“Listen to this, you guys,” Hermione said to Harry, Ron, and Ginny, as the three of them were preparing for a game after breakfast the following day.
“According to this book, Godric’s Hollow, where your parents hid, Harry…”
Harry nodded, annoyed that she would explain this to him, when he’d been there, for Merlin’s sake!
“…was founded by Godric Gryffindor! It says here, ‘Godric’s Hollow is known for its unexplainable occurrences and powerful energies.’ Even more so than by wizarding standards, it says.”
Ron was pulling on Harry’s Quidditch gloves, which he’d been borrowing. “Boring, Hermione,” he said.
“It’s not!” she argued. “I think it’s very interesting, don’t you, Harry? Ginny?”
Ginny shrugged. “I’m with Ron, for once.”
“Maybe it explains what happened to me in that house,” said Harry.
“What happened?” Ginny asked.
Harry stopped, realizing that he hadn’t told Ginny any of this. “Just had a weird flashback,” he replied vaguely.
“Oh,” she said distractedly as she mounted her broom.
“Hey, what’s that?” asked Ron abruptly.
Everyone glanced down at Hermione’s book, where a piece of parchment was peeking out from between some of the pages.
“Just parchment, for notes,” Hermione answered, but her voice shook a bit.
“That’s the same parchment that Krum used when he wrote you letters!” exclaimed Ron.
Harry, who thought it odd that Ron had ever paid attention to such a small detail, had a feeling that his best friends were about to come to blows.
“Let me see it!” Ron insisted, when Hermione hadn’t said anything.
“No,” she finally replied, stuffing the letter farther between the pages.
“Why not?” demanded Ron. “If you’re holding on to Krum’s old love letters, I deserve to know about it!”
Hermione stared up at him from her seat on the bench, her expression timid.
“It’s recent,” she said meekly.
“Recent? That’s worse!” exploded Ron. “Give it here!”
“Ron, it’s nothing! We’re just friends! We’ve stayed in touch, that’s all!”
Hermione was standing now, ready to defend her right to receive the post.
“Does he know you’re just friends?” fumed Ron.
“Yes, of course! I’ve told him that I love you, you dimwit!”
Ron’s angry expression slid from his face. “Really?”
“Yes, really,” said Hermione, softly.
Ron was just leaning in for a kiss, and Harry was just becoming nauseous, when Luci and Malfoy appeared in the doorway.
“Disgusting,” drawled Malfoy. “Are we in the wrong room? I’m looking for Quidditch.”
Harry saw Luci jab Malfoy in the side with the elbow on which she’d fallen just the previous day.
Malfoy scowled at her.
“Are we in time for a game?” asked Luci.
“Just getting started,” Harry replied. “What’ll you play, Malfoy?”
“Seeker, of course,” answered Malfoy, as if this was the stupidest question he’d ever been asked.
“I’m Seeker,” stated Ginny matter-of-factly.
“Not anymore,” Malfoy spat.
“Draco, we’re guests, remember?” Luci was leading him into the room by his wrist.
“Look, Malfoy,” started Harry, “do you think you can handle playing Chaser?”
“Why not Beater?” Malfoy asked.
“Because I don’t trust you with a Bludger,” said Harry, coolly.
Malfoy glared.
“He’ll play Chaser,” announced Luci, and then she handed him a broomstick.
“Fine,” grumbled Malfoy, who took the broom and flew it up expertly.
“Well, are you lot coming or not?” he asked, once he was in the air.
Ron and Ginny soared up after him, but Harry turned to Luci.
“Keep an eye on him,” he said quietly.
“Oh, I will,” said Luci, “in between catching up on my reading, of course.”
“What have you got?” Hermione asked her, as Luci sat down beside her on the bench.
“Ancient Runes,” replied Luci.
Harry laughed.
Both girls looked up at him curiously.
“You two will have your own kind of fun then,” he grinned, and then he sailed his Firebolt into the air.
Below them, Hermione blew the whistle, and Harry immediately began trying to prevent Malfoy from scoring. However, Malfoy was excellent on a broom and a very good Chaser. He got the Quaffle past Ron quite a few times before Ron realized that he needed to take this seriously. Malfoy was playing as if the House Cup were on the line.
Harry had just come around to send the Bludger towards Malfoy when his opponent scored another goal against Ron, who groaned.
“Always were useless, Weasley,” burred Malfoy.
“Shut it, Malfoy!” seethed Ron. “We can kick you off the pitch any time we want!”
Malfoy, looking fierce, zoomed menacingly towards Ron.
“Don’t make me come up there!” Luci called from below.
So Malfoy rerouted his broom, grumbling angrily.
The entire match continued on this way. The three boys just could not get along, but Harry found that he was having a good time anyway. Eventually, Ginny, who had been off by herself, returned to the center of the field with the Snitch securely in her hand, therefore ending the game.
As they all sat down to lunch a few minutes later, Hermione was going on about Luci to Ron. “She knows loads of things and she said she’d be happy to study with me and, oh, it’s a dream come true! Finally, someone who appreciates academia!”
Luci was at the other end of the table with Malfoy and his mother, unable to hear Hermione’s praises.
“I thought you didn’t like her?” asked Ron, taking a plate.
“I never said that. I said I didn’t trust her.”
“And you trust her now?” Harry cut in.
Hermione gave a curt nod. “She did something very decent.”
“What’s that?” asked Harry.
“I’d rather not say,” replied Hermione, and that was the end of it.
“Ron, Harry, wake up! I’ve had an idea!”
“What the…”
Harry and Ron blinked at Hermione, perplexed.
“I was doing a bit of leisurely reading before going to sleep, and I came across this passage about the Smith family “ you know, Hepzibah? “ and I thought of something! Harry, what if Hufflepuff’s cup isn’t hidden? What if it’s exactly where it’s supposed to be?”
“What? Where?”
“At Hepzibah Smith’s house!”
“Hermione, the woman’s been dead for fifty years!” Harry reminded her.
“Yes, but the house is still there,” she replied.
“We can’t just go banging on someone’s door in the middle of the night and ask to have a look around!”
“We can do it like you did with Dudley - one of us will go under some pretense and the other will go under the Cloak and do the looking.”
“Uh, hello?” said Ron.
“You can go with Harry,” said Hermione, “and I’ll pretend I’m… selling something?”
“Go to bed, Hermione,” Harry sighed.
“Harry, this is the most important thing we may ever do! You’re going to have to face Voldemort, and don’t you want to have the assurance that you’ve destroyed all of his Horcruxes?”
“Yes, but I’d also like to be well-rested.”
“Oh, please, when are you ever well-rested? In order to get there by morning, including talking strategy and sufficient travel time, we need to get started right now.”
Ron was snoring.
Hermione stomped over to his bed and poked him in the chest with her wand.
“I’m up!” he snorted groggily.
Hermione turned on the light in the room and began, “OK, here’s the plan…”
It was much too early in the morning to be calling at the home of a stranger. Hermione had just rang the bell to the residence that she had determined belonged to the Smith family.
Hermione’s mouth opened along with the door. Harry knew that she was going to have to change her tactic. There, before them, stood Zacharias Smith, looking haughty, as usual.
“Hermione Granger?” he asked.
“Um…” Hermione started. “Do you… do you live here?”
“Of course, I live here! I wouldn’t go answering the door of a house in which I did not live.”
“Right,” agreed Hermione. “Well, I… I’d like to talk to you about… about a petition regarding the freedom of House Elves!”
Hermione looked panicked, and this was not going to work. So Harry did the only thing that made sense to him “ he tore the Cloak from Ron and himself.
“Potter? Weasley?” Zacharias looked at the three of them suspiciously. “What’s going on?”
Before anyone could answer, Hermione did something entirely un-Hermione “ she shoved her wand into the throat of Zacharias Smith, whose eyes grew wide with surprise.
“You wouldn’t,” he spat.
“I would,” said Hermione, “so be cooperative. Is anyone else here?”
“No. What do you want?” Zacharias looked as though he might believe Hermione’s threat to be serious.
“There’s a small goblet with a badger on it,” Harry cut in, following Hermione’s lead and throwing caution to the wind, along with their plan. “A gold one. We need it.”
Zacharias narrowed his eyes. “Why?”
“No questions!” commanded Hermione.
Harry almost laughed aloud at her, with her new short crop and her equally new fierce glare. She really did think that what they were doing was the most crucial thing they’d ever do.
“We keep nothing valuable here. It’s all in the Sanctum,” Zacharias answered.
“Sanctum?” asked Ron.
“Yes, a museum of sorts. But only family may enter.”
“You’ll have to take us then,” said Hermione.
“Very well,” replied Zacharias bitterly, “follow me.”
He turned and Hermione thrust her wand into his back, trailing him closely. Harry and Ron weren’t far behind.
“I knew you and your lot were misfits, Potter, but I had no idea you’d stoop to petty thievery,” grumbled Zacharias as they walked.
“It wasn’t my first choice, believe me,” Harry replied.
Zacharias led the three of them through the kitchen of the house, into the small back yard, and stopped at the edge of the fence. He bent down and tugged at what appeared to be a square of grass, but was actually a trap door. He slid his thin body down into the hole, and Hermione, Harry, and Ron followed, respectively.
There was a ladder, but it was very dark, so Harry lit his wand. The dank mud along the passage smelled of mildew and he attempted to breathe only out of his mouth, but then he could taste it too. Ron, above him, made a choking sound, as he seemed to be suffering the same experience.
Harry’s feet hit the ground fairly soon, and Zacharias had turned on a light below. Hermione still had her wand at ready, and Zacharias was pressing his hand onto some kind of keypad. Just as Ron got to the floor, a large cement door had begun to creak open, the sound of the stone echoing through the small space.
“You first,” said Hermione, forcing Zacharias through the entrance.
The Smith Sanctum was reminiscent of a mausoleum, cold and dark, with an eerie energy, as though gravity were somehow heightened. Harry felt as though he were being pushed into the floor as the four of them entered. The gray walls rose up alongside them, meeting at the edges of the nearly twenty-foot ceiling. It was one large, square room - the floor, cracked granite tiles and the walls, lined with shelving.
“Astonishing,” said Hermione.
Valuable artwork, trinkets, and other items were placed neatly on the shelves, with the larger pieces piled in the corners, upon the floor. A large dresser with ornate glass doors stood towards the back of the room, also crammed full of treasure. Everywhere Harry’s eyes could see, there sparkled gold or jewels or some other magnificent piece.
“Yes,” said Zacharias, “impressive, isn’t it? I don’t know if what you’re looking for is here, but have at it. You should know, however, that as soon as you go, I’ll be reporting this incident.”
“Keep an eye on him while we look,” Harry said to Hermione, who nodded.
“I’ll check this dresser,” said Ron, “and you check the shelves.”
Harry and Ron went to work, rummaging through the items. There was a nomenclature among the shelves, everything arranged meticulously. Harry tried not to touch anything, afraid that he would, somehow, tarnish the beauty. He admired the items, many of them engraved with the same badger that could be found on the cup, but he moved his eyes along the pieces quickly, searching.
“Here!” called Ron eventually, holding up the small golden cup with the finely wrought handles.
Harry couldn’t believe it. The likelihood that it would be here was so slight… Hermione was a genius “ Voldemort had hid it where no one would look!
He went over to confirm the goblet’s identity and Ron tried to hand it to him.
“Can’t touch it, remember?” said Harry, backing away. “But that’s definitely it. Unbelievable.”
At that moment, a chill moved down Harry’s spine, and he became aware of a familiar despair. He turned to see a Dementor sinking down into the room, as though it had come right out of the ceiling. Ron gasped and stumbled backwards into the dresser, which fell over on top of him, shattering and spilling things everywhere.
“Ron!” shrieked Hermione, who ran towards him, leaving Zacharias unattended.
Hufflepuff’s cup had fallen to the floor at Ron’s feet.
“Grab the cup!” Harry said to Hermione, who obeyed, “and I’ll get Ron out from under this thing.”
Zacharias was standing dumbfounded on the other side of the room, seemingly unable to move.
The Dementor, which realized that Hermione was now in possession of the Horcrux, bore down on her. Harry heard her squeak, but he was focusing on lifting the dresser.
“Harry!” cried Hermione. “You’ll have to do the Patronus! I… I can’t…”
Harry turned to see that she was holding her wand up feebly, the cup in her other hand, and the Dementor was slowly pulling her spirit from her body.
There was a sense of chaos, with too many things happening at once. Harry moved towards Hermione, readying his wand and leaving Ron beneath the dresser.
But suddenly, she had forced the cup in front of her, using it as a shield.
As though it didn’t know the difference, the Dementor kept feeding, sucking the soul right out of the cup. However, the essence in the cup was smoky black, where Hermione’s had been a silvery shade.
Harry, Hermione, and Zacharias watched in wonder.
Finally, the Dementor coughed wretchedly and backed away from Hermione. It seemed confused and sickened by the consumption of the Horcrux. Harry couldn’t feel its icy affect, as though it had been weakened.
The Dementor, disoriented but still in search of prey, turned to Harry, who raised his wand and shouted effortlessly, “Expecto Patronum!”
Without any attempt at resistance, the hooded creature floated back up through the ceiling, disappearing from sight.
Knowing that they couldn’t waste any more time, Harry said, “Hurry, we have to get Ron out from under this thing!”
“Harry,” said Hermione, and he turned to her.
She threw the goblet to him, and he caught it in his left hand. It didn’t burn him. He stared at it incredulously. This had been far too easy. It had all been far too easy. Harry’s stomach went into a sour uproar at this apprehension.
“You’re bleeding,” Hermione said, interrupting his thoughts.
He looked down and saw that a large piece of the stained glass was lodged in his left pectoral muscle. He hadn’t even noticed it before, but now a surge of pain went through his entire upper left side. He dropped the cup in response. Blocking out the pain, he gave up on lifting the dresser and he began to try to drag Ron out from under it.
“Wingardium Leviosa,” commanded Hermione, and the dresser lifted lightly from Ron’s frame, crashing down again a few feet away when Hermione lowered her wand and ran to his side.
Ron was unconscious and covered in blood, cut in many places from the broken glass.
Hermione looked up at Harry with tears in her eyes, and he said, “Let’s get him out of here.”
“Morbilicorpus,” Hermione said faintly over Ron’s body, and it rose limply into the air.
“We won’t be needing the cup after all, Zacharias,” said Harry faintly, as he was growing dizzy from the blood loss. “So no thievery committed. Thanks for your help.”
Harry, Ron, and Hermione left Zacharias standing there, flabbergasted by what he’d just seen.
Hermione dropped Ron onto the entryway floor as soon as they’d gotten safely back to Grimmauld Place. Then she collapsed beside him.
Luckily, lunch was being served in the kitchen, and Harry merely had to saunter unsteadily into the room to indicate that help was needed.
Things were growing hazy, and he heard something break. His legs felt weak and he fell into the doorframe. Soft hands were touching his face and he heard Luci’s voice, then Lupin’s, then Mr. Weasley’s, though it sounded like they were all under water. Then he felt strong arms around him, lifting him into the air, and that was the last thing that he remembered.