Albania - 8

Harry nodded, swallowing heavily. He knew he'd never be able to live with himself if something happened to any of them, no matter what Hermione said. He couldn't lose anyone else…

"I still think it would be a good idea to postpone your appearance in the papers," Hermione said, apparently unwilling to drop her point. Now that she'd finished her first cup of coffee and was working on her second, she was acting more like the Hermione he knew.

"No," Harry said firmly. "I have another reason for wanting to do it today. It's the first of September, and I suspect a lot of students might be doing the same thing Zacharias Smith is doing and going to school elsewhere. I want to show everyone that I'm still in England. It should keep Voldemort's attention away from the other schools."

Hermione averted her eyes, staring intently into her coffee cup. Harry thought he'd seen the beginning of tears before she'd looked away. He knew that not returning to school would be hardest on Hermione. She'd always been so dedicated to her academic pursuits, and Harry had to marvel at the depth of her sacrifice for him.

He reached over and gently squeezed her hand. "I'm going to miss it, too," he whispered.

Hermione raised her eyes and smiled tremulously. "I still can't believe there won't be any classes at Hogwarts this term."

"I know," Ginny said, placing the bacon and eggs on the table and sitting down with them. "I keep wondering what all the teachers are going to do. I mean, they live there during the school year, don't they? Where will they go? Will they come back when Hogwarts finally reopens, because it will." Ginny stared at them fiercely, as if daring them to disagree with her.

"Of course it will," Harry said with a confidence he didn't feel. "It has to."

"What happens if we run into Fred and George…or Mum while we're in Diagon Alley?" Ginny asked, biting her lower lip.

"We can't let that happen," Harry said firmly, knowing Ginny half wanted to run into her family. "After we get the Horcrux – if there's one there – then we'll go back to Grimmauld Place. We'll deal with the repercussions of our disappearance when we get there, but we can't risk anyone getting in the way of our visit to the Smith Museum."

"What if we don't find a Horcrux?" Ginny asked, her gaze direct and unwavering.

Harry swallowed. He'd been thinking about that possibility for several days, although something kept telling him that they would find something there.

"I don't know," he said, sighing. "I don't want to go back to headquarters without having made some progress – without having something to have made the trip worthwhile."

"But you're still not planning on telling them about the Horcruxes?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry said. "I have a feeling we're in for a lot of shouting when we go back, but we are doing the right thing. Having found one will simply make me feel better while stonewalling them."

"Mum is probably going spare. She'll likely try and lock us up in chains," Ginny said, groaning.

"I know," Harry said, squeezing her hand. "But we've been gone all this time and we've done all right. It's you that she's going to be the hardest on. We're all of age, so there really isn't anything she can do, but you–"

"It doesn't matter," Ginny said, raising her chin in the air. "I'm not a little girl anymore, and I won't go back to being treated like one. I love my mother dearly, but I'm her daughter through and through. I can be as stubborn as she can."