Chapter 17

A Brave New World

Only a sliver of sunlight entered the fairly large bedroom but it was enough to see what needed to be seen. Every flat surface was covered with flowers, plants, cards and gifts expressing wishes of gratitude from those who actually knew the occupant of the room. Thankfully, everything sent by the general public had been routed to the Ministry for a team of trained witches and wizards to sort through. After all, it was the least the Ministry could do.

The only open space in the room was a path from the door to the large four poster bed used by the other occupants of the house to check on the sleeping figure. At first glance, one could easily miss the figure sleeping in the bed. He was, after all, hidden behind dark blue hangings that nearly blocked out the entire bed. There was a small opening on one side, however, that allowed a glimpse of messy black hair against a cream colored pillow. That glimpse, regardless of how small it was, made it clear of exactly who occupied the bed.

Traces of magic permeated the air, especially around the bed where the sound of slow, deep breathing could be heard. It was peaceful, constant and a sign of reassurance to all that entered the room. It was, after all, the only sign that the occupant was still alive. There had been no movement whatsoever unless someone else had done the moving. He was still as in death with no sign of improvement. With each day that passed, optimism and hope dwindled. Many were beginning to fear the worst.

The peaceful silence was broken first by the slow turning of the doorknob only to be followed by the oddly loud creaking of the door opening. Light from the hallway quickly lit up the room, revealing how bright some of the flowers and gifts actually were. There was a bundle of glittering flowers in a vase on the bedside table that seemed to come alive in the light, practically begging for attention. They were positively one of the most annoying 'gifts' received but the house elves insisted they remain where they were for some strange reason.

A tall figure stepped into the doorway, the light at his back, blocking any light from hitting his face. There was only a moment of hesitation before he entered, moving towards the bed with a familiarity to the surrounding objects that had been obviously well rehearsed. Reaching the bed, the figure pulled back the hangings before carefully sitting down on the edge of the bed so not to jar the sleeping figure in the slightest.

At first glance, one couldn't help noticing how pale and thin the sleeping figure was. His messy black hair didn't help, no matter how short it was. The lightning bolt scar on his forehead was clearly visible although it didn't look as painful as it used to. There was a small tube coming out of the right side of his mouth that ran to the nearest bedpost. The bedcovers were pulled up to the young man's chest with his arms resting on top of the covers for easy access.

The tall figure ran a weary hand through his short, dark hair before reaching for the small tube resting against the bedpost. "Not much is new today, Harry," he said quietly. "The Ministry is still doing what they can to maintain order but I don't think we should hold our breath." He uncurled is right hand to reveal three corked vials. Carefully, he set them down on the bed then picked up a vial with a light blue colored substance inside, uncorked it and poured it into the tube. He raised the tube and watched as the liquid slid down the tube and into his godson's mouth.

"Minerva fire-called," he continued softly as he picked up a vial with a nearly transparent substance inside, uncorked it and poured it into the tube. "There are quite a few people who want to come and visit. I'm running out of excuses, kiddo. I know you wouldn't want them to see you like this but they really do miss you…we all do." As the substance vanished into the patient's mouth, the process was repeated with the third and final vial. "You know, I wouldn't protest to a sign that you're actually listening to me."

A long shadow filled the room as a thin figure with a cane limping in the doorway, blocking the light. "You say that every day, Sirius," the figure said wearily. "He'll wake when he's ready."

Sirius glanced over his shoulder for a long moment before returning his gaze to Harry. "You shouldn't be on your feet, Remus," he countered. "You're still recovering."

Remus let out a tired sigh and slowly hobbled into the room, leaning heavily on his cane for support. "I'll probably be recovering for the rest of my life, Sirius," he said bluntly. "I'm not going to spend most of the day on my arse because of a little pain. The sooner I get use to it the better. Harry's going to need both of us when he wakes."

It was Sirius' turn to let out a sigh as he gathered the empty vials and rose to his feet. As quietly as possible, he pulled the hangings back to their original position, blocking everything except for Harry's face. Remus had a point. Harry would need all the help he could get. The question was whether he would accept it or not.

With one final glance, Sirius left the room at a slow pace, knowing better than to even attempt to offer Remus any sort of assistance. Remus was determined to stand on his own two feet as long as humanly possible, even if it took him twice as long to reach his destination as everyone else.

Had they stayed a moment longer, both men would have witnessed Harry's eyes slowly open partially before closing again and remain closed.

Muffled voices filled the air, teasing and taunting but remaining just beyond reach. Everything felt heavy and sluggish. Moving was certainly out of the question, especially since thinking seemed to take too much work. His mouth was extremely dry and something soft but firm was shoved down his throat, making it difficult to swallow anything without gagging. His mind was too muddled to think of any questions but that didn't prevent the confusion and panic that was beginning to overwhelm him.

What in the bloody hell was going on?

Surprisingly, the panic vanished as quickly as it came. The weight holding his body down slowly lifted, allowing him to move even if it was only slightly. A burst of warmth settled in his stomach before quickly spreading through his entire body, giving him enough energy to slowly open his eyes and see two blurry figures staring down at him. Almost instantly, his world came into focus and the object going down his throat shrank in size. Relief flooded in as he swallowed easily and stared at his guardians, taking in every feature, wrinkle and scar.

Remus and Sirius were alive. They were alive and other than a few additional scars, they had escaped the fight relatively unharmed.

Sirius' grin couldn't be any bigger. "Welcome back, kiddo," he said shakily. "Poppy'll be here soon. Once she sees that you're awake, she'll take your potions tube out." He took hold of Harry's hand and gave it a squeeze. "You had us worried there, Harry. When you fell…"

"What Sirius means, Harry, is that we expected the worst," Remus jumped in. "You've been in a coma for nearly five weeks with no sign of waking. The fact that you're conscious and lucid is more than what we could hope for."

Harry slowly blinked at Remus and Sirius, his mind taking time to process everything. Eventually, everything came back to him. He remembered fighting Voldemort, stabbing him in the chest and falling while Voldemort desperately tried to strangle the life out of him. He remembered the pain. How could he ever forget the pain? Questions filled Harry's head, particularly concerning his friends. Were they all right? Were they even alive?

A hand rested on his shoulder, pulling him out of his troubled thoughts. "We know you have questions, Harry, but please try to calm down" Remus said gently as he slowly sat down next to Harry. "First, you should know that the majority of the Defense Association managed to survive. Many of them were injured but their portkeys took them to safety before the injuries turned fatal. Justin, Terry, Padma, and Ron were laid up for a while but they made a full recovery. Zacharias and Anthony unfortunately didn't make it. They were killed by Death Eaters trying to escape."

Harry slowly closed his eyes as a wave of guilt and grief washed over him. Deep down, he had known it was bound to happen but he had hoped it could have been avoided. No one deserved to die at the age of seventeen. Harry could only imagine what their families were going through.

Sirius and Remus shared a concerned look before Sirius spoke up. "Don't blame yourself, kiddo," he said seriously. "Smith and Goldstein made their own choices. They knew the risks. The entire wizarding world views them as heroes. Scrimgeour even awarded them with an Order of Merlin, Third Class."

"Think about it, Harry," Remus added gently. "Voldemort was finally defeated because of a teenager and a group of students that he had trained." Harry let out a soft noise in protest. "It's basically true and you know it, Harry. You created the Defense Association, you determined what everyone would learn and you made sure everyone knew enough to have a fighting chance against Voldemort's worst."

Harry tried to groan in frustration but it came out as more of a gurgle. He really didn't want to hear the comments that would probably follow him for years to come. Everyone was going to praise him for something he really didn't feel responsible for. Sirius, Remus and Kingsley had done more in teaching the D.A. than he had. Unfortunately, no one really cared about the truth when the twist on it was so much more entertaining to hear.

"I know how you feel, kiddo," Sirius said with a grin. "I nearly gave Scrimgeour a black eye when he tried to convince me to by the spokesperson for the weekly 'Harry Potter Update'. Some people just have no sense of understanding of a 'private' life."

A knock on the door abruptly ended the conversation. In a blink of an eye, Sirius was off the bed and rushing towards the door. Remus let out a chuckle as Sirius yanked the door open and pulled the guest into the room. Harry's body was still extremely sluggish, forcing him to wait until the familiar face of Madam Pomfrey entered his line of sight. He could only stare at the changes that had happened since the last time he saw her. Although she was smiling, Madam Pomfrey still looked worn and exhausted. It looked like she had aged a few years in only a few weeks.

"Good afternoon, Harry," Madam Pomfrey said gently while pulling her wand out. "I'm just going to cast a few diagnosis spells then I'll remove your potions tube." She waved her wand over him several times in different patterns before frowning slightly and glancing at Sirius suspiciously. "Just how many potions did you give him, Black?"

"We only gave Harry half a dose of Pepper Up when he started coming around and reacting to his potions tube, Poppy," Remus assured. "You know we would never do anything to endanger him."

Madam Pomfrey shifted her gaze to Remus before nodding. "I never said you would," she countered. "I was just curious. "The Pepper Up surprisingly isn't causing any side affects with the rest of his potions but I wouldn't recommend prolonged use, just in case." With another wave of her wand, Madam Pomfrey banished the potions tube, sending Harry into a coughing fit from the sensation the spell created. "Sorry about that but there really is no easy way to remove the tube without some discomfort. Now, Sirius, Remus, I trust you two will keep him on schedule for at least another week."

Harry could only listen as his eyes began to droop in exhaustion. He knew there was more to learn about the past five weeks but he couldn't bring himself to demand answers. Sirius and Remus were alive, his friends were alive and Voldemort was dead. It was a new world, one that wasn't ruled by fear and prejudice. He was now free to live the life he wanted to live.

Harry couldn't help it. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Through the next few days, Harry managed to get the full story. Apparently, Voldemort had linked all of his Death Eaters to him through the dark mark. When Harry's healing abilities had kicked in, Voldemort had resorted to stealing resources from his Death Eaters to counter what Harry was doing. As a result, many of the surviving Death Eaters were noticeably weaker as far as magical power was concerned, making it easy for the Ministry to deal with the captured Death Eaters. Their trials were swift with the results being one of two options: the Dementor's Kiss or Azkaban.

The majority of them were Kissed. Scrimgeour made it clear that the Ministry would be strict with every supporter of Voldemort. Many of the pureblood families were in shambles because of their association with Voldemort, leaving them as a minority as far as wizarding policy was concerned. The few pureblood families that openly opposed Voldemort were moved to higher positions in the Ministry, including Ron's father which suited him better because of his lingering injuries.

Hearing about the injured had been difficult. Fred Weasley had shattered the bones in his right leg so badly that he needed a cane to walk most likely for the rest of his life, Arthur Weasley was blind in one eye and walked with a slight limp from all the damage, Justin Finch-Fletchley had spent days in St. Mungo's due to intestinal damage and now required a potion once a day to be able to digest food normally, Terry Boot lost the use of his left arm, and Kingsley Shacklebolt had lost his life, protecting several injured students.

That had probably been the hardest revelation to process. Over the past year, Kingsley had been a great teacher, tutor and even greater friend. It seemed impossible for Harry to even contemplate never seeing Kingsley again. An Order of Merlin, First Class, and a hero's burial couldn't even touch a portion of what Kingsley deserved for everything he had done to help.

At the present time, Tonks was acting as Black family representative, having woken from her own coma only a few days after the attack on Voldemort. She had been a little upset at first to learn what she had missed out on but the anger had quickly subsided once she learned of the injuries and deaths. Tonks had made an effort to visit every few days, bringing any new information from the Ministry that was undoubtedly labeled 'for internal eyes only'. She was the main reason Sirius was only one step ahead of Scrimgeour.

On the opposing side, Sirius and Remus revealed that there were a few Death Eaters missing, including Severus Snape. There had been no sign that Snape had even been present that night and none of his assets had been touched. It was as if Snape had simply vanished off of the face of the earth.

Despite the overabundance of information, Harry had to admit that he felt…lighter than he had in years as the days passed. His head felt amazingly clear with the absence of pain. It was strange. He had grown accustomed to mentally fighting Voldemort's presence every single day that now it felt like something was missing. In addition, Harry couldn't help noticing that his empathy wasn't as consuming as it was supposed to be.

Harry didn't know what that meant and it scared him more than he would ever vocally admit.

With the arrival of the weekend, Harry was finally allowed out of bed, even if it was only to the chair by the window in his bedroom now that the overabundance of 'gifts' were removed. Curled up in the comfortable sofa chair, Harry couldn't help close his eyes as he listened to Remus read through the class notes Hermione had taken. It was rather nerve-wracking for Harry to think of all the school work he had to make up but if he was planning on passing his N.E.W.T.s, there was no way around it.

At least Remus kept it interesting by inserting plenty of examples that Harry couldn't help smiling at. The more he heard the more he wondered how Sirius managed to survive to adulthood.

"Harry?" Remus asked gently, causing Harry to open his eyes and meet Remus' concerned gaze. "Should we take a break?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm fine," he said with a smile. "Just visualizing." Various waves of excitement gently brushed against him, growing steadily in intensity. "We have company."

Remus let out a sigh and rubbed his eyes. "If you're not ready—"

"—no," Harry interrupted quickly. "They've waited long enough. I just wish I—well—didn't look like this."

Remus' gaze turned sympathetic. "Harry, you were in a coma for five weeks," he said gently as he leaned forward. "It's understandable that you would lose a little weight." Harry let out a snort. "All right, so you're a little thin. You can gain it back in time, Harry. You're friends won't care. They'll be grateful to actually talk to you."

A knock on the door ended the conversation. Harry slowly shifted his body and looked around the back of the chair to see the door slowly open and Sirius poke his head in. "You two up for a few visitors?" Sirius asked quietly. Remus nodded and motioned for Sirius to enter. Harry straightened himself out as he heard Sirius address the visitors. "Now remember what I said. Harry's still recovering. Don't tire him out."

Harry rolled his eyes and he slowly rose to his feet and moved around the sofa chair as the door opened completely. He watched as Sirius stepped aside, allowing several shadowed figures to enter the room, immediately pointing out Ron's height, Hermione's hair, Neville's build, Ginny's petite stature and Luna's body posture. The light slowly adjusted to reveal their faces. Harry couldn't believe his eyes. Ron, Hermione and Neville certainly looked older, at least their eyes did. Neville also a long, thin scar running down the left side of his face that was impossible to miss but from the way Ron was shifting his weight, Harry knew that Neville wasn't the only one with scars.

"Hi guys," Harry said at last while sitting down on his bed. "Long time no see."

That was all it took for Hermione too take off and nearly tackle Harry as they both fell backwards on the bed. Waves of relief and fear pulsed off of Hermione alerting Harry that she needed comfort more than anything else at the moment. Wrapping his arms around her, Harry held her close until the powerful emotions subsided, allowing him to return to sitting upright. Hermione pulled back slightly and stared at Harry for a long moment before a smile spread on her face.

"We've really missed you," Hermione said shakily as she moved to sit at the foot of Harry's bed. "Being at Hogwarts without you has just been so—wrong!"

"Hermione's got a point, Harry," Ron added as he joined Hermione at the foot of Harry's bed followed by Neville, Luna and Ginny. "It's rather dull without you there." He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I—er—don't suppose you heard what Scrimgeour's trying to pull, have you?"

"Ron," Hermione warned.

"What?" Ron protested defensively. "Better that he knows sooner than later, I say."

"If you're referring to Scrimgeour wanting to hold an awards ceremony for Harry once he returns to school, than no, Ron, we haven't told him," Remus said as he slowly rose to his feet and grabbed his cane. "Harry has enough on his mind with trying to make up his coursework at the moment. We'll handle Scrimgeour, all right?"

"It's all right, Remus," Harry interjected. "I understand what Scrimgeour's trying to do. Right now image is more important than anything. Showing me off a little will strengthen people's faith in the Ministry."

Everyone stared at Harry incredulously. Clearly that was the last thing any of them expected to hear from the person who avoided the public like a plague.

"You may want to be a little careful, Harry," Neville said cautiously as he sat down on the opposite side of the bed. "I don't think you realize what it's like right now. The 'Daily Prophet' has a column called 'The Potter Update'. They've managed to fill it every day with something about you."

Harry stared at Neville with a raised eyebrow. "You're exaggerating. There's no bloody way they could find that much—"

"—you'd be surprised," Ron said bitterly. "Rita Skeeter has been at Hogwarts at least once a week trying to get interviews with anyone who knows you. Professor McGonagall's actually had to call the Aurors a few times to forcefully remove her."

Harry suddenly grew nervous. Rita Skeeter had a knack of revealing secrets. Harry didn't have many secrets anymore but the few he had were certainly secrets that could ruin his life as he knew it if they were revealed. Suddenly, the urge to make a public statement intensified. He needed to make it known that is private life was to be kept private. He had done his job. He had fulfilled the prophecy. Now, he just wanted to live in peace.

"Harry?" Hermione asked gently. "We haven't said anything to anyone. The entire D.A. knows to respect your privacy. In all honesty, the only thing Rita found out was that Romilda Vane tried to use a love potion on you. Romilda received howlers for nearly two weeks after that."

"But that's it, right?" Harry asked nervously.

"Oh, don't worry, Harry," Luna said dreamily. "People tend to believe the believable but ignore the obvious. Why do you think no one thinks Crumple-Horned Snorkacks exist? The signs are there just not the evidence that some find necessary for absolute proof."

Harry, Ron and Hermione stared at Luna in shock while Neville and Ginny looked confused. Luna had basically confirmed that she knew of Harry's abilities in every way except for saying the exact words. Deep down, Harry wasn't really surprised. Luna certainly did have a unique way of looking at everything.

Remus awkwardly cleared his throat. "Well, we'll leave you to talk for a bit," he said then looked directly at Ron and Hermione. "Try to keep the fighting to a minimal, all right?"

Ron and Hermione quickly diverted their gazes, not saying a word as Remus slowly followed Sirius out of the room. The moment the door closed, everyone seemed to relax slightly, especially Ron and Hermione. Harry couldn't help feeling a little confused at their behavior. Why should they be embarrassed about fighting? They always fought. That's just they way it was between them.

"Is something going on that I should know about?" Harry asked at last, his gaze shifting between everyone in the room.

Hermione let out a frustrated sigh. "It's really nothing, Harry," she insisted. "I think everyone just noticed that Ron and I have completely different points of view on some things since. You weren't there to keep us in line and Voldemort's gone—"

"—oh please," Ginny interrupted. "You two have been at each other's throats for weeks trying to figure out the best way to sneak over here to check on Harry and when you're not arguing over that, you're arguing about your N.E.W.T.s, classes in general, studying, and even Malfoy."

"Malfoy?" Harry asked in confusion. "What does he have to do with anything?"

"Hermione fancies him," Ron growled.

"I do not!" Hermione cried out. "There's no way I could ever fancy Malfoy. You're just jealous that I've been helping him catch up in his school work so he can rejoin classes."

Harry stared at Ron and Hermione in shock. "W—what?" he stuttered out. "I thought Malfoy was expelled."

"Well, he was," Neville jumped in. "At least until the public learned of him helping us and everything behind his 'alliance' with Voldemort. He's not completely forgiven but there are a lot of people who are sympathetic to what he was going through. He was reunited with his mum a few weeks ago and she made a public statement, blaming everything on her husband having more loyalty for You-Know-Who rather than his family."

"A load of rubbish, if you ask me," Ron added as he enfolded his arms across his chest and scowled, looking like a stubborn child.

"It doesn't matter if it's rubbish or not," Hermione countered. "The fact is the public believes Malfoy to be a tragic victim so they're willing to give him a second chance to finish his education and become an honest member of society. Logically, it's a smart move for the Malfoy family. This is the only chance they have at some sort of life in the wizarding world."

"Kicking the Malfoys out of the wizarding world sounds like a brilliant idea to me," Ron countered. "We don't need their sort."

"And what sort is that?" Hermione shot back, jumping to her feet. "Purebloods who are too set in their ways to see that people can change for the better?"

Harry cringed. He knew where this was going and also knew Ron was going to walk right into it. Neville, Ginny and Luna also seemed to pick up on what was about to happen as each of them took a cautious step backwards.

"Sounds good to me!" Ron said confidently as he took a step towards Hermione, ready to challenge.

"Fine! Then you might as well banish yourself since that describes you perfectly!" Hermione shouted then stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room. No one knew what to say. Hermione did have a point but she could have been a little gentler in trying to convey her point. Comparing Ron to the Malfoys was probably the worst thing Hermione could have done.

"Can you believe her!?!" Ron asked in outrage. "She's barmy, I'm telling you! Completely barmy!"

Harry let out a long breath as he ran a hand through his hair. This was really one of the last topics he wanted to cover but what was he supposed to do? Siding with either one would only end in disaster but it was clear that Ron and Hermione had to find some level ground or they would drive each other insane. "Hermione's not barmy, Ron," Harry said at last. "I may not like the guy but he paid for his mistakes. He spent a year in Azkaban and nearly lost everything. If he can keep himself in check then who are we to say anything to the contrary?"

Ron stared at Harry in disbelief for a long moment before he followed Hermione and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Harry's shoulders slumped as he repositioned his body and leaned against the headboard. So much for a nice, calm talk between friends.

"It needed to be said, Harry," Neville said at last. "They've been like this for weeks ever since…"

Harry looked at Neville curiously as Neville avoided his gaze. "Ever since what?" he prodded.

It was Ginny that answered. "Ever since they made a go at being together. None of us know why they even tried. They are complete opposites."

"They probably don't want you to know about it, Harry," Neville said quietly. "They never actually said they were a couple. We just noticed that they were off on their own a lot more for a short time and they were fighting more when the stopped. We've tried to talk to Ron but he just denies everything."

"I've also tried to talk to Hermione but you know how she can be sometimes," Ginny added. "Hopefully they snap out of it soon because we're all at the end of our rope."

Harry just stared at Ginny and Neville for a long moment as his mind slowly processed everything he was hearing. It was strange. He could handle life and death situations but teenage hormones and relationships were a completely new territory. Last year, it was only Ron who let his emotions cloud his judgment. He had thought Ron had learned a lesson from it all. Obviously not and now Hermione's involved too.

"The only way they'll work through it is if they're forced to," Harry said more to himself than to those around him.

Ginny suddenly smiled widely. "I got it!" she exclaimed then hurried around the bed to Harry's side. "Get in bed, Harry." Harry hesitated for a moment before cautiously complying. "Good. Now, I have an idea but for it to work, all of us will have to play along. We'll go downstairs and tell Ron and Hermione that you can't handle their bickering yet. If they want to see you any time soon then they'll have to work out whatever's happening between them."

"Which they will since they'd do anything to see Harry," Neville added with a smile. "Brilliant, Ginny."

Harry, however, wasn't so enthusiastic. "I don't know. You make it sound like I'm weaker than what I actually am."

"Remember, believe the believable, Harry," Luna said dreamily as she wandered over towards the window. "I don't think weakness will enter their heads. Needing a calm environment, on the other hand, is another story."

Neville stared at Luna with a raised eyebrow for a long second before returning his attention to Harry. "Please tell me she's making sense to you because I don't understand a thing."

Harry couldn't help smiling. That was what he liked about Neville. There were no demands to know what Luna was talking about, just hopeful assurance that he wasn't out of his mind. It made Harry feel a little guilty that he was keeping such a secret from someone who has never wavered in loyalty but really couldn't take the risk of the wrong people finding out. "She's making sense," Harry confirmed. "I'm sorry but at the moment the fewer people who can 'make sense' of what Luna says the better."

"We understand, Harry," Ginny said reassuringly. "Everyone's entitled to their secrets, even the Harry Potter."

"Exactly," Neville said with a nod as he slid off the bed. "Well, we should be going if we want to catch Ron and Hermione before they come back. We'll be in touch, Harry. In fact, now that it's known that you're actually awake, I suppose you'll be getting a lot more letters than normal."

Harry couldn't help being confused. "Neville, I haven't received any letters."

Neville and Ginny shared a surprised look. "Well, maybe you should ask Sirius and Remus," Ginny said cautiously. "Your mail situation was published in the 'Daily Prophet' a few weeks ago because so many people were trying to send you things. The Ministry gets everything and checks if for curses. After that, it's separated into two categories. Anything from someone on a list provided by Sirius and Remus is given to Tonks to pass on. Everything else is sent to St. Mungo's."

"Maybe answering mail is a low priority at the moment," Luna offered nonchalantly. "If it were me, I would put everything into returning to school."

Harry stared at Luna in amazement. That was strangely lucid. "I'll talk to Sirius and Remus about it," he said at last. "No matter what, I'll tell them to pass on your letters. It'd be nice to know what's happening in the real world from someone who won't sugarcoat it."

The door opened, startling everyone in the room for only a moment until they saw Remus enter the room, not Ron or Hermione. "I'm afraid it's time to go," he said with a slight sternness to his voice. "Ron and Hermione have already been sent back to Hogwarts."

"Er—right," Neville said uneasily. "We'll be going then. Talk to you later, Harry?"

Harry nodded, watching as Neville, Ginny and Luna hurried out of the room. He would never admit it but a stern Remus was quite intimidating, even with him leaning heavily on his cane. The moment they were alone, Harry noticed Remus' intimidating presence deflate slightly before he turned all of his attention to Harry. This Remus looked worn and exhausted.

"Harry, I think we need to talk about a few things," Remus said tiredly as he pulled out his wand and waved it at the nearest chair, causing it to float over and settle just behind him. With a relieved sigh, he sat down and returned his attention to Harry. "We were never trying to hide anything from you. We just wanted to wait as long as possible so you wouldn't become distracted from your recovery. You see, Harry, there are many types of people in the wizarding world…"