CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: Scars
No matter how much time a person spent at St. Mungo's nothing about it ever seemed to change. Healers and orderlies would go about doing their rounds, acting is if the place was some sort of business and not where the sick and dying filled up room after room. Hermione had grown to hate everything about it, from the bleak coloured walls to the awkward visitor's chairs in the hallways. It had an almost antiseptic smell to it, which made her wonder how anyone was supposed to recover in such a drab environment.
She was grateful to be at last done with the Healers who were finally satisfied there was no residual damage from the Cruciatus curse. It was all she could do not to yell at them to go faster. She didn't feel right being fussed over when their were other patients – patients like Ron – who were much more seriously injured and could use their help.
Tonks had been waiting outside the room when she finally emerged. She brought news of Ron, saying he was awake but they were only allowing immediate family in with him. She explained it was standard hospital procedure and that by tomorrow she should be able to visit him.
It was hard to accept that she was going to have to wait a little longer to be allowed in to see him. After everything that had happened that day, she really needed to be close to him. She knew she was being selfish because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley deserved to stay by their son's side, but that was how she felt as Tonks was leading her to the examination room that Harry had been put in.
"You go in," Tonks said when they got there. "I'll wait out here."
Through the small glass window on the door Hermione could see a Healer still in there with Harry. The Healer was frowning at something Harry was telling him. She knocked twice and Harry waved her inside. The Healer didn't look impressed with the interruption.
"We're finished here," said the Healer as Harry retrieved his shirt and threw it over his head. "I know I can't make you stay, but I really wish you would reconsider what I said about staying overnight."
"No, thanks," Harry said firmly. "I've already made up my mind."
"And there's nothing you're friend can say to change your mind?" The Healer acknowledged Hermione's presence for the first time.
"No, there isn't," said Harry, letting a touch of impatience creep into his voice.
Noting Harry's resolute state, the Healer gave up on trying to change his mind and exited the room.
"What was that all about?" She asked as soon as it was just the two of them.
He almost opened his mouth to respond by saying 'nothing' because it had become almost a conditioned response whenever someone asked him what was going on, but he stopped himself just short of doing so. Hermione didn't look like she needed anything else to worry about, but it didn't feel right to lie to her. She and Ron had risked everything for him that night.
"Harry?" Her tone had become worried since he still had not answered her.
He sighed. "They noticed some unusual brain activity in my test results. The Healer said my brain waves were unlike anything he's ever seen before. He thinks it may be from prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus and wanted to keep me here for overnight so they could run a few more tests."
"But it's not from the Cruciatus," Hermione said immediately.
He just looked at her, really not sure how to put any of it into words; just grateful that Hermione was figuring it out for herself without him having to explain it to her.
"Harry, I saw what you did. I can't explain it, but I saw it. If you hadn't – " she stopped herself from saying the word 'killed' because Harry was not a killer. " – hadn't done what you did, we never would have got out of there."
"Do you know how many people were down there?" He asked in a voice that frightened her. "Twelve," he said, answering his own question. "I murdered twelve people in cold blood, including Malfoy's father."
She could hear the racking guilt in his voice. "Don't do this to yourself, Harry. You're not a murderer. Murderers don't feel remorse or wish things could have turned out different. They kill because they can and you'll never be that person."
It was war and people died, but he never thought he would think twice let alone feel guilt at having killed a Death Eater. He wanted to forget about all of that for the moment and focus on what was important. "Have you seen Ron?" She looked relieved that he had let the previous subject go.
"Tonks said he's awake, but only his parents are allowed in with him. She said if we come back in the morning they might let us visit."
"How bad is it?" He asked, keeping his voice neutral.
"It's serious," she said, her voice breaking slightly. "He lost a lot of blood and some vital organs were damaged. The doctors can't figure out how he survived."
"They didn't find any traces of the spell?"
"No, but they weren't looking for it. If they find it there's going to be a lot of questions."
It was going to be very hard to explain just what exactly they had done. They were bound to be a world of trouble, but Harry didn't care and he was sure Hermione didn't either. All that mattered was they had saved Ron's life.
Hermione moved closer to him, her voice grave when she spoke next. "Harry, something went wrong when we did it. We shouldn't have been thrown backwards like that. I can't even begin to explain what that light was. All I know is that he should have been completely healed."
Harry ran a hand through his tousled hair. "Maybe the spell wasn't strong enough. You said so yourself, the bond is only meant to be between two people. It may have been weakened by adding another person, but it did bring Ron back after he stopped breathing and it healed his wound enough to give the Healers a chance to save him." He really didn't understand any of it either, but that's what happened when you messed around with magic that was beyond your comprehension.
She knew what it meant, but she wasn't even sure she could call what they had accomplished a success. True, Ron wasn't dead but he was still badly injured. If the spell had turned out the way it was supposed to he should have been in perfect health. She was already doubting if it would work a second time. There were just too many uncertainties, and with very little even available on the subject she doubted she would be able to find a way to fix what had gone wrong. She would just have to find another spell to protect them, it was that simple.
A knock sounded on the door and Remus Lupin entered.
"I thought I'd find you both in here. How are you holding up?" He ran a concerned eye over both of them.
Hermione looked over at Harry before answering, "we're okay."
"I know this is probably the last thing either one of you want to hear right now but several ministry owls turned up at Hogwarts, right in the Headmaster's office, carrying messages about under-age magic usage. Considering the circumstances, the ministry would very likely dismiss most of them and not expel you from Hogwarts."
"You said they would likely dismiss most of the warnings. Why not all?" Hermione asked.
"Because the final letter that arrived was a formal charge for using an ancient powerful magic that is no longer used, and is far too dangerous for any under age wizard to be practicing." At least they had the grace to look guilty, but he wasn't going to make this easy for them. "I won't even ask what you were thinking because you most certainly weren't. If you had been, you never would have done such a foolish and stupid thing."
Harry stepped forward, he had never seen Lupin this angry before. "Professor, we – "
"Do either of you have any idea what you've done?" He pressed on, ignoring Harry's interruption. "There's a reason why no one attempts sacrificial or life bonding spells anymore, and there's a reason why they never work. No witch or wizard should have that kind of power, and those that have tried have paid the price for it."
"My mum used a spell similar to this one," Harry said, meet Lupin's hard stare.
Lupin's features softened for a moment. "The circumstances were different. What your mother did was not planned – she just acted, doing what was necessary to save your life by giving up hers. I'm not even sure she knew what would happen. She didn't attempt to harness forces for her own personal benefit."
"So you're saying we should have just let Ron die, is that?" Hermione snapped angrily. She had always had the utmost respect for Lupin, but she didn't need to be lectured like some child who had just received her first wand. She knew how dangerous it was to do the spell – they all did, but there were some things worth taking risks for. She thought of all people Professor Lupin would understand that.
"Hermione, I care about Ron too, but some lines are not meant to be crossed. It could have turned out badly for the three of you. As it is, we have no way to tell what the long-term effects might be. You played around with magical forces that were beyond your comprehension and didn't care that there might be consequences – and there are always consequences with this type of magic. I expected more from you." As he said it, he let his eyes fall on Hermione and she gazed back unflinchingly.
Lupin didn't say another word to either one of them before vacating the room.
The worst part was every word Lupin had spoken had been true, and Hermione knew it, but had insisted on going ahead with the spell regardless. It had saved Ron's life and she would never regret doing it, even if it meant never being able to go back to Hogwarts. But she knew that wasn't the consequences Lupin had been referring to.
It was Moody, not Tonks, who was waiting for Harry and Hermione when they left the examination room.
"I don't think I've ever seen Lupin quite as angry as when he walked out of there a minute ago," Moody stated. His magical eye swerved to meet Harry first and then Hermione, but it was clear from their expressions they would not comment on the matter. "I still need to ask you both some questions," his gruff voice taking on it's regular no nonsense tone again.
Harry didn't feel up to another one of Mad-Eye's interrogations, but it wasn't as if he had somewhere he needed to be. The sooner he answered Mad-Eye's questions, the sooner he would be able to get the Auror off his back and not have to keep reliving that night over and over again.
He and Hermione took a seat in the visitor's chairs, while Moody pulled his chair to the front so he could be seated directly in front of them.
"I've asked some of these questions before," Moody started, "but I need any other information you can remember." He fixed his stare on Harry. "The Aurors have completed their sweep of the mansion and they only found bodies in the basement. Do you know how many Death Eaters were present in the house at a time?"
"No," Harry answered. "There was never more than one or two that came down to see me."
He turned to Hermione next. "How did you break through the illusion charm?"
"I couldn't break the spell completely. I cast a revealing spell to find a doorway for Ron and I to get in."
Moody nodded thoughtfully. "Smart girl." He wasn't taking any notes, but Harry doubted he would forget a word that either he or Hermione said.
"There were no Death Eaters found alive when the Aurors took the house. We're presuming that once your escape happened the remaining Death Eaters abandoned it. Now, the body count in the basement was twelve, so what doesn't add up is how you were able to take them on with no wands and make it out of there alive. By all counts, you and Weasley should be dead," he said, indicating to Hermione, "and Potter here should be the Dark Lord's prisoner."
"I can't explain it," said Harry. "One minute we were surrounded by Death Eaters and the next we were running for our lives."
"You're leaving something out," Moody persisted.
"Oh, right, I forgot the part where Lucius Malfoy stabbed Ron and left him to bleed to death," Harry snapped and Hermione flinched beside him.
Moody's expression didn't change. "I need to know how those bodies got there."
"I did it," said Harry. "I don't know how, but I did it. I couldn't sit there any longer and watch him torture my friends while I did nothing." He could feel Hermione's eyes on him, but he purposely kept his gaze focused on Moody.
"There is no humanly possible way you could have attacked every Death Eater in that room without being struck down yourself. Unless you have some hidden powers that have never surfaced before now."
Harry didn't answer right away. He could almost feel Moody's magical eye seeing right through him and into his mind. He had no reason not to trust Moody. But how was he supposed to explain what he had done when he didn't understand it himself? He had killed using only his mind, fueled by his own rage. That sort of thing just wasn't supposed to happen, and yet it did. Moody was still watching him, waiting for an explanation.
"You think you can hold off on the questions for one night, Mad-Eye?" Came the voice of Tonks from behind the Auror's shoulder. "They've been through enough without you interrogating them to death."
By the set of his jaw and the way his eyes narrowed, Moody clearly disagreed. "Any additional information they have – "
"Can wait until later," Tonks finished. Ignoring Moody's glares, she turned to the two teenagers and said, "let's get out of here for a while."
"I want to stay here," responded Hermione and Harry nodded his agreement.
"How about we go back Grimmauld Place, get you guys a hot shower and a change of clothes and we'll come back as soon as they send word that you can see Ron, okay?"
It sounded like a fair deal, even though Hermione would have preferred to stay where she was. It was stupid really because there was nothing she could do for Ron, but somehow just the thought of staying felt like it would help. If she stayed, that meant Harry would stay too and Moody would continue to pressure him for answers. After spending a week at the mercy of Death Eaters he didn't need that right now, and it did not seem likely that Moody would understand that. For Harry's sake, she agreed to go back to Grimmauld Place.
As they walked away from Moody, Tonks said to them both, "Mad-Eye means well. He just doesn't know when to quit. Too many years spent as an Auror."
She was dead on with that assessment. Harry wasn't even sure if Moody was capable of being sympathetic, but it wasn't his fault really. That's what happened when you spent most of your life trying to stay one step ahead of the people who were trying to kill you.
"Where are we going?" Hermione asked the Auror. She noticed they weren't heading down towards the main lobby area.
"We're taking the back entrance," she said to them both. "Reporters will be all over the main one."
"Reporters?" Said Harry, slightly confused.
She nodded. "You would think a St. Mungo's worker would have enough self respect not to go blabbing to the press that Harry Potter is here after escaping from the clutches of Death Eater's," she said, shaking her head. "They had to ban visitors for a while because reporters were sneaking in, claiming to be visiting family. They even caught a few of them pretending to be Healers," she said, disgusted at the notion. "The ministry put a ban on reporters at St. Mungo's, so naturally they're all waiting outside, trying to gather whatever information they can get their grubby hands on."
Harry would be forever grateful that Tonks was able to get them out of there without a single reporter seeing them. He did not want to be hounded by merciless reporters, looking to get an inside account of what had happened. He would rather have endured more of Moody's interrogation.
The trip back to Grimmauld Place was shorter then he and Hermione had been expecting. Either Tonks wasn't worried about being followed, or they had discovered a new route to get to Phoenix Headquarters unnoticed. Using the floo system was out of the question because it was probably being watched. They ended up grabbing several portkeys at different locations before the last one transported them a block away from their destination.
When they were safely inside, Tonks said she would scrounge up something to eat for them while they went up to change. Harry wasn't sure which one of them needed a change of clothes more. Hermione's shirt was covered in dry blood and some of it had splattered onto her pants, whereas he had been living in his clothes for the last week. He let Hermione shower first, and it was a good thing too because once it was his turn he had just stayed under the hot water for minutes at a time, trying not to think about anything, and yet all he could do was relive the last twelve hours in his head.
No matter how long he stayed under the spray of the showerhead, it couldn't wash away what had happened. He could still hear his friend's screams while Lucius Malfoy used the Cruciatus on them. If he squeezed his eyes shut he could recount the exact moment when Malfoy plunged the rusted knife into Ron's midsection, followed by Hermione's frantic screams, and recall every bitter detail of his brutal attack on his captors. He finally found the strength to turn off the water and emerge from the shower before Tonks or Hermione would worry enough to come check on him.
All of his belongings were still at Hogwarts, so he was forced to borrow some clothes from Ron. Since his friend was taller than him, the sleeves on the jumper were a bit too long and the hem of the jeans were slightly dragging on the floor. Considering he had been forced to wear Dudley's oversized clothes for the better part of his life, Ron's fit near perfect in comparison. When he finally came down to the basement kitchen, Tonks and Hermione were seated at the table having a conversation, a large plate of untouched sandwiches sitting in the middle.
He got the distinct impression they had been talking about him, as they had stopped conversing the moment he walked in. It was equally as likely he was being paranoid. Being cooped up with a bunch of Death Eaters for a week could do that to a person.
"I'm no Molly Weasley," began Tonks as Harry pulled out a chair at the end of the table, "but I think my sandwiches are pretty good."
He initially took a sandwich just so Tonks wouldn't have gone to all that trouble for nothing, but after the first bite his stomach growled with uncontrolled hunger. He couldn't remember the last real meal he had. Nothing had ever tasted so good as the ham and cheese sandwich he was eating right then.
"I was just telling Hermione that I spoke with Remus after he had talked with you two."
The sandwich suddenly didn't taste as good anymore. He looked up at Tonks, expecting to see that same look of reprimand and disappointment that had been present on Lupin's face but it was nowhere to be found.
"Remus has always been very cautious for most of his adult life because of his werewolf condition. I think he's just worried that the three of you have gotten yourselves into something that's even beyond your capabilities to handle. Remus took a lot of – we'll call them foolish risks, while he was growing up. If Sirius were here – " Tonks stopped speaking immediately and looked almost apologetic at Harry.
"It's okay," he said, his voice taking on a quiet tone. "Go on."
She looked hesitant at first eventually continued. "Sirius would tell you everything they did in their youth and you would never look at your dear old professor the same way again."
"How serious is the hearing Harry and I are going to have to attend?" Hermione asked.
"For the most part, it would be the same Ministry procedure as with anyone who broke the underage wizarding laws after receiving their two warnings. But it will probably be in a much more formal setting because of the seriousness of the last offence. I have a feeling though that once the Ministry is given full access to what happened at the old Malfoy mansion, it will help your case because they'll see it was a life or death situation. I don't think you two have a lot to worry about. Hermione, your record is spotless and once they see your Hogwarts marks, there's no way any sane panel would find you guilty. And Harry, they're going to know what happened to you there. No one will fault you for trying to save your best friends lives."
"So you don't think we were wrong for doing the spell?" Hermione said to her.
"You did what you thought was right at the time to ensure the safety of your friends, and Ron would be dead if you hadn't. But the magic you undertook to ensure that safety is not practiced for good reason. Even the brightest minds were never able to control that kind of power, so it's unbelievable that you three had any success at all in casting it at all. But there's never been anyone who used that kind of powerful magic that didn't suffer some kind of repercussions later on, especially when it comes to life bonding or soul spells. Those are the most dangerous of all and that's why they're forbidden. Messing around with the natural forces of life is not something any one person should have the power to do."
Tonks words were reminiscent of Lupin's, though the severity and anger were missing from her voice. They had known what they were getting into when they had performed the binding spell months ago, and even knowing what faced them ahead, Harry didn't think he regretted doing it any more than Hermione did.
They didn't talk about the healing spell any more after that. In fact they didn't talk much at all. They moved into the parlor, waiting for some news from St. Mungo's. After awhile, Hermione had curled up into an armchair, dozing on and off, but it wasn't until Harry entered a light sleep that he heard voices conversing in the hallway. He was awake almost instantly. Hermione was still asleep, so he quietly crept into the hall.
Tonks was standing there talking with Mr. Weasley. Despite looking quite haggard, Mr. Weasley beamed at him.
"Ron can have visitors now. He's asking for you and Hermione."
Harry couldn't help but grin too. He hurried back into the parlor to wake Hermione.
A few minutes later they were on their way back to St. Mungo's.
Mrs. Weasley was just walking out of Ron's room as they arrived. "Go on in, dears," she said to them. "The Healers are still limiting him to three visitors at a time, but he's doing much better." She ushered Harry and Hermione into the room but did not come in herself.
He was lying down, with his head propped up by a couple of pillows. By looking at him, Harry could see he was still in quite a bit of pain, regardless of that he grinned broadly when he saw the two of them walk in. Hermione reached his side first. She leaned forward to hug him, then thought better of it and settled instead for holding his hand.
"I'm not fragile, you know," Ron said to her.
"Sounds like he's feeling fine to me," Harry said good-naturedly.
"Nice outfit, mate," Ron commented, taking in Harry's appearance.
"I've worn a lot worse," Harry informed him.
Ron's face grew serious all of the sudden. "Mum mentioned that you two have to attend a hearing. She says the Ministry sent a notice about the healing spell you performed. She made it sound like you're in a lot of trouble."
"Tonks doesn't seem overly worried about it," Hermione said, though she didn't sound like she completely believed the Auror.
"You and Harry shouldn't be taking all the blame for it," he continued. "I was a part of it too."
"But you didn't actually perform the spell on someone, and even if you did the ministry wouldn't have a sent an owl out because you're seventeen," Hermione explained. "You wouldn't have been performing magic underage. That's why as soon as I used magic they found out where we were."
"It's not just that," said Ron, and while Harry and Hermione gave him equally quizzical looks, he picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet off the small nightstand. "It's all over the front page," he said, handing it to Harry. "I don't know how you walked in here without hearing about it."
Harry unfolded the paper and read the article out loud so Hermione could hear as well.
"The Boy Who Almost Didn't LiveSeveral hours ago, the Daily Prophet learned that Harry Potter had been in the clutches of He Who Must Not Be Named's Death Eaters for the last five days. The Boy Who Lived was taken from Hogwarts, which up until now was assumed one of the most protected places in all of Britain, while the Aurors were apparently asleep on the job. However, this was not the case as Cornelius Fudge would have us believe. Reliable sources tell us the Aurors were under orders from the Minister himself to let the kidnapping happen. It was one last desperate attempt to win back the trust of wizarding communities around Britain. Now, Cornelius Fudge will be lucky to stay alive long enough for the Ministry appointed council to throw him out. As disturbing as Fudge's plan sounds it gets much worse. The cloaked Aurors allowed Harry Potter to be taken, knowing that he would be brought to You-Know-Who himself. The plan was for them to wait until You-Know-Who showed up and then take him out along with his most trusted followers – but that never happened. The Dark Lord did not appear, which leads the Daily Prophet to the conclusion that he somehow knew of the plot against him and remained in hiding. The Aurors did not act. If You-Know-Who did not show then their allowing Harry Potter to be kidnapped, the same boy who they were supposed to have been protecting would have been for nothing.
Albus Dumbledore learned of the Auror's deception and assembled his own rescue team to get him back. To the absolute fury of the Aurors, their position was compromised and their entire operation was blown. Senior Auror, Alastor Moody, one of the few not involved in the coup, is heading up an internal investigation of the entire Auror department. Twelve Auror dismissals have been confirmed so far.
Harry Potter is alive and St. Mungo's healers say he will make a full physical recovery. However, the mental scars from this horrific incident – "
Harry stopped reading, not wanting to read about the suspected mental injuries he had suffered from such a tragedy. But the rage that was building inside him for what the Aurors had let happen was only beginning.
"I can't believe an Auror would let you be kidnapped on purpose," Hermione said, mortified. "It was all just a carefully laid out plan to attempt to go after Voldemort with you as the bait. But they never anticipated he would figure out what was happening and not show. Voldemort must have known there were Aurors watching Hogwarts and they would never allow you to be taken."
"You should have seen Moody and Tonks earlier," Ron said to them. "They pulled their wands on the Aurors stationed here and told them to leave. It took every available healer here to stop them from actually using their wands. That's why there's no Aurors here now because no one knows which one's were involved."
It was all so unbelievable. The Prophet had been known to exaggerate at times, and sometimes lie outright, but Ron had confirmed what had been written there. He thought the Ministry was finally on his side after the events of last June, but they had simply been using him to lure Voldemort out of hiding. Moody was the only one he trusted to get to the bottom of this. He didn't care that the Aurors were following orders. Whatever punishment Moody handed out would never be enough.
He broke out of his thoughts at the sound of a door opening, and he could not keep his eyes from widening in surprise when he saw who it was. Ginny Weasley walked in and strode purposefully towards the only bed in the small room. She gave her brother a quick hug, as if she was afraid she might do more damage to him.
"Gin, we've already established I'm not going to break," Ron complained.
She rolled her eyes but refrained from retorting back. She exchanged hugs with Hermione and then Harry, who felt like she had lingered a bit longer when she embraced him. For the moment, he forgot how much he hated the Ministry.
"How did you get here?" Hermione asked the younger girl.
"Professor McGonagall told me what happened, and then Dumbledore arranged a portkey to bring me here. I only just found out everything a few hours ago," she said to them.
"What did McGonagall tell you?" Ron asked her.
"Just that Hermione left Luxemburg to come here and then the two of you left to rescue Harry. Why? What else don't I know?" Her tone was suspicious.
"No, that's pretty much it," said Ron.
His tone told her that he was most certainly leaving something out. She looked to Harry and Hermione for confirmation, but they just stared back at her not saying a word. If McGonagall had not felt the need to tell her what really happened, then they were not going to be the ones to share the horror story with her.
"Gin, can you bring mum in here? I want her to know what the Healer said about me getting out of here."
Ginny nodded and headed for the door, feeling more like her brother was trying to get rid of her than anything else.
"When are you being released?" Hermione asked him.
Ron waited until the door was shut behind Ginny before speaking. "I don't know… a week maybe? But that's not important. I didn't want Ginny to hear what I need to ask you. If she doesn't know anything beyond what mum and the others have told her, I don't want her to know anything else."
Harry and Hermione nodded their agreement.
Ron turned his head so he was facing Harry. "I don't really remember everything that happened," he started, "but I do remember Lucius Malfoy wanting to know something about a prophecy that only you had heard."
Hermione was staring at him expectantly as well, and there was no longer any way he could hide the prophecy from them. He only wished it hadn't taken a Death Eater capture for him to confide in them. Ten minutes later he had explained everything about what Dumbledore had told him about the prophecy. His friends looked thoroughly shocked by the news, but they didn't look frightened by what he had shared with them. It made him wish he had told them sooner, but he hadn't been ready to deal with it before then.
Expectedly, Hermione was the first to speak.
"Prophecies don't always come to be true Harry," she stated. "A lot of them are rubbish, predicated by Seers who use them to gain a name for themselves. They usually predict things so far into the future, that by the time the event does happen the Seer is likely already dead."
"Dumbledore seems to think it's real enough," said Harry. "I have to kill Voldemort or be killed. We both can't continue to exist.
"No disrespect to Dumbledore, but the future is not set in stone, Harry. Every choice we make affects and changes what the future will be like."
"Then why did Lucius Malfoy want to know what the prophecy was? Voldemort has to think it's important," he said, ignoring how Ron visibly flinched at the name. "And why did the Order spend most of last year guarding the Department of Mysteries, so Voldemort's followers couldn't get at it?"
"I honestly don't know, Harry," she replied sounding as frustrated as him. Her forehead was creased like she was trying to work out the theory behind the prophecy in her head.
"You both could be in a lot of danger," he said regarding each one of his friends carefully.
Hermione stared back at him. "As opposed to…?"
"If Voldemort finds out one of us has to destroy the other, he'll stop at nothing to come after me."
"That's not really any different than before, now is it?" She said, raising an eyebrow.
"She's right, mate," said Ron. "I mean has there ever really been a time when we were safe as your friend?" He joked, an attempt to lighten the situation.
"It's different now," he said, his tone grim.
"Harry, we both know where you're going with this," Hermione started. "If you think Ron and I are going to be any safer if you cut your ties to us now, you're wrong. Voldemort already knows what we mean to you. Besides, we wouldn't let you do it anyways," she said as if that decided everything. There was no way she was going to let Harry pull away from them now. They were stronger together and they needed each other now more than ever.
She was still waiting for Harry to argue her logic when Mrs. Weasley walked in to the silent room with Ginny following close behind her.
"Ginny said the Healers talked to you about when they're going to release you?"
While Ron launched in to what was obviously a fabricated story about his release from St. Mungo's, Harry quietly excused himself and left the room.
He took a seat on one of the chairs outside the room, and for the first time in months began seriously contemplating the prophecy. He hung his head in his hands. He hadn't said anything back in the room, but if the only way for him to survive was to kill Voldemort, then maybe his destiny was ultimately to be a killer, and he had put that destiny in motion by murdering a room full of Death Eaters.
"Are you okay?" A voice asked.
He removed his head from his hands and looked up to see Ginny standing in front of him.
"Just tired," he replied after a moment, and it was fairly obvious by looking at him that it was the truth.
She took a seat alongside him, sitting there in quiet contemplation for several long moments before speaking again. "I knew you'd make it back alive." When he turned to look at her, she continued by saying, "you always seem to find a way out of impossible situations. It's who you are."
"If you're going to tell me I'm lucky, I'd rather not hear it," he said to her.
"No, I wasn't going to say that," she said, smiling slightly. "But you're not exactly unlucky either, Harry."
He wasn't quite sure he understood what she meant by that. He stared down at his feet, saying, "I didn't know what happened to you after the Death Eaters took me… I'm glad you're all right."
She didn't say anything, but did cover his hand with her own. It felt strange to be sitting there with her like that, but then he started thinking about what had happened the last time they had been alone together. He couldn't believe it had only been a week since they had been out on the Quidditch pitch together in the middle of a rainstorm. He felt his cheeks grow warm when he thought about what had possessed him to kiss her like that.
He noticed a silver necklace around her neck with a small pendent on it.
"It's nice," he complimented, breaking the silence between them.
"Oh, thanks." She removed her hand from his and used it to finger the necklace, as if she had just remembered she was wearing it.
He focused on a spot on the wall. "Is it from Dean?"
"He gave it to me a few days ago."
Harry simply nodded, his face expressionless. He stood abruptly. "I need to get some air." He expected his departure to be as simple as that. He had not been counting on her asking to go with him.
"If you want the company," she added as an afterthought.
He would have been perfectly happy being left alone, but at the same time he didn't want to turn down her invitation to go with him. So together they left the waiting area outside Ron's room, a comfortable silence settling between them as they walked.
