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Faith and Belief – "They're dying for what they believe in. And at the moment, that happens to be you."
"…The Aurors arrived right after," Drake said. "They took all the Death Eaters back to the Ministry."
Kingsley nodded slowly. They were sitting outside the Hospital Wing, still waiting to hear about Harry, Ginny, and Hermione. Beside him, Tonks pulled her knees up to her chest and let out a shaky sigh.
"But what about Harry?" Drake asked after a while. "What happened to all of you?"
Kingsley shook his head. "Death Eaters. Caught us in Helgan Cathedral while we were going after Hufflepuff's Cup. I'm not sure what happened to Harry and Ginny, but Hermione was hit with a Cruciatus Curse."
Drake winced. "Why didn't you call us?"
"We tried," Tonks murmured. "Hermione and I tried to come back, but the wards had been resealed."
Drake groaned. "Must have been after the attack started."
"Either way," Kingsley said grimly, "it was for the better. There would have been more casualties here if you and Blackthorn had left."
Drake bowed his head. "All the students are safe. Susan Bones has a gash in her side and Tracey Davis broke his leg, but it's nothing Madam Pomfrey couldn't fix up."
"But why?" Tonks asked. "They should have been no match for Death Eaters – and why were they out there in the first place?"
Drake shrugged. "The Herbology boy – Neville Longbottom – seems that he was in charge. He led nine other students out while two other Gryffindors took a dozen more into the Forbidden Forest. It wasn't a bad plan, actually."
"Neville Longbottom?" Tonks said incredulously.
Drake sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. "My sentiments exactly."
The three of them were silent for a moment. Kingsley closed his eyes. Madam Pomfrey had cursorily fixed up the gashes in his arm, but they still throbbed. Tonks' breathing still seemed too shallow; she had taken several spells to the chest but had refused to go to St. Mungo's. Mad-Eye, however, had been moved directly there since he hadn't been conscious to protest it.
"About Harry," Drake said suddenly. Kingsley and Tonks opened their eyes to look at him. "Is it true that he…Apparated here?"
Kingsley and Tonks glanced at each other. "We can't say for sure," Kingsley said slowly. "Although that appears to be the case."
Drake whistled. "And I heard Dumbledore was the only person who could ever do that."
Tonks shrugged. "Harry's been doing a lot of things we haven't expected."
Drake nodded his agreement. "By the way, Minerva found Hufflepuff's Cup on her desk. I suppose that was Harry, too?"
"Must've been," Kingsley sighed.
"There was something else, too," Tonks said quietly. "Back in the cathedral. I don't know if you noticed, Kingsley, but Harry used a spell with his wand ten feet away from him. And it worked."
Kingsley let out a long breath. He stared down at the ground. "Bloody Merlin. It's times like these that I wish Dumbledore was still here."
"Don't we all?" Drake said softly.
"You know," Kingsley said suddenly, "Dumbledore did say something about that. Harry's abilities, I mean. Apparently, since Harry grew up with Muggles, he knows nearly nothing about the laws of magic. He has no idea about what you can or can't do. If he wants to do something – if he believes he can do something – or if someone he trusts tells him he can do something, he takes them at their word and makes it happen."
Tonks furrowed her eyebrows. "Then wouldn't that mean every Muggle-born kid would be capable of that?"
"Well, no," Kingsley said. "It's that coupled with the fact that Harry is…Harry."
"Or that he's a Horcrux," Tonks said darkly.
Kingsley shot her a warning glance. "We don't know that."
"But what are we going to tell him next?" Tonks demanded. "Hufflepuff's Cup is the fifth Horcrux. There's only one left."
Kingsley frowned down at the floor, feeling Tonks' and Drake's questioning gazes burn into him. "We'll discuss that...when we get there."
The PA had a small celebration in the Room of Requirement the day after Harry, Ginny, and Hermione were discharged. There were several bottles of butterbeer and firewhiskey, along with a giant bag of sweets someone had acquired from the kitchens. Drinks were shared and backs were slapped as people went around congratulating each other.
But to Harry, it all seemed somewhat somber. He didn't mind celebrating – he encouraged it, in fact. The PA had deserved it, anyway, especially Neville. Harry had apparently done well in entrusting the PA to him.
"More butterbeer?" Ginny asked from beside him. They were sitting on cushions beneath a windowsill, their fingers entwined. Hermione and Ron sat on Harry's other side.
Harry shook his head, smiling down at her. "No thanks."
Ginny sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "Amazing, isn't it? How well they all did."
"Yeah," Harry said.
"All thanks to you," Ginny grinned.
Harry smiled faintly. "I guess."
Ginny sighed again, but said nothing else. He could feel questions burning within her, but they both knew there would be no point in asking them. She had already gotten whatever answers were available – he'd heard her talking with Remus the night before they'd been discharged.
"He Apparated into Hogwarts! I thought it was supposed to be impossible!"
"Impossible is a very strong word… More like…extremely difficult."
"…And Harry did it?"
"So it seems."
"Could Dumbledore?"
"Yes. He was the only one."
"Until now?"
"Until now."
"And…when we were there, in the cathedral… A Death Gobbler kicked his wand away, but he still did magic. Without his wand. He just shouted the spell and ropes came flying out."
"Again, it's not impossible. That's one of the most advanced methods of spellcasting. Strictly speaking, magic doesn't require spells or wands. Those things just help to channel magical energy, and we use them because it's more efficient. That's why nonverbal spells are taught here."
Harry couldn't have given her a better explanation than that – or any explanation at all, really. Things…just happened. He didn't feel any different, and there weren't any outwards signs that would have indicated that something had changed. But he could suddenly do things he hadn't even been aware were possible.
"Harry?" someone said tentatively.
He, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione looked up. Blaise, Neville, and Aaron Levy had approached them. All three of them hung their heads and stared at the ground.
"We, um, we thought you should know," Neville mumbled. "Hagrid – Hagrid's gone."
Harry stared at the ceiling.
He felt restless. Sleep eluded him. It was five in the morning and he hadn't even been able to close his eyes.
Hagrid's gone.
How?
He was – he was really brave. Right in the center of everything. But there were just too many of them. He had his back turned, and…
…Why?
It didn't make sense. Hagrid couldn't be gone. Sirius, maybe, and Dumbledore and Hestia. They had all just come and gone. They had all been in the forefront, repeatedly risking their necks in this damn war. But Hagrid was just…there. He was supposed to be there, all the time, whenever you needed him.
So how the hell could he be gone?
They…they buried him the day after. Professor Blackthorn…Professor Blackthorn said that was how Hagrid would have wanted to go. In battle. Like a fighter.
And how would Blackthorn know that? Some bloody professor who'd been here for less than a year – how would he know what Hagrid had wanted?
He cared about wild beasts with twenty sets of venomous teeth and stingers longer than a man's arm. He liked baking rock cakes and telling stories to students and trying to smuggle illegal dragons. He just wanted to live in his hut with Fang and his pumpkin patch, greeting new first years and decorating the Great Hall for feasts.
What the hell did Blackthorn know?
Who was going to take care of Fang now? What would they do with the hut and the pumpkin patch? Who would cut down Christmas trees and feed the thestrals? Who would lead the first years across the lake at the start of term?
Some stiff, gray-haired woman wasn't going to replace him. No one could replace him.
Harry blew out his cheeks. He reached for his glasses, put them on, and quietly slipped out of bed. He grabbed his wand and his Invisibility Cloak on his way out of the dormitory.
He shuffled out of the common room and down the various corridors and stairs to the ground floor. Without a sound, he pulled open the front doors and slipped outside to the grounds. He made his way toward Hagrid's hut like a ghost, feeling almost weightless under his cloak.
The door swung open easily. Harry hesitated on the threshold. It was just so…empty inside, so quiet…
There was a soft whine and the padding of feet. Fang appeared before him, his tail wagging slowly as he regarded Harry with large, moist eyes.
"Hey, Fang," Harry said quietly, stepping into the hut. He closed the door behind him.
Fang approached him and put his head against Harry's leg, still staring up at him with those big eyes.
Hagrid's gone.
Harry looked around the hut. Nothing had changed. The shabby overcoat still hung on its hook, a battered kettle sat on the stove, dented plates occupied the table…
Harry sat down against the wall. Fang gave a soft woof and settled down next to him.
"Do you miss him, Fang?" Harry whispered.
Fang whined again and laid his head on Harry's knee.
Harry nodded. "Me too."
An owl hooted outside. Harry stared at the puddle of moonlight in front of him.
"Idiot," he murmured. "I didn't even get to say goodbye."
There was a sudden movement outside the window. He squinted at the shadow, wondering why his vision was so blurry.
The door creaked open and someone whispered, "Harry?"
Harry stared at the face looking back at him, trying to discern who it was. "Hermione?"
Hermione sighed as she shut the door behind her. "Oh, Harry…" She walked over and sat down on the other side of Fang.
The dog sniffed her pockets and licked her hand, and she stroked his head.
They sat in silence for a long time. Finally, Harry spoke.
"I never knew it would be this hard," he muttered, staring at the ground as he absently scratched Fang's ears. "I thought I knew that people would die, but I didn't really believe it. Didn't really accept that it could happen. Not to people I knew. Not to people I loved. First Sirius, then Dumbledore and Hestia…" He took a deep breath and turned to face Hermione. "They're dying for me, right?"
"Oh, Harry…" She was quiet for a moment, and Harry heard his heartbeat echoing in the warm cabin that smelled of dog and earth and Hagrid. He went on scratching Fang's ears absently, staring off into space.
"They're dying for what they believe in," she said finally. "And at the moment, that happens to be you."
Up Next: Good question. We haven't figured out yet. :P
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