A/N: Shorter chapter than the last, but a crucial one as Harry and Hermione are once again significantly changing things in the new timeline. Also, we're only a handful of chapters away from the end of fourth year! There'll be more HHr coming soon, I promise.

"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

I still don't own Harry Potter or any associated characters.

This is a reupload, I pulled the chapter earlier as FFN's story stats were glitched.

Once again thanks to my beta reader BananaCarrot5

Harry and Hermione stepped out onto the snow-covered Astronomy Tower rampart, shivering as the icy night wind cut through the thin fabric of the invisibility cloak draped over them.

"Watch it," Harry warned, as Hermione accidentally prodded him in the back with his firebolt as they shed the cloak.

"Sorry, there wasn't much space," she said, handing him the broom. Her hands now empty, she quickly shoved them into the pockets of her olive green cargo trousers.

"You remembered the fang?" Hermione asked.

"Right here," Harry said, patting one of the Basilisk fangs they had retrieved earlier from the Chamber of Secrets through his coat pocket. The coat's lined denim would hopefully keep him warm and prevent him from impaling himself on the fang.

"And you have your notebook?"

Hermione nodded. "It's in my jacket pocket," she said. "We're all ready."

Throwing a leg over his Firebolt, Harry mounted the broom and scooted forward to make room for Hermione. She got on behind him, throwing the invisibility cloak back over them as she did.

Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry's waist, pulling herself closer to him, her warmth seeping through the back of his jacket.

They pushed off the rampart, kicking up a shower of snow flurries as the firebolt rapidly gained altitude. The invisibility cloak fluttered around Harry and Hermione's feet as they cruised high over the castle walls and out across the Hogwarts grounds.

"Let me know once we exit the grounds," Harry said, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the whistling in his ears.

He felt her nod against his back. "I will, just a few more minutes," she confirmed.

Far below them, the Black Lake's surface shimmered in the moonlight as they sped toward the Forbidden Forest. They skimmed the forest's treetops, the dense canopy rushing past them as Hogwarts Castle dwindled in the distance.

Suddenly, as they ascended over a small ridge, Harry felt the Firebolt shudder momentarily.

"Did we just exit the grounds?"

"I'm fairly certain we did," Hermione said. "We should start looking for a place to land."

"Wait, we won't have problems passing back through the enchantments, right?" Harry asked, apprehension creeping into his voice.

Hermione shook her head. "Unlikely," she said. "It wasn't until our Sixth year that the defenses were drastically increased, so I don't think we should have any issues."

With his worry alleviated, Harry continued looking for a suitable place to land. Spotting a nearby clearing below, he began gradually descending in a roughly circular pattern.

A minute later, Harry and Hermione touched down in the clearing and dismounted.

"We'll leave the broom and cloak here," Harry said, as he took the invisibility cloak off them.

He walked to the edge of the clearing and laid the Firebolt in a pocket of snow. Making a mental note of its location, he draped the cloak over the broom and walked back to Hermione.

Reaching into the pocket of her bomber jacket, she pulled out her wand and held it ready at her side.

"You apparate there since you know where the shack is," Hermione said. "I'll apparate us back once we're done."

"Good plan," Harry agreed. He extended his hand to her as he took out his own wand. "Ready?"

Her hand brushed again his.

As he concentrated on the dilapidated, overgrown shack he remembered seeing when viewing Bob Ogden's memory in Dumbledore's office, Harry gripped Hermione's hand tightly. He stepped forward into the awful sensation of being squeezed through a small rubber tube.

This better work, he thought.

Hand in hand, they turned on the spot and vanished from the clearing with a small pop.

-:-:-:-

Harry and Hermione stumbled out onto a narrow rocky dirt path, their wands at the ready. Potholes littered the path, which was surrounded by wildly unkempt hedgerows on either side. Ahead of them, the path sloped slightly downwards towards a small group of tall trees.

Cautiously, they lowered their wands.

Looking down the pathway away from the trees, they could make out a village about a quarter mile away, nestled between two steep hills. A church spire peaked above the rooftops and faint music drifted from what appeared to be the local pub.

"We made it," Harry breathed, scarcely believing it himself. "Welcome to Little Hangleton."

Hermione made a face. "Charming spot. Where's the shack?"

Harry started towards the patch of trees that lay further down the path, Hermione following close behind.

"It should be right through here," he said, peering into the dark forest. Nettles and moss covered the ground, creating an almost unpassable thicket. He strained his eyes, looking for a structure hidden amidst the undergrowth.

"I don't see anything," Hermione said as she surveyed the wooded area. "Are you sure it's there?"

"Positive," Harry said, his frustration growing. "It just doesn't make sense-"

"It might be the protective enchantments," Hermione said, tapping her wand against her leg absentmindedly.

"Could be," Harry agreed. "Revelio."

They watched as a faint shimmer appeared a few feet in front of them, before disappearing only seconds later.

"At least we know we're in the right spot," Harry said. "You up for dispelling some enchantments?"

Hermione twirled her wand, the tip glowing with a dim light. "I spent the past month reading up on cursebreaking for a reason," she said, stepping forward.

"I'll start simple," she said, raising her hands. "Finite Incantatem."

She paused. The shimmer reappeared, before quickly vanishing. The woods remained empty.

"Reverte."

"Surgito."

The shimmer returned, glowing brighter then fading once again.

Hermione reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out her notebook. It immediately expanded from its shrunken state, and she opened it. It floated upwards, settling a foot in front of her face.

"This may take a while," Hermione said, raising her wand once more.

Twenty minutes passed with Hermione muttering in a strange language and swirling her wand in complicated patterns. Harry paced nearby.

He kicked a tree root in frustration. "If we knew how to use Fiendfyre already, we could just torch the entire area and leave."

Hermione paused from her cursebreaking to glare at him.

"If you somehow already figured out how to control it, be my guest. Otherwise, will you please stop distracting me?"

"Actually, come help me," she said, motioning for Harry to come closer.

Confused, Harry moved to stand next to her, raising his wand hesitantly. Hermione's face was flushed and glistening with sweat, and her notebook drifted next to her, the open page filled with a series of complex runic scripts.

"These enchantments are like nothing I've ever seen before, but I think I've made enough progress that they should be relatively weak," Hermione explained, snatching her notebook out of the air and stuffing it back in her pocket.

"I'm not sure I know enough about cursebreaking to actually dispel them," she continued. "However, we could brute-force our way through with a simultaneous casting of Finite Incatatem. Theoretically, of course."

Harry shrugged. "Then let's do that," he said. "It's worth a try."

"Okay then. Ready?"

"Finite Incantatem," they said in unison.

Brilliant light lit the nearby valley, temporarily blocking out the stars as the enchantments shattered. A clap of thunder rolled echoed off the hills and a shower of orange sparks surrounded the cluster of trees at the end of the pathway, rapidly fading into darkness.

Looking once more through the twisting tree trunks, they could make out the faint silhouette of a grimy, archaic wooden shack.

Hermione stumbled and grabbed onto a nearby tree to steady herself. "Whoa," she said, her head spinning. "Harry."

His stomach dropped. "Are you alright?" Harry asked, immediately by her side.

She nodded tentatively. "I-I'm alright. I feel… dizzy. I didn't think it would be that… explosive."

"Do you want to stay here? You can rest a bit while I go destroy the ring," Harry offered, noticing how pale her face was.

Hermione let go of the tree, wobbling slightly. "Absolutely not, I'm coming with you."

With a grating creak, Harry slowly pushed open the rotting door to the shack. Hermione, clinging to his hand for support, raised her wand.

"Lumos."

Soft white light illuminated the interior of the shack. They appeared to be standing in a combined kitchen and living room, with two doors leading off from the main room. A torn, filthy armchair sat beside an empty fireplace, and the kitchen was devoid of utensils save for a single grimy pot.

Harry and Hermione walked inside, making footprints in the thick layer of dust and dirt that had seemingly settled onto every surface.

"Accio Horcrux," Harry said, pointing his wand at the center of the room.

Hermione stamped her foot indignantly. "Stop trying that Harry, it won't work."

"It might."

Hermione huffed. "Do you remember where it was exactly? In a cabinet, up in the eaves?"

"I-I don't remember," Harry said, shaking his head. "I just know it's here. I'll start with the far door. Remember, do not touch the ring."

"I'll take the main room then," Hermione said. "And I won't touch it."

Opening the far door, Harry found himself in a cramped bedroom. A worn wooden bedframe lay was pushed up against the far wall, and a splintered dresser sat beside it.

Harry searched the bedframe and what remained of the dresser, finding only dust and cobwebs. As he stepped back to look around the room, the rotting floorboards creaked and groaned under his feet.

Something cracked under his foot. Looking down, Harry saw that one of the rotting floorboards had split under the weight of his foot.

A faint glimmer of gold sparkled through the crack.

Kneeling, Harry ripped the board up. A small golden box lay half-buried in the ground that formed the shack's foundation.

He reached for the box and gently pulled it out of the hole.

"Hermione, I found something!" Harry called, brushing dirt off the lid.

The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the shack, and Hermione dashed into the room.

"What did you-" she started, her eyes falling upon the box. "Oh! That has to be it."

With Hermione peeking over his shoulder, Harry slowly opened the lid.

Inside the box, a simple gold ring inset with a black stone rested on the velvet lining. On the face of the stone was an engraving of the symbol of the Deathly Hallows.

Harry reached into his pocket, his hand finding the basilisk fang. He raised the fang over his head and plunged it downwards towards the ring.

The ring shattered, and an unearthly wail filled the shack. The ground trembled as a rush of cold air swept outwards from the ring, over Harry and Hermione.

"I would've thought it would put up a fight," Hermione said, gazing at the fragmented remains.

"Whoever puts it on gets permanently cursed and slowly withers away," Harry said. "Can't really get more dangerous than that."

Sifting through the broken shards of the ring, Harry picked up the Resurrection stone. He slipped it into his pocket as he stood.

"Ready to go?"

Hermione nodded drowsily.

Exiting the shack, Harry and Hermione made their way through the woods and back out onto the path where they arrived.

"Are you feeling up for apparating?" Harry asked Hermione, who was steadying herself against him.

She shook her head. "I don't think I'll be able to. Tearing down the enchantments practically drained me."

"It's alright. Hold my hand," Harry said.

They apparated with a small pop, reappearing in the clearing just outside the Hogwarts grounds. Harry walked to the edge of the woods and retrieved his cloak and firebolt from their hiding place.

He mounted the broom and Hermione got on behind him, wrapping the invisibility cloak around them and laying her head against his neck as they shot off back towards the castle.

"You were brilliant, Hermione," Harry said appreciatively. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"I'm so smart," she agreed, mumbling into Harry's jacket. "And so tired."

As they soared over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest, Harry reached into his pocket, taking out the Resurrection stone. A mark ran across its polished surface where the basilisk fang had grazed it.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked.

"Making sure nobody can get the stone. I have no need of it myself," he said with a shrug.

He opened his hand, the stone glittering as it tumbled into the dark forest below.

As the sky began to glow in the morning twilight, Harry and Hermione landed back at the top of the Astronomy Tower, their task completed.

"We did it!" Hermione breathed, hugging Harry excitedly. "We just have the locket, the Hufflepuff cup, and the snake left!"

"So less than halfway done," Harry teased, grinning at her.

Hermione frowned at him, her lips almost curled into a pout. "Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes as she smiled.

She yawned. "Can we call it a night?"

Harry nodded, throwing the invisibility cloak over them.

"We definitely deserve some rest," he agreed, as they began their trek back to Gryffindor tower.

-:-:-:-

The resurrection stone lay half-buried in a bed of pine needles in the middle of the Forbidden Forest. Lush vegetation and dark shadows concealed it from view. It was, for all intents and purposes, lost to the forest forever.

A few paces away from the undergrowth surrounding the stone, a figure emerged from thin air, hooded and robed in all black. It stepped towards the stone's resting spot and stooped next to it.

The figure gingerly picked up the small black stone between its thumb and forefinger. It held the resurrection stone up to its obscured face, the waning light of the moon refracting off the stone's polished surface.

"Two to go."

Clutching the stone in its fist, the figure suddenly vanished as the first rays of dawn peaked over the horizon.