Harry's POV
Jenny plan worked out great; we had gotten the horcrux and escaped Gringotts. The only problem now was that the Dragon was flying blindly hundreds of feet up in the sky with us in tow.
"We're up too high!" Hermione shouted against the wind as the dragon rose higher and higher into the sky.
"Make it land, Jenny!" Ron shouted.
"I'm not some sort of dragon whisperer!" she shouted back, clinging desperately to its collar. I knew that if it were to turn sharply or dive we would all fall off, even if she were holding onto it. It seemed that Ron was swearing as loudly as possible and Hermione was sobbing rather loudly, her arms tight around my waist.
How long would it be before Voldemort found out we had broken into the vault? Surely once he learned we had escaped on a giant blind dragon it wouldn't be long before he found us. At the very least, Voldemort would know we were hunting his horcruxes.
We continued to ride until the lights of the city were distant, the trees and buildings blending together. We were entering the country now, with a forest and a lake ahead. A high-pitched whistling sound, probably from the rushing wind, grew louder as the ground grew closer.
"Is it just me, or are we losing height?" I asked loudly enough for her to hear.
"That's the idea!" Jenny shouted back. "I think the dragon's thirsty- it's heading for one of those lakes, there. I don't know how well it'll land, so I think we should jump!"
Lower and lower the dragon flew, circling over one of the smaller lakes. When I could see the yellow of its underbelly in the reflection of the water, I knew it was time.
"NOW!" I shouted before kicking off from the dragon's broad back. My feet hit first, but the distance was greater than I expected and I hit the water hard. When I emerged, I spotted three larger rippling spots where the others had jumped. The dragon had already landed on a far bank and didn't seem to notice us at all. I began to swim toward shore once I saw that all of them had resurfaced. Soon it was a matter of fighting through the reeds than swimming, as most of the lake turned out to be rather shallow.
I made it to the edge first, coughing and sputtering as I rolled onto the grass. Although I would much rather remain lying on the ground, I forced myself to stand and cast protective spells. When they emerged from the water, I noticed that most of their skin was singed red and parts of their clothes were burned through. Jenny's hair, usually a long golden blonde, was brittle and scorched on the ends. She was unscrewing a bottle of dittany and wincing as she applied it to their many injuries. Hermione took out a fresh pair of clothes for each of us from her bag as well as four bottles of pumpkin juice from Fleur and Bill's. We all drank the juice hungrily before changing.
"Well, we got the horcrux," Ron said, watching the skin on his hands regrow, "but we-"
"Lost the sword," I finished through my gritted teeth.
"I hope it'll be alright," Jenny said, looking out at where the dragon sat, lapping up water from the lake.
"What'll happen to it?" Hermione asked.
"It's a dragon, it can look after itself," I said, before looking to Ron as he began to speak.
"I don't know how to break this to you, but I think they might have noticed we broke into Gringotts"
All four of us started to laugh and, once we started, it was difficult to stop. It felt so good to laugh, although it made me realize how hungry I was. I let myself fall onto my back and laugh until my throat hurt and my ribs ached.
"Maybe they'll be too scared to tell him-" Hermione started, but I was already gone.
"What did you say to me?" my voice was high and cold, fury burning through me as I glared down at the trembling goblin.
"W-we t-tried to st-stop them… imp-posters b-broke into the Lestrange's vault-"
"Imposters? What imposters? Who were they?"
"It was the P-Potter boy and his accomplices…"
"What did they take?" I demanded, my voice rising.
"A s-small golden cup m-my lord…"
I screamed with rage, my voice echoing off of the crumbling walls. How could they have known? No one knew. It was impossible- how could they have discovered my secret?
I threw the elder wand out, jets of green light slashing through the room, hitting any who crossed its path. Bellatrix and Lucius threw goblins behind them in their rush for the door.
The diary was destroyed and the cup was stolen. What of the others? What if the boy knew about them? Could he have already found them? Surely I would have felt it if he had destroyed any. I, the greatest wizard of all time, would surely know.
But, still, I had to be sure. I paced the room, kicking corpses as I went, thinking of the different places- the lake, the shack, Hogwarts-
How could the boy have known about the ring in the Gaunt shack? No one knew I was related to the Gaunts, I had hidden the connection, the killings couldn't possibly be traced to me- I was careful.
Then again, there were loose ends: the man and the girl. Oh, how I hate loose ends. The girl surely had no idea, but the man… he was loyal enough, but only out of personal interest. I may need him yet- I'll keep him for now, but if he proves to have crossed me or loses his value…
As for the school, I alone knew where I planted the horcrux.
And there was still Nagini, who must remain close, now, no longer sent to do my bidding, but to be protected.
But to be sure- completely- I must set out and place extra protection for each horcrux- a quest, like the Elder Wand, which I must do alone.
But which first? Which was in most danger? Then I realized- Dumbledore knew my middle name. He could have traced me back to the Gaunts. It was there that I would go first.
The lake, no, surely not… though there was a small possibility Dumbledore could have known something through the orphanage.
It would be prudent to alert Snape that the boy might return to Hogwarts. To tell him why, however, would be careless- it was a grave mistake to trust Bellatrix and Malfoy, proving it was unwise to ever trust.
/
Jenny's POV
Hermione, Ron, and I sat around Harry, looking worriedly down at him. I knew full well he was in Voldemort's mind again, but how much longer could he stay there before Voldemort realized it?
Harry's eyes flew open, darting from Ron to Hermione to me. I saw the thoughtful vigilance in his eyes, the distant danger, before he pulled away to look at the cup lying in the grass a few feet away.
"He knows," he said, "he's going to check on all of them and the last one is at Hogwarts"
"What?" Ron asked.
"I saw him find out about the cup in my head he's- he's livid and scared that we know so much. He's making sure they're all safe- he's going to the ring, first. He still thinks it's at the Gaunt shack. He thinks Hogwarts is the safest because Snape's there and it'll be so hard for us to get in. I think he'll check that one last, but he could still be there within hours-"
"Do you know where in Hogwarts it is? Did he say what it was?" I asked.
"No, he was concentrating on Snape-" Harry went on as I pulled out the invisibility cloak.
"Wait! We can't just go in there- we need a plan!" Hermione cried.
"We don't have time- we need to leave now. Once he realizes the locket and ring are gone-" Harry didn't even finish. He didn't have to- I'd already packed everything in my pouch and handed him the cloak.
"How are we going to get in?" Hermione asked.
"Hogsmeade- we'll figure it out later. Everyone under the cloak," he ushered, holding up the end for us to get under.
"But we don't fit-"
"It'll be dark, no one's going to notice our feet," he said and we turned on the spot.
/
Harry's POV
We dropped down in Hogsmeade, the achingly familiar line of shops still in tact, a line of light spilling from the Three Broomsticks. Then it happened.
A deafening scream, not unlike Voldemort's when he realized the cup was stolen, pierced the night air. The alarm remained constant and I knew at once it had been set off by our presence. A dozen death eaters burst from the Three Broomsticks, wands in hand.
"Accio cloak!" one of them shouted. I gripped the folds of the cloak, but it didn't move. "Spread out- he's here," he barked. I heard Jenny mutter a spell, her body slowly turning invisible beneath the cloak. I looked down and saw that our feet were indeed visible and the Death Eaters would see them once their eyes adjusted to the dark.
"Into the alley," she whispered before ducking out from under the cloak. I shifted the cloak to cover our feet once she was gone, hurriedly backing into an alley, careful not to let a toe peek out.
"Let's just leave- disapparate!" Hermione whispered.
"We can't- Jenny's gone"
"What?" she whispered harshly.
"She turned herself invisible, first! Our feet were visible with all of us, Hermione," I said, my voice fading as death eaters began to search nearer to us.
"Turn loose- the dementors! Let them have him!" one of them shouted.
"The Dark Lord wants him alive"
"And he'll be easier to kill if he's been kissed first!" there were noises of agreement as the night air grew heavy and darker than ever. Dementors came gliding around the corner as we backed up against the wall. Suddenly, a silver wolf appeared and chased them away. The stars came back out as the dementors retreated, the footsteps of the Death Eaters growing louder as they ran toward us.
"Potter! In here- quick!" the door behind us opened, "keep the cloak on and be quiet!" The tall figure passed by us, storming into the street. Ron and Hermione began shuffling back and I followed close, sliding into the building. The only light was a single candle, but it was enough for me to realize we were in the Hog's Head Inn. We hurried behind the counter and through a doorway, which led to a staircase, which we climbed as quickly as possible. Upstairs was a sitting room with a fireplace above which was a large painting of a blonde girl who gazed out the window with a sort of vacant sweetness.
I walked over to the window, still hidden by the cloak, to see the Hog's Head barman arguing with the death eaters.
"So what? You send dementors down my street, I'll send a patronus back at 'em! And if I want to send my cat out after curfew- I will!"
"You set off the alarm?"
"What if I did? Going to send me to Azkaban? Kill me for sticking my nose out my front door? Go ahead! But I hope for your sake that you haven't pressed your little tattoos and summoned him! He isn't going to be too happy to see my cat instead of that Potter boy, will he?"
"Alright, we made a mistake, but break curfew again and we won't be so kind!" the death eaters strode back down the street. Hermione exhaled in relief and ducked out from under the cloak, taking a seat on an armchair in the corner. I drew the curtains together before taking off the cloak and handing it to-
"Where's Jenny?" I asked, turning to Ron and Hermione who looked equally clueless. Then the barman walked up the stairs followed by Jenny.
"Aberforth, I'd like you to meet Hermione, Ron, and Harry. Guys, this is Aberforth, Dumbledore's brother," Jenny said, going to sit on the arm of Hermione's chair.
"Y-you sent Dobby- it was your eye in the mirror!" I said, noticing that behind his spectacles were the same piercing blue eyes that Dumbledore had.
"I thought he'd be with you- so where is he?"