CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

An Urgent Letter

Out of her own stubbornness and will to prove that there was absolutely nothing wrong with her, Eva made Harry take her all the way up to Gryffindor Tower under the guise of the invisibility cloak. After he had once again bewitched the curtains of his bed into silence, she collapsed onto the mattress. Not bothering to change himself, he climbed into bed with her and pulled her into his lap so that her head was resting on his chest.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" he questioned, stroking her dark curly hair.

She looked up at him and smiled. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

He laughed. "I didn't think so." Truthfully, it worried him. It would have been nice to simply ignore her condition and move on to other things. But he knew that he could not require anything of her in good conscience in her current state.

"It's getting worse," she said quietly. "Every time… It takes a lot out of me. Before and after."

Harry continued to stroke her hair, then moved his other hand to rub her back. A tear trickled down her cheek. "Something inside of me… hurts. I don't know what it is. I don't know how to make it stop hurting."

Her words made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He knew that being a werewolf often took its toll on Muggles. Some went crazy. Some succumbed to the wild. But Eva had support—not only from him and the rest of the wizarding world, but also from Snape's potion. Wasn't it enough to keep her alive and sane?

Eva's tears continued to fall. Harry gingerly wiped them away from her feverish cheek. "Just being with you helps," she said quietly. "I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you."

Harry kissed the top of her head. "The feeling is mutual."

For the rest of the evening, Harry tried to lighten the mood with funny stories. He hated to see Eva's tears and did everything he could to stop them from making another appearance. After a few hours, they changed into their nightclothes and spent a while sharing feverish kisses. Eventually, Eva surrendered to her exhaustion and fell asleep in Harry's arms. He stayed awake and watched her sleep for as long as he could manage, until he too gave into the night.

The next thing he knew, he was awakened by a hooting accompanied by groaning from his bedmates. Quickly, he pushed a still sleeping Eva to the side and jumped out of his four-poster. Sunlight was streaming in from the windows. Ron stared back at him from his own bed, sleepy-eyed and grumbling at the snowy white owl on Harry's nightstand.

"Could ya take care of your damn bird, 'Arry?" Ron asked hoarsely.

"Sorry. Ouch!" Hedwig nipped at Harry's fingers as he untied a letter from her outstretch talon. She seemed to be aware of his current bed partner and was slightly jealous. Harry gave her an owl treat from a box on his nightstand. He also put his glasses on and glanced at the letter. It wasn't a typical letter he received from Remus or the Weasleys. In fact, it was a Muggle envelope. On the front, it merely was addressed to "Harry Potter." No Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, no return address.

"Say, Harry, is she… in there?" Ron whispered and gestured to Harry's bed.

Harry sighed. "Yes. But it's not what you think," he added quickly.

Ron smiled and glanced at the letter he was holding. "Who's it from?"

"Dunno," Harry replied. "But do me a favor and tell everyone to leave me alone this morning. I'll be sleeping in on account of a bad headache. I'll be skipping breakfast… and maybe Charms, too."

Ron shook his head. "I don't know whether you're being generous or just stupid. Flitwick will have your head."

Harry sighed. "Won't be the first time." He flashed Ron a grin and squeezed between the curtains, careful to conceal Eva from the outside room.

She was awake and already sitting up, pulling her messy hair back into a ponytail. "Mail?" she questioned. "Don't tell me you're receiving love letters from some other girl."

"Nope, just the two," Harry replied. Eva responded with a playful punch on the arm. Harry showed her the envelope. "It looks like it's from a Muggle."

Eva nodded. "That's a regular envelope, all right. Look, it has the recycling symbol on it." She ran her fingers over the imprint on the back of it. "What Muggle—besides me, of course—would be sending you mail?"

Harry shrugged and ripped the envelope open. "My Muggle Studies professor is always using Muggle stuff. Maybe it's from her. We have this huge debate coming up that I'm in charge of…"

"Wait!" Eva had the envelope in her hands and was staring at the front of it. "I recognize this handwriting. But why on earth would he be writing to you?"

As Harry opened the letter, another folded piece of paper fell out. This one had Eva's name written across it. Harry handed it to her. "Who is it from?" Harry only had to unfold his own letter to see.

Harry,

Please see that this gets to Eva. I have no way of contacting her.

I'm sorry for the other night.

I do believe you. The both of you.

-DAVID CAYLE

Harry couldn't believe what he was reading. "How did he send this?" But Eva wasn't listening. She had also torn open her letter and was devouring every word. Harry watched her read, her eyes lighting up. Suddenly, she looked at him.

"Harry, did you… did you do magic when I wasn't around that night we met David?"

He shook his head. "No… Oh, wait. I did pick up the Moon Guide by magic when it fell out of my pocket. It was just a simple charm used to…"

"Well, that simple charm may have just turned my entire mission around!" She grabbed Harry and kissed him excitedly.

"I don't understand…"

"David was watching us fighting. He saw me go back into the pub and watched you pick up the Moon Guide. It was that small bit of magic that convinced him."

"You're joking." Harry suddenly felt sick. He thought Eva was done with her mission for good. In his own laziness he'd breathed new life into it.

She shook her head. "He wants to speak with me as soon as possible. He's going to bring others! Do you know what this means?"

Harry shrugged, still shocked.

"This means that all my work was not for nothing! There are Muggle believers!" She breathed a sigh of relief and flopped back on the pillows on his bed.

Harry took the letter from her hands and read it for himself. David confessed that he did believe, and that he was sorry. She was right; it all made sense. After his strange experiences, he knew that there was something else out there. He just wasn't ready to accept that it was magic.

"How did he know to send the letter?" Harry questioned. "I mean, how could he even know that post is delivered by owl?"

Eva sat up and shrugged. "I guess you'll just have to ask him for yourself." She grabbed her bag from the foot of the bed and rifled through it, looking for something.

"You're not suggesting that I come with you on another… Muggle meeting?"

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting. And I think I'll need some more reinforcements. I mean, Nora should come, obviously, because he already knows her and now we can tell him the truth about where she's been…"

"Slow down," Harry said. "I think you're getting a little too excited. I mean, I can't be responsible for breaking an entire group of people out of Hogwarts…"

"You've done it before," she interrupted. "Last year, at the Ministry."

"That was a mistake," Harry bellowed. He said it more harshly than he intended. But he didn't want to be responsible for people's lives anymore. He was lucky that they only lost Sirius.

Eva turned and batted dark eye lashes his way. She was turning on the charm, and it was impossible for him not to fall for it. "Please, Harry. You know how much it would mean to me. We can really accomplish something. Together." She gently took his hand. "I will not sit idly by and let you battle alone."

Harry sighed. That was exactly the problem. But judging her state, he knew it would be better not to argue with her for the moment. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt just to meet with them. How much damage could they do in one night?

Eva carefully folded the letter back up and slipped it between the pages of a book she had pulled from her bag. Harry watched her do it with shaky hands. There was something familiar about that book.

"Where did you get that?" Harry asked suddenly.

"This?" Eva handed it to him. "Molly gave it to me the other day as a belated birthday gift. She said it was a diary, but every time I write in it, the ink disappears after I shut it. I don't know what kind of journal it's supposed to be, but it's not a very good one."

Harry studied the bound book closely. He pulled out the Diary Dupuliquer from beneath his pillow. It was identical to the same book she held in her hands. He opened his own diary, which he hadn't touched since his last dream. Since Dumbledore had told him that there was no more Legilimency, he'd given up recording them.

Now, as he flipped through the pages, there were words scribbled all over the crisp pages in handwriting he recognized. It was Eva's.

"Hey! That's what I wrote." She stared at Harry's Diary Dupuliquer in disbelief.

Harry flipped to the next blank page, took out the small quill he used for writing in the diary, and began scribbling on the page. Then he closed his diary. "Open your diary now."

Eva did. She gasped as Harry's words appeared on the blank pages of her diary. "Harry, this is amazing! It's instant communication!" She grinned. "Now I can talk to you anytime I want to. Forget owl post!"

Harry returned her smile. At least one good thing came out of their eventful morning.

Next Saturday.

The phrase startled Harry. He and Eva had agreed to "meet up" with the diaries a few days later around eight o'clock to discuss plans for the Muggle meeting. He didn't even know why he was agreeing to help her—he just couldn't refuse her.

Don't you think that's a bit soon? Harry scribbled.

The sooner the better.

He sighed.

I don't like this. Not one bit.

I know you don't, Harry. But you have no idea how much it would mean to me if you would just do this one thing for me. The more David and his friends get to know you, the easier it will be for them.

Her plan was absolutely ridiculous. He was supposed to get some members from D.A. to agree to leave school grounds and break wizarding law, all in the same night. He had no doubt that he would find willing volunteers. His anxiety was about the actual execution of the entire plan.

And just how do you plan on getting us out of Hogsmeade? Harry questioned.

There was a long pause on the other end.

I haven't exactly figured that out yet. But I'll find a way. Whether I bring them here or bring you to them, it doesn't matter.

Next Sunday is my big debate.

Harry hadn't exactly told her which side of the debate he was on, but he had a feeling she already knew and didn't want to hear about it. Helping her was a direct betrayal of his own position. The things he would do for the girl he loved.

You'll be back in plenty of time. Don't worry.

Harry scoffed. Easier said than done. Her writing continued:

Don't bring Seamus. I don't want to deal with him.

Harry agreed. Are you sure you want me to bring Nora?

Positive. Look on the bright side—now maybe she'll stop bugging you about joining Dumbledore's Army.

Hope so.

Harry frowned. It would be a miracle if they didn't get caught.

Neville was the last member to stumble through the doors of the Room of Requirement. Looking slightly stressed and surprised to see the first year, Nora, at the meeting. "Where is everybody, Harry?"

"This meeting is just for, ah, a select few," Harry replied. "Plus Nora."

Nora smiled brightly at Neville from her seat on a cushion on the floor.

"What's this all about, Harry?" Ginny questioned as she gestured for Neville to take a seat next to her on the floor.

Harry swept a hand through his hair and stared at the members of Dumbledore's Army before him. The room looked empty with only Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Nora in it. He didn't even know where to begin.

"I think that just about everyone here knows who Nora's sister, Eva, is and what she is to me," Harry said.

Neville looked slightly confused and responded with an innocent question. "Is she that mysterious Muggle girl you talked about in the interview?"

Harry nodded, trying not to blush. "Heard it's the best selling issue Luna's dad's had all year," Ron teased.

"Well," Harry cleared his throat, "Eva needs our help with something. Something that may seem quite drastic to most of you. I understand if you outright refuse to take part in this activity."

"Would you just tell us what it is, already?" Ginny asked impatiently.

Harry sighed. "It's not easy to explain. You see, Eva used to work for the Ministry. With your dad." He nodded at Ginny. "She also started working on a project of her own. Telling certain Muggles about the Wizarding World."

"I'm fairly confident that's against the law," Hermione interjected, folding her arms over her chest.

"She had special permission from the Ministry to tell a select Muggle. If she succeeded, her project would continue. If she failed, she and her project would be terminated. Unfortunately, that's what happened. She told the Muggle, he didn't believe her, and she lost her job. Now it turns out that this Muggle fellow…"

"David," Nora interrupted. "His name is David. He's great."

Harry decided to ignore her comment. "It turns out that he does believe her, and he wants an explanation. He asked that Eva and I meet up with him and some others to have a little chat about our secret world. And well, we need more help."

"Harry, have you lost your mind?" Hermione said.

"No, not my mind," Harry chuckled. "I'm not saying that I agree with it. But I did say that I would help Eva in her endeavor. Nora is obviously coming with us, because she already knows David. But I wanted to see if any of you, the best and the brightest, would want to come with us."

Neville beamed at Harry for the compliment. "When is this happening?"

"Saturday."

"This Saturday?" Neville's eyes fell. "Harry, I can't. The debate is the next day. I haven't even started working on my opening statement and Professor Avis is going to kill me if I mess up…"

Harry nodded. "I understand, Neville. Don't worry about it." He was in the same boat, but figured he could easily slap something together at the last minute. And he was a bit more suave than Neville when it came to speaking in front of a large audience.

"Well, I'm certainly not going," Hermione said. "What you're asking us to do is crazy, Harry. Not only would we be breaking school rules by leaving the grounds, but we would be breaking laws set forth by the Ministry of Magic."

"You know, Hermione," Ron said suddenly, "sometimes the law is wrong. Sometimes the rules are wrong."

"But that is not for you to decide, Ronald," she snapped.

"Another decision I don't have any say in," he shot back. Hermione blushed an angry shade of red. "Count me in, Harry."

"I'll go," Ginny said. "It will be a good distraction from studying for my O.W.L.s."

Harry nodded. "That's enough of us. As always, I'd appreciate this leave this room." He glanced at Hermione. "Everyone who's coming with, we'll meet here during lunch on Saturday."

Harry watched the Marauder's Map to make sure that it was safe for everyone to leave the room. Hermione lingered behind. He could tell that she was still upset about the content of their meeting. He waited for everyone to leave, then turned to her, expecting the worst.

Instead of anger, her face was filled with sorrow. She looked defeated. "How do you do it, Harry?"

"Do what?"

"How can you help her even if you don't believe in what she's doing?"

Harry took a deep breath. "I believe in her. I guess that's enough."

The May sunshine peaked through clouds and sparkled of the grounds of Hogwarts. Spring was in the air and it felt good to not be wearing his heavy winter coat as Harry and Ron followed the other students out to the Quidditch Pitch on Friday evening. Having already secured their spot in the final match, he and Ron were feeling quite confident in their positions. That evening would decide who Gryffindor would battle against: Ravenclaw or Slytherin.

Despite Malfoy's undeserved luck in the beginning of the Quidditch season, his extracurricular activities had taken their toll on both him and the rest of the Slytherin team. They had barely beaten Hufflepuff to secure their position in the finals, and after a good half-hour into the game they appeared to be struggling against Ravenclaw as well.

"Malfoy's so distracted by the awful way his team is playing there's no way he can be on the look out for the Snitch," Ron said, grinning. "Looks like you and Cho are going to have one last battle."

Cheers erupted from the stands as one of the Ravenclaw chasers scored. Harry nodded. "I think you're right."

A/N: Look! Now they have magical instant messaging! Haha. Also, I apologize to all the hardcore Hermione fans. She seems a bit out of character in this chapter (I know, I'm ready for the flames) but she will have her redemption eventually.