Chapter 20
Chasing Rainbows
"What?" Harry's voice rang out, echoing off the dank walls that surrounded the trio. He stepped away from the door, reaching Hermione's side in a few steps. "How?"
Hermione shook her head. "I don't know. He was there a moment ago and now he's…gone." Her eyes meet Harry's searchingly. "He's vanished. I don't know how, but he just disappeared…like magic."
Harry walked over to where Draco had only moments ago been lying, dead to the world. He kicked his foot over the spot as if he expected to come into contact with something. A frown creased his brow, as he looked back at Hermione. "We've got to find him." He kicked the floor again in frustration. "I can't believe we were so stupid. Why weren't we watching him?"
Ron, who had remained by the door, walked over to Harry. "C'mon, mate. He can't have gotten far."
Letting out a long sigh, Harry shook his head. "He's loose in Hogwarts and it's our fault he's here. If this is some ploy of Voldemort's, we've just played right into his hands. How could we have been so stupid?" He walked over to the door and rested his hand on the door frame. "Okay, we're in the middle of Slytherin territory, and their common room is only a short distance away. Hopefully the password has been changed."
"We should split up," Hermione stated, breaking into Harry's chain of thought. "We'll be able to cover much more ground that way."
Ron shook his head. "It will also mean that we have to go one on one with Malfoy if we find him."
"When," Hermione corrected.
"Now isn't the time to nitpick, Hermione," Ron retorted, rolling his eyes in annoyance.
Harry turned and looked at Ron and Hermione, his eyes blazing with his growing anger. "We haven't got long, we need to find him and get him secured before dawn, and that's only a couple of hours away. If the school begins to wake up before we find him, we are in serious trouble." He looked at Ron. "You start upstairs, check anywhere you think he could be hiding."
Ron's face suddenly lit up. "Wait! What about the Map?"
"The map?" Harry replied, looking confused, before the expression on his face matched Ron's. "The map." He searched his pockets frantically, first one then another, then another, each one coming up empty. "Where is it?" He retraced his search, again showing no signs of the Marauders Map in any of his pockets.
"Harry, where did you last use it?" Hermione asked, her voice growing as agitated as the others.
Harry stopped his movement, his face showing his concentration, even in the low light. "I didn't bring it."
"What?" Ron exclaimed.
"I didn't bring it." Harry placed his hand on his head and muttered under his breath, words that sounded to Hermione like swearing. "I was so wrapped up in getting to the Hog's head that I grabbed my cloak and ran. It must have got caught up in the papers as I stuffed them back into the trunk."
The three fell silent, their minds working to think of the best course of action. The sound of dripping water rang out in the darkness, its source lost. The skittering of feet on flagstones, added to the early morning symphony that was rarely heard by anyone other than the rats that called the dungeons their home. How long the three stood quietly in thought was hard to tell, but almost as one the three came to life as they realised the importance of finding their missing foe.
Harry broke the silence. "Hermione, use the spell, we've got to get the map. It's the easiest way to find Malfoy."
"What if he knows where the secret entrance is? He might not have been asleep when we took him through it." Ron stated, his mind on other concerns.
Harry nodded his head slowly, his thoughts coming together. Hermione had seen the look on his face before, many times as they had come to face difficult tasks. Harry the leader, the hero, the Chosen One, was coming to the forefront. She smiled, knowing that it was a sign that everything would be alright.
"Ron, you check the entrance, stay there and make sure he doesn't leave," Harry commanded, his voice strong and in charge. "Hermione and I will get the map, locate Malfoy and then get you. Just do not leave the entrance." Harry's voice sounded grave. "I just hope we aren't too late. If he lets the others in, we'll have a major fight on our hands and…"
"We know, Harry," Hermione said, her voice sounding as dejected at the thought as Harry's did. "Let's go. Good luck, Ron."
In less than a minute, the three students were once more invisible, the echo of Hermione's voice resounding off the walls, as the room feel once more into silence, broken only by the sound of three sets of footsteps as they raced out of the basement, heading into the more familiar parts of the school.
* * * * *
"Do you think he'll be alright?" Hermione asked as she and Harry finally reached their shared quarters. She had barely let the door close behind them before she recited the spell that brought them both back into each other's view. The sound of Harry's footsteps indicated his location further inside their common room, heading towards his bedroom door.
Harry pushed open his door as he answered. "Yeah, he'll be fine, I trust Ron…" His voice stopped suddenly.
"Harry?" Hermione looked at the still form of Harry, framed in his doorway.
Hermione's heart beat loudly in her chest, fear clouding her mind as she envisioned Draco Malfoy standing before Harry, wand held up before him. Breaking into a run, she covered the distance between the door and Harry, her wand instantly in hand. The lack of movement from the dark haired wizard confused her, as she carefully peered around her companion to see what had stilled his motion.
"Ginny?" Hermione exclaimed, seeing the red haired witch sitting on Harry's bed.
The youngest Weasley looked at the door towards Harry, she did not appear to have seen Hermione at all. The fuzzy haired witch, placed her hand on Harry's shoulder, as the two stared at the young woman sitting with one of the blanket's wrapped around her barely covered body.
"Hello, Harry," Ginny smiled, looking not at all embarrassed at being caught where she should not have been. "I hope you didn't mind, but I needed to talk to you."
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, oblivious to the fact that he had already been given an explanation.
Standing up from the bed, the blanket acting like a cloak, Ginny took as step towards Harry, her eyes fixed to his. "Now that you and Hermione are no longer…interested in each other, I thought I would fill the vacant position."
Hermione let out a gasp, almost choking on the younger witch's words. She felt Harry's hand move to where hers lay on his shoulder, and gently take it in his hand. His own gaze never left Ginny's face, watching her as if she was a cobra ready to strike.
"Get out of here, Ginny!" Harry's voice was commanding.
"Harry, please, you can't do this to me again. I know you love me." Ginny took another couple of steps closer, stopping as Harry raised his free hand.
Hermione looked over her shoulder at the door, knowing that they did not have the time to have this discussion. Draco was out there somewhere, and they could not lose precious time arguing over Harry's relationships. Fate had a poor sense of humour bringing this topic up at that moment.
"Ginny, go back to bed!" Hermione turned back, her eyes filled with fear at the situation they had surrounding them. "This can be discussed in the morning."
"No!" Ginny's voice rang out. "I'm tired of you telling me what to do, Hermione. You've always been jealous of me, because Harry loves me not you. You wanted him and he never chose you. First Cho, and now me. Never you, Hermione. He never wanted you."
What happened next caught Hermione totally by surprise. One moment she was standing behind Harry, her hand still resting lightly in his grip, the next, his arms were wrapped around her, having been pulled in this embrace and his lips were pressed to hers in a kiss. Her arms hung loosely at her sides, her brain lost for a moment, before her hands raised slightly, finding his body and holding him.
She felt something push against her, the sound of footsteps thumping against the floor, and then the opening and slamming of the main door. Her lips felt Harry's pull away from hers and his arms loosen on her body. She looked up into Harry's face, but did not meet his eyes, as his gaze was focused on the door that Ginny had just left through. She felt him take a step away from her and walk into the room.
"Right, let's get the map," Harry stated as he dashed over to the trunk.
Hermione stood at the door, her hand resting on the frame. "Harry?"
Stopping his searching for a moment, he looked at Hermione and grinned. "Easiest way to get rid of her. I hope you didn't mind. We really didn't have the time to argue the point with her." He turned back to the trunk and once more began grabbing parchment.
"No…I…um," Hermione stuttered, feeling oddly disappointed at being used in such a fashion, but understanding exactly why he did it. Her stomach flipped several times as she took a few deep breaths, fighting off a wave of tears that threaten to overcome her. "Have you found it?"
Harry stood up, his fingers wrapped around a folded piece of apparently blank parchment, that appeared to be much older than all the other pieces. "Okay, let's find Malfoy."
He pulled open the map and said the words that brought the parchment to life. No longer blank, it revealed the layout of the school and here and there little dots moved with names floating magically nearby. His eyes flicked over the various dots, not surprised to see Flich's or Stygian's names on it. He looked over to where the secret entrance that they had used earlier that night, surprised not to see Ron's name displayed near it.
"Where's Ron?" Harry exclaimed, his eyes suddenly searching the map frantically.
"What do you mean?" Hermione rushed over to where Harry was standing, her eyes instantly joining in with the search. "He should be right…" Her finger touched the part of the map detailing the location where Ron was supposed to be standing. "He's not there."
Harry looked up at Hermione. "He's nowhere on the map."
"He has to be," Hermione replied, as she took the map from Harry, giving it a quick scan. "You're right." She turned her head, finding Harry's face. "Where is he? You don't think…?"
Harry shook his head, those his eyes said otherwise.
"We've got to find him," Hermione stated, thrusting the map back at Harry.
"No, we've got to find Malfoy first."
"Harry, Ron could be dead or hurt," Hermione moved towards the door.
Harry walked towards her, stopping just in front of her, his hands reaching out and grabbing her arm. "Hermione, I don't like the thought of leaving him any more than you do, but we have got to find Malfoy. If he came here to let the others in, we've got to stop him before he can. If that means leaving Ron to fend for himself for a little while we have to go after Malfoy."
Hermione looked disappointed, but she nodded her head. "I know. Okay, the quicker we find Malfoy the quicker we can help Ron." She reached over and took the map from Harry, pulling it open as he released his hold on her arm. "Right, where is he?"
The two students stared down at the map, their eyes moving rapidly over the contents searching for a sign of the missing former student. They flicked over each of the moving spots, dismissing each one equally as quickly before moving onto the next and then the next and so on, until each of the dots failed to reveal Malfoy's location.
"Do you think he's left already?" Harry asked, raising his gaze to Hermione's face, his expression one of confusion.
Hermione shook her head. "It doesn't make any sense. If he had reached the door, he would have been letting a whole host of trouble back in. He has to be here somewhere." Her gaze once more scanned the map. "Unless the plan wasn't to get the Death Eaters in."
"Then what could it have been?" Harry asked, his face etched into to questioning frown.
"Maybe it was to get us out," Hermione said, her finger pointing to where Ron's name should have been. "Voldemort knows that you will help your friends if they are in trouble. Perhaps they took Ron to lure you to them."
Harry shook his head. "If they had wanted to lure me out they would have taken you," he looked at her. "Your family doesn't have the connections that the Weasleys have, in the Wizarding World." He corrected as he stopped the look on Hermione's face.
For the second time that evening, Hermione felt her heart sink, unable to explain why Harry's words and actions were causing her so much difficulty. "We have to get to the entrance, see if we can find out what happened. Maybe we'll find some clue as to what is going on." She turned to look at Harry, who was staring oddly at the map. "Harry? What is it?"
"Look at this." Harry pointed his finger to one of the dots on the map, which was wobbling all over the place, making its way along the corridors of Hogwarts. "Why would Ginny not have gone straight back to Gryffindor? She was hardly dressed for a stroll."
Hermione's eyes found the spot Harry was indicating, the name Ginny Weasley floating on the page nearby. "Do you think it's Malfoy?"
Harry shook his head. "No, if it was Malfoy, it would reveal his name. Somehow the map's magic can see through the polyjuice potion's effects." He frowned, taking a closer look at the dot as it moved along the parchment. "She seems to be walking funny."
"What do you mean?" Hermione followed the dot as it appeared to stop and zigzag along the drawn corridor. She raised her head and look at Harry. "You did upset her when you…" She paused, not wanting to repeat what had happened.
"Yeah," Harry grimaced. "I'm sorry about that."
Hermione shook her head. "I understand why you did it."
"That still doesn't explain…" Harry stopped, looking at Hermione, his eyes wide open. "Look where she's heading!"
Hermione once more read the map, her eyes following the path that Harry's finger was making along the parchment. As it reached the final destination, she met his gaze, her own appearing confused and questioning.
"Come on, we've no time to delay!" Harry folded up the map as he rushed over to the main door. Hermione only just managed to intone the spell, allowing an invisible Harry to ghostly disappear out of the door, followed shortly afterwards by an invisible Hermione.
* * * * *
The passageways in the early hours of the morning were fortunately devoid of life, even the ever present Filch was nowhere to be seen. The darkness that held onto the corridors were slowly letting go of their grip as morning began to press itself onto the day, banishing night into the shadows. Yet, despite the sun's best efforts, it was still dark enough not to be seen even if someone was not invisible.
Harry and Hermione raced down the stairs, heading down corridors that they had used only moments before. The sound of bodiless footsteps left an eerie feel around them, but both were too busy to notice anything other than where they were going and how quickly they had to get there. Something was wrong with Ginny, and despite Harry's words, they both knew that it was not safe for the young girl to be wandering around with Malfoy on the prowl, even if their search had come up blank.
"Harry, wait!" Hermione called, hearing the footsteps of her companion up ahead, sounding as if they were getting further and further away from her.
They stopped suddenly, and Harry's voice floated over to her. "Come on, Hermione. We've got to get to the door before Ginny does."
"Ginny doesn't know where the door is, why would she be going there?" Hermione ran the little way that brought her closer to where she assumed Harry was standing. "She probably just wants to be on her own."
Harry let out a little chuckle. "You don't see it do you, Hermione?" She felt something tug on her arm. "Come on."
"See what, Harry?" Hermione said, as she once more heard Harry's feet resound on the corridor floor filling the air once more with the eerie sound of invisible movement.
Shaking her head, Hermione once more ran down the seemingly empty corridor, trying to keep up with the much faster Harry. As she did she could not get her mind from the thought that he was running after Ginny to apologise for his earlier behaviour. Hermione could still feel the touch of his lips against hers, which caused her once more to get a feeling of disappointment sweep over her. She did not have time to dwell on what had happened, there was far too much at stake.
She raced down the corridor, surprised how quickly Harry had forgotten not only about Malfoy but about Ron too. She was not stupid enough to not have seen the way their friendships had began to crack under the strain of various things, but could Harry really have no concern about the wellbeing of his once best friend. Had she and Ron entered the realms of nothing more than pawns in Harry's end game?
Her mind was whirling when she finally turned the corner and came into contact with something in the middle of the path, almost sending her to the ground. The quick reflexes of her obstacle kept her on her feet.
"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked, but no answer was necessary as she looking further down the corridor, seeing Ginny standing there. "Ginny?"
The corridor took on a deathly silence, broken only by the sound of breathing and the rapidly pounding sound of racing heartbeats. Hermione stared down at the young student, who had a look for fear in her eyes.
"Who's there?" Ginny's quavering voice echoed around the corridor. "Harry?"
The young witch's eyes darted back and forth as she looked back to where Harry and Hermione stood, both invisible to the red haired girl. She breathed heavily, agitated about something, of course, Hermione knew exactly what had caused this reaction in her. Despite what had happened between them, Hermione did not like to see her in pain, and what Harry had done must have been like a knife in the chest. Hermione could imagine herself in the same position, not that she had not been affected by the wizard's actions.
"There's no one there," Ginny stated, her eyes giving up there search.
"Let's go!" The familiar voice of Draco floated down the corridor, catching Hermione by surprise.
Hermione frowned heavily, confused. "Malfoy?" She whispered to Harry, who was standing just in front of her. "How?"
"I don't know, he isn't showing up on the map and neither is Ron." She could hear him shuffle as he pulled the parchment out of his clothing. "Not that I can read it, but I think the map cannot see what is not there. It might be why we couldn't see Ron."
Hermione felt herself growing more and more confused. "How is Malfoy invisible? And how did he get Ginny? She was with us."
A further rustle indicated that Harry was returning the map to his pocket. "I think he never left the basement, and then he followed us out." His voice sounded determined. "But we have to stop him getting to the exit. If he leaves, we'll have bigger problems."
Before Hermione could answer, Harry began running down the corridor his footsteps quieter than they had been previously. Hermione, still a little dazed by the sudden turn of events, followed after him, knowing more than anything that they had to stop the ex-student before he disappeared out of the walls of Hogwarts. Picking up her pace, but remaining as quiet as she could, she raced after Harry, hoping that Ron was ready for the arrival of the enemy that he could not see.
* * * * *
"Let her go, Malfoy!"
Ron's voice echoed around the corridor as Hermione turned the final corner, leading to the secret exit. Hermione could see nothing up ahead other than the youngest Weasley, who was standing at a rather awkward angle for someone on their own. It was easy for Hermione to see that Malfoy had the young witch held close to him to stop Ron from getting off a shot.
Draco's laugh filled the corridor. "Do you think I'm afraid of you, Weasel? You never were anything without the great Harry Potter to change your nappy." His voice contained its usual snide tone of one born better than those around him. "Drop your wand and I'll let the little carrot go."
"I'm not letting you leave, Malfoy," Ron spat.
Ginny let out a cry. "Don't make me hurt her, Weasel. I'm sure mummy would not be happy if you had to explain what happened to Weaselette."
"Ron, help me!" Ginny screamed, the sound echoing off the walls in a morbid chorus.
"I won't tell you again, Malfoy! Let her go, or I'll kill you," Ron's voice was growing shaky in his anger.
The cruel laughter once more filled the air, followed by another high pitched well from the young red head. "I'm warning you, Weasel. I've seen the killing curse used, and I'm not afraid to use it on her." Ginny wriggled frantically, trying to free herself from an invisible hold.
"Go ahead, Malfoy!" Harry's voice rang out, causing Ginny to be yanked violently as the fair haired wizard spun around to meet his new foe.
"Potter!" Draco snarled, before breaking into another nasty laugh. "Come to help me kill your girlfriend? She's very pretty isn't she, Potter? I wonder if she'll look as good dead."
Hermione could hear Harry's breathing growing louder with frustration and hatred. Draco had been there when Dumbledore had been killed, it had been his duty to finish him off, but he had chickened out and it had been left to Snape to do the dastardly deed. And yet there he was, surrounded by his enemies, even if he could not see them or they see him, threatening to do exactly what he could not do before.
"What are we going to do?" Hermione whispered, knowing that Harry was somewhere close. "We can't see him."
The rustle of Harry's cloak told Hermione that Harry had moved his position slightly. "There is an easy remedy for that, Hermione, if you think you can do it. His general location will be easy enough to find, just aim for Ginny."
Hermione nodded. "Just tell me when."
"Malfoy! You are a coward, there's no way you are going to hurt Ginny," Harry shouted down the corridor. "You couldn't kill Dumbledore, what makes you think you could kill her?"
"Don't push me, Potter. You think you know everything, but I know something you don't." Draco laughed, pulling Ginny closer to him. "I've grown stronger and have been taught things you could only dream about."
Harry laughed, the sound echoing off the walls. "Stronger, Malfoy? Is that why you're hiding behind a girl?" Another rustle from Harry revealed him to be searching for something. "First Snape, now Ginny. When are you going to show us the brave Slytherin you are claiming to be? We're waiting, coward!"
"Harry! What are you doing?" Ron's tortured voice reached Hermione's ears, making her cringe. "He's going to hurt her?"
"Listen to the Weasel, Potter!" Draco called. "You want Red's blood on your hands."
Harry ignored Draco and called over to Ron, his voice sounding amused. "Don't worry, Ron. Malfoy couldn't hurt a fly."
"I'm warning you, Potter!"
"I'm tired of your warnings, Malfoy. It's time to see some action."
Suddenly and without warning, Draco's blonde head appeared behind Ginny, having revealed himself to the others. Hermione gasped as she saw Draco's wand pointed at Ginny's head. Her own was raised ready for Harry's signal.
Draco's eyes flashed a shade of silver. "Now who's the coward, Potter! Show yourself, and the Mudblood who's propping up your side." He sneered. "Did you think I couldn't smell your stench, Granger?"
"Harry, what are you doing?" Ron screamed, growing more agitated by the second. "Have you gone mad?"
"Shut up, Ron!" Hermione shouted, finally revealing her presence.
Draco laughed, once more pulling Ginny closer to him as he edged further into the shadows, moving nearer to the exit. "Do as the Mudblood says, Weasel, we all know which one wears the trousers in your relationship."
"Shut up, Malfoy," Ron growled.
With a flick of her wrist, no longer waiting for Harry's say so, Hermione incanted the spell, bringing Harry, Ron and Hermione into view. Ron revealed to be standing with his wand raise and pointing at Draco, who had managed to crouch even further behind Ginny.
"Let her go!" Ron screamed, his face showing red in the slowly lightening hallway.
"Don't worry, Ron, she's safe with Draco. He won't hurt her!" Harry said, his wand barely pointing away from the ground. "You couldn't leave her with a less dangerous person." He just managed to duck from the flash of yellow that shot up the corridor towards him.
"You are going to push him too far, Harry," Hermione whispered, her eyes wide.
Harry grinned. "That's what I'm trying to do."
"What?"
Keeping his gaze on Draco, Harry began to raise his wand, ready to finish what was started. "He'll lose his temper and then he'll make a mistake, it's his way."
"Harry, that's Ginny over there." Hermione explained, as if Harry had suddenly forgotten.
"Yeah, and right behind them is the way out, you want him to get through the door?" Harry sighed with frustration. "We have to get him to let go of Ginny then we'll have a clear shot of him, and we don't have much time."
"Malfoy, please, just let her go," Ron's voice suddenly reached their ears, interrupting their conversation. They both turned to see the red haired wizard take a step towards Draco and his captive. "You don't need her. If you let her go, I'll help you."
"Ron, no!" Harry and Hermione chorused together.
Draco laughed, this time more with amusement than malice. "You'll help me, will you, Weasel?" He turned his head towards Harry and Hermione, barely visible in his hiding place. "Do you hear that? Your so-called friend is turning on you for his sister, Potter. How do you feel?"
"Shut up, Malfoy! Do you want my help or not?"
Hermione took a step forward, but Harry's hand stilled her movements, as it rested on her wand arm. "Harry, do something."
"You won't get far, Malfoy," Harry declared, his voice remaining even and strong, totally in command of himself. "If you get out, you'll never leave Hogsmeade before I strike you down."
A faint click seemed to ring out through the hall, causing Hermione and Harry to look at each other with fear. Ron took a step forward making a grab for Ginny, as Harry and Hermione raced up the corridor, both their wands raised in readiness. A creak revealed their darkest fears, as the sound of the secret door opening filled the corridor, like a scream of doom.
"Don't let him get out!" Harry cried at Ron. "Stop him!"
Ron took another step forward, when things suddenly turned into chaos. As Ron neared the captive and her captor, Draco pushed the flailing Ginny away from him, sending her crashing into Ron, sending them both flying onto the ground in a tangle of limbs. Unfortunately their landing spot, was right in the path of the other two students as they raced up the corridor, almost skidding to a halt as they helped Ron and Ginny from the floor.
"Come on!" Harry screamed. "He mustn't leave the tunnel."
Ron was already on his feet, brushing himself down, and Ginny was looking around her, still bewildered by the ordeal. Hermione looked over at the young witch, before following behind Harry who had disappeared through the secret door, and was sprinting after the fleeing Draco.
"Get back to the common room, I'll get you when this is over," Ron's voice could be heard in the corridor behind. What Ginny replied was lost in the echo of footsteps down the tunnel.
"Harry, stop!" Hermione screamed, while continuing to chase the rapidly moving dark haired wizard. "Harry!"
Up ahead of her, she could see a flood of light, revealing the steadily approaching dawn. She could see the shape of Harry and Draco, as they neared the exit to Hogsmeade. The two jiggling shapes seemed to sweep from one side of the tunnel to the other, as they raced on and on.
Suddenly the tunnel was flooded with brightness, as Draco reached the end, and pushed open the door. The early rays of morning, stretched into the tunnel entrance like fingers, trying to grab away the darkness. Beyond the light there was nothing but white, the contrast from the dark tunnel making it hard to see past the circle of light.
Behind her, Hermione could hear the steady footsteps of Ron, growing closer and closer as he caught up to her, at the same time the sound of Harry's shoes against the stones was growing fainter.
"Harry!"
The wizard broke through the circle, disappearing from her view, filling her body with a fear that she had not felt before. In her mind she could see Harry's face, his eyes gazing up at her. Her lips tingled with the lasting reminder of his kiss, her cheeks flushed and warm. She broke from the darkness into the light, as around her the sky erupted into a firework display. Surrounding them were a host of familiar and unfamiliar shapes, one standing out more than the rest.
They had run, before they had thought, and with their wands raised, Harry and Hermione barely managed to ward off a couple of shots, when her vision filled with green. Before her, in slow motion, the sky exploded around them, turning the colour of blood. The thud of a body hitting the ground filled her eyes, before pain shot through her body. Her eyes looked towards the sky, as the image of Professor Stygian appeared in the clouds, frowning as her mouth moved in silent words. Before everything went black…
* * * * *
"No!"