Xenith
Chapter Twenty-five
Hermione felt sick. Harry couldn't mean it, could he? Why would he not want to be friends with them? Well Hermione knew very well what the answer to that would be . . . if she dared ask.
Harry was trying to protect them by pushing them away. He didn't know any other way to keep them safe. This was so much like the conversation on the train ride to school in which Harry had stormed out on them.
Which Harry seemed to be about to do now.
Harry pulled away from Hermione, took a deep breath and started walking back towards the castle.
"Remember what I said I would do if he ever did this to us again, Hermione?" Ron growled, ice blue eyes narrowing dangerously.
"That if he disappears on you once more this year you were going to pound him?"
"Yeah, that's it." Ron took a deep breath and tore after his best friend, there was no way Harry was going to get out of this that easily.
Harry heard the feet pounding the ground behind him, he wouldn't turn, couldn't turn.
He should've turned.
Moments later he found himself grunting as the wind was knocked out of him and he fell hard to the grass.
Ron had bull rushed him.
"Geroff Ron!" He managed out, even though his face was smashed into the dirt and he could hardly breathe.
"No. You may be too much of a hero to realise this, but you need us." Ron took hold of Harry's wrists and held them behind his back as he sat on him.
"I'm no hero, Ron. I'm just damn lucky."
"Then why are you doing this? Huh? Explain that one to me, Golden Boy."
"Don't call me that."
"Well, explain then."
"Get off!"
"No."
"I'm doing it because I don't know what else to do!" Harry cried. "I'm fifteen years old! I can barely charm my way out of a dinner invitation and I'm expected to save the whole fucking world! Tell me what I'm supposed to do!"
Ron and Hermione were shocked into silence. It was the first time Harry had ever admitted to being lost and helpless. The first time they realised what it was Dumbledore, and they, were asking of him. Even if they told Harry that he didn't have to do this, they still, somewhere deep down, believed that he would. That one teenaged boy would save them all.
Harry was crying now, his tears mixing with the dirt and leaving dark streaks down his cheeks. Harry didn't like crying; didn't like how it made him feel, how helpless he felt when he did so. But mostly because it made him feel ashamed. He wished Ron would go away. He wished everyone would go away.
Ron got carefully off of Harry and grabbed hold of Hermione's hand the instant she appeared at his side. He didn't know what to do anymore than Harry did, but he had someone to hang onto---Harry had nothing, no one.
Harry pressed his head into the dirt and rolled his knees under his body, hugging himself close. He could taste the dirt and tears in his mouth but he couldn't stop. He was crying for everything now; crying for Cedric, crying for his parents, crying for his world, but most of all---crying for himself.
He may only be fifteen but he was an adult. He had never had a childhood with the Dursleys and the vanquishing of Voldemort kin the previous years had made it certain that he'd never have one here either. He could hardly remember a time in the past four years when he wasn't fighting Voldemort. And now he was being _trained_ to do exactly that.
Now, he was Dumbledore's nuclear bomb.
Harry had finally cried himself out and rolled onto his side, eyes closed. He didn't want to have to look at Ron and Hermione.
"Harry . . ." Hermione started softly after a few moments.
"Harry," Ron said just as softly. "We're . . . we're sorry, we didn't know."
Harry didn't reply. Ron wondered if he'd passed out.
"We knew, we just didn't understand." Hermione corrected.
"No one does." Harry said in such a small voice the two Gryffindors almost missed it.
"You're right, Harry," Hermione fell to her knees a metre away from where he lay. "We can't," Ron knelt beside her. "There's no way we can even imagine what it is you're going through and will be going through."
"But you don't have to do it alone," Ron said. "You think you'd be able to get rid of us that easily, did you?" Ron gave a halfhearted attempt at a Weasley grin.
"I don't want anything to happen to you two."
"And we don't want anything to happen to you!" Hermione implored. "But we've entered into something we can't stop, Harry. We're going to war and there's no way you can protect us by leaving us. We're in danger already and if we have to fight we'd rather fight with you by our sides."
Harry dragged himself into a sitting position and wiped his face off on the hem of his robes. "I'd rather have you two there too." He said quietly, trying his best to smile. "You know, I don't know what I'd do without you two."
"Yeah, well we don't know what you'd do either." Ron joked, pulling Harry to his feet and throwing one arm of Harry's shoulder and the other over Hermione's. "Come on, all this drama has made me hungry."
"Ron, you just ate an hour ago!" Hermione scoffed.
"I'm a growing boy and therefore need to be fed more often."
Harry just smiled, he was a bit hungry too.
---
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((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:- tbc -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*
Chapter Twenty-five
Hermione felt sick. Harry couldn't mean it, could he? Why would he not want to be friends with them? Well Hermione knew very well what the answer to that would be . . . if she dared ask.
Harry was trying to protect them by pushing them away. He didn't know any other way to keep them safe. This was so much like the conversation on the train ride to school in which Harry had stormed out on them.
Which Harry seemed to be about to do now.
Harry pulled away from Hermione, took a deep breath and started walking back towards the castle.
"Remember what I said I would do if he ever did this to us again, Hermione?" Ron growled, ice blue eyes narrowing dangerously.
"That if he disappears on you once more this year you were going to pound him?"
"Yeah, that's it." Ron took a deep breath and tore after his best friend, there was no way Harry was going to get out of this that easily.
Harry heard the feet pounding the ground behind him, he wouldn't turn, couldn't turn.
He should've turned.
Moments later he found himself grunting as the wind was knocked out of him and he fell hard to the grass.
Ron had bull rushed him.
"Geroff Ron!" He managed out, even though his face was smashed into the dirt and he could hardly breathe.
"No. You may be too much of a hero to realise this, but you need us." Ron took hold of Harry's wrists and held them behind his back as he sat on him.
"I'm no hero, Ron. I'm just damn lucky."
"Then why are you doing this? Huh? Explain that one to me, Golden Boy."
"Don't call me that."
"Well, explain then."
"Get off!"
"No."
"I'm doing it because I don't know what else to do!" Harry cried. "I'm fifteen years old! I can barely charm my way out of a dinner invitation and I'm expected to save the whole fucking world! Tell me what I'm supposed to do!"
Ron and Hermione were shocked into silence. It was the first time Harry had ever admitted to being lost and helpless. The first time they realised what it was Dumbledore, and they, were asking of him. Even if they told Harry that he didn't have to do this, they still, somewhere deep down, believed that he would. That one teenaged boy would save them all.
Harry was crying now, his tears mixing with the dirt and leaving dark streaks down his cheeks. Harry didn't like crying; didn't like how it made him feel, how helpless he felt when he did so. But mostly because it made him feel ashamed. He wished Ron would go away. He wished everyone would go away.
Ron got carefully off of Harry and grabbed hold of Hermione's hand the instant she appeared at his side. He didn't know what to do anymore than Harry did, but he had someone to hang onto---Harry had nothing, no one.
Harry pressed his head into the dirt and rolled his knees under his body, hugging himself close. He could taste the dirt and tears in his mouth but he couldn't stop. He was crying for everything now; crying for Cedric, crying for his parents, crying for his world, but most of all---crying for himself.
He may only be fifteen but he was an adult. He had never had a childhood with the Dursleys and the vanquishing of Voldemort kin the previous years had made it certain that he'd never have one here either. He could hardly remember a time in the past four years when he wasn't fighting Voldemort. And now he was being _trained_ to do exactly that.
Now, he was Dumbledore's nuclear bomb.
Harry had finally cried himself out and rolled onto his side, eyes closed. He didn't want to have to look at Ron and Hermione.
"Harry . . ." Hermione started softly after a few moments.
"Harry," Ron said just as softly. "We're . . . we're sorry, we didn't know."
Harry didn't reply. Ron wondered if he'd passed out.
"We knew, we just didn't understand." Hermione corrected.
"No one does." Harry said in such a small voice the two Gryffindors almost missed it.
"You're right, Harry," Hermione fell to her knees a metre away from where he lay. "We can't," Ron knelt beside her. "There's no way we can even imagine what it is you're going through and will be going through."
"But you don't have to do it alone," Ron said. "You think you'd be able to get rid of us that easily, did you?" Ron gave a halfhearted attempt at a Weasley grin.
"I don't want anything to happen to you two."
"And we don't want anything to happen to you!" Hermione implored. "But we've entered into something we can't stop, Harry. We're going to war and there's no way you can protect us by leaving us. We're in danger already and if we have to fight we'd rather fight with you by our sides."
Harry dragged himself into a sitting position and wiped his face off on the hem of his robes. "I'd rather have you two there too." He said quietly, trying his best to smile. "You know, I don't know what I'd do without you two."
"Yeah, well we don't know what you'd do either." Ron joked, pulling Harry to his feet and throwing one arm of Harry's shoulder and the other over Hermione's. "Come on, all this drama has made me hungry."
"Ron, you just ate an hour ago!" Hermione scoffed.
"I'm a growing boy and therefore need to be fed more often."
Harry just smiled, he was a bit hungry too.
---
¸..· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ ·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:- tbc -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*