Ron had the brilliant idea the next morning to put the locket in Hermione's bag, since she practically carried it with her constantly, and it shouldn't affect them in there, but as soon as they tried, it began squeaking and clicking, making so much noise as if screaming to get it out of there and back onto someone's neck that Harry couldn't stand it.

"Worth a shot," Ron sighed before sliding it on himself. "Hate this bloody thing." It was for good reason - Ron caught himself staring at Hermione more often than he wanted to. He could definitely see the appeal. He'd never really thought about her like that before, but now that he had the opportunity, she really was beautiful, and when her hair would fall into her face sometimes while she was reading, she'd leave it there because she was so focused that she wouldn't even notice or care, which was cute. She always seemed to be willing to work, to train, to cook, to research, and she never once complained. She was too hard on herself sometimes, like she didn't think either of them could actually figure anything out, but she'd gotten better in the last couple weeks as she wore herself down.

That third wheel feeling was back, though, and it was even more frustrating that Harry wasn't doing anything about his own feelings. Not that he'd want to watch, but if he thought Hermione wouldn't kill him if he tried to lay a hand on her, he wouldn't be holding back. He knew she had a nice body, with or without the locket trying to convince him he should do something about it. He'd found himself subconsciously sitting closer to her, making sure their arms or their legs were touching, and she, in return, had been more touchy with him as well. It was just little things, like touching his shoulder when she walked by or resting against him during duels, just to gauge his reaction, but he hadn't seemed to mind.

"Ron's staring again," Hermione announced as she measured out ingredients. She'd taken her sweater off (after much internal debate, but since she was closest to the workstation, she deserved to be the most comfortable) to reveal the tank top underneath, so she figured that was what prompted it. She knew how these boys' minds worked, whether she liked it or not. But she'd caught him out of the corner of her eye and he hadn't turned away.

She couldn't help but be a little flattered by the attention, confusing as it was. Her threat to Ron in the barn seemed like ages ago. His rejection was still fresh at that point, and she didn't want to get caught up in her thoughts. But now, it didn't seem as troubling. Of course she'd wanted Ron to look at her like that for a long time, so when it was passive, she ashamedly indulged. Having attention from both of them was… nice, especially after it seemed no one looked at her like that since Krum. But with Harry and Ron, she knew it wasn't just for her looks. They were her friends - they enjoyed spending time with her as well, which made it even worse sometimes. But she figured once the locket was off that Ron wouldn't feel that way anymore. And she was glad, honestly. She couldn't imagine what the atmosphere in the tent would be like if they were fighting over her all the time, forcing her to pick. She laughed at the thought, but quickly realized if that were the case and she had to choose between them with no outside factors, she'd have a very difficult time. And that was a little worrying, because it meant the thought of her and Harry was becoming more and more appealing by the day. She couldn't pinpoint the moment when that had happened, though. When she wasn't weirded out by the thought anymore or found it anything more than a laugh to make Ron jealous.

Harry quickly closed the distance from his bed to Ron and held out his hand. "Give it here."

Ron quickly realized what was going on and looked up at him for a second. "What? No, I was just… staring off into space. Not at her." Where had that come from? He wanted to keep it on? No, it wanted him to keep it on. But when he took it off and passed it over to Harry, Hermione didn't seem to look any different.

They still had some hair left over from their trip to the Ministry; Hermione had taken extra just in case, and they were far away enough now that no one should recognize their disguises unless by random circumstance. They had a bit of a laugh as soon as they were all transformed and redressed in better-fitting attire.

"Don't go kissing your wife again, Ron," Hermione teased. Ron just sneered at her playfully. It was the middle of the afternoon, so they hoped the stores wouldn't be too busy. That didn't stop them from getting incredibly nervous, however, as they appeared in the middle of the sidewalk and trying their best to blend in. Luckily, no one had seen them. Even still, every eye turned their way made them worry someone would catch them, or the potion would wear off without them realizing. They'd brought extra just in case, but Harry still ushered a warning.

"Remember, try to keep it quick. We're looking for supplies, food, and entertainment. Ron, I'll stay with you. Hermione, you're all right going off by yourself?" Hermione nodded quickly.

"Wait, why can't I go?"

"Because you've never been around this many Muggles," Harry whispered as he steered them towards a general store. Thank goodness they'd ended up near a small town where everything seemed to be pretty close together. "And you don't know how to use their money."

Ron huffed, but understood.

"Hey there," the teenager at the register greeted them, making Ron jump a little. At their reaction, the boy quickly went back to reading his magazine, realizing they didn't care if he interacted with them or not.

Ron's eyes narrowed at the magazine, and something clicked in his head. "I know how we can talk to Dad," he whispered.

"Brilliant." But Harry was more distracted running his fingers over all the snacks he was never allowed to have living with the Dursleys, like a kid in a candy store. He mentally calculated how much money they brought and how much this all would be - he wouldn't be able to get all of it without getting a stern lecture from Hermione about using all their money on snacks, but he grabbed a few (they could always replicate them), plus a chocolate bar he thought she might like for good measure. Quickly thinking, he grabbed a box of cake mix as well. It wouldn't be as good as the real thing, but it was easier to sneak than individual ingredients.

"What's this?" Harry peeked around to see Ron entranced by a shelf filled with cards, dice, and other portable games. Perfect.

"Oh! That's called jacks. That might be fun to mess around with," Harry grinned, imagining the ball flying around the tent, trying to hit Ron and Hermione. "But you lay out all of those things," he pointed to the plastic pieces, "on the floor and bounce the ball and see how many you can pick up before the ball touches the ground again."

"Sounds dull," Ron groaned.

"Not with magic," Harry whispered back, grabbing the box, and Ron laughed, looking at all the other things on the shelf.

"Muggles must get really bored without magic, don't they?"

Harry shrugged. "Not really. I mean, it makes things a lot more fun, but there's plenty of things to do, I suppose. I made up my own games for most of my life. It's great for the imagination."

Ron hummed softly. "Oh, look at this!" He pulled an orange stuffed cat from the shelf. "This looks like Crookshanks. We should get it for Hermione." They hadn't forgotten the two weeks at Grimmauld Place she spent upset that Crookshanks would miss her, to which Ron promised her that Ginny would look after him and make sure she got him back when they returned.

The look he imagined on Hermione's face made Harry agree immediately, and they grabbed a couple other small games and some fake flowers on the way out. "For decoration," Harry insisted, but Ron gave him a look that was clear he wasn't convinced. Harry paid for everything, with Ron watching in amazement.

"It's not really that much different from wizard money, I suppose. Where do you think Hermione went?"

Harry looked around. "I'm not sure. But I know she was looking for-"

"Albert? Reginald? I didn't expect to see you two here."

Harry gulped as a man with a small, slick mustache approached them. But this was a Muggle town - what would someone from the Ministry be doing here?

"Just… doing some shopping," Harry quickly answered. "My, uh, wife wanted me to pick up some things. I didn't know you were out here."

"Well, it's my jurisdiction, isn't it?" the man chuckled. "Unless… something's changed?"

"Not to my knowledge, no." Harry swallowed thickly, and the man narrowed his eyes. "Right, well… nice seeing you. We'll just be going."

The man hummed, watching them as they quickly walked past him, letting out a breath as they escaped.

"Who the hell was he?" Ron asked, looking back once more to see the man's eyes still on them.

"I have no idea, but he knows something's up. We've got to find Hermione and get out of here."

It didn't take long - she came up to them with a couple bags full of groceries and grabbed Harry's arm. "That man was from the Ministry, wasn't he?"

Harry nodded. "He recognized us. We need to go."

She led them behind one of the buildings and took their hands, taking them to their next location just in time for the Polyjuice Potion to start wearing off.

"I think this was your best batch yet, Hermione," Ron complimented with a grin as he put their bags down to set up the tent while Harry worked on the enchantments.

"Well, practice makes perfect, doesn't it?" she laughed. "What did you two find?"

"Oh, well, Harry picked up a couple things and something called jacks? Some cards. Oh! And we got something for you, too!"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Something for me?" She glanced at Harry. "Well, I got us some fruit and vegetables. I found the cutest little market. There wasn't much because of the weather right now, but it's enough to make us some soups and maybe some pies. At least for a change of flavor. And hot chocolate!"

"Yeah, that'll be great. Especially since it's getting cold no matter where we go."

"Tell me about it," she muttered, pulling her jacket tighter around her shoulders.

"We'll get a fire going as soon as we get in, all right?" Ron instinctively wrapped his hand around her, rubbing her arm a little. Hermione stilled, and he pulled away. "Sorry."

She just cleared her throat, but blushed. "Why don't you, um… start on the stakes on this side and I'll get the other," she suggested as she pulled it out of her bag and levitated it into position before starting to stake it down. A couple times, they made eye contact, and Ron just grinned at her in a way that made her stomach flutter.

Ron stayed quiet until they had everything set up and Harry was done with the enchantments. He didn't let her touch their bags of goodies, insisting she leave the tent while they set it up for her and promising they'd put the perishable food in the cooler.

"The flowers," Harry insisted, grabbing one of the glasses they used and duplicating it to make a vase. The red and pink really did pop against the dull earthy tones of everything else in the tent. He set them in the center of the kitchen table, where they'd be able to see them all the time. He even dimmed the flames in the jars hanging on the walls, and Ron snorted.

"Do you want me to give you two some alone time, mate?"

Harry quickly put the flames back to normal. "I'm just trying to make sure she knows she's appreciated, that's all. Oh, maybe you can put Crookshanks on her bed."

"You've never gone this all out for anyone," Ron laughed. "Are you sure you're not in love with her?"

"Shut up!" Harry hissed. "Are you sure you're not?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Who's the one who wanted to get her presents?"

"So what?"

"And you were staring at her this morning."

"And?"

"And… I don't like it."

"You think I'm gonna make a move or something?"

"I… I don't know. I just don't like it."

"Well you're not doing anything about it."

"Because… we've been over this, Ron!" Harry groaned. "Just because I don't want to change anything doesn't mean she's a free-for-all."

"Defensive, are we?" Ron stepped closer, and Harry stepped back.

"She's my friend!"

"Yeah, and she's mine too! You don't get to control her!"

"Neither do you!"

Hermione barged into the tent without caring whether they were ready for her or not. "You two are lucky I put up the sound barriers first. Someone could probably hear you 500 yards away! Neither of you get to control me, okay? And-" She paused as her eyes fell on the flowers on the table. "Are… are those for me?"

"Yeah," Harry answered softly. "We picked them up at the store. Thought they'd be nice for some color, you know. And they're fake, too, so you don't have to worry about taking care of them."

Hermione grinned, biting her lip softly. No one had ever gotten her flowers before, fake or otherwise. "They're beautiful. Thank you." She hugged Harry, who was closest, and then moved to wrap her arms around Ron, who hugged her back tightly.

"You know, I was thinking…" she started as she pulled away, running her hand down Ron's arm to squeeze his hand, "we should start just putting wards around the tent. So we know when anything enters. Of course, I can make exceptions for animals, but… that way we can spend time together instead of just one of us sitting outside all the time."

"We should have done that from the beginning," Harry chuckled, though his insides were turning in knots at the touches she was giving Ron. It's just the horcrux. Just the horcrux. "I think that's a brilliant idea."

"Especially now that we've got something to do. And since it's getting colder. I really don't like being outside anymore unless we're dueling."

"Which, by the way, I think we might need a refresher on," Harry muttered through a tight jaw.

"I think we can take a break for the day, don't you?" She could only imagine what Harry and Ron had been fighting about, and suddenly realized her actions weren't helping. She reached for Harry's hand, too, feeling him relax as she laced their fingers together. "Come on. Let's just sit down and we can enjoy some downtime. Listen to some music, play some games… and I'll take the horcrux..." she offered, though Harry didn't feel much better after letting it go. There was still some speculation about Ron, and the last thing Hermione needed was for them to be fighting over her constantly. "That man today, from the Ministry, did he say who he was?"

Ron shook his head. "No, but he recognized both of us. Wondered what we were doing in his 'jurisdiction'."

Hermione frowned. "Jurisdiction? Why would the Ministry be patrolling Muggle towns?"

"No idea," Harry answered. "Unless they've sent people to look for us, too."

"But that doesn't make sense. The Ministry's-"

"They know we're on the run. I'm sure Yaxley's still trying to find us. You've heard what the radio's been saying. They're turning people in left and right for something.."

Hermione sighed. "I wonder where else they're patrolling. How far out they're looking. You're lucky it went as well as it did."

"But I'm sure they'll report back, though, to make sure 'we' were in the right place. Good thing we moved."

She thought about transforming a couple of the chairs into a loveseat, but she knew they'd be fighting over who was going to sit with her. She did want to be more comfortable, though, and a little warmer, so she made them into single armchairs. The folding chairs were fine for short-term, but when they had no idea how long they were going to be traveling, they might as well make the most of it.

Ron turned on the radio to drown out any inevitable awkward silence between them, and Harry sat down in one of the chairs while Hermione took it upon herself to teach him how to play jacks, sitting down on the floor and patting the spot next to her. Harry watched in amusement as Ron became more and more bored and frustrated until Harry flicked his wand and one of them flew up and hit Ron in the forehead.

"Bloody hell, Harry!" he cried, a hand on the spot on his face, but Hermione started laughing like they hadn't heard her in months, and it was so infectious and welcome that Harry and Ron couldn't help but join in.

Hermione ended up falling asleep sideways in her chair, and after Ron had gone to bed, Harry scooted over to the radio and turned the volume down a little to listen to the Missing Witches and Wizards list that night. It wasn't too long, which was a relief. But still, more and more seemed to disappear each night with no trace. At least none of their friends were gone; Harry would never be able to live with himself. No matter how much everyone promised him they weren't in this for him, he knew better. If he wasn't on this hunt, the school would be back to normal, Death Eaters wouldn't have taken it over, and his friends would be safe. Even Ron and Hermione weren't truly safe with him. His mind flashed back to Hermione's file in Umbridge's office. They were still looking for them, intent on handing them over. And there was no telling what a Death Eater would do to them if they got the chance. Harry shuddered at the thought. He wouldn't let anyone touch her. Them.

A stirring in the chair grabbed Harry's attention. Hermione was shifting, groaning, trying to get comfortable. Probably another nightmare. He moved back over to her and rubbed her arm softly. "Hermione," he whispered, "wake up."

But she just groaned again, something unintelligible.

"Hermione," Harry tried again, shaking her a little.

"Harry…"

"Yeah, it's just me. You're all right."

Her eyes opened slowly at first, then once she realized how close Harry's face was, she opened them wide in shock, a gasp leaving her lips as she looked herself over, then him, flustered. "Harry… oh… just a dream," she panted, sitting up slowly and fixing her hair.

"Just a dream," he repeated with a smile, moving away to give her some room. Maybe it was just the light from the fire, but she looked exceptionally beautiful. "You should get to bed."

She took a couple deep breaths, trying to get herself under control before nodding. "Yeah, sure. Thanks…" But she didn't move.

"Do you want me to take the horcrux for the rest of the night?"

"Oh… er… no, that's okay. I'll keep it."

"But if it's giving you nightmares-"

"Oh, I wasn't having a nightmare."

Harry frowned a little. "But you were… you said my name. I just thought…" He trailed off when Hermione's eyes widened again.

"Did I?" she answered quickly, wiping her hands on her thighs. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry. No, it's okay. I'm okay." She reached out to rest a slightly nervous hand on his arm.

As he stood and helped her up out of the chair, her eyes moved to his lips.

"Hermione…" Harry warned. She swallowed, looked back up at him again.

"Sorry," she whispered. "Horcrux…"

"Are you sure you weren't having a bad dream?"

"N-No. It… it wasn't bad at all," she blurted out, her eyes boring into his in a way he'd never experienced before, but he could imagine it was how he looked at her sometimes. That's lust, mate. And he gulped.

He glanced over at Ron for a moment, glad he was asleep, but then he realized that didn't matter. "W-We need to get to… get you to…" he stuttered before taking a breath to focus. "You need to go to bed, Hermione."

She opened her mouth, then closed it, nodding softly and squeezing his hand. "You're right. Good night, Harry." Hermione bit her lip softly, contemplating before leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, leaving him a little stunned as she made her way to her bed and slid under the covers.

Harry nearly collapsed into the chair Hermione had been sitting in, letting out a deep exhale as he ran a hand over his face. There was no way he'd be able to sleep after that. It had never affected Hermione that much, nor had she affected him like that.

When he finally did get to sleep in his own bunk above Ron's, it wasn't a good one. He spent half the night tossing and turning, Hermione's lustful eyes sneaking their way into his brain, and woke up, almost as tired as he went to sleep, to the shower running. Harry sat up and climbed down the ladder past Ron, who was still snoring, and trying not to think about what Hermione was doing as he started to make some coffee. Rain was pattering lightly against the top of the tent, which meant they'd be inside again today. Great.

Hermione came out of the bathroom a little while later in a flannel pajama set with a towel slung over her arm. She glanced at Harry with a shy smile as she passed to deposit her things on her bed before getting her own cup of coffee and sitting across the table from him.

"Did Ron stay up last night?" she asked with a soft chuckle, looking over at him.

"Not as late as I did," Harry replied before he could even think about it.

Hermione averted her eyes as a blush crept over her cheeks. "About… what happened last night, I-"

"Hermione, it's all right." He reached to put his hand on top of hers, which she couldn't help but glance down at. "I promise. You don't have to keep apologizing for things like that."

"I know," she sighed, "but it's embarrassing. I don't usually act like that."

"I know."

She took a sip of her coffee and looked at him again, unable to stop thinking about the dream she'd had the night before. "What's… what's going on with Ron?" she whispered.

Harry glanced at him, shaking his head. "I don't know. You heard what we were fighting about yesterday?" She nodded. "I thought it was the horcrux, but he wasn't wearing it when we were shopping and… oh, we… he picked something else out for you. I'll let him give it to you."

"He told me he'd never thought about me like that," Hermione muttered, shaking her head, "but I think the horcrux is going to his head. It's like he really has changed his mind or… realized his true feelings or-" Harry scoffed into his cup. "What?"

"His true feelings? Hermione, he's told you for months how he feels about you. You can't just… go for him now that he finds you interesting."

"Well, if he's realized it, maybe he wasn't sure how he felt before, but now that I've brought it up-"

"You can't seriously be considering that, can you?" Harry set his cup down. "I thought you were smarter than that."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you think I'm dumb now, do you?"

"No!" he quickly corrected. "I just don't want you to get it into your head that he's suddenly into you, because he's not, Hermione, okay?"

The look on Hermione's face broke his heart, and he regretted it immediately, but before he had time to apologize, Hermione was up from the table and heading towards the tent entrance.

"Hermione-"

"I'm going for a walk."

"It's raining."

"I don't care."

And she was gone, horcrux pulled off her neck and tossed to the floor.

"Well that was lovely to wake up to," Ron's voice said from across the tent as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. "You shouldn't have said that, you know."

"I know," Harry snapped. "But I don't need you butting in, if you don't mind."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, mate. I'm not getting between her and anybody she's mad at. I know better than that." Ron headed into the bathroom and Harry poured himself another cup of coffee, suddenly wishing he had something stronger after noticing that Ron hadn't blatantly agreed with Harry's statement.

Hermione didn't come back until almost lunchtime. Harry had thought multiple times that he should go after her to make sure she was okay, but she set the wards, and he hadn't heard any alarms, so nothing had come in at least. Harry had taken the horcrux, which probably wasn't the best idea considering the mood he was already in, but he was relieved when he saw her walk through the flap. She was completely dry even though it was still raining, but her eyes were red and puffy. Knowing he'd made her cry made it even worse.

She completely ignored him as she walked in, heading straight to her bag and grabbing a change of clothes on her way to the bathroom. Harry and Ron watched her intently, waiting to see what she was going to do.

But she didn't speak to either of them for the rest of the day. She refused to eat with them, and threw herself into more research. She couldn't believe Harry had said something like that to her, especially not even under the influence of the horcrux. He knew she was vulnerable when it came to her feelings for Ron, and that struck a nerve. Maybe he was right, but maybe he wasn't, and the way Ron had been acting towards her had fanned the flame of her feelings for him again, and it didn't help that Harry was being so frustrating with his. Now that Ron was paying attention to her in a way she'd been pining after for years, she automatically gravitated towards it; she couldn't help that. And Harry kept pushing her away - what did he expect?

She knew why he was doing it. They'd talked about it multiple times, but it didn't make it any easier. Maybe he needed to learn a lesson from this about how to treat her if he wanted to keep her on his good side. Not that she'd ever leave, but he didn't have to know that. Maybe she could steel her heart and indulge Ron, just for a little bit. After all, her dreams hadn't just been about Harry (though most of them were). He just caught on a lot quicker.