Chapter 22 – Conversations

Harry stepped off the revolving staircase leading from Dumbledore's office wearily. His mind was plagued with the information he had just received from Dumbledore. Harry had hoped his instincts about Draco's behaviour were wrong; unfortunately, they were bang-on. Draco had hinted at his father's freedom. It was strange how obvious Draco had been, really. That realization did nothing to calm Harry's nerves.

Harry's feet carried him through the castle and outside. Even as Dumbledore had suggested Harry return to class, Harry knew there was no way he was going back to Snape's class. Harry had been gone too long to be able to catch up on his potion. Snape would not hesitate to give Harry a zero, so what was the point in putting himself through the torture of sitting through the remainder of class? Harry knew he could very well be facing detention, but at this point, he could care less. There were much bigger things to worry about.

Harry walked around the lake to the secluded area he had found last year after the Department of Mysteries fiasco – where he had sat and mourned the loss of Sirius. Harry threw himself on the ground and drew his knees into his chest. He stared morosely across the lake.

Voldemort had his army back. Azkaban was empty. As bad as things had been since the attack on Tonks and Shacklebolt, they were about to get a lot worse. Harry knew daily attacks, and most likely murders, were inevitable.

And he was the only one who could stop them for good.

Bloody prophecy.

…either must die at the hand of the other…

Harry groaned as he pressed his forehead into his bent knees. Harry squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to force his thoughts of the prophecy from his mind. There was no use mulling about it. He had the bloody thing memorized; he had spent hours…days…months, analyzing it and came to the same conclusion each time – he was the only one who could end this war once and for all. He was the Boy-Who-Lived … the One … the only One who could vanquish the Dark Lord. With Voldemort alive and well, the war would rage on. Yes. It was all up to him. The famous Harry Potter.

Brilliant.

Harry sighed and raised his head to rest his chin on his knees once again. A soft wind rippled the surface of the lake, causing the water to reflect a distorted, abstract version of the fall scenery around him. Harry's eyes glazed over as he allowed the image to blur further. He lost himself in his thoughts, and only broke from his reverie some time later upon hearing voices coming to him from the other side of the lake.

Harry brought his eyes back into focus and surveyed the grounds leading to the castle. Students were spilling out the doors, signaling the end of another school day. Harry watched the students from a distance, envious of their laughter, and of their ignorance.

"Where have you been, Harry?" Hermione interrogated as Harry climbed through the portrait hole.

"Outside," Harry said blandly, walking past Hermione and heading for the boys' staircase.

"Oh, no you don't, Harry," Hermione scolded, grabbing Harry's arm. "You have some explaining to do."

Harry sighed and turned to look at Hermione. Ron had stepped up behind her and was giving Harry the same no-nonsense look. Harry scanned the common room and returned his gaze to his best friends.

"Not here," Harry replied, and then turned to climb the staircase.

Hermione and Ron followed Harry up the stairs and into the sixth year boys' dorm room. Harry was relieved to find the dormitory empty. He sat on his bed leaning against the headboard and resting his arms on his bent knees. Ron and Hermione each sat cross-legged at the foot of his bed, looking at him expectantly.

"What is it, mate?" Ron asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

"Is it your scar?" Hermione asked, her voice low.

Harry shook his head. He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut short.

"There you are!" Ginny exclaimed as she burst into the room. "I overheard Parvati and Lavender talking about you leaving Potions and not coming back, Harry. What happened?"

Ron scowled. "Ginny! You can't just come barging into the boys' dormitory. We could have been changing or something."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I have six older brothers, Ron. Since you're one of them, you should know I wouldn't find anything here that I haven't seen at home."

"But --" Ron began.

"Come sit down, Ginny," Hermione interrupted, casting Ron an exasperated look. "Harry was just about to tell us what happened."

Ginny smiled gratefully at Hermione and then sent a glare at Ron before plopping herself beside Harry. She turned to Harry with concerned eyes. "Go on, Harry."

Harry nodded and swallowed. He wasn't sure how to start. He took a deep breath.

"They've escaped. All of them. Azkaban's empty."

The silence in the room was deafening. Hermione, Ron and Ginny stared at Harry, their mouths gaping open, and their eyes wide in disbelief.

"The Death Eaters?" Ron choked out.

Harry nodded.

"How can that be?" Hermione questioned. "I thought the security at Azkaban had been enhanced."

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Dumbledore didn't say how."

"You talked to Dumbledore?" Ginny asked.

Harry nodded. He explained what Malfoy had said during class and how he got such a bad feeling from Malfoy's tone. He then relayed everything Dumbledore had said.

"Well, that explains why McGonagall pulled Snape and Malfoy out of class," Hermione replied.

"She did?" Harry asked, his eyebrows raised.

Ron nodded. "Yeah. Pandoran supervised the rest of the class."

"I wonder what Snape has to do with it," Harry pondered aloud.

"I imagine McGonagall wanted Snape involved in questioning Draco," Hermione surmised. "Draco would think he had an ally."

Harry nodded as he stared at his quilt.

"So, is this why you can't go to Hogsmeade?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded again.

"You can't go to Hogsmeade?" Ginny asked.

Harry glanced at Ginny. "No. Snape announced in front of the entire class that Dumbledore wasn't allowing me to go."

"Slimy git," Ginny muttered.

"We'll stay and keep you company, Harry," Hermione said patting his knee.

Harry shook his head. "No way. I'd feel worse if you guys stayed behind. Besides, who else am I going to get to refill my stash of sweets and dungbombs?"

"But Harry --" Ron began.

"No," Harry stated emphatically. "You guys go and enjoy yourselves. I'll be doing homework all day anyway. End of discussion."

Ron, Hermione and Ginny glanced at each other before nodding in agreement, knowing it would be useless to argue with Harry.

"Come on," Harry said, pushing himself off his bed. "We've got practice."

"Right you are, mate," Ron said jumping off Harry's bed. "And a great practice it will be! I've got all the new plays worked out, and I think Ginny and Dennis are going to be brilliant with a little practice. First, we'll need to…"

Harry shook his head and smiled as Ron ranted all the way out to the Quidditch pitch. Harry wished he could forget about the disturbing news as easily as Ron. Of course, Ron didn't have a bloody prophecy to worry about. Nor was Ron one to brood; no, that was Harry's specialty. Harry felt a scowl cross his face as the image of Malfoy's smug look flashed across Harry's mind. Harry lost himself in thoughts of Lucius Malfoy and the other Death Eaters that had, in all certainty, returned to Voldemort. The enemy had been fortified, and Harry had been grounded.

Harry was brought back to his senses as he felt a small hand slip into his. He looked down and saw Ginny staring up at him with concern etched on her face. She squeezed Harry's hand.

"All right, Harry?" she asked quietly.

Harry swallowed the huge lump that had formed in his throat. "Yeah – yeah, I'll be fine."

She squeezed Harry's hand again before releasing it. "Good, because I'm quite taken with my new Chaser position and I'd hate to have to revert to playing Seeker again."

Harry smiled. "There will be no need for that, Weasley."

Ginny grinned, causing an odd fluttering in Harry's chest. "Afraid of being shown up, Potter?" Ginny teased.

"Is that a challenge?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You better believe it," Ginny replied with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Name the time and place, Weasley. You're on," Harry said.

Ginny tilted her head and raised her eyes to the sky in thought. "I'll get back to you."

Harry chuckled. "You're not going to back out, are you?"

Ginny cocked an eyebrow. "Never. You won't know what hit you, Potter."

Harry grinned as Ginny turned on her heel and walked into to girls' dressing room. Harry shook his head as he entered the boys' dressing room feeling as though he had already been hit by something he couldn't quite identify.

Harry pushed his glasses up to his forehead and ground his knuckles into his tired eyes. He sat at a table in the Gryffindor common room surrounded by various textbooks and rolls of parchment. After a vigorous Quidditch practice that had run late, Harry had skipped supper and gone to his training with Pandoran. Harry, although already tired from Quidditch practice, had trained hard. Pandoran had taught him a few new defensive spells that were rather complicated, and Harry had to focus all of his concentration and energy on getting the spells right. After an hour of intense work, Pandoran had excused Harry early, stating that he had better get some rest or everything they were working on would be in vain. Harry had nodded and left without another word and walked straight to Gryffindor tower. He knew he had several hours of homework to do before he could get any of the rest that Pandoran had prescribed.

Harry removed his knuckles from his eyes and pushed his glasses back in place. He had got quite a bit accomplished already, but the essay he was currently writing for McGonagall was doing him in. The theory was very intricate, and the incantations were difficult. His brain felt overloaded, overworked, and overtired. He couldn't even beg Hermione for help since she and Ron had prefect duties for the rest of the night.

Harry sighed and returned to his work.

"Hi, Harry."

Harry looked up from his notes to see Parvati standing beside him.

"Hi," Harry said warily, trying to gauge her mood. He definitely did not have the energy for a row. "How was your visit with Trelawney?"

Parvati's eyes brightened as she sat in the chair beside Harry. "It was great. Lavender and I practiced reading tea leaves."

Harry nodded absently as memories of Trelawney reading his tea leaves in third year came flooding into his mind. Trelawney had seen the Grim in Harry's cup, and in Trelawney-style, had exclaimed in horror his impending death. Harry shook his head at the memory.

"Harry, just because you can't appreciate the art of Divination doesn't mean you can belittle my interest in it," Parvati snapped.

Harry's jaw dropped as his forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Pardon?" he asked.

Parvati sighed. "You do nothing to support my interests, Harry. You expect me to come watch your Quidditch practice, but all you do when I try to share something that's important to me is smirk and shake your head."

Harry sighed. "I wasn't belittling your interests, Parvati. I was just thinking about --"

"Whatever, Harry. Forget it," Parvati said, slouching in her chair and rolling her eyes.

Harry stared at Parvati. Why was everything so complicated with her?

Parvati nodded towards the pile of parchment in front of Harry. "How much work do you have left to do?"

Harry glanced at the mess of books around him. "I've got to finish McGonagall's essay."

Parvati raised an eyebrow. "That's not due until the end of the week."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, but I know Snape will load extra work on me tomorrow after having missed a double class today."

Parvati narrowed her eyes at Harry. "I was surprised when you didn't come back to class. What happened?"

Harry fiddled with the corner of his Transfiguration text. "I went to see Dumbledore."

Parvati leaned forward. "Did you talk to him about Hogsmeade?"

Harry glanced at Parvati before returning his gaze to the frayed corner of his textbook. "Yeah, that came up."

"So, are you allowed to go?" Parvati asked eagerly.

"No," Harry said quietly.

Parvati sighed. "Oh, come on, Harry. I'm sure you can change Dumbledore's mind. Why can't you go, anyway?"

"It's not safe for me," Harry said awkwardly. He had never been comfortable talking about this part of his life with Parvati.

"Why wouldn't it be safe?" Parvati asked, her nose wrinkled.

Harry fingered the edge of his text. "Dumbledore's worried that Voldemort may send Death Eaters after me."

Parvati rolled her eyes. "Oh, give me a break. I'm sure the Death Eaters have better things to do than go after a Hogwarts student in Hogsmeade."

Harry turned his gaze to Parvati. She had no idea. She was completely clueless. She had only heard rumours of his past experiences with Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Harry had never taken the time to work through the fact and fiction of the rumours with her. Parvati had no idea how intertwined the Death Eater's activities were with Harry's life. Harry couldn't really blame her for her ignorance. He had never offered to share the truth with her. In all honesty, he hadn't wanted her to know. He now realized that part of the reason he liked spending time with Parvati was the fact that there was nothing about her that reminded him of Voldemort or the prophecy. That had never been part of her life. She had provided a distraction from the thoughts that often haunted Harry's mind. Harry was now beginning to question how fair that was to either of them. How long could he pretend to ignore the prophecy and destiny that dictated his life?

Harry remained silent.

"Why don't you sneak out?" Parvati asked.

Harry shook his head. "No. That's not a good idea."

Parvati sighed. "Harry, I know in past years you've snuck out of Gryffindor Tower to do all sorts of things. Why not sneak into Hogsmeade?"

Harry shook his head. "No, Parvati."

Parvati slouched in her chair again. "I suppose you expect me to stay her too, then."

Harry sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "No, I don't expect you to stay here."

"Well, don't you want me to stay here with you?" Parvati asked sulkily.

Harry groaned. He could never win with her. She always seemed to put him on the defensive, and he was getting tired of it.

Harry turned in his chair and looked at Parvati directly. "This isn't working, Parvati."

Parvati sat up straight. "What isn't working?"

"Us," Harry replied.

Harry watched as the colour drained from Parvati's face. Her chin trembled as she asked, "What are you saying, Harry?"

Harry took a deep breath. "I don't think I can be what you need me to be, Parvati. I'm too busy, we never see each other, and when we do, we always seem to argue. I'm tired. I don't have the strength for this anymore."

Parvati blinked rapidly, fighting against the tears welling in her eyes. "You're breaking up with me?"

Harry took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, Parvati. I am."

Parvati's fingers swept quickly over the tears that escaped from her eyes. She took a deep breath and replied, "You're right, Harry. I do need more than you can give me. Besides, I've come to realize that you will never look at me the way you look at Ginny."

Harry's breath caught in his throat as his brows furrowed together. "What?" he asked hoarsely.

Parvati smiled and shook her head. "Honestly, Harry. You really need to stop denying that you have feelings for her."

Harry felt outraged. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Parvati. Ginny and I are friends."

Parvati smirked and rolled her eyes. "Right."

Harry pressed his lips together and felt his nostrils flare as he glared at Parvati. Parvati chuckled and wiped another stray tear off her cheek. She looked across the common room to where Ginny was sitting with several fifth year students. Harry followed Parvati's gaze and looked at Ginny. He noticed how the light from the torches danced on her hair, making it look like it was a source of fire itself. Ginny must have sensed Harry's gaze, for she looked up and locked her eyes with his. She flashed Harry a smile, causing a flurry of cartwheels to erupt in his stomach. Harry felt his face soften as a smile crinkled the corners of his mouth. Ginny turned back to her friends, leaving Harry staring at her from across the room.

"Am I wrong?" Parvati asked quietly.

Harry's eyes darted back to Parvati. She was smiling sadly, but amusedly as well. Harry's eyes glanced to Ginny briefly, before he focused on Parvati again. Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Parvati held up her hand to stop him.

"Don't say anything, Harry. I imagine the situation is more complicated than I realize. I do hope that the two of you can work it out, though. I know she's not happy with Dean."

Harry perked up. "She's not?"

Parvati smirked. "I thought you were her friend, Harry. Don't you know?"

Harry frowned and looked over to Ginny again. He noticed her dart a glance his way. Harry felt Parvati's hand on his knee. He turned his head to look at her.

"Good luck, Harry," Parvati said, then rose from her seat and walked across the common room and up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

Harry sat in confused silence. His now ex-girlfriend just wished him luck on getting together with his best friend. Harry shook his head and marked that conversation as the strangest one he'd ever had in his life – and that was saying a lot.

Harry closed his eyes and sighed. He cleared his mind and returned to his Transfiguration essay. He set to work, oblivious to the common room emptying around him. He pored over his texts, and scribbled furiously across several sheets of parchment paper. He had gone through half of his inkbottle already, and showed no signs of stopping.

"Think you might come up for air, Harry?"

Harry looked up and met the chocolate brown eyes of one Ginny Weasley.

"Huh?" Harry muttered, slightly thrown as Parvati's accusation flitted through his mind.

Ginny chuckled as she sat in the chair that Parvati had vacated earlier in the evening. "Don't you think you've worked long enough?"

Harry stretched his arms out in front of him. "What time is it?"

"Nearly eleven."

Harry's eyes widened. "Guess I lost track of time."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "So it would seem."

Harry studied Ginny's face. Her dark eyes were sparkling at him as a smile twitched at the corner of her lips. Harry found himself staring at her lips, wondering if they felt as soft as they looked.

Harry tore his eyes away, his heart pounding against his ribcage.

Merlin! Was Parvati right?

"You all right, Harry?" Ginny asked, her voice filled with concern.

Harry swallowed hard, somewhat amazed at the huge lump that had formed in his throat. Harry ran his fingers nervously through his hair. "Yeah – yeah, I'm just tired."

Ginny placed her hand lightly on Harry's arm, sending a jolt of electricity through Harry's body.

"You need to get your rest, Harry," Ginny said concerned.

Harry nodded, frowning at the strange sensations he was having. "Pandoran said the same thing."

Ginny smiled. "You should listen to us, Harry."

Harry shrugged. "I suppose."

Ginny squeezed his arm. "Come on. I'll help you clean up."

Harry nodded and began gathering his textbooks as Ginny gathered rolls of parchment.

Ginny glanced at Harry from the corner of her eye. "I'm surprised Parvati didn't stick around to help you."

Harry shoved his textbooks into his school bag. "I don't reckon she'll be helping me much any more."

Ginny reached for a piece of parchment that had slid to the opposite side of the table. "Why not?"

"We broke up," Harry said simply.

Ginny's movements stilled as though someone had hit her with a spell. She eventually straightened and turned to face Harry. "You broke up?"

Harry nodded, noticing that Ginny's voice seemed higher pitched than usual. "Yeah, it's for the best."

Ginny surveyed Harry and then wrinkled her nose. "I never did much like her with you."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Oh no?"

Ginny shook her head. "Nah. You need a girl who doesn't need to be coddled. She was too high maintenance."

Harry sighed. "You're right. She was."

Ginny grinned and pushed the rolls of parchment she had gathered into Harry's arms. "Well, Potter. You'll have all the girls throwing themselves at you once word gets out that you're available again."

Harry blushed. "I doubt that, Ginny."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "I'll bet you five galleons that some girl will throw herself at you by lunch time tomorrow."

Harry surveyed Ginny. She was smirking at him, daring him to accept her wager. He smiled and held out his hand for her to shake. "You're on."

It became very apparent that Ginny knew the girls of Hogwarts much better than Harry did. Harry hadn't even managed to finish his bowl of porridge the next morning before girl after girl approached him, some under the guise of needing tutoring, others being much more blunt by slipping him notes asking him to meet them in specified broom cupboard at specified time. Ginny, meanwhile, was grinning widely at him from across the table.

"I do hope you can pay me before the weekend, Harry. I would love a little extra spending money in Hogsmeade," Ginny said coyly.

Harry groaned as another girl slipped him a note. "You'll get your money, Ginny, don't worry," Harry muttered. "I don't understand why the sudden interest."

Hermione leaned towards Harry and smiled sympathetically. "It's the battle training, Harry. Girls get all hot and bothered watching you train."

Harry choked on his pumpkin juice. "What?"

Ginny nodded. "It's true, Harry. I've seen the way girls look at you when you're explaining a spell or demonstrating a new technique. They're practically drooling."

Harry looked offended. "They do not."

Ginny and Hermione rolled their eyes. Ron leaned towards Harry and sighed. "It's true, mate. I've seen it myself."

Harry glanced at his friends who were regarding him with amusement. He shook his head. "I don't believe it."

Ron snorted. "Oh, believe it, Harry. You're practically another Gilderoy Lockhart."

Harry put his face in his hands. "I am not like Lockhart."

Harry heard giggling behind him and turned around in his seat. Two fifth year girls from Hufflepuff were standing and whispering behind him. When they noticed he was looking at them, they shrieked and then ran giggling from the Great Hall.

Harry moaned and buried his face in his hands. "How do I make this stop?"

Ginny smirked. "That's easy, Harry. Get yourself another girlfriend."

Harry stared at Ginny with his mouth hanging open. He swallowed hard and muttered, "Right."

Harry was quite sure that wouldn't be happening any time soon.