Hey, I'm soooo sorry for the long update I've been so busy lately due to important exams! But I've got the plan for the story planned out now and I shouldn't take as long to update, but its best to wait a while and it be good then to rush it and it be rubbish. Thanks to all the people who have review it means so much to me! So read, enjoy and review review review!

Chapter 4

A long wait and a plan is set

Hermione sat against the wall deep in thought; eyes closed trying to maintain the image of clouds and feel of the sea air against her face.

Lyra stood leaning against the wall staring longingly at the door. Frowning slightly and biting her lip in frustration, only after making a loud sigh and slipping to the floor did Hermione open her eyes.

"I don't understand. If he's going to help us why hasn't he come back?" Lyra questioned beating her knee with a dirty fist. Hermione knew how she felt. She had waited months to be rescued, by her heroic friends. Sat staring at the door waited for it to be broken open. Her knight in shining armor to come running in, pick her up in his arms taken away from this evil. Loved again. Saved.

Fortune favors the brave they say. Love concurs all, happily ever after. Lies she had been told as a child, false security and hope.

She had now faced her bleak life. Accepted it, why a person would go mad if they didn't, mad.

"Do you think he was lying?"

Hermione made a large grin giving her a pointed alarming face.

"Hermione…"

"Don't worry Lyra," she croaked, "I think our knight has finally just come"

The hours passed both girls spoke little unsure of what to think or expect. The candle slowly began to melt. Hermione fell asleep with the thoughts of sun and flying birds in her mind.

She was riding a gigantic golden bird a mixed with red feathers. It felt so soft and safe. Hermione looked down and saw land far below. Her heart dropped suddenly as she saw the bird had disappeared. Then laughed as she realized she was the bird herself. She flew on not knowing where she was going, just enjoying the wind in her hair.

Suddenly the sky turned a dark red. A metal cage appeared attempting to capture her. She spread her wings in attempt to fly higher and out of reach, only to find them replaced with her arms. She fell to the ground with a scream hitting the ground sooner then expected and with no pain. Standing she pushed against the bars of the cage imprisoning her trying to get free. A cloaked man appeared behind the bars. Holding out a silver key just out of her reach. In front of Hermione stood the lock.

"Help Me," she cried, "Pass me the key". The cage began to slowly close around her.

"Hurry"

The man stood there holding the key outstretched. It slipped from his hand into a black abyss. Both watched it fall slowly, the only key was now gone.

The stranger's hood fell back and sad green eyes met frightened brown ones…

Hermione awoke with a start her heart beating fast. The candle was now out and had melted to the floor. From the sound of deep breathing, Lyra was now finally asleep. Clutching her chest she waited for her heart beat to return to normal. Those eyes had pierced her heart and haunted her dreams for months. Those green eyes calling to her trying to help, eye's full of sorrow and guilt. Those green eyes Harry's eyes. She'd recognize them anywhere.

She wiped a tear from her check. Since Lyra's arrival she had begun to feel hope again just a small amount. Knowing she may still yet be free. Her heart hurting though, knowing if she was to be free she would never see those green eyes again, Full of love, hope and kindness. After all he was no longer their.

Anger rose in her heart, pushing her hands against the damp stonewall she pushed her body to stand. If she weren't going to see those green eyes again she would see the blue ones that held love, Ron's eyes. She would prove herself to them that she would once again be free. The time of waiting was over. The time to escape had come.

Hermione went over to Lyra and nudged her awake.

"Hmmm"

"Lyra"

"What" she mumbled, "Why is it dark, what's going on?"

"Lyra it's me Hermione. We're in… we're in…" she stuttered unable to bring her self to say Azkaban, the word scolded her tongue.

"We're in prison" she finished lamely.

"Oh God! Why can't I wake up" Lyra moaned, "I shouldn't be here!"

"Lyra stop it"

"I shouldn't be here!" she whimpered into her hands.

"Stop it now!" Hermione shouted pulling Lyra's hands away from her face forcibly "Wake up"

Lyra stared into Hermione's stern bleak face.

"Hermione…"

"We are getting out of here I will not let you suffer like I did. Are you listening to me?"

Lyra nodded feebly.

"I've waited months to be free. Waited for something. This stranger is it! Don't you see?"

"But Hermione how can we trust that he'll come back. He may have just pitted us" Lyra spat glaring at the door.

Hermione's stomach dropped "He just will alright. He will" she forced a large smile to make Lyra believe her. Although it was hard to make out in the dark, she had to make her self believe it. He had to come back he promised.

Hours passed and still no sign of the stranger. Then more and more,

"Hermione he's not coming back" Lyra told her

"He will, he will" Hermione stated

"How do you even know he even works for the order? We only have a few spies on our side and I've never meet him before"

"You wouldn't the whole point of a spy is that people don't know about them" She was beginning to shake slightly at the very thought of someone who could help being so close, and unable to help.

"Why hasn't he come back?"

"Well… well he… he obviously can't. If he did and got caught, he'd die immediately…any chance of gaining information from the other side would be gone. They need him"

"Just accept it he's not coming back"

"I won't accept it!" Hermione scream, "He will he has to" she added quietly.

"Just need a little patience ah?" Lyra replied a little too callously then she meant, "How long have you had to wait Hermione? How long?" she placed her head back on her knees.

Hermione stood up sharply and walked over to the other side of the room glaring at Lyra clutching her chest, shocked at how much the comment hurt. She thought Lyra would be happy not havening to live a fate in the cell she would have to call home. Hermione wasn't the type of person to the hate, hate was a strong emotion, and only those that caused pain and sin deserved hate. The comment hurt and hurt deep, a flicker of this emotion appeared at the bottom of Hermione's stomach as she glared at Lyra. Don't judge others she was told as a child; but this girl was young, pretty obviously… utterly… oblivious to pain. She soon would.

"Patience" Hermione scoffed "You don't know the meaning of the word"

Lyra didn't look up or reply.

The time passed in silence, Hermione sat on edge listening for any sound, footsteps, voices anything. Lyra hadn't moved since she had last spoken to Hermione. Two plates slid in, its contents unmentionable as food. Hermione leapt to her feet as she heard it and ran to the door. Nothing happened. Sounds were heard at the other side of the door, the scrape of wood on stone, footsteps then scrape on stone again as another plate entered another cell. Containing dying people just like her. No savior, no man, no wand, no freedom. A tear fell mixing with dirt and dried blood from her face. It seeped down her check to her lips. Hermione felt it; wet against her face. She licked her lips, the tear tasted bitter on her tongue.

How could she think that someone was here to save her? It just brought back painful memories and feelings. She placed her hands against the door, feeling the wood, tracing the indents with her fingers. Slowly she brought her body towards it and leant against it completely. She felt the small splinters from the door, she enjoyed the sharpness of them against her frail skin, it showed her she could still feel, still there after all that time. She started humming a song, at first it had no particular tune, slowly it began to form into a song she remembered as a child, before she received the letter for Hogwarts before her life changed.

When the song finished she hummed it again a little louder not caring if it woke Lyra up or not. She stopped suddenly, staring at the door; she swore she heard something she stood motionless waiting. But none came, was her mind so desperate it was imagining things?

Then she heard it again, footsteps, they were defiantly footsteps. She stood up straight her heart beating fast, they were coming closer, closer… her heart felt like it was in her throat, just a little further. They were right outside the door… then they passed, slowly out of hearing. Hermione remained watching the door, her heartbeat slowly returned to its norm. Eventually she placed her hands on the door again and slowly sank to the ground and leant against it.

Hermione jolted awake, surprised to find the coarse wood of the door behind her. She sat up trying to rub the deadness away from her arms and back, regretting fall asleep against it. She gazed over to where she saw the silhouette of Lyra who was still sleeping peacefully.

'She would of course, she hasn't been here for as long as I have, she can still sleep thinking when she wakes up the door will be open, easy to walk through!'

Hermione leant against the door again thinking about what Lyra had said to her. The door behind her open suddenly causing her to fall back stunned, she looked up to see the face of the man earlier. He was again dressed in a black robe that most guards wore and held his wand prepared. He looked down at her surprised; she quickly rolled over and crouched in an almost animal stance ready for attack.

"Come" he whispered motioning towards her. Hermione just looked at him. He sighed inwardly and noticed Lyra was asleep. He took a step towards her then stopped. He glanced at Hermione and then at the door, deciding not to chance it he walked back to the door opening. He didn't want Hermione making a break for freedom and causing the whole prison to come down on them.

"Quickly wake her up"

Hermione stared at him for a moment wondering what he had planned. She looked at Lyra and back at the man. She crawled over to Lyra and shoved her hard. She fell to the floor, still having been leaning against the wall.

She groaned slightly and sat up glaring at Hermione who ignored her, still angry at what she had said.

"What did you do that for? Oh!" Lyra stared at the worried guard in shock "You came back, I knew you would!" She stood up sharply ignoring Hermione killer glare.

"Right listen I know how to get you out of here" the man told them

Hermione stood eyes wide. It was finally time.

"Listen closely, if anything goes wrong, you make a run for it or something and both our lives will be on the line!" he whispered dangerously looking at them both strongly "Do you understand? You need to cooperate and trust me. I know it must be hard after all this time" he said to Hermione with a warm smile, she stared back at him "Do you understand" he waited for them both to nod. "Right. We're going to have to do it at shift change, I'll help you get to the lower floors, and give you directions to the boats. Your on your own from there I'm afraid; all I can give you is a map of the area when you land on the shore."

"Won't you get into trouble?" Lyra asked him

"Hopefully if we do it on a shift change, the next guard will be to blame, which just so happens to be Mr. Goyle, father to a master Goyle" he said to Hermione. She nodded showing she remembered. Gregory Goyle had been one of Draco Malfoy's thugs, thick, mean and enjoyed causing pain to others. If they went missing Hermione doubted people would be surprised after his son probably wouldn't react if he saw them until days later. Hermione guessed his father was the same; she listened as the guard began to talk once more.

"Right, I'll bring you some robes to change into, then I'll lead you both down to change over point. We need too somehow get you hidden from Goyle; if he sees me alone then I can't be blamed at all. From there I'll take you down to the lower level. Now this will all have to take place tomorrow night, what with it being Sunday it shouldn't be busy with Deatheaters. I know it's a long wait, but you waited this long a few more hours won't kill you, knowing you'll soon be free" he whispered looking at Lyra's frowning face. "Right" he passed Lyra a piece of paper. "This is the map to the lower level; the boat house is on the other side to this staircase." He pointed, "You'll need to go the back way, as the main hall is where people apperate and the Floo fire places are. You won't have time to hide if someone appears. Here's the map of the land you'll probably land at" he passed her another piece of paper.

"What do you mean probably?" Lyra asked

"Well if the weather is rough I can't promise you won't be taken out to sea"

Lyra nodded looking carefully at the map. Hermione just stood motionless gazing at the open door and the guard. A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Where do we go from there?" she said, throat dry.

"Well as far as I know" he started "You two would probably be welcome" he dropped his voice barely audible "at 12 Grimmauld place, the Heads of the order still go there. Do you both know how to apperate?"

Lyra nodded, "I can take her if need be" she pointed to Hermione

"Look by the third brick on the floor by the stone slab at the bottom of the door on the house with the red door; make sure you're not seen. There Hermione you will find something" he continued.

She looked at him in shock "How do you know my name?"

"I know it's been along time, but we haven't forgotten about you. None of us have, we charmed the door to only open for you in case you ever returned. They left clues for you to follow, a password only you would obtain from the clues we left"

She felt tears in her eyes and gave a weak smile, the first real one she had done in a long time. "Thank you"

"You deserve kindness and help more then any other person I know, you had done so much good for our battle in the past, its time it was rewarded." He turned to the door; he turned back when he reached it "Be ready"

"But when will we know" Lyra added

He flicked his wand at the floor and muttered a few charms; once more a candle, food and drink appeared but also a sand timer. Hermione watched the grains of sand fall slowly, beginning to fill up the lower half. He turned and silently closed the door.

The two girls sat down and started eating both silent once more in there own thoughts.

Lyra scanned the map again and raised her cup of water to toast, "To tomorrow night"

Hope you liked it, don't forget to review, no flames but i don't mind constructive criticism. Hopefull update soon !