florence pov

I leaned my head on Hermione's shoulder as I looked out at the white frosted lake. She read Pride and Prejudice aloud.

It was moments like these that I wish I could bottle up and live in forever. The waves before the tsunami, that's what this was.

It's like my childhood, on those sunny days when I used to lay on the grass outside Malfoy Manor with Draco and eat ice cream.

Or snowy days at Hogwarts. The ones where the four of us would go down to Hogsmeade and get a steaming hot butterbeer then visit Honeydukes and get the most delicious candies.

It's like the kind of days where you don't know what the future holds, but you don't care. Back when everything was simple.

Harry came out of the tent and gazed in amazement at the view in front of us.

"Are you feeling better?" I asked him.

The snake had bloodied him up pretty bad. He had a twisted ankle and a nasty cut across his torso. Hermione fixed him up the best she could before it got too bad.

"Much. You've outdone yourself this time Hermione." He complimented, referring to our new location.

After I apparated us out of the house and back into the graveyard, Hermione brought us to this beautiful forest.

The golden sun shone through gaps in the trees, slowly melting the ice on the lake, with a light layer of snow covering everything in sight. It was like a winter wonderland.

"The Forest of Dean. I came here once with mum and dad, years ago. It's just how I remember it. The trees, the river, everything. Like nothings changed." Hermione expression fell as she continued. "Not true of course. Everything's changed. If I brought my parents back here now, they probably wouldn't recognise any of it. Not the trees, not the river, not even me."

We all looked down. Every time something remotely good happens to us, all the bad just keeps flooding back in.

"They will. After all this is over. The Ministry will help you get their memories back." I assured her.

She seemed to appreciate my words, even if I wasn't sure myself that they were true.

"Maybe we should just stay here." She sighed. "Grow old."

I smiled lightly at her. Harry didn't say a word.

"Harry, you wanted to know who the boy in the photograph was. I know. Gellert Grindelwald." She said as she pulled out a book from the bag sitting next to her. She handed the book to Harry and he flipped it open to a marked page.

He began reading it over. "He's the thief Florence and I saw in Gregorovitch's wand shop. When we had that vision."

Harry passed me the book and I examined over it. He was right. It was the man that appeared in the vision. He's the thief.

"Speaking of which, where is my wand?" Harry asked.

Hermione and I shared a 'you tell him' glance.

"Where's my wand, Hermione?" Harry repeated, with worry filling is words.

Hermione face filled with sadness.

"I'll tell him." I sighed.

I took the Hermione's bag and slowly pulled out what was left of Harry's wand. "As we were leaving Godric's Hollow, one of us cast a curse and it rebounded. I'm sorry."

Harry looked down at his broken wand.

"I tried to mend it.........but wands are different." Hermione said sadly.

"It's done." He replied harshly. "Leave me one of yours. Go inside and get warm. I'll take the locket as well."

I reluctantly took off the locket and felt a wave of relief wash over me. You forget what it feels like not to have that constant feeling of anger when you're wearing it.

Hermione sadly handed Harry her wand and went inside the tent. I could tell she felt bad. But there's nothing we could've done.

"Are you okay?" I asked Harry once Hermione had went inside.

Harry looked down at Hermione's wand in his hand.
"Why are we always asking each other that?" He sighed, somewhat jokingly, though it was very much the truth.

"You still didn't answer my question."

"It's just.....I feel like parts of me are slowly breaking apart. I feel like I'm.....losing myself. First Hedwig, now my wand....." His voice trailed off.

"Hedwig and your wand don't make you, you do. You're in control of everything Harry, don't let other things control you."

"You're right." He said after a moment. "I'm in control."

"Do you want me to stay up with you?"

"No, it's fine. Go get some sleep, love."

He placed a kiss on my forehead and I smiled at him before walking into the tent. Hermione was already in her bunk, fast asleep.

I watched as the sun sunk behind the snowy mountains through a gap in the tent, before falling into a sleep that wouldn't last long.

----

harry pov

I examined over the broken mirror Sirius had given me.

I don't know why I still carry it around. I somehow thought I'd be able to contact Sirius with it after he died, but of course, I was wrong.

I set the mirror down and zipped up my coat. As incredible as these woods are, they're bloody freezing. Especially on night watch.

I gazed out to the trees.

There was a blue light glowing in the darkness.

Wait..........no. 

The cold must be getting to me. For a second I thought I saw a doe patronus.

I rubbed my eyes and looked again.

It was still there.

It must be real.

It began walking towards something, beckoning for me to follow after it. I quickly got up and held Hermione's wand tightly.

The doe led me to a frozen lake before shrinking into a small hall of light and disappearing under the ice.

"Lumos."

I raised my lit wand to where the doe had stopped, trying to see under the cloudy ice. I wiped away a layer of frost to see a glimmer of metal from underneath the ice and in the lake.

It was a sword.

Not just any sword.

The sword of Godric Gryffindor.

In other words, what we need to destroy the horcruxes.

"Accio sword."

Nothing.

"Diffindo."

The ice broke apart, forming a hole right over the shimmering sword.

I really don't fancy having to get into freezing cold water in sub zero temperatures, but I don't have a choice now. This is what we've been looking for.

I kicked off my shoes, threw my shirt to the side, slid off my jeans and took off my glasses, making things a bit harder to see. I slowly lowered myself into the freezing water. It was so cold it nearly sent me jumping back out.

I dunked myself under the water and I swam towards the sword, trying my best to make my way through the foggy looking waters.

Just as I reached my hand out for it, the locket yanked my neck and pulled me towards the surface. It took control of my body and forced me underneath a layer of ice, and about ten feet away from the hole I had just made.

I struggled desperately to pull it back down and I could feel myself running out of air. I kicked at the ice trying to break free. I flailed my arms and legs hoping to pull myself to the hole.

Nothing worked.

The dark shadow of a person walked towards where I was. Water filled my lungs as I began running out of air.

The last thing I remember was hearing a splash from next to me and suddenly being able to breathe again.

As I violently panted, trying to get my breath back, I realised I had been dragged out of the water and onto dry land. I took a large breath of relief.

"Florence? Hermione?" I asked the person standing next to me.

I still couldn't make out who it was through the fog and without my glasses.

"Are you mental?" A very familiar voice asked.

Ron.

I put on my glasses. "It was you?"

"Well, yeah. Bit obvious, I think."

"And you cast the doe as well, did you?" I asked as I got dressed.

"No, I thought that was you."

"No, my patronus is a stag."

"Right. Yeah. Antlers." Ron raised his arm and wand above his head to resemble antlers.

I was more than happy to see my best friend again, but now was not the time for a friendly reunion.

I finished putting on my shoes and coat. I set the horcrux locket down on the ground.

"Okay, Ron. Do it."

"I can't handle it. That thing affects me more than it affects you, Hermione and Florence." He said, sounding fearful.

"All the more reason."

"No. I can't."

"Then why are you here? Why did you come back?" I interrogated more than asked.

No answer. He looked down the the ground.

"Now, I'll have to speak to it in order for it to open. When it does, don't hesitate. I don't know what's in there, but it'll put up a fight. The bit of Riddle that was in the diary tried to kill me."

"R-right." Ron responded nervously.

"One."

"Two."

"Three." We said at the same time.

"Si ah seinnn."

Just as I had said it, the locket sprung open, letting out a deafening high-pitched screech. A sort of black magic erupted from it, sending us both flying backwards to opposite sides and crashing into the ground. A thick cloud of black smoke separated us until I could only see a tiny glimpse of Ron.

"I have seen your heart, and it is mine." A voice echoed as it moved towards Ron.

I tried to get to him but the screeching ring in my ears and I couldn't move.

"I have seen your dreams, Ronald Weasley, and I have seen your fears." Spiders began to crawl towards Ron from all directions. "Least loved by your mother, who craved a daughter. Least loved by the girl who prefers your friend. Least loved by my daughter, who prefers the dead boy."

It wasn't telling the truth. It was just saying what Ron had once thought in his head.

Ron didn't realise this. His face told me that.

"RON! KILL IT!" I yelled.

Something formed in the dark smoke.

Hermione and I.

"We were better without you, happier without you." I heard my voice echo.

Though it wasn't me, I still felt guilty. Is this really what Ron thinks in his head? I yelled at shouted for him to kill it but he couldn't hear a word.

"Who could look at you compared to Harry Potter? What are you compared to the chosen one?" Hermione asked nastily.

"Ron it's lying!" I yelled again.

I was panicking for him. He didn't realise this was all a lie, a trick.

Then Florence appeared with.........Cedric?

"I can't be seen with you. You're an embarrassment."
The vision of Florence laughed nastily and leaned on Cedric.

"You are just a sad little boy, scared of being rejected." She said before running off with Cedric.

The vision switched back to Hermione and I.

"Your mother confessed she would have preferred me as a son." I said.

"What woman would take you? You are nothing, nothing compared to him." Her words echoed through the woods.

Then the visions of Hermione and I moved in closer to each other. They began to kiss, rather passionately.

I looked away quickly.

Hermione is my friend, nothing more. I just wish Ron would realise that. And Florence would never say such things. She'd never leave him. He must've felt threatened by Cedric's popularity.

Ron's expression changed from sadness to anger. He grabbed the sword and ran towards the locket, yelling angrily.

In one strong swing, he smashed the locket up into pieces. The black smoke faded away.

We both took heavy breaths, trying to process all that had just happened.

I sat down on the dirt next to Ron.

"Just think......only three to go."

----

Ron and I had sat there for an hour or more, until the sun rose again in the sky.

"Flo? Hermione?" I called as the tent came into view.

Ron walked about twenty feet behind me. He's a bit nervous to be reunited with everyone again, Hermione specifically.

Florence was first to exit the tent. "Everything alright?" She asked tiredly.

"It's fine. Actually, you know, it's more than fine-"

"Ron!" Florence exclaimed as soon as she saw him.

A wide smile grew across his face as he opened his arms for a hug. Florence wrapped him into a tight hug and placed a kiss on his cheek when the two pulled away.

His hands across her waist, her lips on his cheek. I know they're just being friendly, but I couldn't help feel a tinge of jealousy.

Ron isn't the hugging type. I know that.

I shook the thought from my head.

"Oh I'm so glad you're finally back. Did you make it to Bill and Fleur's okay?" She asked.

Her question wasn't answered now that Hermione had exited the tent. After Florence's reaction to his return, Ron seemed ecstatic to greet Hermione.

"Hey." He said with a huge smile.

Hermione marched straight up to him and tore his bag off his arm. "You complete arse Ronald Weasley!" She yelled as she threw some leaves at him.

I couldn't decide whether I was excited or terrified for what was going to come next.

"You show up here after weeks, and you say hey?!"

Ron didn't answer her. He was a bit occupied with being beaten up by his own bag.

"Where's my wand Harry? Where's my wand?" She demanded.

"I don't know." I said quickly. 

"Harry Potter you give me my wand!" She demanded again as she marched up to me.

I quickly backed up to a tree. "I don't have it!"

"How come he's got your wand?" Ron asked.

"Never mind why he's got my wand!" Hermione snapped before turning to Florence. "Give me yours."

"Now, Mione, maybe we should-"

Hermione groaned in annoyance before Florence could finish.

"What is that?" Hermione asked as she noticed the destroyed locket hanging in Ron's hand. "You destroyed it. And how is it that you just happen to have the sword of Gryffindor?"

"It's a long story." I answered.

"Don't think this changes anything."

"Oh, of course not. I've only just destroyed a bloody horcrux. Why would that change anything?" Ron sassed.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Look, I wanted to come back as soon as I left, I just.......couldn't." He quickly glanced at Florence when he said it. "Then, when I was ready, I didn't know how to find you."

"Yeah, how did you find us?" I asked.

"With this. It doesn't just turn off lights. I don't know how it works, but Christmas morning after I left Bill and Fleur's, I was sleeping in this little pub, keeping away from some snatchers, and I heard it."

"It?" Florence asked.

"A voice, your voice Hermione, coming out of it."

"And what exactly did I say, may I ask?" Hermione snapped.

"My name. Just my name. Like a whisper. So I took it, clicked it, and this tiny ball of light appeared and I knew. Sure enough, it floated towards me, went right to my chest, straight through me. Right here." He touched his heart. "And I knew it was going to take me where I needed to go. So I disapparated and came to this hillside. It was dark. I had no idea where I was. I just hoped one of you would show yourself, and you did."

I could tell Hermione was flattered by his words, but she chose not to show it. Instead, she walked off back into the tent.

Ron looked hurt by her actions.

"Well, I'm glad you're back Ron." Florence said as she rubbed his back.

He smiled lightly. "Thanks, Flo. Just wish everyone was."