One Last Try [HP Jamione fanfic]

55. Come Back... Be Here

17th October 1979

Hermione and Severus appeared next to each other in front of the old Gaunt shack. From what Hermione could see in their wand light, it looked just like Harry had described it to her from the memory Professor Dumbledore had shown him. Surrounded by tall trees, the light and view of the beautiful valley below were nearly completely blocked out. The walls were mossy and the roof had all but collapsed in on itself, the tiles having fallen to expose half-rotted rafters. The small cottage – if it could be called that – was surrounded by nettles so tall the tips reached the tiny, grime covered windows.

"This place is disgusting." Severus said with a sneer.

Hermione nodded and shivered, the feeling coming off the shack was similar to the one that had hit her upon entering the cave months before. "Let's get in and out as quickly as possible." She followed Severus as he stepped cautiously towards the shack, both with their wands drawn and raised in preparation for anything that could happen.

"There are powerful wards around the shack." He said when he got close enough and a sharp crackle curved through the seemingly clear air in front of them.

"Can we take them down, do you think?" While she knew quite a bit about magical wards, Severus was more of an expert than she was, and had always been inherently good with that kind of magic.

Severus nodded curtly, and they managed to dismantle the cruel wards in about half an hour, and Hermione nearly collapsed from sudden magical exhaustion once they were done.

Severus sighed, and held out a potion, "You should be more prepared." He scolded, pressing the vial into her hand when she didn't immediately take it. "It's a pepper-up."

"Thanks, Severus."

"Don't mention it." Hermione scoffed at the response, knowing he really meant it. "Come." He carried on, stepping through the nettles, his dark robes swirling after him as he strode forward and catching on the overgrown plants.

Hermione followed after him at a more sedate pace, "Remember, don't touch anything." They'd met up with Regulus in September before Benjy Fenwick's attack to plan their next steps, and she had explained about the curse on both the ring and the box it was contained in.

"Yes, thank you. I am not an imbecile." Severus sneered and used his wand to open the rotten wooden door. Hermione pulled a face at the dead snake pinned to the wood, and when Severus turned she saw the same expression on his face. "You said this was the Gaunt's? This is where Slytherin's descendants lived?"

"Yea." Severus hummed in disgust as they stepped over the threshold together, both cautious and careful. "There should be a loose floorboard somewhere, that's where the box is hidden."

The two of them headed in opposite directions to explore the small rooms that made up the shack. Inside was somehow worse than outside, rotted wood and tiles fallen from the roof littered the floor, and there was a thick layer of dust covering everything. Every surface in the shack was covered in filthy, tarnished metal pots and food so long gone off that it barely resembled anything anymore.

Hermione stepped carefully on every floorboard, searching as quickly as she could for the one that would move and reveal a compartment hidden beneath. It was Severus that eventually found it, calling out to her as she heard him lifting the floorboard up.

"Wait!" She called, picking her way across the house towards him as quickly as she could whilst also trying to avoid stepping on anything questionable. "Don't open it yet!" She got close to him just as started to reach his hand down into the hole, clearly fully focused on the bright golden box shining from within. "Severus, stop!" He ignored her, or didn't hear her, something about the curse she knew was on the ring and box preventing him. She swore beneath her breath, and before he could touch the box, she hit him with a strong stinging hex.