Thanks to Shinobi Shinihami, Kagekitsune49, Spirit Seer, VampireGaaraCheesepuffs, PieciesHateScorpios, Jokerisdaking, WolfChibi-Chan and Sango Star
::13::
Harry felt his feet touch down on grass, soft and mushy beneath his feet as if it just rained. He hadn't realized it before, but sometime during their travel, he had clamped his eyes shut and now, he was almost afraid to open them.
Naruto blinked at his new surroundings before jumping back at the sight that he saw, falling to the ground.
"Great Kami in heaven, what the hell is that?" Naruto shouted.
Harry opened his eyes. Everything was still the same. The same overgrown weeds, the same thick brambles of thorny bushes that crawled over the headstones. Only the great marble statue behind them remained untouched, as if even the plant life was loath to touch it.
"What is this place?" Sai asked, calmly surveying his surroundings. Ron gave a shiver and even Hermione looked uneasy as she stepped closer to him. In this distance, a large hill stood in which the silhouette of a great house could be made out.
"It's a graveyard." Said Harry as he helped Naruto to stand. "Welcome to Little Hangleton."
"Blimey, Harry. Why did you have to take us there, of all places..." Muttered Ron.
Ron, Harry and Hermione were securely concealed underneath the Invisibility Cloak as Naruto and Sai walked close by, disguised as they walked through the streets of Little Hangleton. It was a quaint but dreary town which even the beauty of the fall leaves around them couldn't change. There seemed to be a certain air that hung over the town; an air of dread but Harry partially wondered if that was because he knew all that had happened here.
They stopped at the base of the hill that the Riddle house overlooked. Glancing upward at it, Harry noted that the house seemed to be in worse condition than he remembered it. Ivy had practically consumed the house and was beginning to curl and climb inside the broken glass windows. There was a hole in the roof and both tiles and bricks were missing from the facade.
Naruto made a face. "Are you sure this is it? I don't see how anyone could make this dump their hideout..." He whispered. He gave a shiver. The place looked haunted.
Hermione shook her head. "It could be an illusion..." She said quietly. "To trick and dissuade anyone from getting too close."
Sai crouched down, using a crumbling stone wall as cover as he brought out his ink and scroll. "You should stay here. Naruto and I will go and investigate." He said as he quickly scrawled a few mice onto the paper. He quickly activated them and watched as they scurried off before nodding to Naruto. They disappeared in a flash, leaving the wizards on their own.
"I'm getting a bad feeling about this place." Naruto muttered as he crept alongside the wall in the back of the house. So far, he couldn't detect any presence inside, or even a hint of lingering chakra. But, he reasoned if this was Orochimaru and Voldermort's hideout, then surely they would have taken precautions to conceal it. He wouldn't lose hope.
Finding a door, Naruto gave it a slight nudge. Paint and wood splinters came off onto his fingers, but the door opened easily with a single creak. Naruto winced at the sound. Surely that alerted someone.
Sai had already found a way inside, having vaulted through a large open window that was overgrown with creepers on the second floor. He landed soundlessly, scrunching his nose at the smell of mold and mildew inside. The house was dead silent, apparent from the creak of a door opening that echoed painfully throughout the house. Sai gave out a sigh that bordered on aggravation if he knew how to catalog such an emotion. If there was anyone in the house, then surely they would now be alerted.
But as the mice scurried back to Sai, leaving no footprints or marks in the dusty floor, Sai confirmed what he had suspected.
There was no one here.
Naruto waited a few moments, tensely crouched outside the door just in case anyone came out to check the disturbance. When no one came, Naruto figured maybe the creak hadn't been as loud as he thought it had been. Squeezing through the door, Naruto remained light on his feet as he stepped into the house.
For one thing, the house smelled completely horrible. Naruto had entered some sort of kitchen, which had once been a grand place, but now cobwebs decorated the entirety of the open brick oven and there was a inch-thick layer of dust coating everything. Cabinet doors were either rotting or falling off their hinges. Naruto wrinkled his nose in disgust. Quietly, he managed to slip from the kitchen into the parlor although he couldn't hide the footprint his sandals made in the dust.
In the parlor, Naruto got a bad feeling. A creepy feeling. Something had happened here and it left a bad taste in his mouth.
Something touched Naruto on the arm.
It took everything Naruto had in him not to let out a scream, but he still managed to jump a foot into the air. Spinning around, he found Sai staring at him quizzically. "Is something wrong?" Sai asked.
"Bastard!" Naruto shouted. "You scared the living crap out of me!"
Sai was puzzled but Naruto's over-exaggerated reaction. Maybe Naruto was just on edge. Sai didn't want to dwell on Naruto's fear. "There's no one here." Sai explained. "Looks like no one has been here in a while. Sakura must be else where."
Naruto felt his heart plummet at the admission.
"We shouldn't be in here..." Said Ron, shaking his head as he looked around the parlor. "This place gives me the creeps. Don't you feel that?" He asked.
"There isn't anything here, Ron." Hermione said, but even she too looked shaken.
Harry didn't respond. Like the rest of the house, the parlor has once been grand. Hardwood floors furnished with oriental carpets, a fireplace and mantelpiece that was still decorated with a crystal candle holder. A covered painting hung above the mantelpiece although a corner of the sheet had slipped off. The handsome face of Tom Riddle Sr. stared back at Harry.
In seeing his face, Harry stared down at the carpet. Is that where he died? Had he gotten up to greet Voldermort, or ask who the intruder was, only to be struck down in the very spot Harry was standing? Or perhaps he hadn't even gotten that far; maybe he was still seated in one of the plush armchairs when Voldermort had killed him.
Harry wondered if Tom Riddle Sr. had known who his killer was. Did he know that it was his son? Or could he see it, plain as day for Tom Riddle Jr. was said to bear a striking resemblance to his father although any resemblance was lost now.
Harry shouldn't have brought them here. Too many questions, too much tragedy. He should have known Voldermort would have never made this place his hideout. He had probably only used it before when he had no place else to go. He likely despised the place.
"We should leave." Said Harry, moving toward the door. "I'm sorry, Naruto." He added quietly.
Naruto, who was sitting dejectedly by the fireplace, poking around through the dust and dirt looked up and gave Harry a halfhearted smile. "At least we tried..."
"I thought we could stay." Said Sai, speaking up when the wizards began moving toward the door.
"Stay here?!" Ron cried. "Are you completely mad?"
Sai furrowed his eyebrows slightly. What was with everyone? Sai did get a sense of there being something...off about this place. Was that what was getting everyone so upset? Although the place was dusty, dirty and just overall decrepit, Sai thought the others would jump at the chance to finally get a solid roof over their heads.
"This is where You Know Who..." Ron looked around before lowering his voice conspiratorially, "offed his grandparents! You can't expect us to sleep here with that hanging over our heads, can you?"
So that's what this was about. Sai almost cracked a smile. If everyone felt the way Ron did, then no one would sleep during missions when they camped in the forest. There was no telling the number of the countless shinobi who had died there during skirmishes.
"Maybe we can still do something useful!" Said Naruto, some of his old energy returning. "Maybe there is a Horcrux here!"
Harry frowned. It was highly unlikely and he said as much. "Dumbledore already found the ring in the Gaunt shack at the edge of town. I doubt Vol...You Know Who would want to put another so close. Especially here of all places."
But Naruto still looked hopeful and even Ron and Hermione looked optimistic so Harry acquiesced.
They spent the rest of the morning and afternoon picking through the dusty remnants of the Riddle house, even going so far as to pry up old floorboards and tap the walls for secret hiding places. But as Harry predicted, they came up empty handed.
In a moment of weakness...and perhaps to lift their spirits, Hermione suggested that they not waste the trip and that they should at least stay at the little inn she had seen on the way to the house. Ron and Harry were both reluctant, but Hermione reasoned that it was no longer a wizarding community and as long as they were careful and only stayed a night, no one should come looking for them or suspect anything and the warm meal and shelter would at least lift their spirits.
"But you forget, Hermione," Said Harry as they prepared to depart the Riddle house, "We don't have any muggle money. I don't think galleons or sickles are going to cut it here."
Hermione pondered this for a minute. "I suppose I could transfigure some of our money to look like muggle currency...oh, but I would feel so bad doing that! It wouldn't be real!"
Ron sighed.
"Here," Said Naruto, rummaging around in the pockets of his orange pants. He pulled out a couple of bronze looking coins as lint fell from his pockets. "You can use these."
Hermione reluctantly took the coins and pointed her wand at them, muttering incantations under her breath. In no time at all, the coins had transformed into two crisp colorful bills.
"It's paper." Said Ron incredulously as he touched a bill.
"It's money, Ron, honestly." Said Hermione, rolling her eyes. "It's called a pound."
"Well whose that funny old lady then? Why is she so special?" Ron asked. Harry suppressed a laugh.
"That's the Queen!"
No matter what the barkeeper thought, The Hanged Man did not offer first class accommodations. But even so, Hermione still found herself finagling and bartering with the barkeep. Hermione only had 20 pounds to spare, but the greedy barkeep insisted on at least 35 to provide a room and dinner for them all.
Fed up, hungry and disappointed, Naruto finally snuck into the cash register while the barkeep was busy arguing with Hermione and stole some bills before sneaking them into Hermione's hand. She had paled, but ended up using them.
"I'll make sure to tip them well when we go down to dinner." Said Hermione as she anxiously folded the stolen money in her hands. "Naruto, you shouldn't have taken so much..."
"Why bother?" Complained Ron as he laid down on the bed. "This bed is as hard as rocks! This room isn't even worth two knuts!"
The room was small and dingy, with a tiny window that didn't open and a sink whose faucet dripped incessantly. There were two beds crammed in the room and barely enough space on the floor for anyone to lie down. Luckily, magic helped a bit so they were able to rearrange the room so that the beds were pressed together to offer more space.
"At least at home, you can come across a decent inn no matter where you are." Naruto muttered.
"At least in Egypt they offered us complementary butterbeer and a conjuring table where you could get anything you want-" Started Ron.
"We know it's not a 5-star hotel, Ronald." Hermione snapped. But Ron didn't get the reference so Hermione decided to drop it.
Harry just rolled his eyes bemusedly. It was better that they argued over something petty rather than where their next meal would come from or why he didn't know where they should find the next Horcrux.
Any complaints were ceased immediately after dinner was served in the evening. The small bar was crowded with local inhabitants sipping languidly on pints of frothy beer while they chatted amicably amongst each other. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Sai and Naruto sat at the bar, all shoveling down the generous helping of beef stew they were given. Naruto finished first, having consumed everything in record time. He gave his stomach a pat, a lazy and content smile on his face as he burped loudly.
"Best meal I've had in days." He declared. "Even though we didn't find Sakura, I'm glad we came." Naruto reached for his glass and took a large swig.
"Uhh...maybe you shouldn't drink that." Harry advised cautiously. As a precaution, he had removed his glasses and strategically styled his hair so that it would cover his scar. Neither he nor Hermione had touched their glasses and had gone so far as to push them away.
"Why not?" Naruto asked, wiping some foam off his upper lip.
"It's not the best tasting stuff," Said Ron after he took a large gulp, "But it has a sort of pleasant feeling...doesn't it?"
Naruto eagerly agreed. Curious, Sai dragged his glass closer and took a sniff...only to immediately push it away as the smell of alcohol assaulted his nostrils.
By that time, Naruto had already finished off his entire glass and he slammed it down on the counter. "Can I get another one?" He asked loudly.
"Naruto, no!" Hermione admonished.
"Oh, let him have it, 'mione." Said Ron, waving his hand as he took another swig. "It can't do any harm!"
"...And then she punched him right in the face!" Ron demonstrated, mocking punching a fake Malfoy as the crowd around them burst into laughter. "He had bruises for a week!"
"You go, girl!" Said one woman, slapping Hermione on the shoulder as Hermione winced.
Naruto had his head down on the counter, his fist pounding down on it. "You punched Malfoy..." He said, tears leaking from his eyes. "Oh how I would have paid to see that..."
As Ron launched into a new story for the eager crowd, Harry shared an uneasy glance with Hermione. Ron's first beer had quickly turned into three more before Harry or Hermione could do a thing to stop him. And while the Kyuubi seemed to be burning up any alcohol that Naruto consumed before he could get as drunk as Ron was, it didn't stop him from hysterically bursting into fits of laughter or yelling things in Japanese.
Every time either Harry or Hermione tried to pull Ron away to go back upstairs or cut him off, Ron got testy and tried to pull his wand on them which was definitely no good considering the growing crowd of patrons both Ron and Naruto had attracted around them. So far, Ron hadn't let anything too incriminating slip, and the few words he did slip, such as Mudblood or muggle, the crowd of muggles around him either paid no attention or thought he was off his rocker.
Sai, meanwhile was fascinated by what was going on. He had never been drunk himself - he didn't much like the taste of any sort of alcohol - and he usually refrained from going out to the bars when the older shinobi like Kakashi and Yamato politely invited him along. But now that he saw how strange drunk people were, he would have to go more often. He wondered what type of drunk he would be.
"It's so amazing!" Cried Ron as he crawled his way across the counter and stuck his glass under the tap. "You just push the button and the liquid comes out! It's like magic. Get it, Hermione? Magic."
Ron and Naruto both broke out into a fresh round of knee slapping laughter. Ron almost fell out of his chair as Naruto wiped the tears from his eyes, muttering 'good one'.
"Ok..." Said Harry carefully as he slid off his chair. "I think you've had enough..." He said, gingerly prying Ron's fingers from the glass.
"No way!" Ron cried, pulling his hand back and sloshing beer over the rim. "You know, this crap tastes worse than butterbeer! But I'm still drinking it!" He held up his glass triumphantly as the crowd cheered and Ron started laughing again, choking as he tried to take a sip while Naruto broke out into a fit of giggles.
Harry turned helplessly toward the silent shinobi. "Isn't there anything we can do?" Harry asked Sai. "Before either of them says something they shouldn't..."
Sai paused to think for a moment. What did Naruto love more than anything in the world? What would grab his attention?
Sai leaned over and whispered something in the blond shinobi's ear. Harry watched as Naruto's blue eyes widened dramatically and his grip on his beer glass wavered before it slipped from his grasp before Sai deftly snatched it and put it on the table.
"RAMEN!" Naruto screamed, shooting out of his chair so fast he knocked it over. He startled some of the other muggles, some looking at him strangely while others started laughing.
"I'm coming!" Naruto yelled as he turned to dash up the stairs to the inn. "ITADAKIMASU!"
"Wha-?" Said Ron, looking confused.
She took a deep breath, smelling the cool autumn air.
She smelled the sea, salty with brine and the pungent scent of seaweed that had been washed ashore and left to ferment in the sun. But she needed to look beyond that. Clearing her mind, she held out her hands and took another, deeper breath.
Now she could smell him; feel him on her skin. Despite her dark cloak covering most of her body and the overcast sky above, she felt warm as if the sun was shining on her skin. She could hear the slow, tranquil rush of the waves out at sea and most importantly, she could smell him. Soft like freshly cut grass and sharp like peppermint. She could even smell that dark tinge, that smoky smell of blood and fear.
She let his scent envelope her, caress her...
"Well…?" Said a deep baritone voice.
She opened her eyes, red like blood. The illusion was gone although she could still feel him there, in the back of her mind like a remembrance of a lover's touch.
"He was here. We're getting close."
Time was passing quickly. Autumn had quickly turned the air crisp and cool and rain only added to their problems. They eliminated the possibility of the orphanage being a Horcrux location, as Harry knew all along it wouldn't be. They had made little headway with their own Horcrux, only discovering that whoever wore it seemed to have a foul mood. Naruto's nightmares seemed to get worse on the days he wore the locket and when he turned suicidal one night, Harry forbade Naruto from wearing it again. This only put Ron in a fouler mood as he had been once they resumed their trend of camping in the countryside and eating whatever scraps they could find.
The only time Naruto seemed to be happy was when he was talking to Hermione. Harry wondered weather Naruto's faith in him was rapidly disintegrating as he suspected Ron and Hermione's was. A couple times, Harry spotted them sitting close, talking, and they would stop whenever Harry came around.
"What's this?" Hermione asked, poking at the crystal blue necklace that dangled from Naruto's neck and stood out against his black T-shirt. Both were lying on the floor with their heads propped up on one arm.
"This is the necklace that Tsunade-baa-chan gave me." Said Naruto proudly. "It means I'm going to be Hokage some day."
Harry heard Ron snort a little ways off. Ron also always happened to be in a foul mood when Naruto spent time with Hermione.
"Tell me about your friends." Said Hermione.
Harry nodded eagerly. Hearing about anyplace other than here sounded like a good idea. Naruto looked thoughtful.
"Well…there's Hinata-chan…she always faints when I'm around." Said Naruto with a confused look.
Hermione giggled and Ron muttered "How dense."
"Then there's Kiba, he's got a really big dog and Shino…he's a little weird…oh and Iruka-sensei, he gave me my first forehead protector..." Naruto continued. "Then there's Bushy Brows, he acts a lot like his sensei and wears green spandex, but he has a big heart…"
Hermione and Harry both started to laugh. "Glad you're having a dandy time over there." Said Ron sourly.
Everyone looked at Ron sitting in the corner, the smiles vanishing from their face.
Naruto hopped up in an instant. "Stop being such a kill joy!" He yelled, furious. "Just because other people are having a good time while you aren't…"
"Shut up!" Yelled Harry suddenly. "Shut up now!" He said standing up and holding his hands out. Both Ron and Naruto looked at him furiously, getting ready to yell, but Sai cut them off.
"I hear voices." Sai said.
They all turned silent, Hermione glanced at the sneakoscope they had set up, but it remained unmoving. They all edged closer to the edge of the tent to better hear. The wizards pulled out their wands as Naruto and Sai pulled out some kunai. They could hear voices, but nothing intelligible. Hermione quickly rummaged through her bag, coming up with a few Extendable Ears. They heard sounds of the men settling down and then the smell of cooking.
Then finally a man spoke. "Here, Griphook, Gornuk."
Hermione's eyes widened. "Goblins!" She whispered.
As the men's voices continued talking, Naruto immediately picked out Ted Tonks, the man who helped him and Harry when Naruto arrived in the wizarding world. He only too excitedly let the others know. They also picked out Dean Thomas, a fellow Gryffindor and Dirk Cresswell, Runcorn's victim. They all smashed the Extendables into their own ears as they relished news from the outside world. When they heard news from Hogwarts, they were practically falling out of the tent.
"One of the kids who tried to take the sword was Bill's younger sister." Naruto glanced over at Ron who seemed a bit pale.
"She and a couple of friends got into Snape's office and smashed open the glass case where he was apparently keeping the sword. Snape caught them when they were sneaking down the staircase." Explained Dirk. "Couple of days later, I guess once he got the go ahead from You Know Who, he sent it to Gringotts."
The goblins started to laugh. "I don't get it." Said Ted.
"It's fake!" Rasped one goblin.
Harry's eyes widened. "I can assure you where ever the real sword is; it is surely not in that Gringott's vault." Griphook explained.
"You didn't explain that to the Death Eater right?" Said Dirk.
Then they all started to laugh. Harry felt a new light feeling wash over him. But then it darkened all over again as they started to discuss Harry and Ginny and Snape and Voldermort. Soon their voices faded away as they started to move again. They sat there in muted silence, thinking everything over.
"Ginny…the sword…" Harry sputtered.
"I know!" Exclaimed Hermione. Then she grabbed her handbag and appeared to be struggling with something. Finally she pulled out Phineas Nigellus' portrait out.
"What's going on?" Asked Sai.
"If the real sword was swapped, then he would know!" Hermione said excitedly.
"Erm, Professor Black?" Hermione called timidly. They waited a few moments in silence as Phineas' frame remained empty.
"Get your painted ass out here!" Bellowed Naruto, who had grown tired of waiting.
"A please might be nice." Sneered a cold voice as Phineas slid into the frame.
Hermione gasped. "Obscuro!" A black blindfold covered his eyes and he yelled in surprise.
"What is this?" He yelled.
"Sorry, Professor Black." Hermione apologized. "It's a precaution."
"Remove this at once!" He yelled. "What is this? Where am I?"
"Nowhere important." Harry answered.
Phineas stopped moving. "Is that possibly the voice of the elusive Mr. Potter?"
"Maybe." Said Harry.
"We've got questions." Said Sai. "You better answer them."
Phineas frowned. "Or what?"
Sai pulled out a kunai and pointed it at the painting. "Or you can be scrap paper."
Phineas seemed to think it would be better for him to answer, because he said "What questions?"
"About the sword of Gryffindor." Said Harry.
Phineas smiled. "Ah yes, those foolish kids stealing from the Headmaster, what claim did they think they had on it?"
"What happened to them?" Asked Harry.
"Sent into the Forbidden Forest with that great oaf Hagrid." Scoffed Phineas.
Harry felt relieved. They probably had a good laugh with Hagrid.
"What we really wanted to know, was whether anyone has taken the sword out lately…maybe for cleaning…" Said Hermione.
"Muggle-borns…" Said Phineas with clear dislike. "Goblin made swords do not need cleaning. They imbibe all that strengthens them, simple girl."
"Don't call her that." Said Naruto.
"I grow weary of contradiction." Said Phineas. Then he groped around the frame, trying to find his way out. "This shall certainly be the last time I come back here." He muttered.
"Can't you just tell us?" Asked Naruto exasperated.
Phineas snorted impatiently. "The last time I believe was when Dumbledore used it to break a ring."
Hermione shared an excited glance with Harry, but couldn't say more with Phineas still there. He finally found the exit and started to leave.
"Wait!" Called Harry "Did you tell Snape?"
"I have better things to do. Good bye, Mr. Potter." And he was gone.
"Harry!" Cried Hermione.
"I know!" He said, more excited and full of hope then he ever hoped to be. Naruto also seemed to be in a much sunnier mood than as of late.
Hermione stuffed the portrait back into the bag and then jumped up to join Harry. "The sword can destroy Horcruxes!"
"And Dumbledore didn't give it to me because he still needed it for the locket…" Said Harry.
"And he realized you couldn't have it, so he put it in his will…" Said Naruto with just as much enthusiasm.
"So he made a copy and left out the fake…" Said Sai.
"And left the real one…where?" Asked Hermione. They all stared at each other. There were clues…there had to be clues as to where Dumbledore left it.
"Think!" Cried Hermione. "Where could he have left it?"
"Not Hogwarts." Said Harry.
"Hogsmeade?" Asked Hermione.
"The Shrieking Shack?" Suggested Harry.
"Some place Snape wouldn't find it…" Said Naruto.
"What do you reckon, Ron?" Harry asked, looking around for the red headed boy. "Ron?" He finally found Ron sitting stonily in the corner of the bunk bed, hidden in the shadows.
"Oh, remembered me have you?" Ron snapped.
"What?!" Said Naruto looking at the others bewildered. The others looked just as confused.
"Go ahead, carry on." Ron said sourly. "Don't let me spoil your fun."
"Our fun?" Spat Naruto. "You should be excited too! We just got one step closer!"
"What's your problem?" Asked Harry.
"Problem?" Ron asked. "No problem…not according to you anyway."
Naruto rolled his eyes, his irritation coming back. "Well…there is obviously a problem, so spit it out." Snarled Naruto.
"Alright then," Said Ron, standing up, "Sorry I can't jump up and down in joy because there's another damn thing we gotta find. I'll just add that to the list of things you don't know." He said looking at Harry.
"Things I don't know?" Repeated Harry.
There were soft patters that were suddenly heard on top of the tent. "It's not like I'm having the time of my life here. With my arm being mangled and I freeze my ass off every night…no food, and I have to deal with him." Ron jabbed an angry finger at Naruto. "I just thought that after a few weeks of running around, we would have accomplished something."
"I thought you knew what you signed up for." Said Harry, miffed.
"So did I." Said Ron.
"So what?" Asked Naruto. "This isn't living up to your expectations?" He asked gesturing around the tent. "Thought it would be the easy life?"
"We thought that you knew what you were doing!" He yelled at Harry.
"Ron!" Yelled Hermione.
Ron ignored her. "Well sorry I let you down." Said Harry quietly. "But I've been straight with you the whole time."
"We all knew what we were signing up for." Said Naruto looking around room. "And I can't see why you didn't…part of being a ninja is not knowing what to…"
"Well in case you haven't noticed…" Yelled Ron. "I'm not a bloody ninja! And thank god for that! I don't know how I would ever put up with you!"
Hermione backed up a little, frightened by how Ron was acting.
"This isn't what I signed up for." Ron grumbled.
"Then why are you still here?" Harry asked, anger rising deep inside of him.
"Search me." Said Ron.
"Go home then!" Naruto yelled.
"Yeah! Maybe I will!" Ron said walking towards Naruto and Harry. "Then I can take care of my sister, but neither of you gives a rat's ass what happens to her right? Harry 'I've Faced Worst' Potter and Naruto 'I'm a bloody ninja' Uzumaki. Well I do…"
"I'm sure they just meant they've already seen George has lost an ear and you're ill with spattergroit…" Said Hermione, finding her voice once again.
"Oh, that's what you think do you? Well then, I won't bother myself with them. It's ok for all of you, your parents are out of the way…"
"My parents are dead!" Yelled Harry.
"And mine could be going the same way!" Yelled Ron.
"Then GO HOME!" Yelled Harry with more anger than he ever felt before.
Suddenly, Ron made a movement, but Naruto's arm was faster than his and Naruto punched him into the corner of the tent. Ron hopped up, angrier than ever and rubbed his swollen cheek.
"Leave the Horcrux." Said Harry.
Ron pulled the chain from his neck and whipped it onto the bed. He strode over to the tent entrance.
"What about you?" He asked, looking at Hermione.
"What…do…?" Hermione stuttered uncertainly.
"Are you staying or what?" Demanded Ron.
"I…" She looked around before glancing back at Ron. "I'm staying. I said I would help Harry and find Sakura…"
"I get it. You chose him." He said jerking his head at Naruto. Then he strode out into the darkness.
"Ron wait!" Hermione cried, running after him into the pouring rain.
A few minutes later, she returned, her hair plastered to her face. "He's gone!" She sobbed and she flung herself into the armchair to cry.
For once, Naruto was too angry to comfort her.
Sasuke sat in a dimly lit room in the Malfoy Manor, at the foot of a bed where a sleeping Sakura Haruno was lying. A couple times, she kicked out as if battling an invisible enemy, but otherwise her sleep remained undisturbed.
Sasuke gave a silent scoff of disgust. Sakura Haruno's keeper, of all things.
Across the room, Orochimaru was pacing the room, his expression excitable. He was grinning to himself so Sasuke had to assume something had gone according to plan. There was a sharp crack inside the room, one that Sasuke had grown accustomed to in the preceding months.
Orochimaru stopped pacing as Voldermort's venomous aura filled the room. "You have news?" He asked quietly.
Orochimaru nodded. "Yes. I have received confirmation. He is here, with the Potter boy."
Sasuke watched as Voldermort's disfigured face grew elated, lips curling into a wicked grin. "Excellent."
"It will be easy now, to send someone to capture him. We can even have them kill the Potter boy if you so wish. If you have someone in mind, if not, I'm sure Sasuke-kun here would be more than happy…"
Sasuke's heart leapt in his chest, but the feeling was quickly dismissed with a wave of Voldemort's hand. "No, no." Said Voldermort. "That would hardly be necessary. Potter runs scared now…he has always been good at self-preservation. No, I will not hunt him down…I will lure him to me."
Orochimaru seemed dismayed by this. "But then Naruto-kun…"
"I shall have both in due time." Said Voldermort. He set a cold hand down on Orochimaru's shoulder. "Let us not get ahead of ourselves. Plans have already been set in motion; we would be unwise to disturb them. You are gathering your troops and I am gathering mine."
"Yes…" Said Orochimaru tapping his fingers together. "Yes, you are right…"
Orochimaru seemed lost in thought and Voldermort took the time to stride over to Sakura's bedside. Sasuke watched as Voldermort peered down at her, but did nothing more.
"You have already helped me to lay one trap." Said Voldermort suddenly, slicing through Orochimaru's thoughts. "But now I think the girl may be able to help me lay another."
Bingo Book
Undesirable #4
Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody (X)
Status: Auror, Known Leader of the Order of the Phoenix
Family: Unknown
Security Status: MISSING, working on tracing him by checking all former bases and possible Akatsuki hideouts. Likelihood subject will contact Undesirable #2.
DECEASED – KILLED BY THE DARK LORD