AN: Alright, here is chapter nine. Everyone enjoy. Thank you all so much for the follows, favorite and reviews. Every time i get the notification, I smile. I really do enjoy writing this. Also, I am welcome to any ideas or feedback. A shout out to Ex Mentis for the multiple reviews. Than k you so much. Also, thanks for your awesome feed back Rackshata and KatieB. So, please read and review.

SPOILER ALERT FOR NEXT CHAPTER: WE SEE DRACO...AND SNAPE!

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To say that Harry was tense in the days that followed the failed warning of Dumbledore's whereabouts would have been an understatement. In the days following, Harry was nothing but on edge. His nerves were frazzled and he jittery at all various points of the day. Considering what he had to deal with, Harry thought he deserved a break for his current state.

His friends were solid at his side, unrelenting and supportive in the face of disbelieving adults and dead end ideas. They all banded together to get through the repercussions of their actions. The punishment they were all assigned had everyone walking on eggshells for the days following. Not that cleaning was different than what they were doing previously but it was with the intent of punishment and that made it hold a whole new weight of meaning.

All in all, Harry thought that Hermione was the most crushed by the recent display of lack of care by the adults. It was her trust in them, in their abilities, that had pushed her to want to tell them. Like Harry, Hermione wouldn't ever entertain that idea again.

It made Harry feel as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his slim shoulders. The Order had no idea how in the wrong they were and Harry got it. He hated making excuses for them but there was the simple fact that the adults had it in their nature to think the teens were inferior. It didn't make Harry feel any better but Sirius and Remus apologized to him repeatedly and made it very clear they understood how he wished to get in the fray.

But, only Harry and his friends knew that wasn't what it was at all. They had reached the conclusion of Dumbledore's location in a seriously fair way. It was a viable lead and Harry just knew he was right. Only his friends could see that and it drove him crazy to not be able to do anything. Harry was prepared to jump up and make a rescue mission of his own, that was just who he was, but there were plenty of issues.

They had no idea the location of the Malfoy manor. That was the main problem because how could they save Dumbledore if they couldn't reach him? Also, they had no way of getting to the manor if they did manage to find the location. It wasn't exactly like they could just take a taxi. Right? And, one of the biggest issues was that they couldn't exactly leave the house to figure something out due to their punishment.

So, yeah. Harry was a bit tense, so sue him.

Not even three days had passed since they come to the conclusion of everything that Harry got fed up. The thing was that he knew that something had to give. So much time had passed already and they hadn't heard a breath from Dumbledore. Soon, they wouldn't have anything left to rescue.

It was driving him mad and he knew he had to do something whether he broke any rules or not. Sometimes, in the scheme of things, rules had to be broken to do for the better. Harry had been secluded in a room with Ron, literally washing walls, when he finally had enough. Of course, the others were waiting for his cue and he finally decided to give it.

"Ron." He whispered. Ron looked up, his nose wrinkled from where he was also scrubbing walls.

"Yeah?"

"We need to get the others." Harry hissed.

"How are we going to do that? Sirius and dad are in the hall, cleaning out the closets." Ron muttered. Harry bit his lip.

"We've got to do something to get everyone together."

"I hear you, mate, but how?"

"Josh and Nick are next door. We can sneak over and brainstorm, unless you've got any ideas." Harry said.

"We could knock 'em out and lock them in a closet." Ron muttered, a dark scowl flickering over his face. Harry snorted.

"What exactly did your dad say when he lectured you and Gin?"

"Doesn't matter." Ron grunted.

"Well, it obviously brings out your violent tendencies. Let's not knock them out just yet. Let's get some ideas before we do."

And so, they did exactly that. Harry had a raging headache, maybe from all the stress or maybe from the nightmares that Voldemort took pleasure in filming for him, but he didn't let it stop him. He and Ron both dropped their sponges, grinning as they did, and creeped over to the door. They opened it, both sharing a wince as it creaked rather loudly.

However, their worry was all for nought. Mr. Weasley and Sirius were both half in and half out of a closet, wands brandished, and appeared wholly distracted. Harry had to wonder what mildly dark creature they'd uncovered and how they were planning to get rid of it. Either way, it gave them a nice break and they easily took the opportunity. Ron and Harry both darted out and quietly burst in on Josh and Nick.

It was only after they saw the scene before them that Harry thought they should've knocked. Harry and Ron had definitely interrupted something. Nick and Josh had pulled away from each other abruptly and both looked equally guilty. Harry stamped down on his frustration and tried not to curse himself. If he just cut into what might have been the bridge to the gap in their relationship, Harry was going to bang his head against the nearest wall.

"What are you doing here?" Josh blurted out, not so smoothly, and Nick cleared his throat.

"What were you two doing?" Ron asked suspiciously and Harry could've kicked him. He loved his best friend, he truly did, but Ron could be really transparent sometimes.

"Look, that doesn't matter. We need your help." Harry said quickly, saving Nick and Josh from some fumbled and halfhearted stuttering explanation.

"What with? We finally breaking out?" Josh asked in renewed interest. He liked anything that took time to plan. Harry chuckled.

"Soon. I need to get everyone together so we can figure out how to reach that point. But... Mr. Weasley and Sirius are guarding the hall under the pretence that they are cleaning this hall of dark creatures."

"So, we need to get rid of them?" Nick hummed.

"Preferably in a non harmful way." Harry confirmed, throwing Ron a pointed look. Ron had the decency to blush and look slightly ashamed.

"We could lock them in a closet." Josh fired off immediately. Harry frowned.

"They have wands."

"Er... We could..." Josh trailed off, looking at a loss.

"Nothing? Seriously?" Harry asked, vaguely disappointed. Josh looked affronted.

"Exactly, Harry. That's why you don't sent a boy to do a man's job." Nick said cheekily, smirking at Josh who scowled and huffed rather petulantly.

"What's your idea, then?" Ron asked.

"Well, they're keeping watch without being obvious that they're keeping watch, right?" Nick said.

"Right." Harry agreed.

"So, as long as they hear work going on when they walk past the rooms, they won't come in."

"I guess not." Harry agreed a little uncertainly.

"They don't want us to know they're our wardens so no, they won't. All we have to do is make sure that their is a few bumps and the sound of cleaning coming from each room we leave from. Then, we sneak by and not get caught and keep quiet. They won't even notice we're gone." Nick said smugly.

"Okay, genius, but how exactly are we going to leave cleaning noises behind?" Josh challenged.

"Hey, I'm not a neurotic genius for nothing. Look what our darling Sirius left for us to have."

Harry, Ron, and Josh followed Nick's directing nod right over to a recorder. No, a stack of recorders. Harry's face smoothed out and he was never so thankful that his godfather was a rebellious muggle loving teenager once. He felt a grin slip on his face and his green eyes glinted in delight.

"Hate to ruin the party here but that won't work because of all the magic here." Ron sighed.

"Oh please. Leave it to me. I can fix anything." Josh said breezily, seeming sure.

"Josh, I don't think-"

"Just give me a minute." Josh cut Harry off and moved over to the records, a serious look of deep concentration slipping on his face.

And, Harry really shouldn't have doubted him.

In about five minutes of nervous shifting, Josh worked on the recorders. As he got them crackling and working, he gave a cry of victory and turned to them with a wide grin. They all shared delighted grins and congratulated Josh on his skills. They all gave the noises of cleaning and random bumps, recording it nice and cleanly. Harry had to admit, it really was brilliant. Once done with that, they stepped in the hall.

Mr. Weasley and Sirius were still distracted and only their ankles could be seen from the closet. It was almost too easy. As they hurried past the room Ron and Harry came from, Josh cut on a recorder and slid it under the door. The next stop was to Hermione's and Em's room. Silently and watching the two adults closely, they opened the door and all rushed in.

"Harry?" Em asked, startled. She was on her hands and knees, her hair a cute mess atop her head, and she was actually wearing an apron. Hermione peeked from behind a nightstand and stood up.

"We've come to bust you ladies out." Ron announced, smiling widely. Harry could understand. There was a certain thrill for breaking the rules in this way.

"Oh?" Hermione asked, arching an eyebrow. She stepped from behind the nightstand and they saw she was also wearing an apron. Where Em's was just blue, Hermione's was floral print and bright green. The boys all stared at her and Ron looked particularly infatuated with the sight.

"The apron." Em whispered, pulling hers off. Hermione blinked and looked down, surprised. She blushed and practically ripped it off, tossing it away.

"They were just there and we didn't want to get too dirty. It was filthy in here." Hermione blurted out.

"Right... Anyway, ladies, it's time to go. Try and resist and you'll come to realize all your struggles are just futile." Josh said with poise, winking dramatically.

"But, how? What about our jailors?" Em asked.

"Got you covered." Nick said easily. That, apparently, was enough for Em and she just nodded. Hermione, however, looked skeptical.

"Are you sure?"

"Hermione, trust me. We'll explain everything after we get Olivia and Ginny." Ron said, rolling his eyes. Hermione bit her lip and sighed.

"Fine."

Josh clicked on a recorder, a few bumps and the squelching of sponges filling the air. Hermione looked impressed but didn't comment. They all slipped out the door, keeping a careful eye on the closet the two adults were still in. They could hear muffled talking and few thumps but that only spurred them on. They reached Olivia and Ginny's assigned room and entered in without so much as a knock.

Once again, Harry regretted not giving any slight warning at all. Though, he had to admit that with Ginny and Olivia he never thought he'd have to. They all froze in the doorway when they were met with the sight of the two redheaded girl snogging. Harry was stunned, his mouth dropping open in shock.

They'd all gotten an eyeful and Harry supposed he would be scarred for life, as would the others. Ginny was sitting on a desk that sat against the wall, her legs opened and crossed behind Olivia's waist. Olivia looked downright comfortable to be settled against Ginny, her hands threaded through Ginny's red locks and kissing the younger girl thoroughly.

Harry knew from experience that Olivia was a very nice kisser but Ginny seemed to be enjoying it far more than Harry had. And, Olivia looked completely blissful, as if she could kiss Ginny for decades. Harry had the urge to make a strangled noise in the back of his throat. It wasn't like there was a war going on or that Dumbledore needed to be saved. No, not at all. And suddenly, Harry could see where Mad-eye was coming from when he'd had his explosion.

Ron choked.

Harry couldn't help but be amused, despite his sliver of frustration. For one, Ron looked like he'd been hit in the head with a stray bludger. Harry didn't doubt that he had at first too but he knew he'd recovered. It was just that it was two girls and that made his head go sluggish and maybe a bit confused. Add that to it being Ginny and Olivia, two girls he knew, and that just made his brain falter.

Ron provided that strangled choking noise so he didn't have to, sounding like a garbled dying cat, and that got the attention of the otherwise occupied girls. Olivia pulled away and Ginny actually whimpered as she did. They stared at each other for a moment, both pairs of eyes blinking dazedly, before Olivia stepped back and Ginny slid down to stand, only slightly noticeably shaking.

"Hey." Olivia greeted casually, as if she hadn't just been snogging Ginny with ferocity reminiscent to a very hungry lion.

"Well, look who has been busy." Josh said slyly.

"Har har. Is this the breakout?" Olivia asked, shooting a concerned look at Ginny. The other girl looked mortified and had her eyes planted firmly in the floor.

Harry could understand, he really could. His confusion with his own sexuality hadn't gone away in a puff of smoke. He was still just as confused and uncertain as ever but he'd put that on a back burner for now. Still, he could sense the fear in Ginny's stance, see it in the way she shrunk in herself and went for a meek display. He knew that her head was probably a mess right then and that she was worried that they'd hate her.

He'd suspected something different about Ginny, had ever since Olivia had mentioned people being different on the bus. He'd been under the impression that maybe Ginny had wanted to be a boy or be more boyish. But maybe, just maybe, Ginny was just not as girly as everyone else and played on that because she liked girls. Maybe she thought that she had to be boyish to be able to like girls. It bothered Harry that Ginny might pretend to be something she wasn't or that she might feel shame for something she was.

So, amongst the awkward silence, Harry waltzed right over to Ginny and gave her a tight hug. She absolutely melted against him, dispelling a deep breath. It must've been a relief to know that he didn't hate her. It irked him that she even entertained the thought that he could. He pulled back and gave her a calming smile, hoping to relax her. She did, marginally. Then, without broaching the elephant in the room, Harry swept what they just saw under the rug, leaving no chance to talk about it, and jumped right on into the plan they needed to form.

"So, how are we going to rescue Dumbledore?"

For a beat, no one said a thing. Hermione was looking at Ginny as if she was a puzzle she only realized she was missing pieces to. It wasn't a negative look, not at all, but more of a 'how-did-I-never-know' kind of look. Ron was the one who looked the most troubled and Harry suspected that had to do with the fact that Ginny was his little sister. Still, Harry cleared his throat expectantly and the moment passed, for then at least.

"So it is the breakout? Great, I'm in." Olivia chirped easily. Harry hummed.

"We've got to find out where the Malfoy manor is."

"I actually think I may know how." Hermione said slowly and everyone stared at her.

"Well?" Nick urged her.

"You know how Sirius said that he was forced to go to Malfoy senior's funeral?" Hermione asked.

"Yes." Josh said.

"Well, it got me to thinking. Why? Why would Sirius have been forced to go? He wasn't related to Abraxas Malfoy in anyway. So, I was thinking that maybe it was just a pureblood thing. But then, I remembered that Narcissa Malfoy was a Black before she married Lucius." Hermione explained.

"So... Malfoy is part Malfoy and... Black?" Ron asked, wrinkling his nose. It was hard to think of Draco being vaguely related to Sirius.

"Precisely. So, that got me to thinking about how their marriage was an arranged marriage. And, all pureblood families keep in close contact with the families they are marrying their children off to. So, I went looking around."

"I knew that was you!" Em burst out. "That night, I was having a nightmare and went to get some water. I could've sworn I caught a glimpse of you going into the Black library."

"I borrowed Harry's cloak." Hermione admitted, smiling sheepishly.

"Thanks for asking." Harry deadpanned and she rolled her eyes.

"Do you want to hear this or not?"

"Right. Go on."

"Okay, so I started looking around and-"

"Snooping. You went snooping." Ron cut her off. Hermione glared at him until he looked away.

"Anyway, as I was saying, I went looking around to see what I could find. And, I found a Sirius' dad's study. In his drawer, there were really old and barely distinguishable documents and papers. A few of which were the marriage contracts. Did you know that Rodolphus Lestrange actually had a castle in eastern India?" Hermione trailed off, her eyes bright with knowledge. Harry chuckled.

"Nice to know. Anything else important you might know?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded.

"This, actually." Hermione said, reaching in her pants pocket and pulling out a worn out parchment with crinkles and smudges. "As soon as I saw it, I grabbed it up. It's exactly what we need. The only problem is that information we need is unreadable."

Harry opened the parchment and started reading it. His eyes flickered over every word he could make out, hoping an answer might jump out at him. The others, save for Hermione, crowded around him to get a good look. Harry frowned when he finished and looked up.

"This is the marriage contract between Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy." Harry pointed out. Hermione nodded.

"And, it has a lot of information on it. Cygnus Black kept everything about the Malfoys wrote down, all the pros and cons. It seems the Malfoys really wanted a tie into the Black fortune and power. And, if you notice in the pros section, it says location and it gives an address. But, unfortunately, it's smudged."

"So, basically, the one true thing we need is what we can't get?" Harry snapped.

"I'm sorry, Harry. A repairing charm wouldn't work, even if we could use magic. It'd just wipe the whole parchment clean. The address can't be recovered."

"I don't get it. Why would they keep valuable information like this here?" Nick asked curiously while Harry worked hard not to rip the parchment in a fit of anger. Josh frowned.

"Pride. It was a sign of pride and power. They had this to hang over the Malfoy's head. They kept all this just in case they needed legal proof that they had ties to them." Josh spoke up, his brow furrowing.

"How do you know that?" Ginny questioned softly, speaking for the first time since they'd entered.

"I grew up in a family full of refined pricks. I know how they function." Josh explained, shrugging.

"So, basically this is useless." Harry huffed, tossing the parchment before he really did rip it.

"Of course it isn't, silly." Em spoke up, darting a surprisingly quick hand out and catching the parchment. She smiled.

"What, it isn't?" Ron asked.

"Get me clean paper and a pencil and give me five minutes. I'll have this address for you in no time."

"Really?" Harry breathed out, his heart nearly seizing in his chest. Em nodded.

"Yep."

There was much scrambling to provide Em with what she needed. Harry wouldn't lie, he assumed that this was a bust. He never had much luck and if he did, it was usually bad. So, in all fairness, his doubt was justified. When Em grabbed the pencil and parchment, Harry wondered why Nick kept a random pencil on him at all times. That thought was quickly pushed out of his head as Em set to work.

It was like a scene from detective film or something. They all watched in awe and fascination as Em laid the clean parchment over the marriage contract and pressed down hard. She took the pencil and started rapidly shading over where the address would be. Em's tongue poked between her lips as she concentrated and then, she pulled away. They stared down at what was left and Harry was surprised to see faint words among the dark shading.

"Numbers?" Ron asked, tilting his head.

"Coordinates." Josh corrected.

"How do you know that, may I ask?" Hermione spoke up.

"I've been to many different parts of the world and in some places, coordinates is the only way to locate a certain secluded place." Josh explained easily.

"Is that why you know French?" Harry couldn't help but ask.

"Oh chérie, je parle plus que français." Josh said, winking. Harry blinked.

"Okay, never mind that. We've got the location of the Malfoy manor." Nick interrupted, annoyance written all over his face. And, if Harry wasn't mistaken, a smidge of jealousy was there as well.

"We've got to go." Harry said immediately.

"What? Harry, we can't just go. We need a plan." Hermione said, ever the voice of reason. Feeling pent up and jittery from having waited so long already, Harry scowled. But, Hermione, like normal, was right and they needed a plan.

"But, we cannot do this right now." Em said.

"Why?" Ron asked, brow furrowed.

"Too risky. We need to meet back up tonight. Under no circumstances do you act differently. Don't draw any attention to yourselves. Go back to cleaning and through the day, keep anything that might be useful. Tonight, we get together and we plan and then, we go. We can't wait much longer." Harry said, agreeing with Em.

"It might be a good idea to think up some plans as well." Olivia advised casually.

"She's right. This is happening tonight. We've got a headmaster to save."

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Pretending that he didn't have the Malfoy's address burning a hole in his pocket throughout the day sounded a lot easier than it actually was. But, Harry managed. They all dispersed, keeping their recorders just in case, and went back on with their day. Mr. Weasley and Sirius eventually came and got them, announcing dinner, and they were free from cleaning.

They all kept up the downtrodden and sulking facade rather well. Harry couldn't detect an ounce of excitement from any of the others. That might have been because they were nervous. Multiple times, Harry caught a glimpse of Nick picking up random objects and slipping them somewhere. If Harry didn't know it was impossible, he'd think Nick was half kangaroo with built in hidden pouches and instead of housing his young, he hid his treasures. Harry grabbed a few things of his own; his cloak and Sirius' lighter were just two of them.

The day seemed to drag sluggishly on by and the whole time, Harry was considering how to get to the Malfoy manor. He honestly had no idea how to get all of them there. Short of stealing Buckbeak and his broom, he had no idea. But, Buckbeak would be way too obvious and damn near impossible to take. He truly had no ideas.

Luckily, he had a group of minds all working to one goal. Someone was bound to come up with something and they did. When they all snuck back together, crowding in a spare closet that was just a bit too close to Sirius' mother in her portrait for Harry's taste, he got all sorts of ideas thrown his way. Surprisingly, Josh's beat everyone else's out, even Hermione's.

"We get on a bus." Josh had said.

"That would never work." Ron dismissed it immediately.

"Except, it just might." Harry breathed out, a grin stretching on his face.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Let's just say that I might know a bloke who can get us there."

"Who?" Ginny asked, her eyebrow cocked in doubt.

"I wonder how Stan is doing." Harry said with a grin.

Total foolproof plan if Harry did say so himself, and he did. Except, of course, the part where he had to first sneak out of Grimmauld Place without getting caught and had to get on the street and call the Knight bus to him and wait, still not getting caught, and then convince Ernie and Stan to drive him near such a place. Harry had a good sack of galleons he had grabbed so he was fairly sure the odds were in his favor. Almost.

Piece of cake, really.