2 | CONFESSIONS° HARRY POTTER

15 | GODRIC'S HOLLOW

ACT FIVE, love
CHAPTER FIFTEEN, godric's hollow

       They ate breakfast in silence the next morning. Hermione's eyes were puffy and red, and Iris knew it was because she hadn't slept at all last night because she had stayed awake with the crying girl. They packed up their things, Hermione dawdling. Iris knew why she wanted to spin out their time on the riverbank; several times she saw her look up eagerly, and she was sure Hermione had deluded herself into thinking that she heard footsteps through the heavy rain, but no red-haired figure appeared between the trees. Iris understood why Hermioine was doing, and, occasionally, Harry would do the same, but Iris would remember what Ron had said about Oliver and feel anger rise back up within her.

You're not even blood related, he had said. He was right, and Iris knew that but it was like she had completely forgotten that Oliver wasn't really her brother, but for him to imply that she didn't care about him was almost laughable, it was that ridiculous of a concept. For a long time, Oliver was the only person she ever cared about; over the years that list had grown, sure, but her brother still remained her top priority over everyone else. Iris knew the Horcrux had helped Ron get those feelings out, but he had been irritated and annoyed the whole time. She had faith he'd come back eventually, but she hoped his time away would give him a new perspective. The mission they were on was greater than any of them and they couldn't afford to let little things get in the way. 

The muddy river beside them was rising rapidly and would soon spill over onto their bank. They had lingered a good hour after they would usually have departed their campsite. Finally having entirely repacked the beaded bag three times, Hermione seemed unable to find any more reasons to delay: She, Harry, and Iris grasped hands and Disapparated, reappearing on a windswept heather-covered hillside. 

The instant they arrived, Hermione dropped Harry's hand and walked away from them, finally sitting down on a large rock, her face on her knees, shaking with what he knew were sobs. Instead of comforting her like she had done last night, Iris took out her wand and started muttering protection spells. Harry joined her after a moment of hesitation when he decided not to comfort Hermione as well. 

They did not discuss Ron at all over the next few days. Harry seemed determined never to mention his name again, and Hermione seemed to know that it was no use forcing the issue, although sometimes at night when she thought they were sleeping, they would hear her crying.

By day, they devoted themselves to trying to determine the possible locations of Gryffindor's sword, but the more they talked about the places in which Dumbledore might have hidden it, the more desperate and far-fetched their speculation became.

They were spending many evenings in near silence, and Hermione took to bringing out Phineas Nigellus's portrait and propping it up in a chair, as though he might fill part of the gaping hole left by Ron's departure. Despite his previous assertion that he would never visit them again, Phineas Nigellus did not seem able to resist the chance to find out more about what Harry was up to, and consented to reappear, blindfolded, every few days or so. Iris was even glad to see him, because he was company, and family she supposed, albeit of a snide and taunting. They relished any news about what was happening at Hogwarts, though Phineas Nigellus was not an ideal informer. He venerated Snape, the first Slytherin headmaster since he himself had controlled the school, and they had to be careful not to criticize or ask impertinent questions about Snape, or Phineas Nigellus would instantly leave his painting. 

However, he did let drop certain snippets. Snape seemed to be facing a constant, low level of mutiny from a hard core of students. Ginny and Oliver had been banned from going into Hogsmeade. Snape had reinstated Umbridge's old decree forbidding gatherings of three or more students or any unofficial student societies.