Right I am really sorry about the long wait this month has been really hectic for me. I hope you like this chapter and hopefully the next chapter will be up much sooner rather than later. Thank you for you patience and please review :)

Emerging from a lake completely soaked to the bone, Harry, Ron and Luna shivered against the cold wind as they regrouped on the sandy bank. Dropping to his knees Ron pulled out Hermione's charmed bag from the confines of his coat. Just looking at the bag made his heart clench with sorrow, he missed Hermione, hell they all missed her and having something of hers just reminded him all the more that she wasn't with them.

"Luna...you were fantastic" stated Harry as his teeth chattered. The blonde haired Ravenclaw smiled weakly at his praise but she was far too busy shivering to be able to form a coherent sentence.

Pulling out dry clothes for everyone Ron quickly tossed them over to either Harry or Luna before getting himself changed.

Once dry and much warmer thanks to the Incindio spell being cast on unimportant, flammable objects from the limitless bag, Harry, Ron and Luna sat around the open fire and began to figure out what their next move would be.

"Well at least we've got another one of his Horcruxes thanks to Luna…you were bloody brilliant acting like Bellatrix, it was actually quite scary mate" praised Ron as he observed his fellow Hogwarts student. Luna smiled dreamily before looking at Ron.

"It was an interesting experience to act like a true madwoman" she admitted softly. Meanwhile, while Ron and Luna chatted, Harry was struggling to make sense of the visions he had witnessed when they had all dropped from the dragon and into the lake.

Voldemort knew. He knew that Harry had obtained his Horcrux from Bellatrix's vault and he was pissed. He had been so angry and all around him lay dead bodies before an image of Hogwarts passed through Harry's mind. Ron and Luna quickly looked up at Harry as he got to his feet suddenly with curiosity in their eyes.

"He knows…He knows that we've been hunting Horcruxes" stated Harry. Ron looked up at him with his mouth open and his brow furrowed in confusion.

"What? How do you know that mate?" he asked. Harry released a frustrated sigh.

"I can see his thoughts Ron…he's pissed and I saw Hogwarts in his mind so that must mean that the next Horcrux is back at school" explained Harry as he turned and started to walk.

"And how are we supposed to get into the school Harry?" asked Ron as he and Luna got up and followed the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry shook his head but kept his eyes forward and kept on walking.

"I don't know…" Ron grabbed onto to Harry's shoulder and forced Harry to look at him.

"You don't know? Then where the bloody hell are you going?" he asked. Harry shrugged Ron's hand off his shoulder but kept his eyes to the side.

"I don't know Ron. All I know is that we need to get to Hogwarts because he is going to attack the school and I have to try and stop him…God I wish Hermione was here, she would know what to do" the last part was a mere whisper and it hurt to be reminded that Hermione, their ever loyal and intelligent confidant wasn't with them because of the suffering she had been forced to endure.

Everyone was worried about her, about her state of mind and her health but no one knew where to look for her. It was literally like she had vanished off the face of the planet. Fleur hadn't said a word to anyone about what had happened between her and the then possessed Hermione and that had put Harry on edge.

Something horrible must've happened between the two of them, he could just tell by the way Hermione had up and vanished the way she had, it screamed desperation to him but Fleur had refused to talk to anyone when she had finally emerged from her bedroom.

"We need to find a way into Hogwarts…" started Harry. "We need to go to Hogsmeade."

There HE was. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Standing right there, with his back to her and an air of fury surrounding him. His wand was out and clutched tightly in his left hand. Bodies surrounded him, covered in their own blood. Goblins. Wizards in security uniforms. All dead.

HE turned and faced her with a burning anger in his eyes. Behind him, Lucius Malfoy appeared and began to whisper into the Dark Lords ear. With a shrug of the Dark Lord's shoulders Lucius instantly recoiled back a few feet, fear dancing in his eyes.

The Dark Lord approached, his wand still clutched tightly in his hand. He came to a halt next to her, right next to her before whispering into her ear.

"I must return to Hogwarts Bellatrix. I need to protect what is most important to me. Rally the others"

Dark brown eyes shot open and Hermione launched herself into a sitting position; breathing heavily with sweat dripping from her brow. Taking a few moments to calm down she removed the sheets from her lower body and moved to sit on the edge of her bed.

"What the hell was that?" she whispered as she rested her elbows on her knees and her head in her open palms.

Had it been a dream? A mere fantasy concocted by her damaged mind? Or had it been her connection with Bellatrix Lestrange acting for once in her favour?

Harry had mentioned throughout the years about being able to see things he really shouldn't have been able to see, visions so to speak of the Dark Lord's intentions or his actions. So it was perfectly plausible that Hermione had seen into Bellatrix's mind and witnessed her interacting with the Dark Lord.

But what if it wasn't the connection acting in her favour rather than Bellatrix's? Harry had been coaxed out to the Department of Mysteries during their fifth year under the illusion that Sirius was being tortured. What if this was simply a ruse to get Hermione to come out of hiding?

Though the idea of being a captive once again filled her with dread, Hermione knew she couldn't just sit back like a coward and do nothing as Voldemort planned to attack Hogwarts, a place that housed her friends and had been the only place to make her feel welcome.

She was a Gryffindor. No matter how badly scarred or unhinged she was becoming she would always be a Gryffindor.

Hissing in aggravation as her muscles protested, Hermione forced herself off of her bed and to approach her wardrobe. By doing the healing process the Muggle way her body was taking much longer to heal properly.

"How on Earth am I going to get into Hogwarts?" she asked herself thoughtfully as she changed. Her movements were slow and strained because of the horrible aches in her body but she tried her hardest to ignore the pain and focus on the task at hand.

"Hogsmeade….I'll have to go to Hogsmeade and try and get into the castle from there since there seems to be no alternative"

Sighing to herself she released a bitter chuckle as she realised just how much she spoke to herself. Wasn't that the first sign of madness?

"Guess I'll have to worry about that later" she whispered before apparating on the spot with Hogsmeade village in mind.