Author's note:
Yes, this is horribly late. Yes, I know I promised a complete novel. Yes, I know you all hate me.
But here's the next chapter anyways. :)
MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH
Harry resolved himself to talk to Ron as soon as possible after his chat with Max. He made arrangements with Max to provide a portkey to The Burrow as soon as classes ended on Friday.
When Friday finally arrived Harry headed out to visit the Weasleys. He was not sure of what to expect and he certainly didn't know what he was going to say, but he knew that he had to go.
The Burrow was covered in a thick blanket of snow. The ramshackle house seemed to be straining under the weight of it all, causing various parts of the home to droop. The home that was usually filled with warmth and activity was now silent, and the chill from the cold winter air lingered there like an unwelcome house guest.
Harry quietly stepped inside The Burrow and found Mrs. Weasley sitting in the kitchen, staring absentmindedly at the various moving pictures of her family. For the first time, Harry noticed that Percy's hand on the Weasley grandfather clock was pointing to "lost". Harry mustered up the strength to speak in the quiet room. "Hello Mrs. Weasley."
"Hello, Harry." she said quietly with an obviously forced smile. "I wasn't expecting you here."
"I was just stopping by to see Ron."
"Well that's good news." said a voice from behind Harry. He turned to see Mr. Weasley there, shaking snow from his boots.
Arthur Weasley was holding up incredibly well considering the stress he was under. On top of dealing with the loss of his son and the deterioration of his family, he had to continue his campaign for Minister of Magic. Despite his personal troubles, his public appearances had garnered much support for him.
"Harry, it's good to see you." Mr. Weasley said kindly. "I was wondering when you come to do this."
Harry understood that Mr. Weasley had figured out a while ago that only Ron's best friend would be able to bring him out of this particular phase in his life. "So was I."
"He's upstairs." Mr. Weasley said with a tilt of his head. "I hate to see him like this, Harry. Anything you can do is much appreciated."
Harry walked up the stairs to Ron's room. He drew his wand a cast a counter spell that he knew would get past the spell Ron usually used to lock things. The door opened with a small creaking sound, revealing a room that was oddly neater than Harry expected it to be. Near the back of the room, looking out the window, was Ron.
"I saw you come in from outside." Ron said plainly.
"Then you've had some time to think about what you're going to say." Harry replied.
Ron turned to face Harry. Despite his isolation, he looked rather normal. Harry had expected him to look...well...not normal.
Ron spoke again. "Everyone did everything they could, and it didn't matter. It didn't matter at all! Anybody can die at any time, for any reason."
"But you already knew that." Harry replied.
"Yeah, I knew it...but I wasn't ready for it. I understand that everybody dies, Harry. I understand that nobody is guaranteed to be here tomorrow. That still doesn't make it easier to deal with."
"It's hard losing the people you care about." Harry added.
"He was my brother. I didn't just care about him, I loved him. I don't have much to begin with, losing anything that important is pretty rough. It's funny, there's part of me that remembers how he was like when we were younger. Then there's another part of me that remembers how much of an arse he was. To be honest, I had really given up hope for him. But then...then he saved dad."
Ron paused a moment. He returned to his spot at the window.
"I just wish I could've had more time to get to really know him."
Harry knew how Ron felt. It was exactly the way he had felt when Sirius had gone. He also knew how important it was for Ron to get out of this stage.
"Come on, Ron. you have to snap out of this. Come back to Hogwarts with me."
"I'm not ready." Ron replied.
"Ron, please."
Ron remained silent.
"My GOD you are stubborn! I can't get through to you. Do I have to beat into your thick skull!?"
"Leave me alone."
"I will NOT!" Harry shouted as he gripped Ron firmly by the shoulder.
"Let me go." Ron said flatly.
Harry's patience was wearing thin. He wanted to help Ron so much...but he didn't know how.
It was making him angry.
"Wake up you idiot! You can't just shut yourself away Ron!"
"I'm going to tell you one more time...let me go." This time Ron's voice carried much more threat in it.
Before he even knew what he was doing, Harry landed a punch solidly on Ron's cheek. The force of the blow knocked him backwards.
"Think you can come into my house and beat on me, eh?" Ron replied icily as he rolled up his sleeves.
"I'm trying to help you," Harry said as he braced himself, "but if I can't convince you to come back I'll drag your sorry tail back to Hogwarts!"
Harry had barely finished the sentence before Ron launched himself at him. Ron's superior size threw Harry back, and they both fell through the door of the small room.
"LEAVE ME ALONE, POTTERAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Ron yelled as Harry grabbed Ron's wrist and jerked it backwards. Ron pulled away, dragging Harry with him. Harry tried to push him away, but he hadn't realized how close they were to the stairs....
The two young men fell, tumbling down the staircase. The world was a tumbling whirl for Harry until finally they hit the bottom of the staircase.
Harry ignored the screaming pain in various parts of his body as he rose to face Ron.
Ron acted first, throwing a quick jab towards Harry's head. Harry ducked and responded with a punch of his own to Ron's ribs.
"Boys!! What in Merlin's name are you doing!?!" Mrs. Weasley screamed.
"NO Molly, let them finish this." Arthur said as he restrained her.
Harry tried to get the situation back in control. "Ron, I understand what you're going through-"
"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT?!?" Ron shouted.
"I know everything about it!" Harry yelled as loud as he possibly could as he threw a chair in Ron's direction.
"NO! No you don't!" Ron responded after he dodged the projectile. "You hardly knew Sirius 2 years! Your parents died when you were a baby. Percy was my brother. He was part of my whole life!"
Ron advanced towards Harry again, seeking a target to unleash his pent up rage upon. Harry was really starting to wonder what the hell he had gotten himself into.
"You can't stay in your room forever, Ron. You need to work this out!" Harry said to buy himself some time.
"I can stay wherever I want for as long as I want! Nobody's going to miss Ron Weasley for a little while."
"Your family needs you, Hermione needs you. I NEED YOU!! Wake up man! You are more than you think you are."
Ron's grip on Harry loosened. He hung his head, leaning his entire weight on Harry. There was no fight left in him.
"Why can't you just let me deal with this alone?" Ron whispered.
"Because I know what it feels like to be alone, and that's not what you need right now. Besides, if you don't come back I might steal your girlfriend from you."
"Of all the things to say, WHY did you say that?" Harry thought to himself.
But instead of receiving another punch in the face, Harry got something much more pleasant.
Ron was laughing.
The tall Weasley lifted his head and looked directly into Harry's eyes. "Not a chance in hell, mate. Once you go Weasley, you never go back."
All Harry could do is smile back.
"Well I am glad that's over!" Mrs. Weasley nearly shouted as she wrested herself away from her husband. "I hope you two got ALL of that out of your systems because that is NEVER going to happen in this house again! Let me look at you...it's a wonder you didn't kill each other. Ron, sit down here and let me have a good look at you. Arthur, take care of Harry and give him a good talking to."
Everyone did what the suddenly fiery Mrs. Weasley told them. "You put up a pretty good fight there, Harry." Ron said as a bit of blood trickled out of his nose.
"I'm small, but I'm feisty." Harry replied, hoping that his ribs weren't cracked.
"That's enough out of you two." Mrs. Weasley admonished. "Arthur, take him outside while I clean up a bit and take care of Ron."
"Are you alright, Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked when out of earshot of his wife.
"Yeah, nothing too serious." Harry replied shakily as Mr. Weasley examined him carefully.
"Good. I'm glad you were able to get through to Ron. Sometimes...sometimes we men aren't very logical creatures. Sometimes we need a little sense knocked into us. " Arthur Weasley gripped Harry's shoulders firmly. "Thank you."
"Oh, I don't know if you should be thanking me. I didn't really know what I was doing."
"Even so, you did exactly what was needed in the situation, as always. Ron seems to be ready to come out of his shell, and even Molly seems to be shaken out of her trance. I also think I should thank you for keeping Ginny occupied with Quidditch. Harry, I've lost a son. I can't tell you how hard that is. These past few years though, I feel that in a way I've also gained a son."
Harry was shocked at the sentiment. He could tell how much it all meant to him by the emotion in his voice. "Thanks Mr. Weasley."
"Let's head back to the kitchen." Mr. Weasley encouraged. "There's some pie I'd like to take care of."
Harry spent the next couple of hours with Ron and his parents, eating pie and laughing about various things. Things seemed so much better, so much brighter.
But all Harry could think about was the anger...no, the rage he had felt towards Ron. He had never felt that way about Ron before. Sure, Ron was being difficult and all...but his actions certainly weren't anything to make him feel so violent.
Somehow Harry felt it was something more than teenage hormones at work.
Ron and Harry returned to Hogwarts that night. It was good to have Ron back in the Gryffindor dorms. He was greeted with a small welcoming party. Hermione and Ginny were especially happy to see him.
Harry awoke the next morning and immediately looked over to Ron's bed. He was still asleep, limbs sprawled across the bed. Harry was glad to see him there. He hadn't realized how much he had worried about him. Having him back in his life made him feel stronger.
Strength was something that he would need. NEWTs classes were gearing up for the first leg of the exhausting journey to the end of term exams. Even though it was Saturday, he still had a lot of studying to do.
Harry took a shower and got dressed. By the time he was out Ron was waking up.
"Breakfast?" Ron asked sleepily.
"Ya." Harry replied.
"You gonna wait for me?" Ron added.
"Of course."
Just as Ron was reaching the door he paused. "Hey Harry, about that remark you made about Hermione yesterday..."
"I was kidding, Ron." Harry said as he looked him straight in the eyes. "I can't say that I haven't noticed that she's...er...matured recently, but other than that there's nothing there."
"I already knew that, stupid." Ron retorted with a smile as he headed out the door. "I was just going to say it was pretty funny."
A few minutes later they were headed to the great hall to get some food to fuel their overactive teenage bodies. They weren't surprised to find Hermione already there with her nose in a book.
"Transformations?" Ron asked as he took a seat next to her.
"Correct. I've been trying to figure out how to turn you into a teddy bear." she replied.
"What, I'm not cuddly enough as it is?" Ron asked jokingly.
"Too bony." Hermione laughed.
"Oh I see how it is."
The trio spent the next half or so eating about chatting about random things. Harry didn't really say much though.
Hermione noticed his silence. "Something the matter Harry?"
"I have a few things on my mind. Dumbledore's been away for a while." Harry said.
"He'll probably be back soon." Ron said while twirling a finger through Hermione's hair. "You know he loves us students more than anything else."
"You're quite right Mr. Weasley."
Ron was startled and turned suddenly to find the source of the voice. He found Dumbledore staring at him. "Ohhh....hey there Headmaster. It's...good to see you."
The wizened wizard simply gave him a knowing smile. "I was planning on stopping by Professor Snape's office to see how he and Miss Lovegood were progressing with their little project. Would you three like to join me? Having some friends around may make her feel a bit more at ease."
The three friends were still a little shocked to have Dumbledore appear so suddenly. Before they really knew what was happening he was ushering them out the door.
Hermione was the first to speak up on their way to the office. "I don't mean to pry Professor Dumbledore but...might I ask where you went?"
"All will be revealed in good time." Dumbledore replied nonchalantly.
Just as the group arrived at the potion master's office they saw Malfoy leaving.
"Headmaster." the pale young man said with a nod as he passed them.
"Hmm, he's up to something. I know it." Hermione muttered.
"He's always up to something." Ron replied.
Luna was just reaching the door of the office when the group arrived. She still had kept her wand tucked behind her ear, and she still had a rather wild look about her. All things considered though, she looked rather upbeat. They all said their hellos and entered. Snape was inside the office looking a bit confused when they walked in.
"Can I help you?" he asked with raised eyebrows.
"We're here for the Necromancy lesson, Professor Snape." Luna said with a little curtsy that Harry was sure was meant to mock the potions master.
"Ah yes, that." Snape replied with a sigh. "How could I possibly have forgotten that. I've so been looking forward to it. Pardon me while I gather some materials."
While Snape busied himself with fetching various strage items, Dumbledore took a seat. "So Luna, when did you get this unique ability of yours?"
"A few years ago." Luna replied with a shrug. "I just really wanted to talk to mum. After I while, I We don't talk anymore though."
"Interesting." Dumbledore pondered as he scratched his bearded chin. "So, when you could finally speak to her, what did she say to you?"
"Oh, you know...things."
"I see." Dumbledore said. "So since then, you've realized that you were able to talk others as well."
"Yeah, every now and then. There was this time when I was able to talk to this chap in London that had killed himself just so he could become a ghost, but then he got upset when it didn't happen. He was really sad."
"Crikey, no wonder you're so loony, you've been listening to dead people for most of your life." Ron interjected.
"It's not all bad." Luna said emphatically. "There's more to death than just the scary creepy stuff. Mum always seemed to be very happy when she would talk to me, and I always felt so much happier when she was around. Come to think of it, maybe that's why she even talked to me at all, to make me feel better."
"All very interesting." Professor Snape said with a roll of his eyes. "May we get started now?"
"Oh by all means," Dumbledore said graciously, "don't let us stop you. We are merely here as moral support."
Professor Snape had gathered a variety of exotic materials. There were incense, a skull, candles, and what Harry thought were strips of tree bark.
"Alright then, let's get started." Snape said as he handed a pair of incense to Luna.
Luna sniffed the oddly scented sticks. "What are these for?"
"Sandlewood incense is a standard material for a seance." Snape replied.
"I don't need a seance, silly."
Snape seemed a bit upset. "Young lady, I object to being called silly. If you don't need a seance then how, pray tell, do you plan on conjuring up the dead?"
Luna shrugged. "It just happens. I don't need to do anything special."
"Why am I here again?" Professor Snape said with his head in his hands.
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed. "You did agree to this, Professor Snape. I would be greatly disappointed in you if you were to retract your offer."
"That is yet another area of contention." Snape said with an odd look on his face. "My recollection of this 'agreement' seems to differ greatly with Mr. Wiseacre's."
Harry recalled that Max had said Snape was suffering from some sort of memory loss. He wondered if his condition was getting worse.
"Perhaps we should just try it Luna's way for a bit." Professor Dumbledore said kindly.
"As you wish, Headmaster." Snape said earnestly.
Luna sat quietly for a while, looking a bit glassy eyed. Harry and his friends fidgeted impatiently as time went on. Finally, after about 15 minutes Luna suddenly sat up straight in her chair.
"Uhm...there's a lady." Luna said with her forehead wrinkled in concentration. "A lady named Betty. She died in her sleep...." Luna paused for a long while after she had spoken.
"Is there something wrong?" Professor Snape asked.
"Betty says she's going to miss her grandson. Kinda sad."
Snape seemed to be getting impatient. "It is important that you stay detached, Miss Lovegood. If your emotions spill over into the connection between you and the deceased very bad things could happen."
"Still, I feel bad for her." Luna said quietly.
"Say goodbye to Betty for now." Snape said dismissively. "We need you to find someone that's more inclined to join the Dark Lord."
"How do I find somebody like that?" Luna asked.
"It is somewhat difficult to explain." Professor Snape said. "Normal souls wander around in the nether for a while, waiting to move on or trying to understand what has happened to them. Angry, unsettled souls tend to be either overly aggressive or overly shy. You'll have to experiment."
Luna was quiet for a while, her faced scrunched up in concentration. "Right, I think I found someone."
"Who?" Snape asked.
"A gentleman who won't give me his name, says it's 'no business of yours lass'."
"What else is he saying?" Professor Snape asked anxiously.
"He says there's a force drawing him somewhere. A voice that says it can make the wrong things right."
Professor Dumbledore seemed intrigued. "Where is the voice coming from?"
Luna was silent.
"Well?" Snape asked with a tone of obvious irritation.
Luna seemed to snap out of her trance all of a sudden. "Sorry, I'm not getting anything anymore."
"Well then try again." Snape instructed.
"It doesn't quite work that way for me." Luna said. "If they stop talking to me they stop talking to me. Sometimes the window of opportunity just isn't there."
"That is most likely due to your lack of skill in the area." Snape replied curtly. "You need more guided practice." The professor summoned a dusty book with a flick of his wand. "This is a tome that discusses channeling and general necromancy. Read the first four chapters and we will continue this tomorrow."
"We at least have further confirmation that Voldemort is indeed drawing the dead to him." Dumbledore said as he rose from his chair. "I think this is a very good start. I'm sure Luna will be ready to give it a go again in a couple of days."
"I look forward to it." Professor Snape said as he cleaned away the materials with a flick of his wand.
Dumbledore said farewell to the students after they left the potions classroom. Before parting to their different dorms the students chatted a little.
"It must be odd for you, hearing those strange voices out of nowhere." Harry said to Luna.
"Yeah, it was kinda weird that day being in front of the Veil. I've never heard so many of them speak to me at once before."
This prompted Harry to ask a question that had been on his mind. "One thing I don't understand, I was able to hear the voices behind the veil too, but I'm not a necromancer."
Luna shrugged. "Maybe you were just starting to pick it up, like Voldemort."
Realization hit Harry like a ton of bricks. "Or maybe...I picked it up because of Voldemort."
"What do you mean?"
"Er...nothing." Harry said. He knew that he had to keep the link between he and Voldemort a secret. His mind was whirling at the implications of this new revelation though. Just how strong was the link between them getting?