The Deathly Hallows | Hermione Granger x Male Reader (Book Seven)

20. Destruction And Discovery

Time had passed and Harry had recovered from his previous, quite traumatic, incident. His dreams had been plagued by Nagini and he woke up repeatedly, panicking that someone had called out to him in the distance.

One night, when Hermione was on watch, he had just woken up from a dream and decided to join Hermione outside. He suggested to her that they should both move soon as he thought he had heard footsteps and other people nearby. Hermione thought too that it would be a good idea for she thought she had seen someone.

"Maybe it was an illusion but I think it's best we Disapparate under the Cloak for safety measures." she told him.

When the two had packed up everything, they swiftly departed and made their way back to one of the places they had been to already. It seemed like they had gone full circle.

"We're back here." Hermione said to Harry. "The Forest of Dean."

Harry did not question why she had chosen to return here but he had a faint idea. This was where Y/N knew where to find them and perhaps Hermione was holding onto a small fraction of hope that the love of her life would come back to her. Although both were on a 'break' there was no denying that the two were made for each other and ultimately, they would somehow find their way back to each other - that was if nothing got in their way.

Days passed and Harry found himself out, sitting alone and taking watch, giving Hermione the rest that she desperately needed.

In front of him, he saw a source of light, which seemed to be drifting towards him. He took out Hermione's wand and edged closer towards it. As the source of light stepped out from behind a tree, Harry noticed that it was a beautiful silver doe, bright and dazzling, stepping and making its way towards Harry. He stared at it, filled with wonder as he watched this magnificent creature.

As the doe started moving away, Harry followed with urgency and when it came to a halt, Harry produced light from the tip of the wand. He was at a small, frozen pool and as Harry glanced closer into this pool, he noticed something glinting...

The sword.

He tried summoning it at first and racked his brain for ideas on how he could get this sword that was ever so crucial, in the end, he settled onto retrieiving it by hand by jumping into the lake. After removing layers of clothing, he cracked the ice and jumped in, his body screaming at him for jumping into water so cold. As he was swimming towards, the Horcrux at this next started strangling him, constricting his windpipe.

Harry splashed and splashed, trying to make his way back to the surface as his lungs begged for air but the Horcrux was not cooperating. Just before he thought he was going to pass out, a pair of arms pulled him out of the ice-cold lake.

"Are you bloody mental?"

Harry looked around to see who had saved him from the inpending doom. He looked at the familiar figure, holding the Horcrux in one hand and the sword in the other. It was none other than Ronald Weasley.

"It-it was you?" Harry asked. "The doe?"

Ron shook his head. "I thought it was you."

After some small talk, they both addressed what they had to do.

"You have to do it," Harry told Ron, "you're the one who took it out from the lake."

Ron had an uneasy grimace as Harry prepared to open the locket...immediately a voice hissed out from the Horcrux.

"I have seen your heart....and it's mine."

"Don't listen to it! Stab it!" Harry urged.

"Ronald Weasley, I have seen your dreams and I have seen your fears. Least loved by your mother...least appreciated of all your friends, hiding always under the shadow of the great Harry Potter and Y/N L/N."