Chapter 7

Ron wrapped the wool scarf tightly around his neck and mouth. The snow started to pick up again and he could tell it was going to be a very cold day. He and Hermione slowly tailed Logan as tracked through the abandoned village. Abandoned was not the only thing wrong with the small town. The majority of the builds had burned down in the village of Winter's Crest. The few that remained were merely consisted half-standing walls and broken windows.

"Over here," Logan directed them towards a small building. As Logan and Hermione approached the remnants of the front door, Ron walked over to a half buried sign. The young Auror knelt beside the wooden plank and brushed the snow away. It read, "Snowflake Inn." How original.

"Do you think Harry stayed here?" Hermione asked as Logan slowly pushed the door open.

"Seems like it," Ron answered her. "It's an inn." He followed them through the broken door and surveyed the tiny lobby. While the front half of the building stood, the back had almost completely burned down. It was a strange sight to behold. Logan walked over to what looked like a check-in desk while Hermione examined temporary mailboxes.

"Nothing useful," Hermione grimaced. The names had burned away like the rest of the town. Even though the containers held, their contents were charred ash. Ron picked around the destroyed mail with his wand, but found nothing. No surprised.

Logan pulled out a giant book from behind the counter. "I found their logs." The book was protected by enchanted leather. Ron was thankful and he was sure Hermione was too. Their masked friend opened it slowly and started to survey the names, dates, and signatures.

"Anything?" Ron asked with hope in his voice.

"Nothing. If Harry was here," Logan replied. "He used an alias." As Logan was about to turn to the next page, Hermione stopped him. The young witch pushed his hands away and pulled the book towards her.

"Here," Hermione pointed at a scribble.

"That's Harry?" Ron asked jokingly.

"What? You don't remember how horrible his penmanship was?" Ron looked at Hermione for a moment; he could see the truth in her eyes. He then leaned forward very closely to get a better look at the signature.

"Well?" Logan asked, his arms crossed with impatience.

"It's his horrible writing," Ron confirmed. He wasn't completely sure, but he trusted Hermione's judgment.

"What room did he stay in?"

Hermione nudged Ron out of the way and traced the log with her finger, smearing the ink. "It says he stayed on the first floor." Ron and Hermione looked over at the staircase. The bloody thing was gone. All that remained was a large pile of ash.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered.

"Maybe there's another way up," Logan examined the collapsed wall beside the ash. "We can use this as a make shift ramp." He carefully placed his leg onto the charred wood. Since it held his weight, he started his ascension.

"Why did Harry have to stay on the first floor?" Ron asked as he followed behind Hermione. He wasn't concerned with heights or falling, he was merely tired.

"That's his room," Hermione opened the partial door. The door led to a small room with an amazing view of Winter's Crest. The majority of the wall was gone, just like the rest of the village. Logan and Hermione carefully examined the room while Ron became preoccupied with the missing wall. It appeared different to him for some reason. There were burns along the edges of the wood. There was no doubt about that. However, the burns didn't look like a fire caused them. The wood wasn't exactly charred. He couldn't explain it, but it looked different. It looked strange. Ron bunched up a part of his sleeve and rubbed the fabric against the wood.

"What are you doing?" Logan asked as he searched the bed.

"Checking out a hunch," Ron responded. He lifted up his sleeve and saw there was no ash on it.

"What's wrong, Ron?" Hermione noticed Ron's sudden interest in the wall.

"Look," Ron showed her his sleeve. "There's no ash."

"A spell," Hermione answered without being asked.

Ron rubbed the sleeve between his fingers. "That's what I'm thinking."

"So, you think a battle accord in here?" Logan joined the conversation.

"Not entirely sure—," the young Auror began.

"But we're certain this wasn't caused by a fire," Hermione finished.

Logan pulled out torn parchment buried beneath the rags and blankets. It was in poor condition, but it seemed readable. "Found a map."

Hermione and Ron joined Logan beside the bed. With her lit wand, Hermione began to examine the map with the illuminated tip.

"But what is it a map of?" Ron wondered aloud. The majority of the map was burned, ruined by soot, or ripped away. The main features of the location the map depicted were missing or unrecognizable. If there was a town printed on the parchment, it was long gone like Winter's Crest. Another obstacle. Another set back.

"It's a map of the area," the young witch deduced. "Look, some of these landmarks are similar to ones surrounding the village. See, that hill top right there." Like usual, she was right, the brightest girl of Hogwarts.

"Smart girl," Logan chuckled. "Where do you think he went? This map is useless if he didn't use it."

Ron pulled part of the parchment towards his chest. He tried to flatten out some of the wrinkles. There was a faint circle drawn on the map. Despite the fact it was faded, it looked recent. Ron could see the slight indent of the pen.

"What is that?" Hermione asked as she examined the marking.

"Looks like some sort of building? Or landmark?" Ron attempted.

"Won't know until we find out," said Logan as he rolled it up to their disappointed eyes. "We should be able to walk there and back before nightfall." Ron and Hermione looked at each other, hoping the other would provide an answer.

"What is it?" Ron asked dumbly. He scratched his head, hoping it would come to him, but nothing did except for a small irritation around his temple. The young Auror was well versed in his ancient studies, but the word failed to come to mind. Typical.

"For Merlin's sake, Ronald," Hermione sighed. "It's elfish totem pole."

"Like house elves?"

"They weren't always slaves, Ronald," Hermione brushed away the snow and ice from the stone monument. She seemed completely entranced by the work. Ron couldn't blame her. The stone, despite its age, looked almost brand new. There were no scratches and the edges remained crisp and clean. No signs of any real aging.

"Hey, this one looks like Dobby," Ron joked as he pointed to figure standing on the bottom. Hermione responded by elbowing him in the stomach.

"Stop it." He recognized the tone in the young witch's voice. He knew it all too well. It was the same tone his mother would use whenever she was about to throw a wooden spoon, if he was lucky, at him. It was scary how Hermione could convey the same anger without showing it.

Ron decided to move on before he escalated the situation, leaving Hermione to ogle at the totem pole. He joined Logan at what looked to be an entrance. To where, he did not know, nor did he want to. However, there was a knot in his gut that was informing him that they were going to find out. The young Auror missed the burned down village, regardless of how creepy it was.

"Any idea where it leads?" Ron asked him.

The masked wizard didn't answer him at first. Ron titled his head slightly and watched as he rubbed a slight beard that was hidden beneath the mask. He was thinking, but Ron wasn't sure if he was thinking about the entrance. For some reason, this concerned the young Auror. Then again, he was trained to be suspicious. Not great for making friends, but helpful for survival when it came to working in the field. Humph. Fieldwork.

"Leads down," Logan broke the awkward silence that was building between them.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Hermione came up from behind them. Instead of waiting for a response, she pushed past them and was the first to walk down the steps. Logan shrugged and followed her. Ron, however, was a little hesitant. Before starting his journey downward, he pulled out his wand from his robes. It was smart to be prepared, or at least, that's what he told himself.

The stairs led the trio to a broken hallway. The majority of the walls had collapsed, but there was still enough space for them to navigate through the debris. Hermione led them bravely through the rubble. Ron was happy about Hermione's change in attitude, but he was fearful it was going to lead them into great danger.

"What is this place?" Hermione asked as they reached a small hall.

"It looks like some sort of temple," Ron replied. "Look, a statue." He examined a hooded figure standing against he wall.

"What are you doing?" Hermione hissed.

"Just checking out the decorations," Ron defended his curiosity.

"Dead end," Logan called out to them. Half the ceiling at the end of the hall had collapsed. The exit, or whatever, was buried beneath the rocks. They could try to move them, but it seemed pointless to Ron. However, Hermione didn't share his sentiment.

The young witch pulled out her wand and started to move rocks from the pile with flicks of her wand. Ron sighed and joined in on her endeavor. They worked quietly. Logan couldn't help of course. Instead, he spent his time looking around. Ron was jealous for some reason.

"What is this?" Hermione crouched down and pulled out a small flask. Ron took it from her and examined it.

"Any ideas?" Ron tossed it to Logan. The wizard looked at and shrugged his shoulders.

"Wait," Hermione muttered.

"Huh?" Ron said involuntarily. Before she could answer him, the rocks came to life. A giant stone figure burst through the rubble, lunging over them. The thing was huge, at least twice his height and three times his size.

"Look out," Hermione screamed at Logan.

"What is that?" Ron asked her frantically, failing to hide his terror.

"It's a golem," she answered him as she aim her wand at it.

"A what?" He failed to grasp to entire situation. Ron's mind was running in all different directions at various speeds. None of which understood what was happening.

"Big rock thing," Logan shouted as he dodged one of his assaults. Hermione chased after them, spells erupted from her wand. Each jet light bounced and ricocheted when it made contact with the stone beast. Ron managed to get a hold of himself and joined in the fight, regardless of how useful he really was.

"Nothing seems to be working," Ron pointed out the obvious.

"I couldn't tell," Logan rolled through an opening between the monster's legs.

"Try using the rocks," Hermione offered a solution.

"The rocks?" Ron asked. Instead of hearing a response, a giant slab of stone rushed past his head and collided into the back of the golem. While it didn't make any real dent in the creature's armor, it did send the golem into the wall. "I see what you did there."

"I know you would," Hermione smiled. She wasn't happy, but the adrenaline did cause her excitement, and Ron couldn't hide his either. It had been a while since something this crazy had happened to them. When they attended Hogwarts, something was wrong if they had a casual, boring week. He was no adrenaline junky, but he did miss the action.

Ron immediately followed suit in Hermione's attack, sending humongous chunks of rocks against the golem. Each made contact and kept the creature on the wall. It roared with anger and pushed hard against the wall. Within seconds, the monster was charging at them once again. Realizing where the thing was headed, Ron pushed Hermione out of the way as he lunged in the opposite direction.

"I think it's time we get out of here," Ron shouted.

"And go where?" Hermione asked.

"Anywhere," Ron replied. "We just can't stay here." He and Logan grabbed Hermione by the arms and dragged her out of the hall. She didn't struggle, but Ron was aware that she was furious with their decision to run. The golem wasn't going to answer any of their questions, but whatever was on the other side of the debris was to remain there forever.

"Wand," Logan demanded. Without waiting for a reply, Logan pulled it out of Ron's hand and with a flick of his wrist the entrance collapsed in on itself. However, before the hole could be buried, the golem broke through.

"How in the—" Ron muttered.

"Bloody hell," Logan shoved Ron's wand into his hands and walked towards the golem.

"What are you doing?" Hermione shouted.

Logan kept a steady pace as he approached the golem. The monster seemed to forget about them. It seemed preoccupied with the new world it had just discovered. The masked wizard took advantage of the golem's curiosity. As he got closer, he lifted up the sleeve of his right arm, revealing a gauntlet.

"What is that?" Ron asked Hermione.

"I don't know…"

The gauntlet started to sparkle as the air around Logan started to electrify.

"Wicked," Ron muttered under his breath. Logan walked right up to the golem and stopped beneath its chin. It towered over him like a half-giant.

"Hey," Logan got its attention. "Hey, ugly." The golem looked down, a seemed to convey a sense of confusion. The masked wizard didn't wait for a response, even if it could give one. Instead, he landed a solid punch across its chin. The stone beast fell backwards, crushing the remains of the temple's entrance. He didn't wait for the monster to get back up as he jumped on top of it. Hermione tried to move, but Ron grabbed her by the shoulders.

He wanted to help too, but it would be pointless. They would do more harm than good. Logan started to punch the golem repeatedly with the gauntlet. Each time his fist made contact, sparks and bursts of energy were released. The light created by the small explosions created a silhouette, a heroic aura. Despite his efforts, the golem could not be put down. The monster grabbed Logan by the head, his mask prevented the monster from crushing his head. Thank Merlin it was enchanted. In that moment, Logan sailed over Ron and Hermione.

They watched in silent horror as he collided into a tree, causing it to splinter like a twig. Hermione ran over to him, as Ron stood his ground, facing the golem. He was going to be their defense, or buffer. He wasn't going to stop the golem, so a buffer was a better choice of words.

"Are you alight," Hermione asked Logan.

"Well," Logan tried to answer him. "I ain't dead, if that's what you mean. Wait, what are you doing?" He looked down and watched as Hermione removed the gauntlet from his hand.

"I know what this is," Hermione said as she pulled it off his bruised limb.

"You do?"

"Of course."

"Hermione, what are you doing?" Ron said over his shoulder.

"I'm going to win," the witch replied as she put the gauntlet on. "Buy me some time."

"Oh, sure," said Ron. He turned his attention back to the golem and realized it was charging at him. Nothing was going to work. Nothing. This was not good, that was obvious. Ron, the Auror was going to get killed by a golem, whatever that was. No spell worked on it and there were no giant rocks lying around. Then it hit him, not the golem but an idea. He hoped Hermione would forgive him. Ron pointed his wand at the totem pole and pulled it from the ground. It was deeper than he thought, but he managed to lift it out of the ground. He was also thankful since it was bigger than he expected.

"Ronald," Hermione shouted over all the chaos. The young Auror was aware of the anger directed at him. It made him laugh, on the inside. It calmed him and that's all he needed. The pole flew through the air and collided with the golem. He targeted the beast's side; always aim for the biggest part of the body. However, the totem pole missed his initial target and rammed into the golem's head. Ron wasn't sure if it was he or the enchanted pole, but whatever it was, it worked. When the pole hit the head of the golem, it kept going, with the golem's head. He managed to decapitate the monster.

"I weakened him for you," Logan said. The headless creature continued moving, but immediately slowed down and fell forward into the snow, dead. Ron looked at the slain golem and then back at Hermione and Logan. Hermione stood over Logan, the gauntlet almost on her hand and her mouth wide open. The young Auror took much joy out of the expression on her face.

A/N: Thanks for reading! :) Smiley face.