To Thwart The Darkness {Book 3}

Wisdom's Tears

Me, who hasn't read Deathly Hallows in 4 years: what happened in Godrics Hollow.

@-Is-A-Belle- , who hasn't read it in a while either: Graves. Harry's parents graves. The other dude who everyone is pretty sure is related to harry and had the invisibility cloak. The deathly hallows symbol on his grave. Hermione and Harry are like ???? wack. They go past Harry's old house. That lady who wrote that book. They say hey. She weird. So they go to her house. Doofuses. She actually a snek. which is wack. Guess what's more wack. The snake is actually Nagini. Like woah. They almost die. Lots of fun

(A direct quote)

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Christmas Eve in Godric's Hollow was depressing. Hermione had suggested they go there on a whim. They found the Potter graves and another grave which belonged to a possible relative of Harry's with a strange symbol on it. Harry also wanted to visit Balthilda Bagshot so they did that, but barely got out of there alive after she turned into a giant snake. Apparently the real Balthilda Bagshot had been dead for a while.

Annabeth didn't really remember a lot of it. It felt as if she was just going through the motions at that point, following Hermione and Harry around and every so often offering her own theory. It was Christmas and more than anything she wanted to spend it with her fiancé. Not wondering the streets of a depressing town running away from a snake and finding two depressing graves.

But she didn't say any of that to Harry and Hermione, who were still operating just fine. Well, as fine as you could be after your best friend stormed out on you. The past couple of weeks had been a roller-coaster of emotions and Annabeth was pretty sure she hadn't been the only one just going through the motions. But all three of them had been "faking it til they made it," so to speak. So it was fine.

After leaving Godrics Hollow, Hermione apparated them to - yet another - forest and they - for the hundredth time - set up camp. After a riveting dinner of mushroom soup, Harry and Hermione went to bed. Annabeth - again - stayed outside, bundled in all her blankets and jackets, desperately hoping that Percy was going to walk through the barrier.

She really, really missed him.

And she was trying to be strong without him, she don't need no man and all that, but deep down her heart ached. Here they were, in a foreign country, in a foreign time, on a quest for magical objects that would help them defeat the magical wizard who was terrorising the magical community. And Percy wasn't there with her to make some stupid joke about how magic sucks.

At around midnight the tent was unzipped and Harry came out, rugged up and ready to take over as look out. Annabeth, reluctantly, handed over the blankets and stepped into the warm tent, zipping it closed behind her. She was, maybe, a little bit overtired. So maybe she should get some sleep.

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Harry thought he was dreaming when he saw the patronus through the trees...

---

"Hey." Ron tried to smile.

Hermione marched over to him. 

She grabbed his bag and tore it off him.

"You," she threw the bag to the ground, "complete," she shoved him, "arse, Ronald Weasley!" She picked up a handful of wet, snowy leaves from the ground and threw it at him. "You show up here," she picked up Ron's bag and hit him with it, "after weeks, and you say 'hey'?!"

Ron looked behind her at Harry. She turned on him.

"Where's my wand?" She demanded.

"I don't know," Harry shrugged. Hermione marched over to him.

"Where's my wand?" Harry stumbled back. "Harry Potter you give me my wand—"

"Where's Percy?" Annabeth whispered. Hermione froze in realisation and spun around. Ron looked at the ground in shame. "Where is he?" Annabeth's voice grew. He wasn't behind Ron, he wasn't hiding in the trees, he wasn't there. This wasn't funny. Annabeth marched over the hill towards the redhead, her knuckles drawn together so tightly her palm grew wet with blood. "Ronald Weasley where is my fiancé?"

"I— he— we..." He stumbled through an explanation, but the message was clear.

Annabeth's world crumbled in around her.

Not again.

Nothing in Olympus or Tartarus could stop her as she lunged towards Ron, screaming and cursing. But no matter what she said, no matter how loud she said it, nothing could drown the one thought that echoed in her head like a war drum.

Not again.

Not again.

Not again.

"Annabeth!" Harry tugged and pulled at her to leave Ron alone, to stop and calm down.

Not again.

Hermione watched. Eventually, Harry was able to pull Annabeth off his friend. She collapsed into the cold, wet ground.

She screamed at the gods.

Not again.

She cursed the sky.

Not again.

She yelled until her throat was sore.

Not again.

The destroyed horcrux lay forgotten in the snow as Wisdom's Daughter's tears poured like blood from an open wound.