A/N: I'm very slow, I'm sorry. Thank you to those who still are patient enough with me to keep reading this, even though I leave so often. I'm really trying to find times when I'm free and inspired and they just haven't come so often lately. Plus, other ideas have been forming in the back of my mind for quite some time, so you might be seeing some fanfics for other fandoms pretty soon.

We're almost at the end of the first part of the Perks series! Just one more chapter after this to go! If you liked this fanfiction, please follow me to be sure you get the notice when the sequel comes out, which will be published separately from this one.

"Good God," said Draco, narrowing his eyes at Charlotte. "You could've asked me if you wanted to see me for a while."

"I didn't just want to see you," Charlotte snapped. "I came to see both of you." She rolled her eyes. "You two. Of course. Together. How lovely."

Hermione thought that the way she turned her head back and forth between the two of them made her look more like an owl than anything menacing. She brought her balled fist up to her lips to stifle a giggle, and then looked Charlotte in the eyes.

"Why are you here?" Hermione demanded, with her hands balled into fists.

Charlotte turned her head quickly again; Hermione saw further resemblance from her large eyes looking as if they were hunting for prey. "I told you, Granger. I wanted to see you two."

"Any particular reason? I know this wasn't about me, judging by the way you look at Draco."

Draco raised his eyebrows at Charlotte. "Actually, your crush on Hermione is rather adorable, I must say."

"Shut up, Malfoy." Charlotte glared at him, reminding Hermione so much of the little black-haired, glasses-wearing Gryffindor First Year she used to know.

Harry.

Harry wanted to visit the Ministry of Magic to find Sirius.

Harry's going to die out there.

Charlotte must have continued to speak beyond her remark to Draco, but Hermione couldn't hear her. All she knew was that she interrupted her from something important . . . perhaps even relevant.

"Do you know where your friend is right now, Granger?" said Charlotte.

Yep, definitely relevant.

Hermione closed her eyes and attempted to clear out all of the troubling thoughts about Harry. He could be anywhere.

No, he's at the Ministry.

"I bet he told you he was going to the Ministry of Magic, correct?" said Charlotte.

Hermione nodded in reply.

Charlotte raised her eyebrows. "Really, he didn't tell you? Not even his best friend?"

"Just tell me where he is, Charlotte," said Hermione. "Please."

Charlotte smirked and folded her arms across her chest. "Hmm. Well, since you asked so nicely . . . he's taking a vacation right now. He's headed to New York."

"New York?" Draco glared at her. "Oh, I'm sure. Hermione said he was going to the Ministry of Magic."

"And you think his hallucinations can't change?" she said. "Face it, Hermione, your mate's lost it. Not that I could blame him, of course, he's had a rough life. . . ."

"It's rough enough without people like you mocking him for it," Hermione snapped.

"Hm, touchy. Very touchy."

Draco took a few steps closer to Charlotte and looked her in the eyes. "Does . . . does this have anything to do with . . . my aunt?"

Hermione looked up at him quickly.

She did this. His psycho, insane, murderous aunt did this.

Charlotte's face fell, and she began to stutter, as if she was holding something back. "It - it might have."

Draco suddenly looked livid. He ran his hands through his hair in a rather violent manner. He darted to the wall, knocking over a table and shattering a lamp along the way, and proceeded to punch an apple-sized dent in the wall. For a few minutes, all that could be heard was the sound of wood cracking, loud thumping, and a string of obscenities Hermione didn't wish to repeat.

Hermione took a couple of slow steps toward him. "Draco . . . ?"

He turned to her, hair disheveled and eyes wild. This was not the Draco she fell in love with, but with him being the way that he was, with a spirit so delicate and ever-changing, she knew she'd have to face him broken sooner or later.

"This . . . this is all my fault," he stammered, "and I'm so sorry, Hermione."

Hermione took another step towards him, with a look of compassion on her face. "I'm sure it's not -"

He snorted. "Oh yeah? Try me." He shook his head at her, taking a step back. "You better believe this has everything to do with me. And you know I'd never do it now . . . you know that. Of course you do. But last year was different. In that Triwizard Tournament, I got to observe every intricacy of Potter's weaknesses. . . . I told my family, Hermione."

"Well, that was you then," said Hermione. "This is you now. Think in the moment, Draco! Stop dwelling on your past because I absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, do not care. Live for today and stop regretting everything you've done. I'm tired of it. I trust you now, don't make me lose that trust."

"Excuse me for apologizing, then."

"You aren't helping!" she said. "Harry's in danger right now and quite frankly, I don't have time to sit here and listen to you whine about yourself! Get over yourself, Draco! All you do is whine about how you aren't helpful enough because you're trying to draw attention to yourself. And I am sick of it."

He opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it and dropped himself down into a chair. "Fine."

Hermione nodded and whipped her head around to Charlotte. "And you," she began, with her finger pointed at Charlotte. "I don't know why you're telling us this. Every part of me wants to believe it's a lie right now. Explain to me why I should believe you."

"I don't hate you, Hermione," she said, as if Hermione were stupid for believing otherwise. "I rather like you, actually. I'm not here to scold you for anything . . . I'm here to help you. I'm a friend."

Draco looked up at her. "And a bloody terrible one at that," he muttered.

Charlotte ignored him and kept her eyes locked with Hermione's. "Go along, then. Go help your friend. He needs it right now. I don't know how the hell you're going to get there but you needed to know."

"Thank you," said Hermione, rather coldly.

Charlotte contrasted it with a warm smile. "You're welcome. It's the least I could do to repay you for taking full responsibility for your lapdog there," she said, nodding towards Draco.

Draco turned slightly pink. "You may take your leave now, Charlotte."

"Oh, I intend to," she said. "I'll see you in about, er . . . four months? I have to go home the rest of this school year. Be seeing you two, then," she said, nodding at them both and exiting through the doors.

Hermione and Draco both glared at her as she left but then turned to each other.

"Draco, we need to do something about this."

He shook his head. "I don't know what we're supposed to do."

"We go to New York," said Hermione, as if it were the most obvious conclusion in the world.

"No."

"Why not? We could fly a plane over there," said Hermione. "That's what Muggles do."

"Not safe. Not for a couple of wizards."

Hermione rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Draco, there are wizards all over the world -"

"That's not what I meant," he said, with a little flourish of his hand. "I mean it could potentially get easier to get found out if you've got those Muggles patting you down. Plus anyone could ask you why you have a bloody stick with you."

"Well, we can't ride a broom there."

"Why not?"

"Draco."

He looked down quickly, nodded, and looked back up at Hermione. "Er . . . right. A few hours isn't going to be very pleasant."

Hermione sighed. "We're out of options."

"Could you convince Harry to stay before he goes?" he suggested.

"Me?" she asked. "I've already tried that."

"What about me, then?"

Hermione looked at him, unsure if he was joking or not. "You serious?"

"Absolutely serious." He took her by the arm and began to walk with her to the doors. "Look. Harry hates me because he knows my family and what they do. If I can somehow convince him that I know what they're up to over there, then he might just buy it. Or I can use reverse psychology and say they're not doing anything, but look really damn suspicious the entire time, so that he's all, 'Oh my wizard God, Malfoy did it again, he's ever-so-clever!'"

Hermione smiled. "Glad to see you're back."

"Me too."

Hand-in-hand they walked out of the doors, both knowing they were headed to the toughest quest of their lives so far . . .

Draco was going to have to persuade Harry.