Skinny Love - Ron Weasley

Chapter 9

"Hermione! Alex!" Harry yells suddenly making the pair run from the tent, "Hermione? You were right. Snitches have flesh memories but I didn't catch the first Snitch with my hand, I almost swallowed it. 'I open at the close.' What do you think that means?"

"I don't know. I found something as well." Hermione runs over to her bag grabbing the book Dumbledore had left for her, "At first I thought it was an eye, but now I don't think it is."

Alex leans forward resting her palms against the table as she looks at the book, "It isn't a rune, and it isn't anywhere in Spellman's Syllabary."

"Somebody inked it in," Alex says tracing a finger over the drawing, "It isn't part of the book. Somebody drew it."

"Luna's dad was wearing that at Bill and Fleur's wedding."

"Why would someone draw it in a children's book?" Alex questions lifting the book into the light.

Harry sighs, "Look, Hermione, I've been thinking. I want to go to Godric's Hollow. It's where I was born. It's where my parents died."

Alex's eyes widen slightly and she clears her throat hoping neither noticed, "That's exactly where he'll expect you to go because it means something to you."

"Yeah, but it means something to him too, Hermione. You-Know-Who almost died there. I mean, isn't that exactly the type of place he'd be likely to hide a Horcrux?"

"It's dangerous, Harry," Hermione says, "But even I have to admit, recently I've been thinking we'll have to go there. I think it's possible something else is hidden there."

"What?"

Hermione sighs, "The sword. If Dumbledore wanted you to find it, but didn't want it in the Ministry's hands where better to hide it than the birthplace of the founder of Gryffindor?"

"Hermione..." Harry trails off.

"I say we go," Alex says with a firm nod, "I'm for it."

~~~~~

"I still think we should've used Polyjuice Potion."

"No," Harry says shaking his head, "This is where I was born. I'm not returning as someone else."

The trio stand in front of a church listening to the music that plays inside, "I think it's Christmas Eve. Listen."

Harry's gaze turns to the graveyard beside the church, "Do you think they'd be in there, Hermione? My mum and dad."

"Yeah, I think they would."

Harry stands in front of his mother and father's grave, soon joined by Hermione, muttering a spell, a bouquets of flowers appears on the grave.

"Hermione? Where's Alex?"

The pair pull apart from their hug and look around to spot the girl kneeling in front of an old grave.

"Hi, Mum."

She smiles breathing out and closing her eyes, "You probably don't know who I am, I'm Alex, your daughter. I miss you, Mum."

She leans forward wiping away the snow to reveal the picture on the stone, it's her mother, blonde hair falling over her shoulders as she grins proudly. She wears a white dress and has a bouquet of yellow tulips in her hands.

She slips a silver ring off of her finger and with a waves of her wand it gets fused in with the stone creating another name.

'Sirius Orion Black, loving husband, father and friend.'

Next a bouquet of yellow tulips sprouts from her wand, "Dad told me these were you favourite," She whispers carefully resting them upright, "Merry Christmas, Mum."

A hand is placed on her shoulder and she looks up smiling at Harry, "Merry Christmas, Alex."

"Merry Christmas, Harry."

Hermione comes up on the other side of her and the three of the huddle together staring at the grave, "Harry, Alex, there's someone watching us. By the church."

They turn to see an old woman watching them, "I think I know who that is."

They follow after the old woman sticking close together as they follow her towards an old house, "I don't like this, Harry."

"Hermione, she knew Dumbledore. She might have the sword."

They stop outside an old burnt down house for a moment, "This is where they died. This is where he murdered them."

"You're Bathilda, aren't you?" Hermione asks when she takes them into her house.

The old woman struggles to light a candle making Harry do it for her, "Here, let me do that."

"Miss. Bagshot, who is this man?"

The woman says nothing, she walks off, Harry following after as Hermione and Alex look around downstairs, "Harry." Hermione calls grabbing the attention of Alex.

Looking up Alex finds blood splattered across the ceiling, "Harry!"

Alex grips her wand and runs up the stairs to see Harry fighting off a large snake, "Incendio!"

The spell bounces off the snake almost hitting Harry. The snake pounces at Harry wrapping herself around him and hitting them through the wall into the next house.

Alex grabs a brick throwing it at the snake's head making it turn towards her, "Bad idea, very bad idea!" Harry yells.

She nods, "I know! I know!"

Harry kicks the snake away and grabs Alex the pair crawling back, before the snake can fully reach them Hermione casts a spell at it sending it down the stairs, she quickly grabs Harry's wand and the trio hide behind the bed.

"Do you think it's still there?"

Alex nods and they all slowly peer over the side, just as the snake jumps up Alex pushes Hermione out of the way. Grabbing her two friends Hermione quickly apparates them away to a forest.

With a sigh Hermione sits upright looking around at the forest, "Hermione! Hermione, quickly!"

She looks over to see Harry kneeling beside Alex who is wincing in pain, "What happened?"

"That bloody thing, it got me."

She grimaces as she lifts Alex's trouser leg to find a large snake bite in her leg, "My bag, Harry, my bag."

Harry nods grabbing her bag and throwing it to her, "This is going to hurt."

Alex nods and Harry sits behind her allowing her to rest back, she grips his hand tightly biting down on her tongue as the first bit of potion drop onto her leg.

"I know, I'm sorry." Hermione says as Alex throws her head back against Harry's shoulder with a large cry, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Harry struggles to hold the girl still and she cries out in pain, the wound on her leg slowly heals but the pain is still there, "I've got, some, uh-bandages, somewhere." Hermione says going through the bag.

Taking out a few rolls of bandage she carefully wraps them around Alex's leg as the girl finally stops struggling, she lays back panting heavily as the tears rolls down her cheeks.

"Bloody snake."