DISCLAIMER: I am not profiting from this story in any way, and only the plot is mine in the first place.
POST DATE: October 8, 2007
CHAPTER 2: Midnight Meetings and Boring Days
Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Harry rolled over so that his right side was now against the bed. 'Hmmm, big surprise,' he thought to himself, 'I'm not comfortable in this position either. Well, I suppose I should have expected this, considering I've been trying to find a good position to sleep in for over 2 bloody ours!'
Finally deciding that he was still too worked up to sleep, he arose from his camp bed in Ron's room and quietly made his way to the door. As he reached it, he looked to his left where he saw Ron, tossing and turning in his own fitful attempt at sleep, although he at least seemed to have managed a state of semi-unconsciousness. Hearing several moans and a pained look on his best mate's face, Harry quickly decided against waking him from the nightmare that he appeared to be suffering. 'Bad sleep is still sleep, and at this point, he's gonna need all the sleep he can get. Who knows how any of us will be able to sleep if what we talked about at the meeting tonight comes to pass?'
Shaking his head, he quietly turned the door knob and exited the room, intent on going to the kitchen and having a cuppa. 'Maybe I can find something to calm my nerves a bit,' he thought. 'Right. I've just been told that the end of the world is coming, and a cup of bloody tea is going to calm me right down!'
Muttering under his breath as he exited the staircase and entered the kitchen, Harry did not at first notice the tired, hunched figure sitting at the table.
"Unable to sleep, Mr. Potter?"
"Who's there?" he asked, startled by the quiet, rather defeated sounding voice. Harry quickly turned and pointed his wand at the culprit, letting out a deep breath as his brain finally acknowledged the presence of his school's Headmaster. As he calmed down, Harry took in the sight of the man he had always considered somewhat of a mentor. What he seemed to weigh more than a ton on his mind. While he had always looked…rather mature, in Harry's opinion, Albus Dumbledore currently looked like he had aged over fifty years since the end of the meeting. He also looked tired, dead tired, more tired than any man had any business had being. However, the thing that Harry noticed above all other, to his own shock, what that he looked defeated. Never before could Harry have thought that this man, greatest among all wizarding kind, could look so…old.
His thoughts must have shown clearly on his face, for the tired wizard smiled slightly, although with no twinkle in his eyes whatsoever, before saying, "It's alright, Harry, I'm fine. Granted, I have had better days, but, unfortunately, I have also had worse. Please, sit down." Gesturing to a teapot on the table he asked, "Tea?"
Harry nodded and waited as a cup was filled. "Don't worry, this particular blend is meant to sooth the nerves, so it won't keep you up all night," Dumbledore said, attempting to sound jovial, and failing miserably.
"To be honest sir, I don't really think it matters exactly what's in it. In fact, I have a feeling it will be quite a while until I'm able to have a decent night's sleep again." Dumbledore simply nodded, and handed him the cup.
For a few minutes, both figures sat silently, each brewing in their own thoughts. Finally, Dumbledore spoke, although Harry was so distracted he only barely noticed.
"Excuse me?" he questioned, finally turning his eyes to face his elder.
"I said, you really shouldn't put so much sugar in your tea, it is quite bad for your teeth. I'm sure that if she were here, Miss Granger would concur."
Smiling bitterly, Harry replied, "Yeah, well, I suppose the condition of my teeth is getting ready to be the least of my problems, isn't it? I mean, you know, with the world coming to an end, and all." Concluding rather sarcastically, his face changed to reflect his rather bitter feelings.
"Harry, my dear boy, please believe me when I tell you that I understand how you feel. You must remember, as we all must, however, that we cannot let this defeat us. Even should this great atrocity come to pass, there will still be a war to be fought."
Harry responded after taking a few seconds to let everything his headmaster had just said sink in before responding. Apparently, his response came as somewhat of a surprise, as a look of shock took over the Headmaster's face. Harry was laughing. Uncontrollably. Hysterically.
After a few seconds, his laughter died down enough for him to finally spit out, "A war? That's rich. Thhhaaaaaat's unbelievably rich, sir. And Tell me, what, exactly would be the purpose of trying to win this 'war'?" As he said this last word, he formed quotation marks in the air, and suddenly his expression looked less like that of a laughing man and more like that of an angry one. "In case you've forgotten sir, if all this comes to pass, if this nightmare comes to be, then Voldemort will have won. All the muggles will be lost, and the world will be destroyed." He stood violently from his chair. "WHAT ARE WE GOING TO HAVE LEFT TO FIGHT FOR!?!?!?"
"Harry, please, it is late, and as improbable as it seems, there are actually people in this house who have successfully managed to find sleep." Waiting patiently until the boy had retaken his seat, he smiled sadly and continued. "Until earlier today, I could not have possibly imagined something like this coming to pass. Destruction at this level has not been seen in the history of the earth. Unfortunately, it is my belief that this will happen, and I also believe the woman from my vision when she said that we will not be able to stop it. Now, that being said, when this horrible…situation takes place, while the losses will be unfathomable, there will still be hundreds of thousands of lost witches and wizards left out there, and that's only if we are counting qualified witches and wizards. Should squibs also be able to survive, then the number of persons living would no doubt number in the millions worldwide. All these lost souls will be wandering aimlessly, and it will be up to us to provide a light to guiding light in the dark times to come. We will be responsible for the care of the world we inherit."
Sighing deeply and covering his eyes with his hand so as not to show the tears that were forming, Harry asked, "Why us, sir? I mean, what makes us any more special that we should inherit the earth, while all the muggles should die? None of these people deserve this, sir! Not a single one! It's just not…fair!"
Pausing, Dumbledore finally smiled and reached over and patted the boy's hand reassuringly before saying, "Harry, my boy, as you of all people have learned, the world is, by and large, a rather unfair place most of the time. No, you're quite right, not a single person who is going to perish because of what's to come has so much as even met Voldemort, much less earned his wrath. For that matter, none of us who are to survive have earned what we are about to go through, either; however, and this is what I need you to understand Harry, regardless of what is deserved and what is not, this is going to happen, and no matter how much we wish for it not to be so, we will be left to pick up the pieces. Believe me when I tell you, we will all mourn the losses that are to come. I fear times will be most difficult for people such as Miss Granger, who in a sense will be losing an entire way of life. However, we would be doing those who will be lost a grave disservice by wallowing in pity rather than fighting against the people responsible for their deaths. Why, to let Voldemort win because of this, well, it would be like saying that those who died helped to make it happen. I, for one, will not let that weigh down on my conscience, as I am sure you will not, either."
Resignedly Harry replied, "I guess you're right, Professor."
"Harry, unfortunately, I know I'm right. And it goes deeper for you and me, I'm afraid. People will be looking to us, yes the both of us, for leadership in these trying times. Your friends, along with many other people, look up to you; they value your opinion above many others. It will be up to us to represent a position of strength, to provide the proverbial 'shoulder to lean on' for those who need it. Times are getting ready to become unimaginably hard, more so than even I can fathom; however, if we stick together and remain strong, I'm sure that we can attain something positive from this. Even if that does not seem at all possible right now."
Staring fixedly at the tabletop, Harry finally lifted his eyes to Dumbledore's and said, "No sir…no. I cannot accept that type of responsibility. I mean, I'm just a boy! What do I know about leading people? For that matter, since when have I ever set a proper example for anyone to follow? People who stay close to me generally tend to end up dead, and I can't have that. I won't," he finished resolutely.
"Sadly, I do not think you have much of a choice in the matter. The lines have been drawn already, Harry, and your position in this matter was cemented long before now. Though you may be a boy in age, I think we both know you haven't been a boy in actions for more than a year now. Also, do not attempt to downplay your leadership skills when, not all that long ago, I seem to remember you leading a rather successful mission that ended in the capture of several high ranking death eaters. As for the example you set, while I admit that you sometimes have a knack for…bending the rules, I have never once seen you perform an action when you did not have the best intentions of others at heart. And that, my boy, is the best example anyone could possibly hope to follow."
At this, Dumbledore leaned back, and the two returned to their silence, each once again lost in thought. Finally, after thirty minutes of quiet, Dumbledore looked at the clock in the kitchen and, seeing that it was almost two in the morning, rose from his chair and said, "Well, Harry, I believe it is entirely beyond my bed time, so I am afraid I must retire for the evening. I would suggest that you do the same." As he reached the door leading to the hall, he stopped and turned back, a compassionate smile on his face. "Remember Harry, we are not defined by how we handle the responsibilities that we take on, but rather by how we react to the responsibilities that are thrust upon us unwillingly. I, for one, have every confidence that this will be your time to shine. Goodnight, Mr. Potter," and with that, he was gone.
Harry continued to stare at the doorway for several minutes. Finally, as he sipped the last of his tea, he took his empty cup to the sink, washed it by hand, and trekked back to Ron's room. As he lay down, once again attempting to reach slumber, he could not help but wonder if Dumbledore's faith was misplaced.
At about this time, nearly halfway across the world in the small town of Arnette, Texas, a security guard for a top secret governmental disease control and study facility was finally losing his battle with the sickness that had been eating away at his body and had already claimed the lives of his wife and daughter. Driving raggedly, swerving back and forth, he finally lost control of the wheel and ran off the road, colliding with several gas pumps of Hap's Service Station. As Hap and all the other men in the station rushed out to see about any survivors from the crash, none of them knew that they were rushing towards the near extinction of mankind.
The house remained fairly quiet for the next handful of days. Fewer Order members were stopping by, and Harry couldn't personally blame them. When there were there, they were forced to think about "The Meeting" as it was not ominously being called. Though the Weasleys had volunteered to stay with Harry, he couldn't help but notice that the twins were rarely present, and had decided to remain at their flat above their shop. Once again, he couldn't blame them. Therefore, most of the time, the only occupants of the house were Mrs. Weasley, Harry, Ginny and Ron.
Ron had become basically a shell of himself after the departure of Hermione. He only spoke when spoken to, and even then, he rarely gave more than one-word answers. The first day after "The Meeting", Harry had attempted on several occasions to stir up any type of conversation, even going so far as to criticize Ron's beloved Chudley Cannons, daring a response from him. His only action at each of these attempts, however, was to simply get up and leave the room that they happened to be in. Even Ginny had given a weak attempt at egging her temperamental brother into an argument, though all she earned was the same response. The second day, Ron had headed off any further attempts at conversation by barricading himself in his room, only opening the door to Harry at night when they went to sleep, and only venturing out when he was needed for chores or meals and to use the loo. Sensing that he was in pain, Mrs. Weasley was surprisingly lax on the amount of chores she required of her youngest son.
With Ron no longer around, and everyone else avoiding the Black Family Home, Harry and Ginny were essentially left to their own devices. Most of their time together was spent pretending that nothing was wrong. They would do chores for Mrs. Weasley, read books, play games of chess and exploding snap, and generally do anything to occupy their time awake.
On the third day, in the middle of a game of wizard's chess, Ginny had asked Harry, in what she no doubt hoped was a casual manner, "So Harry, it's been three days – Rook to E4 – maybe all this will just blow over, do you think?"
Feeling slightly uncomfortable to be breaking their mutual agreement for silence, Harry responded, "Well, Gin, to be honest, not a minute goes by that I hope for exactly that. But, I won't feel comfortable until Remus comes back and has good news."
"I know, I know, but it has just been so quiet. I mean, that's gotta mean something, right?"
Suddenly, Harry saw this conversation for what it actually was. Shaking his head slowly, he stopped looking at the chess board and stared her directly in the eyes. "Look, Gin, I can't tell you that everything's gonna be alright, 'cause I honestly don't know if that's true. Please don't try to force me to say something that I'm not sure of. I don't want to lie to you, OK?" After he was finished, he knew what he said had come out more harshly than he had intended it to.
Her face drew back as though she had been slapped, and she quickly rose from her chair and turned her back on her friend, to hide the tears that were forming. After a few moments silence, she finally sobbed out, "Sorry, OK? It's just that…that…oh, I don't even know. I'm just so tired of sitting here doing nothing, alright? Everything feels like it's in slow motion, you know? Minutes seem like hours, hours seem like days. Oh Merlin, everyone seems to be concentrating so hard on not talking about the one thing that we all want to talk about. It's killing me. Everybody's trying so hard to act normal that they are being anything but normal, well, everyone accept for Ron, that is. All he does is act like he's already dead! I can't even look at him anymore, Harry; it's like looking directly into the eyes of despair! He's my brother, and he hurts so badly, and there's absolutely nothing I can do to help him! It hurts so much Harry, so, so much." As she finished, she was wracked with a fresh round of sobs, making it unable for her to continue.
Seeing his friend in distress, Harry had no choice but to react. Though he did not care at all for crying females, he knew that Ginny was not the type to cry at the drop of a hat, so for her to be sobbing openly like this, she must be hurting immensely. Standing from his seat, he quickly closed the space between them, turned her around, and wrapped his arms around her protectively. At first, she did not react; however, after about ten seconds, she slowly unfolded her arms and wrapped them around his torso, gripping him for dear life and crying desperately into his shirt.
They stood like that for nearly fifteen minutes, until Mrs. Weasley came into the room, announcing loudly, "Alright you two, lunch is ready…oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were busy." Backing out of the room, she said quickly, "Well, when you're finished, come get something to eat. Oh, and tell Ron, also."
After she left, Harry felt the rumble of Ginny's laughter in his chest. Laughing himself, he remarked, "I'm surprised she didn't blast me off you with a reductor spell or something."
"Oh, Harry, she knows we're friends. Besides, I think she understands. I mean, she's got Dad, and she knows that we need each other right now, you know? We need to keep each other sane, to help each other hold on, right?"
Looking into her eyes, Harry couldn't help but wonder where the shy, introverted girl he had first met all those years had gone. Standing before him now was a strong, confident woman, a woman that he indeed felt that he needed to lean on right now. 'How has our relationship changed so drastically without me even noticing?' he wondered to himself.
So lost in thought was Harry that he did not even notice until the last second that his face was, in fact, drifting slowly closer to hers. As he stared into her warm, inviting eyes, he suddenly came to his senses, withdrawing from her so quickly that he almost tripped over the table holding their chess game. Attempting to lighten the mood, he said, "So, er…save the game for after lunch?"
Smiling lightly and…was that a hint of disappointment in her eyes…she turned towards the kitchen and said over her shoulder, "Sure. Hey, you go get Ron, huh? He's your best mate, after all."
Grateful for her light-hearted reply, Harry retorted, "Oh, sure, he's my best mate. Never mind the fact that he's your brother, right?"
She turned at the door jam, stuck her tongue out at him playfully, then whipped around and left the room. Harry gave a sigh of relief that was able to avoid making a rather large mistake.
On the fourth day, a much anticipated owl post arrived, as Hedwig came bearing two items. The first was an open piece of parchment addressed to Harry and Ginny. The second was sealed in an envelope, and was simply addressed to Ron.
Taking Hedwig to her cage so she could get some water and feeding her some owl treats, Harry set Ron's letter aside for the time being and concentrated on his and Ginny's letter. With a nod from her, he began to read.
Dear Harry and Ginny,
I hope this letter finds you both well. Let me begin by apologizing for the lateness of this, as things have been a little crazy around here the last few days. I want you both to let everyone know that my parents and I are fine. I have convinced them to cancel their vacation, although they have still taken the time off, which is nice as it gives us time to spend together.
I want you to know that I decided to tell them the truth about what was talked about in the meeting. I struggled with whether or not I should, but in the end, I figured that if this is going to happen, and if there really is nothing I can do about it, then we'll spend as much time together as a family as possible, right up until the end…
Here, Harry noticed the faint outline of what appeared to be tear stains.
Anyways, I contacted the Ministry of Magic and had our floo connection cut of, because I don't want anybody trying to break into our house if everything goes into a panic. This means that if anything happens, i.e. when Remus returns, I'm counting on you to get word to me through Pigwidgeon or some other owl. I hope you don't mind, Harry, but I would very much like to keep Hedwig with me, so that I'll have some way of getting in touch if I'm in an emergency.
I've been keeping an eye on the muggle news, and haven't heard anything out of the ordinary yet, although I suspect, with whatever this is happening across the pond, that we won't hear anything over here until well after Remus gets any information. Also, it's hard to keep an eye out when I have absolutely no idea what I'm looking for, you know? Still, I'll owl you guys the second I hear anything, promise.
Listen; can you guys do me a favor? I feel absolutely awful about the way I left things with Ron, but there was nothing I could do, you know? Anyways, I've written him a separate not trying to explain myself, but could you guys please, please, PLEASE work on him and get him to understand that I'm sorry, and that I do love him? We all know how stubborn Ron can be, but I don't want him hating me, now right now, I just can't handle that. I've instructed Hedwig not to leave until he sends a note with her. I just…I need to know that he's with me, even if only in spirit.
Alright guys, that's all for now, I'll owl again soon. Take care,
With Love,
Hermione
As he finished the note, Harry refolded it and picked up the note for Ron before turning to Ginny. "I think I'll go ahead and deliver this to him. You better wait down here, I don't know how he'll react, no use in you getting caught in the cross fire."
"Thanks, Harry. Tell me how it goes, OK? And make sure to smack him upside the noggin if he gets outta line!"
Chuckling slightly, Harry climbed the stairs to Ron's room. As he walked down the hall, he couldn't help the sense of foreboding that was taking him over, making him feel more and more like he was marching towards his impending doom. He knew Ron was mad that she left, he just didn't know how mad.
Knock, knock, knock.
Harry was positive Ron wasn't going to respond, and was therefore surprised enough to jump slightly when the door opened.
"What do you want?" he questioned in a flat, emotionless voice so unlike his normal one.
Feeling confusingly nervous, Harry sputtered out, "U-uh, Her-Hermione wrote to us," then jammed both Ron's private letter as well as the letter to he and Ginny into his chest.
With a look of indifference, Ron took both letters, and began reading silently on the spot. First, he read the letter to Harry and Ginny, where his face seemed to harden at first, and then took on a pained look that nearly broke Harry's heart. Opening and reading the second letter, again silently, his face moved back to impassive, although tears were now openly flowing down his cheeks. Wanting so badly to comfort his friend, it was all Harry could do to keep himself from throwing his arm over Ron's shoulders and giving him a manly hug.
Finally finishing, he looked up and, with tears still flowing, calmly asked, "Where's Hedwig?"
Not hesitating in the slightest, Harry lifted both fingers to his mouth and whistled. A few seconds later, the beautiful snowy owl floated into the hall and landed on Harry's extended arm. Turning his arm to Ron, he motioned with his head and Hedwig effortlessly hopped from Harry to Ron's outstretched limb.
"Just keep her in the room, mate, I'll send her off tonight before bed with your note and with a note from Gin and me," Harry said, hoping against all hope that he had kept his voice even.
Backing into the room, Ron gave one last, anguished look at his friend before answering, "Thanks," then closing the door. Harry walked back downstairs to the sitting room, where he proceeded to tell Ginny of his exchange with Ron, and once again held the poor girl as she cried.
"Harry! Ron! Wake up, you lazy sods! Breakfast has is ready, and Mum says if you two don't get downstairs soon, all that'll be left is cold toast and marmalade!" shouted the voice of Ginny Weasley through their bedroom door. Opening an eye, Harry saw that, indeed, light was streaming through the window, signaling the lateness of the hour. He glanced over at Ron's bed, and saw some movement, suggesting that he too was now awake. Harry knew better, however, than to try to try and interact with his friend, so he had instead done as he had for the past six days, and ignored him.
The arrival of Hermione's letter had done little to change Ron's interactions with the people at Grimmauld Place, yet, Harry could tell it had had some effect, for Ron no longer had been having fitful nights of sleep, but rather, slept in his usual deep trance. This at least let Harry to hope that Ron was feeling better.
Getting out of bed, Harry put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, looked in a mirror and shook his head at his impossible mop of hair, then quickly made his way downstairs.
"Eat up, you two," Mrs. Weasley said to Harry and Ginny as he took his seat at the table. "Harry, is Ron awake?" At his nod, she made her way back to the sink and began to wash the cooking utensils. Talking to the two teens over her shoulder, she began listing off the day's chores. "Harry, I'm going to need you to search the curtains in all the third floor rooms for doxies again, I know there are some at least in Arthur and mine's room. Ginny, today is the day for dusting the sitting room, so you can either do that separately, or the two of you can work together. That's about all I can think of, although pretty soon the floors in the hall will need to be re-polished. But I think we can leave that off for another day or two."
Grunting their understanding, the two teens began attacking their breakfast, when suddenly the door leading from the kitchen to the back entrance flew open, and in walked a very anxious Albus Dumbledore. "Molly, we must prepare immediately for another full meeting of the order. I need you to contact as many through the floo network as possible, and I'll be off contacting the rest."
"Absolutely, Albus, but what shall I tell them?"
"Tell them Remus has returned from America."
A/N: Oh, I know, I hate cliff hangers too, but it's really not that bad, I'm sure you can all pretty much assume what's coming. Anyways, just want to say I'm so, so sorry, because I know this is a somewhat boring chapter, but we all know that in good stories, some chapters are just like this. Also, I just want to point out that I am very unhappy with the first subchapter with Harry and Dumbledore, but I've spent over 4 hours just on that part, and I don't think I can make it any better than what it is, so, sorry about that. Stuff will start picking up a bit next chapter, rest assured. Well, that's all I've got, give me a review, and tell me what ya think. Until next time…
Cheers!!