Aria Ashborn and the Deathly Hallows (A Harry Potter fanfic)

Chapter 10: The Silver Doe

"Aria, is that really you?" Hermione asked once more, lifting her wand light so that it shone in Aria's eyes. She looked skeptical but hopeful.

"Hermione!" Aria shouted, running to Hermione and flooded with joy, "Hermione! Yes, it's really me! I've been looking for you for months!"

"How are you here?" said Hermione in disbelief as tears formed in both their eyes.

"Long story but I'm happy to tell it!" Aria exclaimed before wrapping her arms around Hermione who hugged her back even tighter. It was as if they had never been parted; as if just yesterday they were getting dressed for the wedding.

"Where's Harry?" Aria asked when they broke apart. Neither of them could keep the smiles from their faces.

"He was keeping watch." Hermione beamed, "I assumed he went to use the bathroom. He'll be so happy you're here. Come in!" Aria followed Hermione eagerly into the yellow tent. It was slightly bigger on the inside. There appeared to be a tiny kitchen, a table, and two sets of bunks. Sticking out from under a pillow on one of the bunks was the mokeskin pouch Aria had given Harry for his birthday. She found her way to it and held it in her hands.

"I didn't even know he brought it with him." Aria said, but Hermione wasn't paying attention but rather starting looking for a cauldron in the kitchen.

"Would you like some mushroom soup?" she asked, "Sorry, it's all we've got."

"Here." said Aria, rummaging in her bag for the loaves of bread and packaged meatloaf Fleur had sent her with.

"Where did you get that?" Hermione's jaw dropped when Aria set the food on the table.

"Bill and Fleur's place." said Aria, taking a seat, "It's where I've been staying for the past few months." Hermione's eyes wandered from the food and towards her feet before she took a seat next to Aria.

"Aria, about what happened after we escaped the ministry..." Hermione began.

"It's alright." Aria said, noticing the guilty look on Hermione's face, "It wasn't your fault. Yaxley and I ended up in this forest--"

"Wait--what forest?"

"Er--the one from the Quidditch World Cup, I think?" Aria replied.

"That's where we apparated to!" Hermione exclaimed, "You and Yaxley couldn't have been far from where the rest of us landed."

"But I couldn't find you." Aria recalled, "I looked for hours."

"Protective enchantments." Hermione replied, "We would've had to find you. But we didn't know you had gotten to the forest and Ron got splinched and--oh! I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright Hermione, really it's alright." Aria giggled, "I'm here now. I can't believe I'm here. But, what's happened to you?"

Hermione's eyes found her shoes again, "Harry and I traveled to Godric's Hollow."

Now it was Aria's turn to exclaim, "Godric's Hollow?! Are you mad? It means something to Harry. That's exactly where You-Know-Who would expect you to go!"

"I know." Hermione said, "It wasn't my first choice."

"Tell me you at least used Polyjuice Potion?"

"We did but it didn't really work." Hermione continued, as light from the morning sun began to shine through the thin fabric of the tent, "We were attacked there."

"What?"

"It was the snake." Hermione explained, "She was disguised as Bathilda Bagshot. We thought she might have the Sword of Gryffindor."