A/N: I'm BACK! Sorry it took so long to update! I was having serious writer's block and had no idea what to write. But I finally sat down with a scented candle, some relaxing music courtesy of Pandora and set of writing. It was harder than normal cause I just got my nails done and I got tips, so it's a little hard to type with, but I'm getting the hang of it :) Hope you enjoy this chapter. Please tell me if it's Out of Character BUT keep in mind how they've been since the beginning of the story. :) Please Review thank you to all of those who have reviewed in the past and have favorited or alerted this story :)

Chapter Nine

It was cold. Very cold. We wasted no time when we got to the prearranged coordinates, and did a quick run through of the plan before executing it. They readied their wands, prepared to kill if the need for such presented itself. As they began to infiltrate the Rebel base, all Draco could think about was Hermione and how she would handle this when she found out what they were doing. What was she going to say when she found out that they had no intention of being as kind to Ron as they had been to her? They weren't even planning on giving him the option.

Draco mentally slapped himself. He was on a mission. He shouldn't be thinking about Hermione while he was doing these things. In all honesty, he shouldn't even be thinking of Hermione at all. He tried to focus on his mission and not on the girl back in England.

As they got closer to the Rebel Base, they put on certain spells and charms so that they could not be detected. They crept quietly towards the entrance, all four held their breath, afraid of being caught. If they were found on Rebel territory, things would not look good for them. Draco always laughed at the concept that Harry and The Order were the good side, while they were sometimes just as cruel and horrible to their prisoner's as the Death Eaters were thought to be. Sometimes much worse than any story they could cook up about the Death Eaters.

Draco had seen with his own eyes the effect Harry's death had had on so many people. Those who were against the Dark Lord were shocked and turned hopeless the moment Harry's death got out. Pure bloods rejoiced that this had happened and were excited that they now had a chance. The only thing stopping Draco from being happy about it was that Hermione was not so happy. And if Draco looked happy about her best friend dying, he could say good bye to any hope of being with her. He had no actual opinion on the blood status shit. Hermione was living proof that they were just as good as pure bloods.

Draco quickly pulled his thoughts away from the politics and ethics of the war so he could focus on this mission. The tunnels of the Rebel base were dark, probably so that no electricity could be traced. In fact, at every cross way there was a torch or torch bracket. As primitive as it was, it was a successful way of remaining hidden. These were dark times, and people were ruthless. Draco navigated the tunnels, trying to find his way to a door or something other than these tunnels. Whoever had designed this place was really smart and extremely clever. And definitely knew how to trip a person up. Draco wouldn't have been surprised if it was indeed Hermione who had created this maze of tunnels. She probably had drawn up a blue print before Harry died, thinking of places they could hide out if things got too out of hand on land.

Draco however was smart and could figure out ways to navigate through these tunnels with little to no problem. Eventually Draco found a door that he was pretty sure led to the more secretive parts and where the actual members of the Rebel Force resided. All four of the Death Eaters stood on guard, anticipating Draco's movements so that when he was sure they were ready, they would get in there and face whatever lay beyond.

Draco nodded, singling that it was time to move. They opened the door and one by one filed through the door, wands at the ready, and spells and jinxes of all sorts floating to the tops of their minds. They had prepared for these types of moments their entire lives. Constant spell practice and learning new jinxes and curses was something they had been doing since they all got their Hogwarts letter. For awhile they encountered no one, they moved so silently had anyone been behind the doors they passed, there was almost no doubt they hadn't heard the four young men moving through the hallways.

As they moved silently, they tried to figure out behind which door their prize was hiding? Draco assumed, as did Nott, Crabbe, and Goyle, that he would be somewhere that said it was him. New recruits were always so stupid and needed everything labeled. So they traveled along the hall, never meeting another soul, and never finding a problem. Finally they came to a door that Draco some how needed to look behind. They stood at the ready again, and when Draco gave the signal, they slowly opened the door, all of them now feeling quite cautious about whatever was behind this door.

They found Maroon. There he was just lying on his bed, asleep, and quite alone. Draco smiled triumphantly, and they started forward to take away Maroon. They could feel the normal charms in place. Meaning they had to carry Maroon out of here and hope for similar luck as before. They also had to make sure that he wouldn't randomly wake up on them. Draco raised his wand to begin multiple spells and charms that would possibly help them get out of here, and get him back to Hermione, when Maroon's eyes opened.

"Malfoy?" Maroon gasped. He was definitely surprised that the Death Eaters had some how found their way here. He started to reach for his wand, but Crabbe was quicker and was soon holding Maroon's wand in his own hand. Maroon glared at the four men before him. He had never trusted any of them. And now here he was defenseless in their presence. Ron Weasley hung his head, he had no hope of getting out of this alive. He had to submit to them.

"Ah. I thought you were Maroon. Luckily for you, your girlfriend is still with us. The Dark Lord doesn't know what to do with her. Though I'm pretty sure he's keeping her around so that when his followers go to Gatherings they have something to do. Or should I say someone." As hurtful as it was for Draco to say that, he was hoping to remain in character, and to make Weasley do something rather stupid, to get a rise out of him. And he indeed got a reaction, but not the reaction he was hoping for. Weasley seemed to look up at Malfoy, and watch him through heart broken eyes. There was something definitely different about Weasley...And then Weasley did another thing slightly uncharacteristic of Ron Weasley, he stood up and allowed them to tie him up. Draco watched, and once he was satisfied with the knots, they moved out of the room, and left.

They sneaked out through the tunnels praying to Merlin and whatever would listen that they got out of there safely. Again they never met a single soul and Draco suddenly became excruciatingly suspicious. Weasley gave up easily? They got in and out of the tunnels without being noticed and they had found their way through the tunnels without getting lost. There was something else going on.

"Weasley. Have you been expecting us?" Draco asked, his eyes a cold steel color. For a while Ron and Draco stared at each other, neither of them saying anything. Ron shook his head, and looked at Nott and Crabbe and Goyle before speaking.

"I had no idea you guys were coming. We were under the impression that no one knew where we were. We were pretty sure that we had been keeping our location very much a secret. Now I want to know where Hermione is. I know you have her, and when we get to wherever it is you're taking me, I want to see her and make sure she's ok." Ron said staring straight at Malfoy.

Draco knew something was up. Weasley was never this polite to him. Something had changed. Perhaps Weasley had finally matured. Though Draco wasn't going to be too hopeful, lest he was on some drug that made him think straight and kept him calm. Draco shrugged it off, but agreed to allow the Weasel to see Hermione when they got to the mansion. Things were going very well for Draco, and he started to panic a little. He had anticipated a fight, or at least something other than what he got. But he knew take what you're given, and stop hoping for something more, especially in this situation.

It didn't take them long to get back to the Manor, in all honesty, Draco was expecting something to go wrong, or at least something to happen. Maybe he would go in and find that Voldemort had destroyed everything and everyone inside the Manor. Or maybe his father had gone back in his ways and was now a full supporter of the Dark Lord, and had thrown everyone in jail and killed Hermione. Different situations and scenarios ran through Draco's mind. He knew something was weird.

Then he realized that they hadn't made that this was Ron Weasley or even Maroon. Draco spun around and looked at Weasley. He was glaring, furious that he had forgotten this one very important detail. He thought of something that only Weasley would know.

"I once spied on you, then was forced into a detention with you. What did I see when I was spying?" Draco asked, positive that not many people knew the answer to that one. He hadn't even told his parents that part. Weasley looked thoughtful, then remembered the answer.

"You watched a dragon hatch from an egg inside Hagrid's hut. He had to give up that dragon because of you Malfoy." Weasley said dangerously. Though something still felt off about this Maroon in front of them. Draco wracked his brain, trying to figure out another way he could tell whether this was Weasley or some poor impostor who was about to lose their life.

Draco ushered them all inside, still thinking about what he could ask to be absolutely sure that this was Weasley. Draco pointed Crabbe and Goyle towards the cells, allowing them to throw him in. Draco wasn't going to be letting him out any time soon. Regardless of his and his family's opinion on blood status, the Weasel had been a jerk during school. Of course, Draco had been a jerk right back, but still Weasel had always been a jerk, especially towards Hermione.

Draco, still thinking about the possibility of their failure, ran upstairs to find Hermione. He wanted to talk to her. He knocked on her door but no one answered. He stepped inside, calling her name out softly. He heard noises from the bathroom and decided to check it out. He found Hermione lying in the bath tub, with her eyes closed. There were bubbles hiding anything from his sight, but he couldn't help but notice how relaxed she seemed. She had on what sounded like a mix of Irish and Asian music. It was all very soft and very soothing. The room was dark, but lots of scented candles sat in various places around the room. The general theme of this bubble bath seemed to be Hazelnut and Ocean Breezes. It made a very relaxing mixture and Draco found himself relaxing a whole bunch just by being in the room. He didn't want to disturb Hermione, so he turned around to leave.

"Draco?" Her soft voice floated through the air, he looked over his shoulder and smiled. He turned back around and was glad that she wasn't terribly angry with him. He knew she had no reason to be upset. He quickly muttered an apology at having bothered her during her bath, and started to walk out the door. He heard noises and she spoke his name again. This time when she turned around, he knew he wouldn't be leaving the room any time soon.