"Is this too tight?" I ask as I lower my hand, my eyes travelling all over the bandages protecting Ron's arm and the sling supporting it. He shakes his head and smiles, which makes me feel a little better. After I wrapped and treated his wounds yesterday when we arrived in the forest, he slept for the rest the day and I had guilty thoughts swimming around my head whilst he slept.
I kept them to myself and neither Harry or Hermione seemed to notice - probably because they were trying to list all possible spells that we could try to destroy the locket with - but as soon as Ron awoke, he found me, hugged me and told me that it wasn't my fault. I asked him how he immediately knew and he just responded with 'I just know'.
"Okay, they should do for a couple of days, we should probably join Hermione and Harry outside then." Sounds of various spells explode outside, so holding onto Ron's arm, I lead him outside to where the others are continuously firing spells at the locket. As we walk out, Harry casts spell after spell at the locket before it bursts into flames, yet nothing appears broken, damaged or scuffed.
Then, he picks it up and attaches it around his neck, Hermione briefly questioning it. "We have to keep it safe until we find out how to destroy it," he explains and Ron quickly follows up with an additional statement. "Seems strange, mate. Dumbledore sends you off to find all these Horcruxes, but doesn't tell you how to destroy them. Doesn't that bother you?" He asks and after a moment of them both just blankly staring at each other, Harry walks away.
I heave a sigh and pat Ron's arm gently as Hermione walks over to us both. "Maybe try not to mention Dumbledore as much as you can," she suggests, "we all know how much he looked up to him." We both nod and after Ron asks to have a moment alone with Hermione, I nod and walk back to the tent, leaving the two of them with each other.
I sit down in a large pile of dry, dying leaves and lean against a few small tree branches. With the faint whistle of bird noises in the air, I rummage around in my beaded bag until I find what I'm looking for: a reading book and Cedric's old Hufflepuff scarf. After Harry gave it to me fifth year, I put a special charm on it so that the scent will never disappear. I wrap it around my neck, open my book and start to read, a slight breeze travelling through the air.
After a little while, Ron walks back inside the tent and Hermione tells me that she's going to look for some flowers to pick, something that she does when her mind is troubled. I thank her for letting me know and I go to continue reading, but I flinch slightly when someone touches my shoulder.
"Harry!" I exclaim, a small chuckle leaving my lips as he sits down beside me, "don't scare me like that." He mumbles an apology and I think about bringing up the fact that and I return to my book. As I reach the end of a chapter, we both hear Ron turn the radio on inside the tent, to which Harry jumps at significantly. I turn to him to see his eyes wide and his breathing has rapidly increased.
He's seeing through his eyes again. Once I think he's stopped, I gently take his hand in mine and intertwine my fingers with his. "I thought they had stopped," I whisper, "you've got to try to keep him out, Harry." He inhales deeply and lets out a large exhale before he speaks. "You-Know-Who has found Gregorovitch."
"The wand-maker?" I ask, a small nod being my reply. "He wants something that Gregorovitch used to have and I don't know what, but he wants it desperately. I mean, it's as if his life depends on it," he explains, his eyes heavy and his tone quite monotonous and serious.
Inside the tent, Ron turns up the volume on the radio and Harry jumps to his feet to storm in, so I immediately rise and stop him, pressing my hand against his chest. "Don't, it brings him a sense of comfort," I try to say, but Harry quickly fires back, his tone growing angrier by the second. "It sets my teeth on edge. What's he expecting to hear, good news?"
"He's hoping that he doesn't hear any bad news. He misses Molly, Arthur and--"
"How long before he can travel?" Harry snaps, cutting me off and when my mouth drops open in shock, he huffs and rolls his eyes. "I'm trying to do everything I can--"
"YOU'RE NOT DOING ENOUGH!" He shouts, making me flinch slightly. He pushes past me and goes to walk away, but I swiftly turn around and raise my voice. "Take it off," I demand. Harry turns around and stares at me, with a look as if he thinks I'm an idiot, so I march over and hold out my hand.
"Now! I said take it off!" I snap, now angry at him. With another series of huffs, Harry fishes out the locket from underneath his tartan button up shirt, removes it and shoves it into my hand. His facial features soften and his body relaxes, indicating that the locket truly has an effect on a person if worn too long.
"Better?" I ask, feeling slightly down now from the previous 'fight' that just occurred. "Loads," Harry responds but as he goes to apologise, I shake my hand and shove the locket into my back pocket. "We'll all take turns. I'll go next..."
I walk back to where I was sitting and once Harry walks back inside the tent, I feel a single tear trickle down my cheek. I scrub it away and wrap Cedric's scarf around me tighter, the scent making memories flood back into my head.
"Dad," I whisper to myself, clutching at the scarf, "wherever you are, I hope you're safe. I love you."