adored by him | *under editing*

seventh year × 87

"Going somewhere?" Nadia asked through the darkness. Ron folded his arms over his chest.

Harry stiffened. He turned slowly, shifting the rucksack that clung to his back. He met their accusatory gazes and sighed.

"No one else is going to die. Not for me."

"For you? You think Mad-Eye died for you? You think George took that curse for you? You may be the Chosen One, mate, but this is a whole lot bigger than that." Ron ranted.

Harry looked deep in thought before he spoke up again. "Come with me then. Now."

"And leave Hermione?" Nadia questioned, befuddled.

"We wouldn't last two days without her." Ron commented before realising what he said. "Don't tell her I said that."

Nadia smiled at his mistake before addressing Harry. "Anyway, you still have the Trace on you. And there's Bill and Fleur's wedding."

"No offense, Nadia, but I don't really care about a bloody wedding right now -- no matter whose it is. I've got to start searching for these Horcruxes. It's the only chance we have to beat him. And the longer we wait, the stronger he gets."

Nadia stared at him, staying seemingly calm and collected. So did Ron. This baffled Harry.

"Tonight's not the night, mate. You'd only be doing him a favour." Ron said, stepping forward and taking Harry's rucksack.

Harry stood for a minute before huffing frustratedly and heading back to the house.

"Do you think he knows?" Nadia thought aloud. Harry turned his head halfway but didn't speak. Ron gestured for her to carry on.

"I mean, they're parts of his soul, the Horcruxes. Parts of him. When Dumbledore destroyed the ring and you destroyed Tom Riddle's diary all those years ago, he must have felt something?"

Harry pondered this but remained silent. Ron nodded. "I get what you're saying."

"You do?"

"Yeah. What you're saying is, if we do this thing right and destroy these Horcruxes one by one...Won't he know that he's being hunted?"

Nadia rose her eyebrows in surprise. "Very good, Ronald."

Harry didn't say anything. He only entered the house and went straight to bed.

Nadia and Ron shared a look.

"He needs time." Ginny's voice sounded from the kitchen. "Give him time."

•••

"Bloody hell, what's the Minister of Magic doing here?" George exclaimed, watching the sophisticated man stride into the house.

"I'd like to see Miss Granger, Miss Konstantinova, Mr Weasley and Mr Potter, please." The Minister said.

Mrs Weasley invited him in and gathered the quartet in the living room.

"To what do we owe the pleasure, Minister?" Harry regarded politely.

"I think you know the answer to that question, Mr Potter." Scrimgeour rose a brow and took a scroll from his bag.

"Herein is set forth the Last Will and Testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. First, to Ronald Bilius Weasley, I leave my Deluminator, a device of my own making, in the hope that -- when things seem most dark -- it will show him the light."