CHAPTER SIX

Grieving Mad-Eye, Harry itches to act, but Ron reminds him the Trace lifts on his birthday and they must stay for Bill and Fleur’s wedding. Molly corners Harry about leaving Hogwarts; he refuses to reveal Dumbledore’s mission. She pivots to assigning endless wedding chores, clearly aiming to keep Harry, Ron, and Hermione apart and delay their departure.

Over crowded dinners, the Order shifts headquarters from Grimmauld Place due to weakened Fidelius; Scrimgeour hides the truth about Voldemort and Azkaban. Fleur urges disguising Harry for the wedding. Arthur quietly shows Harry parts of Sirius’s motorbike he’s hiding. Upstairs, the trio debates Mad-Eye’s fate before Hermione breaks down; Ron comforts her.

Hermione and Ron reaffirm joining Harry. Hermione reveals she modified her parents’ memories to protect them and smuggled Dumbledore’s removed Horcrux books via Accio after the funeral. Ron unveils a plan to pass a transformed ghoul as himself, “ill with spattergroit,” to deter Death Eater inquiries at the Weasleys.

They discuss visiting Godric’s Hollow versus prioritizing Horcruxes and revisit R.A.B.’s note about the locket. Using the contraband texts, Hermione explains Horcrux creation, repair limits, and destruction: only overwhelming, near-irreparable damage (like basilisk venom) works. She outlines why possession requires emotional closeness to the object. Harry laments not learning how Dumbledore destroyed the ring before Molly bursts in, dispersing them to wedding tasks.

The Delacours arrive, pleasant but adding crowding that chokes planning. With security spells tightening, Molly asks Harry about his seventeenth birthday; he requests a simple dinner with close friends. The chapter closes with Harry feeling guilt over the strain on the Weasleys as wedding preparations intensify.