"Maybe, just maybe, it would've been smarter not to trust the bloody Goblin." Ron half hissed as the golden trio took cover behind fallen debris as Gringotts security blocked their way out, bombarding them with spell after spell.

They clearly did not appreciate the semi-successful break in of their beloved bank. It would only be successful once they broke out.

"Ronald, this is not the time! " Hermione shouted as she ducked, narrowly avoiding a 'Petrificus Totalus'. The lions soon began to reciprocate the attacks, hoping for an opening to escape.

Two groups were clearly divided in the scuffle, half of the Aurors decided the three teenagers were a deadlier threat then the dragon and opted to target the trio. Clearly unbiased of course. The other group were trying to control the dragon, however no one seemed eager to make any pain-inducing sound to hurt the creature.

Crispy bacon seemed like a bad joke to make now.

The dragon was growing anxious as it was cornered. Harry looked to the dragon, then to the chain trapping it to its horrid fate and a terribly thought-out, Gryffindor idea soon began forming in his mind.

Ron and Hermione were huddled behind a column that was slowly growing smaller and smaller as each spell hit. Dust coated the duo as they wondered how they would escape. Harry threw a blind 'Confringo' at the Goblins and jumped the open space to get to his friends. The sound of an explosion was ignored as Harry took cover and was about to begin explaining his two-minute escape plan.

"Wait Harry," Hermione looked down to the Horcrux clutched in Harry's hand, "There's something in there, but I can't make it out." Hermione peered into the Horcrux and noticed the distinct empty abyss it held. Spells blazed pass above them. Ron knocked his head slightly against the stone pillar as he ducked to avoid the 'Imperio'. Blood dripped down his face as he turned to the others.

"Bloody Hell! They're going mental out there. Harry mate, tell me there's a vial of liquid luck in there. I don't think they're above the killing curse, this lot."

"It's…I can't actually see it really…" Harry tilted his head higher to try and peer into the cup which resembled an inkwell, half focused on his dragon plan and half curious of whether a secret escape was right under their noses. Not a second later, Hermione grabbed his head and pushed him back down behind the pillar. A cutting curse skimmed the skin of her shoulders. She bit back a yell as blood seeped into her black dress.

Harry quickly apologised as Hermione began muttering a healing spell, hand still on Harry's head in case he forgot about the Aurors and Goblins trying to arrest them…actually they seemed only half willing to arrest them and more willing to maim them, honestly speaking.

Ron soon began throwing spell after spell to the Goblins with fury. This did buy them time as Harry decided to plunge his hand into the Horcrux seeping with dark magic, without another thought.

He ignored Hermione's reprimands.

Harry's entire arm had fitted into the cup, feeling nothing but emptiness and a draft of warm air against his hand. The guards had begun closing in. Harry shifted his arm about the empty space and soon grazed against cold metal.

"I think I got an idea, but Hermione's not going to like it." Mumbled Ron as he picked up a fallen piece of stone. Harry ignored all of this as he traced what seemed like the outline of metal chains within the cup.

Hermione's eyes widened as Ron transfigured the stone into a chain of bells, not completely metal as they had pieces of granite splashed across them. Ron peeked out beside the pillar and looked to the dragon. Hermione realized where he was looking and shouted, "Ron, you can't! That is absolutely barbaric! The poor thing is already in so much pain! We cannot hurt her as well!"

The Aurors and Goblins were trying their best to subdue the dragon but it was putting up a good fight, however it seemed reluctant to use fire for a reason Ron could not fathom. Perhaps it feared forfeiting its life for a morsel of revenge to the next group of Aurors that were certain to appear.

"Well mione' it's the best chance we got right now" Ron mumbled before he threw the chain of bells at an Auror and hoped it would catch. Harry had now found himself lowered into the cup, till his chin as he finally hooked the object around his fingers.

The transfigured bells had wrapped around a confused Goblins neck. The hard jingle of metal and rock met the dragon's ear. Red eyes narrowed onto the Goblin, teeth like swords revealed itself as the dragon snarled. The Aurors and Goblins that were attacking the lions seemed hesitant to even try and help their comrades as the dragon twisted to face the group. Fear forgotten.

Ron let out a yelp as the dragon stood and stretched its neck, ready for the scent of burned pork to fill the air again.

The security groups quickly tried making their way back, to put as much distance between them and the dragon, however the Ironbelly was tired. Bearing its teeth at the retreating cowards, the dragon manuvered itself and twisted under the chain restraints, flinging its heavyweight tail into the guards.

The wet splat of flesh and the crunching of bones would ring in Ron's mind for longer then he'd admit to himself in the far future. The entire squadron of guards, Goblin and wizard, laid unmoving against the rock walls. Hermione realized the Aurors were no longer throwing spells. She looked to the abyss next to them and gulped, realizing where they were.

Silence settled in the area, all besides the harsh breaths of the Ironbelly and a soft clinking of metal from Harry.

Hermione and Ron turned to their quiet friend. They looked to one another, a silent debate of whether to grab Harry and chance fighting their way out of Gringotts or ask him about the bronze pocket watch in his hand.

"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione asked instead, laying a hand on Harry's shoulder as she looked over her friend.

"Come on mate, snap out of it" Ron mumbled as he helped Harry stand. "We gotta figure out how we're getting out of here, can't be a problem for the chosen one, right?" He half-heartedly laughed, refusing to look in the direction of the dead guards. The fake smile was wiped off his face as he looked to Harry.

His eyes were mute, appearing lifeless in the shadows as he counted the links of the watch chain, ignoring Hermione and Ron completely. Hermione began shaking him gently, hoping to wake him from his trance. "Harry, they're going to send reinforcements if we don't leave now. At least we have some time to think." She tilted his head back and realized his eyes had turned pitch black.

"HARRY?!" She reached to grab the watch from his hands, believing the object to be cursed. "Ron! It's possessed him! Quick!"

Ron rushed forward and grabbed a hold of the watch, neither of them caring for their own safety. Harry's grip was iron, refusing to relinquish the object. Soon they heard footsteps echo through the caves.

"I can't let go" Harry mumbled, his voice strained and pained as he looked down to the watch. "Mione…Ron…" A painful groan escaped him as his friends doubled their efforts to relinquish the cursed object's hold on him. "Get back, get out, I'll be fine" Pain enflamed the entirety of his being, but for his friend's peace of mind, he knew he couldn't scream.

"You're mad if you think we broke into Gringotts, just to leave you here because of a bloody old watch!" Ron grumbled as he latched onto Harry's arm, deciding to change tactics and get his friend away from the watch, all in vain.

"Harry, we aren't going to run away and let you get cursed" said Hermione, who pulled at the watch's chain. A moment later she pointed her wand at the metal, "Diffindo!" She ducked as the severing charm bounced off the chain and sliced into a pillar triple the strength she put into it. Lady luck however spared them a glance as the pillar fell directly onto the path that contained the loudening footsteps and blocked the way completely.

"Stop, it's not letting me go, and we don't know if something happens when it does. You need to leave, once it's safe, I'll find you!" Harry's saviour complex was showing as he tried pushing them away, hands still firmly latched onto the watch.

"There's a pin at the top." Ron muttered as he began debating whether or not Harry would be mad at him using his foot as leverage to tear him away.

"I don't think it would be smart to push a button we don't know anything about, let alone when it's on a cursed object." Hermione looked at the pin apprehensively, trying not to look at Harry's blackened eyes.

"I doubt you-know-who would put a bomb with his Horcrux!" Ron half-yelled, his attempts to get the object away from his best friend growing frantic.

"It could be a trap or something worse for all we know" Hermione had begun slipping on the gravel covered ground in her own vain attempts.

Harry suddenly went still, all movements ceased and Hermione felt the chain leave her grasp to latch back onto Harry's wrist. "figere quid fractum" He suddenly said, stepping away from his friends.

"Is he saying a spell?"

"Not that I know off." Hermione took a careful step forward to Harry who was repeating the strange phrase over and over. "I think it might be the pocket watch, whatever it was doing to Harry before has gotten worse."

"We better figure out something soon, I don't think the broken stones going to keep the Aurors away for much longer." Ron looked over his shoulder and remembered the dead bodies of the previous Aurors and Goblins, and quickly shut his eyes before he turned back to Harry.

"He's going to push the pin" Hermione explained to Ron, her voice even and calm, so as to not frighten cursed Harry. "Ron, take cover, anything could happen and we don't know what magical backlash might be released. I am going to try and get it away from him one last time." Harry was still repeating the strange Latin, Hermione was now a few steps away. "Just make sure you're alright Ron" Her voice shaking as she reached her arm towards the pocket watch.

An explosion behind them indicated the Aurors and Goblins had arrived.

"Oh, bugger it" Ron ran to the duo, evading the sudden fury of spells aimed to kill. He registered the snarl of the dragon and felt the heat emanating from the dragons breath, glad to be facing away from the spectacle. He latched onto the hanging rusty chain that clung to Harry's wrist, just as Hermione's hand covered the watch face. They both froze as Harry looked up.

"Quod fracta sit certa"

The thought of whether black is a colour ran through Hermione's mind as she opened her…actually she couldn't tell if her eyes were open. She could feel the hands of the pocket watch press into her palm, the second hand pricking her skin but she couldn't hear anything around her. A stray thought crossed her mind regarding how much she took the wind for granted. She was surrounded by absolutely nothing except a little pocket watch for company.

It felt like eternity, if eternity was 10 minutes.

Suddenly she blinked, or maybe she opened her eyes, for all she knew she could've closed them but for now she was just happy to look at the orange, cloudy sky. There were flashes of red, green and gold but that wasn't how the sky works. A high pitch ringing bounced around in her brain as she was mildly aware of figures moving around her, trying to wake her up. Her chest began to burn and she wondered if it was the curse rebounding. Her throat felt constricted as fire swept through her lungs.

Wait, oxygen was vital, right?

Gasping in the cool air, she suddenly noted Ron and Harry propping her up. She finally registered that they were no longer in the caverns of Gringotts and gave her friends a weary smile that quickly turned into a grimace as she realized she couldn't see them clearly.

"Yeah, that happened to us too" Ron shrugged as he sat down beside her. Immediately she latched onto his arm to anchor her to reality. "Give it a few minutes then you'll be back to normal"

"You get used to it actually" Harry hummed as he adjusted his glasses that seemed to survive the wave of magic that threw them into an endless void and oh yes she was having a panic attack. Her airway tightening and her head feeling light.

She remembered she had to breathe.

"Don't worry mione, we're alright now, just breathe, you're alright now." Harry tried to soothe her as Ron awkwardly rubbed her arm not really knowing what to do. "Just a few side effects maybe, but alive." He nodded to himself as he sat down beside the duo.

"Harry…"She sharply breathed in, "Ron, are you two alright? What happened? What side effects? Harry you should know better than throwing your hand into magical artefacts! Is the dragon okay Ron? What happened?"

"Dragon was right as water sprites last I saw her…" Ron trailed off as he looked to Harry for help. Harry looked down to the stream beside them, not knowing what to say before suddenly his airway was constricted.

"I'm glad you're okay" Hermione whispered as she hugged Harry as though he were a life preserver. "Both of you." She pulled Ron into the hug as well with a relieved sigh as she noticed he had healed the cut on his forehead.

"More or less really" Ron mumbled, his face glowing red as he patted Hermione's back and looked over to Harry, gesturing to her with his eyes. Harry just shrugged and threw his friend a thumbs up not really understanding what he wanted from him. "Still got our Gringotts beatings, doubt they'll let us open any vaults after the war, no matter our cause."

She laughed, finally let go of them and squinted down at her stinging hand. "It was real then?" Her hand was enflamed, pain ran through her arm as she registered the outline of a clock face seared into her skin. She peered closer and faintly made out the numbers, the hands pointing at 'quarter to eight', it was certainly an unwarranted souvenir. She looked to her friends and found her vision returning slower then she'd like.

"That empty place?" Ron shuddered, rubbing his arms subconsciously. "I thought we got kissed by a Dementor honestly. Like it was trapped inside the watch or something. I couldn't even see my own hand, I didn't wanna risk letting go of the chain." He mumbled, lifting his hand up to Hermione.

It was less enflamed then hers but the printing of a chain was clearly ensnared onto his palm and fingers.

"I thought it was…peaceful" Harry crossed his arms as their shocked faces turned to him. "I don't know how to describe it but I wasn't scared of it. It was like…" He began pulling blades of grass from the ground, looking up to the hill they were residing below, hidden in the slew of purple flowers, anything to distract himself. "Like being in the cupboard on a rainy day" He shrugged as his two friends understood. "Had the watch too, actually 'the watch had me 'would be a better statement." He pushed up his sleeves to reveal the scaring left by the chain, circling his wrist. Every time he moved, the entire appendage ached but he couldn't show it, not wanting to let his friends know the pain he was in.

"Do you…" Ron began, wincing as he rubbed his palm. "Do you think we were there together?" Hermione had another sharp intake.

"I couldn't even tell where my eyes were" She began to rub her eyes, growing annoyed with her lack of vision. "Honestly Harry I can't see how you manage with your sight"

Harry and Ron looked to one another before they began to laugh. It was soft at first but as they looked to Hermione's confused face the laughter grew louder. "Well that's the point, isn't it?"

Hermione looked to their blurry figures confused before it clicked and she snorted before joining in their laughter.

It was such a stupid joke and it felt good.

It felt good to laugh after being months on the run. It felt nice to smile after surviving in the woods. It felt nice to sit in a grassy field after constantly looking over your shoulder. It was relieving to laugh through the pain. It was good to sit still and let out months of frustration in the form of laughter.

Soon the laughter died and they just sat beneath that grassy hill by the stream, surrounded by lavender and butterflies, looking over their scars.

"I'm sorry" Harry started, "I thought it would help us escape. I didn't think-"

"Oi, just promise not to go sticking your arm into anymore weird goblets mate, and all is forgiven" Ron threw his uninjured arm over Harry, who couldn't help but smile. "Honestly you would think you'd learned your lesson by now" Ron grinned as he messed Harry's hair further, causing the shorter wizard to laugh.

Hermione smiled as she looked over the duo, they were slowly coming into focus.

"At least it didn't take us to baldy this time." Harry sighed, for one reason or another he finally felt safe. Safest he had in a very long time.

"I think you mean…'Voldy' " Ron suggested, snorting at the thought of the look on Voldemort's face if he heard them now.

"You know, after spending months looking for the gits soul jewellery set, I think we've earned the right to just call him out on his baldness" Harry hummed as Ron cackled beside him.

"Next time we see him, we'll punch him right in the sniffer, wait-"Ron and Harry fell back into their laughing fit. Perfectly content with mocking a dark lord. "We'll tussle like a bunch of muggles!" Hermione even laughed into her sleeve, wiping tears from her foggy eyes.

The tears seemed to help as soon her vision cleared. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she felt something grainy within the liquid. Ignoring the boy's laughter she pressed the salty water between her fingertips.

She realized it was sand.

Looking up to the boys, she gasped as she took in their appearance. Ron's hair had grown to his midback and seemed to have turned two shades darker. Harry's hair had grown down to the scruff of his neck, some would even chance calling it tame, however as both boys looked to Hermione, she couldn't help but let out, "Your eyes! They've changed!"

"Ahh see, told you your eyes will be back. At least now you and Harry won't have to trade specs every other day" Ron smiled as Harry shoved him off with a "Sod off Ron." His right eye was the normal shade of blue, however Hermione felt slightly put off by the twinkling purple one.

"Just wait till you see yourself mione," Harry laughed as he looked to her, turning his own left eye to her. "Honestly, Ron threw a fit when he looked into the stream, almost slapped the water too if I didn't stop him." Harry showcased an eye the shade of gold, practically highlighting the other green one.

"Yeah, at least mine doesn't look like a field of delicate flowers" Ron flipped his hair to and fro, ignoring Harry punching his arm. "And you know what the best part Harry is? People can say you've got your mothers 'eye' for a change of pace." The two broke off into laughter as Hermione made her way to the stream on wobbly legs.

She figured they were up long before she even registered leaving the void and had already worked through the shock of it all.

She contained her gasp as felt like staring at an imposter wearing her skin. Still adorning Bellatrix's dress, her hair was now actually black and fell to her shoulders. She was now ecstatic over her frizzy hair remaining the same texture but couldn't help the grimace as she inspected her eye. Her familiar brown orb brought her comfort, however she stared as the invading grey eye with disbelief.

She vaguely wondered if the sand had something to do with it.

"I think we should start moving, maybe find a village and see a curse breaker, if there's any on us I mean" Ron quickly added as he helped Harry to his feet. "Only if it's safe of course"

"Yeah, this isn't going to be any more help" Harry pulled the bronze pocket watch from his pocket, looking at the source of all his problems, he picked out the pieces of shattered glass and dropped them to the ground. The time still read quarter to eight however there was no ticking and the pin at the top of the watch was missing, as well as the 'second' hand. "Wonder why it was hidden in the Horcrux, do you think it could've been another one?"

Hermione looked to Harry and wondered if he remembered his odd words or wherever he went when the curse had taken hold of him. "Hard to tell, we've already had a bad reaction to it, but your scar hasn't hurt either." She made her way to the duo, spotting her bag discarded off to the side. "Where is the cup?"

This question prompted Ron to make his way downstream with a "oh yeah, forgot about that" and returned with Helga's cup and Voldemort's Horcrux in hand. "Doesn't have a bottomless abyss anymore, you think that's where we were?"

"We can deal with destroying it later," Hermione huffed, ignoring Ron's question as she handed the bag to Harry, "It'll be safe in there for now"

Even Harry could see Hermione didn't want anything to do with the Horcrux at the moment. Not after experiencing the void, still fresh in her mind. With a nod, he took the cup from Ron, ignoring the pain and tossed it into the bag, declaring it a headache for another day. "Where do you think we are? For all we know the watch could've been a portkey to another continent"

Harry placed the broken watch on the ground, deciding to keep it far away from the Horcrux.

"Oddest Portkey I've ever seen" Hermione mumbled as she took the bag from Harry. They watched as she shook the bag, a series of clutter crashing into each other sounded as Hermione tried to bury the Horcrux far from the surface as possible.

"Is it just me or do you guys also feel safe?" Ron asked as he looked over the landscape.

"I will admit, I don't feel like Death Eaters are going to sprout from the ground like daisies" Hermione commented as she pulled out different sets of clothes belonging to the trio.

"It is strange, could be the watch?" Harry offered as they began changing, all more than glad to be rid of their old garments.

"I don't know, I feel…I feel like I'm back at the burrow" Ron mumbled, feeling slightly silly. But Hermione and Harry felt the exact same way.

Hermione felt as though she were back home with her parents, having breakfast while her mother read the morning news, her father burning the overdone egg. She couldn't help the slight ache in her heart. Harry couldn't place where he felt they were. He knelt down to pick up the broken watch, his answer escaping him as he spotted a blue monarch butterfly perch on his discarded clothes.

"Right then, this hill won't climb itself"

They began climbing the hill, a new air taking over the group as morale grew. Sure they were probably cursed and went through some trauma associated with an empty void but hey at least they were still standing and two steps ahead of the Dark Lord.

Harry was the only one not gasping for air as they made it to the top of the hill. His eyes widening as he looked in the distance.

The lake shimmered with the setting golden sun. The light settled onto the aged stone with a warm hug. Harry even spotted the tree that made the Weasley's ford sentient just further off. The castle stood in all its majesty, saluting the trio in their small victories and welcoming them back in celebration. The sight alone feeling like a gift.

"We're in the wards" He stated as Hermione and Ron finally registered the castle. "It brought us back home." Harry felt himself grin as he looked over Hogwarts, covered in the light of the setting sun. Suddenly the sight felt like bile in his throat as he scowled. "He's in there, right now" Harry stated as he began descending down the bank towards the school.

"Wait Harry, this could be a trap!" Hermione shouted as Harry picked up speed, anger clouding his thoughts. She kept her balance fairly well as she barely stumbled down after Harry who was on his merry way to commit a homicide.

"He's in there right now! Practicing the unforgiveables on our friends. He's in there after committing murder! He's the reason, we're in this position right now and we are going to stop him." Harry took out his wand debating whether or not he would let his old potions teacher have his last words.

"It's always 'we', why isn't it never 'them' or 'they'." Ron grumbled as he managed his way down the steep hill. His new locks flying into his face as the wind pushed against them. "We should consider becoming a quartet to shake things up." He nodded wisely to himself feeling like a sage.

"Cause everything is so easy for us, right?" Harry yelled over his shoulder, causing Hermione to throw Ron a look that said, 'see what you did now'. Ron only shrugged and promptly followed his friends on their way to murder their professor.

The trio felt themselves growing weaker as they neared the castle, but they each kept that particular thought to themselves as they didn't want to further the worries of their friends.

Harry had tuned his friends out at this point, choosing to solely focus on his current goal. He was well aware it could be a trap. Bellatrix could be dancing the samba with Peter Pettigrew in the kitchens. Peeves could be shooting eggs straight from a chicken at Lucius Malfoy's silver hair for all he knew. Heck, maybe Voldemort could be making flower crowns at the green houses right now. All he knew was that he was on his way to let Severus Snape know just how wrong he was.

The sight of Dumbledore falling off the astronomy tower, replayed in his mind as the castle drew closer. He felt powerless then, but now, he felt he could strangle the potions master if he wanted to. He refused to acknowledge the feeling of his shoulders growing heavier with each step. Something told him that Snape was a direct cause in all of this. The quietest whisper in the back of his mind was telling him that if things were slightly different then a lot of problems never would've occurred.

He was throwing this whisper to the back of his mind, the castle bridge nearing, and decided the voice was a problem for the day after he dealt with his other problem.

Walking towards the entrance of Hogwarts left Harry feeling bittersweet. He should have been in his final year, sure he would hate the tests and exams and Malfoy but at least they would have been safe. If Dumbledore was alive, they wouldn't even have this semi-impossible task. Sure Baldy would be gaining power and footing in Britain, but at least Dumbledore would've bought them time and kept him at bay. Heck, even Malfoy would have had his final year at Hogwarts just to annoy Harry because he could.

A loud thud sounded behind him, however he pushed open the school doors, mind focused on righting a wrong. The castle welcomed them, the glow of Hogwarts enveloping him. The feeling made him want to close his eyes and fall asleep, right there at the door, however he pushed forward towards the doors of the great hall.

"Harry…" The weak voice called out behind him as he pushed on, barely registering the soft thump. The sight of the great hall made Harry feel like he was eleven years old again. The enchanted ceiling reflecting the setting sun rays outside. He barely made out a male voice speaking to him. He felt his mind shutting down as the voice whispered unheard words. He fell to his knees and noticed that the floor looked the same as it did seven years ago. A figure was making their way towards him, Harry barely registered the black robes. He raised his arm, 'Sectumsempra' on the edge of his tongue as he fell forward to the ground.

He looked to the figures black shoes speeding towards him as he struggled to find the energy to curse the person. His wand slipped from his grasp as the person neared.

"Traitor" He whispered as he began to wonder if black was a colour?