Disclaimer: yeah, whatever. just don't sue me, ok?
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Ron sat with Hermione on a sofa in the common room, sad eyes watching Harry walk by. Hermione waved him over, trying to look friendly and nice and not scare him further away.
Harry's dull eyes saw Hermione waving him over. I don't want to talk to you, Harry thought. You're a sorry excuse for friends... Of course, I don't want more people to hate me than already do... Though, if I'm going to die anyway, it won't really matter... Except if things keep up the way they have been, I won't die. Unfortunately. Stupid Ron.
Hermione gave Harry a quick, forced, friendly, and trying-not-to-scare-you-away smile as he came over and sat on the couch. Even if it was as far as possible away from them on Hermione's side.
"So... how's quidditch?" Hermione asked. "Tryouts anytime soon?" Quidditch. Tryouts. I don't want to think about that. Can't someone else do it?
Harry shrugged.
"Want to play chess?" Hermione tried.
"No." Hermione frowned. Sure, he'd quit playing with Ron a long time ago, but he'd only very recently stopped playing with her. It worried her.
"Want me to look over you transfiguration homework?" she ventured.
"I haven't done it yet."
"Oh." They sat in akward silence for several long minutes. This is stupid.
"I'm going upstairs," Harry said shortly. He climbed the spiral staircase to the top, to his dormitory. He grabbed his Invisibility Cloak, flung it over himself, climbed onto his bed and shut the hangings.
Ron silently got off the couch and followed Harry.
"Harry?" he said upon entering the dormitory. No answer.
"Harry?" Ron asked again. Why must he insist on following me? Why can't he just let me be? Harry held his breath. Ron opened the hangings on Harry's bed. Harry shifted his eyes toward Ron soundlessly.
Ron looked all around within the hangings. His gaze paused on Harry. He can't see me... Harry thought nervously. He can't.
"Harry, I know you're there," Ron said. "The sheets are messed up where you're sitting." Harry watched Ron reach out his hand in his direction, and Harry leaned away. When Ron felt where Harry was, he whipped off the cloak.
"Harry," he said. Harry merely stared at him.
"Harry, we need to talk," he said slowly. Harry scowled. This couldn't be good. "Don't be mad at me, Harry. Please. You know why I had to do it." Harry looked at him.
"No I don't."
"Harry, yes you do, you're my *friend,* you're my *best* friend, I can't let you give up like that. I can't." Ron seemed truly upset. Harry, however, was quite upset as well.
"If you're my 'best friend,' then you would understand, and you would let me do it for once! I can't believe you don't get it, Ron."
"I can't believe *you* don't get it, Harry."
"What don't I get?"
"*You can't give up.* You're *so important* to us, to all the wizarding world. Like Dobby says. There's something about you, and you're our hope. I know it, Hermione knows it, you *must* know it. I think even Dumbledore knows. Come on, Harry."
"I'm not 'so important.' And Dobby said that before-- before I brought Voldemort back. The wizarding world hates me, I don't know why you lot bother 'saving' me all the time, it'd be doing everyone a favor it you just gave it up." Ron started shaking his head, slow at first, then faster and harder. "Yes, Ron, it WOULD be doing EVERYONE a favor if you'd just let me. It'd be doing me a favor, it'd be doing you a favor, Hermione, Dumbledore, the whole wizarding world! It would be good for everybody, so if you get a chance to stop me next time, DON'T, okay?"
"It'd only do You-Know-Who a favor if you were-- if you did that!"
"Say the name, Ron. Voldemort. How would it be doing him a favor? Being *alive* did him a favor, if I had been dead he couldn't have my blood! He wouldn't have returned!"
"Oh, Harry, you know he could have come back," Ron said, sounding desperate. "He would have found some other way, he would have found some other way...." The next moment Ron was on his back on the floor. He looked up, bewildered, head pounding, to see Harry standing above him pointing his wand at him.
"He *didn't,* Ron, he *didn't.* It was *me,* *I* brought him back. Promise me you'll let me do it next time." Ron, though his head was hurting incredibly from Harry's curse and he feared what he was going to do to him, shook his head.
"Promise me, Ron," said Harry again, his desperate voice deadly quiet. Ron shook his head again.
"Promise me!" Ron looked up at Harry with fear across his face, but shook his head again.
"I can't..." he croaked. Harry looked him over with his hard eyes, and the next moment, Harry left the dormitory wearing his Invisibility Cloak, leaving Ron knocked out behind him on the floor.
Harry sat outside by the lake, sobbing into his knees. He couldn't believe what he'd done to Ron. Something just came over him, and he knew that when Ron came to, he wouldn't think any differently. Ron's too stubborn, as stupid as it is.
Harry took off his Invisibility Cloak so he could breath properly. He felt so terrible, like such an awful person. What he did to Ron, what he'd done to the wizarding world, and the rest of the world for that matter. He closed his eyes and shivered and sat.
"Harry?" Harry promptly pulled the Invisibility Cloak over himself. He got up, and very carefully started walking away.
"Harry, I know you're there," Hermione said. "Please? Can I talk to you?" Harry continued to creep away. "Please?" Her pleading tone made Harry pause. "Please?" she said again, quietly. Harry felt angry at himself for it, and knew he would regret it, but still pulled off the cloak.
Hermione looked up from the spot Harry was to ten yards away, where he'd suddenly appeared.
"Harry," she said. He said nothing. She shivered. The way he was staring, it was creepy, it was as if he could see inside her.
"Er... Ron told me what you said." Harry still said nothing. Hermione tentatively started walking toward him. "It would be devastating to us if you ever-- if you ever-- died. You're our best friend, we can't stand not having you around. Please help us understand what's going on with you. Please."
"No," Harry said. "No, I can't do that to you. I can't do that to you." Hermione was right up to him now. "It's too awful." Next thing he knew, Hermione had him in a tight hug. Harry struggled and got free.
"No. You can't know. I'd never do anything to hurt you, you know that. Or Ron. I'm sorry what I did to him, something just came over me, I don't know-- Please, if you have the chance to stop me when I try again, don't. *Please.* Don't."
"I can't, Harry. I'd have to save you. Even if it is from yourself." Harry turned and ran up to the castle.
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Ron sat with Hermione on a sofa in the common room, sad eyes watching Harry walk by. Hermione waved him over, trying to look friendly and nice and not scare him further away.
Harry's dull eyes saw Hermione waving him over. I don't want to talk to you, Harry thought. You're a sorry excuse for friends... Of course, I don't want more people to hate me than already do... Though, if I'm going to die anyway, it won't really matter... Except if things keep up the way they have been, I won't die. Unfortunately. Stupid Ron.
Hermione gave Harry a quick, forced, friendly, and trying-not-to-scare-you-away smile as he came over and sat on the couch. Even if it was as far as possible away from them on Hermione's side.
"So... how's quidditch?" Hermione asked. "Tryouts anytime soon?" Quidditch. Tryouts. I don't want to think about that. Can't someone else do it?
Harry shrugged.
"Want to play chess?" Hermione tried.
"No." Hermione frowned. Sure, he'd quit playing with Ron a long time ago, but he'd only very recently stopped playing with her. It worried her.
"Want me to look over you transfiguration homework?" she ventured.
"I haven't done it yet."
"Oh." They sat in akward silence for several long minutes. This is stupid.
"I'm going upstairs," Harry said shortly. He climbed the spiral staircase to the top, to his dormitory. He grabbed his Invisibility Cloak, flung it over himself, climbed onto his bed and shut the hangings.
Ron silently got off the couch and followed Harry.
"Harry?" he said upon entering the dormitory. No answer.
"Harry?" Ron asked again. Why must he insist on following me? Why can't he just let me be? Harry held his breath. Ron opened the hangings on Harry's bed. Harry shifted his eyes toward Ron soundlessly.
Ron looked all around within the hangings. His gaze paused on Harry. He can't see me... Harry thought nervously. He can't.
"Harry, I know you're there," Ron said. "The sheets are messed up where you're sitting." Harry watched Ron reach out his hand in his direction, and Harry leaned away. When Ron felt where Harry was, he whipped off the cloak.
"Harry," he said. Harry merely stared at him.
"Harry, we need to talk," he said slowly. Harry scowled. This couldn't be good. "Don't be mad at me, Harry. Please. You know why I had to do it." Harry looked at him.
"No I don't."
"Harry, yes you do, you're my *friend,* you're my *best* friend, I can't let you give up like that. I can't." Ron seemed truly upset. Harry, however, was quite upset as well.
"If you're my 'best friend,' then you would understand, and you would let me do it for once! I can't believe you don't get it, Ron."
"I can't believe *you* don't get it, Harry."
"What don't I get?"
"*You can't give up.* You're *so important* to us, to all the wizarding world. Like Dobby says. There's something about you, and you're our hope. I know it, Hermione knows it, you *must* know it. I think even Dumbledore knows. Come on, Harry."
"I'm not 'so important.' And Dobby said that before-- before I brought Voldemort back. The wizarding world hates me, I don't know why you lot bother 'saving' me all the time, it'd be doing everyone a favor it you just gave it up." Ron started shaking his head, slow at first, then faster and harder. "Yes, Ron, it WOULD be doing EVERYONE a favor if you'd just let me. It'd be doing me a favor, it'd be doing you a favor, Hermione, Dumbledore, the whole wizarding world! It would be good for everybody, so if you get a chance to stop me next time, DON'T, okay?"
"It'd only do You-Know-Who a favor if you were-- if you did that!"
"Say the name, Ron. Voldemort. How would it be doing him a favor? Being *alive* did him a favor, if I had been dead he couldn't have my blood! He wouldn't have returned!"
"Oh, Harry, you know he could have come back," Ron said, sounding desperate. "He would have found some other way, he would have found some other way...." The next moment Ron was on his back on the floor. He looked up, bewildered, head pounding, to see Harry standing above him pointing his wand at him.
"He *didn't,* Ron, he *didn't.* It was *me,* *I* brought him back. Promise me you'll let me do it next time." Ron, though his head was hurting incredibly from Harry's curse and he feared what he was going to do to him, shook his head.
"Promise me, Ron," said Harry again, his desperate voice deadly quiet. Ron shook his head again.
"Promise me!" Ron looked up at Harry with fear across his face, but shook his head again.
"I can't..." he croaked. Harry looked him over with his hard eyes, and the next moment, Harry left the dormitory wearing his Invisibility Cloak, leaving Ron knocked out behind him on the floor.
Harry sat outside by the lake, sobbing into his knees. He couldn't believe what he'd done to Ron. Something just came over him, and he knew that when Ron came to, he wouldn't think any differently. Ron's too stubborn, as stupid as it is.
Harry took off his Invisibility Cloak so he could breath properly. He felt so terrible, like such an awful person. What he did to Ron, what he'd done to the wizarding world, and the rest of the world for that matter. He closed his eyes and shivered and sat.
"Harry?" Harry promptly pulled the Invisibility Cloak over himself. He got up, and very carefully started walking away.
"Harry, I know you're there," Hermione said. "Please? Can I talk to you?" Harry continued to creep away. "Please?" Her pleading tone made Harry pause. "Please?" she said again, quietly. Harry felt angry at himself for it, and knew he would regret it, but still pulled off the cloak.
Hermione looked up from the spot Harry was to ten yards away, where he'd suddenly appeared.
"Harry," she said. He said nothing. She shivered. The way he was staring, it was creepy, it was as if he could see inside her.
"Er... Ron told me what you said." Harry still said nothing. Hermione tentatively started walking toward him. "It would be devastating to us if you ever-- if you ever-- died. You're our best friend, we can't stand not having you around. Please help us understand what's going on with you. Please."
"No," Harry said. "No, I can't do that to you. I can't do that to you." Hermione was right up to him now. "It's too awful." Next thing he knew, Hermione had him in a tight hug. Harry struggled and got free.
"No. You can't know. I'd never do anything to hurt you, you know that. Or Ron. I'm sorry what I did to him, something just came over me, I don't know-- Please, if you have the chance to stop me when I try again, don't. *Please.* Don't."
"I can't, Harry. I'd have to save you. Even if it is from yourself." Harry turned and ran up to the castle.