Chapter 21: The Ring

January 1st 1978 (Sunday)

It was the first day of the New Year as she woke up bleary-eyed, after a night of tossing and turning. Hermione could only hope that this year would be better than the previous one. Last year, she had suffered a torture, lost the life and people she knew and loved, had her heart broken, and developed some confusing feelings towards her ex's brother. That being said, she had also formed new friendships and alliances, and might have already saved some lives with her information regarding the future.

The year had still ended with a bad tone, with Sirius enraged towards her. She knew she was partly to blame; it was his brother after all. Still, a small part of her thought that he didn't have the right to say who she was allowed to kiss, because he was the one who had left her, and they weren't together anymore. It was all a big mess, and she was sure that she hadn't heard the last of it yet.

Hermione wished she would have been home. She wished she would have been with Harry and Ron, who would have known what to say to her, how to make her feel better. They would have known to focus on what mattered – they knew what was important. She wished she didn't feel as lonely as she now felt.

She couldn't help but worry over the possibility that she truly was stuck in this possibly different timeline. Would Harry and Ron, her parents and loved ones continue their lives without her? Would they even have lives to continue? She felt nauseated every time she thought about the circumstances where she left them; The Malfoy Manor, Harry and Ron in the basement as prisoners. Her parents in Australia with their memories wiped. She missed them badly.

Sighing, she stood up from her bed and went downstairs to have breakfast with Ab.

The previous night, when Hermione had apparated straight into her bedroom, Aberforth had come knocking on her door a moment later.

"Hermione? Is everything all right?" He grunted from the hallway.

Hermione tried to calm down before she answered. "Yes, Ab, everything's fine." She said with an even voice.

"Okay…I'll be downstairs then." He said, but Hermione could hear the hesitation in his voice. "Hermione?" He muttered quietly.

"Yes?" She whispered.

"If you want to talk about it, I'm here for you." He said before he started to descend the stairs.

They hadn't talked after that, and as Hermione entered the kitchen, Ab eyed her for a moment from behind his teacup.

"You alright?" He asked before taking a sip of tea.

Hermione smiled at him weakly. "Um…yes, I suppose. I just had an argument with Sirius at the party, so I decided to leave early…" She muttered and turned away from him to make herself tea and a sandwich.

"Mm-hmm." Ab voiced, staring at her quietly. As Hermione sat down on a chair opposite to him, he pushed a parchment in front of her.

"From my brother." He grunted, looking annoyed.

Hermione lifted her brows in surprise. "Oh?"

"He wants to go into some treasure hunt with you." He grumbled. "Asked my permission, as your guardian, if you could visit him in the castle tomorrow and plan a trip, which would take place later next week."

The first Horcrux! Hermione thought with excitement and anxiety.

"Yeah. I should go then. If…that's okay?" She said carefully.

Aberforth barked a laugh. "I think you're old enough to decide for yourself, Hermione." He said. "Although, I do hope you look out for yourself…I mean it. I know my brother. He won't hesitate to sacrifice people when he's pursuing the greater good." He said with a dark look.

Hermione frowned at him. "Ab…please don't." She said weakly. She really didn't want to delve into Aberforth's animosity towards his brother at the moment. "I'll be fine. McGonagall, Gideon and Fabian will be there too. It's not like I have to do anything by myself." She said reassuringly and gave him a small smile.

Aberforth grumbled something incoherent as a response.

After breakfast, Hermione owled a reply to Dumbledore, and told him that she would meet him in the castle the next day after lunch, as he had requested. After her morning routine, another owl was waiting for her, tapping its beak on her closed window.

Hermione opened the window and a sleek black owl, which Hermione recognised as James's familiar, flew on the top of her writing desk with a parchment tied to its leg. Hermione took the letter warily off from the owl's outstretched leg and gave the animal a treat. It stayed put, and Hermione reckoned it was waiting for her to send a reply to the letter in question, so she slumped into her chair and began to read.

It was from Lily. Hermione let out a small sigh of relief. For a moment, she had thought it had been from James or Sirius, and hadn't really even wanted to open it, as she thought that neither of the boys had anything nice to say to her. James obviously would take his best friend's side, Hermione thought bitterly.

Dear Mione,

I hope everything is okay and you got home safely last night. About last night…what a drama!

I'm sure you know this already, but Sirius acted like a spoiled little (drunken) brat. And I'm not going to make him any excuses, as he didn't have the right to yell at you like that, in the middle of a party for that matter. But I have to ask…Has he contacted you? Tried to apologise?

We haven't seen him since he took off right after you left, and James (and his parents) are a bit worried about him. If you know anything, please tell us, as we have no way to contact him.

Okay, enough about him.

Why in the name of Merlin didn't you tell me about your rendezvous with Regulus? How did that even happen? I am a bit curious about your…friendship. He seems so withdrawn and aloof…Although, I have to admit that there is a certain…appeal in the whole dark and brooding demeanour… Don't get me wrong, I love James (oh Godric! Did I just write that?!), even though he is probably the complete opposite.

Anyway…Do you have any plans for the upcoming week? Would it be okay for me to drop by some time? …And perhaps spend the night at your place? I'd love to see you, and I hope you'll be able to meet me!

Your friend,

Lily

Hermione smiled and began to write back her reply. It would be great to see Lily, but the visit couldn't interfere with her upcoming mission.

Dear Lily,

Unfortunately, I haven't received any note from Sirius or seen him since yesterday.

…I really do not wish to write about the incident, I'm sure you understand. But it would be great if you could come to stay with me for a night! I have to ask from dad though, so if it is okay, I'll get back to you tomorrow?

Hermione

After sending her reply with James's owl and closing the window after it took away, Hermione slumped back into the chair and frowned at the table. Where on earth had Sirius run to?

January 2nd 1978 (Monday)

The next day Hermione was so excited she could barely eat her lunch. Ab tried to hide his smirk as he watched her fidgety exterior. She had stayed up late last night, thinking over their upcoming trip. Originally, they had agreed that Dumbledore would acquire the ring by himself from the Gaunt shack and that they would destroy it together after mastering the Fiendfyre curse. Apparently, they were now all joining the Headmaster on his trip to Little Hangleton. Hermione was glad to go, as there wasn't that much she could do with destroying the object, since she hadn't still managed to extinguish the cursed flames perfectly.

"Well, go on already!" Ab grunted and started to clean their plates away.

Hermione jumped up from her seat, remembering her manners and thanked him for the food before she dashed into her room to get her essential belongings – which was the beaded bag. She walked briskly towards the school, not really paying attention to her surroundings, only just so that she didn't trip on her own feet.

Finally, they were going to do something concrete to destroy the Horcruxes. After months of researching, training the Fiendfyre and waiting, they would finally go to acquire and destroy the first item.

As Hermione arrived at the Headmaster's office, the others were already seated in front of Dumbledore's desk. The Headmaster greeted her warmly before gesturing for her to sit down beside McGonagall, into an empty armchair. Hermione sat down after greeting the others.

"So." Dumbledore said as he drew himself up in his seat. The others eyed the Headmaster expectantly, waiting for him to speak. "Thank you all for joining me during the holiday time, and for Fabian making his schedule free. I trust Alastor doesn't grant days off without difficulty?" He said, turning to Fabian who smirked back at the Headmaster.

"Well, usually not, but I might've told him you requested me for the week, so I wouldn't hold it impossible that he'll interrogate you later on." He said cheekily. Gideon shook his head in amusement while McGonagall seemed to suppress the urge to roll her eyes.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Very well," He said, his blue eyes twinkling. "Now, to the topic why we all are here today." He said with his expression becoming more serious as he drew the tips of his fingers together.

"We have now reached a point where we can indeed face and destroy a Horcrux, as every one of us can sufficiently cast, maintain and extinguish the cursed flames. That gives us an advantage, if for some reason the caster of the curse cannot extinguish the flames when necessary." Dumbledore said and the others nodded in agreement.

"Based on Hermione's information and my research, I have located the ring and can verify that it is placed in a deserted house, protected by spells and curses uncomplicated enough for the five of us to handle." Dumbledore explained while the others listened carefully.

"Is it in the Gaunt home?" McGonagall asked, confirming the information they already suspected. Dumbledore nodded.

"How is it protected?" Hermione asked with a frown. "Other than the curse in the ring itself?"

Dumbledore smiled. "It seems to me that Voldemort was somewhat…arrogant, and has underestimated others. From what I have gathered, he has only placed fairly simple shield charms, banishing spells and a notice-me-not spell to the house, as he probably trusts that no one could stumble upon his parentage and the Horcruxes."

The others lifted their brows but Hermione huffed. "That sounds accurate." She muttered. "But how do we bring the ring with us if we cannot touch it? How do we know whether the curse is effective through fabric as well?" She asked.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Always the practical approach. But if it is acceptable, I would like to make my proposal how we proceed from here, and all of you can make suggestions and remarks afterwards?" The others nodded, and Hermione felt a bit embarrassed interrupting the Headmaster.

"As I said, it seems that the shack is protected by simple protection spells and curses, which we are able to specify and dismantle on the spot. I propose that we meet in the Hog's Head before sunrise on Wednesday, the day after tomorrow. From there we disillusion ourselves and apparate to Little Hangleton and work on the protections placed on the shack. As for the ring – I have a magical container in my possession where we can place the ring, without touching it. Although I believe that the curse is only active when a person wears the ring, since Voldemort wouldn't take any chances of harming himself with the curse. Nevertheless, we ought to be careful this time." He said with a hint of a smile to Hermione.

"When the ring is secured, we shall apparate to Letterfearn and enter the cave again, this time with the intention of destroying the ring." He said matter-of-factly, smiling at the others as if he had just explained a simple first year spell to them.

"What if we are seen? Do we engage into a fight or merely disapparate?" Gideon asked with a frown. Even though the plan sounded fairly simple, there was always the possibility for something to go wrong.

"If someone is guarding the Horcrux or we are spotted, I think the only option is to capture the guards if possible, and modify their memories. If Voldemort finds out someone has been there, he will also know someone is after his Horcruxes." Dumbledore said seriously. Gideon nodded.

"Do you have the cloak in your possession?" Dumbledore asked from Hermione after a moment of silence.

"What?" Hermione asked, her eyes widening a bit.

"James Potter's Invisibility Cloak. I believe his son would have inherited it." Dumbledore said plainly.

Of course he would know about James's cloak…

Hermione's brows lifted. "Oh…How would you know if I had it, though?" She asked with a hint of suspicion.

McGonagall narrowed her eyes to the Headmaster. "Excuse me for interrupting, but…Potter has an Invisibility Cloak? And Hermione here has another one?" She asked sharply, glancing at Hermione. Gideon and Fabian smirked at each other.

Dumbledore merely smiled and nodded to McGonagall, who huffed in annoyance, before he turned to Hermione. "I didn't, actually. I merely hoped it would be in your possession, as you were on the run with James's son before you came here." He explained and Hermione nodded in understanding. The others eyed their conversation with interest.

"Well, yes, I have it. I mean, James Potter has his own cloak, but I have the one that was passed on to Harry. Why do you ask though?" Hermione said hesitantly.

"Because it is unique. It is able to completely shield the wearer from sight. It cannot be worn out by time or spells, or be summoned by magic. That might give us a small advantage, if there would be someone to guard the Horcrux." Dumbledore explained carefully.

"But it's suitable for only one person, maybe two…" Hermione said with a frown.

"Then, if everyone agrees, I could approach the shack under the Invisibility Cloak while the rest of you stay within a short distance and wait for my signal," Dumbledore said, looking at the others expectantly. The others murmured their agreements.

"Do you have any questions about our mission?" Dumbledore asked while eyeing the others kindly.

As the others merely shook their heads, Dumbledore clapped his hands together. "Splendid!" He said enthusiastically. "Then we shall meet the day after tomorrow, before sunrise." He said with finality and stood up. The twins and Hermione exited his office while McGonagall stayed behind to handle some other business with the Headmaster.

They walked back to the village in silence, from where Gideon and Fabian were to disapparate into their respective homes.

"Nervous, little Dumbledore?" Fabian asked her with a nudge to her side.

She jumped as she was shaken back from her thoughts. "No." She said quickly. …How reassuring.

The twins eyed her warily but said nothing. As they reached the apparition point, Fabian turned on the spot after pulling Hermione into a crushing hug.

Gideon gazed at her with a deep frown between his brows. "Hermione…Are you ready for this?" He asked with uncertainty.

"Yes," Hermione replied, slightly affronted. "I've faced worse, trust me. Things you couldn't even imagine." She said dryly.

Gideon smiled and lifted his hands in surrender. "Okay, I apologise. Just wanted to make sure you'll be good to go on Wednesday." He said, threading a hand through his hair. "I know I'm nervous."

"Oh." Hermione said, surprised. "Why? I thought you were an Auror? Aren't you used to this kind of…stuff?" She asked hesitantly.

Gideon smirked. "Yeah, guess so. Although not exactly this kind of stuff but…" He said and sighed. "I dunno. I think it's good to be a bit nervous, you know…Makes you more alert or something." He shrugged.

"Yes, I know. Constant vigilance…" She muttered, rolling her eyes.

Gideon's eyes widened. "How do you…You know – ?" He laughed and shook his head while Hermione grinned at him. "Of course you'd know Moody…" he said finally, between chuckles.

Hermione nodded and laughed with him. As they parted their ways, Hermione went to the pub to inform Ab about the upcoming trip. She gave him only a small amount of the details regarding the actual Horcrux, as he maintained that the less he knew about it, the better.

After their discussion regarding her trip, Hermione remembered to ask about Lily's visit. Ab agreed, and Hermione went to her room to owl her friend. She suggested that their sleepover could take place from Thursday to Friday, so that they both would have Saturday to get ready for the spring term. The Hogwarts train would take the students back to Hogwarts on Sunday, and even though Hermione was going to walk back to the school for the start of term feast, Lily was expected to be on the train, as she was a Head student. Their classes were starting again on Monday morning.

Lily had sent her reply shortly after, confirming her arrival next Thursday. Hermione smiled and went to help Ab in the pub downstairs.

January 4th 1978 (Wednesday)

It was still dark as the group disapparated out of Hogsmeade, disillusioned, so that no one could see them leave. They apparated into the outskirts of a small village in Yorkshire called Little Hangleton. The Gaunt shack was situated just outside the village, on the other side where they were. They had decided to apparate a safe distance away and to walk the rest of the way, just in case there were anti-apparition wards or caterwauling charms placed near the shack or the village to alert Voldemort when intruders were approaching the shack.

The sun was slowly rising as they neared the shack. Dumbledore instructed the others to stay put while he approached the place under the invisibility cloak. Hermione eyed her surroundings nervously, with constant vigilance, as did the others. She could see the house behind a patch of dark trees. It seemed a very strange location to choose for a home, in the middle of several thick trees that blocked all the light and the view of the valley below. The walls of the house were stained, and so many tiles had fallen off the roof that Hermione doubted it would hold rain. Long hay grew around the place, covering the lands.

It was a while later when they saw Dumbledore's hand giving a subtle wave near the doorway of the shack, to signal them it was safe to approach. After dismantling the wards and making sure the inside of the house was clear from spells, they stepped into the decaying and filthy place. Hermione and the others took in her surroundings. The house seemed to contain three tiny rooms; a sitting room with a small kitchen nook, and two small bedrooms. There was a broken couch and a table near the crumbling fireplace. In the other bedroom they saw two overturned cots, and nothing else but cobwebs, grime and dirt.

The other room had one small bed and a dusty trunk at the end of the bed. There was also miscellaneous garbage here and there on the floors. Hermione and the twins searched the room with the two cot beds, rifling through the trash on the floor with the help of their wands while Dumbledore and McGonagall searched the other room.

Finally, Dumbledore spoke quietly. "It's in here." Hermione, Gideon and Fabian made their way quickly to the other room after covering their tracks, just in case. Dumbledore was levitating the ring into the container – a small box which was thrumming with magic. For a moment, Hermione saw a small hesitation in the Headmaster's eyes as he guided the ring into the box. When the ring was securely put inside the box, they wiped their tracks and Dumbledore put the same protection spells and curses that had surrounded the shack before they exited the place.

The group walked in silence, disillusioned again, towards their apparition point. Their walk was taking more time as they had to dodge the villagers, who were now bustling through the streets. As they reached their apparition point, one by one they apparated into the familiar surroundings of Letterfearn, near the cave. The cave was warded with strong enchantments, so there was no way to apparate straight inside. It was a short walk and then they were inside. Everyone was eyeing the Headmaster expectantly.

Dumbledore frowned as he opened the box. He was looking at the ring as if he had recognised something.

"Can I see it?" Hermione asked hesitantly, feeling a bit of wariness as she glanced at the Headmaster.

He nodded and levitated the box into a small stone table he had conjured in the middle of the cave. Hermione approached the ring, eyeing it suspiciously. It was a gold ring inset with a black stone, which was engraved with a symbol. Hermione frowned at it. It was as if she had seen it somewhere. But where? Dumbledore made a sudden move towards the ring. Time seemed to go slower. She glanced at the Headmaster again, and his expression was calculating…and frightened. He was eyeing Hermione and the others carefully, and she could see his eyes flash with dread. It seemed that he was unable to decide what to do.

And then Hermione understood. An argument with Harry suddenly came crashing into her mind.

"The ring, the ring that became the Horcrux, Marvolo Gaunt said it had the Peverell coat of arms on it! I saw him waving it in the bloke from the Ministry's face, he nearly shoved it up his nose!" Harry said excitedly.

"The Peverell coat of arms?" Hermione asked sharply. "Could you see what it looked like?"

"Not really," said Harry, trying to remember. "There was nothing fancy on there, as far as I could see; maybe a few scratches. I only ever saw it really close up after it had been cracked open."

Ron stared between Hermione and Harry with an astonished look in his eyes. "Blimey…You reckon it was this sign again? The sign of the Hallows?"

"Why not," Harry said quickly, "Marvolo Gaunt was an ignorant old git who lived like a pig, all he cared about was his ancestry. If that ring had been passed down through the centuries, he might not have known what it really was. There were no books in that house, and trust me, he wasn't the type to read fairy tales to his kids. He'd have loved to think the scratches on the stone were a coat of arms, because as far as he was concerned, having pure blood made you practically royal."

She remembered how Harry had been somewhat obsessed with the Deathly Hallows, so certain that the stone in the Horcrux ring had been the Resurrection stone, and how he was so sure that the Invisibility cloak he had inherited, was actually the cloak of Invisibility, one of the Deathly Hallows. She also remembered how Harry was sure that Voldemort had been after the elder wand, and that he was searching for it abroad. She hadn't believed they were true. Sure, the elder wand perhaps, and the cloak…but the stone? It was real? That just seemed so hard to believe.

But seeing Dumbledore now seemed to confirm Harry's assumptions. Did they really have the Resurrection stone within their reach? Did they actually possess two of the Deathly Hallows since she had Harry's Cloak? Hermione knew that according to the tale, the one who had all three legendary Hallows in possession was the Master of Death. But what did that mean? An Immortality? It sure would be useful when facing Voldemort, but that meant that they couldn't destroy the ring. And she knew they had to destroy it. Otherwise they wouldn't really destroy Voldemort.

"Uncle…" She whispered. "I know what the stone is." She said intently, staring straight into his blue eyes that had lost their twinkle. McGonagall and the twins eyed them cautiously, not understanding what she was talking about. Dumbledore watched Hermione with an obscure expression.

"It won't do any good." Hermione continued steadily. "It won't bring her back. Not really. You know it." She whispered with a hard voice, shaking her head slightly. Dumbledore merely stared at her, his eyes reflecting fear and sadness.

"Albus." She said, her voice louder. "We have to destroy it. Otherwise he will live. Please," She said with a pleading tone. Dumbledore averted his eyes and watched the ring intently.

"Albus?" McGonagall asked hesitantly. Gideon and Fabian stared at Hermione in bewilderment, trying to understand what it all was about.

"The ring needs to be destroyed. Or he will win." Hermione said to Dumbledore again, who was still watching the ring. Finally, after a long moment, he seemed to make up his mind and turned to look at Hermione with regret.

"I know. I apologise." Dumbledore said with a sigh. Hermione went to him and gave him a hug.

Dumbledore was surprised by the gesture, as was everyone else. McGonagall eyed at the pair with a fond look as Dumbledore patted Hermione on the back and blinked away the tears that had gathered into his blue eyes.

"Again, you have accomplished to astonish me with your strength and compassion, my dear niece," Dumbledore whispered into her ear. "I will try to follow your example whenever I feel irresolute." He said before she released him and took a step back.

Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat before she spoke to him. "Thank you. I know how difficult it must be to do this." She said, while McGonagall, Gideon and Fabian eyed them curiously.

Hermione knew it must've been difficult for Dumbledore to destroy the one object he could have used to bring back his sister Ariana, and one of the objects that could give him immortality. She suspected that the Headmaster missed his sister badly, and even held himself responsible of her death, just like his brother did. If only the stone could bring back her loved ones, Hermione thought bitterly. But the stone didn't bring anyone back, really, did it?

Dumbledore nodded and looked at the ring with determination, lifting his wand. The others took a couple of steps back, their wands at the ready. Then Dumbledore cast the curse. A fiery phoenix erupted from the tip of his wand, circling around the cave aggressively. The fiery animal took a sharp turn and lunged towards them.

And then everything went dark.

A/N: DUN DUN DUUUNN!