In Every Darkness
Chapter Sixty Two: Overdue Conversations
3.10.1996
"Harry, you are going to talk to us, now," Hermione told her friend sternly. "You've been avoiding us!"
"You've been avoiding me," Harry replied sullenly.
"I'll let you three work this out alone, shall I?" Lily Adams asked, hiding a grin. "Victor told me about Hermione and arguments – I think I can live without taking part in one of them."
"You can, trust me," Ron grinned, ducking as Hermione aimed a playful slap at his head.
Harry glared at Lily's back as she walked away, leaving him with the friends he'd been sure hated him.
"Now, what do you mean we've been avoiding you?" Hermione demanded, turning her attention back to Harry.
It was later in the evening after the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students had arrived. Down in the Great Hall, there was a count going to make sure of who was missing. Lily had accompanied Harry and his two friends into the Entrance Hall, since everyone could tell that the famous Gryffindor Trio was just fine.
Now she went back into the Hall to hear what was going on there, leaving Harry to Ron and Hermione, who dragged him up to the Room of Requirement, arguing all the way.
"You have been. I've hardly seen you," Harry said.
"That's because you've been avoiding us," was the frustrated reply. "We thought that you might want some space after you told us about that Death Eater, and we figured that you'd come back when you wanted to talk!"
"So you guys don't hate me?" Harry asked.
"Hate you?" Ron burst out. "Harry, why in the world would we hate you?"
"Because I killed someone."
"You killed a Death Eater, they
tried to kill you, tried to destroy everything that you love or that matters to
you! They deserve to die," Ron told him vehemently.
"No one deserves to die," Harry said. "And no one deserves to have to kill, either. I hated myself for killing that man, and I thought that you'd hate me too."
"Oh Harry, you can be so naïve sometimes!" Hermione said. "Of course we don't hate you. We're your friends!" She hugged him tightly, and Ron, hesitating for a second, joined her.
"We don't hate you," he repeated.
"Come on then, if that's all you had to speak to me about, I want to go back down to the Hall and hear what's happening with the students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons," Harry said. Hermione nodded in agreement.
"I wouldn't mind finding that out for myself," she remarked.
In the background, Ron rolled his eyes and followed them, not particularly caring what happened to the new students, now that he'd help save them.
"I'll catch you up," he said vaguely, and his friends both nodded. Ron sighed. Sometimes he felt a bit left out in the group. Harry got loads of attention because he was famous, Hermione got attention because she was so smart… and him? The youngest boy of six boys, and with the only girl in the family being younger than him.
He never got attention. He knew that he was often a bit dense, but he didn't really know how to do anything about this. He knew all too well that Harry should have been Prefect – he'd heard Harry telling Hermione about it. Probably not mentioning it to Ron because Harry didn't want to hurt his friend's feelings.
Down in the Great Hall, Harry and Hermione slipped inside, most of the students were now heading for seats, as roll call was nearly over now. "What's happened so far?" Harry asked, slipping into a seat beside Lily.
"Nothing much. We've had to answer to our names from the heads of our year – we don't have houses like you do," she replied. "Soon they'll probably tell us the results of the roll call, and then decide what's going to be done."
"Ok. Do you think there are many Durmstrang students missing?" Harry asked.
"There were two classes out flying in the mountains," Lily replied. "In the same direction that the Death Eaters came from. They didn't get back in time, and are probably dead or imprisoned now."
"I'm sorry," Hermione said.
"It's ok," Lily stated with a sigh. "This is a war. In wars, people die. It's just as possible that the people who were out there were Death Eater families or friends… You can never tell at Durmstrang."
A young, pretty blonde girl came over to Gryffindor table suddenly, standing in front of Harry until he acknowledged her. "Hello," he greeted her.
"'Ello," she replied. "I tink you may remember me, I am Gabrielle Delacour. You saved me from de lake."
He smiled warmly. "Yes, I remember you," he replied. "How have you been?"
"I 'ave been good. Fleur is giving me Eenglish lessons," Gabrielle replied. "I am getting better."
"Yes, you are!" Harry agreed. "You're better than Fleur was when she first came her."
Gabrielle blushed prettily. "Thank you. I 'ave to go now. Maybe we talk again later."
Harry nodded, and the part veela walked off, long blonde hair cascading down her back, her hips swaying slightly as she walked, catching the eye of just about every male in the area, much to displeasure of their girlfriends.
"Is she a veela or something?" Lily asked. "All the guys seem kind of taken with her."
"Her grandmother is a veela," Harry replied. "I guess she inherited some of the charm. I know her sister Fleur did."
Lily nodded. "I'll warn my guy friends to keep away from her then," she remarked.
"Advisable," Hermione agreed.
"Everyone, settle down please!" Dumbledore's voice cut threw the noise like a knife through butter, silencing everyone immediately.
"To get the bad news over and done with, we will tell you how many were lost," he said, his voice sounding old and very tired. "From Durmstrang, there are fifty people missing, presumed dead. For Beauxbatons, there are one hundred and thirty."
Gasps ran over the hall in a soft wave of sound as everyone expressed surprised and/or grief at the statement. "Names of those unaccounted for will be posted tomorrow, for the friends and family who are still in school."
Whispers were silenced as everyone waited for Dumbledore to speak again. "Alas, that is not the extent of the had news, though that is the worst of it. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were both left in ruins by the Death Eaters at their allies. It will be some time before either school can be rebuilt."
Again he had to pause for the shock to pass through everyone. When things were quiet again, he continued. "All students and teachers are welcome to remain at Hogwarts. Beauxbatons students will be joining the houses of Hogwarts, as their curriculum is similar to our own, and there are not enough of them to continue lessons as they would be taught at their own school.
"Durmstrang students, more classrooms will be set up for your use, and that of your teachers. Your schooling will continue basically as normal, except for its location, and you are welcome to join in any extra-curriculum activities that Hogwarts offers. To this end, I am going to cancel the House Quidditch Cup, and instead ask you to find and set up teams to play for a Cup, and each student on the over all winning team will receive a prize that will be decided on later in the year."
Dumbledore ignored the initial groans of the Hogwarts students, and the following cheers as the last part of his scheme was revealed.
"The teams have no boundaries, except that the first year rules remains in place. Second years and above from any house may join any team. Depending on the outcomes, we may end up having a loose 'junior' and 'senior' cup, so that the younger students can participate with others in their own age groups, but can still take part in the senior tournament if they desire to … More rules will be introduced as the first match draws closer.
"Thank you for listening to an old mans rambling. I am sure that our guests are beginning to feel quite famished. So, let's eat!"
This statement was created with a muted cheer. "So, Lily," Harry asked, piling his plate with food. "Are you as excellent a flier as Krum?"
"Not quite that good," Lily laughed. "Though I heard my celebrated cousin mention that he thought you could be better than him at flying. There's very few that he'd say that about, you know."
Harry blushed slightly with pleasure at the comment. "You shouldn't be wasting your time with Potter," a cool, aristocratic voice remarked from behind them. "As a Durmstrang student, you wouldn't approve of the company he chooses."
"Only a Malfoy could speak so sweetly," Harry remarked disgustedly. "Jealous that you didn't manage to ally yourself to every single Durmstrang student?"
"Shut up Potter, I wasn't talking to you," Malfoy sneered in response.
"You shouldn't be so mean you know," a somewhat dreamy voice remarked from over Malfoy's shoulder. Everyone looked up and saw Luna standing there, the Quibbler, upside down (as usual) held against her chest and her wand tucked behind her ear.
Malfoy didn't seem to appreciate being told not to be mean by a bug-eyed fifth year student who was considered more than a little insane by the majority of the student body.
"Who asked you, Loony?" He demanded harshly.
"You'd be Draco Malfoy?" Lily asked coolly, looking up at the Slytherin before Harry or Ron attacked the other boy.
"Yes," Malfoy replied proudly. "I take it you've heard of my family?"
"I heard of your father going to jail," Lily replied coldly. "My cousin, Victor Krum, also mentioned that he thought you were a bit of an idiotic prick."
A pink tinge appeared in Malfoy's cheeks and he reached for his wand. "I wouldn't," Lily remarked coolly. "Durmstrang students learn the Dark Arts, extensively. You wouldn't be able to beat me in a duel."
Malfoy glared at this and strode off, knowing he'd lost the verbal battle.
"Did Krum actually say that?" Ron chortled.
"Yup," Lily replied.
"I knew I liked him," Ron and Harry said simultaneously. Hermione rolled her eyes.
Lily laughed softly. "I think I'm going to like it here," She remarked. "What's your name?" she asked Luna politely, holding out a hand.
"I'm Luna Lovegood," Luna replied dreamily, shaking hands with Lily absently. "I'm in Ravenclaw" she pointed towards the table. "I thought I'd come and say hi, especially when I saw Malfoy coming. Well done with the stunning hex, by the way." She walked away before anyone could say anything else.
"She's a bit on the touchy side of sanity," Hermione remarked to Lily softly. "But she's very nice."
"I know the type. She can really surprise you sometimes, can't she?"
Everyone who heard the remark nodded fervently, and Lily smiled slightly. "Well, I guess I'll staying with the Gryffindors for the moment," she remarked. "At least until some proper accommodation is made – the ships aren't particularly comfortable."
"Wicked," Ron managed to say around a mouth full of food.
"Don't worry, he's always like that," Harry muttered in Lily's ear so Ron couldn't hear him. "Terrible manners."
"I noticed," she muttered back. Ron didn't notice their whispered conversation at all, he was too busy packing food away. Harry ate only a little, hungry as he was from the fighting, he felt that he would surely throw up if he ate much at all.
Besides, it didn't seem right. So many people had just died, and it was wrong, somehow, for Harry to eat and be merry. Most other people in the hall felt the same, but Ron was oblivious to everything.
When Harry noticed that Lily and Hermione had both stopped eating (he himself having finished some time before), he glanced at Ron, who still filling his face. "Come on, we can show the way up to the common room," he muttered to Lily, and the three of them abandoned their gluttonous companion, heading out of the hall.
***
Well, no cliffie this time, but that doesn't mean that I don't expect lots of reviews! I'm sorry for the lateness of this chapter, as those of you who read my other story will be aware I was reinstalling the operating system on my computer, and then fixing things up. Everything is working now, so that's good, and I should be updating regularly again!
We got up to 2598 reviews, so next time, lets try to reach 2650 – another 52 reviews. I'm sure you can do it, but I'll update after 2640 if I have the chapter ready in time.
Thanks for reading, now please REVIEW!!
~WolfMoon~