The Centaur's Shrine

Chapter 27 - Disappearances

Hogwarts, Sunday afternoon,

Hermione was working in the chamber, going over her notes and trying to understand the logic of the Circle. She and Harry had skipped lunch again, only this time they had accepted Dobby's offering of some sandwiches.

From what they could understand, this was what Boocrat called a Power Circle. Aside from that name, they had no idea of its true nature, only that it was important to their enemies. It was magical, that much was clear. Not only did it react to basic detection spells, but there an almost physical feeling of energy emanating from it. Aside from that, it was completely inert. Hermione had decided that it was probably a very powerful relic, and because of that, she was going to be very careful in her experiments. She would first try to understand as much as she could from passive observation. As an enigma, it fascinated her and she was giving it full priority. She was so absorbed that she could almost forget the pain of the breakup.

They had already determined that the room must have been a true cave at one time. The mass of boulders blocked another passage which probably led to somewhere outside in the Hogwarts grounds. Possibly inside the Forbidden Forest. Whatever it was, it was completely unusable, and it must have been so for a long time.

The sides of the stone slabs, and the horizontal surface of the Circle, were covered in strange runes and symbols. She had copied them down, and taken several measures. All her notes were consigned in a detailed notebook. She could have worked in the Library, or in her room, but she preferred to be in the vicinity the Circle. It might give her a crucial insight. From the library, she had recovered a number of books, in which she thought some of the symbols might be mentioned, but there was not much to go on. Hogwarts - A History, made absolutely no mentions of such a thing. Harry had gone to Hogsmeade to check the town's bookstore, in case there might be something useful there.

Concentrated as she was, she didn't hear Draco approaching. It was only when he passed in front of one the lit torches, and when she saw his shadow move of the wall, that she realized she wasn't alone.

She whirled around, pulling out her wand.

"What are you doing here?" she asked suspiciously.

Draco returned her glare. He was really coming in good faith, but had never liked being addressed that way, or threatened either.

"I could ask you the same question?" he snapped back. "I didn't see any 'private property' sign."

"You followed us." It was a statement.

He shrugged. He had been sad, bored and alone. Ginny was still not speaking to him, and he had resolved to make one last attempt at reaching out to Harry. This had proved to be more difficult than expected, because nobody knew where he was. After several tries, a combination of luck and carelessness on Harry's part had enabled Draco to catch him coming out of the passage, and then operating the hidden mechanism to close the opening. Filled with curiosity, he had let him go away and then tried it himself.

"What is this place?" he asked. "From the length of the stairway, it's way under the lake." He looked around. "And it looks even older than anything in the castle."

Hermione stayed silent. She didn't want to share any information with him, and she had precious little in any case. She closed the notebook and kept it close to her. She kept her wand ready as well. Draco noticed the gesture and sighed. He spread his hands in appeasement.

"I can understand that you're angry with me, but please don't think I would do anything aggressive," he added in a hurt voice.

Why does she act with such fear? She was never like that before.

She felt a pang of shame at have thought exactly that. She lowered her wand slightly.

Watch out girl. Don't forget that he's devious. He might not do anything out of spite, but if he thinks I hold knowledge that is important to him, then he might act anyway.

They glared at each other for a moment. Both of them annoyed by the situation.

I mustn't let him become suspicious.

"How we found this place is none of your business, but believe me, I don't understand what it is for or how that works," she said finally, indicating the stone pillars.

Draco followed her gaze and walked toward them.

"It looks like a druidic circle," he said. "They are generally used for special ceremonies, and normally only at special times." He examined the markings on the ground and on the vertical surfaces.

"Yes," she answered, annoyed by the patronizing words. She knew very well how druidic circles were used. "Except that these are not normal druidic runes, and unlike any other circles that I know, this one is underground."

He nodded.

"I see what you mean. You can't look at the stars or the sun."

"Well technically the sun is a star," Hermione couldn't stop herself from correcting him.

Unexpectedly, he flashed her a smile.

"Now that sounds more like the Hermione I used to know," he teased. "Are we on speaking terms again?"

Her eyes flared with anger.

"I haven't changed!" she snapped. "And I haven't forgotten anything."

Draco made a visible effort to control his temper and to keep from returning a biting comment.

You are really an insufferable bitch, and if it wasn't for Ginny, I would be more than happy to forget all about you.

He tried to ignore her and moved inside the circle. The center area was void of symbols and it seemed normal to be standing there. After a few seconds he could hear a very low buzzing sound.

"What is that sound?" he asked her.

"What do you mean? You're not doing anything are you?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm not doing a thing, but I hear a buzzing sound."

Her curiosity took the better of her reticence to be close to him. She walked into the circle and heard the hum he was talking about. It was faint but quite audible. They hadn't noticed it before, she was positive that they wouldn't have missed it.

"It got louder as you walked up," he said excitedly. "It must be coming from the pillars." He took out his wand.

"Careful with that!" she called out.

"I'm just going to give us some light. You can't see anything in here. Lumos!"

The ground seemed to lurch under their feet, and they suddenly cried out in surprise. The circle itself hadn't changed but everything else had. They were now outside, in a rugged hilly terrain of wild grass and scattered trees. The sky was overcast, and it there was a very light rain falling. The next thing that they noticed was a shocking sensation of cold. It took them a moment to register the fact that they were both unclothed. They didn't even have their wand in their hands.

"Eek!" screamed Hermione. She tried to cover herself clumsily and bolted behind one of the pillar.

"Draco! What happened?"

He was as surprised as her. One second he was casting the light spell, and the next it was as if their bodies, minus clothing, wands and everything else had been teleported here. He looked at his empty hand.

"I don't know! Even my family ring is missing."

"It's all your fault, you stupid bastard!" Her voice was hysterical. "You keep meddling with things that you don't understand and now this happens too."

"Hey, I didn't do anything! It's not my fault. Something happened."

"Of course it's your fault, you stupid bastard. I was studying things carefully, and then you barged in and ruined everything."

"Hermione-"

"Go away!" she screamed. "Get away from me! You're nothing but trouble."

He shivered and looked around. There wasn't anything to see except scruffy looking grass, trees and rocks, and the rain was cold. He decided to move out of the circle before something new could happen.

Although it would be nice to be sent back to Hogwarts, but somehow I doubt it will be that easy.

He walked past the neared pillar and got a glimpse of a fleshy shape before Hermione screamed and moved away.

"Hey! Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay," she replied in a voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm frigging naked and freezing my bum in the rain, stuck in this dismal place with the dumbest wizard I ever met."

"I'M NOT OKAY, STUPIDHEAD!" she screamed in frustration.

It was too much for Draco.

"WELL THEN STUFF IT, SMARTASS!" he screamed. "If you had any brain, you'd realize that I didn't do anything you would probably have tried yourself, in which case you'd have ended here in the same state but alone." He took a deep breath and made an effort to speak reasonably. "As things stand, the two of us have a better chance of figuring out how to get back if we keep our head, which you are not doing."

He stopped and waited for her reply. A full minute passed. He could hear her teeth chattering, like his did. Looking at his bare arm, he could see that it was covered with goose bumps. Besides the freezing rain there was also a nasty little wind, which was stealing further warmth from them.

"All right," she finally said in a small voice. "What do you suggest we do?"

"First of all get out of this bloody rain. We've got to find some kind of shelter and, hum, coverings."

"Yes!"

He looked around.

"There's a big clump of trees on my left, and a little hill next to it. It looks like a good bet to me. Do you see anything better on your side?"

She looked right and left. She could make out the trees he was talking about.

"No. We might as well go for your trees."

Nothing happened for a moment.

"Hermione?"

"I... I can't," she said in a panicked voice. "You walk in front and don't turn around!"

"Hermione I can understand your modesty taboo, but we're talking survival, and you're not being reasonable. What happened to the logical girl?"

"Please. I need some time to get use to it," she pleaded.

He sighed loudly. She was really going to be a pain in the ass.

"Right, but you walk right behind me. If I get the idea that you're not following, then I'll turn around and look for you."

"Okay, let's go."

He started walking and heard her steps behind him. He winced as some small sharp pebbled cut into his bare soles, and he heard her cry out as well. After a moment she chuckled.

"What is it?" he asked, annoyed and now in a thoroughly bad temper. What is she going to do next? giggle?

"I think I'd rather find a pair of shoes than some knickers after all."

Well that was the first smart remark she made. Once again he forced himself to be calm and friendly.

"I know what you mean."

"We should be able to grow calluses after a while, but it will probably take weeks."

Weeks? I hope we get rescued a lot sooner than that.

- - -

Hogwarts,

Harry was just coming back from Hogsmeade. He had found only one book which had looked promising. A history about local legends from the time of Hogwarts' creation. He went directly to the kitchens. As he got near the secret passage, the smell of cooking awakened pangs of hunger. He made a detour to ask Dobby for something to eat. The Elf proposed bringing some down for Hermione as well. Laden with food for both mind and body, they descended the stairs together.

The first think Harry saw was the empty table where Hermione should have been working. He looked around for her, but the room looked to be empty.

"Hermione?"

The lighting was poor and maybe she was just in some shadows, but no one answered. They searched the area quickly but there was no trace of her. He was getting ready to go back up and look for her, when his eyes fell on what was on the stone circle.

Two piles of clothes lay in disorder. He moved closer and recognized Hermione's robe, notebook and wand. An icy feeling came over him.

"Something bad happened," said Dobby with fear in his voice.

Harry's brain was suddenly not working properly anymore. He kept looking at the pile of cloth, understanding what they were, but unable to go further than the fact that Hermione had evidently disappeared here. He didn't even wonder about the other pile.

She's gone, but there's no blood, no signs of damage...

He sensed panic closing on him and tried to fight it.

I need help for this. If she's somewhere we should be able to reach out to her.

The six of them had been able to communicate at distance before, in the time when they were still united. Now that they were estranged, it was another thing they had lost.

Luna! She would help me.

Luna's emphatic link might still be able to find her. With the two of them together, it could work.

"Dobby. Please stay here and make sure no one touches anything. Not one single thing!" The Elf nodded with big anxious eyes. "I'll be back."

I've got to find Luna.

He rushed out and took the steps two at a time. The effort and the turning of the stairs made his head dizzy. He came out of the stairway panting. He paused to recover his breath and tried to think where Luna could be. Around that time, Ron would probably have been playing with the kids, and in this case she usually went to the library. He resumed his running, ignoring the rare students he passed in the corridors.

"Hey Harry. Where are you going?"

Hermione's gone. I've got to find Luna.

He burst through the library door, stumbling against the door hinges. The witch at the take out desk immediately frowned at the noise he was making. She whispered a furious order for him to be quiet. He controlled himself to walk, not run, to the part where he knew Luna liked to sit. His heart was beating fast, from his exertions and from the anguish which was threatening to overwhelm him.

Luna.

She was sitting at her table, her back turned to him but she wasn't alone. Ron and Ginny were across from her. Harry stopped dead. He didn't want to speak with his former friend, but if he wanted Luna to help him there was no other way.

Ron raised his head and frowned at seeing Harry. The now sickeningly familiar loathing was in his eyes, and a sneer already forming on his lips. Harry's stomach clenched.

Hermione's gone, Ron hates me.

"Luna..." he began in a gagging voice. She turned around in surprise and Ginny looked up, her face blank but with a hint of concern in her eyes. "Hermione's-"

It was all he could say. He was frantically worried, and then being so close and seeing the anger and hatred on Ron's face, was suddenly too much. He felt the bile rising up his throat and a heave coming. Turning around quickly, he ran toward the library toilets, desperately trying to control his nausea and barely making it to a bowl before throwing up.

"Harry!" cried Ginny. She got up and rushed to catch up to him. "What's the matter? What is it with Hermione?" He was on his knees and leaning against the wall. She recovered a towel and held it out to him. Harry was panting and still queasy. He took the towel from her hand and wiped his mouth and face, tears of stress from his efforts were running down his face.

"Thanks."

He looked up at Ginny's anxious face. Her eyes were tired and puffed. Luna was right behind her.

"She ... disappeared," he mumbled. Ginny's eyes opened wide in shock. He turned to Luna. "Could we try to ... reach out and find her? Please?" he pleaded.

"Of course," said Luna kindly. "But maybe you could explain a bit more."

He looked at Ginny and hesitated. They had decided to keep this a secret, at least until they knew more.

Hermione's more important you idiot.

"Harry, don't be stupid!" insisted Ginny. "If you need help we're there. If Hermione's in danger, what happened between us doesn't matter. You've got to tell us."

He nodded weakly.

"Yeah. You're right. I- I need to show you this place we found. Maybe it has something to do with this strange circle and pillars." He struggled to stand up. He felt a return of dizziness and closed his eyes. He was going to be okay. When he opened them, Ron was standing at the entrance, looking at them with a hard and unfriendly face.

"Ron, something happened to Hermione. We're going with Harry," announced Ginny in a decisive voice.

A flash of worry showed on Ron's face, soon replaced with resentment.

"What did you do this time?" he said to Harry who bristled immediately.

"This doesn't concern you," he replied coldly. He balled his fists. He was sure that if Ron said a word more, he would let him have it.

"That's enough!" snapped Luna. "And Ron, I think it's best that you don't say anything anymore."

Harry stood up and brushed against the other boy roughly to leave to room, the girls followed him. Ron was left seething in the doorway. After a moment, he went after them, muttering darkly to himself.

Richard had been lurking behind a bookshelf, and he had heard enough to understand that something important was cooking. Silena and Alicia had been in the library as well, and they were still at their table. He caught his sister's eyes and gestured for them to follow him.

They hooked up in the corridor leading toward the kitchens. Ron had just turned the far corner.

"What is it?" whispered Alicia.

"Harry's worried sick, literally, about Hermione. He asked the others to help him and he's leading them to a special place."

"Did they make up?" asked Silena.

"No. Not Ron and Harry in any case."

"Who are we following?"

"I think Ron's right behind them, so we'll follow him."

In due course they saw the older students open the passage and go inside. The two groups followed each other in silence. Ron was still seething as he thought about his former friends.

They treat us like dirt, betray and insult us, and then we should help just because he asks. Who does he think he is?

When the girls entered the chamber, Harry explained that they had been doing. Ron entered as well, but he kept his distance from the group. The others were ignoring him.

"How did you get here in the first place?" asked Ginny.

"We got a tip from the Goblins. I don't think the details matters much. We've been working on this since yesterday, and not getting anywhere." He gestured toward the circle. "I left Hermione here an hour ago, and when I came back she was gone, except for ..." he broke off and indicated the pile of clothes.

They approached and recognized Hermione's robe. Ginny also noticed the other pile.

"There are two sets here. There's another wand and something else ..."

"Careful Ginny!" called out Ron. "Maybe it's dangerous to get inside."

"We've walked on it several times before and nothing happened," said Harry.

"Maybe it's been activated by Miss know-it-all-"

Harry lunged at Ron, smashing his fist in his face, and feeling the satisfaction of finally working out his anger. The other boy grabbed him and they went rolling of the ground, striking out madly at each other.

"Harry, Ron! Stop it!" yelled Ginny. She and Luna intervened to separate them. When they stood up, Ron had a bleeding lip and Harry's glasses were broken.

"Get out of my sight you hateful bigot!" screamed Harry. "She was your friend, and even if you don't have any respect for her, you should at least shut up and leave us alone."

"I just said ..."

"Shut up Ron!" said Ginny. "That was a stupid and inconsiderate remark."

"That's right," added Luna. "Maybe you should leave us now."

Ron looked at her in stupefaction.

"Hey, whose side are you on?"

"I don't care for politics, and neither does Ginny anymore. I care about my friends. That's more important than anything, and I don't like your attitude." Luna's face was now anything but dreamy, it was hard and cold, like her voice, and Ron was evidently not used to it.

"Luna-" he started.

"Enough. You either shut up, or leave, or we throw you out. Do you understand?"

Ron was bewildered. He stepped back and said nothing. Luna turned around to examine the remains. Harry was still trembling with anger and grief, but Ginny had pulled him away and was whispering soothing words to calm him down. Ron looked at them and felt very much alone. His hand went to his lip and came away with a small drop of blood.

Damn it! Harry and I had our bad days, but we've never hit at each other like that.

"The clothes are set up just as if the person was still dressed," announced Luna. "It's as if the body was teleported but nothing else. There's a ring next to the second pile." She picked it up. "Ginny. It looks like Draco's."

"What!" Ginny ran to her and examined the small object. There wasn't any doubt. She'd played often enough with it to recognize his ring. "DRACO!" she screamed and turned to Harry whose anxiety had redoubled.

"What happened here?" he said. "Did they ... fight?"

They turned to look closer at the two piles. Ron watched them and then he remembered that first time when they had rushed to Hermione's help. The day she had been cornered by the Troll in their first year. The start of their friendship. He saw Harry and Ginny and his expression softened as he gradually realized what they must be feeling. He walked up toward them and gently pushed Luna aside.

"We should be able to discover how they were positioned relative to each other from the disposition of all this. Move away. We mustn't disturb anything," he said. Harry started to frown but Luna's hand stopped him.

They looked at the piles again.

"It looks like they were facing toward this pillar," said Harry finally, indicating one the stone slab. He tried not to look at Ron. He told himself that the git was helping them, and anything was worth finding a way to get Hermione back.

"Yea," said Ron. "And Draco's right arm was extended more that the others. As if he had been casting a spell." He too, chose not to look at Harry.

"Could something from the pillar have attacked them?" asked Luna. "Made them disappear?"

"I never heard of a curse which removes the body and leaved the clothes untouched" said Ginny in a listless voice.

Harry placed his arm over her shoulder. She moved against him. There was a long silence. Ginny was staring at Draco's ring and her lips were trembling. Harry squeezed her closer and closed his eyes, his head touching hers. Ron's throat was tight.

"Ginny, I'm sorry..." he began.

He knew that he should address Harry as well, but some internal force was blocking him. For the first time, he thought that this was not normal. Luna had told him several times that his friend was sincerely convinced of the official version of what happened on the Quidditch pitch. He had replayed the event hundreds of times in his mind, and he didn't know what to think anymore.

Kirke may be a bastard, but Harry never let me down.

Luna broke the silence.

"If they're still together, it should be possible to contact them." She looked at Ron and then at the others.

She was reminding them that there was still hope. Harry's eyes opened, and his gaze and Ron's finally crossed. They didn't speak but something passed between them, and now there was no animosity in their eyes, only hurt, disappointment and a little shame. Harry opened his mouth.

"Ron, please ..."

The anguish on his face was painful to watch. Ron felt it tear at his soul. It's Harry damn it. He's calling on you. He felt that something was tearing in his mind.

"Harry ..." There was something stuck in his throat.

Ron wasn't looking at him like an enemy anymore. Harry felt his resolve come back. He knew what he had to do.

"Let's do it together," he said. "Right now, all four of us." He let go of Ginny and extended his hand. "Ron, we'll work out something later. For now let's just try find them," he said.

Ron moved his own hand slowly.

"Please mate... I missed you," added Harry.

It was too much. Ron rushed to embrace his friend.

"And I missed you too!" he said sobbing. "Oh Harry..."

"I'm sorry mate!" Harry was holding him so tight he could hardly breathe.

"And I'm sorry too."

Ginny and Luna exchanged a moist look and joined them. The four of them stood together in silence for a while.

"Well, I'm glad that's over," whispered Silena from the cover of the stairway.

"Yeah," sniffed Alicia. "It's really moving."

Richard didn't say anything. He had a lump in his throat, and he didn't trust his voice yet. It was okay for girls to let their emotions show, but he was a Slytherin male, and he had a reputation to uphold.

Silena looked at him.

"Is it the light, or are your eyes wet?" she asked him candidly.

"It's the light," he answered gruffly. "And it's not over. They have to find out where Draco and Hermione are."

Alicia chuckled.

"If they're together without their clothes, maybe they got real cozy and made up already."

"Must be bloody embarrassing," he grunted.

"For whom?"

"Shut up."

- - -

The other circle,

They moved as quickly as possible towards the trees. At least the exercise was warming them a little. They didn't talk much, and each of them was lost in his private thoughts. Draco was thinking about camping and food. Whatever they could manage, it would certainly be much more primitive than his last outing in the wild. Hermione was trying to understand what could have happened. She also did her best to keep her eyes from looking at Draco's bare back. It didn't help her concentration.

We've walked inside that circle dozens of times and I've copied every inscription without anything happening. Harry was with me several times so it's not a question of being alone, and we've also used the Lumos spell before. The only thing that changed was that humming sound, and casting the spell while being inside the circle.

"Draco?"

"Yes?"

"Did you direct the spell at a particular spot?"

He tried to remember exactly what he had done.

"Yes, I think my wand was aimed at one of the ... Don't move!"

He stopped brutally and she bumped into him and immediately recoiled in embarrassment. She was getting ready to berate him, when she saw what he was looking at and froze. The creature resembled a hyena except for a bright orange fur streaked with red. It had impossibly long legs, a pointed flat head with a nasty fangs filled mouth and very large eyes. It had been coming from behind the hill. When it saw them, it stopped and growled menacingly.

Hermione grabbed Draco's arm and they felt a familiar tug in their minds.

Hermione, Draco, where are you?

It's Luna! thought Hermione.

We're kind of busy right now, answered Draco. Please try back later.

He severed the connection and tried to concentrate on the immediate situation.

- - -

"I got a flash," said Luna.

She and the three others were sitting in a circle on the floor and holding hands. For several minutes they had been trying to establish contact without success.

"I didn't feel anything," said Ron. He looked at Ginny who shook her head, biting her lip.

"I felt something vague," said Harry. "A sense of cold and ... fear." He looked at Luna anxiously.

"The contact is broken," replied Luna, breathing deeply, "but I sensed them both." Harry and Ginny raised their head in hope. "That's the good news. The bad news is that they seem to be facing some sort of animal, a dog or a wolf, I couldn't make it out."

She looked at them soberly.

"We'll just have to wait until they can try and re-contact us. They'll be concentrating then, and we should be able to communicate better."

Harry and Ginny didn't say anything. Four grim faces looked at each other and waited.

- - -

Draco looked around for something to use as a weapon. There was a large stone to his right. He would have preferred a big stick, but anything would be better than his bare hands.

This is not good.

There was something truly terrifying about fighting naked, more so against a wild animal. He didn't expect Hermione to amount for much in such a battle. With a wand, she was as deadly as anyone else, but hand to hand combat was not her style. Not for the first time, he wished for Ginny to be with him instead.

Let's just hope she doesn't panic.

"It looks like a Running Night Devil," she murmured. "Supposed to be nocturnal and extinct. The eyes should be a weak spot."

I should have remembered that she doesn't panic easily when it's really important.

"I'm impressed. I don't suppose we could outrun it in daylight?"

"Look at those legs, and I don't think it's called Running for no reason. It will be even more dangerous at night."

Draco pondered his choices. There weren't any good ones. He swallowed a lump of apprehension.

"I'm going to try and get that rock over there. It might help if you moved to the left. It could confuse it."

"R... right." Fear showed in her voice but she didn't hesitate. The creature immediately turned toward her, and she moved a little further away, crouching with both arms in front of her.

Draco moved in the other direction, toward the stone. When he got his fingers around it, he screamed a challenge, and the monster quickly turned around toward him. It was now between the two of them. Hesitating between the two adversaries and jumping back and forth.

Merlin it's fast.

He raised the stone and got ready to hit one of the big eyes. His left hand was poised to protect his lower belly. He was almost paralyzed with fear. This was going to be a butchery. The creature was moving toward him, and he noted absently Hermione closing behind it. It stopped a meter away from him and growled, looking for an opening. Draco tried to nerve himself when he saw Hermione extended her arm, palm upward and with all fingers but one curled in.

"Stupefy!"

A beam of light struck the animal and it froze. Draco didn't wait to understand what she'd done and struck at its head with all his might. He missed and it glanced on the side of the head, hitting the shoulder bones. There was a sickening crunch and blood flowed.

"Take out the eyes, quick!"

He struck at the right eye which squashed horribly. Overcoming the disgust he felt, he aimed at the other but the creature was already recovering. He didn't miss, quite, but the eye was undamaged.

Hermione was trying to launch another spell, but she couldn't manage it. It required too much concentration, and her whole hand was throbbing with pain. She had to help Draco while he still had some advantage. Without thinking she launched herself on the monster's back and tried to hamper his movement. Both of them crashed on the ground and Draco managed to hit the creature again. It was still weak from the spell, and its jaw seemed to be broken, but like them it was fighting for its life. The struggle continued for a moment, until Draco managed to crush its skull with a final blow, and then it lay still.

They were both panting, covered in blood and mud. He had a long gash on his leg from one of the creature's bite, and they had both several smaller scratches.

"You okay?" he asked between two deep breaths.

"Yeah, I think." She examined herself, noting absently that she wasn't bothered anymore about her nudity.

Christ, we almost died here. That kind of thing changes one's priorities.

They were trembling with reaction. She remembered something else.

"I felt Luna's mind when I touched you."

"I felt it as well." He looked around. "This is not a good place, but perhaps we should try and let them know how things stand."

"Yes. It's probable better to sit down and hold hands."

They did that and tried to relax their minds. It was not easy, but suddenly they felt the others' presence, and then it was a storm of competing thoughts.

Harry!

Ginny!

What happened?

Where are you?

Calm down all of you! came Luna's strong thought. Let's have it one at a time. Hermione you first.

She explained rapidly what had happened, skipping most details. Draco took over.

We're ok but if we stay longer in this rain we're going to catch pneumonia, so the best thing is to try and contact you later, when we'll have a shelter.

All right replied Harry, but don't go too far from the circle. We'll try to find a way to get you back and Luna will be listening in case you need to contact us.

After a last exchange they broke the contact. Hermione and Draco closed their eyes and didn't say anything for a while. The fight and the relief of knowing that their friends were aware of the situation had exhausted them.

She looked at him.

"Your leg doesn't look good. We should clean it out before it gets infected."

He examined the wound. It wasn't too deep but there were traces of mud and foam from the monster's saliva. The rain was heavier now. He extended his leg to let the water wash it.

"That's not going to be good enough." She looked at him seriously. "You should pee on it."

"WHAT?"

"Urine is a good natural disinfectant. It's salty and basically sterile as far as you are concerned."

"Are you crazy?"

She sighed.

"Believe me it works. Well I haven't tried it of course, but it was a standard Muggle trick for some wild tribes."

He looked at her carefully, trying to see if she was putting him on. She held his gaze without flinching.

"You can trust me. I've been a scout, and I've also read all about that survival stuff."

He still didn't budge.

"I'll turn around if you want," she added. "I'll start on recovering the fur. We'll need it."

"Yeah, you do that," he said after a moment.

He walked to the side and endeavored to do as she suggested.

Crazy Muggles. They're even weirder than you can think.

He managed to produce a weak stream and stifled a cry as the salty fluid came into contact with the raw wound. That with the rain seemed to clean it all right. He returned toward where she was squatting to skin the creature with the sharp edge of the stone. It was a rather sexy sight. He quickly averted his eyes and tried to think about something else.

"Can I help?"

"Yes. You pull here, and I'll cut the adherences."

It was the most disgusting work they had ever done, but they managed to recover a large surface of bloody fur. It was badly ripped in places, and there were some grisly remains attached here and there, but it was something they could use.

"Do you think we should get some of the meat?" he asked.

"It's a carnivore, so the meat is not going to be very good. But we could recover some of the fat to protect ourselves from the cold." She wondered about sinews and gut to make to some rope, but that was beyond her skill, and she didn't have to stomach for it in any case.

"For burning?"

"No. To spread on ourselves."

"Yuck!"

She looked at him severely.

"We're not talking about civilized comfort. We could be stuck here for days or worse. If one of us gets sick, it could well be over for both of us."

Draco sighed. She was right as usual when it came to practical matters, and it was as annoying as ever. Still for the first time, he was really glad that she was with him, because it looked like all her knowledge was paying off.

He gestured toward the fur.

"You can dress yourself in that now."

She grimaced and blushed. The pelt was barely large enough for them to cut two crude loincloths. The little practical voice in her mind told her that if they got into a fight, he would need protection more than her. She cut it as best as she could and gave him the biggest half. They didn't have anything to attach it, so they had to use one hand to keep it in place.

"I'm sorry I was such a prude, but I do feel better now." She grinned at him and he grinned back.

Hermione showed him how to cut out fatty layers from the corpse, there wasn't much in any case, and they coated themselves with it, including their hair. The smell was awful, and it made a soapy and gritty mix with the water and the mud, but they did feel a little warmer, and the rain didn't cling as much.

They resumed walking toward the woods. The first thing they looked for were vines to make rudimentary belts out of. After some exploration, they finally found a protected area where a large tree had fallen against a small earth mount. Using branches and some bark, they managed to close off one side and make rough dwelling. With moss and large leaves, they could isolate themselves from the cold ground. Hermione recovered some more or less dry wood. She made a small pile with the smallest twigs and pointed her finger.

"Incendio!"

The wood burst into fire. Draco looked at her hand with wonder.

"I didn't know you could do wandless magic," he said admiringly.

"I got the idea after the ... kidnapping," she replied in a quiet voice. She shivered and he placed his arm around her in an automatic gesture of comfort. "I swore to myself that I was never going to be stuck into such a powerless situation again." She shrugged. "I can only do it for very simple spells, and it takes a great deal of concentration."

"You amaze me. Could you teach me?"

She hesitated. It was a secret which could save her life, and even if Voldemort was gone, Draco's other friends inspired her as much trust as the Death Eaters.

I'm being paranoid.

"It's... complicated," she finally said.

He sensed her reticence and didn't push it.

"It's okay. I can still thank you for saving my ass out there, literally."

She chuckled.

"I think I saved both our asses, and so did you."

He acknowledged that silently.

We're a good team.

The thought was painful. They had been a superb team before their falling out. His opinions hadn't really changed, but the reality of their broken friendship was something that was becoming more and more unbearable.

"Whatever. You really did very well."

Some of the frustrations of the past weeks came back to her, and she lashed out.

"Not bad for a mudblood, hey?"

"Hermione!" She felt him tense and he released her. It was almost as she had struck him. He moved away, and she immediately missed the warmth of his contact.

"I've never thought that about you since we came together." She sensed the genuine hurt in his voice. "I know I was a git before that, but I haven't changed back. Not even since our ... disagreement."

She was a little ashamed of herself, but she'd kept so much bottled up for so long that saying these things was a needed relief.

"Maybe you don't think it, but some of your friends probably do."

He sighed.

"Hermione I know you don't like some decisions which they have made, but you don't really know them."

"Oh, but I do," she replied softly. "Wizards or Muggles we're all human beings, and we have the same weaknesses." She gestured at his leg. "How does your wound feel?"

He looked at it. It wasn't pretty to look at, but it didn't hurt a lot.

"It seems all right."

"Don't you think you'll be colder if it were not for my idea of covering ourselves with goo?"

"Yes but what has this got to do-"

"Draco, there are billions of Muggles and they've been around for thousands of years. They've gone through millions of situations, hundreds of governments. That's experience, and I've read about this. I know what terrible consequences your friends will provoke."

"You've read books," he objected. "It's not really the same."

"Books about power and people, written by historians, scholars, people who've analyzed this." She paused. "I can tell you what they're doing."

He showed curiosity and she looked at him earnestly.

"First it's some little law that discriminates against a minority, and then something further along that line. Trouble happens, people become angry and the minority gets blamed, and it suffers more discrimination. Trust breaks down and fewer people cooperate."

He grimaced. She continued with a toneless voice.

"Things go from bad to worse, and before you know it, the government votes a state of national emergency and grants itself more power."

Draco controlled his expression but inside he was shocked. The minister hadn't announced anything yet, but Trevor had discussed this very measure if Bones and her friends didn't stop their opposition.

"Discontent mounts, and it only goes one way in a vicious circle," continued Hermione. "More and more people are imprisoned, even killed until the dictatorship fails, usually after a bloody war."

Draco could sense that she was sincere. He didn't know if she was right or not, but he would not underestimate her.

"Hermione, I swear by all I hold sacred, that I don't want something like that to happen," said Draco feelingly. "If it ever comes to that I will fight it."

Hasn't it already happened? Merlin I don't know what to think anymore.

She gave him a sad look.

"Maybe you don't want it to happen, but you helped them start it, and you would prevent others from stopping them."

"I can't accept that," he objected. "The goals we discussed are noble. We want to prevent that kind of trouble. We want to prevent the possibility of another Voldemort." He had to make her understand that it wasn't just a question of power.

"It doesn't matter how pure your goals are. They are dangerous. There's a Muggle saying: 'The road to Hell is paved with good intentions'. You're creating conditions for the worst of human nature to come out."

He shook his head. She went on.

"Like you, I can swear by all that I hold sacred, that I am certain that what you are doing will bring tragedy. There is no doubt in my mind. That is why I must fight you."

Hearing those words troubled him deeply. He had been prepared to argue, but the idea of them fighting each other was something else again.

"Do you hate me that much?" he asked softly.

Hermione remembered Harry's assurance that Draco had been manipulated, that it was some kind of a trap. She wasn't fully convinced. Part of her desperately wanted to believe, but another voice was telling her of the risk of letting her guard down, and that she was the last one to realize the danger they were facing. She choked back a sob.

"I don't hate you! Harry and I had friends that we loved dearly and we've lost them."

She cried silently. He reached out his arm toward her.

"I still want to be your friend," he said softly.

She didn't move. Her face was streaked with tears and dirty with mud, but her eyes were bright and eager.

"So do I!"

"Then why do we have to fight?" he asked.

"Because we don't believe in the same things."

"I don't think that the things we believe in are so different," he said gently. "I did what I felt was right, and I guess that you're doing the same."

She nodded. He grinned.

"Anyway, it's not like politics counts for much right now."

She laughed through her tears.

"No. It sure doesn't."

"So can we forget about it for the night?" His arm was still extended and inviting. She moved in and snuggled against him.

"I'd like that, yes."

Disappearances Ch27 - 18