Darkest hour.

Chapter 2
~ Friend or foe ~


On the train, Ron and Hermione found an empty compartment and stowed there bags onto the racks overhead.

"He should have been hear by now, 'Mione. I think something might have happened to him." Ron walked to the door to look down the aisle, trying to see their friend.

"Ron, if that was the case don't you think that he might already be at school. He's got that emergency portkey, were something to happen to him." Hermione looked at ron and frowned. "But, if that was the case Dumbledore would have sent as a letter letting us know that Harry was fine. Maybe he's just running late today." She tried to give the redhead a reassuring smile, even though she was more worried then she was letting on.

Ron grumbled as he took a seat across from Hermione, and the two sat in a tense silence, staring at the door. After a few minutes, they saw the familiar face of the arragent blonde, come into veiw.

Malfoy looked at the two occupants of the compartment. The weasel was scawling at him, while the other appeared to be looking past him, completely ignoring him. "Is Potter here yet?" He asked in his usual bored drawl.

"Why do you care ferret?" Ron growled.

Keeping his mask of indifference on he simply replied, " I need to talk to him."

"He's not here yet." Was the calm reply of Hermione.

Draco noticed that she seemed to finally have, some sort of control over her bushy brown hair unlike the past few years. He raised an elegant eyebrow in her direction. "What do you mean he's not here yet?" He looked around as if to spot the brunette hiding in the compartmant. 'Where the hell was Potter.'

"It's none of your business Malfoy." Snapped Ron.

Draco took a step back so that he was standing outside of the compartment, and looked down the aisle in both directions. All he managed to see were a bunch of last minute students climbing onto the train, and looking for a place to sit, but there was no Harry in site.

"What do you want with Harry?" Hermiones words brought Draco back to the other two.

"Not like its any of your business but, I need to discuss some things with him before we get to Hogwarts, I was hoping sooner, rather then later."

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence and no sign of Harry, all three started to worry, but no one wanting to show it infront of the others. When the train started to leave the platform, Rons eyes bugged out of his head.

"Why are we leaving! Harry isn't on the train yet!"

"The train doesn't wait to make sure that everyone is on, it leaves at a certain time, whether everyone is on it or not." Draco just looked at them but his comment was only responded with a glare sent his way.

"This is not good," Hermione said. "Do you think that he is already at the castle and we just haven't been informed yet?"

"No, we are his best mates, they would tell us."

No matter what, Draco was having troubles trying to grasp what they were talking about. "What is going on? Where is Potter?"

"Leave Malfoy, this doesn't concern you." Ron practically barked at him.

'Keep calm Draco. Don't behave the same way as last year. Need to make friends with them too.' Letting out a sigh since he seemed to have forgotten that small part, Draco closed the door behind him. Putting a silence and locking charm up he took the seat next to Hermione.

Before Draco could say or ask anything, Ron was out of his seat and yelling again. "Malfoy, get the hell outta here you prat." He began to pull his wand out, as a hand grabbed his arm putting a halt to any ideas. Ron just stared at Hermione, before her warning glare at him, had him returning to his seat, but Ron glared deat at the other boy.

"Malfoy, please tell us what you want with Harry."

He could hear the concern in her voice. Trying to get over the fact that Ron had seemed to grow even more making him a few inches taller then himself, he decided that he might as well tell the basics. "I need his help." He inwardly groaned, Malfoys did not go to others for help.

Sighing, Hermione tried again. "Yes, but why do you, need Harry's help? Why not one of your friends?"

Malfoy just looked at the ground after a quick glance towards the door. "I don't trust them, and he's the only one who can help me." It came out as a slight mumble, but he could tell that they had heard him.

Hermione glanced towards Ron, watching him go from shock to angry. He glanced towards her and she gave him a look that clearly said, 'Wait to hear him before doing anything stupid.' Taking the hint, Ron grumbled but didn't react. "Marlfoy," Hermione spoke with a calm concern. "What do you need Harry's help for, what is it that he can do but no one else seems to be able to?"

"I would tell you guys since, I am despirt, but I don't trust you guys as much as I do him." He could feel his cheeks warm slightly, and tried to fight down the blush.

Hermione was shocked, she hadn't known what to expect, but that was something different entirely. Ron snorted, "You don't trust us? For the past 6 years, you have been insulting and hexing us, for no reason. What makes you think he'll be willing to help the likes of you?"

Draco sighed, feeling he had been doing that a lot lately. "Listen, I don't want to fight you, we're considered adults now, can't we just put this childish fight behind us, and look at the bigger issue right now?" He tried to stay as calm as he could, but one redhead seemed to be against growing up.

Just as ron stood up to yell and hex Malfoy, he was cut off by Hermione. "That is very mature of you Mal..Draco. We all have a bigger enemy to fight, that we don't need to be fighting each other." Rons' mouth dropped open as he looked at his girlfriend in shock.

"Thank you, Grang...Hermione." Hermione smiled at him and he gave back a half smile. "So where is Harry. I'm going to go with the obvious and say that he isn't on the train, so then, where is he?"

Hermione frowned. "We don't know. That is what we have been trying to figure out."

Ron took hold of his girlfriends hand, and gave it a squeeze. "We think that he might just be at school already."

Draco raised an eyebrow at the couple, in question. "We don't know for sure," Hermione elaberated. "It's just that we figured that if he was at the school then he would have owled us by now."

"Well then owl him." Draco said the obvious.

"He told us not to till he returned, Malfoy." Ron growled.

"Plus we think that something may have happened to him."

"Have you asked the Headmaster?"

"We were going to once we got to school." Was Hermione's mumbled answer.

"If something has happened to Harry, then you are wasting time. I am going to go and send a letter up to the castle, by the time we get there, they will have read it. If they are to ask questions though, will you be willing to answer them?"
Draco looked back an forth between the two.

"Yes." They both replied.

"Alright then. I'll go take care of the letter. I also need to get back before Crabbe and Goyle get some brains and realize how long I have been gone for." Malfoy turned around undoing the spells he had cast and slowly slid the door open. As he was about to leave he got a small 'thank you' from Hermione, and a nod of agreement from Ron. Nodding he left to start the search for the savour of the wizarding world.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG I am soo pissed. I lost my friggen papers. What papers you must be asking. Well the papers i have been writing the story out on! Ack. I was like on ch 6 or something. Lets hope I can remember it. Damn I hope who ever finds it just throughs it back. Some people are not all that opened minded when it comes to these stories. Anyways sorry for the long wait before the update. I'll try to get the next ch up as soon as I can.

Let me know what you think of the story so far? Love it, hate it, just waiting to see what happens before you make that choice? Your comments would be of great help.