Stay With Me

Chapter 8

Heavy drops of rain begin to pelt the canvas of the tent. "Look, don't be shy. If you've got something to say, spit it out." Ron swung out of the bunk. As his face met the light, he looked mean, the locket chain glittering.

"All right, I'll spit it out. Don't expect me to skip up and down because now there's some other damn thing we've got to find." 

"Ron..." Hermione said quietly. 

"I thought you knew what you signed up for." Harry asked as they stood face to face.

"Yeah, I thought I did too." Ron spat out at Harry as they looked at each other.

"I don't understand. What part of this isn't living up to your expectations? Did you think we'd be staying in five-star hotels? Finding a Horcrux every other day? Did you think you'd be back to Mummy by Christmas?" Harry asked, his voice also getting anger, his face slowly getting red. 

"No, I just reckoned after all this time, we'd have actually achieved something. I reckoned you knew what you were doing. I reckoned Dumbledore had told you something worthwhile! I reckoned you had a plan!" Ron yelled.

"I've done everything Dumbledore told me! And in case you haven't noticed, we've found a Horcrux!" Harry yelled back. 

"Yeah, and we're about as near getting rid of it as we are to finding the rest of them, aren't we!" Ron snapped back at Harry, making Hermione flinch back. 

"Take it off, Ron. Please take it off. You wouldn't be talking like this if you hadn't been wearing it all day --" Hermione tried to calm the two anger boy's, but it back fired in her face.

"Yeah, he would. D'you think I haven't noticed the two of you whispering behind my back? D'you think I haven't guessed what you were thinking?" 

"Harry, we weren't --"

"Don't lie! You said it, too, you said you were disappointed --" Ron pointed out to Harry as Hermione tried to get them to calm down.

"I didn't! Not like that! Harry -- I didn't!"

"Do you know why I listen to that radio, every night? Do you! To make sure I don't hear Ginny's name or Fred or George or Mum or --" Ron told Harry, but it was to late, Harry was pissed off and just fueling the fire.

"You think I don't listen! You think I don't know what it's like --"

"NO! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE! YOUR PARENTS ARE DEAD! YOU HAVE NO FAMILY!" Dead silence. Harry glared at Ron. Hermione looked shocked. Suddenly, they both rushed forward and locked on each other's throats, Hermione rushed in.

"Stop! Stop!" Hermione yelled.

Harry pointed to Ron's neck. "Go then. But leave that." Hermione, eyes flashed with panic, glanced from Harry to Ron. Ron stripped the chain from his neck, casting it away, then turned to Hermione.

"And you?" Ron asked Hermione, who looked at him with wide eyes. 

"Me?" She asked, totally not understanding what Ron was asking her to do.

"Are you staying? Or coming?" Hermione looked anguished, glancing from one to the other. The canvas streamed with rain behind her. "Fine. I get it. I saw you two the other night. Yeah, that's right. Didn't know I knew, did you?" 

"What? Ron, no -- please --" He whipped aside the tent flap and the rain roars. As Hermione rushed after him, she tipped over the radio. As it hisses Harry glowered at the Horcrux.

"Today we have some horrible news." Harry looked at the radio that never turned off. "Three more precise lives have been taken today, by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He has taken the life of Draco Malfoy, 17." Harry's head shot up and he looked at the radio in horror.