“Harry can’t go, as he has Victoria,” Hermione said.
Harry rolled his eyes. “I’ll be there in a while,” he said, sighing heavily.
“I’m going with them,” Ron said mutinously.
“Fine,” Hermione snapped.
Harry watched wistfully as all of the Weasley brothers left. Ginny had taken over with watching Victoria and was sitting on the floor quietly playing with her, but she was now eyeing Harry questioningly.
Harry shrugged. “Remus offered to take Victoria back for me,” he said simply.
Hermione frowned. “Won’t the Dursleys be upset about that?” she asked.
Harry shrugged again. “Aunt Petunia seems to get on well enough with him,” he said. “She hasn’t been so bad lately.”
Hermione’s expression indicated that she definitely didn’t agree. “I want the charm set on my watch so I can actually get a hold of you quickly,” she said firmly.
Harry took the bracelet off again as Remus connected it to Hermione, Molly, Arthur, and Ginny.
“It’ll be like having text messaging through a piece of jewellery,” Harry muttered as he watched the process, causing Hermione to burst out laughing.
“It’s a lot more limited, but it is rather similar,” she admitted.
He wished he’d never said anything as Hermione launched into an explanation for Arthur. Harry gathered Victoria up from Ginny and snuggled with the little girl as he continued to wait. Someone, probably Molly, had already gathered up Harry’s gifts and they were in a neat pile next to Victoria’s bag. Remus would be ready to go back to Grimmauld Place as soon as the charms were done. Harry wasn’t so sure he’d be getting away from Hermione, though.
“Have fun tonight, but do be careful,” Remus said quietly as Harry put the bracelet back on again.
“I will,” Harry said. He stuffed his gifts into Victoria’s bag, passing it to Remus.
Remus tapped Harry’s wrist. “You can reach me immediately now if you need me for any reason,” he said.
“Thanks, Remus,” Harry said softly. He kissed Victoria on her forehead and sent them off.
He turned back to Hermione.
“Are you going to take the time to talk to me or are you going to rush off now, too?” she asked.
“Hermione, lay off him a bit,” Ginny said. “It is his birthday still.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Hermione said, sounding honestly contrite. “It’s just . . .”
“Ron,” Harry and Ginny chorused, finishing the sentence for her.
“Yes,” Hermione said miserably. “And I reckon I’m just tired. I haven’t felt quite like this since third year.”
Harry had already been feeling bad for his friend, now he felt guilty all over again.
“What happened in third year?” Ginny asked in confusion.
Harry shook his head at Ginny and, grabbing Hermione’s hand, he practically pulled her up the stairs this time. He warded the room before sitting down with her on Ron’s bed.
“I’m sorry, Hermione,” Harry said.
“It’s not your fault,” she said, tears already falling.
“It’s not?” he said bitterly. “I think it is, at least partly. I’m adding more stress because you’re worried about me. And then I asked you to do that research. I’d bet anything now that you’ve been trying to help the Weasleys during the day and reading any spare moment and half the night.”
“Well, yes, but that’s my choice,” she said. “It’s not at all your fault that Voldemort’s put us in these positions. I understand your need to hurry. It’s pounding at me as well. The faster we can sort out the Horcruxes, the better off we will all be.”
Harry bit at his lip as he debated whether to tell Hermione or not. He would have to sooner or later and she could certainly use some good news. “I’ve got the locket already,” he admitted.
Red-rimmed eyes shot up to stare at him. “You have the locket?” she asked, disbelieving what she’d heard.
He nodded. “All I need to do now is figure out how to destroy it safely, but I don’t think that part is really going to be too much trouble,” he said.
Hermione wiped at her eyes as if brushing the tears away would help her make sense of things. “How? Why didn’t you come get us to help you?”
Harry was shaking his head. “It’s not really safe for me to tell you, Hermione,” he said. “Like I told you earlier, I had Remus’ help with this one. And no, he has no idea what the locket actually is – only that I absolutely had to get it.”
She tilted her head curiously. “Your visit to the Ministry had something to do with getting the locket?” she asked, but it was barely a question.
“Yes,” he admitted.
“Scrimgeour didn’t actually help you get into Malfoy Manor, did he?” Hermione asked. It had been her idea, but from the tone of her voice, she hadn’t expected the plan to work.
“Um, no, not exactly,” Harry said. He’d simply helped Harry get to Lucius so Lucius could get him into the Malfoy Manor vault, but he wasn’t admitting that.
“What does ‘not exactly’ mean?” she asked sharply. “Harry, tell me you haven’t been inside Malfoy Manor,” she demanded.
Harry’s shrug admitted that he’d been there.
“Oh, Harry,” Hermione exclaimed. “Tell me you at least had more back up other than just Remus. We tried warning you not to go there. It’s too dangerous.”
Harry looked at her steadily. “And that’s why I’m not telling you everything,” he said evenly, causing her to jerk back. “You and Ron want to play this by a certain set of rules – relatively safe rules.”
He shook his head. “Voldemort doesn’t play that way and I can’t either. Both you and Ron immediately dismissed the idea of searching Malfoy Manor. Then, it sounds like you were just humouring me by telling me to go to Scrimgeour. You wanted me to play it safe. You both tried to forbid me from talking to Ginny about the Chamber. Yet I needed to do those things and they led me to Horcruxes.”
“We would’ve helped if you’d talked to us more about it,” Hermione said, but she sounded doubtful of her own words.
“Maybe,” Harry said. “But how much longer would it have taken for you to be convinced the risks were minimized as much as possible before going to Malfoy Manor? Without proof that there was anything in the Chamber, how long would it have taken to convince you that I needed to talk to Ginny about going back there?”
“I don’t feel like I have that kind of time, Hermione,” he said sadly. “It’s not that I don’t want your help – I just don’t think you’re really prepared to help in certain ways that I need.”
He took a deep breath, knowing Hermione really wouldn’t like his next words, but he felt he needed to say them anyway. “You don’t trust my judgment,” he said. Hermione looked stricken, but he forged ahead anyway. “After what happened at the Ministry, you’ve got cause to not trust me,” he admitted.
“But Hermione, you and Ron have always struggled with trusting my judgment and my ability to make decisions for myself,” he said. “When you think I’m wrong you tend to go over my head and go to McGonagall. With the things I’m doing, I just can’t afford to have you running to someone because you don’t think I’m playing by the right rules.”
“We don’t trust you, do we?” Hermione said, her voice small. “Your Firebolt, your name in the Goblet, Snape’s book, Malfoy this last year. And you’re right, we immediately dismissed you talking to Ginny and searching Malfoy Manor. I tried to hold you back from searching the well, too.”
