I opened the door

You did not even knock

But I heard it

Your heart beat

Your calling me loudly

Seeking my soul

My body and the rest

I let myself believe you

Your madness shocked me

The shock was my joy

I am closing the door

For you never knocked

- Harry Potter, The Ride To Hogwarts

A burning hot iron rod slowly twisting its way through the guts and making its way upwards, to where the heart resides and staying put till the frail organ finally stopped beating. That is how Harry felt when he saw the clasped hands of his clumsy friend who was finally coming into his own and the girl who had taken away his peace of mind for the last many days and made a place of her own in his burdened heart.

For a brief moment he stiffened like an ironing board till conscious thought finally kicked in and looking at Luna with downcast eyes he softly said, "Hello Luna."

"Neville."

"I hope your grandmother wasn't angry at you for breaking your father's wand?"

Neville who was blissfully ignorant of the gigantic blow his and Luna's entrance had caused on Harry, jovially replied – "Oh No Harry! Grandma was so proud of me when she heard of what exactly had happened. I never really thanked you for giving me the confidence to face my fears. So here it is – Thanks Harry. Thanks so much!"

Harry gave a small smile and replied "Glad to have helped."

He briefly looked up at Luna only to find her giving him an extremely scrutinizing look that turned into a questioning look and finally gave way to a curious mix of sadness and apology.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the compartment that was choking him until the doors slid open to reveal the smiling face of his best friend Ron Weasley closely followed by his other best friend Hermione Granger. Just the sight of the two was enough to change his whole demeanor, which went from miserable to extremely content in a matter of seconds.

"HARRY! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING???" shrieked Hermione with so much worry on her face that he was briefly taken aback.

"Listen guys. There are some things I need to talk to you about. Let's go outside for a minute."

Without waiting for their answer he gently pulled along his two friends from the compartment and shut the door close.

"Harry Wha-". Before Ron could complete the sentence, Harry placed a finger on his mouth indicating them to be quiet.

He took out his wand from the holster and cast a privacy bubble along with an eavesdropping deterrent charm and after pocketing it back in his wand holster turned a soft gaze towards Hermione.

"My beautiful Hermione," he said tenderly caressing her cheek. "Do you know how much I love you? If my parents were alive and I had a sister I would have wished her to be just like you."

"so perfect…" He said the last part so quietly that both Ron and Hermione barely heard it.

Hermione had silent tears flowing down her cheek and gave him a tight hug. "Why are you saying this Harry? What's wrong? Tell me. Did someone say anything to you? I WILL KILL THEM."

"No, No Hermione. Let me finish first. No one said anything to me."

"Ron", he said keeping a firm hand on his shoulder. If I would have wished Hermione as my sister, then you would most definitely have been my brother. I don't care if I am not related to both of you by blood. You are my family. My only family."

"Take care of Hermione for me Ron. And Hermione will you take care of Hedwig for me?"

Hermione nodded silently. Harry gently brushed away a tear from under her eye.

"I have to go somewhere. There are some things I must do. Don't try to find me. PLEASE. I have to do this."

"Promise me. Both of you. You will not try to find me. Promise me."

"And. And I will come back."

Ron nodded dumbly, not knowing how to react for this was one situation he was not prepared for when he boarded the train. All he could understand was that their was an inner fire in his best friends, no, not best friend, his brother's bright emerald eyes and that he had to go somewhere.

Harry pulled them both into a tight hug and suddenly let go. He turned toward the outer doors and after casting a cushioning charm on the ground next to the railway tracks, he jumped from the speeding train.

'IF A WEAPON I HAVE TO BE – THEN A WEAPON I WILL BECOME. After all, that's all there is to my wretched life…'