"Ooh," I said, stepping into the tent for the first time. I was surprised by the relative grandeur of the tent. It was much nicer than I expected. "It's bigger on the inside!"
There were four separate sections of the tent. When you first walked in, there was what I decided was the Living Room. It had a couch and a table and was enough height that only Ron had to duck a little.
At the end of that there was a little kitchen area. There was a stove and another table, this one surrounded by four rickety chairs. This was perfect for us.
And then two bedroom type areas. Harry and Ron would share one and Hermione and I would take the others. I headed into the one on the right to find bunk beds and a dry sink. Setting my stuff down on the bottom bunk, I sat down and rested for a moment.
I could hear all the wildlife that was alive just outside the thin layer of canvas. A gust of wind blew and I heard leaves rustling. It was kind of nice. I looked under the bed and found a stack of rugs and thick blankets. I took one of them and used it to give the bottom bunk some privacy. Next, I grabbed my journal.
I wrote about everything that happened today. From leaving Grimmauld Place for the last time to seeing my father and being angry at Harry. As the words flowed onto the paper, I started feeling much better... it was great to have it off my chest. Of course I still had to deal with Harry, however, that would come in time.
As soon as I felt like I had nothing else to write, I laid back and shut my eyes for a few minutes. When I woke up, I knew it was later, though I couldn't immediately discern whether it twenty minutes or three hours had passed.
I wandered out into the main room of the tent to find Ron half asleep on the couch. He was probably tired from the blood loss earlier. "They're outside," he said, nodding towards the door of the tent.
"Thanks," I said. I found them sitting on the hillside talking. It was dusk, which meant I had slept for a long time. "Am I interrupting?"
Hermione shook her head. "Not at all." she said.
"Do you guys want me to go get dinner together?" I asked. It was late and I knew that I was hungry, so I guessed they were too. Plus it would be good to get food in Ron's stomach so he could get stronger.
"What're we having?" Harry asked. He wasn't being openly mean to me like he had been earlier, however it wasn't asked in the most benevolent tone.
"I'll let you know," I said, getting up and going back inside the tent. I wanted to be able to get to some sort of market to get fresh food. Security would be an issue I knew I would face with that, however, I knew I was the least recognizable of us, and that if I went quick we could get much better food.
I managed to scrounge up a meal though. There was a small hearth in the kitchen that I was able to cook pasta over. I also heated up a can of mixed vegetables and cut up a small piece of cheese to add to it. It wasn't the nicest of all meals, however, it was balanced enough and would be much nicer than spending all night hungry. At the bottom of my bag I found a small bottle of wine. I thought after today we all deserved it, but the only cups I could find were tea cups that had been left inside the tent. I couldn't help but chuckle a the fact that we were drinking wine out of tea cups.
Harry came in and moved a sleeping Ron from the living room to their bunk. Then I divided the pasta I had made into three and took it to the living room.
"Dinner is served," I said, handing them each bowls. We all chuckled a little at that but then got right to eating it.
"This actually isn't bad," Harry said. I was skeptical of his mood, as it had improved greatly from earlier.
"I tried," I said. We ate the meal in relative silence. They were both on the couch while I was curled up in an armchair.
"We're going to be taking shifts keeping watch tonight," Hermione said. "If we each watch for around three hours we should each get plenty of sleep."
"Would you like me to take first watch?" I asked them. They were both tired looking, as neither of them had gotten to nap like I had.
"That sounds great," she said. "Harry will take second and I'll take third. Ron will obviously sit this one out..."
"All right," I said.
"Oh, and we're going to take turns wearing the necklace," she said, pulling it off her own neck and holding it in her hand.
"Can I see?" I asked. She handed it to me, and I instantly felt ill. Just holding the necklace in my hands made me feel twitchy. It was hard to sit still. The locket pulsed in my grasp and that freaked me out. didn't like how it made me feel and I certainly didn't want to hold it any longer. Wearing it for my shift would certainly be interesting. "That thing is freaky."
"Well, there is part of a soul in there," Harry reminded me.
That part really freaked me out so I dropped it on the table and slid it back to Hermione. She took it and put it around her neck.
After a little more small talk, they went to bed and I began my watch. I sat near the entrance of the tent, staring out into the dark night. What was I even looking for? After my eyes adjusted to the dark, all I saw was a lone bat flying over head.
The first hour wasn't so bad. The second hour wasn't even that bad, but by the time the third hour rolled around, I was sleepy and it was cold. I felt a bit like all I did was whine about this, but at least most of it was internal.
The sound of movement startled me. I drew my wand, but by then Harry was already in view. He sat down right next to me. I looked at my watch and he was early.
"You can go back to sleep for a bit," I told him quietly. Perhaps I was still angry with him over earlier.
"Thought you might want to get to sleep," he said. "Also, I wanted to talk to you.'
I exhaled. "Those two things sound pretty mutually exclusive," I told him.
He chuckled and nodded. "Okay. First I want to talk to you. Then you can go to sleep."'
"All right," I said. "Go."
"I just want to say that I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier," he said. "We just screwed up in so many directions today and you were easy to take it out on."
I nodded. A little time had passed so I wasn't quite as angry as I had been earlier. "Tension is high," I said. "I don't think it's going to always be fun to be out here."
"And you're completely correct," he said. "but I overreacted."
I just nodded. I was tired and didn't have much else to say. I reached out and took ahold of a frayed string that was on the end of his jacket because it was sticking out and bothering me. I plucked it away and felt much better.
"How was your first night watch?" he asked to fill the silence that had accumulated between us. It was uncomfortable, though.
"I fought off seven Death Eaters," I joked quietly. "And You-Know-Who himself. I told him if he wanted to see you he had to come during normal office hours."
It was something I wouldn't have said if I hadn't been so tired and had my mental guard down. He snorted. "You're funny, Kat."
I smiled a little smile at that. His arm reached out around me, and I leaned into the embrace. The soft, worn material of his jacket brushed against my face and I smiled.
For a small second, it was the most lovely embrace I had ever felt. In that moment, I felt so secure. I had nothing to worry about. Harry was here in front of me, his arms around me tenderly, protecting me. We were merely on a camping trip together with friends...
I let my mind wander to what things might be like if we hadn't been thrust into this twisted treasure hunt. Would Harry and I be together?
I snapped out of it. I couldn't think like that right now. That wasn't allowed. I had to focus on the task at hand: finding the Horcruxes, destroying them, and then destroying Voldemort. There was no room to fancy anyone in that goal. None at all. Although most of me didn't want to, the rational part of me pulled away.
"Good night Harry," I said quietly, a hearty longing feeling settling itself in the pit of my stomach.
"Night, Kat." he said.
~.~
Although I was exhausted, sleep evaded me. I had so much on my mind and didn't want to acknowledge any of it. So I laid down, trying to focus on the sounds of nature outside the canvas.
I must have fallen asleep at some point, waking briefly when Hermione went to take her watch. When I woke up again, I could tell it was mid morning.
I got dressed and went out to see what the plan for today was. I knew that I wanted to get more food. We weren't going to eat cheese and crackers and wine from tea cups for every meal. We had to stay strong and healthy and eating a good diet would help. There was no room in this trip for illness.
I found my friends around a fire just outside the tent. It was a crisp morning, just enough to remind me that we were moving away from summer and into autumn.
"Good morning," I said, sitting down next to Hermione. I wondered how long they had been sitting out here. Ron sat on the other side of the fire and looked much better than he had last night.
"Morning," they chorused.
I noticed the locket was hanging around Ron's neck. Harry, Hermione, and Ron had all taken their turn in wearing it, which meant I would have to put it on soon.
"How much food have we got?" Hermione asked.
"Not enough," I said. "Are we near any village? I'd love to get some fresh produce and maybe some meat."
It seemed as if all of our stomachs all growled at once. I saw Hermione and Harry exchange a glace. "It could probably be arranged," Harry said. "You would just have to go alone. It isn't widely known that you're with us yet, and you wouldn't be as easy to recognize as one of us."
I nodded. "That's fine. I just need ten minutes in a shop," I explained. We had some more bread for breakfast. After that, I went to a nearby village to get food. It felt so wonderful to have just a few minutes alone while shopping. I didn't have to pretend anything... it was just me inspecting which tomatoes looked the best and which chicken would smell delicious roasting over our fire.
The High Street of the small village I'd stumbled upon also had a consignment shop. I took advantage of the fact that I was out and had money. Who knew when I would get out again?
By the time I apparated back to the tent, I had a huge bag full of fall clothes. It was mostly men's stuff however I knew Hermione and I would use them. We had no one to impress here.
She was excited when I showed her the bag of stuff, and disappeared into our room. I didn't particularly feel like following.
"Kat?" Harry asked. "Will you come with me?"
"Where?" I asked. He had managed to pique my interest. His question made it sound like there was somewhere else to go beside the tent or the little fire pit we had made.
"Just going for a walk," he said. "I'd like to show you how to cast a Patronus."
I nodded. After yesterday's fiasco with the Dementors, it seemed like something I really ought to know. I had just never been able to manage it in school. It required far too much reaction. I was much better with a wand if I had a minute to think things through.
I followed him out through the woods through a seriously overgrown path. "Where are we exactly?" I questioned.
"They had the Quidditch World Cup around here a few years ago," he said. He held back a branch so it didn't snap into my face.
That made sense... the path here was a remnant from that. We ended up in a small clearing. We stood close to the edge of it, and he held out his wand.
"Expecto Patronum!" he said. His voice was clear and firm, and a stag soared out of his wand and pranced around the field. "Think you can do that?"
I nodded. He made it seem easy. I picked up my wand and pointed it towards the center of the field. "Expecto Patronum," I said. I tried to mimic Harry's firm tone but failed. Nothing happened to my wand.
"Okay," Harry said. "First, you have to get the movement right. It's a quick flick of the wrist."
I practiced a few times, until he was pleased with the movement I made. I swatted my hand outwards to satisfy his instructions.
"Now comes the hard part. Think of your happiest memory." he instructed.
I set to work thinking. It didn't come to me right away. My happy memories usually involved Adam, however none of them were special. I couldn't choose one that stood out from the rest. Instead I tried to cling to the feelings the memories evoked in me. I had felt safe, I had felt happy, and I had felt loved. It was a good feeling.
"Now try again," he said softly.
"Expecto Patronum!" I yelled. I had a lot of emotional involved in it this time... and it worked.
A white, ghostlike ewe floated through the air and around the field.
Author's Note: Twenty chapters already? WOW! Thanks for all the reviews, everyone! I really appreciate them. Once again, sorry for taking half of forever to update. I will plan on updating this story on the first and fifteenth of the month, as then you will always know when to expect updates. I will try to update more of the than that though! Let me know what you think.