Praesentia
Chapter Two---Yule Attack
*
Ron couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong with his friend...but every attempt to pull the information out of Harry had failed.
After Harry returned from his shower, Ron managed to mutter something to Harry about his scar. Harry scowled at him and said nothing. He proceeded to pull on his clothes and run downstairs.
At breakfast, conversation bounded between Fred, Bill, Charlie, George, and Ginny. Ron remained relatively silent, watching his two best friends. Hermione had an imperceptible expression on her face, and she didn't eat very much. She kept eyeing Harry and playing with her food. Ron caught her eye, and she sighed, dropped her fork onto her plate, and crossed her arms.
Ginny appeared to make every effort to glare at Harry all morning.
It was silly, Ron knew, but every now and then he swore he saw Harry looking idly at Ginny, as well.
As soon as Ron ate the last of his ham, he witnessed Harry silently stand up and run upstairs. Ron's mum tsked, rose from her chair, and gingerly took Harry's half-full plate. Silence reigned at the table for a long time.
Soon after, as everyone dispersed from the table, Ron grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her aside into the sitting room.
Hermione was the first to speak. "What do you think is wrong with Harry?"
Ron scoffed. "Besides the obvious? Wallowing in his guilt?" He paused, as Hermione gave him an arch look. "Okay, you're right, something is definitely wrong. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."
Hermione nodded. "What happened this morning?"
Ron shook his head. It had been rather eerie, seeing Harry reach out for his neck. "I'm not sure. Harry just started to...." Ron hesitated, not sure if he should tell Hermione what had happened. She'd become more worried that necessary. But should he tell her about Harry's scar?
Hermione was looking up at him expectantly, apparently waiting for him to continue. After a brief moment, he said, "I think Harry's scar is hurting him again."
Hermione exhaled loudly. "I was afraid of this."
Ron felt his brow furrow as he looked down at her. "You were?"
Hermione's warm eyes locked with his, and she briefly smiled at him. The smile was gone quickly, however, as she said, "Yes. Just think about it! Before, Voldemort had access to Harry through his curse scar. When you gained the Siren powers, you blocked that ability. Now, your Siren powers are equal to Voldemort's, so there's no longer anything blocking him from accessing Harry."
Ron frowned. "So--what do we do?"
Hermione sighed, and rubbed the back of her neck. "The most obvious thing would be to get word to Dumbledore. Harry might not like it, but Dumbledore has to know."
Ron nodded. "Let's write a letter to him tonight."
Hermione smiled, and reached out to take Ron's hand. "We'll get through this."
Ron wished he had as much faith as Hermione did.
~*~*~
The rest of the day passed normally enough, despite the unusual morning. Harry secluded himself, ignoring everyone's attempts to bring him into the family's activities. Ron helped Hermione write a letter to Dumbledore, and they dispatched it late that night.
Christmas morning arrived, and the family gathered to open gifts; Harry would not join them. The atmosphere was subdued, to say the least. Ron's father spent much of the morning looking toward the windows and the fireplace, apparently anticipating something. A worried look creased his father's brow, and Ron was about to say something, when he heard a loud WHOOSH from the fireplace.
Soot flew everywhere, as Remus Lupin stepped into the room. Ron's mum and father rushed to meet him. As he was brushing soot off his cloak, the three spoke in hushed tones for a moment.
Ginny, Fred and George stood up to greet him, and Ron looked at Hermione. She smiled, nodded to Ron, and moved to sit closer to him.
Lupin said something quietly to Ron's parents, and gave the everyone a big smile. He looked tired, and Ron realized that a full moon had just passed. His hair was much more grey than it ever had been. For the first time, Ron wondered why Lupin hadn't come to see Harry before.
"Happy Christmas," Lupin said, his voice revealing how tired he truly was.
As the rest of the family echoed this sentiment, Lupin stepped over to pat Bill on the back. "We're all glad you came out okay," he said to Bill, and Bill nodded down at him.
Ron took the opportunity to study his eldest brother. Bill had tiny scars all over his body, except for his face. His face did, however, reveal several scars given to him when the Death Eaters had beaten him.
Ron swallowed his rising ire, as Lupin was now looking at him. "How's Harry?" he asked.
Hermione stepped up, at that. "He's not doing very well. In fact...he's much worse than last year." She gave Ron a look, as if to have him confirm this.
"She's right. And....it's not only that." Ron opened his mouth, and was about to speak, when his sister spoke up.
"Can you knock some sense into him?" Ginny blurted. Ron looked over to see her with her fists on her hips. He smiled briefly. Her look was so typical.
Lupin was eyeing her, and nodding. A corner of his mouth twitched, as he said, "I'll certainly try." His look became serious. "But...you've got to understand, Harry's lost someone he truly cared about--at least, from what I've heard."
Ron's mum entered into the conversation. "That's what I've been trying to tell you, Virginia Weasley." She glared at Ginny, her eyebrows arched.
"Mum, I know what he's been through! Why doesn't he just talk to us, instead of sulking about?"
Hermione, now sitting close to Ron, said, "That's not like Harry, Ginny." She turned back to Lupin. "I think he needs you, Professor, to help bring him out of this."
Lupin nodded, and began toward move to the stairwell. Ron's mum briefly whispered something to Lupin, and then Lupin headed up the stairs.
Hermione was grasping Ron's hand tightly, and Ron noticed his mother looking at them pointedly. Ron flexed his fingers, and Hermione let go of his hand.
Apparently she hadn't let go fast enough. His mum walked over to speak with his father. While Ginny, Fred, Charlie, George, and Bill were talking to each other, his parents walked over to them.
"I was hoping we might have a chance to talk to you both while you were here, Hermione." Ron's mum said softly. Ron noticed that his father's ears were turning red.
Ron groaned. He had a bad feeling about this.
His mum gave Ron a chastising look, but before she could say anything more, an owl flew in through the fireplace. It dropped a bright yellow envelope into Ron's father's outstretched hands.
Ron's mum eyed the envelope worriedly. "Oh, Arthur...not today!"
His father said, "Yes, Molly, I suspected something might happen." He hurriedly opened the envelope, read the letter, and then shoved the parchment back inside. Slipping the envelope deep into his pocket, he said, "I've got to go. Don't worry the others."
Apparently the others had overheard. "What's wrong, Dad?" Charlie was standing now, looking toward them.
"I've got to go. There's been an attack."
Bill stood up, too, rather slowly. He winced. "Today? How could they?"
"Oh, they could. It's the perfect opportunity, too."
"Can we help?" Charlie said, and appeared anxious.
His father turned around and gave Charlie and Bill hard looks. "You're both to stay here, unless you're called for. Do you understand?"
Fred spoke up, then. "Can you at least tell us where the attack was?"
His father hesitated. "I fear the attack was on Hogwarts."
Ginny, Fred, and George all stood up in tandem. They started speaking all at once.
"Hogwarts?"
"How bad is it?"
"I thought that was impossible!"
Ron bit his lip, and thought about some of the students he knew were still there. Why had Hogwarts been attacked? Many of the students had left for the holidays...only some of the staff and....
Ron emitted a loud grunt, and everyone turned to him. He blurted his first thought.
"Malfoy is there. He's there with Professor Dumbledore--remember his punishment? But why would they...?" Ron's voice lost momentum, and his father sighed.
"I think the Order has some ideas about--" His father began to say, but his mother cut him off.
"You'd best get going, Arthur, before they wonder what kept you." She reached out to hug him, and kissed his cheek.
"I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise." He turned to give Hermione and Ron a quick look. "We'll, uh, all talk later." His ears reddened slightly before he disaparated.
Ron knew Hermione was looking up at him, and he felt his ears reddening just like his father's. He had a feeling he knew what his parents wanted to talk to them about. It was going to be truly embarrassing.
He pushed those worries aside, and was astonished to hear shouting from upstairs. After a moment, it subsided, and he heard someone run down the stairs.
Ron knew something was wrong the moment he looked at Harry's face.
Harry was scared. In fact, he looked petrified.
"I...I don't know...upstairs." Harry stuttered, and gazed up the stairs.
"What's wrong?" Ginny said loudly, and this time Ron heard concern in her voice.
"Help him...." Harry said, and then slumped wearily against the wall.
Ron was puzzled. Acting on instinct, he rushed to Harry's side. Ginny and Hermione joined him.
As the rest of the group ran upstairs, Ron grabbed Harry's shoulders. Harry was limp, and Ron shook him.
When Harry finally opened his eyes, Ron stepped back.
A familiar, chilling feeling swept over him. It was intense, so intense it nearly took his breath away.
Without thinking, Ron shouted, "Don't look into his eyes!"
Hermione and Ginny were clever enough to heed his warning, and Ron grabbed Harry about the shoulders again. This time, he pushed a command.
"Harry..close yourself to him. I know you can do it."
Harry nodded, and closed his eyes again. In a moment, his body was no longer limp, and he opened his eyes.
"What happened? Lupin! Is he okay?" Harry shouted.
Ron turned to the stairs, just in time to see Fred run into the room.
"What did you do to Lupin, Harry?" Fred looked confused.
"I don't know." Harry moaned. "I just...I don't know. I can't remember."
Chapter Two---Yule Attack
*
Ron couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong with his friend...but every attempt to pull the information out of Harry had failed.
After Harry returned from his shower, Ron managed to mutter something to Harry about his scar. Harry scowled at him and said nothing. He proceeded to pull on his clothes and run downstairs.
At breakfast, conversation bounded between Fred, Bill, Charlie, George, and Ginny. Ron remained relatively silent, watching his two best friends. Hermione had an imperceptible expression on her face, and she didn't eat very much. She kept eyeing Harry and playing with her food. Ron caught her eye, and she sighed, dropped her fork onto her plate, and crossed her arms.
Ginny appeared to make every effort to glare at Harry all morning.
It was silly, Ron knew, but every now and then he swore he saw Harry looking idly at Ginny, as well.
As soon as Ron ate the last of his ham, he witnessed Harry silently stand up and run upstairs. Ron's mum tsked, rose from her chair, and gingerly took Harry's half-full plate. Silence reigned at the table for a long time.
Soon after, as everyone dispersed from the table, Ron grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her aside into the sitting room.
Hermione was the first to speak. "What do you think is wrong with Harry?"
Ron scoffed. "Besides the obvious? Wallowing in his guilt?" He paused, as Hermione gave him an arch look. "Okay, you're right, something is definitely wrong. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."
Hermione nodded. "What happened this morning?"
Ron shook his head. It had been rather eerie, seeing Harry reach out for his neck. "I'm not sure. Harry just started to...." Ron hesitated, not sure if he should tell Hermione what had happened. She'd become more worried that necessary. But should he tell her about Harry's scar?
Hermione was looking up at him expectantly, apparently waiting for him to continue. After a brief moment, he said, "I think Harry's scar is hurting him again."
Hermione exhaled loudly. "I was afraid of this."
Ron felt his brow furrow as he looked down at her. "You were?"
Hermione's warm eyes locked with his, and she briefly smiled at him. The smile was gone quickly, however, as she said, "Yes. Just think about it! Before, Voldemort had access to Harry through his curse scar. When you gained the Siren powers, you blocked that ability. Now, your Siren powers are equal to Voldemort's, so there's no longer anything blocking him from accessing Harry."
Ron frowned. "So--what do we do?"
Hermione sighed, and rubbed the back of her neck. "The most obvious thing would be to get word to Dumbledore. Harry might not like it, but Dumbledore has to know."
Ron nodded. "Let's write a letter to him tonight."
Hermione smiled, and reached out to take Ron's hand. "We'll get through this."
Ron wished he had as much faith as Hermione did.
~*~*~
The rest of the day passed normally enough, despite the unusual morning. Harry secluded himself, ignoring everyone's attempts to bring him into the family's activities. Ron helped Hermione write a letter to Dumbledore, and they dispatched it late that night.
Christmas morning arrived, and the family gathered to open gifts; Harry would not join them. The atmosphere was subdued, to say the least. Ron's father spent much of the morning looking toward the windows and the fireplace, apparently anticipating something. A worried look creased his father's brow, and Ron was about to say something, when he heard a loud WHOOSH from the fireplace.
Soot flew everywhere, as Remus Lupin stepped into the room. Ron's mum and father rushed to meet him. As he was brushing soot off his cloak, the three spoke in hushed tones for a moment.
Ginny, Fred and George stood up to greet him, and Ron looked at Hermione. She smiled, nodded to Ron, and moved to sit closer to him.
Lupin said something quietly to Ron's parents, and gave the everyone a big smile. He looked tired, and Ron realized that a full moon had just passed. His hair was much more grey than it ever had been. For the first time, Ron wondered why Lupin hadn't come to see Harry before.
"Happy Christmas," Lupin said, his voice revealing how tired he truly was.
As the rest of the family echoed this sentiment, Lupin stepped over to pat Bill on the back. "We're all glad you came out okay," he said to Bill, and Bill nodded down at him.
Ron took the opportunity to study his eldest brother. Bill had tiny scars all over his body, except for his face. His face did, however, reveal several scars given to him when the Death Eaters had beaten him.
Ron swallowed his rising ire, as Lupin was now looking at him. "How's Harry?" he asked.
Hermione stepped up, at that. "He's not doing very well. In fact...he's much worse than last year." She gave Ron a look, as if to have him confirm this.
"She's right. And....it's not only that." Ron opened his mouth, and was about to speak, when his sister spoke up.
"Can you knock some sense into him?" Ginny blurted. Ron looked over to see her with her fists on her hips. He smiled briefly. Her look was so typical.
Lupin was eyeing her, and nodding. A corner of his mouth twitched, as he said, "I'll certainly try." His look became serious. "But...you've got to understand, Harry's lost someone he truly cared about--at least, from what I've heard."
Ron's mum entered into the conversation. "That's what I've been trying to tell you, Virginia Weasley." She glared at Ginny, her eyebrows arched.
"Mum, I know what he's been through! Why doesn't he just talk to us, instead of sulking about?"
Hermione, now sitting close to Ron, said, "That's not like Harry, Ginny." She turned back to Lupin. "I think he needs you, Professor, to help bring him out of this."
Lupin nodded, and began toward move to the stairwell. Ron's mum briefly whispered something to Lupin, and then Lupin headed up the stairs.
Hermione was grasping Ron's hand tightly, and Ron noticed his mother looking at them pointedly. Ron flexed his fingers, and Hermione let go of his hand.
Apparently she hadn't let go fast enough. His mum walked over to speak with his father. While Ginny, Fred, Charlie, George, and Bill were talking to each other, his parents walked over to them.
"I was hoping we might have a chance to talk to you both while you were here, Hermione." Ron's mum said softly. Ron noticed that his father's ears were turning red.
Ron groaned. He had a bad feeling about this.
His mum gave Ron a chastising look, but before she could say anything more, an owl flew in through the fireplace. It dropped a bright yellow envelope into Ron's father's outstretched hands.
Ron's mum eyed the envelope worriedly. "Oh, Arthur...not today!"
His father said, "Yes, Molly, I suspected something might happen." He hurriedly opened the envelope, read the letter, and then shoved the parchment back inside. Slipping the envelope deep into his pocket, he said, "I've got to go. Don't worry the others."
Apparently the others had overheard. "What's wrong, Dad?" Charlie was standing now, looking toward them.
"I've got to go. There's been an attack."
Bill stood up, too, rather slowly. He winced. "Today? How could they?"
"Oh, they could. It's the perfect opportunity, too."
"Can we help?" Charlie said, and appeared anxious.
His father turned around and gave Charlie and Bill hard looks. "You're both to stay here, unless you're called for. Do you understand?"
Fred spoke up, then. "Can you at least tell us where the attack was?"
His father hesitated. "I fear the attack was on Hogwarts."
Ginny, Fred, and George all stood up in tandem. They started speaking all at once.
"Hogwarts?"
"How bad is it?"
"I thought that was impossible!"
Ron bit his lip, and thought about some of the students he knew were still there. Why had Hogwarts been attacked? Many of the students had left for the holidays...only some of the staff and....
Ron emitted a loud grunt, and everyone turned to him. He blurted his first thought.
"Malfoy is there. He's there with Professor Dumbledore--remember his punishment? But why would they...?" Ron's voice lost momentum, and his father sighed.
"I think the Order has some ideas about--" His father began to say, but his mother cut him off.
"You'd best get going, Arthur, before they wonder what kept you." She reached out to hug him, and kissed his cheek.
"I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise." He turned to give Hermione and Ron a quick look. "We'll, uh, all talk later." His ears reddened slightly before he disaparated.
Ron knew Hermione was looking up at him, and he felt his ears reddening just like his father's. He had a feeling he knew what his parents wanted to talk to them about. It was going to be truly embarrassing.
He pushed those worries aside, and was astonished to hear shouting from upstairs. After a moment, it subsided, and he heard someone run down the stairs.
Ron knew something was wrong the moment he looked at Harry's face.
Harry was scared. In fact, he looked petrified.
"I...I don't know...upstairs." Harry stuttered, and gazed up the stairs.
"What's wrong?" Ginny said loudly, and this time Ron heard concern in her voice.
"Help him...." Harry said, and then slumped wearily against the wall.
Ron was puzzled. Acting on instinct, he rushed to Harry's side. Ginny and Hermione joined him.
As the rest of the group ran upstairs, Ron grabbed Harry's shoulders. Harry was limp, and Ron shook him.
When Harry finally opened his eyes, Ron stepped back.
A familiar, chilling feeling swept over him. It was intense, so intense it nearly took his breath away.
Without thinking, Ron shouted, "Don't look into his eyes!"
Hermione and Ginny were clever enough to heed his warning, and Ron grabbed Harry about the shoulders again. This time, he pushed a command.
"Harry..close yourself to him. I know you can do it."
Harry nodded, and closed his eyes again. In a moment, his body was no longer limp, and he opened his eyes.
"What happened? Lupin! Is he okay?" Harry shouted.
Ron turned to the stairs, just in time to see Fred run into the room.
"What did you do to Lupin, Harry?" Fred looked confused.
"I don't know." Harry moaned. "I just...I don't know. I can't remember."