The burrow was quiet at this late hour, the laughter and hum of conversations that normally filled the air was no longer present.
Harry sat in the shadows of the living area. He couldn't sleep, his dreams were always full of faces, faces of the people he couldn't save: his parents, Cedric, Sirius, Dumbledore, even faces of people he didn't know would creep into his dreams.
They'd beg him, plead with him to save them, and he would stand paralysed to the spot, whilst hooded figures surrounded him chuckling darkly, taunting him with how hopeless and pathetic he was.
At the centre straight in front Voldemort would always stand, a malevolent smile playing on his lips as he slowly raised his wand, his red eyes flashing with glee. The nightmare would end when a jet of green light flashed from Voldemort's wand, and where the spell landed, he never found out.
"You do realise you're sitting in the dark here mate?" Ron's voice sounded from behind him, bringing him out of his train of thoughts. He turned to see Ron standing with his wand lit in one hand. A mixture of concern and drowsiness on his friend's features.
"The thought never occurred," he replied half dazed, absentmindedly tapping his wand off of the arm of the chair he was seated in. Ron walked over and sat down next to him giving him a nudge on the shoulder as he did. "You ever think of just leaving?" He asked after a brief pause between them.
"What, leave Hermione?" His friend responded in disbelief, "we barely make it out the front door without her! We won't last a week...no, we won't even last a day!" Harry knew his friend's words were true and he hated that, but he was determined that if he could keep at least one of his friends safe I'd be her, besides Ron would be able to give some light when situations got dark. Hermione, as intelligent as she was, would be much better safe incase something happened to them, she'd be their back up plan. She always knew the answer to everything, and he admired that about her. "Just don't tell her I said that okay?" Ron pleaded.
"She'd be safe." The words were whispered and for a second Harry thought that maybe Ron hadn't heard him until he heard him mutter something under his breath, something he didn't quite catch, then he spoke aloud.
"She'd hate us." Ron replied bitterly shaking his head.
"She'd be angry, probably hex us, but she'd never hate us," he reasoned, "not for trying to keep her safe." ,
They sat for a moment just staring into the dimly light room around them.
"What do you think they'd do if they catch us?" Ron asked.
"That won't happen," Ron was about to butt in but Harry continued, " and if it did..."
"They'd want her, you're not the only one who's been wondering about her safety." He admitted before releasing a heavy sigh. "I just...I can't leave her knowing she'll be alone, I mean sure she can look after herself, she doesn't need anyone but I just can't bring myself to leave her."
"I talked to Lupin," harry explained, " they'd put her in a safe house."
"Blimey, how long have you been thinking about this?"
"Since you both agreed you'd help me." He admitted. He remembered the look on Lupin's face, he had even tried to convince him that the order handle it instead, but he couldn't allow that. Dumbledore had wanted Harry to do this task with only the aid of his two friends, and he was determined to complete it.
"We'll leave a note," Ron suggested, "I don't want mum worrying about us more than she needs to, then we can leave, you can write," he said accioing a pen and piece of parchment and handing it too him, "I'll pack... oh and grab some food too."
Harry sat the piece of parchment on the table next to the Weasley's clock, his eyes glancing at Ginny's picture before he moved away without hesitation.
"You're sure about this?" Harry asked, looking him dead in the eye. Harry was more than sure, after all if something happened to either him or Ron- or merlin forbid- them both, he knew Hermione was more than capable of completing the task Dumbledore had set him.
"You've got everything?" Harry asked getting up onto his feet glancing round one last time trying to soak everything in.
"Yes, you're sure this is what you want to do?"
"Unfortunately." And without another word, the both of them vanished into the night leaving only a few possession and a handwritten note.