35. Chapter 35

Ok, you guys I am so sorry that's its been so long since I updated! It's exam season, so I've been very busy. But that's done, so expect updates regularily.

600 reviews guys! I'll make a speech later. Not in the mood.

We are almost at the end you guys.

*I'm not going to specify, but before you read the chapter you guys should know: Don't lose hope. Just know that.*

Disclaimer: I will never own Harry Potter.

"I know where to find Hermione."

Draco's words rang out throughout the room. The four other men froze as they let the news sink it.

Potter spoke up first.

"Well, Malfoy. Where?"

Draco strode forward. He was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday: the black jeans and t-shirt he had worn to keep Hermione comfortable. Was it really only yesterday that he had awoken with her at his side?

"We've been thinking about it all wrong," he explained. "We thought that the way we started meant torture, or memory loss. We weren't thinking about it literally enough. It just meant location."

The information struck the men.

"She's at Yaxley Manor in Egypt," said Weasel, running a hand through his hair.

It was that simple.

Yaxley wanted this to be symbolic. He was just drawing parallels from the last time Hermione had been taken. He was writing the story again. Only the climax would change.

Death was always a striking climax.

Draco took some deep breaths. He flashed back to his dream; Hermione, stuck in the hourglass, screaming, as her time slowly ran out. No matter how much she screamed, the sand kept falling.

They were running out of time.

Kingsley nodded, murmuring softly to himself. "That's the clue. Yaxley Manor. What is it with death eaters and manors?"

Draco thought back to the drawing room. "Killing luxuriously. It's a lifestyle."

Blaise spoke up. "I'll send a message to the ministry. We can have a squad of aurors here in five."

Kingsley nodded. "Go Blaise." The Slytherin rushed out of the room. Kingsley turned to Draco. "Eat something Draco. You'll need your strength."

Draco nodded and jumped over to the fridge. He grabbed a pre-made sandwich and scarfed it down. It was gone in thirty seconds. Blaise came back fifteen seconds in.

The other men were strategizing.

Kingsley was speaking. "There are five others besides Yaxley that we know of. Do you think they would have been able to recruit more?"

Blaise shook his head. "The other escapers want freedom. They know we'll go for Yaxley's group first. They'll try and get as far away as possible. Also, I don't think anyone else is crazy enough to join him."

Potter nodded. "So we're up against six."

"Do they have wands?" Weasel asked, scratching his head.

Blaise nodded. "All prisoners wands are kept in a locked quarters at Azkaban. If they were able to break out, they were able to get their wands."

Draco butted in. "We can take six armed wizards."

Kingsley shook his head slightly. "Not alone. We have to wait for the other aurors. These men are crazy, and use spells that could kill us in a million ways."

Draco nodded. "So we go in full strength."

Blaise spoke up. "We can't. Yaxley's waiting for Harry, Ron and Draco. That's my bet. He wants to have you in his grasp. He wants to make his speech, and watch your faces feel the pain before the fight actually begins. If he thinks that there are any others, then he will kill her on the spot."

"So us three go in first," Potter summarized.

"Then, when the time is right, and Hermione isn't in immediate danger, the rest of us go in."

All the men nodded.

It was understood.

Just then, there was noise from the yard. Kingsley looked out of the window.

"The auror squad has arrived."

They rushed out into the yard. About ten aurors were standing there. Draco didn't recognize any of them. They all vaguely reminded him of mad-eye Moody: tough. A few had missing arms or legs. All were tattooed. There was one with an eye-patch.

These were the seasoned aurors. The extremely great.

These were the ones who could save Hermione.

They all circled up. Draco looked back at the house.

The windows were all filled with faces. Draco saw Mama and Papa Weasley, Looney, Longbottom, Oldest, Dragon, and George. Fleur was holding her child. Hagrid was standing at the side of the house.

All these people were watching them. Neither Potter nor Weasel turned around to say goodbye. None of those people expected them to. Everyone wanted the same thing. The fact that this might be the last time some of them saw the others dimmed with that wish. Everyone wanted Hermione back. They wanted her free. The selflessness of these people was incredible. They all wanted a little goodbye, a hug, a kiss on the cheek, a promise to return home safe. But they ignored it.

They wanted Hermione safe more than they wanted the promise.

Hermione. Her name sent Draco's heart at a fast pace. He could see her face in his mind. Beautiful, defiant, strong like an amazon. He felt like he could destroy Voldemort just by thinking her name.

There is a room in the Department of Mysteries that is kept locked at all times. It contains a force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than the forces of nature. It contained love.

Draco both understood and didn't understand why the door was kept locked. Such a powerful force should be contained. But this was a force that was both wonderful and terrible. Would the wonderful things that were done outweigh the terrible? Would the terrible destroy everything? You could both burn down the world and build it up in the name of love. Love takes you over and controls you. You would do anything for love. Was it a good thing that the door was locked in the Department of Mysteries?

Was it a good thing that, for some people, the door was locked within themselves?

Draco's door was locked for a long time. Love was there, locked away at the back of his heart and mind. Then Hermione came. She was the key. She unlocked his door. Now, Draco feared, if she didn't come back, would his door lock for good?

"Alright, men," Kingsley said. He looked them all in the eye. "Harry, Ron and Draco go in first. When the time is right, Harry will signal."

Everyone nodded.

Kingsley looked around. "Men, this is one of the most important missions you will ever go on. It is also one of the most dangerous. Anyone who wants to back out now….." Kingsley's voice trailed off.

No one moved an inch.

There was a fierce determination on the faces of the aurors. Draco didn't know if any of them knew Hermione personally, but they obviously understood what Hermione meant to the wizarding world, and some people standing in the circle. These aurors would not fail.

Kingsley nodded. "Right then, men. An emergency port-key will be our transportation." Kingsley looked around the yard and spotted an old boot. He summoned it, and muttered a quick spell. The now port-key glowed bright blue. Everyone gathered around the it.

Draco stuck is index finger on the heel. He looked back at the house. He made eye contact with Looney. She nodded encouragingly.

Draco turned back to the boot. He hoped he would be able to return to the burrow one day.

The port-key glowed bright blue, blinding him for a moment. Then, with a whoosh, they were off.

The whole journey took only a few seconds. Draco landed with a thump, and fell back. He sat up quickly, his eyes adjusting to the bright light.

They were obviously in the desert. Sand stretched out in every direction. It was blowing over the dunes, narrowing the visibility range by a landslide. Draco could see a castle in the distance. It was in the shadow of the sun, directly behind it.

Yaxley Manor.

The aurors all circled together.

Kingsley turned to Potter, Weasel and Draco. "You three will apparate to the front gates. If the time is right, Harry, blow this whistle." He handed Potter a straight glass whistle. "It can only be heard by the maker. Lucky I made this one. We can be there in twenty seconds after the whistle is blown."

Potter nodded and pocketed the whistle. He turned and looked at Draco and Ron.

"Well…." But there was nothing else to say. They knew what they needed to do. They knew the consequence if they were to fail. Words wouldn't help or hinder their cause. They just needed action.

With a pop, they all apparated to the front of the manor. Draco landed with Potter on his right and Weasel on his left. Draco looked up. The manor was dark and menacing, the only shadow in the endless light.

Potter took a few steps forward and pushed on the gate. It gave way easily. Too easily.

Kingsley was right.

Yaxley wanted them there.

The three men walked down the path up to the manor door. Potter turned the door knob. Taking a deep breath, they all walked inside.

The arrived in the dark room from Nott's memories. The tapestries depicting torture still lined the walls. Draco shuddered.

They had come full circle.

A soft noise came from the opposite end of the room. Draco looked. All he saw was a table with a glass ball on it. It reminded Draco of the crystal balls they used to use in Divination. It had swirling red clouds within it. Draco could see images being formed, but they disappeared almost as quickly as they appeared.

The noise sounded out again.

Draco took a few steps forward.

Out of the shadows at the back of the room, came a figure cloaked in dark robes.

Yaxley.

The death eater had a sneer upon his face. His face was sunken and gaunt after years in Azkaban. His cheek bones were sticking out. His lips were chapped, and his eyes were crazy. The robes he was wearing hung over him in a way to suggest that his body was nothing but skin and bones.

In his right hand was his wand. Draco remembered it well. He had seen it kill many times over. The death eaters must have all gotten their wands back then. Yaxley's wand was pointing at a gagged figure he had just dragged across the ground.

A woman, with giant brown hair and the kindest heart Draco had ever known.

Hermione.

She had obviously been hurt. There were cuts and bruises across her face. Draco's fist clenched in anger as he eyed a particularly nasty bruised cut above her eye. It was as if she had had her face smashed into a wall.

She was gagged, but her eyes held more meaning then the death eaters would ever know.

They were screaming wordlessly at Draco.

Run.

But Draco wouldn't run. Not now. Not ever.

Not from her.

Draco heard a sudden movement from behind him. Draco turned quickly.

Out of a tapestry at the back of the room, a figure had appeared.

Avery.

The death eater smirked when he caught Draco's eyes.

Draco heard more movement from all around the room. Turning around the room, he had realized what had happened.

From different places around the room, death eaters appeared. They seemed to melt out of the tapestries. Lestrange. Rowle. Mulciber. Travers.

The three rescuers were surrounded.

A low laugh came from the front of the room.

Yaxley grabbed Hermione by the neck and hoisted her up. Draco realized her hands were tied.

Yaxley gave out his low laugh once more. "Looking for something?" His voice sounded like nails.

Potter spoke. His voice washed over the room. All the death eaters shivered. His voice contained true power, not the weak attempt the death eaters had.

"Don't make me kill you."

Only Yaxley didn't flinch. He just laughed.

"If you kill me, my pet dies too."

"Like hell," Weasel snarled.

Draco knew death eaters. There wouldn't be a fight for a few more moments. They always made a big speech. It made them feel superior. So instead of listening to Yaxley's speech, Draco felt his eyes wander to the glowing ball in the background.

Yaxley noticed Draco eyeing the ball. "Well, well, well. Malfoy notices things."

The other two looked at the crystal ball as well. Weasel's eyes opened in confusion, but Potter's opened in recognition.

Yaxley noticed it as well. "Malfoy may notice things, but Potter understands them."

"It's a memory ball," Potter whispered. The boy who lived took a slight step forward.

The death eater nodded. "Well done, Potter. It's indeed a memory ball."

Potter took another step forward. "Hermione told me about them once."

Yaxley smirked. "Of course she did. The little bitch thought she knew everything." With those words, he slapped her across the face.

White hot rage flew up through Draco, blinding him momentarily. Draco almost flew at Yaxley, but a voice sounded in his ear.

He's not worth it!

It was Weasel's voice.

Draco was thrown for a second. He caught a glance at Weasel. The ginger was angrily eyeing Yaxley, but made no sign that he was communicating with Draco. Then how did he hear it?

It sounded so familiar. Draco was sure he had heard Weasel say that before.

It must've been a memory.

Suddenly, it came back to Draco.

It was their third year. That hippogriff,( Buckweak?), had just been sentence to death. Draco was hiding in the stone circle with Crabbe and Goyle, waiting to watch the execution. Suddenly from behind them, had come a yell.

The golden trio was walking towards them. Hermione was storming, more accurately.

"You fowl, loathsome, evil, little cockroach!" she had shouted, brandishing a wand at his throat.

He had been terrified.

From behind her, Weasel had shouted. "Hermione, no! He's not worth it!"

Hermione had evaluated him for a moment, and lowered her wand. She had turned away.

Then turned back and punched him in the face.

That's what Draco needed to do now. Stay calm and collected. Not go running in, wands blazing. Evaluate the situation. Pretend to give up.

Then, when the moment was right, sock the mother fucker in the face.

Draco glared at Yaxley, as the death eater grinned triumphantly. He thought he had won.

Not a chance.

"Well, Potter, have you guessed what's in the memory ball?"

They all had.

"Hermione's memories," Weasel said slowly, eyes on the prize.

Yaxley nodded. "Every single one that I stole."

Weasel crouched into a fighting position. "We need to break that ball," he muttered.

Yaxley laughed. "Oh Weasley, do you ever read?"

No, Draco didn't think so either.

Yaxley continued. "If you break a memory ball, the memories disappear. Like smoke, forever in the air, but never tangible. Unable to be taken, by anyone."

Hermione looked in terror at the ball on the table.

Yaxley chuckled as he saw the terror on her face. "All those years of books and friends, gone, without a trace. Like you were. Until Mr. Malfoy stumbled into Canada."

Draco met the death eater's eyes. He saw nothing but hate within them, like a black fire, flickering behind the surface.

Next to him, Draco could almost hear Potter's brain working. The boy who lived had all the power in this situation. He had the whistle. He could have the other aurors in the room within thirty seconds. But the memory ball changed everything. They wanted Hermione alive, but they also wanted her back. They wanted those memories.

They needed to get that ball.

The death eater took a quick look at the ball, as if reading Draco's mind.

"Such a small thing," Yaxley said, gesturing towards the memory ball. "Yet, it's caused all of your problems for seven years now. Why would you want it to exist still? I'd want it gone. I think it's about time to say goodbye to this little piece of history."

Yaxley reached out his hand and picked up the memory ball.

Draco froze.

The death eater smirked as he brought the memory ball up from the table. He was going to break the it.

Next to him, Draco saw Potter reach for his pocket. A second later, the whistle was at his lips.

Thirty seconds.

Draco knew they didn't have a moment to lose. Without thinking, without processing what he was doing, he drew his wand.

Yaxley's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

Weasel and Potter had also drawn their wands.

Twenty five.

Draco accio-ed the memory ball from Yaxley's hand. The death eater let it slip through his fingers. Sloppy reflexes.

The ball landed in Draco's out-stretched palm. In a moment, he realized what exactly he was holding in his hand.

Hermione's entire life: her dreams, her feelings, her fears, her worries, her experiences. Her memories were in the palm of his hand. This little ball was the reason for her disappearance. This little ball was the mystery that had enticed the wizarding world for seven years. This little ball was the reason she hadn't returned.

This little ball had almost ruined Potter's life.

This little ball had reduced Draco to tears.

This little ball had taken Hermione's life away from her.

For all the pain it had caused, Draco fought the urge to throw the ball at the wall, shattering it into a million pieces. But, he held back. He needed to hold back. The only way to destroy the pain was to create the joy.

Hermione needed her life back.

Twenty.

Now, it was time to act.

The death eaters attacked them immediately. Spells began to fly.

Draco jumped out of the line of fire. Looking quickly over his shoulder, he saw Weasel and Potter, back to back, fighting off the advancing death eaters. Six on two were not good odds.

But it was Potter and Weasel.

They had an advantage just by existing.

Draco turned forward. Yaxley was waiting with his wand drawn. Draco clutched Hermione's memories in his left hand and shot a curse at the death eater with his right.

Yaxley dodged narrowly, clearing a path from Draco to Hermione.

Fifteen seconds.

Draco made eye contact with Hermione. She was obviously terrified, but her eyes were happy.

Happy he was here to rescue her.

Draco didn't think as he raced forward towards Hermione. She was still on the ground. She held out her tied hands. Draco cast a quick spell, and her hands became unbound.

Ten seconds.

Suddenly, Draco felt something hit his side. Without warning, he was knocked from the ground, and sent flying through the air. He felt the memory ball slip out of his hand. He landed with a crash against one of the tapestries.

Looking up, his eyes went out of focus for a moment. When they stopped being fuzzy, Draco looked over at where he had been standing.

Yaxley was smirking standing, a few feet behind Hermione. He twiddled his wand. He must have hit Draco with a curse.

Hermione was standing up, with the memory ball in her hands. She must've caught it. Thank merlin.

Five seconds.

Draco met eye contact with Yaxley, and saw his eyes narrow. Without warning, the death eater raised his wand at Hermione's back.

Draco seemed to watch the moment in slow motion.

Yaxley sent a curse at Hermione. Surprise filled her face. She fell forward, knocked off of her feet.

Draco cried out, but was unable to move. His feet were stuck to the ground.

Hermione crashed to the floor. Her eyes fluttered closed. She lay still, unmoving. Whether unconscious, or ….. Draco couldn't even think it.

The memory ball had flown out of her hand when she had been hit. Up into the air it flew. Draco watched in horror as it fell to the ground.

Crashing into a million pieces.

A few puffs of smoke rose from the glass shards. But, in a moment, they were gone.

As if they'd never existed in the first place.

Draco couldn't believe it. All that worry, all those wishes, all that want, and in five seconds, all gone. Hermione's memories were gone. Draco felt tears stinging the back of his eyes.

Suddenly, the doors to the dark room burst open.

The auror squad had arrived.

Draco's eyes landed on the broken memory ball.

If only they had arrived five seconds earlier.

Review my lovelies. I apologize. See star at the beginning