Author's Note: One of the reviews suggested that I cut this off and start a sequel if this will extend past 70 chapters or so, and if I really do that, I'll probably want to do it soon… because I don't really see the end yet. The characters don't seem ready to leave my head just yet, so I might (might!) pause on updating for a short while in order to organize my thoughts and see if I have enough material to write a whole continuation story for this one. I've already figured out a place where I could split the story, but I want to make sure I have enough story left to tell…

But until then, enjoy this chapter! (:

Chapter 46

I groan, frustrated, and get out of bed.

I only slept a few hours tonight, and I really can't lie in bed anymore, trying to fall asleep. I couldn't stop thinking about Draco long enough to fall sleep, and whenever I did drift off, I dreamt of him doing wicked things to my body.

Cursing my subconscious, I leave the room and shut the door behind me. Then I pace back and forth in the living room, taking deep, calming breaths. An unbearably burning need is consuming me, and I almost want to summon him back here, to make him finish what he started that morning.

That must be why I've felt so tense the past few days. I never liked the idea of touching myself—I've tried it once and didn't care much for it. God, what I wouldn't give to have those long, thin fingers…

Then the door to the boys' room swings open, interrupting me mid-thought, and I immediately turn away, hoping to hide my flushed cheeks. I close my eyes to regain composure.

"Hermione, you're already up," Ron says from behind me.

I nod. "Yes—I couldn't sleep," I say, turning around.

He doesn't seem to notice anything different about me, and I feel relieved. Then Harry and Blaise enter from the next room as well.

"We should go to McGonagall's now, see if anything's been decided yet," Blaise says.

"I want to hear what happened at Grimmauld Place first," I say.

"The others will want to know too. Ron will explain himself to everyone at once," Harry says.

Ron bites his lip and looks at the ground. He must have done something extremely blockheaded, if even Harry isn't defending him.

"One of us should stay behind, to look after Ginny," Blaise says.

"Oh, right," Harry says. "I'll—"

"It's all right, Harry, we can all go," I say. "I'll just call Naree—Naree!"

"Who's Naree?" Ron asks.

Before anyone can answer, there's a loud crack, and the house elf appears.

"Miss Granger called for Naree?" he says, bowing.

"You have a house elf?" Ron says incredulously. "What about spew?"

"It's S.P.E.W., not spew. And if you hadn't noticed, we have more important things on our hands, like a war," I say. "But no, Naree isn't my house elf. He's Malfoy's."

Naree frowns. "Master doesn't like the freckly redhead," he mumbles to me.

"Naree, could you please look after Ginny Weasley for us? She's in the bedroom," I say, ignoring his comment about Ron.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Do you honestly trust Malfoy's house elf to take care of Ginny?" Ron demands.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," I say.

"Are you sure, Hermione?" Harry asks. "The elf just said himself that Malfoy never liked the Weasleys."

"If it makes you feel better, I can stay behind and look after her, as long as you three explain everything to me as soon as you get back," I offer.

"You two need to wake up," Blaise says. "Whose house are we staying in? If you trust Malfoy to keep this place safe, then you can trust his house elf to keep an eye on Ginny."

Naree smiles widely. "Naree thanks Master Blaise. It is nice to see Master Blaise again."

Blaise nods, and I wonder how much Naree knows about the fight between Blaise and Draco three years ago. I can't imagine him being so friendly to Blaise if he knew what kind of damage Blaise had done to Draco, but I can't see why he wouldn't know, either.

"He's got a point," Harry concedes.

I'm glad that he's mature enough to accept that Draco won't hurt us.

"Let's all go, then," he finishes.

"I don't want to leave my sister—"

"She'll be safe. Shut up, and let's go," Blaise says.

"Don't tell me to shut up, Zabini."

"Let's just go," I say. "All right, boys?"

Harry nods and Disapparates, followed quickly by Blaise.

"Thank you, Naree," I say.

"Naree is only doing as Master told him to."

"Still, thank you," I say as Ron Disapparates.

The house elf gives me another big smile before walking into the bedroom that Ginny is lying in.

I Apparate to McGonagall's place and see that most of the stretchers are filled. Some of them are covered completely with white cloth, and my heart sinks. I should have expected that people would die, but it still hurts to see that so many were killed.

A hand rests on my shoulder, and I look up to see Blaise's grim attempt at a reassuring smile. I force my lips into a small smile and grip his hand tightly.

"Minerva and Kingsley are upstairs with the others, waiting for you," Madam Pomfrey says, looking up from a stretcher. "Is Ginevra all right?" she asks.

"Yes, she's fine," I say.

"Thanks, Madam Pomfrey," Harry says as he passes by her.

I follow Harry and Ron toward the staircase, and Blaise walks beside me, keeping a comforting arm around my shoulders. Ron glances back toward us with an angry glint in his blue eyes. In an attempt to preserve some sort of peace in our group, I shrug Blaise's hand off my shoulder. I glance over at him to see an understanding look in his eyes. What have I done to deserve him?

As we start up the staircase, he catches one of my hands and gives it a light squeeze before letting go. On the second floor, we walk down the hall and into the room on the right, which is usually the one used for meetings here.

I enter the room and am grateful to see that so many familiar faces are present—Shacklebolt, McGonagall, Tonks, Tonks' parents, Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Neville, Dean, and Angelina. There are also quite a few unfamiliar faces, possibly some who were brought back by Shacklebolt.

"It's about time you returned," Shacklebolt says from the head of the table. "I've been told that you are staying at a private residence of Mr. Malfoy's."

"Yes," Harry says.

"Why?"

"It's overcrowded here, and we thought it'd be a good idea to save some space," Harry explains.

Shacklebolt frowns, the creases in his forehead deepening as he considers our logic. "We'll come back to that," he says. "First, I want to know what happened. How did Mundungus Fletcher escape?"

All eyes fall on us, and Harry and Blaise look at Ron, who quickly becomes the focus of everyone's attention.

"I…" he begins shakily. He clears his throat. "It was my turn to guard him, and… I walked out of the room for just a second, and when I came back, he was untied and armed, and I wasn't prepared so he… got away," he finishes lamely.

The room explodes as the occupants all start speaking at once. Several repeated phrases fill the air.

"How could you be so thick?"

"What were you thinking?"

"So many people were hurt and killed!"

Then Shacklebolt's rumbling voice drowns out the others. "Quiet down!"

When order is restored to the room, Shacklebolt speaks. "Twelve people died last night," he says. "Eight of those twelve were students. All of their lives are on your hands, Ronald. Why did you leave the room?"

"I… I thought I heard a knock on the front door," Ron says in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

"If someone really had knocked, one of us would have gone to get it," Angelina says furiously. "You were on guard duty, Ron!"

"I'm really, really sorry," Ron says.

"Being sorry, unfortunately, will not bring them back," McGonagall says sternly.

"How could he have been armed?" Neville asks.

His voice is a little shaky, and he's trembling slightly. This night must have taken a toll on him.

"He was bound, and I don't think any of us left our wands lying around," he finishes.

"I don't know," Ron says miserably.

There's an uncomfortable silence as the occupants of the room ponder what that could mean. Is there another traitor in our midst, then? One that helped Mundungus to escape?

Shacklebolt extends the table and adds four chairs. "Sit down," he says to us.

"What are we doing in retaliation, then?" Harry asks. "There's got to be something we can do."

"The only precise location we have for the Death Eaters is the Malfoy Manor, in Wiltshire. And I doubt that it will burn to the ground easily," Shacklebolt says.

"Definitely not," Tonks says. "It's all marble and stone, with ancient spells protecting it."

"Ask Malfoy for information," Bill says. "He said that he's on our side, didn't he? If he's really switched sides, he'll give us what we need to know."

"Hermione, has he told you anything recently?" Shacklebolt asks.

I shake my head.

"He told me that Voldemort has at least one more Horcrux out there," Harry says.

I frown—why didn't Draco tell me that?

"Then it really is possible to split his soul more than he has already," Shacklebolt says resignedly.

"How can you trust that he's telling the truth?" Mrs. Weasley asks.

"He said that he'd get it for me. I figure there's no harm in checking out whatever it is that he brings," Harry reasons.

"When he does give it to you, be careful not to touch it—it may be a Dark object," McGonagall warns.

"Yes," Shacklebolt agrees. "Bring it to me. I'll want to examine it myself before we proceed."

"Before any sort of retaliation, we need to wait both for more information, and for our fighters to recover," McGonagall says.

"We'll reconvene a week from today," Shacklebolt says.

I'm surprised that he's ending the meeting so quickly. But then, I suppose the main reason for it was to find out how exactly Mundungus made his escape. And if there really is a traitor in our midst, it will not do to discuss everything openly. God, how are we going to pick out who it is?

"Most of us should have recovered by then," he finishes.

As the people at the table start getting to their feet and leaving the room, a large, dark man speaks up.

"I think the young one should be punished," he says in a heavy accent that I can't quite identify.

"Oh, he'll be punished all right," Mrs. Weasley says through gritted teeth.

Ron looks intimidated by the murderous look on his mother's face. I think I would be too, if I were on the receiving end of those enraged eyes. The dark man takes a look at Mrs. Weasley and seems to decide that her wrath will probably be punishment enough.

The room empties quickly, and I see Shacklebolt conversing with a few of the strangers as they exit the room. Then Blaise is ushering me out.

"Ronald, I am very disappointed in you," McGonagall says before following us out. She heads in the direction opposite the stairs, following Shacklebolt's group.

"Shouldn't we wait for Ron?" I ask as Harry joins Blaise and me in the hallway.

"No," Harry says. "I don't think Mrs. Weasley will be done with him for a while. Let's go."

"Do you believe what he said?" I ask them as we move toward the stairs.

"Yeah. I've always known he was a blundering idiot. It was just a matter of time before he showed it fully," Blaise says.

I sigh. "I just don't think that Ron would really be that thick."

A little nagging voice in my head tells me that Ron might have been lying—what if he is the traitor? But I've known him for such a long time, and something tells me that no matter how impulsive he is, he wouldn't turn against the Order. And if the Order isn't enough to stop his hand, surely his family is.

"It's hard to believe," Neville says from behind me. "But there isn't really any other explanation, is there? And we all know he's a little careless sometimes."

"This is more than a little careless," Blaise says.

Neville sighs, and I glance back to see that his eyes are extremely sad.

"Are you all right, Neville?" I ask.

He looks up and smiles, but I can see that it's forced. "I just… I hate seeing all these people dying around us," he says. "I can't help but feel like we're all going to end up in those cots, covered with white cloth."

"Oh Neville, we're going to be fine," Blaise says. "Stop whining."

I smack Blaise's shoulder, and he laughs.

"Can't you be a little more sensitive?" I say. I turn my head back toward Neville and tell him, "It'll be all right. We all look after each other, and that's enough."

He smiles and nods. "Yeah…"

I feel bad for Neville. Maybe the war has finally gotten through that hard shell he's been hiding in for the past few years. He was hardened by battles, but seeing deaths like this still affects him—it's proof that the clumsy, adorable Neville is still hidden away somewhere in this tough guy.

Then I see Tonks standing a few feet away from the bottom of the steps, holding little Teddy in her arms.

"Tonks," I say as I reach her. "How's Teddy?"

"He's all right. He was a bit frightened by the fight—we had no warning," she replies.

"Hey, Teddy," Blaise says from right behind me.

The toddler's hair color quickly transitions to lime green, and Tonks laughs lightly. "He's trying for Slytherin green," she explains. "That's what he comes up with every time a Slytherin comes to see him. Say hi, Teddy."

"Hi," Teddy says, waving shyly—he recognizes us, but he's a timid boy.

"Teddy!" Harry says, excusing himself from two wizards unfamiliar to me.

He smiles warmly and holds his arms out, and Tonks passes Teddy to him.

"How's my favorite godson?"

"Your only godson," I correct him, smiling.

"Harry Potter," Teddy says.

Tonks laughs. "Who is Harry Potter, Teddy?"

"My godfather," he answers after a short pause.

His young, adorable voice makes us all smile. It's amazing to think that Tonks is raising a child, despite everything that's going on. It's moments like this that remind me of one of the goals we're fighting for—a safe world for children like Teddy to grow up in.

"Here, give him to me," Tonks says.

"You should probably let him walk around a bit," Harry suggests as he passes Teddy back to Tonks.

"Oh, he ran around all night," Tonks replies with a small smile. "All night after we came here, that is. Madam Pomfrey is very annoyed with him."

I detect a hint of sadness in her eyes. "The full moon is tonight," I realize aloud. "Lupin…"

She smiles again, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Yes, I know what that means for him."

"You don't think they'll let him out to bite anyone, do you?" Harry asks.

"I don't know," she replies. "But it'll kill him if he comes to and realizes that he's bitten someone."

"We'll get him back," Blaise says.

We all know that they're just comforting words. How would we get him back, after all? But they have to be said, and I watch as Tonks' lips stretch into another insincere smile.

"Tonks, please don't force yourself," I say. "We all know this must be very difficult for you."

Blaise steps forward, closer to me, and his hands find mine. He fingers thread between mine, and he squeezes my hands gently, as if to remind me that he's there for me.

Tonks catches the gesture. "How are you two?" she asks.

I shake my head and start to pull my hands forward to get them out of his grip, but Blaise's feet seem to be rooted into the floorboards, and the only thing I succeed in doing is pulling myself backwards into his arms. My cheeks flush.

"It's not like that," I say, elbowing him to make him let go of me. He releases me, chuckling.

Tonks nods. "Sure, it isn't," she says, but thankfully, she doesn't press further. "So, where is this place that you're staying at?"

"We can't say—it's under the Fidelius Charm," Harry says.

"What possessed all of you to take up Malfoy's offer?" she asks. "He's a slippery one. I haven't seen him much, but I've heard enough from my mother."

"Actually, he didn't offer. We had to ask him to let us stay," I say.

She frowns. "And you really think you'll be safe, staying with him?"

"Draco's not evil," Blaise says.

"Well… kudos to you for giving him the benefit of the doubt, I guess," she says. "I would never consent to staying at his home, Fidelius Charm or not. Of course, I've been raised to think that both of my aunts married the worst type of people possible, so it's a hard prejudice to overcome."

"Malfoy did promise that he'd look for Lupin," I say.

She shakes her head. "I doubt that. He wouldn't stick his neck out for a werewolf. He believes so strongly in blood purity, and that's just for humans. Remus isn't even the same species as him anymore. I highly doubt he'd take any risks for him."

"He might surprise you," I say.

Harry looks at me, surprised. "Why are you defending him?"

"He did save me and Blaise from that prison, didn't he?" I remind him.

Then a few more wizards with unfamiliar faces start coming in our direction, probably to talk to Harry.

"We should go," Blaise says.

"Yes, let's," Harry says, Disapparating as soon as he's finished speaking.

"Be wary of Draco," Tonks says. "I know you might have decided that he's trustworthy, but I still don't have a good feeling about him."

"Draco! Slimy git," Teddy says.

I laugh at those words, coming out of the mouth of a three-year-old. He probably doesn't even know what the words mean.

"Yeah, he's a slimy git, that one," Blaise says, grinning.

Then he grabs my hand, and we Disapparate.

Author's Note: So, Malfoy Manor last chapter, McGonagall's house this chapter! I for some reason found this one harder to write. Blegh… is it a bad thing that I like writing the dark side better than the light? xD