THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH | RON WEASLEY [BOOK FIVE]

10. BROKEN PROMISES

Days turned into weeks of settling in forests and stone beaches and abandoned homes. They were tired and they were clueless and they were all beginning to lose hope. The Horcrux didn't exactly make things much easier either.

They had just left an old barn, the skeletal remains of the hayloft providing them with momentary shelter and safety from the Death Eaters that flew overhead.

Gene certainly hadn't missed the smell of rotting timber and the sound of bats dancing in the loft at night. They walked through the countryside, over the hills which looked the same as they did two hours ago.

It felt like they weren't making much progress, and the tension between Gene and Hermione hadn't gone unnoticed. Gene had done her best to make up for it, and it seemed to be working so far. But Ron was starting to grow suspicious and it worried her even more.

Gene watched as Hermione went ahead alone, debating internally for a good ten minutes or so, before striding forward to take up the space beside her, walking along the beaten path.

"You'll have to start talking to me eventually, you know." she mused, with Hermione breathing a hollow laugh in return.

"Eventually isn't now." Hermione returned bluntly. But after a few moments had passed, she finally looked at Gene, "I'll get there. Give me time." she said softly.

Gene could only nod, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders when Hermione smiled at her. Harry had replaced Hermione now, raising an eyebrow discreetly to which Gene nodded again, smiling even more now. She looped her arm with his, her head falling against his shoulder as they walked alongside one another, following Hermione.

"I'm hungry." Ron's voice pulled them apart, and to a stop. Gene was slightly ashamed to realise she had almost forgotten about him.

"What?" Harry said, as they studied him for a moment. Hermione walked back over as Ron continued.

"I'm hungry." he repeated bluntly.

Hermione glanced at Gene, as they both looked to Harry who stared at Ron, almost as if he was measuring him up. They hadn't exactly been on the best of terms recently either. It was as though they were competing, though Gene hadn't any idea for what.

"We're all hungry." Harry said.

Ron returned a hardened stare before looking away, his shoulder shifting uncomfortably in his ragged bandage. Gene crossed over to him, her hand reaching out to examine it, realising that it probably needed changing soon.

"Leave it." he said bluntly, causing Gene to pull back.

She glanced at his profile, then at the Horcrux that dangled from his neck. It was the locket, not him. That was why he had been acting so off with her recently. It wasn't him. Gene reached for Hermione's bag anyways and began to rummage through it.

"Mum can make food appear out of thin air." he continued.

"No one can conjure food out of thin air." Hermione said, her voice tender as she looked at Ron sympathetically, "Food is the first of the five Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law. The other four are–"

Gene had found a roll of fabric, one she had ripped from her own shirt a few nights, going to untie his bandage.

"Oh, speak English, won't you?" he said sharply, suddenly jerking his injured arm away from Gene to her surprise.

She looked up, meeting his hard gaze in shock.

"I said leave it."

Gene swallowed hard, her jaw tensing as she put the bandage back into the bag, handing it to Hermione without tearing her eyes from his profile. He didn't look at her again.