Just Old Friends
Chapter 2: The meeting
They sat together just looking at one another for a while. Harry didn't want to start the meeting because with it all ignorance of the situation would leave him and he'd be forced to deal with the upcoming battle.
He caught Hermione's eyes and found them still filled with tears and couldn't take it; he wanted to know what had her so upset because if she was crying it would have to be bad. He remembered the times he had seen her cry before and they were rare.
The first had been their first year when the mountain troll tried to kill her, the next time however had been fifth year when Sirius had died and the only other time he had ever seen tears in her eyes was only two months ago when Death Eaters had attacked her family killing her father straight out and leaving her mother in the hospital.
"Hermione what's wrong?"
"It doesn't matter Harry, we should talk about the upcoming battle."
"You're crying it matters now what's wrong."
As if this was her permission she let the gates open and her tears freely fell down her face. Mutters erupted around the room and it was this point that Harry realised everyone was watching them but he didn't care.
"She died this morning."
Harry was confused he looked around him and the other four looked in the same sort of state, but Hermione was now crying so hard they wouldn't get any sense out of her for a while.
Harry thought hard about what she had said. Who could have died that would have her this upset. Then it really hit him. Her mother had been in hospital in a coma, the doctors hadn't thought she'd wake up. She hadn't been taken to St. Mungos because Hermione's grandmother had wanted to visit her and Hermione couldn't explain the wizarding world to her.
Harry looked at the others who were still trying to work this out. He got to his feet and moved to Hermione taking her into his arms. He felt her face rest on his shoulder as she cried harder. He rubbed her back gently trying to comfort her.
He caught Ron's eye and mouthed one word, mother. It dawned on Ron what had happened and he looked at the other's passing the message on to them. Ginny and Luna quickly made to their feet, moving Hermione from Harry and sharing a tight little group hug.
Her tears were becoming less and Harry watched as Neville took her into his arms next, slowly rubbing her back and whispering something to her causing her to nod. Finally she found her way into Ron's arms and Harry smiled sadly. They really fitted together but at this time, with the war they were afraid to make something of it, they didn't want to start something and then have to leave the other.
Within minutes she was back in her chair looking at everyone her eyes were wide and puffy but nothing more was spoken of that. They sat there looking around and Harry realised they were as reluctant to start this as he.
"Okay so what has everyone found out?"
Hermione looked at them all and indicated that she wanted to start, to get her news off her chest before the others began.
"I found out who's been feeding information back to the Death Eaters. I still can't believe it though but..."
"Hermione!"
She shot a killer look at Ron before continuing.
"You remember that girl Gwyneth Walters she was in Percy's year but a Ravenclaw really good friends with Penelope."
The group looked confused but Luna spoke up.
"The one who was dating that Slytherin Flint."
"She was dating Flint. I didn't know that. Well anyway since Percy has been in all the meetings with the Order he knew all our plans well he was sharing them with Penelope and well she was gossiping with Gwyneth. She's a Death Eater though so..."
"So she was the informant! What's happening to Percy and Penelope?"
"Hopefully he'll be thrown out the useless waste of space."
They all looked at Ron who was graceful enough to blush slightly. Harry tried to hide the chuckle that was in his throat. It was common knowledge that the Weasleys didn't all get on anymore. It was quite sad really.
Harry knew it had all started in fifth year when Percy had chosen to side with the Ministry and then Bill had been sent to Azkaban for three months because of Percy which hadn't helped matters.
Harry knew that Molly and Arthur were on speaking terms with Percy and that Bill and Charlie could tolerate him. Fred and George though they only spoke to him in meetings and as for Ron and Ginny they had almost completely refused that much but they did speak when their parents were around if only for Molly's sake.
Hermione broke his thoughts with her next comment.
"Well Percy is being disciplined, he can't believe that Penelope was passing information on but he should have known better than to tell her to start with she isn't part of the Order for a reason, she can't take this war and he had to keep filling her in."
Hermione looked slightly upset at the next part.
"She's up in court next week for passing information on she'll be punished but I don't think she'll be sent to Azkaban, she trusted the girl, really trusted her. She was going to be her Maid of Honour and..."
"And when they were in school they almost went everywhere together. They never left the common room without the other and they always sat in the same corner and gossiped about boyfriends and what not."
They all nodded at Luna they couldn't correct her after all she was the only one who knew Penelope from the point of being in the same house.
They sat there in their own thoughts for a moment and Ron spoke up.
"They've captured some of the Order members."
This snapped them all awake. Neville looked the most worried after all his parents had been captured and tortured to insanity. He was the only one to speak up.
"Who?"
"Kingsley Shacklebolt has been taken with Tonks. They were at an attack as Ministry officials and Flint was there, it looks like Percy must have told Penelope names. They ignored most of the other Auror's and went straight for them."
His eyes softened as he looked at Ginny trying to find the right words.
"The attack was in Gringotts they took Bill and Fleur as well."
He kept his gaze on Ginny as she burst into tears. She looked at a loss and Harry wondered if Neville would hug her close or if she would go to Ron. Her tears though seemed to set Ron off and within seconds Ginny was on his lap and they were trying to comfort the other.
The Weasleys were having a hard war, with Hermione's news and now this one Harry couldn't help but wonder how much more Molly could take. He remembered the images of her Boggart before his fifth year, her family's dead bodies. He hoped she would cope.
The noise around the common room rose slightly and Harry heard more mutterings from around them.
"Potter's upsetting them all, they shouldn't have sat with him."
This was the last straw this was important they needed to work through this and no he couldn't take this now. He stood on his feet and looked at the clock it was nine so he made his announcement.
"Fourth years down bed now!"
A young boy looked at him he must have been third maybe fourth year and he didn't look happy.
"Why should we you're not our boss."
"I'm Head Boy and I'm telling you to go. Or maybe you should stay here and hear of all the bad and evil things Voldemort has done in the last week, do you want to hear them so that you won't be able to sleep. Because I think between the five of us we have enough experiences to scare even the bravest Gryffindor."
He didn't need to say anything else the youngsters ran up the stairs two at a time to get away. Well most of the common room emptied. Harry saw Seamus and Dean stand up with Lavender and Parvarti and move towards them. Colin Creevey and his younger brother Dennis followed over and looked at the five. It was Seamus to speak.
"Do you need help with something?"
Hermione answered quickly.
"We're just discussing what is happening with our families you now what with all the attacks. But thank you for asking. When the battle date is known we'll come to you, we'll need everybody we can then."
They nodded and headed up the boys stairs, even the two girls and Harry thought that maybe they would be sorting out their own roles in this battle. Everybody would be needed and although Harry liked them he wasn't sure if he could trust them all and didn't want to put those closets to him in danger because of it.
Ginny moved from her position and went back to her seat. Harry caught her holding Neville's hand from the corner of his eye but didn't say anything. Neville was the next one to speak up.
"Wood contacted Fred today and well the Battle is going to take place in two weeks, they're planning on striking here, the day we're all set to leave. I think their plan is to get as many people as they can when heading to the carriages."
This was the crucial thing. They had known the war was nearing its end. Oliver Wood whom had turned spy for them after being confronted by his couch to become a Death Eater had been feeding them important information for near on two years.
Wood wasn't the best but he knew that the Death Eaters were growing curious on whether Snape was truly on their side and were keeping serious matters away from him. He also knew that Snape wouldn't be told of this battle date until the morning of it, when they all turned up at Hogwarts.
"So this is it then, the final battle. Good I want to move on with me life and you know what they say leaving Hogwarts is a fresh start, looks like it will be for me."
He smiled at them all, they had to laugh about things like this, it was hard though very hard. In only three years they had lost so much, so many people were gone. In Harry's first encounter Cedric had died.
Then of course came the terrible fifth year and from it Sirius' death. Life didn't get any easier knowing that during the battle in April of his sixth year a wheezy-voiced wizard named Elphias Doge, Sturgis Podmore a square jawed wizard with thick straw-coloured hair plus five other Order members Harry didn't know had been killed.
Harry thought though that the worse attack had been in October in Diagon Alley. The five friends had flooed straight there to the middle of the battle. Fred had been knocked out and Rita Skeeter who had just happened to be there had been killed.
Moody had been badly injured but he was up and about now, Lee Jordon the twins friend was in a coma in St. Mungo's and they feared he'd never awake.
Things were looking bad and Harry couldn't help but wonder how much longer this would last before everybody lost it. Luna spoke up.
"Well it's about time that this is over its been going on long enough I say its time Harry killed Voldemort so we can all start living again."
Although it was worded bluntly it was true, the wizarding world had had enough. The meeting wound down and Neville stood up.
"Ginny lets go sit over there by the fire and talk."
The two stood up and left the other four. Harry smiling at his two oldest friends stood offering his arm to Luna and left the room.
Okay well I had this chapter ready sooner than I thought I would so I thought that I might as well post it now.
Jaquelyne: Why is this in the Harry/Ginny category well that's easy this is a Ginny/Harry fic. So at the moment it doesn't seem that way but that's because it doesn't start as one, but it is one, if you see what I mean. I believe in character growth and I like starting the stories one way and then changing everything about to make it another. As I told my friend Annie or was it Jessie? You make the characters go through hell and then make it all happy and that's what I plan on doing.
I promise you that it is only a Harry/Luna fic for a tiny bit and if you stick around long enough you will see that Ginny takes that part in Harry's life.
Walker-Dangerfield: I promise you I have eaten my vegetables. I will try to update as often as possible but I'm just being realistic. I start university tomorrow and therefore my time will become less and that will mean less time to post, but I have the first four chapters already written so I will try to keep posting on regular days
AnniePADFOOT: It is a Harry/Ginny ficlet, but and this is a big BUT. After the battle Ginny gets ugly! And as for Ron he becomes a mutant! Am I convincing you to continue reading now, but if not I can promise you that I am really mean to some people, and you should like the next few chapters at least.
Okay well yeah that's all I have to say for now.
Please read and review (Okay so I found something else to say)
Kristina