Things grew tenser as time went on, especially now that they had the real horcrux, causing them to realize they didn't know how to destroy it. Ron was still healing so they couldn't move and Harry had insisted on wearing the locket. He hated the radio sound but Hermione had told him that Ron was comforted by it and that she saw Bridget smile when she heard Fred and George on Potterwatch. George could tell when she was listening to the broadcast as his bracelet would glow a beautiful yellow color with a soft blue in the center, she was happy hearing him and relieved that he was alright. The same emotions came to him seeing his bracelet changing day by day, knowing that she was still alive.
They had begun taking turns with the necklace, hiding from snatchers and Death Eaters, having learned not to say Voldemorts name as that's how Death Eaters find you, but no matter where they went or how much they figured out they still didn't know how to destroy the horcrux they had or how to find the others that were still out there. Ron was withdrawing from all of them.
Bridget was sitting reading one of the books Hermione had brought while Ron was laying down and Hermione was cutting Harrys hair. She heard Hermione from the other section of the tent, "Oh my god."
"What?" Harry asked, somewhat frantic as Hermione came to where Bridget was.
"I'll tell you in a minute." Hermione replied taking a book from next to Bridget.
She looked over at Hermione as Harry came in, "Maybe you could tell us now?"
"The Sword of Gryffindor? It's Goblin made." Hermione stated and both Harry and Bridget looked to each other unsure.
"Brilliant." Harry said.
"How does that help us?" Bridget asked.
"You don't understand. Dirt and rust have no effect on the blade. It only takes in that which makes it stronger." Hermione explained and the other two still were somewhat confused, "Harry. You already destroyed one Horcrux, right? Tom Riddle's diary in the Chamber of Secrets."
"With a basilisk fang. If you tell me you've got one of those in that bloody beaded bag of yours." Harry began.
Bridget gasped, "But you killed the basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor! Which means that it's blade has basilisk venom in it and can therefore destroy horcruxes!"
"Which is why Dumbledore left it to you in his will!" Hermione further explained.
"It's brilliant, you're brilliant Hermione, but there's only one problem," Bridget stopped talking when the lights clicked off.
"The sword was stolen." Ron said walking to where they were before the lights came back on. "Yeah, I'm still here. But you all carry on. Don't let me spoil your fun."
"What's wrong?" Harry asked turning to him and both Hermione and Bridget looked uncomfortable.
"Wrong?" Ron asked back, "Nothing's wrong, not according to you anyway."
"Look if you've got something to say, don't be shy." Harry said, Bridget reaching out for his hand trying to make him stop but he pulled it away, "Spit it out."
"Alright, I'll spit it out." Rons voice was shaky with anger, "But don't expect me to be grateful because there's another damn thing we've gotta find."
"I thought you knew what you signed up for?" Harry got defensive.
"Yeah, I thought I did too." Ron replied, both Hermione and Bridget still not saying anything, not wanting to make the situation worse.
"Well them I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand what part of this isn't living up to your expectations? Did you think we'd be staying in five-star hotels? Finding a Horcrux every other day? Did you think you'd be back to your Mum by Christmas?" Harry stood up and walked over to him.
Hermione and Bridget shared a worried look at Ron turned to look at Harry still, "I just thought after all this time, we'd have actually achieved something. I thought you knew what you were doing. I thought Dumbledore had told you something worthwhile! I thought you had a plan!"
"I told you everything Dumbledore told me." Harry almost yelled as Bridget and Hermione came down to be near them, Hermione wanting to get the locket off of Ron, "And in case you haven't noticed, we've found a Horcrux!"
"Yeah, and we're about as near getting rid of it as we are to finding the rest of them, aren't we!"
Hermione went up to Ron before he could say anything else, "Ron. Please take it off. You wouldn't be talking like this if you hadn't been wearing it all day."
Ron shoved her away, "Do you know why I listen to that radio, every night? Do you! To make sure I don't hear Ginny's name or Fred or George or Mum or-"
"You think I don't listen! You think I don't know what it's like-" Harry got upset and defended himself.
"No you don't know how this feels! You're parents are dead! You have no family." Ron yelled and Hermione could see the way that struck both Harry and Bridget.
Bridget was in too much shock to grab Harry before he grabbed Ron. She collected herself and quickly pulled Harry away and the boy yelled at his friend, "Fine! Go! Go then!"
Hermione and Bridget looked at each other as Ron took the necklace off before grabbing his bag. He looked at Hermione and asked if she was going with him and Hermione looked from Harry and Bridget to Ron, confused and upset. Ron accused her of being with Harry then stormed out, Hermione followed him out of the tent. Bridget, still holding onto Harrys arm, looked up at him, "Harry…"
"It's fine." He said, with a tone saying it clearly wasn't.
"No it's not. Neither of us have a family." She made him look at her, "But we do, we have each other, and we have Hermione, and despite what Ron said we have him and the Wealseys."
"I know…He's just…Ron." Harry sighed.
"He is." She gave him a small smile, "But we all have each other, no matter how this thing drives us apart, let's not forget that, yeah?"
Harry nodded before they heard the sound of someone disapparating. They both stood there, waiting, looking at the tent flap, seeing if anyone was going to come back in. It was a long moment before Hermione did, "He's gone."
The next day they moved on, despite Hermione not wanting to. It upset her even more now that he wouldn't be able to find them. She and Harry put up the protective enchantments while Hermione sat there broken. Later that night she sat at the table reading a book as Hermione scanned the radio frequencies before landing on a station playing a song. Bridget noticed Harry walking into the tent and looked up from her book but went back to reading it as he sat down. The three of them had barely said a word to each other since the night before. She wasn't even sure if Hermione had slept.
Hearing a metal clank followed by a thump Bridget looked over to see Harry taking Hermiones hands and starting to sway her shoulders back and forth. Bridget smiled knowing he was trying to raise their friend's spirits. Hermione did start smiling and Bridget let out a quiet laugh watching Harry dance, he'd never been any good at it but it was entertainment they all needed at the moment. They all enjoyed the dancing and the song until static came through and the melody faded away, Hermiones smile with it. Harry went back to where he was sitting as Hermione walked away and Bridget looked at him, giving him a small smile with a nod. Bridgets bracelet glowing under her sleeve, a pale yellow.
After a while she laid down to go to bed and as she closed her eyes she felt a weight on the other side of the small mattress. She rolled over to see Hermione sitting on the edge of her bed. Bridget rolled over and made room for the girl. Hermione laid down next to her, "Is this what it's like for you? Not being near George?"
"Kind of?" Bridget whispered so not to wake Harry, "Difference is George and I knew I was going to be leaving. You didn't know Ron was."
"It's only been a day and it hurts this much." Hermione held back tears, "It's been months for you. I couldn't imagine…"
"Shh." Bridget ran her hand down her best friends head trying to comfort her, "It's just like being away at school for me, or at least that's how I try to think about it."
"So if I think about it as we're on a holiday?" Hermione had tears slipping out of her eyes.
"Maybe it won't seem as bad?" Bridget tried to smile.
Hermione nodded at her, "Alright…would it be okay if I slept here tonight?"
"For as long as you like." Bridget smiled now. They got comfortable in the small bed and Hermione did smile. Bridget noticed this, "What?"
"It's been since third year since we've done this."
"Yeah, right after the whole Buckbeak thing." Bridget let out a quiet laugh, "Never thought I'd say this but I actually think the dormitory beds are comfier than this."
Hermione laughed too, "I think you've just gotten used to Georges bed."
"Maybe." Bridget laughed again. They talked and laughed until they both fell asleep.
George had noticed that when he was on the radio now her colors didn't change like they used to. Had she stopped listening? She still had it on, because it was lit up but he didn't know why they didn't change like they used to. Life must be getting harder for them with what they were doing. He looked up from his wrists and looked at her parent's graves, "Sorry, I don't know that she'll be coming tomorrow. Mum- Molly, said that it would probably be too dangerous for her to come here, even too dangerous for me to come here but I wanted you all to know she's doing alright…I think. I don't think there's anything news on her brother either, but we all still have hope that we'll find him one day. She's a tough one your girl. So don't worry about her, despite how much I do, ha I guess that make sense since you can watch over her and all that and I can't at the moment. I'll make sure she's here next year to see you, and every year after that, so I guess I'll see you then eh, Mr. and Mrs. Faltey?"
He smiled at the headstone before turning away.
They were in Godrics Hollow and Hermione realized that it was Christmas Eve. They walked through the little town and Harry spotted a grave yard, "Do you think they'd be in there? My mum and dad?"
"Yeah I think they would." Hermione answered, Bridget just staring at the graveyard so much like the one her parents were buried in.
They made their way through the fence and Harry began walking, looking for his parents. Hermione and Bridget went a separate way. Hermione saw an interesting grave and waved her over to it. She went to wipe the snow off but Bridget stopped her, hovering her hand over the stone, a warm glow coming from it showing the Triangle Eye symbol that had been popping up over their search for the horcruxes. Bringing her hand lower on the tomb she revealed the name Ignotus Peverell. Hermione muttered the name then called out to Harry, both girls looking up and seeing him standing in front of a headstone. They walked up to him and saw his parents' names on the stone. Hermione knelt down creating a wreath of roses as Bridget took his hand. His parents had died on her second birthday. She had seen pictures from it, the Weasley's had all been there.
They all wished each other a Merry Christmas. Standing Hermione wrapped her arm around his, leaning her head on his shoulder, causing her to see someone out of her peripheral vision. Harry began following the woman saying it was Bathilda Bagshot. Hermione whispered, "Harry I don't like this idea."
"Yeah, Harry I have to say she gives me this strange feeling. My bonds don't like it." Bridget followed up.
Harry insisted that they go because the woman knew Dumbledore, saying he might have given her the sword. They followed her to her house but something about this woman didn't sit right in Bridgets stomach. It was as if she wasn't human. As Harry went upstairs and Hermione stayed downstairs Bridget didn't know who to follow, not wanting to leave either of her friends alone in a place like this with a woman that made all of her hairs stand up, she felt like prey. Hermione gave her a nod to go with Harry as she pulled out her wand and Bridget did.
She was on edge already but when the woman started speaking Parseltongue her fingers gripped around her wand, ready for anything. Following Harry as he went where the woman pointed she was even more tense with the woman's eyes on her back. Staying close to him she looks at the photos with Harry in the book. Hearing a noise the both of them turn to see Bathilda's skin falling off of Voldemorts snake before it lunged. Bridget pushed him out of the way, the serpents teeth digging into her shoulder. She grabbed it with her hands on fire causing it to let go.
Harry pulled her with him as he held up a chair protecting them both form the creature and it stuck at the chair three times, the third with enough power to send them both through the wall into a nursery. Harry threw a brick at it and the snake attacked him, biting his arm, and coiling around him. Bridget burned it as he hit the head with a rock and it released him and they crawled back into the old home. She tried to lift a hand to the snake but it slowed her movements away from it and just as the creature leaped at her Hermione sent a curse at it.
Her shoulder was burning and she could see Harry holding onto his arm with the hand that wasn't holding onto her as Hermione grabbed his wand. The snake came up at them one last time and Hermione used Confringo on it before grabbing Harry and Bridget, disapparating from the house.
Once they reached somewhere safe Hermione and Bridget set Harry down, who had passed out during their trip, but Bridget very weak as well. Hermione looked at her, "Will you be alright?"
"Yeah." Bridget said through heavy breaths, "It'll just take me longer to heal without George near."
"Well rest with Harry," She pulled a blanket from her bag, "I'll set everything up then get you guys into the tent."
Bridgets eyes were already closed with Harry's back to her chest while they leaned up against a tree, pulling the blanket close to them, "Kay."