Bellatrix before they left, and the less that Bill and Fleur knew or suspected about what

They were about to do, the better. They had also explained that they would not be

returning. As they had lost Perkin's old tent on the night that the Snatcher's caught them,

Bill had lent them another one. It was now packed inside the beaded bag, which, Harry

Was impressed to learn, Hermione had protected from the Snatchers by the simple

Expedient of stuffing it down her sock.

Though he would miss Bill, Fleur, Luna, and Dean, not to mention the home

Comforts they had enjoyed over the last few weeks, Harry was looking forward to

Escaping the confinement of Shell Cottage. He was tired of trying to make sure that they

Were not overheard, tired of being shut in the tiny, dark bedroom. Most of all, he longed

To be rid of Griphook. However, precisely how and when they were to part from the

goblin without handing over Gryffindor's sword remained a question to which Harry had

No answer. It had been impossible to decide how they were going to do it, because the

Goblin rarely left Harry, Ron, and Hermione alone together for more than five minutes at

a time: "He could give my mother lessons," growled Ron, as the goblin's long fingers

kept appearing around the edges of doors. With Bill's warning in mind, Harry could not

Help suspecting that Griphook was on the watch for possible skullduggery. Hermione

Disapproved so heartily of the planned double-cross that Harry had given up attempting to

pick her brains on how best to do it: Ron, on the rare occasions that they had been able to

snatch a few Griphook-free moments, had come up with nothing better than "We'll just

have to wing it, mate."

Harry slept badly that night. Lying away in the early hours, he thought back to the

Way he had felt the night before they had infiltrated the Ministry of Magic and

Remembered a determination, almost an excitement. Now he was experiencing jolts of

anxiety nagging doubts: He could not shake off the fear that it was all going to go wrong.

He kept telling himself that their plan was good, that Griphook knew what they were

Facing, that they were well-prepared for all the difficulties they were likely to encounter,

Yet still he felt uneasy. Once or twice he heard Ron stir and was sure that he too was

Awake, but they were sharing the sitting room with Dean, so Harry did not speak.

It was a relief when six o-clock arrived and they could slip out of their sleeping

Bags, dress in the semidarkness, then creep out into the garden, where they were to meet

Hermione and Griphook. The dawn was chilly, but there was little wind now that it was

May. Harry looked up at the stars still glimmering palely in the dark sky and listened to

the sea washing backward and forward against the cliff: He was going to miss the sound.

Small green shoots were forcing their way up through the red earth of Dobby's

grave now, in a year's time the mound would be covered in flowers. The white stone that

bore the elf's name had already acquired a weathered look. He realized now that they

Could hardly have laid Dobby to rest in a more beautiful place, but Harry ached with

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 781