A Young Wizard's Journey - The Lost Tomb

Phlegm Delacreme

Y/N didn't quite know how to return to Hermione, so he didn't at first. He spent a few minutes downstairs, simply pacing, trying to get his head back into a mindset where he could mask any concern until the lights were out.

He was so used to telling her everything that the idea of not telling her something this important was almost laughable.

And yet, that was the situation he found himself in.

He could at the very least tell her Maria's theory on Snow. His departure from the school to search the tomb would be obvious to anyone, never mind her. And maybe he could play it off as that was all. Even though part of him had believed it for a while too. And so had Ginny.

He remembered back on her words when he had returned from defeating Snow.

'I mean, he spoke all the time as if he knew everything that was going on, and now we find out it was all just a ruse?'

Bluff? Double? Triple? He could be here forever if he kept going over it, much as he'd said to Maria.

Putting on his best "things are bad but not that bad" face, he made his steady ascent up the stairs.

Minerva was out for the evening, no doubt sorting things in preparation for the following year at Hogwarts. But Y/N found his bedroom door closed as he reached the top of the stairs and pushed it open to reveal his bushy-haired girlfriend.

She was already changed out of her dress, simply in her pyjamas, lying on his bed, a book propped open against her legs. She snapped it shut as he entered, however, and tapped the spot next to her, beaming.

'Hang on,' said Y/N with a small laugh, reaching up and beginning to unbutton his robes.

He changed as quickly as he could and then slipped onto the bed alongside her, Hermione immediately draped herself over him, pulling herself tightly in against his chest and gave a contented sigh.

'How'd it go?' she asked, after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

'Alright,' said Y/N. 'She wants to come with me to go and search the tomb.'

'The tomb?' asked Hermione.

'Oh, right! I forgot to tell you.' And he recounted Dumbledore's task for him, avoiding the mention of the Horcruxes. By the end of it, Hermione didn't seem to know whether she wanted to look excited or worried.

'I mean, it's an amazing opportunity, think about what could possibly be down there! But if Snow really has set a trap... it's a lot of risk for just maybes.'

'It is and it isn't,' said Y/N fairly. 'If he hasn't trapped the place, there will be nothing down there. It's either going to be risky or it isn't. And I'm the only one who can absolutely defeat Snow because I'm the only one who can see through his illusions. If it was just Mum, she may fall victim to him as she did before.'

'Ginny said much the same as Maria,' said Hermione. 'After you beat Snow...'

'Yeah, I remembered that,' said Y/N. 'She's got one hell of a brain on her, we really have been a bad influence.'

'She's got good instincts,' nodded Hermione 'I'm glad she's on our side.'

The two of them chatted for a while longer, throwing ideas back and forth but none seemed to stick. There were just too many unknowns, and Y/N was beginning to get an itch that he knew he could only scratch by going to the tomb.

However, Dumbledore had stated during the school year. He no doubt wanted Y/N to remain on call should the Order have need of him, and whilst Dumbledore himself wasn't the first to grant his next job to Y/N, it was an Order member.