Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, unfortunately, as many things of HBP would have been different if I did…
A/N: Thanks to all of you who are reading this story, and thanks for your reviews. Please, if you read, leave me a comment, that would really make my day. Hope you'll enjoy this.
Chapter Five
"Gryffindor or Ravenclaw?"
Fortunately they woke up just moments before Ron started to stir, so that they avoided being caught in a position that the redhead would have probably thought compromising.
Not that they meant something by it, it just felt natural to fall asleep that way.
"So, how's your hand doing, Harry?" Hermione asked, while Ron was rubbing his eyes.
Harry tried closing it, and it moved just the tiniest bit.
"As you can see, still far from normal but a bit better" he said, giving her one of his trademark grins.
Then, as soon as the redhead was fully back conscious, they started to plan how to find the next Horcrux, while eating something to regain some more energies.
"I guess since it can be anything owned by Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, we will have a pretty crowded list of things to check and try before we got the one. Lucky as we are, we may very well have to pass through all of them before we get it right" Ron said, while stuffing his mouth with sausages.
The time he'd been unconscious made him grow an appetite even bigger than his usual one, and that's saying something.
Apart for having to endure the not so pleasant show of him munching while speaking, something both Harry and Hermione would have happily done without, they caught something in what he had said.
"Lucky? You said lucky?" Harry asked him.
"Yeah, right. Why are you asking?" Ron said, not understanding what he meant, while Hermione did, an hint of a smile on her lips.
"Because we know the best way to be lucky! Does "Felix Felicis" tell you something?" she said, while Harry nodded, grinning at her once again.
Ron stopped with one sausage in mid air. Suddenly he got it.
"Of course!" he said, laughing and banging his head with his free hand. "Of course! We can use it!"
"Yeah, only problem is that it takes six months to prepare as it has to brew" Hermione reminded them.
"Well, we better go to do it, then" Ron said.
"Yeah, but where? Where can we go and leave a cauldron for six months without someone messing with it?"
"I think the Burrow will do" Harry said, resolution in his eyes.
"Of course! Ginny is at Hogwarts, the twins have the shop to work in, till the summer no one will mess with it!" Ron said, excited.
Hermione nodded, a bit annoyed at her boyfriend's childish behaviour.
And so they Apparated there.
When Molly heard the three soft pops in the garden, she immediately went to the window, wand at the ready.
Who knows who could come in your house nowadays…
But when she spotted their three figures, she threw the wand away, and ran to hug them.
"Guys, it's so good to see you!" she said, while they were still trying to regain their breath.
A bone-crushing Molly Weasley patented hug is something difficult to grow used to, even after years. Always better than Hagrid's one, though…
"Hey, Mum, never thought we could have been Death eaters in disguise?" Ron, who was the first to recover, said, teasing his mother.
Molly was taken aback, then looked down.
"No, I was so happy to see you after months, that I did not think about that. I should have though, as their attacks had become even fouler and they come more often. You probably know that a quarter the Aurors have been killed in a mass attack two weeks ago, and the McMillans have been all killed…" she said, her face darkening.
"What? A quarter the Aurors…and the McMillans…" the three repeated, shocked.
So after a chat in which Molly told them about Voldemort's last killings and attacks, one on a Muggle entertainment park too, in which one hundred Muggles had been killed, the Trio went upstairs, set a cauldron and started working on the potion.
Most of the work was done by Hermione, as she was the most talented. Ron, known for messing his potions, simply looked, while Harry did his best to help.
"Wish we had Snape's book with us now" Ron said, absently.
"Even if I had it, I wouldn't use it. I'll not accept any kind of help from Snape" Harry said darkly, and Hermione nodded.
"Yeah, we can do it on our own, plus I would never rely on a traitor's help" she said firmly, stirring the potion clockwise once more.
It had started to take that golden colour it should have when finished, but now it should brew for half an year. Being that they were in November, it should be ready for May.
"Here. It's done" Hermione said, looking proudly at her work. "Never done a potion this difficult"
"Great!" Ron exclaimed.
"Yeah, I just wish we had started it this summer. I mean, we already knew finding this Horcrux would not be easy, if we thought of it first, we could have been already half way through its brewing now…" Harry said, wistfully.
"Yeah, you're right" the others agreed a bit sadly.
Molly called them for lunch just then, so they descended to the kitchen, after locking Ron's room with the strongest charms they knew.
While eating, they explained Molly the situation.
"…and so, no one should enter the room apart form us. We locked it strongly, but just so you know and can keep an eye on it, we are telling you"
"Oh, of course. I'll make sure even one pin can't penetrate the room" Molly assured.
A couple days later, the trio left again, Apparating in London.
"Guys, I guess we better part now" Harry said.
"And why are you suggesting it?" Ron asked.
"Well, if we search in three different places at the same time, we have more chances to compose the list of the objects quicker" he explained.
"Yeah, right" the other two said, unconvinced.
"Oh, come on. I'm sure you can stay one month not seeing each other. We'll meet each other again for Christmas at the Burrow" he teased them. His inner monster actually laughed at the thought of the couple being parted for so long. Little he knew that while Ron was sad for not being able to be with Hermione, she was sad for not being around Harry for so long.
However, they did in the end part.
"Hermione, I guess Hogwarts library will be the perfect place for you to search. After all we are talking about two of the founders, it's bound to have something about them and their cherished possessions, and out of us three you're the one who knows the library better, so it would be easier for you to find what we are searching" Harry suggested. Actually, he was sending her there, because if he went himself, probably he would run into Ginny, and he was too confused now to see her. But the reasons he gave Hermione were, after all, true, so he didn't feel he was deserting the task for his own personal troubles.
"Ok, Harry. I'll go right now, then" and with that she Apparated in Hogsmeade.
"Ron, I think you should search in the Ministry archives, maybe your father can give you some kind of help in doing that"
"Yeah, I'm off then" the redhead said, and Apparated away.
Once he was alone, Harry thought where would he be going.
"As for me, I'm off to visit first "Flourish and Blotts" for books on the founders, then the "Worldwide Ancient Magic Library" in Rome. Hope I'll find something useful…" he muttered just before leaving.
**
As soon as she landed in the village, Hermione could see what Molly had said them was no exaggeration. It had been truly devastated by the Death Eaters trying to surprise the students on an Hogsmeade trip.
The Three Broomsticks was no more, as the Hog's Head. Madame Puddifoot's had been reduced to a mount of ruins.
Almost all the shops were destroyed, and many of the houses too.
"We really need to put a stop at this" she thought angrily, stepping into the grounds of the castle.
As soon as she walked in front of Hagrid's hut, Fang started barking happily, so that the half-giant turned and spotted her.
"Hermione! What are you doin' here?" he said.
"Off to do some research in the library" she replied, smiling and stopping for a quick chat.
"I see. So, how are Ron and Harry doing?"
"Quite fine. We are searching for the third Horcrux to destroy. And how has school been?"
"Well, I'll admit it feels a bit empty without you lot here" the gamekeeper said, a tear sneaking its way on his face.
"We're so sorry, Hagrid. Don't think we don't miss Hogwarts, because we do. But what we are doing out there is one hundredfold more important, for all of us" Hermione said, trying to make him see it.
"Oh, I know, Hermione. Trust me, I know. McGonagall has explained it to me, and Harry's been doing the right thing if you ask me. I'm glad you've been helpin' him too, you and Ron had always been his rocks, the ones he could lean onto when things were hard on him. Now, I reckon you've things to do, so don't let me keep you" the half-giant said, teary eyed but smiling.
So Hermione nodded and walked toward the castle. Once there she went to see McGonagall to have access to the library.
"Miss Granger, what you are asking of me is something that has never been accorded to someone who was not a student" the Headmistress started.
Hermione's face fell.
"But, I understand the circumstances that lead you to such a request. Plus, you've always been responsible about our library and its books. So I guess I can give you unlimited access to it, even the Restricted section"
At that, Hermione smiled thankfully.
"However, it is of the most crucial importance that you keep yourself from being spotted by other students. Thus you can go there just at late night, while during the day you'll stay in a room in the staff wing that I'm going to assign you"
"Of course, Headmistress. I'll do as you said"
And so Hermione's research started. Nights and nights she read, but found nothing about the founders' possessions, even if on the founders she collected lots of material. During the days, she would go over her notes, scratching all what was totally useless, and keeping information that could somehow maybe lead them to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw's possessions.
The month Harry had gave her was almost finished, Christmas break at school was about to start, when one night she casually stumbled on a book in the Restricted Section. It was called "Ancient Artefacts and Magical items of Godric Gryffindor and other famous wizards and witches".
She took it, beaming, and started reading it, finally falling asleep on the open pages after having discovered that the only items of Gryffindor still intact at the moment the book was published were some kind of cloak, with engraved Gryffindor's family line, the sword in the Headmistress' office, his first book of Transfiguration and the vase in which he kept the Floo Powder.
She was shook asleep in the morning by gentle hands.
"Hermione! Hermione! Wake up!" a known voice said.
Finally she started stirring, just to find herself looking back into the blue eyes of Ginny Weasley.
"Ginny?" she said, not completely awaken by an enticing dream involving her, Harry and a bedroom. She was so shocked by that, and did not understand immediately the situation she was in. Then it dawned on her.
"Merlin's beard, no one should have seen me!" she said, panicking.
"Hey, don't worry, everyone has already left for the Christmas break. I was just searching for a book I need to borrow for a Transfiguration essay, then I'm off home. Your secret is safe with me" Ginny said, almost reading her mind.
"Oh, ok. Well, I guess I'll come with you then, since I'm going to meet Harry and Ron back at the Burrow" Hermione said, the remembrance of her vivid dream still nagging at her mind. However, she was satisfied her task was accomplished, and thought no more of it for the moment.
**
Harry explored Flourish and Blotts thoroughly and found lots of books on the founders. He bought all of them, for which his account at Gringott's would not be pleased, but he didn't care too much. He read all of them as quickly as he could, and managed to find the same information on Gryffindor that Hermione had.
Then he Apparated in Rome, and entered the "Worldwide Ancient Magic Library". He consulted lots of textbooks, in foreign languages too, growing himself nasty headaches for which he kept rubbing his temples groaning, and thinking about Hermione.
The bushy haired girl was more and more invading in his thoughts, lately, and he was half happy, half annoyed by that. After all she was his best friend's girlfriend, and he was supposed to think about Ginny, the one who had enticed him so much previous year, not about his female best friend. Plus, not being able to find useful information made him irritable too.
However, just the day he was supposed to leave for the Burrow, he found information about Ravenclaw's things. He found that the witch had a passion for birds, so she had every kind of them carved in both wood or stone, but most of those objects had gone destroyed or lost. Only one, representing one eagle, had arrived safe to the days of the book, which was dated 80 years before, so Riddle could have read it when he was a teenager. No signs of where the stone eagle was, though.
He found then that a brooch with her emblem had survived too, and was now probably in Germany, thought there was no certainty about that, while her pointed hat, one which there was a charm preventing it from decaying with wear and be torn apart, was no longer tracked but had been seen last time in France.
Satisfied with his job, he put the book back in its place, the notes he took in his bag, and Apparated straightaway in front of the Burrow.
**
Ron passed one hell of a month in the Ministry archives, as he was not known for his ability in searching things in libraries or similar places. Normally it was Hermione doing that kind of work for him and Harry, even if this last one had sometimes done it on his own.
Arthur did all what he could do to help his son, but it was not so much. He simply obtained Ron a pass for the archives at any time he should need to consult them.
Unluckily, there was one single but terribly annoying wizard working there, continuously on Ron's tail controlling what the young Weasley was doing, which books was reading, which documents…
"Excuse me, would you please leave me alone and mind your own business?" Ron finally snapped, after three weeks of that being followed around between the shelves.
The other wizard said nothing, merely vanished probably going to really take care of his duties.
Finally free of that pestering, Ron managed to find exactly where the two founders' possessions were. Gryffindor's cloak was in the Italian Magical Museum in Florence, while the Transfiguration book was held by a collector in the U.S.A. and the Floo Powder vase had been seen last time in Scotland, precisely in Edinburgh. As for the Ravenclaw's ones, he discovered that the brooch was in Stuttgart, owned by a respected German wizard named Otto Friedel, while the hat was in Marseille, but the owner was not known. There was a picture of it, though, that Ron quickly snatched, not seen. As for the stone eagle, it had never left England, as it had been found few years before and placed in Rowena Ravenclaw Museum in Liverpool.
He pumped his fist in the air, ran out of the office and was about to Apparate away when he noticed he had forgot his notes inside. Groaning, he ran back in to retrieve them, then Apparated to his home, where Harry and Hermione would be probably already waiting him as he reasoned, not knowing they were travelling just in that moment. So he landed in the garden at the same time of Harry, while Ginny, Molly and Hermione weren't there yet.
"Hullo, Harry. How's your search gone?" Ron asked joyfully while they went up to his room.
"Quite fine, thanks. I found about some objects of Ravenclaw, but no indications of where they are"
"If you're talking about a stone eagle, an hat and a brooch, I know where to find them" Ron said proudly.
"Yes, it's them!" Harry said excitedly. "Great job, Ron. Anything about Gryffindor?"
"We have a book, a cloak and a Floo Powder vase"
"Do you know where they are too?" Hermione's voice asked. They turned to see her standing in the doorway. Harry's breath caught in his throat seeing her. She was even more beautiful than he remembered.
Not that they had been apart too long, but still…
"Yeah, I know. We can go retrieving them after Christmas" Ron said.
"Sounds fine to me" Harry agreed.
"Good for me too" Hermione said, checking on the Felix Felicis potion. "Seems everything is fine with it. In May it should be ready to be used. By the way, Harry, has your hand improved?"
"Lots. I can almost move it normally now" he said, showing it to her. She grinned.
"Happy to know that"
The three chatted some more, then went downstairs to help with preparing Christmas dinner.
On their way, they met Ginny. It was what Harry was both dreading and waiting for, as it could give him answers on the confusion he felt about Hermione.
He didn't feel any urge to go and snog her breathlessly like he had months ago, and like he had just half an hour before when he had seen Hermione. That troubled him even more, while wiping away many of his doubts. What should he do now?
He had no time to mull over it, as he was greeted by Molly's usual bone-breaking hug and Mr. Weasley shaking his hand.
"Good to see you, Harry" the twins said, patting him on his back, while Fleur and Bill exited from the fireplace greeting everybody. The part Veela provided both Harry and Ron with kisses on the cheek, much to Ron's pleasure and Hermione's amusement.
Ginny simply rolled her eyes, knowing very well that Harry was not much affected by that. What she did not know was that he was no more affected by her, too.
So, finally, between chats and pranks from the twins, time to have Christmas Eve dinner came. Molly had prepared one fabulous stew, there were lots of pudding, crackers with their usual silly surprises, and so on.
Harry and Hermione were seated one in front of the other, and pulled together one cracker, making an orange hat come out of it.
"You should put it on, Mione. It would really look good on you" Harry said, amusedly, moving to place it on her head. She moved away, sticking her tongue at him.
"Why don't you put it on yourself, Harry? I'm sure it would make your eyes shine" she said, almost seriously, but then cracking in a fit of giggles, as the imagine in her mind of Harry with that hat was too funny to resist.
When she looked up again, she found Harry staring at her with the most intense look he had ever directed her, full of emotion. She gulped, and looked away, turning pink.
Luckily for them Ron was too interested in food to notice the exchange, but Ginny wasn't. She wondered what the hell was that she had seen.
Harry and Hermione couldn't have been flirting with each other, could they?
Not knowing what to think, she shrugged and turned to her plate.
After all, she was far prettier than Hermione, everyone told that, so probably she would have nothing to fear. Or so she thought.
After dinner, everyone reunited in the living room for some time, talking about various things, from the twins' latest invention, a strengthened version of their love potions, to Arthur's business in the Ministry, with lots of illegal items and potions confiscated and wizards charged for trying to cheat innocent people with them, selling those objects as protections against darkness.
Then they all went to bed, apart for Hermione and Ron, who were going to have some quality time alone.
At late night, however, Harry could not sleep, so he went downstairs for a walk. Exiting in the porch, he noticed Hermione on the steps, her shoulders rising and falling, clear sign that she was crying.
He walked to her, his heart breaking at seeing her hurt.
"Hey, Mione. You all right?" he asked, and hated himself for it. Of course she wasn't, if she was crying…
She turned hastily.
"Oh, it's you, Harry…" she said, wiping away her tears angrily. "Yeah, I'm ok" she lied.
"Liar"
"What have you said?" she asked, turning again to look at him.
"You're a terrible liar, and you know it" he said smiling, reaching for her face and caressing his thumb on her silk-like skin, wiping away one more tear in the process.
"Yeah, I know" she admitted, surprised by his gesture but enjoying it.
"So, care to tell me what has happened?" he said, sitting near her.
"Earlier, when you lot went to sleep, I and Ron remained here. Well, it was for some snogging," and at this Harry's inner monster growled, "but I was not really into it," here it nodded happily instead, "so he got angry and called me cold and frigid, said I couldn't let myself enjoy passion and I was to remain alone all my life for that. It's not the first time it happens, also before we parted for these researches I wasn't enjoying it so much" she confessed.
If Harry's inner monster were real, Ron Weasley would have found himself with some body piece missing the next morning, after he heard this.
He pulled her close and whispered soothingly into her hair. "Hermione, you're a wonderful person. You know how Ron can stick his foot in his mouth when he's angry tough, so you shouldn't believe what he said. It's not true and probably he never meant it in the first place. Soon you'll be alright again"
He had pulled her toward him, so now he was with his back on the wall, Hermione between his legs, leaning on his chest, his chin on her shoulder.
He noticed how right it felt to have her there in that position. She seemed to enjoy it too, as she adjusted herself as to lean even more on him.
"Truth is, Harry, I don't know if I want this relationship to be alright again in the first place" she sighed.
Harry did not know what to say, so he changed the topic. "You're freezing out here, let's go inside" he said, leading her. She grabbed his hand and followed him into the living room.
"Stay here, I'm gonna come back soon" he said, then left. Few minutes later, he was back there, two mugs of hot chocolate in his hands.
"Here, drink this. It will warm you" he said, offering her one. She happily took it. In doing so, their fingers brushed, and like a shockwave passed through them. They looked at each other, it was not the first time it happened to them. Then Hermione took her mug and started sipping it slowly, unable to look at him. Flashes of her dream came back to her, and she felt her cheeks redden. Harry did not notice tough, as he was into his own thoughts about holding her and kissing her till the end of the world.
After some time, they decided to call it a night and went to bed. Not that this night encounter had resolved Harry's insomnia troubles, as he didn't manage to sleep till morning, burning desire of holding, and not only that, a certain brunette consuming him.
Next morning, they woke up to find their presents under the tree.
Harry got a sweater from Molly, like anyone else, with a green H on the front, some packs of sweets from the other Weasleys, some WWW products from the twins, an h shaped locket from Ginny and a book on how becoming the perfect Auror from Hermione.
Ron got, apart from his mother's sweater, a Cannons new robe from the twins, sweets and from Hermione he got a stack of new quills.
Hermione instead got sweets, Molly's sweater, once again a perfume from Ron, and a Transfiguration book from Harry.
Later that afternoon, Harry went to have a flight on the snowy garden, thinking about how to retrieve the objects. There were lots less than he expected, so maybe the Felix Felicis wasn't so necessary after all, but they would still need time to collect all of them in those months, having to cross Europe many times. Apparating was not an option, still inexperienced as they were, so they would need Muggle ways, or Portkeys if Arthur could provide them those.
When he came back, he found Hermione outside alone, reading the book he had given her. He grinned while walking toward her.
"I see you're not losing time in reading it" he said. She looked up and grinned at him.
"No way I'd let this chance pass. We'll have no time for reading in the next months. Thanks for you gift, Harry" she said, giving him one of her smiles, that lately seemed to have a particular effect on the raven haired boy.
"Actually, I had another gift for you. I didn't know how Ron would have taken it, though, so I waited. I'll be here with it in a minute" he said.
So, few minutes later, Hermione was holding a silver heart-shaped locket in her hands.
"Harry, this is so beautiful!" she squealed.
"Really? I was afraid it was too girlish for you…" he said, blushing.
"No way. I simply love it" she said, putting it on and then kissing him on the cheek, just on the corner of his mouth, lingering there maybe one moment too long for a friend.
Few days later, they left to go and retrieve those objects.
It was not an easy task, as the owners were mostly museums or collectors, which held them in high consideration and protected with charms. However, sneaking in the buildings thanks to Harry's cloak, and removing the charms, that were fair simpler than the ones Voldemort used on his Horcruxes, with Hermione's ability they managed in April to have all them collected and checked.
The easiest one was Ravenclaw's hat, which had been found by a Muggle girl. Stealing it from her house was so easy that even Ron managed to do it without messing it.
Every time one thing was taken, they would provide to destroy it, and it proved an easy task. The Floo Powder vase was smashed against a wall and broken in many pieces, the book was tore apart page by page, the cloak was cut in tiny pieces with a Cutting Charm, the stone eagle pulverised by a well placed Reducing charm, the brooch melted in the fire, the hat cut in pieces too.
No one opposed resistance, and no strange hexes were on them. Thus, the trio understood those things were not Horcruxes, and with some Reparo spells they put the things in perfect shape again, then snuck them back in their places.
The morale of the trio was pretty low, as they didn't know what to do.
They kept mulling over what they had done wrong, back at the Burrow, waiting for the Felix Felicis to be ready and maybe guide them, when one day Harry suddenly burst in an hollow laughter.
"But of course! How could I have not understood it first?" he said bitterly. "What else could I expect, with the life I've had till now?"
"Hem, Harry…care to enlighten us too?" Hermione said, tentatively, hoping to not incur in his temper.
"Guys, really, it's easy. You should see it yourselves in no time. Just think of it." Harry said.
After some minutes, seeing they didn't grasp the terrible reality, he said it aloud.
"I am the Horcrux"
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