The next day after a well-rested sleep, the three sat down in the snow with blankets draped on them as they ate their dinner of mushrooms. A fire blazed in front of them to keep them warm.
"You've outdone yourself this time," Harry grimaced as he spooned mushrooms into his mouth.
"I'm gonna be nice and not say anything," Riley smiled as the other two laughed.
Hermione had a book in her lap as she scanned it.
Harry looked pale and battle-worn as he looked out into the open. The beautiful hillside was coated by thick snow.
"The Forest of Dean. I came here once with my mum and dad, years ago. It's just how I remember it. The trees. The river. It's like nothing's changed. Not true, of course. Everything's changed. If I brought my parents here, they wouldn't recognize any of it. Not the trees. Not the river. Not...me," Hermione had a sad smile on her face.
She had told Riley about how she had to wipe her parent's memories of her.
"Where are they?" Harry asked his friend.
"Wendell and Monica Wilkens now reside happily in Sydney, Australia. They have two dogs, run a small sweet shop, but floss daily. No children," the brunette sighed as Riley and Harry exchanged grim looks.
"Maybe we should just stay here. Grow old," Hermione said.
"Maybe," Riley offered Hermione a smile.
Harry stayed silent as the girl in front of them shook off her tears.
"You wanted to know who the boy in the photograph was. Well, I know," Hermione told Harry recalling their last night in Godric's Hollow at Bathilda Bagshot's house.
She held up a book in her lap. It was called The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore. She had collected the book from Bathilda's house.
"It was in Bathilda's sitting room. Rita Skeeter had sent it to her. Harry, it doesn't make for very nice reading," she looked up at Harry knowingly.
"Who is he, Hermione? The thief? Did Dumbledore know him?" Harry implored.
"Yes," Hermione answered.
"Well, who was this guy?" Riley cocked her head to the side.
"Gellert Grindelwald," Hermione stated which caused chills to come up her spine.
"He stirred up a lot of crap in America. With MACUSA and stuff I heard the story about the battle of 1945," Riley recalled at Ilvermorny during her second year when they taught her about the dark wizard.
She remembered how Amira used to tense up whenever she heard the name Grindelwald.
"Yeah, he's not very well known in Britain, but there was a time, before You-Know-Who-" Hermione was interrupted by Harry.
"Hermione, I don't need to have read A History of Magic to know who Gellert Grindelwald is," Harry sounded impatient.
His friend noticed his impatience and then handed him the book which showed a picture of a teenaged Dumbledore laughing with Grindelwald who had a mischievous glint in his eyes.
On the opposite page, Grindelwald was holding a jagged wand while dressed in all black.
"When Grindelwald was seventeen, he was expelled from Durmstrang. He'd started doing some twisted things at school... experiments. A few teachers had always protected him, but they couldn't anymore. After he left, he traveled for a while, then ended up in Godric's Hollow where his greataunt lived, Bathilda Bagshot," Hermione explained.
"Woah, that lady was his great aunt? I didn't know that," Riley's eyes widened while Harry seemed almost bored.
"Get to the hard part, Hermione," he waved his hand.
"She introduced him to Dumbledore. It made sense. Dumbledore's mother had just died, Grindelwald was troubled and they were both brilliant... they'd never really had anyone they could talk to on the same level. They did a lot of talking that summer. But they always returned to one particular subject," Hermione continued on.
Harry's head snapped up so did Riley's.
"Wizard rule over Muggles," Hermione shuddered.
"Wait and Dumbledore believed this stupid concept?" Riley looked enraged.
"Yes, but that was the past, Riles," Hermione calmed her.
"That's still not okay,"
"For the Greater Good. What does that mean?" Harry looked at the caption underneath the older Grindelwald's picture.
"It was something Dumbledore came up with. He believed wizards were superior and should rule over Muggles, but gently, for their own good. Grindelwald took a more violent position," the brunette carried on.
Harry ran a hand through his hair frustratedly as he shook his head.
"It was a different time, Harry. It was one summer. Dumbledore was young-"
"We're young, Hermione. And here we are, risking our lives to fight against the very thing Dumbledore supported," Harry shouted making Hermione wince.
"People make mistakes, people change. I mean at the end of the day Dumbledore put Grindelwald in prison," Hermione put her hand on his shoulder.
Harry stared at the photo one more time before tossing the book towards Hermione.
"Jesus," Riley hissed.
"Where's my wand? I'll take the watch," Harry asked the two girls who both gave Harry apprehensive stares.
Hermione hesitated.
"Where's my wand?" Harry's voice was firm as Hermione pointed to where it was lying by the fire. It was snapped in two.
"It's my fault. As we were leaving Godric's Hollow, I cast a curse and it rebounded... I'm sorry, Harry, I tried to mend it but wands are different," she pleaded.
"It's done," Harry raised his hands up clearly annoyed.
"Maybe we can-"
"It's done," Harry scowled.
Riley wanted to say something but she didn't want to enrage him even more so she stayed quiet.
"Leave me yours. You get back inthe warm. And give me that," Harry pointed to the locket around her neck.
"He loved you, Harry. I know heloved you," Hermione pleaded.
Harry had a sad look on his face as Riley walked up to him and threaded her hands through his hair making him close his eyes.
....
The fire that was blazing earlier was now merely embers.
Harry sat alone outside with a frost-encrusted blanket draped over his legs as he stared into the dark forest in front of him.
He peered through the tent flap and saw Riley and Hermione bundled up in multiple blankets as they slept by a small bowl of flames.
He stood up in an attempt to join them.
Suddenly light crawled onto the tent which made Harry crane is head towards the source of the light.
The light moved through the trees. It was pure and white and silver.
The light drifted closer momentarily blinding him as a silver doe appeared in front of him dazzling. It gazed at Harry who stood extremely still in shock.
The doe turned away into the dark forest.
"No..." Harry's voice cracked.
Leaves crushed under Harry's feet as he darted after the doe. He panted as breath came streaming out of his lungs.
The doe led him deep into the forest and then paused turning her head towards the boy who lived and then disappeared which left Harry plunged into darkness.
"Lumos," Harry mumbled as light came out of the tip of Hermione's wand. Harry painted the opening with light from his wand as something gleamed from the corner of his eye.
It was a small frozen pond.
He looked at his image which was reflected off of the pond. He also saw an object in the water in the form of a cross.
The chosen one looked closer and saw that it was a sword.
"The sword of Gryffindor," Harry muttered.
"Accio sword!" he cast at the pond. Nothing occurred.
He looked down at his chest where the Horcrux had started ticking violently.
With fumbling hands, Harry stripped off his clothes with exposed his skin to the bitter cold. He then pointed Hermione's wand at the frozen pond.
"Diffindo," he said as the pond's icy surface cracked as chunks of ice appeared on the surface.
Harry stepped at the pond's edge and then jumped inside.
The water was freezing but Harry kicked down to try and get the glimmering sword.
Once he grasped the sword, the chain around the locket on his neck began to coil tightening around his neck as Harry started thrashing about under the water.
He touched his neck trying to get the Horcrux off of him.
Realizing that he couldn't he slowly tried to go up the surface again with the sword of Gryffindor grasped in his hand.
He scrambled up trying to get over the ice but was unsuccessful as his body became extremely limp.
Harry's eyes were shut and a trail of bubbles escaped his mouth.
Suddenly a pair of hands shattered ice above and the hands pulled Harry upward and out of the water.
Harry landed on the ice coughing and retching violently.
"Hermione...Riley?" Harry choked out.
The locket around his neck was snatched.
"Are you mental?" a voice screeched.
Harry's eyes popped as he whipped his head around to where a drenched Ron Weasley stood holding the sword of Gryffindor tightly.
Harry stared at Ron as he grabbed his clothes and put them over his body to keep from freezing.
"It was you!" the boy who lived pointed.
"Well, yeah. Bit obvious, I'd think," Ron chuckled.
"And the doe. That was you as well?" Harry asked as he put his black-rimmed glasses over his nose.
"No. I reckoned it was you," Ron hugged himself.
"My Patronus is a stag," Harry explained as he put on his pants.
"Right. Antlers," the Weasley put his arms up to resemble antlers. He had a grin on his face.
"You didn't see anyone else?" Harry questioned.
"No, sorry mate," Ron shrugged his shoulders.
"But I reckon whoever cast the doe, put the sword in that pool hoping we'd find it," Harry sighed.
"And we did, didn't we?" Ron looked pleased with himself as the boy who lived dangled the Horcrux close to the sword making it twitch.
"See that? It knows. It's afraid. Now do it," Harry looked at Ron and then the sword urging him to stab the Horcrux.
"What? No. Harry. That thing's bad for me. I can't handle it. I'm not making excuses for how I acted, but that thing affects me more than it affects you, Hermione, and Riley. It made me think stuff, stuff I was thinking anyway, but it made everything worse," Ron shivered.
"All the more reason," Harry said.
"No. I can't!" Ron yelled.
"Then why are you here? Why did you come back?" Harry's tone was harsh as Ron sucked in a breath and held the sword tightly as a statement that he would destroy the Horcrux.
"I'll have to speak to it in order for it to open. When it does, don't hesitate. I don't know what's in here, but it'll put up a fight. The bit of Riddle that was in his diary tried to kill me," Harry looked at the redhead who nodded.
Harry placed the locket on a flat rock that was covered with ice.
"On three. One. Two. Three. Take me inside," Harry spoke the last bit in parseltongue as the Horcrux clicked open.
"Stab it, Ron. Now!" Harry ordered.
Ron hesitated as he held the sword.
"I have seen your heart and it is mine..." the voice of Voldemort hissed from inside the locket.
"Don't listen to it!" Harry commanded but Ron's attention was captured by the voice.
"I have seen your dreams, Ronald Weasley, and I have seen your fears..." Voldemort said in a silky voice.
"Ron. Don't listen to it!" Harry shouted as he looked in exasperation at his best friend.
"Least loved, by the mother who craved a daughter. Least loved, by the girl who prefers your friend..." Voldemort let out a deep chuckle.
"Ron stab it!" the boy who lived urged as the locket on the rock turned white and a flash of two figures came out of the locket. The two figures resembled Harry and Hermione as they looked ghostly.
"We were better without you, happier without you," the ghost Harry let out a deep chuckle.
"Who could look at you beside Harry Potter? What are you, compared with the Chosen One...?" the ghost Hermione cackled.
"What about Riley?" Ron stammered as he looked transfixed.
"What about her she's clearly nothing. Me and Harry are in love," the ghost Hermione sighed dreamily.
"Ron. It lies! Stab it! STAB IT!" the real Harry screamed.
"Your mother confessed that she would have preferred me as a son..." the ghost Harry had an evil smile on his face.
"Who wouldn't prefer him, what woman would take you, you are nothing, nothing, nothing to him..." the ghost Hermione said as she turned and started kissing Harry deeply with his hands running across her body as she let out a small squeal.
"Do it, Ron! Kill it!" the real Harry continued as Ron whipped his head towards him with his eyes red scaring the chosen one.
Ron raised his sword high and plunged it into the locket.
A scream rippled through the forest and the ghost Harry and Hermione disappeared in a cloud of dust.
Ron stood panting as Harry joined him.
Harry eyed the broken locket and then scooped it up.
Ron dropped the sword and fell on his knees. Harry crouched beside him put a hand on his shoulder.
"After you left, she cried for a week. She's like my sister. There's nothing going on between us. I'm in love with Riley, not her. I mean Riley is my girlfriend after all," Harry explained.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I left," Ron looked ashamed.
"You've sort of made up for it tonight. Getting the sword. Finishing off the Horcrux," Harry spoke.
"Saving your life," Ron gave a sideways smile.
"That too," Harry let out a laugh as the two stared at the remains of the Horcrux.
"And just think of it. Only three to go," Ron grinned.
....
The night turned to dawn as Harry and Ron headed back to the tent where Hermione and Riley were still sleeping. They were both cuddled up together to keep warm as the small bowl of fire from the night before had diminished.
"Riley! Hermione!" Harry called as the two girls stirred.
Hermione moved her hair out of her face while Riley groaned loudly and tossed the covers over her head.
"Riley, come wake up, Harry needs something," Hermione coaxed gently slowly taking the covers off of the stubborn girl.
"Ugh, fine," Riley moaned as she kicked off the covers and stretched, and then stood up.
The two slipped out of the tent.
Riley rubbed her eyes.
"Everything all right?" Hermione looked concerned.
"Fine. Actually... more than fine," Harry stepped out of the way so that Ron was visible.
He had a cheesy smile on his face.
"Ron!" Riley squealed as she ran up to the redhead and jumped into his arms wrapping her legs around his waist.
"Woah, steady!" Ron laughed as Riley kissed his forehead.
"I missed you, you loser," she ruffled his hair before getting retrieved by Harry.
"Nothing for me?" her boyfriend asked.
"You wouldn't want to kiss me right now, I still haven't brushed my teeth," Riley said as she opened her mouth. Harry sniffed her mouth and gagged as Ron sniggered.
Hermione stood across from the happy group with her hands folded.
"Hey," Ron smiled at her.
Hermione looked enraged as she charged towards Ron and then started to punch him repetitively.
"Jesus," Riley breathed as she and Harry retreated closer to the tent for their own safety.
"That's some queen shit over there," Riley nudged Harry who gaped at Hermione who continued to throw punches at the Weasley.
"Ouch!" Ron moaned.
"You complete arse Ronald Weasley! You crawl back here after all these weeks and say, Hey?" Hermione stopped punching him. Her face was beet red.
"Where's my wand? Harry, where's my wand!" Hermione turned to Harry who placed his hand over his pocket.
"Um... I don't know?" Harry's face paled as Hermione charged towards him.
"Harry Potter, you give me my wand!" she jabbed a finger in his chest making Riley come in front of her boyfriend.
"Hey, you can punch Ron all you want but don't touch this little bear," Riley cradled Harry's head as the brunette girl rolled her eyes.
"How come he's got your wand?" Ron asked.
"Never mind why he's got my wand...What is that?" Hermione questioned as she stared at the blackened locket dangling from Ron's hands.
"Shit you guys destroyed it," Riley grinned.
Hermione's eyes glazed over the sword of Gryffindor that was in Ron's other hand.
"And exactly how is it you have the sword of Gryffindor?" Hermione sneered.
"It's a long story," the boy who lived answered.
"Don't think this changes anything," Hermione stared at Ron with disdain.
"No, of course not. I only destroyed a bloody freaking Horcrux! Why would that change anything! Do you know what it was like for me to hear those words coming from you! To see you doing those things-" Ron paused.
"See me doing what things?" the brunette looked exasperated as Ron looked mortified.
"What happened out there?" Hermione looked at Harry.
"It's a long story," Harry was at a loss of words.
"Let it go, Mione," Riley rested a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Look, I wanted to come back the minute I'd left. I just... didn't know how to find you," Ron glanced at Hermione asking for forgiveness.
"Exactly how did you find us?" Riley gazed curiously at the redhead.
"With this," Ron pulled out the Deluminator from his pocket.
"It doesn't just turn off lights. I don't know exactly how it works, but Christmas morning I was sleeping in this little pub I'd given some Snatchers the slip the night before, me being a blood traitor and all... anyway, I was sleeping when I heard it..." Ron said.
"It?" Harry cocked his head to the side.
"A voice. Your voice, Hermione. Coming out of this," Ron stared at Hermione.
"Aw," Riley mumbled so that only Harry could hear.
"And what may I ask did I say?" Hermione spoke, a twinge of anger was still present in her voice.
"My name. Just my name. Like a whisper. So I took this and I clicked it and this tiny ball of light appeared. And I knew," Ron looked down at the Deluminator while Hermione's cheeks heated up.
"Knew what?" Harry asked.
"Just knew. On account of Hermione's voice. And sure enough, it floated toward me, the ball of light, right to my chest and then went straight through ...right here," Ron pointed at his heart.
"That's awfully sweet," Riley whispered to Harry.
"Stop matchmaking," Harry mumbled back.
"It's gonna happen, babe," Riley nodded.
"I could feel it inside me. It was warm, like the first sip of a good cup of tea. And I knew it would take me where I needed to go. So I Disapparated and came out on this hillside. It was dark. I didn't have any idea where I was.I just had to hope one of you would show yourselves in the end. And you did," Ron smiled.
Hermione let out a hmph and then went inside the tent.
"Give her some time, Ron," Riley put her hand on Ron's shoulder.
His eyes were downcast.
"It's really good to see all of you," he smiled.
....
That was chapter 43! I hope you all have a great day!
xx Asiya