Chapter Thirty-Five
Hermione managed to talk Harry into starting up the DA again. He hadn't wanted to but so many people kept coming up to him and asking Defense questions, he was getting a bit tired of having to answer the same questions over and over again. These same people were also the ones who would be risking their lives on the day of the final battle, so he felt compelled in a way to make sure they were prepared. Hermione had also pointed out it would be a good opportunity for him to practice collecting emotions from the people around him. He had felt uneasy about invading the minds of people he had called friends or at the very least acquaintances while at school, but Hermione had said it was for a good cause, and if they had been able to share what he was doing everyone probably would have approved. She had also pointed out he shouldn't be trying to read their personal thoughts, he should only be trying to to extract their emotions.
No one was under the age of seventeen, and it looked like most had already completed or were in the process of completing their magical education through home schooling or the like because of their knowledge of spells and charms that wouldn't normally appear before seventh year.
While Harry had walked around to check on everyone's progress, he practiced his empathy in between correcting fighting stances and other very minor things that could help to save one of their lives.
Now that the DA no longer had to be a secret, they were using the Great Hall, having pushed all the benches against the wall after dinner.
He walked back to where Ron and Hermione were practicing. Ron didn't need the practice, but he knew Hermione wanted to so had offered to be her partner. Harry had a feeling Hermione hadn't been expecting Ron to be as good as he was, even with his Auror training. She hadn't been able to break through any of his shields while he had broken through hers several times. Hermione was also starting to sweat at having to work much harder than Ron to block the hexes and curses he was throwing at her.
Harry ended the DA meeting almost two hours later, congratulating everyone on their improvement and that they would meet at the same time tomorrow. They had already known this as they had been meeting every night for the last week.
Ron and Hermione stayed behind to help him put back the house benches. When they were done, Hermione collapsed down on what would have been the Ravenclaw table.
"Did I wear you out?" Ron smirked at her.
Harry nearly choked on the double meaning the words had. He hadn't shielded his mind again when the others had left. Ron seemed to figure it out because his ears turned the trademark Weasley red.
"A little," she admitted, which was quite a feat for her. Hermione rarely liked to admit when someone was better at something than her – even when there wasn't too many things people were better at then her.
Harry quickly put his barriers back up when he saw her smile back at Ron. He didn't know what had gotten into them, but lately he had been making an extra effort to block them out completely when he was in a room with them. It made giving Hermione Occlumency lessons a bit uncomfortable for him at first, but she was grasping it much quicker than he had. She had learned to bury her thoughts and feelings more efficiently than he ever had. It had taken him months to work up anything resembling feeble resistance, and she had already come so far in just a little over a week.
In addition to Occlumency, they had also had to sit down with Ginny and explain Hermione's plan to her. While he and Ron didn't think it mattered if they tell her, Hermione was quick to point out the connection he still had with her. Ginny would know if he was in her head and thought it was only fair that they let her in on what was going on.
"You're not practicing with Lupin tonight, are you?" He heard Ron ask Hermione.
Hermione shook her head. "He's busy with Order business. I'm supposed to meet him tomorrow morning."
"How's it going?" Harry asked. He knew she was trying to get Lupin to teach her how to throw off the Imperius.
"It could be better," she said in a small voice.
Harry knew what that statement meant. "You can't throw it off, can you?"
She shifted in her seat. "Not yet," she said, not liking admitting that she was struggling with the Imperius Curse, even though only a limited number of people could successfully overcome its effects. "I can hear Remus's voice and know that I don't want to follow the instructions he's giving me but I can't stop myself," she said, the frustration evident in her voice. "Harry, I really wish you and Remus would talk," she said a minute later.
"We do talk," he stated evenly.
"I mean really talk. You had that horrible row with him and neither one of you will – "
"I know you mean well, Hermione," he cut in sharply, "but leave it alone."
She didn't say another word about it. There was no sense in making Harry more upset.
"I'm going back to the common room, you coming?" He said to them.
"Not right now. We'll be up in a bit," Ron answered for the both of them.
Harry left them and went back to Gryffindor Tower. The common room was packed, so Harry made for the stairs leading up to the boys' dorm. He wanted to be left alone and he wouldn't get that if he stayed down there.
The door had only been shut for a few seconds when he heard a soft knock. He wanted to ignore it but he knew who was on the other side and decided to at least hear what she had to say.
"Is this a bad time?" Ginny said, stepping inside when Harry opened the door for her. "I'm sure you're probably in the middle of some good brooding."
Harry scowled. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"
"Because it's true. I think you do it so often it could be considered a hobby." She was trying to make him laugh or at least crack a smile but Harry's somber expression remained.
"Where's Ron and Hermione?" She asked.
"Probably off shagging somewhere." He cringed as soon as the words left his mouth. He hadn't meant to say that out loud.
Ginny snickered and sat down on a nearby bed. "So you've noticed too? It's not as if they're making much off an effort to be discreet. They disappear for hours and then come back with those stupid grins plastered on their faces."
Harry didn't want to talk about his friends sex life. He had enough problems being in the same room with them in recent days.
"Are you all right?" She asked, changing the subject, like she was sensing his thoughts – which she probably was. "You seem on overload lately and when you came back to the common room you seemed upset about something."
Harry sat down on the bed across from her, a realization hitting him. "I've been projecting my feelings to you, haven't I?"
"I know it's not on purpose," she responded knowing where his thoughts were heading.
"I'm sorry," he said, giving her an apologetic smile. "I'll try harder to keep my own thoughts in my own head."
"Good," she said, smiling back at him.
Harry cleared his throat. "Er, is there something else you needed?"
The smile seemed to vanish off her face. "Hermione won't say anything, but I keep having this bad feeling about what you plan on doing. It's really dangerous, isn't it?"
He nodded.
"Is there a chance you could die doing this?"
He nodded again, but didn't look at her this time.
Now Ginny wouldn't look at him either and the silence stretched on until he couldn't take it anymore.
"I'll be okay. How many times have you told me I have a knack for getting out of impossible situations?" He said, trying to lighten the mood. "I know that you have this bad feeling, but I have my own intuition. I just have this strong feeling that I'm going to make it out of this alive. I can't explain it." He couldn't tell if she believed him or not, and he suddenly felt the need to confess something else to her. "I'm leaving, Ginny. When all this is over, I'm going away for awhile."
"Leaving?" Ginny said, the word sounding foreign to her own ears.
"I need some time to work through some stuff. I haven't told anyone else yet."
"Can't you do that here?" She asked, knowing it sounded selfish but not caring.
"No, I can't," he said, shaking his head. "I need to work through these things on my own. I need to figure out who I am when all this is done."
"I feel so stupid," she said, willing herself not to cry. "I thought when this was over we could work things out between us, but you're not even going to be around."
He got off the bed and knelt in front of her. "Gin, this is something I have to do. I wish you would understand."
"What I understand," she started, feeling hot tears spilling down her cheeks, "is that you'd rather be alone than with your friends and the people who love you."
"I just need you to give me some time," he said, covering her hand with his own.
"Harry, you've had six years worth of time. You can't expect me to keep wasting my life waiting for you."
"I know it's a lot to ask, and I'm sorry that my leaving is upsetting you – "
"Upsetting me?" She cried, yanking her hand out from under his. "I love you, Harry, but I really wish that I didn't because you make feel like such a fool."
"Gin – "
"Fuck you, Harry!" She shouted, jumping off the bed. She nearly barreled into Ron, who suddenly appeared in the doorway, but that didn't slow her down. She refused to stop until she reached the girl's dorm and slammed the door shut.
"Ginny?" Hermione called softly, peeking her head in the Gryffindor girls' dorm.
"I put a locking charm on the door," was the response she received.
"Yeah, I know," Hermione said, sounding somewhat guilty at having broken the spell.
She walked over to the only bed with the curtains closed around it and after hesitating for half a second, drew them open. The younger girl was sitting with her knees up to her chest and her eyes were red and puffy from crying. She didn't look happy to see Hermione standing there.
Hermione decided to start off with something non-threatening. "Neville heard you and Harry arguing downstairs. He was worried about you. But I thought you'd appreciate if I came up come to check on you instead."
"I just want to be left alone," Ginny said. "I don't need you or Neville, or anyone else looking at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you pity me."
"Ginny, it's not like that at all. Nobody pities you, I promise you that."
Hermione sounded so honest, Ginny almost believed her. She remembered then what Harry had told her. He had probably expected she would keep it a secret. Well, she didn't owe Harry anything. "He's leaving, you know. When Voldemort's gone he's going to take off."
Hermione didn't look nearly as startled by this news as Ginny would have expected her too.
"I figured something like that might happen," she said, her voice much quieter now. "Harry's known his place in the wizarding world was to be The Boy Who Lived. As long as Voldemort was alive, he had a purpose. When Voldemort dies, in a way, part of Harry dies too. He no longer knows what he's supposed to do with his life. What becomes of The Boy Who Lived once he's fulfilled his destiny?"
"I don't care anymore," Ginny said angrily. "I can't care anymore. Harry's broken my heart too many times. I can't do this with him anymore."
"I know there's no excuse for the way Harry's been acting lately, but now that you've told me he plans on leaving, I think I know why he's been so cross with everyone. He's trying one last time to push us away. He thinks if we're angry with him then we won't miss him when he's gone. He's doing it to the people he cares most about – Remus, Ron, me, and now you. Even after all these years, Harry still hasn't figured out what unconditional love is. That no matter what happens or what he decides to do, we'll always be there for him and love him unconditionally."
As always, Hermione's reasoning made perfect sense, but Ginny wasn't too keen on logic at the moment. "That doesn't make me feel any better."
"No, I didn't think it would. And I don't know exactly what you and Harry fought about, but if you pull away from him you're giving him exactly what he wants. I'm not saying you should wait for him or anything like that, but try to fathom what he's going through and be there for him as a friend."
Ginny remembered then who she had almost collided with outside Harry's room. "I don't think Ron's going to be so level-headed. I ran into him when I left the dorm."
Hermione's eyes widened at this.
"Go and find them. I'll be fine," said Ginny waving a hand. She knew Hermione would want to go after her brother to make sure he didn't kill Harry.
Hermione gave her a look that said she would be around later if Ginny wanted to talk and then left the dorm.
She poked her head into the boys' dorm but it was empty. She took the absence of blood as a good sign. They weren't in the common room either.
"Hermione, what are you looking for?" Lavender asked, seeing her frenzied expression.
"Ron and Harry," she answered.
"They just left, looking like they were going to go at it," Dean supplied.
Hermione repressed a groan. That was not good. She left through the portrait hole, too distracted to thank Dean for his help.
She didn't have to go far. She could hear Ron's voice carrying in the hallway and to say he sounded angry was an understatement. She found them both standing close enough together that if Ron decided to take a swing at Harry he would hit him easily.
"I already told you I didn't do anything to Ginny!" Harry shouted.
"And my sister would tell you to fuck off and run from your room crying for no reason?"
"Trouble in trio paradise?" An amused voice drawled.
Malfoy was a few feet away and Hermione watched as both Ron and Harry seemed to forget about their own fight the moment they heard the Slytherin's leering voice. She knew this was a bad situation. The boys were already incensed and Malfoy showing up was not going to allow cool heads to prevail.
"Why don't you mind your own business and keep walking?" She snapped at Malfoy.
Malfoy shot her this look that resonated clearly within her but he didn't say what she was expecting.
"As if I have any interest in your sordid affairs," Malfoy responded. "But I am curious as to why I heard Weasley's little sister, Potter, and fucking all in the same sentence. Who would have thought littlest Weasley was such a – "
Ron's fist connected with Malfoy's nose with such force, he was actually sent stumbling to his knees with Ron still towering over him.
"You bloody bastard! You broke my nose!" Malfoy practically screamed as the blood started to trickle down his chin even though he was holding his nose with both hands.
Ron felt Hermione come to his side as if she were afraid he might do something else. "And that's not all I'm going to break if you say another word about my sister," he threatened.
After that, he let Hermione pull him away from the Slytherin without protest but not without getting a satisfactory look at Malfoy as he hobbled away. When he switched his gaze to look down at his girlfriend, she was sending him a look he knew all too well.
"What is wrong with you?" She rounded on him.
"What?" He said, shrugging. "It's not as if I'm going to get detention or get house points taken away, now am I?"
Harry sniggered and that earned him a cold stare from Hermione.
"Think this is funny, do you?" She said, altering her gaze between the two of them. "It's obvious that Malfoy doesn't want to be here and we don't even know why he's willing to risk his arse for muggleborn's and muggle-loving wizards when he hates the lot of them. You're right, Ron, this isn't school anymore, which means you don't know what Malfoy will do if you provoke him too far."
At least Harry had the sense to know how angry Hermione was and not use the 'he started it' defense like Ron currently was.
"Are you mental? He was the one who was talking about Ginny like she was some kind of – "
"You knew he was only saying that to get a rise out you and once again you rose to the occasion."
"I don't believe this," Ron said, wringing his hands through his hair.
"Believe it," Hermione snapped at him. "But I'm sure Harry will take your side. Honestly, you two were ready to pummel each other and then Malfoy shows up and suddenly the two of you are best mates again because Ron broke his nose." She shook her head, muttering the word, "boys!" under her breath before storming off.
Ron looked torn as to what to do. One minute he was fighting with Harry and now Hermione had blown up at him over something he had done to Malfoy.
"You should probably go after her," Harry suggested. "Try and calm her down before she tries to hex you."
There's a comforting thought, Ron thought to himself. "You coming?" Ron said over his shoulder. Harry shot him a look that Ron interpreted easily. He was the only one both brave and stupid enough to go after Hermione when she was in a temper like that. "All right, I'll see you back in the common room," Ron said and started walking away.
Now that Harry was once again alone, he felt the growling in his stomach start, which was his own fault. He had skipped dinner to avoid eating in the Great Hall with everyone. He figured there wasn't any harm in sneaking into the kitchens. There were Order members patrolling the halls at night but he knew their patrol patterns fairly well from sneaking out with his Invisibility cloak and was pretty sure he could avoid them.
Dobby had loaded him up with so much food, Harry needed a basket to carry it all. He was considering return to the common room but if Ron and Hermione had decided to make that their fighting arena, he was better off staying away for a while. He took a seat at one of the house tables and tucked in to a piece of shepherd's pie Dobby had given him.
"It seems you have an appetite after all."
Harry wasn't sure what was worse – being caught out after the imposed Order curfew or who he had been caught by. "I suppose," he said, shoveling another piece into his mouth.
Harry was utterly surprised when Dumbledore came around to sit directly across from him. He wasn't sure what the Headmaster wanted and to avoid having to answer any of his questions, he asked one of his own, "what's Malfoy doing here?"
"You mean other than walking around and getting his nose broken by a seemingly invisible force?" Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.
Harry just stared down at his plate to avoid giving away anything incriminating.
"I'm sure Miss Granger will hand down a punishment worthy of Professor Snape," Dumbledore continued. "But that's not what you asked, is it? As difficult as it may be to accept, Mr. Malfoy is actually quite the capable wizard. His knowledge of Dark Arts and counter curses will likely come in very handy in the event of an attack. I assure you he would not be here if the choice to come had not been his own."
Harry found that hard to believe. Not about the Dark Arts stuff, but about Malfoy's decision to fight against Voldemort. He might have been an informant for the Order in the past but Harry had never fully trusted him.
"It's times like these when one's true colours appear," Dumbledore told him.
"I still don't trust him," Harry glowered.
"Nor should you. When all is said and done, at the end of the day we are only looking out for our own best interests. Human beings are extremely selfish creatures," Dumbledore finished with a smile.
Harry, figuring there was nothing else left to be said, stood up to leave.
"There is one more thing, Harry."
There's always one more thing with him, Harry thought feeling slightly annoyed, but sat back down regardless.
Dumbledore reached inside his robes and pulled out a glowing, circular object.
"That's a prophecy sphere." Harry had engrained in his memory what one looked like after the incident in the Department of Mysteries back in fifth year. "Is that the fake one you created to lure Voldemort here?"
"Yes and no," Dumbledore replied causing Harry to get irritated. He never could get a straight answer out of Dumbledore. It was always riddles and cryptic remarks with him.
Seeing Harry's expression, Dumbledore said, "yes, it is a prophecy sphere like those in the Department of Mysteries, but no, I did not fabricate it. It's real."
Harry just sat there in a stunned state. Another prophecy? His mind was overrun with questions and yet he couldn't seem to speak. Dumbledore took his stunned silence as reason to continue.
"Two years ago, when it became clear Voldemort was growing in power and found out there was a prophecy about himself and you, I knew the Department of Mysteries would become a target and that's why the Order was guarding it. I also knew that Voldemort would stop at nothing to find it because he thought it would reveal how to destroy you. The Order would lay down their lives to protect it but I knew that might not be enough. Voldemort's strength was already rivaling that of his last reign of power and he had only been back such a short time, I feared it would no longer be safe there. I took the prophecy with your name on it and with the help of an Unspeakable, I broke it into two parts. I had to leave enough of the prophecy in the sphere at the Ministry so that Voldemort would believe it was complete if he ever got his hands on it. The portion of the prophecy you heard has probably just generated more questions for you than answers. What I have here may answer some of those questions and make things more clear to you. Would you like to hear it?"
Harry swallowed hard and nodded, not able to find his voice.
Dumbledore tapped the sphere twice with his wand and it started to float in the air of its own accord. It hovered at eye level in front of Harry and a voice identical to the one that had been in the other prophecy began to speak.
"The one who carries the Dark Lord's mark will challenge him a final time once the Dark Lord's control over one that is close to him ends. Much blood will be spilt and many difficult choices will be made that will affect all. The one he has marked protected will remain untouched as she carries the mark of his love. But he cannot protect them all. The sacrifice of his mentor will allow him to become strong enough to overcome the Dark Lord. The power the Dark Lord knows not must be discovered without interference for the intent to be pure and the act selfless."
The prophecy sphere stopped spinning and the distant voice stopped. Dumbledore tapped it once with his wand before sliding it back inside his robes.
"You understand now why I couldn't tell you what to look for," Dumbledore spoke. "The discovery had to be made without the interference of an outside source in order for it to have meaning. The fact that Miss Granger discovered it does not lessen that detail, as a part of her soul is linked with yours because of the sacrificial spell you performed. As long as a person with whom you are connected to makes the discovery, it is seen as the same as if you had made the discovery yourself."
Harry's mind was still reeling and he barely took in a word of what Dumbledore had said. "Why go to all the trouble to make everyone think the prophecy here is a fake?"
"You saw what happened with the last prophecy in the Department of Mysteries. I could not risk the same thing happening before certain events came to pass. The coming true of this prophecy is paramount to the future of the wizarding world. If Voldemort had indeed got his hands on the entire prophecy he would have tried to change things. Prophecies are not written in stone. There is no such thing as a single path or destiny. Harry, your coming this far was all your own choosing. The prophecy merely guides your actions, it is not a predictor for the future."
"So what's said in here, there's still a chance it may not all happen?"
Dumbledore nodded. "The future is always moving and evolving. While events may not happen exactly as mentioned in a prophecy, they will come to be one way or another depending on the choices we make. If you chose to leave and not fight Voldemort then the prophecy would be nullified."
"But the prophecy knows I wouldn't do that," said Harry.
"But how do you know that?" Dumbledore asked. "Perhaps I have altered the future by splitting the prophecy in half. Prophecies are extremely complex. You could spend your entire life trying to uncover the workings of one and never really find understand it. A Seer's job is not to focus on the why, he or she is simply supposed to state what is to come. You see, Harry, even a prophecy is not a true indicator of the future. It is the choices we make that ultimately decide our destiny. Now, I'm sure you would like to discuss things with Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley, but I must ask that you keep it to yourselves for the time being."
Harry forced himself to nod. He was still trying to work through everything that had been thrown at him.
"I know you must have a lot to think about," Dumbledore said. "But I suggest you do it elsewhere. Alastor will be patrolling through here shortly."
That finally seemed to drag Harry out of his stupor and he left the Great Hall. He walked in a daze back to Gryffindor Tower.
It was really late when Harry finally returned to Gryffindor Tower and ventured up to the Head Girl's room. Ron hadn't been down in the nearly empty common room and he wasn't in the boys' dorm either, so he figured they would probably both be together in Hermione's room. If they were still hacked off with one another, it might be best to wait and tell them about the prophecy in the morning. Well, there was only one way to find out.
He knocked on the door and after a few seconds Hermione answered looking surprisingly calm and even a bit chipper. Ron was lying on the covers of the bed with his arms behind his head.
"Sorry, we can talk in the morning," said Harry, feeling like he had interrupted something.
"No, Harry, it's fine," she said, grabbing his hand and yanking him into the room so he wouldn't leave.
While Hermione closed the door, Harry marveled at how quickly Hermione's attitude had changed. A few short hours ago she had been steaming at him and Ron, and now she seemed to have forgotten all about it. This had to have been some sort of record. He would have to ask Ron later how he had managed to get her to forgive him so quickly.
Hermione studied him closely. "What's wrong?"
There wasn't really any point to beating around the bush, so he just came out and told them. "There's another prophecy about me."
Ron, who had been silently scowling, since he felt Harry had apparently interrupted something, sat up suddenly, his face carrying a bewildered expression.
"It's not exactly another prophecy," he continued. "It's more like Dumbledore took the original prophecy and split it in half in case Voldemort ever got his hands on it." Before they could barrage him with any questions, he plunged on about what Dumbledore had told him, trying to recall the exact words of the prophecy as best he could. He also mentioned why Dumbledore had lied and wanted everyone to think this prophecy was a fake. When he was done, he was thoroughly surprised to discover both his friends remained quiet for some time. Hermione's silence was especially surprising, considering how she had reacted when he explained the prophecy to her the first time last year.
"No wonder Dumbledore couldn't tell us anything about how to defeat Voldemort. I just assumed we'd find the answer in a book," Hermione said at last.
"I guess books really don't have all the answers," Ron remarked.
"The point is," Hermione continued ignoring Ron, "is that it clears up a lot of things."
Ron and Harry exchanged blank looks, causing Hermione to sigh in irritation.
"Dumbledore didn't want to force a final confrontation with Voldemort before he knew it was the right time. The right time wasn't until after we figured out Voldemort was using me to steal information about the Order while I was asleep. The one who carries the Dark Lord's mark will challenge him a final time once the Dark Lord's control over one that is close to him ends," she recited the prophecy's words.
"I'm glad this is all making sense to you. Maybe Dumbledore should have let you hear the prophecy first," Harry said sarcastically.
"But what does that marked by his love stuff mean?" Ron asked.
"It's Ginny," Hermione said instantly. "It has to be," she insisted, seeing the look on Harry's face.
"Hang on, I didn't mark Ginny," Harry said defensively, not looking forward to another round of shouting with Ron.
"Not on purpose. But you do have that empathic connection with her. It may not leave any visible mark but it's there. It's like the mark your mother left on you. It's love, Harry. Subconsciously you chose her and now she's protected. That's why Dumbledore realized you didn't need to stay away from her when she continued to show signs of your abilities but her connection to everyone else disappeared. He recognized it for what it was."
Harry was growing increasingly uncomfortable with this line of conversation as Ginny's older and menacing brother was sitting just a few feet away from him. "Is that why after my powers surfaced, I began feeling this connection to Ginny?"
"I think so," Hermione agreed. "And in order for Ginny to accept this mark you were giving her she would have to love you back, and that's why her link with you didn't show up right away. This just further proves my theory that the power needed to defeat Voldemort is love," Hermione said excitedly. "Love is more powerful than any known magic or spell. It's completely pure because it comes from the heart."
"What about the bit about a mentor's sacrifice will pave the way for my last fight with Voldemort?"
Hermione's excitement deflated instantly. "A sacrifice usually means giving one's life up for another, but it doesn't always mean death. It's exceptionally hard to read a prophecy literally word for word. There's hidden meanings everywhere."
"You don't suppose it was talking about Lupin, do you?"
"Oh, Harry," she breathed, not realizing who he had been thinking of. "You've had more than one mentor in your life. It could be Snape for all you know. He was the one to teach you Occlumency after all."
"Fat chance that git would ever sacrifice himself for me," Harry muttered.
"This is exactly why Dumbledore didn't want everyone to know about the rest of the prophecy. You're going to worry yourself to death, Harry. There's nothing you can do except prepare for you part and trust the rest of us to do the same. You're not going to do anything foolish, are you?" She asked, knowing him far too well.
What could he do? Even if he went to Remus and told him what the prophecy said it wouldn't change anything. Remus wouldn't refuse to fight any more than he would. Hermione also had a point. Mentor was a pretty vague term and they didn't know what type of sacrifice would be required. But she also said almost all sacrifices involved the act of giving up one's life for another.
"Harry?" Hermione pressed.
"No, I won't."
"Won't what?"
"No, I won't do anything foolish," he said, his answer finally satisfying her. "I'm going to bed," he announced, not wanting to talk about it anymore.
"Harry – " Hermione started but Ron gently touched her arm and shook his head, telling her this was not the time to press the matter. Ron was somewhat surprised that she heeded his silent warning. But she had been making an effort to listen to him more lately. And as Harry left the room, he hoped his friend would follow Hermione's advice and not do anything stupid.