Lightning cracked across the sky, causing the Thestral to shuffle uneasily as Hermione finished tying it to a tree.
"Don't worry," she said, patting the skeletal horse, "It's not going to hurt you." She felt a little guilty about leaving the animal alone, especially in a storm.
"It'll be alright, Hermione," Harry called from the edge of the trees, "Can you put it to sleep?"
She had not considered it, but she immediately cast a light sleeping charm (she still wanted it to be able to wake up quickly if they needed it to) and smiled as the creature's head slowly dipped. She had been surprised to learn that she could now see the Thestrals when she and Harry had approached the Hogwarts herd earlier that day. She could only assume that during the battle on the field she had witnessed death, but she decided not to dwell too long on that thought.
They left the shelter of the trees, and headed for the decrepit bridge that was perched precariously over the water. They came to a halt in front of it, and Hermione gnawed her lip worriedly as she took in the sight of crumbling stones and mildewed wood.
"Are you absolutely certain that this is it?" Harry asked, wearing an expression that matched hers.
The map was consulted, "It's in the right location," Hermione said, "and Bellatrix said that this was where we would find it. And there's that-" she nodded to the Muggle sign that said 'Danger! Bridge is unsafe.'
Harry's eyes lingered on the sign for a moment before he spoke, "Are you sure that we can trust her?"
"Yes!" Hermione spat in indignation, she narrowed her eyes at him, "Harry, she saved both our lives back there. I trust her completely! Do you have any idea how many times she's done that for me? If it weren't for her I wouldn't be here right now!" She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed.
"I'm just asking," Harry held his hands up in an effort to placate her, "I wanted to make sure, that's all. She is still a Death Eater, Hermione, you can't blame me for being cautious."
She let out a small growl of frustration. "Let's just focus on getting across."
Before Harry could say anything else, Hermione gripped onto one of the sides and hoisted herself onto the creaking wooden planks that made up the base. The stone beneath her hand was slippery, and so it provided no real stability as Hermione's feet scrabbled for purchase on the wood. The mildew was slippery, but to her surprise the boards were steady. She made it across easily, then leapt down onto the opposite shore.
"Well, come on," she chirped, flashing Harry a cheeky grin. She laughed at the look of concentration on his face as he stepped up onto the bridge. "It's safe," she assured him. She smothered her laugh with her hands as Harry's feet slipped at the end of the bridge-sending him toppling onto the rocky shore.
"Are you hurt?" She asked, still choking down her laughter as she helped him stand.
Harry shook his head, "I'm fine," he said quickly. Without looking at her, he headed towards the trees.
Mumbling something about pride, Hermione followed.
There was a small path that led through the woods. After glancing at the signs that warned about poisonous gas, the two decided that they were in the right place. Hermione held her wand at the ready as she followed Harry's lead.
As with all of the paths that Hermione had been on lately, it was long. If I had known that it would take more than an hour to walk there I would have brought the Thestral, she thought tiredly as the path began another steep climb upwards. She felt a little foolish at her belief that Gryffindor's estate would be close to the river. This was one of the people responsible for Hogwarts after all. The one small comfort was that the length of the path was proof that it was enchanted; the narrow strip of trees on this side of the river should have taken no more than ten minutes to walk across.
Harry, to his benefit, did not comment on how long they had been walking. Instead, he took this time to complain about Dean. As they reached the top of the hill and continued down the other side, he continued his rant about Dean's lack of respect for Ginny.
"-and this morning he didn't even say 'Good Morning' properly. You should have heard it, Hermione, it was like he was saying hello to a garden stone. He just sort of grunted at her, G'Mornn."
It was Hermione's opinion that Harry's imitation of Dean sounded more like an imitation of Grawp, but she kept this to herself.
"And he doesn't even ask how her classes are going," Harry stomped down on a twig with more force than usual, "he could at least pretend to care. Instead, all he cares about is Quidditch." He adopted the Grawp-like tone again, "How was Quidditch practice today? Do you think we've got a shot against Slytherin? I'd love to see the look on Malfoy's face when we beat them."
Hermione did not say that this was because Ginny's favorite topic was Quidditch. Nor did she point out that Quidditch was usually the only thing Harry spoke to Ginny about as well. It was rare for her friend to open up like this, (especially when it came to Ginny-or girls in general) and she was not about to ruin it.
"And yesterday he spilled Pumpkin Juice all over her homework!"
It was Ron who spilt the juice, but again Hermione kept her mouth shut.
"But the worst part about Dean is when-" Harry came to an abrupt stop that caused Hermione to collide with him.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, as she tried to peer over his shoulder.
Harry moved so that she could step beside him, "I think we're here," he murmured.
They had come to a stop a few feet from where the path widened out into an overgrown field. (A field that had not been visible from the sky, Hermione noticed) There was a crumbling stone wall that was overgrown with blackberry bushes, and it encircled the entire field. Inside the wall, amidst the tall grass, were the ruins of several old buildings. After referring to the tapestry, Hermione identified them as the stable, the castle, and a dovecote.
"Do you think it's safe to just go in?" Hermione asked tentatively as she tucked the map and tapestry away once more.
Harry nodded, "Dumbledore said that the founders were fine with members of their House," he said as he walked towards the wall. It was fairly short, and he jumped up easily.
"Harry, wait!" she called.
But he had already hopped down on the other side. A broad grin stretched over his face as he looked back at her, "Come on, Hermione, it's safe."
"That was highly irresponsible," she sniffed, "there could have been a number of protection spells. Ancient laws did not forbid the use of lethal curses-"
"Hermione," he cut across her rant before it could properly start, "just do a detection spell and then come on."
She rolled her eyes, but performed the spell anyway. When it came up clear, she took his outstretched hands and climbed over the wall.
"See, no lethal curses," Harry teased, letting go of her hands as soon as she touched the ground. "Now, let's go get that potion and get your girlfriend back."
Hermione could not restrain the grin that stretched across her face as she followed Harry towards the largest of the three crumbling structures.
The castle was made up of dark, mossy stones. There was no roof, but the walls had survived remarkably well. Two round towers stretched upwards like formidable sentries. The front door had long since rotted away so that the entrance hall could be seen from the outside. Hermione could make out the rough shape of a staircase, and hoped that Gryffindor had used a different fortification spell on the inside of the castle than he had on the roof and door.
Two white marble lions stood on their back feet, one on each side of the entrance, with their front claws outstretched and their teeth bared in a soundless roar. They were easily three times Hermione's height, and she eyed them warily as they climbed the steps.
Harry nodded in appreciation as they walked under the outstretched marble claws, while Hermione shrunk closer to him. Then, they were standing in the castle.
Hermione's eyes widened as she took in the entrance hall. It seemed that the outside of the castle was merely a disguise. Inside, it looked as if the residents had only been gone a few hours. They had entered a large square room with a wide staircase that stretched up to the next floor. Three doors were situated around the room, and a narrow corridor was situated at the far back wall.
There were tapestries of battle scenes on the walls, as well as dozens of weapons that gleamed as if they had been polished recently. Hermione's lips twisted distastefully as she took in the Hippogriff Head that was mounted at the top of the large staircase. Above them, the ceiling reflected a starry night sky. Hermione looked through the gaping doorway to where the real sky was a stormy mass of clouds, and wondered if the ceiling was enchanted to reflect only good weather.
"Well," Harry blinked as he took in their surroundings, "that was easy."
WHOOSH!
The hair on the back of her neck stood on edge at the roar that sounded behind them. Slowly, she turned to look behind her, and immediately wished that she were anywhere else.
Flames spewed from the mouths of the marble lions, and Hermione's eyes widened in horror as two shapes formed. They grew larger and larger until they filled the entire entryway.
"You were saying?" she gritted as they found themselves staring into the smoldering eyes of two fiery lions.
He opened his mouth to say something, but snapped it shut as a thunderous roar filled the room.
"Run," he hissed, pushing her towards the staircase as the two very large lions sprang forward.
Her breath caught in her throat as she sprinted towards the stairs. For a moment she questioned the safety of the centuries-old stones but another roar from behind convinced her that they were adequate. Still, her breathing eased somewhat when the stairs proved to be sturdy beneath her feet.
Harry's voice called from right behind her, "Aguamenti!"
Cursing herself inwardly for not thinking of it first, Hermione twisted to shoot her own spell at the flaming beasts. Unfortunately the water merely sizzled as it came into contact with the flames, and the lions continued to advance, unfazed.
Frowning in concentration, Hermione tried another- "Aqua Eructo!" she screamed, sending a torrent of water into the face of the lion closest to her.
Once again the water simply hissed as it crashed against the flaming body, and evaporated immediately. A claw shot through the air and raked against Hermione's shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain as it ripped through her skin.
"Hermione!" Once again Harry caught hold of her wrist and pulled her to safety. They reached the top of the stairs and ran at full speed through the corridor.
"We can't outrun them," Hermione gasped, "try the doors! Maybe we can barricade ourselves in one of the rooms."
It was a weak plan, but it was the best that they had. The first door disappeared as soon as their hands touched it. The next one stayed in place, but turned to stone as Harry pushed against it. Finally, the third one creaked open, and the two teenagers found themselves in what must have been Godric Gryffindor's private chambers. Quickly Hermione flicked her wand and bricked up the doorway.
"Will that hold them?" Harry asked breathlessly.
Hermione shook her head, "I doubt it." She grimaced as a jolt of pain shot through her body and lifted her wand against her shoulder, "Episkey," she gritted. Her heart sank a little when nothing happened. "It's a curse," she said. "Maybe some form of Fiendfyre-"
Her words were interrupted as the bricks that she had conjured broke apart, showering them in debris. She felt a shard slice across her cheek, and heard the tell-tale crunch of Harry's glasses breaking.
It was her turn to lead them to safety. As the lions leapt into the room with a feline grace that was almost beautiful Hermione grabbed the back of Harry's neck and forced him to duck as they dashed beneath the outstretched claws and through the doorway.
We're going to die, she thought, her pulse roaring in her ears as she guided Harry back towards the staircase. She had the sudden desire to scream as she heard the rumbling roar behind her, but choked it back.
They had reached the stairs when something burned against her back, pushing her forward into Harry. Suddenly they were falling. Hermione clenched her eyes shut as they seemed to roll in slow motion. Then they at the base of the stairs, both of them panting and gasping with pain. Harry's arm lay at an unnatural angle, and the guilty pang that shot through her chest hurt worse than any of her injuries.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered. She had dropped her wand at the top of the stairs, and Harry's was nowhere in sight.
He gave a weak chuckle, "Don't be. I always figured it would end like this." His eyes landed on the two burning shapes that were gliding towards them. His good hand sought hers, and gave it a squeeze, "It was an honor to be your friend."
Hermione could not hold back the sob, "Oh, Harry," she sniffed, "it was an honor to be your friend as well."
Then the lions were above them, their fiery teeth bared to strike. Hermione gripped Harry's hand and swallowed, waiting for the strike…
The lions shot forward, but stopped as the most beautiful sound in the world pierced the air.
Beside her, Harry breathed in relief, "Fawkes."
The lions swiveled their heads, as if confused, to watch the scarlet bird swoop through the entryway and drop down in front of the students. As he landed on the smooth floor he dropped something in Hermione's lap.
She stared at the scrap of fabric for what felt like a full minute before she realized that she was holding the Sorting Hat.
"Reach inside," Harry instructed.
She did as she was told, and closed her hand around the cool metal object that was inside. Something clicked in her mind, and she shivered in delight when she realized that she was grasping the hilt of the Sword of Gryffindor. Without standing she pulled it from the hat.
As soon as the sword was visible the lions vanished.
"Thank Merlin," she sighed. She felt Harry's arm around her, and she leaned against him. Her eyes slid closed as she allowed herself to cry in relief. She felt Fawkes rest his soft head against her injured shoulder, and the Phoenix left out a soft note-almost a coo- that seemed to make the tears fall faster.
"I'm so sorry," she repeated.
"Like I said, don't be." Harry gave her a gentle squeeze, "You've risked your life for me before, many times. It's only fair that I do the same. It's what friends do, right?"
"Right," she said.
They sat there for a while, catching their breath. Eventually Fawkes shifted away from Hermione. She opened her eyes and gaped in surprise when she realized that the wound on her shoulder was gone.
"Phoenix tears," Harry explained, smiling. He pointed to where Fawkes was resting against a burn on his leg (something Hermione felt guilty for not having noticed earlier). Thick, pearly tears rolled down the Phoenix's cheeks, and the burn healed before her eyes.
"Amazing," she said, "I've read about Phoenix tears, of course. But actually seeing it…"
"Yeah," Harry whispered as he stroked the top of Fawkes' head.
She turned her attention to the sword that was still in her hand. The tips of her fingers traced the engraving of Godric Gryffindor's name. "It's beautiful," she commented.
Harry laughed, "And it proves that even after the year you spent behind enemy lines you're still a true Gryffindor."
"Whatever that means," she whispered, more for herself than for Harry.
Before they stood, she fashioned a sling for Harry's arm. As they gingerly got to their feet Fawkes flew to perch on the Hippogriff's head. They smiled as he swiveled his head around, as if taking it upon himself to be their sentry.
They had no idea where Gryffindor stored his potions, so after they retrieved their wands (thankfully, both were unharmed), they began their search upstairs. Hermione winced at the scorch marks that marred the corridor, and promised to find out what Fawkes' favorite treat was.
When they had no luck upstairs they trudged back down to explore what lay behind the three doors in the entrance hall.
Eventually, they found themselves in a surprisingly small kitchen. Or at least, what they assumed was the kitchen. The room lacked any furnishings other than a row of cast iron skillets that hung above the hearth.
"Maybe it changes size depending on how many people need to eat," Harry suggested as he crossed to the small cupboard door beside the hearth. He yanked it open and called out, "Hermione! There's a passageway over here!"
Hermione joined him immediately, and squinted at the narrow passage that seemed to lead underground.
"Do you think he could have his potions down there?" Harry asked.
The Black catacombs sprang unpleasantly to Hermione's mind, "I hope so." She brought her wand forward and muttered "Lumos," in order to give them more light.
Hermione wrinkled her nose at the damp musk in the air. She held the sword in front of her in case Gryffindor had put any more defenses down there. As predicted, when the passage widened out into a round chamber they had to pass beneath another pair of stone lions. Luckily, these two remained unmoved.
"This is it, right?" Harry asked.
Hermione looked around the chamber. Unlike the sparse kitchen, this room was packed. The walls were full of shelves that contained jars of what once would have been ingredients-but now were little more than dust. There were two fireplaces, each with their own cauldron. There were many curious instruments that gleamed in the light of Hermione's wand, but the most interesting thing was the door that held a placard labeled "Potions Store Room".
"Yes," she said, unable to fight the giddiness that crept into her voice, "I think it is."
The shared a grin, and strode together towards the door. All it took was a simple utterance of "Alohomora," to open it, and the door swung open.
Hermione and Harry stepped into the small store room, and she held up her wand. There were rows of shelves that stretched from floor to ceiling; each shelf was labeled with the potions that it held. Hermione's eyes snapped around the room, and she felt her stomach turn to lead.
Every bottle had been smashed.
A/N: Thank you for reading! And thank you to everyone who has reviewed! I could not do it without you.
