Even in the deepest of sleeps I still heard Harry calling out my name in the distance. It sounded through my dreams and caused me to stir. I sat up and pushed my hair out of my face, peering through the tent flap. I emerged outside and blinked against the brightness of the morning sun.
"Everything all right?" I asked as I waited for my vision to adjust.
"Fine. Actually... more than fine."
I watched as he stepped aside to reveal Ron and Cedric standing at the edge of the camp. Cedric was gripping the Sword of Gryffindor in his long fingers. I stared at the two of them, without saying a word, before I walked past Harry and the ashes of the campfire, and stopped right in front of Cedric. My lips were slightly parted, my eyes wide, and the bloody moron had the audacity to give me a weak, hopeful smile and raise his arms.
Without a moment's hesitation, I launched myself forward and started punching every inch of him that I could reach.
"Wo-hey-ouch!" He screamed.
"You-are-a-complete-arse-Cedric-Diggory!" I punctuated every word with a blow. Cedric backed away, shielding his head as I advanced on him. "You-crawl-back-here-after-weeks-and-weeks-oh, where's my wand?"
I turned towards Harry who was backing away towards a tree and placed a hand over his pocket. "Um... I don't know?"
"Harry Potter, you give me my wand!" I howled.
"How come he's got your wand?" Ron asked.
"Never mind why he's got my wand-"
In that moment, Harry took out my wand and created an invisible shield between Cedric and me. "Protego!"
I charged back towards Cedric, intent on attacking him again, when the force of it knocked me to the ground. Spitting hair out of my mouth, I leapt up again.
"Hermione!" Harry said. "Calm-"
"I will not calm down!" I screamed. "You do not get to tell me what to do, Harry Potter! And YOU!" I pointed toward Cedric and watched as Harry and Ron retreated a few steps. "I came running after you! I called you! I begged you to come back!"
"I know," Cedric said, "Hermione, I'm really sorry, I'm really-"
"Oh, you're sorry!" I imitated. I laughed-an evil, out-of-control- crazy laugh. "You come back after weeks-weeks-and you think you can just say 'sorry' and everything is just going to be perfectly fine?"
"I wanted to come back the moment I left. I knew I was being an arse. That wasn't fair how I acted. But you don't understand what it was like-"
"What it's been like for you?" My voice was so shrill that I kept waiting for frozen icicles to fall on Cedric's head.
"Ron and I ran into a gang of Snatchers when we Disapparated. We couldn't come back.
Completely spent, I threw myself down onto the ground with my arms and legs crossed so tightly I doubted I would unravel them for several years. Least of all would I upon my legs up for Cedric Diggory ever again.
My eyes wandered over to the blackened locket dangling in Cedric's hand. "You destroyed it?" He nodded. "And how exactly is it you have the Sword of Gryffindor?"
"It's a long story." Harry answered.
I pondered it for a moment, completely baffled, and then turned to Cedric. "Don't think this changes anything."
"No, of course not. I only destroyed a bloody 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-" Cedric stopped.
"See me doing what things?" I prodded. Cedric blinked, clearly mortified and I turned to Harry. "What happened out there?"
Harry seemed at a loss for words. "It's a long story."
"We wanted to come back the minute we left." Ron stated. "We just didn't know how to find you."
"Exactly how did you find us?" Harry asked.
"Yes." I repeated, my eyes fixed on a spot a foot above Cedric's head where icicles dangled. "How exactly did you find us tonight? That's important. Once we know we'll be able to make sure were not visited by any other unwelcomed guests."
"With this." Ron answered, ignoring my comment. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Deluminator Dumbledore had given him. "It doesn't just turn off lights. I don't know exactly how it works, but Christmas morning we were sleeping in this little pub and we heard it..."
"It?" Harry asked.
"A voice." Ron answered and turned to Cedric.
Cedric looked at me with his piercing grey irises. "Your voice, Hermione. Coming out of that."
"And what may I ask did I say?" My tone was bordering between skepticism and curiosity.
"My name." He answered. "Just my name. Like a whisper."
I stood perfectly still and I could feel the blush rising to my cheeks.
Cedric just continued. "So I turned to Ron and he clicked it and this tiny ball of light appeared. And we knew."
"Knew what?" Harry asked.
"That she would lead us home." Cedric said. "And sure enough, the ball floated towards us and we knew it would take us where we needed to go. So we Disapparated and came out on this hillside. It was dark and we didn't have any idea where we were. We just had to hope one of you would show yourselves. And you did. Well, the doe first."
"Doe?" I asked sharply.
That's when they explained what had happened, and as the story of the silver doe and the sword in the pool unfolded, I frowned between them and forgot to keep my limbs so tightly locked together. We deciphered that the doe must've been a Patronus but we weren't show whose. Then Cedric explained how he had seen Harry jump into the lake and when he didn't resurface, he jumped in after him.
"-and then Cedric stabbed it with the sword." Ron finished.
Harry must've dropped the shield because Cedric approached me and placed the locket in my lap. Gingerly I picked it up and examined the punctured window. Then Ron stepped forward and handed Harry a spare wand he nabbed off a Snatcher. The boys began talking, though Cedric remained more quiet than usual, and I put the vanquished Horcrux into my bag. Without another word, I stood and went back into the tent and climbed into my bed.
------------------------
My anger hadn't abated overnight. I communicated mainly by dirty looks and pointed silences towards Cedric until I was alone outside. On patrol, I could hear the boys talking inside. I just wasn't ready to forgive Cedric quite yet. Though I held a little bit of ill-will towards Ron he faded into the background when compared with fury I aimed towards Cedric. Harry had forgiven them and though I knew there was more to the story of the destroyed locket, I didn't pry.
I heard the sound of the boys screaming from inside. "What's going on in there?"
"Nothing." The three said in unison.
I entered the mouth of the tent, Rita Skeeter's book in hand, and looked towards Harry.
"All right?" Cedric asked.
I ignored him. "I want to go and see Xenophilius Lovegood."
"Sorry?" Harry responded.
"See this?" I stated as I showed them a letter within the book. "It's a letter Dumbledore wrote to Grindelwald. Look at the signature. It's the mark again. Dumbledore replaced the 'A' in Albus with the triangular eye. It keeps cropping up. Here. In Beedle the Bard. In the graveyard in Godric's Hollow-what?"
I looked at Harry, who was staring hard at the book but suddenly his eyes are unfocused. Suddenly, he blinked. "Jesus. It was there too."
"Where?"
"Outside Gregorovitch's wand shop, on the alley wall..."
"But what does it mean?" Ron asked.
The four of us stared at the symbol etched in Dumbledore's fine hand.
I sighed. "Harry, you don't have a clue where the next Horcrux is. And neither do I. But this, this means something. I'm sure of it."
"I think Hermione's right." Cedric piped up. "I think we ought to go and see Lovegood. What say we vote on it? Those in favor..." Cedric's hand flew into the air, followed by Ron's. Harry eyed him knowingly. I rolled my eyes and lifted my hand as well. "Sorry, Harry, Looks like were going."
"Fine." Harry said. "But once we've seen Lovegood let's go look for more Horcruxes, shall we? We all know Ron only voted so he could see Luna."
Ron blushed. "Can you blame me? It's been months."
------------------------
The sun hung low over the hillside, completely free of snow. Cedric and Ron led the way, far ahead of me and Harry.
"Not still mad at them, are you?" Harry asked.
I gave him a pointed look.
As we reached the top of the hill, a strange-looking house appeared in the distance, etched like a great black cylinder against the sky. Upon seeing it, Ron turned towards us a big grin on his face.
He called out. "Luna!"
We walked up the zigzagging path to the front door that is covered with a variety of odd plants. The front door had a sign tacked to it that read: "The Quibble Editor: X. Lovegood."
As I reached the front door, I rapped three times.
"Keep off the dirigible plums." Ron said with a happy smile.
I turned and gave him an odd look. Ron pointed to the sign. The door swung open causing us all to jump and standing there was Xenophilius Lovegood, barefoot and wearing a soiled nightshirt.
"You're future in-law." Harry joked.
"What is it?" Mr. Lovegood asked me. He looked past me to Ron. "What do you want?" Then his eyes fell on Harry and his jaw went slack in shock.
"Hello, Mr. Lovegood. I'm Harry Potter. We met a few months back?" I watched as Lovegood's eyes drifted to Harry's scar. "Would it be okay if we came in? It won't take long, sir. I promise."
Mr. Lovegood led us into his house past the great tottering towers of Quibble back-issues that rose to the ceiling. An old-fashion wooden printing press chugged away in the center of the room, spitting out new ones.
"Excuse me." Mr. Lovegood said as he maneuvered past us to turn off the printing press. We glanced at the different headlines: Muggle Murderers Rise, Dozens Die as Death Eaters Attack, Harry in Hiding, Where is the Chosen One?, You-Know-Who- claims Another Victim, Quidditch World Cup Cancelled Amid Death Threats. I noticed Cedric's eyes linger on the last one. "So. What brings you here, Mr. Potter?"
"Well, sir, we need some help."
"Ah. Help. I see. Yes, well, the thing is, helping Harry Potter, rather dangerous these days..."
We exchanged glances.
"Aren't you the one who keeps telling everyone it's their first duty to help Harry?" Ron asked.
"I have expressed that view, yes. In the past. Would you excuse me one moment? I shall return shortly and, um, try to help you..." Mr. Lovegood dashed from the room.
"What's going on here?" Harry asked as he looked between the three of us.
"He's mental. Let's face it." Ron stated.
My eyes wandered to an enormous spiral horn mounted on the wall. "Do you see that?"
"Well, yeah, of course." Ron replied as he wandered towards it.
"It's massive, isn't it?" Cedric added.
"No!" I screamed. "Don't go near it!" The three boys stopped in their tracks. "It's an Erumpent horn. It's Class B Tradable Material."
"Yeah, all right..." Ron said/
Just then, Mr. Lovegood returned with a tray rattling with cups. "May I offer you all an infusion of Gurdyroots? We make it ourselves."
I studied him. "Where is Luna, sir?"
"Luna? Oh, um, she'll be along." He hurried out. Ron stared at him with a disappointed look. "Now how can I help you, Mr. Potter?"
"Well, sir, it's about something you were wearing around your neck at the wedding. A symbol..."
"You mean this?" Mr. Lovegood reached into his nightshirt and pulled out a chain with the triangular eye.
"Yes! Exactly. What we wondered, sir, is, well, what is it?"
"What is it? Well, it's the sign of the Deathly Hallows, of course."
The four of us responded in unison. "The what?"
"The Deathly Hallows. I assume you're all familiar with 'The Tale of the Three Brothers?'"
Cedric, Ron, and I responded, "Yes."
Harry responded with a shy, "No."
Harry looked towards us. With a timid smile I reached into my bag and pulled out The Tales of Beedle the Bard. "It's in here."
"Well," Mr. Lovegood prodded, "there's no real reason to go on unless one is familiar with the tale. Why don't you read it aloud, Miss...?"
"Granger." I answered. "Well... all right." I opened the book and began reading.
------------------------
"There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river too treacherous to pass. But being learned in the magical arts, the three brothers simple waved their wands and made a bridge. They were halfway across when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure.
"It was Death and he felt cheated, for travelers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He granted each brother a wish for their cleverness. The oldest, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence. So Death fashioned one from an elder tree on the banks of the river. The second brother, who was an arrogant man, asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death plucked a stone from the river. Finally Death turned to the third brother. A humble man, he asked for something that would make him disappear. And so it was that Death handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility. Death then stepped aside and the brothers went their separate ways...
"The first brother traveled to a distant village where, with the Elder Wand in hand, he killed a wizard with whom he had once quarreled. Proceeding to an Inn, he bragged of his invincibility. But that very night another wizard crept upon him as he lay sleeping. He took the Elder Wand and slit the brother's throat for good measure. And so Death took the first brother for his own...
"Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his home, where he took out the stone and turned it thrice in hand. To his delight, the girl he had once hoped to marry before her untimely death appeared before him. Yet soon she turned sad and cold, for she did not belong in the mortal world. Driven mad with hopeless longing, the second brother killed himself so as to join her. And so Death took the second brother...
"As for the third brother, Death searched for many years but was never able to find him. Only when he had attained a great age did the youngest brother shed the Cloak of Invisibility and give it to his son. He then greeted Death as an old friend and went with him gladly, departing this life as equals."
------------------------
I closed the book and looked up to see Mr. Lovegood staring out the window. By this time, the sun had nearly vanished over the top of the hill.
"Well, there you are." Mr. Lovegood stated. "Those are the Deathly Hallows."
"Sorry... I still don't really understand..." Harry said.
Mr. Lovegood turned and grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill. He drew a straight vertical line. "The Elder Wand..." He added a circle on top of the line... "The Resurrection Stone..." Then he enclosed both in a triangle. "The Cloak of Invisibility. Together... they make the Deathly Hallows. Together... they make one master of Death."
We all stared at the symbol. I looked up as a memory hit me. "Mr. Lovegood, does the Peverell family have anything to do with the Deathly Hallows?" I looked toward Harry, Ron, and Cedric who seemed confused. "That was the name on the grave with the mark on it in Godric's Hollow. Ignotus Peverell."
"Ignotus and his brothers Cadmus and Antiouch are thought to be the original owners of the Hallows and therefor the inspiration for the story." His focus began to waver, as sadness filled his eyes. He blinked then eyes the tea kettle. "Ah, but your teas' grown cold. Excuse me, I'll be right back."
He left and then Ron turned to us. "Let's get out of here once he's back. I'm not touching this stuff, hot or cold."
Harry was staring out the window. He didn't seem to have heard Ron's statement. "Which one would you choose if you could? Of the Deathly Hallows?"
"It's obvious, isn't it?" I answered and then we all spoke at once. "The cloak."
"The wand." Ron answered.
"The Cloak." Cedric responded.
"The Stone." Harry replied solemnly.
We looked at each other amused. Cedric and I were grounded by sense and Ron would of course go for adventure and power. But Harry and the stone didn't make sense. I asked, "Why the stone, Harry?"
"Well, you could bring people back, couldn't you? Mad-Eye. Dumbledore. Sirius. Anybody."
In a gentle voice, I replied. "But according to the story they don't want to come back. It's all rubbish anyways. There's no such thing as the Deathly Hallows."
"But I have one. The Invisibility Cloak my father left me."
"There have always been Cloaks-" I reminded.
"No like Harry's." Ron interrupted. "I've seen a fair few. Dad used to bring home the ones the Ministry confiscated from petty thieves and the like. They've always got holes or tears. Harry's is different. It's perfect."
"And I think I've actually held the Resurrection Stone in my hands." Harry continued, unperturbed. "That night in Dumbledore's office when he showed me the ring he'd destroyed, the Horcrux. It had a symbol on it. Now I think it was the mark of the Hallows."
We stood around silently until Mr. Lovegood returned.
"Mr. Lovegood. Thank you, sir-" I stated.
"You forgot the water." Ron pointed out. Mr. Lovegood looked confused. "For the tea."
"Did, didn't I? How silly of me."
"No matter, sir." I continued. "We really ought to be go-"
"No, you mustn't!" He yelled.
"Sir?" Harry asked.
"You're my only hope. They were angry you see, about what I'd been writing, so they took her."
"Took who?" Ron asked as anger crept in his voice.
"They took my Luna..." His eyes reached Harry's. "But it's really you they want..."
"Who took her?" Ron's voice was nearing desperation.
I turned towards the printing press. A copy of the Quibbler was stunk underneath the roller. I reached out and pulled it free. Ink streaked over the cover but that didn't hide Harry's face and the blazing headline that read: Undesirable Number #1"
"Him." Mr. Lovegood answered. "Surely you call him You-Know-Who. But his real name of course is... Voldemort."
"Nooooooooooooo!" Ron screamed as we all hit the floor.
Instantly, out the window, figures on broomsticks appeared in the sky, jetting directly towards the house. Ropes of light ricochet off the windowsill. The printing press exploded as smoking flames flew everywhere.
Mr. Lovegood waved madly from the window. "Stop! I've got him-"
But he is cut off by a Stunning Spell. The chain around his neck flies across the room and settled at Harry's feet as Mr. Lovegood ran out the door. Cedric cradled his body over me, in an effort to protect me from the spells being sent in every direction.
"Ron! Harry!" I yelled. "Take my hand!"
Harry and Ron crawled on their knees towards me just as another group of spells ricocheted around the room hitting the teapot. It flew into the air and went right towards the Erumpent Horn. Harry's hand closed on mine and Ron reached out just as the teapot collided with the horn. The room exploded just as we Disapparated into darkness.
We all rolled to our feet by the riverbank.
"Is there no one we can trust?" Ron screamed. "Bloody hell thought I could trust my girlfriend's father. That treacherous old bleeder!"
Harry walked over to his friend. "They've kidnapped Luna because he supported me. He was just desperate."
"They've got my girlfriend!" Ron spat and peered towards the river. "I'll do the enchantments."
Cedric clung to my waist and just as I was about to push him off me... I saw them. Just as Ron was about to take out his want, I rose mine, stopping him. My eye rose and my breath hitched. Ron and Harry turned around and they saw it. Clung to the branches of the trees above, almost as if they a part of the trees themselves are the Snatchers.
A wand bloomed above and illuminated the face of the leader we had seen at the Ministry. Around his neck, no faded and filthy, was my red scarf. He pressed it to his grimy nose, inhaled and grinned. "Hello, beautiful."
We don't hesitate as we dashed through the trees. Cedric's hand refused to release mine as he pulled me along the forest. Eventually, I am pulling him as my speed caused me to flicker through the trees. The leader pursues us.
Spells splintered through the trees as the ropes of light laced the night. I stumbled and Cedric grabbed me as I regained my footing. I noticed Harry right behind us and we froze briefly. The clearing exploded with light and the three of us hit the ground. I could hear the snatchers closing in. Harry looked towards me as the tip of my wand glowed to life in the darkness.
I reached out towards him and stripped his glasses from his face, pushing them deep within my pockets. I point my wand at him and a burst of white light struck him in the eyes right before my wand goes dark. Harry's eyes grow unfocused. Suddenly, he blinked and I looked on as his face began to swell and his features become undistinguished.
"They exist." He whispered quickly. "The Hallows." I looked up at him, expectantly. He nods his face shrouded in shadow and barely visible. "But he only wants the one, the last one. That's what he's been looking for."
"Hermione, what's he talking about?" Cedric asked in a hushed tone.
I ignored him. "What're you saying, Harry?"
"He knows where it is, You-Know-Who. He'll have it by the end of the night. He's found the Elder Wand."
I stared at him in stunned disbelief right. I felt Cedric being pulled from me and the leader picking me up from the ground. Ron is shoved to the ground next to us and we're all stripped of our wands.
The leader runs his finger down the side of my face. He smiled at me, menacingly.
Cedric yelled, "Don't touch her!" A fist hit him hard in the stomach and I recognize the Snatcher to be Greyback.
"Stop it!"
"Your boyfriend'll get worse than that if he doesn't behave, lovely." The leader whispered as he painted my face with the light of his wand. The Snatcher that held me gripped tighter almost causing my arms to pop out of my sockets.
The leader turned his lighted wand upon Harry. Harry peered up, his eyes swollen to slits and his face horribly misshapen. I sigh in relief as I realized the spell worked.
"What happened to you, ugly?" The leader asked. Harry's hand reached to his face, feeling the lumps. "What's your name?"
"Dudley. Vernon Dudley." Harry responded.
"Check the list. And you, ginger?" The leader asked Ron.
"Stan Shunpike."
"Like 'ell you are. We know skinny Stan. Try again."
"Weasley... Barney Weasley."
"Weasley, eh? Wouldn't be related to that blood traitor Arthur Weasley, would you?"
"Piss off!" Ron yelled. "Arthur Weasley's ten times the wizard you are!"
"Worth ten times you if I can find him. Wasn't you that tipped him off, was it?" Ron quieted and the leader turned to me. "How 'bout you, lovely? What do they call you...?"
"Penelope Clearwater." I answered, firmly. "Half-blood."
The leader stroked the nape of my neck, then took my hair in his hand and sniffed it. "You smell like vanilla, Penelope. I think you're going to be my favorite."
I looked over and see Cedric about to speak before Greyback punched him in the gut again. "And you, pretty boy? What do they call you?"
"Zacharias Smith."
Another Snatcher holding a clipboard spoke. "There's no Vernon Dudley on 'ere."
Reluctantly, the leader turned away from me and towards Harry. Greyback sneered, "Hear that, ugly? The list says you're lying. How come you don't want us to know who you are? Hm?"
"The list wrong." Harry answered. "I told you who I am-"
The leader put a finger to Harry's lips, effectively silencing him. His wand began to probe Harry's face more closely. His eyes fixed on his forehead.
"Change of plans, boys." The leader stated as he pulled Harry to his feet. "We won't be taking this lot to the Ministry."