As it often does in times of great stress, time had a peculiar way of dragging on painfully from second to second and also leaping by in great chunks over those next few weeks. It all seems like a blur to me now, but a few memories ring out sharp and clear. Like the night that Lupin showed up on Bill and Fleur's doorstep to tell us Teddy was born, and the day Harry finally decided to stop obsessing over the Hallows and get back to our mission. We had spoken to the goblin Griphook and he had confirmed our suspicions that Bellatrix Lestrange had one of the Horcrux's in her Gringotts vault. From there, a shaky, feeble, and desperate plan was concocted that hinged most crucially on the help of the unsavory little goblin, whom I; needless to say; did not trust in the least.
This plan is how I ended up standing in the small guest room of Bill and Fleur's Cottage in the grayish light before dawn, staring into the face of the woman I had come to despise more than any other. I picked up a strand of Bellatrix's long dark hair and watched as her exact replica mirrored my motion. Just then a knock on the door startled me.
"Come in." I said softly, and I heard her high cold voice but it sounded strange with my soft timid tone.
"Blooooody Hell!" breathed Ron as he walked through the door, his round eyes trained on me.
"Oh don't!" I said quickly dropping his gaze, "I hate to see you looking at me when I'm indistinguishable from that nasty hag!" I felt my cheeks burning in shame and rage.
"Hey…" said Ron gently, and I heard him walking towards me but I kept my gaze focused on a knot in one of the floor boards, letting the long curtain of Bellatrix's dark hair shield me from his gaze.
"Will you please look at me? I want to see something." Said Ron quietly, he was close enough now that I could see the tips of his sneakers, he put his hand under my chin and ever so softly pulled my face up and forced me to meet his eye. As soon as I did a grin spread across his face.
"There it is… I knew it." He said with a satisfied smile.
"What?" I said, feeling confused and still ashamed.
"Hermione…" said Ron and he tucked the dark hair behind my ear as he continued, "you may be wearing her rotten skin but you could never be indistinguishable to those who truly know you. It's in your eyes," he ran his thumb up my cheek bone to the corner of my eye and I smiled in spite of myself, "see right there! That sparkle… that goodness, that's my 'Mione" said Ron with a grin, and he lightly kissed my cheek.
I sighed in spite of myself and gave him a playful swat on the arm before I went about changing his appearance in the way we had decided upon. When I was finished he took my hand in his and gave it a firm squeeze before heading out to the garden to meet Harry, I went to Griphook's room to retrieve him and then walked as quickly as I could to meet them, I tried not to spend anymore time than was necessary with the loathsome little creature. Once we all met in the garden we wasted to no time hurrying on our way, but at the last moment we all turned for a final look at the place that had, for a brief time, given us some respite from the dark and dangerous world we found ourselves lost in.
"This is the end, we're going to die." Was the last thought that flashed through my brain as we hit the massive waterfall. Water pounded down on us and suddenly we were thrown from the cart that had been taking us deep into Gringotts. Everything had gone wrong, it had taken them minutes to realize something was awry. It was the damn wand, of course they would have been tipped off that we stole it from Bellatrix! I cursed myself for being so stupid. I instinctively grabbed for my small bag that held all our worldly possession. It was still there, I looked around and saw that none of us were the worse for wear, but we were in the thick of it now, I could hear voices in the passage beyond the waterfall, and to make matters worse the falls had erased our magical disguises completely. I instinctively shot a shield charm towards the oncoming threat. Ron asked frantically how we would get out and neither Harry nor I answered but when our eyes met I knew he had come to the same conclusion I had, we wouldn't.
There was nothing to do but press forward, as we rounded the next corner I nearly fainted, there was a huge pale dragon with white eyes. Luckily Griphook had known about this and had known how to deal with it, with the assistance of an Impiriused goblin from the bank we managed to bypass the dragon and make it into the vault. It was enormous the shear volume of the treasure overwhelmed me, just as we stepped in the door sealed behind us, before the scream of terror could even reach my lips Griphook assured us the Gringotts goblin could get us out. I saw a cup and ran to it impulsively but the moment I touched it pain seared through my fingers and I dropped it, to my horror it multiplied into ten more! Griphook explained the spell, anything we touched would burn and multiply. Even as he said it Ron bumped another cup filling the room even more with scalding metal, the heat rose around me and as it didn't so did the panic inside me, I gasped the Summoning Spell knowing full well it didn't work on Horcruxes but needing anything to calm the savage monster threatening to claw it's way out of me. Sudden Harry saw it high above us on a ledge of rock, I was instantly filled with relief, then a new wave of panic as I realized there was no way to reach it. We heard the sound of the oncoming hoard on the other side of the door and cold dread filled me as I met Harry's eyes, the heat rippled through the air around us and I was suddenly hit with the gruesome reality that this stone vault, was very likely my tomb. Harry snapped me back to reality as he said he needed to get to that cup. As was often the case with Harry he needed no further explanation, I simple knew. I used the levitation spell to lift him off the ground but as I did he swung into a suit of armor, and quite literally, all hell broke loose.
Pain, that is the main memory I have of those next few moments, I remember screams, all of our screams mingling together. I vaguely remember pulling the Gringotts goblin from the rising flood of gold, and Harry wrestling with Griphook, but mostly I remember the feeling of flesh being seared slowly inch by inch, feeling ever follicle of my skin because they were all screeching in agony. Then all of a sudden I was falling. The doors had opened, the cool cave breeze felt like heaven but I couldn't stop to enjoy it there was an angry mob and Harry was already shooting stunning spells into their midst I ran to help him, all the while knowing it was futile. Sudden he sent a spell towards the large blind dragon and broke it's restraints. I figured he must have been hoping it would add to the mayhem and take out the distracted, but before I could blink he was running towards it! I screamed at him asking what he was doing but followed as well, this was not the time for hesitation. The next thing I knew we were in flight, Harry in front of me Ron behind, and the savage animal was trying to claw it's way through the ground. I sent spells trying to help it, as best I could and Harry joined in. I held on for dear life feeling boulders rain down around me and waiting for the crushing blow that would end it all when suddenly we broke out into the dazzling sunlight.
We flew for what seemed like hours, I was in a daze, my muscles sore from how tightly I was holding on to the dragon, and my skin feeling almost plastic from the severe burns that covered most of it. Finally after what felt like an eternity we felt the dragon descending, we saw a lake and as it flew low to drink we jumped. The icy cold water soothed my burns, but caused my already sore muscles to cramp as I struggled and sputtered my way to the shore. I collapsed in exhaustion, I felt someone beside me I opened my eyes and saw it was Ron he was looking at me with concern, his face was covered in angry burns. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. His reaction was instantaneous.
"Hermione, it's ok! I know it hurts, where's your bag? I'll get the dittany. I'm going to make this ok 'Mione." He rambled grabbing my bag and rummaging through it frantically.
I put my hand on his and stopped him then as he looked at me, I gently put my hand on the side of his face and guided his lips to mine. I gave him a soft but deliberate kiss and then let him go and gave a half smile.
"Accio dittany." I said, pointing my wand at the bag without taking my eyes off his face, the little bottle jumped into my hand and we began to treat our wounds, momentarily Harry came and joined us. I was lost in my own thoughts as the boys discussed the debacle of gaining the Horcrux but losing the sword. Griphook had taken off with it as at the first sign of trouble. I wondered allowed about the dragon, saying I hoped it would be alright. I felt bad for it, blind in a world it probably didn't understand. Ron teased me saying I should be more worried about us. When Harry asked why, Ron said in a mock serious voice that he had a feeling they knew we broke into Gringotts….. and we were laughing. The kind of laughing we hadn't done in months, maybe not since Dunbledore died, but we needed it. We were alive, we were together, and what was more we were moving forward. When we finally got control of ourselves I began to ask what our plan WAS, because Ron was right about one thing. Voldemort would soon know that we knew his secret, if he didn't already. Suddenly Harry was writhing on the ground, I knew he was having a vision. Ron and I waited anxiously, and when he came out of it he looked pale and shaken but determined. He said what I had been fearing, Voldermort knew, he was going to check on all his Horcrux's, and Harry had seen where the last one was. It was at Hogwarts, he said we had to go immediately I tried to protest that we should make a plan, but he insisted there was no time, and I knew he was right. If Voldemort got to the Horcrux before us he would hide it away so we could never find it. So we made a hasty plan to try to sneak in through Hogsmead and then Apparated away. As we turned I caught sight of a last ray of the sunset, little did I know that before I saw that sun rise again, I would have experienced the most terrifying, and defining moments of my exsistance.
Trouble started the second our feet touched the ground in Hogsmead, there was a terrible screaming and Death Eaters came running out of the Three Broomsticks. It took me only a few seconds to surmise what was going on and a moment later Harry reaffirmed my thoughts, they had known we were coming, which means they had no doubt somehow trapped us here magically. The Invisibility Cloak gave us enough cover to duck into a side street. But the terror began to creep back into my heart as I heard them say they were sending the dementors to find us, the cloak would not hide us from them. Then… I felt them. Their cold seeped towards us, and despair filled me. Not like this, dying was one thing, but losing my soul? Ron's hand grabbed mine tightly under the cloak. Ron's soul! They couldn't have Ron's beautiful soul. The next thing I knew Harry's stag Patronus was charging them down, and the warm summer air rushed back around us, but Harry had done it now, the Death Eaters knew exactly where we were and in this tiny alley there was no way to evade them. Suddenly a door opened across from us and someone called us in. In our desperation we bolted, the voice hurried us upstairs where we huddled under the cloak trembling. We heard the voice arguing with the Death Eaters, I held my breath as the mysterious man made up a very flimsy story about setting off the detection charm while putting his cat out and send his patronus at the dementors. To my utter astonishment and relief they seemed to buy his story and left. As soon as he said it was safe to come out I extricated myself from the cloak and flopped on a stool, to drained to even move. The others were talking, but I didn't even hear the words I was too numb, I supposed I was probably in shock, not that I had ever experienced it to know. All I knew was I could not continue this constant cycle of facing death and being rescued at the last second, my mind and body were breaking down on me.
Suddenly a name was spoken that caught my attention, Aberforth. I looked up for the first time at our rescuer, and received quite a shock. While he was heavier set, and much more rustic and unkempt, there was no mistaking this man was he brother of my beloved deceased Headmaster. I wondered why Dumbledore had never mentioned his only living relative being so very near. Yet now was not the time for questions, Aberforth was arguing with Harry telling him to run, telling him going to Hogwarts was suicide, and that Dumbledore asking him to was selfish. I was worried because he pointed out many of the doubts I knew Harry struggled with everyday, but to my immense pride Harry stood his ground. As I looked around I became painfully aware that Aberforth had surrounded himself with many remnants of his past. A past that I knew was full of pain and loss, the most striking of which was a portrait on the wall. I asked and he confirmed, it was his sister Ariana. We saw a chink in his armor so we pressed and he told us everything, about his sister about her death and the part Dumbledore played. It was terrible, it was tragic, I was shaken to my core to know that a good kind man like Dumbledore could have such a heartbreaking past. As he finished his story he coldly asked Harry how he knew that he wasn't as disposable as Ariana to Dumbledore. I couldn't take it anymore I said with conviction that I knew Dumbledore loved Harry, and when Aberforth asked why he didn't tell him to run then, it was Harry who stepped up. He said sometimes it was about more than the good of one person. That seemed to do him in, he stepped to Ariana's painting and spoke to her. As all pictures in the wizarding world do she moved smiling and then walking away, but instead of moving out of the side of her painting she walked back into it, as though it were a hallway. We began to question this when suddenly we saw a light, she was returning with someone. To our amazement out of the painting stepped none other than Neville Longbottom.
I tried not to stare as we walked quickly down the tunnel but Neville had me riveted as he animatedly explained everything that had happened at Hogwarts. He was in a resistance movement, many of the students had stood up to the Death Eaters and were now in hiding. I sounded like there was a full scale revolt going on! Aside from what he was saying Neville's physical appearance itself was fascinating, one would barely be able to tell he was the same soft spoken boy we had said goodbye to one year previously. Besides his weight loss, which was noticeable, and the many scars he now bore for his defiance to the Death Eaters, there was a fire in his eyes that was almost tangible, he was a warrior now. I felt a nervous energy filling me, it had been growing ever since we left the shore of the lake, this awareness inside me, the end was coming whether victory or defeat, it was near and we could all taste it.
We turned a corner and there was a door ahead of us. Suddenly I had a strange swooping sensation in my stomach. I was going back to Hogwarts. In all the mayhem and pandemonium the true magnitude of that thought escaped me. Now as we sped along the tunnel towards that looming door I asked myself, was I ready? The door opened and we were greeted with instantaneous warm light and an eruption of sound, people shouting our names in all directions. I just got a glimpse of what looked like a huge tree house of sorts when we were mobbed with people. I felt the urge to cry as I looked into all the familiar faces, I drank them in desperately the very sight of them bringing life back to my heart. Seamus Finnegan, the Patil twins, Michael Corner, Ernie Macmillian, and even Lavender Brown. I was so happy to see them I felt I might burst. As I looked around I realized I had no idea where we were, but logically I knew that meant only one thing, which Neville confirmed, we were in the Room of Requirement.
Our elation at seeing our dear friends was short lived as we realized a growing problem. They seemed to be under the impression that our appearance at Hogwarts was a sign that we were ready to declare war and take back the school. We knew we had precious little time to find the Horcrux so we desperately tried to explain our true reason for returning. A task that was hindered greatly by the constant arrival of more people! Apparently Neville had rallied every able body in preparation for a battle. For a moment I thought Harry's resolve might crumble as Ginny walked through the portrait, in the end there were over thirty people in the room and we were losing control quickly. Ron suggested we use them, and I agreed quickly, I could feel time running against us and we had all of Hogwarts to search. So Harry explained exactly what we were there for. Unfortunately no one, not even the Ravenclaw's had any ideas, where the diadem might be. Finally Cho suggested Harry look at the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw in their dormitory, then he would at least know what we were looking for. We all agreed this was a good a place to start as any, and I could barely contain a smirk when Cho volunteered to take him and Ginny waspishly shot her down and volunteered Luna in her place. I had missed Ginny. So Harry told us to wait, and hurried off with Luna.
Unfortunately I was terrible at waiting I paced back and forth getting more and more agitated. I wanted to scream to yell to punch things. I was beginning to feel a battle would be the only thing that could keep me sane because we had to do something.
"Hermione, take a breath and try to—"
"Do not tell me to calm down Ronald Weasley!" I snapped, cutting him off, "if there was ever a time to be panicked it is right now! We don't even know where this Horcrux is and Voldemort is getting closer by the second! And he sure as hell knows where it is, and even if by some miracle we find it before him, we can't destroy it! Because we lost our one way of destroying them, all we had was the sword, so unless Harry has time to slay another basilisk in the next hou—" I stopped dead. My eyes were wide as I stared at Ron.
"The bathroom!" we gasped at the same time. He didn't even hesitate he grabbed my hand and bolted to where Neville had shown us the entrance. I thought I heard Ginny calling behind us but we didn't stop.
The journey from the seventh floor corridor to the second floor girl's bathroom was perilous. It was much harder to sneak around without the Invisibility Cloak. I was reminded of the time in our 5th year we had snuck out to visit Ron's secret balcony, though that night we only feared detention, this night we feared for our lives. When we reached the bathroom we slipped in and found it mercifully empty, I locked the door and we walked to towards the row of sinks. To our enormous luck even Moaning Mrytle was absent, but we kept our voices to a whisper all the same as to be sure not to alert her. We moved along the sinks to the one at the end on which Ron pointed out the small snake carved on the pipe. At that moment disappointment dropped like a lead brick into my heart. I had been so excited about the possibilities I had forgotten this key point.
"Ron…" I whispered, "It's no use… we can't get down there without Harry. He's the parseltounge."
To my bewilderment Ron rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Just worked that out have you?" he said in a sarcastic voice.
I was utterly confused, I looked at it from all angles and could see no brilliant plan that would make Ron seem so smug.
"ok here's how I see it." He said matter of factly, "Hermione do you speak French?"
"No," I answered immediately, "I was only there for a few months on summer holiday." I was getting irritated I had no idea what this had to do with anything, but I knew we were running out of time.
"Alright, now how do you say 'yes' in French?" he continued.
"Oui!" I said impatiently.
"Exactly. You don't speak French, but you know how to say that one word because you heard it, and were told what it meant. I'm using the same principle, mind you it may take a few tries… it's been awhile since we last went down here and my parseltounge is a bit rusty." said Ron with a half smile.
He leaned over the sink to the spot where the snake was and began to make strange hissing sputtering sounds. At first nothing happened, but he was persistent changing his tones and inflections slightly. I sat perfectly still as I watched not even daring to breath…. If this worked….. Suddenly the sink began to move, it fell away revealing a huge pipe that lead down into the darkness.
"Ron you did it!" I squealed, forgetting to be quiet, and I threw myself into his arms.
"Shhhhh!" he said as he caught me and clasped a hand over my mouth.
"Ron…" I whispered as softly as a could with my face inches from his, "you are the most amazing man I've ever met."
There was fire in his eyes, it burned into me with an intensity I had never felt but I relished. There was something desperate and hungry about the way he looked at me, and I felt it to. I knew we had costly little time but there was nothing I wanted more in that moment than Ron. He slowly leaned his head down, but just as he was about to reach my all too willing lips a noise behind us stopped him.
"Who's there?" called the sharp screechy voice of Myrtle. From the direction of the sound we knew she was still in the pipes but would make her entrance into the bathroom in seconds. Without a word Ron scooped me up and jumped feet first into the ominous dark pipe before us.
When we landed in a dark musty tunnel Ron led the way forward. We reached a huge mass of rock that obscured almost the whole tunnel. Ron used his wand light to show an opening near the top.
"That's where Harry got through last time….this is as far as I've ever gone." He said, and I could hear the fear in his voice. I took his hand and gave it a squeeze.
"We're in this together." I said firmly, and we made our way forward.
We had to clear out some more rock and debris to fit through. It turned out a hole dug to fit twelve year old Harry was a little snug for eighteen year old Ron. After a few more twists and turns we came to the large stone doors they were ringed by snakes and I shivered just looking at them.
"What do you reckon?" I said.
"Worth a shot…" said Ron with a shrug, and he made the strange hissing noise again. This time he got it on his second try.
"Ron…." I said in awe shaking my head.
"Yeah I know, I know I'm amazing…" he said wryly, "just don't go distracting me again. I gotta keep my head one straight if we're gonna get this done."
I clutched his hand tightly as we entered the chamber. It was like something straight from my nightmares. Huge stone statues of snakes lined the walls and in front of us loomed the most imposing of all. A towering statue of Slytherine himself, and at it's base was a sight that almost brought me to my knees. The baslisk skeleton was so huge I'd wager I could have stood inside it and stretched my arms as high ad wide as I could and not touched either side.
"Do you think it's venom has dried up?" I worried allowed.
"Only one way to find out." Said Ron, and he walked straight up to it's mouth and began yanking on one of it's razor sharp teeth. My first impulse was to pull him back, I knew the creature was dead, but it still seemed threatening.
"I can't believe Harry faced this thing when he was only twelve…" I said in wonder.
"Yeah… well Harry has always had a knack for being able to do more than anyone thought possible hasn't he?" grunted Ron as he tugged on the tooth. With a loud cracking sound it came loose and a black ooze seeped from the socket where it had been.
"I think that answers our question about the venom." Said Ron and he flipped the tooth around like a spear and walked towards me, "now where's the cup?"
I rummaged around in my bag until I found it. I felt it pulsing under my fingertips as I lay it on the floor. It knew, it knew we meant to destroy it. Ron walked up to it determinedly and raised then tooth but then stopped.
"No," he said.
"What do you mean no?" I gasped looking at him in confusion.
"It's gotta be you Hermione. Harry took care of one, so did Dumbledore, so did I, this one is yours." He explained.
"but what if I can't…" I whispered terrified.
"you're the strongest woman I know Hermione. You can do this," he came up behind me and put the tooth in my hand, "don't let it speak." He whispered into my hair.
I was not sure what he meant but I tightened my grip on the tooth and walked forward, steeling myself for anything. Anything except what happened next.
Hermione Jean stop this at once!
Her voice stopped me short, took the wind from my lungs. My mother looked up from where she was crouched by the cup. Her eyes held no love or kindness, just cold anger. I knew it wasn't her, but it had been so long since I had sent her away… it felt like an eternity. The tears were in my eyes before I could stop them.
Let's be honest Hermione. You can't do this, you never could. You spend all this time trying to prove yourself, prove you're the smartest, the cleverest, the most competent, but what are you really? a scared little girl who spends her whole life running from what she knows is true, her mommy was right. she's nothing special.
Nothing special at all, broke in another voice. I felt my heart crack again, Mrs. Weasley stood behind my mother, her eyes were just as cold but she looked past me as if I weren't even there, Honestly Ron darling why do you bother? It's not as if we would ever accept her, she will never fit into our family or our world, do everyone a favor a leave her now before—"STAB IT NOW HERMIONE!"
His voice broke through the waves of pain, and for a moment, just a moment I remembered what I was here for. I didn't hesitate, I stabbed the tooth through the cup with as much force as I could muster and it caved in on itself. A long drawn out piercing scream echoed around the walls, and then died. I didn't realize I was trembling until Ron put his arms around me. I crawled into his lap and sobbed just as I had the summer before. He stroked my hair as we sat on the floor.
"It's not true Hermione." Ron whispered in my hair, "you know what my mum told me one night last summer when we were all at the Burrow? She told me that you were the girl she has wanted for me since I was thirteen years old. That she wish for it everyday, she was so happy. And 'Mione, your parents are so proud of you, you are their whole world. And they should be proud, because you don't have to prove anything to anyone. You are quite possible the most amazing witch of our generation, I'm convinced you are the smartest woman alive, and you should own it! Because you deserve to…"
"Ron…." I mumbled, I was so overwhelmed, all my deepest darkest fears had been laid bare, he knew them, he knew me completely, and he was still here not only standing by me but putting me back together piece by piece, the power of my emotions was overwhelming there was only one thing I could possibly say at that moment, "I love you."
"Right back at you." He said with a smile and he gave me a soft peck on the lips. Suddenly there was a loud rumble that shook the ceiling of the Chamber. We both looked up and saw streams of dust and pebbles falling.
"What was that?" I said looking at him in concern.
"Sounds like…" he looked at me in fear as he trailed off.
"A battle." I finished flatly, somewhere in my mind I had known it would come to this.
We jumped up and ran to the basilisk, we yanked as many teeth free as we could and took off sprinting back up the tunnel. I used the Levitating Spell to get us out and as we emerged back into the bathroom was I realized I had been exactly right. We were at war.