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There was a long silence. The crowd had almost dispersed now, the stragglers giving the monumental figure of Grawp a wide berth as he cuddled Hagrid, whose howls of grief were still echoing across the water.
'We'll be there, Harry,' said Ron.
'What.' At your aunt and uncle's house,' said Ron. 'And then we'll go with you, wherever you're going.' 'No -' said Harry quickly; he had not counted on this, he had meant them to understand that he was undertaking this most dangerous journey alone.
'You said to us once before,' said Hermione quietly, 'that there was time to turn back if we wanted to. We've had time, haven't we.' 'We're with you whatever happens,' said Ron. 'But, mate, you're going to have to come round my mum and dad's house before we do anything else, even Godric's Hollow.' 'Why.' 'Bill and Fleur's wedding, remember.' Harry looked at him, startled; the idea that anything as normal as a wedding could still exist seemed incredible and yet wonderful.
'Yeah, we shouldn't miss that,' he said finally.
His hand closed automatically around the fake Horcrux, but in spite of everything, in spite of the dark and twisting path he saw stretching ahead for himself, in spite of the final meeting with Voldemort he knew must come, whether in a month, in a year, or in ten, he felt his heart lift at the thought that there was still one last golden day of peace left to enjoy with Ron and Hermione.
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