Thanks, Mate
chapter seven; Trust
AN: hey guys! Well, now that John clued me into just how old this fic is and scared the crap out of me (btw, thanks for that, dude :P) I think I'm gonna get this chapter over with. I was kinda looking forward to writing this one anyways :P btw, I just wanna make a side note: I'm still working with this as if HBP never happened. It would be too confusing to incorporate it now. (btw, did anyone else think it was extremely ficcy?)
Disclaimer: wow, it's been a while since I remembered to put one of these :P anyways, whenever JK Rowling decides to put Fred up for auction on Ebay, I'll be there. Until then, they're all hers.
Ginny walked into the room silently, closing the door behind her as she stared at her feet. Harry turned his head to look at her. "Ginny?"
She exhaled heavily, trying desperately to withhold her composure. "They want us to be there. Dumbledore and McGonagall, I mean."
Harry nodded, averting his eyes thoughtfully. "Hm. So, they're mailing your parents, then?"
She nodded. "And Hermione's. They'll be here tomorrow."
Silence.
Ginny hiccupped subtly, her eyes starting to well with tears. "I'm not telling them anything. Nothing at all. I swear it." Her vow ended with an even shaker voice than it began with, and Harry rose from his spot and held her.
She closed her eyes and buried her face into his shoulder as she wept mutely; she just didn't have the strength to bawl as hard as she wanted. "Shhh." he cooed. "It's alright. We'll just. . ."
"No, Harry." she contradicted. "It's not alright. It'll never be alright again. It's all over; all of it." Her morbid babbling continued for what seemed hours, yet all Harry could do was listen. He couldn't argue; after all, she was right.
". . .They're gonna take him away." she whispered, her voice terribly low and stricken with fear. "They can't. . . don't let them take him away. . ."
"Ginny. . ."
"They can't take him! They can't! I won't let them!" she screamed, her desperation coming out in now loud, violent bouts of tears.
"Ginny, listen to me. . . there's. . ." Harry swallowed hard. "There's not much we can really do. Even if we don't tell them anything. . . well, we don't really know enough to tell them anything they could use against us . . . but. . . I dunno, it's just. . ."
Ginny paused, and silence encompassed the room. "It's just what, Harry?" Harry didn't dare speak a word. She was forming an accusation to spin on him; he could just feel it. She pulled away from him, staring at him as she whispered. "You think they should take him, don't you?"
"Are you mad? That's not what I meant at all, and you know it!"
"Then, what, Harry? What did you mean?"
"Look, all I'm saying is that we can't get our hopes up. This is bigger than breaking a few school rules again, Ginny! This is the law. A fricken universal law! And we can't do a damn ruddy thing about it!" Harry stopped, appalled at what he was saying. How could he say that to her? How could he possibly look her in the eyes ever again after saying something like that?
Ginny stood there silently for a moment, shuddering and holding on to herself like a little child. She didn't speak, didn't move. . . Harry barely thought she was breathing altogether. "You know. . . it's funny." she whispered, so low that Harry barely caught it. "I thought. . . at least you'd understand. . ." she shook her head as she lost the fight with her tears, bolting out of the room as quickly as her legs would allow.
"Ginny! Wait!"
". . .Is she awake?"
"No, no. She's been asleep for some time now. Leave her be."
"Is it alright if I wait? I won't wake her, I promise." Lavender added.
Madame Pomfrey sighed. "You promise, then?" Lavender nodded. "Alright then. But don't you let me catch you breaking your word."
Lavender murmured a word of thanks and sat beside Hermione's bed, staring down at her while the hospital wing echoed with only the sound of Madame Pomfrey's heels on the wooden floor. Hermione seemed reasonably peaceful, although, her face still held a certain sense of shock from the day's events. Feeling a tad uneasy, Lavender let her eyes wander to find Malfoy in the bed across the room, lying awake, staring off into space with a somber, guilty energy emitting from him. Lavender paused. He couldn't possibly feel guilty, for once in his life?
"Lavender?"
Lavender's head turned immediately as Hermione groaned and rubbed her eyes, sitting up slightly. Lavender jumped in her seat. "Oh, no, it's alright! You don't have to sit up!"
Hermione ignored her with a yawn. "It's alright. What're you doing here?"
Lavender placed a small bouquet of flowers in her arms, speaking only when she looked up at her curiously. "I made sure they didn't smell that strong. My mum had a baby two years ago; she nearly puked at every little smell."
"You didn't have to - . . ."
"No," Lavender interrupted. "I wanted to."
Hermione paused, smiling weakly. "Thanks." Lavender nodded with a smile, and Hermione lowered her head gently to smell them. Lavender played with her fingers nervously, wondering if this was such a good idea after all. Hermione paused. "Lavender?"
"Hm?"
"It's just. . ." she stopped, staring down at the flowers in her hands. "How did you know?" she whispered.
Lavender bit her lip. "That day, in the library. . . I saw your wand, and. . ." the breath caught in Hermione's throat, and Lavender hastened to explain herself. "And I knew you had only just found out so. . ."
Hermione nodded, her eyes sparkling with tears. "Umhm." Lavender's breathing became heavier, frustrated at herself for making Hermione upset. "I'm sorry." she whispered, wiping her tears as she looked up at Lavender's shocked face.
"The last thing you should be is sorry. I'm sorry!" Lavender's hand enveloped hers as her pale eyes glistened gracefully. "I'm sorry I knew. I shouldn't have. It's not fair to you, or to Ron, or. . ." she paused. "Ron?" Hermione nodded. Lavender shook her head, fighting her tears back. "I didn't tell anyone. Not one person. And I won't, either; not ever."
How long they sat there, just staring at each other, neither of them knew, and neither of them cared. Because in that one, single moment, they understood each other so perfectly for the very first time. They hugged before they even noticed it, recognizing their new friendship.
"Um. . .Should I. . .?"
They let go of each other, looking to their newly arrived guest to find Ron, looking slightly distracted and a tad paler than Lavender remembered him to be the last time she saw him. He scratched the back of his head, backing away so as not to interrupt their conversation. "No, Ron, wait." Lavender said, standing as she brushed her hand across her eyes to erase her tears. "It's alright. I was just leaving." She smiled at Hermione, who nodded in thanks, and smiled at Ron as she passed.
Ron raised his finger at Hermione to tell her he'd be right back, and stopped Lavender at the door. "Lavender, hold on." she turned and looked at him peculiarly. "Um. . . Harry told me, you know. . . what you did up there. . ." Ron paused. "Thanks."
She smiled understandingly. "You're welcome." she whispered, closing the door behind her as she left.
"What happened?" Hermione asked as he sat on her bed, hands in his pockets.
"They're uh. . ." he swallowed. "Mum and Dad, and the lot. . . they're all coming. Yours, as well." He smiled weakly, obviously dumbfounded with shock and terror all at the same time.
"Well, you had to have expected that." she said bluntly.
He shrugged. "Well, yeah, I know, but. . ." he paused. "I dunno, maybe I just can't believe it's happening like this." He mumbled, more to himself than anyone. "It's just so . . . so complicated, yeah?" Hermione nodded slowly, and he let her pull his shaking hand from his pocket and hold it. He snickered.
"What?" she asked.
"I'm so stupid." he said, sounding completely positive that it was the truest statement he'd ever made. "I thought. . . you know, maybe. . . for once in my life, I could be just a little stronger for you. Just a bit. Cause let's face it, Hermione, I'm not strong, and I'm not brave, and I never bloody will be." He paused, his eyes welling with tears, and Hermione's face wrinkled in thought. ". . . I'm scared out of my bloody mind, and it's just so selfish of me, I can't stand myself." he said bitterly, sniffing.
Silence filled the air at his confession, and his hand shook more and more as his grip on her hand tightened. Just looking at him made her whimper silently. "Ron?" she whispered hopefully, holding his hands tightly, prompting him to look at her. She swallowed. "Do you love me?" He nodded fiercely, his gorgeous, emerald eyes glimmering with moisture. She bit her lip. "That's all I care about." she whispered, and he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, holding her tenderly. She giggled softly.
"What?" he asked.
Her laughter gained volume. "Oh, stop crying. You're so dramatic."
He grinned mischievously, throwing her on her back as he tickled her, sending her into hysterics. "Dramatic! I'm dramatic? Oh, please!" he retorted, though she was laughing so hard, he barely thought she'd heard.
When he finally saw fit to get up and stop tickling her, her laughter slowly died down enough for her to speak. "Know what?"
"What?"
"I'm hungry."
Ron blinked. "Do you want something to eat?" she nodded, and he raised an eyebrow. "Do you really? You mean, if I go get something, you'll eat it?"
She kicked him in the rib before speaking. "Go get me some grapefruit."
"Grapefruit." he repeated. "Umhm. I suppose you'd like tartar sauce with that?" he said sarcastically, however, her eyes widened at the thought.
"Oh God, that's what I've been craving! Yeah, get the tartar sauce!"
He nodded slowly, just a tad freaked out. "Okay, so grapefruit with. . . tartar sauce."
"Or pinto beans."
"Pinto. . .?"
"No, wait! Start over! I want a caramel apple with mustard. Oh, and those little anchovies they have in the Great Hall on Tuesdays? Get a few of those. Thanks, love!"
Ron nodded with wide eyes and a weird expression on his face, kissing her temple as he got up to leave. "Uh, sure." he stopped. "Wait, what's a pint - Ugh, forget it. . . beright back."
She smiled and turned over as Ron left, scratching his head in confusion.
They really are gorgeous. she thought, picking up Lavender's flowers again. She reached into her robes and retrieved her wand, flicking it thoughtlessly at the table beside her bed. Nothing happened. She blinked, perturbed at the thought of actually trying when conjuring something. She flicked it again. Nothing. Then, all of a sudden, without her even raising her wand again, a glass vase appeared on the table, already filled with water, and she turned her head just in time to see Malfoy stuffing his wand back into his robes. She stared at him thoughtfully, though he seemed to be completely indulged in the practice of staring at random objects beside his own bed. She cleared her throat. "Um. . . Draco? Did you just . . .?"
"Yeah."
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it." He said bitterly, beating his pillow once or twice before laying his head down and closing his eyes. She undid the paper on the flowers as quietly as she could, dropping them into the vase and disposing of the paper before lying down on her own pillow, napping lightly.
"Sirius's house?" Ron asked, puzzled. "Why there?"
"Hermione's parents are muggles." Harry reminded him. "They need someplace neutral. At least, that's my guess."
Ron nodded. "Yeah, I guess."
"We've got to be downstairs to leave by second period. That's what McGonagall's letter says, anyways."
Ron blinked, finally rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he retrieved his towel to beat the morning rush to the showers. "We've got time, then."
"Yeah, we can go down to the showers later on, once everyone's gone off to first period." Harry said lazily, falling back on his bed.
"Nah." Ron replied. "I wanna, um. . . go talk to Hermione. . . before we leave, yeah?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah, go on, then. Me and Ginny will catch up with you later."
"Alright. See ya." Ron said, walking out of the dormitory to the shower rooms downstairs.
Harry sighed, mentally kicking himself for seeming so relaxed about the situation. Ron wanted nothing more for himself to die before that meeting happened, and yet here he was, acting as if it were a bloody field trip! Ron was his best mate, damnit! How could he act like that?
Harry sighed, taking his glasses off as he closed his eyes. He was just not having any luck with the Weasleys.
"Ah, yes; thank you, Kreacher." Dumbledore chimed, taking his cup of tea and sipping it lightly. His cheerfulness made everyone cringe. How anyone could be cheerful at a time like this. . .
"Filthy mudbloods, storming in again. . . Why, if my mistress only knew. . ." Kreacher muttered as he passed more cups around, stopping at Hermione's tall, dignified looking father and her warm, polite mother. "Muggles! Muggles, in our house!" Kreacher accused, pointing at them. "Filthy vermin! Be gone from my mistress's house! Mudbloods, oh, she'd have a heart attack, my poor mistress. . . But this!" he screamed, slamming his tray down on the floor.
"Kreacher! That will do!" McGonagall said, astonished. Kreacher turned to look at her before storming out of the room, not at all quietly. Mrs. Weasley pulled her wand from her robes and petrified him in the next room, curtly shoving her wand back in her robes. She did not look entertained.
"Thank you, Molly." said Dumbledore, his face earning a certain seriousness before he continued. "I shall assume you all know why you are here." he said, gesturing towards Ron, Hermione, and Harry and Ginny, as well, sitting parallel to the adults. It rather reminded Harry of his hearing at the beginning of his fifth year. Hermione looked down at her lap the entire time, not once looking up, and Ron seemed to find the dust on the floor rather interesting as Ginny's expression became more and more distant. Harry seemed to be the only one who was bold enough to look at his superiors before him.
"Well?" McGonagall prodded, breaking the silence. "Have you anything to say for yourselves?"
Ginny choked. Ron and Hermione merely sat there, completely unchanged, as if no one had yet spoken.
"Hermione." Mr. Granger said, using every bone in his body not to use her middle name. She didn't move, but Ron's eyes turned, watching her anxiously. "Hermione, look at me." Her father persisted. Her head only sunk lower, her eyes closing. "Answer me, young lady!"
Ron reached into his pocket slowly, pulling out his handkerchief. He held it out to Hermione just long enough for her to grab it, but she seemed to want to hold on to his hand more than the handkerchief. "Get your hands off my daughter!" he yelled in Ron's direction, staring into his eyes so maniacally that he tugged his hand from her right away, but she wouldn't let him go.
"Mione. . ." he reasoned softly, watching her father's face turn purple, but she wouldn't hear it. She shook her head violently, whimpering softly. Ron's grasp on her hand tightened.
"I said 'get your hands off my daughter'." he growled.
"Please, sir." Ron begged weakly. "She doesn't feel well."
"And whose fault do you suppose that is?"
"Michael, please!" his wife implored, looking at Hermione. "Honey, I think you should go lie down."
"I'm not leaving." she whispered shakily.
"Then you answer your superiors when they speak to you, do you understand?" her father roared, and before anyone could react. . .
"Leave her alone!" Harry boomed, on his feet, face red with fury. Ginny looked at him. "Look at them! You're terrorizing them!"
"Mister Potter. . ." McGonagall started, but before she could finish, Dumbledore waved his hand at her, and she stopped, looking at him curiously.
Mr. Granger stared at Harry with more rage than he'd ever seen in his life before answering. "Watch your tongue, boy."
"No, I won't!" he retorted. "She's your daughter! How could you talk to her like that? She's in pain, and Ron's only trying to help her, and what is it you're worried about? Getting him to let go of her hand. Have you any idea how ridiculous that is? Ron hasn't done anything wrong! In fact, he's being pretty damn respectful to you, giving her his kerchief instead of holding her."
"Harry. . ." Ron started.
Harry turned on him so fast, he barely realized he'd done it until he spoke. "No, Ron! He's not even giving you a chance, treating you like dirt like that! Someone's got to say something! And you!" Harry turned on Dumbledore, McGonagall and the Weasleys, ignoring the look of shock on their faces completely. "You're letting him do it! How could you watch him talk to Hermione and Ron like that without saying anything?"
Harry stopped, realization dawning on him. "Because you want them to talk, as well." he murmured to himself. "You want them to talk!" he accused, eyeing every adult in front of him. "What could you possibly want them to say? Any of you! Haven't they endured enough without you coming in like this, treating them like bloody murderers? Haven't they?"
His whole body shook, and the room echoed with silence. No one dared to even breathe. "You should be ashamed of yourselves." he whispered, sitting down as the silence encompassed the room once more, tears pouring down his cheeks.
No one spoke for what seemed like ages. Only when Mrs. Weasley's spell seemed to have worn off and Kreacher's cries of "Betrayal!" and "Muggles, in my mistress's house!" rang throughout the house did they acknowledge the sudden hush.
"I think," Dumbledore began, gaining everyone's attention. "That we have had enough for one day." The stillness showed their agreement, and he continued. "Professor McGonagall and I could, perhaps, escort the children back to Hogwarts after Miss Granger has had some rest?" She nodded softly. "Splendid." he said, standing to walk out of the room, McGonagall in tow.
"Hold on, then." Mr. Granger said, standing so he was eye level with Dumbledore. "I'm not quite finished."
His wife tugged his shirt, begging him to sit. "Michael, please. . ." she whispered, tears streaming down her face.
Dumbledore, looking calm and collected as ever, replied as coolly as if he had been asked the time. "I believe, Mister Granger, as Harry has so kindly informed us, we've done enough for the time being." And with that, they were gone.
Harry, following suit, chose to stand as well, only to be scolded by Mrs. Weasley. "Harry Potter, you sit down." He sat at once; he didn't mind yelling at Hermione's father, however, Mrs. Weasley was not a force to be reckoned with. She sat in silent fury for a moment, too angry to even look him in the eye. "Don't you ever, ever, speak to Dumbledore like that again; do you hear me?" Harry blinked, nodding slowly. "You're indebted to that man in more ways than you could ever know. Now go on, all of you." Ron and Hermione looked at each other oddly before standing, following Harry and Ginny out of the room.
"Dumbledore." Mr. Granger stated, more to Mrs. Weasley than anyone. "The kid screams at all of us for no legit reason, and you choose to defend Dumbledore. Are you completely mad?"
"My sanity is not of your concern." Mrs. Weasley replied coldly. "I wouldn't expect a man like you to understand."
"Wouldn't. . .? A man like me? What's that supposed to mean?" he boomed. "All I've done is attempt to solve an extremely important matter with my daughter, and I've been reprimanded for it by some. . . some. . . little. . .-"
"- friend that's more concerned about her welfare than you are? Yes, I'd say so."
"Well, I see where your son gets his blatant disrespect for others."
She looked at him darkly. "I've always treated your daughter as one of my own, and I expect the same for my son."
Mr. Weasley put his hand on his wife's arm. "Molly, stop this. This is pointless."
"No, I won't." she said, waving his hand off of her.
"No, Arthur, she's right." Mrs. Granger said softly.
"She's right?" her husband questioned. "She's right! Alright, fine then, Arianna, you tell me why she's right."
She sighed. "She's defending Dumbledore because. . . because. . ." she swallowed hard. "Because he was the only one who didn't deserve that. He valued that boy's opinion whole-heartedly, because he knew he was right."
"So I deserved to be yelled at like that by a child?"
"Yes, you did!" she replied sharply, her voice cracking. "We all did! And this isn't about you!" she sniffed. "Michael, she's our baby. How could you. . ." she stopped, breathing heavily as tears streamed down her face. Her hands covered her eyes as her shoulders shook, and she only found strength enough to whisper. "Get out." He looked at her curiously. "Get out!" she yelled, and he sighed as he got up, slamming the door behind him. Arthur looked to his wife, departing from the room quietly, leaving them alone to talk. Mrs. Weasley rose from her spot, sitting beside Arianna as she whispered weakly. "I can't stand him. I can't. . ."
"Shhhh. . . It's alright, Arianna, dear." She cooed, taking her hands from her face.
"What did I do wrong, Molly? What, in God's name, did I do?"
She nodded. "Oh, I know, dearie. . . I can't even. . ." she paused. "I don't understand how this could've happened."
Silence.
"I knew when she found out she was a witch. . ." Mrs. Granger started softly. "I knew things would be different. . . but. . . Even witches and wizards, it can't be normal to. . . at this age. . ." she stated pleadingly, secretly hoping that it was true, just so she'd have some sort of explination other than her inabilities as a mother.
Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "No, of course it isn't. It's actually. . ." she paused, swallowing hard to keep herself from crying. "The penalties are worse for a witch and a wizard."
Arianna blinked. "Penalties?"
Molly shivered. "For an unmarried couple. . . having a child isn't legal. The father of the child, he. . ." she bit her lip. "He's thrown into Azkaban."
Arianna's bright, wet eyes widened. "Azkaban?"
"The wizarding world's prison. But it's far worse than a normal prison. None ever survive; the guards are horrendous creatures that suck your soul from you."
Mrs. Granger was speechless as she watched Molly's eyes water, watching her mind put her own, youngest son in that position. "Why?" she breathed, taking Molly's hand comfortingly.
She swallowed hard, her voice becoming higher pitched with every word. "It was a population law put in place hundreds of years ago. We were too numerous; muggles were spotting us everywhere, witches being hanged, wizards killed. . . We call it The Massacre, I don't know what Muggles call it. . . the trials, I think is what Arthur said. . ."
"The Witch Trials; of course." Arianna confirmed passively, almost mesmorized by pure shock.
"The law was put in place so . . . the father would die in Azkaban, so the child would replace it's father in the population. It's how they control our numbers."
Arianna's breath left her. "That's horrible." she breathed. Molly nodded fiercely, crying hysterically. "Are they really going to . . .? To Ron?" she asked, praying she wouldn't hear the answer she knew was coming.
"Of course they will." Mrs. Weasley spat, disgusted with the idea whole-heartedly. "He hasn't denied that it's his child even once, hasn't even questioned it. And those disgusting council members, they'll. . ."
Arianna blinked. "Not even once?" Molly shook her head. "Oh my God." She bit her lip. "And he's doing that. . . for Hermione?" She was so shocked, she barely knew how to react.
"Hermione. . . she means so much. . . to Ron, to the whole lot of them . . ." She paused. "Arianna, dear, I hope you know. . . this isn't like him; hewouldn't have. . . if he knew. . ."
"No!" Arianna said, stopping her. "I could never blame your son for any of this. Never." she swallowed. "I trust your son with my daughter."
Mrs. Weasley smiled, and Arianna managed a weak smile that came out as a painful grimace. "Thank you." Molly whispered, hugging her as she sobbed, and Arianna went right on crying with her; just two, confused, scared mothers, learning to be strong for their babies.
AN: phew. That took a while. :P well, i've been working NON STOP the past 3 days, trying to finish this up – originally, there was one more part to this chapter, but its just too long already – it actually fits better as the beginning to the next part. Just because I cut you short of that, ill tell you what happens (kinda): Fred makes a very important promise to Ron that will be present from then on in the rest of this fic. Try and figure it out:P betcha caaan'ttt…
Lol, well anyways, before I go, I just wanna say another thank you to Akalea, and I apologize to high heavens if I spelled that wrong. checks nope, I think that's right. But anyways, I was writing this the other day, feeling so stressed about getting it done in time, and your review just helped me slow down immensely and absolutely put a smile on my face. Everyone's reviews in general, the fact that people care what I write; it just absolutely gets to me. I love you guys, really, all of you. Thank you so much for putting up with me.
Forever and always,
Suki
ps - review, please:P
formatting updated July 26, 2006