Chapter 3

Draco put his wand away and observed his surroundings. He was stood in what looked like a village square with a clock tower in the middle. Very few people were about, mainly because it was nearly three in the afternoon and most people were either at work or at school.

Why would Weaslebee, Pothead and Hermione hide out in a Muggle village? Well, maybe because no Death Eaters or Ministry people would think to look here.

Draco saw a mother tug her toddler through the square, she stared at him for a few seconds and then disappeared into a tiny corner shop. He glanced down at his feet and saw what the woman was staring at, he was dressed in smart clothes, very smart clothes. He was too conspicuous, he needed to change into his Muggle jeans and a T-shirt he had packed in his trunk, some of the only things he had included in his bag.

An hour later Draco had checked into the only B&B the village of Ottery St. Catchpole had. He had changed into his Muggle clothing, but still walking around the village square, Draco felt he was as inconspicuous as a camel walking around in Antarctica.

Draco was determined to find Hermione, he was sure that they would be hiding in the Weasleys' hidey-hole of a home, and he knew where to find them.

Draco was stood at the edge of the long stretch of lawn, a few gnomes were making their way into the garden through the scrawny hedge. He stared at all the failed plants that Mrs Weasley had obviously attempted to grow. Draco's glare turned upwards to the house. It looked like it once was originally a little hut - like the one that gigantic oaf, Hagrid, lived in - but there had been more floors added to the house, three in fact. The house was slightly leaning to the right, it was most probably held up with magic.

He sighed, this is what a real house should look like, not a big, cold, empty manor, like his home - well, he couldn't really call it a home, because it didn't have that homely feeling of being lived in, like the Weasleys' house, Draco could sense that the house felt like home to everyone who lived there and probably quite a number of other people just by looking at it.

Draco took a deep breath and pushed the ruined, wooden gate open. A few gnomes ran for him but then quickly retreated when Draco snarled at them.

He was at the door and hesitated, what the hell was he meant to do? Knock on the door and say "Hi, Mr and Mrs Weasley, I need to speak with your son, Ron, and his friends, because I need to deliver some very important information to Harry," Draco thought sarcastically. If he were anyone else it wouldn't be a problem, but he couldn't just knock on the door, he was already a suspected Death Eater, and the Weasels would probably think that he was on a mission for the Dark Lord.

Draco stepped off the stone step and wandered around the side of the house, the windows were murky, grime was engraved the edge of the window panes. He stared through the window, he caught sight of a very valuable-looking grandfather clock, but instead of numbers on the face, there were words, explaining where people were, there were nine hands, each hand had a name belonging to each of the Weasley family. Draco was frantically looking for a "Mrs Weasley" hand, trying to see if she was home. When he saw the "Molly" hand, he breathed a sigh of relief, the clock explained that she was in Diagon Alley.

Draco shot back towards the front door, he whipped his wand out, he whispered "Alohomora" and the front door clicked open.

He stepped forward into the cramped entrance hall, there were quite a few side tables, they had either been broken and fixed repeatedly or they were extremely old. One of the side tables held five or six photographs, the images were all moving, one had Ginny, Ron, Fred and George stood outside the house in their Hogwarts uniforms. Another two showed images of Percy, that annoying Prefect, and two others, Draco didn't recognise them but he'd guessed that they were the oldest two Weasley spawn.

He walked into a homely kitchen, there were saucepans hung on the walls and more photos, a wooden table was covered in bits of parchment, quills, cook books, a wooden fruit bowl and four empty plates.

Draco pushed on into the living room, which had a slightly sloping roof, the sideboard that ran along the wall facing north had an owl perched on a stand. There was a letter thrown next to the stand, it was from Ginny, Draco could tell because she'd used on of the school's owls and she was the last Weasley attending Hogwarts.

He picked up the screwed up piece of parchment, blots of black ink were dotted around the page, the scruffy writing formed the word "Mum" at the top of the page.

Mum,

You'll never guess what! I've been made Gryffindor Quidditch Captain! Although, it's kind of hard to find any decent players since Fred, George, Angelina, Alicia, and the others left.

Neville was a bit surprised that Harry, Hermione and Ron haven't returned, where do you think they've gone? You know that rat, Draco Malfoy? He's disappeared too, I think he's gone the same way as his dad, Luna's not so sure, she's convinced that she saw him just before we got on the train.

Please tell the others that the last remaining Weasley and only Weasley daughter in 7 generations is GRYFFINDOR QUIDDITCH TEAM CAPTAIN!

Oh, yeah, can you pick up a few books for me? The list should be next to my Hogwarts letter in my room.

Thanks.

Love,

Ginny

Draco smiled at Ginny's letter, she was obviously happy that she was the Quidditch Team Captain.

He exited the cosy, warm living room and ran up the first flight of stairs, he passed a lot of photographs hung on the wall, this family was obviously proud.

Draco had searched all over the house and found no sign of Hermione or the others. He slowly walked out through the front garden, all the gnomes avoiding him, it was dark now and you could see the twinkling stars through the black night.

He walked over the deserted hills back towards the village, you could see the street lamps faintly in the distance - as he neared he saw the individual houses with their living room lights shining through the windows.

Draco walked through the empty streets, he felt alone, more alone than ever before. He finally got back to his room in the B&B. Wrapped up in the duvet, Draco sat by the desk in the corner of his room, and started writing. He wasn't writing to anyone, he was just writing. He had no clue what he was writing down, but just the feel of his eagle feather quill between his fingers moving over the yellowed parchment that had sat in the bottom of his school trunk probably since he started at Hogwarts, gave him a sense of normality.

It had been exactly one month since Draco had stepped off platform nine and three quarters to look for Harry, Ron and Hermione. Everywhere he searched, he didn't feel any closer to finding them. He'd travelled all over the country - he even looked in Muggle London, but he never found them.

Today, he'd Apparated to Hogsmeade, just to nose about, maybe talk to that gigantic oaf, Hagrid, to see if he knew the whereabouts of Scarhead.

Draco had bought some Polyjuice Potion from Knockturn Alley and had taken form of a raven-haired twenty-something man, he strolled around the village for a while, just studying how the witches and wizards reacted to his presence. People didn't so much as flinch as he walked past, this man obviously wasn't classed as a threat.

Draco walked into the Three Broomsticks and ordered a butterbeer, he wasn't in the mood for firewhiskey today. He sat down at a table by the door, near enough to make a quick exit if needed. He watched all of the witches and wizards drinking, chatting and laughing, he could imagine Hermione sat opposite him, telling him stories about what she did in the summer holidays with her parents or what happens in the Gryffindor common room.

Draco's ears opened up, he had been ignoring all the banter happening all around him, but he caught a familiar voice.

"-yeah, I know what you mean, Rosmerta, I haven't had a single student in Honkeydukes!"

"Yes, sometimes I would run out of butterbeer occasionally! But- you don't think that they've cancelled the Hogsmeade visits?" Madam Rosmerta, the landlady of the pub, exclaimed.

"Good Godric! Come to think about it, I haven't seen a student down here since they arrived in September! Neither Hagrid!"

Draco had heard enough, he thrust himself up from his chair and stormed out of the Three Broomsticks.

He knew that they weren't letting any students out of Hogwarts on Hogsmeade trips but he never knew that the teachers weren't allowed either. Usually, Draco's Care for Magical Creatures teacher would be down in Hogsmeade during the weekends, any student from Hogwarts knew that. A lot of students knew that Hagrid had a giant as well, he hid it up in the mountains. Maybe he was up there.

Before Draco could even think about what he was doing, he Apparated up into the mountains behind the castle.

Draco could feel the effects of the Polyjuice Potion wearing off, his hands began to feel smaller and he could feel his hair thickening. He needed to be quick if he was going to find Hagrid.

After what felt like hours of scrambling through bushes and twigs tugging at his clothes, he pushed aside leaves to see a clearing.

A dark cave stood bold and creepy opposite Draco, just the place a stupid oaf and his pet giant would hide.

He ran a hand through his, now, pale blond hair.

"I swear to God, if this brute doesn't know where Hermione is, I'm going to kill him!" Draco muttered angrily to himself.

He neared the cave he heard a deep voice rumble.

"Grawpy! Yeh got tuh stay quiet! Yeh can't go outta the cave!"

Draco cringed, he remembered the last time Hagrid had let a ferocious beast roam the castle grounds free, that stupid Hippogriff got what it deserved, he thought.

He stepped out across the threshold, the clearing let what little light left shine through the opening in the trees. It was almost night and Draco could feel the wind against his bare neck, making him shiver. The chilly breeze tickled his face and ruffled his hair, he didn't try to smooth it out. He buried his hands deeper into his coat pockets and trudged out into the middle of the clearing.

There was a deep shriek that came from within the cave that hid Hagrid and his pet giant, another roar of hoarse voices came from the cave and then the forest all around Draco went silent. Unnaturally silent.

His breath was forming clouds in front of his eyes, it clouded his vision. He staggered forward, hoping that the giant hadn't killed Hagrid.

Draco paused outside the mouth of the cavern and hoped he didn't go in to find out that the giant had eaten one of his only leads to Hermione.

He gulped down some air and stepped into the darkness of the cave. He whipped his wand out, stunned because of the dark, and whispered "lumos." As he watched the tip of his wand light up, he heard a groan.

"Hello? Hagrid?" Draco shouted, the sound bounced off the slick, icy, stone wall of the cave.

He ventured deeper into the dark, the only light coming from the tip of his wand. He waved his hawthorn wand around trying to see what angle he held his wand at gave off the most light.

"Hagrid? Are you in here? It's Draco!" Draco shouted again, he wasn't really sure if he should've shouted his name, but it had just slipped out. If there were any Death Eaters hiding out in here, he would be dragged back to his father, kicking and screaming.

Draco walked on through the cave, wondering what Hermione was doing at this moment, thinking of him? Yeah, right.

"Harry?" Hermione said, tucking a lock of mouse brown, wavy hair behind her ear.

"Uh-huh?" Was Harry's reply, he was obviously distracted by something and Hermione made a mental note to ask about it in a minute.

"The other night, when I was on lookout-" She started but was cut off by a very angry sounding Ron.

"Gaahh! The stupid bloody thing!"

"Ron?" Harry shouted and stood up from the table and ducked out of the tent.

Hermione buried her head in her hands, she couldn't tell Harry that she thought Malfoy was stalking her, she would sound insane and, if she wasn't one of the most wanted witches in the Wizarding World, would probably end up in St. Mungo's.

Harry dragged Ron back into the tent by his collar.

"You complete idiot! Ron, what the hell were you thinking?" Harry shouted, Ron's ears went red. "Listening to the radio whilst on lookout! I mean, what if some passing Snatchers heard it and figured out the charm Hermione put on the tent, huh?"

"You have no idea how insanely boring being on watch-duty is when your whole, entire family could get picked up by Death Eaters at any moment, Harry!" Ron's ears burned with anger as he spoke. "I was listening to make sure Mum or Fred and George or Bill or Ginny or Dad, Merlin, I was even listening for Percy! Just to make sure they hadn't gotten themselves blown up!"

"You can do that inside when your not on lookout! Anyone, Muggles, could hear what you're listening to, and figure out who we are!" Harry slammed a fist down on the table, Hermione, shocked, stood up.

"You have no idea what it's like, knowing that any one of your family could get blown to pieces whilst you're of gallivanting! Harry, you have no idea, your parents are dead! You have no family!" Even Ron looked appalled at what had just come out of his mouth.

"What did you think this was going to be like then? A walk in the park and you'd be home by Christmas? No, this is important, Ron." Harry had tears in his eyes at Ron's remark.

"Harry," Hermione said softly, trying to defuse the tension between her two best friends, "do you want me to finish the watch?" She didn't wait for Harry's answer, she just stalked out of the tent, leaving a ghostly silence behind her.