This Bitter Earth

FIVE

Soundtrack- "Sell Your Soul" by Hollywood Undead and "Love and War" by Fleurie

A special thanks to Bree, mysweet_bree on twitter, for keeping me sane between updates and for loving me when I hate myself. She SAVED this chapter by jumping in as alpha/beta at the last moment when I was freaking out so feel free to say thank you to her as well for this one. It would not be here without her.

Content Warning- there is a section with the mention and attempt at cannibalism. If you don't want to read it, it starts with "Let's try this again." Please don't feel like you have to read anything you are not comfortable with or in the mood for. If you want to know what happens in that without having to read it, just message me and I will fill you in on any blanks or answer any questions you have about that. This goes for any section you as a reader may not want to read. You and your mental health and happiness come first.

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FIVE

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It was a quiet night when Harry was on watch outside when Ron approached her.

"Hey."

Hermione closed her book and shifted on the trunk she was perched on and turned towards him. Ron looked uneasy and Hermione bit her lip nervously. She had done her best to spend more time with him lately. His arm was healing and they were able to apparate short distances now, which gave them more free time. Still, being stuck in the tent with both Harry and Ron sometimes felt just as stressful as trekking through the countryside trying to dodge Snatchers and Death Eaters.

They had not made any progress with the horcrux even after spending days trying out different spells, curses, and charms on the locket to try to destroy it, harm it, or even just open it. At one point Harry took a large stick to it, beating it into the fallen leaves. Much to their dismay, nothing worked.

So, Hermione went back to her research, scouring the books for a reference to anything that might remove the protective enchantments, but it was almost as if the magic of the horcrux itself strengthened the spells safeguarding it. Not an inch closer to any solution, she had been about to throw her book across the tent in frustration when Ron sat down next to her.

"I don't think Harry knows what he's doing."

For just a second relief flooded through her. It wasn't about her. It wasn't about Draco.

But it was about Harry. Things had been getting strained among the three of them, being cooped up together with little food, constant travel, and ever increasingly cold weather. Harry and Ron had always gotten on well, even with the stress of Quidditch play offs and end of year exams, but now they barely even spoke. When they did, it was because they both happened to be speaking to her at the same time.

Hermione spent any time not researching trying to keep the peace.

She shifted her legs to the side on the trunk. "Do any of us?"

Ron leaned his elbows on his knees. "I just mean... I thought we'd have gotten further by now."

Hermione looked down at her lap. It seemed the farther they ran, the more she felt stuck. "I know."

Ron sat back up. "It took us a month to plan the Ministry and that was fine because we actually did something. But it's been weeks. Months. You'd think we would have some sort of lead by now."

Harry had shot down every idea she and Ron had about other potential horcruxes. Not that it mattered. None of the books she had brought with her had given any clues on how to destroy the one they already had. And every time she felt like she started to get somewhere, the shining grey eyes would flash and her heart would beat painfully, pushing the messy thoughts further back with each pulse of blood to her brain.