Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

I have serious love for all my readers – from those who have been reading since day one to those who just started today. But this chapter is dedicated to those who have been reading from day one.

Today, Just Going With It is officially one year old.

Well, it's actually just past midnight now, so I suppose I should say yesterday. Either way, I just want to give a huge thank you to everyone who has spent a year of their life following this story. The response I've gotten with this single story has been huge, overwhelming, and one-hundred percent unexpected.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Departure
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'Huh?' Ron asked.

'Don't you get it?' said Hermione.

'Um … does it look like I have any bloody clue what you're talking about?'

Hermione sighed, then furrowed her brow. 'I mean … I might be totally off the mark here, but … the dates do match up …'

'Would you just tell me already?'

'Hepzibah Smith,' she said. 'Remember? Harry told us about her? Dumbledore showed him the memory from her house elf.'

'She was the old bird with the Hufflepuff cup, right?'

Hermione rolled her eyes. 'Yes. The old bird,' she said dryly. 'That's her.'

He grinned. 'What about her?'

'If I remember correctly –'

'And you probably do,' Ron said under his breath.

'– Voldemort visited her when he was fresh out of Hogwarts, working at Borgin and Burkes. She showed him the cup and the locket, and then a couple days later, she ended up dead, and both objects had gone missing,' Hermione recalled. She looked at Ron expectantly.

'Er, I remember that, but what does that have to do with the orphanage?'

'Voldemort was right out of Hogwarts when he killed her. Eighteen. A little older, maybe.'

'Um … okay?'

Hermione sighed, exasperated. 'Voldemort was born in 1926. Go ahead eighteen years.'

Ron looked at her. 'That's math I can't do,' he said simply.

She rolled her eyes. 'Honestly. The year is 1944,' she told him. 'The orphanage burned down in 1945. The article says that it was ruled as arson, but nobody was ever caught and reprimanded.'

Something in Ron's head finally clicked. 'So …' he said slowly, hoping he'd finally figured out what she was saying. 'You think that Voldemort killed Hepzibah, stole the cup and the locket, and then a little while later, he burned down the orphanage and left the cup there?'

'That's what I think,' Hermione concluded. 'Voldemort – understandably – hated growing up there. He had no family, and Harry even said that the women running the orphanage thought he was odd. They all probably treated him like a freak. I think he sent the place up in flames, as revenge. And then, because he felt so powerful and so terrific, he left one of his Horcruxes there, in the ruins.'

'Wouldn't one of the Muggles have found it?' Ron speculated. 'I mean, it's not as though he put any Muggle-repelling Charms on the area. There were articles written about it, and the fire was investigated. People probably searched through the ruins night and day.'

Hermione appeared to consider this. 'There are spells to make magical objects completely invisible to Muggles,' she said eventually. 'Sort of like the way Grimmauld Place would be invisible to anyone who didn't know it was there.'

'I really hope you're right,' Ron said.

'I think I am,' she said confidently. 'The coincidence is just too great. The years match up almost perfectly. And the fact that the orphanage was burned down … Voldemort never would've left a Horcrux there just because it was an important part of his life. It was a bad part of his life. But by burning it down, maybe even killing a few people inside, I bet he felt like he accomplished something great.'

Ron shrugged. 'If Harry agrees with you – and it's you, so why wouldn't he? – we'll probably leave tomorrow. Maybe even tonight. Are you –?'

'Oh!' she said. 'I just thought – what if something else has been build overtop of the ruins?'

'Maybe we'll get lucky. Maybe it's in a ruddy neighbourhood and nobody wanted to build something there,' he said. 'Or maybe Voldemort put another sort of spell around it, keeping that sort of stuff from happening.'

Hermione pulled out the books and began flipping through the pages. Once she had read both paragraphs, she pulled out the 250 pounds her mother had included and smiled. 'This'll help us out a lot,' she said. 'Since we can't risk staying anywhere in the magical world, we'll need Muggle money so we can stay in a motel or an inn. And we can't go to Gringotts to change our money into Muggle pounds. If you add in the amount of Muggle money I've got up in my trunk, we should be able to get by for a week, maybe even more.'

'Well,' said Ron. 'I sure hope it won't take us that long.'

Hermione nodded absentmindedly. 'We need to be prepared for the worst.'

'The worst,' Ron said, 'is not running out of money. The worst is if a hundred Death Eaters are there waiting for us.'

'It's a possibility,' Hermione said. 'After all, with Snape on their side, Voldemort must know that we're hunting down and destroying the Horcruxes. I wouldn't be surprised if he's got a thousand Death Eaters waiting for us.'

Ron gulped. 'You think he's even got a thousand Death Eaters?'

Hermione bit her lip. 'No,' she said. 'Not even close, I bet. But I'm sure that even if he's only got ten stationed there to fight us, that's enough to get us in some serious trouble.'

'What?' said Ron lightly. 'You don't think the three of us can take on ten Death Eaters?'

'Of course we can,' Hermione said, but she didn't sound horribly confident.

……………………………………………………………

'We leave Tuesday morning,' Harry said. He, Ron and Hermione were up in Ron's bedroom, and he'd just looked at everything Hermione's mum had provided. 'Before the sun comes up.'

'But we should leave tomorrow,' Hermione said. 'We're as prepared now as we'll ever be, and the sooner we leave, the sooner we can get to work!'

'There's an Order meeting tomorrow,' said Ron. 'Tonks told us today during training.'

'It'll be about the progress they're making,' added Harry. Hermione's expression told him that she didn't think waiting that long was a good idea, and Harry agreed completely. But his desire to go out and destroy another Horcrux did not keep him from realizing how important it was to be properly prepared. 'I'd much rather go tomorrow but we need to hear what they have to say. If they've come up with something, we need to know.'

Hermione sighed, then nodded. 'So we'll attend the meeting tomorrow night, come home, wait for everyone to go to bed, and then leave? Without telling anyone?'

Harry nodded.

Ron and Hermione looked at him expectantly. What? He got the feeling that he was forgetting something. But what?

'Okay … What?' he asked.

'Ginny,' they said together.

'Well, obviously,' he said, but felt his stomach sink. Truthfully, she hadn't even entered his mind. He was so focused on the Horcruxes that he hadn't even considered her.

He didn't know how long they were going to be gone. What would Ginny say? What would she do?

Mrs Weasley yelled that dinner was ready, and Harry, mercifully, was saved from further speech. He didn't really know what to say, anyway. He trudged downstairs, his mind entertaining several different scenarios of how his talk with Ginny would go. He didn't get very far though. Every scene ended with them snogging, and he somehow didn't think that this was a horribly accurate prediction.

He sat beside Ginny at dinner, acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary. His heart was beating faster than usual, and he realized, with no great amount of surprise, that he was actually afraid of Ginny. The tiny witch beside him, who just barely came up to his chin.

But she had proven time and time again that size was not a factor when it came to her.

And anyway, he wasn't too concerned that she would turn abusive when he told her his plans. He expected her to hit him, of course. However, he didn't expect it to hurt very much.

He just didn't want her to look at him like that, the way she always did when he did something she didn't want him to do. Breaking up with her, going off to fight without her.

He knew that she would want him to include her. He knew that she would insist on going with him. That couldn't happen. And not because he didn't want her in danger – though that was part of it. She would need to stay behind and keep the Order at bay. Harry was not foolish enough to think that Mrs Weasley wouldn't try to track them down. Lupin would figure out where they'd gone in a matter of minutes. If any of the Order members followed them and blew their cover, it could spell disaster for everyone involved. Ginny would have to – what? Distract them. Divert them. Do something. Anything.

Certainly she would be able to come up with something. She wasn't a Weasley for nothing, after all.

By the time dinner was finished, Harry was seriously considering putting off his discussion with Ginny. If she hadn't grabbed him put the shirt and pulled him into her room, he probably would have waited until the following day to tell her anything.

'Okay,' Ginny said, shutting the door firmly behind her. 'What's going on?'

'What d'you mean?' Harry asked, then knew it was the wrong thing to do. Playing the fool would not go over well.

She narrowed her eyes at him, but before she could speak, he cut in.

'I'm leaving Tuesday morning,' he blurted. 'With Ron and Hermione.'

'Where?' she whispered.

'Muggle London. We think we might've found another Horcrux.'

She stared at him for a moment, as if trying to comprehend all of this. 'You're sure?' she asked finally.

He nodded. 'There's going to be an Order meeting about it tomorrow. Lupin told me about it a few days ago and Hermione researched it –'

'Of course she did,' Ginny said.

'– Lupin and Tonks think the orphanage where Voldemort grew up might be a location,' he continued. 'And it's worth checking out.'

'So instead of waiting a few days and going with the Order, you three idiots are going to run off on your own and get yourselves killed?' she snapped.

'Ginny,' he said. 'Voldemort knows we're onto him. Snape told him, I know he did. So we can't afford to waste any time. Waiting a few days could mean going into the Final Battle with only five Horcruxes destroyed.'

Ginny covered her face with her hands and then ran them through her hair. 'There's no way you're letting me come with you, is there?' she asked.

'No,' he said softly, but firmly. 'I – I need you here. Safe.'

'I'm coming with you next time,' she said fiercely, a determined look on her face. 'And I refuse to take no for an answer, Harry. You need me. I know you do. And you know it, too.'

Harry closed his eyes, trying to fight against the portion of his brain that was agreeing with her. 'I … I'm not making any promises,' he said. 'But I'll think about it.'

She did not seem satisfied with his answer, but instead of arguing, she reached out and pulled him in for a hard, bruising kiss. When they pulled away, both breathing heavily, he said, 'I don't get it.'

'You never do,' she said, but not angrily, and then kissed him again.

He decided that although he knew they would fight about this entire situation later, he rather liked the idea of just snogging for now.

……………………………………………………………

Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin when Harry suddenly, unexpectedly Apparated into the middle of Ron's bedroom.

'Everything all right?' she asked.

Harry just blushed and turned his back to her. The sound of a zipper cut through the air, and Hermione fought to hide her smirk.

'Oh, Harry,' she said.

'Yeah?'

She bit her lip. 'I think your shirt is on inside out.'

He hung his head, then laughed. 'I suppose you caught me,' he muttered.

'What happened?'

He turned back around to face her and then grinned, embarrassed.

'Er – Charlie started knocking on Ginny's door, and we were –'

'Lovely,' she said, holding out her hand to stop his story. She really, really didn't need to hear the rest of his sentence.

She dropped her gaze to the floor as he pulled off his shirt and turned it the right way before putting it back on. She found this funny, yet embarrassing, and was thankful that Ron wasn't in the room.

'Do I even want to know,' Ron said, appearing at the door, 'why the two of you are in here alone with the door closed? Or why Harry was half-naked a second ago?'

'Probably not,' teased Hermione. 'Because you'd kill Harry and then my fun would be over.'

'Oh, you're just hilarious,' said Ron. He looked to Harry and then started laughing.

'What now?' Harry asked impatiently. Hermione couldn't figure out what Ron was laughing at.

'Nice love bite,' Ron said, flopping down onto his bed.

Harry's hand shot up to his neck, and Hermione noticed the red mark there.

'Like that, do you? You should see your sister.'

Ron shrugged. 'Is it supposed to bother me if she's got a love bite on her neck?'

'Who said it was anywhere near her neck?' Harry asked, so seriously that Hermione knew it was trouble, even if Harry was only joking.

Ron's jaw squared and he sat up.

'Okay,' she said before anything could happen. 'If you two can't play nicely, I'm going to have to separate you.'

'Whatever,' said Ron. Harry shrugged and sat down on his own bed. 'So? How did it go with Ginny?'

'She was … um …' said Harry. 'Her reaction was intense.'

'I'm sure she'll get over it,' Ron said.

Harry looked at Hermione and said, 'We'll have to do something about your hair.'

She was momentarily taken aback. 'Excuse me?' she said. What was he talking about?

'When we leave … you'll have to be the one to rent us a room. I'm rubbish at changing my appearance, and if I just went as myself, I'm too memorable. Whoever checks us in won't forget the bloke with the lightning-bolt scar on his forehead. Ron, too. Tall, freckles – it just stands out in someone's mind. We can't afford to be tracked down. If you can use some kind of Glamour Charm to make your hair not as big, you won't be too memorable.'

She didn't know if that was an insult or not, but she decided it didn't matter. He was right, after all. 'I'll see what I can come up with,' she said. 'I'll ask Ginny for help.'

'I can change my appearance,' said Ron. 'I did it all the time when I was … er … when I was away. So if you need me to, I can check in and you two can follow under the Invisibility Cloak.'

'Will we both fit under there?' asked Harry.

Ron shrugged. 'We'll just have to figure out a way to fit,' he said. 'Or we'll need to come up with another way to sneak off without being seen.'

Hermione paced around the room. No matter how well-prepared they were, something was going to happen that would change their plans. It was impossible for them to anticipate every possible situation, and so there was room for error. They could be taken by surprise, and if they were, it could mean serious trouble for all three of them.

Though she tried, she couldn't seem to shake the overwhelming feeling that only two of them would be coming back from this trip.

……………………………………………………………

Ron sucked in a breath as Harry Apparated into his bedroom.

'Did you say goodbye to Ginny?' he whispered.

Harry nodded solemnly. 'Yeah,' he said. 'We're all set to leave?'

'Yes,' Hermione answered quietly.

Ron shivered. They were leaving, and who knew when they would be back?

(If they would be back.)

'Got the Cloak?'

Harry nodded, producing the Invisibility Cloak from behind his back.

'Got the money?'

Hermione pulled out an envelope, stuffed with Muggle pounds, some from her mother and some that she had saved up on her own.

'Got the note?'

Ron held up a piece of paper, on which he had written a note to his mum, telling her not to worry and not to try and follow them (even though the trio knew that Molly would do both anyway).

'Let's get out of here.'

Hermione reached out and clasped Ron's hand in her left, and Harry's in her right. 'We're going to be all right,' she said, hopefully.

'If one of us is separated from the other two,' Harry began, his voice shaking, 'the other two have to get out safely.'

Ron went to protest, but Harry looked at him so earnestly that he faltered.

'Promise,' he said.

'Harry –' Hermione said.

'Promise,' he repeated.

Defeated, Hermione said, 'Promise.'

Ron nodded and agreed as well, but when Harry turned his back, he and Hermione shared a look, and they both knew, without a doubt, that neither of them would ever leave Harry behind.

They didn't all fit under the Cloak anymore, so they settled for holding their breaths as they snuck out of Ron's room and down the stairs, praying that nobody would wake up and discover them. They made it down to the kitchen and out the door without difficulty, and as the cool night air kissed their skin, Ron realized that this was it. Once they left, they would not be coming home until they had a Horcrux with them.

He wondered how long it would take. And he wondered what sort of state everyone would be in when they returned.

Goodbye, he thought, hoping that it was only temporary, but knowing that he would sacrifice anything, even his life, for the two people at his sides. Be safe.

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Along with reviews, I'm asking that everyone says a prayer for my friend, who's in a coma. It would be greatly appreciated. And for those of you who can't multi-task, just do the prayer.

God bless.