Chapter 33 - Two of Pentacles

It felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room with the way Theo was staring gobsmacked at the Elder Wand resting on the book.

Finally, Luna spoke. "Theo, you ought to know that something can exist even though you can't conceptualise it." She smiled serenely up at Hermione. "Like the Nargles."

Hermione's heart clenched at her friend's sunny optimism in the face of so much darkness. "Like the Nargles," she echoed, reaching across the book to clasp her friend's hand tightly. Too short, though, was the reprieve before she turned to Draco and Theo. "Harry had a theory that, united, the Deathly Hallows could defeat the Dark Lord."

Theo frowned, his hand hovering over the wand before he flicked his gaze to her, seeking permission. At her nod, he picked up the wooden length, weighing it on the tips of his fingers.

"It feels like you," he mused, allowing the wand to roll down his fingers until it settled in the length of his hand. He cracked a wry grin at her. "Stubborn, like it's going to tell me I'm wrong about something any minute now."

The levity brought an answering smile to her face, and she lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "It does feel like mine. Once I summoned it from Ron…"

Draco cleared his throat, finishing for her. "You became its master."

The title settled heavily on her shoulders, and Hermione rolled them to try to shed the proverbial weight. "The old wand doesn't answer to me anymore." A thought dawned on her, eyes rounding as she settled on Luna's folded hands, and Hermione held her hand out, crooking her fingers when Theo quirked his brows at her. Once the wand settled back into her hands, a surge of warm magic flickering back into it, she waved it in an arc, muttering "Accio aspen wand."

Tattered bed covers rustled, the wand fighting to free itself from beneath the pillows she stowed it under. Finally, it cleared its confines, zipping across the room and landing smoothly in her outstretched hand.

When she turned to the group, both boys looked on as she extended it to Luna. "It seems like you've more use for this than I do."

A brilliant smile lit Luna's face, and she accepted the proffered instrument. Almost immediately, a shower of golden sparks emitted from the end; Luna's grin split impossibly larger. "I think it likes me."

It felt good to laugh again, Hermione realised as she allowed her a chuckle to ring between them. She felt normal, or as normal as she could given the circumstances, and though she was distinctly aware of the small area of Malfoy's clothed knee pressing against her own. If she closed her eyes, the warm fire at her back, the quiet laughter, and the fleeting feeling of normality reminded her of Hogwarts.

Before everything had turned on its head. Before war came to their doorstep. Before who she was had been changed irrevocably.

But then she opened her eyes, reorienting herself in her present. It would do no good to dwell in the past, so she leaned forward, settling her chin in her palm as she eyed the passage printed before her. "I never believed in them either; it was always a means to get Harry to move, to give him a sense of direction. I always told him that maybe we'd stumble across it eventually, but-" She shrugged, gnawing on her lip. "It makes sense. He had the cloak. The wand is here…"

"That leaves the resurrection stone." Theo seemed to be talking to himself, his eyes distant. "But that could be anywhere. If it's just a stone-"

Luna interrupted him. "But what if it's not?" When everyone turned to look at her, she blushed lightly but continued. "If He Who Must Not Be Named was after the wand, it stands to reason that he was in pursuit of the other Hallows. With them all, he would be the Master of Death."

Hermione nodded along with her, working through the puzzle pieces that they had. "If he had them, he'd be unstoppable. And he nearly is anyway, given the horcruxes."

Both Draco and Theo froze, their faces draining of colour. "Granger, back up." Theo's voice was low and serious, his jovial mood erased. "What do you mean horcruxes? Plural?"

She swallowed, unable to meet their gaze. "When I left Hogwarts, Harry had a mission, one that Dumbledore had given him before his death. He didn't tell me much; in fact, it was just days before the attack at the Manor that we found it in the Ministry. We barely made it out."

Draco rubbed a hand down his face, colour slowly returning to the tips of his ears as he eyed her. "Start at the beginning, Granger. And don't leave anything out if you can help it."

So she did. It all felt so distant at first, muddied by the time she'd spent in the cell, the memories and falsities she had to distinguish from the truth. But these memories were largely unaffected. Those early moments in Grimmauld, when she was surrounded by her best friends and thought they would fight the war out together, they were hers.

She walked them through the first days on the run, the near misses in the tent, and the way Ron restlessly pushed for them to do anything. Harry was tightlipped, too traumatised from Dumbledore's death to function, until he finally sat both her and Ron down to explain their task. And then they'd met with the other escaped Hogwarts students, their band of exiles trekking brokenly across the wizarding world until they'd arrived at Malfoy Manor and it had all blown to bits.

Hermione tried to ignore the way Draco flinched at the passing mention of the manor, but he steeled himself and broke into her rambling monologue, whether to quell her quickly dwindling voice or stop the onslaught of his own guilt, she wasn't sure. "How many?"

She swallowed, closing her eyes. "Harry worked out that there were at least six, each of them with some personal significance to the Dark Lord." Theo swore, and she opened her eyes to watch her fingers tick them off. "Tom Riddle's diary, which was destroyed in second year." Draco paled, the reminder of slipping it into Ginny's cauldron clear on his face, her own memories recalling when he'd confessed his transgression to her in the Room of Requirement. "Ron has Salazar Slytherin's locket."

A strangled snort from Theo made her pause. "He used Slytherin's locket?" At her nod, he whistled low under his breath. "Always was a ballsy git." His lips thinned into a line. "And the others?"

She barrelled on. "Marvalo Gaunt's ring—Dumbledore destroyed it before he disclosed the information about the horcruxes to Harry." A deep breath prefaced the next. "The rest are guesses; we assumed Ravenclaw's diadem and Hufflepuff's cup, in keeping with the founders."

Theo frowned. "Well then the final one would most logically be something of Gryffindor's."

But Hermione was already shaking her head. "The only remaining possession of Gryffindor's was the Sword of Godric Gryffindor, which Dumbledore kept in his office and already scanned for horcruxes. It was never made into one."

Draco and Theo exchanged a glance, unspoken words passing between them until Theo said, "Can it be a living object?"

Drawing her lip between her teeth, she sucked in a breath, choosing her words carefully. "There's no precedent for it, but-" She closed her eyes, tears welling up in them as she struggled to get the words out. "But I had a theory before Harry died… well, that he'd been made into one by accident. It would explain why he had such a connection to the Dark Lord. Why he could see so clearly into what he was doing, could feel his thoughts." A shudder worked its way through her as she remembered Harry's sightless gaze. "But he died. When I cursed him, he…" She paused, trying to force the words out. "He was just gone."

Shame and guilt chased each other through her, both of them threatening to swallow her whole, and when Malfoy's hand settled on her knee, at once familiar and foreign, she flinched. When he withdrew, another sharp flash of guilt settled through her, but she pushed it away to deal with later. But the warmth of his knee pressing into hers never left her, and he whispered, "It's okay, Granger."

The quiet declaration bolstered her, and she continued. "I'd venture a guess that if anyone could find a way to imbue a Horcrux into a living being, it'd be the Dark Lord." She narrowed her gaze at them. "But what would he-"

"The snake," both boys answered simultaneously, a grim look shared between them.

And suddenly Hermione remembered Nagini, the snake's long, coiling body that she'd seen only once prior, from a distance in the manor whilst trapped there. A shudder wracked through her, but she nodded, remembering the way Voldemort had kept the snake within his sight at all times. "It's a very strong possibility; I hadn't considered it, but it makes sense."

Silence settled between them, Luna idly twirling the gifted wand between her fingers as the logs cracked in the fireplace. The silence was fraught with hundreds of questions she couldn't bring herself to voice, but just as she settled on perhaps the most important one-inquiring after Harry, hope a wistful optimism in her-Theo rolled his shoulders.

"Granger, if you've known about these for so long, why wait? Why are you just telling us now?" Theo's voice held no accusation, but guilt still welled in her.

With a sigh, she answered, "I'd forgotten. I was so focused on surviving that I didn't think about fighting a larger battle." When she swallowed around a knot in her throat, she continued, "After Harry died-" Another harsh swallow, a rush of emotion assaulting her. "After Harry died, I didn't think it mattered any more; I'd given up." She glanced up at Draco, quickly lowering her gaze when she realised he was watching her closely. "And even if I had remembered… I don't know that I'd have trusted you."

Gruff and insistent, Draco's voice cut through the quiet. His gaze landed somewhere in the vicinity of her feet, unable to look her in the eyes. "So how do we destroy them?"

Though Hermione opened her mouth to answer, Luna spoke up. "Horcruxes are quite hardy creations, and their housing is often protected by strong enchantments or warding. The only way to destroy a horcrux is to destroy its vessel beyond repair."

All three of them stared at her, mouths agape, before Hermione finally managed, "Luna, how do you know that?"

The other girl smiled demurely, though Hermione saw the corner of her mouth twitch in satisfaction. "There were lots of books that found their way into the Room of Requirement, and I had a lot of time to read."

With a disbelieving laugh, Hermione eyed her friend. "So this whole time, you've been in the Room of Requirement?"

Lifting her shoulders, Luna's smile slipped, the change of expression revealing some of the horrors she must have seen. "Not entirely, no." Her hand shot out, gripping Theo's. "I've been… it's been difficult, finding ways to obtain information. There were some things…" She swallowed, a pained pinch between her brows. "There are some things I'd rather not remember."

The sweet whimsicality that usually coloured Luna's tone was gone, and her normally rosy cheeks had drained to a ghostly pale. And Hermione remembered, the dark of the cell bleeding into the warmth of their makeshift shelter, Ron's taunts, his reveling in what he'd done to Luna.

Words failed her, and instead of offering half-arsed apologies, she leaned across the space, drawing the other girl up into her arms in a tight hug, trying to will the broken pieces of her friend back into place. Luna clung to her, both of them seeming to seek forgiveness in the other's embrace, and when they broke apart, Luna's eyes glittered with tears. Clearing a knot from her throat with a rough swallow, Hermione whispered, "I'm so sorry, Luna. For Ron, for-"

Luna squeezed her hands with a sad smile. "It's not your fault; war changes us. Ron… he always was hot tempered, and I think he got lost in trying to save his family that he forgot himself along the way."

And there was the grace that Luna was so willing to extend to everyone, even when she had been wronged. It shocked Hermione how quick the girl was to forgive, a lesson Hermione had never been quick to learn. But still, she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd failed Ron somewhere along the way, so she squeezed Luna's hands. A silent promise to make it right.

Whatever right meant in the end.

Clearing his throat and blinking away his own anger at hearing his girlfriend discuss the horrors she'd seen so brashly, Theo asked, "So how do we destroy them?"

Hermione sighed, leaning her weight back on her palms. "We wanted to use the Sword of Gryffindor; it was imbued with basilisk venom when Harry killed Slytherin's beast in second year, but it was in the castle when we escaped. It was never removed. Not until after Dumbledore's death, at least."

"What do you mean, not until after his death?" Low and dangerous, Draco's voice cut between them, and Hermione took a deep breath, steeling herself for the answer.

"When McGonagall got out, she took the sword with her; other than her wand, it was the only thing that she went for, but it's gone."

Deflating before her, Theo said, "What do you mean it's gone?"

She set her hands in her lap, the wand discarded at her feet. "It's gone; we don't- well, I don't know where it is. So it stands to reason that it's-"

Across from her, Luna tentatively leaned forward, eyes alight with hope. "But what if it's not gone?"

The optimism in her friend's voice flayed Hermione open, and she took a fortifying breath before answering. "Luna, there's no other place for it to be; McGonagall could have-"

Shaking her head, Luna cradled Theo's hand in her own absently. "It's goblin made; goblin-made metal is near impossible to destroy." She grimaced, flashing an apologetic look to Hermione. "I'm sorry, but I don't think Ron is capable of destroying it, no matter how angry he was or how much he's come into his magic since joining the Dark Lord."

Tapping her fingers on her knees, Hermione nodded. "So if the sword is out there, we've already established it as the best means by which to destroy-"

Again, Luna raised a hand, smiling serenely at the room at large. "Yes, Lovegood?" Draco prompted with a quiet clearing of his throat, a small smile playing about his lips.

"Though it may be the best way, it's not the only way." She breezed upward, summoning the small pack that she'd brought with her upon her arrival. Unlike Hermione's, it was not charmed with an Undetectable Extension Charm, and her rummaging took only a moment. Her hand disappeared inside, feeling around for a moment, the sound of odds and ends knocking together, and a moment later, she pulled out two long, ivory implements that looked oddly like…

"Basilisk fangs," Hermione breathed, something like hope crowding in her chest.

A brilliant smile lit Luna's face, followed by a short nod. "Indeed. Before I left the castle-when it wasn't safe to be there any longer-I asked the Room for a tool to help turn the tide of the war. Didn't think it'd work but-" Twin spots of colour rose to her fair cheeks, and Hermione barked an incredulous laugh at a request that was so whimsical in its innocence. "When they appeared alongside the books on horcruxes, I thought it was too much of a coincidence to pass on."

With a whoop, Theo shot up, wrapping his arms around Luna and spinning her in a wide circle. When he set her back on her feet, he looked between the three of them. Optimism was palpable among the ragtag group. "So…"

"We have everything we need to kill him," Hermione whispered, disbelief lacing every word. It wasn't that she was scared-no, quite the opposite. She looked forward to the time she met him as a man, when all of his horcruxes were gone and he stood before her, a shell of a wizard.

He'd have to face her.

But to have it all laid before her, the end within sight, was a reality she hadn't expected to face so soon, if ever.

A sharp pang ran through her core, eyes misting as she turned away from them. She wished Harry had lived to see the end of it all.

Harry, who never got to experience life outside of the terror of Voldemort constantly gunning for him. Harry, who seemed to always find the good in the bad, even if it was bloody Quidditch and ridiculous schemes that he and Ron had cooked up. Another sharp stab of pain reminded her of Ron, and she found herself grateful that Harry hadn't lived to see his best friend so thoroughly corrupted.

But Draco's serious tone stalled them again from where he'd cross to stare out the door. "That's all well and good, but where are these horcruxes?" Hands slipping behind his back, he paced, his face hard as he thought it through. "The Dark Lord isn't likely to leave them lying about the place; by their very nature, horcruxes are dark, volatile magic. Imbuing them in such well-known vessels was a risk as is."

Hermione nodded, turning back to the book as her mind whirred, trying to place pieces of the puzzle. "But he wanted to show the world how powerful he is; using such sacred magical objects was a direct affront to magic, to the tenants we hold dear."

Theo hummed, head tilting back to study the ceiling as he followed Hermione's line of thought. "And what better way to do so than defile those objects and then hide them away in plain sight."

"The diary was used to corrupt something wholly innocent," Hermione murmured, ignoring Draco's snort at her reference to Ginevra Weasley's innocence. "Harry worked out that the Gaunt's ring was to punish his family, his mother's ancestry."

"But Slytherin's locket?" Theo mused.

Luna answered him. "Likely a tribute to his heritage; it would have been his by birthright."

Draco continued, "The locket and the diadem would be a way to prove to everyone that the founders weren't as powerful as everyone thinks they are; it would also sully the founders' memories to be associated with the horcruxes." He chewed on his lips, brows drawn in consternation. "But the diadem is lost; no one has seen it in centuries."

Again, Luna perked up. "It's not lost; no one in living memory has seen it. But that doesn't mean it's lost."

With an audible pop, Hermione's jaw dropped open, eyeing the Ravenclaw with wide eyes. "Luna, that's… that's it." She crossed to her friend, carefully taking her shoulders. "No one in living memory has seen it, but Hogwarts is full of those who aren't living."

A serene smile graced Luna's face. "I'm sure the Grey Lady can direct us to its location."

"And the snake was the only thing I've ever seen him show even a modicum of fondness for, and it further underscores his connection to Slytherin," Theo finished, silence falling between them.

A short sob of relief gusted from Hermione's throat as she looked toward the boys. "That's three. One with He Who Must Not Be Named, one with Ron, one in Hogwarts."

Finally, after a few moments, Luna asked, "And what about Harry?"

That uncomfortable weight settled on Hermione again, the grief and guilt of it all, and she swallowed it down, trying to appear disaffected as she answered. "An accident. He never meant to make Harry a horcrux at all."

A/N: Hey all! Not much news on this end, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter. As always, mega creds to my stellar alpha and beta, LadyKenz347 and tofadeawayagain respectively. I'm super excited to have you all with me as this fic is nearing the end, and I hope you've all enjoyed this installation. I know it feels a bit slow moving at this point, but we're cresting soon and it'll be all downhill, quick action from there. Drop me a line if you enjoyed this! I love to hear your thoughts! If you need something lighter to check out in the interim, my WIP Scripted is mostly written (two chapters to go!) and a romcom based on The Ugly Truth 3