~*Chapter Six*~ - Campfire Talks
"Seems like we've been walking forever," Ron stated one afternoon as he and Hermione made their way through the dense foliage, stepping over muddy logs and through rough patches of grass. More than once, their robes got caught on renegade limbs resting on the forest floor and got ripped slightly.
"It's only been a few days, Ron. We should be nearing a Muggle village soon; probably in a few days. It's a good thing you brought Harry's invisibility cloak; they might see us if they wander out here or as we're passing through. It might be a bit odd for them to see us wandering around with wands, wearing robes, and a silver cloak. But you would know all about being surrounded by Muggles without a disguise, now wouldn't you?" Hermione said slyly, giving him a knowing smile. Ron scowled and blushed, crossing his arms.
"I'm not amused!" he cried, promptly getting his foot caught against a fallen branch and nearly toppling over headlong into a patch of briars. "Whoa…lucky I caught myself; that would've been fairly painful…"
This continued on through the day, snatches of conversation passing back and forth as they made their way through the forest. More than once they had to duck underneath the Invisibility Cloak and hide from Muggle children who were playing nearby. But as night fell, they had less to worry about, and made camp for the night. Through the canopy of the trees, they could see the stars twinkling. Hermione had conjured up a warm fire with her wand, and although Ron was usually willing to start up a conversation, she found that he was still gazing up at the sky, a look of serious thought; his eyes held a faraway look.
"Ron…? Ron, are you alright?"
Ron jumped a bit and turned to face her with an amazingly serene look, his chin resting in his hand. "Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine…just thinking." He smiled a bit, and Hermione nodded, returning his smile. She didn't ask any more questions, however. If he wanted her to know, he would tell her.
As they bedded down that night underneath the stars, she heard Ron sigh. But as she was about to ask again what was wrong, a lonely, far away wolf howled to the glistening moon, as though it was deeply saddened. A few seconds after it died away, it howled again, this time accompanied by the low baying of a dog, far away. It was a haunting lullaby that followed them to slumber.
"Ow!!" cried Ron the next morning through the haze of sleep; something was hitting him lightly with what felt like wings and tiny talons. He grumpily waved his hand in front of his face to bat away his assailant and rolled over onto his side. The whatever-it-was was relentless, however, and wouldn't stop pestering Ron until he opened his eyes and looked right up.
With a defeated groan, Ron finally opened his eyes and mumbled something incoherently, and found himself looking up at an ecstatic Pig, which was holding a small, wrinkled piece of parchment in its claws.
"Pig, you're back! Hermione, Pig's back with Sirius' response!" Ron cried to Hermione, who was already awake and conjuring breakfast. Ron sat up quickly as Hermione managed to get over to his side, and without pretense he took a firm but gentle hold onto his owl and removed the parchment from his talons. While Hermione gave him a bit of their breakfast, Ron unfolded the note and read, his eyes suddenly contorting slightly in confusion.
"This isn't from Sirius, Hermione…" he said, not with dread, but with perplexion.
"What? What do you mean it's not from Sirius? Who else would have gotten a hold of Pigwidgeon to intercept the letter?" She looked suddenly worried, but Ron waved away her anxiety with his hand and a smile.
"Hermione, don't worry. Do you remember our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher during our third year, Professor Lupin? He wrote this letter in Sirius' stead; Sirius has been out on guard of the Death Eaters, and he had Professor Lupin write it instead. See?" Ron said, showing her "Remus Lupin" scrawled neatly at the foot of the note.
"But I wonder how he found Sirius…oh well, now's not the time to dwell on it. We can ask them some other time about it. What did he say in it?" Hermione asked, handing Ron a sandwich and a glass of iced pumpkin juice.
"Thanks, Herm," Ron said, taking a generous bite from the sandwich. He washed it down quickly, then handed her the note, which read,
"Dear Ron and Hermione,
I hope this letter finds you well on your road to finding Harry. When Sirius and I received Ron's letter, he immediately went out in a search for the Death Eaters and asked me to send you a quick response. He should return soon with information on where you might find them; unfortunately, I can't give you any information myself. When Sirius returns with news, we will send an owl to you without delay. Good Luck.
Remus Lupin"
"Well, it's good to know that Sirius is looking as well. I just hope that he doesn't get caught," Ron said as he finished off his breakfast and stood, stretching a bit. He shook the dust from his hair and dusted his robes a bit, then took his wand and made good work of his sleeping area, making it appear as though no one had been there at all. Tucking his wand back into his robes, he took a deep breath and looked up to the morning sky, not all too different from the morning Harry had been taken. He sighed and crossed his arms, leaning against a tree with a brooding look upon his boyish face, his thoughts drifting from when he had first discovered that Harry was gone to when Harry appeared again and to the night before he was kidnapped again. He smiled at the memories, but it quickly faded when he again realized the weight of what he and Hermione were out to accomplish. He was so lost in his reverie that he failed to see Hermione step up near him and regard his expression carefully.
"Ron, what are you thinking about?" she asked lightly, watching him charily.
Ron jumped quickly, obviously startled, and spoke, perhaps all too quickly.
"Oh, nothing, really…just worried about Harry."
Hermione accepted this, but she thought she saw something more in his glistening blue eyes. A look of understanding swept across her face at his sad eyes, and she felt rather thick for not realizing it sooner.
"You love him, don't you?" she said gently, catching Ron's gaze perfectly.
Ron's eyes widened and his ears went pink; he looked embarrassed, surprised, and flustered, all at once. He tried to speak several times, but the words never formed in his mouth; which made him end up stuttering. Hermione smiled a bit as he tried to get a hold of his words, and when he finally did, he drew a breath and smiled a bit, his cheeks and ears still pinkish.
"I always knew you were the perceptive type, Hermione. It amazed me that you didn't figure that out a few years ago."
Hermione's smile widened a bit as she put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't fret, I know we'll find him. We might even find him before Sirius gets back to us on the Death Eaters' location. I can feel it…"
Ron returned her smile, and sighed. "Well, we won't find him standing around an empty campsite, now will we? C'mon, he's waiting for us…"
It was late into the night when they finally stopped. Ahead, they could see the lights of a small village through the slowly diminishing foliage, and could hear the passing of a few bicycles and people walking by. Hermione turned to Ron and put a finger to her lips to silence him, and they quietly began to make camp, calling up a magical fire that gave off heat, but was invisible to Muggle eyes; only wizards could see it.
"We will be able to pass through the village tomorrow under the Invisibility Cloak; we've traveled too much today to make it through there without making a sound," Hermione reasoned as they settled down next to the fire. Ron's eyes were already starting to droop from fatigue, but he nodded drowsily.
"Okay, Herm," he said with a thick yawn, putting his hand over his lips in a futile attempt to cover it up. Hermione chuckled at him and shook her head.
"Go get some sleep, Ron, you look terribly beat-"
Her remark was cut short by a sudden, shrill scream as it ripped through the still night air. Across the way from where she and Ron were camped, she could make out a deathly green flash of light coming from the village. Her heart leapt into her throat at the green light, but it was what occurred next that brought the full reality slamming into her mind.
Flashing above them, visible through the canopy of the forest, was a shimmering and horrific omen, one that told of death and fear, one of a skull intertwined with the coiling and slender body of a serpent.
"The Dark Mark…"
"They're in the village!" came Ron's suddenly awake voice as he put out the magical flames and reached for the Invisibility Cloak, his wand in hand. Quickly dispelling the proof of their sleeping area, they both hid underneath the cloak and headed for the village. As they neared the edge of the town, the screams and the malevolent, gleeful laughter came to their ears. As they peeked through the brush that separated forest from civilization, the sight made bile rise in their throats. They had only witnessed this most vile spectacle once before; it was one of the Death Eaters' most loved pastimes, the torment of Muggles, the burning of their homes and, sometimes, even their death.
"The Muggle Hunt," Hermione said with utter hatred.
~*Chapter Seven Coming Soon!*~
