Harry Potter and the Quest for the Horcruxes

Harry85

Rating: PG13
Genres: Romance, Action & Adventure
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 6
Published: 18/10/2005
Last Updated: 04/12/2005
Status: completed

My attempt at book seven, starting from where HBP finished. Harry and his best friends leave for the most important adventure in their life, but some feelings evolve during the long and hard way toward the final showdown.

Chapters

1. Life goes on, Harry

2. Leaving

3. Slytherin's Locket

4. Hufflepuff's Cup

5. Gryffindor or Ravenclaw?

6. Nagini

7. Lord Voldemort

8. Of Celebrations, Happiness and Love

1. Life goes on, Harry

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, unfortunately, as many things of HBP would have been different if I did…lol

A/N: As you can guess I wasn't pleased with many of the events of the book. So here's my attempt at righting them in my version of book seven or a part of it at least. You may not like the start but if you stick with me, you'll see where I'm heading…by the way, sorry for title, I know it is a bit lame, but I couldn't come up with something better…

Harry Potter and the Quest for the Horcruxes

Chapter One

“Life goes on, Harry”

After their leaving of the school, Harry went to the Dursleys, who were surely not happy to see him return sooner than usual.

“Don't worry, I'm not gonna stay long. Just few days time, then I'm off forever from here” he said before his uncle Vernon could even utter a word, and that made the man grow his typical purple colour and his vein pulsing menacingly.

Harry, however, was completely unfazed by that, as he had other and more pressing matters to think and worry about.

In those few days at Privet Drive, Harry remained locked in his room, twirling the false Horcrux in his hands while deep in thought.

Sometimes he relived that fateful night in which Dumbledore had died. He would feel a sudden burst of rage at both Snape, who killed the Headmaster, thus betraying his trust and the Order's, and the ones who did not believe his warnings about the greasy git and Malfoy planning something.

Other times, he kept trying to imagine, from the memories Dumbledore had showed him, what places Voldemort would have cherished the most, places in with he would leave pieces of his soul.

Now that the Headmaster was dead, he felt all the pressure of the prophecy on his shoulders. He knew Voldemort would strike hard now, and strike soon. He had to be ready, or the confrontation would lead to nothing good.

He had to find the remaining Horcruxes soon, and destroy them.

But those ways of thought were often distracted by a certain redhead girl, whose imagine and lovely face kept coming in his mind.

He knew he had done the right thing breaking up with Ginny, he could not risk to put her in danger for being his girlfriend, and he was glad she had, after all, accepted it without too much of a fight. She really understood what he was going trough…

However, knowing it was right didn't make it less painful. The few weeks they had been together had been like nothing else he had experienced, and he had truly felt happy.

When thoughts of her came during the day, he loved to go for a walk, ignoring his relatives' comments about his daydreaming state, and reach Magnolia Crescent park.

He would sit on the grass, longing to be with her. Or he would go on the swing, wondering how would it feel to do that with her. He kept hearing her beautiful laughter in his ears, and smiled fondly remembering the good snogging that often accompanied their encounters.

He did after all be in Dean's position as he had hoped after seeing them kissing…it could have been his turn now, but the need to kill Voldemort and keep her safe made him break up with her.

She often came in his nights too. He would dream of long walks around the lake, hand in hand. Or heated snogging sessions, or even more, as he could reckon by some typical signs he would find in the morning.

He sighed, rolled on his bed and took his glasses, then after checking the clock he went down for dinner that was to be ready in minutes.

He had taken the decision to leave the next day for the Burrow, where Ron, Ginny, Hermione and all the Weasleys would be waiting for him, so he informed his “relatives” about that.

“I'm going to be off tomorrow. Thought you would be pleased to know that, as it will probably be the last time we see each other”

“I hope it will at least” he added then under his breath.

“Fine, boy. And mind to not bother us again, because I'm not going to take you in once more, whether that old crazy man likes it or not” Vernon said.

Hearing his uncle talking like that about Dumbledore made him lose his temper. The pain for the loss was still really fresh, and he could not tolerate someone insulting the Headmaster he had loved so much.

Harry had his wand out in a moment, threatening them.

“Dare to say that again?” he hissed angrily.

“You can't do anything. They'll throw you out of that school” Vernon whimpered, terribly scared.

Petunia and Dudley ran to hide in the living room.

“That school, as you call it, won't see me all the same this year. I'm off to do something more important and crucial, so I don't care” Harry said, still wand in hand.

Once he thought he had scared them enough, he moved to his room, in few minutes had his trunk ready, then walked away, and no one Dursley tried to stop him. Not that he expected them to.

When he was out in the rather chilly night, Harry walked angrily for a bit, then he gripped his trunk and Hedwig's cage firmly, thought intensely of the Burrow, then turned, and felt the darkness engulf him, the bands constricting his breath, till he landed in front of the Weasleys' house, inhaling deeply. He still had to get used to Apparating, and while it was handy to cover quickly long distances, he still preferred brooms.

So after one minute or two he went to the door and knocked.

“Who's there?” a frightened Molly Weasley asked.

“It's me, Harry. I've come early”

“What's the room you sleep in when you're here?” she asked, wand at the ready, should it be someone on Polyjuice.

“Ron's if the twins are here, the twins' if they are at Diagon Alley. What do you like to do most as soon as you see me?”

“Give you a crushing hug” Molly said smiling, opening the door. Harry grinned at her.

“It's good to see you, Mrs. Weasley” he said, stepping in.

“The same goes for me, Harry” she said, giving him her trademark Molly Weasley hug.

Finally she released him just when all the others came to greet him.

“Hey, Harry, thought you would come tomorrow” Ron said, walking toward him, one arm around Hermione's shoulders.

For the first time in one year or so, Harry saw both his friends smiling broadly at him.

“Hem…there's something I should know?” he asked amusedly.

Hermione turned slightly pink, while Ron blushed a violent shade of red.

“Well, see, Harry…not that we wanted to keep it from you, but…now…well, yes, we sort of…” they stammered, not knowing how he'd take the news.

“I get it, you two are going out. That's great guys, as long as you two don't repeat the scenes Ron did with Lavender last year” he teased them, winking at Ginny who had by now come there too.

Seeing her pained him a bit, but he acted as nothing was wrong, he had to be strong for her safety.

“Well, yes, however, the wedding is going to be the day after tomorrow, so we better go to bed, we need to do a lot for it yet…” Ron suggested, trying to change the subject.

“Wedding? The two of you are already getting married? Isn't that a bit rushed, Ron?” Harry said, teasing him.

“I was talking about Bill and Fleur's, Harry, thanks but I think we'll wait a bit more before getting married. As I was saying, lots of things need to be done…”

“Oh, no, Ronniekins, don't think we'll let that slip” George said. “Harry, you're officially invited to join the “Tease Ron and Hermione” night”

Harry grinned. “Thanks guys, but I think I'll pass this chance” he said, faking a yawn. “I'm really tired, you know, Apparating here from Surrey…”

“You Apparated? But you don't have the licence yet!” Ron said, outraged.

“Yeah, well, I had no other choice to come here quickly and without anyone noticing” he shrugged.

So, some joyful chatter later, they were all off to bed.

Next day the big preparative for the wedding continued, Fleur had already chosen her dress, Bill had got his own, the ceremony was going to be held in the backyard of the Burrow as no one wanted to go back to Hogwarts so soon, the pain for the battle was still fresh, so they relocated it.

White and orange roses adorned the garden, and the incident to Bill had brought Molly and Fleur as close as you could imagine, so it seemed really an happy occasion. Ginny still not liked Phlegm, as she called the French girl, very much, but since her mother did, she put on her best face. Harry was near her through the whole ceremony, even if Gabrielle, Fleur's sister, kept trying to be as around Harry as possible, being quite smitten with him as she was.

“Seems you got some competition for Harry's heart, Ginny” Hermione commented lightly.

“Well, I do like to think Harry has better taste than going with her” the redhead said, scowling. The girl really annoyed her a lot with her behaviour, much like her older sister.

Ron and Hermione were one near the other too, obviously as they were going out now, and Harry couldn't help to grin at them. He rarely saw them this happy.

Finally, Bill, who was dressed in a very elegant black robe, reached the altar, and few minutes later the Wedding March sounded. Fleur appeared in all her glory, with a simple white dress which exalted her body, keeping her shoulders almost bare and with a V-neck maybe a bit too deep, but with the outstanding heat of the season it was allowed. Her hair had been pinned with small white roses, and she looked directly at her husband to be, blushing when he mouthed to her “You're gorgeous”, led to him by her father.

“Who gives this witch away?” the priest asked.

“I, her father, do”

And so her hand was placed in Bill's.

They looked lovingly at each other, while the priest kept reading the usual formulas for the ceremony.

Finally the moment of exchanging their vows arrived.

“Fleur, from the moment I saw you I knew there was more to you than your beauty, and I'm glad I was able to find that and discover that you are a well gifted witch, kind, generous, and loyal for all these reasons I love you with all my heart”

“Bill, you've bin ze kindeest wizard to me sinze we met, and you've showeed me what really loving someone iz, for that I love you more than anything elze, and I don't care about you suffering that incident with that werewolf, I love you all the zame”

Then they placed the rings on each other's fingers, with trembling hands.

“Bill and Fleur, I declare you husband and wife. Bill, you may kiss your wife now”

And so the Weasley did, lifting her veil and sharing the sweetest of kisses with his newlywed wife in front of family and friends.

After that, the banquet was held, with Molly who had prepared all the food. All laughed heartily, chatted, joked, ate, there was no room for sadness.

Even in such times, they managed to slither a day of complete bliss into the tension and fear of being in war. Harry for once forgot his heavy burden, and enjoyed even dancing, first with Ginny, then he and Ron exchanged partners, so he swung around a giggling Hermione for some time, before they stopped, quite flustered for the heat.

The four of them chatted till the dancing ended and the moment of throwing the bouquet arrived. Fleur turned and cast it as far and high as she could, and Hermione showed hidden Seeker reflexes snatching it from under Ginny's nose.

“Look who took the bouquet, we better start planning another Weasley wedding” George and Fred teased her and Ron, who both blushed.

“Guys, leave them alone. It was time I didn't see them this happy” Harry said.

“Thanks, Harry” both his friends said when the twins walked away muttering something like “ruining the mood” and “not having sense of humour”.

“Anytime, guys, as long as you don't put on scenes like last year. I was going mad trying to mediate between you two…”

So, with time, the joy died down, the guests left, Bill and Fleur retired to their house to share their first night as wed couple, not before enduring the twins teasing them heartily.

Dinner time came, and there were Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Harry, the twins and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley there. They ate chatting about the wedding, Ginny and Hermione with dreamlike expressions told them how they wanted their own wedding to be.

“I would like it to be in a big chapel, with all the people from Hogwarts there, lots of red roses, a chorus singing, all the bridesmaids in orange dresses, and my own dress white, with a long tail, a simple veil, not showing so much of my body like Fleur's but still a bit sexy so to raise my husband-to-be's interest for our wedding night...and what about you, Hermione?”

“First of all, as long as I'm in love with the man I'm marrying” and she looked to Ron, who became red on his ears, “I don't care much for how it is. But my dream is a small wedding, with family and the closest friends, the church adorned with lilies and white and red roses, my bridesmaids dressed in pink and my wedding dress sparkling with small diamonds all over it, my hair pulled up in a chignon, no veil, even if I know it is charming the moment in which your newlywed husband lifts it to kiss you, and definitely a bit sexy. I mean, I know the man waiting for you at the altar loves you so no need to raise his interest, but it feels good to see once more what kind of effect you can have on him…”

“Why would it be?” Harry asked, bewildered.

“Girl power, Harry. Something you would never be able to understand” Ginny replied flippantly, moving her hair over her shoulder in a fancy way, as to flirt with him.

They all laughed, while Ron and Harry exchanged a look saying “they are definitely nuts”.

Soon later all of them went to bed.

All but one young wizard, black unruly hair and green eyes, coming of age in few days, who remained in the porch gazing at the blue sky.

He wasn't aware of time passing, so he was startled by a ruffling of clothes behind him. He turned, wand in hand, releasing his breath when he saw it was just Hermione.

“Oh, it's you” he said, putting away his wand.

“Harry, it's three in the morning, you should go to sleep” she said softly, sitting near him.

“I know. It's just that lately sleep welcomes me with horrible nightmares at times, so I'm not too fond of it right now…” he said, attempting a joke.

She smiled feebly. “Care to speak with me about them?”

“Well, there's not a lot to say. I relive the moment Snape killed Dumbledore again and again, and keep wondering what would have happened if it had been possible to keep the Death Eaters from joining Malfoy. He seemed almost on the verge of believing Dumbledore and pass to the Light side, but then they came…and I could do nothing, Petrified as I was…” he said, his voice breaking, tears falling freely.

She gently wiped them away, and he marvelled in the softness of her touch. His inner monster seemed to like it too, as it purred.

“Harry, there's no point in thinking about it anymore. It's not your fault. We need to finish what he started, but we can't do that if we keep looking back to what was. We need to build what will be. Life goes on, Harry” she said, standing up and offering him an hand.

He accepted it and she led him inside. Just when she was to let go, he led both of them on the sofa.

She willingly followed, seating near him.

“Please, don't go” he said, almost like a scared children.

Maybe he was, or he felt like one, with the great things every one expected from him, and that he didn't even know where to start doing.

“I won't, Harry. As long as you need me, I'll stay”

“Thanks, Mione. You're a wonderful friend, I don't know what I would do with out you” he said.

Then he closed his eyes and let her soothing voice drive him to a peaceful slumber.

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2. Leaving

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, unfortunately, as many things of HBP would have been different if I did…

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! They means a lot to me, so please, if you read, leave a comment, just let me know what you think of my story! Once again, there's something no one of us likes here, but unluckily it was needed…

Chapter Two

“Leaving”

Few more days passed at the Burrow, between two-on-two Quidditch matches, chats, pranks when the twins were there, and so on and it was by now Harry's birthday, and coming of age. That same afternoon he and Ron were to take the test for their Apparition license.

Harry woke up with a wonderful scent filling his nostrils, and found Ginny in his and Ron's room, a tray in her lap.

“Happy birthday, Harry!” she said cheerfully seeing he was awake, and putting the tray in front of him.

“Ginny, really, you shouldn't have” he said, looking at her in awe.

“Well, it's not everyday one wizard turns seventeen, is it? So I thought I could spoil you a bit. However, you might want to hurry eating it, as for once they are letting us go to Diagon Alley, since it's there you and Ron have to be for the test” she said blushing at his praise and sitting on the bed.

Harry was tremendously tempted to snog her right there, but that would not make him seem strong in his want to break up for her safety. And he needed her to believe he was totally sure about it, even if he wasn't at the moment.

Not at all.

So he concentrated on his breakfast instead, picking up some sausages, drinking his pumpkin juice, taking some pancakes and now and then chatting with her. Soon Ron and Hermione joined them too, sitting on Ron's bed.

The four of them chatted a lot, till Harry was ready to go. Mrs. Weasley, Hagrid and Lupin would be their chaperones for the day.

Once there, they kept window-shopping, and it was a really hard task to bring the boys away from the Quidditch shop.

Harry and Ron entered to check for new arrives, and remained lots of time in there.

“Hey, Harry, look at these gloves. Guess they should be pretty useful for a Keeper, not letting the Quaffle slip from his hands…”

“Ron, the gloves can be perfect, but if the player lacks of technique, they can't be useful at all” Harry teased him, grinning.

“Are you implying I lack of technique?” Ron said, only half joking, already starting to become red.

“No need to get upset. What I meant is that you don't need them, you're a pretty good Keeper on your own when you want to be” Harry said nonchalantly, looking at some special glasses for when the weather was particularly cold or rainy.

“This could be useful” he thought, but the price of 20 Galleons discouraged him. Not that he didn't have that much, but he didn't want to pay that sum for the article.

Hermione and Ginny finally got tired of waiting them.

“Hey, you two, come out of there or we're gonna go alone”

“Go on then” Ron replied.

“Ronald Billius Weasley, if you don't exit that shop right now, my Bat Bogey Hex will have you as a receiver” Ginny bellowed glaring at her brother.

That menace was enough to make the boys exit the shop at full speed.

Ginny and Hermione giggled behind their back, while walking to other places.

A visit to the twins' was an obliged stop, and so they could see that the love potions had almost been all sold.

“Wonder who got so much of them, in times like these ones…” Hermione asked.

“Well, desperation brings you to do all kind of things” Harry said darkly, thinking of Merope, Voldemort's mother.

The others didn't understand his reference, though, as they did not know of her story.

“What are you talking about, Harry?” Fred asked.

“Long story Dumbledore told me last year” Harry replied sadly. “But I would prefer not talking about it right now”

And so the matter was abandoned.

Hermione made a mental note to ask about it one day, tough.

Then, they had lunch at the Leaky Cauldron, where they were the only customers in weeks, as no one stopped by anymore, just tried to do their business in the open as quickly as possible. Tom was extremely kind with them for this reason.

They took advantage of the journey to buy Ginny what she would need for her sixth year at Hogwarts, as the board of the governors had in the end decided to leave the school open. Ron and Hermione, however, did not buy what they needed for their last year.

“Why don't you guys buy what you need?” Harry asked, puzzled.

“Because we need nothing” Hermione said, facing him. She knew the moment would have come, and she was ready. He had never resisted her anything when she really wanted it. “We're coming with you, wherever you go. We have already said that at Dumbledore's burial”

“No way. You go to Hogwarts and stay as safe as possible. I'll try to stay in touch if I can, but I'm not allowing you to come with me!”

“You're not our parents, Harry, so you can't order us go to school if we don't want to. Our families have already accepted our decision, you should do the same” Ron said, backing up his girlfriend, for once.

The discussion continued for a while, till it was time for the boys to go and have their test. No one backed away from his/her position, so they would need to discuss it further later.

Both of the boys passed it brilliantly, they were asked to Apparate from one end to the other of Diagon Alley, and they managed to do it perfectly, non splinching themselves or missing the target that was in front of Madam Malkin's.

The examiner complimented them both, but especially Harry has he had recognized him.

“The “Chosen One”, what an honour for me to test you. You seem really good at Apparating, of course being powerful as you are, how couldn't you?”

Harry thanked him, took his license and moved away as quickly as he could, trying to avoid other people recognizing him. He would never get along with that “being famous” thing…

Since they were in front of the shop, Hermione and Ginny brought them in, and the time the two girls had waited while at “Quidditch Quality Accessories” was equalled by the time the boys waited for them trying all kind of robes.

At some point Ginny called for Harry to ask for his judgement, and seeing the sexy dark red robes she was wearing, he had really to restrain himself from snogging her right there.

“I think you look gorgeous in those” he managed to say instead, gulping.

Ginny thanked him, smiling to herself, and changed back to her robes. Hermione smiled a bit sadly at her friends' antics.

On the way home, Harry still tried to convince them to go to Hogwarts.

“Really, guys, I'm better off on my own. There are dangerous things to face, I don't even know where we should look…for now my only certainty is that Regulus Black has taken one of those and put it somewhere, but I still need to find where”

“Well, in the note it said he wanted to destroy it” Ron commented

“I know, but how do we know he wasn't murdered first? That would have brought the Horcrux again in Voldemort's hands, and who knows what the madman would have done with it” Harry replied. “Really, I can't afford to worry for your lives too. I already got a lot on my mind” he said, but Hermione could be even more stubborn than himself.

“Harry, we've been in dangerous adventures with you more than once, and we were in the DA. We can look out for ourselves” she said, patiently, like talking to a little kid.

Harry let it drop for now, seeing there was no way he could win the argument.

Once at home, they had dinner as usual, then played some games of chess and Exploding Snap. Harry however was more into a plan of his own, since he couldn't wait anymore to leave and start the researches.

Plus, that would stop the discussion with Ron and Hermione once and for all.

So when everyone was in bed, he slipped out of his own, put his Invisibility Cloak on, and checking that Ron was still asleep, he snuck down the stairs to the front door. He left a note on the table so they wouldn't worry about him being kidnapped, then exited in the porch just to stumble over Hermione's sleeping form.

Of course she bolt awake, wand in hand, and before Harry could walk past her, she guessed where he was and grabbed his ankle.

“Just where you think you're going, Harry?” she said angrily, now standing up and grabbing him from the shoulders.

Of course he, being a male, could have shaken her off himself and gone away all the same, but not without knocking her to the ground and maybe giving her a nasty bruise.

So he sighed and stopped struggling, taking the cloak off of him.

“I was leaving” he said, wearily, sitting on the porch floor.

“Yeah, that much I can see” she said still sternly, glaring at him. “But I know you too well for not imagining you would try something like that” she added then, softening her expression and giving him a broad smile.

He ran his hand in his hair, nervously. “Hermione, listen, I know you and Ron can stand for yourself, but this is my fight. It's me who has to do this, and I can't if I'm worrying for you. For both of you, I mean. It would be like a burden for me”

His words stung her hard. He could have not hurt her more with something he said.

“I see. Then, if you really want to, go” she said, looking away, her eyes red, her voice quivering a bit., and one single tear rolling down her cheek against her will. She wiped it away angrily.

“Good luck, Harry” she added then, giving him a feeble smile.

He walked toward her, looking directly in her eyes, cupping her face with his hands.

“Hermione, look at me” he said, as she had started looking down to her shoes.

She did.

“I hate to see you hurt or crying, you know that, don't you?” he said, still holding her face.

She nodded.

“I'm sorry for what I've just said. It didn't come out like it should have. Guess I've stuck my foot in my mouth in perfect Ron Weasley style, eh?” he said, attempting a joke.

She chuckled, wiping away another tear, then looked at him.

“If this means that much to you, I'll go with you and Ron, not alone” he said, sighing. He knew he would worry himself sick at times, but he could deny her nothing when she had those lost puppy eyes. In those moments he could really drown in the cinnamon of her orbs.

She smiled broadly now, hugging him and staining his shirt with her tears.

“Oh, Harry” she murmured.

“I couldn't have lived not knowing what you were off to, how you were doing” she added after some moments.

“I know. It would have been the same for me. But now, we better go and get some sleep, or we'll be knackered tomorrow” he said, leading her back inside.

Next morning, they woke up early, and got breakfast with the rest of the family. Ginny kept glancing at Harry, who looked back and a couple of times blew kisses at her, making her giggle and blush.

Ron and Hermione were side by side, and chatting lovely with Mr. Weasley. The twins were already off for work, while Mrs. Weasley was in the kitchen.

They all ate their eggs, bacon, pumpkin juice and pumpkin pie, then the trio got back to their rooms to check their baggage.

“Bring just what you need the most. We travel fast and light” Harry had advised them, so they all filled one small bag each, in which they had some money, both Muggle and Wizarding, as they had changed some at Gringott's the day before, some fresh clothes, some food just to have reserves, obviously their wands in their pockets, and few other things. Hermione brought maps of England, both Muggle and Wizarding, Ron his amulet, a shirt of the Cannons, Harry brought his faithful Firebolt, shrunken to enter the bag.

Finally the moment of leaving came. Harry, Ron and Hermione stood on the threshold of the Burrow, ready to set off once more for an adventure that they did not know where would bring them.

They were not afraid, though. The fate of the whole Wizarding World rested on their shoulders but they were not nervous. Not more than before their other adventures, at least.

Molly hugged each one of them with one of her trademark crushing hugs, while Mr. Weasley simply shook their hands, wishing them good luck. As for Ginny, she hugged her brother and Hermione, her best friend, while kissed Harry hard on the mouth, not caring of what her parents would say.

It turned out they said nothing. Not in front of the others, at least.

Harry eagerly kissed her back, but then a cough interrupted them.

“You may want to stop it, Harry, or we'll never leave” Ron teased him.

Harry realised what he had been doing, and suddenly moved away from her, his head low.

He felt guilty. He had to be strong and yet he let her lure him into one kiss that left little doubt about his feelings.

Well, not that Ginny doubted them, but anyhow…so he nodded once more, then turned and started walking away. Hermione and Ron followed him.

“Please, be careful, all of you!” Molly called once more, before the three of them Apparated to Diagon Alley, their first stop.

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3. Slytherin's Locket

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, unfortunately, as many things of HBP would have been different if I did…

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, they means a lot to me. Please, if you read, leave a comment, it costs you nothing, and makes me happy! ;)

Chapter Three

“Slytherin's Locket”

Once in London, Harry led them to the Ministry. He needed to collect some information on Regulus and the only person from which he could have them was Tonks, who, being Sirius's cousin, was Regulus's one too.

“Wotcher, guys. What are you doing here?”

“Hi, Tonks. We're here to collect some information on Regulus, your cousin” Harry said.

“Strange man, he was. Never liked him in the first place, and Sirius didn't too” she commented. “In fact he became a Death Eater, honouring the Black family name. Well, considering this, the strange ones should be Sirius and me” she added amusedly.

“However, he was not an evil man. Soon he understood the wrongness of his choice, so he tried to step back from them. But you can't resign from being a Death Eater…” she continued sadly. “And so he was killed”

That much Harry and the others already knew, so he asked again.

“Do you know where he lived once he left the Black household? Once he left Grimmauld Place?”

“Well, I didn't hear a lot from him, no one did, but last I checked he lived in a small house in the suburbs of Manchester. It was a wooden one, painted in dark blue on the sides, while dark red for the roof. Nothing really recognizable, as he was trying to keep a low profile and avoid being found by Voldemort's followers” she explained. “Sorry I can't tell you more, but that's all what I know”

“Ok, thanks all the same. This information will be useful” Harry said, then he and the others turned to go away, leaving the Auror behind, wondering why they were so interested in Regulus. Accompanying them to the lifts, Tonks managed to trip over the carpet of her office, making her paperwork fly everywhere in the room.

Harry and the others kept walking after her reassurance that she was ok, sharing a small smile. Tonks would never change and will always be that clumsy.

Harry couldn't avoid wondering how she passed the Auror admittance tests, as secrecy wasn't exactly her best feature.

Once they were out of there, the three of them Apparated to Manchester. Ron knew a Wizarding pub in there, so they would not have to fear about Apparating in the middle of the Muggle city. Then they searched for a small wooden house like Tonks had described Regulus's one, and when they finally found it, not more than 30 minutes away from Manchester most fashionable area, it was by now just ruins.

From what they could see it had been made of cherry wood, and it was still painted in dark blue, while the roof was in normal dark red just as she had said. It seemed time had not ruined the colours, or it had been repainted not long before being destroyed.

Once they managed to get it standing again with lots of Reparo charms, they searched the rest of the ruins for signs of the Horcrux.

But they found nothing, apart from blood stains on the wood planks.

“He must have tried to put up a good fight” Ron commented, touching one of them.

“Yeah, but that's doesn't tell us if he had already destroyed it or not” Harry said, kneeling to examine something on the floor.

“No, he didn't” Hermione said.

Both the boys turned toward her.

In her hand was a parchment. They rushed to her sides.

There were signs they did not understand.

“Those are ancient runes, that's why you can't read them. It says, more or less “With wings it vanished from me, and now where the white rock and the sea are meeting it you should see””

“Well, that's easy. We just have to search every white rock near the sea…” Ron said, rolling his eyes. “Couldn't he be more precise?”

“Of course he couldn't, Ronald. Every one would have known where to search if he was, so he could have spared the trouble to hide it” Hermione retorted, rolling her eyes at him.

“Guys, now, don't start fighting. We need to concentrate on the task at hand” Harry chastised them.

“Yeah, right. Sorry, Harry” both of them said, grinning sheepishly.

They remained that way for some time, thinking, till Harry stood up.

“It's not one random white rock he's talking about. I think I know about which place he's written that small riddle about”

“How can you? There are no hints at where in the country it could be…” Ron protested.

“Ron, I'm not saying I know for sure. But look, it says “with wings” then “white rock”. So what if he's talking about a white rock with wings?” he said.

The other two looked at each other, wondering where that theory came from. Ron was sure Harry had lost it. How could a rock have wings?

However, they agreed to follow him.

So he made them grip his arm, as he didn't know the name of the place, so he couldn't tell them where to Apparate and they did it together to the coast near Dover, where from the high rocks above the sea they looked upon the water, till their gaze met, not far from the shore, a white rock with a shape slightly resembling a seagull.

Harry had thought of this rock because he had remembered that Regulus's Patronus was a seagull, as Sirius had told him once, so he thought maybe the man had wanted someone knowing him to think about it and make the connection. Someone outside of the Death Eaters circle, as probably they didn't even know that particular.

The words of the riddle seemed to confirm that.

The problem now was to reach the rock and check if the theory was right. Apparating there was risky as it was really little. You could easily end in the ocean instead, and that wouldn't be pretty as it was in that day thoroughly agitated.

For hours they sat staring at the rock, wondering just how to reach it, when Hermione had, as usual, a brilliant idea.

“First of all there's no need for us to go all there. One of us will do to retrieve the thing, then we can work on it here, where we have space. And since I'm the thinnest, maybe it's better I go there…”

“But this is my task, Hermione. If you got hurt in doing it, I would not forgive myself” Harry said.

“Hey, I'm just going to take it and bring it back here…”

“Ok. So how are you going there?” the boys asked. She grinned.

“That's for me to know and for you to see” she said, walking toward the edge of the rocks, and then throwing herself down.

“Hermione!” both Harry and Ron cried, running to see what was happened to her. And they saw her hovering few feet off the sea surface.

“Come on, guys, just a little Hovering charm…” she said, chuckling, then they saw her moving toward the isle. The wind was making her float there.

“I swear, that girl is a genius” Harry said, in awe.

“Couldn't have said it better myself” Ron agreed. “Lucky me she's my girlfriend”

At these words Harry's inner monster didn't seem too pleased. He shrugged it off, although he scowled.

“It's just I'm not used to think of them as a couple” he thought, while looking her land on the rock.

Once there, Hermione started searching everywhere, but it seemed the small rock didn't have caves or secret entrances.

“What if Harry is mistaken?” she thought in anguish. “Or am I not able to find it?”

Just then, turning, she tripped on her shoelace, and fell in the water, barely managing to keep herself attached to the rock with her hands.

What she saw while trying to get back on surprised her. In the side of the rock, just below the water surface, a small entrance was conceived. She could sense magic being used on it.

Not being able to use her wand to open it, having to hold on the rock for dear life if she didn't want to be brought away from the waves, she tried pushing on the rock with her hands and feet, but to no avail.

Finally the tide started to change and even if the sea was still agitated, she was soon out of the water apart for her feet. She pulled on the rock and pushed on the side with her feet too, to help herself, so she was back on top of it, took her wand and tried every unlocking charm she knew on the side, that was now in the open, out of the water.

Harry and Ron kept watching her struggle, till in the end they noticed a crack opening in the rock.

“Hermione! It's open!” they cried together.

She, who had been with her eyes close to concentrate better, suddenly opened them and grinned, pushing one hand into the cavity. She grabbed the necklace, and pulled it out of its hiding place, but suddenly fangs appeared on the crack borders, closing swiftly on her hand. They were going to chop it off if she did not do something quickly.

“Hermione! Apparate here!” Harry shouted, but she couldn't if she wanted her hand, and the necklace, to exit the small cavity.

Finally, after many attempts and her hand already being injured by the fangs, she managed to hit them with a Tickling Charm. That did the magic, as the fangs sprung open, moving wildly around, and she extracted hand and locket. Then she Apparated to her friends.

“Wow! That was brilliant!” both of them commented, hugging her.

She smiled, pleased with herself.

“But you're hurt!” Harry said, then, noticing lots of blood dripping from her hand.

“Oh, it's nothing” she said, and with a quick Healing charm her hand was fixed. However, hearing Harry once again so worried for her had made her feel strangely giddy. “Now, the hard work. We need to figure out a way to destroy it” she continued, trying to ignore it.

So they sat with the heavy golden locket with the S of Slytherin in the middle, trying at turns hexes and spells to make it break.

“Impedimenta!” Ron cried.

“Reducto!” Harry said.

“Deflagro!” Hermione shouted, but to no avail. If it had worked the locket would have exploded in a thousand pieces.

After everyone of their attempts, the necklace glowed a sick green, and remained the same. Plus, if everyone but Harry touched it in the middle, it burned their skin. Ron and Hermione got two nasty bruises with that.

Harry thought about simply smashing it on the rocks, but it didn't work. The object was unscathed.

Finally the night came, so they resigned to leave it like it was for the day. They prepared a small camp, Harry cooked some dinner for all of them, and they ate still discussing a way to destroy the thing.

“Wonder what you've to do to open it” Ron said, munching on his meat, that earned him a swat on the head from Hermione.

“I am at a loss for it” Harry admitted.

“Well, we'll figure out something tomorrow. For now let's be content with having taken it from its hiding place” Hermione reasoned.

Later, after some relaxing chat, they went to bed.

Since Harry was the most knackered, he immediately fell asleep. But his one was not a pleasant slumber, tormented by nightmares of Voldemort sneering, telling him he had almost done it, but since he couldn't break his Horcruxes, finding them was useless.

Finally he woke up with a start, his scar burning.

Nor Hermione or Ron noticed though, as they were sweetly lying one on top of the other, snogging their brains out of each other.

Harry's monster rose once again, just like when he saw Ginny kissing Dean.

“But how can it be? It's Hermione we're talking about! It has to be that I'm not used to them being together” he thought, and in few minutes was sleeping again. Now, however, the nightmares involved Hermione kissing someone he could not see, and then following him into darkness, out of his view and reach.

Next morning he was still shaken.

“Harry, you all right mate?” Ron asked, while sipping the coffee Hermione had prepared.

“Yeah, just some bad dreams” he said, adding in his mind “involving your girlfriend”.

After a quick breakfast they started once again to try and break the thing.

For two more hours their attempts failed, till Harry had one idea.

“Why not? After all this thing is Slytherin's, the other owner was Voldemort…”

“What are you talking about, Harry?”

He did not respond, but started concentrating, his eyes shut, and hissings came from his mouth.

“Open to your Master. Let me see what you contain” he said in Parseltongue.

And a soft click was heard. The locket opened, but it was empty.

“Not that I expected it to contain something important, but at least we know it reacts to Parseltongue” Harry said, proud of himself.

“That's genial, Harry! I hadn't thought of that!” Hermione squealed, hugging him.

“Now, for the last test…” Harry started, ignoring her touch, or at least trying to, after the dream he had had and the reaction to her and Ron snogging.

Excited but also afraid of what could happen, “Reducto!” he shouted in Parseltongue.

They say hexes told in that language are more powerful.

It seemed true, as the locket broke in two.

Harry did it times and times again till just powder was in front of them.

“I guess this one is done, then” Harry said, pumping his fist in triumph, while Ron and Hermione complimented him, the girl giving him a kiss on the cheek that made him blush a little. “Now, we need to search Hufflepuff's cup.”

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4. Hufflepuff's Cup

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 Four

“Hufflepuff's Cup”

The three of them remained few days there, not really knowing where to go searching for the next Horcrux.

Harry shared with them all the places he had visited with Dumbledore in the memories, and they reasoned where Voldemort could have hidden Hufflepuff's cup.

“I guess it has to be a place that held a great meaning for him. Something really representative of one particular moment or event in his life” Hermione said.

“Yeah, I think that too. Just wonder what that place could be, though” Harry replied, deep in thought.

Ron said nothing, as he had no idea where the object could be hidden.

“Let's see, we have visited the cave for the locket. Other places we saw or heard of in the memories are the orphanage, Riddle's house, the Gaunt hut, Borgin's shop…” Harry started remembering.

“Do you know where Dumbledore has found the ring?” Ron asked.

“No, unluckily I don't” Harry said, discouraged. The cup could be in any one of those places…

“We need to try and think like Voldemort. Where would have you hidden it if you were him?” Hermione said.

So they started thinking and reflecting on that. No one came to a solution, as every place seemed equally probable.

Night started falling, so they once again prepared dinner.

Harry went hunting in a nearby wood, and his Seeker reflexes helped him in catching a particularly fast deer that would be enough food for all of them. So he took the animal and put it on his shoulders, returning to their small camp.

Once there, he found his friends involved in some serious snogging.

“Hey, you two, get a room!” he called smiling at them, even if his insides were, once again, twisting.

“Smartass, we are out of city, where do you think we could get a room?” Ron retorted, sticking his tongue at him.

Harry simply shook his head, placing the deer on the wood for the fire. He was utterly annoyed at his inner monster now, as he shouldn't be so upset at them kissing. It was not like he fancied Hermione, especially since he liked Ginny.

Ginny…he had not thought of her in a week now, to be sincere.

“That's because we have been busy” he thought to rid himself of senses of guilt. But he was not so convinced himself by that explanation.

Thinking about that, he didn't notice Hermione nearing him, so he nearly jumped out of his skin when her hand touched his shoulder.

“You ok, Harry?” she asked, concerned.

“Yeah, of course. Just a bit distracted”

She didn't seem to believe it but didn't push the matter. “Anyhow, I thought you may need some help with that big deer”

“Oh, don't worry. I can manage”

“I would like to help all the same. I feel like me and Ron are exploiting you. Just because you can cook, it doesn't mean you have to do all by yourself”

“Well, if that's so important to you, you can help me”

And so she did. At one point, their hands brushed one on the other, reaching for the plates they conjured to place their food. They looked at each other, both blushing.

Once again, Harry found her hands extremely soft, and wondered how would be to have his face cupped and caressed by those hands.

As soon as he thought this, he shook the image from his head, like it was some forbidden thought.

“I can't go on this way. She's Ron's girlfriend after all, and I can't hurt them. Wonder why I'm so affected by her touch, tough” he thought while seating in front of her and Ron, and eating his meal silently.

That night, he had a strange and upsetting dream, in which he was with Ginny, and he started kissing her, but when they parted it was no more the redhead he was with, but Hermione. And he actually was glad for it…

Next morning, they discussed some time during breakfast where they should go.

“I think we should really go to Riddle's house” Hermione suggested. “I mean, after all an Horcrux can be made just when you rip your soul after a murder, and the Riddles were his first murders, so it would make sense for him to have hidden it there. It should hold a certain importance to him”

“That's brilliant, Mione! I hadn't thought of that!” Harry exclaimed.

“Well, it's just an idea that came to me this night” she said, blushing a little at his praise.

And so they went there, Apparating to Little Hangleton and walking toward the building Harry had seen in one of his nightmares in fourth year and recently in a memory in Dumbledore's Pensieve.

All day they searched in the garden, in the walls of the house, they broke in and searched in the rooms, but found nothing.

“Bloody Hell, seems like he hid it very accurately” Ron commented.

“Yeah, or he never put it here in the first place” Harry said, trying a revealing Charm on a wall behind some shelves.

“Guys, concentrate, and if something is here we'll find it” Hermione said, trying to boost their moods. But she was getting sceptical herself, even if she knew somehow that place was important for Lord Voldemort. Probably not enough to hid an Horcrux there, though.

The same for the next two days. Finally they understood there was nothing interesting there. On the third morning, during breakfast, Harry exposed one theory he had formulated while dressing to the others.

“I think we should search in the orphanage. I mean, he placed the locket in the cave he visited when in the orphanage, so maybe since he got the two objects together, he decided to put them in placed linked one to the other, thus placing the cup in his old room in the building”

“Brilliant, Harry! I surely couldn't come up with such a theory!” Ron said, enthusiastic to leave because it meant they were going back to town, and he would have lots of places where to satisfy his appetite, that in the last days had been never completely fulfilled.

Hermione nodded smiling too. “Yeah, brilliant thought. I didn't think of that”

Harry became a little pink hearing Hermione's praise, but that went unnoticed from Ron, too busy in gulping down some coffee and sausages.

Hermione however noticed it, but her questioning look was met by Harry simply shrugging.

Soon they Apparated to Diagon Alley, and from there they exited into Muggle London.

Harry asked information about the whereabouts of the orphanage to some passing people, and then they started walking toward there.

“Really, couldn't we simply Apparate, or take a Portkey?” Ron wailed after half an hour they were walking.

“Honestly, Ron, stop being a baby! We're in the middle of Muggle London, going to a Muggle place, where do you expect for us to Apparate? In the middle of the street?” Hermione said sternly, rolling her eyes.

Harry chuckled. He loved those little fights, and his inner monster hoped they would grow to something bigger so that they would break up.

“Now, I should be happy for them” Harry chastised himself. But he could not deny that every time he looked at Hermione he found her extremely attractive.

So, they finally entered the building, Harry asked of Miss Cole as Dumbledore had done years later, and they spoke with her after some time.

“So, what kind of business brings you here, Mr. Potter?” the woman asked coldly.

Harry didn't know what to say, he had not expected her to question him, so he said the blunt truth, throwing caution to the wind.

“We're here to see the old room of Tom Riddle”

“And why should I let you?” Miss Cole asked.

“Because we are making investigations on him” Ron added, following Harry's path of bluntness. Hermione just closed her eyes, imagining what was to come.

“Well, I admit strange things have happened in that room in the last years, but you can't come here and simply ask to search a room without proofs and a regular permit from Scotland Yard, you know. So now, exit from here and don't come back without it!” Miss Cole said, angrily.

They were kicked out in no time.

“Such a couple of smooth talkers you are” Hermione said, rolling her eyes but a bit amusedly.

“Well, you didn't do a lot better in Borgin's last year” Ron retorted. They all laughed.

“Probably it's better this way. She would have never let us search it alone, and with her surveillance, we would have not been able to use our magic abilities to find it” Harry concluded.

“Yeah, but what do we do now?”

He simply took a folded cloak from his bag.

“Invisibility Cloak. Tonight, we'll search that room, Miss Cole wanting it or not” he grinned. The other two smiled at him.

“For now, let's just relax and enjoy the good day” Harry said. And so they did, passing the afternoon in Hyde Park relaxing under a tree. It was by now almost November, so the days started to grow chilly, but it was still bearable.

That night they squeezed themselves under the cloak, which with always more difficulty contained all three of them without showing a thing, then with a quick Alohomora they unlocked the front doors of the building and slithered in, going up the stairs trying to be as silent as possible.

Harry, who had seen where the room was in the Pensieve, led them there, and they found it empty. Just the cupboard was there. Harry quickly inspected its insides, but to no avail, since he found nothing useful.

They checked all the walls but found nothing. The Revealing Charms they used were or too weak, or there was nothing to be found.

Suddenly Ron tripped, banging hard on the cupboard. The noise was so loud, Harry knew someone would come, so they quickly hid under the cloak again, barely moments before Miss Cole entered, followed by her assistant.

“Miss Cole, I'm really scared by this room. Strange things always happen here”

“I know, my dear, I know. Well, seems no one is here, so we can go back to sleep”

The two women exited leaving the trio alone once more.

“Good job, Ron. We almost got caught. Try to be more attentive, please!” Harry spat angrily.

Ron nodded, grinning sheepishly.

After two more hours, they were still at a loss for what to do.

“Merlin's beard! It's not here too!” Harry muttered angrily in frustration, slumping to the floor. That was the moment he saw it. With the moonlight coming into the room from the window, and the view angle he had from that position, he noticed a snakelike V on the opposite wall, just near the ceiling.

“Ron! Hermione! Come here! Do you see it too?” he asked them.

“Yeah, there's something on that tile” Hermione said.

“Ron, can you lift me?” Harry asked

“Of course, mate” so he climbed on the redhead's shoulders, trying to reach the tile.

He tried every unlocking charm he knew, but nothing happened. He thought he had to use some blood to open it, like Dumbledore did at the cave, but it did not work.

Parseltongue was useless too.

“How do we open this bloody tile?” Harry asked.

“I don't know, mate, but do it quickly. It's not like you weight like a feather, you know”

Hermione was deep in thought.

Suddenly she smiled. “Of course. How could we have not thought of it before? Harry, you need to prove it you're Voldemort, or it won't open”

“And how can I do that? I'm not him”

“I know. But we can adjust it” she said, then using the human transfiguration spell they had learned previous year at Hogwarts, and remembering the images of Lord Voldemort from the books, she transfigured Harry's hand to be like Voldemort's, snakelike, really thin, and with long fingers.

“Now press your finger on the V while unlocking it”

Harry did that, and it actually worked. After a click, the tile broke, revealing a small space in which the cup was.

“Hufflepuff's cup” Harry said in awe. It was golden, with a badger engraved on it, and two finely wrought handles. Stretching his hand to grab it, he had it repulsed by a nasty electric shock. The sudden movement he did made him lose balance, so he fell from Ron's shoulders, bringing the redhead down with him .

Fortunately Hermione had put a Silencing charm on the room, so no one came this time.

After many attempts, all of them bringing Harry to be electro-shocked, Ron had one brilliant idea.

“Guys, I hate to tell you that, but maybe we should put Imperious on one of us, so that one would grab it no matter what, even if it will hurt him.

“Ok, then put it on me” Harry said. “This way I'll be the one hurt”

Hermione and Ron hesitated, but in the end she did that. “Imperio!” she cried. Harry's eyes went blank.

“Harry, I order you to take that cup no matter what” she said softly then, hating herself for it. But it really seemed there was no other way.

Harry did, resisting the shock wave, and brought it down trough a nasty smell of burned flesh.

Hermione released him from the curse.

“So, did I take it?” Harry asked, feeling his consciousness come back.

“Yeah, you did. But at what price, I can't tell” Hermione said seriously, looking at him.

Ron seemed horrified too. After all he was the one who had suggested it.

Harry looked down at himself, just to see his wand hand completely soaked in blood and smoking like it had been burned. He tried to use it, but while he could move it, he had no sensibility at all.

“Well, if Dumbledore could go on with a burnt hand, I can too” Harry said, bravely, taking the cloak and putting it around them. Or at least he tried. But he couldn't do the movement right, for his hand was really badly injured.

With Hermione's help they managed to secure it around them, then they exited the building, the cup now in Hermione's hands, since it didn't shock the one touching it anymore.

Once away from there, they stopped in a square, and since no one was around, Hermione took her wand and cast some Healing charms on Harry's hand. She managed to stop the bleeding, and to rebuilt the flesh on it, but it seemed he had lost his sensibility forever.

“I'm so sorry, Harry. I shouldn't have suggested that” Ron said sadly.

“Don't worry, Ron. We had to take it somehow, and we did. Now we need to destroy it. I'll learn to use my wand with the other hand, if that's necessary”” Harry said, dismissively.

They reached the Leaky Cauldron and took one room there. Once in it, they sat on the floor, trying to find a way to destroy it.

Parseltongue hexes did not work, normal ones didn't too. Muggle ways even less.

Then Harry tried putting it in the fire to make it melt. Some kind of venomous gas exited from it, so, between coughs, Hermione managed to open the window and breathed in the fresh night air. Then she turned to see Ron and Harry on the floor, like stones. She felt drowsy herself.

But the task was accomplished, there was no sign of the cup in the room anymore.

For one hour she tried to wake up her friends, but no results. She flung cold water on them, but nothing. Tried Enervating them, with the same result.

When she was starting to despair, though, Harry started coming around on his own.

She immediately rushed to his side.

“Harry! How do you feel?”

“Fine. Drowsy but fine. How's Ron?”

“Still out cold” she said.

“Seems I've more stamina than him then” Harry said, smiling feebly, and trying to stand up.

“No, rest. I'll levitate you to the bed” and so she did. While waiting for Ron to wake up, they relaxed a bit.

“You gave me a nasty worry there, you know” she said, faking to be angry and scooting closer.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to. But what really matters is that we destroyed it” Harry said, just while his eyelids closed, and few moments later her did too, so they ended falling asleep one near the other on the bed, her head resting on his shoulder and his arm around her shoulders.

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5. Gryffindor or Ravenclaw?

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”

-->

6. Nagini

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 Six

“Nagini”

“I am the Horcrux”

At Harry's affirmation, horror crept on Hermione's face.

“No! No, it can't be!” she cried suddenly, tears falling from her eyes.

Ron was speechless.

“This means you'll have to die, for destroying Voldemort completely…” she said, shaken.

It couldn't be true. Not now that she was maybe understanding her true feelings for him…

“Yeah, that's right” Harry said. If there was something that had always pained him beyond belief was seeing Hermione crying or hurt. Now, he thought he knew why she had this powerful effect on him.

He wanted to go and hold her and tell her all would be right, but he couldn't. Not only because Ron was there, but because he didn't believe it himself, and he couldn't lie to her.

Never been able to, never will.

Silence was between the three of them for some minutes.

“But…how?” Ron creaked out, finally.

“I don't know for certain, but I guess it was on the night he failed to kill me. He had just killed my parents, so his soul had been ripped once more. Then, trying to kill me but not succeeding, he must have, unwillingly mind you, transferred that new shred of his soul into me. That would explain the connection between us, and why I can speak Parseltongue…” Harry said.

The more he thought of it, the more it seemed to make sense.

“Yeah, I guess this is what has happened” he concluded as an afterthought.

No one spoke for a long time, then Hermione stood up and simply left, not uttering one word.

“Guess it is an hard blow on her, having to lose one of her very best friends to a madman, for a mere casualty” Ron said. “Not that it isn't on me, after all”

“Yeah, I know. I admit I can't imagine how you two guys must feel right now. But you know, I don't think it can be worse than how I feel, after all it's me who needs to die to kill Voldemort” Harry said.

“Yeah, of course” Ron replied sheepishly.

They were by now at the end of April, few more days and the Felix Felicis would be ready.

Hermione had, later that day, regained some of her usual behaviour and joined them again.

“Sorry for this morning, Harry. It was just that the news upset me so much…” she said, looking down.

“No need to apologize. I would be even more a mess if I knew that fate had pulled such a nasty trick on you” he said, looking at her with the same intensity of that other time.

His double meaning was lost on Ron, but not on her, and his gaze too, but she said nothing, turning slightly pink and quietly seating with them in the living room.

“So, what are we doing now? Of course you can't kill yourself now, or no one will be able to kill Voldemort. I guess we should pass to the next Horcrux for the time being” she suggested after some time.

“Yeah, I guess it's right” Harry agreed, pensively.

“So we wasted six months with the potion” Ron said.

“No, Ron. We did not. Next Horcrux will still need as much luck as we can muster to find and destroy it”

“Do you already know what that is, then, Harry?” Hermione asked.

“Yeah, it's just a supposition Dumbledore told me, however he thought Voldemort's pet snake, Nagini, may be the sixth Horcrux” Harry explained them.

“What? That giant snake Voldemort set on my father in fifth year?” Ron said, sputtering his pumpkin juice all over the floor.

Hermione rolled her eyes and vanished it with a flick of her wand.

“Yeah, that one, Ron” Harry said.

“Well, I guess you're right. How are we going to find it? And even if we do, Voldemort uses to be near it, so…”

“That's why we are using the Felix Felicis” Harry explained. “Just like when I needed to convince Slughorn to tell me the memory, I'll drink it, and it will guide me on the right path”

“And then we'll kill it, right?”

“That snake can be pretty dangerous, Ron. It's better if I battle it, since I'm the one drinking the potion” Harry suggested.

“Or maybe we could drink it too, and be of some help to you” Hermione chimed in.

“No way. I will not put you in the line of direct danger, even under that potion's effects. It's enough I'm letting you on this quest with me” Harry said. “And once we face it, you two will follow my orders. If I tell you to fly, you'll do it, right?”

“But…” Hermione started.

“You'll do it, right?” Harry asked again, commandingly.

“Right” the two conceded, sighing.

The few days till the potion was ready were spent in relax, as they didn't know when they would be able to do it again.

Hermione kept reading the book Harry had given her at Christmas, and wearing the silver locket, even if charmed as that only she and Harry could see it around her neck.

In it she had placed one picture of the two of them at Hogwarts.

When she had showed it to him, once that Ron was away, he had been extremely happy, and if Mrs. Weasley hadn't entered the room just that moment, he would have probably kissed her.

Harry had by now accepted that he had definitely fallen in love with his best friend. He had been in denial at first, but after some time he couldn't ignore the feelings anymore, and how his inner monster behaved around her, or when he saw her with Ron.

Having already broken up with Ginny, he had just one worry: Ron. He wanted to be loyal to his other best friend, and not be a trouble for his and Hermione's relationship.

As for Ginny, he simply wrote her a letter to explain her the situation, not admitting to her he loved Hermione as the redhead girl would probably tell Ron that bit of information, thus creating troubles between the three of them in a period they needed it not, but admitting he was not in love with her anymore.

“Dear Ginny,

how are you doing?

We have destroyed two

of the Horcruxes, and still

need to take out other two.

But in these months something

happened. I think you should

know it as soon as possible.

Even if we already broke up, I

feel like I need to be honest with you.

Even if I should come back from

against Voldemort, do not expect

us to be a couple again.

What I'm trying to tell you,

Ginny, is that I've fallen out of love

with you.

I don't know why and how, but this

is the reality now.

Please accept it and don't make things difficult.

Harry”

“Nah, this won't do. I owe her at least a face-to-face explanation” he said, crumpling the parchment in his hand and throwing it away.

Since now and then the twins would come home, in those days Ron and Harry would play two-on-two Quidditch matches with them, and hear stories about their last inventions.

The trio knew the moment of departure was approaching, but tried to think about it the less they could.

Just Harry did often, and usually he would wander in the nearby meadows thinking.

One day, coming back from his walk, he heard some screaming from Hermione's room, and couldn't help to be curious and listen behind the door.

“…if you really can't understand when a girl needs some space, you are still an immature little boy, Ronald Weasley!”

“You know what, Hermione? I don't care a thing about you needing some space anymore. You can take all the space you want now, as we are through”

“Fine. We are through. Like I couldn't find a boyfriend after you, Ron”

“I would like see you trying” the redhead said, then Harry heard steps approaching.

He quickly walked away to not be caught eavesdropping, but he hated Ron for what he had said Hermione.

The green-eyed wizard exited again, to clear his thoughts.

Later that afternoon, when he was coming back, he met Hermione reading under a tree. But her face was tear-stained.

“Hermione” he said softly.

She turned.

“Oh, Harry” she said.

“I'm so sorry. I was walking into the house and couldn't help to hear you and Ron fighting”

“I don't care. He's such an immature git”

“However, I wanted you to know I think you can have all the boys you want. I know for sure you already have one” he said, walking away and leaving a puzzled Hermione behind.

She wondered what he had meant with that. After all, he was head over heels with Ginny, wasn't he? Could he have been hinting about himself?

She dismissed that train of thought for the moment, as it would lead her nowhere.

Days later, finally the moment of using the potion and hunting Nagini had come.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were all reunited in the boys' room. For Harry's sake and the mission's one too, Hermione and Ron had agreed to be civil on each other.

That meant they mostly ignored the other, as the hard feelings were still there, especially on Ron's part.

Harry took a deep breath, then he filled one vial with the golden liquid, then took a long gulp from it.

Immediately he started feeling that sense of being able to do anything, of having infinite opportunity that he had experienced when going to make Slughorn tell him the real memory.

“Guys, I know where we're off next” he announced. “Take three vials of it, just in case we need a really lucky escape, and let's go”

Once they were all ready, they went to say goodbye to Molly, who as usual crushed them in hugs and watched them leave teary-eyed.

“Merlin's Beard, be careful!” she shouted once more while they were walking away, worried sick now that she knew they were off battling that snake which had almost taken Arthur from her.

“So, where are we going, Harry?” Hermione asked.

“We're going back to Riddle's house”

“What? We already searched it, and there was no snake there!” Ron blurted out.

“I know Ron, but I trust the potion. It's making me feel it's right to go back there, and since one time it was right, I'm going to follow its suggestion again” Harry explained, grinning.

Three soft pops later, Harry and his friends were in front of Riddle's house once more.

“See? No snake here!” Ron said, proud of his intuition.

“Sorry to contradict you, Ron. It's not here, yes, but surely it has been till short time ago. Look at these marks on the ground” Harry said.

True to his word, near the wall clear marks of a big snake slithering were in the terrain.

“We just need to follow them, and we'll catch it” Hermione said, marvelling in the potion power. It had brought them directly on their target's tail.

So they did.

Half an hour later, they found the snake creating havoc in Little Hangleton. On the main street three small bodies of kids lay, half devoured, and then, at the other end of it, Nagini was, threatening more children and some adults, which were trying to keep it at bay the Muggle way, with sticks and similar objects.

The snake moved dangerously toward them.

“I wouldn't do it, if I were you” Harry suddenly hissed menacingly in Parseltongue.

Nagini stopped and turned hastily. The citizens escaped as fast as they could, dragging the kids with them.

“You made me lose my dinner. You'll do fine, though” the snake hissed back, slithering at full speed toward Harry, whose Seeker reflexes kicked in and made him avoid the assault.

The duel had started.

For being so huge a snake, Nagini was really fast and agile, and kept dodging the hexes Harry threw at her, and counterattacking.

Hermione and Ron looked at the scene in front of their eyes, scared but hopeful in Harry's skills.

“Petrificus Totalis!” Harry cried once again, but Nagini moved to the right, avoiding the spell.

“You're not going to get me if you use those childish hexes, my dear. And as fast as you are, you're going to grow tired soon or later” the snake hissed derisively.

There was no doubt to Harry that part of Voldemort's soul was in her body. She had the same manners of her master.

Just then four loud cracks were heard.

Dolohov, Bellatrix, and other two Death Eaters had Apparated there. It was clear Voldemort knew of them trying to kill Nagini, and had sent help to his pet.

He must really care a lot for her, maybe the only living creature for which he did so at all.

Since Harry was engaged in duelling the snake, Ron and Hermione had to battle them.

Few minutes later, the two teenagers were at a loss for what to do, when Hermione remembered the potion bottles. Ron understood her quick signal, so they took the vials and untapped them quickly, but before they could drink from them, Bellatrix and Dolohov stopped them.

“Accio vials!” they cried, and both of them flew in their hands.

“Ah, the Felix Felicis potion. Dear old Slughorn seems to have a passion for it” the female Death Eater sneered, moving the vial to her lips, mimicked by Dolohov.

Hermione was quicker, though.

“Reducto!” she cried twice, shattering them in their enemies hands.

It was a waste of the precious liquid, but better that than having the Death Eaters to drink some. Those deranged criminals were already powerful and dangerous enough on their own, if they got lucky too, they would grow almost unstoppable.

So the fight resumed without external helps.

The Death Eaters managed to get Ron, as he got cursed on one arm, which grew limp. Luckily, it was not his wand arm, so he continued to fight.

Harry was still duelling with Nagini, but noticing the happenings decided the fight needed a strong acceleration.

“You can't avoid me forever, and you know it” he hissed to the snake, which, as a reply dodged his stunner once more.

“Seems I can” the snake hissed back, just to grow still suddenly.

Harry had spoken just to distract her a bit, and it worked, as he managed to throw her a silent Freezing Charm.

“For once, Snape's lesson has been useful” Harry thought angrily.

And even more useful it was when he crept behind the Death Eaters, silently Accioed his friends to him knocking their enemies down in the process, and then silently cast a Deflagro charm on the ground under Bellatrix and her cronies, who were blasted away and torn in pieces.

“Well, the worst is behind us now” he said then, releasing the breath he didn't even know he was holding.

Then they all walked toward the immobilised snake.

“Seems your last hour has in the end arrived, Nagini” Harry hissed to her. “Ron, care to avenge your father?” he said then, giving the redhead a grin.

“Couldn't want it more” his friend replied, darkly. Then he cast a Cutting charm on the animal, giving it some nasty gashes.

“Now, before I kill you once and for all, will you please tell us Voldemort's plans?” Harry asked in Parseltongue.

The snake couldn't reply as it was frozen still.

“You better move away” he advised his friends, then he released Nagini from the spell.

The snake didn't move or hiss a word. After repeating his request with the same result, Harry grew impatient.

“Very well, then. I'll find out all the same, you know that. But since you don't want to betray him, as it seems, then go and warm him a place in Hell” he said, then raised his wand.

“All together, guys. The spell good old traitor Snape has written in his book” he said to his companions, who nodded.

“Sectumsempra!” they all cried together then, and the animal in front of them got torn in pieces by the three curses, blood spurting everywhere, even on them.

They quickly got rid of it with cleaning charms, fearing it could be venomous, and they were right. Their clothes grew some holes where the snake blood had touched them.

Same end was for the ground under the corpse.

It grew black and smoking, like it had been burnt.

“Well, with Voldemort's soul in it, what else would have you expected?” Ron said, attempting a joke.

“Surely nothing better than this” Harry said sourly.

Then they Apparated back to the Burrow.

Ron's conditions were going worse, he was extremely pale and shaking, his arm as limp as it could be.

Molly decided it was better to bring him to St. Mungo's.

So there they went, and he was assigned a room in the Ministry relatives ward. The Healer assigned to him checked his pulse, flicked her wand at him some times doing some checks, then left reassuring them.

“He's gonna be as good as new in a couple days” she said. All of them released their breath.

Once he had started improving, Molly thought wise to go back and let Hermione and Harry have some sleep. Arthur would check on Ron and alert them if there were news.

Ginny had not been alerted to not worry her. After all, Ron was not really in mortal peril. They would make her come if things got worse.

So Harry and Hermione found themselves alone in her room, few minutes later, as they didn't want to intrude in Molly's sadness.

“Hope Ron will get better soon” she said, fidgeting with her dress, breaking the awkward silence.

“Me too” Harry said.

“Hermione, there's something I need to tell you” he added then, after some moments.

“Go on, then. I'm listening” she said.

“Hermione, I…” he started, looking at her and losing himself in her eyes. He gazed at her pink lips, that seemed so inviting, and so soft…her soft skin that seemed to call for his touch…

It happened then.

Harry moved closer, and cupping her face with his hands, leaned in.

Hermione could see that hungry look in his eyes. A look that made her insides melt every time she spotted it in his green orbs, now.

And then, he finally pressed his lips to hers, both of them with their eyes closed, seeming to savour the moment.

-->

7. Lord Voldemort

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 Seven

“Lord Voldemort”

And then, he finally pressed his lips to hers, both of them with their eyes closed, seeming to savour the moment.

It was like a ton of fireworks had erupted behind Harry's eyelids, as he started touching Hermione's bottom lip with his tongue, begging for entrance.

She eagerly complied, and a battle of tongues soon started, with some casual little moans from both of them.

After devouring each other's mouth for minutes, in the end they had to part for lack of air.

“That was…wow…” Harry said, grinning broadly.

“Yeah, wow” Hermione said, smiling, and turning slightly pink. The she grew serious again.

“Harry, you shouldn't have. I mean, I know you're not with Ginny anymore, but I know the reason too. That means you still love her, so you shouldn't have kissed me”

“Hermione, look at me” he said, lifting her face gently with his fingers. She let him do so, and found herself looking straight into his green eyes, in which she saw passion, burning desire, and love. She gulped.

“I'm not in love with Ginny anymore, Hermione. I don't know how that has happened, but I can't think about anyone else than you. Now, tell me just one thing. Do you regret this kiss?” he asked, looking at her seriously. “Because if you do…” he started again, just to be cut off by her mouth crashing on his.

They snogged the brains out of each other for long time.

“Guess this answers my question” Harry said, chuckling and pulling her closer.

“Yeah, it surely does” she said, looking at him lovingly.

“I love you, Hermione. I really do”

“I love you too, Harry. That's why I couldn't bring myself to be with Ron anymore” she confessed, resting her head on his chest.

That's how they fell asleep, and how Molly found them next morning.

“Harry, Hermione, wake up!” she said to them.

After some time, the two of them stirred, blinked some times to adjust to the light coming from the open window, and understood the situation they were in.

Surely now Molly would be angry at them…

“You need to hurry, we're going to pick Ron up and bring him home” she said, instead, leaving.

The two of them looked at each other releasing their breath.

“I was sure she was going to yell at us for betraying her children” Hermione said.

“That would make two of us, then” Harry said, giving her a quick kiss as a good morning, then he got up.

While she was making herself presentable, straightening her shirt and so on, he gathered all his courage, then spoke.

“Hermione, I think we shouldn't be together for now” he said, his own heart breaking.

She turned smiling and rolling her eyes at him. “I know, Harry. Voldemort on the loose and so on, it wouldn't be safe…same things you said Ginny. It's ok for me, I understand. What really matters is what we feel for each other. Just, try to not forget about me like you did about Ginny…” she joked.

“I couldn't even if I tried. I've come to understand that with Ginny it was just lust driving me, while with you it's love. That's pretty stronger, if you ask me”

“Agreed” she said, giggling. Having Harry declare his love for her made her all giddy.

So, they went to pick Ron up at St. Mungo's.

“Hey, mate, nasty scare you gave us there, you know it, don't you?” Harry said to him.

Ron grinned. “For once you've tried what me and Hermione have felt every time you got in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts, then” he retorted.

“Ok, ok, now don't pick on me. Seriously, I'm really glad to see you're all right again” Harry said.

“Me too” Hermione chimed in.

“I'm glad to see you guys again too” Ron concluded.

So, after some last minute checks, he was released and they escorted him home with his parents. Arthur had taken a day off the Ministry for being there for his son.

Molly almost choked him with her usual hug, tears of happiness in her eyes.

That day was for relaxing, so no talk about Voldemort and his cronies took place, not with the adults and not when the trio was on their own.

They played Exploding Snap, chess, Hermione read some books, chitchatted a lot, and so on. Then dinner time came.

After that, they went soon to bed.

Next day, Harry reunited his friends in Ron's room.

“Guys, we need to search for Voldemort now. It won't be easy, but it is most crucial that we do that, or he'll surprise us and we won't be ready to fight him properly” he said, pacing in front of them.

“Well, maybe we could spy on some people we know to be Death eaters, and they will lead us to him” Ron said.

“Good idea, but really risky. I would keep that as our last option” Harry said, pensively.

“We could use the potion again, as it led us to Nagini, it may lead us to him too” Hermione suggested.

“That would be worth a shot. But somehow I think finding Voldemort won't be done simply drinking that potion. He's too smart for being found so easily, or any Auror could have done that” Ron commented. The ice between him and Hermione had vanished, and he was hoping they would go back together soon.

Little he knew about who she really loved…

After some time, they agreed that their first move was to study all the information they had from books, memories that Dumbledore had showed Harry and other objects about Tom Riddle, hoping to be able guessing where he would put his whereabouts.

After two weeks studying, they concurred that he would probably set it nowhere near Muggle cities, in a place where dark wizards would never be suspected to be, so no one would go searching there.

The result of their guessing was that they Apparated to the coast in front of Azkaban, near the border with Scotland.

Searching there for some days, finally they entered a wood in which they could feel magic had been used.

Following the main path, they arrived to a crossroad.

“I think we should go right” Ron suggested.

“Well, it's not like we have clues, so one direction is as good as the other. Let's go right then” Harry said, his wand alight as the wood didn't let sunlight to enter, so it was really dark. Almost like the Forbidden Forest.

But they found nothing on that path. So they walked back to the crossroad, and chose the left way.

After some time, they come to a big house, deserted and wrecked.

They cautiously entered it, searching everywhere, but found nothing on the ground floor. On the upper one, instead, Hermione suddenly tripped and fell revealing an hidden closet where Death Eater masks were.

“Bingo!” Ron shouted, pumping his fist in the air. “We found his hiding place!”

“What had once been, but not his actual one” Harry said, kicking the dust.

So they decided the area wasn't worth researches anymore.

Apparating back to the Burrow, Harry decided to try and use the potion.

Hermione and Ron looked at him expectantly after he drank it, but he didn't feel any good sensation this time.

“Guess Voldemort's ability at hiding is stronger that the potion effects” he said sadly, slumping onto the bed.

So they had just one option left, the most dangerous. Following a Death Eater and find out where they reunited.

“I'll do it” Ron volunteered.

“No way, Ron. You've been hurt few days ago, I don't want for you to be again” Harry said, commandingly. “I'll go”

“Harry, it's better you don't risk it in first line. You're crucial for defeating Voldemort, so you shouldn't risk to be hurt by some random dark wizard” Hermione protested. “I'll do it”

After some discussion, Harry agreed. Hermione would follow the Death Eater around and try to find their hiding place.

The chosen one was Nott.

For a week she had been able to follow him without the man noticing, but no hints to where they used to hide.

One day, she betrayed herself as Harry's cloak got moved by some wind and the Death Eater noticed her feet appearing.

He hastily turned, grabbed the cloak and took it off her. Hermione froze.

“So, who do we have here? Aren't you Potter's friend, the Mudblood?” the evil wizard sneered.

Hermione moved to take her wand, but he was faster. “Expelliarmus!” he cried, and her wand flew away.

“My, the voices were true. You're really pretty” he said, licking his lips. Hermione gulped.

Then he grabbed her wrists, pulled them over her head and pushed her on the nearest wall.

“I'm gonna have some fun with you now, and then I'll bring you to Voldemort. He'll be pleased with me” he sneered again.

Then he forced himself on her, kissing her. Hermione struggled, but he simply stunned her.

Darkness enveloped her as he carried her away to his master.

Harry and Ron were worried sick that evening when she didn't come back.

“Something has happened to her. I know it” Harry said.

“Hey, mate, she's gonna be here any minute. Calm down” Ron said, but he was worried too. It was not Hermione-like to be this late.

At three in the morning, Harry moved.

“There's one more thing I can do to find Voldemort before he finds me. And I'll do it” he said, his eyes dark. Then, he Apparated away, not bothering to tell Ron where he had gone.

It was an idea that had come to him some days before. Trying to lure Malfoy on their side and extract information from him.

So he Apparated to Malfoy Manor, and snuck in. Cautiously walking around the castle, he heard Draco's voice ordering around an House Elf.

“…and you better come here quick with that food, or I'll punish you” Draco said.

“Good Evening, Malfoy. Taking your frustration on Elves now?” Harry said, his wand in his hand.

Malfoy suddenly turned.

“Potter! How the hell you've entered?”

“Sneaked in. Couldn't have been more simple, you know. You must be more careful if you don't like surprise visits”

“What the hell you want, Potter?”

“I have an affair for you. I've heard your chat with Dumbledore before Snape killed him, Draco. I know you were seriously thinking to pass on the light side, before your companions arrived. I'm here to renew the offer. Pass on the light side, and I'll give you and your mother protection”

“You can't protect me from him, Potter. No one can”

“There's a place he won't be able to find. No one will. You and your mother will live there till he's been killed”

Draco thought about it for a while.

“And what will this cost to me?”

“Just an information. His whereabouts”

After some time pacing, Draco spoke again.

“I need to speak about this with my mother, Potter”

“Thought you would” Harry said, taking out of his pocket one of the DA Galleons. “Take this. If you tap it with your wand, the other in my pocket will grow hot. I'll know you accept my offer then. If I don't get the signal until tomorrow night, I'll take that as a no”

“Fine, Potter. Now, get the hell out of my house”

And so Harry left and Apparated back to the Burrow.

Meanwhile, Nott had brought Hermione to Voldemort's headquarters.

“Very well done, Nott. I'll take care of her now” the Dark Lord said. His servant bowed and left.

“So, you're the so much talented Mudblood we've all heard a lot of” he said coldly, looking at her with his red eyes. Hermione shuddered, and wondered how could Harry not be afraid of him and freeze on the spot when he saw Voldemort.

She suddenly understood why everyone was so fearful of his name.

Voldemort sneered. “You fear me, don't you? That's wise of you, not like your friend, Potter. But then, you are the wisest out of the three of you…you know, I could use you. So, will you join me?”

Hermione glared at him. “No way. I would never do that” she spat angrily.

“Very well then. You'll change your mind soon enough. Lestrange, take care of her” he called to Bellatrix's husband.

“Sure, master. I'll break her, don't worry”

And with that, Hermione was brought away to a cell.

All night she was tortured, but she resisted.

“You're a tough one, I see. Well, tomorrow you'll break” Lestrange said, walking out of her cell.

Once alone, Hermione started crying.

“Harry, please, save me” she whimpered softly.

“He can't save you, this time. But I can” Nott said, creeping out of the shadows. “Agree to be my sex slave, and I'll take you from this cell and your pain”

Hermione glared at him. “I'm not some kind of whore”

“You'll change idea soon enough” the Death eater said, leaving her alone, this time for real.

Next evening, when Harry was already thinking Malfoy had refused his offer, the Galleon in his pocket grew hot.

He grinned at Ron. “He's accepted. I'm gonna take them at Grimmauld Place, then I'll be back here” he said, then Apparated away.

Once in front of Malfoy Manor, he pounded on the main gates.

Few moments later, Draco opened.

“Ready to go, then?” Harry asked.

“As ready as we will ever be” the other boy muttered darkly.

So Harry activated the Portkey he had brought with him, and in few minutes he, Draco and Narcissa left, to land into the old Black household.

“So this is where you think we'll be safe” Draco's mother said. “Black's house”

“Yes, madam. This house is unplottable, and as Sirius has left it to me, no one will be able to find it without me wanting it”

“It will do, mother. Better than waiting for the day he kills all of us it is” Draco said. “Now, Potter, to seal our deal, I'll give you the information you need. Last time I checked, his whereabouts were in the Highlands” then he took a map and signed the precise place.

“Very well, then. Wait here for my return once we have defeated him. If we fail…well, just hope we don't” Harry said, then he Apparated to the Burrow.

“Mission complete” he said to Ron as soon as he landed. “He told me where Voldemort is”

“You trust him right?” Ron asked, sceptical.

“Yeah, I do, Ron. He's on our side now” Harry said, showing confidence even if he did have some doubts on Draco's honesty.

In three hours time, the two of them Apparated near the place Draco had signed, and moved to see what would wait them.

They found the place all empty, but for some plans of Hogwarts and notes scribbled on them.

“They are going to try and take the school! And they are doing it today!” Harry cried.

“And they have Hermione with them” he muttered after seeing the necklace he had given her on the floor of a room. He pocketed it swiftly.

Then they walked away and as soon as out of the hiding place, they Apparated to Hogsmeade. It was still destroyed as Hermione had seen it months before, but Harry didn't stop thinking about it.

He and Ron ran to the castle, and once on the grounds, they noticed the battle had already started.

Students and Professors had engaged the Death Eaters everywhere around the castle, and were fighting back every one of them. The two boys mixed into the crowd and started taking down as much Death Eaters as they could.

Hagrid spotted them.

“'Arry, glad to see you here. Your help will do a lot. Ron's too” he said to them.

Then they met Ginny, who was leading a group of girls in fighting the enemies.

He felt a rush of proud rise in him for her, but just that. Just as for a little sister who's doing very well her duty. They exchanged a quick nod then Harry ran to help Neville with two Death eaters closing on him.

He silently cast Sectumsempra on them.

“Thanks, Harry” Neville said.

“Glad to be able to help. How are things going?”

“The battle has gone on for two hours now. They are tough, but we are defending ourselves pretty well. Now that you're here too, they won't be taking the castle, I'm sure of that By the way, where's Hermione?”

“They took her. I suspect she's with Voldemort and he'll use her as a bait for me” Harry said sourly. “But I won't let him hurt her”

Neville was scared by the intensity of his gaze. If he was a Death Eater, he would have peed in his pants.

So, Harry and Ron helped as much as they could.

At one point Harry noticed Colin Creevey's body on the ground, dead. He sadly continued his run, cursing Voldemort for the cruelty of the life he was imposing on them.

“I'll avenge him too. Time for closing all the bills approaches” he thought angrily.

McGonagall was engaged in a duel with three Death Eaters, and it was clear she was going to be taken soon or later.

Ron bravely Accioed them to him, then before they could realize what had happened, he cast Sectumsempra on them.

“Good move, Weasley” the Headmistress praised him while going to help some young boys who were in trouble.

Ron grinned, then turned to go and help Luna who was surrounded by enemies.

Harry helped her too, so in few moments the Death Eaters menacing the blonde girl were taken care of.

“Thanks guys. That was really sweet of both of you” she said airily, walking away to search some other enemies.

Ron blushed, while Harry smiled knowingly at him.

But as good as Harry and Ron's arrival had been for the Light side, they were going to lose many more students if the battle didn't end soon. So Harry started searching for Voldemort.

“He has to have arrived by now” he thought, running here and there, taking down enemies in his path.

He noticed Snape, and moved to go and kill him, but then he noticed the man was killing the Death Eaters too.

“Guess he isn't a traitor after all then. But then why did he kill Dumbledore?”

He had no time to mull over those questions.

Finally he spotted the Dark Lord, with Hermione chained to him.

That made Harry's blood boil in his veins. He walked toward them.

“…and so in short time I'll take over the school. Your friend Potter doesn't stand a chance” he heard Voldemort say to her.

“I wouldn't be so sure of that, Tom” Harry said, fully enraged.

Voldemort turned, sneering.

“Oh, Potter. How kind of you to join us. Good show it is, isn't it?”

Harry ignored him. He cared just about one thing. “Release her, Tom. It's me that you want” he said.

“Oh, yeah, I forgot about your Mudblood friend. No, Potter, I think you will enjoy seeing in which pain you put her, just for being your friend” he said evilly, then raised his wand.

“Crucio!” Riddle cried, and Hermione writhed in pain, screaming.

That pained Harry to the core. He looked at her in the eyes, hoping for her to understand.

“I'll save you, just resist” he thought.

She looked at him, and hope was reborn in her heart. She knew he would never leave her in the Dark Lord's hands if he could help it.

“I said leave her, Tom” Harry hissed menacingly in Parseltongue.

“No way, Potter. Just relax and enjoy her going mad for the pain just in front of you. By the way, did you know she's very good in bed?” the Dark Lord hissed back.

At that Harry was blinded with rage.

“Reducto!” he cried casting it on the chain, and the power he put in the spell pulverised it instantly, even if Voldemort, expecting that kind of move, had placed protection spells on it.. Then he Accioed Hermione to him.

As soon as he got her, Voldemort attacked.

“No one plays with me like this, Potter. Avada Kedavra!” he shouted, aiming at Hermione, who was still shaking for the curse she had suffered, after the hours of torture in the whereabouts.

Harry pushed her on the ground, then used a stone as a Portkey and sent her to the Burrow. She was not in the condition to fight right now.

“Now it's just the two of us, Tom”

“Don't call me that way!” Voldemort shouted.

“Why, are you ashamed of your past? Haven't you told your followers that you are a Muggle-born too?”

“I am not!” Voldemort shouted again. “Time to die, Potter! Avada Kedavra!”

Harry simply moved out of the curse path, then counterattacked.

“Incendio!”

“You're not going to kill me with these childish hexes, Potter” the Dark Lord sneered.

“Funny, your pet snake said the same thing, but it did end killed after all…” Harry retorted.

That made Voldemort really angry, but Harry dodged every attack from him.

Around them the battle was still raging, and no one had noticed the duel that would decide all their fates was going on.

After some more time, Harry decided it was time to put an end to it.

So he started searching for the moment of using his secret weapon.

He kept avoiding Voldemort's attacks and counterattacking when he could.

“Seems you can't do anything more than defending yourself, Potter. You're not going to exit this fight alive” Voldemort said smirking. “You're too weak to take me”

It was the moment. Harry cast a silent Sectumsempra on the Dark Lord, and while he was in pain, he silently Accioed Gryffindor sword.

Once it arrived flying to him, Voldemort was standing again, even if profusely bleeding.

“Your time has come, Tom. Prepare to die” Harry said, walking toward his enemy brandishing the sword.

Voldemort said nothing, panting and trying to catch his breath for some desperate assault.

Harry attacked.

“Sectumsempra!” he cried again, while contemporarily slashing the Dark Lord with the magical sword.

Voldemort fell to the ground, almost dead.

“You can win this fight, but you can't save yourself, Potter. Till you live, I'll do too, as you're one of my Horcruxes. Fate is strange, isn't it?”

“Surely it is, Tom. But see, I already knew that. And I took my precautions against it. See, I've killed many wizards lately. Lestrange, Dolohov and the other two you sent to protect Nagini. Many other here. So my soul has been already ripped. I did my own Horcrux before duelling you, as I knew it may have come to this. Wonder what part of my soul I've encased in it?”

Voldemort's face showed comprehension, and fear.

“Yeah, Tom. Just the piece of your soul that you left in me that fateful night, many years ago. Want to know how could I choose that exact shred? Because I have one thing you know not, Tom. I can love. And the true love I've found in Hermione pushed the evilness of your soul to the very end of my soul. It was just natural it was to be ripped from my soul once I killed someone. And it won't need too much to destroy that Horcrux, unprotected by charms as it is” Harry said, taking a quill out of his pocket.

He then snapped it in two with his fingers, and then Incendioed the two half.

It left nasty marks on his hand, as it was, after all, full of evil, but Harry resisted the pain, not showing it for even a second.

“Goodbye, Tom. Your permanence on this earth was nor healthy nor useful. It lasted even too long. Now, it's finished” Harry said, then with one last slash of Gryffindor's sword, he killed him.

An unnatural scream was heard on the grounds, and everyone noticed Harry plunging the sword in the Dark Lord's body.

That last scream from their master discouraged the Death Eaters still fighting, and they let the Professors and the Aurors who had by now arrived capture them and bring them away to Azkaban.

McGonagall went to congratulate with Harry.

“Well done, Potter. You rid us from the toughest evil we ever faced. Your parents, Sirius and Albus would be proud of you and the man you've become”

Harry lowered his head at the thought of the ones who perished in that 17 years-long war between him and his nemesis, Lord Voldemort.

“Thanks, Headmistress. I did what I had to, for the Wizarding World but mostly for myself. My quest is finished now, and I can live the life I want to”

“Of course, my boy. No one deserves it more than you” Professor Slughorn said, coming from behind him.

“I would love for you to be the special guest of my little party tonight” he added then.

“No, thanks. I've already things to do” Harry politely said, walking away to meet Ron.

Once he found him, the two of them reached Hogsmeade and from there they Apparated to the Burrow, where Hermione was surely worried crazy and waiting for them, but mostly for him.

“Probably she won't like I kept her from the battle, but I prefer face her wrath than risk losing her” he thought just before leaving.

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8. Of Celebrations, Happiness and Love

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. Sadly this ride has ended now.

Chapter Eight

“Of Celebrations, Love and Happiness”

Once they landed in the garden, Harry ran into the house.

“Hermione! Hermione!” he cried desperately wanting to know how she was.

“She's sleeping now” Molly said. “Good that you sent her here, she was almost broken by lots of tortures she suffered”

Harry's heart broke hearing that.

“Hermione…” he whispered softly.

“Don't worry, she's just resting. She'll be fine in few hours” Molly reassured him.

“Good to know, Mum. From what Harry told me, Voldemort was not going easy on her”

“Have you ever seen Voldemort going easy on someone, Ron?” Harry asked darkly.

That shut the redhead up.

All afternoon Harry stayed by her side, not leaving even to eat, and all night, not sleeping.

In the morning, finally he felt his eyes closing against his will. He tried fighting it, but to no avail. He fell asleep.

Some hours later, he woke up to find someone gently caressing his hair.

He turned and found himself staring into the chocolate eyes he had grown to love so much.

“It was time you woke up, sleepyhead” Hermione teased him.

“You speak, you slept all day yesterday!” he teased her back, smiling.

They stared at each other for some time, identical grins plastered on their faces.

Suddenly they started laughing, and hugged each other.

“It's so good to see you're fine!” he said, looking in her eyes. “I feared so much when you didn't come home that night”

“I know, Harry. Trust me, I know. I kept thinking you would save me somehow, and that kept me going, or I would have broken down, I think” she said, growing serious for a moment. “And I was right, wasn't I?” she added then smiling, and resting her forehead on his own.

“Yeah, you were right. I would have never deserted you. When I saw Riddle torturing you, I swear I would have liked to kill him bare-handed” he said, his features darkening.

“Now, now. It is all in the past, and we can enjoy life from this moment on” she said, then captured his lips with her own.

“I kind of like this way of enjoying life” Harry said when they parted, just before kissing her again.

He slid his tongue into her mouth, searching for her own, and once he found it, their tongues started wrestling madly. He pushed her back onto the bed, and she pulled him with her, her hands in his hair, his ones on her back.

He then tried something different, gently nibbling on her bottom lip. She yelped softly, and pushed her tongue once more into his mouth.

Just then, when they were snogging senseless, really savouring freedom for the first time in their young lives, Ron opened the door and entered the room.

They didn't notice though, so wrapped up in themselves, so that the redhead stayed some time looking at them.

He at first felt angry at them, and wanted to shout at his friends. But the more he looked at them, the more he realized he got nothing to be angry about.

Harry was not with Ginny anymore. Hermione and him had broken up as well. And from what he could judge, they were really suited for each other.

He may have the “emotional range of a teaspoon” as Hermione had once said, but he could recognize two soul mates when he saw them.

“Guess I've always known deep in my soul they were done for each other” he said smiling to himself, closing the door softly, so that they would not notice it.

Not that they would so easily anyway, as they were both so pleasantly busy.

Days later, Harry, Ron and Hermione were invited to the party held at Hogwarts to celebrate Voldemort's defeat.

Harry went to retrieve Draco from Grimmauld Place, to bring him with them.

“Our victory has been achieved with his help too. After all, he was the one who said us where Voldemort hid, so that we found out his plans about Hogwarts” he reasoned with Ron and Hermione.

So he Apparated in front of the house, then entered.

“Who's there?” Draco suddenly asked, pointing his wand at him.

“It's me, Harry”

“Oh, Potter. What are you doing here?” Draco asked.

“I've come to invite you and your mother to the party Hogwarts is throwing for celebrating Voldemort's death”

Malfoy's face passed from confusion to shock to happiness in three seconds time.

“So you did it!” the boy cried happily, clearly relieved at having one big worry lifted from his shoulders.

At his scream Narcissa came.

“Draco, what's going on here?” she asked, then spotted Harry. “Oh, Mr. Potter. Good to see you”

“ Mother, Harry did it! He vanquished Him! We are free again!” Draco said excitedly.

Narcissa smiled.

“I knew you would, Potter”

“Yeah, so, Hogwarts is having this party to celebrate it, and I would like for you two to come, Mrs. Malfoy” Harry said.

“You would like it, but all the others won't” Draco said sourly.

“They won't question my choice. I'm the special guest and allowed to bring as much people as I want, and who I want” Harry said. “Please, Draco. Come. My won is your doing too. If you didn't tell me where he used to hid, I would have never found out his plans till too late, and Hogwarts wouldn't exist anymore now” Harry said.

After some time, Draco accepted. Narcissa chose to remain there though.

So one hour later Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco were all walking from Hogsmeade to the castle.

Once there, they went to see McGonagall.

“Headmistress” Harry greeted her, bowing.

“Mr. Potter. I see you came with your friends, and other company too” the witch said, looking coldly at Draco.

“Yes. Mr. Malfoy here has been really useful in defeating Voldemort, allowing us to know his plans not too late and save the school. So he should be cherished as me, Ron and Hermione” he said.

Later during the party, Harry and Hermione snuck away for some quality time.

They went to the lake, and sat under a tree, his arm around her shoulders, she leaning on him, relaxing.

“This feels so wonderful” he said, sighing. “For once, seems everything is going fine in my life. Almost like it wasn't my life but someone other's”

“We'll make up for the time Voldemort took from you together, Harry. I promise you” she said, then turned and kissed him softly.

Just then Ginny arrived. Seeing them kissing, she got angry, with the typical Weasley temper rising.

“Harry! What the hell are you doing?” she cried angrily.

The two of them saw her approaching.

“Sorry, luv. I'll take care of her” he said, standing up.

“Ok. Good luck, and mind the Bat Bogey Hexes” Hermione said, smiling.

Harry stuck his tongue at her, then turned to go and face Ginny.

Finally he reached her.

“Ginny, look, we need to talk. Not here, though”

So he led her away from Hermione.

“What were you doing with her, Harry? I thought you loved me!” Ginny said, her anger subsiding and sadness taking its place. She started crying.

“I thought I did too. I liked you, Ginny. But it's been just lust between us, at least on my side. I've understood that in these months. I didn't want for you to find out this way, but I'm in love with Hermione. I really think she's the one, you know” he said, dreamily.

Ginny looked at him, and giggled through her tears.

“Look at yourself!” she said, laughing. “You look like a kid who has just been gifted the toy he desired” she said.

“Well, in a certain way I am, I guess” Harry replied, smiling. Then he grew serious again. “Really, Ginny, I'm sorry for the way you had to find out, but I'm not sorry it happened. Try to understand…”

“I do, Harry. I do. I've always thought you and Hermione would do a great couple. Not as great the two of us, but still quite good”

Harry swatted her playfully on the arm. “Smartass” he said her, laughing.

“You'll make her happy, Harry. I know you would have made me so” Ginny said then kissing him on the cheek and walking away. Harry looked at her retreating form, then walked back to Hermione.

Once she walked away from him, Ginny started crying again. She was happy for both Hermione and Harry, she really was as they deserved each other, but she had come so near to fulfilling her dream of love with him…

Just when she was wiping away her tears angrily, someone approached her.

“Why are you crying with all this people celebrating?”

She turned to the voice, finding herself face to face with Draco Malfoy.

“What are you doing here?” she asked angrily, grabbing her wand.

“No need for that, Harry invited me. I helped him, you know”

So they started chatting.

Before the night ended, Ginny found herself thoroughly fascinated by him.

They ended under the same tree Harry and Hermione had been first.

Draco helped her sit, then tentatively put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.

“You are really pretty, Weasel, you know that, right?” he said, inhaling in her scent.

“You're not bad yourself Malfoy” she said, smiling shyly at him. “But stop calling me Weasel, will you?”

“Old habits are hard to change” he said, darkly.

Then she did something only few hours before she would have thought impossible. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him fully on the lips.

Soon a battle of tongues ensued, her hands grabbing fistfuls of his hair, while he kept caressing her back. He then kissed her on her neck, making her moan loudly.

“Oh, Draco” she whimpered.

He grinned to himself, knowing he had that effect on her. Because she surely was having an effect on him, as his southern regions could prove…

So they snogged each other for long, long time, and never separated from each other for all night, walking around hand in hand, her head leaning on his shoulder. Now and then he would pull her closer with an arm around her waist.

In those same moments Ron was walking around the lake with Luna Lovegood. He had started talking with her almost immediately when they had arrived, and never left her all night.

He had found she was quite charming, if you stopped to listen at her, and he liked her company. The fact that she had become nothing short than sexy didn't hurt too.

They gazed at the stars, it was a romantic sight, and Ron thought right to pull her at him.

“You know, I really like you, Luna” he confessed.

“I really like you too, Ronald” she said, leaning on his chest.

He kissed the back of her neck, making goose bumps grow there.

“It's ticklish” she said. “But makes me feel so good”

“I know” he said, breathing in her ear, “but this will make you feel even better”

Then he kissed the lobe of her ear, sucking and biting it gently. She turned, aroused by his actions, and Ron took the chance to kiss her.

She swiftly sat on his lap, her arms around his neck, and they kept kissing each other passionately, sweetly, every kind of kisses they shared, till Ron noticed Ginny walking hand in hand with Draco.

“Hey! What the hell is my sister doing with Malfoy?”

“Seems she found herself a boyfriend” Harry said from behind him. “I wouldn't bother her about it, tough. Draco is a good pal in the end, and he showed it. But I reckon you're quite busy with Miss Lovegood here, so we better leave you at that, don't we luv?” he said, giving Hermione a quick peck on the lips.

“You can bet on it. After all, we may grow busy very soon too” she said, wriggling her eyebrows at him.

So they left to have some more snogging session.

**

Time passed, the three new official couples were as happy as they could be, and life flowed smoothly.

On Hermione's birthday, they had planned to reunite and have dinner all together to party her.

Harry was savouring the evening they had planned all day through his Auror training, so he got distracted five times during it. Well, five times the instructor noticed, at least.

After training, he Apparated home, had a thorough shower, then entered his bedroom to choose what he would wear.

After some thought, he decided for some black trousers and a green shirt that Hermione had given him for his last birthday and that she always said matched his eyes perfectly. He then shaved, and proceeded to dress.

Once he was ready, he Apparated to Hermione's front door, ringing the bell.

“Who's there?” her muffled voice came from inside.

“It's me, Harry” he replied, curious about what she was doing.

She satisfied his curiosity opening the door, and showing herself wrapped in a towel, another one in her hand as she had been drying her hair.

“Hermione, you still sure you want to go to have dinner with the others? Because we could remain here by ourselves…” he said, taking into her form hungrily.

She blushed, closing the door.

“Harry. Behave yourself” she said, in a mocked warning tone.

“It's funny how I have to behave, but you can open the door to me just in a towel. That's killing me, you know that”

She giggled, not totally used to be the one able to arouse him so much.

Fifteen minutes later, they left and walked to the Italian restaurant they had booked. Turned out that the other two couples were already there.

“Lost track of time during a quick shag, Potter?” Draco teased them.

“No way. In that case we wouldn't have showed up at all” Harry replied nonchalantly.

All of them cracked in laughter, Hermione turning slight pink.

“Oh, come on, Hermione. Nothing to be embarrassed about. It's just natural for young lovers to do that” Ron said. Luna smiled lovingly at him.

He was definitely in for some prize later that night…

So, chitchatting, they went through dinner, enjoying the pleasures of Italian cuisine. Ron above all others, as he tried four different kinds of pasta.

“Ron, really, how you can be so slim with all the things you eat is beyond me” Ginny commented. “If I tried I would surely become fat. I already am”

“No, you aren't and you know it, baby” Draco said her, placing a quick kiss on her lips.

“Hey. The fact I've accepted the two of you going out doesn't mean I've to endure you two snogging” Ron said.

“Oh, stop it, Ron” all said him. Draco smirked in triumph.

When they left, saying their goodbyes, Harry led Hermione taking her hand.

“Harry, my place is on the other side of the restaurant” she protested.

“I know. But we are not going to your place right now” he said, taking his shrunken broom from his pocket, and making it its normal size. “I'll bring you to one special place”

So she mounted the broom with him, and clinging to his body for dear life, she kept her eyes shut.

“You may want to open your eyes, you're losing such a beautiful view” Harry said. She tentatively opened them, and what she saw took her breath away.

The moonlight was shining all over the Tames, making it glisten, the stars were sparkling in the dark night.

“This is beautiful” she whispered softly. Harry grinned.

Soon later, he landed in a small clearing he had found few days before in a wood. It was full of every kind of flowers, and the smell of fresh grass was enticing.

He conjured a blanket and helped Hermione sit on it, then he did too. They gazed silently at the stars.

After some time, he took a deep breath, stood up, then went on one knee, taking a small box out of his pocket and opening it.

“Hermione Eleanor Granger, will you marry me?” he asked, his own voice breaking.

Hermione stared at him open-mouthed, taking in the sight of him proposing to her, and the sparkling ring he ahd chose to do so. It was a white gold band, with small diamonds encased all over it, and one single ruby, her birthstone, in the middle.

Tears started falling from her eyes, while she looked at him unable to speak.

He was starting to get nervous, surely she would have said something if she wanted to, she was probably trying to refuse in a kind way…

Then she flung herself at him, kissing him hard on the mouth, the only way she could think of to show him what her answer was, being that her throat had momentarily gone on vacation.

“I take that as a yes” Harry said, grinning, once they parted.

“Yes. Yes, I'll marry you, Harry!” she finally managed to say, before kissing him again.

And so things got out of hand, and they were almost going to take their relationship to the next step. But then, when they were already half naked, Harry stopped.

“Hermione, we better stop now, or we won't be able to. I want this to be special for you, and I know you dream of your first time being on your wedding night. So it will be. But we need to stop now, for that to be true”

She begrudgingly agreed, even if she had never been more aroused in her life.

From next day, the planning of the wedding started. Ginny and Molly, as soon as they knew the news, volunteered to help. Hermione's mother, Helen, helped too.

They decided to have the ceremony at Hogwarts, in the Great Hall, next Christmas. That gave them just few months to plan.

Hermione and Harry chose the wedding staff, then sent the invitations to all the guests and the requests to those chosen to be on the staff.

Harry James Potter

And

Hermione Eleanor Granger

Request your presence to their wedding,

That is going to be celebrated at

Hogwarts Castle

On December the 24th, at midday.

Please confirm your presence by owl

Harry chose Ron as his best man, and obviously the redhead accepted, while Hermione asked her mother to be her maid of honour.

Then the groomsmen were chosen. They would be Draco, Remus and Neville, while the bridesmaids would be Ginny, Tonks and Luna.

The wedding cake was chosen too, on Hermione's request it was chocolate, vanilla and whipped cream.

Then the moment of choosing the dresses came. For Harry and the groomsmen it was relatively easy. With two days searching, they found what they would wear.

Harry chose a black set of robes, really traditional, with white shirt and silver tie. His wedding staff would wear similar robes, just in light grey, white shirt and silver tie too.

Hermione instead took two weeks to find the dresses for the bridesmaids. In the end the choice fell on some pink coloured robes, that looked good on all the girls.

One more week was needed for finding her wedding dress. Harry was not allowed to see her trying them tough, so he wondered what she would look like the day of their wedding.

“She will be stunning whatever she wears” he thought dreamily. At times, he still couldn't believe he was going to get married in two months time, and to Hermione of all people!

Once the Christmas break at school had started, the two going-to-be-newlyweds and their wedding staff, plus Molly and Helen went there to start adorning the castle.

White roses were placed all inside the Great Hall and the way from the main gates to it, with red ones too, and lilies adorning what would be the altar.

On the outside, flowers of every kind were placed to lighten the castle walls, and protective charms were put on them to keep them beautiful and alive till the ceremony.

Then rehearsals of what the staff should do were done times and times again.

Finally the day came.

Harry that morning woke up really nervous, he was so much that he didn't even notice the signs of the terrible hangover he had, due to one last night of wildness with the guys, organised by the twins.

Ron brought him a Sobering potion, for which Harry thanked profusely his best friend, then he started dressing.

Once he was ready, and his groomsmen too, they teased him about his nervousness.

“You know, if you keep this up, you're gonna beat your father, who puked twice before the ceremony” Remus said.

“Very funny, Remus. I would like to see you in my place”

“Really, Harry, there's nothing to be so worried about. Hermione loves you so much, she would never back away from it right now” Draco said. Just then, Ginny entered.

“Harry, look, I'm so sorry, but Hermione decided she doesn't want to marry you anymore” she said, her face terribly sad.

Harry's face paled, he wasn't able to speak, or think, or do a thing. He kept pacing madly.

After some minutes, Ron thought he was going to pass out, so decided the prank had gone too far.

“Mate, really, it's just a joke. Hermione is waiting for the ceremony to start just like you are” he said.

Colour returned to Harry's face, while everyone laughed at him.

“Very funny, people. But if I got an heart-attack for your prank, you lot would be responsible of the death of the mighty Boy-Who-Lived, you know that, don't you?” he said, faking to be angry.

“Yeah, that would be terrible” Draco said, rolling his eyes.

All of them erupted in laughter.

Midday finally arrived. Harry entered the Great Hall, and after five excruciating minutes in which he kept wiping his sweating hands on his trousers, the wedding march started to play.

Hermione entered the Hall soon later, accompanied by her father on her right arm.

She was wearing a white dress adorned with lots of small diamonds making it sparkle in the light of the Hall, her hair was pulled up in a chignon, two tendrils adorning her face, white roses pinned in her hair, and a light veil, unique concession to her mother, for the rest she was having the wedding she had dreamed of that night at the Burrow when they had spoken about that. One bouquet of white and yellow roses was in her hands. The dress clung to her body perfectly, exalting her sexy figure without need of V-necks plunging too deep, even if the dress did have a V-neck after all.

Harry could feel himself starting to drool at her angelic appearance. Then she looked at him, and smiled that bright smile she reserved for him only, and all the nervousness and the fear of the previous hours vanished. He smiled back, mouthing “I love you”.

Her eyes shined at that, and she mouthed back the same. The journey down the aisle seemed to last forever, but in the end she arrived to his side.

“We're here to celebrate the union in wedding of Harry and Hermione” the priest said. “Who gives this woman away?” he added then.

“Me and her mother do” her father, Robert, said, emotion clear in his voice. Harry glanced at Helen, and found her already in tears.

The celebration continued, till they had to speak their vows.

“From the moment I saw you on the Hogwarts Express I knew you were special. In these years I've come to realize just how much. You've been my rock and always pushed me to give my best. Without you I wouldn't be here now. I love you with all myself, Hermione. With every fibre, every cell of my being, I love you”

“Harry, I knew your fame even before meeting you. In these years I've come to see that while you could have been a spoiled brat, just for who you are, you are instead kind, caring, and loving. You do all you can to help the others, and blame yourself every time someone gets hurt, even when blame is not to be assigned to you. For who you truly are, I love you, Harry” she said, looking at him lovingly.

Then Ron brought the rings.

“With this ring, I thee wed” Harry said, placing it on her finger with shaking hands.

“With this ring I thee wed” Hermione repeated, sliding the ring on his finger, not without difficulties as she couldn't hold her hand still if she tried.

“Harry and Hermione, I declare you husband and wife” the priest said. “Harry, you may kiss your wife”

He didn't wait for the priest saying it again. Swiftly he raised her veil, and she thought in that moment that her mother was right, it really was one of the most emotional moments of the ceremony and her whole life, and thanked God she listened to her in the end, then he placed his lips on hers softly.

Cheers erupted in the whole Hall, where the Weasleys, the staff and some students of their class were reunited.

Then, a sumptuous banquet followed, in which Ron really had a field day.

Everyone enjoyed it, eating lots of deliciously cooked dishes, then the moment of the dances came.

As tradition, the newlyweds opened them, swinging to the soft notes of a beautiful Muggle song by Elton John, “Can you Feel the Love Tonight”.

There's a calm surrender to the rush of day
When the heat of a rolling wind can be turned away
An enchanted moment, and it sees me through
It's enough for this restless warrior just to be with you

And can you feel the love tonight
It is where we are
It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer
That we got this far
And can you feel the love tonight
How it's laid to rest
It's enough to make kings and vagabonds
Believe the very best

There's a time for everyone if they only learn
That the twisting kaleidoscope moves us all in turn
There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors
When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours

They danced to the slow rhythm looking lovingly in each other eyes, from which their happiness was clear and radiant.

Then they kissed once more, for the crowd's joy, as cheers erupted again.

They then switched partners. Harry danced with Ginny, Hermione with Ron. Even if they were with their ex significant others, there was no awkwardness, but only wishes of happiness from their friends.

“Harry, I've never seen your eyes shine like this, not even when we were together” Ginny said, smiling.

“I could say the same of you, Gin” Harry said. “How are things going with Draco?”

“Perfectly. He's so sweet, who would have thought back in school?” she said dreamily.

“Guess another wedding is near then” he teased her.

“I don't know about it, but I surely hope it is” she said.

Hermione, as said, was dancing with Ron.

“So, keeping him in line, are you?” he asked her.

“Well, not that he needs it, unlike someone else we know…” she replied, looking at him, who reddened on his ears.

“You're so cute when you redden this way” she teased him.

“Hermione, men aren't cute. Handsome, maybe, but not cute”

“Ok, then, Mr. Handsome, how are things going with Luna?”

“Very well. I think I might want to marry her soon” he confessed.

“That's great, Ron!” Hermione squealed.

“Shh. There's nothing concrete for now” he said, placing a finger on her lips.

“Still, that's great” she said, grinning.

Few dances later, the ritual of the throwing of the bouquet was held. Luna managed to get it, beating Ginny for mere inches.

The blonde girl ran to Ron, squealing. He caught Hermione's eye and she grinned at him. He blushed.

“Congrats, Luna, Ron. Seems a wedding is near for you” Harry said. Then there was the throwing of the garter, and there Draco was the faster. He was a Seeker after all.

“Well, another probable wedding then. Congrats Draco, Ginny” Hermione said.

Then, after all the guests went away, Harry carried Hermione in his arms into the room McGonagall had assigned them, in the staff wing. The same room Hermione had been in when doing the research on the founders' possessions.

She giggled. “That's very manly of you, Harry” she said, when he placed her on the bed.

“Anything for my extremely sexy wife” he said, kissing her hungrily.

Soon clothes were discarded, even if Harry had some troubles with her wedding dress, and then he managed to unfasten her bra, revealing her soft mounds.

“My, you're beautiful” he whispered, making her shudder with arousal and desire.

So they made love to each other for the first time in their lives, their first at all, almost if they had been saving themselves for the other.

A couple months later, Hermione started puking every morning. Harry was really worried about her, and she was too as she had never been that nauseous. So one day she went to see an Healer.

That night, when Harry came back from training, she had prepared a romantic dinner for two.

“So, how did the visit go?” he asked her at dinner.

“Well, I guess we should start planning a new room in the house” she said, smiling.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, puzzled. She couldn't wait anymore.

“Harry, I'm pregnant! We're gonna be parents!” she squealed.

A grin crept on Harry's face. “Parents…we're gonna be parents…” he repeated dumbly, then stood up, took her in his arms and started swinging her around, both of them laughing madly.

That night some celebration sex took place in their bedroom.

Seven months later, on September, one night Hermione felt really sick. They expected it, the baby was due any day, so they were ready for the emergency.

In few minutes they were at St. Mungo's and Hermione was taken to the maternity ward.

All night the labour lasted, Harry holding her hand and patiently listening all the bad names she called him, till in the early hours of September the 19th little Lily Anne Potter was born, same day of her mother, from who she had inherited, as it later showed, the brown curls, while from her father she got the green eyes.

A Potter family was once again in the world, and no deranged mad wizard was going to disrupt their so long searched and wanted happiness.

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