Harry's and Sirius' reactions were the same. They both choked on their
bread (Harry was eating it more quickly now) and said, "What?!"
"We don't know who did it," Ron sighed. "He was hit with a memory charm. Whoever did it Portkeyed him to the Ministry. Charlie was the one who found him, utterly confused - you remember Lockhart? It was like that. 'Odd place, this.' Charlie freaked - I mean, here's Voldemort, wandering the halls of the Ministry and talking to himself, trying to remember his name. Tommy, Charlie told him. Tommy.
"It was one of the most frightening things I ever saw, though, when they were trying to decide what to do with him. He's not dead, yet - we still haven't decided," Ginny said. "I think they're going to have to kill him. It's terrible, but there's too much of a chance that he might, someday, start regaining memory."
Harry was silent. "Harry?" Ron asked tentatively. There was no answer.
"It's all right," Sirius said, standing very slowly and bending over Harry to look at him in the light. "He's just asleep." His voice was suddenly trembling. He looked up at Ron and Ginny, and they saw that there were tears in his eyes. "I haven't seen him in the light since he was sixteen," the man whispered. "Four years. Four years. It was worse than Azkaban down here. He almost died more than once. Come on. I want to get him out of here. Can you conjure a stretcher, one of you? He can't walk very well."
"Can you? Walk, I mean?"
"I'm fine," Sirius said, and picked up what looked like a carved stick from the corner. "I can use this."
"Sirius," Ginny said softly. "How long did that take you?"
"I made a mark in it every day. It's only about half carved."
"Every day? For four years?"
"Five, actually. I showed it to Fred when he found his way in here. Do you know how he did? No one was supposed to know about this place."
"We didn't even know he came here until he came back after vanishing for a week. He left Mum a note saying he was fine - she flipped out, but when he came back with word that he'd seen the two of you, she was practically on her knees begging for news."
"Harry just about killed him with his bare hands," Sirius said as he lifted his godson onto the stretcher Ginny had conjured. "He thought it was a Death Eater. I was asleep, but Harry shouted out, 'Keep away!' and woke me up. I remember Fred gasped, and called out, 'Easy, easy. It's me, Potter, good God!' And Harry collapsed to his knees and called out sort of hesitantly, 'Fred? Fred Weasley?' 'Righty, mate,' Fred said. 'Is Sirius there?' 'Yes, he's asleep -' But I cut him off, 'After that racket you made, Harry?' And Harry started laughing. I don't think he'd laughed the whole time he was down here."
Ginny let out a stifled sob, wrapping the jacket around her tighter and glancing back at Harry.
"When did he go blind?" Ron whispered.
"We think it was sometime in the third year."
"Oh, God," Ginny whimpered.
"How much farther is it?" Sirius asked, and then groaned. "Oh. I have to stop. Hang on."
"It's almost an hour farther, Sirius," Ron said concernedly. "I'll conjure you a stretcher. You're in no condition to walk."
"No!" Sirius insisted. "I'm walking out of here on my own. I'm walking out with my dignity."
"Walking free at last," Ginny said quietly. "Now that you've been cleared.after nineteen years.walking free." Her voice was strangely soft.
"Where does this come out?" Sirius asked. "I don't remember."
"On the far side of the Forest," Ron answered after a moment of silence.
"You'd think I'd remember it more," Sirius said thoughtfully. "I thought it was going to be the last time I ever saw the sun. For Harry, it was. But I don't remember it at all. I do remember carving the first line into this staff."
Sirius glanced back in the dark tunnel. In a way, it saddened him that he would never see it again. In a way, he wanted to scream with joy and leap into the air. It may have been hell, but it had been five years of his life.
Worse than Azkaban. Yes, Sirius decided, I'm lucky I'll never have to go back.
"We don't know who did it," Ron sighed. "He was hit with a memory charm. Whoever did it Portkeyed him to the Ministry. Charlie was the one who found him, utterly confused - you remember Lockhart? It was like that. 'Odd place, this.' Charlie freaked - I mean, here's Voldemort, wandering the halls of the Ministry and talking to himself, trying to remember his name. Tommy, Charlie told him. Tommy.
"It was one of the most frightening things I ever saw, though, when they were trying to decide what to do with him. He's not dead, yet - we still haven't decided," Ginny said. "I think they're going to have to kill him. It's terrible, but there's too much of a chance that he might, someday, start regaining memory."
Harry was silent. "Harry?" Ron asked tentatively. There was no answer.
"It's all right," Sirius said, standing very slowly and bending over Harry to look at him in the light. "He's just asleep." His voice was suddenly trembling. He looked up at Ron and Ginny, and they saw that there were tears in his eyes. "I haven't seen him in the light since he was sixteen," the man whispered. "Four years. Four years. It was worse than Azkaban down here. He almost died more than once. Come on. I want to get him out of here. Can you conjure a stretcher, one of you? He can't walk very well."
"Can you? Walk, I mean?"
"I'm fine," Sirius said, and picked up what looked like a carved stick from the corner. "I can use this."
"Sirius," Ginny said softly. "How long did that take you?"
"I made a mark in it every day. It's only about half carved."
"Every day? For four years?"
"Five, actually. I showed it to Fred when he found his way in here. Do you know how he did? No one was supposed to know about this place."
"We didn't even know he came here until he came back after vanishing for a week. He left Mum a note saying he was fine - she flipped out, but when he came back with word that he'd seen the two of you, she was practically on her knees begging for news."
"Harry just about killed him with his bare hands," Sirius said as he lifted his godson onto the stretcher Ginny had conjured. "He thought it was a Death Eater. I was asleep, but Harry shouted out, 'Keep away!' and woke me up. I remember Fred gasped, and called out, 'Easy, easy. It's me, Potter, good God!' And Harry collapsed to his knees and called out sort of hesitantly, 'Fred? Fred Weasley?' 'Righty, mate,' Fred said. 'Is Sirius there?' 'Yes, he's asleep -' But I cut him off, 'After that racket you made, Harry?' And Harry started laughing. I don't think he'd laughed the whole time he was down here."
Ginny let out a stifled sob, wrapping the jacket around her tighter and glancing back at Harry.
"When did he go blind?" Ron whispered.
"We think it was sometime in the third year."
"Oh, God," Ginny whimpered.
"How much farther is it?" Sirius asked, and then groaned. "Oh. I have to stop. Hang on."
"It's almost an hour farther, Sirius," Ron said concernedly. "I'll conjure you a stretcher. You're in no condition to walk."
"No!" Sirius insisted. "I'm walking out of here on my own. I'm walking out with my dignity."
"Walking free at last," Ginny said quietly. "Now that you've been cleared.after nineteen years.walking free." Her voice was strangely soft.
"Where does this come out?" Sirius asked. "I don't remember."
"On the far side of the Forest," Ron answered after a moment of silence.
"You'd think I'd remember it more," Sirius said thoughtfully. "I thought it was going to be the last time I ever saw the sun. For Harry, it was. But I don't remember it at all. I do remember carving the first line into this staff."
Sirius glanced back in the dark tunnel. In a way, it saddened him that he would never see it again. In a way, he wanted to scream with joy and leap into the air. It may have been hell, but it had been five years of his life.
Worse than Azkaban. Yes, Sirius decided, I'm lucky I'll never have to go back.