Disclaimer: Not mine.
Chapter 14: The Truth
"Erm…Harry, Ron, could I speak with you a moment?" Hermione asked in a quiet voice. The three friends were all lounging about the common room. Well, Harry and Ron were anyway. It was very late and they hadn't had the energy to go upstairs. They room was empty except for them. Hermione closed the massive book she was reading from, determined to finally tell them what McGonagall had said. She had worried the whole day and had been looking for the opportune time.
"Um, yeah, of course," Ron answered for his friend. They got up from their couch, looking rather surprised that Hermione wanted to talk. Especially while she was doing homework. They took a sat down next to her on the window seat, yet again and leaned back.
Locked in between her two best friends, Hermione lost a little courage and started out shakily.
"Well, em…you know how I got that note t-today, at lunch?" she let out a long breath and fiddled with a curl nervously. When the two boys nodded, she went on, "Well, McGonagall, she had something really important to tell me. She told me...she told me that there's a spy here; someone working for the Dark Lord. And not only that, but, well, Harry, they, uh, they think that whoever it is, they're after you."
Hermione shut her eyes and shied away from the boy who lived, as if she thought he was going to hit her. But Harry didn't move. He didn't even breathe. The lazy smile that had played across his face moments before, had vanished and in its place was a dead expression. His eyes were streaked with sadness, vulnerability and a little fear, for although he had faced Lord Voldemort many times, he had never felt so close to real danger. But even though this was the case, his eyes held an almost depressed knowing look. Like he knew that it had only been a matter of time.
Hermione opened her eyes and saw Harry's face. She cringed and looked up at Ron. Although Harry was the one in actual danger, Ron looked even more scared for him. His blue eyes were wide with a panicked look, as if searching for a place to hide his best friend. Hermione could not have felt worse. It wasn't as bad when you got awful news together, but she had been the one to tell them. She had been the bearer of bad news and there was nothing she wished for more at that moment than to take it back and keep her friends in the dark, but she knew that they had to know. For how can you protect yourself, if you don't know you should?
"Who is it?" Harry finally broke the silence.
"I don't know, Harry. She…she just told me that they knew someone was informing He Who Must Not Be Named."
"They don't know who it is??? Merlin! Why didn't they tell us? Why haven' they told everyone?" Ron demanded.
"They didn't want to alarm anyone," Hermione explained, "Nobody else can know."
"WHAT? Are they mad? Why is Harry even still here?? Shouldn't they have taken him somewhere safe?" Ron asked in a voice of rage.
"This is the only safe place, Ron. I know…I know it doesn't seem that way, believe me, I thought Dumbledore was mad too, but think about it. Without a home, Harry will be so much more unprotected out there. Here, there's Dumbledore. You know he's the only one He Who Must Not Be Named fears, and with his rising again, we need all the upper hands we can get."
"We have to do something! Now!" Ron told them.
"No, Ron," Hermione put an hand on his arm. She turned to Harry and said, "Harry you have to promise me that you won't go looking for trouble. You're in so much danger already. And I really couldn't bear to have something happen to you. To either of you."
Hermione was surprised at how controlled she was. There was nothing more she would have liked to do than help Harry and Ron track down whoever it was that was against them, but it was too risky. So, always the logical one, she kept hold of Ron's arm and looked at Harry for an answer.
Harry sighed deeply. He was scared, no question, but he was tired too. Frustrated at having to be so involved with Voldemort. Was wanting to concentrate on school, on instead of whether or not he was going to stay alive this year too much to ask?
"Ok, Hermione," he gave up. She was right, after all. Going after Voldemort would be stupid."
Hermione let out a breath of relief.
"Look, Harry. I know this is a lot to take in. I can't believe it either. I was tempted to cart you off to some foreign country and not tell you anything," she gave him a little smile, "But it's true that you're safer here than anywhere else in the world. I'm sure Dumbledore will figure out who it is soon enough. And Ron and I are here to protect you.
Ron nodded his head, face still red with rage.
***
The three friends went to sleep in different worlds that night. Harry spent a good long time trying to block out the world. He wouldn't allow himself to cry. He'd faced Voldemort before. He wasn't scared of him, but the pressure of being hunted for so long was wearing him down, slowly, but ever so surely. In a moment of delusion, he even wished for his life before Hogwarts. It had been hard, yes, but no matter what had happened, he'd been able to cope. It felt now as if he was more alone than ever. Even with Sirius and Hermione and Ron. When he was alone, his entire soul felt empty, like his friends were only friends with him when he was with him. He knew it wasn't true. But the feeling of abandonment rested heavily upon his chest more and more.
Ron took a long time getting to sleep. His head was filled with plans of escape for Harry, but every one he came up with was crazier than the last. He wondered whether his life would have been easier not being the best friend of the Boy Who Lived, but he knew that even though it would have been, nothing could ever tempt him to give up his friendship with Harry.
Hermione never went to sleep that night. She sat all night in the same position. She couldn't stop the tears from gushing down her cheeks. She wanted to blame herself. She wanted to think that she could have done something the years before that could have stopped Voldemort. But she knew that it was up to Harry to defeat the monster.
A/N: Sorry for the such long wait and the shortness of this. I know I promised for longer but I have absolutely no time to write here. Anyway, I am trying my best to actually update, cuz I really wanna finish this story.