Chapter 30:

Hermione's anger had not changed the following morning but neither Harry nor Alicia expected it to. She continued to communicate mainly by dirty looks and pointed silences. Ron responded by maintaining an unnaturally somber demeanour in her presence as an outward sign of continuing remorse. Alicia grew rather annoyed by it as it brought everything down and made it seem very somber.

I feel like I'm the only non-mourner at a funeral. Harry said at breakfast, glancing at her.

Who am I then?

You don't seem much different? he rose an eyebrow and Alicia looked annoyed.

Well, I'm annoyed by the atmosphere they're creating. she sighed Give it a bit and I'm sure they'll be fine though.

Yeah? When? she shrugged

Dunno, girls are great at grudges. she said simply.

Ron's fine when Hermione's not around.

Of course he is, he's trying to show that he's remorseful for running out on her so she forgives him. No need when she's not near.

Alicia had noticed Ron being much more cheerful away from Hermione even when she wasn't with them. He was awfully cheery about the fact that they'd had help from someone, of which Alicia was the only one to know the identity of.

Couldn't tell them even if I wanted to, they'd never believe me. she sighed.

With the Locket now destroyed they set to debating the possible locations of the other Horcruxes, and even though they had discussed the matter so often before, it seemed with the locket gone, there was more optimism in the idea of breakthroughs that would succeed their first attempts. Hermione had her doubts, but Harry, after the doe, the swords' appearance and Ron's return, was so happy he couldn't seem to stop smiling.

Alicia chose mostly to join the boys in order to hear Ron's news of what had happened while he was away. She and Harry had told them everything they'd been up to, up to Godric's Hollow and Ron told them his news in exchange.

"… and how did you find out about the Taboo?" he asked Harry after explaining the many desperate attempts of Muggle-borns to evade the Ministry.

"The what?"

"You two and Hermione have stopped saying You-Know-Who's name!"

"Oh, yeah. Well, it's just a bad habit we've slipped into," said Harry. "But I haven't got a problem calling him V —"

"NO!" roared Ron, causing Harry to jump into a hedge, Alicia to flinch in alarm and Hermione (nose buried in a book at the tent entrance) to scowl over at them. "Sorry," said Ron, wrenching Harry back out of the brambles, "but the name's been jinxed, Alicia was right," he looked at her and she rose an eyebrow "You wondered what word they jinxed well they jinxed his name." Ron looked back at Harry as Alicia looked surprised. She'd forgotten all about that guess.

"I also guessed it could have been his name too…" she realised in surprise, her pride yet to emerge. "I never really considered it though."

"Harry, that's how they track people! Using his name breaks protective enchantments, it causes some kind of magical disturbance — it's how they found us in Tottenham Court Road!"

"Because we used his name?"

"Exactly! You've got to give them credit, it makes sense. It was only people who were serious about standing up to him, like Dumbledore, who ever dared use it. Now they've put a Taboo on it, anyone who says it is trackable — quick-and-easy way to find Order members! They nearly got Kingsley —"

"You're kidding?"

"Yeah, a bunch of Death Eaters cornered him, Bill said, but he fought his way out. He's on the run now, just like us." Ron scratched his chin thoughtfully with the end of his wand.

"That is rather smart." Alicia nodded "Of all the words… and it's so obvious too." she mumbled.

"You don't reckon Kingsley could have sent that doe?" Ron said.

"His Patronus is a lynx, we saw it at the wedding, remember?"

"Oh yeah…"

They moved farther along the hedge, away from the tent and Hermione.

"Harry… you don't reckon it could've been Dumbledore?" Alicia looked at Ron surprised.

"Dumbledore what?"

Ron looked a little embarrassed, but said in a low voice, "Dumbledore… the doe? I mean," Ron was watching Harry out of the corners of his eyes, "he had the real sword last, didn't he?"

Alicia stared wide-eyed at him while Harry glanced away slightly. He ended in shaking his head.

"Dumbledore's dead," he said. "I saw it happen, I saw the body. He's definitely gone."

"Plus there's no magic that can reverse death." Alicia said "And he definitely had no heartbeat." she added in a whisper. Harry nodded.

"Anyway, his Patronus was a phoenix, not a doe."

"Patronuses can change, though, can't they?" said Ron. "Tonks's changed, didn't it?"

"Yeah, but if Dumbledore was alive, why wouldn't he show himself? Why wouldn't he just hand us the sword?"

"Search me," said Ron. "Same reason he didn't give it to you while he was alive? Same reason he left you an old Snitch and Hermione a book of kids' stories?"

"Which is what?" asked Harry, turning to look Ron full in the face, desperate for the answer.

"I dunno," said Ron. "Sometimes I've thought, when I've been a bit hacked off, he was having a laugh or — or he just wanted to make it more difficult. But I don't think so, not anymore. He knew what he was doing when he gave me the Deluminator, didn't he? He — well," Ron's ears turned bright red and he became engrossed in a tuft of grass at his feet, which he prodded with his toe, "he must've known I'd run out on you."

"No," Harry corrected him. "He must've known you'd always want to come back." Ron looked grateful but still slightly awkward.

"Well given our friendship track record…" Alicia mumbled and the two boys chuckled.

"Speaking of Dumbledore, have you heard what Skeeter wrote about him?" Harry said, changing the subject.

"Oh yeah," said Ron at once, "people are talking about it quite a lot. 'Course, if things were different, it'd be huge news, Dumbledore being pals with Grindelwald, but now it's just something to laugh about for people who didn't like Dumbledore, and a bit of a slap in the face for everyone who thought he was such a good bloke. I don't know that it's such a big deal, though. He was really young when they —"

"Our age," said Harry, just as he had retorted to Hermione, and something in his face seemed to decide Ron against pursuing the subject. He looked at Alicia who rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"He's mostly just angry Dumbledore never told him half these things." she whispered to Ron. Harry however took out the wand Ron had given him, determined by Hermione to be made of blackthorn, and pointed it at a large spider.

"Engorgio."

The spider gave a little shiver, bouncing slightly in the web. Harry tried again. This time the spider grew slightly larger.

"Stop that," said Ron sharply. "I'm sorry I said Dumbledore was young, okay?"

Ron looked slightly pale, as his hatred of spiders rose.

"Sorry — Reducio."

The spider did not shrink. Harry had had trouble with all the spells he'd tried. Alicia wasn't surprised, the blackthorn wand had been stolen, and not won. Worse it had been stolen by Ron, the wands allegiance was not to Harry, and so it did not obey him as well as the phoenix wand.

"You just need to practice," said Hermione, who had approached them noiselessly from behind and had stood watching anxiously as Harry tried to enlarge and reduce the spider. "It's all a matter of confidence, Harry."

"Hermione, I appreciate you still feel guilty for Harry's lost wand, but wands do have a sort of mind of their own. Harry didn't win the blackthorn wand, you might find practice is not quite enough." Alicia said and Hermione looked at her annoyed. She shrugged. "You can't argue with the logic of wands in which we all know. The wand chooses the wizard." she said.

"She might be right." Harry said and Alicia knew he said it only so Ron and Hermione may be friends again.

"She might." Alicia nodded.

Harry's plan didn't seem to work, for when Ron gave Hermione a tentative smile, she stalked off and vanished behind her book once more.

Ron sighed.

"She'll come around eventually."

"When?"

"Probably after we get into some sort of trouble." she said thinking. "Always seems the way, it's what happened last year after you were poisoned."

All of them returned to the tent when darkness fell, and Harry took first watch. Alicia sat in one of the chairs, a book in her hand, Hermione was lying on her bunk reading, while Ron, after many nervous glances up at her, had taken a small wooden wireless out of his rucksack and started to try and tune it.

"There's this one program," he said in a low voice, Alicia glancing at him fleetingly. "that tells the news like it really is. All the others are on You-Know-Who's side and are following the Ministry line, but this one… you wait till you hear it, it's great. Only they can't do it every night, they have to keep changing locations in case they're raided, and you need a password to tune in… Trouble is, I missed the last one…"

He drummed lightly on the top of the radio with his wand, muttering random words under his breath. He threw Hermione many covert glances, plainly fearing an angry outburst, but for all the notice she took of him he might not have been there. For ten minutes or so Ron tapped and muttered, Hermione turned the pages of her book, and Harry continued to practice with the blackthorn wand. Alicia watched Ron curiously.

"You could try asking the twins?" she offered

"They even answering?"

"Haven't really tried since you left." she said thinking "I was too pissed with Fred." she added as an after thought. Glancing at the table, not even her pensive sat upon it as it had over the last few months, let alone the mirror she'd left in her bag.

None moved as Hermione finally did, climbing down from her bunk. Ron ceased his tapping at once.

"If it's annoying you, I'll stop!" he told Hermione nervously. Hermione did not deign to respond, but approached Harry.

"We need to talk," she said and she looked at Alicia who rose an eyebrow.

Harry looked at the book still clutched in her hand. It was The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore.

"What?" he said apprehensively.

"I want to go and see Xenophilius Lovegood."

"WHAT?!" Alicia demanded, sitting up so fast she fell off her chair with a cry and a thump.

Harry stared at her.

"Sorry?"

"Xenophilius Lovegood. Luna's father. I want to go and talk to him!"

"Er — why?"

She took a deep breath, as though bracing herself, and said, "It's that mark, the mark in Beedle the Bard." Alicia looked up over the back of the chair before getting to her feet."Look at this!"

Hermione thrust The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore under Harry's unwilling eyes as Alicia moved around towards them. She was on the page of the letter from Dumbledore to Grindelwald.

"The signature," said Hermione. "Look at the signature!" she looked at Alicia who took the book from her and away from Harry. Alicia peered down at it before she noticed, in the wand light, that Dumbledore had replaced the A of Albus with a tiny version of the same triangular mark inscribed upon The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

Alicia looked surprised and handed the book to Harry while looking at Hermione. Did Dumbledore and Grindelwald, create the mark? No, Grindelwald had carved it into Dumstrang before he knew Albus. Then was it not a mark at all? They knew it was not a rune though… what was left of an image like that?

A Symbol?

But did that mean it meant anything? Or was it merely nothing? Alicia didn't believe such or Dumbledore wouldn't have written it in Hermione's book.

"Er — what are you — ?" said Ron tentatively, but Hermione quelled him with a look and turned back to Harry, who looked up when he too had noticed the signature.

"It keeps cropping up, doesn't it?" she said. "I know Viktor said it was Grindelwald's mark, but it was definitely on that old grave in Godric's Hollow, and the dates on the headstone were long before Grindelwald came along! And now this! Well, we can't ask Dumbledore or Grindelwald what it means — I don't even know whether Grindelwald's still alive — but we can ask Mr. Lovegood. He was wearing the symbol at the wedding. I'm sure this is important, Harry!"

It was on that grave? Alicia didn't remember it. But then it must've been a symbol for something, maybe even a coat of arms? Perhaps it represented the family of Pevrell which had been written on the grave with Ignotus.

But was this sign, so important, that they were to expose themselves to a wizard? And after what had happened at Godric's Hollow? It seemed a disaster was willing to strike.

Harry was watching Alicia as she contemplated everything, following her train of thought. Hermione realised this as well and looked at her.

"Hermione, we don't need another Godric's Hollow." Harry agreed with Alicia. "We talked ourselves into going there, and —"

"But it keeps appearing, Harry! Dumbledore left me The Tales of Beedle the Bard, how do you know we're not supposed to find out about the sign?"

"Here we go again!" Harry said exasperatedly. "We keep trying to convince ourselves Dumbledore left us secret signs and clues —"

"The Deluminator turned out to be pretty useful," piped up Ron. "I think Hermione's right, I think we ought to go and see Lovegood."

Alicia sighed slightly annoyed as she turned to Ron while Harry threw him a dark look. Ron was only agreeing with Hermione in order to win her favour back over.

"It won't be like Godric's Hollow," Ron added, "Lovegood's on your side, Harry, The Quibbler's been for you all along, it keeps telling everyone they've got to help you!"

"And remember what those campers said before you left, "no idea how long they'll let him get away with it", remember? What's to say the Death Eaters haven't done something to Lovegood to turn him against us?" Alicia demanded "It's too risky!" she said to Hermione "You-Know-Who almost got us last time, Harry got bitten by the snake and I got stabbed. We might not be as lucky next time."

"I'm sure this is important!" said Hermione earnestly to her.

"How? You think it'll let us find a Horcrux? How?"

"We wont find out if we don't know what it means." Hermione said

"But don't you think if it was, Dumbledore would have told me about it before he died?"

"Maybe… maybe it's something you need to find out for yourself," said Hermione with a faint air of clutching at straws.

Alicia rolled her eyes. But then, Dumbledore had left so much for them to be found instead of told… or at least, that's how it felt for Alicia. But for Harry, Hermione and Ron, they had been told most things.

What if there was something too dangerous for us to be told straight out? she thought But he'd sent us on this quest… Alicia couldn't fathom it.

"Yeah," said Ron sycophantically, "that makes sense."

"No, it doesn't," snapped Hermione, "but I still think we ought to talk to Mr. Lovegood. A symbol that links Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Godric's Hollow? Harry, I'm sure we ought to know about this!"

"I don't see how it can help." Alicia said "Maybe if we didn't have the sword or any idea where it may have been that would be different. But it doesn't link to You-Know-Who so…" Alicia put her hands on her hips.

"I think we should vote on it," said Ron. "Those in favour of going to see Lovegood —"

His hand flew into the air before Hermione's. Her lips quivered suspiciously as she raised her own.

"Outvoted, Harry, sorry," said Ron, clapping him on the back.

"It's an even vote!" Alicia snapped but Harry suddenly changed his mind.

"Fine," said Harry, half amused, half irritated. Alicia looked more than annoyed. "Only, once we've seen Lovegood, let's try and look for some more Horcruxes, shall we?"

"You realise you're all gonna owe me huge when this goes sour. Things never seem to go right with us, you know." she snapped.

"Then we'll be on—"

"Oh shut up. Nothing you say can help." Alicia cut her brother off and moved to slump into her chair with irritation. "I swear I'm the only one with their head screwed on." she grumbled and the three rolled their eyes.

"Where do the Lovegoods live, anyway? Do either of you know?" Harry said turning to Hermione and Ron.

"Yeah, they're not far from my place," said Ron. "I dunno exactly where, but Mum and Dad always point toward the hills whenever they mention them. Shouldn't be hard to find."

"Oh yeah, it'll all be so easy. A complete breeze, and for something that doesn't even match our quest too." Alicia complained as Harry and Ron turned to mutter to one another.

Well, maybe we can get a good stroke of luck… Alicia thought. Then she remembered the Sword of Gryffindor and doubted such as they'd already been given their luck.

She sighed. Not like we'll get anywhere by always hiding out though. And she took a deep breath.

Lovegood's it is then.