𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 \\ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗷. 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿

𝑋𝐶𝑉𝐼.

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙮-𝙨𝙞𝙭

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

HARRY DESPERATELY NEEDED a haircut. Caroline liked his long hair, but she loved his hair shorter much more, so he allowed her to cut it. It was too shaggy for her liking, and Harry agreed with her. Ron had been wearing the horcrux all day, because Caroline had worn it for three days straight, growing more and more jealous over Hermione and Harry's closeness. Even though nothing had changed, it did in her mind, because of Voldemort. She feared that things were changing between her and Harry, and Caroline couldn't take any more change.

She was his, and he was hers. They were the only ones who could understand each other, they couldn't lose that.

"Have you cut hair before?" Harry asked as Caroline forced him into a chair.

She rolled her eyes. "I do mine all the time." Caroline grabbed the scissors she used to cut her own hair, starting at the front of Harry's head. Her braids were tied back behind her head in a messy knot. They reached her waist, so she didn't always like to have them down.

Once she started, Caroline regretted thinking that she could cut Harry's hair. She hid her grimace as she fixed her many mistakes. Once the front of his head was sharpened up, Caroline sighed under her breath and moved behind Harry. "What did you do?" Harry asked once again in response to Caroline's expressions and sounds.

"Nothing." Caroline said quickly, working on the back of his head.

Hermione was sitting at the table, reading, when she suddenly stopped. "Oh, my God." Hermione blurted out, her voice surprising Caroline into accidentally messing up the back of Harry's head.

"What?" Harry asked instantly, thinking Caroline had ruined his hair.

"I'll tell you in a minute." Hermione spoke.

Harry tried to stand up. "No, stop!" Caroline said quickly, forcing him to be still while she fixed what she had ruined.

"Maybe you could tell me now." Harry stood once Caroline permitted him to, both of them moving to Hermione, who stood above her book.

"The Sword of Gryffindor. It's goblin-made." Hermione said, looking up at Caroline and Harry.

"Brilliant." Harry said, throwing his hands up as if asking why that information was suddenly relevant.

Hermione sighed. "No, you don't understand. Dirt and rust have no effect on the blade." she illuminated.

"It only takes in that which makes it stronger." Caroline said, contributing to a conversation for the first time in many long, lonely weeks.

"Okay?" Harry said while Hermione slid her book over to where he and Caroline could see it. Caroline did a double take, looking in the corner, seeing her brother sitting on her bed, reading from her book of poems. Jacob looked up and waved at her, and when she blinked, he was gone. The horcrux, she knew that's what it was. It was taunting her with her little brother.

Hermione sighed. "Harry, you've already destroyed one horcrux, right? Tom Riddle's diary in the Chamber of Secrets." they moved around the table, Harry holding the book as he stood opposite Hermione, Caroline off to the side.

Harry's eyes widened. "With a Basilisk fang. If you tell me you've got one of those in that bloody, beaded bag of yours..." Harry trailed off.

Caroline sat down. She couldn't help the conversation because she wasn't thinking straight, so she stayed quiet. Hermione sat down across from Caroline. "Don't you see? In the Chamber of Secrets, you stabbed the Basilisk with the sword of Gryffindor to save Carol. Its blade is impregnated with Basilisk venom." Hermione said. Caroline recalled the Chamber of Secrets, how she and Harry would've died from Basilisk venom if it weren't for Fawkes.