Harry Potter and the Unexpected Ally

Harry Potter and the unexpected ally

When Harry, Hermione and Ron were leaving the Great Hall to go to the Ministry of Magic, they felt sad and confused. The fact that they did not know if they would ever come back to Hogwarts made their heart ache. During the last few days after Dumbledore's funeral Hermione had re-read half the library and made huge piles of notes. Harry had sat down for hours to write down every little detail he had learned about the Horcruxes from his travels with Dumbledore and into the Pensieve. Ron had planned their departure and tried to comfort his sister Ginny who still could not get over the fact that Harry had abandoned their relationship and was planning to go on a dangerous quest without her. Harry, Hermione and Ron said good-bye to their friends and then took the little luggage they were able to take with them and kicked their brooms off towards London.

* *

Mr. Weasley welcomed them cordially at the Ministry of Magic. On the way to his bureau, he asked them, "And you really don't want to stay at our house? Molly and I would be glad to have you around."

Harry smiled sadly. "Thank you Mr. Weasley but we'll stay at Grimmauld Place. I really do not want to bring you into more danger with us staying at the Burrow. But when it's all over we will stay with you for a while."

Mr. Weasley looked at him with concern and affection. "I really hoped you would already be there... Please promise me the three of you will be careful!"

"I'll promise that I'll do anything to keep Ron and Hermione out of danger!"

Hermione blustered, "Thanks a lot! But we are going to help you and not be herded by you!"

Ron added, "And we can take care of ourselves, too! We are all grown-ups now!"

Mr. Weasley smiled. "Don't argue. I am sure he did not mean you could not. Nevertheless, Harry please be careful, too! Don't forget to care for yourself, too..."

Harry answered in a hushed voice. "Thank you, Mr. Weasley! Um, and I have to apologize because I hurt Ginny when I left her at Hogwarts. But I could not stand it if she were hurt on our quest..."

Mr. Weasley smiled reassuringly. "We know that, Harry! Ginny will understand you some day, too. ... Maybe you two can start from anew when you are back at Hogwarts."

Harry sighed. "Yes. Maybe." In his mind, he added, "If we'll succeed and I won't be killed while I'm trying to kill Voldemort..."

Mr. Weasley opened the door of his bureau and looked around before he closed it after them. Then he whispered, "I can't let you into the library by day. You will have to stay in my bureau until I leave and all the others are gone, too. Then you will have to slip into the library carefully... You know where it is?"

Hermione nodded energetically. "Yes and we already found a way to get there without using the lift!"

Ron shuddered. "Yeah, we'll use the air conditioning systems and crawl there."

Harry grinned. "Ron is afraid there might be spiders!"

Ron flushed. "I'm not afraid! I just don't like them!"

His father smiled at him lovingly. "You never did. Tea, anyone?"

* * *

Ginny sat at her bed in Hogwarts staring at her book absent-mindedly. Her thoughts were spinning around Harry, Ron and Hermione and she realized that the fear for their security was fighting with a sentiment of anger that they had left her behind. If Dumbledore had failed when he tried to fight the Dark Lord, how could her friends succeed? Moreover, why did they treat her as if she was a child?

Luna came into the room. "Ginny, are you okay? I saw Harry, Ron and Hermione leave and I thought you might need someone to talk..."

Ginny leaned against the wall. "That's a good idea Luna. I really would not like to be alone now! I am so afraid that I will never see them again! Moreover, I really am angry at them, that they did not take me with them. I was in the DADA lessons Harry gave, too, and I was fighting with you all against these bloody Death Eaters in the Ministry of Magic! I can take care of myself and I could help them!"

Luna smiled at her. "I understand why you feel that way. But you know how Harry is: always doing the hero and trying to keep everyone else out of danger!"

Ginny snorted. "I am not anyone else! I am - I was his girlfriend! I hate it to be left behind! Harry should know that I grew up with a bunch of brothers - I am no little fearful weak girl he can send home to cry in mommy's arms."

Luna grinned. "But Ginny that you are his girlfriend must make it worse for Harry to know you might be hurt! I saw you together and I am sure that he loves you. When it's all over, he will come back to you!"

Ginny was unconfident if she should smile or cry. "Do you think so? But he might be dead when everything is over..."

Luna shook her head. "Ron and Hermione are with him, they'll take care of one another. It is not the first time they are in danger!"

Ginny sighed. "Maybe you are right. Do you think they will close Hogwarts?"

"I fear so. My father heard something like that."

Ginny looked even sadder than before. "I will miss Hogwarts and my friends. What shall we do until they open it up again?"

Luna sighed. "I have no idea, but I will send you an owl each week and tell you what I do."

Ginny laughed. "That way I won't become bored at least!"

* * * *

The next morning, Mrs. McGonagall told them that the teachers had decided to close Hogwarts for at least half a year. When she had explained the plans for the students' departure, Mrs. McGonagall came to Ginny. Ginny saw that she looked very tired and her eyes were red as if she had been crying for days.

Mrs. McGonagall's voice sounded as resolute and controlled as always. "Miss Weasley, here is a letter from you family. You are requested to pack your brother's, Miss Granger's and Mister Potter's possessions into their trunks, too. Their trunks will me moved to your parents' home, too. If you need some help, I am sure some of the other girls will help you."

Ginny smiled. "Yes, Mrs. McGonagall. Thank you." While she was packing everything with Luna's and Neville's help, she felt terrible, as if her life would never be the same again.

At the Hogwarts Express, the usual fuss could not be heard. Most of the time the students were lost in their own thoughts, memories and fears and only few words were spoken. At the Platform 9 ¾ every witch and wizard was saying good-bye to loved friends, promising to send owls and chatting about the reopening. Couples were crying because nobody could tell them when they would see each other again. The parents were standing between their children and seemed helpless, too.

Mrs. Weasley greeted her daughter with a hug and a kiss. "Come on baby, let's go home. Maybe everything will turn out fine sooner as we expect."

Ginny followed her but she still did not want to wait for somebody else to fix everything. When they arrived at the Burrow, she asked her mother, "Mom, can I join the Order of the Phoenix?"

Mrs. Weasley looked shocked. "Of course not! It is much too dangerous!"

"But dad and you are in the Order, too."

"Yes, Ginny. But you are not even an adult witch and you did not pass your NEWTs yet!"

Ginny sulked. "Ron, Harry and Hermione did not pass them, too! And maybe none of us ever will because Hogwarts was closed!"

"Ron, Hermione and Harry are a year older than you and it is not the first time they are trying to solve such a task."

"But I helped them before!"

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Harry has to do this because he might be the only wizard who can do it and he needs Ron's and Hermione's help because they were his friends from the start. I absolutely do not like it that they are on their own but your father wanted me to let them try. He trusts in them. But I do not want you to be in danger, too!"

Ginny hissed, "You sound like Harry!" She ran into her room, slamming the door behind her.

* * * * *

After seven days during which Draco had been running almost all day long and flying almost the whole nights with Professor Snape and the Death Eaters that had attacked Hogwarts, they arrived at a camp with black tents. The camp lay hidden in the woods. Draco could rarely keep himself on his feet and he often had expected to fall asleep while flying during the endless nights. It was early afternoon and the wizards moving around the camp, all wearing black robes, had started to light some lamps.

Snape pushed Draco towards a girl with intensely green eyes and pitch-black hair. "Mister Malfoy, this is my niece Cruella Snape. I guess she is the only person about your age here. Stay with her until we have decided what we will do with you." He rushed away.

Draco stared at the girl. "I did not know that Professor Snape has a brother..."

The girl smiled coldly. "A sister. I can imagine that he does not talk about her. She is in St.Mungo's. And you are..?"

Draco gave her a cool and slightly arrogant smile. "I am Draco Malfoy."

"I should have guessed. You look very much like your father. Why did Severus bring you here? He seemed angry."

Draco's self-assured behaviour was crushed a bit. "The Dark Lord had given me orders to kill the head of our school, Albus Dumbledore. However, I ... I failed and Professor Snape killed him instead. We had to leave Hogwarts with a group of Death Eaters because of this. Why aren't you attending any magical school?"

Cruella's smile seemed sad this time. "I made my NEWTs in Shamrock Castle last year before father decided that he wanted me around. That is why he let Severus fetch me and take me to England. I would have preferred to be trained at Shamrock one more year to become a healer."

Draco raised a brow. "Your father is a Death Eater, too?"

Cruella laughed but it sounded like a cold winter wind. "Quite so - he's standing over there besides my uncle..."

Draco became even paler than before. "The Dark Lord?! He's your father?!"

Cruella answered slightly amused by his shocked face, "Yes, that's my father. I fear he will not be pleased to hear that you could not follow his orders."

Draco tried to appear fearless. "What do you think he will do?"

Cruella studied him and answered honestly, "I don't know. He might be very angry and if he decides about you at once without talking to Narcissa and Bellatrix you might be in real big trouble..."

Draco could not prevent his face from becoming white as a piece of chalk, his voice sounded broken. "Do you think he will kill me?"

Cruella looked into his eyes and waited for a long time before she spoke. In Draco's mind thoughts were chasing each other - he thought about his father in Azkaban, about the moment when he had realized that he could not force himself to kill Professor Dumbledore and about his mother who had to be somewhere in the camp, too. What would his mother do if her husband was in Azkaban and her son was killed before her eyes?

Cruella's voice sounded reassuring. "No. He will not."

Draco frowned but he sounded hopeful. "Why do you think so?"

Cruella smiled at him warmly. "I won't let him do such a thing to you! I promise you that I will speak for you."

"Why would you do such a thing? You don't even know me."

"Don't be sure about that. I think you are worth to be saved. By the way, you seem to be hungry and tired. Let's get you something to eat." She took his hand and led him to one of the tents and to an armchair. "Please sit down and feel welcome! I will fetch you some food." When she re-apparated they ate together and talked about their schools.

Suddenly Snape apparated in the tent. "I expected to find you here. Mr Malfoy, the Dark Lord will decide about you tomorrow. Bellatrix and your mother will talk to him now. You can stay with Cruella if she is willing to share her room with you." Snape looked to his niece.

Cruella nodded. "Yes. He can stay here. I suppose your Slytherins learned how to behave?"

Snape smiled at her. "Of course." Then he left.

* * * * * *

Draco lay awake in his bed, unable to sleep, thoughts rushing through his mind.

Suddenly he felt Cruella's hand on his shoulder and heard her voice in his head. "Don't talk. Just think - I will hear you. You are shivering - are you feeling cold?"

Draco felt ashamed; he did not want anyone to see him in such a troubled state. He always had been proud about his self-control and that he could seal away his emotions from everybody. And he had been shivering. He could not forget Dumbledore's shocked look when he had realized that his old friend and ally Snape was going to kill him. Now the old man was dead. Some way Draco had liked him. He had never been a role model for him as Snape was for the Slytherines but he had respected Dumbledore because he had been strong and wise. Moreover, the old wizard had been murderously trusting. He could feel Cruella's smile on his face in the darkness of their tent.

Then he heard her voice again in his thoughts. "You weren't able to kill him."

Draco felt even worse. There he was - in a tent with the Dark Lord's daughter and he had ashamed his family because he had failed.

Cruella's voice came softly into his thoughts. "You did not fail. You had compassion and you did not want to kill someone you respected. I appreciate that. Tomorrow I will start teaching you Occlumency and Legilimency. You are as easy to read as a child's book..."

Her hand brushed lightly over his blonde hair that was almost white. "You are still shivering. I'll warm you." She slipped under his carpet besides him, stretched herself along his back and wrapped her arms around him. "Sleep well, little dragon."

Draco hesitated. "What about the others? Won't the Dark Lord be angry if..."

He felt her smile again. "Don't worry. I wake up early. They will not find us together. Sleep now. You need the rest."

Draco felt his tense muscles relax a bit. Nobody had ever taken him into his or her arms or comforted him. His father had always wanted him to be strong and self-assured. His mother wasn't much of the comforting type, too. Cruella's embrace felt strange and warm and he really liked to feel her warm breath against his neck.

* * * * * * *

When they arrived at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, Harry, Ron and Hermione sat down at the old sofa and spread their papers and notices onto the heavy black table.

Hermione sighed. "What do we know by now?"

Ron yawned. "I don't want to be unhelpful but I know that I didn't sleep all night!"

They had been searching the Ministry's library all night, reading everything that might give them a hint what and where the Horcruxes were and how they could be destroyed. In the morning, they had crawled back to Mr. Weasley's bureau and he had forced them to have a little breakfast with him. Then he had brought them out of the Ministry of Magic and they had hurried to Harry's house.

Harry yawned, too. "Maybe we should try and get some sleep before we look at all this stuff."

Hermione frowned. "What if Kreacher sees it?"

Harry's face became angry as usual when he was reminded that he owned Sirius' house elf now. "We'll close all the doors with a spell and then he won't come in."

Hermione's eyes still showed insecurity and distrust. "Then the two of you can sleep and I'll drop some more notes. When you wake up, I'll sleep, too."

Ron grinned. "Thanks. I forgot that books always make you too excited to sleep."

Harry smiled at them. "Maybe you are right to be careful Hermione. If you want to sleep, I can take the first wake, too."

Hermione smiled at him. "No, thanks. You can sleep first. I'm not that tired."

Harry nodded. "Okay. But wake me up once you become too tired."

Hermione agreed, "I will."

While the two were fast asleep, Hermione re-read most of the things they had written down, making some more notes. When Harry woke up early in the morning, she fell asleep almost immediately. Harry who had been haunted in his dreams by images of his godfather Sirius being killed by his own cousin Bellatrix Lestrange and Snape killing his mentor Dumbledore, stared at the old furniture that belonged to many generations of the Black family and wondered how everything could have ended in such a terrible mess.

* * * * * * * *

After a good night's sleep, Hermione was excited to tell her friends what they had found out until that point. Ron had to hide a smile because as usual she sounded like one of the teachers at Hogwarts.

"I think there are four important questions: What exactly are Horcruxes? Which objects did Voldemort use? Where are his Horcruxes now? And how can we destroy them?"

Harry nodded in agreement.

Hermione went on. "To start with question number one, a Horcrux is a magical object created through the use of the Dark Arts by evil witches or wizards. The creation of a Horcrux is an evil and violent act. The soul of the creator must be torn into at least two pieces to provide a portion of the soul to conceal within the object. To do this, the creator must commit murder, which rips the soul apart and then cast a spell to infuse one part of the soul into the intended Horcrux. The Horcrux is usually hidden away in a safe location because it is not invulnerable. As long as it exists, the destruction of the creator's body does not result in death, but leaves the creator in a state of half-life. Once the physical Horcrux is destroyed, the witch or wizard again becomes vulnerable to death through physical destruction. Voldemort seems to be the only wizard who has created more than one Horcrux and he seems to have destroyed his humanity by that."

Ron shivered. "That really sounds horrible..."

Harry pressed, "Yes, but it does not get us very far to know how such a thing is created! I plan to destroy and not make them!"

Hermione felt hurt. "Maybe it doesn't get us very far, but I think we tried to find out everything about it!"

Harry tried to appease her. "No offence meant. I appreciate all the work you do to help us be successful!"

Ron felt the tension in the room and asked forcefully cheerful, "And what do we know about the objects Voldemort chose?"

Hermione smiled at him. "Obviously every object can be used. Of course, one would choose a durable object, because its destruction removes the protection from death that it provides to its creator. I guess Voldemort chose objects of significance - maybe things of sentimental or historical value."

Harry nodded. "Professor Dumbledore assumed that he chose things that befitted his wish to become the most important wizard of the whole magical sphere - and things showing his hatred to be Muggle-born."

Hermione snorted. "Yes. That is why the Death Eaters hunt down Muggle-born witches and wizards, too... Professor Dumbledore believed that Voldemort created six Horcruxes from six of his murders, thus concealing his soul within seven seperate locations. He thought that Voldemort chose to split his soul into seven pieces because seven is a powerful mystical number. With six soul fragments hidden in the Horcruxes and the remainder of his soul within his body, anyone wishing to kill Voldemort must first locate and destroy all of his Horcruxes. Professor Dumbledore was sure about three of the assumed Horcruxes. Two of these were already destroyed: Number one was Tom Riddle's diary, that he created when he killed Moaning Myrtle and that Lucius Malfoy secretly slipped into Ginny's cauldron at the Flourish & Blotts bookstore. You remember: Ginny opened the Chamber of Secrets under the spell of Voldemort's former self caught up in the diary. Harry destroyed the diary Horcrux with the Basilisk's tooth when he rescued Ginny and he realised the connection between the diary and Tom Riddle's presence in the Chamber when he destroyed it. Number two was Marvolo Gaunt's ring that Professor Dumbledore found hidden in the Gaunt shack. Events of Voldemort's childhood and life suggest that he took the ring when he murdered his father, Tom Riddle Sr. and wore it at Hogwarts. This Horcrux was destroyed by Professor Dumbledore before the start of our sixth year at Hogwarts. That he was seriously injured and his hand blackened and burned due to a curse placed upon the Horcrux ring shows us that we will have to be extremely careful! We have the ring which was in he Headmaster's office with its black stone cracked down the middle and the diary that Dobby braught us from Malfoy manor. The third Horcrux, Professor Dumbledore was sure about was Salazar Slytherin's locket. Voldemort hid it in an underwater cave where he had terrified other children from his orphanage when he was a child. He had stolen the locket and other items belonging to the Hogwarts' founders from Hepzibah Smith, a descendant of Helga Hufflepuff. He had killed her to make it a Horcrux and altered her house elfs mind to let the poor creature think he killed his mistress himself! When Harry and Professor Dumbledore went to the cave and recovered the locket Horcrux, they found a note: >>To the Dark Lord - I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more. R.A.B.<< That R.A.B. might have been successful or he might not have been... Do we have any guesses about R.A.B.?"

Harry seemed to be lost in his thoughts and tried to get rid of the memories of the Inferi in the Lake grabbing for them and how weak the Professor had been when they came back to Hogwarts...

Ron looked around. "B. might be Black. What was the name of Sirius' brother? Remulus?"

"Regulus," Harry murmured carelessly.

Hermione looked at him sharply. "Regulus Black - he didn't happen to have a middle name, did he?"

Harry stared at her with a start. "He had indeed: Arcturus! He might be R.A.B.! Especially as he tried to leave Voldemort when he realized what it meant to be a Death Eater...Sirius said he never found out what happened to his brother. Maybe he was killed when he tried to destroy the locket!"

Ron frowned. "Didn't we see some kind of locket here when we were here with the Order of the Phoenix?"

Harry sprang to his feet. "Yes, of course! There was a locket and Sirius couldn't remember that it belonged to the family!"

Hermione's voice sounded thrilled. "Ron! Where did you see that locket?"

Ron jumped to his feet, too, and walked to a chest of drawers in one corner. "It was in this drawer. Alohomora!"

The drawer sprang open and Harry grabbed the locket and looked at it carefully. "There are letters on it: S. 989"

Hermione paled. "Good Goddess! I think it's Slytherin's locket! Hogwarts was founded in 989!"

Harry looked at her determinedly. "It seems intact. I fear, Regulus couldn't destroy it - if it is the Horcrux at all. What do we know about destroying a Horcrux?"

Ron turned pale. "You mean besides the fact that it might kill the one who tries."

Harry's voice was grave. "Yes. I mean besides that."

Hermione was searching through her notes frantically. When she had found a little piece of parchment she answered, "To destroy such an object, you have to use the Dark Arts, too. We need a circle of candles, blood and the Avada Kedavra curse... But Harry - it really might kill you if you try."

Harry hissed, "So what? Would you like it better if Voldemort does it?"

Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "No. Of course not! But I will try a protective spell on you first. Maybe it will help. I found it in a very old book written by Rowena Hufflepuff and it is said to protect the person you put it on from every sort of danger for some time... She used it to protect those who had to hunt dragons that were attacking muggles and wizards."

Harry nodded. "Try it. I don't mind some protection. Ron could you fetch some candles from the kichen, please?"

When Ron came back with the candles, they placed them into a circle.

Hermione swallowed hard. "Now you have to place the locket in the middle of the circle and put seven drops of your blood on it..."

Harry took a knife Sirius had given to him some day and cut his hand. Then Hermione pointed her wand at him and said the spell.

Ron asked, "Do you feel safer now?"

Harry grinned with cold determination in his eyes. "Little bit. Please leave the room."

Hermione protested, "Harry!"

He looked at her darkly. "Do you think it will be of much help if we all get killed?!"

Ron hushed, "Hermione, he might be right. If he gets hurt, he'll need our help, too!"

Reluctantly they left the room and heard Harry say resolutely, "Avada Kedavra!" They heard a loud cracking sound and a scream, then all was quiet.

* * * * * * * * *

"Harry!!!" Hermione screamed and rushed back into the room.

The locket was broken and a snake could be seen inside of it engraved into the silver. Some of the chairs were knocked over and Harry lay crouched together in a corner. The flames of the candles were extinct.

Hermione kneeled down at Harry's side and lifted his head into her leap carefully. "Harry?" she asked softly.

Ron sat down beside them, his face full of fear. "Is he...?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, he's alive."

Harry opened his eyes with a soft mourn. He sat up and smiled at them shakenly. "Wow, I guess this was a Horcrux! Thank you for the protective spell, Hermione! I have the feeling it came in handy!"

Ron stared at him. "What happened to your hair?!"

Harry looked at Ron, his gaze was confused. "Why?"

Hermione sounded tearful. "There are grey wisps in it!"

Harry laughed. "Do I look wiser now?"

Tears started to run down Hermione's face. "That's not funny, Harry Potter! I feared we would lose you!"

Harry embraced her, mocking her lovingly. "Don't you know: I am the boy who lived... Everything's alright, Hermione! I am fine, your protection spell worked and there are only three Horcruxes left by now!" He laughed. "And I heard that the girls love grey wisps, they are manly."

Hermione hit him softly with a her hand on the head but she had to laugh, too.

Ron, who seemed immensely reliefed, teased him, "That's not fair! First you get the girls because of your name and now because of your looks, too? What about me?"

Harry grinned. "I heard some girls like ginger hair and freckles, too..."

Hermione laughed even more. "O come on! Is there anything else you care about than girls?"

Harry nodded. "O yes! Food! I am starving!"

They put all their notes and the three destroyed Horcruxes into a bag, dressed in Muggle clothes and went into town to celebrate their first success in a Muggle restaurant. Hermione had gotten a credit card from her parents when she had said good-bye to them after explaining that she had to help Ron and Harry. Ron was excited and confused how things worked in the Muggles' part of London and Harry and Hermione enjoyed his child-like delight. The walked through the streets and shops the whole day and went to bed, when they returned.

* * * * * * * * * *

When Draco woke up in the morning, Cruella had already left the tent and for a moment, he wondered if it had been a dream. Then he remembered how her arms had felt around his body and how secure he had felt. He smiled and got dressed for the day. Then he left their tent to search for her. Most of the Death Eaters were still asleep. The sun was just about to rise and mist was curling through the camp. In some tents, sounds could be heard of wizards making breakfast. The normality of these sounds was almost irritating. He walked on and finally he heard Cruella and the Dark Lord.

Cruella just said, "Father, I'm going to teach some reasonable magic to Lucius Malfoy's son. He did not learn anything useful in that Hogwarts School. But I think he could be useful to you once he has learned what Necro Khan, Bellatrix and you taught me."

The Dark Lord's voice was cold like ice. "I am sure he could learn from you. However, I am not sure yet if I will let him live. He betrayed me and his family and Severus had to give up his disguise because of that Malfoy boy."

Draco felt terrible and fear was rushing through his veins. What if he was going to die that day? What if Voldemort would kill his father or leave him in Azkaban forever?

Cruella sounded angry now. "I'd think we could need any powerful wizard. It is not that your numbers were what you wanted them to be. He's Lucius' and Narcissa's son. He can be strong. He just had not the right teachers. Severus had to keep his disguise and the other teachers in that school don't seem to be on your side, father." She said the word father in a tone that did not contain any emotion.

The Dark Lord smiled viciously at her. "You seem to have a little crush on that boy. Would you give me a sacrifice for his life?"

Cruella stared coldly at him. "Yes. I think he's worth that."

The Dark Lord smiled again but his voice seemed to cut the air. "Narcissa already convinced me not to kill her little boy. But I was going to punish him - I thought about my favourite spell..."

Cruella looked shocked. "Father! He has been on the flight for days with Severus and the others to get here. The Cruciatus Curse might kill him at the moment!"

Her father's smile became even more vicious. "Maybe... But I might take you instead of him."

Cruella closed her eyes for a second. "Would you let him live and be taught by me if I take his punishment?"

"Yes."

In Draco's head, the word "NO!" was ringing.

Cruella said calmly, "So be it then. But promise me that he won't know."

The Dark Lord grinned. "Why?"

"It might crush his pride. He's taking much of his strength out of pride I guess, and I don't want to damage it even more."

Her father nodded. "Alright, I won't tell him."

Suddenly Draco heard the Dark Lord's voice in his head and it felt like pure pain. "If you want her to live, show me you can be strong. See what I do to her. Show me that you are worthy. I will drive that stupid weak sentiment and feeling out of both of you! Do not dare to spoil my daughter! I have got plans for her..."

Draco stood where he was and saw helplessly how Voldemort pointed his wand towards his daughter and said calmly, "Crucio."

Cruella's eyes flickered with pain but she stood still and controlled her whole body. Draco felt a burning anger and stared disbelievingly at Voldemort who repeated the spell two times until Cruella fell onto the rocky ground.

The Dark Lord looked at Draco and hissed, "Get her." Then he left.

Draco rushed to Cruella's side. She was unconscious, her closed eyes fluttering. Draco lifted her into his arms forgetting about magic and took her back to the tent. There he lay her down on her blankets as cautiously as he could. He felt tears of anger and pain burn in his eyes and stroke her pitch-black hair helplessly. After a while, he had his feelings under control and just sat besides her waiting for her to wake up.

With a low mourn her eyes flung open and in a second she had her wand in one hand and her other hand painfully grabbed his wrist. She stared at him without recognising him. Then her face softened. "Draco. It's you. Where am I?"

Draco forced the feelings out of his face and said calmly, "I found you outside on the ground. What happened to you?"

Cruella's hand touched her hair that was blood-streaked. "I must have fallen. Maybe I was too careless walking around before sunset."

Draco could not hide his concern for her. "Are you okay?"

She smiled. "Yes. Never felt better before." Cruella sat up and rubbed her back carefully.

Draco looked at her sceptically. "Maybe you should rest for a while."

Cruella stood up, a short flickering of pain on her face. "No way. I am going to teach you how to close up your mind and how to communicate only with the person you intended to."

"But you are pale and your hair is clotted with blood. You might be hurt severely!"

"O shut up, little dragon! We shouldn't waste our time!"

Draco frowned. "Why do you call me that way?"

Cruella smiled at him. "Because you are my fledgling and I will teach you to survive!"

Draco looked slightly angry. "You think I wouldn't survive without help?"

"Yes, little dragon, that's what I think. What are you good at? What did you learn at Hogwarts?"

"I was marvellous at potions."

Cruella laughed. "Yes I heard about that from Severus. But it's not that useful in a direct fight, isn't it?"

Draco's voice sounded hurt. "I'm a Seeker, too."

"That's better! Nevertheless, your mind is open and everyone can read it without an effort. That endangers you."

Draco hissed, "Nobody read my mind at Hogwarts! I already learned Occlumency from Professor Snape!"

"But you are among Death Eaters now! Many of them can read your mind. In addition, reading your mind will be much too easy for my father... Don't be stubborn little dragon - let me teach you or I'll never stop calling you that way."

Amusement made Draco's face softer. "And you'll stop it once I've learned what you are going to teach me?"

She smiled innocently. "Maybe I will - if you'll learn it. Can we start now, please?"

Draco grinned. "Did somebody ever tell you that you have an Irish accent?"

"Heavens, Draco! Severus always told your father you were one of his best students! But you are a lazybones! Of course do I have an Irish accent! I lived there from my fifth year of life on!"

"How was Shamrock Castle?"

Cruella laughed and hit him teasingly with a pillow.

Draco grinned. "All right, let's start the lessons."

Cruella nodded. "Fine, now you're being my good little dragon! Let's go somewhere private."

Draco laid his arm around her shoulders carefully. "Somewhere private? What exactly are you going to teach me today?"

Cruella felt her blood rushing to her face and looked down to the floor.

Draco kissed her on the cheek. "Hey mama dragon, you are shy!"

She ruffled his hair. "Mama dragon?!? Hey, I'm only a year older than you!"

"That's what I was telling you..."

Cruella grinned. "That was the fun time for today. Let's go!"

* * * * * * * * * * *

When they arrived at a large black knotted tree, Cruella looked at Draco. "That's were we are going to learn: in the crown of that tree. That's my favourite place."

Draco stared at her disbelievingly. "You are not going to climb that tree, are you?"

Her face was perfectly innocent. "Why not? I did that before."

Draco shook his head. "But you hurt your head today!"

She grinned. "I did that before, too. Come one little dragon - you are not afraid, are you?" Then she started to climb the tree. He followed her and when they sat comfortably in the crown of the tree, she smiled at him. "You already had Occlumency? Prove it!"

He felt her mind attack his teasingly and blocked her.

"Alright, that is a good start. I'll only have to teach you more advanced forms of Occlumency and Legilimency then."

Draco felt that he was glad to hear her praise him. "What's the difference then?"

"You have to learn to see the unique signature of a wizard's brain and to attune your own signals to it. Then you can hack into his thoughts even if he tries to block you. Before you are going to panic, you can learn to block these attuned attacks as well."

"I was not going to panic! Thanks for caring..."

She laughed. "Don't cry little dragon! By the way: One of the useful aspects of this sort of Occlumency and Legilimency is that you can block or open your thoughts specifically for a specific witch or wizard - like me for example."

Draco seemed interested. "That means that I could close my thoughts to everyone but you!"

"Yes. Exactly."

"That sounds useful indeed! On the other hand I might want to close my thoughts for you, too, if you don't stop calling me little!"

Cruella faked being hurt. "Emotional blackmailing - I'll have to cry!"

He played being shocked. "O please don't cry! It would break my heart!"

Cruella laughed. "I wouldn't want to risk that. Let's start practising."

She explained to him how it worked and then they started a prolonged battle of minds.

At noon, a house elf brought them something to eat and drink. "Mistress Cruella; Master Snape told Whimperer to bring this to you."

Cruella took her wand and called, "Accio bag!" Then she smiled at the little creature. "Thank you, Whimperer! Please tell my uncle that I appreciate this - and that he taught Master Draco simple Occlumency, too".

Whimperer bowed. "Yes, Mistress Cruella. I'll tell Master Snape." He disapparated.

Draco seemed a bit confused. "Professor Snape knows where we are?"

Cruella took the food out of the bag. "Yes. I told you that this is my favourite place. When I'm not in the camp, I use to be here."

"I wouldn't have expected of him to be the caring kind of person..."

Cruella smiled. "He can be. Mostly he just doesn't want to be - or to show it."

After their meal, they went on with their practice and when the light of the sun started to fade, Draco managed to block her mental attacks most of the time.

Cruella sounded satisfied. "You learn easily. That's promising!"

A cold voice caught them by surprise. "That is what I would say, too."

Cruella looked down to the ground. "Father. My family seems to be in an extraordinary caring mood today."

Voldemort snorted. "I don't think so, daughter! But I heard that you had an accident this morning and wanted to know if you needed some mending?"

Cruella's voice was sweet. "No. Thank you, father. How do you know about my accident?"

"Someone saw how young Malfoy here carried you to the tent."

Cruella stared at Draco disbelievingly. "You carried me there? What kind of wizard are you?"

Draco hissed, "I did not know what had hurt you and did not want to make it worse by a spell! You were unconscious! It might have been some sort of spell attack!"

Cruella grinned. "I forgive you for not using magic. Father, you said someone saw him, this someone might not have been you?"

The Dark Lord looked at her demandingly. "Of course not! Naturally I would have helped him."

Cruella sneered, "Of course. You have always been the helpful kind of person, I guess. Helpful being a good hint: We have been very successful with our lessons today."

"I am pleased to hear that you are making good progress. I had feared he might be as useless as his father is. Lucius can be grateful to be in Azkaban! I will never forgive him that he not only failed to get me the prophecy but let this stupid children smash it instead! In addition, you were not extremely successful with your task, too, young Malfoy, were you? Failure seems to run in your family..."

Draco felt hot anger rise in his blood and tried to hide it away - Cruella had risked a lot to save him and she might endanger herself again if he could not control this urge to shout at the Dark Lord at the very instant. He took all his force to close his mind completely. When he looked at Cruella's face he could see that she was burning with anger, too, and cautiously opened his mind to her.

He felt her soothing voice. "He wants to provoke you. Be strong. I trust in you!"

The Dark Lord grinned maliciously. "What did you practise today? Occlumency?"

Cruella's voice did not show the slightest shimmer of emotion. "Yes, father. I thought that he might endanger your plans if every Muggle-loving wizard can read them out of his mind. And I guess you don't want him to join your battle soon?"

The Dark Lord answered, "You are always very thoughtful, child. No, I will give you three month to make a useful Death Eater out of him. Then the two of you will join me when we smash that worthless silly Order of the Phoenix!"

Cruella sneered, "Thank you so much father. It is so very touching that you grant us three month. Especially as you planned this attack in three month anyhow..."

Voldemort shouted at her angrily, "Be careful, Cruella! I appreciate your lack of fear but this will be my last warning: Do not dare to make me angry! I will not spare you because you are my daughter! It is just a matter of passing on my lore - I can have another child to replace you! Beware my wrath!"

Cruella sent Draco a hot short thought full of hatred and pain. "He didn't spare my mother, too. He made one of his creepy little slaves drive her into madness..." Her answer was nevertheless devoted and calm. "My fault, father. I apologize and it won't happen again."

He hissed, "It better will not..." Then he disapparated.

Cruella stared at the spot were he had disappeared with tears of anger filling her eyes. She rubbed impatiently at her face and whispered, "I did not want you to see me that weak..."

Draco embraced her softly. "Weak? Come on, you are the toughest person I ever knew! I would appreciate it very much if you would stop rushing into danger like that, though..." He talked to her mentally because he was afraid the Dark Lord might return to spy on them.

She smiled and answered him the same way. "Thanks. I will try not to get killed by my father or end up in St.Mungo's like my mum..."

"Please do so. Why did he do such a cruel thing to her, anyhow?"

Cruella stared at her feet. "I do not know exactly, but Severus told me secretly that she wanted to raise me like a normal witch and father wanted me to learn the Dark Arts..."

"And do you miss her?"

"I can't remember her too well. But I remember that her voice was soft and sad all the time and she had incredibly deep green eyes."

Draco smiled a hidden smile. "You've got such eyes, too."

She blushed and changed the topic. "Did you learn Dark Arts?"

Draco's face became gloomy. "Yeah... I learned some pieces of Dark Arts from my father and some small curses at Slytherin. How about you?"

She sighed. "I learned very little at Shamrock, but loads from Bellatrix and father since they let Severus fetch me after my NEWTs."

Draco felt cold and sad. "We should go and get some sleep, don't you think?"

She yawned. "Yes. It was a long day..."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

When Harry woke up the next day, Hermione and Ron were already in the kitchen making breakfast. He smiled at them. "Good morning! I did not sleep that good for weeks! Are you two up for a long time?"

Hermione hugged him. "About an hour or so. I slept much better, too. Now that you could destroy the first Horcrux, there's new hope, we might succeed."

Harry kissed her hair. "We will succeed, Hermione! Together we can do everything!" He smiled at Ron. "Good morning, Ron. That was a bright piece of thinking yesterday! I hope you get used to such sudden inspirations!"

Ron grinned. "I've always been brilliant, I just did not want you to feel like the only slow thinker."

Harry laughed. "That's what friends are for! Hide you from the ugly truth..."

They savoured their breakfast and did the washing up. Then Hermione asked, "Did you realize that Kreacher is gone?"

Harry growled, "I did not miss him a lot!"

Hermione smiled forgivingly. "I know that he did not like Sirius because Sirius did not join Voldemort but what if he told the Death Eaters about the Order of the Phoenix and Grimmauld Place?"

Harry frowned. "You are right. I am quite sure he ran away to Voldemort. But the Order of the Phoenix doesn't reside here anymore."

Ron answered uneasy, "Yes. But we do. And Voldemort and his Death Eaters might come here to see if you come to your uncle's house..."

Harry nodded. "I fear that's true. We should leave today and better not come back. We already found all useful things here, anyhow! Let's take everything we have and leave the house. It is even worse: Not only is Kreacher gone but we also forgot about Snape! He will have joined the Death Eaters after he killed Professor Dumbledore and he knows this place, too!"

Ron asked, "But where will we go?"

Hermione smiled. "To a hotel. My parents won't be angry at us if we use their card to live in a hotel for some time. There are some nice ones that are not expensive. And I don't think Voldemort and Snape will think about a hotel when they should search for us."

Harry grinned. "Fine. Let's have a Muggle holiday, then! I would say: Let's go through Sirius' and the Blacks' stuff. We might find something useful. Candles and the like. We take everything that's easy to transport! Then we take all our clothes and notes and the like and leave."

Two hours later, they all stood in the entrance hall planning where to go. They talked in hushed voices to avoid getting the attention of the picture of Mrs. Black who always shouted at trespassers and hated Muggle-born and half-blood witches and wizards.

Hermione smiled. "O, boys, one more thing: We really have to be careful nobody sees we check into a hotel with brooms!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

In the hotel "Dragon Fly Inn" which they had partly chosen due to the name they booked two rooms, one for Hermione and one for Ron and Harry. They put their luggage into the rooms and met in the boys' room to discuss the missing Horcruxes.

Hermione took the lead in their discussion, as usual. "Okay. There are three Horcruxes left if Dumbledore is right and Voldemort split his soul into seven pieces. Professor Dumbledore had some ideas about possible Horcruxes: One was a small golden cup once belonging to Helga Hufflepuff, which Voldemort stole from Hepzibah Smith when he stole the locket, too. As he seems to have loved Hogwarts more than anything else, Voldemort might have tried to use one item from every founder of Hogwarts as Horcruxes. We already destroyed Slytherin's locket. The cup is the only known item that still exists from Helga Hufflepuff. He will have tried to get something from Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw as well. Professor Dumbledore was very confident that Gryffindor's only known surviving relics are his sword which is hidden in the Headmaster's office and the sorting hat. So maybe he could not get anything that belonged to Gryffindor. Unfortunately there are no items left from Rowena Ravenclaw - besides the moving stairs in Hogwarts but he can't have used these as a Horcrux, can he?"

Harry frowned. "I don't think he did. From the ones you mentioned so far, I would only consider the golden cup...What else do we have?"

Hermione sighed. "Not much, unfortunately! Professor Dumbledore believed that the final Horcrux was to be made from Harry's murder, considering his importance as the "Chosen One" foretold by Professor Trelawney. Since that attempt failed, Dumbledore believed that the murder of his caretaker Frank Bryce that Harry saw in one of his dreams produced the last Horcrux, and that the snake Nagini was the vessel."

Harry sounded annoyed. "So all we have is a monstrous snake that attacked Ron's father and a tiny gold cup? What is the third one?"

Ron suggested, "There could be something left from Rowena Ravenclaw."

Hermione nodded. "Yes. We should try to find that out.There could as well be something else from Godric Gryffindor."

Harry looked at her sceptically. "We should check that, too. But I think he would have used it for me. If Nagini is the last one and he already had five Horcruxes when he tried to kill me, it should be something else."

Ron sighed. "There's yet another problem: Where is that golden cup. And how do we get close to Nagini? She will be with Voldemort, won't she?"

Harry's face darkened. "Yes. That's what I would fear..."

Hermione said cautiously, "Harry, I don't want to hurt you, but if Voldemort created a Horcrux when he killed your parents, it may still be in that house were they tried to hide from him."

Harry winced slightly. "In Godric's Hollow. Yes, maybe. But he was reduced to some kind of bodiless ghost after he had tried to kill me and if I was going to be the key to his last Horcrux, he wouldn't have used my parents' murder just before that, don't you think? Or would he have created more than one Horcrux at a time?"

Hermione took his hand. "But if he did, he might have used something from Godric Gryffindor and it might still be there..."

Harry sighed. "We will check for that. Another idea: Tom Riddle's diary was in the possession of one of his Death Eaters, Lucius Malfoy. Maybe he gave some of the others to his followers, too."

Hermione considered this. "Maybe he did. Who could have it then? The Malfoys won't have more than one. Which Death Eaters are closest to him?"

Harry spit the name, "Severus Snape! Maybe one of the Horcruxes is at Snape's home on Spinner's End."

Ron objected, "But would he trust him? Snape was some kind of double spy..."

Harry nodded. "Maybe Bellatrix?"

Hermione sounded disencouraged. "It could be any of his close followers...By the way, the Horcruxes could as well be in the Gaunt family's hut were the ring was, in the Shire of Little Hangleton. As he was possesssed with Hogwarts, it could be in or near Hogwarts, too! Or maybe even in Transilvania, were he was in exile after his failure to murder Harry..."

Harry seemed thoughtful. "I don't think he would hide something important on a place where he had been weak. And he would not leave two Horcruxes at the same place. That rules out the Gaunt shack."

Ron's face looked tired and disencouraged. "Maybe we should try to find out what it is first."

Harry yawned. "Maybe we should stop wondering for today and go to Diagon Alley and search books about Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw. I assume he took something from them as a Horcrux."

Ron sank onto his blankets. "Yes, let's finish for today. I am extremely tired - and hungry."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Draco's sleep was tormented by nightmares once again and he woke up in the middle of the night. He sat up and heard a faint sound. When he listened to it intently, he realized that Cruella was crying quietly.

He went to her bed and softly touched her shoulder. "Cruella?"

She turned around having a guilty look on her face and hastily wiping away her tears. "I'm fine, Draco. You can sleep. Did I wake you up?"

He sat down besides her. "I couldn't sleep. Bad dreams, you know. Do not lie to me, please! You are the only person that I feel I can trust. Why were you crying?"

Cruella's eyes filled up with tears again. "I have been thinking about my mother. I wished I could do something for her!"

Draco stroked her hair. "Is that the reason why you wanted to become a healer?"

"Yes. I hoped that I might find a way to get her back."

Draco embraced her. "Maybe you will."

Cruella rested her head against his cheek. "Please do not misunderstand me now but would you share my bed with me and hold me tonight?"

"You can trust me, too. I would like to share your bed and I will not exploit this situation."

Cruella lay down on her pillows again and snuggled up to him. When Draco woke up, he felt disappointed because she was already gone. He liked to be with her and felt as if he had never been closer to anyone in his whole life. Was he falling in love with the Dark Lord's daughter? Draco prayed that he would not lead them into disaster. He sensed that Cruella felt close to him, too. She must have been very lonesome during her year with the Death Eaters.

Draco startled when Cruella apparated in front of him with a basket of food and tea. "Good morning, little dragon! I hope you are ready to some more lessons today?"

Draco grinned. "After such a breakfast I will be ready to do everything you want!"

Cruella teased him, "You should be careful with this kind of promise, little dragon! I might want to have a short trip to Romania to see a real dragon or to get a striptease from you..."

Draco laughed. "You don't know what you would miss if you don't ask to me to do striptease for you..."

Cruella blushed. "Thanks, I would not want to lose my appetite."

Draco pouted. "Most girls in Hogwarts found that I was handsome."

"So you had erotic dance shows in Hogwarts? In Shamrock Castle the only thing that might have happened was that someone was drinking to much Whiskey and singing weird songs..."

Draco snapped mockingly, "I don't talk to you - you said you found me disgusting!"

"Heavens, Draco. Don't be sulky! You are handsome but I'd rather have my breakfast without any entertainment!"

Draco smiled. "Did you know that you get even more beautiful when you blush?" He enjoyed her face turning pink. Then he looked into the basket. "Wow, you even have got sweets!"

Cruella sat down in front of him. "I was going to teach you some duelling today and you might need some extra energy for it. And you are quite skinny."

Draco grimaced. "Au! Hit me again! Right into the middle of the heart!"

Cruella hit him with her pillow. "Would you please stop being that vain?! I really like you but you make me crazy."

Draco sneered, "I knew my charms would let you melt like snow in a dragon's breath..."

"Draco! You'll get no chocolate if you don't stop being annoying!"

"So beautiful and so heartless. You really are worthy of your name."

When she stared at him with fake anger trying to stop herself from falling into a laughing fit, Draco put some tea into a mug. "I am so sorry! Would you please take this cup of tea as a sign of my deep regret?"

She laughed light-hearted and then sighed. "Heavens, Draco, I did not have so much fun since Severus brought me here!"

Draco's face became sad. "I am not sure if I ever had that much fun! At Hogwarts I was much too busy being an obnoxious bully and making life worse for Potter. And the last year..."

Cruella smiled with empathy. "It must have been terrible for you to plan to let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts and to think you would kill the head of the school."

Draco sighed. "I have never been that frightened and desperate before! I liked many of the students there and I do not even know who was killed or hurt... Nevertheless, I thought I had to do it for my parents. I wanted to save them and I knew that father wanted me to be like him."

Cruella took his head into her hands and looked into his eyes. "You are not at all like your father - and you should be proud that you did not make the same mistakes as your father did. You can be proud that you do not have the heart to kill someone you respect!"

Draco embraced her shortly. "I am so glad to have you here! I was afraid what might become of me here..."

For a moment, they did not say a word. Then Draco asked casually, "What are we going to do today?"

Cruella smiled at him. "As you are a seeker, your reflexes should be quite good."

"They are excellent!"

"Of course... I would like to train them a bit more and have a little duelling day."

Draco smiled. "We had a duelling club at Hogwarts. I will try not to hurt you."

Cruella looked at him and said gravely, "You better should try to hurt me because when you have to fight a real duel, your adversary will not be careful not too hurt you."

Draco swallowed hard. "Do you really think this is necessary?"

"Yes."

They went deep into the woods and soon hexes and counter-hexes were whirling around them. They started with verbal spells and soon went on to nonverbal ones. They only used spells that would do no serious harm like the Expelliarmus, Impedimenta, Levicorpus, Mobilicorpus, Incarcerous and the Jelly-Legs-Jinx as well as shield charms. After some hours they were out of breath and extremely tired and hungry.

Cruella grinned. "Well done, little dragon! It was a pleasure to fight you!"

Draco returned the compliment. "Thanks dragon mummy, the pleasure was on my side!"

They went back to the camp laughing about especially funny situations and talking about the usefulness of spells.

When they came to Cruella's tent, Severus was waiting for them. "Cruella, Mr. Malfoy, I was sent to tell you, that the Dark Lord will forgive you that you failed for once. If you will let him down a second time, he will not be lenient toward you again! Do never forget this! The two of you will join us in the battle against the Order of the Phoenix. Narcissa and I will be sent away to find out its new headquarters as they will have left No 12 Grimmauld Place by now. The Dark Lord expects you to teach Mr. Malfoy everything he will need to be useful in that fight. Be careful, niece. He will be watching your words from now on. You made him very angry! Please be careful." He sent her a mental note. "Cruella you should try to avoid your father for some time! Take care! I do not want to find you dead here when I return! I already lost Ivy..." and went on aloud for both of them, "Mr. Malfoy can have his own tent if he wants to. Or you can share Cruella's tent."

Cruella answered at once. "I'd rather keep him close. He might get himself into trouble."

Draco sneered, "Very unlike you... Fortunately you never do anything dangerous!" and addressed his former head of the house then, "Professor Snape, will I see my mother before you leave?"

"No. I will leave at once and Narcissa is already on her way."

Draco looked disappointed but did not say another word.

Cruella said aloud, "Good-bye Severus. I wish you a successful journey!" and added by Legilimency, "I would not like you to be dead, too, uncle. Be careful, too. Please take care of Draco's mother, too. She seemed very frightened last time I saw her."

Snape smiled at her. "Good-bye!" Then he answered by Legilimency, "I will take care. I always lived a dangerous life. But I will see you again ... some day." Then he disapparated.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Draco learned a lot from Cruella in the following days and he knew some tricks and spells as well which Cruella did not know. They spent their days outside the camp and avoided contact with the Death Eaters or the Dark Lord. When they were not practising or teasing each other, they talked about their lives and the war that would start soon in the magical world. None of them knew about the Muggles' world but Cruella was concerned about the safety of the non-magical people. They both knew that the Dark Lord hated them and wanted to impose his reign not only on the wizards and witches' world but onto the Muggles as well. Draco had never thought about this fact before but he understood her concerns when she told him about her Muggle-born friends' families and how they had often invited her to spend the holidays with them. Draco only had been allowed to meet the children of other pure blood families and had never thought about Muggles before. Cruella told him about her uncle's family who had been Muggles, too. Draco was surprised. They were talking for hours at night - and they always shared one bed. It gave them the feeling of protection and safety, which let them forget their troubled thoughts about the future.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next day at Diagon Alley Harry, Ron and Hermione went straight to the Flourish & Blotts bookstore and started to search for old and new books about the founders of Hogwarts. They bought the most promising ones and took them with them to the hotel. For days, they were reading but it proved successful.

Hermione exclaimed, "Hey, there was another item from Godric Gryffindor: a small golden dagger with a lion on it! It used to be in some kind of cabinet in the head of the house's bureau but it was stolen ... it was stolen during the time James, Sirius, Remus and Peter Pettigrew went to Hogwarts!"

Harry frowned. "That means that Peter Pettigrew might have been dealing with the Death Eaters already in the school time and that Voldemort could have gotten the dagger through him!"

Ron nodded. "That seems very likely. Then we only have to find out were it is - and what the third one is."

Hermione wrote it on their list and they went on reading.

The next day, they got a hint to the last possible Horcrux. This time Ron had found something in an ancient book. "There was an item that belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw... It once stood in the library: it was a little model of the moving stairs made from bronze! But when this book was written, it still stood in the library and I never saw such a thing there."

Hermione beamed. "Wait! I read about that one! Many books reported that it used to stand at the library before it was moved to the Ministry of Magic when other antiquities from school disappeared! The authors' of these books just did not know that it was directly made by Rowena Ravenclaw!"

Harry smiled. "I think, we should visit your father at the Ministry Ron. He might know if it is still there."

Ron grinned. "He will be extremely pleased to see us."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When they were visiting Mr. Weasley at the department, he was indeed overjoyed to see them alive and in high spirits. "What happened to your hair, Harry?"

Harry grinned. "Just a minor magical accident. Nothing of importance."

Mr. Weasley frowned. "Maybe Hermione could turn your grey strands back to black."

"He will not let me try it - he thinks the girls will mistake him for being wise now and love him all the more..."

Harry hit her softly and smiled at her. "Thanks for the mistake him... I do not want to interrupt this highly interesting talk about hair fashion but I do not think that was why we came to see you."

Hermione explained to Mr. Weasley what they were searching for.

Mr. Weasley frowned. "I can remember faintly that there was a theft at the Ministry's Museum Department... It was just two weeks after Narcissa Malfoy started to work at the Ministry as a secretary."

Harry stared at him in disbelief. "Narcissa Malfoy worked as a secretary? Why would she do that? They are rich and her husband is highly influential. I am sure she never worked before..."

Mr. Weasley smiled. "Her work here was not very successful as you assume correctly. She was fired after four weeks."

Hermione frowned. "That sounds very interesting. She might have taken the model or let someone else into the Ministry to get it... maybe her husband and his gang."

Harry nodded. "Yes. I think we found out the what-thing by now. The next interesting question we will have to solve is the where! Thank you so much, Mr. Weasley!"

Ron's father smiled at them lovingly. "I always like to help you and I am very proud of the three of you!"

Harry reciprocated the smile. "Thank you, Mr. Weasley. How is everyone in the family doing by the way?"

Mr. Weasley told him about Charlie who had come to England to join the Order of the Phoenix in the expected battle against the Death Eaters. Then he told about Bill being almost himself again and planning his wedding with Fleur after the battle was over. In addition, he mentioned how Molly was checking the clock all the time to see if Ron might be in severe danger - which did not make much sense because the clock indicated that all the members of the Weasley family were being in mortal danger since the Dark Lord had risen again.

"Fred and George's magical fun supplies shop is going well and they are still enthusiastic about their newest ideas. Molly is still not happy about the shop but to me it seems just the right thing for the twins. They have always been the ones to do such things. Ginny is still angry and sad that you did not take her with you... We tried to explain to her that did not mean you see her as a helpless girl who is not able to take care of herself but she won't have it."

Harry sighed and said in a low tone to Mr. Weasley, "Could you please tell her that I miss her and that I am sure that she will be a great witch? I did not want to hurt her but if I had taken her with me, I always would have cared she might be hurt. I did not want to take Hermione and Ron with me, either, but I had to realize that I would be likely to fail without them on my side..."

Mr. Weasley smiled. "She will be glad to hear that. Please do not break her heart, Harry. Ginny is a good girl."

Harry answered earnestly, "I know, Mr. Weasley. That's why I love her..."

When they were on their way back to the hotel, Ron teased him, "So you are still in love with my little sister, Harry? I am not sure if she likes old, grey haired wizards..."

Harry ruffled Ron's hair. "You think she will leave me for someone younger? Thanks a lot."

Hermione grinned. "If I hear you joking around like that, I almost forget what we are about to do the next time..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Harry, Ron and Hermione decided to search for the cup, the dagger and the model at Godric's Hollow first. Then they would look for the items at Little Hangleton - in the Gaunt shack and Tom Riddle senior's house. Afterwards they would search Snape's flat on Spinner's End and Hogwarts. If they were not successful in these places, there would be the most unpleasant locations left: Bellatrix Lestrange's house and Transylvania's woods. They packed their belongings, checked out of the hotel and left London to travel to Wales were Godric's Hollow was located. As usual, it was raining when they arrived in Wales and they were literally soaked by rain when they arrived at Godric's Hollow.

Ron asked, "Your father's family was from Wales then?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. As far as I know he grew up some villages away from here."

They found the house and saw that it was abandoned. Harry took a deep breath and went inside. Nobody seemed to have been there after the terrible events that had led to Harry becoming "the boy who lived" and stopped Voldemort's rise to power. The main room looked as if there had been an earthquake and personal belongings lay scattered all over the floor. Harry felt cold and sad. His parents had died in this very room and he could not even remember them - or the day when his mother had sacrificed her own life to save her little son. His hands were shaking slightly, when he picked up some of his parents belongings.

Hermione had found something under an armchair. "Harry, this might have been your mother's amulet: There is a picture from your parents in it - and a picture of you."

Harry took it from her, his hands trembling uncontrollably now. Tears were filling his eyes and he whispered, "I wished I would have known them. I wished I could remember..."

Hermione embraced him. She did not say a word - there was nothing to say that would have been of help. Harry buried his face in Hermione's hair and wept for a wile. When he had won his self-control again, he put the amulet around his neck and went through all the rooms.

They did not find any of the three objects they were searching for but Ron found a diary that had belonged to Lily Potter. "Now you can read your mother's thoughts and you will have a chance to get to know her!"

Harry embraced Ron shortly. "Thanks. I will take it with me and read it when everything is over... I do not think we will find any of the Horcruxes here but I would like to visit my parents' graves before we leave Wales."

Ron and Hermione agreed at once. While Harry stood at his parents' grave, touching the cold stone and trying to feel closer to them, Ron and Hermione stood at the gate of the little graveyard and wondered if Harry would be fine.

When he came back to them, his eyes were red but his hands had stopped trembling and his voice was calm. "Thank you for giving me time to be there with them alone. Now I know that they will always be a part of me and that I do not need to remember them to love them... And I am looking forward to reading mom's diary."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After they had practiced spells until late afternoon one day, Cruella and Draco sat on a fallen tree.

Draco asked, "Are you a parselmouth like your father?"

"Yes. Why do you want to know?"

"Then you can talk to snakes."

Cruella frowned. "Yes. That would be the meaning of being a parselmouth!"

"Can you call a snake to you?"

"Why would you want this?"

"I only saw one in Hogwarts shortly. I would like to see a real snake close-by. You could ask her not to attack us, couldn't you?"

Cruella sounded distrusting. "Yes. I could. You do not want to hurt the snake, do you?"

Draco sulked, "Of course not! Is that what you expect from me?"

"You just want to see a snake?"

"Yes. I promise!"

Cruella nodded. "Alright. Then I will call my favourite snake."

She called out in a hissing singsong until a small brown snake appeared that wound around her outstretched hand.

Draco watched fascinated and asked quietly, "Does she have a name?"

Cruella smiled at him and talked to the snake in Parseltongue. Then she told Draco, "She allowed me to give her a name when I first talked to her. I named her Merope - that is the name of my grandmother. I told her that you were a friend and wanted to get acquainted with her."

"Can I touch her? She looks cold."

Cruella hissed melodiously again and informed Draco, "I told Merope that you wanted to touch her skin because she's so beautiful. She will allow it to you."

"She is beautiful. Hey, she feels warm!"

"I think she likes you. But she has to go now before it gets too cold". She kissed the snake on her head and let her down to the floor. The snake sizzled once again and snaked into the deep grass.

Draco grinned. "I envy Merope."

Cruella threw a puzzled glance at him.

Draco explained, "You seem to kiss little snakes but not little dragons..."

Cruella laughed and kissed him on the cheek. Then she said in Parseltongue, "I love you, Draco Malfoy."

Draco glanced at her questioningly. "Do you know that it really sounds marvellous? Not that I have any idea what you said but I liked the sound!"

Cruella was all smiles. "Good."

Draco asked, "What did you say?"

Cruella lied, "I suggested going and eating something."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Harry, Ron and Hermione stopped at Spinner's End next. Spinner's End was a street in a shabby Muggle part of London. They found the summer house of Severus Snape quickly and when they moved inside carefully, they had the feeling of a dark, padded cell. The walls were covered in books, the threadbare furniture and dim candle-filled lamps remembered Harry of the neclected old haunted houses in one of the Muggle horror films his cousin Dudley had loved so much. They searched all the rooms carefully - trying to leave everything the way they found it - without finding anything that seemed interesting. Then Ron accidentally found a hidden door in the wall of books, which lead to a narrow staircase. In the wall besides the door there was a whole. They illuminate the whole and found a stone closing the whole. When they took it out, they first saw a piece of cloth. Inside the fabric there was a little goblet with a tiny badger on it: Helga Hufflepuff's cup! Hermione had brought a normal cup from the hotel and transformed it into one that looked just like the real goblet. They put the fake goblet into the whole and left the flat through the staircase, taking Helga Hufflepuff's goblet with them.

Harry insisted on destroying it himself telling them that he shared some amount of blood with the Dark Lord which might be of advantage. Hermione tried to find out if there was a spell or curse on the cup to protect it from being destroyed which did not seem to be the case. Harry took the cup, placed some black candles around them and then Hermione put a shielding charm on him again.

Harry told them determinedly, "Leave the room!"

Hermione and Ron knew that they could not discuss this with him and left the hotel room.

Harry put seven drops of his blood on the cup, took a deep breath and commanded, "Avada Kedavra!" The goblet split into two halves, and Harry was thrown against the hotel room's wall. Several lamps were smashed and the table was damaged, too.

Hermione and Ron rushed into the room and found Harry lying unconscious besides the wall. He had bitten his lips and blood was dropping onto the carpet from a little wound at his forehead. There were new grey strands, too.

Hermione sighed. "Rennervate!"

Harry stirred, then he forced himself into a sitting position and looked around. "Wow, the room looks really bad! Hermione, I am sure you know some spells to repair this? I fear we will have to search a new hotel if we leave the room this way..."

Hermione sounded angry. "Maybe I should repair you for a start!"

Harry looked at her with confusion. "I have been hurt?"

Hermione shook her head. "Yes, Harry, your forhead is bleading, as is your lip, too and I fear you will be all grey as soon as all the Horcruxes are destroyed!"

Harry grinned. "I do not see why you are all so concerned about my hair getting a bit grey... But it would be nice if you could stop me from bleeding on this carpet..."

Hermione tended Harry's wounds and then Ron and Hermione restored the room.

Harry still seemed in high spirits. "We have got the diary, the ring, the locket and the cup. They are all destroyed. That means: there are only two of six Horcruxes left!"

Hermione smiled and frowned at the same time. "Yes and one of them might do real harm to you if you insist on destroying them all on your own!"

Harry tickled her playfully. "Yes my dear friend Hermione. It might. But I prefer to be hurt myself - if you were hurt I might turn you into a cup of tea accidentally and Ron's not extremely good at repairing witches, too... In addition, I was the one Voldemort used to return! So I will send him into nonexistence, too!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Cruella and Draco sat on her bed.

"Did you play Quidditch at Shamrock? The Irish were very good at the world cup..."

Cruella smiled. "I never tried to play it. And I have to admit that I do not even know who won the World Cup."

Draco stared at her in disbelief. "You are not interested in Quidditch?! How can anyone be not interested in Quidditch?!"

Cruella laughed. "Heavens Draco, do not look at me as if I had just stated that I did not care if the Death Eaters ruled the world or not!"

"Of course. Quidditch is almost as important."

Now Cruella stared at him, shocked. "It's the same to you if Ireland beats Bulgaria at Quidditch or the Death Eaters beat the Order of the Phoenix next month?"

Draco answered seriously, "Of course." Then he laughed. "No. I was just kidding! You look at me as if I just turned into a troll!"

Cruella threw her pillow at him. "I just had the feeling as if you had turned into a troll... I never know when you are kidding and when you are being earnest!"

Draco smiled. "And do you mind me being that way?"

She grinned. "No. I like you the way you are. I will never get bored with you..."

Draco smiled at her sadly. "Yes, we could have the time of our lives - if we were not stuck in this war. I wished I could show you how I would love to be. There are so many things that I would like to do..."

Cruella sighed. "Yes, it's really a pity that we have to spend our days preparing for a fight we don't want to fight..."

Draco grinned. "I know that we have to be strong and know how to defend ourselves, but we do not have to spend all our time that way, do we?"

Cruella nodded. "That's true. What would you want to do?"

Draco looked at her wonderingly. "I would like to hear some more stories about Shamrock."

"Okay, I will tell you some more stories from school but then you have to tell me about Hogwarts, too. Did you have a school song?"

Draco grinned. "Ooh yes. It was horrible! Did you have one?"

Cruella smiled dreamily. "Yes and it is very beautiful - sad and strong and wonderful like Ireland."

Draco begged, "Sing it for me, please!"

She started to sing and he loved her voice at once. He lay down, his head in her lap and closed his eyes.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Before Mr. and Mrs. Weasley left the Burrow to join the other members of the Order of the Phoenix at Hogwarts, they told Ginny that they would escort her to Diagon Alley were she would stay with Fred and George in their magical fun shop.

Ginny protested, "I do not want to stay at Diagon Alley! Let me go with you to Hogwarts and join you in the battle, please! I am not a child anymore, I learned Defence against the Dark Arts, I was in Harry's DADA lessons. Moreover, I helped him fight the Death Eaters at the Ministry! I am quite good at it - I could help you instead of staying in a fun shop like a little child!"

Mrs. Weasley smiled at her. "I know that you are no toddler any more but you are no grown up witch yet, too. The Order does not allow members that are under 17!"

Ginny begged, "Alright, then do not let me join the fight but let me come with you to Hogwarts! Please! I want to know it without delay when you won!"

Mrs. Weasley sounded slightly annoyed. "And I do not want that you might find out as the first witch who is not in the Order if we loose because You-Know-Who kills you right after our defeat!"

"But if you do not win I would not mind to be killed, too!"

"Ginny Weasley, do not talk that way to me! You are 16 years old - you absolutely should mind if you are alive or not! Even if the Death Eaters might win - this will hopefully not be the case!"

Ginny knew that she would not win this argument and sighed. "Alright then. I will stay with Fred and George!"

When Mr. and Mrs. Weasley left Ginny at Fred and George's shop, they embraced their three children heartily and asked them to take care of another and do nothing stupid. The three promised it to them and wished their parents all the best.

Remus Lupin and his fiancé Tonks fetched them together with Alastor Moody.

When they were gone, Ginny felt terrible when she thought about the danger, her parents were heading off to and that she could help none of the people that were closest to her heart. Fred and George tried their best to cheer their little sister up by telling them the weirdest and funniest stories from their shop and showing her their newest inventions. Ginny tried to hide her fear and disappointment from them and to have a good time with her brothers.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When Harry, Ron and Hermione arrived at Little Hangleton, they had to search the forest for half a day to find the remains of the Gaunt family's shack. It was almost completely fallen apart and their search did not lead to any success.

They stayed in a little hostel over night and then searched for the house of the Riddle family. When they found out that it had been renovated and new owners had moved in years ago, Harry was seriously disturbed. "What are we going to do now? We can't break into a house when the owners are there..."

Hermione grinned. "We don not have to do such a thing! I have an idea. Just smile and let me speak to the owners, okay?" She rang the bell and Ron and Harry stared at her.

Ron hissed, "What are you going to do Hermione? The owners will be Muggles, I guess."

Hermione hissed back, "Shut up and smile!"

The door opened and a middle aged blond woman opened the door. "Hello?"

Hermione smiled at her. "Good morning, Mrs. Miller, I am Julia Gaunt. My grandfather was Tom Riddle and I just learned from my mother before she died that he lived here. She was very sick you know."

Hermione sounded heartbroken and Mrs. Miller looked at her mildly. "Poor little thing. But the Riddles were murdered many years ago. I fear there is nobody left of the family."

Hermione sniveled, "Yes. I know. My father died early in an accident, too. But I wanted to see the house where they lived and I hoped that there may be anything left that belonged to my father's family."

Mrs. Miller padded her hair. "Come in. We do indeed have some things in the cellar that seemed to be precious. You can take what you want from these things."

Hermione smiled at her with fake tears in her eyes. "O thank you so much, Mrs. Miller! It really would mean a lot to me to have something from my grandfather! My mother told me about two objects my grandfather loved very much because his own grandfather gave them to him: a little dagger with a lion on it and a little model of a staircase that reminded her of Escher's drawings made of bronze. Have you seen these?"

Mrs. Miller considered this. "I do not remember there was a dagger among the things. But there was a little model of weird stairs. Jonathan, where did we put the little stairs-thing that belonged to the Riddles?"

A man answered from another room, "I put it into the black box on the shelf besides the door."

"Thanks! Come Mrs. Gaunt, I'll give it to you."

Hermione beamed at her. "Thank you so much! It was made by my great-great-grandfather."

Mrs. Miller found the little object and gave it to Hermione. "Here you are. I am really sorry about all these terrible things that happened to you family."

Hermione buried her face at Harry's shoulder and pretended to cry.

Harry smiled at Mrs Miller. "Our friend really has a hard time. But she is such a strong young woman. She will get over it. And I think it will help her that she has seen this house and owns something of her father's family now. Thank you for your kindness. We better bring her to the hotel room now."

He shook her hand, Ron did the same.

Hermione once again murmured, "Thank you." Then they left.

Harry headed towards the woods. "Heavens Hermione, I did not know that you are such are fabulous actress! You were great!"

Ron glanced at her uneasy. "You were spooky! I almost believed you myself!"

Hermione grinned. "Thanks. Where are we going, Harry?"

"I thought we should try not to destroy another hotel room for a start..."

They came to the place were the shack had been. "Accio candles!" Harry called and he started to prepare the ritual once again.

Hermione sighed. "Can we stay close this time?"

Harry smiled at her apologizingly. "No Hermione. It won't be of much help if you get hurt, too!"

Hermione used the protective charm on him again and went with Ron some space apart. After a few moments they saw a violent flash and some thundering noise and hurried to the remains of the shack. This time, Harry had been thrown against a tree and several of his ribs were broken. Hermione used the Rennervate spell to wake him up and then tried to fix his ribs.

Harry breathed uneasy. "Thank you Hermione! There is only one Horcrux left now."

Hermione nodded, real tears glittering in her eyes this time. "Yes, and I fear it will be worst then..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

One morning when Draco and Cruella sat on her bed having breakfast, Voldemort came in. "Cruella, Mister Malfoy, I will leave the camp for about a month. I have to bring something to determination in Transylvania. When I return, you will have to prove that you are worthy to join us in the fight against the Order of the Phoenix! I expect you to be prepared then!"

Cruella nodded. "Yes, of course. We will. We have been training all the time and we will be ready when you return."

Voldemort gave a small nod. "I had not expected your cooperation. You seem to have learned my lesson."

Cruella answered with only the faintest hint of sarcasm. "Yes, father. You made your point of view very clear last time."

Voldemort sounded pleased. "That's my daughter then."

He disapparated and Cruella signalled Draco not to say a word. Then she proposed casually, "I thought that we could try some transfiguration spells out in the woods today. Sometimes they come in handy."

They left the camp and headed towards the woods. There she started to transfigure a stone into a knife and the knife into a snake. "Your turn!" she invited Draco who took another stone and transfigured it into an axe and then into a lizard. They took some time for transfiguration spells and then Cruella asked Draco to sit down. He did so and she looked into his face for a while, wondering if she should really trust him.

Then she began. "Draco, you know what father meant with us having to prove that we are worthy?"

"We will have to pass a test?"

Cruella nodded. "He will let us kill somebody."

"What if we don't do such a thing?"

"Then he will be very angry and it is quite possible that he will kill at least one of us."

Draco sounded shocked. "You are not going to tell me that you will kill someone, are you? Or asking me to do it?"

Cruella sounded deeply hurt. "Is that how you see me? A murderer?! I think I should not talk to you about ... the things I wanted to talk about!"

She stood up but Draco grabbed her wrist hard. "Ella! Wait! I am sorry! I do not think of you as being able to murder someone! That was why I was shocked when..."

Cruella interrupted him angrily and snatched her hand away from him. "You are hurting me!"

"I am sorry for that, too! Please, sit down again and talk to me..." His voice was pleading and he actually sounded sorry.

Cruella eyed him up with a frown. "You called me Ella. Why did you do that?"

Draco looked down at one of the stones, and then he looked into her face again. "Cruella does not suit you. You feel more like Ella to me. I won't do it again, if you do not like me calling you that way."

Cruella smiled. "No, it is fine. I actually like it."

He sighed, relieved to hear the anger fade in her voice. "Okay, Ella, what did you mean when you told me your father wants us to kill someone as a proof. I fear it's not that easy that we refuse and he will punish us by leaving us behind, fighting alone..."

"No. That's not very likely."

Draco's face darkened. "I will not fight for him ever again! I am still tormented by the question who might have died when I let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts the night Dumbledore died... There might even have been people among them that I liked..."

Cruella sounded determined and angry. "I will not fight for him, either. I would rather fight him!"

Draco smiled. "A Death Eaters' camp would not be the best place to do so, I'd say!"

"No. I could imagine better options, too. I fear what I was going to suggest to you will end up in us having to fight him, too. Because he will hunt us down for it..."

Draco looked up with interest. "You are planning to run away!"

"Yes. I tell this to you because I do trust you. And I was going to ask you if you would join me."

"Of course I will join you! I mean - if you still will take me with you..." She only nodded. He joked, "Who should command me around if you were gone? I'd die out of boredom."

"Could you please be earnest for a moment?"

Draco hesitated, and then he said calmly, "Before we try to get away from here together, you should know something, I think. I guess you already realized that I do like you very much. However, you should know that I feel more than that for you. I love you!" He had never said these words to anyone before and they sounded slightly insecure and playful.

Cruella stared at him and asked him angrily, "How dare you make fun of something important like that?"

Draco felt a pang of pain in his heart and snapped, "That's what you think of me then? That I would tease you with me being in love with you? Is the idea that I might wish to be your romantic partner so absurd to you that you think it can be nothing else than a joke? Thanks a lot! It's good to know that..." He turned around and hurried towards the camp.

Cruella stood for a few seconds motionless, and then she ran after him and grabbed him at his shoulders. He tried to shake her hands off, but she held him with unexpected force. "Draco. I am sorry! I did not mean to hurt you!"

"Then why did you do it? Do you think it was easy for me to tell you?" He felt anger, disappointment and pain burning in his heart and tears glittered in his eyes. He wiped at them angrily.

Cruella forced him to look into her eyes and said tenderly, "Draco, please forgive me! I thought you had realized that I fell in love with you and wanted to banter me about with it. I should not have expected such a thing from you."

"That's true you should not ... wait! Did you just tell me you love me, too?"

Cruella whispered, "Yes. I do."

Draco pulled her into his embrace. "Heavens, Cruella, I have never felt so happy before - and so alive..."

They kissed, shyly and cautiously at first, then passionately. For a long time they just sat on a large stone then and Draco had his arms around her waist.

Finally, Cruella sighed. "Darling, I could sit here with you until the end of the world. But I fear we should return to the camp before they search for us..."

Draco kissed her and agreed, "Yes. We should go. When are we going to leave - and where will we go?"

Cruella frowned and told him by Legilimency, "I am sure we will have to fight father. And there is a huge problem with that."

"You mean with your father being the worst and mightiest dark wizard?"

Cruella tickled him. "You and your sarcasm... No, there is more then that: he split his soul into seven pieces and put six pieces into objects called Horcrux. As long as these are whole, he cannot be killed!"

Draco sighed. "That is really bad. There is really no way to kill him despite these Horcrux things?"

Cruella frowned. "I don't know for sure. I only know the few things Severus told me - I think he wanted to warn me that there was no way for me to win a fight with my father..." She thought about it for a while and asked, "How far is Hogwarts?"

Draco considered this. "With a fast broom we could be there in ten days I guess."

"With day and night travel?"

"No, then it would be five days and five nights - why do you want to know?"

Cruella asked, "How good is Hogwarts' library?"

"Excellent. Why do you - I see, you are going to find out how to battle someone who put his soul into Horcruxes?!"

She kissed him on the tip of his nose. "That's why I love you - always my clever, fast thinking little dragon..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next day, Cruella sneaked into her father's tent and succeeded in having a look onto the blue print of Hogwarts in a book about the school's history her father owned. She memorized it and replicated it back at her own tent. "Father's sentimentality concerning Hogwarts can be really useful."

They took everything useful they could carry without loosing speed and asked Whimperer to bring them food and water for three days. When he brought it to them, Cruella used a memory-altering spell to let him forget about this to protect the house elf. When the night came, they tiptoed out of the camp and when they were far enough away, they kicked off their brooms, flying close to the ground for a while, and then they hurried high into the starless night sky. The next five days, they spent most of their time on the broom. They only paused to get two hours of sleep at the daytime. When they were on their brooms they kept watch over another to keep each other awake and were flying high above the clouds to avoid being seen be non-magical people.

When they saw the towers of Hogwarts, they landed. It was early at night and they were exhausted, tired and hungry.

Draco grinned. "May I introduce you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? My school is your school. Unfortunately, they will not welcome me with open hearts - after all that I have done, they cannot be blamed for that... We will have to get into the library unseen. Do you remember were that secret corridor started?"

Cruella nodded. "Yes, over there under that huge tree. By the way: I would have hoped to start into our relationship with a little bit more romance!"

"You are not being sarcastic yourself, are you, Ella? I am sure it will be tremendously romantic soon, you and me alone in a dark corridor, lit only by the tip of our wands..."

Cruella kissed him. "Darling, you really know what a woman's heart desires, don't you?"

They found the hidden entrance to the corridor and meandered through it. When they reached the school's interior, Draco led her towards the library.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Harry, Ron and Hermione took some days off to recover and get new strength. They stayed at their hotel in London again and visited the cinema and some restaurants. Ron was excited and the three of them were having a good time together.

But then they had to think about the remaining Horcrux. They were quite sure that it would be Gryffindor's dagger and not the snake Nagini but they were insecure were they should look for it. Hermione assumed that it would be located at Hogwarts because the place had meant much to Tom Riddle when he had been young.

Harry sighed. "But it could be everywhere at Hogwarts! It might take us weeks to find it!"

Suddenly Ron shouted, "Salazar Slytherin!"

Harry looked at his friend as if Ron had just gone nuts. "Where?"

Ron was agitated. "You told us that there is a statue of Slytherin at the Chamber of Secrets. With Voldemort being Slytherin's heir and a parselmouth, he might have hidden the dagger in the statue!"

Hermione went pale. "Heavens, Ron! I think you might be right!"

Harry nodded. "Yes. It sounds really promising. And as I happen to be a parselmouth, too, we can use the hidden entrance to get into the chamber."

Hermione smiled. "Then we will return to Hogwarts tomorrow!"

The next day, they checked out of the hotel once more and headed off towards their school. Harry was looking forward to getting back there but he did not feel completely at home there since Dumbledore was dead. They used the hidden entrance that could only be opened by a parselmouth to get into the Chamber and examined the statue. Ron's idea proved to be right - the dagger was hidden behind an engraved snake at Slytherin's breast that Harry could open without effort.

When he had the dagger in his hands, Harry looked slightly frightened. "Hermione, do you think that your protective charm will be stronger if you and Ron put it on me?"

"Yes! Of course! Why didn't I think about that possibility before?!" Then she asked him with deep concern, "Harry, it is getting harder every time, isn't it?"

He just nodded. Then he added, "And if this is the one Horcrux he left at Hogwarts, in Slytherin's statue, he might have protected it better than the others..."

Ron asked, "Would it be possible to destroy it together?"

Hermione sighed. "Unfortunately that is not possible."

Harry said, "Okay, one last time then." He sounded slightly tired and fearful.

Hermione and Ron put their charms on him and he built a circle of candles once more. Ron and Hermione retreated to the wall farthest away. Harry let his blood drop on the dagger and put it in the middle of the burning candles. "Avada Kedavra!"

The whole chamber was shaken and a bright red flash could be seen. Harry crashed into the wall besides Hermione and Ron. This time the pain brought him back to his senses almost at once. Now his hair was heavily streaked with grey strands, his whole body was shaking violently.

Hermione stared at him, her eyes wide open with shock. "Harry, are you okay?"

Harry had problems to fill his lungs with air and he answered almost inaudibly, "Yes. More or less... There might be a few bones left that remained unbroken..."

Hermione shook her head angrily. "Could you please stop making fun about almost being killed by a curse?"

Harry grinned but his eyes flickered with pain. "I could. But I am not sure if I want to. This should have been the last Horcrux - did I destroy it?"

Ron came back with the dagger that was broken and fuming. "Looks like you did!"

Harry smiled. "That's good. By the way Hermione, would you mind healing my bones?"

They winced when the door from Hogwarts to the Chamber opened wide and a voice asked threateningly, "Who's there?" but relaxed when the recognized Remus Lupin's voice.

Ron called, "Mr. Lupin! It's Harry, Hermione and Ron! We might need some help."

"Ron?! Moaning Myrtle told us that there were invaders in the Chamber of Secrets! I did not expect to find you here!"

Remus, Tonks and Mad-Eye Moody came towards them with some wizards the trio had not seen before.

Tonks knelt down besides Harry. "Harry! What happened to you?"

Hermione explained, "We have found four Horcruxes and Harry destroyed the last one some minutes ago."

Harry moaned, "And the bloody things do not like to be destroyed as it seems. Even in pieces Voldemort produces nothing but annoyance!"

Remus and Tonks helped Hermione to fix Harry's bones and they helped him to the Great Hall.

Mrs. Weasley ran towards them. "Ron! Hermione! Harry! It's so good to see you alive and - Harry! What happened to you? You look terrible."

Harry grinned. "Thanks. That makes me feel much better..."

They told the members of the Order of the Phoenix how they had found and destroyed the Horcruxes.

Mrs. Weasley wanted them to leave and go to some place where they would be secure but Bill said, "Mom! You can't deal with them as if they were children - after all they have done! Now we really do have a chance. And you know that prophecy... Harry might be the only one who can finish Voldemort off! Let them stay here if they want to join us! They are grown ups now anyhow!"

Mrs. Weasley agreed and Ron, Hermione and Harry stayed at their old rooms at Gryffindor. Harry recovered from his injuries soon. Alastor Moody who was always being overly careful since he had spent one school year in a trap, wondered if the Dark Lord had not made any new Horcruxes since he had risen again. Hermione was sure there must be a way to find out and searched for the answer in the library as usual.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Draco and Cruella sneaked into library and raised their wands when they saw the light of a wand tip. The three wizards in the corner turned around, wands in their hands, too.

Draco sighed with relief. "Potter! I never thought that I would say such a thing, but I'm glad to see you!"

Harry stared at him with disgust and anger. "What are you doing here, Malfoy? Where are the other Death Eaters?"

Draco ignored him and told Cruella, "Beloved, that's Harry Potter ..."

Cruella smiled. "Yes, that's what I'd have guessed. He is hardly to be mistaken for another wizard, you know. Might be that scar thing..."

"Ah, yes, you might be right. The witch is Hermione Granger, Gryffindor's mastermind. The ginger one besides her is Ronald Weasley. He is from an old wizard family."

Cruella smiled at them ignoring their wands that were still pointed in their direction. "Nice to meet you! Draco told me a lot about the three of you! I am Cruella Snape."

Harry almost spit that name out. "Snape?! You are Severus Snape's daughter?!?"

Cruella's face seemed sad now. "No. I am Ivy Snape's daughter - you will not know her. She is at St.Mungo's since I was five years old. Nevertheless, you know my father. He calls himself the Dark Lord."

Ron went pale. "You are Voldemort's daughter?!!"

Cruella sighed. "Yes. I do not like to be but I am."

Harry stared at her with cold hatred. "What are you doing here?"

Draco laid his arm around her shoulders protectively. "We were searching for a way to get rid of Voldemort despite his Horcruxes."

Hermione's voice sounded like pure distrust. "Why? To make sure he won't be killed in the war everybody's expecting?"

Cruella snapped, "Of course! I do love my little daddy and want to protect him... He brought my mum into St.Mungo's and he is going to kill Draco and me as soon as he will find us! I want to be faster than him!"

Harry's gaze softened. "I am sorry he did that to your mother. But why would he kill you?"

Draco's voice was tired and slightly fearful. "Next month he is going to start a fight with some Order of the - what was it Ella?"

"The Order of the Phoenix."

"Yes. Right. Thanks, beloved. I am too tired to think, I fear... We have been running away five days ago and been on our way day and night because he wants us to join that battle."

Cruella kissed his cheekbone. "No, dear. He wanted us to join that fight. Now he only wants us dead. He's not too fond of traitors, you remember?"

A short flicker of fear rushed into Draco's eyes. "I really do hope he won't kill my mother for a start..."

Cruella took his face into her hands and forced him to look into her eyes. "Darling, he won't! Narcissa is Bellatrix sister and Bellatrix loves her. I do not think father would want to make Bellatrix angry before an important battle. Lucius is safe, too, as he is in Azkaban. Would you please focus on staying alive yourself?!"

Harry smiled. "I have to tell you that you can't kill Voldemort while his Horcruxes are safe."

Cruella sighed. "I had feared that! Now we have to find and destroy these disgusting things first. We'll never get this done before the fight..."

Harry grinned. "You don't have to!"

Draco snapped, "But you just said..."

"That Voldemort can't be killed before these objects are destroyed. Yes. But that's just what we did in the last seven weeks."

Cruella beamed at him. "Really?! I could kiss you for that!"

Draco protested, "Hey! Would you please stop kissing other wizards?"

She laughed. "I didn't even start with it. Do not frown at me that way. I will not. I love you, you stupid jealous wizard of mine!" She turned around to Harry, Ron and Hermione again. "And you are sure that you got the right objects?"

Harry grinned and nodded. "They were not very willing to be destroyed."

Hermione added, "Alastor Moody was not sure if Voldemort made new ones."

Cruella's face darkened. "So you can't be sure."

Hermione smiled proudly. "We are sure. We just brought back a book with very old and strong magic. There is some kind of test to find out if an object has been used as a Horcrux. In addition, you can test as well if the same person used different objects for that purpose. Moreover, you can find out if there is any Horcrux of this wizard left over. Professor Dumbledore thought that Voldemort had been the only wizard who made different Horcruxes but it seems that it was a kind of fashion among wizards using the Dark Arts back in the 12^th century. Lucretius Tepes even made thirteen! As these wizards were a nuisance for the other wizards trying to fight them, they developed ways to destroy the Horcruxes and check if they had found all of them before they hunted the dark ones down."

Cruella smiled. "Impressive. And did you destroy all Horcruxes father made?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. We did."

Draco's sounded relieved. "We really could have a chance now!"

Cruella kissed him. "Yes, my love. We do have a chance now."

Ron still was not willing to trust their old enemy and the daughter of their worst foe. "Harry, you are not going to let them stay here, are you?"

Harry frowned. "I really had not expected to say this about Malfoy - especially after the thing with the cabinet and Professor Dumbledore ..."

Draco winced slightly

"... but I think we can trust them."

Cruella sounded determined. "I am sure you can need some helping wands. My father's army is not what he wanted but you will not be able to survive five minutes alone."

Draco sighed. "We have been training for days and might be able to promise you ten minutes..."

Cruella laughed and punched him playfully. "Come on Draco, no time to be funny - or desperate!"

Harry smiled. "We are not going to fight Voldemort on our own but I think we could need a helping wand - or two. Nevertheless, it is not me to decide such a thing. If you stay here, I will go and ask the ones who can decide this."

Draco nodded. "We really want to help - especially because of the terrible the mistakes I made - and I apologize for having been such an obnoxious person all the time."

Ron hissed, "Harry, I do not trust him. He can't have changed that much!"

Harry ignored him. "I accept your apology and I will see if your help will be accepted, too."

Hermione seemed confused. "Ron and I will stay here with them and you can go. I am not yet sure if they are trustworthy, too."

Harry left and Ron stared at Cruella and Draco who started to have a chat.

"I like your old school, Draco. If we have time, you will have to show me where you lived! This is your library then? Some of these books seem really interesting."

Hermione beamed at her. "O yes, they are! We do have some really old and unique books over there! I can show you some of them while we are waiting!"

Cruella smiled at Draco flirtatiously. "You won't be cross with me if I leave you for a moment, darling, will you?"

Draco kissed her cheek. "I would not expect you to stay if I'd say yes. Go get a look at Granger's books."

The two witches disappeared behind shelters of books. Ron and Draco sat down at one of the desks uneasy.

Ron frowned. "You have been with Voldemort for the last weeks."

Draco snapped angrily, "We have been at his camp. However, we tried hard not to get into his way! I'm not sure if you listened but he will kill Ella if he finds us."

"I see! So you are just saving your own skins!"

Draco hissed, "Of course we are! I would expect you would prefer to stay alive, too! And don't forget we would not have to save ourselves if we had just joined the Death Eaters!"

Ron seemed to think about that. "Maybe you are right then and you are going to help us. But you could come up with the whole story!"

Draco's voice was quiet but full of hatred. "Ron, he tortured his own daughter and he will kill her slowly if he gets her! I know that you have no reason to like me or trust me but I could not do the biding of someone who does such a thing to a wonderful person like Ella! I really want to kill him for hurting her!"

Ron swallowed. "He tortured is daughter? Why would he do that?"

Draco sighed. "She is not at all like him. Voldemort is disappointed that she will not be a murderer and gain power, too! When he heard that she wanted to become a healer of all things possible he was frantic..."

Ron raised a brow. "Cruella wanted to be a healer? Voldemort's daughter?"

Draco whispered, "She would not like it that I tell you, but she wants to find a way to get her mother back."

Ron was still for a moment. Then he said, "I will try to trust you. But if I find out that you are on Voldemort's side, I will bring you to Azkaban to join your father!"

Draco grinned. "I am not sure if you caught up the true meaning of the concept trust but I can live with that semi-trusting of yours. Thanks for giving us a chance. Ella really deserves it. She has a very good heart!"

Hermione looked around a shelf. "Are you two alright? Ella and I were wondering as it was so quiet over here!"

Ron smiled at her. "The end of the world must be near - I am going to accept Draco Malfoy as an ally!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When Harry returned with Alastor Moody, Remus Lupin and Arthur Weasley, Ron, Hermione, Draco and Cruella were leaning over a very old book and chatting. Harry smiled.

Remus moved towards them. "Miss Snape, Mister Malfoy."

They turned around, waiting for the decision. Remus held out a hand to Cruella. "Miss Snape, the Order of the Phoenix is always glad to welcome powerful witches and wizards and Harry told me that he trusts you. I usually trust in Harry's knowledge of the wizard nature. That is why we decided to trust you, too."

Cruella took his hand and smiled. "You are a werewolf, I see. I am glad to see that not all of them are like Fenrir Greyback! I would like to join the order, but I will not if you won't accept Draco, too."

Mr. Weasley smiled at her. "That is what we expected, Miss Snape." He addressed Draco then, "Mister Malfoy, I know that our families were not getting along with each other well. If you are willing to forget about the old days, my family will do so, too. We would like to welcome you in the Order of the Phoenix, too, if you want to join it."

Draco took Mr. Weasley's hand firmly. "I apologize for the 'old times' and I am looking forward to proving that I am worthy to be a member of the Order of the Phoenix."

Alastor Moody sounded impatient. "Fine, fine. Now that everything is going on in harmony, we might get back to planning! I heard that Voldemort is going to attack us soon and I would like to organize a befitting welcome to him!"

Cruella nodded. "Unfortunately we do not know too much about the Death Eaters' plans as my father did not trust me with the details. However, I know that my uncle Severus Snape and Draco's mother Narcissa are searching for the new head quarters of the Order. I am not sure if Severus really is on father's side, though and I know that Narcissa is terrified more than convinced of the whole thing."

Remus sounded determined. "We should prepare everything for the fight here in Hogwarts. We do not need to know more - that means if you do not know any weaknesses of the Death Eaters."

Cruella frowned. "I will tell you everything that might help. I just could need some rest now."

Mr. Weasley nodded. "Of course! You must be very tired! We will talk about it tomorrow. Just one question: How did you get into the library? We had posts everywhere."

Cruella and Draco told them about the secret corridor they had found out about in an old book about Hogwarts she had found at her father's tent leading to the dungeons.

Remus sounded worried. "I really do hope there are not more secret passages we do not know about!"

Draco frowned. "I knew most of the other ones and expected them to be closed or guarded. We did not know that Hogwarts is closed and we did not want to run into a teacher. I will try to remember the other one I did not know before and show it to you on the blue print. But Ella looks really tired and I am hardly awake, too - do you think we can talk tomorrow?"

Ron, Hermione and Harry took them to Gryffindor and asked if Cruella wanted to share a room with Hermione.

Cruella smiled. "Thanks, but we would prefer to share our bed. It's become a habit by now."

Ron frowned but Harry answered, "Okay. We have enough rooms here."

Ron suggested the room that lay opposite to the one Harry and Ron shared.

Cruella and Draco said goodnight and fell into the bed at once. Cruella yawned. "I think I have never been so tired!"

Draco snuggled up to her. "I feel every bone and muscle - maybe even some it did not have before..."

She kissed him and looked into his face inquiringly. "How does it feel to be here again?"

Draco kissed the tip of her nose. "It feels great to be in Hogwarts again - and a bit weird to be at Gryffindor! I am so glad they took us into the Order! We really might survive..."

"We will. I am much to glad that I found you to let anyone take you away from me!"

Draco softly pulled her into his arms. "I love you, Ella. I really do. And I do not want to loose you, either."

Ron who had been eavesdropping at the door smiled and get back to bed.

Harry asked mockingly, "Did you find out something that disturbed you or were you just being voyeuristic?"

Ron blushed. "I was not completely sure if I trusted them."

"And now you do?"

"I think so. Draco seems to be someone completely different!"

Harry frowned. "Maybe that's the way he always wanted to be..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next morning, Cruella sat down with Remus Lupin and his fiancé Tonks, Mrs. McGonagall, and the Weasleys Arthur, Molly, Bill, Charlie and Ron. She told them everything she had learned about the Death Eaters and Remus was noting everything that seemed important.

Meanwhile Draco, Harry, Mad-Eye Moody and Hagrid sat around a blue print of Hogwarts and Draco tried to remember exactly what had been different on the plan they had seen at the Death Eater camp. They found the other unknown corridor, too, and sealed it with a strong spell.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In the following weeks, the Order of the Phoenix was preparing for the fight. Cruella and Draco did their best to help them with information and ideas. Draco, Harry and Ron were getting along surprisingly well and Hermione and Cruella were on their way to become best friends.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

One day, Cruella looked at the night sky wonderingly. "I think they will attack us on the third day from now on."

Mrs. Weasley who had already embosomed her, asked mildly, "Why do you think so, dear?"

"It will be a true full moon night and there will be no clouds. That means that Fenrir has an advantage because he can fight as a werewolf."

Remus sighed. "I fear that you are right. I feel the full moon coming closer. And he would be stupid if he would not use Greyback's complete strength."

Bill looked at them austerely. "This time I won't let him get away with this again!"

Fleur looked terrified. "But mon amour, you are not going to fight this disgusting thing again - no offence meant Monsieur Lupin."

Remus declared resolutely. "No. You will not fight him, Bill. I will do that. I can fight him as a werewolf. He can't hurt me as he can hurt one of you..."

Tonks kissed him sadly. "But be careful, Remus, do you promise me that? I know that you will not let me help you this time but promise me that you will not rush into this fight without thinking!"

Remus tried to cheer her up. "Molly is already planning our wedding! She would not forgive me if I spoiled that."

Tonks could not suppress a smile and Molly warned him, "Yes Remus! You are perfectly right. I will get very angry with you if your wedding will not take place. With all the plans already made..."

Cruella smiled at them affectionately and winked at Draco, who replied the smile.

Harry frowned. "Plans are a good cue: we should make plans for the fight! Maybe we should all sleep here in the Great Hall together - only in case that they will attack earlier. We are too vulnerable if we are spread through the whole castle."

Mr. Weasley nodded. "That's a good idea, Harry. We should be prepared for their attack from now on."

Draco suggested, "We could as well send some of the owl out to be on the watch. The Death Eaters will not suspect anything if there are owls out at night and they will know that we are here by now anyhow. But the exact time of their arrival might be useful."

Ron admitted, "That's a good idea. And you are sure they already know we are here?"

Mrs. McGonagall affirmed this. "We did nothing to hide away that we are here. We want them to know that we are ready to fight them and are waiting for them."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next day they were making plans. Cruella and Draco made educated guesses, who would join the fight on the side of the Death Eaters. The others tried to figure out who could fight them best according to the Order's strength and weaknesses.

Cruella warned them, "You really have to take care that you don't get into Bellatrix' way - she is one of the best and least scrupulous of our enemies. She is the worst witch following my father - and Fenrir Greyback."

Harry stressed, "Voldemort is my task!"

Hermione frowned. "Harry! You don't have to fight him alone and you should not try to!"

He shook his head. "No, Hermione. I will have to do it alone because he thinks that I am the only one who can be a danger for him."

Mr. Weasley said softly, "I really don't like to say this, but Harry might be right."

Draco smiled reassuringly at Hermione. "Cheer up, Hermione. That he will try to do this alone does not mean that we cannot try to assist a little bit."

In the evening, they sent some of the owls out and sat around the fireside. Charlie started to tell them stories about his adventures with the dragons in Romania. Cruella sang Irish songs to them that she had learned at Shamrock. Soon, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco and Cruella were chatting about their school time adventures. The older members of the order listened to their happy chatter and were grateful that it made them forget the danger they all were in.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

On their last day before the fight, they were preparing the Great Hall.

When they had done all that could be done to prepare a fight like the one awaiting them, Draco suggested, "Maybe we should all take some time for ourselves doing what we like best. It could be our last day after all..."

Mrs. Weasley rebuked him in a caring voice, "Don't be pessimistic, dear."

Draco sighed. "I'd rather call it realistic. But we could all need an afternoon off - even if we are all healthy and happy tomorrow."

Mrs. Weasley agreed, "Yes, dear. With that, you are right. Have a few nice hours but be careful please..."

Draco took Cruella's hand. "I'd love to teach Quidditch to you. But of course you can as well..."

Cruella smiled. "No. I would like to. And you have to show me were you lived."

They went off to the Quidditch yard and Harry and Ron joined them. Cruella proved be a quite talented Chaser and the four were having loads of fun. When Cruella and Draco said good-bye to visit Slytherin, Ron and Harry went to search for Hermione and found her at the library.

Harry frowned. "Hermione, you can't be willing to spend your fun afternoon in the library..."

She looked slightly hurt. "Why not? The two of you were on the Quidditch yard anyhow. I was going to have tea with Hagrid and Olympe in a moment, are you joining me?"

They did and were chatting away time, remembering all their adventures with Hagrid. Hagrid told them about his favourite "little" pets and that Charlie had met Hagrid's dragon Norbert before he came to Hogwarts.

Meanwhile Draco was showing his old room to Cruella. They lay down on his bed, snuggled against each other and he told her about his old friends and how much happier he was now. Cruella told him about her friends at Shamrock Castle and about how the staff there had been her family.

"Did they know that you are Voldemort's daughter?"

She looked shocked. "The other students and the teachers? Of course not! They would have hated me! They might have even imprisoned me out of distrust once father had risen again! Some of the teachers and the headmistress knew. However, my friends do not. And I will not tell them."

Draco frowned. "You told it to Harry, Ron and Hermione."

"They would have found out anyway. If they had found it out during the fight, they would have felt betrayed. I wanted them to trust me despite my origins."

Draco's hands fondled with strands of her hair. "I did."

She teased him, "So did I - being a Malfoy is almost as bad as being Voldemort's daughter..."

He laughed and tickled her ribs. When he bent down to kiss her, she pulled him close to her and between passionate kisses, she told him how much she loved him.

With a look at the evening sky, Cruella sighed. "We will have to go to the Great Hall and get some rest."

He agreed slightly disappointed and they joined the others who already gathered around the fireside. They tried to get some rest but they all felt that the final battle was near.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When they were having breakfast together late in the morning, Fred told Ginny enthusiastically, "Tonight there is going to be a real full moon night without any clouds at the sky! They told it in the Daily Prophet. That will give us the chance to test our full-moon-screaming-toffees!"

Ginny tried to seem interested, too. Then an idea hit her like lightning: If Voldemort was going to use Fenrir Greyback at the fight - which was very likely because the werewolf was a terrifying enemy - he might choose this very night to confront the Order of the Phoenix! That meant that her parents, her brothers and maybe even Harry and Hermione and all her friends from the Order might die that very night with herself sitting helplessly at a magical fun shop. No! She did not want to regret for the rest of her life that she had not been there to give her best to help them win the battle! In addition, she did not want to die alone and like a frightened child when the Death Eaters should win. She had the feeling that Harry was with her parents now and that he would need her.

Ginny smiled at Fred and George. "I am sure that your screaming toffees will be marvellous! If we are going to spend the night awake to test your toffees, I would like to lay down a bit and get some rest. Is that okay for you or do you need me in the shop today?"

George smiled. "No, thank you little sister. There will not be many customers today, I guess. You can rest a bit. We will fetch you for the toffees then."

"Yes. I would not want to miss it." Ginny went into her room, which was usually Fred and George's bureau. She felt terrible because she had lied to her brothers and because they would be extremely worried as soon as they would find out, that she had gone. By now she was completely sure nevertheless that the battle would take place at Hogwarts the very night and that she would be needed there.

She searched through her stuff to find everything that might prove useful. Then she sat down at the desk to write a short letter to Fred and George trying to explain why she could not stay with them and apologizing that she had lied to them. She knew that her mother had told her brothers to take care of her and that this would make Fred and George feel even more worried. She would send them an owl as soon as possible to let them know that she was all right and securely with the Order of the Phoenix.

Ginny was sure that Harry would be at Hogwarts, too and smiled. She had missed him terribly and she hoped that he still loved her and that they could give their relationship a new start. These thoughts made her almost forget her bad conscience and she took her broom, went to the rooftop and kicked off. She tried very had not to be seen by any magical or non-magical person and was very careful once she came near to Hogwarts.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The moon had just risen and Remus had quietly left the Great Hall to await Fenrir Greyback and the others outside, when Harry woke up from an uneasy slumber with a start. "He's coming! Voldemort is near!"

They all sprang to their feet and prepared for the fight. Then they waited.

Draco kissed Cruella on the ear and whispered half teasing half grave, "Please be careful! I will never speak a word with you again if you get yourself killed today - even if you should end up as a ghost!"

She laughed softly. "And I will haunt your grave if you'll get yourself killed." Her voice became grave and worried. "Be careful, Draco. I love you." They kissed and Cruella took his hand.

Harry, Hermione and Ron stayed close to each other and whispered good wishes.

They all stood in the dark, waiting.

Suddenly they heard Remus shout, "Be prepared!"

The Death Eaters rushed into the Great Hall and Mr. Weasley called, "Lumos!"

All candles started to burn and the battle began. Soon fighting pairs of witches and wizards spilled through the hall.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Voldemort and Harry were duelling in a far away corner of the Great Hall. Obviously, the Dark Lord was only playing with Harry for his own amusement as he was using only minor spells that Harry could block rather easily but kept him busy enough not to try and get at his enemy himself.

Hermione was fighting near the entrance with a female Death Eater. Ron tried to block Mr. Goyle's curses nearby. Remus Lupin and Fenrir Greyback were fighting viciously in the moonlight outside the school, both in there werewolf form.

Cruella had just used the Stupefy charm to knock an attacking Death Eater unconscious when Bellatrix Lestrange found her. "Cruella Snape! You traitorous little bitch!"

Cruella looked her in the eyes coldly. "Bellatrix. I have to tell you that the right term is witch and not bitch. You should not mistake one for the other."

Bellatrix' eyes pierced her like the coldest ice. She raised her wand and screamed, "Avada Kedavra!"

Suddenly Severus was there throwing himself in front of his niece. "No! You will not take Cruella as well!"

The curse hit him and Cruella pointed her wand at Bellatrix in a split second. "Petrificus realus!" The spell let Bellatrix change to stone. At the same time, Cruella was trying to soften her uncle's fall. "Severus?"

Cruella was searching for a sign of life desperately, tears rushing to her eyes. Then she kissed him on his forehead. "O, Uncle Severus..." She transported his lifeless body out of the battlefield of fighting witches and wizards, and then she lay him down near a wall and said softly, "Good-bye."

Cruella turned around went to the stony form of Bellatrix Lestrange. She said coldly, "Dispercutio!" The stone sprang into thousands of little pieces.

Draco was fighting off three Death Eaters at a time being immensely glad about his training lessons with Cruella. His mother appeared at his side and smiled at him. "May I help you, son?"

Draco stared at her in disbelief. Narcissa Malfoy blocked a spell directed at her son and pointed her ward at the Death Eater who had cast it. "Evanesco!" The Death Eater disappeared.

Draco smiled. "Nice to see you, mother." They resumed the fight together.

Fleur and Bill were fighting back by back each protecting the other. The battle seemed to go on without end.

When Voldemort decided that he had had enough fun with his old favourite victim Harry, he pointed his wand at him and threatened him, "It was no pleasure at all to know you, Harry Potter. And now our acquaintanceship will come to a sudden and unfortunately deadly end - for you!"

At the very moment, Ginny rushed through the door next to them, yelling, "Harry!"

Voldemort smiled cruelly. "Your little lovely girl, Harry Potter? Very heart-warming - now she can see you die before I will give her appropriate attention..."

Harry murmured, "Ginny..."

Then three spells were cast at exactly the same time: Harry and Voldemort cast the "Avada Kedavra!" at each other and Ginny cast a shielding charm at Harry. A loud thundering cracking sound shook the Great Hall, the Dark Lord and Harry both fell on the floor.

Ginny screamed, "Harry!!!" She rushed to his side, taking him lovingly into her arms. He felt cold.

Cruella was at Ginny's side at once. Most of the Death Eaters started to escape when they saw their master on the floor. Some of the members of the Order of the Phoenix followed them. Ron, Hermione and Draco ran through the Great Hall to get to Ginny and Cruella who knelt besides the seemingly lifeless Harry.

Cruella listened to Harry's heart intently and said to Ginny reassuringly, "He is yet alive. There is a chance I can get him back to you." She laid one hand on Harry's chest and the other one on his forehead and started a soft singsong in a language Ginny had never heard before, rocking softly back and forth.

Ginny stared at Cruella with hope and pain in her eyes; tears were streaming down her face. She kept murmuring, "Harry, please come back. Harry, do not leave me again..."

Ron held Hermione in a friendly embrace. Draco just stood besides them, his eyes fixed upon Cruella. After a wile that seemed endless to them, Harry's eyes opened and he took a deep breath.

Searchingly Harry looked around and when he recognized Ginny, he smiled. "Ginny. I love you."

Ginny threw herself into his arms, showering his face with kisses.

Cruella stood up, her whole body shivering and walked towards Draco who smiled at her with concern in his eyes. "Ella? Are you alright?" Before she could answer, Cruella sank to the floor and Draco caught her just before she hit it. Her eyes fluttered, her body felt hot and cold at the same time and her breathing was uneasy.

Draco stared into her face with utter shock and whispered, "No. Ella, do not leave me now! Don't you dare die now that it is all over! Ella! No!" The last words he screamed, then out of an impulse he slapped her hard.

Cruella's eyes opened with a start. Her voice sounded weak and broken. "Draco? Darling, I need something to eat and drink. Hurry, please."

Draco embraced her and apparated with her into the school's storeroom. He found her something to eat and drink and she did so hastily, then she fell back into his arms.

Draco looked at her with fear in his eyes. "You are not going to die on me, are you?"

Cruella kissed him softly. "No, I won't."

Now Draco was shivering, all tension leaving his body, tears were filling his eyes. "Heavens, Ella, for a moment I was sure that I would lose you and my heart felt as if it was cut into pieces. I love you so much; I would not want to have to live without you ever again!"

Cruella sat up. "I am sorry that I caused pain to you, beloved. I knew that it was dangerous to use the healing ritual the ferries taught me, for such a long time. However, I was sure that I could do it - that I could get him back. I would not want to be without you ever again, too. I love you!"

Draco kissed her passionately and longingly. She pulled him softly onto the floor with her and they lay on the warm wood kissing each other fervidly. They started to undress and Draco kissed her soft pale cheeks, her neck and her breast moving on to her belly playfully.

When they lay huddled against each other on the floor, feeling hot, sweaty and breathless but predominantly very contented, Draco looked imploringly into her eyes. "Ella?"

She kissed him playfully on the mouth. "Yes, dear?"

"Would you - I mean, I'd love to - would you like to be my wife?"

Cruella kissed him again. "Yes, I'd love to be your wife." She grinned. "I was already wondering if I should ask..."

Draco smiled brightly, and then he grinned, too. "Maybe we should get dressed before someone is going to search for us..."

Up in the Great Hall, Hermione and Mrs. Weasley were concerned what had happened to Cruella and Draco, but the dominant emotion in the Hall was pure delight. Voldemort had been proven dead and they decided to burn his corpse outside at once. Harry was almost himself again and he and Ginny were holding hands happily. Three of the members of the Order had been killed, Mad-Eye Moody, Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones. The other members of the Order were more or less unhurt.

When Draco and Cruella had had a shower, they went back to the others. Harry thanked Cruella for saving him and so did his friends as well as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Cruella saw to it that the Order buried her uncle respectfully in the garden and told them how he had saved her and that he had not wanted to betray Dumbledore and the Order but seen no other way.

Remus came back in the morning looking tired and hurt and Cruella helped Mrs. Weasley and Tonks to attend to his wounds. Tonks was enormously relieved that he was alive.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Of course, there had been many articles about the battle at Hogwarts and the victory over the Dark Lord in the Daily Prophet and all magical newspapers around the world. They reported how Harry, Ron and Hermione had found and destroyed the Horcruxes, how the Order of the Phoenix had fought the Death Eaters with Harry Potter fulfilling his destiny to kill Voldemort. In addition, they reported how Ginny Weasley had assisted him and an Irish witch named Cruella Snape who had been a relative of Hogwarts' former Potions Teacher, had healed Harry Potter.

The Order stayed at Hogwarts for some time to rebuild the Great Hall and when all work was done, they celebrated with all relatives and all the students of Hogwarts who wanted to join them. During the celebrations, Hermione suddenly realized that Viktor Krum was standing in the archway. She ran to him and embraced him. "Viktor! I meant to write to you and tell you how it all went along but then there was all the work to be done."

Viktor sounded sad. "Thank you, Hermione. I already read about it in the papers... I was glad to read that you are alive and won the great fight. ... Why did you not ask me to join you in that fight? When you wrote me that you would be gone for some time trying to solve some kind of mystery, I understood that you wanted to do this with Harry and Ron - as you always did. Nevertheless, I could have been of help in that battle. You are always keeping me out of everything that is important in your life." He still had the heavy Bulgarian accent Hermione loved so much.

She smiled at him apologetically. "I did not mean to exclude you! You are an important part of my life."

Viktor frowned. "That is not the feeling you are giving me."

Hermione sighed. "Viktor, I would have told you if I had had the time to plan everything. But one thing led to the next and then the fight was all over and we had to rebuild the Great Hall that had been damaged and ... And by the way it's not very easy to include you into my life when you are so far away at Durmstrang!"

Viktor smiled. "I already finished Durmstrang. And I would like to be with you."

Hermione beamed at him. "You are considering living here?"

Viktor nodded. "I will play Quidditch for some years and I could live here and go to trainings and games using Portkeys. If you want to have me around, I mean."

Hermione rushed into his arms, kissed him and said, "Of course do I want to have around. I love you."

Viktor sighed relieved. "You don't know how glad I am that you say that! I love you, too, Hermione Granger."

Hermione smiled. "By the way, my parents are here, too. I can introduce you if you like."

He agreed and they went over to her parents.

Harry, Ginny and Ron had observed them.

Harry asked Ron, "Did you know that they were still together?"

"No! She did not say a word."

Ginny smiled. "She told me. They were sending owls every week."

Viktor stayed near Hogwarts and when Hermione had finished her NEWTs he asked her to become his wife. Hermione agreed at once and after their marriage, they stayed at Hogwarts where Hermione had taken the position as Teacher of Numerology and new head of Gryffindor. Viktor Krum played Quidditch professionally for some time and became a trainer afterwards.

Viktor and Hermione had a son they named John Yuri after Hermione's and Viktor's fathers. Yuri was a bright, curious child from the beginning. When he was eleven years old; he was sorted into Ravenclaw and soon became a member of Ravenclaw's Quidditch team. Hermione and Viktor were very proud of him and they were leading a joyful and peaceful life.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Before the reopening of Hogwarts, Draco and Ella married and they inherited the Astronomy tower from Miss Trelawney who was not willing to come back to Hogwarts now that she was safe again.

While Draco was learning and studying for his NEWTs, Ella learned everything she could about healing from Ms. Pomfrey and the Centaur Firenze.

When it became clear that Ella was pregnant, Draco and Ella were both overjoyed. Ella gave birth to twins and they named them Ivy and Severus.

Hermione and Ella stayed close friends and Hermione often visited them and the babies in the former Astronomy Tower.

When Draco had finished his NEWTs, Professor Slughorn's wish to return to his retirement gave Draco the chance to stay at Hogwarts as a Potions teacher. Ella loved Hogwarts as much as Draco did and after a year, Ella became the new Herbology teacher when Ms. Pomfrey left Hogwarts to study unknown healing herbs in the Tundra. Ella became a great healer - the Ministry of Magic often called her to help them with severe cases of magical accidents.

Their children showed magic potential very early in their lives. While Ivy was a wild, black-haired child with soft grey eyes, always exploring her environment who showed to be a parselmouth even before she could speak, Severus was a quiet blonde boy with deep-green eyes who could spent hours studying objects he found and showed to be much in love with books. When Ivy and Severus were eleven, the head mistress Mrs. McGonagall invited them to visit the Hogwart School of Wizardry and Witchcraft. Ivy was sorted into Gryffindor because of her courage and strength of heart. Severus joined Ravenclaw because of his sharp mind and his creativity.

Draco and Ella were very proud of their children and remained deeply in love with each other. Their lives would have been perfect if the fate of Ella's mother, Ivy Snape, had not made Ella's heart ache whenever she thought about her. Every time she tried to heal her, it was in vain. Then she would take refuge in Draco's arms and he held her tight until she felt better.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Bill and Fleur married at the same day as Remus and Tonks and Mrs. Weasley had obliged the whole Order of the Phoenix and all friends to prepare a marvellous wedding celebration. On the wedding day, Mrs. Weasley was happily speeding around and chatting with the guests. Ron sat besides Fleur's cousin Helene and tried to become acquainted to her. To his utter surprise, Helene seemed to be interested in him, too. They were talking and even dancing the whole evening and Harry and Ginny were almost wondering if someone had used Polyjuice Potion and taken Ron's place.

After the wedding, Ron and Helene started to write to another every week and in the Christmas holidays Ron visited her at Beauxbatons. When he got his NEWTs, Ron accepted a position in the Ministry of Magic at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Together with Helene who came to London and opened a boutique at Diagon Alley, Ron rented a flat.

After two years, Ron and Helene married and they had four children. When these were old enough, they all went to Hogwarts. Genevéve who was as charming and beautiful as her mother was, visited Hufflepuff. Merlin, an ambitious and clever boy with ginger hair, was sorted into Slytherin - much to his father's alarm. James was a talented keeper and he was brave and good of heart, which led him straight into Gryffindor. Liza turned out to be bright and creative and went to Ravenclaw. Hermione always teased Ron and Helene with having spread their children over Hogwarts.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Harry started his training as an Auror soon after he got his NEWTs. He visited Hogwarts as often as he could to see Ginny and his old and new friends. After a year, Ginny had her degree, too and joined him at the Auror training camp. When they both had their accreditation, they married and always insisted in working as a team. After a short while, they were known as the best Aurors of Great Britain and they fought minor and major forms of magical criminality. Even though they were travelling often and far, they always found the time to stay in touch with their family and friends. Their relationship was passionate and as they were both stubborn and impulsive, they often were arguing or being cross with another, but their relationship endured all their battles. It even seemed to become stronger over the years and they loved and respected each other very much. They were overjoyed to have the opportunity to live exactly the live that they had always wanted.

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