Faith .|. H. J. POTTER ✔

Chapter one-hundred-forty-two

Their plan for breaking into the Lestranges' vault was finally finished. They had worked out every little detail and made about a dozen back-up plans for when something went wrong. The four teenagers sat in the smallest bedroom where they usually made their plans so they wouldn't be overheard. On the mantelpiece laid a small vial with a single hair of Bellatrix Lestrange, plucked from Hermione's sweater that she wore that day.

"And you'll be using her actual wand," Harry said, nodding at the wand that laid next to the vial, "so I reckon you'll be pretty convincing,"

"I hate this thing," Hermione sighed as she stared at it. "I really hate it. It feels all wrong, it doesn't work properly for me ... it's like a bit of her,"

"It'll probably help you get in character, though," Ron said. "Think what that wand's done!"

"But that's my point!" Hermione said with a frown. "This is the wand that tortured Neville's mum and dad, me and Faith. It gave Faith her scar, destroyed Cedric's portraits. This is the wand that killed Sirius!"

Harry didn't think about that before. He glanced at Faith and saw her looking at the walnut wand with a great expression of loathing. She was probably really tempted to snap it in half and chuck it in the sea.

"I miss my wand," Hermione groaned. "I wish Mr Ollivander could have made me another one too,"

Ollivander had sent Luna a new wand that same morning and she had been testing it out all day. Dean, who was also left wandless after Malfoy Manor, was watching with a sour expression. 

Faith was the only one of them who still had her own wand and she was glad she did. She couldn't even imagine doing magic with another wand. The only disadvantage this wand gave her was how easy it was to recognise because of the gemstone at the tip. The Death Eaters know for sure what her wand looks like so even if she morphed into someone else, they'd still be able to spot her. 

They were planning to leave the next day and they told Bill and Fleur not to get up early to see them off. Hermione had to drink the Polyjuice Potion before they Apparated to Diagon Alley and it was best if they knew nothing about the plan. They told them they wouldn't be coming back so Bill borrowed them a tent since they lost the previous one when they were caught by the Snatchers.

What Faith was surprised to learn was that Hermione had somehow managed to sneak her beaded bag with her by hiding it in her sock so they still had most of their stuff. 

Even though Faith loved the weeks they spent in Shell Cottage, finally seeing the people she loved and cared about again, she was also looking forward to not having to sneak around and sit in the small bedroom all day. But most of all, she longed to be rid of Griphook. She thought no one would ever get more on her nerves than Peeves but she was clearly wrong. 

Every time, the four teenagers needed some time alone to talk about the plan, Griphook came checking in every five minutes, probably suspecting they were coming up with a plan to still keep the sword, which was technically true but they didn't have much luck. In the end, Ron just said to 'wing it', having no idea when the right timing was to give the sword. 

That night, Harry and Faith kept each other awake by their endless whispering and faint kisses. Both of them were too nervous to sleep even though they knew they probably needed all the resting they could get. To distract themselves from all the thoughts about the possibilities of the plan failing, with jokingly planning their wedding and giggling to themselves with all the ridiculous stuff they came up with. 

They finally fell asleep but were woken up by Ron just hours later. They dressed in total silence so they wouldn't wake Dean and then left to go outside where they would meet Hermione and Griphook. Faith decided not to morph into a random stranger until they were going to Apparate, wanting to hold Harry's hand as long as possible without him feeling like he was holding some stranger's hand every time he looked at her.