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Chapter 722: Then Get Out!!
"Who he is doesn't matter," Hermione said impatiently. "Just tell us what happened that night."
"What is there to say?" Phineas said irritably.
"They broke into someone's office to steal something, the owner discovered them, and they were punished. Perfectly normal."
"That wasn't Snape's property!" Harry snapped.
"It belongs to the school he governs," Phineas replied coldly.
"He had every right to punish them. If I were still Headmaster, I'd have had them hanging by their ankles!"
"Too bad you're dead," Harry said flatly.
"Outrageous! Completely outrageous! I refuse to stay here another second!"
Phineas shouted furiously.
Hermione hurried to calm him.
"Wait! Do you remember what Darren said when he took the Sorting Hat?"
Phineas paused.
He sounded both reluctant and slightly pleased.
"Strictly speaking, I shouldn't reveal such things," he said slowly.
"But I do rather like that boy.
And the current Headmaster never forbade me from mentioning it.
Besides—you asked politely."
He cleared his throat.
"When Darren Potter held the Sorting Hat, he made a gesture like he was praying.
Then a sword came out of the hat.
He smeared something poisonous on it."
Phineas frowned slightly.
"I assume he intended to kill someone."
Hermione's breathing quickened.
"You didn't tell Professor Snape about this?"
Phineas snorted.
"The Headmaster must ask before we are obliged to answer.
And Headmaster Snape is a very taciturn man."
He sounded satisfied.
"Well then. I'm leaving. You terribly rude people."
With that, he vanished.
The portrait went blank.
Harry stared at the empty frame.
A sudden realization lit his face.
"I get it now.
Darren never intended to steal the sword."
Hermione looked at him.
Harry spoke quickly.
"He knew it was impossible.
He has no magic right now.
Ginny and the others couldn't steal it either."
"So he staged the whole thing.
He made it look like they were stealing the sword—but his real goal was the Sorting Hat."
Harry's voice grew more excited.
"He knew Phineas would tell us.
The Sword of Gryffindor can come out of the Sorting Hat.
And Darren coated it with poison."
Hermione's eyes widened.
"Which means…"
"We can destroy the Horcruxes with the Sword of Gryffindor!"
Harry finished.
Hermione hesitated.
"But now the Sorting Hat is stored in Gringotts.
Is Darren telling us to break into Gringotts?"
Harry fell silent.
He remembered Hagrid's words from his first visit to the wizarding world.
Gringotts is the safest place in the world.
Trying to steal from it would be madness.
Harry looked at Ron.
"Ron…"
Ron gave a cold laugh.
"Oh, now you remember I'm here?"
Harry frowned.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," Ron said sarcastically.
"I'm just the extra one, right?"
"I never said that."
"No—but that's exactly how you act."
Ron's voice grew sharper.
"We've been wandering around with no plan.
I don't even know what we're supposed to do anymore."
Harry stared at him.
"I told you from the beginning.
There isn't a clear plan.
We take things one step at a time.
There are many things even Darren couldn't guarantee—"
"Well I regret it!" Ron shouted.
"I regret following you!"
Harry froze.
"You don't care what happens to my family.
You don't care what happens to Darren."
Ron's voice shook with anger.
"Lupin told you not to rescue him—and you just accepted that.
Do you know what he's suffering there?
You cried a little, then you decided everything was fine."
Harry clenched his fists.
"And now you're guessing what he meant with his message.
You're excited because you figured something out.
But the moment you realized the task might be impossible—you started hesitating!"
Hermione's eyes filled with tears.
"Ron," she said softly, "take that horrible locket off.
We can't save Darren right now.
We can't save Ginny either.
But they're fighting in their own ways.
We have to keep going too."
"Our efforts?" Ron snapped.
"What efforts?
I've watched you two for weeks.
You've done nothing except run away.
Run and hide."
His voice turned bitter.
"I'm still injured.
I'm starving.
And I have to wear this cursed Horcrux."
"Then leave!" Harry shouted suddenly.
"Go back to your mother!
Get out!"
Ron glared at him.
"I should have left a long time ago!"
Something broke between them.
Harry felt it clearly.
"Take the locket off," Harry said coldly.
"Then get out."
He raised his wand.
Ron ripped the Horcrux from his neck and threw it on the ground.
Without another word, he stormed out of the tent.
Hermione called after him several times.
Ron disappeared into the forest without looking back.
"Let him go," Harry said through clenched teeth.
"Don't call him."
Hermione covered her face and retreated into the tent.
Harry knew she was crying.
Eventually he calmed down.
He picked up the locket from the ground.
Then placed it back around his own neck.
---
The next morning—
Hermione had already prepared breakfast.
Her eyes were red and swollen.
When Harry came out, she wiped them quickly.
They ate in silence.
The days that followed were bleak.
They tried discussing how to break into Gringotts and steal the Sorting Hat.
But the more they thought about it, the more impossible it seemed.
Surely Darren wouldn't give them an unsolvable task.
Maybe there was another message.
Maybe Phineas simply hadn't told them everything.
Or perhaps Darren needed several chances to pass on the full plan.
Waiting for those answers was agonizing.
They tried focusing on the Horcruxes instead.
But they knew almost nothing about them.
Harry's anxiety grew worse each day.
He feared Hermione might leave too.
After all, Dumbledore had kept many secrets.
Harry himself understood very little.
Hermione had grown quieter.
Whenever she had free time, she took out Phineas's portrait.
They hoped he might occasionally appear with news about Darren.
But the news grew worse each time.
Snape had assigned Darren to work under Malfoy's supervision.
The Carrow siblings were also watching him closely.
According to the rumors, they followed Darren everywhere—even while he ate.
He had almost no freedom except when sleeping or using the bathroom.
As for Ginny and the others—
Snape had forbidden them from entering Hogsmeade.
Because of these reports, Harry sometimes felt the urge to charge straight back to Hogwarts and confront Snape.
But one day Phineas reminded him bluntly—
Harry Potter was now the most wanted man in the country.
And Hogwarts was the one place he could never enter.