(Book 7 FanFiction) Harry Potter: The Last Horcrux

Chapter 19: Tightening of the Noose

Two days after Christmas, Harry informed the Order that he, Ron, Hermione and Ginny would be leaving for several days. As expected, no one was particularly pleased. They all wanted to know where the young people were going, and what they were planning to do. Harry could tell that Mrs. Weasley wanted to put them all in full Body-Binds and lock them in the attic, but to her credit, she restrained herself — if only just.

As promised, Harry gave the other half of the mirror that Remus had charmed to Mr. Weasley. He'd struggled with anxiety over having to give it to someone else. He'd always imagined it would be Remus with whom he'd keep in contact, but that was not to be. He'd considered giving it to Mrs. Weasley but suspected the temptation to check on them and ensure they were eating would be too much for her. He felt Mr. Weasley was the better option.

They departed in the morning, resolutely steeling themselves against Mrs. Weasley's tear-stained face. Ron even hugged her twice as they said their goodbyes.

Hermione had done some research and found a small wizarding section in Canterbury around Rowena Ravenclaw's ancestral home. She'd booked them a room in a local inn rather than having to pitch the tent in the snow, and they Apparated directly there.

Entering the establishment, they found a dimly lit pub similar to the Leaky Cauldron. This pub, however, appeared to cater to a more family oriented clientele as there were several mothers chasing young children around a buffet breakfast. The tables were covered with paper tablecloths, and each held a container filled with child-sized colored quills.

Several of the patrons looked up as the teens entered, but the foursome kept their heads down as Hermione went to collect their room key. Despite her red wig, they'd reckoned she was the least recognizable of the four, so she'd be the one to have all contact with the innkeeper.

Harry really didn't want to be spotted immediately and have a crowd of reporters — or worse, Death Eaters — on his tail before he even began to search.

"I've got it," Hermione said under her breath, jerking her head towards the narrow wooden stairway beside the bar. The others followed her upstairs where she stopped at room number three. She opened the door to find a comfortable-looking room with two full-sized beds and a long, dusty dresser. The blankets on the bed appeared clean, but rather old and faded.

"Well, it's not much, but it'll do," Hermione said, throwing her rucksack on one of the beds.

They'd only got the one room because they thought they'd be safer sticking together. Despite the fact they'd all shared a room when they'd used the tent over the summer, Harry felt apprehensive staring at the two beds. A burning warmth crept from his neck into his face, and he ducked his head so the others wouldn't notice.

He and Ginny hadn't done much more than some heavy petting — and he didn't think Ron and Hermione had done more than that, either — but they'd been under constant supervision from the entire Weasley family.

Ginny had way too many brothers, as far as Harry was concerned, and he'd always kept a wary eye on the door while he and Ginny were otherwise engaged. The prospect of Mrs. Weasley's wrath had kept them all in line.

Still, he certainly didn't plan on doing anything with Ron in the same room, but the knowledge that the opportunity was there caused his stomach to flutter. He stole a quick glance at Ron and noticed the perplexed frown on his mate's face. Obviously, Ron's train of thought had gone down the same track as Harry's.

The girls, however, didn't appear at all concerned. Hermione continued to remove items from her rucksack, while Ginny had jumped on the bed Hermione was using and proceeded to test which pillow she liked better.