A/N: Whooo-hooo!!! Only a few more chapters left! Yay for me! I'm just so
happy that this marathon typing is almost over because I'm starting school
next week so..too busy. Anyway, I really enjoyed writing this story. I hope
you enjoyed reading it too. And yep, you know where this talk is
leading.PLEASE REVIEW!!! Just tell me anything about you, your opinions-
whatever! I just need to know you people are reading this and all my
efforts are paid off. I love you all reviewers especially Rebecca who
reviewed more than once!!! And just for the fun of it, I'd like to tell you
that I think Spike and Buffy rock and Rory of Gilmore Girls looks suave
with Jess/Tristan-anyone but Dean! So long!
Disclaimer: All of this belongs to J.K. Rowling except for the plot, which is mine!!
Chapter 13-The New League Members
The dreaded NEWTs came and passed. Harry thought it most amusing that the exams they all feared so much appeared to be such a simple task. All they had to do was wear the impartial selector which, to their astonishment, turned out to be the sorting hat, over their heads and listen to it murmuring busily while it screened their brains. Harry wondered why no one had thought of it before. Of course, the Sorting Hat was very smart in its own right and it could easily see through one's thoughts. All they had to do was put some of Professor Dumbledore's brains in it and request it to look into what they've learned that year aside from their qualities. The idea was purely brilliant and logical.
"Hermione, stop that gibberish right now! You're driving me nuts!" Ron complained at his side. The three of them were relaxing that afternoon by the river bank, burning their time watching the Giant Squid splash water lazily at the passersby.
Harry turned to see what was eating Ron. Hermione was again crumpling her cloak in a sort of nervous fit.
"You can't blame me, Ron. The Christmas feast is just a few hours away and I haven't got the faintest idea whether I qualified or not! It could have been easier for me to evaluate if the NEWTs were written tests. Then al I had to do is check the number of mistankes I made. But since the Sorting Hat said nothing but 'Oof!', I can just assume so little." Hermione finished in a struggle. And almost at once, she plunged into her nervous fit again.
"That's because you knew too much. You must have knocked the Sorting Hat out of its wits!" Ron told her and both him and Harry erupted into fits of laughter.
Hermione wrinkled her nose at them.
"Not funny. But I see something that will surely knock you out, Ron."
Harry and Ron turned to look where Hermione was pointing. At the opposite side of the river, they could see Lupin and Fleur walking hand in hand together(it was more like Fleur locking Lupin in great handshake to Harry). Lupin was plainly struggrling to pin his feet on the ground but Fleur was dragging him on, her sliver sheet of hair dancing behind her.
"I think Lupin's really hit that one 'ard. 'Bin all over the poor guy since she came 'ere. I ain't be surprised if she asks 'im to marry 'er soon!"
They whirred around to see Hagrid covered in his usual fur coat, bending ever to see what they were looking at.
"Hagrid!" they all said at once.
"We haven't seen you around for a long time." Harry told him, feeling sorry.
"Oh, that's becoz I've bin hangin' aroun' the Forbidden Forest lately...Gimeree's all grown up!" Hagrid told them jovially, then changed tact at the speed of light.
"But you lot don' nid to go tellin' Dumbledore that. I am thinkin' of keeping Gimeree a bit longer." Hagrid's voice trailed off as a big smile emerged from his beard.
Ron looked simply jubilant.
"Oh, no problem about that. You can keep him as long as like, Hagrid."
But when Ron said this, Hermione suddenly stood up at their side and hastily stormed towards the castle without a word to them.
"Is somethin' botherin' Hermione? What did you boys done this time?" Hagrid demanded, waving a threatening finger at Harry and Ron.
"Nothing, Hagrid. She's just not too keen in having Fleur much longer." Harry answered.
"Oh, that. Well, tell her she will have to put up with that veela-gurl for just one last night 'coz Dumbledore will send 'er off to the League in no time! That's for sure." Hagrid told them cheerfully before he set off to the Forbidden Forest again. But to Harry and Ron, who turned on the sulky faces again, they could have done a lot better without Hagrid reminding them that.
That night, the Christmas feast looked more impressive than before. There were ice statues of magnificent sizes (Harry was guessing it was Fleur's idea) lining the Great Hall but the traditional Hogwarts Christmas trees stayed. The combination of the two elements worked out well in bringing out the Holiday cheer in everyone. If it weren't for the slight anxiety brought about by the announcement of the N.E.W.T. results, the night could have been Harry's most enjoyable yet.
A hushed silence suddenly befell the throng of Hogwarts students when Professor Dumbledore appeared at the teacher's table, holding up his arms in midair. He smiled pleasantly at them and spoke in a jolly tone,
"Merry Christmas to one and all! I hope you enjoyed Miss Delacour's ice statues (Ron winked at Harry) over there as our own Professor Flitwick and Professor MsGonagall almost broke their necks conjuring them (a lot of people laughed at this including merry old Flitwick who bobbed up and down his chair). I know that you are all expecting to know the results of your N E.W.T.s and that some of you are anticipating to be chosen. But once again, we are reminded that not everyone would be fortunate enough to get pass them. Indeed, I am suspecting that only a handful, if not few, would be able to find themselves newly found members of the League tonight. But if you're name does not come out tonight, it doesn't mean you didn't make it. We all have our own set of talents and yours might just be something other than protecting the lives of the innocent. So let us not be weary. After all, there is still a very large array of spots you could choose from. And all are equally honorable professions that would help yield your skills. But as for those of you who did pass the tests (Dumbledore's face lit up at this), we are very proud of you and we wish you a broken bone-less year ahead! So keep your fingers crossed everyone, because this is it."
After Professor Dumbledore had said this, Professor McGonagall came around and set up the patched and frayed Sorting Hat at a black stool where everyone could see it. Everyone held their breath and set their eyes intently at the impartial selector. At first, the Sorting Hat just twitched and squeaked until finally, it opened its mouth to announce the first League member,
"Hermione Granger!"
An earsplitting cheer erupted from the three House tables especially from the Gryffinndor table, and quite a few scattered applause from the Slytherins. Hermione glanced up at Draco before walking up to shake hands with Professor Dumbledore. She was quite pleased to see that Draco joined in the applause, though in a strictly blank way.
The applause died down again instantly as the Sorting Hat twitched again and shrieked,
"Draco Malfoy!"
The Great Hall rang once more of applause, though now mainly from the Slytherin table. The rest of the students looked slightly astonished but they clapped their hands politely anyway. Draco walked up to Dumbledore and Hermione stiffly. After shaking Dumbledore's hand, he quickly turned away to avoid Hermione's gaze. Then just before Professor McGonagall stood up to fetch the Sorting Hat, Harry saw Professor Lupin trying to hold a very indignant-looking Mr. Weasley. He nudged Ron hard in the ribs and asked,
"What is Mr. Weasley doing here?"
Ron looked just as confused as Harry.
"I have no idea, Harry. I s'pose it's to welcome the new members."
"But why is Lupin holding him back?"
Ron just shook his red hair in amazement. But before Harry could think anymore of the oddness of the situation, the Sorting Hat started its wild twitching again. And as if someone turned the volume down, the rejoicing Hogwarts crowd abruptly became silent and some students pointed curiously at the Sorting Hat.
Even Professor Mcgonagall stopped dead in her tracks and fixed the Hat with a look of utmost bewilderment. And then in a squeaky voice Harry recognized, it declared,
"Harry Potter!"
Every head in the hall darted towards Harry's direction. At first, everyone looked at him in a dazed sort of way, but after establishing the idea that his name was actually announced by the Sorting Hat, they all nodded appreciatively at him, except for some Slytherins who were still not willing to believe it.
"H-Harry, you made it.." Ron's voice hardly audible, came.
"I didn't review for it, Ron. You know I didn't!" he tried to reason out but all of a sudden, the voice of the Sorting Hat came back to him. Harry remembered it told him when he placed it on that there was definitely some heap of talent in him and lots of determination. He remembered it squeaking in an excited tone,
"Boy, you really want to face the Dark Lord, don't you? And enough talent to do so, ooh yes. And enough guts too. You should really, it's your destiny.."
But Harry never gave thought to this since he wasn't lying when he told Ron that he hadn't reviewed anything. And back to Ron-he had to convince him somehow that he didn't pass it on purpose. Harry turned his focus at Ron but the latter just shook his head and Harry was so relieved to see that he was smiling.
"Of course you didn't, Harry. Just go out there. You deserve it." he said, tugging Harry up his seat.
Harry trudged on numbly to where Professor Dumbledere was standing and shook his hand. And before he could dodge out safely, Hermione almost knocked the air out of him with a tight hug. She kept muttering 'didn't know you were studying too' and 'you should have told me' over and over again. At the corner of his eye, Harry thought he saw Draco eyeing them with intense loathing-or was it jealousy? Harry wasn't able to decide as the wild roar of the crowd filled his ears.
"There boy, I knew you had it in you!" came Mr. Weasley's voice. Lupin had finally let him go but he was still trailing behind him.
"For a moment, you didn't think so, Arthur." he muttered silently to the red-haired chief of the League Against The Dark Arts.
Then it appeared to Harry plainly.
"You were trying to get me in the League, Mr. Weasley." he told the excited wizard who was patting him furiously at the back.
Mr. Weasley looked abashed by the statement but his grin returned to his face almost as sudden and he was swelling with pride once more.
"Or so I tried..but I didn't have to do so, did I? The Sorting Hat decided for itself-you are now an official member of the League!" Then he turned to the two other qualifiers (smirking a little at Draco), "And so are the two of you. Congratulations, Ms. Granger and er-Mr. Malfoy." he said shaking their hands.
"Now, now, Arthur, I assume you are done with the children?" Professor Dumbledore appeared beside him, his eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.
"C-Certainly, Albus." Mr. Weasley answered brightly.
"Well then, Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter, as you are our only qualifiers for tonight, you have the honor to start the dance. If that is not too much hassle, of course." Harry swore he saw Dumbledore's eyes flick sideways at him.
He turned to Hermione who smiled nervously. Harry's stomach did a sort of flip-flop after noticing how pretty Hermione was looking that night. She was wearing a pearly white robe that made her stand out of the brightly colored crowd. Her hair was held down in a single half-braid that tamed her othewise curly chestnut locks. Harry started musing how he ever missed this out when she was with him all the time.
"You look really er-nice, Hermione." he blurted out Hermione just beamed back at him. Harry thought his heart skipped a beat but just as he was about to hold out his arm to her, he noticed Draco was pinning them with narrowed, gray eyes.
"Umm..Hermione, I think you ought to dance with that first.."
Hermione whirred around to glance at Draco who seemed to have dropped out of his daze. He quickly turned his back at them and strode towards Pansy Parkinson who was waiting for him to turn up at the corner of the Slytherin table. He turned to look at the pair with glinting mischievous eyes before bending down to give Pansy a very familiar pass (Draco kissed her bare forearm). Several Gryffindors including Parvati and Ron grimaced in disgust but Pansy's face however, glowed bright red. She was already in a fit of giggles by the time Draco edged her towards the dance floor.
"Forget him, Hermione." Harry mumbled angrily at her side.
Hermione merely shrugged and held out her arm to him. Harry took it, grinning. Hermione was thankful that the band struck a slow song as warm tears were threatening to slip out of the corner of her eyes. She leaned over to Harry and hid her face from him. She didn't want Harry to know that Draco bothered her. She was also immensely grateful that Harry preferred not to pursue the topic while they were dancing. He merely stirred her on through the dance and politely handed her over to Ron who was just too happy to have her. And before they knew it, the feast was over. If it was a blast, Hermione could only guess because she was alt too sore to think straight. And Harry, on the other hand, was too worried that Ron wouldn't be too happy to have the two of them leaving him-so soon. He thought that whatever caused the smug look on Ron's face at the moment was more or less in the lines of losing two of his best friends. So all three of them, in lowest of spirits, walked quietly back to the Gryffindor common room wearing long faces. Once inside and after everyone was done congratulating Harry and Hermione, the ugly business of saying goodbye to Ron started.
"Umm, Ron? You will be okay, right? Without us, I mean." Hermione said quietly. The three of them had been sitting by the fire at their usual places, apparently dreading the next week when Harry and Hermione would be shipped out of the school to start working for the Ministry.
"'Course I am. I still have Ginny, y'know. And I could also join Dean and Seamus anytime. There's nothing to worry about me. I'm cool. What really bothers me is what will become of the two of you.."
At this, Harry grinned sheepishly at Ron.
"You're worried about me too, Ron?"
"This isn't funny, Harry. This time Professor Dumbledore wouldn't be there to watch over you and you are supposed to fight the Dark Lord himself. You could get killed anytime!" Ron bellowed, looking very pale and troubled.
"Ron, we'll be fine. We can take care of ourselves and as long as we stick together, nothing bad can possibly happen to us. So, don't worry too much."
"I promise I'll write to you everyday.." Hermione added hastily, but her voice was shaking slightly.
"Well, I guess there's really nothing I could do about it, eh? Just take care you two and keep out of trouble.." Ron squeaked. Harry squinted to see if he was crying.
"Hey, you're starting to sound like Mrs. Weasley, Ron." Harry told him and they burst into laughter one last time.
Neither of them knew how right Ron was.
Disclaimer: All of this belongs to J.K. Rowling except for the plot, which is mine!!
Chapter 13-The New League Members
The dreaded NEWTs came and passed. Harry thought it most amusing that the exams they all feared so much appeared to be such a simple task. All they had to do was wear the impartial selector which, to their astonishment, turned out to be the sorting hat, over their heads and listen to it murmuring busily while it screened their brains. Harry wondered why no one had thought of it before. Of course, the Sorting Hat was very smart in its own right and it could easily see through one's thoughts. All they had to do was put some of Professor Dumbledore's brains in it and request it to look into what they've learned that year aside from their qualities. The idea was purely brilliant and logical.
"Hermione, stop that gibberish right now! You're driving me nuts!" Ron complained at his side. The three of them were relaxing that afternoon by the river bank, burning their time watching the Giant Squid splash water lazily at the passersby.
Harry turned to see what was eating Ron. Hermione was again crumpling her cloak in a sort of nervous fit.
"You can't blame me, Ron. The Christmas feast is just a few hours away and I haven't got the faintest idea whether I qualified or not! It could have been easier for me to evaluate if the NEWTs were written tests. Then al I had to do is check the number of mistankes I made. But since the Sorting Hat said nothing but 'Oof!', I can just assume so little." Hermione finished in a struggle. And almost at once, she plunged into her nervous fit again.
"That's because you knew too much. You must have knocked the Sorting Hat out of its wits!" Ron told her and both him and Harry erupted into fits of laughter.
Hermione wrinkled her nose at them.
"Not funny. But I see something that will surely knock you out, Ron."
Harry and Ron turned to look where Hermione was pointing. At the opposite side of the river, they could see Lupin and Fleur walking hand in hand together(it was more like Fleur locking Lupin in great handshake to Harry). Lupin was plainly struggrling to pin his feet on the ground but Fleur was dragging him on, her sliver sheet of hair dancing behind her.
"I think Lupin's really hit that one 'ard. 'Bin all over the poor guy since she came 'ere. I ain't be surprised if she asks 'im to marry 'er soon!"
They whirred around to see Hagrid covered in his usual fur coat, bending ever to see what they were looking at.
"Hagrid!" they all said at once.
"We haven't seen you around for a long time." Harry told him, feeling sorry.
"Oh, that's becoz I've bin hangin' aroun' the Forbidden Forest lately...Gimeree's all grown up!" Hagrid told them jovially, then changed tact at the speed of light.
"But you lot don' nid to go tellin' Dumbledore that. I am thinkin' of keeping Gimeree a bit longer." Hagrid's voice trailed off as a big smile emerged from his beard.
Ron looked simply jubilant.
"Oh, no problem about that. You can keep him as long as like, Hagrid."
But when Ron said this, Hermione suddenly stood up at their side and hastily stormed towards the castle without a word to them.
"Is somethin' botherin' Hermione? What did you boys done this time?" Hagrid demanded, waving a threatening finger at Harry and Ron.
"Nothing, Hagrid. She's just not too keen in having Fleur much longer." Harry answered.
"Oh, that. Well, tell her she will have to put up with that veela-gurl for just one last night 'coz Dumbledore will send 'er off to the League in no time! That's for sure." Hagrid told them cheerfully before he set off to the Forbidden Forest again. But to Harry and Ron, who turned on the sulky faces again, they could have done a lot better without Hagrid reminding them that.
That night, the Christmas feast looked more impressive than before. There were ice statues of magnificent sizes (Harry was guessing it was Fleur's idea) lining the Great Hall but the traditional Hogwarts Christmas trees stayed. The combination of the two elements worked out well in bringing out the Holiday cheer in everyone. If it weren't for the slight anxiety brought about by the announcement of the N.E.W.T. results, the night could have been Harry's most enjoyable yet.
A hushed silence suddenly befell the throng of Hogwarts students when Professor Dumbledore appeared at the teacher's table, holding up his arms in midair. He smiled pleasantly at them and spoke in a jolly tone,
"Merry Christmas to one and all! I hope you enjoyed Miss Delacour's ice statues (Ron winked at Harry) over there as our own Professor Flitwick and Professor MsGonagall almost broke their necks conjuring them (a lot of people laughed at this including merry old Flitwick who bobbed up and down his chair). I know that you are all expecting to know the results of your N E.W.T.s and that some of you are anticipating to be chosen. But once again, we are reminded that not everyone would be fortunate enough to get pass them. Indeed, I am suspecting that only a handful, if not few, would be able to find themselves newly found members of the League tonight. But if you're name does not come out tonight, it doesn't mean you didn't make it. We all have our own set of talents and yours might just be something other than protecting the lives of the innocent. So let us not be weary. After all, there is still a very large array of spots you could choose from. And all are equally honorable professions that would help yield your skills. But as for those of you who did pass the tests (Dumbledore's face lit up at this), we are very proud of you and we wish you a broken bone-less year ahead! So keep your fingers crossed everyone, because this is it."
After Professor Dumbledore had said this, Professor McGonagall came around and set up the patched and frayed Sorting Hat at a black stool where everyone could see it. Everyone held their breath and set their eyes intently at the impartial selector. At first, the Sorting Hat just twitched and squeaked until finally, it opened its mouth to announce the first League member,
"Hermione Granger!"
An earsplitting cheer erupted from the three House tables especially from the Gryffinndor table, and quite a few scattered applause from the Slytherins. Hermione glanced up at Draco before walking up to shake hands with Professor Dumbledore. She was quite pleased to see that Draco joined in the applause, though in a strictly blank way.
The applause died down again instantly as the Sorting Hat twitched again and shrieked,
"Draco Malfoy!"
The Great Hall rang once more of applause, though now mainly from the Slytherin table. The rest of the students looked slightly astonished but they clapped their hands politely anyway. Draco walked up to Dumbledore and Hermione stiffly. After shaking Dumbledore's hand, he quickly turned away to avoid Hermione's gaze. Then just before Professor McGonagall stood up to fetch the Sorting Hat, Harry saw Professor Lupin trying to hold a very indignant-looking Mr. Weasley. He nudged Ron hard in the ribs and asked,
"What is Mr. Weasley doing here?"
Ron looked just as confused as Harry.
"I have no idea, Harry. I s'pose it's to welcome the new members."
"But why is Lupin holding him back?"
Ron just shook his red hair in amazement. But before Harry could think anymore of the oddness of the situation, the Sorting Hat started its wild twitching again. And as if someone turned the volume down, the rejoicing Hogwarts crowd abruptly became silent and some students pointed curiously at the Sorting Hat.
Even Professor Mcgonagall stopped dead in her tracks and fixed the Hat with a look of utmost bewilderment. And then in a squeaky voice Harry recognized, it declared,
"Harry Potter!"
Every head in the hall darted towards Harry's direction. At first, everyone looked at him in a dazed sort of way, but after establishing the idea that his name was actually announced by the Sorting Hat, they all nodded appreciatively at him, except for some Slytherins who were still not willing to believe it.
"H-Harry, you made it.." Ron's voice hardly audible, came.
"I didn't review for it, Ron. You know I didn't!" he tried to reason out but all of a sudden, the voice of the Sorting Hat came back to him. Harry remembered it told him when he placed it on that there was definitely some heap of talent in him and lots of determination. He remembered it squeaking in an excited tone,
"Boy, you really want to face the Dark Lord, don't you? And enough talent to do so, ooh yes. And enough guts too. You should really, it's your destiny.."
But Harry never gave thought to this since he wasn't lying when he told Ron that he hadn't reviewed anything. And back to Ron-he had to convince him somehow that he didn't pass it on purpose. Harry turned his focus at Ron but the latter just shook his head and Harry was so relieved to see that he was smiling.
"Of course you didn't, Harry. Just go out there. You deserve it." he said, tugging Harry up his seat.
Harry trudged on numbly to where Professor Dumbledere was standing and shook his hand. And before he could dodge out safely, Hermione almost knocked the air out of him with a tight hug. She kept muttering 'didn't know you were studying too' and 'you should have told me' over and over again. At the corner of his eye, Harry thought he saw Draco eyeing them with intense loathing-or was it jealousy? Harry wasn't able to decide as the wild roar of the crowd filled his ears.
"There boy, I knew you had it in you!" came Mr. Weasley's voice. Lupin had finally let him go but he was still trailing behind him.
"For a moment, you didn't think so, Arthur." he muttered silently to the red-haired chief of the League Against The Dark Arts.
Then it appeared to Harry plainly.
"You were trying to get me in the League, Mr. Weasley." he told the excited wizard who was patting him furiously at the back.
Mr. Weasley looked abashed by the statement but his grin returned to his face almost as sudden and he was swelling with pride once more.
"Or so I tried..but I didn't have to do so, did I? The Sorting Hat decided for itself-you are now an official member of the League!" Then he turned to the two other qualifiers (smirking a little at Draco), "And so are the two of you. Congratulations, Ms. Granger and er-Mr. Malfoy." he said shaking their hands.
"Now, now, Arthur, I assume you are done with the children?" Professor Dumbledore appeared beside him, his eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.
"C-Certainly, Albus." Mr. Weasley answered brightly.
"Well then, Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter, as you are our only qualifiers for tonight, you have the honor to start the dance. If that is not too much hassle, of course." Harry swore he saw Dumbledore's eyes flick sideways at him.
He turned to Hermione who smiled nervously. Harry's stomach did a sort of flip-flop after noticing how pretty Hermione was looking that night. She was wearing a pearly white robe that made her stand out of the brightly colored crowd. Her hair was held down in a single half-braid that tamed her othewise curly chestnut locks. Harry started musing how he ever missed this out when she was with him all the time.
"You look really er-nice, Hermione." he blurted out Hermione just beamed back at him. Harry thought his heart skipped a beat but just as he was about to hold out his arm to her, he noticed Draco was pinning them with narrowed, gray eyes.
"Umm..Hermione, I think you ought to dance with that first.."
Hermione whirred around to glance at Draco who seemed to have dropped out of his daze. He quickly turned his back at them and strode towards Pansy Parkinson who was waiting for him to turn up at the corner of the Slytherin table. He turned to look at the pair with glinting mischievous eyes before bending down to give Pansy a very familiar pass (Draco kissed her bare forearm). Several Gryffindors including Parvati and Ron grimaced in disgust but Pansy's face however, glowed bright red. She was already in a fit of giggles by the time Draco edged her towards the dance floor.
"Forget him, Hermione." Harry mumbled angrily at her side.
Hermione merely shrugged and held out her arm to him. Harry took it, grinning. Hermione was thankful that the band struck a slow song as warm tears were threatening to slip out of the corner of her eyes. She leaned over to Harry and hid her face from him. She didn't want Harry to know that Draco bothered her. She was also immensely grateful that Harry preferred not to pursue the topic while they were dancing. He merely stirred her on through the dance and politely handed her over to Ron who was just too happy to have her. And before they knew it, the feast was over. If it was a blast, Hermione could only guess because she was alt too sore to think straight. And Harry, on the other hand, was too worried that Ron wouldn't be too happy to have the two of them leaving him-so soon. He thought that whatever caused the smug look on Ron's face at the moment was more or less in the lines of losing two of his best friends. So all three of them, in lowest of spirits, walked quietly back to the Gryffindor common room wearing long faces. Once inside and after everyone was done congratulating Harry and Hermione, the ugly business of saying goodbye to Ron started.
"Umm, Ron? You will be okay, right? Without us, I mean." Hermione said quietly. The three of them had been sitting by the fire at their usual places, apparently dreading the next week when Harry and Hermione would be shipped out of the school to start working for the Ministry.
"'Course I am. I still have Ginny, y'know. And I could also join Dean and Seamus anytime. There's nothing to worry about me. I'm cool. What really bothers me is what will become of the two of you.."
At this, Harry grinned sheepishly at Ron.
"You're worried about me too, Ron?"
"This isn't funny, Harry. This time Professor Dumbledore wouldn't be there to watch over you and you are supposed to fight the Dark Lord himself. You could get killed anytime!" Ron bellowed, looking very pale and troubled.
"Ron, we'll be fine. We can take care of ourselves and as long as we stick together, nothing bad can possibly happen to us. So, don't worry too much."
"I promise I'll write to you everyday.." Hermione added hastily, but her voice was shaking slightly.
"Well, I guess there's really nothing I could do about it, eh? Just take care you two and keep out of trouble.." Ron squeaked. Harry squinted to see if he was crying.
"Hey, you're starting to sound like Mrs. Weasley, Ron." Harry told him and they burst into laughter one last time.
Neither of them knew how right Ron was.