Chapter Sixteen

                                    

                                          
They apparated back to the Burrow that night after Harry had calmed down a bit. He still didn't feel completely okay but he had calmed his emotions. Ron and Hermione had gone to bed right when they had returned but there was no way Harry could have fallen asleep. 
                          
He re-imagined his conversation with Draco over and over again, coming up with new things he should have said or things that he wished Draco had said to him. But in the end, he didn't know what he was trying to accomplish through this, it wouldn't fix or change anything. 
                          
In the morning his denial had turned into anger. He snapped at everyone who tried to ask him what was wrong. 
                          
"If you want," Arthur said the next morning after he had told several people off, "You could spend some time at Grimmauld, just for some alone time." 
                          
He could tell Arthur didn't think it was a good idea for him to be alone, just in case he got ambushed he for sure knew that Harry needed some time to himself. 
                          
Harry agreed and within the next hour or so Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all sitting on a couch in Sirus Blacks sitting room. Ron and Hermione would be returning for Bill's wedding later that week but Harry was instructed to only come if he felt better. 
                          
He felt slightly stupid for being this caught up with Draco, he couldn't even remember if they had even made their relationship official. He knew Draco liked him back, the only thing stopping him was his family. 
                          
He spent a long time thinking about it over the next few days but he was still kind of sad, to say the least. So Ron and Hermione left him alone at the house while they attended the wedding. It wasn't long before they returned, frantic and out of breath. 
                          
"Are you guys okay," Harry asked as they stood in the doorway, his concern growing with every second that passed. Ron Kept checking the door.
                          
"Kingsley's Patronus," Hermione said, "showed up at the wedding, The ministry has fallen, Rufus has been killed. Voldemort has taken over." She leaned over, breathing heavily still. 
                          
"What do we do?" Harry asked. 
                          
"What can we do?" Ron responded. He handed Harry a piece of paper, "It's from Dumbledore. He left us something in his will." 
                          
Harry unfolded it. He remembered may meetings with Dumbledore telling him about Horcruxes but he had never once told him to go out and find Voldemorts. He gave detailed instructions on what to look for and as he read it out loud to his friends he was cut off by a voice from behind him.
                          
Kreature. 
                          
"Mr. Potter, you speak of these Horcruxes. If Kreature must, Kreature wishes to tell you about one of." Harry nodded for him to go on and he continued. "Kreature helped Lord Voldemort to hide Salazar Slytherins locket, deep in a cave. Regulus Black, Sirius's younger brother, and former death eater found this out and ordered me to go back and retrieve it. He died in the attempt but Kreature got out with the locket. However it was stolen from me,  Mundungus, Kreature believes."
                          
They all exchanged looks, Harry remembered Dumbledore telling him about this after he had gone looking for, finding the fake one. But now where was the real Horcrux?
                          
"Kreature, do you think you could find it for us?" Harry asked. 
                          
"Kreature can go find it," the house elf said. He apparated out of the doorway, which left the three of them alone. 
                          
"What now?" Ron asked, "Do we just wait until he gets back."
                          
"That's all we can do," Harry said. 
                          
Kreature was not the next to visit, however. It was Remus. He had come with news about the ministry and as Harry listened he began to feel more frightened than ever. He wondered if Draco had anything to do with it, if he had helped, or if he was helping run the Ministry. 
                          
"They're openly persecuting Muggle-borns," Remus said, casting a glance over at Hermione. She didn't look up from her lap. He continued, "And they're looking for you, Harry. They're claiming you had something to do with Dumbledore's death." 
                          
Harry shook his head, he hadn't even known that Dumbledore was dead until after he had escaped from Malfoy Manor. "I can't believe this," Harry said. 
                          
"It's going to be okay, but you all have to leave, it's not safe here. They'll be searching here and Snape will have no problem getting inside," Remus said. 
                          
They all agreed with him, they couldn't stay for long. But they had to stay long enough for Kreature to come back with the locket. 
                          
"We'll get out of here as soon as we can," Harry said, "We have to start looking for and destroying Horcruxes as soon as possible, I don't even know where we're going to find them."
                          
"I wish you all the best of luck." He apparated out of the sitting room. Leaving Harry frustrated. He didn't know where to start or where to go and he was angry at Dumbledore for not giving him more information. Most of all he was angry at Draco, he missed him but he wanted to punch him for being such a coward. Doing whatever the Dark Lord asked him. 
                          
"Kreature has got news," Said a voice from behind them.
                          
They all turned at once and started at Kreature who had brought back Mundungus with him. 
                          
Mundungus unruffled his shirt and began to speak. "I do not have the locket," He sounded angry. "I gave it to Umbridge as a bribe. I told your house elf here that I could be of no help and he still brought me here." 
                          
After he had gone Kreature apologized and left them alone. 
                          
"Umbridge has it," Ron said with his head in his hands. "I should have expected something like this, we might as well give up now."
                          
"Don't be dramatic, "Hermione said to him. "Although he is right, it does put a damper on our plan. We're going to have to sneak into the ministry and get it." 
                          
That was the last thing Harry wanted to do but he had to do it. 
                          
"Okay, I guess we should start formulating a plan now." Just as those words left his mouth an owl flew up to the window, a letter in its beak. Harry's heart skipped a beat, He recognized that owl. 
                          
He rushed to the window, Ron who was closer and also rushing to the window ran into him and they fought for it. 
                          
Harry grabbed the letter and the eagle owl flew off. He also recognized the handwriting on the envelope. 
                          
"It's from Draco," He said. Ron and Hermione exchanged a look of disbelief before asking Harry to read it. He opened it neatly and looked at the words on the page, in neat cursive it said, "Dear Harry and Probably your no good friends, I am writing to tell you to get out of Grimmauld, death eaters are on their way now. Also, I overheard my Father speaking to Voldemort about Horcruxes, it was back in second year when he was being punished for letting that journal get destroyed. I know what some of them are and I think I can help you. Not because I want to, mind you, I am doing this for myself. I will owl them over to you if he can find you."
                          
Draco Signed the bottom of it and that was the end of it.
                          
"What are you waiting for, let's go," Hermione said. 
                          
In a scramble to collect their things, they were out of there within minutes, not exactly knowing where they were going.