Despite the wreck the previous day had been, the next wasn't half bad. The group worked together to repair all of the destroyed areas that they could, even if Harry and Neville couldn't do much. Instead they helped out in the kitchen and as first aid, making sure everyone was hydrated and bringing bandaids and frozen peas to whoever bumped their head.

That could have been done by magic, but they wanted to feel useful.

"I'm beat," Ron muttered as he collapsed on one of the couches, an enchanted towel on his neck. He was sweaty from head to toe, his body aching in places that he didn't know existed. Hermione wasn't much better, the woman wouldn't even sit next to Ron; he was radiating so much heat.

"Waters for the weak," Harry jokingly said while he passed out glasses. Fred and George were in bed recuperating from the loss of their ears, and the rest of the Wealsey family were starting the wedding preparations. Harry was slightly glad that the adults were out. He hadn't gotten a moment with just his friends since the attack.

"Where's Ginny?" Neville asked, taking a bite of one of the sandwiches they had made. "I haven't seen her around all day."

"Mum sent her off to the Lovegood's, said she'd be safer there."

"Was that the screaming this morning?" Harry questioned.

"She was not happy, but I kinda agree with Mum. I mean, not cause she's weak, and honestly I'd want Harry and Neville away too if they didn't have a helpful inheritance but-"

"Just stop talking," Hermione interrupted with a huff. Harry and Neville looked mildly annoyed. "Save us from having to bury you."

"Yes ma'am," Ron said with a sigh.

It was tense but relaxed, with a sense of impending danger lurking just out of sight. Neville was sitting on the floor, picking at a plate of sandwiches, while Harry was happily munching away on his own. Ron grumbled to himself while Hermione pulled out a hair brush and put her hair into a fresh ponytail. It was as if they had the weight of the Wizarding World on their shoulders, yet, in the Weasley living room, they felt like they could put all of that aside for a moment and simply enjoy each other's company.

Soon the sun began to set, the bottom of its rays barely touching the ground. A golden glow filtered through the windows, and the four friends sat together, lost in their own thoughts and conversations. If only it could always be like this.

"Are we gonna talk about it yet?" Ron asked quietly, moving the towel from his eyes. All three tensed, looking away. It needed to be talked about.

"I can't go back to Hogwarts," Harry said aloud. They all knew it, had known it. It didn't stop the dread from sinking in. "I'm officially on the run."

"From the ministry, and from Him." Neville whispered. It was true.

"I'm not about to let my best mate be on the run himself," Ron grunted. "I'll figure something out, but I'm coming with you. I'll probably use that attic ghost I told you about."

"Ron-"

"No, Harry. It's not fair to you, or to us. We've been by your side for how many years now? We aren't going anywhere."

"Gran's telling them I got eaten by a plant." Neville admitted quietly. All three heads turned to look at him. "We have this thing called a cow-plant and well…"

"It's a cannibal plant." Hermione offered helpfully. "If it's been starved it eats the person feeding it."

"She even has an urn set up and everything," Neville said with a soft smile. "As of, I think last night, I'm officially dead."

Harry felt like he could cry.

"I…" Hermione took a deep breath. "I need to be honest with you all."

"Please do," Harry said, fear creeping up his throat. Did she want to stay back?

"My parents didn't want to send me back to Hogwarts for our sixth year. She…wasn't happy with how fifth year had gone at all, and how the parents were informed of nothing. So she told me I couldn't go back."

"Hermione?" Ron questioned.

"I.. erased their memory of me."

"What the fuck?" Neville muttered

"I know it was wrong," Hermione hurriedly said, tears filling her eyes. "And I regret it every day but-"

"Hermione, it's okay." Harry rushed towards her, almost stepping in a plate of food. His arms wrapped around her, and slowly, the girl began to cry.

Neville and Ron joined the hug, and for a moment, they just sat like that. Tears streamed down Hermione's face silently. Sometimes she would gasp, and the three boys would hug her harder, never letting go.

Molly had walked in on them, and while tempted to ask what was wrong, she held her tongue. It didn't truly matter what was wrong, what mattered was that they had each other.

"Thank you," Hermione said quietly.

"Anytime, Hermione. You can always-"

"Moving topics," she interrupted. "I need to show you what I picked up from Dumbledore's office."

No one questioned how fast she tried to move on, or how she tried to push it back. They all had things they were pushing down. Hermione reached into her moleskine bag and pulled out a dark book.

"What is it?" Neville asked, taking in the black leather cover.

"A book on horcruxes. I borrowed it before we left."

'So she stole it' They all thought. Ron peered over, eyes tracing it. It didn't feel dark, but the boys were still weary.

"Has it offered anything?" Hermione nodded her head.

"It has! It's in Scottish, so I had to do the translating by hand, but the information it provided was… inspiring for lack of a better word. Here," she pulled a piece of parchment out of the book, handing it to them. "Read it."

Horcruxes are the darkest and most dangerous of all magical objects. They are powerful containers of evil magic, created by the most evil and malevolent of sorcerers, for the purpose of attaining immortality. The creation of a Horcrux requires the practitioner to perform a gruesome and heinous ritual, in which a piece of their soul is split off and imbued into an object.

The creation of each Horcrux weakens the creator's soul, and if too many Horcruxes are created, the creator risks losing all sense of humanity and becoming a mere shell of their former self. This is why the Horcrux is often referred to as "The Bane of Magicians."

Once a Horcrux is created, it is almost impossible to destroy, as it is fortified by powerful magical defences. The only way to destroy a Horcrux is to expose it to a powerful magical artefact known as the Sword of Gryffindor, which has the ability to pierce even the most well-protected Horcrux.

The Horcrux is not to be taken lightly. It is a dark and insidious object that threatens the very fabric of the Wizarding World, and any who venture into its realm do so at their own peril. The Horcrux is not to be underestimated, and the consequences of its creation can be dire and far-reaching. It is a dangerous and treacherous path that many have sought, but few have survived. May we all be wise and vigilant against the evil of the Horcrux, and may it never sully the magic of our world.

"So do you think…"

"That's exactly what I think." Hermione agreed, reading her boyfriend's mind. "Voldemort is insane because of how many horcruxes he made."

"Wow, what?" Harry said incredulously. "I mean that makes sense but he was batshit before that!"

"Right, I know, but.. What I'm saying is-"

"We only have a chance because he's so far gone." Neville finished for her.

The realisation set in quickly. Harry felt himself pale, Neville's hand reaching out to grasp at Harry's own. Hermione looked down, Ron staring at the three of them with a look of utter shock.

"Well…" Ron began. "A chance is a chance."

They went to bed soon after that. Neville and Harry curled up on the bunk under Ron (with three people in one room tonight, Mrs Weasley decided to do bunk beds), discussing the day's events quietly.

"So you don't like her?"

"No, Neville."

"Not even a little?"

"Not even at all." Harry rolled his eyes. "I don't have any interest in her, and plus, she's Ron's younger sister! Thats so weird. Plus, she had a crush on me before I even knew her."

"Yeah, she was always pretty weird about it," Ron said from above them. "I think she still has those magazine clippings of Harry too."

"See?" Neville just rolled his eyes at them.

"I think I'd fancy a girl that liked me that much, that's all."

"You be the boy who lived then," Harry smacked a pillow on his face. "Now go to sleep."

It didn't take long for Harry to fall asleep. Ron lightly snoring above him, Neville rolling around beside him, it was peaceful. The calm before a storm. When the storm would come though? Harry didn't know. For now, he'd bask in the warmth in his heart and the pillow beneath his head.

"Hello, child." Harry opened his eyes. Time sat in the same place he always did, sipping a glass of tea. The room was decorated a bit differently this time. Instead of the light brown decor he was used to seeing, he stared at a mahogany table and chairs. A few gold clocks floated around them, but Harry paid them little mind.

"Time," Harry said with a sigh. "I'm so happy to see you."

"Bad day?"

"No, just..tiring." Harry said, joining him at the table.

"Ah, well, things will only continue to become like that as you age."

"Joy," Harry muttered, watching as a golden teapot poured him some tea. "What are you having?"

"Chamomile with vanilla and honey." He watched as Harry took a small sip, nodding happily. Time was glad the boy could taste here, it just solidified his choice.

"I like it. Better than the one yesterday."

"That one was a bit tart for me as well," Time admitted.

The two sat in silence for a little, Harry glancing at all of the objects in their space. It wasn't really a room, but not an open area either. Harry believed if he walked away, he'd fall off into a white abyss. He focused his gaze on the large gold clack closest to him.

The clock hands moved effortlessly around its ornate face, with the second hand gently ticking away, the minute hand turning only a little more slowly and the hour hand turning at a lazy pace. Time moved differently here. He'd already been asleep for a few hours, yet it felt like two minutes.

"I hope I haven't been bothering you, Time."

"Not at all, Harrison. I, like my siblings, am omniscient. I am here with you, but I may be elsewhere, blessing someone else."

"Or rushing their clock," Harry pointed out, not unkindly. Time nodded, taking a sip of his tea.

"That too." Time sat his cup down. "You are always welcomed here, child. This can, and will, become your safe place."

Harry woke up slowly. For some reason, Time's parting message left him confused, and almost unnerved. He wanted to demand answers, but he didn't know what to ask.

Later that night, after a long day of cleaning and fixing and preparing. It was the day of Harry's birthday. The curse was officially broken off of him, and the four used their wand for everything.

"It was sweet of you to wait for Harry to use magic, Neville." Hermione said, setting the table for their dinner.

"It was better this way, I think." Neville told her, mixing a salad.

"Yeah, couldn't have Harry left out for too long could we?" Ron teased, ducking as a slice of tomato was thrown at him. Harry waved his wand, flinging it to the trash can with a grin.

"Man, no wonder Fred and Gerorge use magic for everything. This is great!"

After the food was set, people began piling in from outside. Remus, Bill, Charlie, Fleur, and Ginny all came in first, giving Harry hugs and quick greetings. Molly and Arthur followed next, bringing in a large treacle tart topped with candles. Harry let out a cheer, laughing as it was set aside. A smaller golden snitch cake was brought in, as well as a green pie for Neville, with iced vines decorating the top of it.

George and Fred finally came down from upstairs, apparating into the kitchen with matching grins and missing ears.

"Happy birthday you two!" Geroge said, ruffling Harry's hair.

"Maybe you'll grow an inch this year," Fred teased, leaning on Neville. The two boys took it in stride, laughing. Today was a day of celebration.

Tonks came from somewhere, sitting next to her husband with a grin.

"Happy to be a man, Harry?"

"I've been a man," he shot back, grinning.

Ted and Andromeda joined their table not long after, and Harry felt mostly content.

"Neville? We have a small surprise for you," Mrs Weasley said, taking the boy outside for a few moments. His cheer was heard all the way in the house, and soon three people walked in. Agusta had joined them.

"I hope I'm not late," the old woman said. "Now, where's my other one?"

Harry ran up to her, laughing softly as the older woman hugged him and Neville.

It would have been complete if Severus had been there.

The aroma of roast chicken and freshly baked bread filled the air, and for a moment the sound of cutlery clattering against plates was the only noise in the room.

"Mum, this is great!" Ron cheered, already grabbing seconds. Neville wasn't far behind, wolfing down his food twice as fast as normal. The room filled with laughter and conversation, Harry and Neville sometimes sharing their own experiences and occasionally adding their own two cents to the conversation. Hermione chatted with Remus about muggle books, Ron was yapping to Andromeda about quidditch, while Neville and Harry had the attention of everyone else, sharing the story of the beginning of their close friendship.

It was good until a patronus arrived.

"Rufus Scrimgeour Requesting to floo in. Letter accompanied by owl." A letter was dropped off by an owl a few moments later. Molly opened it with a frown. A few moments later, her gaze snapped to the four teenagers at the table.

Well, shite.

"Harry, Neville, Ron, Hermione," The way she listed their names made them feel like they were in trouble. Had they done something? "Rufus Scrimgeour as requested to see you four."

A few minutes later, all four were seated in the living room, staring at the man. His face was wrinkled and always kept in a frown. His eyes however scanned the room and each teen, as if he was expecting them to attack.

"Mr Potter, Longbottom, Weasley, and Miss Granger." he greeted. They said nothing in response, simply staring back at him as he pulled out a package. "As you know, Albus Dumbledore passed away, and he had his will reading. You four were left items."

"You kept the items past their review date," Hermione pointed out with a glare. The other three boys tried not to look confused.

"You must understand, a headmaster of his renown giving specific students gifts, and he even tried gifting an artefact to Mr Potter."

Hermione just leaned back, her steely eyes never leaving the man. Scrimgeour slowly opened the box, having four items and a piece of paper.

"To Hermione Jean Granger, I leave you the "Tale of Beedle and Bard" I hope it guides you as well as it did me."

She took the book, unshrinking it to its normal side.

"To Ronald Bilius Weasley, I leave my Deluminator, in the hope that he will remember me when he uses it."

Ronald took the object, looking it over before setting it in his lap.

"To Harry James Potter, I leave the Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match at Hogwarts, as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and skill."

Harry took the ball, looking at it confused.

"To Neville Samwise Longbottom, I leave you a seed. May you use this to achieve your heart's true desire."

Neville took the small seed, no bigger than a bean, and held it close to him.

"Now, Miss Granger, why do you think Dumbledore left you that book?"

"He…he knew I liked books."

"But why that particular book? Did you ever discuss codes, or any means of passing secret messages, with Dumbledore?"

"What? No." But Rufus had a new target.

"That is a valuable object, Mr Weasley. It may even be unique. Certainly, it is of Dumbledore's own design. Why would he have left you an item so rare? Dumbledore must have taught thousands of students, yet the only ones he remembered in his will are you three. Why is that? To what use did he think you would put to the Deluminator, Mr Weasley?"

"Put out lights, I s'pose. What else could I do with it? And besides, we were the heroes of Hogwarts, course we got something"

"I noticed that your birthday cake is in the shape of a Snitch. Why is that?" Rufus turned on Harry, looking at the balled-up snitch in his hands."

"Oh, it can't be a reference to the fact Harry's a great Seeker, that's way too obvious. There must be a secret message from Dumbledore hidden in the icing!" Hermione said sarcastically, glowering at the man. Seems she wanted this over as much as the rest of them.

"What is that seed?"

"No idea, but Professor Dumbledore knew I loved to study plants. Perhaps I'll look into it before school."

The man soon left, none of his questions answered. The group had many more.

"What are we supposed to do with this?" Ron asked.

"Maybe they really are keepsakes?" Harry said, look at the snitch. He pressed a small button and its wings came to life, one bent side eyes from where he had practically swallowed it. Harry smiled at the memory.

"This seed though…I recognise it. I'll be right back, I need to check one of the books."

"The bags tied to the leg post!" Harry shouted to Neville. The boy gave him a thumbs up. Hermione flipped through the pages of her book while Ron played with the Deluminator. A few minutes later, Neville ran back in.

"I was right!" Neville said, holding out his hand with the seed. "It's a Cupiditas seed!"

"Whats that?" Hermione asked.

"Also known as the desire seed, the person who swallows the Cupiditas seed will have their heart's true desire answered! It's been known to save lives! That's why he gave it!"

"Woah!"

"This will help, especially in case…"

The four shared the same look, and the topic was dropped. Neville slipped the seed into his pants pocket, keeping it close. He'd put it somewhere safer soon. Perhaps in a jar necklace? Oh well. They had a party to get back too.

"My Lord!" A woman's voice rang out, picking up a man from the ground. "Someone, notify our Lord!"

"What is it?" Narcissa asked, rushing to the woman's side. Narcissa recognised the woman as Evan Rosier's wife, Elise. The man in her arms was Evan. Her eyes narrowed. She knew exactly how the man treated his wives and lovers. Why was she here?

"He's been cursed! He won't stop-" A scream erupted from the body she was holding. "He's trapped in some sort of nightmare!"

Narcissa nodded, leaning into the woman to whisper into her face.

"I will grab Him, but you must wipe that look of glee off your face." Elise nodded, trying to school her expressions as Narcissa rushed off, knocking on her husband's Lord's office.

"My Lord, Evan Rosier is back." The doors opened slowly, Narcissa bowing as she continued talking. "Elise Rosier, his wife, brings him. She was his back up for this mission, and it seems he is… cursed, My Lord."

"Bring me to him."

Narcissa hoped they couldn't save him. That a woman much like herself would be freed from this.

That night, Evan Rosier was put to death by Lord Voldemort himself, an honour for a dying Death Eater. Elise Rosier returned home, never to be seen again.