Dead but not gone

Chapter 1

Ron PoV

"Ron where's harry?" Seamus asked one late September morning.

It was a Sunday so students weren't required to be out of bed early for classes. Therefore it wasn't until about 10:35 that morning that the group of boys discovered Harry's absence.
They were used to harry not being around.

Sometimes he was in Headmistress McGonagall's office talking to the late albus Dumbledore's portrait. Most of the time they would be discussing possible locations of new horcruxes well not new but undiscovered.

Harry was almost certain that there was one hidden in the castle but they didn't know what it could be.

He had already destroyed Helga hufflepuffs goblet, he never actually told us how he got into gringotts bank, I'm surprised he came back here alive to be honest. I heard that they have a dragon guarding some of the lower vaults; it's probably not true though.

When he wasn't out trying to find horcruxes or talking to professor Dumbledore's portrait he liked to just wander the grounds. He had become accustomed to solidarity over the summer so he wasn't in the common room as much as he used to be he still came up after dinner but he was always a bit quieter than everyone else.

Hermione was getting worried about him saying that he could be dropping back into old habits .

He never did get rid of that blood quill.
I told her not to be so worried he seemed happy. Well as happy as someone could be after all that had happened to him I would list it all but I don't want to make this too long Hermione wants to write the next chapter.

I hadn't been too worried when I had noticed he was gone until I spotted the marauders map on his bedside table. He didn't normally leave without it but maybe he had just forgotten it. I sat convincing myself of this while the others got up and got dressed.

"Fucks sake whys it so cold?!" Seamus complained

"Harry's window is open." Neville pointed out blearily

"Why the bloody hell is that?" Seamus said loudly

"How the hell would I know?" I answered

"FOR FUCKS SAKE SOMEONE JUST SHUT THE BLOODY WINDOW!" Dean roared making us all jump

I walked over to shut it before realising something peculiar.

"Umm guys isn't this the window that Fred and George glued shut a couple years back?"

"if it screams while your shutting it then yes." Neville answered

As I pulled the window shut it emitted a piercing shriek causing everyone to cringe.
"How did Harry get that window open cause it sure as hell wasnay one ay us." Seamus asked confused.

"I have no idea." I replied

" It was really cold last night maybe the glue was frozen and it just cracked?" Neville questioned

"no they used a sticking charm the cold wouldn't have affected the window." I answered

"I have no idea then." Neville shrugged

Dean came over to check the window out because he was pretty good with charms.
After a few minutes he came back over and said
"it looks like it was opened from the outside." Dean answered

"Do you know what spell was used?"I asked

"No?" dean answered looking confused

I realised that some of the magic I knew was probably a bit more advanced than they knew purely because I had been out of school with Harry and he had told us a few more spells over the last few months.

I wandered over to the window and cast Prior Incantato.

"It says alohamora but they must have been a pretty powerful caster because Fred and George used the same charm on themselves to stick themselves together and they had to go to saint mungos." I stated mildly confused.

"well Harry is pretty powerful, he is 'the chosen one'" dean exclaimed sarcastically causing us all to laugh.

"yeah I guess so." I nodded "wait on me before going down to the great hall I need to get dressed."

"sure but be quick I want food." Neville answered

I nodded running into the bathroom I jumped into the shower before shoving my jeans and a tshirt on.

I was just about to leave when I spotted something peculiar on the countertop next to the sink.

"Can one of you put that in Harry's trunk?!" I shouted chucking the quill across the room.

Dean caught it saying "how are you sure its Harrys?"

"Well do any of you own a blood quill?" I asked losing my patience

"bloody hell why does harry have a blood quill?" Neville asked

"Yeah that'll be stained with dark magic?" Dean said unsurely sliding the quill into Harry's trunk

"He has a few dark objects purely for practice purposes but that looks like the quill professor umbridge used for his detentions." I said shrugging

"Why does he keep it and why was it out then?" Seamus asked concerned

"I have absolutely no Idea Seamus. But he'll have his reasons." I continued as we were about to make our way down the stairs.

"We..."I think dean had been going to say something but he was interrupted by a scream followed by a loud thud. "that sounded like Hermione..."

That was the last thing I heard before I ran down the stairs to find out what had happened.
The first thing I spotted was Hermione on the floor in tears.

But that wasn't what would cause my knees to buckle, what I would see every time I closed my eyes for months to come.

That wasn't what caused me to cling to the limp body of best friend and refuse to let go hours later.