A/N: This chapter is short, but don't worry, there is plenty in it. Thanks for reading!!!

.::Chapter 4 -- Hiding::.

Ron paced around his study for the nineteenth time, then suddenly started as his friend Harry entered the room.

"Did you find her?" asked Ron anxiously. Harry shook his head sadly.

"I'm sorry, mate. No trace of her, no trace of anything."

"But we all know that Malfoy took her!"

"We don't know that, Ron."

"What does that mean?" Ron half-screamed, kicking a small, silver object lying on the floor near him. "It's so obvious!"

"Aurors already searched the Malfoy mansion. Top to bottom. Twice. There isn't a trace of anyone there."

Ron suddenly collapsed onto a chair, crying for the first time in days.

"It's my fault, Harry. I killed her."

Harry shook his head and sat down next to Ron. "No you didn't, Ron. Nobody could have known he was serious."

"Why can't I go after her myself?!"

"You know you just have to lie low for now. We all know the real person Malfoy's after is you...we just have to hope he doesn't hurt Hermione."

"Hope?" laughed Ron. "Since when has that done any good?"

Suddenly, a sharp tap sounded at the window.

Two days ago, Hermione was sleeping in the Malfoy manor, all hope of a rescue gone.

"Get up, Mudblood," voice hissed in Hermione's ear. Hermione sat up in bed, alarmed. Draco was standing next to her, fully dressed and holding several trunks in his hands. Hermione blinked twice.

"Stop calling me Mudblood, Malfoy," she snapped. "You've already done enough to hurt me, isn't that enough?" Draco stared at her.

"All right, Granger," Hermione's mouth dropped open in surprise. "I won't, as long as you stop getting your Muggle blood filth on everything you touch. Oh, wait, you can't stop. Oh well, nice try, Mudblood."

Hermione glared at him, but didn't say anything. Draco snapped his fingers and the same house-elf that had brought Hermione her food the yesterday (which, by the way, had not been eaten), scurried in, looking nervously at Draco.

"Did you pack that suitcase for Granger yet?" Draco snapped. The house-elf nodded violently.

"Yes, master, I has it all ready. Would you likes me to bring it to you?" Draco nodded impatiently. The elf tripped from the room and Draco turned back to Hermione, who was just crawling out of bed.

"Get ready to go. We are leaving."

"Where?" gasped Hermione, shocked. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Far away," he said evasively.

Hermione glared." What am I supposed to wear? This?" she looked down at her bathrobe angrily.

Draco sneered at her." I brought some of your clothes with me when I took you here," he said, as the house-elf came back in, stumbling with the weight of a massive suitcase.

Draco paid no attention to him as he fell over and the trunk hit the floor with a thud. "Now get dressed and get ready. I'll be back in ten minutes."

With that, Draco left the room, closing the door with a snap. Hermione blinked the tears of frustration back. She had hoped that perhaps Ron would find her, and bring Aurors to rescue her, but now that was hardly any chance of that.

She threw on her clothes and looked around the room desperately, suddenly spotting a the shards of glass from the vase that Draco had thrown a few days ago. An idea popped into her head, and she put a large shard of the vase into her pocket, but took a smaller, sharper one and walked over to the wall near the bed. Quickly, she carved the words "help! Draco kidnapped me! I'm going away!!!"

Suddenly the door flew open and Hermione dropped the glass quickly. Luckily, Draco didn't notice." Get your trunk. We're leaving."

Hermione picked up her trunk, slowly, hoping that she could slow things down as much as possible so Harry would have more of a chance of saving her. Draco knew what she was doing and grabbed her by the arm, dragging her out of the room with him.

Ron jumped and looked up. At the window was an owl. Flinging open the window, he took the note from the bird's leg and ripped it open.

Hello, Blood-Traitor, the letter read.

I hope you are enjoying yourself. Hermione and I certainly are. I hope you will come and join us. In fact, I insist. Be here in ten days or Hermione will die.

Sincerely,

Draco Malfoy

Ron stood perfectly still for a moment, then looked at Harry.

"I have to rescue her," he said.

"Ron..." Harry began, but Ron had already left the room.