Harry and Amelia Potter

7.18

I sit outside with Hermione while the boys are inside the tent catching up. She's not ready to completely forgive Ron yet, which is understandable. I've said it once and I'll say it again, he's an arse. But we love him anyway.

"What happened out there, Mia?" She asks me. "How come you forgave him so quick?"

"Well, as Harry and I sat out here we saw something a few yards away. A bright light. Which turned out to be a Patronus." I begin to tell her. "It was a doe."

"A doe?" Hermione looks to me, confused. "Isn't your Patronus a doe?"

I nod my head. "So you can understand why Harry and I were so intrigued by it." I continue. "So we followed it to an icy pool, and low and behold, the Sword of Gryffindor was laying at the bottom."

"The sword was just on the bottom of the pool? Underneath the ice?"

"Yes." I nod again. "And Harry, being the idiot that he is, decided to strip and jump in."

"He jumped in?" She looks down. "He really is an idiot."

"I know!" We share a laugh. "Anyway, then the Horcrux started to choke him, like it knew the sword was near and it was in danger."

"It could sense the sword?" She questions. "It knew it could destroy it."

"Exactly. And I tried to get him out, and that's when Ron came. I told him what was happening and he immediately jumped into action. He saved Harry." I look off into the snow covered trees, taking in the cold breeze.

"And then he destroyed the horcrux?"

"Well, we fought for a moment. I had a few choice words to say to him, then he apologized." I tell her. "Then he destroyed it."

"What did he mean by 'when I saw you doing those things'?" She asks curiously.

"When Harry and I opened the locket, it burst open, and began speaking to him. And then these ghostly figures appeared. One of me, you, and Harry." I explain. "The images were so cruel to him, but yours... I could tell yours hurt him the most."

"What did I do?"

"You kept going on about how anyone could never love him. Compared to Harry. With him being one of the 'Chosen Ones.'" I put my fingers up in air quotations. "And then well, to put it bluntly, the two of your ghost figures started kissing."

"Harry and I?" She looks to me. I nod and then she makes a disgusted face. "Eww. He's like a brother to me."

"I know, don't worry." I reassure her. "And then Ron looked straight at us with this vengeful look and raised the sword over his head. Harry and I were terrified for a moment, but then he stabbed the locket, making everything disappear."

"Woah." She looks down at the snow.

"Yeah, so maybe give the poor guy a slight break. That locket affected him more than any of us. It was worse for him."

"I don't know Mia, he really hurt me. He hurt all of us." She says and I put my arm around her.

"Yes, he did. And he knows it." I say, starting to get up. "And he'll spend the rest of his life making it up to you."

I leave her alone to her thoughts and decide to step into the tent to see what Harry and Ron are up to.

Harry lies in his bunk while Ron sits cross-legged, warming his hands over a bowl of flames.

"Is she still mad?" Ron looks up at me as I take a seat on the ground in front of the boys.

"Well she's not thrilled." I tell him. He sighs and admired the flame.

"I've always liked it. These flames Hermione makes." Harry peers at the bowl, then beyond the tent flap, sees Hermione sitting just outside, keeping watch. Ron then looks to me again. "How long you reckon she'll stay mad at me?"

"Keep talking 'bout that little ball of light touching your heart..." I tell him. "She'll come round."

"It was true. Every word." He turns to Harry and I. "You're both going to think I'm mental, but I think that's why Dumbledore left it to me, the Deluminator. I think he knew that at some point I'd... need to find my way back. And she'd lead me."

Harry and I eye Ron, pondering this. Then suddenly, Ron jumps up, grabs his own rucksack and begins to fish through it.

"Bloody hell. I just realized." He turns to Harry. "You need a wand, right?"

"Yeah..." Harry says.

"Well, I've got one. Here. It's Blackthorn, ten inches, nothing special, but I reckon it'll do. I took it off a Snatcher a few weeks back." The ginger haired boy glances at the slightly opened tent flap, then back to us. "Don't tell Hermione, but they're a bit dim, Snatchers. This one was definitely part Troll. The smell off him..."

Harry points the wand at the flames. "Engorgio."

The flames flare massively and Ron and I leap back.

"Reducio!" I point my wand at the flame. As the flames subside, Ron pats down a small flare-up on the canvas.

"What's going on in there?" Hermione calls out.

"Nothing." The three of us say, playing it off.

"Maybe a bit more practice, eh?" Ron suggests.

"We need to talk." Ron wheels, sees Hermione standing in the mouth of the tent, Life and Lies in hand, looking at Harry and I.

"All right." Ron stands up, adjusting himself.

Hermione ignores him. "I want to go and see Xenophilius Lovegood."

"Sorry?" Harry questions.

"See this? It's a letter Dumbledore wrote to Grindelwald. Look at the signature." Hermione turns the book in our direction. Dumbledore replaced the "A" in Albus with the triangular eye. "It's the mark again. It keeps cropping up. Here. In Beedle the Bard. In the graveyard in Godric's Hollow... what?"

Hermione looks at Harry and I, staring hard at the book. Suddenly, a vision becomes clear.

We're moving through the village streets again, past the cloaked figures, turning down the narrowing alleyway that leads toward Gregorovitch's wand shop and... holding on the triangular eye scratched crudely into the wall.

Harry and I blink back to reality.

"Jesus. It was there too." Harry looks to me.

"Where?" Hermione asks.

"Outside Gregorovitch's wand shop. On the alley wall..." I trail off, my gaze focused on Harry.

"But what does it mean?" Ron asks.

We all look down at the symbol etched in Dumbledore's fine hand in the book.

"Harry, Mia, you don't have a clue where the next Horcrux is. And neither do I." Hermione starts. "But this, this means something. I'm sure of it."

"I think Hermione's right. I think we ought to go and see Lovegood. What say we vote on it? Those in favor..." Ron's hand flies into the air. Harry and I eye him knowingly. Hermione rolls her eyes, then lifts her hand as well. "Sorry, Harry and Mia. Looks like it's Hermione and me this time."