Finding Heather

Year 7 Chapter 9

Author's Notes:

Harr Potter doesn't belong to me, I'm just putting my own twist on the story

Chapter Nine

 As angry as she was with Ron, Heather couldn't help but miss his presence for the next few days. It was as though there was a gaping hole in the tent now that he used to fill. In the cold light of morning, she regretted slapping him, though she had to admit it had felt good to finally give him what he had deserved. The morning after his departure Hermione dawdled over their campsite, looking around constantly to see if he would turn up. They both knew that once they left here, there would be no way for Ron to find them again.

 They hardly spoke for a week, Hermione constantly going from crying to red faced anger, pacing back and forth while ranting at the canvas walls, sparks flying from the wand clutched tightly in her hand. The first time she had blown up like this, Heather had tried to join in on the Ron bashing, but Hermione had completely ignored her. After this, Heather was determined to never mention Ron's name again, a sentiment that Hermione appeared to agree once she was done ranting. When conversation resumed, the only subject either of them wanted to discuss was the possible location of the Sword of Gryffindor. If Dumbledore had swapped it without telling Snape, it meant that he hadn't actually wanted it to pass to Heather through his will. All that was supposed to do, Hermione supposed, was to clue Heather into needing to find the sword. If so, Heather thought that once more Dumbledore had left a lot to chance.

 That being said, puzzling out the location proved a task that neither of them made much headway with. Try as she might Heather couldn't remember Dumbledore making any mention of a location where he might hide something important. She thought about venturing the idea of the Gaunt House, or perhaps the old Riddle Mansion in Little Hangleton. Both of those locations Dumbledore knew she was aware of, but she couldn't see him hiding it where Voldemort might visit on a whim.

 In the hours of silence that separated their speculations, Heather had taken to pulling out the Marauder's Map and watching for the arrival of Ron in the midst of the rest of the black dots, signaling his return to school. She found Ginny and Luna's dots, and watched them spend a large amount of time with Neville. This fit with the news they were getting now from Phineas Nigellus. Despite his declaration that he wouldn't be returning to his portrait, he seemed to be compelled to return every few days. His visits became something they looked forward to, starved as they were for any sort of outside company.

 He was not a completely reliable source of intelligence however. He revered Snape and at even the slightest hint of their disapproval he would vanish for several days. They did find out from him that Snape was facing a rebellion from certain students, Neville and Ginny chief among them. Hermione was always careful to use Heather's old name anytime that the portrait was outside her beaded handbag, just in case Phineas was lingering out of sight. Often he would ask leading questions about their location, prompting Hermione to put away his painting. It wasn't a happy relationship between the three of them, but it did much to alleviate the oppressive monotony.

 Heather didn't admit it to Hermione, but at night, either in her bunk or sitting guard outside, she had started to wonder if Ron had been right about one thing at least. As much as she wanted to defeat Voldemort once and for all and end this horrible war, there was a part of her was enjoying being hidden away and free to be herself. Ever since she had rejoined the wizarding world, she had been in one spotlight or another. It was nice, in a way, to be out of sight. Would she really be able to go through with her plans once the job was done, assuming she survived? Would she have the guts to stand up and be herself in full view of the wizarding public. Most nights she was able to reassure herself that yes, she would. When it was her turn to wear the horcrux however, fighting off those thoughts wasn't as easy.