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RONS BACK!!!!

"Harry," Hermione whispered. "Do you feel all - all right?"

"Yes," he lied.

He was in the tent, lying on one of the lower bunks beneath a heap of blankets. He could tell that it was almost dawn by the stillness and quality of the cold, flat light beyond the canvas ceiling. He was drenched in sweat; he could feel it on the sheets and blankets.

"We got away."

"Yes," said Hermione. "I had to use a Hover Charm to get you into your bunk. I couldn't lift you. You've been ... Well, you haven't been quite ..."

Hermione shuddered and Ron rubbed her arm.

There were purple shadows under her brown eyes and he noticed a small sponge in her hand: She had been wiping his face. "You've been ill," she finished. "Quite ill."

"How long ago did we leave?"

"Hours ago. It's nearly morning."

"And I've been... what, unconscious?"

"Not exactly," said Hermione uncomfortably. "You've been shouting and moaning and ... things," she added in a tone that made Harry feel uneasy.

"I couldn't get the Horcrux off you," Hermione said, and he knew she wanted to change the subject. "It was stuck, stuck to your chest. You've got a mark; I'm sorry, I had to use a Severing Charm to get it away. The snake bit you too, but I've cleaned the wound and put some dittany on it ...

He pulled the sweaty T-shirt he was wearing away from himself and looked down. There was a scarlet oval over his heart where the locket had burned him. He could also see the half healed puncture marks to his forearm.

Ginny sighed,  " must you always get hurt harry?" Harry smiled at her weakly before noticing how pale Hermione was. Ginny noticed to. "Are you alright Hermione" harry whispered.
"It was just scary seeing you like that, I - I thought you weren't going to get better" she sniffed. Ron pulled her into him and harry took her hand.

"Where've you put the Horcrux?"

"In my bag. I think we should keep it off for a while."

"I zink you should keep it off forever," Fleur muttered. Bill nodded beside her.

He lay back on his pillows and looked into her pinched gray face.

"We shouldn't have gone to Godric's Hollow. It's my fault, it's all my fault. Hermione, I'm sorry."

"It's not you fault. I wanted to go too; I really thought Dumbledore might have left the sword there for you."

"Yeah, well ... we got that wrong, didn't we?"

"What happened, Harry? What happened when she took you upstairs?

"I shouldn't have asked," Hermione shivered violently.

Was the snake hiding somewhere? Did it just come out and kill her and attack you?"

"No." he said. "She was the snake ... or the snake was her ... all along."

"W-what?"

He closed his eyes. He could still smell Bathilda's house on him; it made the whole thing horribly vivid.

Lily whimpered.

"Bathilda must've been dead a while. The snake was... was inside her. You-Know-Who put it there in Godric's Hollow, to wait. You were right. He knew I'd go back."