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Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter or his world. The plot alone is mine.
Chapter Three – The Whispering Locket
Harry was not at all surprised to find that the Dursley's were no longer waiting for him at the entrance to King's Cross Station, where his Uncle Vernon generally stood. Harry could think of two reasons for this: firstly, that the Dursley's had grown tired of waiting for Harry to emerge from the platform and had left huffily; or that they were completely unaware that term had ended unceremoniously early, and that they were due to pick Harry up today. Either way, he now had no concrete way to get to Privet Drive for the next few weeks, simply because only Hermione could Apparate legally out of the three of them, and she was the only one who had never been to Harry's summer home.
Ron, of course, offered to Apparate Hermione anyway, allowing Harry – who had informed Ron and Hermione of the need to Apparate without a license a week ago in order to get Dumbledore safely back to Hogwarts – to Apparate alone, but Hermione wasn't having it. She and Ron grumbled audibly at each other as Harry tried to think of a way to get there, when he spotted the Weasley clan leaving the platform, having stayed behind to finish a hurried discussion on what had transpired.
"Ron, couldn't your brothers and father Apparate us there? They've been in the living room…" Harry suggested, his eyes on Fred, George and Arthur Weasley. Ron seemed to consider the idea uneasily.
"I 'spose Harry… but I'm Apparating with my dad, there's no way I'd trust either Fred or George to Apparate me anywhere…" Ron looked genuinely horrified at the idea, causing both Hermione and Harry to laugh at his reaction. He scowled at Hermione, before muttering to Harry, "all right, but you ask them. I'm not up to approaching my mother right now…"
"Ron, your mum won't say a thing, you both agreed to discuss it at the wedding, right?" Hermione put in helpfully.
"That won't stop her getting a few choice words in" Ron grumbled at Harry. Then he took a deep breath and marched with Hermione behind Harry, clearly steeling himself.
Harry heard Hermione swatting him on the arm and telling him to "stop being so immature", but he didn't think much about that. He focused on speaking directly to Arthur.
"Mr Weasley!"
"Oh, hello you three. What's the matter?"
"Er… my Aunt and Uncle aren't here, Mr Weasley, they… I'm not sure they knew that term ended early…"
Mr Weasley frowned at this, looking at the floor for a second before meeting Harry's gaze. "Impossible, Harry, Minerva McGonagall sent out letters to everyone in the school's guardians informing them of the circumstances. So how your Aunt and Uncle could not know…"
"They aren't… er… very receptive to anything magical… particularly owl post. I'd imagine they'd probably send the owl away with the letter, rather than read it." Harry grinned sheepishly, recognising that two powerful wizards and a brilliantly talented witch were about to land themselves on the Dursley doorstep whether they liked it or not. "I was… er… wondering if you and Fred and George would mind Apparating the three of us there? Only Hermione has her license and she's never been to Privet Drive…"
"Anything we can do to help Harry, mate" said Fred almost instantly.
"Definitely, Harry. Even if this is all we can do for you, we'll do it" agreed George just as readily.
Mr Weasley smiled at the loyalty displayed by his boys before glancing quickly at the stormy frown of his wife, and faltering slightly. Then he fixed Harry with a warm gaze. "Harry, son, you need to go home anyway, so I don't think Molly will object if I take you home personally. And George and Fred are perfectly at liberty to Apparate wherever they want, and to take whoever they want…" He smiled falsely at his wife, before turning away, looking slightly disconcerted.
Mrs Weasley, however, had marched over forcefully. "In case you have forgotten, Arthur dear, Professor Dumbledore set up anti-Apparition wards around Privet Drive when Harry was a baby. You can't just Apparate into the living room whenever you feel like it!"
Arthur frowned, and then looked at Fred and George. "You boys remember what the outside of Privet Drive looks like, I presume? Even if you did only get an aerial view…" his eyes twinkled as he observed the identical grins which cracked the faces of Fred and George, who both assured their father that they remembered what it looked like. "And I've done Order guard duty on Harry at Number 4, so I don't need to worry either. So, whenever you boys and Hermione are ready?"
Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione, who both nodded, before he turned to look at Mrs Weasley to smile in slight apology – but his eyes were drawn to the tear-stained passion in Ginny's eyes, and he felt his heart stop momentarily. He maintained eye contact with Ginny, lost in the hurt and love emanating for her eyes, even as Arthur grabbed his arm and steered him into the corner, so as not to attract any Muggle attention. Fred and George did likewise with Hermione and Ron – who could be heard threatening George under his breath with various hexes if he took him anywhere other than Privet Drive, to which George replied "I know a handy little swamp not far from the Dursley house, Ronniekins, what's say we Apparate into the middle and I leave you there?"
"Hold on tight now, Harry" Mr Weasley was saying, as Harry gripped his arm tightly. He braced himself for the unpleasant sensation as Mr Weasley turned on the spot, and he suddenly felt like he was being compressed and squeezed through a very narrow tube, before he popped out with a loud crack and found himself facing the narrow flowerbeds and obsessively green lawns of Privet Drive.
Mr Weasley glanced about worriedly and muttered to Harry "Sorry Harry, didn't mean to Apparate into such an open area… I meant to try Magnolia Crescent…"
Harry didn't mind, and he experienced the surreal feeling of knowing he didn't have to face this ordeal alone when he heard two loud cracks some way down the road.
Ron finally let out the breath he'd been holding upon meeting George's mischievous gaze as he gripped his arm tightly and prepared for Apparition. His brother seemed to be watching Ron carefully, and suddenly entered into an elaborate routine of mock indignation at Ron's relief.
"Dearie me, Ronald! You can't imagine that Frederick or I would ever do anything to humiliate or embarrass our Ickle Ronniekins, can you? I find myself most offended, and would like to request a duel to recapture my honour!" George even huffed dramatically for effect, but he was cut off when Fred smacked him on the back of the head, surprisingly out of tune with his twin's antics. Ron suspected he might know the reason, mainly because he himself had experienced a mild annoyance at a similar incident.
"George, you might be my brother, but I'll hex you into next week if you call me Frederick again, clear?"
"Crystal, my dearest twin. You must excuse lil' Georgie his prank, he does enjoy being the only Weasley boy without an excruciatingly embarrassing full name…"
"No, but he does have plenty of excruciatingly embarrassing situations – especially involving female Muggle Post Office clerks - that his oh-so-loyal twin could relate to dearest Ronnie, here. Doesn't he?"
George paled slightly and narrowed his eyes at Fred, who grinned back at him widely, but Ron's grin was unmistakeably the biggest.
"Why can't you two fight with each other more often? I'm sick of being the target, I'd prefer if you exercised your sadism on the other sometimes…"
"Ah, but our dear brother! We have far more embarrassing situations to relate regarding you!" Fred said with a great flourish and a nasty twinkle in his eye.
"Yes, of course Ronnie. What about the burping slugs incident, in which you so valiantly defended dear Hermione's honour? Such a brave friend, eh Ron?" George raised his eyebrows mischievously and wiggled them.
"Or the time he nearly exploded when dear Hermione turned up with his former hero, dearest Vicky, while he was shunted off – deplorable this, George, it really is – onto one of the two most attractive girls in the year…"
"Ah, but Fred, we forget the best incident of Ron's astonishing loyalty to his friend Hermione, when he mumbled her name oh-so-softly in his sleep following his poisoning… and with her in the room, no less!"
Ron felt himself instantly paling under this revelation. Where before he had been blushing crimson, he was now starting to feel slightly sick at what Fred and George were doing to him. He had done that while she had been in the room? Oh Merlin, had she heard? Please, for the love of Merlin, he hoped she hadn't heard.
Hermione, for her part, was standing off at the side, looking distinctly uncomfortable and avoiding Ron's embarrassed eyes, a slight flush permeating her cheeks. Ron didn't know what to make of that; was she feeling under pressure to perhaps relay to him that all his amorous advances were in vain, and that she harboured feelings of undying love for the hook-nosed, greasy haired Quidditch god? Or was she perhaps under the impression that Ron liked her as more than what Fred and George were so unsubtly suggesting he was forever, her friend? Was she disgusted or intrigued?
"I'm beginning to see a pattern in such intense acts of friendship, twin-of-mine…"
"I agree George, perhaps dear Ron her is harbouring…"
"THAT'S ENOUGH FRED AND GEORGE!"
The twins seemed visibly startled to hear the shriek of their mother echoing around the quiet alleyway, but they quickly traced the shrill roar to Hermione's vocal chords. Blinking stupidly, they faced Hermione, who looked very flustered but at the same time, was hiding a smile.
"We have more important things to worry about than whatever Ron is… 'harbouring'…"
"We might, but you, dearest Hermione, are surely very interested…" Fred snickered, but Hermione's wand was immediately on him, silencing him effectively.
"I said enough. Where are your dad and Harry?"
Ron – for the first time – realised than neither his father nor Harry were in the alley with them. "Hey, Hermione's right, where are they?"
"Maybe they were turned into a pair of chickens?" suggested George, with a strangely serious timbre in his voice. Ron and Hermione just stared at him dumbly.
"What kind of suggestion is that, George?" Hermione scoffed. "They're probably a bit further up the street…"
"Not possible Hermione, Dumbledore's Anti-Apparition wards only allow you to come this far away without his personal intervention. He always relaxed them for whatever Order member was on duty for Harry's guard, but Fred and I have given them a bit of a test out with that time. It turns you into a harmless chicken and your wand becomes a worm you desire to eat. A nice mix of humour and sadism, just like Dumbledore…" George trailed off sadly, his eyes darkening noticeably.
Ron broke the uneasy silence that had fallen, suddenly panicked. "Well, we'd better go find them quickly! Harry can't eat his own wand; he needs it to beat Voldemort! And without Mr Ollivander…"
"Quite right, Ron. So… which way is Privet Drive?" Hermione asked meekly, as it was clear she'd been steeling herself to drag the twins to Harry's house, before she realised she had no idea where it was.
"Up here, quickly!"
Ron, Fred, George and Hermione quickly ran the length of Magnolia Crescent before turning into Privet Drive, stuffing their wands into their jackets hastily and gazing around surreptitiously. They sauntered casually up the obsessively neat lane, in the full flush of a summer evening, casting a lovely amber light onto the monotonous and rigidly clean homes and making them seem almost welcoming. Ron, however, wasn't fooled. Harry had assured him that the Dursley's neighbours were hardly any different to the Dursley's themselves.
They finally spotted Harry and Mr Weasley watching them from the doorstep of Number 4, and Fred and George let out strangled roars of triumph and ran forward eagerly.
"How did you do it Dad?" Fred asked almost immediately.
"Yeah, we tried for ages for a way to mimic Dumbledore's Anti-Apparition charm to turn someone into something as a joke, but we never cracked it…" George supplied.
"But you and Harry seem to have beaten the charm altogether… how did you manage it?"
"Hang on Fred… do you think the charm doesn't apply to Harry?"
"Er… hadn't thought of that George… maybe Harry's exempt because this is his house…"
"Must be it…" George now sounded extremely gloomy.
"There goes another great idea…" Fred added, just as gloomily.
"Wait… you boys said that the Anti-Apparition wards had a specific effect? How would you know that?" Mr Weasley asked Fred and George sternly. They both stared blankly back at him.
"Er…" Fred started.
"Well, you see father…" George began, equally hesitant.
"We needed some new ideas…"
"And we know Dumbledore takes his security seriously…"
"And what with our new line of Defence Against The Dark Arts products…"
"Portable Anti-Apparition jinxes rather than spells seemed like a good idea…"
"It's not genuine security, since the actual spell requires a wand…"
"But it's still a fun product…"
"You could put it on your room if you wanted some privacy, for example…"
"Anyone tries to Apparate in, and boom! They're suddenly a frog croaking on the floor…"
"Or a ferret bouncing around the room!" Fred grinned at Harry at this one, earning a laugh from him and Ron and Hermione. The twins both looked imploringly at their father.
"So you see dad, it was all in the name of science…" George pleaded.
"And we were trying to give people something to fight for!" Fred added apologetically.
"So naturally, our good intentions should keep Mum out of the conversation, right?" George said almost desperately.
Arthur Weasley raised his eyebrows at his sons, but suddenly became very stern. "Nice try boys, but where normally I can turn a blind eye to your more minor pranks, this one is too serious. You don't mess about with wards Dumbledore put on this place for Harry's protection. Your mother will find about this, and we'll both deal with you" he said with an air of finality. Fred and George looked notably dejected but didn't say anything audible. Arthur cracked a smile that they never seen, but then turned just as sternly to Ron, Harry and Hermione.
Ron, used to his father's brand of parenting – which involved letting his kids learn from their own mistakes, and had no doubt resulted in Fred and George, and inadvertently, Ginny – wasn't expecting any kind of serious lecture, but what he did get surprised him.
"Ron, your mother and I are trusting you to keep your temper here. No matter what these people do to antagonise you, they are still Muggles, and magic used against them could land you in serious trouble! I don't care if they treat you badly, or more importantly…" his eyes shifted to Hermione momentarily, and his stern demeanour was cracked with amusement for a second, before he was back to being stern with Ron. "If they treat Hermione badly, I want your temper in check!"
Ron spluttered in surprise. He gaped for a few seconds before discovering a suave response, far too late for it to be effective. His father raised his eyebrows knowingly as he answered. "So I have the freedom to lose my temper if they insult Harry?" Harry shot him an amused grin, but he noticed that Hermione was just as flushed as he was, and that Fred and George were doubled up in silent fits of laughter in the background.
"No, Harry, I'm sure, is very much used to such treatment. But I don't want any out-of-control chivalry, all right? Harry, of course, has no need of a lecture before you mention it Ron, because he's not 17 and knows of the trouble he'd get in. You have no such restraint, so I implore you to keep your temper and your wand in your pocket. Which goes for the three of you: Wands on you at all times and try to be in before dark. OK?"
Ron nodded sullenly as Harry and Hermione agreed with Mr Weasley's terms quietly. He smiled at the three of them then, giving them each a different grin. He gave Harry a very fatherly grin, but there was certainly an element of respect in that gaze, something that transcended quasi-family ties. Hermione received a very warm gaze, not unlike what Mr Weasley often gave Ginny, and Ron received the brunt of his father's affection, as he was pulled into an unexpected hug. He stiffened slightly, but hugged his dad all the same, mortified at such a show of affection in front of Harry. He shot him an apologetic gaze, but Harry's smile was one of warmth rather than jealousy.
"I'm very proud of all three of you. I remember when Ron was just a child, and when I met Harry and Hermione that first summer after your first year, 5 years ago. You've all grown into such fine young people, each with your own strength. You all feel like one of my kids. Ron, my youngest son; Harry, my adoptive son, and Hermione – well, you have your own parents, so I can't call you my adoptive daughter, but I feel just as strongly about you as I do Ginny. And I wouldn't say no to any kind of ambition you might have to join the family some day…" His eyes twinkled as he flicked them back to Ron, and Hermione flushed yet again. Ron's breath caught in his voice as he caught the real reason behind such taunts from his father and brothers, but he steadfastly avoided Fred and George's gazes.
"Dad!"
"All right Ron. I'll let you three go. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, and stay safe. Wands on you at all times and stay together when you are outdoors. Now go, and we'll see you at the wedding."
Hermione was rather surprised about how tame that evening had turned out to be, despite the fact that an adult witch and wizard had appeared accompanying the boy Vernon and Petunia Dursley hated above all others. She had been startled by the level of neatness in the Dursley household, assuring the horrified Ron that not all Muggles was so obsessively clean, when Petunia Dursley had entered the living room to discover what the noise was. Harry had greeted his aunt monotonously and introduced her and Ron, to which she had no reply but a guttural chirp. Harry then informed her they'd be staying until his 17th Birthday, and that he wouldn't take no for an answer, and Aunt Petunia had all but fled the room. Hermione had seen her sitting anxiously on the phone, not talking as though she was waiting for someone to answer.
Later that night, the explosion Harry was expecting didn't come. His Uncle Vernon came in, stone drunk and jubilant at the latest England football victory, but he had virtually ignored the presence of three quasi-adult wizards in his kitchen. He had retired to bed early that night and hadn't at all noticed her and Ron's existence, which she was fine with. She expected, however, that Harry might be treated to the pointy end of Vernon Dursley's hangover when he sobered up, but Harry seemed supremely unconcerned about that.
Instead of fending off a Dursley temper tantrum, Ron Harry and Hermione spent the evening discussing everything: Dumbledore, the Horcruxes, possible locations, R.A.B., Voldemort and his Death Eaters, Snape's loyalties – which Hermione remained uneasy about, finding it hard to believe that Dumbledore could have been so blatantly wrong, while Harry and Ron were adamant that age had weakened Dumbledore's judgement – and what might be happening to Draco Malfoy.
It was during a reminiscence of all their particular run-ins with Malfoy that the subject of Ginny came up; Ron reminded Harry of the time Ginny had hit Malfoy with a perfect Bat-Bogey Hex in Dolores Umbridge's office, and Harry had instantly darkened. Normally, this sullenness would put Ron and her off from pushing the issue, but Hermione – not only for Ginny's sake, but for his own – just had to make Harry see sense.
"Speaking of Ginny, Harry, I believe you said we could discuss that when we got to the Dursley's?" Hermione glared at him, mustering all her indignation on Ginny's behalf and steeling herself to force Harry to see sense. Typically, he seized up at her challenge and glared back at her. She knew better than to look away.
"I did say that Hermione, but we're here for a month. Let's discuss it some other time, ok?" He said this in a very level tone, but Hermione could see the wariness dancing behind his emerald eyes. Gritting her teeth, Hermione prepared to push the envelope to its full extent.
"That's a very creative way of putting it off Harry, but I want to discuss it now. So we will." She dared him to contradict him, but Harry lacked the finesse that Ron had when it came to arguing with her. Where Ron got loud and obnoxious, and challenged her every argument, Harry simply ignored her arguments and refused point-blank to let her win.
"Putting it off? Putting what off? A discussion about why I had to make the hardest decision of my life with my now ex-girlfriend's best friend and her brother? Gee, you'll excuse me if the idea doesn't thrill me, Hermione…"
"No I won't, Harry Potter. You broke Ginny's heart today for no good reason. And I, as Ginny's friend, feel a need to knock some sense into your thick head!" Harry's sarcasm had angered Hermione, because if there was one thing she hated, it was being talked to as though she were ignorant of what she talked about. She didn't often argue with Harry, but typically, they were more explosive and involved a lot more personal attacks than her arguments with Ron; on the same vein though, Hermione often made up with Harry quicker because they could usually accept the other's viewpoint as different and ignore this difference. She doubted that would be the case tonight.
"Thick head? Hermione, you realise I broke up with her to save her life, right? I'm sorry if I'm so inconsiderate I think my girlfriend doesn't deserve to die…"
"Don't be so sarcastic with me, Harry Potter; you know fine well that Ginny is just as capable of protecting herself as you are!"
"What's that got to do with it? I'm as susceptible to lose a fight with a Death Eater ambush as she is; what I did was decrease the chance of said ambush happening to her!"
"You didn't decrease anything Harry! Ginny's always been in as much danger as Ron and I and Neville and Luna; each of us has gone through this year as Death Eater targets, or potential ransom items against you!"
"Why the hell would Ginny, Neville and Luna be in as much danger? You two are my best friends, everyone knows that!"
"But maybe if you'd think for a minute, Harry, you'd realise that Ron, I, Neville, Ginny and Luna were all at the Department of Mysteries!"
"That doesn't matter, none of those Death Eaters who saw you lot escaped, and Bellatrix Lestrange only saw Neville; but Neville is the Longbottom's son, he's the only one besides me who has history with Voldemort's Death Eaters… so no Death Eaters who escaped saw you, Ron, Luna or Ginny. And since Voldemort knows about you two through Malfoy and Snape…" Harry's eyes widened as he stared into Hermione's triumphant chocolate ones, a certain sense of satisfaction coursing through her veins. Harry suddenly slapped his hand against his head and groaned loudly and painfully.
"Snape! Damn it, Snape knows she was there! He knows about Luna too!"
"Not only that Harry… Malfoy and Snape both know that you and Ginny were involved… romantically… and neither knows about your break-up…" Hermione said, suddenly nervous. She hadn't considered how much it would hurt Harry when he realised his mistake.
"They… oh Merlin… Snape knows everything. He knows about Neville, about Luna, about Ginny and me and about you two. He knows what my strengths are, he knows my weaknesses, he especially knows about my… my… saving-people thing…"
Hermione felt instantly guilty when he mentioned that, but she suppressed him, staring at Harry, waiting for his proclamation. When it didn't come, she decided to probe him a bit. "Harry? Harry, what are you thinking? You better not be blaming yourself!" she said, suddenly sternly.
Harry looked up at her in disbelief, and then shared a comical look with Ron that ended in the two of them grinning widely. Hermione was bemused by this action, but Harry quickly explained. "There's another thing as well. Lucius Malfoy knows about Ginny being taken in by the diary… and Dumbledore told me Malfoy told him what happened to the Horcrux in his old diary…"
"Well… well, there you go Harry. You needn't have broken up with Ginny. You've just given each other more heartache than you ever needed. For God's sake Harry, we're not going anywhere near the Horcruxes till' after Bill and Fleur's wedding, and that's not until late August… right?"
"We're going to Godric's Hollow first…"
"Right. So we are. But there's nothing to stop you being with Ginny until we go, is there? Harry, you need to stop letting Voldemort get in the way of your life! You deserve some happiness, and Ginny… well Harry, I've never seen you any happier than you are with Ginny!"
"I have to agree mate, Hermione's right." Ron piped in, the first thing he'd said in five minutes. "You're happiest when you're with my sister, and that's very good for you mate. You've got so much shit on your plate…"
"Ron!" Hermione admonished.
"Sorry, love. You've got so much crap on your plate Harry, you hardly seem to be able to find any time for happiness. None of it is your fault mate, not Cedric, not Sirius, not Dumbledore or any other V-Voldemort victim. It isn't your fault that Hermione and I are so entangled in this war. It's not your fault that Ginny, Neville and Luna are either. I would be involved anyway, as would Ginny, through our family. Hermione wouldn't have been able to stay out of the war effort, what with her brains. Neville's been involved in this since his birth, and Luna chose to get involved because she wanted to. Harry, don't you see mate? You're actually a good thing, because with you, we actually get to make a difference. No sitting around waiting to grow up while the grown-ups do the fighting. Hermione and I get to make a difference with you!"
Ron was so caught up in his monologue that he didn't have time to notice that he inadvertently referred to Hermione as "love", nor did he notice the incredulous stares from both Harry and Hermione, neither of which had paid much attention to his words. Harry's grin was huge and delirious, but Hermione felt like she'd just been hit with a heavy blow to the head.
Did he just call me "love"? Since when was Ron so affectionate about me? I thought he just … well… fancied me… I never… pet names! Before we even go out? Does… does he think about us being together? Does this mean… he wants more than a quick snog? Could he actually reciprocate what I feel? No! That's getting your hopes up Hermione, you're not supposed to do that! SHAKE IT OFF!
Hermione literally shook her head and began to profusely agree with Harry, her face a crimson mask as Ron looked bewildered at her embarrassment. He seemed to be retracing his words and she kept an eye on him while she spoke, waiting for the critical moment. "Harry, you deserve some happiness. And so does Ginny, come to that. Both of you have been through so much without one another; when you would have handled it so much better had you been together… don't let Voldemort take this from you Harry! He's taken enough!"
Harry stared back at Hermione, his emerald eyes swimming with unshed tears, and she felt her heart reach out and embrace him mentally. He had such a hard life, full of pain and loss that he didn't deserve. But what he said next really killed any anger she still nurtured. "He… that's what Dumbledore would have said… he'd have told me… love… it's the greatest gift…"
Harry suddenly dissolved into sobs, trying valiantly to get his tears under control, but Hermione was up and beside him, taking his head on her shoulder and allowing him some release. He desperately fought against it, and she didn't protest it; this was what Ginny would be here for him for, but she still could comfort him right now. He felt more alone than ever.
Ron, for his part, showed no recognition of the fact Harry was crying. He didn't turn away, embarrassed, or even show Harry any pity. He just flushed horribly when he realised what he'd said, and avoided Hermione's eye. She smiled at Ron's childishness, it being one of those endearingly sweet things about him.
Harry dragged himself back to the level of control, but didn't say much more than what had been said. He promised Hermione he would make amends with Ginny, since she was right after all, and then went to bed. Not feeling up to sleeping on the floor, Hermione then transfigured a pair of Harry's socks into single beds like Harry's and deposited them in the space in the room. This left negligible room, however, so Hermione magically expanded the room, then as an afterthought, created a wall to privatise her section of the room, to Ron's poorly hidden dismay.
"I'm a girl Ron, you wouldn't want to wake up to find me getting dressed, would you?" she said cheekily, cocking an eyebrow at him as he flushed visibly. She didn't know what made her say it, but somehow the idea that she could fluster Ron with a seemingly innocent statement was an immensely powerful feeling.
But the contentment at the developing situation between her and Ron – a situation she had long since classed as "with potential" after much insistence from Ginny and Luna and even Parvati Patil – seemed to evaporate after Hermione fell asleep.
Her dreams were troubled, starting off sweetly enough with a journey through a beautiful field, holding Ron's hand and feeling utterly content. But everything darkened; an ominous swirl of cloud shadowed the beautiful field, in which everything living died, until there were Death Eaters surrounding her and Ron. Draco Malfoy stepped forward, blasting her and Ron apart. She fought tooth and nail against the hooded figures, blowing them to pieces to get to Ron, but when she saw him at last, a man stood over him, protecting him. He wore Death Eater robes but there was a large, golden, gleaming locket that looked vaguely familiar around his neck and he seemed to draw strength from it. It flashed green and silver, and Hermione got close enough to see the seal of the Snake on it.
Slytherin's locket! Hermione felt the Horcrux whisper to her, like the wind, carrying one word across the wind like a soft breeze: "Arcturus". She didn't understand what it meant, but there could be no question that the man in front of her was the mysterious R.A.B. manifest in dream form. Suddenly, he turned, defending Ron and now Harry from an Avada Kedavra curse, and she saw his face for an instant, recognising the pallid skin and lank hair that marked him as a Death Eater, but at the same time seeing the grey eyes and strong jaw that marked him as a Black. Regulus Black. And all the while the word "Arcturus" whispering from the silver locket.
CRACK!
Hermione sat up suddenly, her eyes immediately going to the open window, where she was sure she had just heard that noise. Leaping from her bed, she clutched her wand tightly and looked around for the wizard who had Apparated. When she concluded that her room and Harry and Ron's were free of any unwelcome wizards, she crept towards her initial instinct – the window. There, peering out into the moonlit garden, she saw three hooded figures draped in black standing in the garden, one standing guard while the other two systematically tore down Albus Dumbledore's wards put in place for the protection of Harry Potter at Number Four Privet Drive from Lord Voldemort; a protection that no longer existed.
All criticisms or comments welcome! And I promise some action in the next chapter…