Forbidden Magic 57

Forbidden Magic 57

Chapter 57 - Furious

Once the haze was over, Hermione noticed the huffing form of Ron standing over the locket. He loomed over it with a fierce face she hadn’t seen there before. Ginny got up and looked at her brother, “That was bloody brilliant.”

“You mean minus all the drama that the locket gave me right?” Ron turned around to face his sister with a weak smile. “Harry, what was that?”

“Vol-,” Harry stopped himself, “You-Know-Who’s soul. Twisted enough, I would imagine, to see into your dreams and fears Ron.”

Hermione’s wet hair was matted to her face as she looked up at Ron with compassion, but that was overruled by anger that seemed to boil from her feet all the way to her head. “Ronald Weasley,” Hermione stomped up to him and placed her face inches from his, “what the hell do you have to say for yourself? Hmm? Leaving us like that! Explain?”

Ron froze. “I-I was looking for you, I swear,” he said holding up his hands, “those bloody charms you put on the tent didn’t allow me to find you at all. I tried to go back but when I trekked back to the site, y-you were gone.”

“How did you find us now?” Harry asked.

“I was searching around for days Harry,” he explained, “with the help of this, I was able to find my way back to you but I couldn’t feel you at all or see you.”

Ron held up the Deluminator and then quickly shoved it back into his pocket. His blue eyes looked filled with guilt and remorse as Hermione peered into them. “So, what happened then?” she asked him.

“I went home for a while, and I found out that there was a taboo placed on You-Know-Who’s name. You say it, he can trace you. Explains what happened to us doesn’t it?” Ron looked from Hermione to Harry who was cussing loudly. Ginny’s wet body was shaking and a sense of cold came over Hermione who turned from anger to concern.

“Should we go back?” she asked.

“I want to come back,” Ron said. Harry nodded but looked to Hermione and Ginny who were staring at him. Ginny was upset with him, but he was family after all. There he was, he had come back and he never really meant to leave them in the first place. She smiled at him, “Come back with us. We need you brother.”

Ron carried his sister as Hermione hiked behind them with Harry. They made their way back to the camp while Ron took a seat. Hermione quickly made tea for Ginny and herself. She didn’t even take off her wet clothes or dry herself. Her main concern was getting something warm into Ginny who was drying herself off.

Clearing his throat, Ron explained further, “I came into the forest like I said looking for you lot, then I didn’t see a thing so I camped out myself under a tree looking for some sign, you know?” He paused to see Hermione handing Ginny some tea with love in her eyes. A warm smile passed over Ron’s lips.

“I thought I had seen Ginny dive into a lake, but I brushed it off since I was so far away under some tree. When I thought I was seeing things, I really wasn’t. I hope I’m explaining this right. Anyway, a little while later that’s when I heard Hermione’s voice,” he went on, “It was so wonderful but then I noticed that something was wrong. She wasn’t screaming out of happiness but horror. And yes, now you know.”

Hermione handed him some tea. “I’m still not happy with you,” she told him point blank. She walked away from him as she dried herself off with her wand. Her hair seemed to have a life of its own as the air hit it. Ginny laughed a bit but Hermione glared at her. “Now I need to tame the damn beast,” Hermione shook her head. “All of that to save you, just remember that.”

Ginny stopped laughing and sipped on the tea with an innocent smile on her face. Harry was distant and to himself as her eyes landed on him. The night went on and the four of them managed to get some sleep, but around midnight, Hermione noticed that Harry had left his bed once again.

She walked outside to see him with her wand. He pointed it at her and the brunette jumped. “Oh!” she gasped. She wasn’t exactly ready to be shot with her own wand. Harry lowered it, but didn’t say a word. It seemed that his thoughts were else where.

“I wanted to show this to you when everyone else was gone, but I didn’t have a chance earlier,” Hermione handed him a book. She watched his green eyes trace over the words one by one and a gasp escape his lips.

“Where did you get this?” he asked her.

“Bagshot’s home,” Hermione told him, “I-I stole it.”

Harry didn’t seem to care how Hermione came into it; all he cared about was ripping it open to see what Dumbledore didn’t tell him. Hermione jumped back a bit when she noticed the angry look in Harry’s eyes. “You aren’t still mad at Ginny are you?” she asked.

His eyes shot from the book up to her face with a shake of his head. “No, it was an accident like I told her. If it wasn’t for her, we’d be dead. I can’t be mad at her for that,” he told her. She managed to flash him a weak smile but she was still wondering where the anger was coming from.

“Grindelwald?” Harry looked up from the book. Hermione had already read most of the book as she shook her head lightly. She handed him the letter that she and Ginny had read months ago.

“I found this letter in one of the books that Dumbledore gave me and in all the chaos I haven’t been able to give it to you,” Hermione handed him the piece of parchment.

Harry’s eyes traced the words one by one and sucked in his breath. “Who wrote this to who?” Harry asked.

“I think it’s a letter that Grindelwald wrote Dumbledore,” she answered. “The letter ties in to events that happened between them. I highly doubt Dumbledore’s brother would be writing him a love letter. Grindelwald never really got along too well with Aberforth as you may have read. The whole book goes into the details Harry. I-“

She couldn’t finish her thought as Harry got up and said, “You think that Dumbledore was in love with Grindelwald. You might be right. Do you mind if I keep this so I can read it?”

“Not at all Harry,” she told him as she stood up as well. He nodded his head and walked back into the tent leaving Hermione with her wand outside. She shrugged her shoulders and decided to walk back inside before anyone spotted her.

The next morning they moved to another location and Ginny happily ate her breakfast with Ron. However, Hermione was sulking in the corner of the tent with her wand gripped in her hands. Something was plaguing her mind all night and it wasn’t about Harry or Dumbledore. She got up and walked over to Ron and pulled him by his shirt.

“How come you couldn’t find us? Your story doesn’t seem to fit together,” she said as she held onto his shirt, “there is something you aren’t telling me.”

“Hermione!” Ginny got up but was put off by the angry glare in the brunette’s eyes. She sat back down and knew that perhaps she was on to something. Ron squirmed in Hermione’s grip but wasn’t able to tear himself away.

“I didn’t want to tell you, but there is a group out there,” he said, “they call themselves snatchers and they are collecting muggle borns, blood traitors and half bloods for the ministry. Remember all those muggle borns and half bloods we saw in the ministry, well, this is the explanation. Tonks was exiled from the aurors along with Kingsley, that’s the other bit I overheard.”

“They were fired?” Ginny asked her voice now laced with concern. Ron nodded his head weakly, “Ginny, they are turning this ministry inside out. They are doing this all for gold, I told them I was Stan. They bought it because I know they aren’t the brightest. But that only lasted so long, so I had to apparate out. By the time I got back to our camp site, like I said, you were gone. I had to fight them off when they saw me fight to get away. I stunned one, and got away with only my fingernails cut off from the apparition.”

“Oh! The horror! You’re fingernails, while we were getting out there nearly getting killed by You-Know-Who’s SNAKE!” Hermione shrilled, “We got out of that mess because your SISTER is a great fighter! OH! Thank you for WITHHOLDING all of that information FROM US! You didn’t know if we were DEAD! I told you I wasn’t HAPPY with you YET!”

Ron put his hands in defense as Hermione started to punch him. “HERMIONE!” Ginny shouted. She felt angry; also hate and sadness come from the girl as she tried to hold onto her. “No! Don’t Hermione me Ginny!” the brunette yelled, “WHERE IS MY WAND? Harry! Give it to me NOW!”

As she stopped raining punches on him to fight with Harry over her wand, but Ginny shouted, “Protego!” A shield came up in-between Harry and Hermione. The brunette turned her fury on the redhead who was holding up her wand to her.

“Calm down Hermione,” she said strongly, “I understand you are mad, but-“

“CALM DOWN?” Hermione shouted, “We could have been captured and he wouldn’t have told us a thing! Ronald how dare you!”

Ron gulped hard, “I was going to tell you I just didn’t know how to, well, you know it was hard for me!”

“Excuse me? Hard for you?” she said with a sarcastic laugh, “It would be hard for me wouldn’t it? And for Harry who, if you have forgotten, is not only Half Blood but HUNTED!”

“Hermione! Relax!” Harry yelled at her but the girl paid no attention to him. She turned on him and shouted, “Don’t you tell me what to do Harry Potter! Don’t you care at all that Ron was going to travel with us and not tell us a thing? Oh, and not to mention that Mister Ronald here left us in the first place!”

Ginny poked Hermione in the back with her wand making the girl turn around. “Langlock,” she said calmly. “Now then Hermione, as much as I love hearing you rip into my brother, I would much rather hear what he has to say about the attacks.”

Hermione jumped up and down in anger. She mumbled things like, “how dare you?” but Ginny paid her no attention. “Ron, go ahead and tell us what we need to know.”

“Ginny, you just langlocked Hermione,” he gulped but his blue eyes were stricken with more fear as she turned her wand onto him. “Don’t think I won’t use my wand on you dear brother. I’m glad you are back and I love you dearly but we need the right information if we plan to survive this.”

“Well,” he started, “Hermione to answer you, I would have known if Harry had fallen because you guys are all over the prophet and the radio. Potterwatch to be exact and I even brought a radio from home so we can tune in. The Prophet lately hasn’t really been running deaths since you know, You-Know-Who is running the ministry.”

“Were you going to show us or tell us about Potterwatch Ron?” Harry asked him. Ron nodded his redhead at Harry. “Yes, today as a matter of fact,” he said.

“Hermione! OUCH!” Ginny yelled as she was being subject to punches raining on her. Hermione mumbled out words with each punch, “YOU-LET-ME-GO-FROM-THIS-CRAP-THIS-INSTANCE!”

“FINE! For the love of Merlin!” Ginny placed her wand at Hermione’s mouth but then pulled back much to Hermione’s utter frustration. “BUT you have to promise not to be so bloody angry at me or Ron, especially not Ron.”

Hermione narrowed her eyes at Ginny and reluctantly nodded her bushy haired head. Ginny muttered the counter-jinx and Hermione’s tongue was free once again. “Next time you want to make out, I’m going to tell you that I can’t because you langlocked me and as for you,” Hermione said bitterly, “How did you find us now again? I want to know so we can keep people we don’t want to see out of our hair.”

Ron winced at her coldness but held up the Deluminator again. “This, as I showed you earlier,” he told her.

“Right,” she sighed, “how did that help you? You didn’t explain.”

“I-I don’t know how it happened but this thing doesn’t just turn lights on and off,” he explained, “I was listening to the radio and I heard your voice and I heard Ginny’s.”

“From the radio?” Ginny asked cocking her eyebrow.

“Um, no,” Ron said holding up the Deluminator once again, “it came out of this.”

“Out of that?” Hermione felt her anger ebb away and it was replaced with curiosity.

“Well, yeah, it was in my pocket and I heard the word Ron,” he said, “but then I heard something else that I couldn’t understand.”

“I didn’t mention your name though,” Hermione was confused but Ron merely shrugged. “I don’t know, I just took it out of my pocket I clicked it and the light in my room went out but another light was outside. It was a big ball of light. It was bluish, like the light you get with a portkey.”

“Right…” Hermione was trying to follow his tale but was having a hard time believing it.

“Anyway, I know it was you lot,” he told them, “So I packed up my things and ran outside to follow it but then it zoomed into me!”

“Excuse me?” Harry cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah, excuse me? Inside you?!” Ginny looked at him with wide eyes as he told the tale to them.

“Um, yeah, it went right into me, close to my heart, nice and hot too,” he blushed, “But that was when I knew exactly what I needed to do! I found you, well, sort of, I guess you left.”

“We apparated away under the cloak,” Hermione told him. She knew exactly where he was when he came back to them.

“Well, yeah, so the light came out again and into me. I apparated away again but I couldn’t find you guys.”

“I heard someone outside,” Harry said. Hermione shot him an unhappy glance.

“Stop hiding things? Got it?” she yelled, “no more hiding things to protect us girls. Got it? That’s for both of you. I know that’s why you didn’t tell me anything Harry.”

Harry blushed as he looked down to the floor. Ron cleared his throat, “Well, that hill where you were, I stayed there all day. I kept hoping that you would all appear to me. Then it got dark and I actually did get scared of the snatchers again so I clicked it again and the light came back to me. I disapparated and got here to the woods.”

He pointed his finger and the other three turned to his point. They knew he was pointing to the lake. “And well, that’s when I thought I saw Ginny and all that, but before that I know I saw a patronus, I thought Harry casted it.”

“A patronus?” Hermione squeaked.

“I saw it,” Harry said, “It was a doe.”

“A silver doe,” Ginny repeated, “Ron, you saw what I saw.”

He nodded his head, “Harry didn’t cast it did he?”

“No,” Harry said. “My mother must have.”

The room was quiet. How could she Harry? She’s dead, Hermione thought sadly, It had to be someone else.

“I can’t believe this,” Hermione broke the awkward silence. She shook her head and took out the broken locket, “Anyway, at least this is broken.”

“So that makes how many?” Ginny asked. She started to count on her fingers, but Harry answered before she finished, “three.”

“Right,” Ginny said sheepishly. Harry held up his wand, “lots has happened Ron.”

“Whoa! What the…” Ron looked at the wand, “you aren’t kidding me are you?”

“No,” Harry shook his head, “Ginny saved us but with a price. Did you manage to get a spare wand?”

Ron nodded his head as he took out a short dark wand, “I thought it would come in handy so I managed to steal it before I left those snatchers.”

Harry took the wand from Ron with a frown on his face, “at least it’s something.”

Ginny took down the shield charm and sat down on her bed. Hermione placed the destroyed Horcrux in her bag and laid herself down next to Ginny turning her back to the boys.

“It’s something I guess,” Harry mumbled.

“Yeah, it could have been worse you know,” Ron told him. His eyes went over to Hermione and he tried to whisper to Harry, “I meant about Hermione being upset with you and the wand, you know? I mean, she could have sent birds on me!”

“I haven’t ruled that out yet,” Hermione said bitterly from her blankets. Ginny smiled and tried her best not to laugh. She disappeared under the covers with her girlfriend as Ron stood dumbfounded with a smiling Harry.