Chapter Twenty Eight
Harry lay in bed, staring at the pictures he'd glued to the base of the bed above him. Danica, his mother, Severus, Nikka, Sirius, his friends and him. Everyone laughing, every one happy. Like there wasn't a care in the world.
Now there seemed to be nothing but cares for them all.
It was Halloween. Or rather, the middle of the night before Halloween. For some reason Harry had never seen himself still being stuck in a tent, on the run, come a holiday but here he was.
He was sure he could feel his skin prickling as the veil thinned, something that had never happened before. He tried to tell himself it wasn't really happening, it couldn't be happening but he could still feel the hairs standing on end on his arms and at the back of his neck.
Sleep wasn't being forth coming that night. It seemed like nearly every time he closed his eyes his mind was filled with Voldemort's thoughts. Voldemort was getting annoyed, he was angry at the level of support Harry and the others still had.
The Daily Prophet was churning out it's lies, but many others weren't.
It made Harry happy to know he was so annoyed, but wasn't conducive to sleep. He closed his mind to the rage, taking several deep breaths as the thoughts left him.
It was morning, he could hear birds starting to sing outside. They were on a cliff top somewhere in Wales. It was cold and windy, the weather was definitely starting to turn against them and they'd have to start aiming for more sheltered areas to camp. They'd not camped on the south coast once yet, and tried to avoid the south for the most part in hope it would bring them better weather over the winter.
Harry had wondered about bringing Danica on a long camping holiday once this was all over. It had been strangely relaxing living in the tent, and would be even nicer without the never ending threat of death hanging over them.
Harry pulled himself out of bed and got a hot shower, letting the water clear his mind. He then sat at the kitchen table, with a fresh mug of coffee and wrote a letter, to Nikka this time. He had a large stash of them, it was soothing for him to put his thoughts on paper, even though he couldn't send them.
"You're up early." Draco said, brushing his hair and yawning, "Is everything OK?"
Harry nodded, "Yeah I just couldn't sleep."
Hermione bounced into the kitchen holding two parcels, very badly wrapped in brown paper she'd rescued from someone's rubbish. At least it had been clean.
"What's this?" Draco asked, trying to pick one up.
Hermione slapped his hand away, "After breakfast."
She quickly made up a full English breakfast for them all and put on a fresh pot of coffee. They had found out that magical food was a little better if they turned the crackers into the ingredients and then cooked from scratch. It also had the added benefit of filling the tent with the smells of cooking.
They'd all picked up how to cook over the years, although Harry and Hermione had to teach Draco more than the very few basics he knew. It was relaxing for them to cook anyway, something to do rather then just focus on the hunt for the Horcruxes.
They'd not had any leads on how to get into the Lestrange vault and it was starting to wear them down.
Hermione cleared the plates and pushed the parcels towards the boys, "I know that these aren't your normal ones and they're not brilliant. And there will be no comments about the standard of my sewing but… here."
Harry grinned and pulled off the paper from his parcel. Inside were a set of white robes, clearly made out of a couple of old sheets. Names littered the white fabric; his, his families', friends'. In the middle of his chest was a tree, HDH embroidered down the trunk.
"I know that they're not your real robes but I knew it was going to suck for you both not having anything today. I hope you like them and I've not horribly offended you some how." Hermione said nervously.
"They're brilliant, thank you so much Hermione!" Draco beamed, "Thank you."
He stood up and wrapped her in a hug, closely followed by Harry.
"Can't… breathe…" Hermione laughed, hugging them back.
Harry went into his room and pulled the loose robe over his head, making sure he didn't rip the rather rough stitching at the shoulder.
Harry and Draco wandered outside, just inside the wards they'd put up, smiling as the wind blew the hair back from their faces.
"It feels closer this year." Harry said softly, holding Draco's hand.
"What does?" Draco asked.
"The veil." Harry said, scratching his head with his free hand, "I can't explain it very well it just feels… closer. I'm trying not to look at it like a bad thing."
"I've not noticed anything." Draco shrugged, feeling rather left out and worried Harry was right and it was a warning sign for him.
Harry grinned, "It's probably just in my head, just worry manifesting itself with everything going on."
Draco nodded and turned his face back towards the sea.
They sat there in silence, praying in their heads. There just didn't seem to be any words this year.
Hermione had made them roast pork and all the trimmings for dinner by the time they finally walked back into the tent, cold and stiff from sitting outside for so long. She'd delivered them some sandwiches outside at lunch time, not wanting to disturb them.
"This smells amazing, thanks Hermione." Harry grinned, stabbing a roast potato with his fork.
"I wanted you both to be able to celebrate." Hermione said with a smile and a shrug, "It's been a long year."
"Especially since June!" Draco laughed.
"Oh yes." Hermione nodded, "I can't believe we've only been on the run for three months, feels like a lifetime."
"Well, here is to a less long next three months." Harry grinned.
He was just about to take another mouthful when there was a faint ringing from Harry and Draco's room.
Hermione lowered her knife and fork and went through, bringing back the mirror, Daphne smiling hollowly at them.
"Daphne, you look awful." Draco said, wiping his fingers on his napkin, "Are you all right?"
Daphne nodded, "Oh… yes, I'm fine. Sorry, I meant to call earlier. Well, I've been checking it whenever I could but you were never here… there… whatever. Anyway, I was holding the mirror again, and just said I needed to talk to you and then Hermione came through!"
"You made the mirror ring." Draco smirked, "Good to know we can actually call one another on these things. If only someone had owned them before us and could of left us a handy set of instructions…"
Daphne grinned back, "Yep." She looked at the closed door to her room, flicking her wand to lock it before turning back to the mirror, "I had to talk to you. You said you destroyed the locket? You're sure it's really gone?"
Harry, Hermione and Draco all nodded.
"And you used the Slytherin's scram sax? You're sure it is the real one?" Daphne asked.
"Yes, we're sure. A fake would have had to have basilisk venom infused in it as well, and I'm not sure a fake would have been strong enough to kill a basilisk… plus there's not really many around." Hermione frowned, "Why?"
Daphne held the mirror slightly closer, "Because it's meant to be in Snape's office, here, at school."
"Well it's not…" Draco said slowly.
"Exactly." Daphne said, "And I would of just brushed it off as people were lying about it being here, trying to brag about Slytherin's involvement with the school, but Astoria saw it."
"You're sure?" Harry said, his confusion only growing.
Daphne nodded, "Yes. But it can't be in two places at once."
"So, which one is real? Are they both real?" Harry asked.
"I don't think so." Hermione said, her brain thinking quickly as she tried to work everything out, "I think Dumbledore made a fake, he must of known, or at least suspected that the Ministry wouldn't just hand over the real one, so gave the real one to Winky, while the fake stayed in his office, to be checked over by the Ministry."
"The scram sax is goblin made, it's not something that could be easily copied." Draco pointed out, "A goblin would have seen straight through it."
"Honestly, with everything going on, I doubt they actually got a goblin in to look at it! It's a well known artefact and not something that was really Dumbledore's. I bet you anything they just took it at face value." Harry shrugged, "They wouldn't of trusted a goblin to give it back with how angry they are at wizards at the moment."
"I agree. And it would have been all too easy for a wizard to miss it was a fake. I doubt that Snape will want to keep it at school now though. And… I bet whoever gets to look after the fake scram sax, might well have the Horcrux as well." Daphne smiled, "We'll do our best to keep our ears to the ground and find out where it's going."
"How is it going there?" Harry asked.
Daphne shrugged, "We weren't allowed to celebrate Halloween this year. Tracy threw a fit at them, but they just slapped her down, quite literally. They said that the old ways were stupid, that they were worthless and from now on, banned from the grounds."
"I can't believe I'm about to ask this, but how is Tracy?" Hermione asked.
"The new favourite punishment is not permitted to eat meals." Daphne sighed, "There was three students missing meals today, and then Tracy isn't allowed to eat for another two days. They have to sit at the base of the stage with only water."
"Lovely." Draco sneered, "Will you be able to get food to her?"
Daphne laughed, "I'm going to try for sure!" she didn't tell them about the bad bruises Tracy currently had over her shoulder and chest from Umbridge, or how Umbridge had boasted she would have left more permanent scars had Tracy not been such a good, pretty and eligible pure-blood.
"It's been a weird Halloween all round I think." Harry sighed, "Hermione made us robes."
"I can see. They're lovely." Daphne smiled, "Very thoughtful."
"I don't suppose there is any word from home?" Draco asked, "Or generally?"
Daphne shook her head, "There was a note in the paper the other day saying Pansy's parents are still working, that the investigation cleared them of any guilt over Pansy failing to return to school. They've put out a reward for her return and everything, they played their part far better than we could of hoped for. We're told they're over in America still. Although how true any of what the Daily Prophet says is is up for debate."
"Well I am going to look at it as though it's true." Draco nodded, "I want to believe that they're safe. Edward and Seraphine were never stupid, I'd like to think they've worked out what's going on, that they are helping us, where they can."
"It's difficult to get any mail at the moment." Daphne sighed, "Half my letters from home never make it to me, and even those that do are opened!"
"Umbridge up to her old tricks again!" Harry growled.
Daphne nodded, "Yes. Can't say I'm that surprised really, we all knew what she was like. The quills are back as well. Not anyone we know, yet, some poor first year who didn't agree with every muggle wanting magical folk to burn."
"Be careful." Harry, Hermione and Draco said at once.
Daphne laughed, "I will be, pinky promise! Training people is going pretty well, I forgot how quickly people pick things up. Ron is a natural at Occlumency. I've even started training Astoria, after she got herself into trouble."
"What happened?" Hermione gasped.
Daphne sighed, "She and a couple of others, including Thomas, sneaked into Snape's office to… honestly I'm not sure. It's when Astoria saw the scram sax. Anyway, they got caught and Neville and I agreed that the best way to stop them getting themselves into trouble again is to help them feel like they are helping."
"What happened to them?" Harry asked worriedly.
Daphne shuffled in her seat, "I took Astoria's detention. It's fine."
"Daphne…" Hermione asked.
Daphne waved her hand dismissively, "I'm fine. Really." she wasn't about to tell them about her hour of being used as practice for the Cruciatus curse by various students having their lessons, as well as the Carrows. Neither of whom were happy with Daphne taking her sisters detention and focused their curses almost constantly on her.
The handle to Daphne's dorm rattled.
"I need to go!" Daphne said, jumping to her feet, "Talk soon."
Harry, Draco and Hermione nodded and watched sadly as the mirror cleared, reflecting back them and their tent rather than Hogwarts.
"It was nice to see her." Hermione said, breaking the silence, "We should eat before our food gets any more cold."
"Do we really think she's OK?" Harry asked, "That she's going to be OK?"
Draco shrugged, "I don't know. Things are getting a lot worse there I think, and she really didn't want to talk about that detention. We just need to do what we can."
"This is lovely Hermione." Harry said, digging into his food, even though his appetite had vanished he would have hated for Hermione to think he wasn't grateful for the effort she'd put in for them today.
"We need to not worry about her right now." Draco said quickly, shaking his head, "We are all worried, of course we are, but there's nothing we can actually do to help her. Tomorrow we hit the books again, try and find out what the Horcrux we don't know about might be. Something of Ravenclaw's right?"
Hermione put down her knife and fork and nodded, "Yes." she said, "I agree. I must admit I've not read much about Ravenclaw, mostly her story, and Hufflepuff's, seem to come second to the fights between Gryffindor and Slytherin."
"It's got to be somewhere." Harry said hopefully.
They ate their food and spent a quiet night, not really feeling like talking. Despite all three of them trying not to think about it, they couldn't stop thinking about Daphne and Neville being trapped at school with ever increasingly evil teachers.
"She had a large collection of books, tablets with runes on and things." Hermione said, "Ravenclaw I mean. Could it be one of those?"
"I don't know." Harry shrugged, "If one was obviously hers I think Vo… You-know-who might have gone for it."
"I doubt they would of survived a thousand years." Draco shrugged, "And it's believed her library was destroyed when she died."
"I've not read that anywhere." Hermione said, standing up to read over Draco's shoulder.
"Grandfather told me once." Draco shrugged, "You might have noticed that as a family we like books."
"We need to sleep." Harry said suddenly.
He could feel his skin prickling still, it had only gotten stronger during the day. He was afraid it was the other side pulling him over, that it meant he wasn't long for this world and it was driving him a bit nuts.
"Are you all right Harry?" Hermione asked, closing her book.
Harry forced a smile and nodded, "I'll be fine. I'm sorry, I shouldn't of snapped, I just really need to get my head down."
He said goodnight quickly and tucked himself into bed, pulling the covers over his head. His scar was pounding and his whole body felt like it was being dragged into the earth as the walls closed in around him.
Harry took several deep breaths and cleared his mind, sleep coming surprisingly and mercifully quickly.