DISCLAIMER – I do not own Harry Potter. I am content to worship at the altar.

AN – Just reposting to correct some typographical errors.

Chapter Three – Horcruxes

Ron and Hermione came down to breakfast the day that Harry had been taken to the Ministry of Magic. Ron looked around the kitchen in surprise. "I wonder where Harry is? He wasn't in our room and I thought he must have come down earlier to breakfast."

Hermione went to the cupboard to pull out some bowls. "He might have stepped outside for some air."

Molly and Arthur came in to the kitchen from the yard. They had just been saying goodbye to the other members of the Order of the Phoenix, who had apparated away. Both of their faces were drawn with worry.

Ron noticed and asked sharply, "Mom! Dad! Is everything all right? Have you seen, Harry?"

Both looked a bit startled to find Ron and Hermione in the kitchen. Quickly pasting a false smile on her face, Mrs. Weasley said. "Of course, everything's fine. I'm just a little melancholy thinking about my son getting married. Makes me feel my years, I can tell you! Anyway, Harry was down here earlier. He told us to tell you goodbye for him." Molly bustled over to the sink and waved her wand to start washing dishes. She deliberately created lots of suds and steam to hide her face as she washed.

Hermione asked in puzzlement, "Harry said goodbye?"

"Yes, dear." Molly coughed nervously and continued. "He said to tell you that he'll meet you at Hogwarts in September. After speaking with some of the Order who were here this morning, Harry said he has changed his mind and thinks that he will finish his last year. Until then, he's going to stay for a few days with Moody before heading out to Diagon Alley to collect his school things for next term."

"This is so strange," said Hermione. "I don't understand why Harry left without speaking with us."

Arthur piped up. "Moody was in a bit of a rush and Harry wanted to go with him. We promised Harry we would tell you. That's all."

Ron was annoyed. "I wish he wouldn't have taken off so quickly. What does he want us to do?"

"Nothing!" said Molly, sharply. "He doesn't want you to do anything!"

"All right, Mom!" said Ron, with exasperation. "I wish you wouldn't worry so much. We won't do anything without Harry. I guess we'll meet up with him again in Diagon Alley and at school for sure."

Ron and Hermione finished their breakfast in silence and then went out in the yard to speak in private. Hermione cast a quick look back at the Burrow to make sure no one was listening. "Don't you think that this is odd? I don't believe Harry would have just left without telling us."

Ron leaned down and scooped up some rocks on the ground. He idly threw them one by one as far as he could. "I don't know. I think Harry is worried about putting us in danger. I don't think he's returning to Hogwarts, though. I bet he's going to Godric's Hollow without us."

"The Order wouldn't have let him go alone!" said Hermione, appalled.

"He wouldn't have told them that's what he was intending to do. I bet he went with Moody and is going to give him the slip. You mark my words. Harry's on his way to Godric's Hollow without us."

Hermione's voice was barely above a whisper as she breathed in fear, "What are we going to do?"

Ron turned to Hermione and his look burned through her. "I say we follow him. He's my friend and this battle is my battle too! He's going to need all the help he can get. I say we do what we were planning to do before. Let's go to Godric's Hollow!"

Hermione looked at Ron silently for a minute and then nodded resolutely. "You're right! He can't protect us from V..V…Voldemort. No one can. We have to fight, too."

Ron looked around again to make sure that no one was watching. "Let's go now before anyone thinks to stop us. On the count of three, we'll apparate there."

At Hermione's nod, Ron counted, "One. Two. Three." And the two apparated away.

The home where Harry's parents were killed had been reduced to rubble. Magically concealed from Muggle eyes, the site of Harry Potter's defeat of the Dark Lord sixteen years ago had been largely untouched, except by time and the elements. Ron and Hermione shivered as they slowly approached the burned down house.

"It gives one the creeps, doesn't it?" said Ron.

Hermione agreed. "There is still such a presence of evil here. I can't believe that it has remained like this for so many years."

"Probably no one wanted to come here. I don't blame them."

Carefully, the two stepped into the debris of the house. "What are we looking for?" asked Ron.

"I don't know. I guess we'll know it if we see it." Hermione said doubtfully. "I wonder where Harry is?"

Ron ventured a guess. "He's probably still with Moody, waiting to get away from him."

Silence then reigned as the two focused on searching through the house. They picked their way from room to room, moving rubble aside with their hands where possible and using their wands on the larger objects. When they entered a room that looked like it was a child's bedroom, the two exchanged fearful looks. "Do you think this is where…?" Ron whispered. He didn't complete his sentence. Hermione gave a short nod.

They both took a deep breath. Ron gulped. Carefully they looked through the rubble in the room. All at once, Ron let out a sharp gasp. "What!" whispered Hermione sharply. (There was something about this room that made it seem more appropriate to speak in whispers.) Ron didn't even speak. He merely pointed to a small beautiful cup. It was gold with engraved handles. It was remarkable for its beauty and the fact that it was unbroken. What was such an object doing here?

Ron and Hermione gathered around the object, neither touching it. "Do you think this is Helga Hufflepuff's cup? You know, the one that Harry mentioned seeing in the pensieve? The one Tom Riddle stole?" Ron whispered.

"It must be," agreed Hermione. "See the badger insignia?" She pointed to the engraving on the handles. Hermione raised scared eyes to Ron. "I don't think we should touch it," she warned.

Ron agreed quickly. "But, what are we going to do with it?"

Hermione thought for a minute and then she whispered a quick incantation. A fallen brick was transformed into a box and she levitated the cup inside the box, shutting its lid. Gingerly, she picked up the box and said, "All right. I think we can leave now. I doubt that there's anything else here to find."

"Shouldn't we stay until Harry gets here?"

"We don't know how long Harry will be. Besides, I just had a thought. Maybe we should check whether he's gone to the headquarters of the Order. Your mother seemed a bit strange when she was telling us that Harry had left with Moody. If there was something Harry needed to do at headquarters, she wouldn't have wanted us to go. And, Harry could have gone with Moody for protection."

"All right. Let's try there. But, we need to be very careful. While You Know Who won't be able to get into the headquarters, Snape certainly can and I don't fancy meeting him there! It wouldn't surprise me to find him lying in wait for Harry."

With this possibility in their minds, they were both very on edge when they apparated in front of 12 Grimmauld Place. They quietly opened the door of the house and tiptoed through its rooms. They did not dare to call out for Harry. They walked through the house with their wands out. The silence throughout was eerie. Ron's breath was coming in soft gasps and Hermione's wand was shaking.

As they were about to leave one of the parlor rooms, Hermione's eyes fell upon the desk she had helped try to "clean" two summers ago. As she saw the locket that no one had been able to open, she drew a deep, sudden breath. Silently, she motioned Ron over to the desk and pointed to the gold locket. At first, he looked at Hermione with a puzzled expression. What did she mean? Suddenly, Ron's eyes flew wide in understanding! The locket that Harry and Dumbledore had tried to retrieve from the cave! This might be the real one!

Hermione whispered, "Alohomora" and the box she had made to hold the cup opened. Ron's "Wingardium Leviosa" charm levitated the locket, so that it flew through the air to join the cup. Hermione closed the box again.

It took only a few more minutes to search the rest of the house. When it seemed clear that no one was there, they held a whispered conversation. Neither wanted to stay and they both were only too happy to agree with each other that the best course was to return to the Burrow for the time being. So, they left 12 Grimmauld Place with deep sighs of relief and, from outside the front door, apparated back to the yard of the Burrow.

Although a number of hours had passed, their absence had not occasioned any great concern. Hermione just said that she and Ron had taken a long walk in response to an offhand question regarding where they had been. No one seemed to question this.

Ron and Hermione agreed to bury the box with the cup and locket in the far corner of the yard. (Neither wanted to bring the box into the house.) Ron stood back after having buried the box. He looked down at the newly turned earth. "I wish we could tell Harry that we think we may have two of the horcruxes. I don't want him to waste time looking for them."

Hermione nodded. "And, we have to figure out how to destroy them! I wish we could ask the Order for help."

Ron shot her an angry glare. "We can't tell anyone! We promised Harry."

Hermione nodded again. "I know. I won't tell. I promise."

Giving a last worried look at the place where the box was buried, the two went back inside the house.