Hermione was a mess. She sat in the corner of an empty charms classroom as Neville tried, in vain, to comfort her. No one on the Bulgarian team had seen or heard from Viktor since a training session two days ago.

Harry paced. He felt like he should be forming a plan, doing something. His inability to do something real was the cause for the pacing. It had been hours since the letter from Krum. None of them had made it to morning lessons and they were yet to be caught.

The door slammed open and Professor Snape billowed in. He eyed Harry cautiously before closing the door behind him.

"It is no use. I will not be able to get you to Malfoy Manor as I have not been given permission to reveal its location to you." Harry paled. He had wanted to keep Draco out of this as much as possible – he was now a prize just as valuable as Harry himself.

"Have you found a way out of the castle?"

"The tightened safety measures mean that the only fire which would connect to anything outside of the ministry is in the headmaster's office. Since you refuse to go to him, that is out of the question." Harry ran a hand through his already wild hair and renewed his pacing.

"Do you think we should go to him?" Snape seemed to consider his answer very carefully before speaking.

"Albus would be in a better position to launch a rescue mission than three sixth year students."

"But would he?" Cut in Harry.

"Not without some price. You must remember Potter; the headmaster was ready to hand Draco over to the Dark Lord because he didn't want him distracting you from…"

"From who he thinks I should be." Harry finished for him.

"Quite. The headmaster would be sure to use this as a lesson, to make you feel indebted to him and thus back under his control." Snape had barely moved the whole time he had been in the classroom. His eyes followed Harry's pacing but that was all.

Abruptly Harry stopped and pinched the ridge of his nose. Voldemort's emotions kept trying to bubble through and it was giving him a headache. Hermione's endless sobbing from the corner wasn't helping.

"What about an exchange?" Snape could damn well hit the boy. How naïve could he get? There was no way he was going to let Draco walk into that sort of madness. Fortunately his silence seemed enough for the boy to realise how foolish that would be.

"Okay then, we go in guns blazing, grab Krum, and leave in a similar fashion." It was all Severus could do not to hit his head off a wall.

"How in Merlin's name you have survived the last sixteen years of your life Potter is beyond me." Harry scowled at him.

"Fine, what's your ingenious plan? And don't you dare say leave him behind." The petty part of Snape wanted to ask "or what?", but remembering the castle shaking thought better of it.

Snape took a moment to think about it long and hard. It was clear that Potter would not rest until Krum was safe. It was also apparent that the only person who could reveal the house to him was Draco. This meant that, one way or another, Draco was going to end up in the firing lines.

No. He wouldn't let that happen. He had vowed to protect Draco. He wouldn't let his past mistakes with Lily be repeated. The Potters had done him enough damage.

"I will go. The Dark Lord will not expect me to try and free him." He hoped. This seemed to shock the room so much that Granger finally stopped crying. It shocked him too in all honesty, but he knew long ago he'd let no harm come to his godson.

"Thank you." Hermione's voice has hoarse from all the crying. Snape snorted, he wasn't doing this for her.

"I also suggest it is becoming unwise for you to remain in Hogwarts. I do not know how much you know of the fire in the forbidden forest, but it was in fact caused by the Dark Lord himself. He has breached the wards. I shall distract the headmaster as best I can, you will have to move quickly to get through his office fire. Then I will go to the manor myself and retrieve Krum. You will have to retell me the address of your house so that I can bring him there if necessary. Time is of the essence, be ready to go in one hour."

And just like that, their plan was made.

.

.

Up in the Gryffindor common room, Harry was hurriedly grabbing all of his most valuable things. The invisibility cloak, Sirius' mirror fragment, the sneakoscope and his omniocculars, all went into a leather bag on the bed. Harry then drew out the marauders' map.

"Neville?" The boy looked up from his own things. "I think you should stay here."

"What? Harry I want to help you-"

"I know that Neville. I do. But I think you should stay here. For starters, how else will we know what's going on inside the castle? You can help a lot from here; maybe get the DA going again. And I want you to have this." Harry held out the map. He'd left it open and watched as Neville's eyes opened in awe. Harry tapped it once to wipe it, then again to bring it all back, showing him how it worked.

"Are you sure this is what's best Harry?"

"I think so. Hogwarts is only as strong as her people, and I get the feeling she may need you in the months to come."

Neville pulled Harry into a tight hug.

"Thank you Harry. Stay safe."

"You too Neville, you too."

.

.

Now with a course of action, Harry and Hermione had gotten their wits back about them. They were hiding in an alcove, just around the corner from Dumbledore's office. Their ears were straining to hear the sounds of Dumbledore leaving.

Footsteps, headed their way. Harry and Hermione tried to shrink back as far as they could. It was Snape. They let out a sigh of relief. If he heard them, he showed no signs. He merely billowed past.

"Turkish Delight." With a familiar scraping of stone on stone, Snape ascended to the headmaster's study. Harry held waited as the minutes slowly ticked by, all the time doubts starting to seep in. He was just about to move, to do something because he couldn't stand waiting any longer, when they heard raised voices.

"Really Severus, why you can't deal with the issue alone is beyond me."

"I am sorry headmaster, but this really shouldn't wait." The magical staircase up to Dumbledore's office was revealed once more. The two professors turned down the corridor away from them. Snape's message was clear, they needed to move fast.

As soon as the footsteps had faded away, he pulled Hermione forwards. He gave the password to the guarding gargoyle, who frowned but begrudgingly moved aside.

They took the steps two at a time.

The office was just like Harry remembered it. Fawkes' perch was currently empty, for which Harry was grateful. He didn't like the idea of the bird sensing their treachery and attacking. Lying on the desk was the pensive.

Before Harry had fully registered what he was doing he had crossed the room. He carefully picked up the shallow bowl.

"Harry what are you doing? We need to get a move on!" Harry turned to her, pensive still in hand. She was stood by the fire, floo powder at the ready. Lying on the mantle above the fireplace was a glittering ruby hilt.

"I'm taking this with me. Grab the sword from the mantle, you said it should be able to destroy horcruxes." Hermione looked up and saw it. She bit her lip, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of stealing. "Hermione!" Harry urged her. She reached up and grabbed it in her free hand.

"Come on!" Harry stepped up next to her. "12 Grimmauld Place!" Together they stepped into the green flames.

.

.

Draco was sat in the kitchen which his head on the table when it happened. There was a whoosh. The whoosh of a fire. In a heartbeat he was on his feet, staring at the grate. Green flames had erupted from it and in their midst were two bodies.

Harry stumbled out of the fire only to be knocked straight back. The moment he was sure it was really him, Draco had leapt and wrapped his arms securely around Harry's waist. He nuzzled his nose into Harry's jumper and breathed deeply.

He was home.

With a soft laugh, Harry tried to wrap his arms back round the blonde. His arms were full but it didn't matter.

"I've missed you too Draco." It was true, Harry could feel his heart surging with joy to see the blonde again. He carefully detached himself and surveyed Draco. "You're looking even skinnier than when you left." His voice was thick with concern.

"Yeh well, convincing that elf to get some actual food into the house took a few days." As Draco said it he felt a ripple of anger. He looked up at Harry, stunned.

"I'll skin him, that good for nothing house elf."

"Harry!" Hermione scolded. Draco looked around the room and only then realised they had company. Great, there went any plan of having Harry all to himself. Trying to ignore Granger's presence, he turned his attention back to the room's more interesting inhabitant.

Over one shoulder Harry had slung a travel bag, and in his hand was a curved metallic dish. He looked tired, like he'd not been sleeping well, but he was otherwise well.

Draco couldn't believe how good it felt to see Harry, but he had to admit he wouldn't be here without good reason.

"What's happened?" Harry's face fell a little. He spared a nervous glance towards Hermione before launching into the whole story. It shocked Draco that Snape had volunteered to walk into the viper's pit. "And you say he did it to protect me?"

"He's done everything to protect you, including giving me hellish occlumency lessons. Which don't seem to have worked."

"Well let's hope they make it back her in one piece." He looked over at Hermione who had a glassy, dazed look. "Both of them." He added.

She nodded vaguely.

.

.

No one could say that Viktor Krum had not lived an interesting life. He'd been an international quidditch player at sixteen, a triwizard champion at seventeen, taken part in a battle mid-air in a desperate race to safety and fallen madly in love. This however was definitely a new experience.

Bellatrix seemed overjoyed with her new play thing. And boy, were her games imaginative.

For the first round, she had acquired a boggart. Krum refused to believe it was anything but. Without a wand, he had been forced to endure several hours, cowering in a corner, with Hermione looming over him.

"Look at you, so weak and helpless. You're no good to me; you're no good to anyone. If you were Harry you would have found a way out by now. He wouldn't cry like a baby. Useless!" Her voice had echoed round the cellar room. Even with his hands over his ears he couldn't drown it out.

Bellatrix had also bought down a lamp and a chair. She sat far enough away not to disturb the boggart and cackled. In the yellow light of the lamp, Hermione somehow managed to look more beautiful than ever.

She taunted relentlessly. He'd had his head buried in his knees for what felt like hours when the boggart finally changed tact.

"Why won't you look at me Viktor? Do you not love me anymore? You promised to love me forever. Maybe I should just die. Then you wouldn't have to worry about what everyone thinks, loving a mudblood like me."

Krum lifted his head and finally broke. Hermione's body swung from a noose, her eyes shut and deathly pale. He started sobbing loudly and hugged his knees, desperately trying to hold himself together.

.

.

Harry was beginning to realise that he was really no good when it came to girls. He'd always known he was pretty crap at it, what with a few disastrous dates with Ginny, but this was worse.

Hermione seemed to be retreating into herself. He knew the lack of action was probably making it worse – Hermione performed well under stress and pressure. Relying on someone else so heavily, particularly someone she didn't fully trust, seemed to be eating away at her.

He had tried, mostly in vain, to comfort her. He had no idea what the hell he should be saying though. Like Hermione, he was a doer, not a sit-arounder.

The constant sobbing was getting a little bit too much so, selfishly, Harry decided to take a breather. Draco had ducked out hours ago.

The house was just like he remembered it, dark and musty. He climbed the stairs to the second floor landing where he found Draco. He was staring out of the window with a slightly glazed expression.

"Draco? You alright?" Draco jumped and turned to Harry. He smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "What's got you so deep in thought?"

"I just... I wondered if that would have been how you'd reacted if my father had taken me back to the Dark Lord instead of escaping here." Harry moved to lean against the wall so that Draco wouldn't have to twist to look at him. He thought for a minute.

"I don't think so. I would have probably rushed in there to get you out straight away. I wouldn't have stopped to properly think things through like I made Hermione do, I would have just focused on the need to save you."

"I think I would have done the same. I'd probably have made a bit more of a plan than that but I wouldn't have trusted anyone else to save you."

"It doesn't matter now anyway."

"No?"

"No. I don't intend to ever leave your side again Malfoy. If they catch you they catch me too, or I die in the ensuing battle." Draco shuddered.

"Don't talk about dying so casually." He was shocked to see Harry shrug.

"I think I came to terms with dying long ago. Of course I've never had such a good reason to stay alive." Harry leaned forwards and pressed a chaste kiss to Draco's lips.

"Don't be such a sap Potter." Harry grinned.

"You love it."

"Just a little." Draco grinned back and then kissed him again. "I'll admit I could get quite used to it."

.

.

He was pretty sure exhaustion had claimed him somewhere between rounds one and two. When Viktor came round it was to Bellatrix's face leering over his. She was smiling.

"Good morning, darling Vicky. Wakey wakey, it's time for breakfast." She dragged her fingers along the half healed scratches that Greyback had left, reopening them. He hissed in pain and sat up.

Bellatrix had bought down a small trestle table holding three bowls of lumpy porridge. She giggled as he surveyed it.

"In one bowl there is a potion which liquefies your insides. I didn't put enough in to kill you; at least I don't think so. After all, where is the fun in that?" She caressed the side of his face and Krum batted her away. Her slap was so hard he felt his neck click. "Play nice Vicky, we still have lots of time before your darling mudblood arrives. In a different bowl is a potion that stimulates all of your nerve endings. You won't be able to sit or move for hours, just stand in unceasing pain." She smiled sweetly.

"And the last one?" Krum croaked out.

"The last one contains a spoonful of sugar. Take your pick."

He took a moment to closely look at them all. They all looked the same, no clues there. He was hungry, but not yet starving. He crossed his arms.

"None of them." The smile slipped into a sneer as she back handed him again. The cuts stung and he could feel blood starting to ooze out of them.

"That is not an option." Defiance surged up inside him.

"I refuse to play your sick twisted games."

"Curcio!" Searing pain assaulted him. Krum gasped for air like a fish out of water. He didn't pass out this time. He simply screamed and screamed. She released him from the curse and he lay there panting.

"Choose." Shakily, Krum sat up. He grabbed the bowl closest to him and with quivering hands, ate.

AN: Mwuahaha ^.^ I'm sorry but I think I'm enjoying this a little too much! This chapter was going to end up being mammothly long so I have split it into two parts. Enjoy the painful weak's wait :) Fe x