Disclaimer1:

I do not own, nor claim to own, Harry Potter, nor any characters JK Rowling has created (however much we'd all love a certain Slytherin to be real, winkwink, am I right?). I don't believe I'm copying anyone's plot bunny, and if I am, mea culpa, and great minds think alike.

Something wasn't right. Hermione noted with dread that she was running out of time. 'Time' she thought. 'All I needed was just a bit more time'. She sprinted as hard as she could to the room with the dais, dodging curses and hexes, some accidental friendly fire, some much more deadly. Her heart sank as she saw Sirius, the grin on his face. 'If I could just go a little faster!' But her surroundings seemed to have turned to molasses, as if the air were made of it. 'Just... a bit... further...'

Plunk!

Hermione rose up in bed, sweat drenching her and her bedsheets, which had tangled around her legs as she fitfully slept.

"Shhh," a familiar face warned her. Black, unruly hair and glasses swam in her vision. She hastily wiped the tears out of her eyes as she gazed sleepily at one of her best friends. "Snatchers are out there. Your protective spells and wards are brilliant, but just on the off chance, I'd rather them not hear you screaming and find us."

Hermione blushed bright red and took note of the sky outside. 'Red sky at morning, sailors take warning,' she remembered an old proverb she'd heard from the muggle world. It'll likely be a rainy day. She sighed resignedly and untangled herself from her bedding. She shivered in the early morning cold, vaguely remembering apparating them somewhere near Greenland. Ron had said -

Tears fell from her eyes without warning, remembering yet again. He'd left them. 'Stupid git' she thought, wiping the tears and sniffing angrily. Harry cleared his throat, looking a little uncomfortable.

"I know it still stings... but we had no choice but to move on. All we can do is hope for the best." Harry's unspoken words fell flat in front of them. 'That he's still alive,' she thought, almost desperately.

"Well," she said, taking a deep, cleansing breath, "I suppose we should get some food in us. Starving and blubbering won't help us rescue humanity from You-Know-Who." She jumped up and busied herself with a few spells to tidy up the tent and put on breakfast, a few spells she'd picked up from Mrs. Weasley. Her heart pulsed painfully, but she breathed in and out and continued on.

After a small meal of cooked fish that Harry had caught (surprising the both of them), and some cooked vegetables they'd pilfered (regrettably) from a farm, Harry spread out a piece of parchment and tapped on it, saying quietly, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good".

As if an invisible hand were writing,a map began to appear. The Marauders Map he'd received from the Weasley twins during his third year had been nothing but a necessity since he'd had it - up till now. All it really told him was the people inhabiting Hogwarts and where they were. As Snape, their former Potions teacher and recently outed Death Eater, seemed to have taken up residence in the Headmaster's office, they'd gathered he was the new headmaster.

They'd also surmised a few Death Eaters were currently taking up residence in Hogwarts as well, two of them being teachers, siblings or possibly a married couple. Harry was sick with fear when he discovered a large portion of the DA had returned, including Ginny. Of course they'd had little choice - their families were all likely being threatened. Harry slammed his fist into the ground in frustration. The map wasn't showing him anything useful at all! If only he had a map of the wizarding world itself, or the Malfoy manor where it seemed was the headquarters for the Death Eaters.

Once more, Harry silently cursed Dumbledore for not having given better instructions, or taught him more before Dumbledore was killed by Snape, the usurper. The traitor. Hermione noted the veins bulging in Harry's arm as he clenched and unclenched his hands, obviously seething yet again about the injustices of the war. She walked outside the tent, wrapping a scarf around her neck to protect against the crisp morning air. Surely enough, she noticed storm clouds gathering in the distance, and thought to herself they should move on from here soon as well. The river banks were already a little swollen as is, and nature could be quite unpredictable and tricky.

Hermione jumped when she heard a small pop come from a small distance away. Somebody had apparated nearby. Nobody could manage to get through her wards, not unless she allowed it or they knew they were there, but Hermione held her breath fearfully nonetheless. She strode silently to Harry's side by the tent, where he'd scrambled to when he heard the noise himself.

'Snatchers?!' she mouthed wordlessly at Harry. He shook his head uncertainly and crept around the tent, wand raised. Hermione followed closely, but regretted it when he stopped suddenly and she rebounded off his back and onto the ground. She glared up at him, but followed his gaze when she saw the startled look on his face.

A disheveled blonde head of hair popped into her vision as she scrambled onto her feet. Hermione gazed in shock at him as well, and looked to Harry for an opinion. Harry shrugged and whispered quietly, "Let's just keep an eye on him first, see what he's up to all the way out here." She nodded, and looked back over to her former classmate's familiar face. What in the world was Draco Malfoy doing almost in Greenland, so far from his family, and his... master? A hot coal of dull terror settled in her stomach as many scenarios ran through her head, each more grisly than the last.

She settled on the ground next to Harry, watching intently as Malfoy fumbled with his surroundings. Apparently, he'd decided on a camping trip his own self, and he was trying, unsuccessfully, to pitch a tent the muggle way. Hermione decided they could spare at least a small amount of time amusing themselves with Malfoy's antics before deciding to leave or sneak up on him and capture him for questioning. Maybe today would be a little less bleak than the past couple months since Bill and Fleur's wedding had been.

AN:

I'll do my best to update as much as possible, if not daily, then weekly. I just got a new job but I shouldn't be that busy. Please give reviews! (Also please excuse the fact I've never published anything so I'm learning by trial and error on here.)