The sun cast its warm embrace over the tranquil lake. The daylight painted the water in shimmering hues of gold. Harry, Ron, and Hermione found solace in this secluded spot, a brief respite on their arduous journey in search of Horcruxes. As they sat on the water's edge, each lost in their own activities, they felt the weight of their mission momentarily lifted.
Ron stood, the water lapping at his feet, his lanky frame bent as he searched for the perfect skipping stone. He disregarded the pebbles that were not perfectly flat and smooth until he had a small pile gathered next to his foot.
With a flick of his wrist, Ron sent a pebble skipping across the surface. As the flat stone bounced off the surface of the lake it created ripples that danced in the sunlight.
"Nice one, Ron!" Harry called out, a grin spreading across his face as he picked up a pebble of his own.
Ron chuckled, his blue eyes sparkled with mischief, "Let's see if you can do better, mate."
Harry grinned, the tension of the journey melted away in the warmth of the sun and the cool water at his feet. He flipped the smooth stone in his palm a couple times before he sent it skimming across the water. It bounced once before it sank with a sad plop.
Harry grimaced and slowly turned to face his friend. He narrowed his eyes at the look of mirth in Ron's eyes.
"Bet you can't beat that, Ron!" Harry said with a laugh.
"Yeah, you're a definite pro."
Hermione finally looked up from her book, a small smile played on her lips, "Honestly, you two are like a pair of children sometimes."
Harry and Ron just exchanged a grin and turned back towards the lake. Hermione laughed softly but looked back down, ready to engross herself in her book once more and leave the boys to their shenanigans.
"This is nice, isn't it?" Ron said breaking the silence.
"Yes, it is. I almost forgot what it's like to just…be."
"Yeah, need to take advantage while we can," Ron said with a nod. He then looked out over the still lake once more. Without warning he shoved at Harry's shoulder, "Want to go for a swim? We could do some underwater exploring."
Harry chuckled, "You're mad, Ron. The water's freezing."
Ron shrugged and started to peel off his shirt and slowly waded his way into the lake.
Harry turned around and sat next to Hermione, "Anything interesting?" he said with a nod to the book in her lap.
"It's a book on ancient runes and their significance in magical history," Hermione said with a small smile, "If I had known the world was ending, I would've brought better books," she joked when she saw Harry's reaction to her reading a schoolbook.
The duo fell into a comfortable silence. Hermione read her book and Harry just looked out over the water and soaked up the warmth from the sun, the sounds of the gentle lapping water against the shore was their soundtrack.
Ron burst through the surface of the water and trudged up the shore to lay on the sandy beach by his friends and let the sun dry him.
"Find anything interesting?" Harry asked.
"Oh yeah, lots of treasure," Ron mused his eyes closed, "there must have been about half dozen tires, a couple license plates, tin cans…oh and a plastic pink flamingo."
"Did not expect that," said Harry, "That's so many tires…" he trailed off.
Hermione laughed with a shake of her head as she placed a bookmark and put her book on the tree stump to her left, "Sure, that was the weird thing on the list."
Harry smiled as his friends laughed at him. He felt light for the first time in years, and he was determined to take advantage of the bout of peace.
Unfortunately, as per usual, luck was not on his side. Their moment of peace was shattered when a sudden burst of magic rippled through the air and caused the wards that surrounded their camp to shimmer and glow. The serene atmosphere was instantly replaced by a tense alertness, and Harry's heart sank as he leapt to his feet, his senses immediately on high alert.
"Have they found us?" Harry asked, his voice tight with urgency.
Ron and Hermione exchanged worried glances before they scrambled to pack up their belongings. The tranquility they had been experiencing was now replaced by a sense of foreboding as they prepared to face off against whatever had run up against their wards.
"We can't stay here," Hermione said, her voice trembled, "we need to move, now."
With a sense of determination, Harry led the way as they hurriedly made their way through the dense forest, their footsteps echoed in the silence of the forest. They moved with urgency, but it seemed no matter how fast they ran, they could not escape the feeling of impending doom that hung heavy in the air.
As they reached the edge of the forest, they were met with a sight that made their blood run cold. A group of Death Eaters stood in the clearing ahead, their dark robes billowed in the breeze as they advanced with malicious intent.
Harry quickly noticed that they were not headed towards the trio but instead just approaching the edge of the wards. He motioned for his friends to slowly make their way through the brush to flank the dark wizards.
"We shouldn't," Hermione whispered. She would fight if necessary but three versus five were not the best odds for the trio.
"If we can make it out of the woods, we can apparate," Ron hissed, his gaze never wavering from the Death Eaters.
Harry's grip tightened around his wand and exchanged a glance with Ron and Hermione. He knew that they were outnumbered, and that fleeing was the best option.
"Let's go," Harry agreed.
As one the trio backed away from the Death Eaters and kept moving south towards edge of the trees. Once they crossed the border of their wards, they fell and the Death Eaters surged forward and moved in the opposite direction, towards the campsite they had just abandoned.
The trio sighed in relief but picked up their pace. As soon as they stepped over the threshold and were back in the sun, Hermione grabbed hold of Harry and Ron, and with a twist they were off to their next campsite.
Word Count: 1,084