AUTHOR'S NOTE:
To those who might be wondering where I got the basis for this story: To be honest, I just woke up one day thinking that I want to write something about Harry's impending rebellion (at least in my opinion) to whatever's happening with his life. He abhors the feeling of not being in control of his own life and the fear of endangering the lives of people close to him. He might have been born a hero but he's not perfect. He has his flaws and he makes mistakes. Even Dumbledore makes mistakes. Perhaps running away was a major oversight on his part but I'll make sure that it would help him in the end. He has to temporarily distance himself from his seemingly hopeless predicament to be more objective.
As for the band thing, I'm sorry to say that it has absolutely no basis at all. As far as I can recall, there was never any mention of Harry being interested in music in all of JKR's books. I just made that up because I enjoy listening to bands. I even used to play in some sort of a band before. I hope you're not disappointed.
Thank you for your interest and I hope I was able to satiate your curiousity. Please pardon me if the chapters' lengths are still not up to normal standards. I'm still finding it difficult to do that. You see, I'm not really a writer but I'm trying to be one. Thank you again for taking the time to read my stories and I really appreciate your constructive suggestions :-)
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Chapter 7 - A Bit Wreckless, Aren't We?
Ron stared at the forlorn figure of Hermione standing beside the window. She was anxiously staring into space, holding up the piece of paper against the light as if trying to see if any message would appear if she did so. Ron felt her disappointment when she uncovered nothing and he saw her trying to rack her brain once more for any possible way to read the hidden message but still....nothing. Hermione was so engrossed that she did not even notice his silent scrutiny. When she finally stopped, Ron was not surprised to see a highly suppressed tear roll down her cheeks, hastily put away by a trembling hand.
"Hermione..." he whispered so as not to startle her.
Ron heard a heavy sigh escape from her lips before she turned to face him. He swore under his breath when he noticed how pale and ghastly she looked. Gone was the jovial and overzealous Hermione whose main purpose in life was to get full marks and somehow drag her two bestfriends with her to the path towards intellectual greatness. As of the moment, he wished that he could attain better marks hoping that the old Hermione would be back but somehow, he had a feeling that it would never happen.
Hermione had changed so much since Harry had left. She seemed more subdued and tended to stay away from the crowd as if she constantly needed sometime to be alone and sort out her feelings on her own. Her grades were suffering....severely...horribly...bordering to 'dreadful' actually. Not a day had passed that a professor failed to call her attention to her apparent lack of interest in her academic life... But she didn't care.
And Ron was afraid. It was as if he lost not one but two of his bestfriends. They're not the Golden Trio anymore nor the Terrible Trio (at least in Snape's opinion). Once the news of Harry's disappearance leaked out, students eyed them with sympathy but no words of consolation could make them feel better. Now, Hermione was withdrawing from everyone and everything.
Even from him. And Ron was scared. Never in his young life had he been so afraid of something that do not involve dangerous and life-threatening situations. This was worse. And the fact that he could not come up with a better course of action only made him feel more despondent than ever.
He was alone. And he could not bear it anymore. If bringing Harry back would be the only thing that would bring everything back to how it should be, then so be it. Riveting back to reality, he noticed that Hermione was still waiting for him to say something.
"What?" asked Hermione in a hoarse voice as if she had just came from a shouting match... or a crying spree.
"I think it's time for us to do something. Let's find Harry." said Ron softly, almost in a whisper as if he was silently hoping that Hermione would persuade him not to do something foolish and would promise to try to get her act together. But he was not surprised when Hermione automatically agreed without even thinking of the consequences.
"I thought you'd never ask." said Hermione and the light in her eyes that had been missing for so long appeared in an instant. "So do you have a plan?" she asked eagerly.
Ron sighed once more before he replied. "Not yet. Maybe we could work it out after our classes." Then he added as an afterthought. "Have you shown his letter to Dumbledore already?"
Hermione shook her head. "I'm not sure if we should. I mean..." she bit her lower lip uncertainly. "...they might stop looking for Harry after they read it."
"That's not the point, Herm. We just need to show them so that they won't worry too much." said Ron exasperatedly. 'Merlin! Hermione is almost turning into a nutcase!' he thought. "Besides, their knowledge in magic is far more superior than ours. Maybe they could find a way to make the other parts of the letter appear. Come on." He added to convince her more.
"O-okay. Maybe we could show them now. But let's get Ginny and Neville first. They had the other parts of the letter." Hermione reluctantly agreed and got up weakly.
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Professor Dumbledore frowned slightly as he read the letter. Whatever was running on his mind was lost to the four teenagers who were closely watching his reaction to Harry's short missive. He then proceeded to utter some incantations to force the parchment to reveal its secret. The paper just glowed a soft blue but faded in an instant. He attempted several times more but curiously, even he could not make the missing paragraph appear. His frown deepened as he stared at the paper once more.
"You're saying that this mail was brought by a different owl and not Hedwig? Did you recognize the owl?" queried the Headmaster after a while.
"No, sir. We have never seen that owl before." replied Ron dejectedly.
At that, the Headmaster paled slightly and his expression bore a look of utmost confusion. If Harry's using an owl, then he was probably staying within the wizarding community which was very dangerous for him... However, based on the recent Order meeting, he could also be in the muggle world but had wizard companions. Whatever was the case, it did not give him much comfort....The thought was not comforting at all.
"What's wrong, Professor?" asked Hermione softly.
The Headmaster was startled by the soft voice. He almost forgot that he was not alone in the room as he struggled to break the charm that Harry had used.
"This is very curious indeed but I cannot tell you much right now for the situation is very delicate. Would you mind if I keep the letter for the mean time? I'll give it back to you tomorrow morning." he stated and smiled a little to assure his students that everything was allright.
"But you're still going to look for him, right?" asked Ron hurriedly before the Headmaster could dismiss them.
"Yes, of course, Mr. Weasley. It is highly imperative that we find him before the others do." replied the Headmaster carefully without further elaboration. He knew that the teenagers before him understood who the 'others' were perfectly.
Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville left the office with mixed emotions. They were all relieved that the Headmaster was not going to call off the search operation for Harry but they were still a little anxious about the situation. Dumbledore, for all his pretenses, did not offer them much assurance. If anything, his silence only made them feel that everything was not allright.
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"So what are we going to do now?" asked Ginny to break the uncomfortable silence as they walked towards the Gryffindor dormitory.
"WE are not doing anything. It will just be Ron and me. We don't need complications right now. If four of us goes missing tomorrow, people would be more worried than they are now. Besides, who would cover for us?" replied Hermione immediately, her logical reasoning emerging once more.
"Tomorrow? Surely, you're not thinking of conducting your own search operation?" said a surprised Neville, his eyebrows raised a little in skepticism.
"That's exactly what we're thinking of doing and I already have the perfect plan for that." said Hermione confidently to which Ron looked taken aback.
"We do?" he asked, puzzled by her triumphant tone.
"Yes. While Dumbledore was busy spacing out, I snuck a glance on his desk and I've found a clue to Harry's whereabouts. So all we have to do is to go to Hogsmeade tomorrow before the sun is up and from there .... " said Hermione excitedly but then a soft sound distracted her flow of thought. She paused to look around them. "Did you hear anything?"
The others shook their heads.
"Maybe it's just Filch's cat. Anyway, we better continue this conversation at our common room." said Ron calmly.
"Didn't Harry specifically told us that he's perfectly happy wherever he was and doesn't want to be found?" asked Ginny as they hastily made their way to the common room.
"Yes, but I think he just needs someone to beat some sense into that thick skull of his." replied Ron jokingly.
"Then it would be better if we go too..." said Neville resolutely. "You're effort might not be enough to convince him to come back."
"No..."
"Password please."
"Die! Voldemort, die!" screamed Hermione and the Fat Lady promptly let them in.
"...all we have to do is to go to Hogsmeade tomorrow before the sun is up and from there .... "
The one who distracted Hermione a while ago smiled to himself as he recalled the last thing that he heard her say. 'Going to Hogsmeade tomorrow to look for Potter....' He chuckled softly. 'Foolish...very foolish indeed. But I could turn it into something beneficial for me - the latest edition of the Firebolt perhaps...'
Then, like an overeager child, he ran towards the owlery to send an urgent message to his father. At his fast pace, his silvery blond hair shimmered in the pale moon light accentuating his aristocratic features and the soft fabric of his impeccable emerald robe swayed around him, the harsh serpentine emblem clashing wildly with the beauty and elegance he exuded.
'Father will be pleased...'
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Ron found it very tasking to fall asleep that night. He just figured out why Hermione was acting so oddly about Harry's absence. She was trying hard to appear calm and collected but the uncharacteristic low grades and shadows on her eyes were obvious give away to her emotional state. She was so near to breaking down... that was why he suggested that they take some active role in finding Harry...but now he was having second thoughts.
Did he really want to find Harry when the person himself plainly stated that he did not wish to be found? He felt like he owed his bestfriend a peaceful life at least, however temporary it may be, after all that he had done to him and to the wizarding world...And there's the thing about Hermione... A few months ago, he had come to a painful conclusion that he liked her but that he could not do anything about it in the fear of ruining their friendship.
After several weeks of torturing himself with the idea of her rejection, he summoned enough courage to tell her about his growing feelings for her regardless of the consequences. However, before the perfect opportunity came up, Harry's disappearance got in the way. And he was grateful for that ... It was an eye-opener for him.
Perhaps, it was a good thing that the perfect opportunity did not present itself. It would have made things more complicated and he would have felt like a fool. How could've he been so blind! The clues were all there... Hermione was beginning to develop deeper feelings for Harry.
And now, he was going to help her find him. 'It hurts. But if he's the one who could make her live again then so be it. A little self-sacrifice won't kill me...' he thought wryly before sleep claimed him.
"Hey, I thought we're going before the sun rises?" said Ron in confusion as he noticed Hermione comfortably settled on Harry's bed and appeared to be blissfully reading a novel.
"Oh, I just thought I wanted to get Harry's letter first before we go and asking for it at such an ungodly hour would make Dumbledore suspicious." replied Hermione calmly before returning to her book. "We can leave after breakfast."
"Oh, ok then. Just wake me up if it's time to go." grumbled Ron before going back to bed.
After finishing the book, Hermione left the room and proceeded to the Headmaster's office. She retrieved the letter from the Dumbledore who claimed that nothing appeared out of the ordinary and that maybe Harry just made a mistake on the letter. She was slightly disappointed at that but decided not to make a big deal out of it. She thanked him and placed Ginny's and Neville's part of the parchment on their bedside and woke up Ron.
"Come on, time for some spot of breakfast." Hermione called out once more but it was not necessary. Ron was already running down the stairs as fast as he could at the mention of 'breakfast'.
The Great Hall was already full when they arrived making it easier for them to blend with the crowd....
"Hey! Where's Harry?" asked Seamus in between mouthfuls. Everyone's eyes turned to them at once.
....or maybe not.
"He just got delayed. He'll be here soon." replied Ron in a more confident tone than he felt.
The others seemed to be contented with his answer and continued eating. Ron and Hermione were unusually silent during the entire meal but nobody seemed to notice aside from Ginny and Neville who were watching their actions carefully - from their bowed heads, whispered conversations and to their discreet exit after they have finished their breakfast.
A few minutes after Ron and Hermione silently left the hall, Ginny and Neville surreptitiously followed the two. The two were so vehement on not letting them come but who were they to dissuade them from coming when they themselves were breaking the rules by doing so? Besides, they might need their help later.
Ron and Hermione carefully made their way to the lone and hopefully still secret passage to Hogsmeade. The one-eyed witch eyed them suspiciously as if it was highly aware that they were sneaking out again but they did not concern themselves with that. From there, they quickly travelled the path to the basement of Honeydukes where they immediately removed their school robes and hastily stashed them in a safe place.
Then, careful not to be noticed by the store owner, they quickly went out and held their wands up. Within minutes, the Knight Bus came and admitted the two young passengers. They were gone before the next pair of students wearing muggle clothes emerged from the shop.
Ron and Hermione were too nervous and pre-occupied with their thoughts to spare a glance outside the window. Had they done so, they would probably have noticed the sparks coming from the wands of dark-robed figures aimed at the two young civilians who just exited the shop where they were standing mere seconds ago.