Chapter Twelve; Reunited
Just a quick note, Snape didn't know the sword was supposed to destroy horcruxes, he just knew that the ministry wanted it and its whereabouts.
Hermione returned to the campsite in tears. "I couldn't catch up with him, I lost him." She said while continually shaking her head.
"Well then it's his loss." Snape told her as Harry nodded while she ducked her head and walked inside the tent. Harry and Snape followed her inside.
"I'm sorry Harry, I wish I could have stopped him. Or at least knew how to destroy the horcrux, it seems that ordinary spells won't do any good." She said.
"That's because horcruxes are protected by special magic." Snape began. "But that doesn't mean that you should just give up." He finished as Hermione turned over to look at him.
"But what are we supposed to do?" she asked him with a sniff while she continued blinking away her tears and he took a step towards.
"I'm not sure." He began as he brushed them away with his thumbs. "All I know is that I love you as if you were my own daughter, and I hate seeing you like this as much as I hate seeing Harry getting upset." He told her. "Just give Ron some time to work things out for himself. Maybe he'll surprise you and come back." He told her. That's when suddenly a song came on the radio and Hermione quickly turned her head.
"Oh no, I didn't realize that Ron left that on." She said before she quickly turned it back around as Snape took her hands inside his and started waltzing around with her dipping her and twirling her around. Harry smiled as he watched them before they finally stopped as the song ended and Hermione and Snape exchanged smiles before she gave out a rather large gasp. "Oh my goodness, I just thought of something!" she cried as she started running towards the table.
"What, what is it?" Harry asked her as he and his father ran after her and she grabbed ahold of Dumbledore's will and started reading it silently to herself.
"Aha! I knew it!" she exclaimed.
"Knew what!?" Harry cried before she glanced back up at him and grinned.
"Harry, it says in Dumbledore's will that he left you the sword of Gryffindor." She told him.
"So,.." he began.
"So, it destroys horcruxes! That's our answer!" she exclaimed.
"What do you mean?" he asked her.
"Tom Riddle's diary, a piece of Voldemort's soul was inside of it so that means that it had to have been a horcrux. And you destroyed it." She told him.
"Yeah, but with a basilisk's fang." He told her.
"Harry, listen to me. You destroyed the basilisk with the sword of Gryffindor. Dirt and rust have no effect on it, it only takes in what makes it stronger." She explained.
"You are brilliant Hermione but there is only one problem. Ginny didn't give us the sword." He told her.
"I know, that's because unfortunately the sword wasn't his to give." She said. "So that means we're now back where we started from."
"Actually, no we're not. You see when the ministry of magic went after the sword, they only got the replica." Snape told them.
"Does that mean you know where the real one is then?" Harry asked him.
"Yes, but I think that Hermione should stay here in case Ron comes back." He said as Harry nodded.
"Me too." He said as he held out his hand for her to give him the locket.
"Alright just promise me that you'll both be careful." She said as she placed it in the palm of his hand.
"We will." Harry said before he slipped it over his head and ducked down and followed his father out of the tent before they both withdrew their wands and lit their tips. They had walked for what had seemed like forever before Harry suddenly fell over and collapsed onto the ground.
"Harry!" Snape cried as he quickly stopped and turned back around rushing to his side. "Son are you alright?" he asked him as he slowly started to sit up and tilted his head back towards the sky as he heard a voice inside his mind.
"Where is it woman!?" A voice that sounded like Voldemort's hissed.
"I_ I don't know." His mother replied.
"I demand that you tell me where it is if you expect to live another day!" Voldemort spat.
"Mum!" Harry cried inside a gasp.
"What's wrong Harry, what is it?" his father asked him anxiously.
"It's Mum, she's in trouble. We've got to hurry up and get back to her!" he exclaimed before he sprung to his feet and started to run.
"Harry wait!" his father cried while starting to run after him. Harry came to a sudden halt as he came to the clearing and saw that the lake had frozen over. "I used the glacius spell to protect it." He explained before Harry even had a chance to ask him. Harry took a deep breath as he started walking closer to it before he bent down and untied his shoes. He kicked them off his feet before removing his socks and pants and then finally slipping his shirt over his head. All that he had left was the locket and his boxer shorts.
"Diffindo." He said pointing his wand at the ice before there came a loud crack and it broke apart. He took a deep breath and leapt into the water swimming down towards the bottom. That's when he noticed that the locket started choking him around his neck. He quickly grabbed the sword although he couldn't breathe.
He was dying, he saw a bright light in front of his face. However a few seconds later he realized that he wasn't dead. What he had seen was the moonlight and his father dragging him out of the water along with somebody else. "Ron?" he questioned with uncertainty making sure that he wasn't dreaming or hallucinating.
"Yeah, it's me. Are you alright?" his friend asked him.
"Yeah, I think so." Harry began as he slowly got back up to his feet and started coughing while he put his clothes back on.
"I found someone while I was out and about." Ron told him as Harry glanced down at the little boy that was standing right next to him.
"Elvis?" Harry questioned with uncertainty and disbelief.
"Yeah, I found him in a little town not too far away from here." He explained as the little boy burst into tears.
"Some bad men tried to kill me! Once I ran away from them I got lost!" he sobbed while he rubbed his eyes and started to sniff.
"It's alright Elvis, everything's going to be alright. We'll get you back to your sister just as soon as we destroy this." Harry told him as he took off his locket and dangled it down beside him. "Now I'll have to speak to it to open it, once I do you can destroy it." He told Ron.
"Why me?" he wondered.
"Because you came back and helped save me. I don't know what's in there but whatever it is we'll end up putting quite a fight. A mere memory of Tom Riddle almost killed me." Harry explained as Ron nodded and took the sword in his hand.
"Right, just do it." He told him as Harry set the locket it down and told it to open up in parseltongue. A few seconds later the lid of the locket sprung open and a dark mist came out of it followed by two ghostly figures of Harry and Hermione unclothed and making out. Ron suddenly froze as he watched the figures slip their tongues inside one another's mouths.
"Ron, kill it!" Harry hollered as Ron started at the other version of Harry place it on Hermione's breast while he continued making out with her. "Ron kill it! It lies! Hermione's just like a sister to me! I'm in love with yours, and I would never cheat on her or do anything to hurt her." He told her as Ron turned over to look at him and nodded.
"I know, I believe you. And I'm sorry that I ever doubted you for one second." He said before he turned back around and stabbed the locket with the end of the sword. There was a mini explosion as all the black smoke disappeared and Ron bent down to pick it up by the chain. "C'mon, let's go." He said.
