▌𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐲-𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 ━︎━︎ 𝐓𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐨 ▌

━︎━︎━︎━︎𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐏𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓 𝐔𝐏 from the ground, taking a moment to look around. They were in the middle of the forest, she was quite sure exactly where they were, but all Juniper could hope was that they were safe. She turned her head and spotted Ron laying on the ground with Hermione kneeling over him, trying to quiet his cries of pain. Juniper ran over to them, a gasp leaving her lips when she saw Ron's arm.

"What happened?" Juniper said, quickly kneeling down beside of her friend.

Hermione looked at her before looking at Harry as he approached. "Harry! Harry, quickly, my in my bag. There's a bottle labeled 'Essence of Dittany'." Hermione got Ron's shirt off and Juniper helped her, holding Ron's hand tightly. "Quickly!"

Harry rummaged through the bag before pulling out his wand. "Accio dittany!" The bottle shot out of the bag and Harry grabbed it before running over to them.

"Unstopper it." Hermione ordered.

"Hermione, his arm." Harry breathed.

"I know! Just do it!" Harry did as she asked, kneeling down beside Juniper and handing Hermione the dropper. "Okay, it's gonna―︎it's gonna sting a little bit." She began placing drops of the medicine all over Ron's badly injured arm.

"What happened?" Harry asked. "I thought we were meant to be going back to Grimmauld Place."

"We were. We were." Hermione explained, her voice shaking as panic and fear took over her. "It's alright. One more. One more." Hermione tried her best to calm Ron down. "We were there. We were there. But. . . Yaxley had hold of me and I. . . I knew once he'd seen where we were we c―︎we couldn't stay, so I brought us here, but Ron got splinched."

Ron's grunts and groans slowly began to quiet as Juniper ran a hand over his hair, looking at her friend with worry. She looked around. They weren't safe out in the open like this. Squeezing Ron's hand once more, Juniper stood and grabbed her wand. She crossed the wand like an x as she chanted, "Protego totalum. Salvio hexia."

Harry looked at her. "What are you doing?"

Juniper kept her focus as she replied, "Protective enchantments. I don't fancy another visit like the one we had in Shaftesbury Avenue, do you?" She moved to another spot, repeating the spell.

"Get started on the tent." Hermione told him.

"Tent?" Harry asked. "Where am I supposed to find a tent?" Hermione nodded towards her bag.

Juniper set up multiple protective enchantments, and when she was satisfied and sure no one would find them, she lowered her wand. It grew dark outside and Juniper sat in the tent that had been magically enlarged on the inside. Ron was sleeping, his arm wrapped in a make shift sling. Juniper, Hermione, and Harry were all sitting at the table. They had all changed out of their clothes they'd taken from the other people, now in more comfortable wear. Juniper was staring at the journal that had been gifted to her, trying to figure out how to open it.

"So, where do we go next?" Hermione asked.

"Well, Dumbledore had a theory that the horcruxes wouldn't be made out of random objects." Harry explained. "And they wouldn't be hidden randomly, either. We know of three so far―︎uh, the ring, which, according to Dumbledore, belonged to Tom's grandfather, the diary, which obviously belonged to Tom himself, and then this, which, again, according to Dumbledore, belonged to Tom's mother."

"Scares me a bit, though." Hermione admitted. "Thinking it's a piece―︎"

"No, don't." Ron interrupted, causing the three to look at him. "Don't say it." He began to sit up and Hermione stood and moved over to him. "'Cause it―︎it's taboo, you-know-who's name. That's how they track people now."

"How do you know that?" Harry asked.

"I overheard some bloke at the Ministry talking about it."

Hermione sat beside him. "Tea?" Ron nodded and she stood, moving to fix him a cup.

"Is that it?" Ron asked, looking at the horcrux that was sitting on the table.

Harry grabbed the locket and walked over to him. "Yep." He handed it to Ron who took it. He placed it on the small side table as Hermione handed him a cup of tea. "I know. I felt that, too―︎it ticking or something. Like it's got a heart."

"Like it's alive," Ron added.

"I hate it." Hermione softly said. "It's like he's here with us."

"In a way, he is." Juniper commented, taking a sip of her tea.

"And that's why we're gonna kill it." Harry told them.

Juniper looked at him before standing up, grabbing the locket and holding it by it's chain. She could feel it, the life that lived inside the locket. She brought her other hand up, grasping the locket itself. She felt the thrum of dark magic echo between her fingers making her jerk away. "I have to say, I don't think it's going to be easy."

Hermione frowned. "What do you mean?"

Juniper kept her eyes on the locket. "It's. . . well, not only is it alive, it's a part of you-know-who himself. This locket is radiating with dark magic, an alarming amount of it. It almost pains me to even touch it. Dark magic in itself is hard to destroy, add his soul to the mix, it's not going to be simple like you want it to be." She sat the locket down, looking at Harry.

"Well, we have to try."

"It's worth a shot, but I don't think you're going to be happy with the results."

The next morning, the four of them stood outside. The locket was placed on the ground a few feet in front of them. Hermione looked at Harry. "You first."

Harry raised his wand. "Dissendium!" He hit the locket and it bounced, but remained unharmed. They walked to the locket.

Hermione raised her wand next. "Incendio!" The locket caught on fire, but once again it remained untouched.

Juniper raised her wand. "Expulso!" The locket bounced again, still in tact.

Harry moved forwards. "Diffindo!" Nothing. "Reducto!" Nothing. By then, Harry was getting frustrated and keep shooting silent spells towards the locket and despite his best efforts, nothing happened. Harry finally picked the locket it up, placing it over his head.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked.

"We have to keep it safe until we find out how to destroy it," Harry said.

"Seems strange, mate." Ron spoke up. "Dumbledore sends you off to find all these horcruxes but doesn't tell you how to destroy them. Doesn't that bother you?"

Juniper crossed her arms over her chest. "He's got a point." Harry looked between the two of them before turning and walking away. Juniper sighed before looking at Ron. "Come on." The two of them walked back into the tent, Ron allowing Juniper to tend to his wounds. Ron reached over with his free hand, turning his small radio on that was reporting the news of muggles and wizards alike who were either missing or killed.

Juniper rewrapped his arm before giving him a small smile and standing up, removing herself from the tent and walking outside where Harry was sitting. Hermione approached him at the same time as Juniper. Hermione looked at Harry. "I thought it had stopped." Immediately, Juniper became alarmed, looking at Harry with a deep frown. "You can't keep letting him in, Harry." She lowered herself to the ground in front of him as Juniper walked over to her.

"You-know-who has found Gregorovitch." Harry told them.

"The wandmaker?" Juniper asked, taking a seat beside Hermione.

"He w-wants something that Gregorovitch used to have, but I don't know what. But he w-wants it desperately. I mean," he took a deep breath, "it's as if his life depends on it. Despite recent setbacks, there was reason to. . . " He cut himself off, snapping his head towards the tent where they could hear Ron's radio playing.

"Don't." Hermione stopped him. "It comforts him."

"It sets my teeth on edge." Harry bit back. "What's he expecting to hear, good news?"

"I think he's just hopes he doesn't hear bad news."

Harry stood, looking at Juniper. "How long before he can travel?"

Juniper shook her head. "It's going to be a few days." Harry turned his head away in aggravation. "Harry, Hermione and I are doing everything we can."

"You're not doing enough!" Harry snapped and Juniper visibly recoiled at his tone of voice. He'd never yelled at her like that, well, not since what had happened in third year. Normally, Juniper would snap back, but instead she fell quiet.

He started to walk away and Hermione immediately stood. "Take it off." Harry paused, turning to look at her. "I said take it off now." Harry did as she asked, taking the locket off and handing it to her. "Better?"

"Loads." Harry nodded.

"We'll take it in turns, okay?" Hermione said before placing it around her neck and walking over to Juniper. She held out her hands and Juniper looked up at her before grabbing them, allowing Hermione to pull her up.

"June," Harry called. Juniper stopped, turning to look at him. "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't you talking." Juniper softly said, shrugging her shoulders. "Like she said, we'll take it in turns."

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

━︎━︎━︎━︎𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐀𝐍𝐃 Juniper sat on her bed, staring down at the journal with a small frown. She'd tried multiple times to get it open, but nothing worked. She sighed, tossing it aside before standing up and walking out of the tent. She spotted Hermione sitting by herself and Juniper approached her, taking a seat beside her.

Hermione leaned her head on Juniper's shoulder, grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers. "It's going to be a rough couple of months."

Juniper nodded. "You're telling me."

Hermione looked at her and Juniper gave her a small smile, accepting the soft kiss Hermione gave her. "I love you, Jay."

Juniper squeezed her hand a little tighter. "I love you too, 'Mione." She turned her head, the feeling of someone approaching taking over her senses. She stood and Hermione followed suit. The two of them walked through the forest, coming to a stop right in front of the barrier Juniper had created. The sound of rustling made them both pause.

A group of three men were headed straight towards them, one of them were holding a dead body in their hands. Neither of them moved a muscle, watching as they walked by before suddenly one of the men stopped. "What's that?" One of them asked, walking back towards them and coming to a stop right in front of the two girls. "What's that smell?" He stood there, practically inches from their faces. He turned his head when the man holding the body dropped it to the ground. "What are you doing?"

The man answered, "It's heavy."

"Oh, sorry. Do you want me to carry it?" He walked back over to the other two, continuing the conversation.

Hermione and Juniper released their breath which they had both been holding. "Snatchers," Harry said, coming up behind them. He looked at Juniper. "Good to know your enchantments work."

"He could smell it―︎my perfume." Hermione whispered.

Juniper squeezed her hand which she had never dropped and the three of them made their way back to the tent with Harry explaining that they needed to move. Juniper sighed. "I've told you that he's not strong enough to apparate."

"Well, then. . . we'll go on foot." Harry said. "And next time, Hermione, as much as I like your perfume, just don't wear any."

"Lesson learned." Juniper muttered. "Let's get some rest. We'll head out in the morning." Harry and Hermione both agreed before they entered the tent and all went to their respective beds to try and get some much needed rest.