Chapter 11.
Explosion.

"Let's start looking then?" Ron suggested.

"Yeah ok." Harry agreed ignoring Malfoy. He didn't like the thought of having to destroy a horcrux with him there but he didn't really have a choice.

"I think it's most likely to be in one of the bedrooms upstairs." Hermione advised them. The three of them walked up the stairs quickly, Draco still sitting in his chair staring after them. They started looking in the first bedroom, which consisted of two beds. Since they had cleaned practically the whole house two years ago they didn't expect to come across anything dangerous. Harry looked in boxes and draws, even under the bed but most of it was empty. Mundungus seemed to have really cleaned the place out. As they moved from room to room still having no luck Harry occasionally caught Ron and Hermione glancing at each other with knowing looks. They had both been acting odd with Harry since he had managed to perform the unforgivable curse on Snape. He knew they wouldn't stop being friends with him because of it, he had learned that no matter what, they would stick with him. But he couldn't help feeling that they felt a little afraid of him. Harry still felt ashamed at his actions but also pushed that to the back of his mind for now. They once again moved rooms and Harry was starting to lose hope that the locket was even there, until he opened a cabinet and saw a big heavy locket, inside a black box.

"I think I've found it." Harry called to Ron and Hermione excitedly. The two of them stopped looking and came over to where Harry was crouched looking inside the cabinet. Harry reached for it but Hermione batted his hand away looking disapprovingly at him.

"Don't touch it!" Hermione warned him in a stern tone of voice.

"How else are we going to try and destroy it Hermione? By looking at it?" Ron said looking at the locket uncertainly as if waiting for it to explode. Hermione raised her eyebrows and frowned at him.

"Ok go on Harry." Hermione sighed staring at Harry worriedly. Harry paused and then reached for the locket. He heard Hermione take a deep breath next to him. He gripped his fingers tightly around it. It did nothing. He pulled it out of the cabinet and began looking at it. It didn't look like it was supposed to open, even though there was a small crack all the way around the middle of it.

"Are you sure this is it?" Ron asked.

"I'm fairly sure." Harry said still studying it. He looked up at Ron who didn't look convinced. He wondered how Voldemort had set this to work. This was his horcrux, so it had to have a way of making another him with another part of his soul.

"But obviously it needs part of someone else's soul too." Harry muttered to himself thinking hard.
"I'm going to need to put it on. At least I think I do." Harry informed Ron and Hermione who looked horrified at the idea of him putting one of Voldemort's possible horcruxes around his neck. Hermione found it necessary to give him some last minute advice.

"Remember Voldemort's weaknesses. Dumbledore must have thought they were important Harry." Hermione looked very apprehensive now, he could tell both her and Ron were trying very hard to hide their fear for him, which they didn't do very well. Harry appreciated it all the same.

"And if anything… you know…happens, me and Hermione will be here to help." Ron said clapping his best friend on the shoulder. Harry lifted the locket up over his head and around his neck. He stood for a few seconds waiting for something to happen. Nothing, he sighed with relief but also with disappointment that this wasn't in fact a horcrux. Until suddenly, he felt his chest tighten up, the ability to breathe seemed difficult. He felt like he was being suffocated. He fell to his knees struggling to breathe. Hermione shrieked and he heard Ron's voice saying something to him but they sounded so far away now. He looked down and gasped and saw the locket burst open round the middle revealing a bright light coming out of it. Harry's chest soared with pain and he was now on all fours. He tried to shout out to Ron and Hermione but couldn't. His brain had gone totally blank but he knew what this was doing, it was taking parts of his soul slowly and painfully. He had forgotten everything, lost all feeling. All he could feel now was the hammering pain and his chest tightening more every second, the light coming from the locket getting brighter as seconds passed. Harry was still on all fours unable to get up; he could hear Ron and Hermione's faint shouting of panic. He saw Hermione coming quickly closer to him reaching out for the locket but he heard her scream as she was thrown across the room her head slamming against the wall. Harry was distracted from the agonizing pain in his chest, he didn't know how but he was overwhelmed with love seeing Hermione get thrown across the room. The pain lightened a little as he felt the love for Hermione. Harry was sprawled across the floor now, still unable to breathe; he knew he would pass out any second. Ron lunged at Harry and grabbed the locket in his hands pulling it away from Harry's chest. Ron was also thrown across the room and Harry felt even more overwhelmed by love for his two best friends praying they weren't dead. The light that was coming out of the locket made an ear-splitting bang and all the pain in Harry's chest faded away. He was able to breathe again.

He laid on the floor for a few seconds catching his breath, his heart pounding. He lifted the locket above his neck and saw that it now could be opened, and there was nothing inside. Harry lifted his shirt and saw a scar in the shape of the locket that was now etched into his skin. It didn't hurt him, but he thought this scar was a small price to pay for another of Voldemort's horcruxes being destroyed. Ron and Hermione were lying at opposite ends of the room not moving. Harry ran over to Ron.

"Enervate." Harry muttered pointing his wand at Ron. Ron's eyes opened suddenly and he stared at Harry.

"We did it?" Ron asked him in a hopeful voice sitting up. Harry nodded and got up to run over to Hermione when the door creaked open. Harry stopped half way across the room and Ron leapt up immediately raising his wand. Draco Malfoy was stood in the doorway.

"I heard a bang. What's going on up here?" Malfoy scowled at Harry and Ron and then his eyes fell on Hermione. "What's Granger doing on the floor?" Harry could tell Malfoy was trying not to express his hatred for Harry, Ron and Hermione. Harry after all, was agreeing to let him hide out in his place as much as Harry wasn't happy about it. Ron looked at Hermione like he had only just realised she was still on the floor and ran over to her.

"Enervate." Ron said firmly. Hermione didn't move. Ron tried again but she still didn't move. He kept trying until Malfoy spoke.

"You know, that doesn't work on all unconscious people Weasley, that's if she is just unconscious of course." Malfoy said ignoring Ron's glare.

"She IS just unconscious." Harry said defiantly, trying to sound convinced running over to Hermione himself, now starting to panic. He looked closer at Hermione her eyes closed. She was motionless.