Chapter 8: Old Friends Know Us Best
The strangest part of it all was that in some ways Ron knew that Harry was still his best friend. Harry had been the first real friend that he had ever had and even during Fourth Year when he had so childishly refused to speak to him for weeks, there had never been another friend that could take his place. It had not been until much later that Ron had fully realized that no matter how angry he had thought that he had been at the time, no matter how jealous he had been, there had never been a true moment when he had thought that their friendship was actually over. He had always expected to make up with Harry. He was the only person that Ron had ever completely confided in. The only person that knew how to make him feel better when his self-esteem had all but disappeared. Even with 5 brothers, 3 other dormmates, countless other friends that he had met at Hogwarts, there had never been anyone else to take that place in his life and there was a hole where Harry had once stood in his heart that he knew would never be filled.
And that hole had only grown wider over time, even though Ron had barely noticed. For the first several months after Harry's conviction he had been largely on self-destruct. He had felt angry at the world. Racking up detentions in his classes for being insubordinate, for fighting with his classmates, for failing to turn in his work. His parents had received multiple owls from McGonagall and he himself had wound up in her office more often than the twins had managed if you were talking proportional time.
He and Hermione had fought viciously...and then stopped. He was never sure when they had decided to just stop being friends but he was sure that it was a strangely mutual decision. No conversation had been needed, neither one of them had banished the other, and yet somehow the habit of hanging around each other had just...stopped.
He had eventually pulled himself together. If Harry was going to throw away everything that the three of them had worked towards, he was going to be the one to pick up those pieces. He would be an Auror- and a damn good one if he had anything to say about it. It was hard- without Harry's natural skills to help teach them and without Hermione's brains to lead them all in the right direction of what to do. Ron had always been well aware that he had been the weakest link in their little friendship but now he was suddenly adrift. All alone with no one that helped him or really understood him.
There had never been friends to take Harry and Hermione's place and while, when he had gotten older, there had been a series of one night stands and loose acquaintances when it came to women, there had never been a serious love interest to keep his attention either. Instead the only thing that Ron had to fill his time was his studies towards the Auror Academy and then the Academy itself. If Ron had ever been one to notice irony, he would have realized how strange it was that it was only after he had stopped hanging around Hermione that he had had no reason to stay away from the library. His work quickly became his life.
It became normal for him to reach the end of the day and realize that he had only spoken with a handful of people and usually briefly at best. At the Academy there would be evenings in which his classmates invited him out for drinks as the local pub, and sometimes he even went, determined to make new friends, but usually he would stand on the outer rim of the group, feeling the need to fake a laugh when it seemed appropriate and wait until it was a polite hour to beg off claiming tiredness. He wasn't unfriendly and most days he didn't consider himself to be... alone, but slowly his life had become sadly routine and for the first time in years Ron was thrown back into the memories of what it had been like to have two friends that he would have done literally anything for.
When Ron had arrived at the Ministry for questioning that summer's day now nearly four years previous, he had been so convinced that there had to have been a mistake. Harry was the last person in the world to willingly join Lord Voldemort. Harry was the boy who had courageously saved his sister. The boy who had allowed Pettigrew to live even after finding out what he had done to Harry's parents. He was the boy that had gone after Voldemort as a mere eleven year old and had passionately, and completely unintentionally, convinced both himself and Hermione to go as well. The Ministry had to be barking mad to believe for a minute that Harry would ever become a Death Eater. That he would ever hurt anyone never mind actually killing someone.
Ron had been rude and defiant at the start of his interview. He had told them point blank that they had the wrong person and that they should all stop believing everything that they had read in the blasted newspapers about Harry and actually get to know him- because Ron did. Ron knew Harry, and he was absolutely certain that the Ministry was wrong about him. Except they weren't. The Aurors had gone over everything, point by vicious point and as the evidence mounted Ron's resolve had crumbled bit by bit.
"We understand that this is hard for you to accept son, that boy lied to you for a long time."
"Harry never lied to me! He wouldn't do that."
"Are you saying that you've never known Harry to lie to anyone? You've never seen him lie to others?"
"No..." Ron faltered, flushing slightly. He had seen Harry lie. It wasn't very often, in fact most of the time Ron felt that Harry was uncommonly honest even when it got him into trouble. So honest that most people had the impression that he was either a bad liar or just unable to lie, but again Ron knew differently. He remembered Harry telling McGonagall straight-faced that they were off to visit Hermione when they had been caught out of bounds. He remembered Harry lying to Snape about the missing potions ingredients. Both times two teachers that were infamous for detecting lies were unable to catch him. When Harry wanted to, he could lie very well.
"He never told you about the abuse that he suffered at the hands of his relatives," the Auror continued.
"That wasn't his fault," Ron muttered sullenly. He hadn't even believed that Harry had been beaten as badly as he had until the Aurors had shown him pictures. They had made him sick to his stomach but he still couldn't believe that the Aurors would actually use the fact that his friend had been beaten and abused as evidence against him.
"No it wasn't," a second, slightly friendlier, Auror, this one shorter, said. "What those monsters did to that boy is terrible. Honestly, as his friend we can understand why you think that what happened to him excuses what he did. People are allowed to act in self-defense."
"Yeah-"
"But self-defense is getting someone to stop what they are doing and getting away to get help," the first Auror picked up. "Your friend didn't do that, did he? He never told anyone what was happening in that house. Why do you think that is?"
"Harry never liked the Dursleys, he told us that himself."
"But he didn't tell you all of it, did he?"
"He was probably embarrassed..."
"Does Harry strike you as the type of person to be afraid of standing up for himself?" Auror one asked.
"If you were in his place, wouldn't you want to get back at people that kept you in a cupboard. That beat you. Starved you?" the second Auror pressed.
And Ron couldn't say no.
"But you wouldn't use Unforgivable Curses."
"You wouldn't kill an innocent woman just because she witnessed what you were doing."
Ron shook his head, hating the fact that he couldn't say no to anything that they were saying to him. "But Harry...he would never join You-Know-Who...he hated him more than anyone!"
"Even if this was his only chance at getting out from his abusive relatives?"
"Even if the Dark Lord promised him things that Dumbledore and the Order couldn't?"
"We talked to some of your other friends Ron, they said that Harry was frustrated and upset with the Order all year. They treated him like a kid, didn't they? And Harry hated that."
Ron said nothing but he knew what they said was right.
"They also said that Harry has a temper and that he was even thrown off the Quidditch team for aggressive fighting."
"Malfoy provoked him," Ron defended.
"Hmm." The shorter Auror answered leadingly.
"Still, Harry doesn't seem like the type to allow others to take care of problems. He's probably extremely self-sufficient and independent. He would have had to be from a young age with those relatives. In a lot of ways, Harry can seem very impressive, doesn't he? He's calm and collected in dangerous situations. He's a leader. If the Dark Lord offered Harry what the Order couldn't...don't you think he would find that tempting?"
He had been so convinced that these people, these strangers couldn't know his friend but...everything that they said described Harry perfectly. Harry was independent. Harry did hate it when the Order kept things from him and treated them all like little kids.
Still there was an inch of defiance, of stubborn loyalty. "What about veritaserum? Use that and Harry will tell you himself that he would never take the Dark Mark!"
The Auror Two smiled at him sympathetically, "your friend Miss Granger brought up the same point, the two of you are really quite loyal to him. We interview a lot of people, Mr. Weasley and I will say it's not often that someone is ardent in their defense of another person. Very few people are so confident that even their closet friends couldn't do what they were accused of doing, because let me tell Mr. Weasley I've worked here a long time and one thing that I've learned is that people are capable of anything. Our investigations are very thorough, and we wouldn't have bought you here to talk about your friend unless we were sure about him. It's a shame the same can't be said about how he feels about you."
Ron felt himself flush at what they told him earlier, that not only had Harry killed the Dursleys but he had working with the Death Eaters all along. That he had been planning on turning over him and the others the night of the Department of Mysteries. Ron had denied it. He had told them how Harry had fought the Death Eaters, how he had been the last person still dueling. The Aurors had claimed that he had been toying with them- otherwise why hadn't Harry gone down fighting as well. Wouldn't the Death Eaters have been targeting him above anyone else?
The man spoke up, "though veritaserum is inadmissible in court, we do use it during interrogations to get information that we need. Potter confessed to having cast an Unforgivable curse- a Cruciatus to be exact."
Ron blinked, fully stunned for the first time. That was when scales had tipped for Ron and any other protest he had offered that day had been weak at best.
Harry had betrayed them.
Harry had turned this back on everything that he had once stood for and decided that revenge on the muggles that had abused him was more important to him than fighting with the Order against the man that had made him go to the Dursleys in the first place. He knew that Hermione felt that a part of them should pity Harry. Pity someone whose relatives had treated him so horribly that he had actually sided with his own parent's murderer in order to get even with them. Ron's sympathy had always been limited.
He had been too angry at Harry's choices, at the fact that he had not only committed terrible crimes but had abandoned their friendship as well, to feel pity. Now, however, a bit of pity had uncomfortably wormed its way into his heart.
Harry hadn't spoken a word since they had left Azkaban.
After Harry had surprised them both by agreeing to help them with almost no persuasion needed at , he had lapsed into a strangely obedient silence, nothing like the friend that he remembered from Hogwarts. Harry never been overly chatty. He had always been content to listen more than contribute, but he had never been...silent. The thin man now followed each of their orders without hesitation, his swift movements his only sign of any acknowledgement at all as they proceeded to properly process him before he could be officially released.
First they had to meet with Captain Higgins and all of them had had to sign several papers detailing the conditions of release. Higgins had explained all the rules and restrictions that Potter was expected to follow while under custody of the Order. Harry had nodded a few times when prompted but made no comment and asked no questions.
Next they had given him a set of borrowed robes and instructed him to change, leading him to a small bathroom with a shower and a magical razor that would clear up the rest of his scraggly beard before being released out into the world. Hermione had remarked that she had never seen a razor quite like it, not even in the Wizarding World where enchanted razors were quite popular this one looked rather unique and the guard helped them by explaining that it was a special issue that the former Healer had ordered after noting that without cutting their hair or shaving at least somewhat regularly the hygiene, and consequently the health, of the prisoners suffered. The former Healer had instituted a new regime in which prisoners were groomed about once a month or so. The razors were charmed to both cut and shave hair to the users' oral specifications, but they were unable to be used for self-harm or to commit suicide. Ron had noticed that Hermione had paled slightly at that realization. When Potter had re-emerged from the small closet, Ron had been slightly surprised to note he had actually cut his hair a bit. The black mop was still wild but it was now shorter and with it clean and slightly more stylish, he appeared a bit closer to his actual age.
It was then that they had placed him in magical restraints.
These were specially issued by the Ministry and Ron had heard that they could be quite painful when initially put on. Ostensibly they were very similar to muggle handcuffs (at least according to Hermione) and consisted of two metal cuffs bound together with a short width of chain. The difference was that these cuffs were linked to a person's magical core and blocked their ability to do magic. This was something that went against the very nature of a person's magic and could cause the wizard in question a great deal of discomfort as they were essentially cut off from a part of themselves. Some people claimed that the more magic a person had the more painful the cuffs were and Ron wondered how Harry would feel with them. If there was one thing that he was quite sure of, it was the fact that Harry was a powerful wizard. His reaction surprised Ron by how muted it was, Harry winced and closed his eyes briefly as the cuffs went gone on but he hadn't protested or complained.
At first Ron had thought that Harry's silence was an act of defiance. Proof of what he had told them in the visiting room- that the three of them were no longer friends and he would not be treating them like they were. Harry's actions had been calm, nearly robotic in following directions but he had not so much as glanced at another person.
However, Ron's assessment of the situation changed once they had officially started on their way back to Headquarters. The trip to Headquarters was long due to the fact that the use of the restraints made any form of magical transportation impossible. This meant driving several hours back to London with Ron and Hermione making awkward, stilted conversation with one another and Harry sitting silently the whole time, idly looking out of the backseat window of the borrowed Ministry car that Hermione was driving. He sat calmly enough and for the first couple of hours Ron actually thought that he should feel things were going much smoother than he had anticipated. He had not known what to expect from his former best friend.
He had thought Harry would be angry and aggressive or possibly even cold and aloof. Either way he had expected Harry to feel like a stranger to him now, the fact that he still felt like the old Harry that would sit quietly by the fire in the Common Room while he and Hermione bickered about chess was disconcerting and strange. Even he had first seen Harry and he started their conversation so unexpectedly it had still felt so familiar and Ron and lashed out with a return of that teenage anger. He felt embarrassed about his loss of composure now- he had lectured Hermione about keeping her emotions under control and he had proven to be no better. But he had been determined to remain professional for the rest Harry's furlough.
Not that Harry seemed to notice. Because Ron had noticed that far from simply sitting quietly in the backseat and avoiding all conversation, Harry had a glazed look in his eyes that made Ron wonder whether the prisoner was entirely aware of everything that was happening around him. He had not moved in the last three hours, not even to shift positions slightly and his eyes seemed to rarely blink. Ron caught sight of him in one of the mirrors a few times and he seemed unable to help himself from continuing to glance back every few minutes to see if there had been any change.
Azkaban had changed Harry, Ron knew that much for sure. He was quiet, withdrawn and almost certainly deeply depressed. He recalled hearing about the report that had read 'possibly irrevocably depressed' and Ron wondered how deeply those changes went. Were there any traces of the old Harry still there?
It was overcast. A typical British day but streaks of light darted in and out of clouds and they seemed to have temporarily memorized Harry like a cat with a piece of string. At long last they arrived in front of Grimmauld Place though Harry barely reacted. Ron cleared his throat loudly. "Alright we're here!"
Harry continued to gaze out of his window, his mind, seemingly, much further away.
"Harry?" Hermione asked loudly.
There was a slow blink and Harry turned with a look of mild confusion before coming back to himself more fully.
"Sorry," he said quietly in that hoarse voice that sounded painful to Ron's ears. "Where are we?"
Hermione shot Ron a worried look before turning to Harry with a look that one might give to someone mentally handicapped. Her voice was low and deliberate. "Harry, you've been here before. We're at headquarters."
Harry glanced at the deserted street with a thoughtful expression. Ron knew that Azkaban could affect a person's memory but he had never seen the effect firsthand before. It was a chilling effect and at once Ron could see that much of their first meeting had been an act for Harry, one- Ron was forced to admit- the other man had pulled off quite well. He had taken Harry as a strong, defiant opponent that was prepared to stand his ground, and while that might have been the others true intentions it was clear that severe illness, not all just physical, was holding him back from being as strong as he had first wanted to appear.
"Sirius' house," Harr finally whispered. "I remember."
Ron and Hermione exchanged nervous glances once again and Ron was suddenly reminded of their Fifth Year together, the last time that he and Hermione had really been friends. They had been so close at that time that they had barely needed to talk to know what the other was thinking. There was an acute feeling of loneliness when he realized that the person who still knew him best was a girl that he had barely spoken to in the last three years.
Ron knew exactly what she was thinking. Both of them were relieved that Harry's memory didn't seem to be so terribly damaged that he had been unable to recall the information that he needed but also thankful that the Order had been right in their assumption that Harry would have no idea that he was technically he was the owner of Grimmauld Place. He had been arrested before the will had been officially settled and obviously no one had ever informed him. There had been some concern that Harry would have figured out that Sirius would have had no other heir to leave anything to, but obviously the thought had not occurred to Harry and they were grateful for that.
That had been the second largest debate of the Order- where to house Harry once he was released. No one was happy about bringing him back. Some for more personal reasons- this was where Sirius had tried to reconnect with his godson and he had been lying to them all. Most for practical reasons. It was dangerous to work against a wizard in their own home and they all knew it. However, Number 12 had served as Headquarters for so long that it had seemed too difficult to move locations, even temporarily, and no other place offered as much security as their unplottable, invisible fortress. It made things a lot easier to know that Harry would not realize that implications of being confined to a Wizarding House that he was the true master of.
They ushered Harry quickly into the House and they made their way not into the basement kitchen but into the back parlor that they had been using for some of their smaller meetings. Not all of the members could make it. Everyone was well aware that it was going to be a busy week and most people had tried to get as much time off from their jobs as possible without raising too much suspicion but it had also been agreed that perhaps it would be fitting for Harry to first meet with people that he recognized- good and bad- to set him in the right frame of mind to be cooperative. Harry remained silent and obedient as he walked, as though unbothered about where they were headed or who he might see.
There were a few members already present but the already stiff conversation ended abruptly as soon as they arrived. The tension in the room was thick and there was a feeling of bleak anticipation. A feeling of people steeling themselves for a fight that they were reluctant to have in the first place.
Harry stiffened slightly but did not react- avoiding both Lupin's harsh glare and Ron's mother's tearful eyes. He had not seen any of them since his trial and Ron would have expected an outpour of emotion now, but for all the notice he gave them, they might well have been strangers...except for tension that ran through him that only one that was lightly gripping his upper arm would notice.
The one face that he studied in the room for a moment was that of Severus Snape- the spy that he had revealed to Voldemort and could have gotten killed. And what a strange sight that face was. When they had been at Hogwarts, Snape had always hated Harry. He had glared at him, yelled at him, gone out of his way to try and humiliate and intimidate him and yet now- when the man had every reason to hate the boy that was being led into the room in handcuffs, there was a strangely blank expression on his face. Mild curiosity in his black eyes as he studied the prisoner in front of him. Ron noted that Harry's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the potions master- though whether it was in dislike or merely thoughtfulness it was hard to say.
"Take a seat," Ron said pulling Harry roughly towards the nearest chair. He was struggling to maintain his role of jailer, as the future Auror that would have to deal with transporting prisoners on a regular basis, but a part of him distantly realized that the other man was so weak that their day of travel that he had tired quickly. Harry really needed to sit down.
For the first time all day Harry resisted a direct command, leaning slightly towards Ron he said in a low voice that could not draw the attention of the others in the room. "Can I have the seat by the window?"
Ron froze, startled by the longing, the hint of a plea that refused to sound desperate, in his former friend's voice. It was the first request that Harry had made. He hadn't even questioned how long his release was supposed to be for. He had seen how Harry had looked outside at the cloudy May day- only peeks of sunlight shooting through the clouds. He hadn't even considered why Harry had been so taken with the sight of it.
At his silence Harry sighed but when he spoke a bit of the former bite from before entered his tone and it was clear that although he was desperate for the chance to be close to the fading light of the sunset, he was not going to beg them. "I'm not planning on escaping. I still have the restraints on, I'm outnumbered by 20 to 1 and where the hell would I go anyway? I just… I would like to sit near the sun for the one day that I'm not Azkaban."
Ron nodded, unable to reply to such a pathetic request, and began to lead Harry over to the group of chairs by the large bay window in the back of the room.
"Aw look at that, the gang's all back together again then?" Malfoy asked snidely as he took in the sight of Harry once again in the company of Ron and Hermione after so many years.
"Draco," Harry greeted neutrally. "Fancy seeing you here, you're in the Order of the Phoenix." It was a simple statement, without question or irony present- somehow Harry didn't seem at all surprised to see his former rival in the place that would have once been his.
"Well you proved it first Potter, we don't always follow our parents' example, do we?"
In spite of the truth in the statement Ron still felt himself color with anger. He had never trusted Malfoy, not matter how many times others had argued on his behalf, continually offering evidence of the things he had done to help their cause. Ron still protested his admittance into the Order and honestly had no intention of ever stopping. The others, including Hermione, said that it was nothing but an old school grudge. That he was allowing his personal feelings to color how he felt. Hermione especially had lectured him on this topic as she also didn't like the ferret, but had accepted that he was on their side. Despite the constant criticism from the others Ron found himself unable to kick the instinctual feeling that rose within him to be wary of the now former Slytherin. Then again he had once trusted Harry…maybe that said something about his judgment.
Harry gave that bitter smile that seemed to be his greatest defense against unwanted information, "This is really a crack team they've assembled, don't you think? Me they send to Azkaban without a second thought but you they trust with their deep dark secrets. Unbelievable."
Draco's reply was cut off by a harsh rebuttal, "That's what I said when I heard what you did. Unbelievable!"
"Ginny-" Fred began
"No Fred, don't start! I trusted you Harry! I thought that you were a good person, but even though you had every reason to turn away from Voldemort you still took the Dark Mark the first chance you had. Draco had to turn away from his entire family but he still did the right thing. He's a better person than you ever were."
"Did he?" Harry asked quietly, his piercing green eyes cutting through Malfoy in such a way that even Ron couldn't blame the blond for shifting uncomfortably.
"That is enough," Dumbledore said with firm finality as he came into the room. "Draco has proven that he is loyal to our cause. He has never been a Death Eater and has worked hard to gain our trust," he said to Harry with a look that suggested that Harry had done the exact opposite. He then turned to Ginny. "Harry has been paying for his mistakes and perhaps is attempting to atone for some of them by helping us now. We can only hope that his time in Azkaban has taught him that we pay a steep price for vengeance."
Harry said nothing. Dumbledore had once been his mentor and Ron knew that a part of Harry, even now, had to have been dying inside to know that he had lost the man's respect so completely. Still it was hard to reconcile the boy that Ron remembered as being so hurt by Dumbledore's refusal to even look him in the eye with the man that calmly accepted the Headmaster's dismissal of him.
Harry took his proffered seat by the window, Ron sitting next to him out of duty instead of friendship. Hermione, Ron was slightly surprised to note, took the seat on his other side. Fred and George sat on the other side of Harry, both them unexpectedly quiet for the moment. Dumbledore continued with a slightly warmer tone in his voice. In fact, no one in the room seemed quite sure what to say and there was a moment of tense silence.
It came as no surprise really that it was Dumbledore to speak first, his own voice calm and pleasant, as though the last time he had spoken to Potter had been merely days ago and not years. "I must say Harry I was pleased to hear that you were so willing to help us."
There were several grunts around the room and skeptical glances that were thrown in Harry's direction. "Yeah shocking that he would turn his back just as easily on Voldemort as he did on us," Remus muttered loudly, his eyes trained on Harry with dark suspicion.
"I'm sure the rest of you are just as surprised as I am that he jumped at the chance to get out of Azkaban," Kingsley added with bitterness.
Again Harry said nothing and Ron was almost impressed with his newfound self-control. He remembered the Harry that had been quick to anger, unable to stop himself from flying off the handle, particularly in the face of such taunts and sneers. The boy that had stood in front of Umbridge, shaking with anger when she had dared to call him a liar. The boy who had gotten numerous detentions in potions because he had refused to back down when he felt insulted. Now Harry seemed unaffected. He wondered if it was time in Azkaban or just simply the fact that Harry cared so little for their opinion now that he had switched sides that nothing they could say was of any importance to him.
"I have a few announcements before we get started with the real purpose of tonight's meeting. We've received word that our last raid was successful, 14 newly recruited Death Eaters have been captured and are facing trial within the week. It's expected that they will receive life sentences in Azkaban under the Enemies of the State Law," Dumbledore explained to the assembled crowd. There was a round of applause at the news, celebrating their victory. This was a normal reaction to a successful mission but Ron noticed that the fervor was a bit more intense. It was as though the Order members were almost deliberately rubbing their victory in the face of their enemy. Harry had a slight frown on his face, his lips pursing in disapproval, obviously unhappy that his side had taken such a hit. His eyes closed again for a moment and Ron began to recognize the action as something Harry did to collect his thoughts.
"Exactly where they belong," Remus said loudly with a pointed look in Harry's direction.
"Here, here," Mad-Eye agreed. Ron saw that Neville was nodding quietly from his side and that Harry had been watching to see what his former dormmate would say. Neville had once looked up to and admired Harry, and perhaps Harry thought that Neville would still see him as the person that had once defended him to the Slytherins. But Neville had grown a lot in the past three and half years- and part of that was seeing Harry for who he really was. Neville was no longer the shy, clumsy boy who allowed himself to be forgotten while other people spoke around him. He was now one of the best fighters in the Order and had proven himself to be a true leader.
Far from the nearly invisible classmate that he had been in their younger years, Neville had a way of commanding a room and made his opinion on topics known. In fact, against all odds, Ron would say that apart from Dumbledore it was Neville that more and more people looked to for answers- even subconsciously. He had caught himself doing it, turning to see what the blond boy thought of a certain topic before making up his own mind. It was something he had once done with Harry but if you had told him First Year that one day he would be seeking the approval of Neville Longbottom- the same boy who had set a first semester record for most trips to the infirmary, he would have laughed at you.
Part of Ron, the one that still couldn't forget that he was sitting next to the best friend that he had ever had- the part that missed him far more than he ever wanted to admit- wondered what Harry would make of Neville now.
But here, once again, was proof that times had changed. Neville was the one that people looked to for answers and Harry sat silently, brooding over the loss of more young Death Eaters.
Dumbledore's eyes were on Harry, gauging his reaction. Ron thought the man was disappointed in Harry's sympathy for Death Eaters, as though hoping that time spent in Azkaban had changed his mind.
"Before we get into the rest of our reports I thought that we should get to the point of bringing Mr. Potter here. Charlie, if you would be so kind as to bring our informant in?"
Charlie nodded and went out to get the runespoor. There was tense silence in the room. Ron saw his mother looking at Harry with pain in her eyes and he felt anger well up inside him all over again at the pain his friend had caused her. She had treated him as if he were one of her own children and he had turned his back on her as easily as he had everyone else. While most people had reacted to Harry's betrayal with anger, his mother had simply been crushed. She had cried for the remainder of that summer and had been inconsolable on September First when the train had departed with Harry still in prison. It had been his mother's heartbreak and slide into depression as much as the loss of his friend that had led to Ron's anger issues in his Sixth Year.
Charlie reappeared with the magical leash that contained the runespoor, all three heads hissing at each other. Harry's head was tilted slightly and Ron knew immediately that he could hear everything that they were saying. The room was silent, waiting for Harry to speak.
Harry, however, waited a moment. Apparently listening to the three heads speak first until he at last opened his mouth and that strange evil sounding hissing came out. There was some mutterings from some of the members that had never heard parseltongue, Ron knew that it was a strange thing to hear for the first time and wasn't surprised to hear Mundungus mutter softly, "and we were surprised that he turned dark?"
The snake heads reacted immediately to the sound of a human speaking their language. They seemed surprised but incredibly excited and the hissing of the snakes grew louder and faster in speed. Ron saw Harry frown as he continued to question it until finally he raised his voice-the hissing sound that came out was low and threatening and Ron knew that he wasn't the only one in the room that felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
The runespoor shrunk down, suddenly still except for its trembling. It looked clearly nervous, and it seemed clear that Harry had threatened the creature in some way, and that whatever he had said had been incredibly convincing.
The other members of the Order looked taken aback, suddenly weary of their decision to deal with Potter at all. This was a wizard that had betrayed them and was under the strictest control that they could manage but he was also powerful. Apparently even Azkaban hadn't changed that about him.
Harry continued speaking this time softer, but his face stern, his eyes flashing green and there was a sense of…authority about him that Ron had felt during a few of their DA meetings in Fifth Year. It struck him for the first time that Harry had only been 15 at the time. It hadn't seemed to matter much back then- he had been all of five months older than Harry after all and teenagers never quite realized how young they really were- but it suddenly seemed strange that someone so young could have been so self-possessed. So powerful and commanding.
Neville glanced at Harry nervously; his face was thoughtful as he considered Harry carefully. His usual confidence of the recent years somehow strangely diminished, as though the mere return of Harry had regressed him the maturity of his 15 year old self.
Harry looked up and closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, being sure to look away from the snake before he spoke. "Other than the attack that Voldemort is planning, did you want to know anything else?" There were still a few winces around the table at hearing the evil wizard's name. Strange that a cowardly Death Eater could still say the name so easily while so many of the people fighting against him had trouble with it. Snape in particular ground his teeth in irritation.
"Can you find out if Voldemort is using snakes as spies inside the Ministry? We're still unsure how he's getting certain pieces of information?" Dumbledore asked kindly. Harry nodded and turned back to the runespoor. His speech seemed fluid and natural and Ron more so than the rest of them knew that Harry couldn't even tell the difference between English and parseltongue when he spoke it.
There seemed to be a point of contention between the three different heads but unlike last time when Harry had reprimanded it with stern anger, Harry was quiet as the three of them seemed to argue among themselves. Whatever Harry had said to them earlier had been effective- the runespoor seemed to be completely subservient to him. It was more than a bit creepy.
At long last Harry leaned back in his chair, his energy seemingly spent in one painful motion. He was weary, tired to the bone and there was a strong feeling that he all he wanted to do was go to sleep even though it was still early evening.
He sighed and turned slightly in Ron's direction. Ron was suddenly forcibly reminded of the time in their Second Year when the two of them had journeyed into the Chamber of the Secrets and Harry had had to check with him to see whether he was speaking parseltongue or English.
"Still sound incredibly creepy?" he asked tiredly.
Ron grinned, "worse, now your voice is all hoarse- makes you sound like an old man."
There was small glint of humor in Harry's expressionless eyes, "beats Voldemort's high pitched voice, you would think he was the world's scariest 6 year old if you heard him."
The comment was so unexpected that Ron gave a sharp gasp of laughter, so did Hermione and the twins but almost everyone was glaring in Harry's direction. Obvious disapproval in their eyes at his light tone.
"Clever Potter, most Death Eaters are too scared to insult their master, even behind his back. But if you think we'll take a few pathetic remarks and think that you've changed, than you can forget it," Mad-Eye growled.
The humor left Harry's face, small and brief as it had been there. "Can someone take the runespoor out of here? If I see it I might start talking in parseltongue again which might get a bit confusing for all of us."
Charlie used the magical leash that was used to keep the dangerous creature under control and left the room. Ron was a bit surprised that Harry waited until he came back to starting explaining the conversation he had just had- courteous enough to know that Charlie would want to hear all of the information first hand.
"Alright, what do you want to know first?"
Dumbledore started with the easy questions, ones that would make it painfully obvious straight away to know if Harry was lying to them.
"Will there be another attack?"
Harry nodded, unsurprised by the question but also with a bit of impatience as though he was also fully aware that they already knew that much and they were merely wasting his time. "Yeah, apparently Voldemort was really pleased about the results from the last time. He liked the panic it caused and you know how much Voldemort loved reminding people that he's Slytherin's Heir. My guess is that commanding a snake army does wonders for his ego."
"When will this attack happen?"
"That wasn't clear. It took a few questions and they claim a week from Saturday when it's crowded in the streets but I don't know if they're actually sure or if that's a tentative plan, my guess is tentative. It doesn't help that you captured him three days ago… which means his information is old at this point. The runespoors are essentially on standby until Voldemort is ready to move with his Death Eaters, they don't get a lot information beforehand."
There were some nods around the table from a few of the people that had been in favor of trusting Harry. So far their information matched. The Order had essentially been on high alert ever since the first attack by the runespoors. The first time Voldemort had used the creatures had been only three months previously, but the effect had to have been even better than the evil wizard had anticipated. Absolute pandemonium had ensured in Diagon Alley making it one of the first fully successful campaigns since Tyson had taken office and revolutionized the Auror's fighting forces. Now that Voldemort had at least temporarily found a weak spot in their defenses they had all known that another attack was coming, they also knew where it was going to happen, they were only unsure of a precise date.
"Where is the attack going to occur?" Dumbledore pressed and the Order held their breath. They knew the site was Hogsmeade every piece of intel they had all confirmed the same information and this was where they were truly testing to see if Harry was going to tell the truth or not.
Harry frowned for a minute, "that was when they started lying to me."
There was a burst of mutters, protests and gasps from the room and Remus was practically shouting at Dumbledore to know that Harry was the one that was really lying about everything.
The calmest question came from Neville, who seemed suddenly determined to prove that the Order had chosen their new unofficial leader well. "How would you know if they were lying to you? What information about an attack do you have?" This set off even more alarm bells with the people in the room.
"Oh hello Neville," Harry greeted with biting sarcasm, "nice to see you as well. Thanks for asking how I've been. The weather this time of year around Azkaban is bit dull but really, not much to report. How's things with you?"
Neville flushed at being called out but doggedly repeated his question, "how do you know?"
Harry shrugged slightly, "they started off by bragging that the next attack would be the ultimately victory because, they claimed, that Voldemort was leading the next attack, which is obviously a lie."
"Why do you think that would be a lie?" Kingsley asked, his deep voice more thoughtful than suspicious at the moment.
Harry shook his head, "Voldemort is too cowardly to be at the front of a battle and since in his mind he's the only one alive with the 'gift of parseltongue' he doesn't need to be in the front of a battle for everyone to know he's the one commanding it. Besides…there's something much more important that Voldemort needs to do."
"And how can he know if they'll follow his orders if he isn't leading the attack?" Draco asked in drawling voice, attempting to point out the flaw in Harry's logic. "The Da-" Draco cleared his throat and started again. "You-Know-Who doesn't leave things up to chance."
Harry gave his school-yard rival a twisted smile, "No…your Dark Lord doesn't leave things to chance but you need to understand the relationship that snakes have with humans that can speak with them. I didn't know much about it myself until I learned about it from my cellmate in Azkaban- or saw it just now for that matter. The communication between snakes and humans is rare- which makes it a powerful connection when it does happen. Snakes are strangely loyal to whoever they consider their king- and Voldemort makes sure that he is that person."
"So if he's not planning on leading the attack, what's he really planning?" Bill asked with a frown, they were now journeying into information that none of them had expected. Truth be told, the plan to get Harry to pass information that they already knew was a weak ploy at best. One that more and more Ron didn't know why they had even bothered doing. Harry had seen through their scheme before they had even left Azkaban but there had been no time for them to change plans and quite frankly Ron imagined that most of them were more curious just to see how Harry react to any situation that they placed him in.
The very last thing that they had anticipated was Harry brining up insight into the enemy's mindset and possible plans that they were unaware of despite their own spy network. At the moment though, they couldn't be sure whether or not they were finding out things even they didn't know- or Harry was just a better liar than any of them had expected.
Harry gave a light smile, "Finally someone who's asking the right question- that was my response as well."
"It's a distraction," Fred breathed quietly, understanding dawning in his eyes. Harry turned to him and this time is smile was more genuine. "Right in one Fred."
"So what's the distraction from?"
Harry's eyes glinted with new resolve. "That... I will tell you tomorrow."
"What?"
"Stop playing games!"
"I say we use veritaserum," Mad-Eye growled.
"Oh so now veritaserum works on me right? I seem to remember that you were all under the impression at my trial that I had developed a mysterious intolerance to it," Harry snapped.
"Harry, you must realize how important this information is," Dumbledore reasoned.
"It's nothing that can't wait a day. I've played your little game and I beat your little test. All of you know that the runespoors are set to attack in Hogsmeade," this information was met with a few shocked glances from those that had not realized that Harry had caught on to their test from the beginning.
"I knew that you would know that much before I even got here. But since apparently you don't have another workable spy and of course Draco's been keeping his mouth shut- surprise, surprise- that means you need me."
"What makes you think I would know anything Potter? I've told the Order everything!" Draco claimed defiantly, Ginny piously nodding beside him in a way that made Ron throw up a little in his mouth.
Harry gave him a cool look, somehow conveying more in a glance than any amount of words would have been able to accomplish. He turned back to rest of them with the same resolve. "You don't trust me, that's fine I sure as hell don't trust any of you but you want my help with whatever it is that really convinced the Minister to grant me temporary freedom. We all know that translating parseltongue isn't a reason to get me out of Azkaban… at most you would have just brought the runespoor with you. You want my help- I want a night in an actual bed. Anything else I give you, you can consider a bonus. Those are my terms, take it or leave it."
"You sneaky backstabbing-"
"Remus, that's enough," Dumbledore said calmly. In truth they had little to lose, they had already planned on having Harry for the week, they just hadn't told Harry that. For all he knew they had only needed him for a few hours or possibly a day. He was dragging his heels to enjoy the respite that he had, and honestly Ron couldn't say that he was surprised or even really blame him for it.
Dumbledore continued, "I feel that is a fair bargain. If Harry does in fact have valuable information than it will be well worth the wait. If it turns out he is only lying to us to further Voldemort's agenda I don't see how offering him one night of comfort can do us any harm."
There were a few more protests but Ron knew better than to think that they would change Harry's mind. When Harry was adamant about something he fought for it till the bitter end, that much he knew for certain about him. It was therefore reluctantly agreed upon that they would all meet again the next day.
Ron led Harry upstairs. With another prisoner Ron might have even felt satisfied that they were only allowing him to think that he had temporarily gotten the upperhand, but somehow Ron rather thought that Harry knew exactly what he was doing. Dumbledore had already charmed Sirius' old bedroom into a temporary holding cell. Everything was the same but they had made it impossible to escape from.
Anti-disapparation wards
Sealed windows with unbreakable glass
Wards that instantly revealed if anyone were to leave the room
With these precautions in place Ron was able to remove the chain linking the metal cuffs of the restraints. The cuffs themselves would remain in place and continue to block Harry's ability to do magic but at least he would be able to move his hands.
Harry gazed into his godfather's former bedroom with an expression of longing and Ron realized that his earlier question had been answered- there were in fact still a few traces of his best friend after all.
A/N: Thank you all for your reviews, some of them have been very detailed and insightful and I appreciate the interest that so many of you have shown in this story.
I just wanted to clear up one thing that someone brought up in a review about Hermione. They brought up that it was very out of character for Hermione to ever be with someone like Thurston Grey and the truth is- they are absolutely right. Canon Hermione, who has strong, reliable friendships, grows into a confident woman that expects, even demands, the best standards in things. The best from the Ministry, the best from herself and the best from a romantic relationship.
The world we're in now is very much a 'It's a Wonderful Life' scenario in which Harry isn't simply never born, but plucked out of their lives, and all of them suffer for it. In this chapter we learn that Ron has become isolated from any real, lasting friendships and instead is largely left with only job as something to fill his time. In coming chapters we'll see a few others that have been affected as well.
A lot of people have been screaming for vengeance on the Order and to be clear, things will not be easily forgiven. Harry will continue to want a 'tit for tat' working relationship. He gives them something, he wants something in return. However, one thing to keep in mind is that while none of them have suffered nearly as much as Harry has, for the most part none of his former friends have been happy in these intervening years. In their own ways they too have hurt though in far more subtle (probably less sympathetic but more realistic) ways.
