Hermione is convinced there are hidden passages in the manor. It's the only way Narcissa can be avoiding her so thoroughly. She has not seen hide nor hair of Narcissa for days, not even to go to bed. The house may be enormous, but Hermione does not believe that alone could explain Narcissa's absence. The only way she knows Narcissa is still in the manor is because Kreacher delivers supplies to Narcissa personally and the supplies keep replenishing.

Scowling, Hermione scrubs furiously at a grimy window. Of all the most immature, ridiculous, stupid things - She throws the cloth into the bucket of now dirty water beside her. It splashes water over the edge, soaking her pant leg.

"Honestly!" she snarls. With a few sharp jabs of her wand, she vanishes the water and dries her clothes.

She turns around and sits back against the wall, knees drawn up to her chest. In addition to Narcissa avoiding her, Ron had been strangely quiet and skittish in the face of her increasingly foul mood, and she had made no progress on the problem of reaching the last Horcrux. No matter how she turned it over in her head, she can't find any way to reach it, not with Voldemort keeping it so close.

It's over , she thinks, pressing her forehead against her knees and squeezing her eyes closed. I can't do this...it's too much...it's too much...

A desperate longing rose up in her. She wishes her parents were here. More than that she wishes she had gone to Australia with them. Maybe she could have convinced Harry to come with her, to hide, not to place his trust in Dumbledore's uncertain plan...

Deep down she knew it would never have worked. Harry wouldn't run and neither would she...but maybe she should have tried...maybe her parents would still know they had a daughter...

Hermione took a deep shaky breath. Her breathing hitched. A dry sob shook her frame. She hugged her knees to her chest and grit her teeth against the tears burning her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Harry," she whispered hoarsely. Her shoulders shook. "I'm sorry..."

"Hermione?"

Hermione looks up, blinking. Through her tears, she can make out Narcissa stepping out from a tapestry on the opposite wall, watching her with concern. She rubs roughly at her eyes and cheeks. Narcissa approaches her hesitantly.

"What's wrong?" Narcissa asks gently, kneeling beside Hermione.

"I'm sorry," Hermione whispers. "I shouldn't have spied on you...I want to trust you. I was just... I'm just..." She pauses, casting around for a way to describe how she had felt. With a short watery laugh, she realized there was only one way to describe it.

"Scared. I'm just...scared."

Narcissa gently pulls Hermione into her arms. "Sometimes I forget how young you both are. You have so much on your shoulders, and you have done so well."

Hermione sinks into Narcissa's embrace, sniffling. "I don't know what to do... How can we possibly get near the snake?"

"At present, I doubt it will be possible." Narcissa rubbed her back soothingly. "However, that does not mean there is nothing we can do. We need allies and information. That is something Bellatrix and Alecto can help with... I have a few ideas for how to be a thorn in the Dark Lord's side myself..."

Hermione pulls away and meets Narcissa's determined gaze. How strange, she thinks, that Narcissa has decided to take action when her own conviction falters.

Narcissa smiles. "There is more to a war than direct conflict, as you've no doubt realized. But there are more goals than simply the obvious as well."

"What do you mean?"

"How do you feel about undermining the Ministry?"