A/N: Ah yes, the Locket, the source of all insecurities and angry outbursts <3
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The six of you were grouped in the clearing outside the tent early the next morning. You and the twins stood with a weak, but conscious Ron, as Harry and Hermione eyed the locket that was situated on a log in front of your group.
"You first," Hermione said to Harry and he nodded and raised his wand.
"Dissendium," Harry said, using the charm that could open or reveal secret passages or hidden openings, and the top of the log where the locket lay exploded. You all approached slowly and saw that the locket was still closed, its strange green finish with the 'S' in it was completely undamaged.
Hermione raised her wand, "Incendio." The leaves and forested ground burst into flames but again, the locket was completely untouched by the spell.
You pointed your wand at it, "Diffindo!" hoping the Severing Charm would cut it open. You all edged towards the locket again and you sighed in exasperation as you saw it was still intact. You hung back with the twins and Ron, and the four of you shared a look of concern as Harry and Hermione continued to follow the Slytherin locket.
"Expulso!" Harry said loudly, and you could tell that with each spell he cast he was growing more and more frustrated. Finally he gave up, and he picked up the locket and put it around his neck.
"What are you doing?" Hermione asked warily. Harry tucked the locket under his shirt, "we have to keep it safe until we find out how to destroy it."
"Seems strange, mate," Ron spoke up as he adjusted his sling, "Dumbledore sends you off to find all these Horcruxes but doesn't tell you how to destroy them. Doesn't that bother you?"
Harry looked back at you all for a moment but didn't answer and walked away. It clearly bothered him even if he didn't want to admit it, and you had to acknowledge how much it bothered you, and probably everyone else too.
Later that evening, you and the Weasleys sat inside the tent listening to Potterwatch on the portable Muggle radio you'd pulled from your bag. Things were getting even more dangerous out there as reports of deaths and disappearances began to increase tenfold.
"A goblin by the name of Gornuk was killed, and it is believed that Dean Thomas and a second goblin, both believed to have been traveling with Ted Tonks and Dirk Cresswell who are also missing, may have escaped. If Dean is listening, or if anyone has any knowledge of his whereabouts, his parents and sisters are desperate for news...Meanwhile, a Muggle family of five has been found dead in their home."
You listened in horror as Lee's voice echoed through the radio. "Poor Dean," you whispered to no one in particular, and your heart sank when you'd heard that the boy had had to go on the run to keep his Muggle family safe, and that they had no idea if he was alive or not.
"That's all from our general news update today, but my new correspondent, Raven, has news from her sources about the goings-on in Hogwarts. Over to you Raven."
You perked up at the sound of the new addition to the show and listened carefully.
"Thanks for that River. There has been a complete overhaul of staffing at Hogwarts according to my sources-"
You gasped in recognition, "that's Bea!" Fred wrapped his arm around you as you almost cried with relief at the sound of your friend's voice, having not heard from her since she and her family went into hiding shortly before you'd gone to the Ministry in September and realised that Muggleborns were being hunted.
Bea's parents both had magic, but her father had openly supported Harry and Dumbledore while working for the Ministry so they'd since gone into hiding for their own safety, meaning that Bea had had to quit her Magizoology apprenticeship.
"I regret to inform everyone that Severus Snape has been appointed as Headmaster, while a number of known Death Eaters, such as the Carrow siblings, are now part of the faculty. My sources tell me that they are very keen on corporal punishment, with a significant number of students walking around with bruises within the first week of school starting. Muggleborn students have all been expelled, and it is unknown if they were able to return to their families or not."
You, Fred, George and Ron sat in silent shock as the broadcast finished, and you reflected on the horrors that Hogwarts students must be facing under the new faculty. Your thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Harry and Hermione arguing outside. You squeezed Fred's hand as you stood up, leaving the three brothers to talk in hushed whispers among themselves.
You stepped through the opening of the tent, just in time to hear Hermione speaking quietly, "I-I'm doing everything I can."
"You're not doing enough!" Harry yelled at her, and Hermione's face fell.
"Don't speak to her like that, Harry," you said icily and he turned around to see you standing outside the tent, and then he scowled and walked off, leaving Hermione sitting on the ground with tears in her eyes. You squeezed her shoulder comfortingly and followed him across the clearing.
"Take it off," you demanded and he stopped and looked around at you.
You stepped up next to him and held out your hand, "take it off. Now."
He hesitated and then did as he was told and took off the locket, handing it to you, and he visibly relaxed as he let go of it. You put it around your own neck, and as if you'd stepped into a cold shower, you felt a chill run down your spine, but you ignored it.
"Better?" you asked him and he nodded, "loads."
"We'll take it in turns, okay?" you told him, gesturing to the locket, and then you continued, "now go apologise to Hermione, she's the only reason we're even alive right now." Without waiting for his answer, you walked away. You went to the edge of your camp's protective shields, raising your wand to cast more to strengthen them.
It got dark quickly and you walked up the hill to the tent, seeing Hermione sitting outside, taking the first watch, she smiled sadly at you as you walked past. You walked over to your side of the tent and saw the twins settling down for bed on their respective bunks.
"Hey guys," you said quietly as you sat down on the side of Fred's and he sat up against the iron headboard, careful not to bang his head on the top bunk. You sat back beside him and he hugged you into his side.
"Was wondering where you'd gone off to," he said to you and you shrugged, "just wanted to be alone for a bit, I put up more protective charms." He nodded and kissed your head and George sighed loudly, "we've been here for a day and I already hate it."
"Me too," Fred said, "I'm just glad that I'm with you guys, so I don't have to worry about you."
"Did any more names come up on the radio?" you asked quietly, your unspoken words raising the question of whether any of your friends were dead.
"No, thankfully not," George said, "Ron's been listening to it non-stop, and I get why he's doing it but he'll drive himself mad waiting for bad news."
Fred played with your fingers, "he's probably just trying to comfort himself, but it really sets my teeth on edge." He looked at you for a moment and then his brows pinched in confusion.
"Why are you wearing that thing?" he pointed to the locket on your chest. You clenched your jaw, unexplainably irritated by his accusatory tone, "Harry was wearing it for too long, we're going to take it in turns."
"You shouldn't be wearing it, it's not safe-"
"None of this is safe, Fred! But I can handle it, alright!?" you hissed in exasperation as you sat up straight and his arm fell off your shoulders. Then you covered your face with your hands, shocked at your own tone, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap like that." He pulled you back onto his lap and rubbed your back reassuringly you leaned against his chest.
"It's okay, we're all a bit on edge right now," he murmured while he kissed your hair and George turned around in his bunk and faced away from you both, mumbling an awkward goodnight.
Fred wrapped his arms around your waist and held you close, "I know you can handle it, by the way, I'm just scared for you."
"I'm scared for you too," you whispered and he leaned back to look at your face. He gently cupped your face and kissed you softly, and you wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him back, and then you hugged him tightly, "I love you, Fred."
"I love you too, darling," he whispered into your hair.
"I'm going to sit and keep watch with Hermione, you head to sleep okay?" you told him and he nodded as you climbed off his lap and he lay back down under the blankets. You brushed his hair back and leaned down to kiss him again, and his hand rested against the side of your neck as you pressed your lips lovingly to his.
A few minutes later, you were sitting outside the tent next to Hermione. You sat in comfortable silence for a while, occasionally stoking the small campfire in front of your knees.
Hermione cleared her throat, "Harry apologised to me."
"Good, he was being a prat," you said plainly and she chuckled.
"How's Ron doing?" you asked her, recalling how she'd checked his wounds earlier that evening.
She sighed, "he's okay, he won't be healed enough to travel for at least a few days, even with the healing potion." You didn't say anything to that and she spoke again, changing the subject, "can I ask you something? About you and Fred?"
"Sure," you said as you poked a stick into the fire in front of you. Hermione took a deep breath, "were you each other's first everything?"
You smirked, "he was my first everything, but he definitely snogged a couple of girls before me, at House parties and the like, maybe just two or three. It was never on my radar before I knew I fancied him though, to be honest. I never asked and he never brought it up. Both he and George were always quite popular with girls in all years, so I didn't even bother trying to keep up, even when Angelina or Alicia tried to bring it up with me." You chuckled at the memory of the twins giving each other high-fives after one particular party in your third year, though you knew it would have driven you up the walls had it been the following year when you really began to see Fred as more than a friend.
"I'm his first girlfriend though, and everything else," you told her with a shy smile.
Hermione thought about that for a minute, "I never kissed Viktor, or even Cormac McClaggan though he was eager to," she chuckled, "I just...it never felt right. And I was so...angry when Ron was with Lavender, but I couldn't bring myself to get with Cormac, even to spite Ron."
"You both fancy each other, it's quite obvious," you told her and she rolled her eyes, "oh shut up," she said but she smiled. Her smile grew sad then, "I want to tell him, but it feels wrong with everything going on, it doesn't feel like the right time."
She sighed sadly and reopened her copy of the Tales of Beedle the Bard on her lap, and you sat watching the flames. You don't know how long you sat there in your peaceful silence, but the sound of twig cracking nearby made you both jump.
You tried to rationalise it in your mind that you were in a forest, and that any number of animals could've made that noise, but then another one cracked loudly, and you shared a wary look with Hermione.
You both stood up, holding your wands at your sides, and walked slowly and quietly towards the noise. Hermione gripped your wrist and pulled you to a stop as more twigs cracked almost in front of you, and you stifled a gasp as a group of leather-clad, disheveled individuals came into view. Snatchers.
Two of the figures were carrying bodies, gasped in shock when the one in front, who must have been the leader, came to a stop and looked back in your direction.
"What's that?" he asked and Hermione's grip tightened on your wrist as he walked back over, standing directly in front of you.
"What's that smell?" he asked, though his voice was muffled due to the concealment charm around your campsite. Fortunately, he was distracted when one of his companions dropped the body he was holding, and he walked off, and they continued on their journey and left you both alone.
Hermione exhaled shakily in relief. "Snatchers," you told her, "good to know our enchantments work."
"He could smell it. My perfume," she said distractedly and you squeezed her hand reassuringly as you walked back to the tent, leaving her lost in thought. Harry was walking towards you both and you smiled tiredly at him as he walked over to Hermione, who was still standing and studying the retreating Snatchers.
You sat down by the fire as they talked in hushed whispers as they walked back, and they quietly bickered as Hermione told him, "I've told you, Ron isn't strong enough to Apparate."
"Well, then we'll go on foot. And next time, Hermione, as much as I like your perfume, just don't wear any," Harry told her, and Hermione smirked and shoved him playfully. Movement in your peripheral vision made you turn your head to the tent, where Ron was peeking out and watching the two of them, not seeing you. His brows pinched as he watched them walking closely and his eyes narrowed slightly, you cleared your throat quietly, "alright, Ron?"
He jumped slightly, "blimey, Y/N, I didn't see you." He glanced over at Harry and Hermione again and clenched his jaw. "I'll talk to you in the morning, 'night," he said and you gave him a small wave as he retreated back into the tent.
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The next morning, you packed up the tent and set off on foot, as Harry instructed. You walked for the whole day across fields and hills, and Harry and Hermione took the lead. You walked in the middle with Ron as the twins followed behind you saw Ron glaring ahead at Harry and Hermione as they walked close with their heads bowed in conversation. You knew what his temper could be like, so you were glad at that moment that he wasn't wearing the locket.
You walked in near silence but then you heard the hushed whispers becoming more heated until they were having a full blown argument. You glanced at Ron who shrugged and then you walked back to the twins, who had trailed a significant distance behind the rest of you while they argued.
You caught the tail end of Fred's sentence, "well if you suddenly care so much then why don't you ask her."
"What's going on?" you asked, drawing them both to a stop in front of you, and Fred scowled, a bitter expression on his face that you immediately didn't like.
"Why don't you ask George? Since you both clearly have such a strong bond," he seethed and you looked at George who was staring at his twin furiously.
"Fred, just give it up, you're talking shit," George hissed angrily and Fred glared at him.
"That's what you think, is it?" he retorted with a sneer, "Fred is always talking shit, you're the smart one aren't you, George? So I'll just sit down and shut up then, will I? You'd like that wouldn't you?"
"Fred, you know that's not what he meant-" you said and he turned to you, eyes blazing.
"You're coming to his defense awfully quickly, Y/N," he cut you off, staring at you with a cold expression.
You looked at him incredulously, "what are you talking about, Fred?! George is my best friend, you know that."
"Do I? I often wonder why you picked me over him, did you just decide to settle for me? Was I the easier option?" You hated the venomous words coming out of his mouth. You and George were as close as friends could be and Fred never cared about that, in fact he loved the friendship you had with his brother.
"Why are you being such a dick?" you demanded and he rolled his eyes and turned away. As he did so, the sun glinted on something on his chest, and your eyes settled on the locket that hung there.
"Why are you still wearing that Fred? You were supposed to give it to Hermione at midday," you scolded exasperatedly. He ignored you and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket.
"Give me the locket, Fred," you demanded and he scowled at you, "why are you changing the subject, Y/N?"
"Mate, just listen to her-" George said as he tried to pull the locket off his brother but Fred shrugged him off roughly.
"George, could you give me a minute to talk to your brother?" you asked him, not looking away from Fred's narrowed eyes. George glanced at you with uncertainty and then he nodded and gave you a glance that said 'good luck' as he walked on to catch up with Ron.
"What is wrong with you?" you asked Fred seethingly as he watched George retreat over your head.
"I could ask you the same thing, Y/N. What's wrong with you? Why did you settle with me? You could have had anyone you wanted, even George and yet-" he clenched his jaw and his eyes filled with tears as he looked away from you.
"Give it to me," you asked quietly and he didn't move so you stepped forward and looked up at him, "give me the locket, Fred. Now. Or don't talk to me until you do."
He relented and silently reached up and pulled the chain over his head, you snatched it off him and put it in the pocket of your jacket, then watched him carefully without saying a word. After a moment, his face fell and he exhaled sharply in realisation, whatever haze he'd been in after wearing the locket for so long, vanishing. He closed his eyes and his tears spilled over and down his cheeks, and he appeared to shrink in on himself in shame.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered hoarsely.
You reached over and wrapped your arms around him and he sniffled into your shoulder and clung to you tightly. "I'm sorry," he murmured over and over through his tears and you rubbed his back comfortingly.
"Where did that come from? You know I love you, Fred. There could never be anyone else for me," you asked him quietly as you pulled back to look at him, he didn't meet your gaze. He wiped his sleeve across his wet eyes and stared across the fields around you, his cheeks flushed with shame.
"Before we were together, I used to have these doubts that I could never be good enough for you," he admitted with his eyes downcast, "even after we got together I kept worrying that you'd realise that yourself, or that I'd do something to mess it up and lose you. And I just- I can't lose you, Y/N. It would destroy me."
You reached up to wipe a tear from his cheek, "you're never going to lose me, Fred. Remember this?" You pulled off your glove and held up your hand to show him the promise ring. "When you gave this to me, we made a promise, didn't we? You and Me, forever. I'm yours, Fred," you rested your hand on his chest, right over his heart, "there could never be anyone else for me. Not in a million years."
He smiled wetly at you, "when this blasted war is over, even if it takes a couple of years, I'm going to marry the shit out of you." You laughed and pulled him down for a kiss which he eagerly accepted as he cupped your face in both of his large hands, and you could taste the salt of his tears on his lips, though at least he'd stopped crying at this point.
"I'm an idiot," he murmured against your lips and you chuckled, "you're not an idiot, just a stubborn git."
He laughed and kissed your forehead, "I'm your stubborn git." You chuckled fondly and then took his hand and pulled him along, "come on, lets catch up or the others will think we're deserters."
He pulled you close again and kissed your temple, "okay, you go on ahead first and send George back to me, will you?" You smiled at him and squeezed his hand, catching up with the others and sending George back, he gave you a nod of silent thanks as he walked back to Fred.
You glanced over just in time to see George giving Fred a hard whack across the back of his head, and then slinging his arm over his shoulders affectionately, and within minutes they were laughing and shoving each other around like normal, and you sighed in relief.
There was no doubt that tensions were bubbling between you all as stress levels grew higher. Additionally, the quality of food and sleep you'd been working with weren't ideal, but you could only hope that that was the end of the arguments.
That night, the six of you camped in an old run-down barn, not bothering to set up the tent. You lay on a sleeping bag next to Fred, while George was nearby on his other side. Ron and Harry kept watch while Hermione curled up in her sleeping bag with the locket.
"You know, Y/N," George whispered over Fred, whose eyes were closed as he tried to sleep, "if you ever do get bored of this git- actually you know what I can't even finish that joke, yuck," he feigned a gagging noise, "no offence."
Fred's eyes flew open, suddenly very awake and he burst into a fit of laughter and you reached across him to slap a snickering George in the chest, "don't make me sick, George."
They both laughed even harder as they whacked each other while keeled over in hysterics. You rolled your eyes at them, "you're both disgusting." They giggled like children and you just flopped back on your sleeping bag, sighing in exasperation, though you couldn't hide your amusement at the fact that they could already make jokes about the argument from earlier.
Fred turned over on his side and grinned mischievously at you as he leaned down to kiss you eagerly. George made another dramatic gagging noise behind him which earned him a kick from Fred, and the three of you cracked up again, but eventually settled down for sleep as the sky turned black above you.