Summary: Chapter Fourteen: The Thief
Harry opens his eyes and finds himself in a forest. Hermione
and Ron are there, but Ron is bleeding profusely, a huge chunk of
his side missing. Hermione explains that he has been Splinched,
meaning he left a part of himself behind while Disapparating. They
treat his wound with a potion from Hermione’s bag, and Hermione
tells Harry how she had taken them to Grimmauld Place, but Yaxley
had grabbed hold of her so that she inadvertently took Yaxley with them,
within the perimeter of the house’s protective enchantments. She
was then able to slip out of Yaxley’s grip and bring them to these woods—the
site of the Quidditch World Cup the year before—but now that Yaxley
has gained entry to the house, they can no longer go back there.
Harry and Hermione set up the tent and cast protective
charms on it, then they consider their situation. They do have the
Horcrux, as Hermione had succeeded in taking the locket from Umbridge.
As they are unable to open it and have no idea how to destroy it,
all Harry can think to do for the moment is to wear it on a chain
around his neck for safekeeping. Moreover, they have no idea where
to start looking for any of the other Horcruxes, and they have little
or nothing to eat while they try to figure it out.
Harry’s scar prickles and he sees through Voldemort’s
eyes as Voldemort interrogates the wand maker Gregorovitch. Gregorovitch
insists that he does not have what Voldemort wants, as it was stolen
from him long ago. Voldemort, thinking he’s lying, reads his mind
and sees a memory of a young, handsome blond man stealing the wand,
stunning Gregorovitch with a spell, and escaping through a window.
Voldemort draws back out of Gregorovitch’s mind, Gregorovitch screams,
and there is a flash of green light as Voldemort kills Gregorovitch.
Hermione does not want to hear about Harry’s vision, being angry
at his letting it occur. Harry describes it to Ron, saying that
the vision makes no sense. Why would Voldemort kill Gregorovitch, when
surely Voldemort must have visited him because he wanted Gregorovitch
to make a new, more powerful wand that could defeat Harry? Yet Voldemort
made no mention of such a desire.
Harry reflects that the mischievous-looking blond youth
must be Voldemort’s next target. Harry thinks he’s seen this man
before, but can’t think where.
Summary: Chapter Fifteen: Goblin’s Revenge
Harry buries Moody’s eye in the forest. The trio move
their camp near to a market town, and Harry goes to steal food,
but he sees dementors and is unable to summon his Patronus to protect
himself, so he has to leave. Back at the tent, Hermione realizes
that Harry’s problem is that he’s wearing the Horcrux. The Horcrux
exerts a negative magical influence, blocking the positive emotion
needed to summon a Patronus. They agree to take turns wearing it,
but it makes whoever wears it irritable and argumentative.
