A/N: Hello there- First, thank you for those great reviews. I'm so glad you guys like this! As for Ron back in the story, I'm not happy about it, but he is like a brother to Harry. Unfortunately. Without further ado... Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Taking into account that the Deathly Hallows is to be published in July (is anyone else terrified?), I don't own the characters. Just the plot. Alas...
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"This is the Horcrux?" Ron asked incredulously as he examined the locket.
"Well, what did you expect?" Hermione asked him, frowning slightly.
"Dunno; it's just... I can't believe that a piece of You- Know- Who's soul is inside of this thing," Ron replied.
"Yeah, it's weird," Harry agreed. "Say, Ron, can I ask you something?" Ron nodded as he continued to narrow his eyes at the locket, turning it around to glance at it from every angle possible. "How did you find the house? We placed a Confundus on it."
"I knew you'd be here, so when I saw the empty spot, I knew something was up," Ron answered, finally leaving the locket on the table to gaze at Harry. "When we... um... fought, Ginny kind of... heard us..."
"She isn't coming here, isn't she?" Harry sharply asked. He didn't feel like dealing with Ginny right now; it had been hard enough avoiding her at the wedding. Ron quickly shook his head.
"She had one of Fred and George's extendable ears, and when we were having lunch with my family, she let it slip that you were here-" he was cut off by an indignant howl from Harry, while Hermione let her jaw fall open. "My mom told me that the Order was looking for you, and that they'd come here to keep an eye on us, but then my dad told my mom that he had already told Lupin that you two were safe, and that there was no need-"
"And he is quite right," Hermione said with a satisfied smile.
"Mom went mental; you know, made a scene..." Ron continued. "But I told her that I'd come here to `check on you'."
"But how did you find the house?" Harry repeated. Ron looked thoughtful for a couple of seconds.
"Well, you see... Dad told me that Dumbledore had been the secret keeper for this house, and I knew that the Fidelius would've disappeared because he passed away," Ron began explaining. "Since you had come here with Hermione, I assumed that you two would cast something like a Confundus on the house... So I asked Dad to tell me how to deactivate it so I could see the house," he finished.
"I'm impressed," Hermione said with her eyebrows rise.
"I'm not that stupid, you know," Ron replied.
"Yeah, you have your moments," Harry said with a grin. Ron blushed slightly but also smiled at them.
"Well, are you going to tell me how to destroy this?" he asked. Hermione instantly lightened up, excited.
"With Harry's blood!" she exclaimed. Ron gazed at Harry at this with a frown and a trace of horror in his features, making Harry chuckle.
"It's probable that my blood also destroyed Riddle's diary, which was a Horcrux, so Hermione thought that maybe it could work on this one too," he told Ron, who scratched his head.
"Trust Hermione to come up with something like that," he commented. "So what're you going to do? Let your blood fall over the locket?" he wanted to know.
"I think it's safer that way," Hermione started. "First I had considered smearing Harry's blood on some object, like a hammer or something, and then hit the Horcrux with it, but then I remembered what had happened to Dumbledore's hand," she told them.
"But how can that be safer?" Harry questioned. "I have to be near to the locket to let the blood fall over it," he said.
"Maybe we can gather it somewhere, like a glass, and then pour it over the locket. You know, we levitate the glass and then tip it..." Hermione retorted. Ron shook his head.
"I'm not entirely comfortable with this conversation," he said with the ghost of a smile on his lips. "It's just so... morbid."
"Morbid?" Hermione echoed.
"Yeah, morbid. Talking about Harry's blood like it was pumpkin juice that Fred and George plan to drench Malfoy's hair with," Ron said.
"It's not like I've never done something of the sort," Harry said, shrugging. "To enter and leave the cave in which the false locket was, I also had to use my blood, and Dumbledore's as well," he said.
"In any case, Voldemort is the morbid one here," Hermione said. Ron looked at her like saying `no shit' and Harry laughed when Hermione stuck her tongue out at Ron.
"Well then," Harry said, rubbing his hands and standing up. "The sooner the better," he added, gazing at Hermione, who nodded and stood up, going over to the counter.
"What?" Ron asked. Harry, who had opened the cupboards and was now inspecting them, looked at him.
"Time to destroy the Horcrux," he said, going back to the cupboards.
"What? Now?" he asked, hastily standing up. "What're you looking for, mate?" He added when he heard clinking noises, staring at Harry grin in triumph.
"A knife," he simply answered, retrieving his hands from the cupboard, holding at least five different knives. Hermione seemed unfazed by this answer as she brought a glass to the table, placing it next to the locket. Paying no heed to Ron's horrified face, she stepped closer to Harry to also examine the knives.
"You guys have issues, did you know that?" Ron couldn't help but to point out.
"Why would you say so?" Hermione asked, not even looking at him.
"Could it be because you're helping your boyfriend decide with knife is better to cut his skin?" he retorted. As Harry decided for a short, yet sharp looking knife, Hermione sighed.
"Well, I don't like it at all," she said, going over to the table again. "But destroying this Horcrux is being one step closer to vanquishing Voldemort... It's better to bite the sour pill and get over it, instead of thinking too much about it," she explained.
"Besides, Ron... We'll have to leave this house soon, and I don't fancy carrying a Horcrux in my pocket while strolling down Hogsmeade," Harry added, standing next to Hermione.
"Okay, okay. Let's do it." he gave in, apprehensively eyeing the knife in Harry's hand. Hermione placed the glass under Harry's hand and bit her lower lip; Harry opened his palm and placed the blade across it.
"Here goes nothing," he muttered, and Ron and Hermione both looked away, shuddering, as he sliced his skin open. "You can look now," Harry's voice stated, so Ron opened his eyes to look back at the table. The glass was not even half full, but a considerable amount of blood rested in it.
"Episkey," Hermione said, pointing at the cut in Harry's palm, and it quickly closed. Ron peered down at the glass and scrunched his nose in disgust when he saw the red liquid swirling about- he hated the sight of blood. "Ron, cast an Imperturbable charm," Hermione suddenly ordered him.
"Why?"
"Just in case... We don't know what the spell protecting the Horcrux will do," Hermione said. Ron raised his eyebrows but nodded, taking his wand out of the pocket of his jeans and pointing it towards the door. He muttered the incantation and then turned around to face his two friends again.
"Done," he clarified. Harry sighed once more.
"Good. Now let's step back," he said, and the three pressed themselves against the wall of the kitchen, as far away from the locket and the blood as they could go without leaving the kitchen. "Use the Shielding spell, in any case," Harry added, and Hermione and Ron nodded. "Well then..." he trailed off, firmly grasping his wand as he positioned the tip in direction of the glass. "Wingardium Leviosa," he said, and the glass lifted itself from the table, hovering over the locket. He felt Hermione gripping his arm, he could sense Ron's fear, he could hear his own heart beating wildly in his chest... And he tipped the glass.
In a split second a brilliant white light illuminated the kitchen, blinding them completely. Harry heard a bloodcurdling shriek and felt how his body was pushed back by the force of the explosion, and next felt his head banging hard against the wall. Stars exploded behind his eyelids... Rubble and dust were falling over them, all around, making them cough and making it impossible to completely open their eyes. Still clutching his wand and feeling slightly dizzy, Harry blinked madly as his free hand felt around the floor for his best friend and his girlfriend.
"Ron? Hermione?" he lisped, coughing again.
"Harry-" a coarse voice, that Harry recognized as Ron's, said at his left. "Are you okay?" Waving a hand in front of his face to clear the air from the dust, Harry managed to see Ron's face at the corner of the room. A purplish bruise was staring to form near Ron's temple.
"Yeah- Where's Hermione?" Ron put a hand over his bruise as he crawled towards Harry, who had large cut on his cheek.
"I don't know- Hermione?" Ron said, looking around. When Hermione didn't answer, something that felt like complete panic seized Harry when he distinguished Hermione's limp body under half of what had been a chair, near the kitchen door. As he quickly staggered towards her he found himself inside the Department of Mysteries; he was fifteen again, and Hermione had just been hit by Dolohov's spell-"Harry, calm down," Ron's voice suddenly reached his ears, and only then did Harry realize that he was sweating and panting. "She's just been knocked out. Probably the chair..."
"Yeah, you're- you're right- I'll take her to our room-" Harry agreed, still in a daze, picking the debris of the chair up and throwing it away. With some effort he cradled Hermione's body safely in his arms and stood up, Ron following suit.
"Our room?" Ron asked as he opened the kitchen door with some effort, kicking pieces of rubble away. Harry didn't answer at first, too conscious of Hermione's lax body in his arms. Why did he overreact like that?
"She told me to share it with her," he finally said as they reached the stairs. A minute of silence filled the air as they climbed the staircase.
"Oh," Ron only said at last. Harry agreed with his head, turning round the corner in direction of the last room in the hallway. When he reached the room Ron opened the door, stepping aside so he could pass; Harry took three big strides across the room and carefully laid Hermione on the bed, taking the opportunity to check if she was breathing. When he was certain she was alright, he turned around and noticed, with some surprise, that Ron had not followed him into the room. With a last glance at Hermione Harry walked over to the door and went out of the room, and, noticing the look on his best friend's face, sighed as he closed the door behind him.
"Let's go and see if it actually worked," Harry chose to say, quickly beginning to walk back to the stairs; he could hear Ron slow steps behind him.
"Did you mean it?" Ron wanted to know as they walked down the stairs, making Harry raise his right eyebrow.
"What?"
"What you told me about not deserving Hermione," Ron specified. Harry halted at the bottom of the stairs, closing his eyes for a second. He gazed at Ron.
"Yes." Ron widened his eyes at this, not believing his ears. He had thought that Harry had said that just because they were fighting...
"What- Why?" he questioned as they started moving towards the kitchen.
"I already told you why." Harry lightly replied, glancing at him.
"So you are perfect enough to deserve her, I take it?" Ron accused; the tips of his ears were red. Harry shrugged.
"No," he told him. "I honestly don't think I'm worthy to even lick the dirt on her shoes, but I'll let her decide that." he added barely above a whisper, putting his hand on the doorknob and turning it to open the door. The window panes had exploded and the table was nothing but a heap of burnt wood on the floor; even small chunks of the walls were missing.
"Bloody hell," Ron stated, ogling at what had been a kitchen in perfect shape twenty minutes before the whole `destroying the Horcrux' business. "Lucky Hermione thought of the Imperturbable," he added. Harry nodded as he started looking through the pieces of the table for the locket. Ron quickly began helping him, not daring to bring the subject of Hermione up. As he removed a particularly big piece of the table away, his hands felt a cold, metallic material. "I found it!" he exclaimed, triumphal, lifting the locket- now burnt and blackened, but still closed and apparently whole.
"Let me see it," Harry urgently requested, prying the offending piece out of Ron's hands.
"Try to open it," Ron said. Harry frowned and bit his lower lip as he turned the locket sideways and pressed the small lock... And the locket parted open easily, hanging innocently by its chain. Harry stared at it, transfixed, while a grin found its way to Ron's face. Harry lifted his eyes to look at him, with his mouth open.
"Is it...?" he trailed off, his eyes still wide. Ron nodded and strongly hit Harry on the back.
"Yeah, mate. You destroyed it! You destroyed the Horcrux!" he announced. Harry's gaze returned to the locket and stared grinning slowly, madly, still incapable of believing it.
"God dammit!" He finally exclaimed, waving his arms and throwing the empty locket against the wall. Somewhere in the world, wherever he was, Voldemort was one step closer to his death! Almost unconsciously Harry did a small jig on the spot. How happy Dumbledore would've been! Harry turned around and hugged Ron (who raised his eyebrows, amused), laughing. Few times in his life had Ron seen Harry look so happy- Even more than when he won the Quidditch Cup in third year. But then again, this was a little bit more important than that... Harry broke the embrace, still grinning like a madman, and raised his index finger. "But this was not my idea..." he started solemnly, whipping around on the spot. "It was hers! Hermione!" he exclaimed, walking over to the door. "Hermione, are you awake?!" he yelled, running out of the kitchen.
"Mental, I tell you," Ron muttered to himself with a grin, hearing Harry's faded `Hermione!' calls coming from the upper floor.
Hermione moaned softly as she stirred, touching her head with her hand. A lump the size of Crookshanks was starting to form on her forehead and scalp, but that didn't matter. She wasn't in the kitchen anymore; what had happened to the Horcrux? Was Harry alright? And Ron? As her eyes brought the room into focus, she heard a door slam against the wall, and she jumped at the loud sound. Seconds after she saw Harry's face hovering above hers. He had a gash on his cheek and his glasses were chipped and askew, but other than that he seemed to be perfectly okay.
"Harry, what-" She was rudely interrupted by Harry's lips over her own. Hermione widened her eyes at this, shocked, assuming that the plan had worked? She put her hands on Harry's chest and gently pushed him away, her brow furrowing. "Is it gone? Are you two alright?" Harry nodded at both questions and pouted, grinning. "Are you sure? Did the whole kitchen... mmmfff..."
Hermione was not quite sure how it had happened, but she suddenly found herself squeezed under Harry, returning his kisses with surprising ease for someone who had been knocked out by a chair and had just woken up. Horcrux? What kitchen? Maybe it was because of Harry's excitement and happiness, maybe it was because of hers- but there was something else there. Some indescribable force behind their kisses; that very same force that had helped Hermione figure out the blood theory... But from where did it come from? What was it? What triggered it?
And why was she thinking about that right now?
Harry's mouth moved from her mouth to her jaw line and the soft skin under her earlobe, making Hermione sigh deeply and tilt her head sideways to give him more room, and Harry accepted her invitation gladly, leaving a trace of kisses all the way from her earlobe to her neck. Her hands found their way to his back, curling her fingers around his t shirt, softly nibbling on his neck as a comeback. When she felt Harry's hand on her stomach, beneath her blouse, she let out a small gasp.
"Harry- Ron is downstairs..." her voice faded into a purr as he continued to nibble on her collarbone mercilessly. On their own volition, Hermione's hands worked their way under Harry's shirt too, wanting to feel his skin-
"I don't care," he breathed. The scary part about this whole situation was that Hermione also couldn't care less, and didn't object when Harry claimed her mouth again as his hands began to roam over her body clumsily, as though wanting to touch everything he could reach in the shortest amount of time possible. The pace was maddening and their actions became more desperate; the temperature in the room seemed to go up ten degrees in three seconds...
CRASH!
Harry and Hermione both froze as they heard that, their eyes going towards the door.
"Idiot boy, where is it? WHERE IS IT?!" a dimmed shout could be heard, followed by a BANG. Harry sprung up like hit by lightening at this, still breathing heavily, and Hermione grabbed both their wands and ran towards the door, Harry by her side.
That had not been Ron's voice.
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A/N: And that's all for now. Hope you liked it... Please leave me a review to tell me what you though of it!
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