Author's Note: I said I wasn't going to post until Monday, but I'm taking a break right now, and while I usually tend to spend that time browsing the internet uselessly, I decided to edit and upload the next chapter instead. So, here we are.

Chapter 71

I can't focus on my book.

We've been sitting out here for about ten minutes now, but not one of us has said a word. Ron has been glaring steadily at Blaise, who is acting like he doesn't see it. Meanwhile, Harry has been lost in thought.

Then he begins to speak. Maybe he isn't lost in thought, then.

"I trust you, Blaise, but I still don't think that leaving him alone in there was a good idea," he says. "What if he Disapparates and brings more Death Eaters here to kill us?"

"Then we'll get the hell out of here," Blaise says simply.

"If he puts up an Anti-Disapparition Jinx around this house, we'll be stuck," Ron points out, still glaring.

"You saw how he arrived, didn't you?" Blaise says. "It's obvious that he's not exactly doing well on their side. And he said it himself—"

"But Voldemort's ruthless. I doubt he'd care about hurting Malfoy like that, just for the sake of getting us to believe his act," Harry says.

"I don't think Malfoy could hurt us," I say. "If that was his intention, he never would have helped in the first place, and he wouldn't have gone through the trouble he did to save Blaise and me. And he could have turned Lupin in when he showed up at Spinner's End instead of handing him over to us."

Blaise nods. "Exactly."

Ron finally shifts his gaze away from Blaise to look at me with an expression on his face that clearly says that he feels I've betrayed him.

I bite back the apology that wants to come out of my mouth. I'm being reasonable. There's no reason that I should feel guilty for speaking my mind.

Then I notice that Blaise is watching Ron closely. But before I can comment, Ron speaks.

"What are you looking at, Zabini?" he grits.

Blaise shrugs, a trademark grin on his face. "Not much."

Ron glares at him again but says nothing.

"How much longer do you think he should need in there?" Harry asks.

I wonder if he's heard or noticed the brief exchange between Blaise and Ron—he seems very distracted by the fact that Draco's been left alone in his room.

"I really want to know who the traitor is," he adds.

"We all do, Harry," Blaise says.

"I don't see why he would need the room cleared if he wasn't going to do something evil," Ron says.

"Draco probably has some evidence that he needs to analyze and didn't want us around to distract him."

"But we could help," I say.

"When has Malfoy ever appreciated someone's help before, Hermione?" Harry points out.

"Good point," I concede.

I glance at Ron and see that he looks a bit sullen. I want him to feel better, but I'm not sure how to go about it. I reach out and take his hand.

"Maybe we should check on him," Harry says.

"I'll do it," Blaise volunteers. "He probably won't mind as much if it's just me."

He moves to the door and gives it a light push, but the door doesn't budge. He frowns. "I think it's sealed from the inside," he observes.

Then we hear Naree's voice from the other side of the door.

"Master does not want you to come in until he is ready."

"Naree?" Blaise inquires.

"Naree is here, yes," is the response.

"What's Draco doing in there?"

"Naree cannot say. Master's orders."

"Do you know how much longer it'll take?" Blaise asks.

"Naree does not know."

"Could you please tell us, Naree?" I call out.

"No, Miss Granger. Naree is not to tell, no matter what anyone says."

Ron frowns. "Now if that doesn't sound suspicious—"

Blaise wheels around, and I'm surprised by the fury written on his face. "Can you stop being so fucking paranoid for just five minutes? I am sick and tired of putting up with you and your suspicions. Draco hasn't done anything to hurt us since he turned. Hogwarts is ours because of him. We saved Nottingham because he gave us information. Why can't you put your prejudice aside?"

It's quiet for almost a full minute.

Blaise seldom loses his cool—this is the first time that I've seen him look so murderous. I can't help but wonder if this anger has a bit to do with my resumed relationship with Ron. After all, Blaise has been a little off since he saw us kissing.

Ron looks furious as well. He's squeezing my hand extremely tightly, and his lips twitch as though he's itching to fire back a response, but he restrains himself.

"Blaise… are you all right?" Harry finally asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Blaise snaps, still keeping his eyes on Ron.

Then the door to Draco's room opens.

"Come in, now," Naree says, backing out of the doorway.

Blaise enters the bedroom without another word.

"Come on," Harry says, giving Ron a light push on the shoulder.

We all walk into Draco's room. He's sitting, leaning back against the headboard.

"Do you know who it is, then?" Harry asks.

Draco nods. "I understand him. If he hadn't outed me, I would have felt guilty exposing him."

I frown. "Why—"

"I'm not in the mood to answer questions," Draco interrupts shortly. "I'll tell you what you need to know, and then you can decide what to do about it. I'd appreciate it if all of you left my house for at least a day. I want to be alone."

Harry opens his mouth to speak, but Blaise holds up a hand to silence him.

"We'll leave," Blaise says, in a slightly softer voice than I'd expected. "Tell us what you found out."

"Neville Longbottom."

I gasp. Beside me, Ron's just shaking his head.

"Impossible," Harry says immediately.

Blaise only nods. "Explain."

"Voldemort has been dabbling in all sorts of magic, trying to invent new things to make himself more powerful. His latest experiment, which was successful, as far as I could tell, was restoring sanity to those who've lost it."

Blaise sighs, and I can see that he understands what Draco's saying.

But what does that have to do with—oh. Neville's parents…

"Let me guess. He tested it on the Longbottoms," Harry says, sounding disappointed.

"I spoke with a completely lucid Frank Longbottom this morning."

"How do you know—" Ron begins.

"I'm not answering questions," Draco cuts him off. "Neville Longbottom betrayed you because he wanted to be reunited with his parents—his sane parents. I believe he ratted me out in exchange for Lupin's release. The two events occurred too close together to be coincidental. I suggest that you take advantage of this arrangement, rather than restrain or kill him."

"We wouldn't kill him," Harry says. "That's what makes us different from—"

"From whom?" Draco interrupts. Then he chuckles. "From me?"

Harry shakes his head. "I was going to say Voldemort."

"I don't believe you," Ron says. "How can you possibly know that Neville—"

"I think we've established that Draco is—or was—a relatively high-ranking Death Eater. Why don't we all just trust him, for once?" Blaise says irritably. "He knew about a Horcrux. I'm sure he'll be able to tell us who the traitor is."

After a brief pause, Draco says, "That's all you need to know. You can leave now. If you're not planning to stay at Hogwarts, I'd advise against going to Spinner's End, because that's the first place they'll think to look for me. I've been labeled a turncoat, and Voldemort doesn't take kindly to being betrayed."

I remember hearing that there'd been nothing left of Oliver Wood when Voldemort was finished with him. The thought of that makes me shudder.

Blaise steps forward and pats Draco's shoulder once. He doesn't say another word before Disapparating. But in that moment when their eyes met, I sense that something was exchanged between them. I wish I had that sort of connection with someone.

"Thanks, Malfoy," Harry says.

"Don't thank me. Kill that snakey bastard, and we'll call it even, yes?" Draco replies.

I don't hear Harry's response because Ron grabs my arm, and I'm sucked into the uncomfortable sensation that is Apparition.

We arrive just outside the grounds and hurry through the boundary onto safe ground. Blaise is already waiting for us there. Harry appears a moment later, and we move toward the castle together.

Two figures appear on the grounds, heading toward us, wands raised—it's difficult to identify them because it's beginning to get dark. As they near us, I recognize them as Colin and Hannah. When all four of us have answered their questions satisfactorily, they fall into step beside us.

"Why are you back? All of you?" Colin asks.

"We need to see McGonagall. And Shacklebolt, if he's here," Harry replies.

"I'm pretty sure that he still hasn't come back yet, but McGonagall is here," Hannah informs us.

"That's good enough for us," Blaise says.

As we reach the entrance, Colin and Hannah turn away, presumably to continue keeping an eye on the boundaries.

Ginny appears as we enter the entrance hall, and when she sees Harry, she runs over and throws her arms around him.

"I'm happy to see you too, Ginny, but we're a bit busy at the moment," Harry says.

She follows us up the steps. "Are you here to see Lupin?" she asks. "Madam Pomfrey still isn't letting anyone in, except Tonks."

"No, that's not why we're here," Harry says.

We're heading in the direction of McGonagall's office, and Ginny continues to follow. We pass by quite a few former students in the halls, and I wonder when they came.

"How many people are here now, Ginny?" I ask.

"I'm not sure, but they're coming in from hiding," Ginny replies. "Word's out that we've retaken Hogwarts, so people who went into hiding are coming here now."

Blaise nods. "Strength in numbers. It's a good thing."

"How's George?" Ron asks.

"He's… he's doing all right," Ginny says. "We're Weasleys. We can handle it."

I recall that Alicia's been bitten and wish that there was something I could do to help…

Author's Note: Yeah I know, this wasn't a very good place to end the chapter. I just couldn't decide where to cut it off. I'll put up the next one soon.