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"ARE YOU FEELING BETTER?"
hermione asks harry, who had just come out of your newly set up tent.
you were both sat on the snow, sharing a blanket over your legs. hermione was reading from her book and you were just absentmindedly stroking the himiko teddy.
"you've outdone yourself this time, hermione"
"the forest of dean. i came here once with mum and dad, years ago. it's just how i remember it. the trees, the river, everything. like nothing's changed. not true, of course. everything's changed"
harry sits in front of you both.
"if i brought my parents back here now, they probably wouldn't recognise any of it. not the trees, not the river.. not even me"
you purse your lips.
"maybe we should just stay here, harry, [name]. grow old" she chuckles slightly.
you glance down.
"you wanted to know who the boy in the photograph was. i know. gellert grindelwald"
hermione hands him the book.
"he's the thief i saw in gregorovitch's wand shop. speaking of which, where is my wand?"
you look down guiltily, "[name], where is my wand?"
you sigh slightly, sitting up.
you pull a piece of cloth backwards, "as were leaving godric's hollow, i cast a curse at that snake and it rebounded. i'm sorry. we tried to mend it, but wands are different"
"it's done" harry says, closing the book, you frown.
"leave me yours. go inside and get warm. i'll take the locket as well"
you take your wand from inside your coat, handing it to harry, "don't lose it. or else i will murder you"
➳༻❀✿❀༺➳
YOU BREATHE SLOWLY AS YOU SLEEP RATHER UNCOMFORTABLY.
"hermione, [name]?"
your eyes twitch slightly.
"hermione, [name]?"
your eyes open and you sit up.
you and hermione both exchange a glance before standing up and stepping out of the tent.
"is everything all right?" hermione questions.
"it's fine. actually, you know, it's more than fine" he gestures back behind him, you both trudge up the small hill.
you blink in shock, ron was back, he was also holding the sword of gryffindor.
"hey" he says dorkily with a toothy smile.
hermione stomps forward, taking the bag from ron's back, "you complete" she pushes him, "ass ronald weasley!" she throws some leaves at him.
"you show up here after weeks" she whacks him with the bag, "and you say 'hey'?"
you look at harry, "where's my wand?"
he steps back, "i don't know"
your eye twitches, "what do you mean you don't know? where's my wand?!"
"i don't know!"
"give me my wand, harry potter!"
"why's he got your wand?"
"never mind why he's got her wand" hermione scoffs, "what is that?"
ron holds up the broken horcrux, your eyes go wide.
"you destroyed it" you say.
"and how is it that you just happen to have the sword of gryffindor?" hermione questions.
"it's a long story" harry says.
"don't think this changes anything" hermione says.
"oh, of course not. i only just destroyed a bloody horcrux. why would that change anything? look, i wanted to come back as soon as i left. i just didn't know how to find you"
"yeah, how did you find us?" harry questions.
"with this" he takes out the deluminator, "it doesn't just turn off lights. i don't know how it works, but christmas morning i was sleeping in this little pub.. keeping away from some snatchers.. and i heard it"
"it?" you ask.
"a voice... your voice, hermione.. coming out of it"
"and what exactly did i say, may i ask?"
"my name. just my name. like a whisper. so i took it, clicked it, and this tiny ball of light appeared. and i knew. and sure enough, it floated toward me, the ball of light.. went right to my chest, straight through me. right here" he points to a spot in the middle of his chest, "and i knew it was gonna take me right where i needed to go, so i disapparated.. and came to this hillside. it was dark. i had no idea where i was. i just hoped that one of you would show yourself. and you did" he gives a toothy smile.
➳༻❀✿❀༺➳
YOU SIT OUTSIDE WITH HERMIONE, LOOKING UP AT THE NIGHT SKY.
she was still mad at ron.
you gaze between the stars, drawing patterns with your eyes.
all of a sudden a loud noise comes from the tent along with a shout.
"what's going on in there?" hermione questions.
"nothing!" harry and ron's voices call.
you both step inside.
"we need to talk" hermione says.
"yeah, all right"
hermione steps forward, pushing passed the boys and standing up on the step.
"i want to go see xenophilius lovegood"
"sorry?" harry questions.
hermione opens the book again, "see this? it's a letter dumbledore wrote to grindelwald. look at the signature"
you step over, looking into the book.
"it's the mark again. it keeps popping up. in beedle the bard, in the graveyard of godric's hollow"
"it was there, too"
"where?"
"outside gregorovitch's wand shop"
"but what does it mean?"
"look, you've got no idea where the next horcrux is, and neither do i.. but this, this means something. i'm sure of it"
you nod, "hermione's right. we should go see lovegood"
"let's vote on it" ron says, "those in favor?"
ron raises his hand, you all exchange confused glances.
➳༻❀✿❀༺➳
"YOU'RE NOT STILL MAD AT HIM, ARE YOU?"
harry questions hermione as you all trudge up the hill and towards the lovegood's house.
"i'm always mad at him"
you reach the top of the hill, looking down at a large trunk-like house a while away.
you sigh slightly.
"luna" ron says.
"luna" the rest of you nod.
after another while of walking, you arrived at the odd-looking house.
you knock the handle on the door.
" 'keep off the dirigible plums' "
the top half of the door swings open, revealing mr. lovegood.
"what is it? who are you? what do you want?"
harry steps up a bit, "hello, mr. lovegood. i'm harry potter. we met a few months ago. could we come in?"
you all walk in as mr. lovegood guides you all to some chairs sat around a coffee table.
he also made you some tea.
you tap the cup a bit, "where is luna?"
"luna? she'll be along"
you all simultaneously drink from your cup.
"so.. how can i help you, mr. potter?"
"well, actually.. it was about something you were wearing around your neck at the wedding. it was a symbol"
"you mean this?" he holds up his hand which had the same symbolled necklace in it.
"yes" harry touches the metal, "that exactly. what we've wondered is.. what is it?"
"what is it?"
harry nods.
"well, it's the sign of the deathly hallows, of course"
"the what?" you all question.
"the deathly hallows. i assume you're all familiar with the 'tale of the three brothers' "
"yes" ron and hermione say, "no" you and harry say.
you shrug as they all look at you and harry.
"i have it in here" hermione says, taking a book from her endless bag.
she opens it up,
" 'there were once three brothers... who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight' "
"midnight. mum always said midnight"
everyone looks at ron.
"but 'twilight's fine. better, actually"
"do you want to read it?"
"no. it's fine"
you shake your head slightly.
" 'there were once three brothers.. who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. in time, the brothers reached a river to treacherous to pass. but being learned in the magical arts.. the three brothers simply waved their wands and made a bridge. before they could cross, however... they found their path blocked by a hooded figure. it was death, and he felt cheated. cheated because travellers would normally drown in the river. but death was cunning. he pretended to congratulate the three brothers on their magic.. and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him. the oldest asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence. so death fashioned him one from an elder tree that stood nearby. the second brother decided he wanted to humiliate death even further.. and asked for the power to recall loved ones from the grave. so death plucked a stone from the river and offered it to him. finally, death turned to the third brother. a humble man.. he asked for something that would allow him to go forth from that place without being followed by death. and so it was that death reluctantly handed over his own cloak of invisibility. the first brother travelled to a distant village.. where, with the elder wand in hand.. he killed a wizard with whom he had once quarreled. drunk with the power that the elder wand had given him.. he bragged of his invincibility. but that night, another wizard stole the wand and slit the brothers throat for good measure. and so death took the first brother for his own. the second brother journeyed to his home.. where he took the stone and turned it thrice in hand. to his delight, the girl he'd once hoped to marry before her untimely death.. appeared before him. yet, soon she turned sad and cold for she did not belong in the mortal world. driven mad with hopeless longing.. the second brother killed himself so as to join her. and so death took the second brother. as for the third brother.. death searched for many years but was never able to find him. only when he attained a great age did the youngest brother.. shed the cloak of invisibility and give it to his son. he then greeted death as an old friend and went with him gladly.. departing this life as equals' "
"so there you are. those are the deathly hallows"
you purse your lips.
"i'm sorry, sir. i still don't quite understand" harry says, you nod.
mr. lovegood starts to mumble something, walking over to some paper and flipping it over. he grabs a pen and draws a straight line downwards. you look into the paper.
"the elder wand. the most powerful wand ever made"
he then draws a circle, "the resurrection stone"
next, a triangle, "the cloak of invisibility. together they make the deathly hallows. together, they make one master of death"
"that mark was on a grave in godric's hollow" hermione says.
"uh, mr. lovegood, does the peverell family have anything to do with the deathly hallows?"
"uh- uhuhu- ignotus. excuse me" he pushes passed, "and his brothers, cadmus and antioch are thought to be the original owners of the hallows.. and therefore the inspiration for the story. uh- uh- but your tea's gone cold"
you raise an eyebrow at his panicked state.
"i'll be right back"
"let's get out of here" ron says, "i'm not drinking any more of that stuff, hot or cold"
you nod slightly, you all go down the stairs.
"thank you, sir" hermione says, mr.lovegood flinches.
"you forgot the water" ron says.
"water? for the tea"
"did- did i?" he laughs, stepping by you all, "how silly of me" he continues laughing.
"it's no matter. we really should be going, anyway"
"no, you can't!!"
you flinch slightly.
mr. lovegood mumbles, walking straight into the front door.
"sir?" harry says.
"you're my only hope" mr. lovegood trembles.
you raise an eyebrow.
"they were angry, you see, about what i'd been writing. so they took her. they took my luna. my luna"
he steps up to harry, pushing his hair away to view his scar.
"but it's really you they want"
"who took her, sir?" harry pulls mr. lovegood's hand down.
mr. lovegood stays silent for a moment.
"voldemort" he finally says, you frown.
and the next second a ward of death eaters were headed right for the house.
hermione shrieks and you all fall to the ground.
they shoot through the house, paper and rubble flies about.
you all crawl to grab hands, quickly apparating away.
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