𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬 | l. lovegood

xli

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐍. Harry's wand had snapped when a curse that Hermione casted in Godric's Hollow rebounded. Dorothea had tried to see if she could somehow mend it with her powers, but the two halves only tapped against each other with sparks flying from the broken ends.

Hermione, Luna, and Dorothea were inside having breakfast when voices were heard from outside the next morning. They went to go see who it was, and they were met with the smiling face of Ron Weasley.

"Hey," Ron greeted them, chuckling.

"You might want to run, Ron," Luna said softly as Hermione strutted forward.

"You—" Hermione grabbed his bag off his shoulders, "complete—" she shoved him, "ass, Ronald Weasley!" She threw a handful of leaves at him. "You show up here after weeks—" she hit him in the legs with his bag, "and you say 'hey'?"

Dorothea and Luna exchanged a glance. There was a sparkle of amusement in the brunette's eyes. Ron completely had what was coming to him after he had just left like that. If it had been her, Luna, and Neville in this situation and Neville had taken off like that, she would've had a similar reaction to his return.

"Where's my wand, Harry?" Hermione demanded, rounding on the boy. "Where's my wand?" she asked again as she stormed up to him.

"I-I don't know," Harry lied as he tucked Hermione's wand into his back pocket.

"Harry Potter, you give me my wand!"

"I don't have it!"

"How come he's got your wand?" Ron asked as Dorothea used her powers to manipulate the wand out of Harry's pocket. It flew to her hand, and she rushed to give it to Hermione.

"Never mind why he's got my wand!" Hermione snapped at him. She took the wand from Dorothea and sent her a small, thankful smile. She walked towards Ron again, noticing the things he was holding – the Horcrux and a sword. "What is that?"

Ron lifted up the Horcrux, which had been destroyed.

"You destroyed it...And how is it that you just happen to have the Sword of Gryffindor?"

"It's a long story," Harry replied.

Hermione shook her head as she glared at Ron. "Don't think this changes anything." She turned, grabbing onto Luna and Dorothea's arms as she started to lead them back to the tent.

"Oh, of course not." Ron scoffed. "I only just destroyed a bloody Horcrux! Why would that change anything?"

Luna took Dorothea's hand and brought her inside so that the older teens could talk. When they came back inside, Ron put the sword into Dorothea's bag for safe keeping.

"Luna," Hermione said as she sat down next to the blonde, "when we were in Godric's Hollow, you said something about the Tale of Three Brothers." Luna nodded. "I have it in here." Hermione opened up the children's book she had been reading from. She turned to Ron and Harry, who were just standing there. "Well, sit down," she snapped irritably at them, and they did so. She opened up the book and began to read.

"There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight—"

"Midnight," Ron corrected. "Mum always said 'midnight'."

Hermione shot him a piercing glare. Dorothea mumbled, "You're just digging yourself into a deeper hole, Ron."

"Twilight's fine," he said apologetically. "Better, actually."