I opened my eyes and was dazzled by gold and green. I had no idea what had happened, only that I was lying on what seemed to be leaves and twigs. Struggling to draw breath into my lungs, I blinked violently and realized that the gaudy glare was sunlight streaming through a canopy of leaves far above me. Over to the side. Hermione was hovering over Ron.
"Shh, shh, shh" she cooed to the whimpering Ron. "It's alright. It's okay" she seemed to be undressing part of him. Ron's left shoulder was drenched in blood.
I raced up to them.
"Hazel. Hazel, quickly, in my bag. There is a bottle labeled 'Essence of Dittany'."
I dropped to my knees and snatched Hermione's bag. Grabbing the first wand I saw, which was apparently Hermione's, I said. "Accio Dittany!"
A small brown bottle zoomed out of the bag. I caught it and raced it over to Hermione.
"Alright. Unstopper it," she instructed.
Harry had now rushed up to us. "Hermione, his arm."
"I know just do it!" she screamed at me.
I pulled out the dropper and handed it to Hermione.
"It's gonna... This is gonna Sting a little bit" Hermione told Ron.
Grabbing my bag, I opened it up and pulled out badges, placing them next to her. I stood up and grabbed my wand from the place I landed.
"What happened?" Harry asked. "I thought we were going to go back to Grimmauld Place."
"We were, shh, it's alright. One more, One more." She began to heave as she talked while dropping the drops onto Ron's arm. "We were there, we were there but, Yaxley had a hold of me, and I knew once he'd seen where we were we couldn't stay so I brought us here, but Ron splinched."
She finished with the dropper and wounds closed up. Ron's breathing returned to normal. Hermione got up with her wand and walked away. I moved to Ron's wounded side and began to clean up the blood.
"Protego Totalum. Salvia Hexi." I heard as Hermione casted protective charms in the distance.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked.
"Protective enchantments," she replied as though it was obvious. "I don't fancy another visit like the one we had in Shaftesbury Avenue, do you?"
Harry shook his head.
"You can get going on the tent."
"Tent?" Harry asked.
Hermione ignored him. "Protego Totalum... Repello Muggletum . . . Muffliato..."
"Where am I supposed to find a tent?"
"My bag Harry!" I exclaimed, still working on Ron's arm.
"Right!"
I tossed him my bag. He opened it and summoned the tent. It emerged in a lumpy mass of canvas, rope, and poles. He stood there looking at it blankly. I rolled my eyes. "Erecto!" I said, pointing my wand at the misshapen canvas, which in one fluid motion rose into the air and settled, entirely constructed, landing with a final thud at the end of a guy rope. I gave Harry a look before he walked in.
. . .
"You first," Hermione said. It was the next day. We slept through the night and awoke the next day ready to destroy the locket. Hermione had put the Horcrux on a log.
Harry raised his wand. "Dissendium!"
The locket went flying back. We walked towards it, but it was perfectly in shape.
"Incendio" Hermione tried. The locket went up in flames. But nothing happened. The flames died, and the locket was still fine. I went. Not using wand magic, I lifted the locket and tried to compress it. I pressed harder and harder until it went flying and hit a tree. I looked at it. Nothing.
"Expulso," Harry tried again. Nothing. "Diffindo" Nothing. "Reducto." Nothing. Harry, now fuming, repeatedly hit the locket with spells, the last one sending it into flames. All of the spells not making a scratch. Harry looked down at the locket defeatedly. He picked it up and placed it around his neck.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"We have to keep it safe until we find out how to destroy it," he replied.
"Seems strange, mate. Dumbledore sends you off to find all these Horcruxes but doesn't tell you how to destroy them. Doesn't it bother you?"
Harry just looked at the ginger, before walking off angrily.
. . .
Later in the day, we all stayed separate to each other. Ron continuously listened to the radio, listening for both my dad and brother and his family. It angered Harry, but he didn't do anything to stop it. Hermione would explore the area, and I would use my magic and the ground below us to try to grow some food. It was hard, the ground certainly wasn't fertile, but I was able to deal with what I had.
I glanced over at the tent. Harry seemed to be spasming. He must be having a vision. I walked over to him when he regained his conscious and sat down next to him. He was still shaking.
"I thought it had stopped. You can't keep letting him in, Harry."
"You-Know- Who has found Gregorovitch," Harry said, breathing heavily and still trembling. Hermione walked up to us. "Who's that?"
"A wandmaker," I said. "I think he made my mum's wand when she was eleven."
"He wants something that Gregorovitch used to have, but I don't know what. But he wants it desperately. I mean, it's as if his life depended on it."
Back in the tent, the radio turned on again. Harry whipped his head around in irritation.
"Don't," Hermione stated. "It comforts him."
"It sets my teeth on edge. What's he expecting to hear? Good news?" Harry snapped.
"I think he just hopes he doesn't hear bad news," I said.
He stood up. "How long before he can travel?"
Hermione looked at him. "I'm doing everything I can. Hazel and I—"
"You're not doing enough!" he screamed.
I bolted up and held out a hand. "Take it off!" I demanded. "Take it off! Harry Potter, I said, Take it off, now!"
He glared at me as he reached into his shirt and pulled out the locket. Once it was over his head, his look softened.
"Better?" I asked gently as he put the Horcrux into my hand.
"Loads," he replied. I nodded and put it over my head.
"We'll take in turns, okay?" I asked before I walked away.
. . .
The next day, I was in a shitty mood. Hermione said we were walking on foot because Ron could apparate. We collected our things and made our journey. I stormed behind everyone listening to Ron's radio. We walked through a grassy field and hid in a farm when there were Death Eaters overhead in the sky. It was hell. We walked through an abandoned group of houses. We took refuge under a bridge where there was an abandoned area. I finally gave the locket to Ron. I was sick of it. But it didn't help with my mood. None of us looked good. Harry and Ron's hair had grown long, both of them growing stubble on their chins.
I offered to cut their hair. I sat Harry in a chair as I tried to clip in a straight line.
"Oh My God!" Hermione gasped.
"What?" Harry asked groping the back of his head, making sure I didn't do something.
"I'll tell you in a minute,"
"Maybe you can tell me now," Harry said getting out of the chair.
"Harry!" I exclaimed as he left in the middle of his haircut. I heaved a sigh and sat in the chair.
"The Sword of Gryffindor, it's goblin made," Hermione stated flipping through a book.
"Brilliant," Harry said giving thumbs up but still clueless.
"No, you don't understand. Dirt and dust have no effect on the blade. It only takes in that which makes it stronger." Hermione held the book up for Harry to see.
"Okay..."
"Harry, you've already destroyed one Horcrux, right? Tom Riddle's diary in the Chamber of Secrets."
"With a Basilisk fang. If you tell me you got, one of those in the bloody bags you and Hazel have."
"Don't you see? In the Chamber of Secrets, you stabbed the Basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor. Its blade is impregnated with Basilisk venom."
"It only takes in that which makes it stronger," Harry repeated sitting down across from Hermione.
"Exactly, which is why—"
"It can destroy Horcruxes" he finished.
"And that's why Dumbledore left it to you in his will," I chimed in, standing up from the seat.
"You're brilliant, Hermione. Truly." Harry complimented.
"Actually, I'm highly logical, which allows me to look past extraneous details and perceive clearly that which others overlook."
I blinked. I hadn't taken in a single word she had said.
"Yeah, there's only one problem, of course," said Harry. Suddenly, the lights in the room went out. Ron came into view, his ragged silhouette looking like a ghost in the dark.
"The sword was stolen." He clicked his Deluminator, allowing the lights to go back on. "Yeah, I'm still here. But you three carry on. Don't let me spoil the fun."
Harry closed the book and swung a leg over the side of the bench.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Wrong? Nothing's wrong," Ron replied. "Not according to you anyway."
"Look, if you've got something to say, don't be shy. Spit it out."
"Alright, I'll spit it out. But don't expect me to be grateful just because now there's another damn thing we've gotta find."
"I thought you knew what you signed up for."
"Yeah. I thought I did too."
"Well then, I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand." Harry stood up and walked towards Ron. "What part of this isn't living up to your expectations? Did you think we were gonna be staying in a five-star hotel? Finding a Horcrux every other day? You thought you'd be back with your mum by Christmas?"
"I just thought, after all this time we would've actually achieved something. I thought you knew what you were doing. I thought Dumbledore would've told you something worthwhile. I thought you had a plan!" Hermione and I followed the argument. Making our way towards the boys.
"I told you everything Dumbledore told me! And in case you haven't noticed, we've found a Horcrux already."
"Yeah, and we're about as close to getting rid of it as we are to finding the rest of them, aren't we?"
"Ron, Please, take—" Ron ripped Hermione's hands aways as she tried to take off the Horcrux, still glaring at Harry. Hermione's voice unusually high and quiet. "Please take off the Horcrux ... you wouldn't be saying this—" He pushed her off again, "if you hadn't been wearing it all day."
"Want to know why I listen to the radio every night? To make sure I don't hear Ginny's name, or Fred, or George or Mum."
"You think I'm not listening too? You think I don't know how this feels?!"
Ron was completely infuriated. "NO, YOU DON'T KNOW HOW IT FEELS! YOUR PARENTS ARE DEAD! YOU HAVE NO FAMILY!"
Harry made a sudden movement: Ron reacted, and the two wrestled each other.
"Stop! Stop!" Hermione cried. The two pushed away.
Harry and Ron glared from either side as though they were seeing each other clearly for the first time.
"Fine, then go! Go then!" Harry heaved.
"Fine." Ron wrenched the chain from over his head and threw it to the floor.
"Ron ..." Hermione whispered as he grabbed his bag. We could only stare as he gathered the rest of his things. He stopped at the tent entrance.
"And you?" he asked Hermione. "Are you coming or you staying?"
Hermione looked at Harry then Ron.
"Fine. I get it. I saw you two the other night," he said heartbrokenly as he adjusted his bag strap on his shoulder.
"Ron, that's... that's nothing," she pleaded. He looked at Harry and me one more time before he left.
"Ron!" Hermione stood in disbelief at the entrance, tears in her eyes. "Ron, where are you going? Come back! Ron! Ron!"
In the distance, there was a sound of Ron Disapparating.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HEY I'M SO SO SO SORRY I'VE JUST BEEN SO BUSY AND STRESSED WITH THE END OF SCHOOL COMING UP. I'M TRYING MY BEST PLS GO EASY ON ME. ILY ALL. BYEEEEE!