[SSHP] End of life

Before Harry woke up, he felt himself falling continuously.They jumped out of the window, Hermione's scream echoing in the night.Voldemort was yelling in rage, the snake clung to him tightly.He kept fighting back with non-existent hands and non-existent spells, his heart was beating outside his chest, and with a sharp pain, it was removed.Yet he still fell into the abyss in darkness.

They failed.A total failure, just a little short, and it can never be repeated.

Harry opened his eyes, the still lingering sense of weightlessness making the scene in front of him sway like water.He moved and realized that his whole body was drenched in cold sweat.His head was a little swollen, and he was jumping. This uncomfortable feeling didn't come from the Horcrux. He didn't feel the unique coldness of the Horcrux around him.The heavy pressure came from the five or six blankets piled up on his body. His chest hurt, and the blankets made him unable to breathe.

Harry pushed the hard blankets off his body and sat up.He found himself lying in the tent, on his own lower bunk, with a kettle of water boiling on the central stove.Hermione came back from outside the tent with a basin in her hand and a sponge in one hand.There were livid gray shadows under her brown eyes, and it looked like Hermione had been taking care of him until he woke up.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked softly, putting the basin on Harry's bedside, wringing out the sponge.Harry gazed gratefully into Hermione's face, and he noticed that she flinched oddly.

"What time is it?" Harry asked.When Hermione came in just now, he saw a hazy daylight outside.

"It's almost noon. You've been in a coma for more than ten hours, sweating all the time...you're yelling or..." She stopped talking abruptly.

"I'm fine now." Harry lied, not wanting to know what he was doing while he was unconscious.Maybe he was screaming like Voldemort, maybe he was begging for mercy, and he didn't think he needed to know because he had to keep doing what he was supposed to do.He had done enough in front of Hermione, there was nothing to shy away from.But he doesn't want to talk about them.

Hermione tousled her hair nervously.She changed the subject.

"The Horcrux sticks to your skin, it's very hot, I can't take it off, so I have to use a cutting spell. It may leave some marks..."

"So where is it now?"

"In the backpack. I don't think we should be wearing it next to our body anytime soon," Hermione replied flatly.

Suddenly no one spoke.Hermione still looked uneasy, she subconsciously washed the sponge in her hand repeatedly.

"Okay, we won't wear it next to our body for a while," Harry resigned.He finally knew why the Horcrux kept beating when it was close to Bagshot, because Voldemort's snake was hidden in Bagshot's body, listening to the command of the main soul.The Horcrux must have sensed a presence similar to it.

Bagshot was already dead, at least half a month ago.The putrid smell in the house turned out to be from dead bodies and snakes.It didn't want to talk in front of Hermione because of Parseltongue.It could use minor charms, and Voldemort certainly had a way of doing that.The reason Harry didn't die was because Voldemort asked the snake to keep him.He was a little thankful to Voldemort, without him, they might not have escaped.

At this moment, Harry suddenly remembered his wand.He had completely forgotten about it when he jumped out of the window, because he usually carried it with him.Was he going to go back to Godric's Hollow again, when Voldemort knew he would go back for his wand?But he couldn't drop his wand.

"Hermione, my wand—"

Hermione visibly shuddered and bit her lip.

"My wand, I left it at Bagshot's!"

"No, Harry. I brought it out..."

"Where is it?" Harry said gratefully.But anticipation turned to anxiety when he saw Hermione's expression.

Hermione didn't say anything more, she reached out and grabbed the wand, which had been broken in two, and handed it to Harry.Tears rolled in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Harry, I got your wand back while you were knocked out, but I used a lot of blasting spells before that, I think it must have been—"

Aha, I should thank you for bringing it back so I can see its dead body.thought Harry.The wand was curled up in his hand, with only a single phoenix tail feather connecting two pieces of wood, it looked like a badly wounded small animal.

The heart was beating extremely fast, but the wand didn't take up all of Harry's field of vision.He was surprised that he could still see the uneven ground in the tent out of the corner of his eye.

"Hermione, can you please fix it?"

"It's... I think, when it breaks like this—"

"Please try it, Hermione!"

"Recover...recovery as before."

In Harry's hand, the holly wand remained broken in two. "Lumos," said Harry.

The wand flickered half-deadly, and the fluorescent light went out.It seems that its current condition cannot bear such a spell.

"I figured this could only be fixed by Mr. Ollivander, but..."

"I know, Hermione. We can't fix it now," said Harry, quickly calming down after the shock and panic. "It's not your fault. If My wand fell into You-Know-Who's hands, he would Break it off cleanly. Maybe set a trap with it. Thank you for remembering to bring it back to me in that case."

"Sorry, Harry!" said Hermione.She has been crying incessantly until her nose turns red.She hadn't cried so hard, not even in an argument with Ron.Harry thought she looked very pitiful.

"It's nothing," said Harry, who heard his own voice sound illusory. "You've got to take a break. It's not easy to take care of a sick person. To be honest, you don't look very well. So when I watch the night , you will have to lend me your wand."

Hermione handed Harry her wand without hesitation.Harry turned around, found his backpack and began to pull a sweater on his body. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Hermione still peeking at him uneasily. He sighed secretly, picked up the kettle on the stove and poured Hermione a glass of water .He grabbed the glass and thrust it into her hand.

"I don't blame you, Hermione. On the contrary, I appreciate you. Now drink some hot water to warm up, and then go to sleep. When you wake up, we will have to consider whether to continue walking like this or get a new wand. Ron is not here, you will be the main combat force, and your wand doesn't listen to me. How can you do it if you don't cultivate your spirit?"

Harry felt that there seemed to be something completely unfamiliar to him in his words, but Hermione didn't respond to his self-conscious strangeness, she just nodded and gave him a wincing look, as if she was afraid that he would use her Own wand casts a jinx on her.Harry lifted Hermione's blanket off with his still-stinging forearm, forced a smile and walked out of the tent.He could understand, but that didn't mean he could easily accept the fact that his wand was broken.He wanted to leave Hermione alone for a while to calm down.

Harry sat down at the tent door, knocking on the tent lightly on purpose to let Hermione know he was there instead of leaving behind his bad-doing companion.He twirled Hermione's wand in his hand, and kept calling out the magic clock for distraction.But he soon got tired of this kind of game, the sky gradually became brighter and brighter, and the dim light filled the treetops.Harry looked up at the gray-blue sky, the snow had stopped.

There were times when Harry felt like he had nothing in the world.At times like this, a strong sense of sadness and loneliness would overwhelm him.His loved ones left him, and even his wand was broken.And in this world, they can never reproduce again.What would Hermione say? "And us", "A good wizard is more important than a good wand"?But she was wrong, she didn't experience the night when Voldemort was resurrected and the flashback spell, she didn't see the firm and warm guardianship of those souls, and she didn't feel the magic wand spinning like a compass, adding golden courage and strength to him.The dead man still had the core of the twin wands, and they had been protecting him.But they are gone.At this moment, he was really not sure if he could pick himself up every time he was in a bad situation.

He subconsciously touched the right trousers pocket.He only touched one hole.At that moment, his heart sank.

He stood up and shook his trouser legs vigorously.Nothing falls out.Apart from the remains of his wand, Hermione had given him nothing else.If there is, she will definitely remember to give it to him.

He sat down slowly again.He lost his statuette.

After the wand snapped, Harry felt that losing anything didn't seem to be really hard for him anymore.Maybe these things shouldn't belong to him in the first place.Why didn't he die last night?If he dies, there will be no more thoughts.Although he can't feel happiness, pain can no longer invade him.If he could never suffer again, he would rather never be happy again.

Harry rubbed his face and took a deep breath, trying to pull himself out of the pit of whining and negativity.The cold air outside the tent made him feel alive, and he felt the need to look at Ginny's name on the Marauder's Map.He took out the map from the dragon leather pocket around his neck, touched two wands with his fingers, and his mood, which had finally improved a bit, became depressed again.

He unfolded the map and tapped it with Hermione's wand.The wand was not very obedient, and it took the second time to make the map show the writing.Ginny was in the dormitory, as expected, but he failed to see the names of most of the DA members on the map.In fact the Gryffindor towers are so sparsely populated that there isn't even a few overlaps on such a small map.

Harry frowned, feeling ominous, and started looking for Snape on the map.There was no that name in the headmaster's office or the basement, and there was no Hagrid in the hunter's lodge.He couldn't help wondering if Snape had shoved the students to Hagrid, then set a trap in the Forbidden Forest to kill them all.

The birds began to chirp, and there was the sound of fluttering wings in the forest.Harry stood up and walked up and down the snow, wanting to get into the tent right away and ask Hermione to call Phineas over.He wouldn't mind showing Phineas the necessary etiquette of a Gryffindor if he could find out about his friend's safety.

After a few laps in the snow, Harry suppressed his restlessness.If Snape really intended to attack the students, there was no reason for him to pass Ginny on.When he was uneasy just now, he stepped on the tent door several times, and the snow was firmly trampled by him.Hermione is too tired, let her sleep for a while, when Hermione wakes up, they need to move immediately.

Surprisingly, Hermione came out of the tent five minutes later, holding two large enamel tea mugs.Her eyes were red, and her tired look was lingering.Harry called out the magic clock and was surprised to see that Hermione had only slept for less than an hour.The reason that prompted her to wake up so quickly was of course guilt, and her shivering at this time was definitely not because of the cold.

Harry walked over to take the glass, returning it with a gentle smile.Seeing Hermione's expression, he couldn't find any words for a while.

"Is it because I'm walking around too loudly?" he thought for a while and finally said.

"No," said Hermione, her voice hoarse, which startled Harry.If Hermione was sick, that would be the worst possible development, and he would have to disregard Hermione's moral sense to choose a house where the owner was out and get her in.

Fortunately, Hermione's voice returned to normal when she spoke the second sentence.She took a sip of water and said, "I think we need to move."

"I think so too," said Harry, "I always feel like people are walking around." He took another look at Hermione, who was haggard.So he didn't mention Dumbledore's Army.The snow under his feet had been trampled into a smooth plane, so he stepped on it again.

Both of them drank the hot water in their cups full of thoughts, took half an hour to put away the tent, and then Hermione took Harry and Apparated away.The ground they landed on was much thicker than the previous campsite, and Harry rubbed his hands to warm himself, ready to take over all the work.

"Where are we?" He finally couldn't hold back the anxiety in his heart and asked.

"Forest of Dean," said Hermione, as she was pulling a tent out of a beaded satchel. "I've been camping here with my parents before."

Harry nodded.

They moved to another location and started all over again with exhausted bodies, battered equipment, and a reduced team.It's not a happy start anyway.There are thick dead leaves under the snow, and he can feel the rotten breath permeating from the soles of his feet.The icy air and the barren, dense forest made everything suck for him.

But Hermione's situation was worse than his.He had never seen his sister Hermione so disturbed.He thought for a while, pulled himself together and suggested, "Maybe we can ask where Ollivander is? Or...maybe we can talk to Dumbledore. He always has a way."

Hermione stared blankly at Harry, and after a few seconds, began taking Phineas' frame out of the pouch.She called Phineas twice, her voice trembling slightly, and Harry took over the job.

After a few minutes, Phineas reluctantly stepped out of the frame.He glanced behind him in displeasure, as if someone had annoyed or cornered him where he had been.His eyes flicked around Hermione and Harry, and there was a flash of light: "Aha! Where's the red-haired kid?"

"He's not here at the moment," Harry replied.Hermione stood up suddenly, not sure if she was upset or nervous.She began to walk around the tent in small steps.

"What are you calling me for this time? I have a dance tonight."

Harry glanced at Hermione, who wasn't paying much attention, her fingers tangled in her long hair.He asked, "What will happen to the wands of the first-years when Mr. Ollivander ceases to open his shop?"

"Savior Potter!" Phineas exclaimed exaggeratedly, "I am wandering outside like a dog, but I am still worried about the new little wizard half a year in advance! Don't worry, they will naturally find a way!"

Harry bit his lip, unable to think of any excuse to continue asking.Phineas suddenly leaned over, so close that he almost broke through the frame.Rolling his eyes here and there, he said, "Potter, it's been a rough time on the run. You look so haggard that your cheeks are sunken. If you haven't got anything to eat, why don't you get something from the market?"

Harry tensed, and said, "We never choose to get something for nothing," he said, laying the frame flat on the ground.Phineas asked dissatisfiedly: "Then how can you work? Christmas has passed, and there is not even a mushroom outside."

"There are always berries under the snow," said Harry coldly.Hermione went out, perhaps alarmed by something, a bird was chirping loudly.

Phineas looked like he wanted to lean in and grab the edge of the frame to look out, from his angle he could only see the top of the tent.Realizing that his visit was futile, he made a disgusted expression and started to walk back: "Okay, okay. Maybe you guys are doing well after running away from school. Disgrace to the pure-blood family, uneducated little Bastard. If you call me here just to chat, then I'll never—”

"Wait!" Harry called before he realized what he was saying. "Did Professor Dumbledore have anything to say to me?"

"No, I'm not a mouthpiece, Potter!"

"Then - has he ever appeared in the frame since then?"

"Of course! The painter who painted him is a disgrace to Blake, but a bit of our noble blood. His paintings never fail!"

Phineas flushed, and Harry guessed it was partly from his rude question and partly from pride.

He glanced again at the tent door.Hermione just went out not far away, maybe she went to sort out her mood.She was opening the curtain and going inside.

At this critical juncture, Harry suddenly had a flash of inspiration.He asked hurriedly in a low voice, "Did Professor Dumbledore talk to Professor Snape?"

"I'm so sick of the old man! I have every reason to trust Professor Snape... oh that impertinent boy, I agree with myself on that. It's a pity—"

As he spoke, he suddenly saw Hermione coming back, and immediately stopped talking, with surprise and remorse appearing on his face.Then he gave Harry an angry look: "You're not going to get anything out of me, Potter!" he said loudly, and walked away quickly without listening to Harry's further questions.

All right.thought Harry.My own wand may not have a chance to be repaired, so I have to think of other ways.The only catch is that the portrait of Dumbledore seems to have inherited all his wisdom and memory, and can appear - he had thought before that Dumbledore did not avoid seeing, but the portrait failed or was imprisoned where he could not appear .And another thing he wanted to know very much: the relationship between Dumbledore and Snape, Phoenix also inadvertently gave him the answer.

But what's the use?Harry thought.He still wanted a wand for both of them, and continued wandering in the forest.He hated the feeling of being powerless, and without a wand, he couldn't destroy the Horcrux.And Dumbledore wouldn't even bring him a word.