XVI—Student Participation

Ron and Ginny made Harry and Hermione promise that they would not tell anybody that Percy was a Death Eater. They reiterated the same story that the Order had come up with to protect the family, that nobody knows what has happened and that his death is simply being investigated. Ron and Ginny seemed to be getting along, but Harry could see Ron simmering just below the surface, making a strong attempt at keeping his temper down. He found that Ron was also slightly bitter because his parents had entrusted Ginny with the express owl sent on the evening Harry had given his seventh years their equilibrium homework. Everybody agreed that it was best that nobody brought up Percy, dead, alive or his dealings with the devil.

However, throughout the school it could not be helped. Those students who received the daily post had spread the news to the other students that the latest Voldemort victim was a family member of two students at the school and a close associate of Professor Potter. They tried continuing with their school work as if nothing had happened at all but it was difficult for Ron and Ginny with the whispers as they passed. Harry hardly seemed to notice them at all considering all of the previous years he had to deal with the gossip on himself.

The time had come when the seventh year Defense against the Dark Arts students were to explain the research they had done on their class projects. Hermione had helped Ron with his because he had not been present when, collectively, the seventh years found the spell that unbound their envelopes.

It was two days after Ron and Ginny had returned. Now, Professor Potter stood in front of a class that was eager to share their information but would not calm.

"Attention class," Potter exclaimed. Hermione sat in the second row watching Harry scratch his head in frustration. He felt small and ignored in the midst of all the conversation happening in front of him. Harry looked at Ron gazing hollowly out the window, totally ignoring what was going on in the class. "Who wants to talk about Percy Weasley?"

Immediately Ron's face perked up but not in a good way, there was a white fire in his eyes at the mere mention of his departed brother's name. Harry sent an apologetic look his way but grinding his teeth, Ron glared at the professor indignantly. Around him the class fell silent, Professor Potter continued, "Well, I'm glad I could get your attention with something. Now it is time for class presentations, of the equilibrium homework I gave you a week ago; not discussion session of current events. I trust you all have finished it?"

The excitement that they had shown previously about their homework had faded as if it were yesterday's news. Professor Potter continued, "Everything in the world has something to balance it out. The match of fire is water because they cancel each other out. Now, who would like to go first?"

Hermione's hand shot up in an instant but Potter decided to choose a student himself. They were his age but they all seemed quiet and unwilling to volunteer. He chose a small Chinese girl in the rear of the class. Surprised she looked at her friends for consolation, nervously approaching the front of the class. Potter chose her because he knew that she had the easiest topic in the whole class.

He sat in an empty desk in the rear of the class to better view his students. The student, whose name was, Jun, spoke quietly about Lumos, the charm for light. She made a demonstration in the room by lighting all of the candles and her wand before using the reverse charm, Nox, to eliminate them all at once. When she was finished she hurried to her desk amid sparse applause.

Potter smiled and nodded at her and she blushed. He then called upon Sivinter who told the class of the opposites, sonorus and quietus. Professor McGonagall heard his booming voice all the way in the Head Master's office and made a short visit to see what the yelling was all about.

The work continued, reducio and its equal, engorgio were discussed by Nevelle while some other students went on about the opposites of simple hexes and curses performed on inanimate objects. A young Beauxbaton's student named Simone explained Deletrius, which erases spell effects. There were demonstrations on reparo and other fixing charms by Millicent Bulstrode, who gleefully destroyed the things on Professor Potter's desk before glumly repairing them. Ernie Macmillan, Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot all spoke of simple curing charms for simple hexes. A young Italian boy spoke of Accio and the Banishing Charm.

Gwen had a friend help her with her project. She set a fall-pillow on the floor and stupefied her before reviving her with the ennervate charm. Hermione was unable to choose a capable volunteer for her demonstration because she had purposefully received the Anti-Dissapparition Jinx. Professor Potter knew that she knew a lot on the subject. She shared her wealth of information with the class on how Hogwarts was a no-Apparition zone delving into how the jinx works.

Ron was last; he spoke of Levicorpus and its counter-jinx Liberacorpus. Harry had chosen him for this because it was a relatively unknown jinx and an even less known counter and the counter had been performed on him the previous year.

Harry smiled, impressed with his class for putting so much effort into their work. Everybody received higher than a B minus for their presentations. He dismissed the class for lunch.

He waited until they had all left before turning and seeing Ron, standing by a window. It was a dismal day, cloudy with rain pouring down in torrents sweeping against the panes of glass. The light made his face look grey and sick.

They stood silent for a while, listening to the rain slam against the window as if it were trying to break the glass pane. Harry was thinking about something to say to his friend when Ron turned to him. He looked serious but forlorn. As if he had been thinking about something dreadful for a very long time and it had been eating him up inside.

Harry's voice felt like a lump in his throat, "What's wrong? If this is about what I said about Percy, I'm really sorry. I just wanted them all to calm down. I—"

Ron shook his head as a cue for Harry to be silent. It took a while for Ron to say anything and when he finally did; his voice was quiet and tired, "Remember when I asked you how much longer people have to suffer?"

Harry bowed his head and when it was apparent that he was actually waiting for an answer to his seemingly rhetorical question, he replied, "Yes, it was a few days ago, in the dormitory." The sound echoed through the quiet room.

"Why are you waiting?" He asked softly. He sounded as if Harry had done him a personal harm or he was ashamed for some misdeed he had performed.

Harry thought about the question for a moment and then replied, "I'm scared, Ron." He felt hurt at being approached on the subject by his best friend so repeatedly. It felt like an onslaught in itself.

Ron did not reply. Without looking at Harry he slipped passed him. His silence but for the swooshing sound of his billowing robes was like a knife to the heart.

AN: I'm so sorry I haven't uploaded in a long time, right around this part of the story I got writer's block, and still have it to some extent! I figured it better, though to finish this chapter off finally (who knew that it would only take a few lines) I'm sorry it's kind of dull, i really hyped up the project thing and made it into a big dissapointment, i'm sorry, maybe i just didn't know what was going on there... anyway, thanks to everybody who's been supporting me through this, it'll get better in the following chapters! Please stay tuned!