Sophia Holmes and the Search for Horcruxes (Harry Potter Fanfic) *Completed*

Chapter Twelve

I head out a bit later and find some mushrooms to go with the rabbit - a different variety to the ones I'd found the other week so hopefully they'll taste a bit better.

After throwing them in the pan, I change into one of Hermione's warmer outfits and sit by a small jar of fire that she's set on the table with a copy of A History of Magic. As we wait for dinner to cook, Ron lies gloomily looking up at the ceiling from his bed while Hermione trims Harry's hair with her wand beside me.

As I reach a section on the background of the Goblin wars, a phrase catches my eye which makes everything click.

"Oh my god..." I say, rereading it to make sure. Hermione stops and leans over, her eyes widening as she sees my expression.

"What?" Harry says alarmed.

"I’ll tell you in a minute," I say, absent-mindedly as I check another book beside me to confirm my theory.

"Maybe you could tell me now?" Harry says and I realise that he's probably concerned Hermione has savaged the back of his hair.

"The Sword of Gryffindor?" I say, remembering what he'd told me about his gift from Dumbledore. "It’s Goblin made."

"Brilliant," Harry says, but his tone is clueless.

"You don’t understand," I say and look back to the quote from the book. "'Dirt and rust have no effect on the blade. It only takes in that which makes it stronger',"

"O-kay," Harry still says, still not understanding but Hermione meets my eye in realisation.

"Harry," I say, recalling what he'd said about the other Horcrux - the one he'd already destroyed, "you already destroyed one Horcrux, right? Tom Riddle’s diary - in the Chamber of Secrets."

"With a basilisk fang," Harry nods and turns to Hermione. "If you tell me you’ve got one of those in that bloody beaded bag of yours -"

"Don’t you see!" Hermione says, looking back at him excitedly. "In the Chamber of Secrets, you stabbed the basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor. Its blade is impregnated with basilisk venom."

"It only takes in that which makes it stronger..." Harry repeats.

"Exactly!" I says. "Which means..."

"... it can destroy Horcruxes," Harry finishes.

I nod. "Which is why Dumbledore left it to you in his will."

"You’re brilliant, Sophie. Truly."

I shake my head with a proud grin. "Actually, I’m highly logical, which allows me to look past the extraneous detail and perceive clearly that which others overlook."

"There’s only one problem..." Harry says, but suddenly the lights click off.

"The sword was stolen," Ron says, turning the lights back on with a small tin which looks like a cigarette lighter. He stands in front of us, looking sour. "Yeah, I’m still here. But you three carry on. Don’t let me spoil your fun."

I look over at him, studying him carefully. Is he jealous of me?

"What’s the problem?" Harry asks, calmly.

"Problem?" Ron repeats. "There’s no problem. Not according to you, anyway."

Rain begins to strike the top of the tent, echoing the mood in perfect pathetic fallacy.

"Look, don’t be shy," Harry says, his words getting sharper. "If you’ve got something to say, spit it out."

He moves into the light a bit more, the locket around his neck glinting in the firelight.

"All right," he says. "I’ll spit it out. Don’t expect me to skip up and down because now there’s some other damn thing we’ve got to find."

"Ron..." Hermione says quietly, but Harry talks over her. I watch them closely - Harry's temper towards Ron has been shortening daily.

"I thought you knew what you signed up for."

"Yeah, I thought I did too."

"I don’t understand," Harry says. "What part of this isn’t living up to your expectations? Did you think we’d be staying in five-star hotels? Finding a Horcrux every other day? Did you think you’d be back to Mummy by Christmas?"

"No, I just reckoned after all this time, we’d have actually achieved something," he shouts. "I reckoned you knew what you were doing. I reckoned Dumbledore had told you something worthwhile! I reckoned you had a plan!"

"I’ve told you everything Dumbledore told me!" Harry snaps. "And in case you haven’t noticed, we’ve found a Horcrux!"

"Yeah, and we’re about as near getting rid of it as we are to finding the rest of them, aren’t we!"

"Take it off, Ron," Hermione pleads. "Please take it off. You wouldn’t be talking like this if you hadn’t been wearing it all day -"

"Yeah, he would," Harry says, rounding on Hermione. "D’you think I haven’t noticed the two of you whispering behind my back? D’you think I haven’t guessed what you were thinking?"

"Harry, we weren’t -" Hermione protests but Ron drags her into it.

"Don’t lie! You said it, too, you said you were disappointed -"

"I didn’t," Hermione cries. "Not like that! Harry - I didn’t!"

"Do you know why I listen to that radio, every night?" Ron asks Harry. "Do you?! To make sure I don’t hear Ginny’s name or Fred or George or Mum or -"

"You think I don’t listen?!" Harry argues. "You think I don’t know what it’s like -"

"NO!" Ron shouts, snapping. "YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE! YOUR PARENTS ARE DEAD! YOU HAVE NO FAMILY!"

Dead silence follows as Harry glares at Ron, measuring him up. Suddenly, Harry's patience with Ron breaks and they both rush forward and lock on each other’s throats.

"Stop!" I shout, rushing in and pulling them apart roughly. "Stop!" I glare at both of them as they retreat. Harry points to Ron's neck.

"Go then," Harry says, deadly calm. "But leave that."

Hermione's eyes flash with panic and I glance between them. He won't do it, will he? But Ron strips the chain from his neck and casts it away before turning to Hermione.

"And you?"

"Me?" Hermione asks, suprised.

"Are you staying? Or coming?" Hermione looks anguished, glancing from one to the other. Ron takes her silence as a no. "Fine. I get it. I saw you two the other night." Harry and Hermione exchange a shocked glance. "Yeah, that’s right. Didn’t know I knew, did you?"

"What?" Hermione cries. "Ron, no - please -"

"And you," he says, turning and pointing at me. "Everything was fine until you got involved." He looks back at Harry and Hermione. "It's clear you lot don't need me anymore." He whips aside the tent flap and the rain outside roars. As Hermione rushes after him, she tips over the radio and making it hiss. Seconds later, there's a crack as Ron disapparates and Hermione returns, her sopping hair plastered to her face.

"He’s gone."