Chapter 71
"Feel any different?" Ginny asked her brothers, after she and Harry watched them prick their fingers, add their blood to the small vial of Coupling Potion she'd given them, and gulp it down in turn.
"Not really," George admitted. "What about you?" he asked his twin.
"Nope."
"Ron mentioned something about it taking a little while to kick in with him and Hermione," Harry said. "So we might as well go down to breakfast while we wait. You two coming?" he asked the twins.
"Naw," Fred replied. "We nicked some food from the kitchen while we were on patrol."
"Suit yourselves then."
"Wait," Ginny said, latching onto the sleeve of Harry's shirt to keep him from leaving just yet. "Here," she said, producing a second vial of potion from the back pocket of her jeans, this one with a green hair ribbon tied around it. "I've already added my blood to this batch," she explained, as she handed the small bottle to him. "So you might as well add yours to it now. That way it'll be ready if we ever need to…"
"Hold on," Fred objected. "I understand why Harry needs to be protected," he stated, "but what do you have to do with any of it?" he asked, despite the fact he had a fairly good idea. The two of them had gone to great lengths to explain the intricacies of Hermione's plan after all. They had however, both failed to mention that Ginny was slated to played a part in it.
"You're planning on linking yourself to Harry," George stated loudly.
"Obviously."
"No way."
"Absolutely not. Mum will kill us if she finds out we knew about this and didn't stop..."
"Spare me the lecture," Ginny cut in before her brothers had a chance to gang up on her. "You're not going to say anything I haven't already heard and you aren't going to change my mind."
"It's not your mind we have to change," Fred fired back smugly.
"Yeah," George agreed. "It's Harry's."
"Except I've already added my blood to the potion," Ginny reminded all three of them, "So unless you want to brew a whole new batch…"
"You did that on purpose just to ensure you got your own way," Fred said accusingly.
"Yes, well," she admitted unabashedly, "I learned from the best, after all."
"Flattery will get you no where."
"Have either of you ever been possessed by Voldemort?" she shot back, switching to a different track in an effort to throw her brothers off. "Do you know what it feels like when he's mucking around in your head and trying to manipulate you? Well, I do," she stated, not needed to wait for them to respond, as she already knew the answer to her rhetorical questions, "and that makes me the logical choice to act as Harry's anchor. So are you going to add your blood now, or what?" she asked Harry, who was now clutching the vial tightly in his hand.
"Don't let her bully you," George stated loudly for Harry's benefit. "You don't have to if…"
"Stop trying to put him off with your big brother antics," Ginny said sternly. "And you accuse me of being the bully," she muttered to herself. "At least I'm not trying to intimidate him."
"We weren't doing anything of the…"
"So you'd prefer he confront Voldemort unprotected then?" she asked, perfectly willing to use guilt to get her way if necessary. "And you'll explain to Mum why…"
"That isn't going to work," George informed her, knowing exactly what it was she was trying to do.
"No more than what you're doing will work with me," she stated. "It's my decision to make; mine and Harry's, so butt out."
¤
"Anyone we know die?" Ron asked Hermione casually, stirring the dregs of his morning cereal while watching her snatch the morning edition of the Daily Prophet away from the delivery owl and promptly spread it out on the table in front of herself. "Hermione?" he said, hoping to get her attention as he took the money she'd left lying on the table and paid the owl so it would leave. "Did anyone we know..."
"Yes!" she said loudly, tossing her toast aside and leaning in even closer, her eyes flying across the front page, scanning for names she recognized.
"Who?" he asked, eager to know and at the same time dreading her answer. Surely if it were anyone from his family it wouldn't have made the front page. The Weasleys weren't nearly important enough for that. Besides, if it were one of his family members, Hermione would have had a much stronger reaction to the news and since she didn't, that had to mean that it wasn't somebody they knew very well. "Who was it?" Ron asked again, amazed that he could speak, seeing as how his heart was still lodged somewhere in his throat.
"Amelia Bones," Hermione replied, quickly skimming the opening paragraphs of the next story, before moving on to the third.
"We don't know her."
"Not personally, but Harry does. And this is odd," she continued, talking to herself, more than to Ron at this point. "Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor was destroyed. How awful. I hope he wasn't there… and … I don't believe this," she exclaimed loudly, after jumping to the final article on the page.
"What?" Ron asked anxiously, because this time whatever it was she'd read had elicited a reaction. A very strong one at that. Shock, fear, and then anger, in that order.
"Actually I do believe it," she amended, ignoring his question, "but I can't believe they didn't see it coming and tighten security."
"WHAT!"
"He's already used the same ploy once before. Of course, why not do it again?" she ranted in an exasperated tone of voice. "It worked so fell the first time around. Idiots."
"HERMIONE!" Ron yelled, when he realized she wasn't going to stop her tirade unless he forced her to. "I hate it when you go on and on about things as if I already know what you're talking about. Now, what the hell happened?" he demanded, wanting to know what had her so on edge. She might be playing it off as if she were disgusted and angry, but Ron knew the truth. Buried beneath her contempt for the Ministry's ineptitude was fear; fear she was trying to both hide from him and stomp out at the same time.
"Bellatrix Lestrange escaped from Azkaban," she answered, shoving the paper at him so he could see the heading and scan the article for himself. "Of course she did," she said loudly, throwing her hands up in disgust. "Because Fudge is an incompetent fool. Harry told him that this would happen, but did he listen? No, of course not and now that twisted bitch is..."
"BUGGER IT ALL!" Ron shouted, anxiety that had nothing to do with what Hermione was feeling surging to life within him. "That's just bloody great."
"Am I hearing things," Ginny said, as she approached the table behind Harry and took a seat directly across from her brother, "or did Hermione just curse?"
"You will too, when you get a load of this," Ron said, picking the newspaper up and waving it in the air until his best friend leaned over the table and took it out of his hands.
"Which article are we cursing about?" Ginny asked, as she leaned closer to Harry and scanned the front page with him.
"My guess is that it's this one," Harry answered, pointing to the write-up on the prison break. "It was bound to happen sooner or later," he said, taking the news far better than anyone at the table expected. "The only reason he waited this long was to punish her for getting caught and ruining his plans."
"How do you know that?" Ginny asked, looking at Harry suspiciously. "I mean do you know it for sure or are you just guessing?"
"He's still blocking me, if that's what you want to know," Harry replied, his eyes glued on the newspaper, rather than the concerned faces of his friends. "But I still know that's why he waited. That, and because he knew the longer he left her to stew in it, the more worried she'd be that he'd really abandoned her. From what I've seen, Lestrange prides herself on being his most loyal supporter. She'll do just about anything to get back in his good graces and Voldemort knows that. He's counting on it even. She's probably more dangerous now, than she was before, because she'll be eager to make it up to him. I doubt there's anything she wouldn't do in order to make that happen. So, what about the people on Diagon Alley?" he asked Hermione, changing the subject so abruptly that Ron's mouth actually fell open. "Is there a casualty list or anything?"
"What?" Ron asked, as he gaped at his best friend and tried to figure out how he could be so calm about all this. He was still obsessing about the words 'more dangerous than ever' and Harry was loading his plate up with food as if he was actually going to eat breakfast.
"You know," Harry replied, reaching for a platter of bacon, "a list of people that were attacked?"
"Not that I saw," Hermione answered, recovering enough to respond despite the fact Ron was still gobsmacked beside her. "But I've... I only skimmed the front page. The article about the Dementor attacks continues on page three," she added, unsure if she should try and take the paper away from him and read it herself or let him skim through it first.
In the end she opted to let him keep it. If for no other reason than because she knew that she'd learn a lot about where his head was by the things he read out loud. Once he was finished, she could always re-read the entire paper herself and then she'd know what Harry felt was important and what he didn't.
¤
"Ron," Hermione said softly, as she watched Harry give up the pretense of eating and finally push his nearly full plate away. "Can I borrow Pig?" she asked, tucking the paper under her arm as they followed their best friend's lead and stood up to accompany him back to Gryffindor Tower. "I want to let Mum and Dad know what's been going on, but I've told them to be wary of strange owls and..."
"You don't have to ask," Ron replied, waiting for his sister to rise up from the table and follow Harry to the double doors before moving forward himself. It only made sense that Hermione would want to warn her parents to be on guard. Just because the most recent attack had been confined to Diagon Alley, that didn't mean Voldemort didn't have plans to broaden out, especially now that he had his most fanatical supporter at his beckon call again. "What's mine is yours, right?" he added as an afterthought.
"I'm sure Crookshanks will be thrilled to hear that," Ginny muttered under her breath as the four of them mounted the marble staircase in the Entrance Hall.
"You can use him anytime you want," Ron continued, ignoring his sister's comment. Married or not, that cat would never acknowledge him as anything but a rival. Pig however, would be only too happy to serve two masters. "In fact," he added, "I'll go up to the Owlery with you if you like and tell him to stay with your parents for a while." I don't want you going anywhere on your own right now. "And that way they'll have an owl handy if they need...," Ron stopped abruptly, managing to catch himself just before the word 'help' left his mouth, "...to... eh... send a message to anyone in the Order," he finished instead.
Smooth, Weasley, Ron admonished himself. As if she didn't see though that. Way to scare her even more, he added, his own stomach flipped in response to the dread his words had caused her to feel.
"Of course he'll drive them batty," Ron added, in hopes of lightening the situation a bit. "They don't have a cage to keep him in, but I suppose they can chuck him in a cupboard or something when he's especially annoying. Which is all the time, mind you. Are you sure you want to use Pig? Maybe you should send Hedwig instead. Then again," Ron said, a new thought suddenly occurring to him, "why use either of them when you can just buy an owl of your own?"
An owl, of course, he silently kicked himself. That's what I should have gotten her for Christmas. Why didn't I think of this sooner?
"I'm sure Bill wouldn't mind picking one out for you," Ron said lightly. "I mean he know about us, so he won't even question it if I ask him to take the money out of that account you made me open at Gringotts. He can send it straight to your..."
"No," Hermione protested. "That money is yours."
"If what Fred and George said is true, you'll have your own money as soon as we talk to Lupin. You can always pay me back if that's what you're worried abo..."
"I don't need an owl," Hermione insisted, despite the fact she could feel how strongly Ron disagreed. He was like a dog that had just discovered a bone and latched on to it. Now that he had a firm hold of it, he wasn't going to let go, not without a fight. Unfortunately, the fact that he knew that she was about to argue with him about it, just seemed to strengthen his resolve. Hermione could feel him digging in and readying himself even before she said, "Pig's fine."
"For now, maybe," Ron reluctantly agreed, before striking the first blow, "but what about this summer when you don't have access to the school owls anymore? If you think I'm letting you go back to your parents with no means of communicating during an emergency..."
"I'll be able to apparate by then," she reminded him. "And so will you for that matter. We won't need to use owls to communicate anymore."
"There are ways to prevent people from apparating, you know?" Ron countered. "Dumbledore used an apparition ward against them in the Department of Mysteries. What makes you think they won't do the same thing to us during an attack?"
"I really don't want to fight with you about this," Hermione groaned. Obviously Ron was more prepared for this particular battle than she'd suspected, which annoyed her.
"Then don't," Harry cut in, before his best mate had a chance to reply. "Drop it."
"Fine," Ron agreed, taking not only Harry, but Hermione by surprise. But arguing about it wasn't going to accomplish what he wanted. She was too stubborn to give in, even if she did know he was right.
"Go ahead and use Hedwig if you'd rather," Harry added, both because he felt a bit guilty for snapping at his friends and because Hermione was still scowling at him.
"Pig's smaller," she eventually answered. "He'll draw less attention. Provided I can still use him, that is?" she said, looking to Ron to reiterate his offer.
"I already told you that you didn't have to ask," he replied. "You're free to use him any time you like."
Of course you won't need to once I write Bill, he added in his head, purposely falling back to walk behind the girls as they all made their way back to the tower. Still, it'll be pretty obvious what I'm doing if I asked to borrow Hedwig right now. Best hold off a bit and ask Harry when Hermione's not around. Even better, Ron thought. I'll write Bill a quick note while she's in the Owlery and ask Harry to mail it for me later tonight. Yeah, that'll work, he decided, and if all goes according to plan, she won't even know what I've done until she goes home for the summer.
Or until her parents surprise her with a letter that's delivered by an owl they claim to be hers, a more sensible voice warned.
Still, it'll be too late for her to do anything about it then, he argued with himself. It's not like she'd actually send it back to Eeylops. Would she? Aw well, I'll deal with that when it happens. Unless…maybe I can get Bill to convince them to tell Hermione that they bought it for her. She might buy that. A belated Christmas gift or something. Yeah, that could work.
¤
"Harry? Do me a favor," Ron said to his best friend, not long after Hermione and his sister left the Common Room and headed up to the Owlery together.
"Let me guess," he replied, rolling his eyes behind his glasses and pushing his unfinished transfiguration essay to one side. The fact that the twins were up in the sixth year dorm sleeping had pretty much kept the boys confined to the Common Room since breakfast, and with it being the last day of peace and quiet they'd have, Harry had opted to use it to his advantage and was now attempting to make a dent the holiday homework he'd been trying to ignore. "You want to borrow Hedwig, right? Do you really think doing something like that behind her back is a good idea?"
"She's just being pig headed," Ron argued, tossing the quidditch magazine he'd been perusing aside and leaning against the back of his chair to stretch. "She knew I was right. That why she was so irritated. Besides," he added, "she said it herself, it's my money. And since it's mine, that means I can do whatever I want with it."
"It's your funeral, mate."
"Our funeral," Ron said hopefully. "I was sorta hoping you'd mail this for me," he said, producing a folded sheet of parchment from his back pocket. "You don't have to do it right away or anything," he added, when Harry's brow creased.
"Nothing personal, but I'm not sure I want to get in the middle of your…"
"She'll know that you knew what I was doing and that you didn't stop me," Ron interjected. "Even if I use one of the school owls. So you might as well be hanged for the dragon as well as the egg, right? Because either way, she'll likely drag you into it."
"Wonderful," Harry said sarcastically.
"I'm right about her needing an owl though," Ron reiterated. "You know that I am."
"Unfortunately, that's not going to do either of us any good." In fact, Harry was sure that the fact that Ron was right actually did work against him in this case. Hermione didn't like to be wrong, and she liked it even less when it was rubbed in her face.
"True," Ron agreed. "And since we're in for it anyway, we might as well go for broke."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked apprehensively. I'm not in for anything yet.
"Come on," Ron answered with a knowing look. "You don't want them down on the platform tonight anymore than I do. There must be some way we can convince them to stay here and …"
"There is no way in hell you're going to be able to convince Hermione to shirk her prefect duties," Harry said wisely. "Ginny either for that matter. All you'll do is rile them up if you suggest it."
"Maybe if we put our heads together we can…"
"No way," Harry stated, with a vehement shake of his head. "Hermione is one thing. You'll bear the brunt of that attack, but your sister is quite another. She'll jump all over you for being overprotective, but when she's finished with you, she'll turn on me. Don't give me that no she won't look," he said, in response to Ron's arched eyebrow. "She yelled at me at my own birthday party, for Merlin sakes," he added in an effort to prove his point. "Besides, there's no way we can win. Not against both of them. Not once they team up against us. And they will."
"Coward."
"I prefer to think of it as knowing when to pick my battles," Harry replied, dipping his quill in his bottle of ink and leaning over his essay once more. "Or at least knowing when I'm about to wage a losing one," he added. "I'm surprised you haven't figured that out for yourself by now," he teased, "considering how many times I've seen you pick a fight with Hermione, only to wind up being trounced for your efforts."
"I beg to differ," Ron said indignantly. "I won this morning, didn't I? She knew I was right and backed down."
"But she was annoyed about it," Harry reminded him. "You said so yourself. And if she's annoyed about that, just think about how riled up she'll get if you start talking about leaving her behind. Look," Harry said, glancing up from his essay and meeting his best friends stare, "I agree with you. I'd feel much better if they'd both stayed here, but you know as well as I do that they won't. If we press them on it, all we'll do is hack them off and if we do that there's a good chance they'll team up together and go off on their own, if for no other reason than to prove that they can take care of themselves. We'll be able to keep a closer eye on them if they're actually speaking to us, so just don't say anything stupid, ok?"
¤
Ron tried to take Harry's advice, he really did, because deep down he knew that Harry was right. Unfortunately, knowing that Harry was right, didn't do much to alleviate his anxiety, nor did it suppress the overwhelming need he had to keep Hermione out of harms way. Even so, Ron managed to bite his tongue for most of the afternoon, although not without a great deal of internal struggle.
The problem was that even though he didn't say anything, Hermione still had a fairly good idea about what Ron was struggling with and rather than take the bull by the horns and confront him, as he would have preferred, she sat back and let him stew. Ron, of course, knew that it was a test of sorts. Hermione wasn't able to hide her feelings from him any easier than he could hide his from her. He knew that she was on edge herself and he also knew that she was waiting for him to make the first move.
If only she'd bring it up first, Ron thought, glancing down at his watch again, before moving over to the window to scan the grounds for what had to be the fifth time in the past hour. I know what you're doing, he grumbled in his head, as he resumed his pacing. I can't bring it up myself, because you're waiting for me to do it and if I do, you win. And if I don't, you get what you want anyway, so you still win. DAMN IT! But this is more important than who wins, he reminded himself. And I'm buggered either way, so I might as well…
"Ron." Hermione said his name softly, but he still flinched ever so slightly before turning around to face her. "Can I talk to you in the hall for a minute?"
NOT GOOD! A voice in the back of his head cried in warning. She's trying to separate you from your backup. Divide and conquer, it's the oldest trick in the book. First me and then Harry, provided he even puts up a fight after she's made an example out of me. Don't let her do it. Say no.
"About what?" Ron asked, in an effort to stall for time.
"Please," she said, just as softly and without the slightest bit of anger in her voice or her eyes.
Don't fall for that, the more strategic side of him protested, when Ron felt Hermione's need surge into himself and he started moving towards the portrait hole, but it was already too late by then. Hermione fell in behind him and by the time he stopped moving and spun around to face her, they'd already stepped into the hallway and the Fat Lady was staring at them from her gilded frame.
"Let's go down a bit further," Hermione said, taking Ron's hand in her own and pulling him down the corridor until they were far enough away that the Fat Lady wouldn't be able to eavesdrop without moving to a closer painting.
"Look, Hermione," Ron started, figuring he might as well get a few words in while he still had the opportunity to speak, "I know what you're trying to do and…"
Ok, maybe I don't, he finished in his head, when she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. What the hell?
"Nothing's going to happen," she whispered against his chest. "Professor McGonagall wouldn't have asked us to go down to the platform and help out if she thought there was a chance of any serious danger. There will be students everywhere, not the mention teachers, and members of the Order. We'll all be perfectly fine. But if it makes you feel better," she said, tightening her grip on him even more. "I promise that I won't leave your side."
"Really?" Ron asked in disbelief. "You're not going to give me the I can take care of myself speech?"
"I can, you know," she replied.
"I never said that you couldn't," Ron sighed, while mentally kicking himself for bringing that up when she'd been on the verge of negotiating.
"But you still worry," Hermione said, pulling away and looking him dead in the eye. "I know you think that it's your responsibility to take care of…"
"It is," Ron stated, even as she was still speaking.
"Then it's just as much my responsibility to take care of you," she countered, "And I can't do that if we aren't together."
"It's not the same thing, Hermione," he argued, pulling her flush against his chest once more.
"It most certainly is," Hermione insisted. "She went after you too."
Oh, right, Ron thought. He'd been so worried about what Bellatrix Lestrange being on the loose could mean for Hermione's safety, that he hadn't given any thought to his own. In fact, he'd all but forgotten that she'd tried to lure him away from Hogwarts. On Voldemort's orders no less. Not only that, she'd landed herself in prison as a result, which meant she now had a reason to hold a personal grudge against both of them. DAMN!
"Get a room," Fred said loudly, as he and his twin brother stepped through the portrait hole and spied their baby brother and his new wife embracing in the hallway.
"I have one, thanks," Ron retorted, grateful to have something to distract him from where his mind had been going, even if it was only for a moment. "But you two gits were sleeping in it."
"Yeah well it's all yours now," George countered, "but you'll have to snog later. Unless you want to keep Hagrid waiting."
"Hold on a minute," Ron said, when his sister stepped into the corridor, followed by Harry, who had both the Marauder's Map and his invisibility cloak clutched in his hand.
"I'm not staying here," Ginny stated, placing a hand on her hip and narrowing her eyes at Ron. "So don't even bother asking."
"Then you have to agree to the same thing Hermione did."
"HO!" George scoffed. "What's this? You expect us to believe that Hermione actually agreed to follow some daft set of rules you laid down?"
"You don't have the stones," Fred added. "And even if you did, there's no way she'd go for it."
"Unless what he wants actually make sense," Hermione said, intentionally allowing the twins to believe that what she'd agreed to do had been Ron's idea. "But…"
"But what?" Ron asked, his brow creasing as he gave Hermione a pointed look.
"Well, it makes sense for us to work together," Hermione explained, "but Ginny will probably be with David and the other fifth year pre..."
"So?" Ron cut in, before she had a chance to finish. "There's nothing saying they can't unload bags in the same car as us. Or in one that's nearby at least. That's the deal," he said to his sister. "Hermione's agreed not to leave my sight, and you're going to do the same."
"Oh I am, am I?" Ginny asked, visibly bristling as her brother told her what to do.
"What Ron's trying to say," Hermione interjected before the two siblings had a chance to get into it, "is that none of us, and that includes you, Harry, should be running around Hogsmeade on our own. If we have to separate for some reason, I'll go with Ron, and you should stick with Harry."
"Why didn't he just say that then?" Ginny asked. It's not as if I'd have a problem working with Harry.
"Hold on a minute."
No, apparently it's Harry that has the problem working with me, Ginny told herself, both surprised and hurt by how quickly he'd protested.
"Hagrid might not even let me go," he said after noting the pained expression that briefly flashed across Ginny's face.
"That's why you're bringing the cloak, mate," George offered, earning a sharp look from Harry for his efforts.
It wasn't that Harry had a problem sticking close to Ginny. Normally he'd be only too happy to do it. Unfortunately there was a vast difference between keeping an eye on Ginny, and following her and her boyfriend around, especially after they'd been separated for nearly three weeks. Harry didn't want to think about the two of them greeting each other and making up for lost time, let alone witness it.
Quick, think of another excuse.
"Maybe I should…um… stick with Hermione instead," he said, shifting his eyes to the floor uncomfortably when he felt the weight of Ginny's stare on him. "I mean if you two have been fighting," he added, giving Ron a pointed look, hoping that he'd agree despite the fact he didn't know what the real problem was, "it might be better if…"
"We're not fighting."
Shite.
"Now that that's all settled," Fred said impatiently.
"Can we go?" George finished the statement for him.
SHITE! Harry silently cursed his fate again. But try as he might, there was no way he could see around it. Not unless he managed to get Ron aside somehow and explain why it was that he didn't want to be paired off with Ginny tonight. Like that's going to happen.
¤
Fortunately things went much smoother at the platform than Harry feared they might. Not being a prefect himself, he'd waited with Fred and George, while his friends popped into the prefect's compartment to receive their instructions. And while Ginny did emerge with David Devane, Harry wasn't forced to witness any public displays of affection. The prat didn't even attempt to hold her hand. Although the presence of not one, but four older brothers in the immediate area, as Bill was patrolling the platform with Lupin and Tonks, was likely the cause of that.
Still, the five of them were able to work together, and with the members of the Order available to lend a hand when needed, they had the train unloaded and all of the students tucked safely into the thestral drawn carriages in no time. In fact, it went so efficiently that Harry barely had time to speak to Lupin or Bill, let alone say goodbye before he was forced to jump into one of the carriages himself.
The ride back to Hogwarts was the most difficult part of the evening by far. Ron and Hermione had managed to squeeze into the same carriage Lavender and Parvati were riding in at the last minute. And while Harry was grateful that there hadn't been enough room for him, he didn't relish the idea of enduring Devane's presence any longer than absolutely necessary. It was one of those damned if you do, damned if you don't situations. And it certainly didn't help his mood any, knowing that he'd have to endure Paravti the instant he stepped foot in the dinning hall.
"Do you want to wait for Ron and Hermione?" Ginny asked, jumping down on the ground beside Harry when the reached the castle and glancing down the line of carriages still working their way to up to the double doors.
"Naw," Harry said, although truth be told, he would have waited but for one reason, Ron and Hermione were with Parvati, who'd already made it known that she was irritated with him because he hadn't sought her out on the train. And she was bound to be even more irate now that he'd ditched her to ride back to school with a bunch of fifth years, most of whom he didn't even know. "They'll come straight into the Great Hall," he said, "Ron's not likely to pass on the feast.
"Can't say the same for them," David said, pointing to the left.
"Who?" Ginny asked, turning with Harry to look at the spot David was pointing and seeing nothing.
"That blond Slytherin in your year," he said to Harry. "You know," he said, shifting his gaze to Ginny, "the one that a…"
"Malfoy," Harry hissed under his breath.
"He just ducked around the side of the castle with a couple of friends."
"Come on," Harry insisted. "Let's go."
"Go where?" David asked when Harry started moving off into the snow, rather than up the steps leading to the doors of the castle.
"After them of course," Ginny replied. "We're prefects," she said, when David looked surprised.
"So is he," he argued.
"Fine, stay here," Harry said. It would be better that way anyway. "And tell Ron and Hermione where we went and who we're after."
"Harry's right," Ginny said, as she spun around and chased after him. "Just wait for Ron and Hermione," she said, and then she too, vanished around the corner.
¤
"BUGGER IT ALL!" Ron swore loudly, when David told him that they'd spotted Malfoy sneaking off and that Harry and Ginny had decided to follow him. "There's no one here now," he said, leaning around the side of the castle and looking in the direction David had indicated.
"They can't be very far ahead," Hermione said, grabbing a hold of Ron's arm and tugging on him. "Come on, we'll just have to follow their footprints."
"HEY!" they heard Harry shout, less than three minutes later.
"Why don't you try picking on someone your own size for a change," Ginny added in an angry voice, just as Ron, Hermione, and David rounded yet another corner and spotted the two Gryffindors advancing on Malfoy and his friends, who appeared to have a small girl cornered against one of the greenhouse walls.
"Are you volunteering to take her place?" Theodore Nott sneered, as he allowed his eyes to roam up and then down Ginny's form. "Willing to take on all three of us, are you? Who knows, you might even enjoy it. I certainly will."
"Over my dead body," Harry shouted, stepping in front of Ginny to prevent Nott from leering at her any longer.
"Oh, that can definitely be arranged, Potter," Malfoy laughed, stepping to the right and blocking Emma Creevey's path when she tried to slip past him. "But there's an order to things. First the mudbloods, then the mudblood lovers."
"YOU SICK SON OF A BITCH!" Ron bellowed as he ran up behind Harry. "You try it and you're dead."
"What's the matter, Weasel?" Malfoy jeered, as both Harry and David grabbed a hold of Ron and held him back. "Your ears burning? Yeah, I'm sure that mudblood bitch of yours is right up there at the top of the list."
"STUPEFY!"
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"
The girls cast their spells at nearly the same time, taking everyone, except perhaps Ron, who was connected to Hermione and therefore knew what she was about to do, by surprise. But unlike Hermione, who remained standing beside Ron and Harry, Ginny was moving forward to get Emma, even as her spell slammed into Goyle and he crashed to the ground in an unconscious lump.
"It's all right," she said kindly, intentionally treading on a petrified Malfoy, before wrapping her arm around the shaking girls shoulder, and steering her away from the two Slytherins lying on their backs in the snow.
"Expelliarmus," Harry cried, before Nott even managed to get his wand level.
"You'll pay for this, Potter," he hissed, as he watched Harry snatch his wand out of the air and shove it in his back pocket.
"Unlikely," Harry said. He'd heard that threat so many times from various Slytherins by now, it was actually laughable. "Hermione?" he said, taken off guard when she pushed past him and stalked over to Malfoy. "What are you doing?"
But rather than reply, Hermione melted the snow around the Slytherin prefect with a flick of her wrist and then used her foot to kick roll him onto his stomach.
What the hell? Harry wondered.
"Ginny," she said in a voice that was eerily calm, "why don't you take Emma back to the castle. She doesn't need to see anymore of this. Harry, give them your invisibility cloak."
"Anymore of what?" Harry asked, even as he yanked his invisibility cloak out of his coat pocket and handed it over to Ginny.
We've done what we needed to do, he thought, as he watched Ginny pull David closer to Emma and herself, before the three of them vanished beneath his cloak. Why not just leave them here and let Nott sort them out?
"If you think I won't sink down to your level," Hermione said, ignoring Harry and kneeling in the mud beside Malfoy's prone body, "to save my friends," she added in a menacing whisper, "you're sorely mistaken. And believe me," she said, placing one hand on the back of Malfoy's head and intentionally pressing his face into the sludge, "you don't want me on your level. You're a one trick pony," she whispered into Malfoy's ear, holding him firmly against the ground so he couldn't breathe, "but unlike you, I know lots of tricks and I don't need to use an unforgivable to get rid of you. I can take you out with something as simple as a body bind and a mud puddle and make it look like an accident."
HOLY SHIT! was all Harry could think as he goggled at his best friend, who'd gone mad right before his very eyes.
"Get off him, you crazy bitch!" Nott shouted, springing forward and reaching for Hermione before Harry had a chance to pull himself together and prevent it. Fortunately the Là nain power was triggered the instant Nott's hand came into contact with Hermione's shoulder. Before he could knock her off his friend, there was a blinding flash of red light and Nott was hurled away from her with so much force, he didn't get back up.
"HA!" Ron shouted triumphantly. It was only after he looked back at Hermione that he realized he'd repelled her from Malfoy as well. "Sorry," he said sheepishly, as Harry forced his mouth to shut and started to move forward to help her out of the snow drift she'd landed in.
"No, I'm fine," she said, holding a hand out to stop Harry, as she got to her knees and crawled back over to Draco, who was still face down in the mud.
"Do something," Harry whispered to Ron, as the two of them watched Hermione resume the position she'd been in before she was so rudely interrupted.
"Why?" the redhead asked.
And that's when Harry knew. This wasn't just Hermione. This was Ron working through Hermione, or in tandem with her at the very least. He hadn't been able to attack Malfoy directly because he'd been restrained, so he'd poured all his anger and his need to lash out into Hermione, and now she was acting on it for him, only in her own special way. Malfoy had just been introduced to the side of Hermione that Dolores Umbridge had been privileged enough to see, just before she was thrown to the Centaurs that is. Only this time, it she was being driven by Ron's desire to get even.
"Draco Malfoy," Hermione taunted. "The boy that slipped on the ice, hit his head and drown in a puddle. Not a very dignified end is it? Certainly not the way you want to be remembered."
THIS IS SOOOO NOT GOOD! I can't believe that I'm going to have to be the voice of reason here and stop her.
"Don't," Ron said, latching onto Harry's arm, before silently mouthing the words, "She's bluffing."
It's a damn good bluff then, Harry though. "Are you sure?" he asked, uncertainly.
"Not really, no."
GREAT!
"But it's exactly what I'll do if anything happens to that little girl," Hermione continued, completely ignoring what the boys were saying behind her. "You remember that," she said, winding her fingers in Malfoy's sleek blond hair and using it to pull his face out of the muck so he could take a much needed breath, "because if anything happens to Emma, or what's left of her family, or my family either for that matter, I'm going to hold you personally responsible. I don't care if it was your father, or his mates, you're the one I'm coming after," she threatened, "and you can be damn sure that I'll get you, before they get me."
"Finite Incantatem," Ron said, when Hermione stood up and backed way from Malfoy.
"You filthy mud blood slag," Draco sputtered, swiping his arm across the grime on his face even as he sat upright.
"You better shut your mouth," Ron shouted, "because I'd be only too happy to shut it for you."
"You're just as crazy as she is," he shouted back, whipping his wand out, before rising to his feet, and backing away from the golden trio. "And just as dead," he mumbled to himself.
But Draco wasn't foolish enough to try and make good on that threat without back up; backup that wasn't as incompetent as the useless lumps still lying in the snow. They deserve to freeze, he decided, before turning tail and scurrying for the closest greenhouse.
"What about these two?" Harry asked, pulling Nott's wand out of his pocket and tossing it down in the snow.
"FUCK!"
"What is it?" Hermione asked in an urgent tone, spinning around to stare at Ron, who'd scooped the Marauder's Map up off the ground and was now scowling down at it.
It must have fallen out of my pocket when I pulled my invisibility cloak out, Harry thought, just before Ron cursed again even louder.
"WHAT?" Hermione demanded, the panic evident in her voice now. "WHAT'S HAPPENED?"
Rather than wait for an answer, Harry yanked the map out of his best friend's hand and stared down at it himself. The first thing that jumped out at him was a dot marked, David Devane about half way between the castle and Hagrid's hut. The fact that he wasn't where he was supposed to be wasn't what drew Harry's attention however, it was the fact that he was alone, and even worse, stationary.
But he was supposed to be with Ginny, Harry told himself. And there is no way she'd just leave him lying in the snow. Not voluntarily, he thought, trying without much success to calm his nerves as he scanned the grounds for Ginny.
"WHAT! HAPPENED!" Hermione shrieked at Ron, who was staring at Harry, his face nearly as pale as the snow on the ground all around them.
"It wasn't Emma," he muttered.
"What do you mean?" Hermione demanded.
"I mean that wasn't Emma Creevey," Ron yelled.
"Then who was it?"
"BELLATRIX LESTRANGE!" Harry snarled. And then the weight of what he'd just seen came crashing down on top of him. Ginny was alone with Bellatrix Lestrange, and they were both right on the brink of the Forbidden Forest. Even as he stared down at the map and tried to will what he saw not to be happening, their names vanished off the edge of the map.
¤
Author's Note:
DUM! DUM! DUM!
Yes, I've done it again. Another evil cliffhanger. Although this one actually is what I'd consider a real cliffhanger (unlike so many of the endings in past chapters) and it is TRULY EVIL! Cackles with glee. It's the beginning of the end, folks. Of course things are about to get pretty bumpy, which means, gasp… more cliffhangers in your future. Sorry to those of you that don't enjoy them, but I see no way to avoid it.
Also, sorry for the long delay between updates. I usually update at the site where my story is betaed first. Sometimes the beta process takes longer, sometimes it goes quite quickly. It all depends on schedules, length of chapters etc. I know that it is terribly hard to wait, but please be patient and don't post reviews that say nothing but UPDATE NOW! I find those demanding and very off putting. I know you all mean well, when you do it, but to be frank, those sort of reviews make me want to stop writing, not write faster. I can not go any faster than I already do and all the pleading in the world won't speed me up. I'm afraid it will take as long as it takes. As I've mentioned before, those of you that have a hard time waiting are encouraged to read this story on one of the two other sites I post it on. This chapter has been up at HarryPotterFanFiction for over a week now. So I'd look there for the most recent updates.