Harry and Ron spent the next hour or so ordering room service, which was
basically free except for tips. Harry had a difficult time hiding his
smile when Ron tried to pay a tip with a black extension cord.
"I don't understand," Ron said, closing the door. "I thought plugs were valuable, and that cord had TWO!"
Harry didn't feel very hungry, so Ron ate half of his sandwich. Before long, Ginny showed up, quite surprised to see Harry there.
"Hey Ron I was just—Oh! Harry!" She said, dropping the bag she was holding. She picked it up embarrassedly, running her fingers through her hair. Harry noticed that she had let it grow long that summer, and it didn't look that bad. His attention, though, shifted quickly from her hair as she walked awkwardly over to Ron, staring at Harry the whole time as if he were a bomb. He heard her whisper, "Ron, do you think it's safe to let Harry in here?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Ginny!" Ron said loudly. Ginny tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"It's just that, well, I heard these two men talking when I was in Diagon Alley… Surely you know about The Visit?"
"The Visit?" Ron shot a curious glance over to Harry.
"Yeah! You-Know-Who appeared in a fireplace this afternoon in Diagon Alley and said that he would pay back all the witches and wizards—"
"Ginny!" Ron interrupted. "We know about what You-Know-Who offered, if that's what you mean. We were there when he came."
Ginny bit her lower lip pensively. "Well, there's a rumor going around that there's a time limit on the 'offer'… 6 months. If it doesn't happen before then, the deal is off."
Ron looked at Harry, then back at Ginny. "Well, then why is it called The Visit?"
"Because…" Ginny hesitated. "Because if Harry… if it happens… You-Know-Who will have to actually come and get his… body. He'll have to come: The Visit." Ginny became exceedingly uncomfortable as she finished the explanation.
"So The Visit's basically any time between now and February when You-Know- Who's going to come and snatch Harry's dead body?" Ginny nodded, and Ron rolled his eyes. "Ginny, don't worry about it. It's not going to happen."
Ginny obviously didn't believe her older brother, and decided it was time to leave that conversation. She said goodbye and walked to her room next door.
"Ron," Harry said, "how can you be so sure it's not going to happen? I mean, there are lots of people out there who wouldn't mind jabbing me several times with something sharp and pointy…"
"Just think," Ron said, "all you have to do is get through these next couple weeks. Once you get to Hogwarts, you'll be fine!"
"But how do you know?"
"Because Dumbledore won't let anything happen, Harry." Ron finished his last bite of sandwich and tossed his napkin in the wastebasket like a muggle basketball player.
"I might have believed that if you said it when I was twelve, Ron," Harry said with a sigh. "But I can't anymore. Look, remember Shrieking Shack thing when we were third years? Of course you do. Dumbledore didn't know anything of it! I almost got my face sucked off by a dementor! And don't even get me started on the portkey thing… Dumbledore was WATCHING for chrissakes!" Harry exhaled loudly. "I can't depend on the mere presence of Dumbledore anymore…" He looked at Ron with sad eyes. "… I just can't."
Ron desperately searched for something to say. "Harry, I won't let anything happen to you."
"Thanks Ron," Harry said with a small, forced laugh, "but I don't think a murderer will change his mind just because you've taken a pledge to protect me. Come on, you can't spend six months by my side, you have a life."
The room became very quiet. Ron looked at Harry with the most serious of looks on his face.
"Harry, if standing by your side would in any way stop someone from killing you, I would gladly give up six months of my life." A smile began to form on the sides of Ron's mouth. "Besides, I've invested too much in you. If you died, I'd never find another brainless git to pour my feelings into."
Harry smiled broadly for the first time in what seemed like ages.
"Brainless, huh?" Harry grabbed the closest thing within reach, a shoe, and tossed it at Ron's face.
"Hey!" Ron said, dodging just in time, letting the shoe thump against the wall. Ron grabbed the closest thing on the floor, wound up like a pitcher, and then made a face as if he smelled something terrible. "Yuck!" He looked at what he was holding.
"EW!" He said, tossing it toward the door, away from both of them. Harry doubled up in laughter, noticing that the item was a pair of Percy's dirty underwear.
"My hands will never be clean again!" Ron lamented.
Just then the door opened.
"What's going on?" Ginny stepped in the room. "What are you guys throwing against the wall?" Her eyes traveled to the ground.
"Ick," she said, stepping backwards. "Never mind. I don't want to know." She began to close the door.
"Hey Ginny, wait!" Harry said. She peeked her head back inside the room.
"Yeah?"
"Um," Harry hated bringing this back up again. "Where did you hear the rumor about the six month thing? Does everyone know about it?"
Ginny stepped into the room and closed the door. She nodded her head slowly.
"How did the news spread so quickly?"
Ginny shifted her weight. "Well… how long has it been since you've been in the Alley?"
"A few hours I guess," Ron said. "Why?"
"I think there's something you two need to see, then," she said, and beckoned them to follow her.
She led them downstairs and through the muggle streets without saying a word, no matter how many questions Ron and Harry asked.
"Come on, Gin! Just tell us!" Ron said as they reached the brick wall behind The Leaky Cauldron.
"I can't…" Ginny said. "I can't just explain something like this." She prodded the brick, and the gateway opened. The three of them stepped through the threshold together. The streets were downright crowded with people. Luckily, almost nobody could see Harry in the swarm of people.
Ginny led them to the center of Diagon Alley, right in front of Gringotts Bank.
A sort of platform had been erected, hovering about 4 feet above of the cobblestone street. It was about 7 feet by 4 feet, and atop it lay a green and silver casket. It was empty. Harry noticed a silver plaque mounted in front of the platform. He walked over to it with a growing ominous feeling with each step he took.
"Harry Potter" The first line read.
"Dies before the 28th of February"
"Or the money is gone forever"
"This casket is for him"
"Good Luck, Harry"
Harry just stared at the sliver plaque. A number of people had noticed him, and watched him for a reaction of come kind.
"'Good Luck, Harry'?" He said to Ron, who had been reading over his shoulder. "He makes it sound like a game."
"It's a game you had better win," Ron said, "because I don't think anyone would want to go in that casket, even if they were dead."
Harry looked up at the casket again. Inside, at least four dozen snakes of different sizes and colors were writhing around, hissing. Ginny, who had been standing next to the two of them, made a small whimpering noise.
"Don't worry Ginny," Ron said. "Harry's not going in there, ever."
"How'd you know?"
"Because he's got too many friends." Ron looked at Harry with a twinkle in his eye. "Maybe I won't stop a murderer if I'm alone, but I'm not going to be alone…"
As the sun began to set over Diagon Alley, Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He really hoped that Ron was right.
"I don't understand," Ron said, closing the door. "I thought plugs were valuable, and that cord had TWO!"
Harry didn't feel very hungry, so Ron ate half of his sandwich. Before long, Ginny showed up, quite surprised to see Harry there.
"Hey Ron I was just—Oh! Harry!" She said, dropping the bag she was holding. She picked it up embarrassedly, running her fingers through her hair. Harry noticed that she had let it grow long that summer, and it didn't look that bad. His attention, though, shifted quickly from her hair as she walked awkwardly over to Ron, staring at Harry the whole time as if he were a bomb. He heard her whisper, "Ron, do you think it's safe to let Harry in here?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Ginny!" Ron said loudly. Ginny tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"It's just that, well, I heard these two men talking when I was in Diagon Alley… Surely you know about The Visit?"
"The Visit?" Ron shot a curious glance over to Harry.
"Yeah! You-Know-Who appeared in a fireplace this afternoon in Diagon Alley and said that he would pay back all the witches and wizards—"
"Ginny!" Ron interrupted. "We know about what You-Know-Who offered, if that's what you mean. We were there when he came."
Ginny bit her lower lip pensively. "Well, there's a rumor going around that there's a time limit on the 'offer'… 6 months. If it doesn't happen before then, the deal is off."
Ron looked at Harry, then back at Ginny. "Well, then why is it called The Visit?"
"Because…" Ginny hesitated. "Because if Harry… if it happens… You-Know-Who will have to actually come and get his… body. He'll have to come: The Visit." Ginny became exceedingly uncomfortable as she finished the explanation.
"So The Visit's basically any time between now and February when You-Know- Who's going to come and snatch Harry's dead body?" Ginny nodded, and Ron rolled his eyes. "Ginny, don't worry about it. It's not going to happen."
Ginny obviously didn't believe her older brother, and decided it was time to leave that conversation. She said goodbye and walked to her room next door.
"Ron," Harry said, "how can you be so sure it's not going to happen? I mean, there are lots of people out there who wouldn't mind jabbing me several times with something sharp and pointy…"
"Just think," Ron said, "all you have to do is get through these next couple weeks. Once you get to Hogwarts, you'll be fine!"
"But how do you know?"
"Because Dumbledore won't let anything happen, Harry." Ron finished his last bite of sandwich and tossed his napkin in the wastebasket like a muggle basketball player.
"I might have believed that if you said it when I was twelve, Ron," Harry said with a sigh. "But I can't anymore. Look, remember Shrieking Shack thing when we were third years? Of course you do. Dumbledore didn't know anything of it! I almost got my face sucked off by a dementor! And don't even get me started on the portkey thing… Dumbledore was WATCHING for chrissakes!" Harry exhaled loudly. "I can't depend on the mere presence of Dumbledore anymore…" He looked at Ron with sad eyes. "… I just can't."
Ron desperately searched for something to say. "Harry, I won't let anything happen to you."
"Thanks Ron," Harry said with a small, forced laugh, "but I don't think a murderer will change his mind just because you've taken a pledge to protect me. Come on, you can't spend six months by my side, you have a life."
The room became very quiet. Ron looked at Harry with the most serious of looks on his face.
"Harry, if standing by your side would in any way stop someone from killing you, I would gladly give up six months of my life." A smile began to form on the sides of Ron's mouth. "Besides, I've invested too much in you. If you died, I'd never find another brainless git to pour my feelings into."
Harry smiled broadly for the first time in what seemed like ages.
"Brainless, huh?" Harry grabbed the closest thing within reach, a shoe, and tossed it at Ron's face.
"Hey!" Ron said, dodging just in time, letting the shoe thump against the wall. Ron grabbed the closest thing on the floor, wound up like a pitcher, and then made a face as if he smelled something terrible. "Yuck!" He looked at what he was holding.
"EW!" He said, tossing it toward the door, away from both of them. Harry doubled up in laughter, noticing that the item was a pair of Percy's dirty underwear.
"My hands will never be clean again!" Ron lamented.
Just then the door opened.
"What's going on?" Ginny stepped in the room. "What are you guys throwing against the wall?" Her eyes traveled to the ground.
"Ick," she said, stepping backwards. "Never mind. I don't want to know." She began to close the door.
"Hey Ginny, wait!" Harry said. She peeked her head back inside the room.
"Yeah?"
"Um," Harry hated bringing this back up again. "Where did you hear the rumor about the six month thing? Does everyone know about it?"
Ginny stepped into the room and closed the door. She nodded her head slowly.
"How did the news spread so quickly?"
Ginny shifted her weight. "Well… how long has it been since you've been in the Alley?"
"A few hours I guess," Ron said. "Why?"
"I think there's something you two need to see, then," she said, and beckoned them to follow her.
She led them downstairs and through the muggle streets without saying a word, no matter how many questions Ron and Harry asked.
"Come on, Gin! Just tell us!" Ron said as they reached the brick wall behind The Leaky Cauldron.
"I can't…" Ginny said. "I can't just explain something like this." She prodded the brick, and the gateway opened. The three of them stepped through the threshold together. The streets were downright crowded with people. Luckily, almost nobody could see Harry in the swarm of people.
Ginny led them to the center of Diagon Alley, right in front of Gringotts Bank.
A sort of platform had been erected, hovering about 4 feet above of the cobblestone street. It was about 7 feet by 4 feet, and atop it lay a green and silver casket. It was empty. Harry noticed a silver plaque mounted in front of the platform. He walked over to it with a growing ominous feeling with each step he took.
"Harry Potter" The first line read.
"Dies before the 28th of February"
"Or the money is gone forever"
"This casket is for him"
"Good Luck, Harry"
Harry just stared at the sliver plaque. A number of people had noticed him, and watched him for a reaction of come kind.
"'Good Luck, Harry'?" He said to Ron, who had been reading over his shoulder. "He makes it sound like a game."
"It's a game you had better win," Ron said, "because I don't think anyone would want to go in that casket, even if they were dead."
Harry looked up at the casket again. Inside, at least four dozen snakes of different sizes and colors were writhing around, hissing. Ginny, who had been standing next to the two of them, made a small whimpering noise.
"Don't worry Ginny," Ron said. "Harry's not going in there, ever."
"How'd you know?"
"Because he's got too many friends." Ron looked at Harry with a twinkle in his eye. "Maybe I won't stop a murderer if I'm alone, but I'm not going to be alone…"
As the sun began to set over Diagon Alley, Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He really hoped that Ron was right.