. The other two follow when they can. If we see anyone else (except patients, of course), Stun them. We can't afford to be given away, or risk attack. I want this to be quick and painless.' The girls nodded as he tried the door. It was locked, but a simple alohamora opened it.

'Wait!' said Ginny quietly. 'We should cast Disillusionments.' Malfoy did so, and, now nearly invisible, they slipped cautiously through the door.

They were greeted by a dark corridor, which smelled strongly of disinfectant and gin. Draco motioned for them to be silent, and they all drew their wands. They passed a number of closed doors, all bearing brass plaques saying things like Haettenschweiller, O.R., Regency Room and Matron. Malfoy glanced at Hermione, who shook her head quickly. Matilda would not be in any of those.

They came at last to a door with a number on it. Hermione gestured silently, and Ginny pulled out an Extendable Ear. Despite their situation, Hermione had a mad desire to giggle. They listened at the door.

'Her condition is improving?' asked a low voice with a heavy German accent.

'Yes, Herr Haettenschweiller. The last test found no trace of infection, but her temperature is still high. One more night should be enough,' a woman replied crisply.

'Good. I shall Floo that ridiculous Madame Moreau immediately, she has been pestering me about her condition for days,' replied Haettenschweiller. They heard footsteps heading for the door, and withdrew hurriedly, pressing themselves against the wall. They hardly dared to breathe as Haettenschweiller left the room. He did not look up as he turned away from the trio and headed towards the other end of the corridor, shuffling through a tatty paper file. All three let out a long breath once he was out of sight in his office.

'Oh no…' whispered Hermione.

'What?' Draco hissed sharply.

'He closed the door behind him, but the nurse is still in there,' Hermione groaned. 'If we open the door, she'll notice. And we can't Apparate in there if she's still there.'

Draco slid down to the floor and collapsed his head in his hands. Ginny pressed her eye to the keyhole, but let out a yelp when the door suddenly opened, knocking her to the ground.

'What in—' the nurse started, but she too collapsed as Hermione whispered 'Stupefy!'

'Dice one Herbione!' Ginny breathed, massaging her nose.

'Let's go!' motioned Draco, and they slipped into the room, dragging the nurse with them.

The room was harshly lit with no window, only a flickering strip light on the ceiling. There was one bed and a small sink. In the bed lay a girl, who looked about a year younger than Ginny. She had the same shade of bottle-blonde hair that Hermione used to have, and her skin was very pale. She was asleep. The table beside her bed was littered with empty bottles and paper. Hermione removed her Disillusionment and went over to the bed.

'Danielle?' she said gently, touching the girl's thin shoulder tentatively. 'Danielle?' The girl let out a little moan and turned her head. 'Tilly?' Hermione tried.

Tilly opened her eyes slowly. 'Georgette?'

Hermione smiled. 'Hello. Matron said you're better now. We're taking you back.'

'But… I'm so tired,' Tilly whispered.

'It's ok, you don't have to move. I'm taking you by Side-Along Apparition,' Hermione replied, grasping Tilly's hand tightly. Hermione looked at where she thought the other two must be. 'Follow me,' she smiled, and the two girls vanished with a loud pop.

Ginny and Draco were just about to leave when they heard a loud groan behind them. Malfoy rolled his eyes. 'Can't that woman Stun anyone properly?'

Ginny pointed her wand at the nurse and cried 'ennervate!' The nurse stood up slowly, looking around her. 'Obliviate!' Her eyes glazed and walking over to the sink, she proceeded to wash her hands.

Malfoy nodded in approval, despite the fact that Ginny couldn't see him. He turned his head suddenly – footsteps were coming down the corridor. He reached out blindly for Ginny, but couldn't find her. He had to speak, even though the nurse was only feet away from them. 'My apartment, now,' he whispered sharply. The nurse did not look round, the running water disguised his voice, and although her head turned at the sound of two loud pops, the room was completely empty.

When the two Aurors arrived back at the apartment, Hermione was nowhere to be seen. Draco opened the door to his bedroom, and saw Matilda Caster lying on his bed, sleeping fitfully. She was crying out a little, seemingly delusional.

'Ginny,' he called, 'can you come in here and sit with Miss Caster? I'm going to look for Hermione.'

'She's probably just getting medicine,' Ginny replied, coming and sitting on the bed beside him. 'Should we wake her up?' she continued, gesturing to Tilly.

'No, I think she should sleep. That's what you have to do when you have a fever, isn't it?' Draco was not very good at rudimentary healthcare.

Ginny shrugged. 'All I know is 'feed a cold, starve a fever'. So she won't be eating you out of house and home, I guess.'

'I'm going to look for Hermione; there's somewhere she might be. If she gets back before I do, don't let her leave again. I'll be back in half an hour,' he said, leaving the room. Ginny heard the telltale pop signifying his Disapparition.

Malfoy knew only one place where Hermione may have gone, but he really did not want to go back there. Kidnapping one of her least successful prostitutes may have been a favour to Madame Moreau, but now he had taken one of her most lucrative protégés, Draco suspected she might not be so well-favoured towards him. Although, he supposed, there may be a small chance that Miss Caster's disappearance had not been noticed yet… He had Apparated directly into the room where he had first found Hermione. It was still empty. Cautiously, he opened the door and looked into the corridor.

After depositing Tilly carefully on Malfoy's bed, Hermione Disapparated directly to Madame Moreau's. All was silent. The girls must be sleeping, she thought, her mind still getting used to the idea that the long sleepless nights and short, tired days were no longer her daily routine. She crept down the silent corridor to where she knew Madame kept all the girls' possessions, save a spare few they managed to smuggle in. She started searching through the numerous drawers in the cabinets lining the walls. Suddenly, she heard a footstep on the floorboards outside the room, and the door creaked open slowly. She whirled around instantly, terrified, her wand raised, but let out a long breath of relief. 'Don't scare me like that!' she whispered.

Malfoy merely shrugged his shoulders in apology. 'Have you found anything?'

Hermione gestured to the pile of objects on the cluttered desk. 'Those are her belongings, and some of mine I found unexpectedly,' she said, her eyes shining. Draco realised that perhaps she had found some things of hers she had never expected to see again.

'Have you found her wand?'

'No, remember, her ex threw it in the river. She'll need another one. This is all we're going to find, let's get out of here,' Hermione said, hurriedly shoving the possessions into a wicker bin she had found in a corner.

'And Madame Moreau has no idea you're here?' Malfoy asked.

'No, she always sleeps between four and six. She's a great one for routine, she stands by it obsessively. Come on, let's go,' Hermione nagged, clutching Malfoy's arm tightly in one hand, her other arm wrapped around the bin.

'Well if that's the case, we have plenty of time. What are these files about?' he asked, pointing at the bookcase opposite the desk.

'I don't know, clients I suppose. If you take them, she'll know instantly she's been robbed, leave them alone.' Hermione was getting impatient.

Draco pulled down three bulging files, labelled most recently. 'Geminio!' Hermione tsked and shoved the original files in the wicker basket, while Malfoy replaced the fake duplicates. 'Now can we go?' she asked, and they Apparated back to Malfoy's flat.

A worried Ginny met them in the living room. Hermione immediately hurried into the bedroom, carrying the wicker bin with her, thinking about all the terrible things that might have gone wrong with Tilly's condition.

'Is something wrong with Matilda?' Draco asked concernedly.

'No, nothing at all.'

Draco started towards the bedroom, but Ginny held him back. 'Malfoy,' she started. Draco stopped. Ginny scarcely ever called him Malfoy anymore. 'Where did you find Hermione?'

Draco looked down at the floor. 'What has Matilda said?'

'She's been hallucinating. She keeps calling out, 'please, no more!' and 'Georgette, Georgette'. And she sat up once, and said, really seriously, 'that's not herpes. It's not inflamed enough. Don't tell Madame.' What's going on?' Ginny was looking hard at Draco.

'Haettenschweiller is not a regular doctor,' he started slowly. 'He treats sexually transmitted infections and diseases, and his patients are usually those who cannot afford St Mungo's or, alternatively… don't want to go into the circumstances of their… infection.'

Ginny shook her head. 'I still don't understand.'

'No one has told you why we need Matilda Caster?'

Ginny shook her head again.

'She worked somewhere which is known to be frequented by Death Eaters on a regular basis. She contracted her infection while working.' Draco let it sink in. He was not normally this euphemistic, but he was suddenly awkward around Ginny.

She breathed in sharply, her eyes wide. 'She's a prostitute?' Draco nodded. 'Where does Hermione come into this?' Ginny felt she knew already, but she did not want to believe it.

'I brought Gra- Hermione,' he corrected himself, 'with us, because she knows Matilda Caster, and she knew where to look for her. She knows Miss Caster through… through working with her.' He could not look at Ginny.

She had released his arm, and sank heavily into the nearest chair. 'What the HELL? How did you find her?'

Draco met her eyes; they were brimming with tears. 'I went to the brothel to look for Matilda, and Hermione was there in her place. I acted on impulse and brought her here, thinking she would be able to help us find Matilda.'

Ginny was staring at the floor, stunned. After several minutes, she stood up and hugged Draco tightly, crying into his shoulder. He was too surprised to react. 'You saved her. How can I ever thank you enough?'

'I'm just returning the favour,' Draco replied.

Ginny drew away from him. 'How have you changed so much since Hogwarts?' She was smiling.

Draco stepped back and looked at the floor. 'All of you made complete fools of my family, and myself. Voldemort was defeated and my father was under close surveillance, what could I do? I figured I might as well make the best of a bad situation, and after a while I realised that being on the good side wasn't as bad as I thought it would be,' Draco said wryly.

'Don't tell Harry that,' Ginny laughed. 'He's convinced you had a Road to Damascus moment at some point.'

'A what?'

'It was on television, Harry explained it to me,' she said dismissively. 'What can I say to Hermione?' She was serious again.

'Once Matilda's feeling better, I'll talk to her about possible information she may have. Then you'll have a chance to talk to her, and she won't be worried about her friend's health or anything.'

'Ok. If it was an STD clinic she was in, does she need any special medicine?'

Draco shook his head. 'Haettenschweiller said she was free from infection, but we should ask Hermione, she'll know more about this sort of thing.'

'She didn't… she never had to go to Haettenschweiller's, did she?'

'If she did, she hasn't told me. But I wouldn't be surprised if she had; people who frequent places such as Madame Moreau's don't give much thought to safety.' Draco coughed nervously. He was remembering his father, and the conversations between his friends that Draco had been forced to listen to as his father tried to instil in his son a sense of what, for him, was considered manliness. But nothing could have made him admit that to Ginny.

Draco was reading on the couch and Ginny was preparing dinner when Hermione emerged from the bedroom some time later, with the wicker bin. 'Tilly's sleeping, properly. I gave her some cooling potion, so her fever should get lower. I thought we could look through these files—'

'I told Ginny,' Draco said, in a low voice. 'I'm sorry if you didn't want her to know so soon, but I couldn't lie to her, she deserves to know.'

Hermione sat down, and licked her lips nervously. 'How did she take it?'

'Well. She's just glad you're safe. I just thought I'd tell you, so it's not awkward when she tries to bring it up. She's going to talk to you when Matilda gets better and I'll be out questioning her.'

Hermione nodded. 'Right, well that will make it easier to explain where I got these files from.'

'Are you ok?'

'I'm fine.' Hermione was too falsely blasé, and Draco could tell she was holding back. He touched her arm gently.

'It'll all work out. She's so happy to see you again.'

'She won't be so happy when she knows why I went there in the first place,' Hermione whispered.

'Hermione, look at me.' Draco was surprising himself, calling her that. She seemed surprised too – she lifted her head quickly, looking him in the eyes. 'Nothing you could do would turn her away from you, or any of your friends. They love you, and they have been so worried about you. I should know, I've been working with them for two years now. Every time anyone mentions your name, they all fall silent, and Harry even cries sometimes.'

'Really?' Hermione whispered.

'Well, I made it up about Potter crying, but he probably does, when he's alone in the toilets.'

Hermione giggled. 'It's not that, I know they've missed me, but they don't know anything…'

Ginny walked in abruptly. 'The potatoes are on, I was just going out to get some— Hermione, are you ok?'

Hermione wiped her eyes and looked up. 'I'm fine, just… reminiscing over the things I found in Madame Moreau's office,' she said brightly, displaying the bin.

Ginny looked to Draco. 'You told her you told me?' Draco nodded. 'Hermione, as soon as we can we're going to sit down and catch up on everything, I promise,' she smiled. 'I'm just going out to get some beans for the potatoes, I'll be back soon.'

'We were going to look through these files, they're from the office as well and they may have information about some of the people we're looking for,' Draco said.

'Oh, I want to do that too! I'll be back soon, save the interesting ones for me!' Ginny called behind her as she left the apartment.

Hermione pulled the oldest file to her. 'January-June 2003,' she read from the spine. 'You can read this one, I'll take July-December,' she said hurriedly, without looking at him.

They settled down and started flicking through the files.

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I figure this chapter is long enough already so I may as well add some… Review replies! First time, here's a chance for some of your questions answered:

Well, you may notice it changes sometimes. This was more neutral, because it was more action-packed. But last chapter, I was really trying to focus on Hermione's emotions and viewpoint on this new turn in her life, and the impact that getting out of the brothel has on her. In future chapters I will shift perspectives as warranted, that's one of the reasons I much prefer third person writing! It's not a criticism at all, I appreciate the insight :)

LyaDarkfury – you're becoming a regular! Thanks for taking the time to review with such helpful comments, and I'm glad you find it funny :) do you have any suggestions for an improved summary?

gem.babe – thanks, that's helpful. I try not to be too waffly.

And to all the rest of you, a big thank you for all your 'keep going's and 'update's and things. I suppose I should give a special mention to Bubbes, who has the distinction of being my most concise reviewer! :D

See you next chapter… in which Ginny and Hermione have a good old heart-to-heart.