𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗡𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗔 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗧

ACT TWO, CHAPTER EIGHT
godric's hollow.

THEIR PLAN WAS to Apparate to the village at night to be covered by the darkness, so it was late afternoon when they finally took the Polyjuice Potion. Harry transformed into a balding, middle-aged Muggle man, Venus transformed into his small wife, and Hermione transformed into their teenage daughter. The small beaded bag that contained all of their possesions (except for the Horcrux, which Harry was wearing around his neck) was tucked into an inside pocket of Hermione's buttoned-up coat.

Harry lowered the Invisibility Cloak over them, and they turned into the suffocating darkness. Venus felt the strange feeling disappear and opened her eyes. She was holding hands with Harry in a snowy lane under a dark blue sky, where the night's first stars were already glimmering. Cottages stood on either side of the narrow road with Christmas decorations twinkling from their windows. A short way ahead of them, a glow of golden streetlights indicated the center of the village.

"All this snow!" Hermione whispered. "Why didn't we think of snow? After all our precautions, we'll leave prints! We'll just have to get rid of them — you two go in front, I'll do it—"

"Let's take off the Cloak," Harry suggested. He then noticed Hermione's frightened expression. "Oh, come on, we don't look like us and there's no one around."

He put the Cloak under his jacket. Venus gripped back onto his hand as they moved forwards, the icy air stinging their faces. They passed more cottages. Venus was curious to which one James and Lily Potter had lived in — she knew Harry was itching to see it. She knew him well enough to know that the sword wasn't why they had come here. Harry finally wanted some closure. Godric's Hollow could possibly give him it.

The little lane they were walking on curved to the left, which led them to a small square — the heart of the village. There seemed to be what looked like a war memorial in the middle, strung all around with colored lights and partly blocked by a windblown Christmas tree. The village had several shops, a post office, a pub, and a little church whose stained-glass windows were glowing bright across the square.

All of the snow here had turned hard and slippery from people walking on it all day. Villagers were crossing in front of them, their figures only briefly illuminated by streetlamps. There was laughter and pop music coming from the pub when the door momentarily opened and closed. Then, a carol started up inside the little church. Venus listened to it for a moment.

"Harry, Hermione, I think it's Christmas Eve," Venus revealed quietly.

"Is it?" Harry asked.

"I agree," Hermione replied, her eyes upon the church. "They. . . they'll be in there, won't they? Your mum and dad? I can see the graveyard behind it."

Venus looked over at Harry. Hesitation was written all over his face. She assumed the shock of being so close was making him rethink if he wanted to see them at all. Venus squeezed his hand gently and took the lead, leading him across the square, Hermione trailing behind.

"Harry, V, look!" Hermione exclaimed.

She was pointing at the war memorial. Venus looked up. As they had passed it, it transformed. Instead of an obelisk covered with names, there was a statue of three people — a man with untidy hair and glasses, a woman with long hair and a kind, pretty face, and a baby boy resting comfortably in his mother's arms. Snow laid upon all of their heads.

Harry drew closer to the statue, bringing Venus along with him. She stared up at the statue in wonder. It had never really occurred to her that there would be a statue there of the Potters.

"C'mon," Harry encouraged after a while.

They turned again towards the church. As the three of them crossed the road, Venus glanced back over her shoulder to see that the statue had turned back into the war memorial.

The singing grew louder as they approached the church. It made Venus' stomach churn with longing. Christmas time reminded her of New York City, of London, of baking cookies with her mom and drinking hot chocolate with her dad as they decorated the Christmas tree, of kissing Harry under the mistletoe in the hallways of Hogwarts.

There was a kissing gate at the entrance to the graveyard. Hermione pushed it open as quietly as she could and they edged through it. On either side of the slippery path to the church doors, the snow on the ground laid deep and untouched. They trudged through the snow, carving deep trenches behind them as they walked around the building, staying in the shadows beneath the stained-glass windows.

Behind the church, multiple rows of snowy tombstones protruded from colorful reflections shining from the windows onto the snow. Venus reached into her pocket and gripped her wand just in case, following Harry to the nearest grave.

"Look at this, it's an Abbott, could be some long-lost relation of Hannah's!" Harry exclaimed.

"Keep your voice down," Hermione pleaded.

They went further into the graveyard, creating dark tracks into the snow behind them. The three of them stopped and crouched down to look at old headstones and glanced around in the darkness to make sure they were alone.

"Harry, Venus, here!" Hermione called from tombstones away, and Harry and Venus went back to her.

"Is it—?" Harry began.

"No, but look!"

She pointed to the dark stone. Venus crouched down and saw on the frozen granite the words KENDRA DUMBLEDORE and, a short way below her dates of birth and death, AND HER DAUGHTER ARIANA. There was also a quote.

𝒲𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓉𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓈𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓈, 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓈𝑜.

Looks like Rita Skeeter and Auntie Muriel were right about some thing. The Dumbledore family had lived here, and part of it had died here. Venus looked over at Harry in the darkness to see a troubled expression on his face.

"Are you sure he never mentioned—?" Hermione started to ask.

"No, let's keep looking," Harry said curtly.

"Here!" Hermione cried again a few moments later from the darkness. "Oh no, sorry! I thought it said Potter." She was rubbing at a crumbling, mossy stone, looking down at it with a little frown on her face. "Harry, Venus, come back a moment."

Venus started to go over there, dragging Harry with her. "What'd you find?"

"Look at this!"

The grave was extremely old and so weathered that Venus could barely make out the name. Hermione showed hem the symbol beneath it.

"Venus, Harry, that's the mark in the book!" Hermione voiced.

She looked at the place. The stone was so warn that it was hard to make out what had been engraved there, although Venus did make out a triangular mark beneath the nearly illegible name.

"Yeah . . . it could be . . ." Harry replied.

Hermione lit her wand and pointed it at the name on the headstone. "It says Ig — Ignotus, I think . . ."

"I'm going to keep looking for my parents, all right?" Harry told her. "Harry looked down at Venus. "Will you stay with me?"

Venus nodded, giving him a small smile. "Of course."

They continued on, leaving Hermione by he old grave. Every now and then Venus would recognize a surname of somebody that she had met at Hogwarts, like Abbott. Sometimes there were several generations of the same Wizarding family represented in the graveyard. She could tell by the dates that it had either died out or the current members had moved away from Godric's Hollow. Venus allowed Harry to take his time in the graveyard. She knew this was hard for him.

Suddenly, the dark and silence became much deeper. Venus lifted her head to see that the Christmas Eve service at the church had finished. The carols were done, and the chatter from the churchgoers were disappearing into the square. Somebody inside the church had just turned off the lights.

"Harry, they're here . . . right here," Hermione announced through the blackness.

He paused for a moment. Hermione had found him.

"You can do this," Venus whispered. "I'm right here."

That seemed to give him courage. The two walked over to Hermione, Venus occasionally glancing at Harry. James and Lily's headstone was only two rows behind Kendra and Ariana's. It was made of white marble and was easy to read since it seemed to shine in the dark. They didn't even have to kneel or get close to make out the words engraved on it.

JAMES POTTER
BORN 27 MARCH 1960
DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981

LILY POTTER
BORN JANUARY 1960
DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝑒𝓃𝑒𝓂𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓎𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓈 𝒹𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒽.

"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death . . ." Harry read. "Isn't that a Death Eater idea? Why is that there?"

"I don't think it's meant in that way, love," Venus told him quietly. "This meaning is that you live after death."

Harry went quiet for a moment. Venus looked up at him, her heart immediately breaking. Tears were streaming down his face, freezing in the cold December air. Venus subconsciously moved a little closer to him. She didn't push him, though. He would come to her when he was ready, and she would be waiting for him until then.

Hermione then raised her wand and moved it in a circle through the air. Instantly, a wreath of Christmas roses blossomed before them. Harry caught it and laid it on his parents' graves. He then turned back to Venus, letting go of her hand and putting an arm around her shoulders. Harry then extended his free hand to Hermione, who took it and walked alongside them. They turned in silence and trudged back through the graveyard.

"Harry, Venus, stop," Hermione insisted when they reached the grave of the unknown Abbott.

Venus stopped. "What?"

"There's someone there. Someone watching us. I can tell. There, over by the bushes."

All of them stood quite still, holding onto each other, gazing at the dense black boundary of the graveyard. Venus gripped onto her wand in her pocket a little tighter as she looked. She didn't see anything, though.

"Are you sure?" Harry questioned.

"I saw something move, I could have sworn I did . . ." Hermione trailed off, letting go of his hand to free her wand harm.

"We look like Muggles."

"Yes, but we also were just laying flowers on James and Lily's grave," Venus responded gently. "Let's just look for a second."

There was then a rustle. Venus' head snapped over to the bush Hermione had pointed to. There was a little patch of dislodged snow.

"It's a cat or a bird," Harry stated. "If it was a Death Eater we'd be dead by now. But let's get out of here, and we can put the Cloak back on."

They made their way out of the graveyard, glancing back repeatedly. Venus was relieved when they reached the gate and the slippery pavement. Harry pulled the Invisibility Cloak back over themselves. The pub was fuller than before, many voices inside now singing the carol that had been sung inside the church.

"Let's go this way," Hermione murmured.

She led them down the dark street leading out of the village in the opposite direction from which they had come in. Venus could see the point where the cottages ended and the lane turned into open country. They walked as quickly as they did, past more windows sparkling with multicolored lights and the outlines of Christmas trees dark through the curtains.

"How are we going to find Bathilda's house?" Hermione inquired, shivering slightly and glancing over her shoulder. "Harry? What do you think? Harry?"

Venus looked up at her boyfriend, who was intently staring at something. "Harry?"

The next second, Harry had grabbed both Venus and Hermione's hands and sped up his walking, dragging them along. Venus slipped a little on the ice.

"Didn't know I signed up for ice skating," Venus commented. "Where are you — oh."

She stopped in her tracks. The Fidelius Charm must've died with James and Lily. Hedges in front of the house had grown wild. Most of the cottage was still standing, although it was covered in dark ivy and snow. The right side of the top floor had been blown apart, presumably where the curse had backfired. Venus, Harry, and Hermione stood at the gate, gazing up at the wreck of what must once have been a cottage just like those around it.

"I wonder why nobody's ever rebuilt it?" Hermione asked.

"Maybe you can't rebuild it?" Harry suggested. "Maybe it's like the injuries from Dark Magic and you can't repair the damage?"

He slipped a hand out from underneath the Cloak and grasped the snowy and rusty gate.

"You're not going to go inside?" Hermione questioned. "It looks unsafe, it might — oh, Harry, look!"

His touch on the gate seemed to have done it. A sign had risen out of the ground in front of them, up through the tangles of nettles and weeds. There was a message in golden letters.

On this spot, on the night of 31 October 1981,
Lily and James Potter lost their lives.
Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard
ever to have survived the Killing Curse.
This house, invisible to Muggles, has been left
in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters
and as a reminder of the violence
that tore apart their family.

All around the message were scribbles added by other witches and wizards who had come to see the place where the Boy Who Lived had escaped. Some had signed their names in Everlasting Ink, others had carved their initials into the wood, still others had left messages. The most recent ones, shining brightly over sixteen years' worth of magical graffiti, all said similar things.

Good luck, Harry, wherever you are.
If you read this, Harry, we're all behind you!
Long live Harry Potter.

Venus nudged Harry's side. "You're famous, baby."

"They shouldn't have written on the sign!" Hermione protested.

Harry beamed. "It's brilliant. I'm glad they did. I . . ."

He broke off. Venus looked to see what he was staring at it, only to tighten her grip on her wand. A heavily muffled figure was hobbling up the lane towards them, silhouetted by the bright lights in the distant square. It was hard to judge, but Venus could tell she was a woman. She was moving slowly, maybe frightened of slipping on the snowy ground. Her stoop, stoutness, and shuffling all showed signs of extreme age. They watched in silence as she drew nearer. Venus could tell that she wasn't going to turn into any of the cottages she was passing. Finally, she came to a halt a few yards from them and simply stood there in the middle of the frozen road, facing them.

There was no chance this woman was a Muggle. She was standing there gazing at a house that would've been invisible. Even if she was a witch, it was still weird to come out on a cold night like this to just look at an old ruin. By all the rules of normal magic, meanwhile, she should've not been able to see Venus, Harry, and Hermione at all. Nevertheless, Venus had a very strange feeling that the woman knew that they were there and who they were. Just to confirm her suspicious, the woman raised a gloved hand and beckoned.

Hermione moved closer to the two under the Cloak. "How does she know?"

"Don't know," Venus responded quietly.

The woman beckoned again, more vigorously this time. Venus stared at her warily. There were many reasons not to obey the summons, but she was getting suspicious about her identity every moment they stood facing each other in the deserted street.

"Are you Bathilda?" Harry inquired from under the Cloak, causing Hermione to gasp and jump.

The muffled figure nodded and beckoned again. Venus, Harry, and Hermione all looked at each oher from under the Cloak. Harry raised his eyebrows. Venus shrugged, but her eyes held nervousness. Hermione gave a tiny nod.

They stepped towards the woman, and at once, she turned and hobbled back the way they had come. She led them past several houses and turned in at a gate. They followed her up the front path through an overgrown garden. She fumbled for a moment with a key at the front door, then opened it and stepped back to let them pass.

She smelled bad, or maybe it was her house. Venus forced herself to breathe as they brushed past her and pulled off the Cloak. Now that she was actually beside her, Venus could see the woman was small. She closed the door behind them, her knuckles blue and mottled against the peeling paint. Then, she turned and peered into Harry's face, Venus looking at her over Harry's shoulder. Her eyes were thick with cataracts and sunken into folds of transparent skin, and her whole face was dotted with broken veins and liver spots. The smell of old age, dust, unwashed clothes, and stale food intensified as she took off a moth-eaten black shawl, revealing a head of white hair through which the scalp showed clearly.

"Bathilda?" Harry repeated.

The woman nodded nodded again. Bathilda shuffled past them, pushing Venus and Hermione like she hadn't seen them, and vanished into what seemed to be a sitting room.

"Harry, V, I'm not sure about this," Hermione breathed out.

"Look at the size of her; I think we could overpower her if we had to," Harry insisted. "Listen, I should have told you, I knew she wasn't all there. Muriel called her gaga."

"Oh, okay," Venus replied, nodding slightly. "Cool."

"Come!" Bathilda called from the next room.

Hermione jumped and clutched onto Venus' arm. Venus moved closer to Hermione.

"It's okay," Harry reassured them, and he led the way into the sitting room.

Bathilda was tottering around the place. She was lighting candles, but it was still very dark, and not to mention extremely dirty. Thick dust crunched beneath their feet, and there was worse smell underneath the other smell, like meat had gone bad. Venus started to wonder when the last time anyone had been inside Bathilda's house to check on her. She seemed to have forgotten that she could do magic, too, since she was lighting the candles clumsily by hand, her trailing lace cuff in constant lace cuff in constant danger of catching fire.

"Let me do that," Harry offered.

He let go of Venus and took the matches from Bathilda. Bathilda stood there, watching him as he finished lighting the candle stubs that stood on saucers around the room, sitting on top of stacks of books and on side tables crammed with cracked and moldy cups. He had gotten to the last table when Bathilda started to fumble with the logs for the fire. Venus and Hermione shared a glance. This didn't feel right. Venus then stepped forwards, her wand out, ready to light the fire for Bathilda, giving her a small smile.

"Mrs. — Miss — Bagshot?" Harry began, his voice shaking slightly. "Who is this?"

Bathilda didn't answer. She was too busy watching Venus light the fire.

"Miss Bagshot?" Harry said again, advancing towards them. Venus looked over to see him holding a picture frame in his hands, which he pushed to Bathilda. "Who is this person?"

She looked at it solemnly, then up at Harry.

"Do you know who this is? This man? Do you know him? What's he called?"

Bathilda looked vague.

"Who is this man?" Harry repeated loudly in frustration.

"Harry, what's the matter?" Venus asked him.

"This picture, Star, it's the thief, the thief who stole from Gregorovitch!" He looked back at Bathilda. "Please! Who is this?"

She only stared at him.

Hermione rose her own voice. "Why did you ask us to come with you, Mrs. — Miss — Bagshot? Was there something you wanted to tell us?"

It was like Bathilda didn't hear Hermione. She now shuffled a few steps closer to Harry. With a little jerk of her head she looked back into the hall.

"You want us to leave?" Harry questioned.

She repeated the gesture. This time, she pointed at Harry, then at herself, then at the ceiling.

"Oh, right . . . Venus, Hermione, I think she wants me to go upstairs with her."

"Okay," Venus agreed.

Venus moved, but Bathilda shook her head with surprising vigor, making Venus stop. Bathilda pointed first at Harry, then at herself.

"She wants me to go with her, alone," Harry voiced.

"Why?" Hermione inquired, her voice ringing out sharp and clear in the candlelit room, making Bathilda shake her head a little at the loud noise.

"Maybe Dumbledore told her to give the sword to me, and only to me?"

"Do you really think she knows who you are?" Hermione asked.

Harry looked at Bathilda. "Yes, I think she does."

"Be careful," Venus pleaded.

Harry pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head. "I will." He turned back to Bathilda. "Lead the way."

She seemed to understand, because she shuffled around him towards the door. Harry glanced back at he two with a reassuring smile, and Venus nodded once at him. She watched him go until he was no longer visible.

The silence was deafening. Venus wrapped her arms around herself and stood in the dimly lit room, glancing around. She really didn't feel right about this.

Her suspicions were right.

It was only about a minute later when she heard a thud and breaking glass from upstairs.

Venus' head snapped up. "Harry?"

He didn't respond. She looked over at Hermione. The two of them seemed to ignore that Harry said it would be fine. That didn't sound like everything was fine. They had to go check on him.

Venus was the first one to go. She climbed the steps quickly, Hermione right on her tail, their wands both out. However, the sight instantly made her eyes widen and her stomach twist. Bathilda was no longer there — her body was instead crumpled on the ground. A snake — a giant snake — was wrapping its body around Harry. Harry's eyes were fluttering shut from the lack of oxygen.

"No!" Venus shouted.

She pointed her wand at the snake, making it fly away from Harry. The snake was momentarily stunned before it looked back at them. Venus felt her insides fill with fear as it reared back. The snake struck, and Venus grabbed onto Hermione, diving them aside with a shriek. Hermione sent a curse its way, but it hit the curtained window instead, making glass shatter and frozen air fill the room.

Venus pointed her wand at the snake again. There was a loud bang and a flash of red light. The snake flew into the air, accidentally smacking Harry in the face as it went, coil after heavy coil rising up to the ceiling.

"He's coming!" Harry shouted. "Venus, Hermione, he's coming!"

The snake fell, hissing wildly. Everything turned to chaos. It smashed shelves from the wall, splintered china flew everywhere. Harry's dark figure jumped over the bed and seized both Venus and Hermione. He pulled them back across the bed, Venus shrieking in pain as he did so. The snake reared again.

It lunged as Harry took a running leap, dragging Venus and Hermione with him. Hermione screamed Confringo! as it struck, and her spell flew around the room, exploding the wardrobe mirror and ricocheting back at them, bouncing from floor to ceiling. Venus felt the heat burn her hand and a stray piece of glass slice her cheek. Harry pulled her and Hermione with him, leaping from the bed to the broken dressing table and then straight out of the smashed window into nothingness.

Venus screamed as they twisted in midair. Suddenly, she opened her eyes, now in a snowy forest. She stumbled forwards, landing against the snowy grown. Venus breathed heavily as she pushed herself up again. Her eyes only widened upon noticing the boy next to her. His eyes were completely shut.

"Harry," Venus stated, placing her hands on either side of his face. "Harry, come on, wake up. Please." She looked at Hermione. "Set up the tent and protective spells."

Hermione did as she was told. Venus felt around on his arms and his chest. However, when her eyes landed on his chest, she felt the Horcrux. It should've moved when she touched it, but it didn't. Venus pulled away Harry's shirt and coat and looked to see the Horcrux was stuck against his skin, basically burning him. She tugged on it. Nothing happened.

Venus winced and pointed her wand at it. "Diffindo."

Instantly, the Horcrux was cut off of his skin. Venus held it in her hand, feeling a metallic heartbeat coming from it. She glanced back up to see that Hermione had set up the tent. Venus sighed and looked back down at her boyfriend, her heart shattering.

She then noticed two holes in his jacket. Her eyebrows knit in thought and she pulled up his sleeve. There were two puncture wounds in his forearm — apparently the snake had bit him. Venus cleaned the wound with spells and Hermione put some dittany on it, ready to help with Harry now the protective enchantments were done.

Together, they dragged Harry back into the tent, out of the snow. They weren't able to lift him back into his bunk on their own, so Hermione did a Hover Charm. He laid back on the bed, completely unconcious.

"V," Hermione whispered.

She held out her hand. Venus looked down at it, and her eyes widened. Sitting on top of it were two broken pieces of a wand — Harry's wand.

"We'll figure it out," Venus promised, although it sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

Harry had started to scream, moan, and say some strange things while he was asleep. Each time, Venus had tried to wake him up, but there was no avail. So she just sat with him, refusing to let go of his hand. In her other hand, she held a sponge, wiping his face with cool water as he continued to sweat.

The sun had started to barely rise when Harry showed signs of starting to stir.

"No," Harry moaned. "No . . . no . . ."

"Harry," Venus voiced. "Hey, it's okay, you're fine!"

"No . . . I dropped it . . . I dropped it . . ."

"Harry, wake up!"

He finally opened his eyes.

Venus let out a breath of relief and squeezed his hands gently. "Harry, thank God. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes," Harry responded.

She knew it was a lie.

"We got away," Harry noticed.

"Yes," Hermione confirmed. "I had to use a Hover Charm to get you into your bunk, V and I couldn't lift you. You've been . . . well, you haven't been quite . . . you've been ill. Quite ill."

"How long ago did we leave?"

"Hours ago. It's nearly morning."

"And I've been . . . what, unconscious?" Harry questioned.

"Not exactly," Hermione answered uncomfortably. "You've been shouting and moaning and . . . things."

"The Horcrux was stuck to your chest," Venus cut in, really wanting to change the subject. "I couldn't get it off of you, so I had to use a Severing Charm. Sorry, there's a mark. And the snake bit you as well. I've cleaned the wound and there's some dittany on it."

Harry pulled the sweaty t-shirt away and looked at his wound for a moment. "Where've you put the Horcrux?"

"In my bag," Hermione responded. "I think we should keep it off for a while."

Harry laid back on his pillows. "We shouldn't have gone to Godric's Hollow. It's my fault, it's all my fault, Venus, Hermione, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Venus told him.

Harry nodded in agreement. "It's not your fault. I wanted to go too; I really thought Dumbledore might have left the sword there for you."

"Yeah, well . . . we got that wrong, didn't we?"

"What happened, Harry?" Hermione urged. "What happened when she took you upstairs? Was the snake hiding somewhere? Did it just come out and kill her and attack you?"

"No," Harry replied. "She was the snake . . . or the snake was her . . . all along."

"What do you mean?" Venus inquired.

He closed his eyes. "Bathilda must've been dead a while. The snake was . . . was inside her. You-Know-Who put it there in Godric's Hollow, to wait. You were right, Hermione. He knew I'd go back."

"The snake was inside her?" Hermione asked.

Venus felt her stomach twist uncomfortably. That was absolutely horrid.

"Lupin said there would be magic we'd never imagined," Harry continued. "She didn't want to talk in front of you, because it was Parseltongue, all Parseltongue, and I didn't realize, but of course I could understand her. Once we were up in the room, the snake sent a message to You-Know-Who, I heard it happen inside my head, I felt him get excited, he said to keep me there . . . and then . . . she changed, changed into the snake, and attacked." He looked down at the puncture marks. "It wasn't supposed to kill me, just keep me there till You-Know-Who came."

Harry then sat up and threw back the covers.

"Love, no, you have to rest," Venus insisted.

"You're both the ones who need sleep," Harry protested. "Star, you know I love you, but you look terrible. I'm fine. I'll keep watch for a while. Where's my wand?"

Venus felt her heart sink. She shared a glance with Hermione.

"Where's my wand, Venus?"

"Um . . ." Venus trailed off.

Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "Harry . . ."

"Where's my wand?" Harry demanded.

She reached down beside the bed and held it out to him. The wand was completely severed in two. One fragile strand of Phoenix feather was the only thing keeping both pieces hanging together. The wood had splintered apart completely. Harry took it into his hands gingerly and stared down at it, looking like his world had just shattered. He then held it out to Hermione.

"Mend it," Harry said. "Please."

Hermione shook her head. "Harry, I don't think, when it's broken like this—"

"Please, Hermione, try!"

"R-Reparo."

The dangling half of the wand resealed itself.

Harry held it up. "Lumos!" The wand sparked weakly, then went out. He pointed it at Venus. "Expelliarmus!"

Venus' wand gave a little jerk, but didn't leave her hand. The attempt at magic was too much for Harry's wand, which split in two again. He stared at in in disbelief.

"Harry," Hermione whispered. "I'm so, so sorry. I think it was me. As we were leaving, you know, the snake was coming for us, and so I cast a Blasting Curse, and it rebounded everywhere, and it must have — must have hit—"

"It was an accident," Harry replied.

"Harry, I don't think we're going to be able to. Remember . . . remember Ron? When he broke his wand, crashing the car? It was never the same again, he had to get a new one."

"Well, well, I'll just borrow one of yours for now, then. While I keep watch."

Venus nodded sadly, offering her wand out to him. "You can take mine."

Harry nodded and took the wand and studied the gold designs on it for a moment. His eyes lingered on her for a couple seconds longer before leaving the tent. Venus rubbed her eyes tiredly and went to go to sleep, wanting nothing more than this nightmare to end.

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listened to the entire reputation album while writing this WOOOOO