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Chapter 21

The Return

The sense of failure weighed heavily on everyone and their mood was as black as the walls that surrounded them. There was nothing that anyone wanted more than to get out of the dark building as fast as possible into the light of day - yet they still had to wait for the top silver gate to be re-opened. So, reluctantly, while they waited for Professor Bingley accompanied by Neville to release the staller gates in sequence again, they pitched down and Feya improvised a meal for them all. Rolf, Feya, and Luna were sitting with the old woman. Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were together a little further up the slope.

"I'm sorry about what happened," said Hermione hesitantly. "I lost my nerve. I don't have your courage, Ron..."

"No courage? Hermione Granger? Not much!" said Ron. "Listen, your the bravest, cleverest girl I ever met but everybody has their weaknesses..."

"Yeah, like spiders," smirked Ginny.

"Yes, but Ron still went to their cave in the Forbidden Forest despite his fears," said Hermione defensively as she bit into a cold beef sandwich.

"And you risked your life to try to help Ginny just now," said Ron. "Don't ever forget that."

"This place gives me the shudders, though. I'll be glad to get out," said Hermione.

"Well at least you got a betrothal out of it." smiled Ginny.

"That wasn't here. That was ages ago," said Hermione without thinking.

"What! Why the big secret then?" asked Ginny, looking back and forth between Ron and Hermione.

"It's still informal - just between the two of us. We're still at school remember?" said Hermione. She was trying to be protective of Ron but he said something about stretching his legs and he took his sandwich plate and mug of tea and wandered down to sit with Luna.

"Ron and I didn't want it to be announced - yet," whispered Hermione, glancing after Ron. "It's just a... We've just agreed we'll get married one day so it's not yet an official engagement. We've got our studies to do. Then get a job..."

"This was Ron's idea wasn't it?" said Ginny in a low voice, looking at Harry, who had remained silent through the whole conversation. He had a mouthful of pork pie so he couldn't speak. He shook his head and opened his eyes wide as if to say Don't drag me into it.

"No, it was my idea actually," said Hermione quietly. "We just..."

"Yes but..."

"Look, Ginny, let's talk about something else," said Hermione. "Ron and I, we've discussed it privately and agreed one day we'll be married, that's all. It's just between us so don't talk about it to anyone else - especially your family." She also looked at Harry when she said this but he just raised his eyebrows and continued eating.

"You're not scared he'll back out of it?" asked Ginny.

"No!" said Hermione in a hoarse whisper.

"What did he actually say?" asked Ginny.

"What we talked about was only between us two and I'll never betray Ron's trust," said Hermione, flushing slightly with annoyance.

"He didn't want to trap himself did he? - by making it public," said Ginny quietly.

"Ginny! Please." whispered Hermione.

"Alright. Just saying..."

"All you need know is what you already know. He has made a commitment. His promise is everything to me..." Hermione's eyes started to shine. She felt uncomfortable that she had to defend the validity of her unspoken betrothal; as if it were worthless. It was not the grand, formal, publically-announced engagement she would have wanted but it was everything to her. The implication that it was somehow inferior to others' engagements - to Harry and Ginny's, hurt her feelings.

Harry gave Ginny a hard stare to warn her off. Ginny suddenly realized what Hermione was thinking and felt mean. "Hermione, I'm sorry! I'm not suggesting... Hermione, Ron won't ever let you down, I know that. We've had our quarrels, him and me, but he's always been there for me when it mattered. It's just he's such a... blockhead at times. A good one though."

She grinned at Hermione and the tension was released. The girls laughed together and Harry choked on his pork pie. A little further down the slope, Luna seemed to be laughing too.

...

"Luna, this is the daftest thing you've done." said Ron, but he said it warmly.

Luna continued knitting silently.

"She's a complete nutter," he added, tilting his head towards the old woman. "You do realize she's not actually knitting anything?"

"Just because you can't see nothing doesn't mean it doesn't exist," smiled Luna serenely, continuing to knit away.

"Can you see it?" asked Ron hesitantly.

"See what?" Luna laughed long and hard. She laughed so long and so hard that soon there were tears in her eyes and she dropped her wand. When she picked it up she also pretended to pick up her knitting. Still laughing loudly, she mimed holding up nothing to Ron then mimed wrapping it around herself like a shawl. "That was so funny!"

At the same moment Ron heard Harry, Hermione, and Ginny laughing too. It seemed like everybody was laughing at him. Luna making out he was an idiot. Hermione chatting about his private emotions and laughing about them.

"You taking the mickey or what?" growled Ron at Luna. He grabbed a plate of jam and lemon curd tarts and stalked off up the slope to see how Professor Bingley was getting on with the upper gate. He had only just reached her when she succeeded in releasing the gate so they walked back together with Neville who stealthily and silently hovered a couple of strawberry tarts from Ron's plate. The lower gate had now closed so that had to be released yet again before the upper gate would actually open.

"So this is really it, then?" said Ron bitterly. "We're just giving up?"

"What else can we do?" said Neville, munching his sweet pastries.

"I was wondering," said Ron, "suppose we just raced past on broomsticks..."

"Harry barely escaped with his life," said Bingley.

"Yeah, but he did escape!" said Ron. "What if instead he had continued on the other side of the fire instead of coming back?"

"Better ask him..." They had reached the others again so Bingley put it to Harry.

"Harry, what was on the other side, beyond the fire grid?" said Bingley. She asked the question but continued past to start work on the lower gate wards.

"Nothing... erm... Just a wall, a dead end - no there was a doorway or something." Harry was thinking deeply. "Look, I didn't exactly have time to study it did I?"

"What if you had just shot past on your broom?" said Ron. "Surely you'd have made it just the same as getting back here." Ron was still annoyed at them talking about his private agreement with Hermione.

"No chance."

"Why, not?" said Ron abruptly.

"My broom slowed down as I got nearer. I don't think it would have flown at all if I had been close. I was still quite a way off when the fire erupted. This is probably why these corridors are so long and winding and there are these staller gates. It channels the fire and there's no chance of getting out quickly from close to the fire grid."

"I'm sure most magic won't work locally there, Ron, "said Luna, patiently explaining it all again. "Broomsticks, apparation, portkeys. I doubt anything would work. That's why Bingley wanted some external magic to draw back her... test subjects - like Draco and Neville - all of you if you hadn't escaped in the pass."

"Voldemort was really sick in the head," said Ron. He slammed his hand angrily against the now-closed lower gate. "He didn't just want to stop people getting in did he? No that wasn't good enough for him. Trap and kill anyone what tries is what he wanted."

There was a loud click as Bingley released the lower gate wards and the upper gate swung open.

"Sorry - but we must all now return to Hogwarts," said Bingley. "If Kingsley can find a wizard who can control fiendfyre then so be it. I don't think it's likely. He could wait another hundred years for such a wizard. But we've done all we can. You've all done wonderfully well."

As everyone gathered up their things, Luna took Ginny aside. There was a sorrowful look on her face as she said very softly, "Ginny, we're friends right?"

"Of course we are! What's wrong?"

"I wanted to give you something; it's a memento - just from a friend to a friend. Something I want you to hold for me and never lose it," said Luna.

"Of course, but..."

Luna took out a small folded handkerchief. She had tied a little pale blue ribbon around it. She handed it to Ginny. "It's not really to use - it's just something... a token of friendship."

Luna turned away. Ginny thought she had seen tears in her eyes. She stared at the handkerchief in her hand. The little ribbon had tiny figures on it. Little magical creatures. She put the gift into her pocket and walked back to Harry in silence.

As the sorry group packed up their things and trudged slowly back up towards the first gate, Luna asked quietly, "What about Miss Vablatsky?"

"What?" Bingley and everyone else turned around to look back. The old woman was still sitting near the lower gate, still knitting away with nothing to show for it.

"Miss Vablatsky!" called Bingley. "We have to leave now!"

"Just let me finish this," cackled the old witch. "I won't be long. Nothing to it."

"You must come with us," called Bingley. "I can't leave you here. If you don't then I'll get someone to carry you out."

"No, you won't," called the old woman in a matter-of-fact manner. She cast a light sphere above her head.

"What's that for? So you can see your knitting?" sneered Ron.

"No, it's so I can see your faces when you come back," said Vablatsky.

"We're not coming back!" said Ron. "Don't you get it?"

"Leave her. The Aurors must be here soon. They may already be in the compound. They can sort her out," said Neville.

But the Aurors were not in the compound. Someone else was. As Bingley's team rounded the final corner on their way out of the black stone building there was a figure silhouetted by the dazzling afternoon sunlight at the entrance, holding the door half-closed.

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Author's Notes

Merry Christmas! As a special treat I'm putting up four exciting chapters at once to see you over the holidays! Enjoy! :)

Comments and reviews are welcome and very encouraging. Thank you. :)

- Hippothestrowl