"Ron! Ron wake up! We've got to go right now." Harry's voice was rushed and his friend's groan and resistance to getting up weren't helping, "Ron do you want to save Hermione or not?!"

That worked. The boy was up and out of bed so fast he nearly lost his footing from the head rush. He quickly put on his jacket scrambling after Harry who was already out of the tent. Luna cast the spell to collapse everything down just as he made it past the flap. Harry was already moving towards the lake and he hurried to catch up.

"What's going on?" Ron rubbed his face to try and clear his vision. He still gelt groggy and heavy.

"Snape and all the other teachers are in a meeting room on the far end of the castle. It's the only time I've seen him leave the office. We've got one chance to get in there before he returns. I don't know how long they'll be in there but we need to get into the castle, now."

"Where's Hermione?"

"She's in his rooms."

"Luna?" Harry came to a stop just at the edge of the tree line, he turned back to look at the blond who was holding the map in her hand.

"Five meters to the right."

oOo

Snape pursed his lips as he took a seat down into the chair reserved for the headmaster. It still felt odd to him to sit in it. So many years of sitting on its left with Minerva on the right had imprinted itself in his mind. He'd never wanted the position, he knew he hadn't earned it. He didn't want the power it held. He didn't want to be in charge of anything but his own life.

Minerva had come five before seven nearly breaking into his rooms to get him to come out. All the while accusing him of hiding away from his responsibilities. He had just implanted a subconscious suggestion into Granger's mind when Minerva had interrupted him.

He had planned on using it to try and bring the real Hermione Granger back but hadn't had the chance to test his theory. He had had to leave her, completely obliviated, in the chair where he'd taken everything from her. He hoped the spell he'd cast over her to keep the pain away would hold out but he didn't believe in miracles.

There was a small void after the obliviate spell that created, a sort of forced amnesia; something the brain did to help keep itself functioning. There was a window of time where she wouldn't remember anything she experienced. It was that window that he desperately needed to use.

He had hoped to implant the feeling of complete submission so as to remove the curse once and for all—but now, his plan was on its end. The window would only last about 2 hours, a quarter of the time that he removed from her mind. It wasn't a tight window but he needed all the time he could spare to make sure the girl would come back as something more than a breathing vegetable.

oOo

"Everyone knows how to do a bubblehead charm, yeah?" Harry was casting a spell over the bag to protect it.

"Yeah."

"Yes."

"Okay Luna, how far down?" Harry turned towards the lake looking out over its ominously still waters.

"We should swim straight ahead for about 3 meters. Then there should be some sort of opening. I don't know what it will look like but it should be rather close." Luna folded the map handing it over to Harry to keep safe in the backpack.

"Right, everyone ready?" He didn't wait for affirmation, rather he took a running start to the water before diving down. Ron was right on his heels with Luna following closely behind. The evening had fallen turning the already dark waters even more black. With only Harry's wand to light the way, they swam with all their might.

Ron was the first to see the small stone door. It was like a hatch and was nearly covered by the debris on the lake bed. He flashed his wand to Harry and Luna before delving down deeper. It was hard for him to swim in his clothes. The water was bitingly cold but his will to see Hermione again pushed him forward.

When the three of them made it they each took a turn at trying to unlock the hatch. This time it was Harry's spell that did the trick. Luna held it back while Ron swam down first. The tunnel was protected from the water above and when Ron broke through the barrier he did a rather impressive, if unintentional, flip onto the damp floor inside.

Harry followed right after landing on top of him with a heavy wet smack and an even deeper grunt. The two of them were trying to untangle themselves when Luna came down next. She landed hard on the backpack and rolled off the side with a heavy groan. She went still, trying to catch the air that had been swiftly ejected from her lungs.

"Everyone...ah... alright?" Harry was trying to catch his breath as well. He made it to his knees adjusting his glasses back over his nose. Ron groaned and gave him a weak thumbs up before pushing himself up as well.

Luna was the last to say anything. The bruises that had been on her stomach didn't help in her recovery but she managed to push herself up onto her elbows and cancel her bubblehead charm. She turned her head down the tunnel trying to get her bearings. "If we follow this... we... we should come up... near the courtyard..."

Harry leaned down gently helping her to her feet. His head was ringing but he wanted to make sure she was alight. Her normally floaty voice had sounded strained and her movements were a bit slower than he thought they should be.

"You alright?" Harry wrapped his arm around her shoulder letting her use him as support until she got her footing.

"I'm okay, just had the wind knocked out of me..."

Harry kept his arm around her as they shuffled forward. The entire space felt incredibly suffocating and with only the light of their wands to guide them, it felt even more oppressive.

oOo

Draco groaned softly and shifted on the large leather couch. Memories danced in his mind. Torturous screams painted his dreamscape, trapping him inside.

He was running. Panting hard. His breath echoing all around the stone walls that boxed him in. He felt as though he were at Hogwarts but it was all wrong. The halls, the paintings, were warped and twisted.

A figure appeared at the end of the hall. Small, obviously that of a child. His inner mind tried to place them but as he came closer the form before him started to grow taller, their hair shorter, less wild. His heart was in his throat as he came to a junction. The person who stood before him looked at him with such helplessness, such sorrow.

"Filthy Mudblood!"

The voice that reached his ears didn't sound right. Like it was pulled from somewhere else in his memories. His dream-self struggled to give a name to the person before him while the voice echoed from somewhere else.

"I didn't...I couldn't..." His voice sounded weak to his own ears as he trembled before her.

The figure before him turned their arm towards him. Blood ran down their hand dripping loudly onto the floor. Their clothes had suddenly changed from a non-descript Hogwarts uniform to a jean jacket and sweatshirt. Instantly, he knew who he was looking at. His heart thudded heavily in his chest and he shook his head.

Suddenly, the teen before him wasn't alone. A dark shadow had come up behind them. He could only make out a pale, yet familiar, hand reaching around from behind. Their hand curled under her chin lifting it back exposing her pale throat. A deep black mark was blurred along the side but his dream-self had frozen in fear. Now on his knees, he called out for the shadow to stop. Begging them, pleading with them to stop. The dark blade in their hand flickering in the torchlight.

"Oh, my son. She was only a Mudblood."

As soon as his mother's words had finished, the blade had completed its terrible arch. Draco cried out but was stuck in horror as red rained down.

"No!" Draco sat up sharply, his voice died out against the tomes around him. His heart was beating so furiously in his chest that he pressed his hand into his chest to try and keep it within.

oOo

"I can see a ladder." Luna had taken the lead as the tunnel had started to grow smaller. She was able to make it through well enough but the boys behind her were more than hunched over.

"Is that what we need?" Ron made a small squeak when a rat ran over his trainer. His stomach rolled with disgust before turning his head forward again.

"I believe so." Luna made it into the small circular tunnel that led upward. She cast a small charm ahead of her noting that it wasn't so far of a climb.

"Can you see where we are on the map, Harry?"

"One second..." Harry shifted trying to coordinate himself. He pressed his wand against the parchment crumpled in his hand, "Yes, it says we're in the courtyard."

"I'll go first," Luna tucked her wand behind her ear causing the Lumos spell to go out. Thankfully, Ron had made it to the bottom of the ladder and pointed his wand up. It didn't take her long to reach the top. When her head lightly bumped against the stone at the top she came down a rung and pointed her wand upward.

"Windgardium Leviosa." She let out a small noise when the dirt around the stone became dislodged and fell into her face. She shook out her head for a moment before putting her focus back into the spell. The stone overhead slowly rose up casting down the deep blue light of evening.

Cautiously, Luna raised herself up through the hole she had made. The grounds were eerily quiet, even the wind was not blowing. With a bit of effort, Luna pulled herself up and knelt down beside the opening. She pulled her wand out, quickly disillusioning herself before looking down the hole.

"It's safe, come on."

The boys took a bit more time, Harry couldn't fit through the hole with the bag and had to levitate it ahead of him. Ron was keeping an eye out, watching Luna's back as she helped Harry get through.

When all was said and done, all three teens let out a slow breath. The moon was nearly full overhead and each of them shivered when a low howl sounded far off in the distance. They shared a look at the other before taking a shaky breath. Unlike last time, something felt exceptionally dangerous about what they were doing.

Harry pulled his cloak out from the bag and pulled out the map. He could hide it under his cloak, but he really wanted Luna to take point. He would keep an eye out for any teachers who may have left the meeting. Ron would keep their backs covered.

Ron cast a disillusionment spell over himself, shifting to let Harry take the middle. They'd all agreed, should they be caught, Harry would make a run for it. Not that any of them believed that Harry actually would. It had just sounded good at the time. Another heavy breath between them and Luna took the lead, dipping into the shadows cast by the moonlight.

The entrance hall was just as calm. Not even a ghost was floating by. The torches were low, casting deep shadows over all the small crevices that could hide potential dangers. Luna kept herself silent, moving with relative ease through the shadows. Only a keen eye would have been able to spot the light shimmer. When she crossed over the main junction she pressed herself into the alcove and waited.

Harry followed, just as silent. The map was clear, all the teachers were still in the meeting room well off on the second floor. He turned himself into the alcove beside Luna's and waited for Ron to make it through the wide opening.

Ron's heart was beating faster than he ever believed possible. The first time he'd done this he'd been completely blind. Hidden by the cloak, he had taken the most direct, if very open, path to the headmaster's office. It hadn't seemed so dangerous at the time but the idiocy of his past actions was starting to just barely sink in.

A sudden thought occurred to Harry when Ron pressed in beside him. It was one thing to get them in. They were all able-bodied and sound of mind. He wasn't sure what they were going to find when they actually got to Hermione. What if she was severely injured? Luna had commented that it had looked like Snape had been trying to give her a potion. Every time they'd looked in on her she was either sleeping or in obvious distress. The vision he'd shared with Voldemort gave him hope that she could walk but he wasn't so sure she was still able to.

As he slipped behind the tapestry that would take them to the office he tried to remember every spell he could relating to healing. He was sure Ron would carry her if she needed to be carried but he worried that they may not be able to get out the way they'd come. Neither he nor Ron had really thought about getting out. They had been one hundred percent focused on getting in. He prayed that Luna had something up her sleeve.

oOo

Snape rolled his eyes beneath his hand. He was starting to get a headache from all the small bickering and backhanded comments being slung across the table. The meeting had been going well. The standard start of term discussions. What provisions were needed in the various dormitories. The number of students scheduled to return to each house.

They had just been ready to close out the meeting when Slughorn had made an innocent comment about hosting another one of his stupid Slug Club parties when the Carrows had added their opinion on the event.

Snape was staying completely out of the argument that had grown between the supposed adults of the school. Sometimes he was sure they were worse than the children they taught. With their petty squabbles. He turned his head to the clock. A quarter til 8.

oOo

"Are they still in the room?" Luna kept her voice low turning back from the door that would lead them into the office. The journey had been as uneventful as the previous trip but it had only left them more on edge.

"Yeah..." Harry took a deep breath folding the map back into his pocket. His heart was beating in his throat. This was it. They were finally going to bring Hermione home.

"Where's Hermione?" Ron too, was feeling the pressure. His hands itched to finally feel her again. He was going to confess everything he felt for her as soon as he was able. The very first thing he wanted to do was hug her tight and beg for her to forgive him for having left her behind. The blame for all of this never left his mind.

"She hasn't moved... she's still in his rooms." Harry wasn't sure if that was good or bad, only that it meant they were looking for one door instead of two. "Alright... let's do this... Remember don't touch anything...we can't let him know we were here..."

Luna nodded her head before turning the inlaid handle. The panel opened slowly and the soft light of the room flooded into the tunnel. She quickly stepped through and out of the way letting both boys past. Her eyes turning up to look at the portraits who silently shifted in their frames. She wasn't sure if they could see them or not but she suspected that they could.

Harry moved towards the desk thinking that perhaps there was a secret button or switch that might reveal the door. While Ron took to the small uplifted platform just behind that might have held another panel like the one they had come through.

Minutes ticked by like hours as each of them moved through the office as silently as they could. A few of the portraits had definitely taken notice and had slipped from their frames. One, in particular, had disappeared shortly after their arrival.

Harry swallowed heavily pushing himself to his feet. He hadn't found anything under or around the desk. He had noticed the portrait frame that was supposed to be Dumbledore's had been burnt and blown out. He was certain that it hadn't been that way when they had first come. He desperately wanted to talk to his old mentor. Beg him for any more clues as to what they needed to be doing. They hadn't accomplished anything of value since they'd lost Hermione and Harry could feel that Voldemort hadn't been waiting for them to get back on task.

Ron was feeling his way along the walls that appeared to be nothing more than solid stone. He was so close he could almost feel her waiting for him. Like he could feel her pressing towards him through the wall. It took everything in him not to just start blasting holes through any blank space that was available.

Luna had taken over looking at the map. In between making sure that they were still in the clear, her eyes would wander over the various antiques that lined the shelves. She'd never really been in the headmaster's office, except one time when she hadn't been able to locate one of her shoes after two months. Dumbledore had been kind to her then, having asked the house elves to keep an eye out for it. It had been returned three days later without explanation.

Luna paused when she noticed something shining from beneath the sorting hat. The normally upright hat was laid on its side with something sticking out the bottom. She was much too short to get a good look.

"Harry..." Her whisper felt like a scream inside the deathly silent office.

Harry actually jumped and bumped his knee into the side of the highback chair, "What...?"

He kept his voice low squinting his eyes to locate her shimmer. He could just make out that she was pointing at something when a loud pop in the center of the room startled them all.

"Yous is not supposes to be in here."

None of the teens had time to properly react. Both Ron and Luna's disillusionment spells were quickly dissolved and Harry's cloak was blown back from his head. Before they could even raise their wands, all three found themselves bound and careening towards the other.

When they landed together, a rope as thick as Luna's arm wrapped once around them and just like that, their world went upside down. Harry just caught a glimpse of the sword of Gryffindor sticking out of the sorting hat that Luna had managed to grab hold of before his stomach lurched.

The forced aparation sent all three of them tumbling head over heels at a dizzying speed. The walls of the castle quickly dissolved into fresh farm air. The world appeared much too small beneath them when their spinning ended. A split second after that, the world was coming closer at startling speed.

oOo

Snape pushed himself out of the room with great purpose. The meeting was over and the bickering had ended. He was more than grateful to be out of their presence but now without their constant distraction he felt something was amiss. He couldn't rightly put his finger on it but he knew he had to get to his office as soon as possible.

He ducked into the same pathway that connected the office onto the other floors, quickly taking the twist he needed to arrive in the main tunnel. As he climbed to the landing that held the corridor to his rooms he instantly noticed that the panel that was meant to be shut was wide open. The light spilling into the tunnel washing it in an amber glow. He pulled his wand out and quickly disillusioned himself and silenced his steps.

He would be remiss to say that his adrenaline wasn't running high when he rounded the frame. His wand out and at the ready. An empty office greeted him, confirmed by his revealing spell. His sharp eyes turned over the room looking for anything amiss. The gate over the floo was still down. Whoever it was either left through the main entrance or was in his rooms. His mind quickly reminded him that Granger was meant to be in there and he quickly crossed the gap coming behind his desk.

The hidden door was still closed and his wards were still in place. That brought him minor comfort until a small pop behind him nearly cost him his desk.

"Poppet!" His snarl caused the poor creature to tremble and shield their head, a series of numerous apologies passing her lips.

Snape took a breath to calm himself and gradually lowered his wand, "Who was in the office?"

"Two boys and a girl." The elf slowly lowered her hands but the tremble in her voice remained. "Poppet got rid of them master...took them far away I did..."

"Did they take anything?" His eyes scanned over the shelves but there was simply too much for him to possibly remember everything.

"I don't think so master..." Poppet was near tears from the danger in her master's voice.

Snape took a deep breath through his nose before his eyes spotted the slightly shimmering inner fabric of something near his desk. He approached it cautiously before leaning down to pick it up. As he did he knew instantly who had been in his office. He would suspect that his previous break-in might have had the same culprit.

He looked up at the frame that Dumbledore had been sharing only to find both occupants gone. He rolled his head back to Poppet then, his glare deepening.

"Where did you send them?"

"Ottery St. Catchpole..."