"Gringotts!? How are we supposed to get Clankers from there? We'll end up in Azkaban if we even touch them!" Ron said, utterly confused.

"Exactly, that's what makes this item so hard to collect," Hermione answered calmly.

"Would it work if we got fake Clankers?" I asked thoughtfully.

"I don't know," she answered, thinking about my theory. "But what I do know, is that we need to do more research."

She strutted off in the direction of the library.

"Hermione!" I called out.

"Ugh, that's girl is too conscientious," Ron said as he rolled his eyes. "Now what are we supposed to do?"

"Research."

"But reading is boring," Ron moaned.

"Have you tried researching my way?" I raised my eyebrows and smiled mysteriously. "Follow me."

~~~~~

Ron and I arrived in a very dark alleyway.

"Hang on, I know this place. Isn't Borgin and Burkes just around the corner?" Ron asked loudly.

I nodded my head and my my finger to my mouth to indicate that we needed to be quiet. I gestured for him to follow me and we crept slowly but surely around the corner. I ducked and Ron followed as I crouched under a window ledge trying to listen if there was anyone in the shop. I could hear a voice, a familiar voice.

"I'm sorry but my son needs to have a protector in case he gets sucked up by some type of dark magic."

"But..."

"No buts. You are going to let me keep that book otherwise..."

I frowned and strained to hear more, but I could sense they were walking away. I waited a few more seconds to make sure they wouldn't come back, jumped up and put my hand on the doorknob.

"Harry, what are you doing? What the bloody hell is going on in your head right now?" Ron asked suspiciously.

I turned the doorknob.

"Locked," I said under my breath. I pulled out my wand and whispered, "Alohamora."

I heard the door click, glanced at Ron whose face had a deep frown on it and pushed the door open.

"Harry...What are we-"

"Quiet! Get behind that couch," I pointed hurriedly as we clambered over it.

"-Doing," Ron sighed, safely hidden.

"Thank you Mr Borgin for your time. Now I must be getting off, Draco has been planning a surprise for me."

"Narcissa," I whispered.

Narcissa's head turned sharply. I suddenly realised my mistake and clamped my hand over my mouth. I looked at Ron, his eyes were as big as saucers. He looked alarmed. She stared intently out the window behind us, frowned and then continued saying goodbye to Mr Borgin.

"Okay, well I think I'll go now. I strongly suggest you check over your shop Mr Burke too. I can sense another living presence in this exact room," Narcissa smiled sweetly and Apparated.

"Wha-what? Presence? Living? Room?" Mr Burke spluttered loudly.

"Don't worry Caractacus, I'll do it," Mr Borgin reassured his old friend and started checking behind everything near Ron and I.

Ron stared at me, obviously panicking. What do we do? He mouthed and I shrugged my shoulders. I had no idea what to do. There's only one thing that we can do, I thought. Apparate, I mouthed back. I put my hand on his shoulder and closed my eyes.

~~~~~

"Dude, warn me when you're going to do that next okay? You nearly frightened me out of my skin," Ron gasped panting. "Where are we anyway?" he asked looking around.

"The Shrieking Shack. It was the only thing I could think of at the time," shrugging my shoulders.

"What were we doing in Borgin and Burkes anyway? Shopping for Death Eaters?"

"Well, no. Hermione told me-"

"-Whatever Hermione tells you is going to be horribly dangerous. Why don't we just go back to Hogwarts and watch the Quidditch game between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?" Ron cut in.

I grabbed Ron's arm as he started walking back to Hogwarts. "No. We have to do this as soon as possible. Otherwise we could be putting the whole world in strife."

"Why is it always now Harry? Why? Give me a good explanation why we can't just be relaxed and try and save the world."

"Ron," I said starting to lose it. "You don't know what it's like to be me. What it's like to have a decision in your hands whether to spare yourself or the world. You don't know what it's like to be me. My parents died when I was a baby, you've had parents all your life. I grew up with my aunt, uncle and cousin in the Muggle world, you grew up with all your siblings in the Wizarding World. You've known all your life what you were going to do when you grew up. When I first came here, I didn't know who I was even. My life has been a continuous rollercoaster. Do you think it's fun being me? Maybe you'd like to spend a day in my shoes and experience all the things I have to do. All the choices I have to make."

"I didn't know I was going to be friends with the most famous boy in the whole school. But now, I think I'd rather pass now knowing what a jerk he is," Ron said obstinately and walked off, pushing me out of the way.

"Wait Ron, I didn't mean it like that," I called after him.

I sighed. Maybe we weren't all in this together. Maybe, I was just alone like I was in the beginning.