enchantement - SOULBOUND I̲̅ || SS/HG ✔️

11. 'Love is blind'

The Room of Requirements, the place were everything you desired would appear before you as an illusion. Yet although Hermione felt the need to see her husband again, with his memories of the time they shared together, she needed to find Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem.

Closing her eyes, standing in front of a tall imposing tapestry, Hermione asked for the room to appear for her in the search for the Horcrux.

She smiled once she noticed a discrete door appearing on her right. Once she walked inside, she was welcomed with a multitude of objects, making the task far more complicated than she thought. Harry had gotten it, and unfortunately, in the moment he hadn't told her where he found it.

Hermione tried to think about what Ginny had told her, about the Room of Requirements.

"Those that search for something will never find it, but if you don't, you will. It's quite strange really, but if you empty your mind from any desires, your steps will guide you to what you're searching for."

Cracking her knuckles, in the hopes that it will calm her down, she started chanting. Hermione closed her eyes and let her mind empty itself from any polluting emotions, visions, imageries or desires she thought about. Nothingness.

"This is bollox!" She screamed as she opened her eyes, realising how ridiculous she was to listen to someone who wasn't a well-known book.

Looking around, she noticed the scenery was different. She was no longer next to a scary-looking plant but by a table, full of different small reliques. She opened the drawers, realising that it had in fact worked.

The Gryffindor knocked on the door of the Headmaster's office, excited to show him of her discovery. It was easy, way to simple. Hermione remembered the discussion she had overheard a few nights ago. Someone was after her and she needed to tell Dumbledore.

Once she entered his office, noticing it was vacant, she walked towards the portrait he had used to hide the Polyjuice Potion and lifted the lady with the baby.

"What are you doing young lady!" Mumbled harshly the woman, rocking her child in her arms, "place me back or else I will inform Albus."

"Don't worry, I just need to enlarge this hiding place. I was the girl from this morning."

Her answer seemed to satisfy the woman as her focus went back to her child.

Hermione pointed her wand and enlarged the dent, knowing it needed to be big enough to fit as many Horcruxes as possible. "It's not enough," she thought as she analysed her work. It needed more protection, in case someone were to find it. With another wave of her wand, she created a muggle safe yet enchanted it for only the real Dumbledore and Hermione to access.

Ripping her black cloak, she wrapped the Diadem and placed it on the wall, before grabbing the diary and Ring - hiding in his desk's drawers.

"Ms Granger?" She heard Dumbledore's voice from behind her.

She winced, nearly making the portrait - which she was placing back on the wall - fall on the ground. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to startle you. What are you doing dear?" He asked, strolling towards her.

Once securely placed, Hermione pushed the portrait aside to reveal her work. "I thought we would need a place to hide the Horcruxes. I overheard a strange discussion at the beginning of this week, and if I'm being honest, it frightened me. I'm not quite sure what they were talking about, but the likelihood it was about me is relatively high."

"You did well Ms Granger, I was planning on doing something similar myself." He congratulated, placing the locket inside the other Horcruxes. "It's too easy Professor" she whispered as if someone could hear them, "they are supposed to be religiously well hidden, yet we found two in one day!"

"Miss Granger, one of the reason all of this is simple is because of your experience with them and your knowledge. It would have been far more complicated if we didn't know what they were in the first place."

Scratching her head, Hermione was extremely exhausted. Searching for Ravenclaw's Diadem was far more tiring than she anticipated. "We now need to focus on the ring and a way to access Bellatrix's vault." She flinched as she remembered what had happened at Malfoy Manor. She could hear her screaming in her ear while he teeth ate her skin, carving 'mudblood' on her forearm.

"I will send an owl to Rufus tomorrow morning to meet him for an afternoon tea." Stated Dumbledore, walking towards his Phoenix and feeding him some biscuits, "like his Master, you like muggle biscuits don't you Fawkes?"

Hermione beamed, discerning that although Harry had told her everything he shared with Dumbledore during his years at Hogwarts, she never felt the connection he had with him. "I will be thinking of ways to obtain the cup, I will owl you when I do."

"Miss Granger?" Called the Headmaster as she reached for the door, "don't forget what I told you dear, 'love is blind'".