Chapter 14
"Luna!" Hermione called out as she and Harry jogged back to the Gryffindor Common Room, needing to pack a few things for their journey.
Luna slowly turned around, staring at the pair out of wide eyes, and asked, "Yes?"
"Kiersten left, do you have any idea where she would go too…off Hogwarts grounds?"
"You must've really hurt her feelings." Luna said to Harry, studying him with an almost shrewd expression. It had gotten around quickly that Kiersten had run away because of Harry breaking up with her.
Harry rolled his eyes, not in the mood to deal with this right now, not when the love of his life was in danger. "I don't have time for this, Hermione. Come on."
"Harry!" Ginny cried as she ran down the hallway, tears pouring down her cheeks, fear in her eyes. "It's Ron! He's gone! He left a note saying he was going to find Kiersten!" She started crying, causing Hermione to face palm while Harry's green eyes just widened. "You have to find him before he gets himself killed!"
"The idiot." Harry groaned, sharing a look with Hermione. "Ginny, stay put." He grabbed Hermione by the arm and ran the rest of the way. In seconds, they were ready to go, their sacks shrunk and in their pockets.
"Harry, why are you carrying your Firebolt?"
"Because I don't know where I'm Apparating too."
"But I don't like fly-INGGGGGG!" Hermione screeched as he pulled her onto the broom and darted out a nearby window.
After hours of studying, Kiersten finally decided to test out blocking others from her mind, and nodded when she got it, closing the book as the tears poured down her cheeks. She was doing this on her own and didn't need Harry's interference, especially after he broke her heart. She wiped her tears away, tucking her book back in her bag, and finally decided to call it a night as she laid on her sleeping bag she'd brought. With a heavy sigh, Kiersten just let the tears flow down he cheeks as she stared straight at the tent wall.
A few hours later, Kiersten's eyes shot open as she bolted upright, sweat pouring down her face, and looked around as she lit her wand. "Lumos!" She whispered, looking around, and sighed with relief when nothing stared back at her. She slowly looked outside through the thin material of the tent and seen the sun was just raising over the horizon, causing her to nod. It was better to travel during the day than to actually do it at night, especially with her father. She quickly packed her things and removed the protection spells before setting out on her journey to the unknown.
Harry jostled Hermione when he felt her head rolling backwards. "Now isn't the time to sleep, you might fall!" He shouted over the wind whistling in their ears, knowing that would perk her right up. No need to add that he wouldn't let her though.
"Harry, look." Hermione pointed down, spotting something in the woods. Her eyes widened as he zoomed down to the ground, taking in the crumpled grass and post holes in the ground. "What do you think?"
"I think you need to do some of those tracking charms you're good at."
Kiersten finally stopped, needing a breather, and leaned against the tree as she raked a hand through her messy hair. Her face was tear-streaked and she had nowhere to go. "Anywhere is better than Hogwarts." She muttered under her breath, knowing it would take time to mend her broken heart, and stopped when she heard a twig snap in the distance. With her wand at the ready, Kiersten stood up, trembling from head to toe, and lit her wand. "Lumos!" She was shocked at who was standing in front of her. "Ronald?!" She gasped, who was hiding behind the tree, his own wand out. "What in the name of Merlin are you doing out here?"
"I came to find you." Ron said simply, though he didn't lower his wand, eyeing her suspiciously. "Tell me something only Kiersten would know." He demanded, suddenly feeling like a fool because he'd been heard. What if he'd wondered into a Death Eater or something, someone else pretending to be Kiersten? This hero stuff was harder then it looked.
"You're in love with Hermione Granger and you're afraid of spiders and anything creepy in general." Kiersten replied, sounding bored, and shook her head as she raked a hand through her hair. "You shouldn't be here, Ron. It's dangerous, go back to Hogwarts now." She ordered, turning around, and heading back to collect her things to continue on her journey.
"Right then." Ron started helping her. "I'll go back to nice, safe, warm Hogwarts…if you come with me of course." He wasn't surprised when she just shook her head no in response. "Then I'm coming with you." Ron grinned broadly. "Sorry Kiers, but you're stuck with me. Now…what is it we're doing out here anyway?"
"Ron, if you're here with me that means the others aren't far behind, and I don't want them to find me. Just please, leave me be." She stated, tears in her eyes, and wiped a few stray ones that flowed down her cheeks away. She could not believe Ron was out here with her and wanted to hex him for being stupid, trying to be the hero like his good pal Harry Potter. She snorted, her eyes narrowing at the thought of the wizard who stole and broke her heart, and shook her head as she blocked him out once more when he tried probing her mind for her whereabouts.
"They're far enough behind if you'd Apparate." Ron said flatly, looking at her like she was crazy. "I left long before Harry and Hermione did. Look, why don't we just Apparate to wherever it is we're going?" He suggested, pulling out a tattered, but clean handkerchief from his back pocket and passing it to her.
"That's the thing, Ron. I don't know where I'm going." She replied flatly, taking the handkerchief, and wiped her eyes, blowing her nose before shoving it in her pocket. When Ron just stared at her, Kiersten finally sighed as she stopped and looked into his confused eyes. "Look, I'm the daughter of someone so vile, mean and cruel that you'd run away if you knew." When she said that, she decided to take a stab and see if it'd work. "I'm Lord Voldemort's daughter."
Ron visibly paled, but didn't move. "That explains a bit." He said finally, giving her a once over. "You look loads better then him though if it's any consolation. How bout we Apparate to London? My brother's have a flat and I'm sure we could stay there until you figure out what is it you want to do or accomplish by running away."
"I'm trying to get away from Harry and you remind me of him, Ron." She admitted openly, turning around to face him, her face completely tear streaked. She gasped when a broom was seen overhead and didn't think twice about it. She grabbed Ron's hand and mumbled London as they Apparated just as Harry and Hermione swooped down, only to see footprints in their midst.
"BLOODY HELL!" Harry cursed, not believing that just happened. He dismounted and began to pace a furious trench in the ground, cursing Ronald Weasley with all his breath. "That interfering fool…he's going to get them both killed if she doesn't first!"
"Harry, just calm down." Hermione suggested waving her wand over the place they'd seen them. "Just let me do this…"
"That was close." Ron commented, looking around and frowning. "Those are cars…we're in Muggle London."
"So we're in the wrong place?" Kiersten demanded, sighing when he nodded, and took his hands as they Apparated again. They arrived in the Wizard London and nodded, heading toward Ron's twin brother's hideaway until they figured out what to do next. To make sure nobody seen them so it got back to Harry and Hermione, Kiersten casted an invisible shield around them and walked with Ron. "They don't know about this hideaway, do they Ron?" She asked suddenly, stopping to face him skeptically.
"They know the twin's live over their joke shop, but Fred and George are over in Scotland, seeing about opening a new shop there. So everybody thinks the flat is empty. Harry will look everywhere dangerous before coming here." Ron assured her, leading the way up the back steps, knowing the anti-intruder jinxes his brother's had placed on the flat.
"I hope you're right, Weasley." She stated and followed him to the flat. Once they were inside, Kiersten instantly started putting charms up, protective and untraceable ones, things she learned while reading that book. After that, she started fire in the fireplace while Ron got some Butterbeer out of the cooling box. When they were finally settled in, Kiersten was staring at the floor, and knew Ron was bursting to ask her questions. "Just ask Ron, you'll find out eventually."
"Why'd you run off? What's going on with you and Harry? Is Voldemort after you and Harry?" Ron fired off in rapid succession. "Why is it Voldemort is just now coming after you? I mean, he's had to of known where you were. You'd think you'd of seen him at least one or twice before, right?"
Kiersten seen this coming and took a deep breath, clasping her hands tightly together, and began going over one question one by one. "I ran off because of what happened between me and Harry."
She then went into the whole schpeal about binding their blood together because of the powerful possession Voldemort had on her. She explained to him about her past, about her foster parents telling her that Tom had died in a war, only for it to wind up false. She then started telling him about the night in the hospital wing when Voldemort revealed himself for the first time to her and tried killing Harry, in which she protected him. Finally, she told Ron what Harry told her about how she was not going with him after his seventh year and that he only bonded their blood to help her, not because he loved her, which he said he did. It was confusing and after three hours, Kiersten finally stopped as the tears silently flowed down her cheeks.
Ron sat there quietly for several long minutes, digesting all this information. Hermione always said he had the emotional range of a teaspoon with the brainpower to match, but he was obviously thinking this over. "Harry does love you." He said finally, getting the obvious out of the way. "Though he's a git. He thinks too much about saving everyone to think about what they may want. He didn't tell you anything about what we were going to do?"
"No, not one word." She stated, standing, and wrapped her arms around herself, her back to him. "It does not matter because I never want to see him again. He broke my heart after saying he wouldn't. I should've kept this myself and ran away when my father started probing my mind." She pursed her lips tightly together and wiped her tears away from her eyes angrily. "I'm going after my father for revenge for my mother, Ron, and I'm doing it alone, without any of you."
"Yeah, so you've said." Ron snorted. "How were you planning on doing that Kiersten? What's your game plan then? I hope it's better then ours because more then likely, you'll wind up dead in minutes." He studied her openly, shaking his head. "Look Kiersten, being Voldemort's daughter doesn't make you one of those super hero people, it makes you a bit more odd then the rest of us, granted, but that's it. So…what's the plan then?"
"That's none of your concern, Ronald." She stated heatedly, raking a hand through her hair, and set her mug of trying to avenge my mother's death." She was not afraid of dying, never had been, and never would be as she stared out the window, pressing her forehead against the cool glass. "Now, is there anything else you need to ask or want to know?"
Ron shook his head. "Nope. You explained it. You're going to do this all blind and go into battle unprepared, knowing other people have information you don't, and just fly by on a wish and a prayer. Gotcha." He drained his Butterbeer, looking around the flat, taking in the pictures that adorned the walls, along with some posters from Playwizard.
"That pretty much sums it up." She stated, closing the curtains, and without a word left the room. She didn't even take two steps out when a knock sounded at the door, causing her to whirl around, her amber eyes widened. She tried Apparating and was not happy to find out she could not. "YOU BASTARD!" She shrieked, realizing what Ron had done as he let the visitors in, which were Hermione and Harry. "EXPELLIARMUS!" She shouted, zapping Ron angrily, and rushed out of the room toward her own to pack her things, putting a lock charm on her door.