All right. I want to address a review I received stating that this person thought I should have left Lily and James and Sirius dead. I brought them back for a reason. After the three of them died, Harry turned solely to Dumbledore for guidance and help. Dumbledore is dead. Harry is by himself. And how is a wizard who is depressed and feeling sorry for himself all the time going to rally the strength to defeat Voldemort, defeat the Death Eaters, and get the girl? He isn't. At least not without a little help. And that helps me throw a wrench in Voldemort's plans as well. Even if you don't agree with my decision to bring them back instead of Dumbledore, please give me a chance to prove you wrong. I've got this idea in my head, and it refuses to be pushed to the back burner. Anyway, I've taken up enough of your time. Please, enjoy chapter 4. And don't forget to vote in the Felix Felices competition next month. This story is entered into it.
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Harry was restless. He couldn't sleep. Soon got sick of even pretending that he could. He slipped from bed, having decided to go downstairs and raid the kitchen. Molly had made German Chocolate Cake for dessert, and he was hoping that a piece would help him get to sleep. He pretty much knew that it was hopeless, but he liked the cake and it was an excuse if he got caught.
In the end, he didn't get caught, but did the catching. He found Hermione sitting at the island on a barstool with a glass of milk and an apple slathered in peanut butter. She looked up when she saw his shadow, smiled. "Hey."
Harry took the cake out of the fridge, sat it on the counter. "Hey. Couldn't sleep either?"
"No." She sighed deeply, looked out the window. "I never can when we're about to go do something this big."
Harry chuckled. "We've never done something this big." He told her, taking the other barstool.
"Not that meant something to one of us, no, I couldn't agree with you more. But in danger and adventure, we've done plenty. The Chamber of Secrets, the Sorcerer's Stone, the Time Turner, the TriWizard Tournament, the Department of Mysteries and all those prophecies, the Dementors, all the stuff during our sixth year with Malfoy and Snape and the personal crap and the Horcrux, which we still have to find three of. And Harry, we can't kill Voldemort until we find them."
"I know. And you're right. We have done plenty. God, `Mione, we were just kids ourselves. How did we do it? And not end up dead?"
Hermione finished her apple, laid her hand over his. "We trusted each other unequivocally. The bookworm, the hotshot and the hero. With that combination, we were unbeatable."
Harry smiled, turned his hand up into hers. "We'll finish this, won't we?"
Hermione nodded. "We will. And we'll do it together. You, me, and Ron. We've been doing it for seven years. And nothing's stopped us yet. This isn't going to be the thing that does it." She leaned forward. "Harry. I haven't ever asked, because you didn't want to talk about it. What are the Horcruxes?"
Harry stiffened slightly. "I've told you about how they're made, about what they are."
"Yeah, but never what they're concealed as."
"There were six. Tom Riddle's diary, a ring Dumbledore destroyed, the one that was destroyed by whoever got to that place inside the cave first, a locket that belonged to Salazar Slytherin, a goblet that belonged to Helga Hufflepuff and Nagini the snake."
"Nagini? An animal?"
"Dumbledore was sure of it. It was one of the last things we talked about before he died."
Hermione thought quickly. "Dumbledore also said that he made the Horcruxes from very meaningful deaths?"
"Yeah. So?"
"So, he thought that you would be the last one. When you didn't die, he used Nagini. Voldemort liked to brag. And he stowed the diary with Lucius Malfoy, hid the one you didn't find, and Dumbledore ended up with the another. He has the last. Wouldn't it make sense that other loyal followers would get the other two?"
Harry thought about it. "I think that makes sense. But who?"
Hermione met his gaze. "Who were his most loyal followers who gaze him the most?"
Harry knew instantly. "Snape. And Bellatrix."
"My thoughts exactly."
Harry nodded. "You're brilliant Herms."
Hermione blushed. "I'm the bookworm. I'm good at deductive reasoning. You'd have figured it out on you own just fine. It might have taken you longer, but you'd have figured it out."
"By the time I did, it might have been too late. We'll ask Malfoy about everything after we rescue my parents and Sirius tomorrow. If anyone knows, it'll be him. It's his aunt and mentor we're talking about."
Hermione stood, took their plates and glasses to the sink. "And with that, we should at least try to get some sleep."
Harry stood. "I'll walk you up."
Hermione was sharing the attic room with Ginny. Harry was on the third floor with Ron. Hermione didn't object, though. She knew it wouldn't have done any good. When they reached her bedroom door, she turned, stretched upward to hug him. "That you, Harry."
Harry laid his hands on her shoulder. "For what?"
Hermione smiled. "Always being the hero."
Later Harry would wonder if it was fatigue, or the moonlight streaming in through the hall window. He'd ponder for a quick second whether he'd been charmed. But the truth was, the only thing that charmed him was his best friend. In any case, no matter what he would later consider as excuses, he took her chin in his hand, tipped her head back and covered her mouth with his.
Hermione was shocked from the top of her curls, to the tip of her toes. Running on blind instinct, her hand drifted to his cheek, and his kiss was returned timidly. It was light and sweet, exploratory, just seeing if there was anything between them. What there was, was electricity, sparks between them. Harry backed off before he was more than tempted to push her for more, releasing her mouth, taking a step back.
He grinned.
"Night Herms."
Hermione gaped at him. "Night." She turned and walked straight into the door. Rubbing her head and praying he'd somehow missed it, she opened the door and walked inside. Harry managed not to laugh until he was back in the room he was sharing with Ron.
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Molly woke everyone at seven. She'd already fixed breakfast and had it waiting in the kitchen. No one who looked at her would have guessed that she hadn't slept for a minute all night. She could tell, from looking at everyone she dragged out of bed, that all of the people under her roof had passed the same kind of night she had. Harry and Ron had already showered and dressed in cloaks, their robes on and wands tucked in pockets. Harry had the map and papers Draco had procured the day before. Hermione, Ginny and Draco were pretty much the same.
"I want you all to eat a good breakfast. This is going to be a long day. And I'll have dinner waiting for you here when you get back. I'm sure that Lily, James and Sirius will need something to eat. They'll probably be absolutely starved. Harry, I know you probably don't know, but do you have any idea what their favorite food was?"
He did, because it was his as well. "Yeah. Aunt Petunia was always complaining that I was just like them. It's lasagna."
Molly nodded briskly. "I'll make it then. A huge pan."
"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley."
"Don't mention it. Draco, would you like to have pancakes or eggs for breakfast?"
"Eggs."
"How do you like them?"
"Benedict."
Molly selected the proper plate and served him a hearty portion. She added bacon, sausage, grits and hash browns. Draco's eyes widened, but he knew enough not to object when he saw everyone else's plates piled similarly. He decided that it was a typical breakfast at the Weasley household. And considering what they had to do that day, he didn't want to make anyone angry or distracted. He normally would have relished the chance to do just that, but on that particular day, his life was at stake along with theirs'. He didn't necessarily care for the fact that he was dependent upon Harry, Hermione, and Ron.
Harry finished his breakfast and stood. "We're leaving in half an hour." He said, and walked outside. Following instinct more than his brain, Draco followed him, leaving half a plate of food behind him. He wasn't entirely sure that part of the reason for accompanying Harry wasn't to get out of eating the rest of what Molly had placed in front of him.
"Potter, slow down." Draco demanded, catching up to the other man. Harry shortened his stride and turned around.
"Not now, Malfoy."
Draco's brow furrowed. "Not now what?"
"I'm not in a mood to get your holier than thou speech. I don't need to know about how imperative it is that even if none of us survive, you must, and how important you are to the wizard community. I've got enough on my mind as it is."
"If I though that, do you really think I would have agreed to come along on this suicide mission?" Draco didn't give Harry a chance to answer, but did it for him. "Absolutely not. Look, I don't even know why I came out here. But, Potter, you can't dwell on this. You just have to do it. Think of it like a Quidditch game." He couldn't believe he was giving Harry advice. "You can't think about what's coming next, or what's going to happen, or what the outcome is going to be. You just have to roll with the punches and take whatever comes at you."
Harry looked at Draco, disbelief evident in his eyes. "You do realize that I am not going to hesitate to kill every Death Eater Voldemort sends at me? That if he sends your father, I will kill him too."
"What does that have to do with now?" Draco asked, hesitantly sitting down on the swing the Weasley's had in their yard. He wasn't entirely sure the thing would hold him. When he found that it did, he relaxed a little. "Self preservationist, Potter. If it's him and me, it's going to be him that dies. Family doesn't mean much to me."
For the first time, Harry felt sorry for Draco. He hadn't had the greatest childhood either, with his aunt and uncle, but at least his parents had loved him. Draco hadn't even had that much. Harry respected the older man, though he probably wouldn't ever say so, and would deny it with his dying breath. It would have been so easy for him to just follow his father's path. But he hadn't. He'd walked away from it and had chosen one that was of good. He'd almost died doing it, but he had done it. And more than that, he was helping the people he'd always considered enemies destroy what he'd spend almost all of his life working towards.
"Look, Malfoy, you and I will never be friends."
Draco laughed. "Damn straight."
"But maybe we can settle at non enemies."
Draco shrugged. "I'll think about it." He got up and headed back to the house. "We leave in fifteen minutes, Potter. Don't be late."
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Harry, Hermione, Ron and Draco had decided to travel by Apparition to directly outside the Ministry of Magic. Harry had, albeit it grudgingly, lent Draco his Invisibility Cloak for the entrance to the Ministry. If he was seen, it would raise suspicions, and the other three were regulars in the building. While all four were pretending to be quite at ease with their endeavor, the truth was, not one of them was free from butterflies of the stomach.
Harry look at his two best friends, and the man he hardly trusted as far as he could be thrown. "All right then, let's go."
With that having been said, the four of the Apparated. A split second later, they were all staring at the Ministry of Magic. Harry nodded, and they walked in. All four were praying that no one ran into Draco. When they made it onto a lift, and headed it into the basement with no mishaps, all let out a breath they hadn't realized they'd been holding.
Luck couldn't hold up for forever, though, and there were people in the basement, people who looked to be from the Department of Mysteries. Arthur had been wrong. They were doing the investigation during the day. Harry dragged his friends and Draco into another room, eased the door closed.
"Okay, they didn't see us, but what the bloody hell do you propose we do now?"
Hermione pulled her wand from her robes. "I propose, Harry, that I use my invisibility in indetecability spell on us. That will get us in the door. Once there, we should wait until it wears off before going any further."
Harry nodded. "Good idea. We should have thought of that before. Malfoy, give me that cloak."
Draco handed it to Harry, who folded it and put it in the pocket of his robes. Hermione pointed a Ron first. "Non animadverto invenio." Ron made a noise at the tingling, and then disappeared. Hermione cast the spell on the other two boys, and then finally on herself. "Okay, I think we should distract them, and go in while they aren't looking. The map says that our first task is the potion, so as soon as this wears off, we'll begin on that."
Harry nodded, then realized no one could see him. "All right. Let's go."
The foursome moved into the main chamber. In the floor, where the wizards were working, was a small trap door. Harry wasn't surprised that no one had found it. It blended into the stone remarkably well, and it seemed the handle was inside. There was a small indentation where it appeared that the stone had been worn down, but upon closer inspection, one's hand fit into the side of the indentation and there was a small lever there that opened the door. The papers had stated that once someone had taken on the task of entering the Sleep Chamber, no one from the outside could open the door. Which meant that as soon as they were in, they wouldn't be disturbed by and witches or wizards.
They moved around the wizards, and Harry dashed to the other side and knocked over a pile of boxes. When the men went to investigate, he quickly ran back to where one of the other three had opened the door. He waited until he heard three voices assure him that they were in, then jumped himself, pulling the door closed behind him. They were in. Harry wasn't entirely sure any of them would make it out. But he knew they were going to try their hardest.
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