Faith .|. H. J. POTTER ✔

Chapter one-hundred-thirty-two

"Me?" Ron asked surprised and very confused. "Why?"

"Because you got the sword out of the pool. I think it's supposed to be you," Harry told him, sharing eye-contact with Faith for a moment who was also nodding in agreement.

Harry didn't decide Ron should do it because he was kind, though it may have played a tiny part in it. He knew one thing about everything that Dumbledore had taught him and that was that acts like these had immense power over Dark Magic.

"I'm going to open it," Harry said, "and you stab it. Straight away, OK? Because whatever's in there will put up a fight. The bit of Riddle in the diary tried to kill me,"

"Seriously, how are you still alive?" Faith muttered.

"How are you going to open it?" Ron asked with terrified-looking eyes.

"I'm going to ask it to open, using Parseltongue," Harry said with a small nod. He wasn't sure how he realised that was the way but it rolled off his tongue so easily, it must be how it had to be done. "And Faith, you stay back,"

"What? I want to see what happens!" Faith said indignantly. "I'm not going to leave you two poor boys alone with a piece of Voldy's soul!"

"Fine, just don't get too close," Harry rolled his eyes. 

Their ways of showing affection in situations like these always had something to do with keeping each other safe. Even though it looked like annoyed bickering to everyone else, they both knew they weren't actually upset with each other. It was one of their many ways of indirectly telling each other they care too much to let them do something stupid. 

"No!" Ron suddenly said, "no, don't open it! I'm serious!"

"Why not?" Harry inquired. "Let's get rid of the damn thing, it's been months -"

"I can't, Harry, I'm serious - one of you do it -"

"But why?"

"Because that thing's bad for me!" Ron said loudly, taking a couple of steps away from the locket on the rock. "I can't handle it! I'm not making excuses, Harry, for what I was like, but it affects me worse than it affected you two and Hermione, it made me think stuff, stuff I was thinking anyway, but it made everything worse, I can't explain it, and then I'd take it off and I'd get my head on straight again, and then I'd have to put the effing thing back on - I can't do it, Harry!"

"You can, Ron," Faith spoke up. "You've got the sword, you're supposed to be using it. Please, you can get rid of it, Ron,"

The mention of his name made something click in Ron's head. It was as if he suddenly understood what his friends meant. He took the steps back to the rock where the locket was placed upon.

"Tell me when," He said with a shaking voice, grabbing the handle of the sword with both hands. 

"On three," Harry said with a nod, looking at the other two to see if they were ready. "One ... two ... three ... open,"

Neither Faith nor Ron understood what the last word was that Harry said, but it made the two small doors in the heart of the locket open. An eye was red as blood looked up, not blinking once. It was exactly how Voldemort's eyes had looked when Faith saw him, but this one had a bit of humanity still in it. 

"Stab," Harry said, holding the locket onto the rock so Ron could pierce through it.

Ron raised the sword over his head, his arms were trembling, but before he could strike a cold voice sounded from the locket.

"I have seen your heart, and it is mine," The voice hissed. 

"Don't listen to it!" Harry yelled. "Stab it!"