The Wand of Ravenclaw

Three Little Words

"Well...what do we do with it?"

It was Ron who'd voiced the obvious, unasked question first. But all three of them had been thinking it.

They were sat in the living room of Grimmauld Place. Hogwarts, they'd decided, was too vulnerable a place to potentially unleash another fragment of Voldemort's soul, especially with all the students around. So they had retreated to the confines of Harry's house as they pondered just what to do next.

The Horcrux was sat in the middle of the table. And they were all staring at it.

"It doesn't seem that dangerous," Ron went on. "I'd have expected more."

"Don't be deceived, Ron," said Hermione, darkly. "Tom Riddle's diary seemed harmless, until it possessed your sister and started attacking students."

"Don't remind me," said Ron, shuddering at the memory. "How did you know how to destroy the Gryffindor Horcrux?"

"There was an echo of Gryffindor in it," said Hermione. "That or Harry's family connection allowed Godric to speak to him and advise him. Either way, it told Harry how to destroy the Horcrux. We don't have that luxury with this one."

"I can't see the Sword being much use," said Harry. "We can't exactly stab a metal locket, can we?"

"No," Hermione agreed. "We have to draw the evil out somehow."

"That sounds fun," said Ron, gloomily.

"I don't want to do it either, Ron," said Hermione, slightly hurt. "But that's what had to happen with the others."

"Hermione's right," said Harry, smoothing her hands where they were massaging his shoulders. She hadn't left him alone since they'd escaped the cave, intensely convinced that his little swim with the dead had left him so traumatised he needed her constant care and attention. Harry was enjoying her ministrations so much he saw no reason to put her right on the matter. That apart from being a little scared of the Inferi, the whole thing had gone like clockwork and hadn't been so bad at all. This was definitely a reward worth the risk, Horcrux or not.

"The other Horcruxes had to be sort of, activated, didn't they?" Harry continued. "Dumbledore wore the ring, Ginny wrote in the diary, I got into the armour. Maybe I have to wear the locket?"

Hermione stopped her kneading a moment. "Don't even think about it, Harry. Dumbledore activated an unstoppable curse by wearing the ring. The locket could do the same to you."

"Or strangle you to death," added Ron. "I'm with Hermione on this one. It's too dangerous."

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but conceded. Hermione was overly concerned for him, it was her job as his girlfriend, but for Ron to agree it was a marker of the seriousness of his suggestion. Harry knew they were right, but it didn't quell his frustration.

"If we can't wear it, then can we open it?" he asked. "It must have internal compartments like the other one."

"Yes, but what can we expect to come out of them?" said Hermione. "I don't know, Harry..."

"We can't just leave it!" said Harry hotly. "It has to be destroyed. Snape gave us the Sword and Ravenclaw's wand. There has to be a way to use them against it."

"Maybe we should show it to Snape, ask his advice."

If Harry hadn't heard the words himself, spoken in his oldest friend's voice, he would never have believed Ron to have said them. But there it was, and their echo hung oddly in the air.

"That's a great idea, Ron!" said Hermione with zealous enthusiasm. "Snape will know about it. He knows his Dark Arts stuff."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. Not at the idea of asking Snape for help, it actually made a lot of sense. It was more the tone of Hermione's voice as she praised Ron. He felt irrationally jealous at the sound. The sensation settled ill on him. He was being paranoid, he knew, but he had become so used to hearing Hermione use that tone only for him that he had developed a possessive streak for it. He tensed and Hermione, unaware of the conflict raging in Harry's mind as she absently rubbed his neck, must have thought the idea of Snape had riled Harry.