'What's wrong?' Draco asked, hurrying them inside.

'The wedding. It was attacked.'

'Who by?'

'Death Eaters, we don't know about anything else.'

'What about the ministry?' Draco asked.

'Don't know much.'

They laid Ron down on a sofa and Draco whipped out his wand.

'It wasn't splinching, I assume.'

'No.' Ron grunted through gritted teeth.

'Well, hang on a sec, this may hurt slightly.'

Draco waved his wand and slowly the blood started to seep back into the wound. When the flow of blood stopped, Draco moved his wand back the other way, mumbling under his breath. Slowly the sides of the wound began to knot together, sealing the gash. Before long, Ron was as good as new.

'So, how'd you get that?'

'The Death Eaters.'

'What about them?'

'They gate-crashed the wedding. We got this patronus through from the minister and then they arrived.'

'The patronus...' Draco said, suspicion setting in.

'It was a warning. He said that the ministry was under attack. He said to run.'

'The ministry. Should we help?'

'Too late for that, You-know-who was there himself, we heard Scrimgeour and Moody duelling him. I think they're dead. Anyone going there now who isn't going to pay lip-service to the new regime...' Ron swiped his hand across his throat.

'Well, you're here now. That's good, I suppose.'

'I don't know. The attack on the wedding seemed too quick. Almost as if they were tracing Harry. I took us all to Tottenham Court Road, then, before long, they showed up there as well.'

'Tottenham Court Road?'

'Yeah, well, I panicked. Went to the first muggle place I could think of. Then I thought of here. Silly really, I should have stuck to the plan,. Then Ron wouldn't have.' Hermione seemed on the verge of tears.

'Don't worry, Herms, I'm alright aren't' I. We're here aren't we? Anyone would panic when made to do something like that.' Ron said.

'I suppose so.'

'What about the cloak- how do we get it from the Burrow?' Harry asked, caught in a moment of panic.

'Don't worry about that- I've got it all with me.'

'Where?'

'In my bag.'

'What, that thing, it's tiny.'

'On the outside, maybe, however this little gem is bigger on the inside- undetectable extension charm.'

'Neat- what've you done about the weight?'

'Buoyancy charm.'

'Neat.'

'I thought so.' Said Hermione- with a degree of smugness on her face.

'So, what's the plot then?' Ron asked, how are we going to find the you-knows?'

'The horcruxes, yeah.'

'Any ideas?'

'No. Well, yes. First of all we need to find them. Dumbledore reckoned it was something of Hufflepuff's, something of Ravenclaw's and his Snake. The diary, the ring and the locket are already dealt with.'

'Any better ideas?'

'Not really, Dumbledore said something about Hufflepuff's relic being a cup- he didn't say where it was though.'

'Shame.'

'Yeah,it is really, with something as important as finding Voldemort's horcruxes'

'Don't say the name!' Ron yelled.

'As important as finding the horcruxes, you would have thought he'd give us all the help he could.'

'Yeah, right.'

'What's that?'

'The ringing noise?'

'Yeah.'

'Ah.' Said Draco, 'That means we've got a problem, get your stuff together, I'll meet you back here in five minutes. Let's hope we've got that long.'

Draco rushed round the house like a man possessed, picking up trousers, socks, pants and shirts and stuffing them all into a big bag he had prepared earlier. He'd need some books as well. He rushed upstairs and with a flick of his wand all of the books on magic in the library began to float into his bag. What else? Yes- the tent, that'd be useful. Having picked that up Draco rushed back downstairs, picking up the two books from Dumbledore and his broomstick.

'Right. I'm packed.'

'Why? What's wrong?'

'That bell means we're about to have unwelcome visitors. It's one of the warning charms Noctifer installed on the place. No one can get in now I've put the place into lockdown. It's supposed to be unlocatable too, but clearly that charm had a flaw in it. We need to get out of here now.'

'Now? Who's out there?'

'Can't tell, but if they're Death Eaters- more than likely all things considered, I don't want to hang around to find out.'

'Ok. Which way should we go?'

'Not out of the front door, that's for sure. Let's head out back, there's a wooded area in the garden that could hide an army- that's where we should go first.'

'Won't they see us?'

'No chance, they haven't gotten into the grounds yet, let alone the house. When they get past the front gate though, the anti-apparition jinx that I set up'll collapse and we can get out of town before the clock strikes noon.'

'But it's quarter to ten in the evening.'

'It's an expression.'

'Oh.'

Draco locked the back door behind them and they ran across the well manicured lawns and out into the dense undergrowth of the wood.

'Blimey, Draco. It's like the forbidden forest in here.'

'Don't worry- no Grawps in here.'

'What about giant spiders.'

'None of them either. We get the occasional deer, but that's about it.'

'You get deer in your garden. We only get gnomes.'

'Count yourself lucky- gnomes don't eat the leaves of the vegetables.'

'They do steal them though.'

'I suppose so.'

Draco led them further in to the woods. Slowly underneath the bows of several ancient beech trees, Draco raised a silent hand to bring them to a halt.

'What is it?' Harry hissed.

'We're at the edge of the defensive grid- any further and we'll start tripping spells off. That happens and they'll know we're here. Now, we have to wait.'

'For what?'

'For his goons to break through the rest of them. Ooh, nasty.'

'What's nasty?'

'Well, they didn't deactivate the flesh-ripping spell. It disintegrates anyone who goes through it, and I mean anyone. Someone just has.'

'That's really cruel- who set that up?'

'Oh, I did. It was in a book I've got.'

'Who wrote this book? Herpo the Foul?'

'No, it was Dumbledore actually.'

'Dumbledore?'

'Yeah. Scrimgeour came round- before I'd activated all of these spells, obviously – and gave me two books. Said Dumbledore had left me them in his will. One of them was a bit dodgy. That's where I got that spell from.'

'"A bit dodgy?" You think disintegrating someone is a bit dodgy?'

'You could say that. Personally, since they were almost certainly happy to disintegrate me, I'd be happy to do the same to them.'

'What's that?' Harry asked, as a tingling sensation filled the surrounding air.

'No idea, I think that one was cast by Noctifer. No idea what it does, but I'm not entirely sure I'd like to be on the receiving end.'

'How long is this going to take, Draco?'

'Ages, with any luck, but we have to be out here if we're going to get away, and depending on who's there these charms could be down in a minute or two.'

'You don't think he..?' Hermione asked.

'I hope not, or this might not work. Hmm, not that many charms left now, they seem to be brute forcing them away.'

'Brute force, you mean. Yeah, they're just sending people at them. Nasty way to go.'

'Couldn't we make the spells go away- save them.'

'And let them know we're here? No. At any rate, those people are dead already, they just haven't stopped breathing yet.'

'How can you say that, Draco? That's really cruel.'

'But also true. Look, if these people are being used by the Death Eaters to break through spells like these, then they aren't in the new regime's good books. If you're not in the new regime's good books, well, I personally wouldn't give them good odds of living out the month.'

Hermione looked appalled.

'I know, but if anyone's going to be saved, we can't afford to take any chances. Not while Harry's with us.'

'It's no good us surviving to save people if there's no-one left to save.' Hermione said deliberately.

'Yes, but. No, grab hold, it's time to go, grab your stuff. The anti-apparition jinx is going. Now, it's gone.'

Instantly Hermione began to apparated them away. As his insides protested at being forced through an apparition they hadn't been expecting, Draco felt a tinge of sadness. He'd spent six years of his life living there, and now, well, now it might not be standing by the time he got a chance to come back.

When the apparition stopped, they found themselves in anther forest, this time one full of a mixture of pines and mixed deciduous trees.

'Where are we now?'

'The Forest of Dean. I used to come here on camping holidays as a child. It doesn't seem to have changed.'

'Well, are we going anywhere from here?'

'Where could we go? It's not as if we can go back anywhere is it? Even Grimmauld place isn't safe.'

'Why not?'

'Kreacher. Now Sirius has died we don't know who he's working for, and at any rate, it was never that safe- Sirius never bothered putting any new defensive charms on it. He reckoned the old ones would hold. I'm not so sure.'

'Why?'

'Oh, well, I saw Snape there once, he came with Dumbledore, but if he could get in then he can get in now. Same problem with the Order's Headquarters. Therte's no way Snape doesn't know the way in, and where he goes, Vol.'

'Don't say it.' Draco said.

'Why, you're normally okay with me saying V'

'Don't say it. I think there might be a taboo on it'

'A what?'

'Well, don't you think it's a bit funny how they've managed to trace you so quickly. When the warning bell went off back home you'd just said the name. I'd be prepared to bet you'd said it at the party and in London too.'

'I think I did, but what's that got to do with anything?'

'Well- it's how they're tracing you. They've put a taboo on the word, well- I'm not going to say it, but you know the one I mean. The V-word. Not many people say it, barely any now Dumbledore's passed on. You always do- makes it a good way of tracking you down, doesn't it?'

'How did you guess that?'

'Oh, well, it's how Dumbledore tracked Grindelwald down before their big duel way back when. It's in quite a few books on the subject.'

'Is it?'

'Yeah, Dumbledore never told anyone what he'd used though, perhaps it was a bit personal.'

'Don't you think we should get back to what we;re going to do now. I don't think we can hide out at yours any more, Draco.'

'True. Shame really, I was looking forward to trying some of your cooking, Draco.' Ron commented.

'You never know, I'm sure I packed some food when I was preparing. So, shall we get the tent out then?'

'I suppose we should', said Hermione, diving into her own bag. Draco unstrapped his bag and pulled his own tent out.

'Ah, an impasse.' Said Draco, when they both produced their tents at the same time. Well, I think mine's bigger.'

'It's what you do with it that counts.' Ron interrupted, sniggering.

'A statement wielded by the undersized everywhere.' Draco said bluntly, Ron looked slightly embarrassed.

'Which is safer?'

'I don't know. Perkins always seemed likely a safety-conscious bloke to me.'

'And totally inoffensive to anyone- do you really think he'd have more than the standard muggle-repelling charms on his tent? No. Me neither. Mind you, this one doesn't either, but at least it doesn't smell of cats.'

'All right, those who want the smell of cats, put their hand up.' Hermione moved her hand.

'And those who don't want the smell of cats?'

The boys all put their hands up.

'With your tent it is then Draco, you get it up, we'll make sure no-one can see.'

'That's what she said.' Ron quipped. Everyone groaned. Draco set about erecting the tent with a couple of deft waves of his wand. The canvas billowed and then settled. Tent pegs flew out of their bag and through the loops of the tent and guy-lines into the ground. When the outside was sorted Draco headed into the tent to set up the kitchen, bedrooms and bathroom whilst the others stayed outside casting a web of protective and concealing charms about their campsite. When they had finished they took what little they had into the tent , where they found Draco in the kitchen.

'Kettle's on, anyone for a cup of something warm and wet?'

'Please.'

'Anyone else? No? Well, anyone hungry? You lot had dinner?'

'No- what've we got?'

'Not much I'm afraid, but then I'm a mean leftovers chef.'

'Leftovers chef?'

'Yeah, I can cook something good out of bits and bobs left over in the cupboards. What've we got? Let's see. Blimey-that's sausage has gone a bit, hasn't it. Throw it outside could someone?' Draco said, producing a mouldy sausage from within the cupboard.

'Funny how bits left over in tents isn't it?' Hermione commented, 'I mean, it's bad enough with your muggle tents, but magical ones must be even worse- so much more space.'

'Yeah, right, hang on, what's this? Dried pasta- looks as good as the day it was made. That's something at least. Now what've we got in tins?'

'Tins?'

'Tins, yes. Tin cans, best muggle invention ever, Noctifer was always saying- there should be a load in that cupboard over there.'

'Ok, well, not too much, a tin of tomatoes and some spam.'

'Spam?'

'Yeah, spam.'

'We can work with that. Shame there's no onions.'

'Onions? What do you want onions for?' Ron asked.

'Honestly Ron, onions are the basis of nearly every meal.' Hermione said.

'Too right.' Said Draco, the noise muffled by the cupboard his head was still in, as he rooted about for other things.

'Well, those'll go for another day.' Said Draco, pulling his head out of the cupboard at last. 'Tell you what, I'll start dinner, do you lot want to go and make the beds? Ah, Harry, you're back. How's the sausage?'

'Well and truly gotten rid of.'

'Thank goodness for that.'

'Do you want a hand?'

'I'll be all right, go and get your bed made- the others will have found the stuff by now I dare say. Dinner's in forty minutes.'

'Thanks.'

'No worries.'

Sitting down for a curious dinner of spam bolognaise the quartet started to talk about what they should do next.

'I think we should start with this cup- we know what it is , which is a good bet, and once we've got it we can try to destroy it.'

'Shouldn't we get a way to destroy them first?'

'We've got one, haven't we?'

'I don't see any basilisk venom.'

'You don't need basilisk venom per se, anything that does sufficient magical damage will do. Fiendfyre, for instance.'

'But that's really dangerous, isn't it.'

'If you don't do it properly, certainly, but I reckon we find ourselves a nice blasted heath and try to there- well away from anyone and anything, then we should be alright.'

'Aren't you forgetting one tiny little thing?'

'What?'

'We don't know how to make fiendfyre.'

'So? It's in that book Dumbledore left me, it's absolutely full of information on these sort of things.'

'Great, so that's that sorted out, when we find them, we blow them up with fire, but in the mean time, how are we going to get them?'

'Well, the cup's a good place to start, isn't it?' Harry asked, receiving nods from all around the table.

'One small snag there though, no-one's seen it in years.' Hermione pointed out.

'Well, Dumbledore was always banging on about understanding you enemy and that sort of thing in those lessons. He always said that Vol-know-who, sorry, was a bit self-aggrandising. Hence his lordship, well, Dumbledore reckoned that he'd stick his horcruxes in places that meant something to him.'

'Are you sure?- He did stick one of them in a grotty cave , you said.'

'Yes, but Dumbledore said that the place was important to V, he-who-must-not-be-named for other reasons- it was where he first found how magic gave him power over others.'

'Right, that's quite important after all then, silly me.'

'Quite alright Ron, I thought the same myself before Dumbledore explained it.' Ron seemed to brighten up at this.

'Still, where are we going to find this cup then? Where would the Dark Lord think was important enough for him?'

'I reckon Hogwarts.'

'What, still?'

'But that place meant a lot to Volde-who, it was the first place he ever considered to be home.'

'We're not talking about you, you know.'

'Yes, I know. I'm just saying there's quite a lure to the place- not to mention that he once said he'd discovered more of that places secrets than any other student. Don't you think that would be a good place to hide something? I mean come on, one thing we know about horcruxes is you have to keep them safe.'

'So?'

'So when I first went to Gringott's with Hagrid, you know what he said to me? "Safest place in the world if you've got anything you want to hide, except perhaps Hogwarts"'

'Surely you don't think Hagrid knew where they were.'

'No, but I think the young V-Riddle would have felt that way.'

'Say that all you want, I'm still not convinced.'

'But it's a start, isn't it?'

'And an end. Come on Harry, wake up and smell the coffee, if you go back to Hogwarts now what do you think'll happen? He'll have had it infiltrated- it's probably no safer for you than walking straight into Malfoy Manor. No offense meant.' Ron quickly said.

'None taken.'

'Well, we can't sit in this tent forever, can we?'

'No. Well, it's getting late, we can do the washing up in the morning. I'm heading to bed. If you need me, wait 'til morning. Night guys.'

'Night, Draco.'