It was still the middle of the night. Hermione could tell simply from glancing out at the window. She looked down at Ron once more, and Hermione's instinct was screaming at her - but she couldn't understand it. She examined her arms carefully, the hairs raised by goosebumps dotted all over. It wasn't just a nightmare - she knew that much at least. Harry had taught her that lesson back when he frequently had guest appearances in his dream from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Voldemort, Hermione corrected herself. She had to stop fearing the name - after all, wasn't that one of the reasons Voldemort had managed to make himself so powerful? It had certainly worked to his advantage in tracking down herself, Ron and Harry.

Moving to touch Ron's shoulder, Hermione leaned a little closer, but Ron awoke with a start, screaming horsely.

"Shh, shh" Hermione crooned, pulling Ron into her arms and rubbing gentle circles on his shoulder. "It was only a dream."

"n-no. No!" Ron stuttered, then shouted, gripping back on the sleeve of Hermione's tshirt. "I-I... H-he... Hecate!"

That was new.

However, Hermione didn't ask. She did make a mental note to return to the subject, but for now she had to calm Ron down, who was now rocking back and forth, his grip tightening a little painfully on Hermione. She winced, but didn't complain. Ron noticed though, and glanced at her apologetically, removing his hand. Hermione's arm felt a little cold from the loss of touch.

The couple sat in silence for a few hours, Ron's breathing evening out, as he gripped onto the covers instead.

"Something's wrong." Ron broke the silence after a few minutes. "Hermione, I- oh god, we need to go!"

Hermione turned to face her fiancee, examining his face. He was pale white, his eyes widened in sheer horror and his breathing was quickly approaching abnormal levels again. Had he had the same dream that she had?

"Ron... please breathe," Hermione frowned, nudging herself closer to him and taking his hand in her own. Ron closed his hand over hers, lighter this time, free of force. He steadied his breathing once more, then their eyes locked together in a moment of silent understanding.

"I-I... Hermione, w-we need to..." Ron's forehead crinkled as he removed his eyes from hers, darting them around the room quickly. "We need to talk."

Hermione nodded, but said nothing, allowing him to continue. Ron sucked in a breath, then turned back to her.

"You need to understand. It's been fuzzy. I-I... I've had the knowledge, but it's been locked down. B-but... something's happened, Hermione. Something bad." Ron was struggling, but feirce determination was locked in his expression, and it was clear that whatever this was couldn't wait any longer. He let out a long breath, burying his face in his hands, then continued. "I couldn't remember. But... I remember everything now."

Three years ago...

He was running for his life, his red and gold cloak flapping wildly behind him. He couldn't return home, couldn't warn Hermione for fear of being intercepted, and anyone he told would be in danger. He couldn't risk his loved ones. Especially his fiancee. It was his job to keep her safe, and she would be hunted if she knew anything. It was for the best.

Hornrock had called him into his office. He was fairly new, but he seemed to know what he was doing. Ron could never figure the man out. He reminded him a lot of Mad Eye Moody - or at least the imposter Moody from Hogwarts. In hindsight, it was almost comical, given what he'd found out earlier that day.

It was absolute dumb luck and timing that started it all. He was early to meet Hornrock - he knew he was - but he figured that if he could ask to meet the man earlier, he would be able to get his work done quicker, and get home to Hermione. They had planned a night in - something that they rarely got to do nowadays. Of course, that plan was buggered now.

Ron found Hornrock in his office, his wand held aloft, and a vacant expression in his eyes. His ministry robe was rumpled, and his usual grim espression seemed preoccupied with something. Ron tried to talk to the man, but Hornrock hadn't noticed him, his focus instead on a deep booming voice which Ron could hear ringing throughout the room, but there was no one else here. He was sure he had heard the voice before.

"The Potter boy cannot know. No one can." The voice spoke with supreme authority. "Yerick, you must get the hat. Get the hat and we will have her power."

Her? Yerick?

"But, sir..." Hornrock sounded as though he was grovelling. Ron was taken back to Peter Pettigrew begging for his life - I was such a good pet. He quickly focused back on Hornrock. Whatever this was, it didn't sound good. "If we lift the hat from the Ministry, it's absence will be noticed. Perhaps we should leave it there for the time being."

"Very well Yerick. Just know this - Hecate is a powerful being. She cannot find out what our plans are. Potter and his friends brought an end to my master - you must keep a close eye on them. Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. If they so much as find out a snippet of the plan, bring them to me - do you understand?" the voice asked with urgency. "I've set a trace on their wands. Any suspicious magic, and you will be alerted by patronus immediately."

Hornrock, or Yerick, swallowed, gazing up at the ceiling. "Yes, my lord."

"Good," the voice spoke again. "Good. Now, remember everything I taught you. I was the Dark Lord's most loyal servant after all."

Fuck.

It was Barty Crouch Jr. Of course it was. How could he forget that voice? Ron's insides were threatening to explode his entire body, and his heart was hammering. Something big was going down. Something very bad.

"Yes, my lord." Yerick repeated.

"Hecate must be called first, Yerick. Only then can we weaken her to gain access to her powers. The hat will do both. When you find Hecate's Horn, bring it to me, along with the hat."

"The horn, master?" Yerick asked, his voice trembling.

"The horn, Yerick," the voice echoed. "The horn will summon her. There's a locket - hidden somewhere near Hogsmeade. A cave, I'm told. The horn is in there. But do not touch the locket, Yerick. It will connect whoever touches it with Hecate, and connects the first two people to touch it to each other. If this happens, Hecate will be harder to track, hidden in the connection of the other two who touch it. If you touch it, Yerick, and then someone else does, you will be connected to them for life. Your thoughts and feelings will be shared with the other, as long as one knows how to master the power."

"I don't understand, My Lord."

"As you know, Yerick, Hecate is the Goddess of Witchcraft. She holds more power than any wizard or witch could ever dream of. With it, we can restore my master to his former glory. He can use the power to gain control of the wizarding world, and be rid of all who once opposed him forevermore. Of course, the Potter boy and his friends must suffer first. They caused all this. But I digress - Hecate's Horn will summon her to us, and the wearer of the hat will be able to drain her power from her. That will be me."

Ron shuddered.

"Once I've drained the power, I can use it to bring The Dark Lord back to full power, transferring the hat to him and draining myself."

"But, my lord, you won't survive-"

"No, I won't. I will die, but I will die reaffirming myself as the Dark Lord's most loyal servant. Loyal until the last breath, Yerick. He will know of my deeds, my scheeming and my sacrafice, and know that I was the best. A legend amongst the Death Eaters."

Ron and Yerick both stood silently, their expressions matched in a look of absolute terror.

"Now, Yerick. Until next time." The voice spoke once more, then Yerick collapsed.

Which took Ron back to why he was running for his life. He hadn't stayed a moment more, hadn't even checked to see if Yerick was still concious, or even if he had noticed Ron's presence. He had to stop Voldemort from being brought back.

It was insane. A Goddess with enough power to bring people back from the dead? And not just anyone, the one being that everyone in the Wizarding Word feared above all - Lord Voldemort. The Lord Voldemort that Harry, Hermione and himself had risked everything to stop from taking over last time. They had put an end to his reign of terror, and the Wizarding World had been free once more. Ron couldn't allow that to have been all for nothing.

So Ron ran. Deep into the forest. Covering his tracks as best as he could. He went on for days, having absolutely no idea where he was running to or how to get back the way he came - he had taken so many twists and turns.

It was a few weeks before he ran into any sign of life. He only noticed the cloak at first - emerald green, the face was difficult to make out until he had gotten closer, and Ron noticed the pale complexion and familiar blond locks. The last person he was expecting to see - Draco Malfoy, who was running frantically through the forest too, not even noticing Ron until he stood before him, wand held in front of his face.

"Going somewhere, Malfoy?" Ron enquired, mistrusting. This was, after all, the boy who had made an admittidly terrible attempt at being a Death Eater.

"Weasly." Draco's voice took Ron by surprise. It wasn't with the usual malice that usually came from the boy he knew in school. He seemed... different. Off. He stepped closer to Ron. "What- where-" was all he got out before he fell to the forest floor with a flutter.

Against his better judgement, Ron ran towards Malfoy, grasping onto his arm.

It wasn't until a few hours later that Malfoy started to stir. Ron had considered using a binding charm on him, until he had remembered about the trace on his wand. Surely the Ministry was on to him by now. They could have sent Malfoy. There was no doubt that Draco's father, Lucius, would have some hand on this. Yet, Malfoy had looked panicked. He had seemed distracted.

"Going to tell me what that was about, Malfoy?" Ron asked, barely waiting for Malfoy to wake up properly. Eager to find out his motives.

"What's it got to do with you, Weasley?" But the drawl was still absent. It was almost half-hearted. He had attempted at a hardened expression though. It was almost convincing, but not up to his usual standards.

"Way I see it," Ron began, rising to his feet so that he was standing in front of the blond man, folding his arms and leering at him. "you're in the middle of the forest, running around like a mad man. You're up to something, Malfoy. Now spill."

"I-" Malfoy's expression faltered, and his gaze softened. He raised himself to meet Ron in height. Then he sighed. It was such a peculiar thing to see Malfoy do, that Ron was once again taken aback. "I'm running. I swear, Weasley, if anyone finds out you ran into me, you're dead. Now good day."

He made to move, but Ron gripped his arm again, holding him back easily. When was the last time he'd eaten? Malfoy looked thinner than ever, and as Ron took a closer look at him, he noticed that the man looked utterly disheveled. His cloak was rumpled, his hair was pointed in all different directions, and his face was smeared with dirt - as though he hadn't washed in weeks. Of course, that could be true.

"Not so fast," Ron growled. "What do you know, Malfoy?"

"What do I-" Malfoy began, then snapped round and scoweled, looking much more like himself. "What do you know, Weasley?"

The two men were locked in what seemed to be a staring contest, waiting until the other cracked. The only noises were the noises of the forest - the birds tweeting and singing, the buzz of insects and the flowing of the river. Ron had been tracking the river for days, just seeing where it led him. He knew that he had to go to Hogsmeade, but he had to find out where he was, first. He considered that perhaps Malfoy knew.

"The hat, the horn and the Goddess - you know about them, Malfoy?" Maybe it was stupid to give himself away, but he was getting nowhere wandering the forest by himself.

Malfoy blanched at the words. He stayed silent for a little bit, seemingly collecting his thoughts before replying with a weak "yes." Just like that, the veil was lifted. Malfoy met Ron's expression, all business now. "They want to bring back You-Know-Who. He wants my family dead. Father doesn't care. He thinks that if he helps, he'll be absolved. My mum and me?" Draco snorted humourlessly, "We'll be killed, and my father couldn't give a fuck." His words were coming out in a growl now, pent up anger escaping in the form of his words. "And it's not just us. He'll kill you. He'll kill your little friends. We're all fucked."

So that was how he ended up working with Malfoy. After Ron had explained his side of the story, they had decided it was better to work together. It wasn't that he trusted him, per se. He knew fully well that in a life or death situation, Malfoy wasn't to be counted on to risk his life to save anyone else's. No, this was mutual interest. And of course, Malfoy had a wand that they could use.

Now

"So... the locket." Hermione began.

"Ohfuck," Ron blurted, burying his face in his hands again. "The locket. They've opened it, 'mione. I can feel it." His voice was strained.

Hermione felt a chill run down her back, and she stiffened. "But... you said the locket was connected to me, too, yes?"

"Didn't you feel it?" Ron asked, eyes red and raw looking up at her from between his fingers.

"I-"... but she had. Of course she had. Hadn't she been jolted awake just like Ron? And her dream. Oh, yes. Her dream. But something else was niggling her. Something more urgent. "But, Barty Crouch Jr is-"

"-gone. Yeah, I know. Malfoy explained it - whatever it is, it's a Rakshasa. Lucius is behind it all. Malfoy told me that his father tried to get him to join them in their plans, but he- he's different, Hermione. I wouldn't exactly call him trustworthy, but he's matured." Ron paused, considering his next words carefully. "It took a long time for me to see that, but he had. He risked himself time and time again to help me. Of course, his motives aren't selfish. We're not exactly the best of friends, but... it was good, you know? Having someone to help me. I don't think I would have been able to do it all myself. Not without Malfoy. Especially not without his connections."

"His father." Hermione stated. "Wait- a Rakshasa? From the Hindu legends? That's just mythology, isn't it? A shapeshifting deamon?"

Ron shook his head. "Apparently not. Lucius summoned it, the stupid git, after convincing Hornrock - or Yerick - to let him return to the manor under the pretense of taking him in for questioning. The Rakshasa impersonated Barty Crouch Jr, posing as the brains of the operation - even to Hornrock. Imprisoned it to do his bidding. He's behind the entire thing. But no one knew except Draco. Draco witnessed it first hand. He was out of sight, though. Hiding in the manor. That's when Draco found out what was going on - the whole plan, and Lucius tried to induct him, but he bolted.

"But... Lucius trusted him, didn't he? He was there, in Dirkstone, posing as one of them." Hermione winced, remembering the broken and battered appearence of her fiancee that greeted her in Dirkstone. "And he was sent to interrogate you?"

"Yeah, that... that happened later. You need to understand, though, Hermione... time moved-" he paused, considered the word, then continued; "-different. Time moved different. We had lost track of it completely. We came up with a plan - Malfoy agreed to return to his father to be our... double agent, I suppose. We set a communication charm - kind of like a radio inside our heads. Like one of those... fellytone things that Harry used, remember?" Hermione would have been amused by the misprononciation, but the grim tone of the conversation killed any hilarity within. "He had to grovel." Ron contunued, "He- he was beaten within an inch of his life. But it worked. His father was convinced of his loyalty to the cause. We used him to get more information, but it wasn't much. They had no idea where the locket was until one day," Ron looked at Hermione apologetically, "one day Yerick saw it on you. Posing as Hornrock. You never knew the real Hornrock, I'm not even sure if he existed myself. This was after I was captured. Malfoy told me breifly that they had suspected it was the right one - but they wouldn't try to take it from you until they were ready for the ritual. But... you found us... and they have the locket, Hermione, we need to do something" Ron finished with urgency.

"But - Malfoy said the hat was hidden. How do they have it now?"

"I don't know," Ron faltered, thinking to himself. "Draco must have cracked. Or they've found wherever he had hidden it. I have no idea where it was. He never got around to telling me. After I was captured at the Ministry, Draco snuck in after me, stole the hat, and escaped undetected - they were too distracted with my capture, I suspect."

Hermione nodded. She had heard enough. They needed to do something, and they needed to do it fast. She scrambled to her feet, pulling Ron beside her. "We need to get a wand. One that isn't being traced."

"Malfoy's is out. I have no idea where he is." Ron spoke, frowning.

"They took the ones we had when we were captured," Hermione sighed, "but- they won't be tracking your family, right? Just us?"

"I don't think so," Ron replied, his expression pensive, "But there's no telling who they're tracking and who they're not. We need to find another way."

"Without wands?" Hermione asked inquisitively.

Ron smirked. "I learned something while I was wandering around the forest with Malfoy without being able to use my own wand. Look-" Ron held his hand over Hermione's so that there was a centimetre of a distance between them, and there was a quick flash of light, sending a soft breeze fluttering across her hand. She gazed at him in astonishment. "It's elemental magic. Ancient. Apsara passed the ability to me."

"Apsara?"

"She's a spirit. Of the clouds and water. More Hindu folklore. She awoke at the same time as the Rakshasa. She never explained why, only that she knew it was time to wake up and that she was needed. Apparently she had been drawn to us. Knew we were trying to stop it. So she revealed herself, telling us that she couldn't use her powers against the Rakshasa, but maybe I could use them? I don't know. She was... vague. Said I'd need assistance, but I'd 'find a way'. Next thing I knew I was unconcious on the forest floor, then woke up to Malfoy shaking me. And I just - I could feel her power. Never really got to use it much, though. It wasn't long before I was locked up, and they modefied my memories. I- I didn't even remember they were there. I didn't even remember them until now. I don't know how they'll help, I don't even really know what they do - I know I can control the elements, but I don't know how it'll help."

"It's all we've got, Ron." Hermione replied, grasping his hand. "I've heard enough. We need to go, now. We'll stop this."

"Or die trying," Ron remarked with a grimace.

Hermione just nodded shakily.

So - the big reveal all chapter. I hope it made as much sense as it did in my head. I really had trouble wording this one, and explaining everything properly, so if there's anything that you don't get please let me know and I'll go back and include it in the story, or explain somehow. There will be more reveals in the next chapter though, as well as - wait for it - a conclusion. Yep, that's right, the last chapter guys! We're nearly there. Thank you so much to y'all that have stuck with me, even with my rediculously long absences - I know it has been trying at times, but I'm glad you guys are still here and still interested in the story. I was really nervous about this chapter - linking everything together, putting down what made sense in my head and trying to put it into words - not easy. So, yeah, if you haven't reviewed any chapters so far, please at least review this one, and tell me what you think. Tell me if I've missed anything. (Like I said, it may not necessarily be a mistake, but if it was I will come back and edit it into the story.) Or just tell me that you love me. I accept both compliments and criticism with equal enthusiasm!