1 The Turning Point

Inside The Tent Before Ron Leaves

"It's alright for you two, with your parents safely out of the way..." Ron said and Hermione's heart almost sunk at that moment, as a sudden rush of anger and sadness begin to consume her as she stared at Ron in disbelief. She was going to yell something to the insensitive redheaded guy standing before her, but Harry replied to his outburst first.

"My parents are dead!" Harry yelled angrier than ever.

"And mine could be going the same way!" Ron yelled back.

"Then, GO!" Harry roared. "Go back to them where is safer, where you don't have to go hungry, nor hide or been injured. Go back to where you don't have to move from place to place without the master plan you seem to expect from me!" Harry yelled with bitterness, Ron made a sudden movement and Harry reacted, but before they could end up using their wands, Hermione raised her own.

"Protego!" She shouted and an invisible shield expanded between them, forcing them to step back. Harry and Ron glared at each other for what felt like an eternity and then, both of them thought that they had come to a turning point, a point in where their path would split into an unknown territory.

"Leave the Horcrux," Harry said. Ron took of the cursed locket and cast it into a nearby chair and turned to face Hermione.

"What will you do? Will you stay here?" Ron asked, looking at her with all the seriousness of the world. In a way he was forcing her to choose between himself and Harry and it would be a lie if he say that he didn't want her to go with him, to walk away from all that madness for good. She too should be as tired and doubtful as he was, for how bad things were going.

"I... yes. I'm staying, Harry needs our help..."

"I got it. You choose him." Ron said giving her his back to go out of the tent.

"Wait, Ron! Ron, come back... Ron!" As Hermione undo the Protego spell she had cast between Ron and himself and hurried outside hoping to bring Ron back, Harry felt a corrosive hatred toward Ron. Maybe it was because of the influence of the locket or maybe it was just the way they had shouted at each other seconds ago, but deep inside him, he felt that something had shattered between them. To be honest with himself, Harry never thought the day would come when he would resent Ron's words or actions as much as in that moment. Yes, they had fought before, for rather stupid things at that, but so far he had never come to truly hate him that much. He had always thought that no matter what, they would eventually remain best friends for as long as they lived, yet he had been wrong.

At that particular moment, while he was alone inside the tent after facing his most difficult crisis, Harry would have never thought that was the exact moment when everything will change for him and Hermione and that a minute or so later Draco Malfoy, their seven years long enemy, would alter their destinies forever.

Malfoy

Draco Malfoy watched as the tall redheaded guy, rushed out of the tent in to the cold rain. Even though he was watching them from a safe distance, he noticed that Weasley looked awful before he raised his wand to Disapparate from the forest, leaving his so called best friends behind. Just a second after Weasley disappeared, Granger got out of the tent as well, crying out his name while the rain hided the tears he knew she was shedding and for the fraction of a second, Malfoy felt a rush of genuine rage. Even if he didn't have the right to judge others, as he too had been a complete jerk in the past, he just couldn't shake away the anger that grew inside him. Ron Weasley was by all means the biggest moron ever, for leaving behind two loyal friends that would risk their lives for him at any time. Stupid Weasel, he thought as he watched Granger fell down on her knees.

In the past, he would have laughed at such scene or at least, he would not care for it one bit, but his current self was no longer the same as before. He had experienced hell and come back again ever since he had failed to kill Dumbledore... no that wasn't right, he has experienced hell ever since he couldn't kill Dumbledore. He could still remember Dumbledore's words, as they faced each other on that cursed night. At that time, Dumbledore had offered him his protection for both him and his family if he switched sides and he had rightfully told him he was not a killer. Oh, how he had wished he had taken the offer back then and spared himself the following tortures, nightmares and pain.

He had been a blinded fool back then, with no other choice but to follow Voldemort orders like a brainless puppet, until help arrived unexpectedly. Voldemort had put him under Snape 'careful' supervision, as he no longer had any use of him other than to keep his parents under his control and he had feared many times, that Voldemort was going to kill him, just to show the rest of his followers what would happen to those who could fail him in the future. On those following days he lived thinking any day would be his last, even if he tried to not show it to others. It was then that Snape had told him everything, from the real reason of why he had killed Dumbledore, to the reason he became Dumbledore's most trusted follower for years.

It took him by surprise to hear Snape story and that he was risking everything to save Potter from all harm and for the first time in his short life, he had felt real shame of himself. While the Potter trio faced multiple dangers for what a lot of people thought it was a lost cause and both Snape and Dumbledore sacrifice themselves for similar reasons, he had just blindly follow his father's orders and acted like a spoiled brat, with a superiority complex. He unconsciously touched the dark mark that was imposed on him and wished to rip it of him for good, as it was now the symbol of his cowardice. However, he had crawled up from the bottom of his personal cliff and in a way, reborn anew from his ashes.

Once Granger turned back, to get inside the tent, he knew it was his time to act. He had no idea of how Potter or Granger will react to what he was going to say and show them, but in the end it didn't matter. If things went for the worst, he could just do the same Snape had done for the last seven years and watch from the side line, only acting when necessary. With a deep sigh, he left his hiding place and very carefully, he approached the tent. He knew that Granger had cast many layers of spells around, but none of them would be trigger by him, of that, Dumbledore had made sure. Unconsciously, he looked down at the ring on his hand and smiled with sadness. The ring had been charmed by Dumbledore himself, the same with the glasses he was wearing.

"Okay, this is it, Draco Malfoy. This is your first step to redemption." He whispered to himself and moved forward, as he would never stray back from his path again, even if his future end up been far worse than his 'previous' one.

Harry

"He is gone, Harry! Disapparated!" Hermione said throwing herself in to a chair and braking down in tears on the spot. Harry felt dazed and a bit guilty, as it was because of him that Ron had decided to leave them and Harry knew full well how she felt about Ron. She had been in love with him for a while now, yet after what happen, he wasn't sure how that will end and if Hermione would forgive them both for hurting her that much.

He looked at her for a moment, feeling himself like breaking down as well, but instead, he simply picked up the locket that Ron had left behind and placed it around his neck once more. Soon enough, his resentment toward Ron increased, but knowing it was probably because of the Horcrux, he ignored the feeling. It was then, when he was about to take the blankets from Ron's bunk, to place them over the trembling girl, when someone else entered the tent. At first, both he and Hermione thought it was Ron, but as soon as they saw blond hair and black clothes, they knew that was not the case. Harry impulsively raised his wand in a fast move, while the shocked Hermione stood up from her chair, still immersed in surprise.

"Wait, Potter! Don't go cursing me just yet. I didn't come here to bring you to the Dark Lord..."

"Yeah right, as if you would do something other than that, Malfoy. How did you find us?" Harry asked, while moving in front of Hermione to protect her if necessary, something that didn't escaped Malfoy's notice and with a sigh he raised his hands in surrender.

"How did I find you it's kind of long story, why did I find you it's easier to answer." Malfoy said, hoping that Potter was more open to reason than his former self, otherwise he would really be in trouble. He saw as Granger raised her own wand and pointed it at him as well, the look on her face was that of hatred, which despite him fully expecting nothing more than that, it kind of hurt him anyways.

"We need to get out, Harry, if he is here that means that the Death Eaters..."

"I swear that's not the case, Granger. There are not Death Eaters waiting for you to come out. To be honest, the only Death Eater in the vicinity is just me, otherwise they would have capture you by now." Malfoy interjected still with his hands up.

"Why would we trust you, Malfoy? You are nothing more than a little traitor, you coward!" Hermione yelled coming closer to him, her eyes red from the previous crying. "Just give me a reason Malfoy, even if the whole forest is crowded with Death Eaters, at least I will enjoy jinxing you." Wow, she was fiercer than he remembered, although she had punched him before, so it really shouldn't be surprising. Involuntarily, his heart skipped a beat while looking at her. She was not only smart and fierce, but also with a strong will power, courageous and surprisingly... pretty? No, it was more than that. Before, he had never given her a second glance, as he found her filthy and disgusting just for her mudblood status, but now that he truly looked at her for what she was, he found her... rather beautiful.

"I sure deserve whatever jinx comes to your mind Granger, but before you decide to torture me to your heart's content, hear me out first. I came here risking my life in order to give you a message... from Dumbledore." He said lowering his arms and then the sound of a slap resonated inside the tent and Malfoy gave a step back to keep his balance, while Harry grabbed Hermione on his arms before she could truly hurt Malfoy.

"Let go of me Harry! He dares... he dares to say his name! He who wanted to kill him, but didn't have the guts to do it!" Once again, her words hurt him, way more than the slap itself. Yeah, this was going to be a very painful experience, yet he deserved it all.

"Stop it Hermione." Harry plead, while trying to pull her away from Malfoy. For some reason, he felt like he needed to hear the ferret, at least this one time. "Just why did you came here Malfoy? Just say it and be on your way..."

"Have you gone mental, Harry? He is Draco Malfoy for heaven's sake! We can't trust in anything he say." That was true, of course, but he was curious to know why Malfoy would give himself the task of finding them, if he did not really came to capture them. Malfoy wasn't exactly his favorite person, but he had to admit that if he had wanted, they would be meeting Voldemort by now. And there was that 'message' he was talking about. Just what in world, were Malfoy's intentions?

"I didn't say I was going to trust him, but so far, no one has tried to take us away. Let's just hear him and be done with it just this once, okay?" Harry looked at her and sighed in relief when she reluctantly nodded, after that, he released her, but she pointed her wand at Malfoy once again, although doing nothing further to harm the pale ferret. Was that his imagination or Malfoy looked... different? Paler than usual, perhaps a little thinner and maybe a bit messy? His hair, for example, was falling freely at his sides and although it looked fine, it wasn't his typical tidy look.

"Go on and say it, before I change my mind." Hermione said, holding her ground in front of her all time enemy.

"Like I said before, I came here to give you a message and something else..." He made a move to take out something from his back, but was stopped half-way by Granger, who put her wand closer to his throat. Perhaps, it had been a mistake to approach them just after Weasley had left. The girl was definitely at the edge and therefore, more hostile than usual.

"What do you think you are doing?" She asked.

"Just looking for what I came here to give you." He said looking at her with relative calm. Her caramel eyes, showing deep skepticism.

"Which is conveniently at your back, where perhaps your wand is too?" She asked.

"My wand is inside my jacket, on the left front pocket. You can take it out, if you want. I will not stop you." He said and when she opened his expensive black jacket, to look for his wand, his heart involuntarily leap a beat once more. It was kind of odd to react to her touch, but he didn't mind it and at the end, she simply took out his wand and place it inside the back pocket of her pants.

"Okay, then tell me what do you have on your back?" She asked again and he resisted the urge of rolling his eyes.

"Your favorite thing in the world, Granger. A book." He said and she looked surprised.

"A cursed book?" She asked, stepping back from him a bit.

"No. It's the book that I... inherited from the former Headmaster." Harry lifted one eyebrow at this. First, Malfoy was a quick learner, as he knew better than to say Dumbledore's name again in front of Hermione and second, what kind of rubbish was the ferret talking about? An inheritance from Dumbledore? That had to be a lie.

"That's a very bad lie, Malfoy." Hermione pressed.

"Have you ever read a letter wrote by him, Granger? You are a smart girl, so it shouldn't be a problem for you to see if it's fake or not. Also, the glasses in my right pocket are enchanted magically to see through all sorts of magic and that was how I could find your camping tent. You can use it to see if the book have any kind of spells that could potentially harm you." He said in a daring tone that farther irritated the girl. Was he pushing his luck a little too much? Malfoy asked himself, but lucky for him, Granger simply opened his jacket for a second time and took out the glasses.

"Go on, Granger, put them on and have a look at Potter's locket and you will know what I mean."

"Wait, how did you..."

"I will explain everything when you actually give me the chance. Just put them on. If I really wanted to harm either of you, I would have done it, at the moment I stepped inside this tent." Malfoy said to her and to his big surprise, she followed his suggestion and put them on, giving Harry a glance. He already knew what she would see, so when she gasped in horror, he simply waited for her next action.

Standing right in front of Harry, was the ghostly figure of Tom Riddle, better known as Lord Voldemort and his presence seemed to be covering half of Harry's body in a cloud of dark smoke. It was then, watching the true form of the Horcrux that Hermione finally understood the influence that such a vile thing was implanting on them and the real reason Ron had walked away from them.

"Oh Lord, take that thing off, Harry." She said moving toward him and taking it out his neck, throwing it again on a nearby chair.

"Bloody hell, Hermione, why did you do that for?" Harry said looking at her as she had gone mad.

"Just look Harry. See for yourself." She said giving Harry the glasses. Out of curiosity, Harry took off his own and replaced them with Malfoy's and sure enough, he too, saw Tom Riddle, smirking at him were the locket was supposed to be on the chair.

"Okay, I believe you now Malfoy. Show me that book and then we can talk." Harry said and Malfoy did as he was told. The book he took out didn't look impressive in any way. Actually it looked more like a journal than a book, but once he open it, he was certain it belonged to Dumbledore. It was definitely his handwriting. "What's this? How come you, of all people end up inheriting this?"

"Can I sit down? Like I said it's a long story." Malfoy said, not really caring if they mind it or not. He was exhausted both physically and mentally. Hermione watched him sit and she could not help wondering what could have happened to him. Had he really changed? How did Dumbledore end up giving him a book? And what kind of book it was? How did he found out their location? And did he knew that Ron wasn't there? He didn't seem surprised of his absence. And what about the Horcrux? Did he already knew about them? Lord, just what was his story? It was true that she distrusted him, but it was also true that she was quite curious about what could have brought Malfoy to Dumbledore's side. Had he changed sides, for that matter? She couldn't see through his many secrets, at that point.

"Ask me away Granger, I know you are dying to ask." Malfoy smirked and Harry find himself unable to contain a laugh. Malfoy was absolutely right, it was painfully obvious that she wanted to question him. Who would have thought that he will laugh at something that Malfoy said. The world must be coming to an end, Harry thought. Hermione by the other hand, simply blushed a little and sat next to Malfoy.

"Fine then, since is so obvious... why did you came here for?" Was her first question and Malfoy sighed, giving her a deeper look, that somehow make her shiver. Whatever the answer, she had the lingering feeling that she would not like it at all.

"I came here to save you, Granger from a certain death at the hands of my aunt, Bellatrix Black Lestrange." Yeah, she didn't like it all right.

AN: Okay... Thanks for reading this silly story.