The Thief

Instead of arriving safely at Grimmauld Place, Harry, Ron, and Hermione wind up in a forest. Hermione led them there for their own safety. Ron is gravely injured, having been “Splinched” during the journey. When he apparated, Ron left part of his upper arm behind, leaving a gaping, bleeding hole. Hermione tends to Ron’s injuries as best as she can with the limited supplies that she has brought. Harry helps her retrieve her special “Essence of Dittany” to help cure Ron. Harry watches as the drops magically create new skin to stretch over Ron’s severe wound.

Finally, Ron is healed enough for Hermione to explain what happened in their escape. Because the Ministry now knows that the three were headed for Grimmauld Place, they can’t go back there. She directed the trio to the forest near the Quidditch World Cup grounds.

Harry reveals that he stole Mad-Eye Moody’s magical eye from Umbridge’s office. After tending to Ron for a bit, Hermione pitches a magical tent (big enough to hold all of them comfortably) and performs some spells and enchantments to protect them as they decide what to do.

As they discuss the outcome of their infiltration of the Ministry of Magic, Harry reminds them of the Horcrux they stole. Hermione removes the Horcrux from beneath her robes and the three of them gape at it.

All three of them ponder how to destroy it. They decide that they must figure out a way to open it first. This new locket is most definitely the actual Horcrux, for they can feel part of the soul of Voldemort moving eerily inside of it. Because they can’t figure out how to destroy it right away, Harry hangs the Horcrux locket around his own neck to keep it safe until they do figure out how.

As the three of them try to get used to their new hiding place inside the magical tent, Harry has another vision of his dire enemy. Voldemort has finally succeeded in finding the wand-maker named Gregorovitch. Gregorovitch doesn’t seem to have the item that Voldemort wants, claiming that it was stolen a long time ago, and so Voldemort simply kills Gregorovitch. Harry also sees something from Gregorovitch’s own past: a blond man stunning Gregorovitch and leaping out the window.

Harry knows that, with the wand-maker Gregorovitch killed, Voldemort will be searching for this mysterious blond thief.