Chapter 37 the sour in the sweet

A few days after the trip to the clubhouse, Harry found time to look up an enormous amount of information thanks to Hermione's highlighting spell. Many people had comments on his innocence or guilt, but the facts were there for him to decide on his own.

One comment returned to him even though he only read it once: he was the only one willing to try to help us. I talked to the families before I chose to let him help my sister and found that people were saddened by the shortening of their loved ones lives, but they really lived in the time they were given.

This potion was always pointed out as the reason all people treated by it died decades before their time and that was where Harry was at a loss for what to do; Neville would never reach this book and therefore never make the potion for his parents without their help.

If Harry chose to pass on helping, would his friends try without him? He could not force his beliefs on one of them; they had to choose for themselves; that meant they would all have to do their own research on the potion.

He decided to gather the facts he had gleaned from these books and present the whole lot to them on the weekend; Hermione agreed. "It is not just a knack for working against crimes Harry; you have a reliable sense of the whole." She waved her hands to encompass everything. "You are not just a skilled wand hand; you see both sides with insight and understanding and put them to good use." She patted him on the arm as he blushed a bit at the stream of compliments. "Not to influence you, but I have already decided that I am ok with finding this book and even with helping Neville make the potion."

Harry swelled inside with her praise; Hermione was a brilliant witch, so a comment of that magnitude really meant something to him and put a positive vibe on the plan they were putting into motion.

They sat on the lawn; looking at the facts while Harry and Hermione made sure no one came close enough to see what they were doing. It would be a sour turn of luck for them to be put under observation for suspicious behavior.

In the end they found that they were of the same opinion on the morality of the book; they were in. George was sent the books which he sent right back with a note attached. Too many words, not enough pictures. Morals and all that jazz, whatever; see you in the village.

Hermione had taken Neville aside to ask about the shortened life effect; he knew about it and had mulled it over like the people from the books and had come to the same conclusion; life is measured in quality in this case. Simply put; they were alive without this treatment, but not living.

"Right then, let's check the list of things we need and get to packing." As he said this, Harry held a hand out to Hermione who had the list in triplicate.

Harry and Ron had relearned what they had already caught on to during their travels; don't put all your eggs in one basket. Hermione had a really useful carry all bag, but if they got separated each person would need their own supplies.

"Use your school bag unless it isn't in backpack form; you don't want a bag flopping on your shoulder when we are running." Ron dumped his bag out as he talked. "Water bottle with water already in it; we might not be able to spell water from our wands. A small hammer, pylons, and fifty feet of knotted rope; we may need to climb in or climb out of a trap. High calorie food bars in case we get trapped; I don't want to think of that, but better safe than hungry. A knife, dragon gloves, and a muggle light source; we might not be able to use magic for light." Ron had an emergency flare kit that he had purchased from a muggle pawn shop and matches; double muggle light source.

Hermione stepped forward. "New addition: we should all bring one of the new wands." She pointed at Ginny when she said this so no one would mistake her meaning. "Until the ministry makes them official they are still undetectable."

Everyone nodded at the wisdom of that. Harry actually had one additional item already, which he kept quiet: the basilisk fang, held in a suspension box. It had destroyed the other box he had placed it in so now it was floating in a spell enhanced container. When in doubt, burn your way out.

Luna offered a slew of ordinary items as charms and repellents they might need and Ron surprised her and Hermione by taking them all and putting them in his bag. "Can't hurt", he told them with a shrug.

All too soon they had all their supplies and it was the weekend of the Hogsmeade visit.

"I've got butterflies; it's like the ministry all over," Ginny told them as her, Ron and Harry walked after class to meet with Hermione. Training was all fine and good, but they all had the jitters in their own way now that the deadline was so close.

Harry and Ron were heading to their dorm room to get their bags when professor Weatherwood stepped into their path. "Hello professor, anything we can do for you?" Harry managed to get this out with only a hint of the apprehension he felt; Ron just stared with his mouth open.

"Harry, Ron. I figured today would be the day you would head out; do you need anything," he waved a hand over his chest, "or anyone?"

Ron shot a look at Harry, saw he was keeping it together and straitened his face. "The bit of trickery we're getting at Zonko's? No thanks sir, we have it covered."

Weatherwood scratched the side of his head with his wand and made a little circle and flick. He leaned forward and pointed at them with a curved pipe he could not have held in his missing left hand. "Look guys, I know what you are after and I know where you have to look to get it."

Both boys struggled to keep their faces strait so he held up his miraculously empty hands and straitened up. "I am a teacher and I might have stepped in if this was being attempted on school grounds, but you are not breaking any rules I can see. I know you have taken on much more hazardous challenges in the past; I am merely offering you experience of a different nature."

Ron looked at Harry; they thought they were being so cleaver. Both wondered silently who else knew about this. Ron gave up on deception; it was not one of his strong points. "Sir, we can't ask you to partake in what may add up to some, oh, some sort of theft to put it bluntly." It was hard to admit that, deep down, you knew that you were not just breaking into a thief's tomb, but his whole family's tomb; people who might be innocent of the evil of the other.

The teacher cocked his head to one side. "Nothing of the sort! Your merry band of rule benders are simply retrieving a stolen item; like when you broke into that vault to retrieve the cup."

With their every move known to the general public, it was a wonder they got anything done.

Harry didn't know why he did not want his teacher along for the event; he would be very useful and probably knew a lot about traps and dangerous enchantments, but they always did these things under their own power. Perhaps that was it; he did not want to ask for help. A life without support had made him very independent.

Now that the question was out, he had to ask himself; was he being thick headed or stubborn? Harry thought he might be, but it was Ron who was turning down the offered help. He thought that if Hermione was offered the help, her response would have been the same.

Harry made up his mind and chose to speak for the group. "We have the situation well in hand sir." Weatherwood looked let down so Harry added a bit to show they knew how useful he would have been. "Of course we would not turn down any tips or tricks you had to offer; you could probably do this sort of thing between classes."

"I do not doubt your skills; you two are the sort of men I would have with me in any situation. You have experience in fighting, searching, and deducing problems; I just do not want that experience to lead you where you can't retreat." He looked at Ron, who was looking at the people eyeing them strangely; his hand up as if to ask a question in class.

"Did you just use the muffliato spell?" He sighed as the teacher just looked at him. "Of course you did; sorry I asked."

Ginny's comment gave Harry a strange feeling that made him shiver; he took a moment and held up a finger between the middle of them and closed his eyes as they waited in silence. Picture it all going wrong; very wrong. He saw Ginny's face a ruin of cuts and blood, George joining his twin, Hermione at the bottom of a pit; her legs broken.

Pride; it added up to him being too prideful. Luna, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, George, even Neville; these were members of his new family and he would not want anything to happen to them.

Harry opened his eyes and turned to Ron. "You once told me that I was not worried enough about your family; that it was easy for me."

Ron wrinkled his brow and tried to think of when he had said such a thing. "Harry, I was wearing the locket at the time; I didn't, I wouldn't…," he fumbled for a minute trying to say something that was not really true.

Harry put a hand on his friends shoulder, "you were right; locket aside, you were right; it is easier without family." He had been angry about that for a long time; he had held it in his heart as an insult to the suffering he had endured most of his life. Ron knew nothing about how lonely it was to live without love from a parent; to be alone and surrounded by enemies, that didn't mean that he was wrong. Harry pushed that anger out of him, feeling the relief that came with the truth.

"I need your word that you will not turn us in or confiscate the book once we are out."

Ron turned to stare at him, but he didn't care; this was the right thing to do.

Their teacher was back to his natural form. The Asian man put his good hand up to where the remains of his other hand should be and bowed. "I will do nothing to complicate your mission. I will only help where I am needed to get you all home safe."

Harry nodded; it would have to do. Now he had to get this added measure cleared by Neville.