Call Me Vengeful

Ticking Lockets and an Irritating Dumbledore

Chapter Fourteen: Ticking Lockets and an Irritating Dumbledore

***Embry's POV***

"How're the mushrooms? Seem to be the only edible things growing round here." Hermione commented as she poured us all some tea that night. I smirked as I saw Harry grimace as he chewed. I just smiled as I ate mine.

"They're great." Harry said, clearly lying through his teeth.

"Make sure to leave some for Ron." She told us before going to check up on him.

"No problem." He muttered under his breath before looking over at me. "How can you eat that so easily?"

"Romania isn't known for it's food." I smirked as we pushed the plate aside and started to look at the locket again.

"How bad is he?" Harry asked as he glanced at Ron.

"He'll be alright in a few days. Hopefully. If we could take him to Hogwarts, to Madam Pomfrey -" Harry's glance cut her off. We all knew that Hogwarts was the last place we could go now. "So where do we go next?"

"Dumbledore had a theory." Harry told us. "He felt that the Horcruxes would not be made out of random objects. And he felt they wouldn't be hidden randomly either. We know of three so far. The ring, which according to Dumbledore belonged to Tom Riddle's grandfather. The diary, which belonged to Tom himself. And this, which - again, according to Dumbledore - belonged to his mother."

"It scares me a bit, that, thinking it's a piece of Vol-" Hermione began.

"No, don't! Don't say it!" Ron yelled. All of our eyes instantly snapped towards our friend to see him stirring. "It's taboo - You-Know-Who's name. That's how they track people now. It's how they found us in the cafe that night."

"How d'you know?" I raised a brow at him.

"I overheard a bloke from the Enforcement office talking about it at the Ministry." He explained. "Blimey, what's that smell?"

"Dinner?" Hermione gave a nervous smile.

"Not bloody likely. Smells like something Ginny would cook." Ron disagreed.

"Tea?" I offered. Ron nodded, grimacing as he pushed himself up. He seemed to notice his sling for the first time and looked at Hermione as I got the tea for him. At seeing what she'd done for him I could see the regret he felt for his dinner comment.

"Is that it?" Ron nodded towards the locket in Harry's hand. He nodded it and handed it over as I set the tea down in front of him.

"I know. I felt it too. It's... it's like it's ticking or something, like it has a tiny metal heart, like it's -" Harry tried to explain.

"... alive." Ron finished and Harry nodded as Hermione glared at it.

"I hate it. It's like he's here with us." She frowned.

"That's why we're going to kill it." Harry reminded us.

***

I watched as Ron leaned against a tree a few days later. He had been looking somewhat pale the last couple days from his wound. Hermione nodded to to Harry who then raised his wand.

"Dissendium!" The locket spun swiftly on its perch on a fallen tree, still whole.

"Incendio!" Hermione tried. Flames engulfed the locket but the metal flashed scarlet and the flames died down.

Flames engulf the locket and its metal flesh turns

"Expulso!" I was next. The tree exploded but the locket was still unmarked.

"Confringo!" Hermione yelled. A crater formed beneath the stump, locket still untouched. I watched as Hermione lowered her wand, but Harry kept firing spells at the locket again and again. He almost looked possessed.

After a while he finally stopped and everything around us became silent except the for the leaves shifting in the wind. A moment later though another soft sound slowly became clear to us. An all too familiar ticking noise coming from the locket.

"It's angry." Ron said. Hermione shivered at the thought as Harry stepped forward and picked the locket up by its chain. We all watched as it continued to tick and he slung it over his neck.

"What're you doing?" Hermione seemed dumbfounded by his actions.

"We have to keep it safe until we can figure out how to destroy it." He shrugged.

"I can put it in my bag -" She offered.

"No." He refused.

"Seems strange, mate. Dumbledore sends you off to find a load of Horcruxes, but doesn't bother to tell you how to destroy them. Doesn't that bother you?" Ron pointed out. I couldn't help but nod in agreement. Dumbledore was a wise man but this task seemed to be almost like a never ending curse on us.

Harry only studied the locket and it's slowing ticking noise as he walked off, back towards the tent. Hermione glanced over and Ron and I before he pushed off the tree and slowly started off as well so it was only Hermione and I left.

"As much as I hate to agree with Ron, he's got a point." I spoke, breaking the silence around us. My words made her look in my direction again with her brows furrowed.

"I know he does," she sighed softly. "But that only means more problems."