𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗡𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗔 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗧

ACT TWO, CHAPTER SEVEN
ron's departure.

VENUS REELED IN her Extendable Ear, feeling like she just got punched in the stomach because she couldn't breathe. The others in the tent were also silent, letting everything that they had heard sink in.

Harry was the one to break the silence. "Ginny — the sword—"

"I know!" Hermione exclaimed. She grabbed her tiny beaded bag and reached far in it. "Here . . . we . . . are . . ."

Hermione pulled at something that was clearly in the depths of the bag. Slowly, the edge of an ornate picture frame came out. Venus rushed forwards and grabbed the picture frame, helping Hermione take it. The two of them both lifted the empty portrait of Phineas Nigellus free of the bag, and Hermione kept her wand pointed at it. Carefully, they propped it against the side of the tent.

"If somebody swapped the real sword for the fake while it was in Dumbledore's office, Phineas Nigellus would have seen it happen, he hangs right beside the case!"

"Unless he was asleep," Harry stated.

Hermione knelt down in front of the empty canvas with her wand pointed at its center. "Er — Phineas? Phineas Nigellus?" Nothing happened. "Professor Black? Please could we talk to you? Please?"

"Please always helps," a cold, snide voice replied, and Phineas Nigellus slid into his portrait.

"Obscuro!" Hermione cried at once.

Instantly, a black blindfold appeared over Phineas Nigellus' dark eyes. He bumped into the frame and shrieked in pain.

"What — how dare — what are you—?" Phineas Nigellus stammered.

"I'm very sorry, Professor Black, but it's a necessary precaution!" Hermione insisted.

"Remove this foul addition at once! Remove it, I say! You are ruining a great work of art! Where am I? What is going on?"

"Never mind where we are," Harry voiced.

Phineas Nigellus froze and stopped his attempts to peel off the painted blindfold. "Can that possibly be the voice of the elusive Mr. Potter?"

Harry reached over and instinctively took Venus' hand, tugging her in closer to him. "Maybe. We've got a couple of questions to ask you — about the sword of Gryffindor."

"Ah, yes. That silly girl acted most unwisely there—"

"Shut up about my sister," Ron argued.

Phineas Nigellus raised his eyebrows. "Who else is here? Your tone displeases me! The girl and her friends were foolhardy in the extreme. Thieving from the headmaster!"

"But they weren't," Venus cut in. "The sword isn't Snape's to keep."

"It belongs to Professor Snape's school. Exactly what claim did the Weasley girl have upon it? She deserved her punishment, as did the idiot Longbottom and the Lovegood oddity and the strange Rogers and the crazy Thomas!"

Venus felt her heart stop at the mention of Charlotte and Elijah's last names. God, she missed them.

"Neville is not an idiot, Luna is not an oddity, Elijah is not strange, and Charlotte is not crazy!" Hermione shouted. She then paused for a moment. "Actually, I take that back about Charlie."

"Where am I?" Phineas Nigellus repeated, starting to wrestle with his blindfold again. "Where have you brought me? Why have you removed me from the house of my forebears?"

"Never mind that! How did Snape punish Ginny, Neville, Luna, Eli, and Charlie?" Harry asked urgently.

"Professor Snape sent them into the Forbidden Forest, to do some work for the oaf, Hagrid."

"Hagrid's not an oaf!" Hermione said shrilly.

"But that's not really a punishment, is it?" Venus added, her heart rate decreasing as the horrible images of actual punishments flashed through her mind. "Snape might've thought it was, but Ginny, Neville, Luna, Eli, and Charlie probably had a good time with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest. They've faced worse."

"What we really wanted to know, Professor Black, is whether anyone else has, um, taken out the sword at all?" Hermione questioned. "Maybe it's been taken away for cleaning or — or something?"

Phineas Nigellus paused his struggles to free his eyes and laughed. "Muggle-Borns. Goblin-made armor does not require cleaning, simple girl. Goblins' silver repels mundane dirt, imbibing only that which strengthens it."

"Don't call Hermione simple," Harry responded.

"I grow weary of contradiction. Perhaps it is time for me to return to the headmaster's office?"

Phineas Nigellus, still blindfolded, then started to feel his way out of his picture. Venus watched as her relative — how they actually were related, she had no idea — attempted to leave.

"Dumbledore!" Harry interrupted. "Can't you bring us Dumbledore?"

"I beg your pardon?" Phineas Nigellus inquired.

"Professor Dumbledore's portrait — couldn't you bring him along, here, into yours?"

"Evidently it is not only Muggle-borns who are ignorant, Potter. The portraits of Hogwarts may commune with each other, but they cannot travel outside the castle except to visit a painting of themselves hanging elsewhere. Dumbledore cannot come here with me, and after the treatment I have received at your hands, I can assure you that I shall not be making a return visit!"

"Wait, Professor Black," Venus announced. "Just one last thing. When was the last time the sword was taken out of its case before Ginny tried to take it?"

"I believe that the last time I saw the sword of Gryffindor leave its case was when Professor Dumbledore used it to break open a ring," Phineas Nigellus answered.

Venus' eyes widened. She snapped her head over to look at Harry. Her boyfriend tightened his grip on her hand just the tiniest bit. Neither of them dared to say anymore in front of Phineas Nigellus, who had finally managed to find the exit.

"Well, good night to you," Phineas Nigellus told them, starting to move out of sight again.

"Wait!" Harry yelled. "Have you told Snape you saw this?"

Phineas Nigellus stuck his blindfolded head back into the picture. "Professor Snape has more important things on his mind than the many eccentricities of Albus Dumbledore. Goodbye, Potter!"

And with that, Phineas Nigellus vanished completely, leaving nothing behind but a murky backdrop.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted.

"I know!" Harry agreed.

Unable to contain himself, Harry used him and Venus' interlocked hands to pull her closer. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up off the floor, spinning her around. For the first time in days, Venus properly laughed. She held on tight to him until he finally set her back down on the ground. Harry took her face in his hands and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"The sword can destroy Horcruxes!" Hermione exclaimed once she shoved Phineas Nigellus' portrait back into the beaded bag. "Goblin-made blades imbibe only that which strengthen them — Harry, that sword's impregnated with Basilisk venom!"

"And Dumbledore didn't give it to me because he still needed it, he wanted to use it on the locket—" Harry went on.

"—and he must have realized they wouldn't let you have it if he put it in his will—"

"—so he made a copy—"

"—and put a fake in the glass case—"

"—and left the real one somewhere," Venus stated. Her, Harry, and Hermione all gazed at each other. "But where?"

"Not at Hogwarts," Harry responded, letting go of Venus' hand and starting to pace.

"Somewhere in Hogsmeade?" Hermione suggested.

"The Shrieking Shack? Nobody ever goes in there."

"But Snape knows how to get in, wouldn't that be a bit risky?"

"Dumbledore trusted Snape," Harry reminded her.

"But not enough to tell him that the swords were swapped," Venus voiced.

"Yeah, you're right! So, would he have hidden the sword well away from Hogsmeade, then? What d'you reckon, Ron? Ron?"

Venus looked around. He had been so quiet that Venus forgot he was even there. Ron was lying in the shadow of a lower bunk, looking quite stony.

"Oh, remembered me, have you?" Ron snapped.

Harry blinked. "What?"

"You three carry on. Don't let me spoil your fun."

Harry glanced at Venus for help. She merely shrugged — she also had no idea what was going on.

"What's the problem?" Harry asked.

"Problem?" Ron repeated, still refusing to look at any of them. "There's no problem. Not according to you, anyway."

There were several plunks on the canvas over their heads — it had started to rain. Venus should've taken that as a bad omen.

"Well, you've obviously got a problem," Harry urged. "Spit it out, will you?"

Ron swung his legs off of the bed and sat up, looking quite mean and unlike himself. "All right, I'll spit it out. Don't expect me to skip up and down the tent because there's some other damn thing we've got to find. Just add it to the list of stuff you don't know."

"I don't know?" Harry echoed. "I don't know?"

Plunk, plunk, plunk. The rain was coming down hard and heavy, pattering on the leaf-strewn bank all around them and into the rushing river. Venus crossed her arms across her chest, an uncomfortable feeling sending a shiver up her spine.

"It's not like I'm not having the time of my life here, you know, with my arm mangled and nothing to eat and freezing my backside off every night," Ron replied. "I just hoped, you know, after we'd been running round a few weeks, we'd have achieved something."

"Ron," Hermione protested, but her voice was so quiet that Ron could pretend to not hear it over the loud rain from above.

"I thought you knew what you'd signed up for," Harry argued.

"Yeah, I thought I did too," Ron admitted.

"So what part of it isn't living up to your expectations?" Harry questioned. Venus stared at him in concern — he was using anger as his defense now. "Did you think we'dbe staying in five-star hotels? Finding a Horcrux every other day? Did you think you'd be back to Mummy by Christmas?"

"We thought you knew what you were doing!" Ron yelled, now standing up. "We thought Dumbledore had told you what to do, we thought you had a real plan!"

"Ron!" Hermione shouted, but even though she was audible over the rain, Ron still ignored her.

"Well, sorry to let you down," Harry said. "I've been straight with you from the start, I told you everything Dumbledore told me. And in case you haven't noticed, we've found one Horcrux—"

"Yeah, and we're about as near getting rid of it as we are to finding the rest of them — nowhere effing near, in other words!" Ron argued.

"Take off the locket, Ron," Hermione pleaded, her voice unusuallyhigh. "Please take it off. You wouldn't be talking like this if you hadn't been wearing it all day."

"Yeah, he would," Harry insisted. "D'you think I haven't noticed the two of you whispering behind my back? D'you think I didn't guess you were thinking this stuff? The only one who has seemed to have some faith in me is Venus."

"Harry, we weren't—" Hermione started to say.

"Don't lie!" Ron exclaimed. "You said it too, you said you were disappointed, you said you'd thought he had a bit more to go on than—"

"I didn't say it like that — Harry, I didn't!" Hermione cried.

The rain was pounding the tent, matching the tears that were pouring down Hermione's face. Venus stood frozen, not really knowing what to do. The excitement they had felt for a few short minutes was completely gone. And the sword of Gryffindor was hidden somewhere they didn't know, and all they were were four teenagers in a tent trying to survive.

"So why are you still here?" Harry inquired.

"Search me," Ron responded.

"Go home then."

"Yeah, maybe I will!" Ron took several steps towards Harry, who didn't back away. "Didn't you hear what they said about my sister? But you don't give a rat's fart, do you, it's onlythe Forbidden Forest, Harry I've-Faced-Worse Potter doesn't care what happens to her in here — well, I do, all right, giant spiders and mental stuff—"

"That was me who said that, not Harry," Venus cut in, suddenly very defensive. "You want to yell at me for that? Sure, go ahead. But Ron, she was with her friends, and with Hagrid — Hagrid wouldn't let anything bad happen to them."

Ron's head snapped over to her. "Yeah, I get it, you don't care! And what about the rest of my family, the Weasleys don't need another kid injured, did you hear that?"

"Ron, stop."

"Not bothered what it meant, though?"

"Ron!" Hermione yelled, forcing her way between Harry and Ron. "I don't think it means anything new has happened, anything we don't know about; think, Ron, Bill's already scarred, plenty of people must have seen that George has lost an ear by now, and you're supposed to be on your deathbed with spattergroit, I'm sure that's all he meant—"

"Oh, you're sure, are you?" Ron voiced. "Right then, well, I won't bother myself about them. It's all right for you three, isn't it, with your parents safely out of the way—"

"My parents are dead!" Harry shouted.

"And mine could be going the same way!"

"Then GO! Go back to them, pretend you've got over your spattergroit and Mummy'll be able to feed you up and—"

Ron made a sudden movement. Venus raised her wand and shouted Protego!. Instantly, an invisible shield expanded between her, Hermione, and Harry on one side and Ron on the other. All of them were forced backwards by the strength of the spell. Harry and Ron glared at each other from either side of the transparent barrier. Venus had never seen them like this. Something had broken between them.

"Leave the Horcrux," Harry ordered.

Ron wrenched the chain from over his head and threw the locket into a nearby chair before turning to Venus and Hermione. "What are you two doing?"

Hermione stared a him. "What do you mean?"

"Are you staying, or what?"

"I'm with him always," Venus answered.

Hermione looked anguished. "I . . . yes — yes, I'm staying. Ron, we said we'd go with Harry, we said we'd help—"

Ron shook his head. "I get it. You choose him."

"Ron, come on," Venus insisted. "You can't — please, think of Penelope—"

"She would agree with my decision," Ron argued.

"No she wouldn't. She would probably say something along the lines of — excuse my language — you're fucking irrational."

He ignored her. Venus watched as Ron stormed away out of the tent, into the dark night.

Hermione sobbed. "Ron, no — please — come back, come back!"

Venus lowered her wand, making the Shield Charm go away. Hermione ran outside into the pouring rain, sobbing and calling Ron's name amongst the trees. Both Venus and Harry stood there in silence, waiting for her.

Hermione came back in a couple minutes later, her hair stuck to her face. "He's g-g-gone! Disapparated!"

She threw herself into a chair and started to cry. Venus frowned at her friend and walked slowly over to the chair. She picked up the Horcrux and put it on, immediately hating the new weight added to her. Venus then took Ron's blankets off of his bunk and put them over Hermione, leaving her alone.

Finally, she turned back to Harry. Venus walked closer to him, and instantly, Harry sunk into her embrace. Despite their height difference, he buried his head into her neck and clung to her waist. Venus wrapped her arms around him tightly and held him close. And there they stood with each other under the pounding rain on the tent, the newfound loss hovering over them like a storm cloud.

╞════════  ༺ ༻  ════════╡

RON'S DEPARTURE WAS still fresh the next morning. Venus awoke the next morning next to her boyfriend, who wasn't quite ready to let her go last night. She hoped it was all a dream, but one look at Ron's book, her heart sunk. Deserted. Venus averted her gaze from it as she went to the kitchen, Hermione not even glancing at her.

Venus had to keep reminding herself that Ron was gone as he got ready for the day. It was the cold hard truth — their protective enchantments meant that it would be impossible, once they vacated this spot, for Ron to find them again.

The three remaining members ate breakfast in silence. Hermione's eyes were puffy and red, looking like she hadn't slept at all. They packed up their things, but Hermione took her time. She kept glancing around and looking up eagerly, thinking that she had heard footsteps through the heavy rain, but no red-haired figure appeared between the trees. Venus tried to keep both Harry and Hermione in line — she was upset, but they had known Ron longer. This was clearly a big shock to them.

Soon, the muddy river was rising rapidly and would spill over onto their bank if they didn't leave. They had lingered a good hour after they would usually have departed their campsite. Hermione had no more reasons to delay after having entirely repacked the beaded back three times. Venus grasped onto Hermione and Harry's hands and Disapparated, reappearing on a windswept heather-covered hillside.

The moment they arrived, Hermione dropped Venus' hand and walked away from her and Harry. She sat down on a large rock and put her face in her knees, shaking with sobs. Venus glanced over at Harry and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek before wandering over to Hermione. She sat down next to her on the rock, brushing her knee against Hermione's to let her know she was here. Hermione immediately leaned into Venus' side, and Venus held her as her friend cried while Harry casted the protective spells.

None of them discussed Ron at all over the next few days. Venus knew they should probably talk about it, but neither Harry nor Hermione seemed to budge.

By day, they devoted themselves to try and determine were the sword of Gryffindor could be. But the more they talked about where Dumbledore might've hidden it, the more desperate and far-fetched their speculation became. At this point, Venus was trying to keep Harry level-headed, knowing his mind was spiraling into how they had no idea where the Horcruxes or the sword were.

They were spending a lot of evenings in near silence. Hermione had taken to bringing out Phineas Nigellus' portrait and propping it up in a chair. Despite him saying he would never return, Phineas Nigellus kept showing up to find out what Harry was up to, and even consented to reappear with a blindfold every few days or so. Honestly, it was nice seeing a fresh face. They tried to find out any news about what was happening at Hogwarts, although Phineas Nigellus didn't really tell them much since he respected Snape greatly — after all, he was the first Slytherin headmaster since he himself had controlled the school. They had to be careful not to criticize or accuse Snape of anything, or Phineas Nigellus would instantly leave his painting.

From what Phineas Nigellus would tell them, Snape was facing some rebellion from a hard core of students. Ginny and Charlotte had been banned from going to Hogsmeade. Snape had reinstated Umbridge's old decree forbidding gatherings of three or more students or any unofficial student societies.

Venus had pieced together that Ginny and Charlotte, and probably Elijah, Neville, and Luna, had been doing their best to continue Dumbledore's army, and Charlotte and Elijah had been doing their best to be their inside eye like they promised. That made her heart ache. She missed her best friends so much it physically hurt. All Venus wanted was for it to be like the good days, back at Hogwarts, sneaking into the kitchens and walking the hallways.

She had also started to think about what life would be like if she hadn't left Ilvermorny. Most likely, she wouldn't be caught up in this whole mess, hunting for Horcruxes in a huge war between wizardkind. She would be wearing her Thunderbird robes and walking around with her Thunderbird friends. Life would be peaceful . . . but then, she wouldn't have met Charlotte and Elijah, she wouldn't have met Harry. And meeting them had made it all worth it.

The water grew bitterly cold. They didn't dare to remain in any one area too long. Rather than staying in the south of England, where a hard ground frost was the worst of their worries, they continued to go up and down the country, braving a mountainside where sleet pounded the tent, a flat marsh where the tent was flooded with chill water, and a tiny island in the middle of a Scottish lock where snow half-buried the tent in the night.

They had already spotted Christmas trees twinkling from several living room windows. Venus always felt her heart yearn every time she looked at one. There was nothing more that she wanted than a New York City Christmas, or a London Christmas, or just a normal Christmas. It was her favorite holiday.

That night, they had eaten an unusually good meal. Hermione had gone to a supermarket under the Invisibility Cloak, leaving money in an open register as she left. Her and Venus had made spaghetti Bolognese and put tinned pears on the side. Harry had also suggested that they took a few hours' break from wearing the Horcrux.

"Hermione?" Harry began. "Venus?"

"Hmm?" Hermione hummed in response, curled up in an armchair while reading The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Spellman's Syllabary lying open on the arm of the chair.

Harry cleared his throat. "Star, Hermione, I've been thinking, and—"

"Harry, Venus, could you help me with something?" Hermione leaned forwards and held out The Tales of Beedle the Bard. "Look at that symbol."

She pointed to the top of a page. Venus looked at it and saw what seemed to be a triangular eye, its pupil crossed with a vertical line.

"I never took Ancient Runes, Hermione," Harry stated.

"I know that, but it isn't a rune and it's not in the syllabary, either," Hermione insisted. "All along I thought it was a picture of an eye, but I don't think it is! It's been inked in, look, somebody's drawn it there, it isn't really part of the book. Think, have you ever seen it before?"

"No . . . no, wait a moment." Harry looked closer. "Isn't it the same symbol Luna's dad was wearing round his neck?"

"Well, that's what I thought too!"

"Then it's Grindelwald's mark," Harry revealed.

Hermione stared at him. "What?"

"Krum told me . . ."

Harry then told them the story of how Viktor Krum told him Grindelwald, the Dark wizard Dumbledore defeated, had that symbol. He knew it was Gindelwald's because it had been carved into a wall a Durmstrang, where Grindelwald went to school.

"Grindelwald's mark?" Hermione repeated, looking from Harry to the weird symbol. "I've never heard that Grindelwald had a mark. There's no mention of it in anything I've ever read about him."

"Well, like I say, Krum reckoned that symbol was carved on a wall at Durmstrang, and Grindelwald put it there," Harry told her.

Venus tilted her head. "But why would a symbol of Dark Magic be in a book of children's stories?"

"Yeah, it is weird. And you'd think Scrimgeour would have recognized it. He was Minister, he ought to have been expert on Dark stuff."

"I know . . ." Hermione trailed off. "Perhaps he thought it was an eye, just like I did. All the other stories have little pictures over the titles."

Silence for a moment.

"Star?" Harry voiced. "Hermione?"

"Yeah?" Venus replied.

"I've been thinking. I — I want to go to Godric's Hollow."

Hermione looked up at him. "Yes. Yes, I've been wondering that too. I really think we'll have to."

Harry blinked. "Did you hear me right?"

"Yes, love, we did," Venus said.

Hermione nodded. "You want to go to Godric's Hollow. I agree, I think we should. I mean, I can't think of anywhere else it could be either. It'll be dangerous, but the more I think about it, the more likely it seems it's there."

"Er — what's there?" Harry questioned.

"Well, the sword, Harry! Dumbledore must have known you'd want to go back there, and I mean, Godric's Hollow is Godric Gryffindor's birthplace—"

"Really? Gryffindor came from Godric's Hollow?"

Venus rolled her eyes fondly. "You're helpless."

Harry smiled — a true smile, one that made Venus' heart race. "I'm trying here, darling."

"Well, as the village is named after him I'd have thought you might have made the connection," Hermione revealed. "There's a bit about the village in A History of Magic, wait . . ." She opened the beaded bag and rummaged before extracting their old school textbook, A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot, which she thumbed through until finding the page she wanted. "Upon the signature of the International Statute of Secrecy in 1689, wizards went into hiding for good. It was natural, perhaps, that they formed their own small communities within a community. Many small villages and hamlets attracted several magical families, who banded together for mutual support and protection. The villages of Tinworth in Cornwall, Upper Flagley in Yorkshire, and Ottery St. Catchpole on the south coast of England were notable homes to knots of Wizarding families who lived alongside tolerant and sometimes Confunded Muggles. Most celebrated of these half-magical dwelling places is, perhaps, Godric's Hollow, the West Country village where the great wizard Godric Gryffindor was born, and where Bowman Wright, Wizarding smith, forged the first Golden Snitch. The graveyard is full of the names of ancient magical families, and this accounts, no doubt, for the stories of hauntings that have dogged the little church beside it for many centuries." Hermione closed the book. "You and your parents aren't mentioned because Professor Bagshot doesn't cover anything later than the end of the nineteenth century. But you see? Godric's Hollow, Godric Gryffindor, Gryffindor's sword; don't you think Dumbledore would have expected you to make the connection?"

"Oh yeah . . ." Harry responded.

Venus knew better. Harry wasn't thinking about the sword when he suggested Godric's Hollow. He obviously wanted to visit his parents' graves and the house that he had survived in..

"Remember what Muriel said?" Harry inquired.

"Who?" Hermione asked.

"You know." Harry hesitated, and Venus winced. "Ginny's great-aunt. At the wedding. The one who said you had skinny ankles and didn't like that Venus was America."

"Oh."

"She said Bathilda Bagshot still lives in Godric's Hollow."

"Bathilda Bagshot," Hermione muttered, running her finger over Bathilda's name on the textbook. "Well, I suppose—"

Hermione suddenly gasped dramatically. Venus' eyes widened and she pulled out her wand, expecting an attack. There was nothing.

"Oh my God, Hermione," Venus complained. "Don't do that—"

"Venus, Harry, what if Bathilda's got the sword? What if Dumbledore entrusted it to her?"

She thought about it for a moment. Bathilda would've been very old by now. It was kind of unlikely, but honestly, at this point, they could grasp onto anything.

"Yeah, he might have done!" Harry exclaimed. "So, are we going to go to Godric'sHollow?"

"Yes, but we'll have to think it through carefully, Harry," Hermione told him, sitting up. "We'll need to practice Disapparating together, all three of us, under the Invisibility Cloak for a start, and perhaps Disillusionment Charms would be sensible too, unless you think we should go the whole hog and use Polyjuice Potion? In that case we'll need to collect hair from somebody. I actually think we'd better do that, Harry, the thicker our disguises the better . . ."

Venus glanced over at Harry. She could see excitement spread over his features. He was going to the place where he had had a proper family, where he had grown up in. Her heart warmed. She could tell he needed this — perhaps for closure.

Hermione insisted that they shouldn't go to Godric's Hollow until they had the best disguises possible, convinced that Voldemort would expect Harry to return to the scene where he had murdered his parents. A full week later they had successfully obtained hairs from innocent Muggles who were Christmas shopping and had practiced Apparating and Disapparating while underneath the Invisibility Cloak, that they were ready to make their journey.

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I can't wait to write venus & harry and james & lily's graves 🥺 james & lily would've loved venus