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The World Turned Right Side Up | ||||||
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Category: Post-DH/AB Characters:All Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, General, Romance, Tragedy Warnings: Sexual Situations, Violence Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 259 Summary: With Voldemort gone and a world no longer in fear Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione begin to move on with their lives, only to find that happily ever after is just beyond the horizon. Hitcount: Story Total: 181451; Chapter Total: 5436 Author's Notes: Hello all. First let me apologize for the long time between updates. Between writer's block, and a trip to visit my parents, things have been rather poor for getting quality writing accomplished. Again, many thanks to my wonderful Beta, who let me know to keep plugging away at it, and it would eventually start to be what I want again. Thank you to everyone for your reviews and comments. Keep them coming as they are great motivation. |
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Ron and Hermione walked in silence toward the library of Gryffindor. Even though it was late in the morning, Harry had not yet awoken and Madam Pomfrey was uncertain as to just how long he would remain unconscious. Fortunately, his breathing was doing much better and all of her tests seemed to indicate that he was doing just fine. Ginny had insisted on staying with Harry, and as such the responsibility fell to Ron and Hermione to figure out what exactly was going on. Having no better clue as for where to begin, it had been Hermione who realized Gryffindor would most likely be the one with at least some type of answer. It made sense though, seeing as how Gryffindor was the one responsible for training them, he would be the one who most likely knew best about what had happened. It was with this mindset, hopeful that Gryffindor could provide some answers, that Ron and Hermione now stood facing the door that lead into the library. Why they hesitated, neither could say, but they did. Looking uncertainly to one another, neither made a move to open the door. Perhaps it was still shock from what had just transpired the day before, perhaps it was fear that maybe Gryffindor did not have the answers, but whatever it was, they found themselves standing silently before the door. Summoning his Gryffindor courage, Ron let out a small sigh as he grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. As he stepped into the room, he was struck by how quiet the room was. Immediately he noticed Gryffindor on the far side of the room, pacing back and forth as though lost in thought, apparently having not heard the door open. Gryffindor seemed lost in thought, stroking his beard with his hand as he appeared to be having a silent discussion with himself. Occasionally, he would make wildly animated movements with his hands, only to grab his hair in frustration. Nearing Gryffindor, Ron and Hermione could both see that the apparition seemed to be quite worried. His hair, which was normally neat and well kept, was loose and frazzled, obviously from his continual pulling it. His robes were wrinkled and his face appeared to have an unnatural age to it — assuming someone more than a thousand years old could. Could he know what’s happened? Hermione thought to herself. Her heart lifted for a moment, hoping that he may be able to give them the answers they needed. Having finally noticed he was no longer alone, Gryffindor stopped his pacing and looked towards Ron and Hermione. Immediately, a look of concern spread across his face as they drew nearer and finally before him. No one spoke for a long moment, until Gryffindor could stand the silence no longer. “Where’s Harry?” he asked firmly. “He’s in the hospital ward,” Hermione began. “He’s unconscious, but Madam Pomfrey, the school healer, seems to think he’ll be fine eventually.” “What happened?” Gryffindor finally asked quietly. “We’re not sure,” Ron began, glancing towards Hermione and letting her know he would answer. “Harry was taking a walk in the local village by himself when we heard an explosion. A while later, Headmistress McGonagall Flooed us to say that Harry was here and hurt. We actually came down here to find out what you might know.” Ron’s voice did not waiver or break as he spoke. It remained calm yet firm, and Gryffindor could tell that the young man before him was not making a request as much as a statement. “I imagine the city was destroyed,” Gryffindor offered somberly. “It was,” Hermione responded with a small amount of shock in her voice. “How would you know that?” “That’s how Daemon is,” Gryffindor replied while his eyes seemed to focus off in the distance, just beyond Ron and Hermione. “Whether he succeeded in killing Harry or not, the village was doomed the moment he arrived.” “How did he escape?” Gryffindor continued. “Fawkes,” Hermione began, but hesitated upon hearing Gryffindor gasp. She paused for a moment to see a look of surprise on his face before continuing, “Fawkes, a phoenix that was once Dumbledore’s and has helped Harry in the past, appeared and flashed him away before he could be killed.” Gryffindor remained silent for a few moments, but a look of relief slowly spread across his face. After a moment, curiosity finally got the better of Hermione. “So just why did you respond with surprise when I said Fawkes’s name?” she asked. With a hint of happiness in his eyes, Gryffindor began, “Because I tried to summon Fawkes to me, so that I could send him to Harry. He never came, so I assumed the bond that we shared when I was alive no longer held and that Harry would have to face Daemon alone.” Ron’s mouth hung open as his mind began to process what Gryffindor had just said. So much was implied, so much left unspoken, yet it was obvious exactly Hermione’s eyes began to dance as the wheels of her mind quickly began to spin and put the pieces in place. “You know Fawkes?” she began with a hint of skepticism in her voice. Fawkes had been Dumbledore’s companion, and while Hermione was well aware of the immortality of phoenixes, the thought that Fawkes could have also been a companion of Gryffindor’s seemed almost unbelievable. Before Gryffindor could answer that question though, Hermione fired off the more important question that had come to mind, “Better yet, though, just how did you know to send Fawkes?” Gryffindor stood looking at Hermione and Ron for a moment. Finally he spoke, “Yes, I know Fawkes. He was my companion many years ago. And in regards to how I knew to send Fawkes, that’s because before Daemon came after Harry, he was here.” “That c-c-creature that did this to Harry was here?” Ron asked incredulously, the pitch of his voice rising as he spoke. Gryffindor simply nodded. “I’ve told you before, Ron, Daemon is a very powerful wizard, and has knowledge of magic long ago forgotten.” “But how could he get here to Hogwarts?” Hermione asked, concern etched across her face. “And if he could, what’s to keep him from coming back?” A look of concern and panic began to emerge across her face as her mind began to make the connections of the real danger they were in. Realizing where her thoughts would lead, Gryffindor held up his hand in what he hoped was a placating and reassuring manner before speaking. “He will be back,” Gryffindor began. As Hermione opened her mouth to speak, Gryffindor pressed on, “But the wards and magic protecting Hogwarts are very strong, so it’s not just as simple as him coming back whenever he wishes.” A look of confusion began to spread across Hermione’s face as she continued to process what Gryffindor was telling her. “What do you mean?” she finally asked. Motioning towards a nearby table with chairs Gryffindor began to move in that direction. “Please, take a seat, what we have to talk about will take a while, and what I’m going to be explaining will take time both for me to tell, and for you to understand,” he spoke as he gestured first for Hermione and then Ron to set in the chairs. Neither said a word as they waited for Gryffindor to resume his story. With a small sigh, Gryffindor began, “As I said before, Daemon is a very powerful wizard and knows magic that has be forgotten for nearly a millennia. He got in Hogwarts using a potion that’s been lost to time which enables a wizard to temporarily separate himself from his body and become omnipresent with his magic. What that means is he is able to set aside the physical constraints of his body and let his magic flow freely throughout the whole of Britain and quite possibly beyond.” “That would let him find anyone, anywhere,” Hermione added softly as Gryffindor noticed her eyes slowly filling with understanding as her mind made sense of what she was learning. “Correct,” he replied. “And that’s what he was doing yesterday, searching for Harry, but during that search, he found something he didn’t expect — he found me. Another result of the potion he was using was that because he was no longer associated entirely with his body, his magical essence could bypass all the wards and protections around Hogwarts. He chose to do that, to come see me before going after Harry in order to gloat and rub my face in the fact that there’s nothing I can do myself to stop him. Ron and Hermione were both silent for a moment, contemplating what had just been told to them. Finally, Ron shifted in his seat. “So he was only able to get through Hogwarts’s wards and protections because of the potion,” Ron summarized before lowering his head and running his fingers through his hair. Gryffindor nodded his affirmation as Hermione added, “And just how long does it take to prepare this potion?” “Two months,” came Gryffindor’s reply. “It takes two full months to make the potion from scratch to finished product. Throughout that time, what I can only be described as a finicky potion must simmer without interruption.” “So are there any other limitations that will keep Daemon out?” Hermione continued. “None,” as a loud sigh escaped from Gryffindor. “Daemon only has to use a small amount of potion for it to be effective, but it only lasts for a couple of hours and doesn’t do anything to him magically that would require him time to recover.” “Then if he had a cauldron full of the stuff, why hasn’t he come back?” Ron questioned. “It seems to me that he should suspect this is where Harry would come to after leaving Ottery.” “You are right, Ron,” Gryffindor began, “Daemon most certainly knows that Harry is here. As I said, though, the potion is fickle. The simple act of extracting a vial’s worth to drink pollutes the rest of it and leaves it worthless.” “So that means that Harry and we have one day shy of two months before Daemon returns to finish what he started,” Ron stated out loud even though he was talking more to himself than anyone else. Gryffindor silently nodded his head in agreement. “Bloody hell!” an exasperated Ron cried out as he waved his hands up in the air. “Just bleedin’ great!” After Ron ranted and raved for a few moments, Gryffindor finally raised his hands signaling for him to be quiet for a moment. “Yes Ron, time is short, but we must work with what we’ve been given. Truly you’ve been lucky that Daemon hasn’t come for Harry and you all before now. Two months is still a good amount of time to prepare for him, and you’ve overcome great difficulty in the past. Once Harry is back up and around, you’ll set your mind and get to work, and in the end, you’ll defeat Daemon and it’ll be over with,” he extolled firmly yet compassionately watching as Ron and Hermione both absorbed every word he as he spoke. Slowly both began to nod their understanding. “We know,” Ron began, the exasperation in his voice gone and replaced with a resigned yet resolute tone. “Bloke’s just gotta vent sometimes, ya know?” Gryffindor smiled softly as he nodded at Ron. *** Soft, warm sunlight filled the hospital ward as Madam Pomfrey quietly moved about. Ginny remained steadfastly at Harry’s bed. Sometime during the night, he had gone from being unconscious to merely a heavy slumber, which had greatly relieved Ginny, but he still had not awoken. Whatever rest and sleep Harry was getting, however, was equaled if not surpassed by the worry and torment of Ginny. Even though during the course of the night Molly, Arthur and even Madam Pomfrey had come to her, imploring her to sleep and rest, she had resolutely refused to do so until Harry awoke. At some point early in the morning, just before the sun arose, Ginny finally succumb to her exhaustion and fallen into a fitful sleep. How long she had actually slept, Ginny could not say. It was most likely a few hours at best, and had offered little in the way of rest or refreshment. After awakening for the third or fourth time from a nightmare about what Harry had gone through just the day before, she shook herself and climbed out of bed, intent on staying awake for the day, or at least until Harry awoke. It had been with her sitting in a very uncomfortable straight backed wooden chair that Ron and Hermione had found her later in the morning. They had come trying to get her to go with them to see Gryffindor, but Ginny refused to leave Harry. She told them to go and learn what they could and hopefully Harry would be awake by the time they got back. That conversation had taken place over two hours ago, and now even the chair was not working to keep Ginny’s exhaustion from getting to her. Actually, the only effect that the chair was having was to make her backside ache painfully each time she shifted in the chair. Sighing in frustration Ginny stood and slowly began to stretch her tired muscles. Pausing for a moment to look at Harry once more, she noted that his breathing was relaxed and he seemed to be sleeping peacefully. “Harry, it’s time to wake up,” she extolled softly while running her fingers through his hair. “You’ve slept long enough. Come on, luv, and wake up.” Leaning forward, she placed a kiss softly against Harry’s forehead, but he still did no awaken. Still not time yet I suppose she thought to herself. As she began to stretch once more, the door to the hospital ward opened to reveal Ron and Hermione returning. Casting a quick glance to Harry, Ginny stepped away from the bed for a moment and met the couple as they approached. Drawing nearer, Ginny could tell something was bothering Ron. His face was one of deep concentration and concern. “Has there been any change?” Hermione asked as they finally reached Harry’s bedside. Ginny ran her fingers through her hair and blew out a frustrated breath. “He looks loads better, but still seems intent on sleeping the day away,” she answered rather sharply as she turned her eyes once more towards Harry. “So what’d Gryffindor have to say?” This time it was Ron’s turn to let out a frustrated breath. “Bloody bad’s what it was.” “Ron!” Hermione snapped causing both Ron and Ginny to turn and look at her. Taking a deep breath Hermione began, “Well, Ron’s right to an extent. Gryffindor was aware that Harry was going to be attacked. Evidently, Daemon, the person who attacked Harry, came to Hogwarts before he went after Harry.” A gasp from Ginny broke Hermione’s explanation but only long enough for the bushy haired woman to take a breath and begin again. “It seems that Daemon can make a potion that enables him to bypass all the wards and protections of Hogwarts. He used it yesterday to speak with Gryffindor and then set off after Harry,” she continued. Silence reigned in the room for a moment as Ginny contemplated what Hermione had just said. It was no wonder Ron did not like the conversation with Gryffindor. Ginny could not say that she was enjoying this conversation with Hermione very much either. “So that means nowhere is safe then,” Ginny finally responded, “at least for Harry.” “Well that is the lone bright spot from this whole situation,” Hermione began again. “It takes Daemon two months to make the potion and it’s such a finicky potion, that he can’t store up any extra. So he has to start from scratch for each use.” “So then we have two months to be ready…” Ginny replied. For a long moment, she stared out the window of the Hospital Ward. Neither Hermione nor Ron said anything to interrupt her introspection. Twice, Ginny opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again without making a sound. Hermione looked uneasily to Ron and he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the next. The moment seemed to last an eternity until everyone involved was suddenly startled. A low moan filled the room as Ginny looked to Ron and Hermione while they in turn looked at her. Realizing the noise came from none of them, all three heads turned simultaneously towards Harry. Laying there, with his green eyes blearily shining back at them, was Harry, now awake and moaning softly as he tried to move. While he was trying to sit up in his bed, Ginny quickly rushed to his side and firmly placed her hands on his chest and pinned him down to the bed. “No, Harry,” she reprimanded him as he struggled to sit up. “Don’t try to move right now, just lie down and relax.” Ron and Hermione both could see the tension in her shoulders abate as she was dealing with Harry. “It’s good to see you awake, luv,” she added as an afterthought once she had gotten him to comply with her orders. Ron and Hermione both then slowly approached Harry, finding his piercing green eyes staring back at them. “It’s good to see you awake, mate,” Ron added as Hermione stepped away to fetch Madam Pomfrey. “It’s good to be awake,” Harry hoarsely replied as he turned his gaze once more back to Ginny. His eyes filled with unshed tears as the gravity of what had happened began to return to him. For her part, Ginny’s eyes too were filled with tears as all of her fear, all of her stress ebbed from her body. She knew they had to still address what Ron and Hermione had revealed to her just a few minutes ago, but now, with Harry awake, she knew they stood a much better chance than with him asleep. Time slowly passed as Harry and Ginny simply stared into each other’s eyes. They said nothing, but the tender caress of Ginny’s hand against Harry’s cheek and his arm spoke volumes. Finally, their moment was broken as Hermione returned with Madam Pomfrey in tow. “Ah, Mr. Potter,” the healer began, “So good to see you’re awake…” *** Every muscle of Harry’s body ached. It felt as though a herd of Hippogriffs had decided to run him over sometime while he had slept. Wiping the sweat from his brown, he gritted his teeth and let out a ragged breath as he steadied his wand and aimed at the large boulder before him once more. To say that Madam Pomfrey had been upset when Harry, her patient, had insisted on leaving the hospital wing later in the afternoon after he awoke would be an understatement. Whatever had motivated him to be so foolish with his well being eluded the healer, but not even her most sincere threats and dire predictions would sway his choice. What bothered her even more though, was the fact that not even Ginny had argued with Harry too greatly about him staying to rest. Of all of his friends and family, Madam Pomfrey assumed Ginny would be the most vocal about Harry taking care of himself, yet she had only looked deeply into his eyes and then nodded in agreement with his demands. For his part, Harry did not awaken with the intent of leaving the hospital ward so quickly. Truth be told, he knew he needed the rest, and ultimately felt as though that was what he should be doing. When Ginny, Ron and Hermione had filled him in on exactly what happened, though, Harry realized the dire nature of the situation that they all found themselves in. Although still somewhat hazy, he had enough recollection of the events in Ottery St. Catchpole to tell him that this was no time to rest, at least not while his body was still able to draw a breath. It had been with a two month deadline hanging over him that Harry had forced himself, against the agonizing protests of his body, to get out of the bed and leave the hospital ward. Rest be damned for the moment, he could rest after Daemon was defeated. If not, then he would be dead and could rest anyways, but now, unfortunately was not the time. Now though, with his muscles, bones and every other part of his body screaming at him in agony, Harry began to seriously question the sanity of his decision. Sweat once more beaded to his forehead as he focused all of his attention to the rock. Closing his eyes for a moment and willing all of the magic within him to focus in his wand, Harry opened his eyes and an instant later released the bludgeoning curse towards the rock. The ground shook from the force of the spell impacting the boulder, which by now had been reduced to a pile of stone. As tiny bits of rock began to fall to the ground and pelt the foursome, Harry dropped to his knees, letting his wand fall from his hand, panting. After a quick moment, Harry tried to stand once more, only to teeter to his left and fall once more into a heap on his knees. Ginny quickly rushed over to him, dropping to her knees and taking his face in her hands. His panting had slowed, but looking into his eyes, she could see the exhaustion. “Harry,” she began softly yet firmly, “You’ve really got to rest.” As he began to open his mouth to protest, she placed one of her fingers against his lips and said, “Quiet, Potter. You will listen to me.” The firmness in her voice convinced Harry that now was not the time to argue with Ginny. Deep down he knew his body could take no more for the day, but with such a short time before him to prepare, Harry felt the obligation to prepare every day until he collapsed from utter exhaustion. The fact that he was only on his knees and not completely face down in the grass struggling to simply lift his head up told him he still had something to give. “You just got out of the hospital…” Ginny finally continued once she saw and accepted that Harry would not try to interrupt her again. “…and against healer’s orders, I might add. So you need to take it easy for a bit and not overdo it to the point that you force yourself back into the hospital ward again.” Ginny emphasized her final words as she tightened her grip on his face, forcing him to stare at her as she spoke each word with unmistakable clarity. As he listened to her words, Harry could see in Ginny’s eyes her very soul imploring him to listen to her. With her words resonating through his head, Harry began to notice just how much of an effect the stress was having on Ginny. Of course when he had first awoken, Ginny looked horrible. A day with little to no restful sleep, constant worry and uncertainty would do that to any person. Looking at the Ginny before him though, Harry began to recognize a much older and battle hardened woman staring back at him. Her strain was evident in how firmly she held her lips while waiting for him to answer. The glare of her eyes left no mistake that she was in no mood to be argued with. The slight flaring of her nostrils with each breath told him of her struggle to maintain her temper or her composure, or maybe even both. The fact that each breath she took was accentuated with a long pause before she exhaled quite rapidly told him it was a battle that she was struggling not to lose. Reluctantly, but also truthfully, Harry shook his head and silently agreed with Ginny. No matter how much he may have wanted to argue against her, Harry knew every word she had said was the truth. More importantly though, Harry knew that every word she had spoken was in love and concern for him. An instant later, Harry saw Ginny beginning the motions of the all to familiar swish and flick. Holding his hand up and motioning for her to stop Harry began to speak. “No levitating charms,” he said roughly. “Please…” he added softly as he saw the anger flare in Ginny’s eyes. “I know I’ve done too much, but just give me a second, and let me walk… I’m not an invalid.” Ginny looked at Harry for a moment, the anger in her eyes slowly melting away to reveal compassion. It was soon replaced once more with her stern look as she nodded at him. With much effort, eventually requiring Ron to come over and add his strength to the considerable effort, Harry was able to stand once more — albeit on rather wobbly and unsteady legs. Looking over where a pile of boulders had once stood, there was now only gravel and spare bits of stone. Nothing larger than a football could be found. Harry smiled to himself at both his power and progress. He had spent the afternoon practicing a new spell he had learned that would give any shield a run for its money. The pile of rubble before him gave testament to the fact that Harry too could fight back and make buildings explode if need be during the upcoming battle. Although he despised the thought of an innocent person being hurt with him casting such a spell, Harry could not cast aside and forsake such a useful spell. Draping his arm around Ron’s neck for support, an exhausted Harry and the rest began their trek back towards the castle. What had already been a long day was soon to grow even longer. Harry closed his eyes for a moment as he let Ron guide them on their journey back towards the castle. Soon, Harry’s legs were simply marching in rhythm to the soft pounding of Ron’s feet as he became lost in all that had happened and all that he knew occurred once he left. Although his mind fought valiantly to find some other way to have his questions answered, he could come up with no reasonable and workable ideas. Harry had specifically avoided seeing Gryffindor when he first left the Hospital Ward, but now there was no avoiding it. Harry had to speak to Gryffindor. Everything that had been told to Ron and Hermione seemed to be only the tip of the iceberg as Harry pondered what they had told him. “Slowly, Ron…” Ginny instructed as the group carefully negotiated the hallways of the castle, making their way back towards Gryffindor’s library at a snail’s pace. Unfortunately for Ron, Harry was no longer the small skinny kid he had been when they first met. Harry was not as tall as Ron and was still slender in his own right, but his teens had seen Harry gain some muscle. The result was a very tedious trip down to Gryffindor’s library and a very tired Ron. Realizing his friend was near exhaustion, Harry extracted himself from Ron’s grip and leaned heavily against the doorway for just a moment. Taking a deep breath, Harry quickly made his way over to a nearby chair and fell heavily onto it. Leaning against the back, Harry closed his eyes for a moment, and soon was joined by Ginny, Ron and Hermione. Gryffindor, who had been on the far side of the room when they entered, quickly made his way over to them. As he approached, Harry opened his eyes and looked straight at him. Gryffindor paused for a moment as the two men stared intently at one another. Deciding to cut to the chase, Harry cleared his throat, “We’ve got two months. How in the hell am I supposed to be ready for Daemon in two months?” Gryffindor said nothing for a moment. He looked at the young men and women setting before him and saw they all had the same question in their eyes. For his part, Gryffindor had spent the time since Daemon left pondering that very question. Over and over in his mind, Gryffindor repeated to himself all the reasons why he felt Harry to be the chosen one and why Harry would succeed. Harry is powerful. He is a clever and very capable wizard. His friends are loyal to a fault and will stand by him no matter what may happen. “The preparations you have already made are the first step,” Gryffindor began, “but now we must take you to a place in magic that few others have ever been. You’ve already learned a great deal of magic that has been lost for centuries, but there have still been some things I’ve held back from you. I had hoped to prepare you and have time to teach you enough to avoid these spells, but now that’s not possible.” “What magic? What spells?” Harry questioned, his interest solely directed to Gryffindor. “A book — the one where we recorded the spell to bind Daemon until the chosen one arrived and was ready. It’s not in this library. It’s hidden somewhere that only someone with specific knowledge of the book can find it.” “And where is that?” Hermione asked. “The come and go room,” Gryffindor answered. “Open the room as normal, but when you step in, you must declare to the room that you want the book. “ Hermione nodded and looked to the others. Seeing their consent she stood and left, going to retrieve the book. As the door closed behind her, Harry turned once more towards Gryffindor. “So just why didn’t you show me this book when we first started?” Harry questioned, his voice revealing an edge of annoyance and bitterness towards Gryffindor. Sighing, Gryffindor looked Harry directly in the eyes, “Because, Harry, even though your heart is good and you strive to do right, the spells in that book existed for only one reason… evil. They are cruel and brutally effective. Some are for killing, but others… well, perhaps they can best be described as the things a wise man realizes and understands which are far worse than death.” Gryffindor began to pace back and forth as he became silent. Harry sat staring at the table before him, idly tracing his finger along one of the boards. Stopping the motion of his hand, Harry turned to look at Gryffindor. “Then why even have the book?” he asked genuinely intrigued. “If it’s a book so evil and corrupt, why even write down the knowledge? Why couldn’t the knowledge be stored with you and then taught to me if ever needed?” Gryffindor considered Harry’s questions in earnest before replying, “Simple Harry... It was knowledge that I did not want to possess. After we overcame Daemon and imprisoned him so many years ago, we all took an oath of secrecy about the spell we used, and the other spells we researched just in case. As time passed, though, we all realized that the knowledge we carried became more of a burden than a tool. So we decided that our best course of action would be to put the information in a book and store it in such a way that only the Chosen One could ever retrieve it. After that, we altered our memories so that we could not remember the spell exactly. What I have now are just recollections that the spell exists, but I cannot teach you the spell myself because I don’t know it.” Harry let out a frustrated growl as he pounded his fist against the table. Things had certainly not gone well for the past couple of days. First, had it not been for Fawkes, he would have died. Then, when he had woken up, Ginny, Ron and Hermione had told him that they only had two months before Daemon would come back after him. Now, Gryffindor was telling him that he would have to use spells that even Gryffindor himself had not felt safe keeping the knowledge of. Standing, Harry stepped away from everyone else and began to pace. He had to admit things looked bad, but then again, bad was nothing new to Harry. He continued to pace until the door opened once more and Hermione walked into the room. Inclining her head slightly when Harry looked at her, he began to walk over towards her. At roughly the same time, they met at the table and she lay the book down before them. As she reached to open the book, Harry grabbed her hand and pulled it away. Looking to Ginny and his best friends, Harry knew they would never let him be the only one to read the book, but he had to make the offer. “You lot have already heard what Gryffindor said…” Harry began before abruptly being silenced by Ginny stepping in front of him and bumping him out of the way. “And you already know how we feel, Potter…” Ginny responded as she opened the book before them all. “We’re going to be beside you until this is finished and then well after. You’re stuck with us.” Seeing Ginny’s determination gave Harry the first hope he had felt in a while. “Well, there’s certainly worse things I could be faced with,” he said a slight grin caught at the corner of his mouth. “Quite right!” Ron agreed boisterously as he stood up and walked around the table so that he could see the book. “I mean, look at us… we’re stuck with you,” Ron added as he chanced a quick glance over to both Harry and Ginny with a broad grin spread across his face. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Harry laughed out loud. For a brief moment, the room relaxed and everyone seemed to have a weight lifted off their shoulders. All too soon though, the laughter abated and they were once more staring at the book before them. Looking at everyone around him, Harry took a deep breath and spoke firmly, “Well, here we go… let’s hope this has what we need.” |
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