Hermione Granger and the Beginning of the End

"Percy?!"

Hermione's wand flew up quickly, but Percy was even quicker. With deft reflexes that revealed that he'd indeed been blessed with the Weasley agility that allowed his other six siblings to play Quidditch so well, he had diverted Hermione's wand away from him, twisted her arm behind her back, and clapped a hand over her mouth. "I am not going to hurt you," Percy insisted fervently. He shot an anxious look over his shoulder as he extracted her wand from her tenuous grasp and stuck it in his pocket. "Please don't scream."

Hermione considered Percy warily for a moment, before nodding in consent. Relieved, Percy let his hand fall away from her face. Hermione didn't really know why she was allowing Percy to order her around like this, but something in the pit of her stomach told her to just listen to the man for a few moments. Besides, this was Percy she was up against. He was a total wanker, as his brothers would say. She could take on a total wanker, so there wasn't any need to raise the alarm--yet. She clenched her fists and raised her chin defiantly to let Percy know that she was not going to go down without a fight, although on the inside her stomach was quivering. "Why are you here?" she asked in a quiet, flat voice as she tried to discern the best way out of this situation.

"I came to see Ginny," Percy replied with such detached earnestness that Hermione could only gape at him in disbelief. The sarcastic laugh that Percy let out at the look on her face reminded her quite forcefully of Ron. "I may be an accused Death Eater, Hermione, but I still care very much that my little sister was almost killed."

"Funny, you didn't seem to care this much when your brother was almost killed," Hermione retorted cheekily before she could stop herself. She knew it wasn't the best idea to irritate Percy when she was quite helpless to stop him from using force or magic against her. However, the reminder that Percy had played a vital role in Ron's kidnapping sent sparks of fury skyrocketing through her veins, and she couldn't seem to stop her mouth from saying exactly what was on her mind. She was starting to understand why Ron and Harry sometimes had trouble keeping their tempers in check. Granted, she'd experienced her fair share of animosity, but her temper had never been this fierce. Percy's actions had hurt his entire family very deeply, and after seven years of friendship, Hermione had become rather protective of the members of her second family--especially the tall sarcastic one that she just happened to be totally, utterly, and completely head over heels in love with. She had experienced firsthand the intensity of the pain that Percy's actions had inflicted upon Ron--not only had Percy played a role in his kidnapping, but he then had to undergo intensive questioning about Percy's involvement--only to find that his evidence was not enough to convict. He now had to live with the knowledge that his brother had betrayed him and had gotten away with it. On a few occasions, Ron had admitted to her just how much it bothered him, and her anger toward Percy had only intensified over time. She wondered if the level of her anger was comparable to Ron's toward Malfoy--it would certainly explain why she wasn't keeping her mouth shut when she was alone late at night with an armed Death Eater.

However, Percy didn't appear to be offended by her comment in the slightest. Instead, he was appraising her very carefully, eyes narrowed behind his horn-rimmed glasses. His Weasley-blue eyes had suddenly become much, much colder. "You remind me more of Ron every day," he commented offhandedly. Hermione's chest tightened as she listened to Percy talk so casually about the brother he'd betrayed, but she managed to keep from lashing out. "How are things between you two anyway? Oh!" Percy tutted in mock disappointment. "That's right--I heard that you two had called it quits." His head cocked to one side. "Is that true--are you two still on the outs?" Percy asked, and from the tone of his voice Hermione knew that he could care less.

She now fully understood why Ron sometimes punched walls--she had the sudden, desperate urge to cause serious damage to something, preferably the thin face in front of her. But when she opened her mouth, logic returned, and rather than spewing forth a flood of colorful insults, she found herself asking the question she most wanted to have answered. "Are you really acting of your own accord?"

She finally caught Percy off guard; he blinked with surprise at her abrupt question, and hesitated before responding. "I told you under truth serum that I was."

There was something about the tone of his voice that made her suspect he was lying, so she carefully peered up at his eyes. However, due to the darkness surrounding them, and the reflection of the moonlight on his glasses, she couldn't tell if they looked dazed and slightly out of focus, as her fellow students' had the day that the fake Moody had put them under the Imperius curse in fourth-year DADA class. It would certainly make a lot more sense that Percy was being coerced into acting this way. The Percy she had met ages ago would never have joined leagues with the forces that were tormenting the entire magical world, and he would never be this unflinchingly cruel. Although she was absolutely furious at him for what he'd done to Ron, she couldn't help wondering--and halfway hoping--that there was Dark magic at work here. Although she didn't show it, she actually didn't like being this furious at Percy. She would much rather prefer helping him fight the evil brewing inside of him, and bringing him back to the normal, stick-in-the-mud, stuffy boy who spent all of his time in his room writing owls to his girlfriend, or pouring all of his effort and energy into a measly, meaningless cauldron report for the Ministry. "I'm sorry, Percy, but I just can't believe that you could become this kind of person." To her surprise, her voice was now full of pity instead of anger.

"Is that right?" Percy shook his head in false disbelief. "I thought that you more than anyone would understand the reasoning behind my actions."

"Why would you ever think that?" Hermione asked warily, not quite certain where Percy was going with this.

"Because you're smart," Percy responded instantly. "Potter's too caught up in playing the hero, and Ron's too enraptured with playing the loyal sidekick, to realize that there is real power up for grabs out there. If you want to survive, you play on the side that's offering the most potential gain, and I'm sorry to say that Dumbledore's doesn't seem to be offering much at the moment." Percy's eyes gleamed as his voice lowered with intensity. "You're smart," he repeated. "You know that the only way to survive this war is to cover your own hide in whatever way you can--to do your damnedest to make sure that when all of this is over, you're going to come out on top."

Hermione pretended to consider Percy's words for a moment. "You're right," she said slowly. "I am doing whatever I can to protect myself, and that means allying myself with real people who actually care about me--people who are fighting for real causes, and not fighting just to gain a bit of power. When you realize that those who you thought were on your side aren't after all-- that they're just as overly ambitious and manipulative as you are--you'll realize that whatever power you've been able to gain won't last!" Her rant ended with a desperate need for breath, and a hot flush crept into her cheeks. She tilted her head defiantly, daring Percy to even attempt to counter her argument.

He did. "Whether you'd like to admit it or not," Percy reminded her, "you and I are of the same mold." She opened her mouth to respond, furious that he'd even suggest such a thing, but he roughly clapped a hand over her face to stifle her. "We're clever, resourceful, and respectful of authority unless absolutely necessary. We are both very anxious to prove ourselves to others, and we both have a thirst for knowledge and authority--I knew it from the first moment I met you, when you asked me all of those questions about Hogwarts--what courses I might suggest, and what it was like to be a prefect; I knew that you wanted to be a prefect and Head Girl just as much as I had lusted after those positions myself." The entire time Percy had been talking, Hermione had been trying to back away from him, but all she'd been able to accomplish was that she'd backed herself up against a nearby tree, with nowhere to go and Percy's hand still pinning her mouth shut. "We both put all of our heart and effort into every single thing we do--whether it be a simple essay for class, or a report on cauldrons for our boss." Hermione's hands were now on Percy's wrist in an attempt to twist his hand away from her, but she was failing miserably. "We are the same, you and I." Percy concluded. "So, don't you think it's only logical to assume that with a little nudge in the right direction," he continued, giving her a patronizing look, "you could turn out just like me?"

Hermione's blood turned to ice water at those words. No, no, no, it's not true--it's not true, she told herself desperately as she gaped at Percy from behind his long hand. Yes, she was resourceful, clever, and ambitious to a fault, but that didn't mean she was like him. However, her inner voice countered, those were the qualities that Salazar Slytherin prized above all others, and perhaps if she weren't Muggle-born, she would have ended up in his house. Maybe if things were different and she wasn't so close to Harry and Ron, she might possibly.... Her chest shrank down to the size of a Gobstone in tense and painful realization--maybe it was true.

Percy seemed to sense her disquietude and seized his chance. With one sharp move, Hermione was sent sprawling into the bramble. He tossed her wand well over her head, and she scurried over to it as fast as she could manage. However, by the time she was back on her feet with her wand at the ready, Percy was using a long stick to poke the knob at the Whomping Willow. He glanced back at her, and when he saw her staring at him, he popped down the passageway.

Hermione stood stock still for about three seconds before tearing out of the forest as fast as her legs could take her.

**

"Hermione! We're up here--come on up!"

Hermione whirled around and peered up into the Quidditch stands to find Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood waving down at her. She knew that they'd think she was blowing them off, but there was no time for chit-chat. "Is practice over?" she shouted up to them.

"Yeah," Ginny called down with a slight scowl. She was still rather peeved that both Harry and Madame Pomfrey had refused to allow her to practice with the team just yet--they had a match coming up in less than a month, and Ginny felt that she needed all the practice she could get.

"Did Harry and Ron leave already?!"

"They're still in the changing rooms," Luna informed her airily, finger pointing in that direction. Hermione didn't waste any more time, and sprinted toward the changing rooms. She rushed headlong through the door, almost knocking down a very startled Euan Abercrombie, the third-year Chaser.

"Sorry," she managed to gasp, as she lost her balance herself and threw her hand out to the wall for support. "Harry and Ron still in there?" She gestured toward the changing area.

"Er, I don't know, let me check," Euan said in his timid voice as he retraced his steps and poked his head around the corner. Hermione let out an impatient sigh, and tapped her foot as she waited. They really didn't have time for this. "Uh, er, no--they're not there anymore," Euan stammered when he returned a moment later.

"What?" Hermione snapped. Ginny and Luna had just said that they hadn't left yet, and she really needed to find them; she didn't have time to run around the castle searching for them, they had to get moving before it was too late and--Hermione's desperate train of thought halted abruptly as she suddenly realized what was really going on. With a roll of her eyes, she rudely shoved past Euan and stalked around the corner. "Ron!" she called with disgust as she entered the room that contained her two best friends. "Harry!"

"I'm not dressed yet!" Ron lied. He was hunched over in what seemed to be an attempt to climb into his locker to hide, so he couldn't see that she was standing in the doorway, fully aware that he was already in his school clothes. Harry was sitting on a nearby bench, still in his Quidditch gear, a half-amused smirk tugging at his lips at Ron's blunder.

Hermione wished that she had the time to inform Ron that he was acting very immaturely by trying to avoid her, she really did--God, she wanted to have it out with Ron about this whole situation more than anything--but there was something much more important to discuss. "Ron, we don't have time for this!" she snapped impatiently.

"What is it then?" Ron shouted as he turned to confront her, his blazing eyes indicating that he, too, was ready for battle, but his fury vanished as he looked at her. Her agitation was obvious, even to those who weren't capable of empathic powers. Her lack of breath and worriedly ashen face caused Harry to swing his other leg over the bench to look at her directly, a concerned frown replacing the smirk he'd worn a second ago. "What is it?" Ron repeated, but this time his voice had undertaken that low, comforting yet worried tone that had always sent warm waves of reassurance coursing through her.

"Percy's here," she revealed.

"What?" Harry leapt to his feet, while Ron froze, gawking openly at her.

"He went through the Whomping Willow passageway," Hermione relayed hastily. "I was at Hagrid's when I saw him come past, and I thought he was you, Ron." Ron glanced over at her sharply, and Hermione felt some of the color return to her cheeks as she continued. "I went after him, and when he figured out who I was, he took off. I tried to catch up--"

"We've still got time," Harry interrupted as he grabbed his wand. "Let's go."

"Wait," Hermione protested as she held out a restraining hand.

"Hermione," Harry said warningly. "We're not going to get Dumbledore--we don't have time!"

"Get your broom," Hermione stated impatiently as she pointed to his Firebolt. "If we fly, it'll only take five minutes to get to the Shrieking Shack--taking that passageway takes at least an hour, and if we fly, we'll be able to cut him off." Harry looked rather sheepish that he had automatically assumed she'd play by the rules and try to stop him, when he knew well enough that even straight-laced Hermione Granger would throw away the rule book when it came to the safety of her friends. "Where are the spare brooms?" she asked as Harry trotted back to retrieve the Firebolt, while Ron pulled his Cleansweep Eleven out of his locker.

"In the closet back there," Harry replied as he jerked his thumb in the direction of the far wall. "But, Hermione, you're not going to fly, are you?"

"Well, you're certainly not leaving me behind again!" Hermione snapped as she crossed over to the broom cupboard.

"But, Hermione," Harry glanced anxiously over at Ron, "no offense, but you're not a very good flier..."

"She'll be fine," Ron interjected in a low voice. Hermione looked over at him, wondering if he was saying this because he had faith in her, or because he didn't want to have to fly her over to the Shrieking Shack with him--it would be too forceful of a reminder of those flying lessons at the Burrow. His ears reddened as he sensed her eyes on him, but he refused to look at her. Nevertheless, she could tell that although his words were reassuring, he was still rather concerned about her flying solo. Her stomach twisted into a knot--he wasn't the only one; she hadn't flown since that summer before sixth-year, and although she remembered the techniques Ron had taught her precisely, it did very little to settle her nerves. Both Harry and Ron were expert fliers, and would undoubtedly be flying at breakneck speed. It was going to take a great deal of skill to keep up with those two. "She can do it," Ron added with a risky glance over at her, and it was at that reassuring moment that Hermione knew he really meant it.

**

THUD

Hermione groaned in infinite relief as her feet slammed into solid ground. Just because Ron thought that she could keep up with them, didn't mean that she actually could. Following Ron and Harry had been difficult to say the least--their take off and the journey to the Shrieking Shack hadn't been as awful as she'd expected, however the landing had been quite an ordeal. Landing had always been her weakest area in the field of flying, and that was saying something; if she would have had to take an O.W.L. in Flying, she would have been pleased to receive a P. For Hermione, that was really saying something. She practically fell sideways off of the broom into a pile of snow in her hurry to get off of that narrow, uncomfortable, and cold broomstick. She fervently hoped that Percy would take his time in arriving, in order to stretch out the time until they had to return; she didn't fancy getting back on that broom any time soon.

"You all right?" Ron asked awkwardly as he held out a hand to help her up.

Hermione nodded as she stood up and brushed off the snow and mud on the knees of her khakis. "Thanks," Hermione returned as she straightened up. Ron quickly averted his gaze before they could make eye contact, and she bit back a sigh. If closure had done nothing but cause this horrific awkwardness, then she didn't want it anymore. Of course, she didn't want it also because she didn't want their relationship to have ended, but that was not an issue she had time to pay attention to at the moment.

"He's not here yet," Harry reported as he hurried out of the Shrieking Shack and back to his two best friends. He had raced inside directly after landing, while Ron had waited outside for Hermione to land.

"Should we head down the passageway then?" Hermione suggested as she double-checked to make sure that her wand was securely in her back pocket.

"No, I think we should just wait," Harry explained tersely. "We'll catch him by surprise this way." Ron and Hermione nodded silently to indicate that they were willing to yield to Harry's authority. "All right, one of us should stay out here as the lookout--he could be meeting someone."

"I'll stay," Ron offered immediately. Hermione wished that she could protest, but logically, she knew that it was the best option they had. Harry wouldn't want to stay outside; as the strongest wizard, he needed to be the one to pounce on Percy the moment he emerged from the passageway. And as much as Hermione hated to admit it, she couldn't be the one to wait outside in the cold February air, as she was wearing only her blouse and khakis. Not only that, but she had a sneaking suspicion that Ron would throw a fit if she offered to wait outside alone.

Similar thoughts were running through Harry's mind, but he only nodded at Ron. "Well, look sharp," Harry told Ron somewhat nervously. "We'll come get you as soon as we hear Percy."

"Sure," Ron said with false casualness that all of them saw through in a second. "See you." He pulled out his wand at the same moment Hermione instinctively reached out to touch his arm, so fortunately he was out of her grasp before she could complete the movement. A lump of suppressed emotion jolted up into her chest, and before it could make its way into her voice and cause her to say something stupid, Hermione wordlessly followed Harry into the shack. She didn't know why she should be so apprehensive--there were three of them and only one of Percy, and there wasn't any indication that someone else would be coming to meet him. Ron could take care of himself--he would be just fine. But that didn't stop her from biting her lip again and glancing over her shoulder as she and Harry walked through the dusty, dim room. They headed over to the trapdoor that led down into the passageway. When they reached it, Harry lifted the old wooden plank and cautiously lowered his lit wand a few inches. He peered into the passageway, looking for any signs of a recent disturbance. They listened for a few moments, but could hear nothing.

"Do you think he could have gotten here ahead of us somehow?" Hermione asked in a whisper.

"Dunno." Harry frowned as he looked about for some clue that would help them figure out where Percy was, and for what they ought to do next.

"We should probably check upstairs," Hermione suggested as she glanced over at the stairwell. "In case he's already here and is waiting for someone."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, but glanced edgily at the trapdoor, revealing that he wasn't keen on the idea of letting it out of his line of sight.

"I'll go," Hermione told him. She tiptoed over to the dilapidated stairway and crept up to the top. It was incredibly dark in the corridor, so Hermione risked lighting up her wand as she methodically began to dart her head into each room, eyes roaming the shadows, searching for any sign of movement. She didn't stop her search until she reached the room at the end of the hall, but that was only because she had been in there before.

Hermione couldn't stop herself from standing in the doorway for a long moment after ensuring that the dusty room was empty. Her wand's light illuminated the once magnificent four-poster bed that Ron had laid on, clutching a broken leg while shouting courageously at Sirius, insisting that if he wanted to kill Harry, he would have to kill all of them. She remembered being so shocked that Ron had included her in that statement--not because he had included her life along with his own in the threat, but because he had known that she was quite willing to sacrifice her life for Harry. She hadn't had the courage to speak those words aloud to Sirius that night, but the thought had been there all the same. Ron had to have picked up on her thoughts, because he never would have offered her life up like that, unless he was certain she was willing to forfeit it herself. For the first time, Hermione realized that that had been another indication of Ron's empathic abilities.

Although it had only been four years since the last time she'd set foot in this room, that wild night seemed like a lifetime ago. In that short span of time, however, the world had fallen apart as good and evil had become locked in a stagnant but fierce battle, and Hermione Granger had not only fallen in love, but had had her heart broken. One of the people who had stood in this room the last time she was here had died, and another of them could very well have joined him.

Hermione turned so that her back was against the doorframe and leaned her head back against the splintering wood, wand twirling between her limp fingers. She couldn't bring herself to believe that Lupin was dead--it just wasn't possible that fate would be cruel enough to deny Harry of three father figures before he turned eighteen. She sighed as she surveyed the room once more, still vividly recalling the heated argument and resultant battle that had occurred there. That had been one of the craziest nights of her entire life--not just because she had technically lived through it twice, but also because they had overcome such incredible odds--she had lived through a humongous dog's attack, only to be assaulted by the Whomping Willow's flailing limbs. Then, she'd had an encounter with the most infamous prisoner of Azkaban. She'd had an introduction to the man responsible for Harry's parents' murders, and then managed to escape him, a wild werewolf, and dementors. Finally, she'd traveled back in time, and had to go through it all again. She shook her head slightly as she went through the list once more--it wasn't possible for a night to be any more terrifyingly intense than that one had been.

"ARGH!"

At the sound of his voice screaming in terror, Hermione whipped around, her heart stopping. "Ron!" she screamed out, although she knew that there was a very small chance that he could hear her from where she stood. That wasn't going to stop her, however, and she shrieked his name again, this time attracting Harry's attention, and he barreled back into the front hall.

"Hermione, stay there!" Harry shouted up to her before the front door slammed shut behind him. Hermione had no intention of slowing down or remaining behind, however, so she continued to run toward the stairs, wand in hand, mind forming only one thought, one prayer: please, please, please let him be all right.... She vaulted over the banister halfway down the crumbling staircase, leapt back to her feet, hurtled over to the front door, wrenched it open, and ran out into the chillingly cold night. Her eyes quickly found Harry's fresh tracks in the snow, but instinct took over, and she ran as fast as she could manage in the opposite direction, toward the edge of the trees that surrounded the shack. Her breath was coming out in quick puffs, and her lower pant legs were soaking wet from the snow. She was shivering like mad, but it didn't matter in the slightest--all that mattered was getting to Ron before it was too late.

She leapt over a large snow bank and stumbled slightly, but as she stood up straight, she was rewarded with the sight of shocking red hair several feet ahead of her. She was so relieved that she managed to find her voice, despite having to gasp for breath. "Ron?!"

"I'm fine!" Ron shouted back to her instantly as he unintentionally caught a blast of the extreme terror she'd been experiencing at the thought of something happening to him. He glanced at Hermione as she sprinted over to him, and gestured to the people standing in front of him with irritation. "These two just scared the bloody hell out of me!"

"That's not my fault!" Ginny Weasley shouted furiously. "It wasn't as though we were trying to sneak up on you--it's your fault for not paying attention!"

"You're not even supposed to be flying!" Ron continued in his best big-brotherly voice.

"Oh, please!" Ginny scoffed crossly. "What would you have done if you'd been sitting in the stands, seen Hermione running around like she's being hunted down by some Death Eater, and later fly off with you lot, right in front of you?" Her hands were on her hips, and her chin was set in a way that was remarkably similar to Fred and George's most defiant expression. "You would have followed!"

"Not if I'd just been out of hospital for four days!"

"She's just fine, Ronald," Luna Lovegood said absently, finally speaking up. She had been standing to the side, staring dreamily off in the direction Hermione had just come from.

Hermione sighed, a bit of the tension draining from her shoulders. Thank Merlin that Ron was all right, but there was still Percy to consider. And someone else. "Where's Harry?"

Ron's head snapped back in her direction, while Ginny tried to suppress a sharp squeak of concern. "I thought he was with you!"

"He ran out ahead of me...." Hermione trailed off as Ron scowled with annoyance, but Hermione knew he wasn't really angry--his eyes were only filled with worry. His right hand gripped his wand tightly, and the left one instinctively reached out to grab Hermione's wrist. He cocked his head in the direction of the shack.

"Let's go," Ron ordered as he led the three girls back to the clearing, but before they reached it, he held out his wand hand to stop their progress--they could hear the ominous sound of snow crunching underneath someone's footsteps, over to their left--someone was drawing near. "Get down," he hissed instantly, but before Hermione could take cover, Ron abruptly pulled her back to her feet, brow slightly furrowed. "Harry?"

"Ron!" Harry called, slightly out of breath, as he finally came into view. "You okay?" Before Ron could answer, Harry had come to a dead halt, and was frowning at the newest members of their party. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, his eyes resting on Ginny.

"Following you, of course," Ginny informed him cheekily as she took a few steps forward, daring him to try to tell her to leave.

"Go home, Ginny," he ordered somewhat harshly. Ginny's eyebrows shot up furiously at his nerve, and Harry's attention jumped hastily to the blonde girl standing to Ginny's right, in order to avoid the rage boiling in her eyes. "You too, Luna."

"No thank you," Luna said airily, humming to herself as she stared off in the direction of the shack.

"Tell me what's going on," Ginny commanded him. "Why are you guys here?"

Ron and Hermione glanced at one another, wondering if they should step in and explain the situation. Ginny did have every right to know, considering that this was her brother that they were planning to trap. However, Ginny seemed completely unaware of their existence; her eyes were only on Harry, glowing hotly with fury and determination as she tried to will Harry to tell her everything. Harry's own stubbornness, however, rivaled Ginny's, and he wasn't going to relent just because of the intensity in her eyes. He looked poised to shout back at her, but instead swallowed hard to stop himself. Yelling at Ginny hadn't worked before, so he opted for a different method. "Ginny, this has nothing to do with you," Harry offered in a falsely calm and steady voice that all of them saw through instantaneously.

"Bullshit!" Ginny's face was starting to turn beet red, and she stamped her foot in irritation. "Is this about you?"

"In a way," Harry replied uncomfortably.

"Yes or no?!"

"Yes," Harry admitted somewhat meekly.

"Then it has everything to do with me!" Ginny snapped. "So spill!"

"Ginny, is that your brother?" Luna interrupted.

"Yes, Luna, Ron is my brother, thus the resemblance and same parentage and all." Ginny didn't take her eyes off of Harry, and although he had momentarily been ready to succumb to her wishes, his stubbornness took over once more, and he was glaring right back at her. Neither one of them wanted to break the eye contact first, and risk losing the battle. Hermione, however, gasped and whipped around in the direction that Luna was gazing off in, knowing instantly that although Luna was admittedly quite daft at times, she wasn't referring to Ron. A lone figure was emerging from the Shrieking Shack, the light of the full moon striking on the copper brilliance of his hair and on the glass of his horn-rimmed spectacles. Percy.

"Son of a bitch!" Ron moaned under his breath. "Harry!" He swatted Harry to break him from his stand-off with Ginny, before crouching down on the ground to make sure he was out of sight. Hermione had completely forgotten that Ron had been holding her wrist until she was forced down onto the snow with him. Ron must have forgotten, too, for once she'd been jerked to the ground, his fingers immediately sprang free of her wrist. The skin that had been encircled by his fingers abruptly became bitterly cold. Luna casually stepped behind a nearby tree, while Harry seized Ginny by the shoulders and darted behind another.

"Oh, so Percy has nothing to do with me?" Ginny demanded in a voice that was much too loud. Harry rolled his eyes as he slapped his hand over Ginny's mouth. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and yanked her into him. Ginny struggled wildly for a few seconds, sputtering into Harry's palm, but all she accomplished was making too much noise and causing Hermione to shush her rather desperately. Harry had been barely fazed by Ginny's valiant efforts, so she finally gave up and relaxed into him. Harry, however, didn't loosen his grip on her for a second, his attention riveted in Percy's direction, as he was now passing them. All of them held their breaths and tensed, preparing to pounce if necessary, but Percy walked by without so much as a glance in their direction. Ron waited until his brother has passed them completely, before cautiously crawling forward with his wand in hand.

"Wait," Harry warned in a barely audible voice, but Ron heard him. He turned to Harry, but Harry was still watching Percy's head bob down the path at a slow but determined rate. "We'll follow him," Harry decided. "He could be meeting someone in the village."

"How are we going to follow him?" Ron whispered as he lumbered back to his feet. "We don't have the cloak, and the three of us don't fit under it anymore anyway."

"Yeah, Harry." By this time, Harry had released Ginny, and she twisted away from him, hands back on her hips and foul temper back in place. "It won't fit the five of us!"

"Shut up!" Ron warned his sister swiftly. Percy was still not out of sight, which probably meant he wasn't out of earshot either. "You're not com--"

"We don't have time for this!" Hermione intervened sharply. "We don't need the cloak--we can just keep Apparating down the road, and if we make sure that we keep a safe distance from him so he doesn't hear the pop, we'll be fine."

"Brilliant!" Ron praised excitedly, and focused gloatingly on his sister once more. "Too bad you can't Apparate, Gin. I guess you and Luna will just have to run along back to Hogwarts now."

Ginny glowered at her brother for a second, before a cocky expression spread across her face. "Fine, you Apparate--Luna and I will fly behind you." She pointed to the broom that was propped up against a tree only a few feet away. "I'm afraid if we fly back to Hogwarts, we won't be able to help flying straight to Filch's office to tell him that three students have snuck off the grounds." Ron tried to counter her threat with one of his own, but a loud pop distracted all of them. Harry had finally become fed up with the arguing and had Disapparated.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered furiously. Hermione darted to the edge of the path and peered out at it cautiously. Percy was completely out of sight by this time, but if she strained her eyes, she could make out Harry's form crouching behind a boulder a hundred or so yards down the road. Concentrating as hard as she could on the boulder, Hermione stuck a hand in her pocket to grip her wand, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

Pop.

She knew that her Apparation had been successful without opening her eyes, by the hand that seized her wrist and pulled her down out of sight. She opened her eyes to find Harry cautiously peeking over the edge of the rock, to ensure that Percy's suspicion wasn't aroused. Once he was certain that it wasn't, he turned back to Hermione. She was frowning down at the bundle next to her on the ground.

"Harry, how did you get the cloak?" Hermione asked with surprise as she fingered the glittering folds.

"Had it with me," Harry said quickly before glancing behind him. "Ron coming?"

"Yeah--I think he's still trying to convince Ginny to leave," Hermione whispered, and she, too, glanced over her shoulder. She hoped that Ron would be able to know where to Apparate to.

"She shouldn't come," Harry immediately responded in a tight voice, but Hermione caught the concern underlying his angry words, nevertheless. "She's barely been out of the hospital for a week."

"Since when have we ever been able to convince a Weasley to stay behind?" Hermione reminded him.

"Yeah, I s'pose you're right," Harry conceded glumly. Again, he glanced backward in the direction of the shack, and then over to the grove of trees that Ron, Ginny, and Luna must still be hiding behind. "She's a stubborn one, she is." Harry's tone of voice, however, betrayed that he didn't necessarily find this quality to be a bad thing. Hermione fought back a grin. Honestly, Harry could hide a great deal of his emotions, but when it came to girls, he was as transparent as Ron always was.

Pop.

Harry and Hermione each grabbed one of Ron's arms, and yanked him down as he began to go off on the horrors of having an obstinate, headstrong little sister. Hermione shushed him as his voice started to carry, and Harry risked another glance over the boulder--Percy was still oblivious to their presence. "I take it she's coming then," Hermione said in a hushed voice.

"Ruddy blackmailer," was all that Ron muttered furiously, and he too poked his head up to spy on his brother.

"She has a right to come." Hermione tried to appease him quietly. "Percy is her brother as well, and she can look after herself, you know."

"It's not about her being able look after herself--it's about me going mad at the thought of her being in trouble!" At Harry's abrupt words, Ron and Hermione both jerked around in surprise, gawking at him--Harry had never been this obvious in his entire life. Ron pressed his fist against his face to muffle his snicker as Harry's cheeks began to turn pink, and although a smile had crossed Hermione's face as well, she decided to be tactful about the situation.

"Is Luna coming too?" Hermione asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah." Ron was still quietly snickering, but he stopped when Hermione shot him a warning look. "Don't know why she wants to go--she's in D.A. and all, but still..."

"I think it'd be wise to have Luna come along," Hermione interrupted quietly, recalling all of the times that Luna's intuition had come in handy in the past three years.

"Percy's almost gone," Harry reported as he watched the path ahead, facing away from his friends to hide the vivid redness in his cheeks. He pointed to the curve in the road. "See that tree stump? We'll go there next." Hermione and Ron both nodded in approval, and Harry glanced up at the sky, his jaw clenched as he pointed down the road to the two girls hovering several feet away. Ginny nodded and waved to indicate she got the message.

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**

"What do we do now?" Ron demanded furiously. They had managed to follow Percy all the way into Hogsmeade, and were now currently hiding in an alley between the bookstore and Devrish and Banges. Percy had just entered the Hog's Head, the dodgiest pub in town. Harry didn't reply, but he pulled out the Invisibility Cloak that he'd managed to cram back into one of the pockets his Quidditch robes. He'd had to magically enlarge it to make it fit. "When did you get that?" Ron hissed in surprise as Harry disappeared under the sparkling whirl of the cloak. Hermione wasn't about to let Harry go into that bar to confront Percy alone, so she dove underneath. By the time Ginny and Luna had landed in the alleyway, Ron was the only one left still visible. He could only gape at the space where his two best friends had been standing a moment before. He reached out to try to find them, but Harry quickly sidestepped Ron's groping arm, guiding Hermione along with him. Since she was the shorter of the two, she was standing in front. She couldn't help being a bit disappointed that Ron couldn't come along--he hated to be left behind as much as she did, and she knew he was going to spend the entire time worrying about them. But it was the only thing to do; Ron was much too tall now to hide under the cloak, so it was best that he remain behind with Ginny and Luna.

"We'll be right back," Harry informed Ron before turning around and making his way to the pub as fast as he could under the hampering folds of the Invisibility Cloak. They managed to slip inside without jostling any of the intoxicated and rowdy patrons that were crowded into the tiny room. Hermione couldn't help wrinkling her nose at the grimy, smoke-filled, and noisy atmosphere; she had thought it to be dodgy and dirty when they had had their meeting here in fifth-year, but this was even worse.

Percy had taken a seat at the counter and ordered a drink before looking about the dim room expectantly--he was waiting for someone. His eyes found a lone patron sitting at a small table in the back, hood brought up over his head to make him unrecognizable. With a nod, Percy picked up his drink, flipped a Galleon onto the counter, blithely informed the seedy bartender to keep the change, and weaved his way over to the secluded corner. Harry and Hermione followed right behind him. Percy plopped down into the vacant seat, and for a long moment in which Hermione held her breath in anticipation, took a considering sip of his ale.

"Well?" the man under the hood rasped in an eerily low and throaty voice that for some reason caused Hermione to shiver.

Percy plunked down his now half-empty glass, looked around the room carefully, and finally leaned forward and lowered his voice. "She made a complete recovery."

The hooded wizard let out a long sigh of disappointment that made Hermione's stomach clench. "Tom will be very disappointed."

Tom. Harry had gone rigid when he'd realized that Percy had been talking about Ginny, but now Hermione thought he was going to explode out from under the cloak right then and there. She grabbed his sleeve, warning him not to move, although her heart was hammering wildly in her chest, and there was nothing she would like to do more than dart out from under the cloak and demand that these two foul men let them know where Riddle was, so they could send an Order squad to finish him off once and for all.

"Should I prepare for a team to collect her?" Percy offered in the same sort of "worshiping lapdog" voice he used with Crouch. Hermione's stomach clenched again, but this time it was with disgusted nausea. She couldn't believe that Percy was speaking of organizing people to kidnap his little sister as casually as if he were arranging a group of people to play Quidditch in his backyard. Harry had set his teeth to suppress his growl of fury, and her grip on his sleeve tightened.

"No, you've done enough, Weasley," the wizard informed him offhandedly. "We'll deal with the Weasley girl." He leaned back in his chair and pulled out a long, skinny pipe and began puffing away. "And you got on and off the grounds without complications?"

"Yeah," Percy replied. "It's a good point of entry." The wizard nodded thoughtfully and Hermione let out a silent gasp. Were more Death Eaters planning on entering Hogwarts? "Although," Percy amended with an annoyed expression, "I did run into the Granger girl."

"Potter's Mudblood?" Despite hearing the derogatory term repeatedly in the past five years, Hermione's cheeks still burned hotly at his words. Harry stiffened again, and Hermione tugged on his sleeve almost absently, knowing that he would have the good sense to obey and remain quiet. Ron on the other hand...well, suffice it to say, it was a very good thing that Ron was waiting outside and couldn't hear the conversation. "The Mudblood that fooled around with your brother?" Hermione's stomach somersaulted up into her chest, taking her breath away momentarily. Yes, she was definitely glad Ron was outside. She was quite surprised that this Death Eater was so aware of her and Ron's situation, or that he was even interested. But he had lowered his pipe and leaned forward intently. "Do you know if she..."

"They're still on the outs," Percy chuckled mercilessly. "You should have seen her face when I brought up Ron." Harry's hand clapped over her mouth as the realization at what Percy had just said hit them both--Harry knew her well; he knew she was about to gasp in shocked outrage. His hand was shaking slightly, and Hermione swallowed hard as she, too, started to tremble. "I was with her for at least five minutes, so if it was still an issue, he and Potter would have shown up. It must have ended when the lovebirds broke up."

Harry's grip on Hermione tightened as her trembling intensified. Death Eaters wanted her and Ron's empathic connection to be severed--Percy had kept her for so long and had said those things in order to get a rise out of her and test her to see if Ron came running to her rescue. They wanted them to be separated, but why--why would they care so much? Did this have anything to do with--a soft moan escaped from the back of Hermione's throat. This could have everything to do with why Ron had broken up with her.

"You didn't hurt her, did you?" the wizard asked with a shocking note of worry in his voice. "You know Lucius said not to--"

"I know, I know, we're to leave her to him," Percy finished for him. "Don't worry, she's all his."

Harry's free hand groped up to squeeze her limp hand tightly, in order to silently inform her that there was no way in hell that Lucius Malfoy would be able to carry out whatever his plans were for her. Hermione's lip started to quiver, vibrating madly against Harry's palm. Just what did Lucius Malfoy want with her?

"Excellent." The Death Eater downed the last of his drink and lumbered to his feet. "The Dark Lord shall hear about this, Weasley."

"Thank you, Mr. Dolohov," Percy said with earnest, open admiration.

No, no, no, no, Hermione screamed in her mind as she shrank into Harry. Luckily, Harry's hand was still firmly in place over her mouth, muffling the quiet cry that she couldn't help emitting when the icy deluge of terror was dumped over her. He shifted her slightly to move her as far away from the Death Eater as possible, but it wasn't enough. Her skin was crawling with prickly fear despite Harry's reassuring presence. Even with the reassurance that he was under orders from Malfoy not to harm her, Antonin Dolohov would always catalyze Hermione's body to go into severe shock from the excessive fear of what he might do to her.

"Are you reporting to him, now, sir?" Percy continued, sounding like an eager child on the first day of school. Or actually, he sounded a bit like Hermione did when she answered a question in class--Hermione closed her eyes briefly. She was not like Percy.

"No, must be off to Lucius," Dolohov replied gruffly as he thumbed through his moneybag to find the appropriate amount of change. "Tom will want to hear about the girl." Harry's hold on Hermione became almost unbearably tight, and Hermione felt his breath halt in his chest as they both froze in expectation. This could be it.

"Is he still being kept in Mr. Malfoy's home?" Percy inquired.

"Yeah," Dolohov frowned down into the bag. "Boy, d'you mind..."

"On me." Percy eagerly burrowed into his pockets to find enough change to pay for his cohort's numerous beverages. "Grantham is a Muggle settlement, though, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Dolohov answered slowly, staring with Percy as if he were the dimmest human being on the planet.

"It just surprises me that Mr. Malfoy would select to live so close to Muggles," Percy clarified inquisitorially.

"Oh, right--well, the manor is actually 'bout four miles out of town," Dolohov explained, "so he never has to see a Mudblood--unless he wants to, of course." He gave Percy a suggestive wink and both men chortled. "You want to come along?" Dolohov offered. "The Dirty Goose is a great pub--we can take the Floo there and catch another drink before heading up to the manor."

"No." Percy smiled slightly as he moved to get up. "I best be off."

"Right," Dolohov stated briskly. "We'll keep you updated." He nodded curtly at Percy before making his way over to the large fireplace in the back of the pub. He called out, "The Dirty Goose, Grantham!" and disappeared in a rush of green flames. Hermione started to sneak toward the exit, but Harry didn't release her straight away. She glanced up at him, and found that his eyes were still trained on Percy, who had not yet moved from the table. He lingered for a long moment, eyes roving around the room, and for one brief, terse moment, his eyes rested on the space where Harry and Hermione stood. Harry's hand snaked for his wand, but it wasn't necessary. Percy nodded to himself in satisfaction before sweeping up his winter robes and heading to the door.

Harry jerked sharply when he saw that Percy was leaving. Ron, Ginny, and Luna were still waiting outside, most likely hovering near the door. Hermione sucked in a long breath, and, in part because it was incredibly necessary, and also because she was curious to see if the connection had been severed, she concentrated as hard as she could. Ron was always the one that initiated contact, but maybe if she focused really hard, and if he was only a few feet away...

Ron--Ron, Percy's coming out, she warned swiftly, channeling all of her energy and willpower onto reaching him--the Ron that she alone knew existed, the real Ron, the Ron who she'd thought had been a lie when he'd broken her heart, and who she had pushed away for the past year because of the pain that that lie had caused her. Harry tugged on her hand to hurry her along, so Hermione wasn't certain if Ron got the message, but from the way her heart flipped at the thought of him, she thought that he might have. Harry pushed open the door, and they both ran out into the snowy, cold street, heads whipping about wildly for a sign of where Percy had gone.

"Where are they?" Hermione whispered nervously to Harry.

Harry was about to answer when they heard Ron's characteristic "Son of a bitch," roar out onto the street from the alleyway they had left them in.

"Ah," she said quietly while jogging along with Harry over to the alley, just in time to hear Ginny Weasley swear with such vulgarity that even Ron appeared to be taken aback.

"Damn, Ginny!" He appeared to be quite displeased with his sister's mouth, but Harry, on the other hand, appeared to be rather impressed by Ginny's colorful phrasing. Harry smirked slightly as he strode over to Luna and the Weasleys, while Hermione hung back, chewing on her lip thoughtfully as she tried to sort things out and calm her still frazzled nerves.

"What happened?" Harry asked. "You all right?"

"Fine," Ron said dismissively as he fought the urge to punch the wall.

"Percy Disapparated before we could jump him," Ginny explained with irritation.

"So he's gone?" Harry's eyes roved around the dark alley to make sure that Percy hadn't Apparated behind them. When he finished searching, he frowned slightly as he thought about something. "Hang on, how did you know he was coming?"

"We had a warning," Ron admitted as he glanced over at Hermione, who was still standing at the entrance to the alleyway. Hermione's eyes widened slightly--so he had been able to hear her. His lips pursed slightly as he began to ask a question, but everything he wanted to say was in his eyes, so Hermione simply nodded at him--as usual in times like these, Ron had been about to ask her if she was all right. He couldn't stop himself from audibly sighing with relief at her wordless reply, but his brow furrowed slightly as he unintentionally picked up on her distress. His head tilted a mere millimeter to the side in her direction, but Hermione knew what he was about to ask before he even got the words out. She shook her head, wordlessly telling him that this was not the time to explain all that had just occurred. She still needed time to process everything. Ron looked disgruntled and annoyed with her silence, but he didn't argue the point. "So what happened?" Ron turned back to Harry impatiently.

"Riddle's in the Malfoy's house," Harry relayed. "In Grantham." He glanced over at Hermione before deciding not to reveal what had been said about his two best friends. He had already resolved that there was no way in hell he was going to let Ginny know that Riddle was still very, very interested in finding her, so he just shrugged his shoulders and didn't elaborate.

Ginny went white and slowly leaned back against the wall. "What are we going to do?" she whispered almost inaudibly.

"You," Harry informed her sternly, "are staying put. I'm going to Grantham." He twirled his wand expertly. "We're ending this tonight," he added in a flat, determined tone of voice.

"I'm coming," Ginny insisted weakly. Harry opened his mouth to argue and Ginny pushed herself off of the wall with renewed strength. "Look, what if someone tried to stop you from facing down You-Know-Who? Riddle is my personal demon--I brought him to life, and I have to be the one that sees to it that it's ended."

"You didn't bring him to life," Harry told her emphatically. Ginny let out a somewhat sarcastic yelp of disbelief and shook her head. "This is not your fault." He took a step toward her and instinctively reached out for her hand, but Ginny stepped away, looking him dead in the eye. Harry blanched slightly when he saw the tears of rage and fear threatening to escape her eyelids.

"You know better than anyone that no matter how many people say that to you, you never believe it." Ginny took a step forward so that she and Harry were standing toe-to-toe, and she looked defiantly up into his face. "I'm coming."

Hermione was distractedly watching this intriguing interchange when she felt Ron lightly shake her arm. "What is it?" he asked in a low voice. He knew that pensive expression on her face as well as he knew the back of his hand--the wheels in her brilliant head were whirling away at rapid-fire speed.

She looked up at him and his eyes burned into her, searing through her skin and bones, and lighting a fire in her very soul. The flames burned away the fear and terror that Percy, Lucius Malfoy, and Dolohov had caused inside of her, and ignited the courage, fortitude, and determination that had developed from her years of friendship with Ron and Harry. She lifted her head slightly as it suddenly became very clear what had to be done. "I think we should go to Grantham," she stated.

Both Harry and Ginny stared at Hermione in surprise, while Ron just looked steadily at her, silently urging her to continue. "Percy could have Apparated straight to Hogsmeade instead of walking the entire mile back, but he didn't. Did anyone else notice that?" she asked, deep in thought. "And Harry, you were there--didn't it seem like Percy was telling us exactly what we wanted to know? And I'm not sure about this, but when I was talking to him earlier, there were moments when it seemed like Percy I was talking to--the old Percy. Maybe he's being controlled by the Imperius curse, and is now able to fight it. Or maybe he's just pretending to be under the curse in order to collect information or something. I think he wanted us to know that Riddle is in Grantham, so that we can go and get rid of him before it's too late."

"It could be a trap," Harry commented quietly, but Hermione could tell that he didn't really believe it. "And we really should go back to the castle and tell the Order--it technically isn't our place to do this." The four of them just stared at Harry, stunned that he was actually suggesting walking away from the only lead they had on Tom Riddle. Harry shrugged awkwardly. "Sorry, one of us had to say it, just for the record."

"Yeah." Ron laughed nervously and jerked his thumb at Hermione. "But usually it's this one." Hermione made a face at him, but there was no real anger behind it.

"Look, all of you just need to go." Luna Lovegood finally spoke up in an almost steady voice, free of the trademark battiness that usually accompanied her speech. Hermione blinked in surprise. She had forgotten that Luna had come with them. "I'll go back to the castle and tell a teacher so that they can send someone to help you out." Her luminous eyes rested on each of them individually for a long moment. "All of you need to go," she repeated firmly.

"How're we going to get there?" Ron asked a tad shakily, and Hermione could sense that Luna's gaze had unnerved him.

"Floo Powder," Harry suggested. "Dolohov used it to get to a pub near the Malfoys' house."

"Dolohov?" Ron said sharply as he swung back to Hermione. "Dolohov was in there with you?" She nodded miserably and glanced at him, not even bothering to try to hide the haunting terror that was still lurking in her eyes. He looked as though he didn't know whether to punch the wall, or wrap Hermione in his arms and let her know that that bastard was never going to lay a slimy finger on her again. The latter was definitely more appealing, but he couldn't comfort her like that any more. Hermione flinched as Ron's fist thudded into the stone wall, and he winched slightly at the impact. "I knew I shouldn't have let you go in there," he muttered furiously as he shook his hand to dispel the ache in his knuckles.

"I'm fine," she told him quietly. "I was under the cloak, remember? He didn't know I was there." She knew that it might be prudent to inform Ron that she was not the type of girl that let any boy order her around, but for just one moment, she was going to remain silent and pretend that she was still his.

"You need to go now." Luna spoke loudly, diverting Hermione and Ron's attention away from each other and back to her. "You'd better get moving." She backed away slowly, still examining each of them searchingly. "Remember that night in the Ministry," she informed them, the airy inflection back in her voice. "Remember how when you split up, those groups didn't work--if you have to separate, remember that." She smiled dreamily at the unanimous confusion that had resulted from her words. "Get going," she ordered them once again. "You may find just what you've been looking for." Her eyes rested on Hermione once again, and Hermione shivered slightly. Somehow, just from that brief eye contact, she knew that Luna was aware of exactly what Hermione had been seeking for the past year. Hermione's breath caught in her throat at the thought of anyone discovering the truth about her and Ron. Could the Malfoy manor hold the answers? Luna nodded at all of them before pivoting on her heel and slowly making her way down the empty road that led to Hogwarts.

There was a brief silence before Ron voiced what everyone else was thinking. "What the bloody hell was that all about?"

"I dunno," Harry stated determinedly, twirling his wand anxiously again, but his voice was steady. His jaw clenched. "Let's find out, shall we?"