A/N: My apologies for the wait on this one. The stomach flu is not pretty. I have to say, I was a bit saddened by the low number of reviews for this last chapter. It is amazing how many people read my story, and for that I am truly thankful. I cherish every review I get, and your words of wisdom mean so much to me. For those of you who review on a regular basis, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You deserve a gold medal. For those of you quiet readers, let me hear what you think. It keeps me writing!
And now back to the Horcrux hunt…
JKR deserves a gold medal for character creativity. As for closure…well, I think that it needs some work…
Chapter 36
The House of Gaunt
Harry woke with a start and realized that he was late. He rushed to get ready, cursing himself for the loss of time. Now he wouldn't be able to speak to Hermione and Ron until later. The last time he had been tardy in his meeting with Moody, the Auror had really taken it out on him.
He was rushing down the final stairway to the Great Hall, intent on grabbing a piece of toast, when it hit him. An intense pain exploded from his scar, causing his knees to buckle and he stumbled down the last few steps. He leaned against the wall, eyes tightly closed as he pushed the palm of his hand against his forehead. Voldemort was thoroughly pissed off, and he figured that he knew why. Obviously he had received word about the Burrow.
He took a few deep breaths and focused on pushing the pain away. As it receded, he opened his eyes to find a startling pair of blue eyes watching him.
"I'm fine," he said automatically before Luna could ask.
She smiled at him as she moved towards the staircase.
"You will be," she said as she left.
Harry watched her go for a moment. Before shaking his head and turning back towards the Great Hall. He reached the Gryffindor table and grabbed a few slices of toast and poured himself some pumpkin juice. His eyes slid down the table, looking for his friends, who he saw were watching him. As soon as they made eye contact, Hermione began to gather her books and Ron went back to shoveling the last of his breakfast down his throat. He made his way down the length of the table to stand behind them. They turned around as he cleared his throat, and suddenly Harry didn't know what to say. Ron raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to speak. Harry looked from him to Hermione to see that she was watching him warily.
"I…uh…I wanted to apologize for my behavior last night," he said as he watched her. "To both of you," he added, sliding his eyes over to Ron before looking back to Hermione. "I've had a lot on my mind these past few weeks, not…not that it should excuse my behavior, but…"
`I love you,' he thought, but he couldn't say it. Not here, and not now, not with the way she was looking at him.
Suddenly he was lost in the sorrow of Hermione's beautiful brown eyes. He realized that he had done that to her, and he felt his chest tighten. He sat down in front of her and grabbed her hands to still them from packing her bag. Hermione stiffened from the contact, and Harry realized that his actions from the past few weeks had caused a huge rift.
"I am sorry," he said to her. "I don't know what else to say."
Hermione slowly withdrew her hands and put her last book away.
"It's a start," she said as she made a move to go.
"Wait!" Harry said, grabbing at her school robe to stop her. "Can we meet back in our common room after classes this afternoon?"
Hermione looked from Harry to Ron, and Harry thought he saw something pass between them. She gave a slight nod.
"We'll be there," she said as she left.
Ron gulped down the last of his juice before picking up his books.
"Does this mean you're going to be a bit more civil now?" he asked.
"Yeah," Harry said. "I promise."
"Good," Ron said as he stood up. "I would hate to have to knock your block off for hurting Hermione again."
Harry watched him catch up to Hermione and put an arm around her shoulders as they exited the Hall. His heart lurched at the sight, and deep down he felt a fear that he was too late. He had lost her to Ron. Harry cursed himself as he stood up to go. He looked up as he heard a familiar clumping sound heading his way, and winced. Moody did not look overly pleased that he had to come and find Harry. He sighed in resignation. It was going to be another tough lesson. He just hoped that he didn't land in the hospital ward again.
****** ****** ****** ******
Harry slowly limped back to the Gryffindor tower. It had been a long day. Moody had kept him longer to make up for his tardiness, which didn't give him any time to see Madame Pomfrey before he had to go to his Defense Against the Dark Arts class. He really should get her to teach him some quick healing spells for days like this. He had known that Lupin was furious with him when he had walked through the door just by the look on his face, and the lecture he had received after class about what he had done to Dolohov didn't put him in a very good mood. He ended up missing lunch, and Tonks, who obviously had spoken with Lupin, was just as hard on him. He had sent Ron and Hermione back to their common room while he stopped by the infirmary for some salve.
As he entered the common room he saw Ron and Hermione sitting side by side at the table with their backs to him. The close proximity of their bodies was almost enough to undo any remaining control he had over his foul mood, and the lights flickered, causing them to look up. He must have looked quite angry, because their whole demeanor changed as he moved into the room.
"I'm going to take a shower," he muttered as he stalked into the bathroom.
He let the hot water cascade down his head, and hissed in pain as the water reached some of the open wounds on his torso and legs. He stood there, eyes closed, trying to calm himself. He had to get his anger under control. Albion was right. He needed to control it, not have it control him. As he dried himself off he realized the stupidity of not bringing a change of clothes with him. He wrapped a towel around his waist, grabbed his dirty and torn clothes and headed back to his room. As he passed the table he felt a thrill of pleasure as he watched Hermione take in his attire, or lack of it, her face flushing.
Once he was behind his door he applied the salve to the variety of cuts and scrapes across his arms, legs and shoulder. But try as he might, he could not quite reach the ones on his back. He finally gave up, and after throwing on a pair of pants, came out, with his shirt and salve in hand.
"Uh…could I get one of you to…" he held up the salve as he turned around.
"Oh, Harry, that must hurt," Hermione said as she jumped up and took the salve from him. "Use my chair."
Harry spun the chair around and straddled it, leaning on his arms across the back. Her fingers were cool and gentle on his burning skin, and as she slowly worked the salve in, he rested his head on his arms and closed his eyes. He allowed her fingers to soothe him; letting his muscles relax as the feathery touches worked their magic, like a lover's kiss. He became so focused on her fingers that he forgot where they were.
"That feels great, `Mione," he breathed.
Suddenly he heard a book drop, reminding him that Ron was sitting right beside him. The soft touch disappeared and the lid was hastily put back on the jar.
"That should do," Hermione said briskly as she moved away.
"Thanks," Harry said as he gingerly slid his shirt on.
Hermione moved to the couch, and Harry followed, sitting at the opposite end. There was an uncomfortable silence and Harry didn't know where to start. He didn't want to start talking about his feelings in front of Ron; he wasn't too sure where he stood with her now. After a moment, Ron cleared his throat.
"So, uh, did you get any useful information from Dolohov?" he asked.
"On Voldemort? No," Harry said, not meeting Hermione's eyes.
"Then what-" Hermione started.
"A Horcrux, maybe. I think it was," Harry said, thinking back.
Hermione frowned. "How would Dolohov know anything about the Horcruxes?"
"I don't think he knew what it was. According to the memory I saw, all Voldemort told him was that it was something that he treasured," Harry replied.
"So which one, and where is it?" asked Ron.
"It was the Hufflepuff cup," said Harry, "And it's at the old Gaunt house."
"The one you told us about last year," Ron said.
Harry nodded. "Yeah, it's in Little Hangleton. We're going to need a Portkey with no questions attached."
"Why? McGonagall knows about the Horcruxes," Ron said.
"Do you really think she will let us go off on our own after the problems with Godric's Hollow? As much as it's great to have their support, I, or rather we, need to do this ourselves," Harry said. "The fewer people involved, the better."
"Wait a minute," Hermione interrupted. "You told us that Dumbledore found the ring there already. Would Voldemort hide two Horcruxes in the same place?"
Harry shrugged. "All I know is that in the vision, Voldemort and Dolohov were in a cave and when they left, they came out through the Gaunt house."
"Well, I guess its time to go and visit my brothers," Ron said.
"Whatever for?" Hermione asked.
"If we are going Horcrux hunting, I want to be prepared. I'm not going anywhere near that house or in any caves without some form of protection," he replied.
"Like what? Spider repellant?" Hermione teased.
"Hey! Don't knock it! That stuff really works!" Ron cried indignantly.
Harry hid a smile at Ron's involuntary shudder.
"Bet there's a whole nest of them," Harry heard him mutter.
"Besides," Ron said out loud, "Fred and George have a really good map of Britain. We can get a Portkey from them."
Ron stood up and stretched, and as he passed the couch he gave Harry a brotherly clap on the shoulder. Harry winced.
"We can go and eat first, right?" Ron asked.
Harry smirked up at him and nodded his head.
"Yeah, and get a good night's sleep as well. We can leave tomorrow morning."
As Ron left, Harry turned and looked at Hermione, who was watching him from the other end of the couch. They looked at each other for a moment, and then Harry moved towards her.
"Hermione,"
Hermione was up off the couch in a flash.
"We should really go down and get something to eat," she said nervously as she grabbed her bag of books. "We have rounds tonight, and I don't want to be doing it on an empty stomach."
She headed towards the opening. Harry jumped up.
"Hermione, wait!" he called.
She stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him warily. He came to stand in front of her.
"I really am sorry," he said, "For everything."
Hermione looked into his eyes and reached up to brush his hair away from his scar.
"I know," she said as she smiled sadly.
Harry leaned in to kiss her, wanting to wipe that look off her face. She ducked, and moved away from him and towards the door.
"No, I can't," she said and hurried out the opening.
Harry leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He had blown it. What he had seen was true; she had made the decision to be with Ron.
When he had entered the Great Hall a while later, he automatically scanned the room looking for his friends. They were way down at the far end of the table, sitting with Ginny, Neville and Luna. He joined them, sliding in beside Neville and helping himself to some food. He didn't add much to the conversation during the meal, but he kept glancing at Hermione, who was pointedly ignoring him. Dinner ended, and Luna got up to head back to her dorm.
"See you tonight during rounds, Ronald," she said as she leaned down and kissed him.
Harry was so shocked that he choked on his juice. While he was sputtering, Hermione got up, collecting her bag as she went and giving him a strange look.
"Come on, Ginny," she said. "I'll show you where to find that book you need for your potions assignment."
After they left with Neville in tow, Harry turned back to Ron, who was looking at him rather oddly.
"Are you alright, mate?" he asked.
"Yeah," Harry said as he moped up the juice he had spilt. "Don't you think Hermione is going to get annoyed at you when Luna kisses you like that?"
Ron frowned. "Why would she care if my girlfriend kisses me?" he asked.
"Because she…you…what?" Harry asked.
"Luna. My girlfriend." Ron said.
"But she was…you were…you put your arm around her!" Harry said.
Ron looked at him like he was nutters.
"Harry, Hermione is my friend, nothing more. I care about her, and as much as she drives me crazy when she is bossing me around, she will always be my friend," he leaned forward. "And I will always be there for her and I will never shut her out," he said pointedly. He got up to leave. "See you after rounds," he said and left.
Harry sat there stunned. His best mate, the one who supposedly had the emotional range of a teaspoon, had just chewed him out for the way he had been treating Hermione. Not only that, he had completely forgotten that Ron was seeing Luna. He had been so caught up in his self-centeredness that the world around him had ceased to exist. He knew nothing about his friends or what was really going on in the school. He had become single-mindedly fixated on one thing, just like Voldemort. He was no better at being a leader than his nemesis was. The absurdity of it all suddenly got to him and he started to laugh. There were a few students that day that thought that the strain of being "The Chosen One" had finally pushed Harry Potter round the bend.
****** ****** ****** ******
After a short visit with the twins, the trio Portkeyed to just outside of Little Hangleton. It seemed to Harry, that not much had changed. The town was a bit bigger, and Harry could see the church and the graveyard where he met Voldemort three years ago. He shuddered at the thought and looked away. He could see the Riddle house on the hill, looking quite sinister. No wonder no one wanted to purchase it; the house was permeated with evil.
"Come on," he said as he led the way down the lane to where the Gaunt house was hidden. As they rounded the corner, Harry began to look for the opening in the hedge. It took him several passes before he found it; the hedge had grown extensively from the time in the memory that Dumbledore had shown him. The rocky and pot holed path was darker, since the hedgerows had grown up high enough to block out the sun. As they came to the copse, Harry stopped and scanned the patch of dark trees for the house. He was surprised to find it still standing. The tiles were completely missing from the roof on one side of the house, and the thistles and bushes in the front had grown past the windows. Harry could see birds flying through the skeletal rafters and he was quite sure there were many other animals nesting in the house as well. As he headed for the front door, Harry suddenly heard a hissing sound and turned around to see Ron spraying himself with…something.
"Spidaway," he said in response to Harry's questioning look. "It's supposed to keep the spiders away."
"It smells vulgar," Hermione said as she moved past him to look at the house. "Do you think there are any wards on the house?"
Harry frowned. "I don't think so," he said remembering the vision. "Gaunt liked to use fear to keep intruders away."
Hermione peered cautiously through the door before pushing it open and stepping inside. Harry hurried after her, the concern for her safety quickening his steps.
The inside of the house had faired no better than the outside. What was left of any furnishings were broken and tattered. Harry was amazed to see the pots still hanging in the grubby little kitchen. Ron kicked at the old overstuffed chair and several mice skittered into the safety of the shadows. Harry headed to the back of the house where he figured the bedrooms were. The second door he opened showed him a tiny room with a bed and a small bedside table. A small brush and a few dusty, broken trinkets lay on the table, but there was nothing left of the mattress on the bed, except a few tattered pieces of cloth. As Harry looked through the rusty springs of the bed frame, he thought he could just faintly make out what looked like a handle in the floor.
"This is it!" he said excitedly, as Ron and Hermione came into the room. "Help me move this."
The three of them lifted the bed up on its end and shoved it against the wall. Ron shuddered as a lone spider dropped from the frame, but then sighed in relief as it scuttled away.
"It works," he said happily.
Hermione rolled her eyes and Harry bent down to look at the trap door and hide his smile. He gave the handle a tug and was surprised when it opened easily. He peered down into the dark musty hole, but couldn't see anything. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the opening.
"Lumos," he said.
He could make out some kind of a ladder that went down about twenty feet. At the bottom it looked like a cave with two side tunnels.
"I wonder who dug this? Do you think Gaunt knew about it?" Hermione asked.
Harry shook his head. "I don't know. I think this is Merope's room, but maybe it was some kind of escape route for the whole family."
"Escape from what?" Ron asked worriedly.
"Who knows?" Harry said. "Gaunt seemed to be a bit paranoid. Maybe he made it so he had a way to escape from the authorities."
"And he knew that the spiders would scare everyone away," Hermione smirked.
Ron paled. "Not funny," he said.
"Let's go," Harry said as he lowered himself down the hole.
"Are you serious?" Ron said.
"Yes," Harry said. "I remember a tunnel, so we have to go down."
He lowered himself down the ladder until he came to the dirt floor of the cave. Hermione soon followed. They both looked up to see where Ron was.
"Are you coming?" Harry called.
"Just a minute," they heard, and then the distinct sound of the Spidaway being sprayed.
When Ron got to the bottom, Harry and Hermione looked at him.
"Do you want some?" he asked.
"Why," Harry said, "Would I trust a product that the twins made especially for you?"
Hermione laughed as Ron looked around fearfully, while trying to brush his clothes off. Then he reluctantly followed his friends further into the cave.
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