Chapter 877 - Ch: 12

Chapter 12

Hermione's dreams were filled with strange visions of the dark forest, gasping breaths, and the taste of dirt in her mouth. And her days were filled with the unreality of the mundane.

Classes and homework.

Gossip that Anthony Goldstein was actually showing an interest in someone other than himself. The giggles when the rumor that Sadie Carlisle might be the next head girl, even though she'd been caught in a broom closet with the current Head Girl.

Then Harry would whisper in her ear about Horcruxes and fiendfyres.

Her reality felt bizarre and unhinged.

She had trouble concentrating in class and made mistakes that she normally wouldn't. In her potions class, she added the ingredients in the wrong order and made her cauldron partially melt.

It was a rookie mistake, and she'd expected Snape to basically tear her to shreds for it. Instead, he'd just observed her sneeringly moving past her mess without a word. Hermione wondered if it was Dumbledore's influence or something else.

Still, regardless, Hermione was grateful for the reprieve.

Clean up took a while when class was over, and Harry helped her while Snape sat at his desk and pretended they didn't exist. Harry led her out, returning the favor by pretending Snape didn't exist in his world as he pulled her along to the corridors outside.

When they left the classroom, Harry laced his fingers with hers. "Come with me for a bit?"

It was a question, but his tone was more of a demand. Regardless, Hermione nodded in agreement.

Harry led her toward the dungeons, stopping just before the stone wall that guarded the Slytherin entrance.

"Stay beside me," he murmured.

He gave the password. The wall split down the center and slid open, revealing the Slytherin common room beyond.

Hermione's eyes widened when she saw into the room. Every seat in the common room was occupied, and students lined the edges of the room, standing in rows. The windows that looked out into the lake cast their muted green light across the chamber, rippling faintly over stone and skin alike. It painted the gathered Slytherins in an underwater glow, their faces sharpened by shadow, their silhouettes dark and unified.

When they stepped inside, every eye swung toward them. Hermione fought the flinch and instead threw her shoulders back, standing proudly next to Harry. He glanced at her and squeezed her hand.

Draco and Theo stood near the center of the group. Harry moved forward until they were also in the center, squeezing her hand once before letting go and stepping up onto a chair, then onto a table so he was above everyone, looking down at them.

"Slytherin House," Harry said, looking over them. "You know why you're here."

A murmur rippled through the students. Some of them looked at Hermione, and she kept her chin high. She wished Harry had warned her, but some part of her knew something like this would happen. Harry was consolidating his power, and showing up with her was a statement in itself.

Harry's voice was measured and cutting as he told them, "The Dark Lord is not invincible, no matter what the rumors say. I know how he thinks. I know where his weaknesses hide. You have a choice to cling to a dying power or swear allegiance to me."

"And if we refuse?" A Slytherin called out.

Harry whirled in the direction of the voice, his Slytherin cloak flaring around him. The temperature of the room dropped. "If you pledge your loyalty to me, I will protect you, your families, your fortunes." He paused, his eyes scanning the crowd. "And if you do not, you will be treated as my enemies."

Harry's tone was cold and hard. The words were not a threat but a reality. A future that couldn't be ignored. Hermione didn't flinch away from the ruthlessness that Harry described.

The Slytherins exchanged looks.

"The Dark Lord has marked me as his equal. I alone have the power to topple the Dark Lord, and now you must make your choice: will you raise our wands for me or against me?" Harry paused, looking at the gathered Slytherins with a threat in his eyes. "I don't need all of you— only the ones smart enough to understand the way this will end."

It was all Hermione could do not to flinch at his first statement. Harry held part of Voldemort's soul inside him. It was horrifying, and she managed to make herself not think about it — but it was hard to push that thought away when she saw the acknowledgement of it in the eyes of the Slytherins around them.

Harry gazed at the Slytherins around him for a long moment before commanding. "Decide."

Draco and Theo were the first to pledge, raising their wands and repeating in sync. "On my magic, I swear my loyalty to Harry Potter." Magic sparked, and the tips of their wands glowed white.

Whispers rippled through the crowd, and Hermione saw Pansy and Daphne looking at her with calculation. Each Slytherin was weighing the danger and the threat that loyalty to Harry would entail.

Silence fell in the wake of Draco and Theo's pledge before Pike Carrow stepped forward, drawing everyone's gaze. "On my magic, I swear my loyalty to Harry Potter." His wand brightened.

His pledge seemed to break the dam open. Other than Harry, the three of them were the most influential and powerful in Slytherin. One by one, others followed like dominoes. Pansy Parkinson. Gregory Goyle. Daphne Greengrass. The Slytherins were a sea of white lights, each one pledging to Harry.

After the entire Slytherin house had pledged their loyalty, Harry hopped off the table and was surrounded by Slytherins. Hermione stepped backward, giving them room to talk to him as she watched.

She didn't notice Carrow had come up right beside her until he spoke.

"Granger." He said coolly.

Hermione's spine went rigid. "Carrow."

He sent her a thin smile, his gaze on Harry talking to the other Slytherins. "Don't get so tense, I'm not here to make trouble."

"Then why are you here?"

"To thank you."

Hermione eyed him suspiciously; he still gave her a bad feeling. "You have nothing to thank me for."

"Oh, but I do." Carrow contradicted in that strangely flat, gentle tone. "I'm still alive because of you."

"What?"

Carrow finally turned his shark-like black eyes on her. "Potter told me he would have killed me, but you don't like killing." He turned away from her again. "So he took my loyalty instead."

Hermione stared at Carrow, not knowing what to say. When she made no response, eventually he nodded. "I owe you a life debt, and I always repay my debts, Granger."

She didn't think that was quite how those things worked, but she wasn't about to argue with Carrow either. Before she could think of what to reply, Harry noticed Carrow next to her and made his way swiftly to her side. The easy authority he'd been wearing for the Slytherins shifted into something much colder as he eyed Carrow next to her.

"Carrow." He said quietly, a hint of a threat in his voice.

Carrow didn't flinch under his regard, inclining his head slightly. "Potter."

Harry's hand came up to cup Hermione's elbow as he stood beside her. "Is there a problem?"

"Not at all," Carrow replied smoothly. "I was merely thanking Granger."

"For what?"

"My continued existence."

The two wizards stared at each other for a moment, a wordless conversation happening filled with violence and promises. "Yes." Harry finally acknowledged. "You should."

Carrow gave a thin smile, turning to Hermione and giving a short bow. "Granger. If you should ever require something done, I will answer."

Then he stepped back, melting into the cluster of Slytherins.

Silence lingered between her and Harry for a beat. Harry looked over at her. "If he bothers you, I can just remove him."

"From the room?" Hermione asked, not sure what he meant.

"From existence."

She winced. Carrow was definitely a creepy individual, but he hadn't actually harmed her. And she couldn't deny that he seemed a valuable tool for Harry to have. "It's fine."

Harry pulled her closer, leaning lower, until he filled her vision. "Are you sure?"

Hermione gave him a tentative smile. She was definitely not sure about Carrow. He seemed like he was just a dash more sane than Bellatrix. But nonetheless, she answered in the affirmative. "I'm sure."

Silence fell between them, and more Slytherins came up to Harry, currying favor and complimenting him almost subserviently. Harry took it all in with a blank face, his hand tight on hers.

When they finally had another moment alone, Harry glanced about the room before leading her out. "Let's go." Hermione didn't say anything as Harry pulled her out of the Slytherin common room into the corridor beyond.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked by rote; she didn't really care where Harry was leading her. Her mind was still tangled in the scene they'd just left. In remembering Carrow's strange shark-like gaze.

But Harry paused and looked down at her. Earlier, when he'd been speaking to the Slytherins, there had been a cold edge in his eyes— but now there was something softer- something more desperate as he stared at her. "I need you."

The words pulled Hermione away from her numbness. From the uneasiness that lingered after witnessing the Slytherins' pledge to Harry like a king. "Then take me somewhere."

His eyes darkened, and he glanced down the corridor before pulling her firmly along, tension in his shoulders. He was searching for something.

Harry stopped when they reached a broom closet. "Here."

"What?" Hermione yelped as he pulled her in.

The door clicked shut behind them, plunging the tiny space into near total darkness. The air was thick with the scent of old straw and floor polish. A broomstick and a mop bucket pressed into them from the side. Hermione was crushed against Harry's chest in the claustrophobic dark.

"Harry—" Somehow, she hadn't anticipated a broom closet.

Harry cut her off, pressing his lips against hers, urgent and desperate. The taste of him was like being underwater, finally breaking through the ice and breathing in air—everything else was an illusion, but what was between them was real.

A jolt of lust streaked through her, and she grasped his shoulders, trying to pull him even closer. "Harry, please…"

She needed him like she needed air to breathe. Everything was changing too fast — she was changing too fast, and she felt like it was suffocating her.

"Yes." He said in a guttural voice. He didn't need any more encouragement than that.

With a swift motion, he grasped her skirt, hitching it around her waist while getting his trousers undone. Then he lifted her into the air. She wrapped her legs around him while her back was braced against the stone wall. Harry braced a hand on the door while the other held her arse in place.

He entered her in one deep thrust that expelled all the air from her lungs. It wasn't loving or gentle like other times— it was desperate and primal. Hermione clung to him and buried her face in his neck as he moved against her, muffling her cries against his skin.

Harry gave a harsh grunt as their skin met, her name a breathless whisper. The darkness made it even more heated, more desperate. Hermione wanted to exist forever in that heated moment. The totality of her existence would be his hands under her arse helping her ride him.

Her body shook as she came, clenching down on him, as he stiffened against her and gave a hoarse shout. The feeling of him pulsing inside her sent another spasm through her, and she bit his neck.

Harry moaned, angling to give her more room, encouraging her to make him harder. When her orgasm passed, she licked the spot half in apology and just to taste him.

They stayed in that stupid broom closet for a long time, stuck together, sweating and breathless. Maybe Harry felt like she did— how surreal everything felt.

And how this was the first taste of reality they'd had in a while.

Thursday afternoon found Hermione sitting side by side with Harry, with their backs against an empty classroom wall. Harry was wearing a button-up shirt with the collar open. He'd been showing off the mark she'd left on his neck the past few days, and Hermione couldn't help blushing every time she saw it and thinking that broom closets were unexpectedly sexy places.

Around them, the tutoring classroom had already been prepped for their practice duel, but instead, they sat next to each other, both staring straight ahead.

"Lucius and Narcissa have locked down the Malfoy estate," Harry revealed quietly.

Hermione glanced at him. "Because of Bellatrix?"

"Not specifically, more everything that is happening. It's just a matter of time until Crabbe and Goyle try to take out Nagini — whether they succeed or not, their actions will be a catalyst."

Hermione turned him then, studying his profile. "We don't have all the Horcruxes yet."

"No." Harry agreed. "But we should within the next couple of weeks. After the next Quidditch game, I'm going to retrieve the three that we have locations on."

"Why after?"

Harry shot her a smirk. "Just in case I get injured. I don't want to lose the game."

Hermione stared at him for a moment, then huffed out a disbelieving laugh. "You are impossible."

Harry's smirk widened. "Strategic, you mean."

"You're prioritizing winning a Quidditch game over gathering the Horcruxes faster."

"I'm prioritizing morale. They just pledged to me— I can't ask them to side with me over a dark lord, then lose a bloody Quidditch game to Ravenclaws. I can't make any mistakes right now — and losing —in any mannerwill erode their confidence in me."

It sounded ridiculous, but Hermione couldn't deny that she almost understood. Harry's image mattered— to Slytherins, he was both their leader and their symbol.

"I'll go with you to get them."

"No. I have a plan for both— Draco and Lucius are accompanying me."

Hermione leaned closer to him. "If something happens to you, I'm not forgiving you or them."

Harry reached out for her hand, lacing their fingers together. "Nothing is going to happen."

"You promise?" She asked.

She knew he couldn't.

"I promise," Harry said firmly.

And she'd known he'd promise anyway.

She shifted, letting out a slow breath. "Then tell me — tell me the plan for them."

"For the three that we know— the ring, the cup, and the locket." Harry outlined. "The ring is in an old Gaunt property, heavily warded. The cup is in Bellatrix's Gringotts vault that Lucius now has access to through Narcissa. The last is more complicated, but we're fairly certain we've located it."

"Complicated doesn't sound reassuring."

Harry studied their joined hands before pulling her hand up swiftly to press a kiss to her knuckles. "Don't worry."

"I can't help it."

"Then I guess I have to distract you."

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut briefly. The thought of him being hurt made her stomach churn. She knew he was trying to keep it light for her, but a part of her wanted to shake him and tell him to stop being so flippant.

She opened her eyes and found him watching her steadily. He kissed her knuckles again, slower this time, almost in apology.

"I love you."

Hermione took in a short breath, giving him a pained smile. "I love you too." She let go of his hand, rose smoothly to her feet, and offered him her hand. "I guess we should practice."

A faint, almost proud smile curved Harry's mouth as he accepted her hand and let her pull him up. "Alright, no holding back."

"I won't." She said with a faint threat in her voice.

They stepped into the front of the classroom, and their wands rose in unison.

Harry faced her, barely an inch between them. "Are you ready?"

Hermione's hand tightened on her wand. "Ready."

He stepped back, not breaking eye contact, and brought up his wand between them. "Let's dance, love."

Hermione laughed, slashing her wand through the air, and fire erupted like a wave rushing toward him.

Harry's wand whirled in his hand. "Aguamenti!" Water rushed up like a waterfall, smashing into her fire, and smoke filled the classroom. "Ventus!" The smoke swirled in a tornado, tipping over desks as it barrelled toward Hermione, yanking at her clothes.

She dodged the mini cyclone, "Are you trying to get me naked, Harry?"

"Always."

Her wand rose, and with it all the desks and chairs in the room levitated. Then, with a sharp downward cut of her wrist, she sent them hurtling toward Harry in a storm of wood and iron.

"Protego Maxima!" His shield popped into existence, all the desks and chairs slamming into and forming a jagged mountain in front of him, hiding Hermione from view. "Bombarda maxima!"

Explosions rocked the classroom, in an eerie echo of how he'd attacked her internal Occlumency defenses months ago. The desks blew backward as a whole was punched through them.

"Expelliarmus!" Hermione's spell snapped through the opening, reaching for Harry's wand, and he barely dodged her reach. Excitement raced through at the close call.

"Incarcerus!" Harry returned fire, his binding spell coming at her so quickly she didn't have time to dodge.

"Protego maxima!" Her shield sprang up just in time as his spell smashed into it, making her stumble backward. Damnit, she needed to be faster.

She dropped the spell, fighting step by step to get closer to him while dodging his return spells. "Flipendo! Stupefy! Locomotor Mortis!"

He took a step back, making her heart leap in anticipation as he batted away her spells.

"Diffindo!" Her cutting spell came so close that it cut the edge of his jumper, the threads falling to the floor.

Harry laughed breathlessly, his face pleased. "Now who's trying to get who naked?"

Hermione grinned at him, pacing forward her wand ready as she braced herself for his next attack.

"Oppugno!" Birds flew from Harry's wand, arrowing at her to attack from multiple directions, disorienting her.

"Reducto!" She cried, ducking the swooping birds, missing Harry advancing on her.

"Petrificius totalus!"

Hermione ducked as the spell sliced by her. "Reducto! Reducto!"

Birds exploded around her as her magic lashed at them, but she missed a bird, which was diving at her back, its beak sharp. Harry darted forward, grabbed her, and pulled her forward roughly.

Hermione yelped as the bird dived past her and, using his grip, swept out her leg, tripping him.

They went down to the floor together. Hermione's back hit the stone with a dull thud, while Harry followed her down, managing to brace himself on one forearm to prevent crushing her under his weight. Their wands remained clenched in their hands.

They froze, faces inches apart. Breath mingling.

Harry lifted his other hand, brushing back a stray curl from her face. "You're amazing."

Hermione looked a little disgruntled. "I still didn't really win."

"You brought me down to the floor."

Hermione relaxed back against the stone, staring up at Harry. Even with everything looming over them — Voldemort, war, the weight of what they'd done — he looked steady. Unshaken. "I think there's something wrong with me, Harry."

"Why?"

"Because …. I don't feel different. I don't feel bad." After everything she'd thought, she would drown in guilt for her actions, but there was nothing but a feeling of persistent emptiness when she thought of it.

Harry leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. "Why should you feel bad?"

"For using the cruciatus like that. For everything I've done." She said quietly.

Harry shifted, easing some of his weight onto his elbow as he stared down at her. "This is war." He told her firmly. "You don't feel bad because you've accepted the cost of winning."

"The cost of winning?" Hermione asked, tasting the words. It didn't seem to fully explain the emptiness inside her. "I think I've just become numb to violence — that it has hollowed me out in someway. And that's… that's frightening, Harry."

A flicker of something crossed Harry's face. Not anger, but something deeper. Older. "I've been wanting to kill Bellatrix since I was six. I thought when I finally did it, it would feel like victory."

"And it didn't?"

"No." His gaze was clear as he looked down at her. "It felt like nothing. Like I was just closing a door." He leaned down and kissed her softly. "There are many doors we will have to close, Hermione. Numbness isn't a bad thing. It keeps you distant, above it all."

Hermione rested her hand on the curve of his neck, feeling the steady beat of his pulse. Silence stretched between them. "We just have to remember the difference between what is necessary and what's matters, Harry."

"Bellatrix's death was necessary." He said.

"Yes." She agreed. That door had needed to be shut.

"Then don't push yourself to feel something for the rubbish we took out." He leaned down to kiss her again, slowly, searchingly. His tongue caressed the inside of her mouth.

There was a hushed quality to the kiss, as they lay there in the ruined classroom. The smoke from their fight still lingered in the air, scattered and ruined desks flung about like casualties from their battle.

His kiss was a siren song, his taste addictive— and Hermione knew she was completely under his spell.

Harry drew back by just a fraction, their gaze meeting. Maybe if there had been some darkness or triumph in his gaze, her unease would have persisted. She might have resisted his worldview harder.

But there was only love and possessiveness in Harry's eyes as he gazed down at her. His hips pushed against hers suggestively, and her pulse quickened. "Let's have a rematch." He murmured against her skin.

Hermione shivered under him, letting her legs fall apart as he settled between them. "Then you have to let me up."

He grinned hungrily at her, fire in his eyes. "I will. After."

The Quidditch game between Slytherin and Ravenclaw dawned with unseasonably clear skies and a bright yellow sun. Hermione sat between Padma and Luna, all three of them wearing Slytherin colors.

They'd gotten side eye from their house when they'd left the common room, but no one dared speak out against them, even teasingly. Especially when all the Ravenclaws knew that a group of Slytherins was waiting for them just outside the common room entrance.

There was still a smattering of snow and ice stubbornly clinging to the stands and the pitch despite the bright sunshine. The frost glittered in the sunlight, making everything just a bit more magical. Hermione wore the green jumper Harry had gotten her for Christmas, along with her silver Slytherin scarf.

The teachers had all noted her going up the Slytherin stands, and Hermione had felt Dumbledore's gaze like a heavy weight. He hadn't approached her, but she knew he was just biding his time. He didn't realize the clock was almost out — in less than two weeks, Harry should have all the Horcruxes that they had leads on. Which only left two to deal with.

Hermione frowned as she stared ahead blindly.

"You'd think this was the first time we sat in the Slytherin stands," Padma said wryly, acknowledging she felt the stares too.

Theo leaned over and nuzzled Padma's cheek. "Well, you have to admit it's a little bit different since we're about to kick some Ravenclaw arses."

Luna leaned her shoulder against Hermione's. "I think some people just get confused about our loyalty." She smiled at Hermione. "It goes a bit deeper than house colors."

Hermione gave her a faint smile. "Much deeper."

Across the pitch, the Slytherin team emerged from the locker rooms in a blur of green. Encouraging whistles and yells rolled through the Slytherin section. Harry was the last to emerge — and the reaction was immediate— feet stomped, and students rose to their feet— the cheering taking on a different quality.

Respect and allegiance.

Hermione added her voice to the screaming, raising her hands in the air. She could hear Padma and Luna's yells beside her — all of them blending together as they supported their leader.

Her heart was pounding by the time they stopped, and she sat down with her fists clenched in her lap.

Theo reached past Padma and touched her hand to get her attention. "You're not worried, are you?"

Hermione immediately relaxed her grip, throwing back her shoulders. "No— not at all— just excited." She gave Theo a brief smile before turning her attention back to Harry.

The Ravenclaw team took the field next, Cho Chang with a serious expression on her face as she trailed the team onto the field. Across the pitch, the Ravenclaw section erupted into counter cheers, their blue banners snapping in the wind.

The teams formed a circle, and Madam Hooch started the game by releasing the balls into the air.

The Slytherin team played differently against Ravenclaw than they had against Gryffindor. The maneuvers lacked the same edge of malice as the beaters directed the bludgers strategically against the other team.

Hermione wondered how much of the plays Slytherin ran against Gryffindor had been driven by one Ron Weasley and Harry's choice in using him to channel and train Slytherins with unforgivables.

The thought disconcerted Hermione not so much for the content, but because of her reaction - or lack of reaction. There were so many more weightier things that she couldn't reconcile emotionally — the Ron Weasley issue was so far down on that list as to be invisible.

Harry himself was controlled as he searched for the snitch while the gameplay ran on around him. He also kept an eye out for the bludgers and more than once interfered before one could clip one of his teammates.

The movements were noted by the Slytherins. He was showing them protection— granted on a lesser scale than what would come with the war — but Hermione could tell the Slytherins watching were internalizing each move Harry took.

On the far side of the pitch, Cho spotted the snitch first — she dove sharply, her blue uniform waving like a flag. The stadium roared as Harry took off immediately.

He didn't dive after Cho but instead seemed to bet on her missing the snitch and banked upward at a sharp angle right above her. The sunlight made the gold snitch glitter as it flew upward straight where Harry was hovering.

Harry twisted in midair, lunging almost off his broom, his fingers brushing the gold wings of the snitch—

The stands were dead silent as they watched the spectacle—

Cho had followed the snitch upward, her focus totally on the small gold goal, and hadn't registered that she was barreling directly toward Harry.

They slammed into each other with a deafening crack.

Hermione forgot how to breathe as she surged to her feet, as the two seekers spiraled toward the ground.

They were just paces from slamming into the ground when Harry shouted, "Ventus tria! Arresto Momentum!"

Harry's slowing charm hit Cho just as there was a blast of wind that exploded beneath both seekers. For a moment, Cho seemed to freeze in the air between the two combined spells, an expression of terror on her face. Harry continued downward, his downward descent slowed by the three violent currents of air.

Harry hit the ground in a crouch, then rolled before finally jumping to his feet, his hand held aloft, the snitch struggling in his grip. A second later, Cho hit the ground face-first with a loud umph.

Both stands were delayed in their response as they tried to process what had just happened. The Slytherins exploded first — screams erupting like a wave across their stands. Feet stomped so violently that the wooden stands shook. Green banners whipped through the air.

Hermione stumbled as she shoved people aside, trying to get to Harry. She didn't even pause at Cho Chang, who was stumbling shakily to her feet.

She reached Harry and threw her arms around him. "I hate Quidditch." She muttered as her hands checked his ribs, looking for broken bones.

Harry laughed and spun her around, stopping her inspection. "But don't you love a winner?"

Around them, Slytherins celebrated, loud and proud. Harry's green eyes were fierce, and Hermione knew now that Quidditch was out of the way, something much more dangerous was going to happen next.

A horcrux hunt.

That weekend, Hermione insisted on going with Harry and Draco to the next meeting in Hogsmeade with Lucius and Narcissa. Bellatrix was gone, but who knew what You-Know-Who might do?

That thinking kept Hermione quietly tense as she walked with Harry along the icy path towards Hogsmeade. The path was busy, with students laughing with parcels in hand— blissfully unaware of everything happening beneath the surface that would change the world they lived in.

Hermione had argued over the meeting place but ultimately lost — and so the three of them turned away from the Three Broomsticks and headed toward a narrower side street.

Lucius and Narcissa waited there like villains in an alleyway. Lucius had his long pale locks tied back at the nape of his neck, and he wore a measured expression as if he was about to conduct ministry business in the narrow alleyway of Hogsmeade. Next to him, Narcissa was as fashionable as always, with a black wool cloak and matching gloved hands clasped tightly at her waist.

"Draco, Harry." Lucius inclined his head the barest fraction. "Miss Granger."

Draco stepped closer to his mother after nodding in acknowledgment of his father. The two of them began a whispered conversation.

Lucius stepped closer to Harry and Hermione. Before he spoke, he waved his wand, putting up a muffliato charm to ensure they would not be overheard.

Then his hand clenched on his walking stick as he began, "The dark lord has not yet demanded my presence, but several of the aurors on my team have met with unfortunate accidents." Lucius grimaced. "I don't give them any information, but regardless its not good he's looking in our direction. We cannot afford an outright war yet — we don't have the manpower. We need to get the rest of the Horcruxes."

"I'll get the ring tonight with Draco," Harry promised.

Hermione's head snapped in Harry's direction. She'd known he wanted to gather the horcruxes after the game — but she hadn't thought it would be so immediate. "Tonight?"

Draco turned from his quiet conversation with Narcissa, looking toward Hermione. "Doesn't make sense to wait longer, Granger. We know where it is, and now the dark lord is looking at us with suspicion."

"I'll go with you two," Hermione stated firmly.

Harry looked at her, and she could tell he wanted to argue, but he swallowed it and nodded. "Fine." He glanced at Draco. "We could use a lookout while we're at the Gaunt shack."

Lucius nodded in agreement, turning to Harry. "You're sure about your information?"

Harry nodded. "I'm sure. It's Marvolo Gaunt's ring. We'll have to be fast; he likely has some type of wards that will alert him on the property."

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself. "And once you get it?"

"I'll destroy it there with Fiendfyre," Harry told her.

Hermione looked to Lucius. "Wouldn't it make more sense to give it to Lucius to destroy? He could take it and destroy it at Malfoy Manor."

Draco and Harry looked toward Lucius, who grimaced.

Narcissa shook her head wryly. "When Lucius destroyed the diary Horcrux, he lost control of the fiendfyre. We had to move the pelicans."

Harry looked to Draco. "I can do a fiendfyre— we find it — then we burn the shack down with it."

Hermione shot Harry a sharp look. "That doesn't sound safe."

Draco glanced at her. "It's not about safety — it was about what can actually destroy the cursed things. They're impervious to most methods. It has to be fiendfyre."

Narcissa offered reassuringly. "Harry has cast it before… " She trailed off, looking at Harry, not saying more.

Harry simply nodded. "I have, and I can control it better than most."

Lucius took a deep breath. "The faster we destroy them, the better— Bellatrix's disappearance and suspected death have unbalanced the dark lord more than we anticipated." He paused, not looking at any of them. "From what I've heard, he still calls for her, and it's spooking his own ranks."

The dark lord wasn't thought to be the most sane of individuals on a good day. The thought that he was acting even more mad was disturbing. Hermione restrained a shiver at the thought.

"That might be good for us." Draco speculated. "His actions will further shake their loyalty and prime them for when Harry makes his move."

Narcissa stepped closer to Draco and Harry. She reached out and gripped Draco's sleeve. "Lucius and I have to make an appearance tonight at a soirée — it will help take suspicion off us, but I want an owl that you're both alright as soon as you are able."

"We will." Both boys acknowledged grimly.

Narcissa's grip tightened. "And remember, do not touch it."

Harry gave her a reassuring smile while Draco nodded.

"Nothing will go wrong," Harry promised Narcissa.

Harry was just as sincere as when he made her unreasonable promises. Hermione bit her lip so she wouldn't snap at him to not make such promises. Her insides quaked at the thought of how dangerous it might be for Harry, but she forced her face to remain confident.

Lucius nodded. "Then we have our plan. Tonight, the ring, next weekend, we get the locket together. Then we only have three more to gather." He avoided looking at Harry as he said this.

Narcissa, Harry, and Draco nodded. Lucius waved his wand and the muffliato fell away. He gave a small, arrogant grin to Draco and Harry. "So tell me how the Quidditch match went."

Harry laughed while Draco started exaggerating some of the scores he made during the game. Some bells chimed from the main street from a storefront door.

The group of them walked toward the main road, and then Harry started talking about Cho Chang smashing into him near the end of the game.

The rapid switch to normalcy made her almost dizzy. She reached out and laced her fingers with Harry.

He looked at her and squeezed her hand. "It's going to be alright." He mouthed at her reassuringly.

His face was relaxed with a smile, but his green eyes were hard and focused. Hermione's stomach churned at the thought of the danger he'd be facing tonight.

At midnight, Harry, Hermione, and Draco moved swiftly and silently away from Hogwarts to get beyond the ward lines for apparition. Hermione's fingers were laced tightly through his.

Draco stopped when he passed the ward line, and Harry pulled Hermione to a stop next to him. With a nod, they both apparated, with Harry taking Hermione in a side-along apparition. They landed outside in the brittle, dying grass in front of the remains of the Gaunt shack.

The place was a wreck— walls falling and windows broken. The left half of the roof sagged dangerously inward.

It should have just felt abandoned, but instead sharp threat lingered in the air around the shack, warning anyone who ventured close to turn back.

Harry squeezed Hermione's hand. "You stay back here away from the property ward lines, okay? Use a sonorous charm if something happens — do not enter the shack."

She nodded tensely, her wand clenched in her hand. "You both stay safe."

Harry and Draco nodded before cautiously approaching the shack, their wands out front. Draco waved his wand, inspecting the warding on the property. "Detection and blood wards like we thought."

Harry stepped in front of him, hissing in Parseltongue. "Let us in."

There was a crack somewhere deep in the house, and the wards didn't fall, but they split in front of him, making way for them to move closer to the shack.

When they were close enough, Draco waved his wand, and the door opened slowly, releasing the smell of rot and damp earth. Inside the shack, furniture lay scattered, and a warped table sat crookedly near the far wall.

They stepped in cautiously, looking around.

"It's deeper that way—" Harry pointed. "I can feel it now."

They stepped beyond the entry room and down a narrow hallway. A hissing noise rumbled beneath the house.

Draco paled. "Is it saying something?"

Harry grimaced. "All intruders shall die."

"Lovely." Draco swallowed hard as they continued down the narrow hallway, which opened to a room at the end.

The room was completely empty except for an ornate table in the middle with a small square box.

"You put up extra warding just in case." Harry directed Draco's attention to the box.

Draco waved his wand through the air, feverishly building wards he knew had no hope of containing Harry's fiendfyre. The most they'd do is give them a few precious moments to escape if Harry lost control.

Harry extended his wand. "Fiendfyre." The fire leapt out hungrily, shaped like a snake, its mouth open as if to eat everything it encountered.

The entire shack began to shake as the fire built within the small space, the walls cracking. The hissing from below the house grew louder, and snakes began crawling between the cracks.

"Fuck." Draco muttered and began blasting them away from himself and Harry.

Harry didn't let his focus waver as the fiendfyre snake snapped its mouth shut on the table, devouring it. The house shook again, more dangerously this time, and dust and debris fell to the ground.

An inhuman shriek split the air as the Horcrux fought to survive. The snakes began to writhe as if in agony, some of them flinging themselves at the fiendfyre and turning into ash.

Harry's hand was shaking as he controlled the fire snake that hissed and strained to devour more of the shack.

"Harry!" Draco cautioned, still focused on the snakes emerging from the floor and walls.

"I've got it!" Harry's voice was tight but controlled.

Black toxic smoke filled the room as the snake passed through the table, leaving behind something that gleamed in the firelight.

The fire slowly recoiled at Harry's command, shrinking as it struggled, the snake's body writhing for freedom. Then it vanished suddenly with a violent hiss. The air was inky black with the smoke from the fire.

Harry waved his wand with a gentle air spell to clear their view of the room.

Close to them, there was a loud crash as part of the shack collapsed inward. But Harry's focus was on a stone left behind by the Horcrux.

Everything should have been consumed by the fiendfyre— he knew it was no longer a horcrux — so what kind of magic could survive even that?

Draco was staring at the same thing. "That shouldn't be possible."

Harry went forward and crouched down by it, inspecting it. He didn't touch it immediately. The stone pulsed faintly, a small puff of smoke emitting from it.

The stone's magic felt very old. Older than any Horcrux Harry had ever felt, and yet the magic was familiar at the same time.

Strangely familiar. He reached out to pick it up.

"Don't!" Draco said sharply.

Harry hesitated, looking back at Draco for a moment, then back to the stone. A part of him agreed with Draco — he shouldn't pick some strange magical item.

The magic though…. Harry's hand hovered closer, feeling the aura of the stone with his own magic. His eyes widened as he made the connection. The stone's magic felt like his invisibility cloaks.

Harry couldn't explain it to Draco, but a part of him knew he couldn't leave it there — that stone belonged with him now. He picked it up.

The stone was cool in his hand, and he rubbed the edge of his thumb along it.

The familiar magic felt like a caress against his. "I'm taking it."

"Harry—" Draco protested.

"I can't explain, but I think I'm meant to have this — it's mine, Draco. I'll hide it and ward it the same way I do my invisibility cloak."

Draco frowned but didn't argue, looking up at the shack that had started to groan above their heads. They didn't have much time. "We need to leave."

Harry agreed, and they ran out faster than they entered.

As soon as they cleared the steps, the shack gave one final groan and caved in completely.

Hermione's eyes were wide as Harry ran to her, wrapping his arms around her. They only paused a moment before the three disapparated leaving the burning shack behind.

Despite the lesson on charming magical constructs ending weeks ago, Flitwick's classroom still smelled faintly of pineapple. Today, miniature Christmas village houses were piled high on Flitwick's desk while he stood atop a stack of books. Hermione wondered where he got them all, as some looked a bit more worn than others.

The idea of Flitwick taking a quick stop at Tesco and browsing the after-Christmas discounts made a smile flicker across her face.

Flitwick looked as pleased as ever with his lesson plan. "Today," He squeaked cheerfully. "We are going to be focusing on advanced environmental charms — both protective and defensive!"

A part of Hermione was deeply interested in the lesson, especially from what she'd felt from the warding on the Gaunt shack. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't manage to focus on Flitwick's words.

Her parchment remained stubbornly blank while her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Her quill dripped little blotches of ink as she held it poised over her parchment while Flitwick continued his lecture.

The eerie scream that had reverberated through the shack when Harry had destroyed the Horcrux still echoed in her ears.

Her brow furrowed as she thought about the next Horcrux Harry had told her about. It was a locket that was surrounded by water infested with inferi.

Harry, Draco, and Lucius would be going to get that one — this time, both Hermione and Narcissa would be acting as lookouts. Harry wasn't sure about the exact location— but he knew the general area and was confident he would recognize the entrance.

It had taken Harry a while to admit to her how he knew what the Horcruxes were and their locations. He hated talking about the things he had experienced with Voldemort, and he'd learned about the Horcruxes through glimpses of Voldemort's mind when he'd been invading Harry's.

The tip of Hermione's quill broke off as she pressed too hard against the parchment. Her chest burned at the thought. She'd hated Voldemort before — for what he'd done to her and other Muggleborns. But the hate she had now was so much sharper and more vicious, knowing what Harry had experienced as a child growing up.

Hermione jumped when Padma touched her. Students were going forward to get their own little Christmas village houses from Flitwick's desk.

Flitwick hopped up to emphasize his words. "Now we're going to be creating small wards around our little homes, and your partner is going to try to break through and destroy your house! Remember what we've learned about layering charms for maximum effectiveness!"

Hermione got up, merging into the line already forming, as students laughed as they looked through the pile of Christmas houses. She reached for a cute blue house when a freckled hand covered hers.

She looked up to see Ron Weasley staring at her. He didn't say anything to her, and his jaw tightened the moment their stares connected.

She yanked her hand out from under his and grabbed another house, pushing the interaction firmly out of mind. Turning her back on him and walking back to her desk.

As was their usual habit in this class, Padma partnered with her twin, and Hermione managed to find another Ravenclaw, Sue Li, to partner with.

Sue Li gave her an easy smile as they arranged their houses on the desk and began to layer their wards. Hermione took much longer layering hers, having gotten some ideas from the wards on the Gaunt Shack.

She circled her wand slowly around her tiny cottage, murmuring protective charms and magic wrapped around the little cottage.

Sue was frowning when Hermione finished. "I haven't seen that in any of the texts — how did you learn to do that last ward?"

"Uh—" Hermione began, but an explosion rocked the classroom.

"Oh dear!" Flitwick yelled loudly, running to where Seamus Finnegan stood over the smoking ruin of what used to be his half of the table — his Christmas village house was completely obliterated. "You're supposed to let the other person attack your wards, Mr Finnegan!"

Sue giggled to herself, turning back to Hermione, and rolled her eyes. "Gryffindors." She said conspiratorially.

Hermione gave her a hesitant smile back. She raised her wand. "Do you want to attack first, or shall I?"

"Well, if you don't mind, I'll attack first?" Sue smiled. "I'm eager to test the layering you've charmed on yours."

Hermione stepped back and gestured for her to go ahead.

Sue frowned in concentration as she began to attack the little Christmas village house. "Reducto!" The curse struck and diffused harmlessly against the outer layer. Sue met her eyes and smirked. "Finite incantatem! Confingo!"

The outer shield on her house flickered then stabilized, absorbing the blasting curse.

Sue frowned down at Hermione's ward lines. "Damn." Sue gave a rueful smile. "I didn't even make a dent, did I? What is that one ward — it's very resistant, and I don't recognize it from the text."

It took Hermione a moment to answer, her gaze fixed on the fire that had licked her little Christmas village house. It was like she could see Harry walking toward the shack again — the black smoke and the red hot flames.

Hermione stared down at her little house and realized she'd mimicked Voldemort's blood ward. A shiver went down her spine, and she gave Sue a weak smile.

"Um, I found it in the library, actually — it wasn't in the text," Hermione answered vaguely, hoping Sue wouldn't press.

"Could you tell me what book?" Sue asked, before her eyes flickered around the room briefly before meeting Hermione's again. She leaned closer. "You have a thing with Potter, right?"

Hermione nodded curiously, intensely grateful for the abrupt change in subject, as there was no book she could point out to Sue.

Sue gestured subtly behind her. "I think someone else is jealous. That Gryffindor Weasley hasn't taken his eyes off you the entire class, I think."

Hermione sighed, squeezing her eyes shut briefly. "His feelings are not my problem."

They spent almost an hour moving along the coastline, apparating in short jumps until Harry spotted the exact cliff face he'd seen in Voldemort's memories.

Waves slammed violently against the jagged rock as Harry approached the edge, his eyes unfocused as he recalled what happened the day he'd seen it.

"It's here." He told them, not looking anyone in the eyes — especially Hermione. She read him better than the Malfoys, and they'd known him since he was five.

Hermione reached out and laced her fingers with his, squeezing his hand.

Draco shifted uneasily, staring at the thin seam in the cliff face. "You're certain?"

Harry gave a sharp nod, walking closer to the entrance. He felt an anti-apparition ward pass over his magic. "We won't be able to apparate out." He told them just to be sure.

Lucius swallowed hard, glancing at Narcissa briefly before straightening his shoulders. "Stay here on higher ground, we're going to have to go lower to get into that cave."

Harry squeezed Hermione's hand one last time before letting go, and she moved next to Narcissa — both of them the lookouts for this expedition.

Then Harry, Draco, and Lucius moved lower towards the seam in the cliff side, being lashed by angry waves.

The first blast of water was icy and soaked them through. Harry's clothes were waterlogged, weighing him down as they moved toward a dark tunnel. Harry lit his wand, holding it aloft as he inspected the cave. Harry could tell it would be filled with water at high tide. The slimy walls were barely three feet apart and glimmered like wet tar in the light of his wand.

The air in the cave was heavy with dark magic, and the air felt thin as they walked deeper along the path. It must have only been minutes, but it felt like ages until they emerged from the narrow passageway into a larger antechamber.

They paused and dried their clothes with magic — it got rid of the worst of the cold, but they still smelled of the sea. There was no door in the larger chamber they had exited into.

"Where to, Harry?" Draco asked, trying ineffectually to air out his cloak.

Harry walked toward the rock, running his hand lightly over the stone. He stopped when he felt a response lashing back at his magic. "Here." He looked back at them briefly before turning back to the stone. "It requires payment to enter."

"What type of payment—" Lucius began before he cut himself off, seeing Harry slash a wound across his palm. "Oh."

Draco flinched as Harry's blood welled.

Harry shook his hand, and the rock face was peppered with dark, glistening drops of blood. The blood boiled for a brief moment before it was absorbed by the rock, and a blazing silver outline of an arch appeared in the rock wall. Then the rock simply vanished, leaving an opening into total darkness.

They held their lit wands aloft as they proceeded into the darkness. The new cave opened to the edge of a great black lake so vast it was impossible to make out the distant banks in the darkness.

The dark miasma of Voldemort's power hung heavily, seeming to suck away their light.

Harry hesitated, looking back at Lucius and Draco's pale faces. "Don't step into the water."

He circled the edge of the lake carefully, and their footsteps echoed in the cave eerily. Halfway around, they found a narrow pathway that led to the center of the room.

"This way," Harry whispered, bracing himself as they began to follow the narrow path.

Lucius stepped after him too quickly, losing his footing briefly, and rocks tumbled down into the lake. The water rippled, and a hand emerged, fingers outstretched.

"Bloody hell," Draco muttered while Lucius pinwheeled backward, losing his balance.

Harry's hand snapped out and captured his cloak, righting him. "Don't. Disturb. The water."

Lucius' teeth chattered. "I've never seen inferi before — I've read about them — but that was—"

Harry looked out over the glassy black waters. It was impossible to see beneath the surface, but his memories showed him hundreds of bodies writhing beneath black magic as they crawled into the lake when Voldemort created it. "I know." He said quietly.

They walked until they reached a small circular platform in the center of the black lake. There was a stone basin in the middle that glowed with a greenish light.

The three of them approached the stone basin and looked at it side by side.

"What now?" Draco whispered.

Greenish liquid swirled in the basin, casting a pale glow on their faces. Harry eyed it grimly. "One of us has to drink it." He looked at them warningly. "It won't be pleasant."

"Harry— " Lucius began before trailing off. Then he took a deep breath. "I'll drink it."

"Father," Draco protested. "I can drink it."

"No." Lucius waved his wand, conjuring a silver goblet. "Just make sure it counts."

Harry and Draco nodded tensely.

Outside, Narcissa and Hermione cast warming charms on themselves while they both watched their surroundings uneasily.

Narcissa moved slightly closer to her, her voice low but perfectly audible over the pounding of the surf. "Harry's changed since being with you."

Hermione looked at her sharply, but Narcissa's silver eyes were fixed on the seam in the cliff where the three men had disappeared.

When she didn't respond, a slight smile ghosted over Narcissa's face. "I didn't mean that negatively. I'm happy for him. I thought…." She trailed off and shook her head.

But Hermione wanted to know, and she prompted. "You thought..?"

Narcissa glanced at her briefly. "I don't know what he's told you about what he experienced growing up under Voldemort's thumb."

"Nothing." Hermione felt her stomach twist. And she hadn't pushed it because just the thought of him suffering made her ache.

"I'm not surprised." Narcissa gave a slight shrug. "When Draco and Harry were young—" Her voice wavered, and she stopped for a moment. "When they were young, it was so much worse."

The wind whipped harder off the sea, tearing at their cloaks, battering at the magic keeping them warm. Narcissa didn't even seem to notice, her eyes dark with nightmarish memories.

"For a long while, the dark lord was determined to mold Harry into his scion. He forced him to do things — " her breath caught, and she fisted her hand in her cloak. "And Harry just grew colder and colder."

Hermione's eyes smarted, and she bit her lip. She didn't want to know exactly what the dark lord had done to Harry — her imagination tormented with scenarios, and somehow she knew it was even worse than she could imagine.

"I didn't think he could love someone the way he seems to love you." Narcissa finished softly. "I'm happy for him."

"Even though I'm a muggleborn?" Hermione didn't know where the words came from, but maybe they always simmered underneath when she played nice with Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy.

A mask dropped over Narcissa's face, and she nodded. "That's fair. I wondered when that would be brought up."

Hermione stared at her in the light of the moon and stars, trying to reconcile the many faces of this woman.

"Yes," Narcissa said calmly. "Even though you're muggleborn, I'm happy Harry is in love with you."

"You believe people like me are lesser," Hermione said quietly, barely audible above the crashing of the waves.

"I was raised to believe that," Narcissa replied. "I was also raised to believe the Dark Lord was infallible and invincible."

The surf crashed violently below them.

Narcissa's lips curved faintly. "I learned that was wrong a long time ago."

"In September, Lucius was trying to pass the Muggleborn Restrictions — forbidding Muggleborns from accessing all areas of the Ministry — "

Narcissa lifted one shoulder. "Appearances. We have survived this long because we understand optics. The Dark Lord must still trust in us to believe as he believes."

Hermione stared at her, anger prickling beneath her skin. "You could have opposed it."

"And accomplished what?" Narcissa asked softly. "Publicly declare moral objection and have my family executed for treason? Power does not collapse because someone objects."

The words were cold. Clinical.

Hermione hated that they weren't entirely wrong. The Malfoys did not have it in them to fight against Voldemort, which is why they stood behind Harry as their best bet.

A violent tremor shook the cliffside. Both women faced the rock seam— dust trickled down the rock face. The sea seemed to churn even more violently.

Smoke curled out of the cave, dark against the white cliff face. Three figures stumbled out of the cave — two of them supporting the third as they climbed back out.

"Lucius." Narcissa gasped.

They both hurried forward. Harry's face was grim as he half-carried Lucius up the incline, Draco's arm locked around his father's waist. Lucius was grey with shock, jaw clenched so tightly it looked like it hurt.

Narcissa went to Lucius, her wand out as she began to cast charms on him.

Hermione went to Harry's side. Her lungs were working too hard, and she tried to keep her voice even as she asked, "Did you get it?"

Harry held out a locket. "Someone else got there first. This isn't the Horcrux."

Hermione took the locket from him with trembling fingers, pushing the little clasp. A small rolled piece of paper was in there. Her throat was dry, and her stomach churned, but she kept her voice steady as she read the note aloud.

To the Dark Lord

I know I will be dead long before you read this, but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more.

RAB

Narcissa, who had been administering to Lucius, froze and whirled around. "Let me see that!" She snatched the note from Hermione's hand, her lips moving as she read it again.

Lucius gave a low, hoarse laugh. "That little bastard."

Narcissa was blinking rapidly, her hands shaking. "Regulus."

Harry disregarded their emotional reactions; his focus was on the Horcrux. "Did you know this person? Do you know where he might have taken it?"

Narcissa looked at Harry. "Are you sure… can you tell…. Maybe he did destroy it?"

Harry stilled, his gaze focusing inward, and his hand came up to touch his scar. He didn't move for a long moment before awareness came back to his gaze, and he shook his head. "No. The locket is still out there somewhere. I felt it when we destroyed the ring and the diary.

Narcissa bit her lip. "Then it would be in Grimmauld Place." She looked at Draco and Lucius. "Draco, you take him home— I'll take Harry and Hermione to Grimmauld."

"But—" Draco protested.

Lucius shook his head, shushing Draco. "Your mother will be fine at Grimmauld — no one's been there in ages — the most she will have to worry about will be cobwebs."

Narcissa ignored Lucius as she faced Harry and Hermione. "Grimmauld is protected by a Fidelius." She leaned toward them, and magic snapped as she shared the location with them. "Number 12, Grimmauld Place."

She gestured for them to start walking toward the end of the wards. "Now let's go finish what my little cousin started."

Draco and weakened Lucius watched as the three of them moved beyond the anti-apparition ward and apparated to London.

They apparated onto the pavement in front of narrow London townhouses.

Hermione turned toward Narcissa to ask which one—when the ground trembled beneath their feet. Magic cracked through the air, sharp and electric, and a townhouse forced itself into existence right in front of them.

Narcissa stepped forward first. "This belongs to my cousin." She told them as they approached the door.

"Which one?" Harry asked.

"Sirius Black."

Harry glanced at her, and she could see the questions in his eyes. Sirius Black. The one sent to jail for Harry's parents' deaths. The one Narcissa didn't talk about.

"And you think Regulus would have hidden the locket here?" Hermione probed.

The door creaked open before they could touch it.

Narcissa stared straight ahead. "Regulus Arcturus Black. He was Sirius's little brother. They both lived here."

The entry hallway was dim, curtains drawn tight over portraits. The house seemed to breathe in around them, stairs creaking and pipes groaning.

Hermione's eyes were wide as she glanced around — this townhouse had the same feel of magical awareness as Hogwarts had — and she'd never been in another structure that felt that way.

There was a shuffling sound further down the hallway, and they froze.

A small shape took form in the darkness. "Kreacher knows that step." The house elf croaked. "Kreacher knows the blood of the House of Black."

The elf slowly came into the light, its bulbous eyes fixed on Narcissa. Slowly, reluctantly, it tore its eyes from Narcissa and looked at Harry — then to Hermione. His expression soured instantly.

"Filthy little mudblood walks in the house of my mistress!" He hissed angrily.

The curtains on the far wall flew open at Kreacher's words. A stern, haughty-looking woman with black hair glared at them from the portrait. "Who dares to desecrate the ancient and noble house of Black! What filthy little mudblood dares—"

Before Hermione could even fully process what was happening, Harry's wand flew through the air, and fire emerged, the flames eating at the portrait hungrily.

The woman in the portrait laughed in flames. It looked like it was a portal to hell itself.

"You think I didn't ward against magical fire, little wizard? Who's line do you belong to— you magic only tastes faintly of Black blood— " The woman in the portrait sneered.

Kreacher grabbed his face, pulling at his skin as he wailed in horror. "Mistress! Mistress!"

Narcissa grimaced, resting her hand on Harry's shoulder. "Please."

"I will not allow some portrait or house elf—" Harry began, his voice cold.

"I am Walburga Black, and you will show me the respect —" The woman in the portrait said angrily as the flames vanished.

Narcissa waved her wand, and the curtains that had burned reappeared and snapped shut, the portrait falling to silence and only leaving Kreacher, who was still crying.

Seeing Harry's angry gaze turn to the crying house elf, Hermione reached out, grabbing his elbow. When he looked at her, she shook her head. "It doesn't matter, Harry. We need to find the Horcrux."

At the word, Kreachers cries choked to a stop, his eyes widening even more.

Harry cocked his head at the little elf. "Never speak to her like that again if you want to live." He warned the elf. "You know what we are searching for — get it for me."

The house elf trembled under his gaze but stoodfast. "You are not my master!"

"Sirius is in Azkaban. I am of the Black bloodline, and I command you to show us the Horcrux!" Narcissa interrupted firmly.

The elf pulled at his ears sharply. "But Master Regulus—"

"We are going to destroy it, Kreacher," Narcissa told him. "Just like Regulus wanted."

At that, Kreacher's whole demeanor changed. "You will destroy it? You swear it? Kreacher tried and tried, and Kreacher could not honor master Regulus's last wishes." He said grief in every word.

"Yes," Harry confirmed, his wand still on the elf. "I will destroy it myself. Get it, now."

Kreacher stared at them, trembling for a moment before he vanished with a crack. Silence fell as they waited, the curtains on the far side rustling as if Walburga was trying to break free again.

Harry looked over at Hermione. "I'm going to destroy that portrait."

Hermione looked at his dead serious face and had to stop a smile. She didn't care what some portrait said about her, but she loved how protective Harry could be. "Don't worry about it. She doesn't matter."

Harry wasn't appeased. His jaw was tight, and she could feel his magic humming under his skin like a coiled snake.

Then a second crack split the air. Kreacher reappeared, clutching something heavy in both hands. It was wrapped in a dingy, moldy cloth. "Kreacher kept it safe — never let anyone else find it — trying and trying to find a way to destroy it for the master."

Harry held out his hand.

Kreacher hesitated, then slowly, reverently, he unwrapped the cloth to reveal a golden locket with an engraved S catching the little light that filtered into the dim hallway.

Hermione could feel the dark magic emanating from the locket. She knew it had to be what they were looking for.

Harry took the locket. "We should destroy it here." He glanced at Narcissa, Hermione, and Kreacher. "You can put up wards to help me contain the fire."

Narcissa looked leery. "Fiendfyre is so hard to control…"

Hermione, though, was confident. She knew Draco had helped Harry, and she knew she was just as powerful as him, if not more so. "We will." She reassured Harry.

Harry turned and walked toward the wall where the portrait was hung, placing the locket on the ground before it.

Kreacher's eyes bugged out of his head. "But the mistress—"

Harry looked at him sharply. "Do you want it destroyed or not?"

Kreacher's mouth snapped shut.

Narcissa and Hermione raised their wands, casting containment wards as Harry summoned the fiendfyre.

A fiery snake emerged from Harry's wand, his mouth open as it consumed the locket and the portrait above it.

Black smoke burst outward violently, and a voice hissed from the smoky blackness. "You betray yourself! Why— why — why—" The word hissed over and over again.

Then the smoke shifted, forming images.

Harry screaming under the cruciatus.

Hermione with her throat cut.

Draco kneeling under the Dark Lord.

"They will all be punished!" The voice promised as the flaming snake writhed, trying to burst free of the wards keeping it contained.

Hermione's hand shook, and Narcissa fell to the floor, tears running down her cheeks.

Harry's wand didn't waver. "Die." He whispered, a bead of sweat running down his forehead.

A horrible shriek filled the townhouse, and it seemed like the entire structure shook like a dying animal. Kreacher screamed shrilly in the background.

The wall imploded, revealing the townhouse's interior, and a jagged fracture split the floor beneath their feet. Then the only sound left was Kreacher's screaming and the black hole where the portrait and the locket used to be.

Harry wavered for a moment as the magical fire pulled back into his wand, taking an unsteady step backward before he turned to Hermione, searching her face. "Are you alright?"

Hermione nodded, tightening her hand on her wand so it wouldn't shake.

Kreacher was still in the hallway, now on his knees, weeping. "Master Regulus, I have done as you commanded. Kreacher has done his duty."

Harry helped Narcissa back to her feet. She clutched at him shakily as they made their way back to the door.

When they reached the pavement, they turned to look at the townhouse one last time.

Narcissa was pale and shaky as she stared at the house. "You know he was your godfather." She looked at Harry. "Sirius Black. I think your father would have wanted him to take care of you… But the dark lord had other plans."

Harry breathed in deeply. "Lucius is going to pardon him." He paused and said with weighty emphasis. "After."

Narcissa nodded in agreement. "After."

Hermione reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together tightly. "Back to Hogwarts?"

"Yes." Harry agreed.

They said their goodbyes to Narcissa and apparated.

Hermione and Harry lay on a conjured blanket in the middle of the tutoring classroom floor. Hermione was quite comfortable with her head on Harry's shoulder and her hand resting on his chest, feeling his heart beat.

Her bones felt relaxed and stretched in a good way after their dueling session. The air smelled faintly of ozone and scorched wood. She was always hard on the desks during dueling practice. The ward magic glimmered faintly if you looked at it from the right angle; it was still protecting the classroom from damage.

Harry was quiet beneath her, staring up at the ceiling. Hermione could tell by his expression that he was thinking of the Horcruxes they had left to destroy.

"Nagini is dead." He said quietly, proving her right.

Hermione was startled at the information. She remembered the night Harry had charged Crabbe and Goyle with killing Nagini. "Crabbe and Goyle did it?" She asked. Somehow, she hadn't thought they'd be able to, regardless of the vow they made.

Harry nodded, still staring at the ceiling. "They managed to corner Nagini, but she was heavily guarded. They died."

The information bounced against the numbness inside her. There wasn't even a spark of regret at the loss of Crabbe and Goyle. They'd fought beside Bellatrix. Instead, her mind jumped to the next problem. Voldemort.

"Will he move against us now?" She whispered.

"Yes," Harry admitted. "It's too much. Bellatrix. Crabbe and Goyle. The destroyed Horcruxes. Regardless of his reservations about going against Dumbledore, he's going to be coming after me soon."

"Do you think he knows it's you destroying the Horcruxes?"

A bitter flicker passed over Harry's face. "Maybe. Or maybe he will just want to protect the piece of him that's in me. Regardless, he will come for me. Narcissa and Lucius are taking care of the Horcrux in Bellatrix's vault. That leaves only one Horcrux remaining." Harry shifted, looking at her. "Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem. It's here in Hogwarts somewhere."

Hermione tapped Harry's chest with her fingers as she thought. "It would be somewhere that wouldn't be easily accessible…somewhere that very few people know of…"

Harry was quiet as she thought.

Hermione perked up. "We could try asking the Grey Lady. Ravenclaw's ghost. She's Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter, Helena. If the diadem was lost, then she would know the story— and probably know where it is."

"How would we even talk to her? I've only seen her from a distance."

"Luna."

They stared at each other for a moment in silence.

Then Hermione's eyes brightened with excitement. "The Grey Lady doesn't speak to many people, but she speaks to Luna. Luna can find out where it's hidden for us!"

"I have Slytherin's discreetly searching the castle — I'll keep them working while you talk to Luna." There was a hint of skepticism in Harry's voice.

Hermione propped herself up on her elbow so she could stare down at him. "Most people don't notice half of what Luna notices. I know she'll be able to help us."

Harry made an agreeable sound, pulling her back down to lie on his chest. "Be careful how you phrase it to Luna. The fewer people who know what we're looking for, the better."

"Luna doesn't gossip," Hermione said firmly.

Harry gave her a half smile. "No, I suppose she doesn't."

A cloud passed over the afternoon sun, and the classroom light dimmed, making it seem even more intimate.

Hermione traced a lazy circle over Harry's heart. "What do you think will happen after it's done? When they're all destroyed, I mean."

Harry's gaze went distant. "Best case scenario is that we set the terms of engagement with Voldemort. I use the Slytherins that have pledged to me to force him to agree to a duel to avoid an outright battle."

Hermione pressed closer to him. "We should all fight him. Why should it just be you?"

"It will be cleaner that way — one on one, I know what I'm facing — in the heat of the battle, he'll use his Death Eaters and come after me like a pack of wolves."

"I don't like it."

Harry rubbed her back. "It will be fine. Destroying the Horcruxes will have weakened him." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Have faith in me. I will win, Hermione."

She couldn't help but argue. "You can win with me fighting beside you."

Harry stiffened at her persistence. "I don't want you there."

Hermione jerked away, sitting up. "What do you mean? Of course I will be there—" She gestured toward the classroom wildly. "What do you think all this practicing has been? Everything I've done so I can help you?"

"Hermione—" Harry sat up facing her.

"No, this is just like with Bellatrix — you don't get to decide for me — you don't get to just hide me away when you want—"

"Voldemort will go after you," Harry cut in sharply. "If you're there, he'll wait for the right moment and use you to throw me off balance — and Hermione… if he does, I will falter."

Hermione stared at him. "So I'm supposed to wait — sit in some tower and wait?"

"You are technically already in Ravenclaw Tower," Harry said, obviously trying to change the subject.

"Harry—"

Harry exhaled, running his hand through his hair as he got to his feet. "It's getting late, Hermione. Let me walk you back to your tower, princess."

Hermione met his eyes, and they stared at each other for a long moment as tension built between them. Harry's face was set as he tried to use affection to shut down the topic.

She didn't want to drop the topic — she wanted him to acknowledge that she would be beside him when he fought Voldemort. But she could see the strain in his eyes — the worried love as he stared at her. "I was a queen before." She grumbled getting up. "I won't accept a demotion."

Harry laughed, relief flashing across his face, as she dropped the topic, and he gave a playful bow. "My queen. Your escort." He smiled, holding out his hand to her.

Hermione sniffed, lifting her chin as she took his hand to stand up. "We'll discuss this later, Harry."

The Hogwarts library was quieter than usual. Late afternoon sunshine streamed in through the tall windows, and dust motes shimmered in the air.

Hermione sat staring past the page, her gaze distant and unfocused as parchment lay scattered around her. A few months ago, the sheer volume of unfinished homework would have sent her into a panic — but now it was almost impossible to concentrate on anything other than the looming confrontation with Voldemort and the remaining Horcruxes.

Her dry quill tapped idly against her parchment. She understood Harry wanting to keep her away from Voldemort — she wanted him away from Voldemort.

But she realized she didn't have a choice. Harry had to fight. And Harry didn't realize he didn't have a choice either. She was going to be there to fight beside him regardless.

Hermione looked across the table to Luna, who was busily scratching out equations for arithmancy. Padma had slipped away twenty minutes earlier with a wink and a murmured, "Theo's waiting."

"Luna," Hermione said quietly.

Luna's blue eyes met hers, dreamy but attentive. "Yes, Hermione?"

Hermione's eyes flicked around the room on instinct, checking for anyone close enough to hear. They were tucked into a quiet corner, but she hadn't layered any protections. With a subtle flick of her wand, she murmured a Muffliato, just to be safe.

"I wanted to ask you about something," Hermione said. "About the Grey Lady."

Luna tilted her head slightly. "Helena?"

"Yes," Hermione said. "I know you talk to her sometimes… I was wondering…. We need to find something that belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw— do you think Helena would know where it was hidden?"

Luna's eyes sharpened. "You must mean the diadem." She said lightly.

Hermione's breath caught. "She's mentioned it?"

Luna nodded. "Occasionally, when she's very sad or angry. She doesn't talk about it often because it's very painful for her."

Hermione's heart began to pound. "Does she have it?"

"She hid it somewhere secret," Luna said, leaning forward and whispering. "Bad things were done to it."

"Did she ever say where?"

Luna studied her for a moment before shaking her head. "But if it's secret, it can only be the Room of Hidden Things."

"The Room of Hidden Things?"

Luna nodded. "It's a room that only appears when you need to hide something and keep it secret. Hogwarts is very good at hiding things."

"How would I get to this room?" Hermione asked, slightly confused.

"You have to want to be hidden away from everyone," Luna explained. There was something different in Luna's voice now, less airy and almost hurt.

Hermione frowned, reaching out to touch her hand softly. "Is that how you found the room? You wanted to be hidden?"

Luna turned her hand, cradling Hermione's, and nodded. "In my first year, before I became close with you and Padma… sometimes the seventh years were mean to me."

Hermione recalled seeing how they treated Luna and putting a stop to it. Hermione had shown them she was not a witch to be trifled with — and neither were her friends. "They bullied you."

Luna shrugged gently. "I needed somewhere to hide where they couldn't follow. They were chasing me, and I was in the seventh-floor corridor. I wasn't sure which way to go, and so I was pacing back and forth, thinking very hard about wanting someplace where I wouldn't be found — some place hidden."

Hermione's heart jumped.

"And a door appeared." Luna continued. "Just when I needed it. And inside that room, there were so many hidden things, secret and forgotten, and I stayed with them a long time until those girls had forgotten about me too."

Hermione squeezed Luna's hand reassuringly. "Thank you for telling me, Luna."

"You're welcome." She said. "Just be very careful when you go looking. The room listens very closely to what you want."

"I will," Hermione promised, her mind racing. She'd tell Harry tonight. The sooner the better. They could sneak out and take care of the last—

Hermione winced. The Diadem wasn't the last Horcrux. Harry was. But it would have to be enough to destroy all the rest, then go after Voldemort.

Hermione glanced at the stack of medical texts beside her half-finished homework. So far, none of them had offered anything useful. Once the war was over, they would have to begin a different kind of search — one focused on finding a way to remove Voldemort's soul from Harry without destroying him in the process.

They had relied on fiendfyre for the others, but there had to be some method beyond outright destruction — some way to extract the Horcrux without obliterating its vessel.

Harry was waiting for her when she left the dorms at night. He stood casually in the corridor as if it were still daylight — no fear at all of getting caught. But then she supposed with the invisibility cloak, he never would be.

Harry was dressed like a thief, all in black, and it looked good on him. He held his hand out to her when she stepped out, and they laced their fingers together as they began to walk slowly to the seventh floor.

Hermione found she quite liked the castle after curfew—it had its own kind of magic in the moonlight streaming through the long windows. Occasionally, they'd hear snoring from one of the portraits that would make them smile.

A suit of armor turned its head and watched them as they walked down the corridor to the stairs.

"Do you think it will be there?" Hermione asked him quietly.

Harry didn't answer for several steps. He gave her a thoughtful look. "I think so. It feels right, doesn't it?"

Hermione knew what he meant — there was some air of tension and anticipation twisting through their magic as if somehow something knew they would find the Horcrux tonight.

They reached the seventh floor and stopped in front of a blank stretch of wall. "This is it." Her pulse jumped. "Remember what Luna said." She reminded him, even though she knew he hadn't forgotten.

Harry nodded, and they began to pace in front of the wall.

I need to find Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem. I need the room for hidden things.

They paced together — back and forth, back and forth— three times. Hermione kept her mind rigidly fixed on the same thoughts, repeating them over and over again in her head.

Just as they walked past the wall the third time, the bricks shifted, and a door appeared where there had been none before. It was a plain wooden door and looked like any other door in the Hogwarts corridors.

Hermione's eyes widened. "There it is!"

Harry's hand tightened on hers. "Ready?"

She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Let's go."

Harry reached out to open the door, and it swung inward on silent hinges. The smell of the room hit them first. It smelled like an old attic — dusty and damp with a faint mold smell.

Hermione's eyes widened as she took in the room. It was beyond enormous. She could fit her entire house into it with room to spare. They could fit the Quidditch pitch in here. It was the Mount Everest of clutter.

Towering piles of objects rose toward the shadowy ceiling— broken chairs, rusted armor, stacks of books. There were even random Muggle items like broken televisions and telephones.

Hermione lit her wand and raised it into the air, trying to get a better view. The pale glow barely made a dent in the gloom. Hermione felt her stomach sink. "We're going to take ages to find it in this."

Harry shook his head, not looking at her. "No, I can feel it in here. I can narrow it down."

Hermione swallowed at the reminder she didn't need of how connected he was to all of it.

Harry moved forward, and she followed him deeper into the mountains of clutter.

Their steps disturbed dust that rose in little clouds at their feet. Somewhere above them, where they couldn't see, something shifted with a clatter. Hermione flinched and raised her wand higher. "What was that?"

"I don't know," Harry murmured, his gaze sharp. "But keep close to me."

"I am close." She muttered.

They passed a heap of cracked cauldrons and pieces of mannequins that vaguely looked threatening. Hermione squeezed even closer to Harry.

"This way." He said, abruptly pulling her eastward down a narrow path.

Hermione felt the shift when they got close. The darkness seemed more menacing, the gloom pooling unnaturally. They slowed down, looking carefully over the stacked junk.

Harry spotted it first — a tarnished silver circle that was high above them at the pinnacle of one of the mountains. When she focused on it, she could see the faintest glint as it reflected the light of their wands.

"How will we get it?" She asked, looking at him.

"We won't." He looked at her. "We just need some containment wards."

Hermione bit her lip. She had confidence in her warding — but this was a school — if his fiendfyre got out of control, it would be devastating. Harry must have sensed her trepidation because he gave her a brief hug, kissing her on the crown of her head.

"It's going to be alright, Hermione. Just keep the wards up."

Hermione sucked in a deep breath, nodding and straightening her shoulders. Her wand flew through the air as she put up strong wards to keep the fire contained on the mountain on which the diadem sat.

Her wand remained in the air, feeding the wards' power as they locked in the area around the mountain of clutter on which the diadem sat. She nodded again at Harry. "Ready."

"Fiendfyre." Harry's voice was low and lethal as he called the fire again. This time, the fiery snake emerged with its mouth closed, slithering up the mountain of clutter and leaving behind intense flames. When it reached the pinnacle, the snake's fiery maw opened to swallow the top of the mountain whole in a swoosh of fire.

The entire room shook, and a familiar, eerie shriek tore through the air. Hermione's hand trembled as the flames tried to eat through her ward. The smoke swirled through the air unnaturally, and a voice hissed incoherently at them while images appeared in the smoke.

Harry standing alone in a circle of bodies.

Voldemort's red eyes gleaming in the darkness as he smiled.

Her wards trembled, and she gritted her teeth, pushing more magic into the barrier. The acrid smoke stung her eyes, and they watered as she focused.

Next to her, Harry didn't waver; his face looked like it was carved from stone as the flames cast flickering shadows over him. The red hue seemed to seep into his eyes as he stood there burning down the mountain with the Horcrux on top.

"I win," Harry told the Horcrux as his fiery snake consumed it, his voice glacial.

The voracious fiendfyre snake and the smoke twisted together, as the mountain of clutter turned to ash. Suddenly, the snake was the only thing left in the warded area aside from ash and debris. The snake strained to move further into the room, hungry to spread its flames.

The red flames cast dark shadows on Harry's face, and for a second, it seemed as if there was something in his face that mirrored the darkness of the visions in the smoke. Hermione's heart thudded in alarm.

She wanted to call him back, but her voice was caught in her throat as she watched him stand there, the flames flickering over him.

Then Harry inhaled slowly, as if he were pulling back his control, and the snake writhed angrily, shrinking. Then with a shudder, it burst into smoke, and the flames were no more.

Her wards shook and then slowly melted away.

They'd destroyed the last Horcrux, Hermione thought. But Harry immediately crushed that thought.

"One left," Harry said, not looking at her. He reached up to touch his scar.

Hermione grimaced at the information her mind kept refusing to internalize. The air smelled of rotten eggs in the wake of the fire. She shook her head. "Come on." She grabbed his hand. "Let's get out of here."

Harry nodded and followed her this time, his mind elsewhere. They left the room with one less mountain than it had before and much, much smellier.

Hermione didn't look back as they stepped through the door, closing it with a distinct click behind them. The door lingered only a moment before the bricks moved, obscuring it once more.

Now it was time to plan the attack on Voldemort — and make Harry realize there was no way she was leaving him to Voldemort alone.