Change the Future

DH 22

Their plans were made, their preparations complete, in the smallest bedroom a single long, coarse black hair plucked from the sweater Hermione had been wearing at Malfoy Manor lay curled in a small glass phial on the mantelpiece. 

"And you'll be using her actual wand," Harry said, nodding toward the walnut wand, "so I reckon you'll be pretty convincing." Hermione looked frightened that the wand might sting or bite her as she picked it up.

"I hate that thing," she said in a low voice. "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!"

"Rather not" Rory whispered making Charlie wrap his arms around her as she rested her head against his chest.

"But that's my point!" Hermione said. "This is the wand that tortured Neville's mum and dad, and who knows how many other people? This is the wand that killed Sirius! I miss my wand," Hermione said miserably. "I wish Mr. Ollivander could have made me another one too." Mr. Ollivander had sent Luna a new wand that morning. She was out on the back lawn at that moment, testing its capabilities in the late afternoon sun. Dean, who had lost his wand to the Snatchers, was watching rather gloomily. Harry looked down at the hawthorn wand that had once belonged to Draco Malfoy. He had been surprised, but pleased to discover that it worked for him at least as well as Hermione's had done. 

"I still think we should ask Rory to come with us" Ron said looking at the other two.

"No" Harry said firmly.

"Why not, she would come you know that" 

"I don't want her to. Bill had a word with me the other day about it and I realised he was right. She spent months getting tortured daily and now I need to protect my sister like she did me so she's staying with Charlie and no one is mentioning her coming to her understood" They both nodded. 

"You're a good brother" Rory said making Harry smile, he'd never felt like a good brother to her.

The door of the bedroom opened and Griphook entered. Harry reached instinctively for the hilt of the sword and drew it close to him, but regretted his action at once. He could tell that the goblin had noticed. Seeking to gloss over the sticky moment, he said, 

"We've just been checking the last-minute stuff, Griphook. We've told Bill and Fleur we're leaving tomorrow, and we've told them not to get up to see us off." Harry slept badly that night. Once or twice he heard Ron stir and was sure that he too was awake, but they were sharing the sitting room with Dean, so Harry did not speak. It was a relief when six o'clock arrived and they could slip out of their sleeping bags, dress in the semidarkness, then creep out into the garden, where they were to meet Hermione and Griphook. The dawn was chilly, but there was little wind now that it was May. Harry looked up at the stars still glimmering palely in the dark sky and listened to the sea washing backward and forward against the cliff. Then the sound of a door opening made him look around. Bellatrix Lestrange was striding across the lawn toward them, accompanied by Griphook. As she walked, she was tucking the small, beaded bag into the inside pocket of another set of the old robes they had taken from Grimmauld Place. 

"She tasted disgusting, worse than Gurdyroots! Okay, Ron, come here so I can do you" 

"Right, but remember, I don't like the beard too long"