February 5, 1998
Ron zipped up the duffel bag that he had stuffed his clothes in and looked around to make sure that he hadn't forgotten anything in his temporary room at Shell Cottage. It had been four days since he had left Harry and Hermione in the tent and he was due back before noon today. He hated to leave Ella but there was no other choice. He had left Harry once before and he wouldn't do it again.
He had met Ella the day he had returned to Shell Cottage; she was a year older than he was and was staying there as well since she was Fleur's cousin. She wanted to help win the war and had left France to come and help with the effort, much to her family's dismay. The only way that they had agreed to let her come was if she agreed to stay with Fleur, not that that guaranteed her any kind of safety. However, they didn't seem to be aware of that so Ella had agreed.
Ron had instantly hit it off with the blonde girl, becoming quicker friends with her than he had even Harry. He truly hated to leave her and it had nothing to do with asking her to be his girlfriend the night before. He connected with her on a level he never had with a witch before and felt like he would be leaving a part of himself behind. After meeting Ella, he understood now how much it never would have worked out with Hermione.
Despite the fact that Hermione was still an extremely attractive girl and his cock still twitched at the thought of her naked, Ella naked underneath him the night before had put Hermione to shame. Where Hermione was voluptuous curves and an arse that wouldn't quit, Ella was tall and willowy, almost as tall as he was, lean with soft curves in the right places. She had legs for days and Ron had enjoyed having them wrapped around him, her heels digging in his arse so he could fuck her faster.
Yes, Ella was perfect.
Honestly, he was happy that he had met her. He wouldn't hold onto the jealousy that Harry had Hermione and that he was shagging her every single night of the week while Ron had nobody. Sure, he was leaving Ella with Bill and Fleur but knowing that she felt for him just like he did her meant something to him. It meant that he was wanted, that there was somebody that cared about him, that he wasn't the third wheel. He could truly be happy for his friends now and hope that everything worked out for the best for them.
Mostly, his time spent at Shell Cottage had been spent with the beautiful blonde. However, there had been a few Order members in and out, all of them with raised eyebrows at his presence. Tonks had even glared at him, though he wasn't sure what he had done to deserve it. It was Professor McGonagall that had showed up and demanded information on her daughter and wanted to know why he had abandoned his friends yet again. Ron had turned bright red under her heavy gaze but had bravely told her that he had left because Hermione had went into heat again and he didn't want them to be uncomfortable because of his presence.
The matronly witch had pressed him for information on their mission and Ron had told her that they were going to bring Remus in on it when he returned to them after her heat cycle had run its course. He figured that the witch would be offended at not being included but had looked relieved. Ron really wasn't sure how much help Remus was going to be, after all, he was a werewolf and society looked down on him as much as they did Hermione, but maybe a fresh pair of eyes would do them some good. Professor McGonagall had made him promise to contact her if they needed help with anything or were injured in any way. Ron had made his promise and the witch had left him to own pursuits.
Since he had his things gathered and had already eaten breakfast, there was nothing else to do but go. Ron made his way to the kitchen knowing that his brother, sister-in-law, and girlfriend were waiting there for him. He entered quietly to the sound of soft laughter, noting that Fleur had gotten Ella to chuckle about something. Bill gave him a grim look but Ron just shook his head.
"You sure you want to go back out and do this again?" Bill asked him. Ron nodded.
"I have to. I promised Harry that I would be with him until the end and You-Know-Who can't die until our mission is complete," he said. Bill gave him a nod before sighing heavily.
"I understand. We all have to do as we must. Just remember that this is war, Ronnie, and you have to take care of yourself. I'm an alpha and I know exactly where Harry's priorities lie and it isn't with you. I'm not saying that he's going to abandon you or kill you or anything like that. I am saying that if shite goes down, Hermione will be his priority so you need to make sure that you're watching out for yourself, alright?" Bill warned him. However, Ron had already gathered that.
"I know, I figured that. I'll watch my back, I promise," he promised his oldest brother. Bill stepped forward and pulled Ron into a rough hug for a few moments before releasing him. Ron smiled.
"Watch after her, will you? I like this one," Ron asked. Bill grinned and nodded.
"I'll do my best," he told him. Ron moved down the line and hugged Fleur, who kissed his cheek.
"Stay safe, Ronald. Make sure you come home," Fleur said, her accent almost completely gone.
"I'll do my best, Fleur," he told her. Ron moved on from his sister-in-law to her cousin and opened his arms. Ella rushed into them, burying her face in his chest and Ron rested his cheek against her hair. She smelled divine, like some sort of flower and chocolate.
"I'm going to miss you, mon cher," Ella whispered against him. Ron rubbed a hand up and down her spine, willing his cock to not rise to the occasion. The last time he had stroked her like this, they had both just climaxed.
"I'm going to miss you too, love. I have to go though, I can't just leave Harry and Hermione to fend for themselves. This mission is too important. If we don't complete it, we can't kill Moldyshorts," he whispered back to her. She lifted her head and nodded before going on her toes to kiss him, uncaring that her cousin and his brother were watching. Ron didn't let it stop him; like Bill had said, it was war and there was no guarantee about anything. He wasn't going to waste a chance to kiss his girlfriend.
Ron poured all his emotions into the kiss, letting her taste how much she meant to him even though it had only been four days. He didn't drag the kiss on but when they parted, he felt as though he had run a marathon. He knew that if he said another word, he wouldn't leave so he gave them all a wave and turned, walking out the door.
Ron headed for the ward line, knowing exactly where it was. Once he stepped past it, he disapparated and appeared in front of the ward line that Harry and Hermione had created. Since he had been added to the blood ward that Harry created, he was able to step past it without a problem. He really hoped that Harry and Hermione were dressed; walking in on them naked wasn't high on his list of things to do. Therefore, when he reached the entrance of the tent, he opened it just a little and called out.
"It's Ron, I'm back. Are you two decent?" He asked. There was a muffled shout before Harry yelled back.
"Yeah, come in," he said.
Ron went in the tent to find that Harry had a towel wrapped around his waist and was searching for clothes. The shower was running and Hermione was absent so he assumed that she was showering still. Harry fished out a pair of jeans and boxers, dropping his towel to put them on. His hair was still dripping but he put a shirt on anyways, the water from his hair soaking into the fabric. Ron felt a little awkward, knowing that he had likely interrupted them having sex in the shower.
"Listen, mate, I'm sorry if I got back too early, I didn't mean to interrupt," Ron told him, hoping that an apology would smooth things over. Harry grinned at him as he slipped socks and trainers on.
"You didn't interrupt us, mate. I got in first and she got in after me. We knew you were coming, we didn't want you to catch us in the middle of anything. You literally just have the worst timing and got here right in the switch out," Harry explained. Ron laughed, feeling a little better about his arrival.
"Harry, about those things I said before I left, you don't have to worry about me anymore. When I got to Shell Cottage, I met Fleur's cousin, Ella. Long story short, mate, she's perfect. I asked her to be my girlfriend and she made me realize that Hermione and I would never have done well together. We fight all the time and she's so smart that I feel dumb all the time around her. I know it hasn't been that long but I really like Ella and I just wanted you to know that you don't have to worry about me with Hermione," Ron told him, hoping that Harry was as happy for him as he was. Harry broke out in a grin.
"You got yourself a girl? A French girl? How hot is she?" He asked and Ron laughed. The water in the bathroom stopped and Ron hurried to tell Harry about Ella before Hermione came out and started in on objectifying women.
"She's fucking gorgeous. Long blonde hair, blue eyes, almost as tall as me, legs for days. Her tits aren't very big but they're big enough for me. Right at a handful. Her arse is nice too," Ron told him. Harry clapped him on the shoulder and grinned.
"She sounds like a keeper, Ron. I'm happy for you. Bet Hermione will be too. You know you better tell her, you'll never hear the end of it if you don't tell her first off," Harry warned. Ron nodded his head, he knew all too well exactly what Hermione could get like if you didn't tell her something.
It felt nice to know that his friends were happy for him, that they were happy that he was happy.
-O-
Harry moved around the tent, securing the furniture that needed to secured before they could pack away the tent in Hermione's beaded bag while Ron told Hermione about his new girlfriend. She had thrown her arms around him in her exuberance, telling him how excited she was for him and he had had to restrain himself from physically parting them. Ron had gently pushed her off him and shot a look at Harry, telling him that he knew just how hard it was when she did things like that. He knew that he should talk to her about it but he didn't want her to change how she reacted to things just because he was a possessive bastard now.
Hermione left Ron's side, humming happily to herself, and started to gather their cloaks. She handed Harry his and put her own on, gesturing for Ron to do the same. Ron was quick to comply, having been on the receiving end of her wand numerous times for dallying. Together, all three stepped out of the tent and Ron waved his wand at the tent, disassembling it. Once it was shrunk, he bent down and handed it to Hermione so she could put it in her beaded bag. Hermione stepped forward and lifted all the wards she had placed. Harry shot a look both of them and they pulled their wands.
Harry lifted his wand and began to lower the blood ward, vanishing the blood he had used to create it. As soon as the ward was gone, he stepped back and reached out, taking Hermione's hand in his free one while Ron grasped hold of his forearm. With a turn, he disapparated.
The trio appeared in a forest somewhere on the outskirts of Suffolk. They had already camped near there before but they were running out of areas to hide in. Hermione instantly stepped forward and started casting her wards and protections, Harry and Ron protecting her back. Taking the wards down took no time at all; putting them back up was the time-consuming part. It took her just shy of ten minutes to get everything erected around their small area. Hermione threw her bag to Ron and he pulled out the tent while Harry pulled out his knife and sliced his hand, beginning his blood ward.
Casting the blood ward took around half an hour. Hermione spent it guarding his back while Ron put the tent up and undid the spells that Harry had cast on the furniture to make sure that it stayed in place during transit. After Harry was satisfied with the ward, he ushered Hermione back into the tent where she put her beaded bag back in its place by their bed.
Harry made his way to the kitchen and started making sandwiches for lunch, knowing that they needed to fortify themselves before they brought Remus around to clue him into their mission. Ron jumped up and started helping, spreading the mustard on the bread and laying out the cheese. Hermione got the bag of crisps out and set out the plates. It wasn't the best meal they'd had but it was fast and easy.
They ate quickly with no conversation; there really wasn't much to say. Hermione cleared the table when they were done and set the plates to wash. Harry blew a breath out of his mouth loudly. He looked to his two best friends and considered his options for a moment before speaking.
"I think I should send him a patronus and ask his location, then apparate there and bring him here," he told them. Ron nodded but Hermione shook her head.
"Not alone. What if he's been captured and they make him answer you? Going by yourself would play right into his captor's hands. You're taking one of us with you," she demanded. Harry seethed on the inside. He hated when she was right all the time. When she put it that way, however, there was no way in fucking hell that she was going. He glanced at Ron and nodded.
"She's right so you're with me," Harry stated. Ron grinned knowingly and nodded. Hermione huffed, clearly annoyed, but said nothing
Harry pulled his wand and cast silently, his stag appearing before them in brilliant flash of silver. He mentally sent the message to find Remus and have him send his location to Harry and Prongs cantered off through the wall of the tent afterwards. He stood while they waited, nervous energy building. He stood behind Hermione, his hands finding her shoulders and kneading the muscles there. She went completely limp against him and let him work his magic on her, little moans of pleasure escaping her mouth when he hit a tight spot. Harry had to will his cock to stay limp and he noticed that Ron's face was bright red but Hermione was blissfully clueless as to what she was doing to them. Five minutes passed when an enormous wolf appeared and Remus' voice spoke.
I am located at Andromeda Tonks' house just outside of Suffolk.
Harry wanted to laugh out loud since they were so close to where Remus was located and it hadn't even been planned. Hermione stood and threw herself at him, hugging him close. He kissed the top of her head but said nothing. She knew that he would be careful and return to her and quickly as possible. He knew she loved him. All the words had been said before. Ron stood and they donned their cloaks again, Hermione trailing behind them to watch them walk past the ward line and disappear together.
Harry and Ron appeared just outside of a little yellow house tucked away in a copse of trees; he couldn't see the wards but he could feel them. He lifted his wand and shot a spell at the ward, knowing that it would alert whoever was in the house that there was someone outside. The door instantly flew open and Remus and another man appeared, wands drawn. Both approached and Harry grinned. He turned and shot a silencing spell at Ron before looking at Remus.
"What secret did you tell me at the Order safehouse that nobody else knows?" Harry asked. Remus lifted an eyebrow.
"My true designation in the hierarchy system," he confessed. Harry lifted the silencing spell from Ron and shrugged his shoulders apologetically. Remus cocked his head to the side.
"What did you name your patronus?" he questioned him. Harry laughed.
"Prongs, after my dad," he told him. Remus stepped out of the wards and pulled them both in by the arms and Harry threw his arms around his de facto godfather. They embraced for what seemed like ages before he pulled away.
"We came to see if you wanted to come with us for a talk about our mission. Plus, Hermione is nearly dying with excitement at the thought of seeing you," Harry told him. The man who was standing next to Remus gave them a nod.
"I'll let Dora know where you're headed and that you'll be back when you can. This is important and she'll understand," the man said. Remus nodded as the man disappeared back into the house. Remus looked to Harry.
"That's Ted Tonks, Dora's father. A truly likable man but the Death Eaters are after him. He's talking about going on the run because they keep hounding Andie. He's a muggleborn and she's a pureblood. He thinks that they would be safer with him gone, though I'm not sure that he's right," the werewolf explained.
Together, the three of them stepped through the wards again and Remus grabbed hold of Harry while Ron apparated himself. Once they were standing outside of Harry and Hermione's wards, Harry could see that Hermione was still standing in the entrance to the tent, waiting for them to return. He pulled Remus through the blood ward just as Hermione ran to them, hugging Harry close again as though he had been gone a day rather than ten minutes. He laughingly kissed her head again before she pulled away and threw herself into Remus' arms, hugging him tightly. Remus laughed as well, holding her tight and kissing her forehead. It was strange that there was no possessive reaction when she hugged Remus like there was when she hugged Ron.
Hermione took Remus' hand and dragged him into the tent and settled him into a chair at the table before making Harry and Ron sit as well so she could serve them all tea. Harry was happy to see that the Hermione he knew from before becoming an omega was returning; that was the girl he had fallen in love with. He still loved her when she was unsure of herself but this confident and excitable woman held his heart. Before they could start explaining their mission, however, Remus spoke.
"Before we get into the heavy business of this mission of yours, I wanted to tell you the good news. I haven't had the chance before now. Dora's pregnant," he told them. Harry was sure that he had heard Remus wrong; he had always sworn that he would never have children because of his lycanthropy. Hermione, however, understood perfectly and squealed appropriately, throwing her arms around their ex-professor's neck.
"Congratulations! I can't believe it, it's just so exciting! I bet Tonks is excited too!" Hermione exclaimed. Remus turned red at her words and Harry wondered why but wasn't nearly brave enough to ask. He smiled at Hermione and thanked her, giving Harry and Ron enough time to stammer out their congratulations as well. Remus smiled knowingly at them, understanding completely that they had no idea what to say to news like that. Harry was grateful when Remus took pity on them and let the subject drop.
"Alright, lay this mission on me. Tell me everything and I'll do what I can to help," Remus said, completely serious now. Harry took a deep breath and began.
"Well, it started way back before any of us were born. A man named Tom Riddle was born to a woman named Merope Gaunt," Harry began, his voice low as he started his tale.
Harry told Remus everything that he knew. Tom first creating horcruxes, killing Moaning Myrtle, applying for the Defense Against the Dark Arts job after graduating, stealing Hufflepuff's cup, killing his muggle family and blaming it on his maternal uncle. He talked for ages, telling Remus everything he knew he could about Tom Riddle, everything that Dumbledore had passed onto him before he had died.
After he detailed Tom's life history as he knew it, he began telling Remus about the horcruxes and exactly what they were, how they tied him to this world. He explained how there were six pieces of the Dark Lord's soul hidden in the world and how they had to find them and destroy them before Harry could dream of taking him on. He told the werewolf about the diary that he had destroyed in the Chamber of Secrets and the locket that he and Dumbledore had went after the night he had been murdered on top of the Astronomy Tower. He let him in on the break in at the Ministry and how they had stolen the real locket from Umbridge and had just recently destroyed it with Gryffindor's Sword. Finally, he fell quiet and let Remus process everything. After several minutes, the werewolf spoke.
"So, you think there are six of these horcruxes and you've managed to find and destroy three of them. What are the items you've destroyed again?" Remus asked. Harry nodded his head.
"I destroyed the diary in my second year, Dumbledore managed to destroy the Gaunt family ring the summer before my sixth year, and I destroyed the locket a month or so ago," he told him, hoping like hell that Remus could help them. The alpha werewolf scrubbed a hand down his face and Harry realized how exhausted he looked.
"You're absolutely certain that these items have to be destroyed before Tom can die?" Remus questioned him. Harry shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm not certain of anything. Dumbledore was the one that was positive," he told him honestly. Remus sighed and nodded.
"Dumbledore, for all his faults, was a smart man. I'd take him at his word. Do you have any idea what the other items could be?" Harry sighed and Hermione answered for him, sensing that he was getting frustrated.
"He specifically used Slytherin's locket and the other memory showed that he stole Hufflepuff's cup. I wouldn't be surprised if he was using things that belonged to the founders. Since we know that we have the true Sword of Gryffindor, it's safe to say that he would have something from Ravenclaw. I'm just not sure what. Dumbledore was almost positive the last one was his snake, Nagini," she told him. Remus leaned forward, his elbows on the table while he met Harry's eyes.
"Fuck, pup. You were handed an impossible task. How the fuck have you made it this far?" Remus asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"I haven't made it far at all. We've wandered around since August and managed to find and destroy one bloody horcrux. That's it," Harry snorted, "We need help." Remus nodded.
"Any ideas where they're located?" he asked but Harry just shook his head.
"I was positive one would be at Hogwarts but there's no way we can get in with Snape as Headmaster. We've looked everywhere that we thought would be important to Tom but have come up empty every time," Harry admitted. Remus blew a long breath out of his mouth and nodded.
"You may be right but we can save that one for last. Let me think on it for a few days and see what I can come up with. See what I can research. Maybe I can find something on whatever Ravenclaw item he may have used. Hopefully I can be of some use to you three," Remus told them sincerely. Harry smiled at his ex-professor.
"I'm sure you'll help us plenty. Besides, it was nice to see you. We don't get to see much of anyone out here," he told him. Remus nodded as he stood.
"It's best that way, make sure that you keep those wards up and running, stronger than ever. The Death Eaters want all three of you very badly. Don't get cocky and think that you can take them on. Better to hide and fight another day. You have a very specific battle that you just outlined to me and that doesn't include fighting Death Eaters unless you have to so be smart about it," he warned them. All three of them nodded their agreement.
Remus stepped forward and hugged them all, Ron first and for the shortest amount of time. Hermione second, laughing a little when she insisted that he tell Tonks congratulations and that she couldn't wait to see her pregnant belly before he kissed the top of her head affectionately, and finally, Harry, holding him the longest. When he pulled away, his voice was a little gruff with emotion.
"You take care, Harry. Stay safe," Remus told him. Harry nodded.
"You too, take care of Tonks and that baby too," he told said, knowing that it wasn't necessary to say.
All three of them watched as Remus walked through the wards and disapparated, leaving them behind to return to his wife and unborn child. Hermione sighed as she leaned into his side, her sadness apparent. Harry wrapped an arm around her and buried his nose in her hair, inhaling deeply, reveling in her scent. Her arm wrapped around his waist, her fingers bunching in his shirt.
"I miss him already," she whispered softly. Harry nodded against her head.
"I know, kitten. Let's go make dinner to distract ourselves," he said, hoping that it would work on himself as well.
Harry pulled Hermione into the kitchen and had her help him make dinner. Since they were running short on fresh food, they did breakfast for dinner while Ron set the table. Hermione fried eggs while Harry heated up beans and made toast. The meal was a quiet affair, though they did make small talk. Ron cleared the table and made sure that the dishes were washing while Hermione settled herself on the couch to read for pleasure. Harry eyed his friend and asked if he would like to play a game of chess.
Harry sat down next to Hermione and she quickly put her head in his lap while he faced off against Ron in chess. He knew that it was pointless to play but there was nothing better to do. He never won but he had hopes that someday he would get better and win. He just didn't hold out hopes that it would be any day soon.
Hermione made it through several chapters and Harry lost three games before they finally called it a night. Harry rose from the couch and pulled Hermione to her feet, sending her on her way to the bed with a soft smack to her arse. Even after three straight days of shagging her senseless, Harry still wanted her. He followed behind her after a hurried goodnight to Ron and cast the spells behind him, ensuring that Ron would see and hear nothing.
He watched Hermione ready herself for bed, crawling in behind her. They rarely bothered with clothing anymore since it ended up on the floor anyways. She lay on her side facing away from him and Harry knew that it was the perfect position for what he had planned. He didn't want anything wild and crazy tonight, he just wanted something sweet and sensual.
Harry spooned up behind her, tucking his cock in the cleft of her arse, his lips finding the spot where he marked her. She pressed her arse back into him and she mewled her appreciation when his hand slid around her front, his fingers tweaking her nipple lightly. Her hand reached back and found his cock, stroking him softly. Harry dragged his teeth over her mark in response, showing her that he liked her touch.
His hand left her breast and slid down her soft belly to find her pussy, his fingers sliding through her wet folds until he found her entrance. He dipped two fingers inside her, testing how wet she was, making sure that she was ready. When he found a slick passage, he shoved his knee between hers, making room to slide his cock between her legs. She complied easily, moving into a position that would be easier for him to take her.
His cock found her entrance he shoved himself inside, loving the hiss she made as he stretched her, not giving her a moment to adjust to his girth. He knew that she liked just a little bit of pain with her pleasure. He wanted to fuck her hard and fast but he didn't. He kept the pace slow and steady so as to drive her insane with want and need.
He could feel her walls clenching around him already so he made sure to not give her enough to send her over the edge. His fingers found her nub and rubbed slow circles around it, enough to excite but not to push her over the edge. She was whimpering, clutching at his arm, but made no move to change his pace.
Harry managed to keep this up for half an hour, half an hour of pure torture for not only Hermione but himself as well. Finally, when he could see how exhausted she was from being on the brink of orgasm for so long, Harry sank his teeth into her gland and pressed his fingers into her pleasure pearl roughly, shoving his cock into her cunt as hard as he could. She cried out, though he wasn't sure if it was from the unexpected mixture of pleasure and pain or because he had finally given in.
It took three strokes of his cock and her pussy exploded on him, drenching him with her silky arousal fluid, her inner muscles clamping down on him and sucking him in further. Harry lasted only three pumps after that, his seed painting her cervix white with a groan and string of profanities following her name. Their breathing slowed together and by the time Harry pulled his cock from his own slice of heaven, he could tell that Hermione was asleep.
The Gryffindor chuckled to himself as he cleaned up himself and Hermione with a spell, taking it as the ultimate compliment that he could put his mate to sleep after a tumble in the sheets. After he had scourgified them, he pulled Hermione into his arms and duvet over the top of them, burying his face in her hair so her scent would lull him to sleep. It had been a long day, an emotional day, and he could only hope that it would bring them hope.
It had to because they were almost out of it.