Life without danger is a waste of oxygen

"Come on," said Draco, rubbing his chin. "Harry and Ron are over there."

The four walked a little further until they reached the moat. Malfoy Manor stood tall and glorious looking far off in the distance. It was built from large, grey stone slabs and looked more like a fortress than anything else.

"How much longer is it?" asked Ron, clutching his stomach.

"Are you always this whiney?" asked Draco. "The boat's just here." The 'boat' was a small wooden thing with two oars. Draco helped Hermione in first. "Well?" he asked Harry and Ron. "What are you waiting for?"

"Why aren't you getting in?" asked Harry, continually suspicious of Draco.

"If I get in who's going to push the boat further out? You may be the 'Chosen One' but even adding Weasley's muscle to your own it's still less than impressive. Now get in."

Harry and Ron frowned at Draco, but got into the boat all the same, allowing Draco to push the boat out and then jump in himself.

Draco took the oars out and began rowing. The boat glided smoothly through the water for a few minutes, and then stopped.

"Why are we stopping?" asked Ron, suddenly aware of the eeriness of the night. There was silence around them and Malfoy Manor looked uninviting.

"Blood. It's another trap for anyone breaking in," responded Draco calmly. He then pulled his dagger out of his left boot and rolled up his sleeve. Draco proceeded to slice into his arm without making a sound and then hold his arm out over the water until enough blood ran in.

"Draco, what's wrong with pricking your finger like a normal person?" asked Hermione.

"My hands are always on show. I don't want scars on them," he replied, as though it was perfectly normal. "We're here."

Draco pulled the boat in and then got out. The others followed suite.

"That's my window up there," said Draco, pointing to a window that was at least four storeys high.

"There's no way I'll be able to climb that Draco," said Hermione. "It's just a bare wall, there's not even any drain pipes."

"Drain pipes?" he questioned.

"Never mind." Hermione shook her head. "Can't we just use a simple levitation spell?"

"No," said Draco. "If my Father checks he'll know someone other than my Mother cast magic and he'll find out what has happened. This is the only way. You can hold onto my back if you want and I'll take the both of us up." Ron spluttered loudly at this.

"Draco, you won't be able to," continued Hermione. "That's a vertical wall, it's impossible. There's nowhere sturdy enough for your hands."

"Of course it's possible," said Draco, indignantly. "I have done it before you know."

"Then don't you have anything you can use as a rope to throw down to us?" asked Harry, sensibly.

"And you three are meant to be the ones good at the adventures," muttered Draco. He took a few steps back and looked up at the wall. Walking back a few steps further, Harry, Ron and Hermione looked on in amazement as Draco took a run at the wall. Using all his muscular strength and agility using back, shoulders and knees, Draco shimmied up the stone wall with great speed.

He quickly tied a few bed sheets together as they were the longest items in his room, and dangled them out the window. With one end tied securely to his bedpost, he hissed down to the others to make their way up.

Hermione went first, holding onto the sheets and walking up the wall. Then Harry, and finally Ron.

"It's late," said Draco. "We should rest in here tonight then set off to the dungeons early tomorrow." The others nodded in agreement, tired from the days exertions. "I, umm, just need to go check on something. I'll be straight back." He left the room quickly and Harry, Hermione and Ron stared at each other questioningly.

"We should follow him," said Ron. "He could be up to anything."

"Absolutely not," said Hermione. "Spying on each other won't solve anything." She looked over at Harry for support.

"I'm with Ron on this one," said Harry, apologetically.

Hermione waited only a few seconds before changing her mind and hurrying after the two boys.

**********

Draco had left the room with one intention, finding his mother. It had been months since he had seen her. It did not take long for him to find her.

The posh, uptight Narcissa Malfoy lay sprawled out on the floor of the landing clutching onto a bottle of brandy. Her hair was a mess, there was dirt under her once perfectly polished nails and she smelt stale, as though she was living in her own waste.

"Hello, mother," he said, kneeling down to pry the almost empty bottle away from her fingers.

"Gerrof me!" she slurred.

"No. What are you doing? Father promised me you'd stopped this."

"Him?" she spat. "That bastard? He can rot in hell fur'all I care!"

Draco grabbed her arm tightly and shook her. "You don't say that, Mother! Don't ever say that!"

"Yerrurtin' me!" she cried out.

"Good," said Draco sternly. "He is your husband and you will do well to remember that!"

"So?" Narcissa questioned boldly. "More like Lucifer than Lucius." She laughed drunkenly. "That makes you the spawn of Satan!" She laughed again.

"Enough!" snapped Draco, pulling her roughly to her feet but she fell back down again, too drunk to even stand. Draco pulled her wand out of her pocket and pointed it at her.

"NO!" shouted Harry as he ran in between the wand and Narcissa.

"Potter, get out of my way," said Draco, darkly.

"I won't let you curse your own mother, Malfoy!" said Harry.

"Draco, what's going on?" asked Hermione calmly.

"I asked you all to stay in my room," replied Draco. "Now move, Potter!"

"No," said Harry.

"Fine." Draco flicked the wand wordlessly and Harry felt himself being flung to the side. "Scourgify!" he said, wand now pointed out his mother.

Narcissa screamed painfully as she was magically cleaned.

"What..." began Harry.

"Did you think I was going to kill her or something?" asked Draco, his face still looking dark. He then conjured a pillow and blanket for his mother before storming past the three and back into his room.

"Next time I tell you to do something, do it," he told the three as they came back in. "Luckily she wont remember anything in that state."

"What was wrong with her?" asked Ron, stupidly.

"Shut up, Weasley!" replied Draco.

"No. And I thought you said we couldn't use magic. Do you always treat your mother in that way?" Draco walked over to Ron and punched him in the face. "What the hell was that for?" shouted Ron.

"ENOUGH!" screamed Hermione. "We are here for the Order and if you're all going to fight I'll call Dumbledore and he'll have you taken straight back to Hogwarts."

"But..." began Harry, Ron and Draco simultaneously.

"No buts," said Hermione. "We're all going to sleep and I don't want another word said. Tomorrow is a new day and there'll be no more fighting."

Quietly, Draco got some blankets out of his cupboard and gave one to Hermione. He threw the other two at Harry and Ron. Hermione gave him a warning glance.

"Sleep well," said Draco reluctantly to the boys.

**********

Harry, Hermione and Ron woke early the next morning at the sound of the bedroom door opening. Draco came in smiling.

"I've seen the map," he said, triumphantly.

"Where is it?" asked Hermione.

"In a safe in my Father's office. I left it there," he said.

"Well, that was stupid," said Ron. "Don't we need to bring it with us?"

"I thought it best to leave it in my Father's office in case it triggered some sort of alarm when taken over the threshold. Don't worry, Weasley, my memory's not as poor as yours. I know which way to take us."

"What are we waiting for?" asked Harry.

"This way," said Draco. He led them cautiously through corridor after corridor in the grand mansion, each time checking before turning round corners that there would be no surprises waiting for them. They finally reached a dimly lit room no bigger than a box room and Draco muttered a few words, causing a trap door to emerge.

They climbed down the stone cold steps leading into the dungeon, wedging the door behind them with a piece of rolled up parchment. Draco pulled out four medium-sized torches from his backpack and handed them out, lighting each with his lighter.

Finally being able to see where they were going, they made their way through the dungeons.

As Draco strode along, Harry, Hermione and Ron stepped anxiously behind him, each not wanting to be ahead of Draco, nor wanting to be the one at the back. They walked in silence, Harry and Draco with determined looks on the faces and Hermione and Ron's full of awe and wonderment.

"Ahhh," Ron let out a short scream causing the others to stop and look at him. "S, s, sp..." attempted Ron.

Draco shot him a filthy look but Hermione and Harry knew the only things that caused Ron to act that way was a spider. Sure enough, when they looked down they saw an extremely large one scuttling past them on the floor. There was a loud bang as Draco's boot came crashing down on it.

"Stop wasting time," he spat at Ron before continuing through the dungeons. The truth was that Draco didn't like being down there any more than the others. Though his father had never actually done it, the threat had always been there that if Draco was disobedient he would be left down here with the other prisoners. He still remembered the screams of the prisoners as his father took him down here to show him muggle methods of torture.

"Anybody can learn 'crucio' boy," said Lucius, his face looking very evil in the dim light of the torch.

"Yes, Father," replied Draco.

"When you are the Lord of this Manor you too will have to punish people, for it will be your law that counts, not the Ministry."

"Yes, Father."

"You need physical strength! Now come, watch me cut off parts of this man's body till he talks."

"Who is he, Father?" asked Draco, tying not to let his nervousness show in his voice.

"A traitor of our Lord. He has Ministry information."

The torture that night lasted little over an hour. It began with Lucius promising the man that after he gave up his information his memory would be modified and he would be allowed to go free. The man gave in after two fingers of his right hand and his left arm up to his elbow had been sawed off. It ended with Lucius plunging a knife into his heart after gaining all the information he wanted.

As his Father cleaned his knife from blood on a piece of rag, Draco found himself walking slowly over to the dead body and staring intently into the man's open eyes. It would be weeks before the look of terror in the man's eyes stopped haunting his sleep.

Draco felt the heavy hand of his father on his shoulder and he spun round in fear.

"Draco, are you okay?" It was only Hermione. Her soft voice calmed him as he blocked out all thoughts of that night. "You just spaced out," she continued. "Are you alright?"

Draco nodded sharply and took off again, the three following him closely behind.

Draco knew where Snape's body would be - it would be where Lucius left all the other corpses to rot. He led the trio for about an hour before stopping.

"Why have we stopped?" asked Hermione.

"It's meant to be here. I don't understand," replied Draco, looking puzzled.

"Great," said Ron. "We're lost."

"We're not lost," snarled Draco. "Father must have changed the place since I was last down here."

"Does your father make a habit of dumping bodies down here?" asked Harry coldly.

"No, but I will if you don't shut up for a minute and let me think," replied Draco.

"Draco," said Hermione, with a warning glare. The last thing they needed was a fight to break out down here.

Draco ignored her as he shut his eyes and pictured the map. If he were his father, where would he dump the body? His eyes suddenly snapped open. "This way," he said, and the trio followed him.

After a further half hour of walking they all began to smell something foul.

"What's that smell?" asked Ron.

"Rotting flesh," replied Draco as he kept walking. The smell got stronger as they continued, and Draco smiled to himself. They were there. They entered a cavern-like area and in it were about ten bodies, thrown on top of each other as though rubbish.

Hermione's hand went to her mouth in shock and even Harry and Ron looked like they were about to throw up. Draco, on the other hand, walked up to the pile and began searching for Severus. He found his body and struggled to pull the dead weight out.

"Are you gonna give me a hand or just keep staring?" he asked the others, a tone of annoyance in his voice. They walked over and Harry and Ron both took hold of one of their former teachers' hands and began to pull.

Hermione however, bent down over a young girl's body and reached out gently to touch her face.

"She looks no older than I am," she whispered softly. She looked up as a gentle hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Hermione, I'm sorry you have to see this," said Draco. "But there is nothing we can do for her or anyone else here now." He spoke the words he had so longed his father to speak to him.

"But her family," continued Hermione, "her parents will want to know what has happened to her."

"There's nothing we can do," said Draco, a little more firmly. "We came to fetch Severus, that's all. Come on."

Hermione ran out of the cavern and promptly threw up.

"Hermione, it's ok," said Ron, slipping his arm around her waist.

"No, it's not okay!" she said. "People are dead and more people will die before this is over with. Innocent people, muggles and wizards alike. My parents are muggles, what will happen to them?"

"Nothing," said Ron. "That's why we're here. To stop Voldemort and his Death Eaters getting away with all this."

Reluctantly, Hermione rose to her feet and followed the boys. Unable to conjure a stretcher, Harry and Ron carried Snape's body between them, Harry holding his legs and Ron his arms. They managed to walk for only ten minutes before they had to stop for a rest.

"We have to keep moving," urged Draco. He picked up Snape's body and pulled it over his broad shoulders.

The four kept moving in silence for another hour before Draco suggested they stop for some food. The atmosphere between them was sombre and when Draco lit a cigarette, Hermione did not challenge him for once, glad for something else to smell other than the rotting corpse.

"I think we should stay here the night," suggested Hermione. "We're all tired and we can't carry him much further tonight anyway."

"But I haven't brought any blankets," said Draco. "You'll be cold." It was said to Hermione, for he didn't care how cold Ron and Harry were.

"I'll keep you warm, 'Mione," said Ron as he gently reached out and touched her hand. It was difficult for all of them to see those bodies, but he knew it must be especially difficult for Hermione as she was such a caring person.

"Well," said Draco, bitter from seeing Hermione smile in return at Ron, "I'm not to fussed really, so Potter you can have Snape to cuddle up to for warmth."

"You dirty..." began Ron.

"No," said Hermione. "Things are too sad down here. We need to keep things as light as possible, for my sanity at least."

It was an odd thing to say, but they all understood exactly how she felt. If they continued not talking to each other, the atmosphere would only get worse.

"In that case," began Draco, "Weasley, did you just fart? I didn't think anything could be worse than the stench of old Snape here but I was obviously wrong."

Ron glared at Draco but Hermione let out a small giggle.

"No, Draco," said Harry. "I believe that smell is you. I recognize it from every other time you've opened your mouth." It was now Draco's turn to glare.

"Let's play truths," said Hermione, before the boys got too carried away. "I'll start. Draco, is it true that you have a thing for Marianna in the portrait on the fourth floor?"

"Absolutely not," he replied. "The bloody woman won't let me walk past to get to Transfigurations without making some comment about my body. My turn, Weasley, is it true that you proposed to that Lavender girl?"

"No," said Ron, turning red. "I'd bought her a ring for her birthday and she got the wrong idea. Hermione, is it true that you love me?"

"Of course it is," laughed Hermione. "That was a waste of a question. Harry is it true you and Ginny did the deed?"

"The 'deed'?" asked Ron. "What 'deed'? Actually, I don't want to know."

"Shut your ears then. Harry?" continued Hermione.

"Twice," said Harry, proudly after Ron had covered up his ears. "Draco, did you actually get an offer from a professional Quidditch team to play for after you graduate?"

"Did you?" retorted Draco.

"Two, actually," replied Harry, modestly. Draco scowled.

"What's the truth about Quirrel from first year?" asked Draco, changing the subject before he had to admit that they were only rumours about professional Quidditch teams wanting him.

"What did you hear?" asked Ron.

"Lots," replied Draco. "I heard that he was eaten by his own stupidly sized turban, that he was sacked due to his absurdly annoying stutter and that he ran off to join some cult."

"Well..." began Hermione. She launched into the story, with Ron and Harry adding comments, of how they found out about the Philosopher's Stone and all the trials they had to get through to save it from Voldemort. By the time she finished telling the story they were all extremely tired and tried to get as comfortable as they could to get some sleep.

Harry was slept huddled near a wall and Hermione wrapped in Ron's arms. Draco was unable to get to sleep, thinking that it should be his arms wrapped around Hermione and not Ron's.

He began to pace, hoping this would make him more tired, only being near Hermione and Ron just made him angry. Eventually, he decided to make himself useful and, picking Snape up once more, carried him through the dungeons to the entrance before making his way back to the others.

"Wake up," said Draco, nudging Harry harshly with his foot. Harry groggily got to his feet. "Wake them up." Draco shrugged in the direction of Ron and Hermione.

"Where's the body gone?" asked Ron.

"Couldn't sleep," muttered Draco. "Dragged him through to the entrance."

The three couldn't complain as they quickly made their way through the tunnels, back to the trap door.

Draco climbed through first. "Pass him up," he said.

Ron and Harry, with great difficulty, lifted the body up over their heads and up to Draco.

"We can go through a side door here rather than back up to my room," said Draco, after magically concealing the trap door again. "It's not protected when opened from the inside."

They made their way through the grounds without too much difficulty.

"Damn," shouted Draco, when they finally reached the boat. "I forgot my bag."

"I'll go back and get it," offered Ron, wanting an excuse to avoid helping to lift the heavy body into the boat.

"Come straight back," warned Draco. "I put it just outside the door to pick Snape up again."

After a short while of waiting, Harry began to tense. "What if something's happened to Ron?" he asked. "I'm going to go back and get him."

"I'm coming with you," said Draco. "Shouldn't have let that idiot go by himself in the first place. Hermione, you stay here and guard Snape."

"Thanks," said Hermione, sarcastically.

Ron was fine, he was actually more than fine. He had got the backpack and had begun carelessly making his way back to the others, taking in all the surroundings. After growing up with his family in the cramped Burrow, he allowed himself a little daydream as to what it would be like to be the master of a great manor.

Stretched out in front of him was open grass and beautiful gardens and he felt free. Remembering what Draco had said before, he stopped, lifted back his head and shouted, "Release the hounds!" in his most authoritive voice. Smiling in a satisfied way, he continued making his way back to the boat.

Harry and Draco met him before he got much further.

"What was taking you so long?" demanded Draco.

"Nothing," said Ron, defensively. He handed the backpack over to Draco. Just then, they heard a very distinct rumble of the ground.

"What was that?" asked Harry. The sound came again.

"Weasley, you didn't do anything, did you?" asked Draco, slowly. He recognized the sound, but dismissed the idea, thinking Ron wouldn't be that stupid.

"Like what?" asked Ron. However, there was no denying it now. From a distance, they saw ten large hounds bounding towards them, drool spilling out past their snarling teeth.

"Like that! RUN!" shouted Draco. The three began running as fast as they could back towards the boat. "You idiot!" shouted Draco, still running. Thankfully, Quidditch training had strengthened the three boys over the years, but the hounds were gaining on them quickly.

"Can't you call them off?" panted Harry, trying to keep up.

"They only answer to my Father," shouted Draco. The three jumped into the boat and Draco began to row very fast to get the boat out and away from the bank. Hermione was about to ask what had happened when she saw the animals barking and snarling. They were too late though, for the boat had pushed off and was gliding through the water.

"What did you do?" asked Hermione.

"Ask your stupid boyfriend!" snarled Draco.

"I only..." began Ron in a small voice. "You said they only answer to your father. I didn't think they would actually come."

"You shouted 'release the hounds'?" asked Hermione, trying to hold back a giggle from the thought of Ron shouting it.

Ron simply went red and looked out over the water.

"You could have got us killed!" said Draco, still furious.

"Not so funny now, Mafoy," said Harry, "is it?"

They rowed the rest of the distance in silence.

After pulling Snape out onto the bank, Draco transfigured his body into a small bone, knowing his father couldn't trace any magic used that wasn't on his grounds. The pub was less crowded as it was early in the morning and the four were able to Floo back to Hogwarts with no difficulty.

"You got the body?" asked Dumbledore, after seeing that the four were unharmed. Draco took the bone out of his pocket and slumped it onto the Headmaster's desk. Dumbledore sent them all back to their rooms to recover with rest before transfiguring the bone back to Snape's body to examine it.

**********

"Where have you been?" demanded Ginny as Ron and Harry stepped into the Gryffindor common room. It was lunchtime and so they were the only ones there.

"Nowhere, Ginny," replied Ron.

"Liars!" she exclaimed. "You've been out doing work for the Order, haven't you?"

"Ginny," said Harry, "keep your voice down, and no, we haven't."

"You've been gone for two days. I waited up all night for you last night and you didn't come back. You haven't been to any of your lessons."

"We've got a transfigurations exam tomorrow," said Harry, the lie slipping easily off his tongue. "We've been in the Room of Requirement all night studying."

"I had the Marauder's Map with me," said Ginny. "You've been nowhere near Hogwarts."

"You went through my things?" asked Harry.

"Of course I bloody did," retorted Ginny.

"Well you shouldn't have," snapped Ron. "We're going to bed now. You should mind your own business in future!" The two boys stormed angrily past her.

"I can't believe the cheek of her," said Ron as he flopped down on his bed in the dormitory.

"I know, she had no right to go through my things," said Harry. "Though I suppose she was just worried about us. Do you think we should go talk to her?"

"And tell her what?" asked Ron. "We can't exactly tell her the truth."

"Maybe not, but we need to tell her something. This isn't just going to blow over and I don't want Ginny to be mad at me. Or you for that matter."

"Well let's at least get some sleep before we go and talk to her," said Ron, promptly yawning.

**********

"Thanks," said Hermione to Draco as they stepped into their common room.

"What for?" he asked with a blank expression on his face.

Risking your life for me, keeping your feelings for me hidden when I was with Ron last night, putting up with Ron and Harry "You know," Hermione smiled at him. "For helping the Order."

"I didn't..." began Draco. He was desperate for her to know that he only went on Dumbledore's orders because that was what she wanted. Though what was the point after last night? Instead, Draco gave her a curt nod before walking into his bedroom to get some rest.