Chapter 14
"For the Love of Ron"
"Ginny, w-what exactly did you hear from your parents?" asked Hermione, feeling dazed. Harry was just staring at Ginny, feeling numb all throughout his body after hearing the news.
"Dad and Mum were both crying - I've never seen them both like this," replied Ginny, who was equally distraught. She finally found the chair behind her she was feeling around for, and she did not stop herself from sitting down harder than normal. "Nobody knows where Ron is now - but Mum reckons You-Know-Who already has him. Dad's considering taking on You-Know-Who by himself to rescue Ron - "
"No! He can't do that!" Harry interrupted loudly. "Voldemort will kill him on the spot - not that I doubt your Dad's dueling skills, but I can't let that happen. It's me he wants…" Ginny shook when she heard the name.
"But Harry, surely you can't possibly take on Voldemort with that foot!" Hermione said earnestly, pointing at his right ankle.
"Shhh," said Ginny, putting a finger on her lips. "Could you put your voices down? Mum and Dad might hear us." She tiptoed towards the door, looked outside for a moment, and closed it gently.
"Hermione, you heard what Ginny said," Harry continued on, but this time more quietly. "If he can't have me, Ron will die…"
"But do we really know for sure he has Ron right now?" asked Hermione thoughtfully. "I mean - I smell a trap somewhere here, Harry."
"What are you suggesting?" said Harry impatiently. "Of course I know it's a trap - even if it isn't, I still have to face - "
"Say You-Know-Who please?" said Ginny, shuddering involuntarily.
" - him. Whether you like it or not! I'm going!" Harry tried to stand up from the bed, but Hermione pushed him back gently with a finger, which was enough to make him fall back again from where he sat.
"See, Harry? I didn't even put out a sweat to push you back down…" said Hermoine. "You're in no condition to confront anyone yet - let alone You-Know-Who."
"I just lost my balance - " said Harry angrily, and he tried to stand up again, this time feeling the soreness of his body. Hermione blocked his path with a menacing look; Harry lost his footing again, but luckily Ginny was quick and she caught him before he fell down on the floor. Hermione held out her hands to pull him back up, shaking her head. She could have scolded him once more if not for the sobs she heard Harry make.
"I don't want let him to die!" Harry said, positively crying now, not with anger but with dread of losing his best friend. "I have no choice - don't you see!?! I have to do something!"
Hermione had never seen Harry cry before, ever since they had first met. She couldn't blame him - he and Ron were already friends before she became one with them. But this didn't mean she was less special for Harry. For without Ron, she'd lose someone special in her life, too. And that, she would not permit - even it would mean going face-to-face with Voldemort. The thought scared her, and the prospect of Ron dying made her eyes being filled with tears, too. The three of them fell silent for a long time, each of them seemed to have nothing to say. Hermione did the most thinking, as Harry and Ginny looked to have put their minds into idle.
Harry had met Voldemort twice. First, during his first year in Hogwarts, but he didn't seem to have been affected unlike the one incident Harry had seen him grow into a new form. That was last year, and Hermione couldn't forget Harry being so silent for a whole week, and he was one of the bravest she had met. She didn't want to think what meeting Lord Voldemort himself would do to her sanity. Harry had been talking about facing up to Voldemort all by himself to save the life of Ron, but with his condition, letting him go alone and die in result of it was criminal, and it would surely haunt her for the rest of her life. Whether she liked it or not, she had to go with Harry. It was her duty as his best friend.
"Harry, I don't want you to go and put yourself in danger -" Hermione started, and Harry snapped a look at her.
"So we'll just let them kill him?" said Harry incredulously. "I can't believe you'd let him die, Hermione!"
"I don't want you to go and put yourself in danger," Hermione repeated. "Without me."
Harry stared at her.
"You've been talking about going there all by yourself all day," said Hermione softly. "I don't want you to do that without me. I'm upset about this, too, Harry, and I don't want to lose Ron as much as you do."
"Hermione - you don't know what you're saying," said Harry, with a pleading look drawn on his face. He had felt that he had somehow convinced her to reconsider his plan to go after Ron, but ironically it was his turn to make Hermione see reason not to go with him. He wouldn't want to put her life in mortal danger, too.
"I have to go and face him alone; it's me he wants," Harry continued. "He might kill you if he sees you - you're a Muggle-born. You know how he hates Muggle-borns…"
"He might kill you once he sees you, too, Harry," argued Hermione. "We can't know what he'll do this time. But together, we may have a chance to get in and out alive - with Ron. If you'll just barge there wherever they may be without a plan or something, the worst thing that might happen is that you'll be murdered. Then You-Know-Who kills Ron as a bonus. I don't think I could live without the two of you, Harry!"
They both looked at each other for a long time. Harry went through his mind and weighed the pros and cons in bringing Hermione along. He was strongly against exposing her to extreme danger, even to Voldemort's slightest gaze. But Hermione had a point somewhere. They might have a chance to pull this off without anyone being killed, but that was hoping too much. However, Harry had finally realized he was being stupid to think of rescuing Ron himself with a broken ankle.
"If you die, Hermione, I won't forgive myself for the rest of my life," said Harry after a very long pause, which made Hermione drop her head. "So we have to watch each other's back, won't we?"
Hermione lifted her head back and looked at Harry once more, breathing. This was it. She had already committed herself to the task. To her, this was more honorable than wimping out on the spot. "Right, Harry," she said, smiling. "All for one and one for all?"
"Yeah," Harry said, and held out his hand for Hermione to shake. She didn't take it, but embraced him tightly instead, which Harry did in return. "I can't believe we're putting ourselves in a suicide mission - "
"Did you remember asking me to tell you when you're being pessimistic again, Harry?" said Hermione, while still in the same hug. "You're doing it now."
Harry laughed briefly, glanced sideways, and curled his lips. He was visibly worried.
"We can do it, Harry," said Hermione quietly as they broke apart, as though she had seen Harry's face at the back of her head. "As long as we're together, eh?"
Harry nodded, and inhaled deeply. "What do we do next?" he said, letting go of his breath.
Ginny moved forward. "Are you through arguing?" she said. "Good. Now that you've decided, I'm going with you, too."
"Ginny," said Harry, sighing. "Thanks, but I don't think that's a good idea - Hermione and I can take care of this ourselves…You're a - "
"When did you start being chauvinistic, Harry?" said Ginny quickly, scowling.
"What do you mean? I haven't said anything yet - " said Harry defensively, and glanced at Hermione for support. Unfortunately she only rolled her eyes, tightened her lips and shrugged. "But if your Dad finds out I let you go with us, he'll kill me," Harry told Ginny.
"I'll take care of him on my own," Ginny said confidently. "Since what I did with your wand put you into this state and then Ron in an uncompromising situation, I feel absolutely responsible for this! Besides - " Ginny pulled out a piece of parchment from her robe pocket and held it out for Harry and Hermione to see. "I have a lead. This…is the note the Death Eater gave to Dad and Mum. It has instructions on what Harry must do to exchange places with Ron. If you don't want me to go with you, I'll tear it up." She let that sink in.
"Don't be so reckless, Ginny" said Harry seriously. "If you do that, then we'll never find Ron."
"You won't - but I can. Everything on paper is all in my head now."
"I don't believe this - " Harry said, gritting his teeth and shaking his head. "What did you two eat for dinner this time?" he said.
"Is that a yes?" said Ginny expectantly.
"Maybe. But you should realize we'd probably be seeing Vol-de-mort -" said Harry, saying the name very slowly. "I don't know how you'd handle that - by the way, your hair is literally standing, Ginny…"
"I-I'm not afraid of him…" denied Ginny, but she was visibly shaking from head to foot. "I'm quite looking f-forward to it."
"Can we see what's in the parchment now?" said Hermione, grinning.
***
Jack Chadron was pacing back and forth in a little chamber deep in Voldemort's newly constructed castle that was recently christened as "Xanthius". The chamber was smaller than what he was used to back in Hogwarts. About a hundred square feet and walls made of stone, it had a bed, a night table, and a desk with a chair. Magical torches lit the room, and it had a single thick, heavy wooden door that was closed. There was a small rectangular window with decorative iron grilles on the other wall, and he saw that his chamber was adjacent to another one that was equally furnished. There was no one inside that other room, he thought, because it was all too quiet. A high window on the opposite wall, also with grilles, showed what was outside Xanthius. It was getting dark, he couldn't make out anything more than a hundred feet. It was oddly foggy this time of the day, and all he could see was a deep moat just below this window, rolling hills of grass, and lines of tall trees obscured by mist. He couldn't tell where in Britain he was.
The location of Xanthius was privy only to Voldemort's closest lieutenants. The origin of the name wasn't known, and unless Voldemort himself shared how he had arrived with that name, nobody would dare ask him yet. Jack was forced to apparate in a location Lucius Malfoy had instructed just after word had gotten out that the Ministry of Magic might swoop in to Hogwarts and arrest him. Jack was not fully prepared to perform apparition yet, but the urgency of the situation gave him no other choice. If he stayed longer than what was necessary, he had to deal with a mob of hundreds of potentially angry students and he wouldn't have the chance to escape. Word had gotten in the school that he was the real culprit of Dumbledore's attempted murder. He was not supposed to know about it, but rumors were rumors. It spread like wildfire literally in seconds.
This was why he was walking with a crutch on his right side. In his haste, he failed to take into account his right leg when he disapparated, the only visible casualty to his devotion to the Dark Lord. Although he thought it was regrettable, he proudly regarded it as one of the reasons Voldemort might be inclined to honor him in front of full-fledged Death Eaters. After all, Lucius Malfoy had told him he heard Voldemort once said that he rewards his helpers. This fact comforted him very much, and he was confident everything would be allright from now on.
Going to this castle was easy. Lucius had provided him a portkey that led to where he now stood. Lucius' last instructions played over and over in his head: "I'll follow you to Xanthius shortly, and don't get out of the chamber until someone tells you otherwise, and don't even think of opening the door." He wondered why he wasn't allowed yet to at least take a peek out of the door once he arrived, but he trusted his benefactor wholeheartedly. Trying to take a look outside wasn't possible anyway; he had "innocently" tried to turn the knob, and it was locked from outside.
Lucius may have some kind of a plan on how to present him to Dark Lord, he thought. He was beginning to get anxious to get it started. The Dark Lord would probably be a loving master, and he could see it now: the Dark Lord himself standing over some kind of an elevated platform, arms open as he approached him. Like a proud father and a heroic son, united in front of his jealous peers. He limped around once more smugly, and hummed to himself.
He heard someone grunt somewhere, and it looked like it came from the other room he earlier thought was empty. He came to the window slowly and said, "Hello. I'm Jack Chadron. Who are you please? Are you also a guest of the Dark Lord?"
There was silence for a moment, and he didn't get an answer aside from a snort, and then followed by a laugh - the kind of laugh made after a very good joke. Jack scowled, growing annoyed by the non-stop laughter. "I don't remember saying anything funny," he said. "I was asking you a straight question."
The laughter subsided, and the person who made it spoke. "I can't believe you're still this so naïve, Jack," he said coarsely. "We, guests?" He roared again.
"Identify yourself whoever you are!" said Jack, getting angry. "Why are you laughing at me?" he demanded.
Silence again. Then Jack thought whoever it was in the other room was trying to stand up - very painfully. After hearing a few further grunts, he spoke again. "I'm the reason that brought you here, Jack."
From the bottom of the high window emerged someone red haired, pale and long nosed. His face was dirty and full of bruises, and he stared at Jack weakly with droopy eyes.
"Ah, so it's you, Ron Weasley," Jack said, not drawing back, and laughing lightly. Jack was enjoying seeing Ron looking like he was battered so many times with torture. "How's it like to be working for the losing camp?"
"Delightful," Ron said sarcastically. He was skipping slightly to keep himself standing up straight. "We've got very friendly hosts." He grunted in pain, and glanced down on Jack's missing leg. "What, they didn't take off your other leg and arms, too?"
"What are you talking about? Nobody caught me," Jack said calmly. "I just made a mistake, that's all."
"You apparated in? Well, I call you lucky. At least it'll save you the pain of losing your legs more than once."
"You're the prisoner here, Weasley. I'm not," retorted Jack. "You're the enemy, and again, I'm not."
Ron snorted again contemptously, and then shook his head slightly.
"I see they brought you here," said Jack, trying to change the subject. "Gave you a welcoming party, too, I say. I hope it was fun." He looked at Ron from head to foot. Ron was holding his arm with his hand, and he was only standing on one foot. He looked sore all over apparently from numerous beatings. "As you're here, soon the Dark Lord will get who he really wants."
"Yeah, yeah, famous Harry - Potter," Ron mocked. "I don't see how he'll find me, though, if he even thinks of looking for me."
"Well, well, I see you're doubting your so-called best friend already," said Jack, getting some satisfaction from Ron's voice. "But don't worry. If he does or doesn't come, you're still good as dead. As for me, my moment of glory approaches. Tsk, tsk. I'm the lucky one indeed."
"Whatever," Ron said, making a face. He looked around his room, and then peeked in on Jack's. "Seems to me we have the same kind of room, Jack," he said, smiling slightly. "And I don't call this a guest room one bit."
"It's a guest room, Weasley, and you're the Dark Lord's guest. He treats his guests - very warmly as you have already experienced it."
"Yeah, I think you're right on that one," said Ron, his face brightening. "And I guess this makes you one of his guests, too." Ron laughed again, and started to skip back to his bed. Jack didn't get the gist but he stood there thinking that he had missed something out of Ron's words.
Meanwhile, Ron had fallen on his bed, which was surprisingly comfortable and well cleaned. He grunted in pain as he lifted his bad leg with his hand, and settled himself again for another bout of loneliness. He sounded disappointed when he talked to Jack about Harry, but in truth, he was glad Harry apparently hadn't been caught yet; he'd probably know if they had captured him already. The two Death Eaters guarding his cell - he called this room a cell - were pretty blabby, and they were talking to each other about everything that was happening, including what they expected would happen to Jack Chadron. He hadn't heard even just a rumor about Harry falling into Death Eater hands.
Ron could have strangled Jack if he wanted to. As hot-tempered as he is, and could not easily forget transgressions done to him and to his friends, he was amazed with himself that he had kept his cool when he looked and talked at the former Head Boy. Jack Chadron was responsible for everything that has happened to his family, Hogwarts, his future, and his best friends. However he realized screaming in front of him about it wouldn't do anything good. Jack might just derive some amusement from that, because he really thought he was that important to You-Know-Who.
Ron had survived a grueling interrogation process right after he was brought to Xanthius. He had not seen You-Know-Who himself, but Ron felt his strong presence in this castle. Death Eaters tortured him for information about Harry's whereabouts, but he didn't talk. Ron thought they were stupid, though. They had seen him and Harry get separated in the last chase, yet they demanded him to talk where he last saw Harry.
He reckoned it was just an excuse to torture him with curses because they obviously were enjoying it, and they were probably fully aware that he didn't know where Harry would have gotten to. So that meant he was supposed to be tortured indefinitely, because he couldn't give any info in the first place. Ron could have sworn he had been at the brink of death so many times with the relentless blows he was subjected to, but he felt they needed him alive than dead. And then it had occurred to him that he was here for a reason. They wanted Harry to come for him.
"Harry," Ron called under his breath for the umpteenth time, hoping that Harry would have some sort of telepathy to hear him from afar. "It's a trap. I'm not worth it. Live on with Hermione without me…" Each time he said that, he would be in tears.
***
"What is it, Harry?" said Hermione as she, Harry, and Ginny were huddled around a square table with some of Percy's old 7th-year books plopped open in front of them. They were cramming for more spells to use before going for Ron. Hermione had caught Harry staring blankly on the far wall.
"Uh, I don't know, but I could have sworn I heard a voice…" said Harry, snapping back into reality.
"Hmmm - not made by a basilisk again, I hope," said Ginny absent-mindedly, skimming a few pages. "Our pipes are too small in the Burrow." Harry didn't say anything and bent forward again to return to his reading.
"I don't think we could learn as much spells on short notice, I reckon," said Hermione biting her lower lip as she looked at the clock and opening another book. "Even for me, these are very advanced spells, and I don't know which I can learn very quickly…"
"Hermione, I'd never thought I'd hear you admitting something like that in my lifetime," quipped Harry. Hermione made a face and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Found the one about Portkey manipulation yet?" said Harry to everybody.
"Not yet, but I'm zeroing in on it," said Ginny, her eyes scanning a certain page. "AHA!"
"You found it?" said Hermione, looking disappointed that it wasn't her who did.
"The spell can be done by saying 'Modificus Porticumium'," said Ginny, pushing the open book to Harry and Hermione.
"Then?" they both said while staring at the page.
"It says here - " Ginny added, pulling the book away again, and Hermione wanted to complain but stopped herself. " - that we must have a blank parchment under the Portkey and the spell will draw a map of where the destination is. We can then try to change the destination by tapping the wand to a point within an area of fifty feet around the original spot - in scale, of course." She read further again. "Oh, good, we could also set the exact time we want the Portkey to transport us."
"Hey, that's a useful discovery you have there, Ginny," said Harry, grinning. "That would help us go to where the Portkey might point to without falling into some kind of a trap. I bet whoever prepared the Portkey made sure I wouldn't move another inch from where I'd land. We'll pop in a different location without being seen."
The note on the parchment was concise. Like Ginny had said, a Death Eater had brought it personally to Mr. Weasley. Why Aurors didn't arrest him on the spot, Harry couldn't say why. The parchment the Death Eater had left specifically instructed Harry to touch the Portkey (which doubled as a bowler hat) in a predetermined time to be whisked off in exchange of Ron exactly two hours from now. Thanks to Hermione's persistence, Harry had seen the light and he didn't believe it was that simple and safe anymore. It certainly had all the indications of a trap, and the Death Eaters would probably never care if Ron would go back home or not, as long as they had Harry already. Harry hated himself for not learning how to distrust Death Eaters.
Mr. Weasley had placed the bowler hat on top of the fireplace that was situated in the sitting room. He and Mrs. Weasley were currently in the same room, arguing quietly about his plans to take on Voldemort himself. Ginny admitted that Mr. Weasley didn't have the real skills to face up to a dark wizard like Voldemort, even though he was a very experienced Ministry wizard already. Her dad's approach of addressing the problem was through confrontation with You-Know-Who and that was easily the same as outright suicide. Harry's plan was to get in, avoid facing up to Voldemort if they can, and get Ron out. She believed the latter was better, though it was as equally dangerous as the former. And besides, this was her chance to prove her mettle, she thought.
Harry knew stealing the hat outright would make Mr. Weasley suspect they were up to something, so he, Hermione, and Ginny twisted their brains for ages thinking of a way how to get to it.
"I think I've got it," said Hermione brightly. "Ginny, what did the hat look like?"
"Uh, it's a grey felt bowler hat, medium size, in good condition," Ginny replied. "Why?"
"I could just Transfigure something into one."
"Now why didn't I think of something as simple as that?" said Harry, pounding a fist lightly on his head.
"Because you were thinking of setting off dungbombs on top of Mister and Mrs. Weasley, Harry," said Hermione. "They'd quickly recognize it as a diversion - I bet Fred and George used that more than once on them."
"Ten times," added Ginny. "Here's a tea-cup. I hope you can change this into a hat."
Hermione thanked Ginny, rolled up her sleeves, tapped the tea-cap once with her wand, and muttered something. The cup morphed, and turned into a hat.
The three of them stared at the enormous black bearskin hat in front of them. "I think you overdid it, Hermione," said Harry slowly, peering around the edge to see her scowling. He wanted to say something about trying to do it himself but Hermione stopped him.
With a few more tries (the hat changed into a turban and a pith helmet), Hermione finally made it resemble like a bowler. "It's close," said Ginny. "Except for the small patch at the back, but probably Dad wouldn't notice it isn't the same one anymore. This'll do."
Harry saw Hermione kept on twisting her face. He snorted and said, "Hermione, I think you've lost your…"
"Oh, shut up," she snapped.
Just then, Mrs. Weasley knocked and opened the door. Harry quickly snatched the hat from the table top and threw it under the bed. "Oh, nice to see books being opened for once," said Mrs. Weasley, smiling.
"We're, uhm, making up for lost lessons, Mum," said Ginny. "Any word from Ron?"
"Uh, not yet, I'm afraid," said Mrs. Weasley, with a hint of uneasiness in her voice. "But he'll be around soon, I'm sure of it - dinner is ready. Would you like me to bring up some food for you, Harry?"
"Oh, no thanks, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry quickly. "I'll go down with Hermione and Ginny."
"Okay, Dad and I will be at the sitting room waiting for all of you," she said, and closed the door.
"I think if we're going to have to switch the hat within the next two hours, this is our only chance," hissed Hermione. "Are you up to it, Harry?"
"Yeah," he said, deep in thought. "I think I have a plan worked out. You do the switching, and I'll do the acting."
"If you say so. How do I know when it's time?"
"You'll know," said Harry, winking. "Let's go." Hermione handed Harry a cane, and they walked down the stairs. At last they got downstairs in the sitting room, where Mister and Mrs. Weasley were sitting down on the couch. They abruptly cut off their quiet conversation, and Harry caught a glimpse of Mrs. Weasley wiping off a tear with a hanky.
"Ah, Harry, how's your foot?" said Mr. Weasley, trying to sound normal.
"Still hurts, Mr. Weasley," said Harry. "Walking with a cane takes lots of practice to get used to." Ginny helped him sit down on the couch as Hermione backed off edgily towards the fireplace, holding the fake hat under her robes. Mr. Weasley sat at a chair facing the fireplace; any attempt to switch the hats would be noticed easily.
"I'll take the soup out of the pot - won't be long," said Mrs. Weasley and she disappeared into the kitchen.
"Where are the Aurors, Mr. Weasley?" said Harry, looking around.
"They've left," he replied, smiling a little. "I told them to stand down, but some of them is still out there looking for Ron. I guess he does have a little secret place like I suspected - it's quite a good hiding place in my opinion. He'll be around soon, I expect.
"Now, you three are scheduled to return to Hogwarts tomorrow morning. I won't be able to bring you personally because of, uh, some business I have to take care of. Hopefully you'll meet Ron the day after tomorrow."
All the three kids nodded, and Mrs. Weasley came out of the kitchen, holding a big bowl of soup with both hands, and placing it in the middle of the dining table. "Dinner's ready, everyone, come around here."
Harry stood up very quickly, lost his balance, and fell down to the floor, screaming in pain.
"Harry!" said Mrs. Weasley, startled. She quickly crossed the sitting room running and knelt down beside Harry to help him up, Mister Weasley doing the same. They had their full attention on Harry now who didn't help by making himself heavier. Hermione took the opportunity and strode briskly towards the fireplace. She took the fake hat out of her robes, switching it with the real one, and ran up the stairs back to Percy's room.
Ginny signaled Harry that Hermione had done it, and he let himself to be lifted up by Mister Weasley to sit back on the couch. "You allright, Harry?" he said, breathing heavily. Harry nodded, grimacing in pain.
"Sorry about that, Mister Weasley," he said breathlessly. "I forgot all about my broken ankle."
"You better sit down there until the pain goes away, Harry," said Mrs. Weasley, brushing off dust from Harry's robes with her hands. She looked around. "Where's Hermione?"
"She ran up the stairs, uh, crying," said Ginny quickly. "I reckon she couldn't take it seeing Harry in pain…or something."
"Oh, poor girl," said Mrs. Weasley, looking concerned. "I think I'd better bring her some food upstairs, and tell her Harry is all right. You two just eat with Arthur, and I'll join you all afterwards."
"I don't blame her," said Mr. Weasley, pursing his lips. "Everything's going crazy lately, I tell you."
Harry and Ginny just nodded and started eating their dinner without any word.
***
"Are they still downstairs?" asked Hermione as Harry and Ginny entered Percy's Room a half hour after dinner. Hermione was poring over Percy's textbooks again.
"Yeah," said Harry, sliding to a chair and placing his cane on the table. "Do you have the Portkey?" He wanted to make sure Hermione got it even though Ginny had told him so.
"It's on the bed, under the blanket. Great acting there, Harry. You looked like you really stood using your bad foot…"
"I did step on the floor with my bad foot," Harry said, wincing.
"Oh, you poor little boy," said Hermione, extending her hand to touch Harry's face.
"Poor little boy? Hermione, you sound worse than Ron's mum - oh, no offense, Ginny…"
Ginny just smiled and told Hermione, "So, can we start working on the Portkey?"
Hermione pulled out a blank piece of parchment, put it flat on the table, and placed the bowler hat on top of it. "I'll do it," she said and pulled out her wand. She tapped it once and muttered, "Modificus Porticumium!"
Harry and Ginny bent closer to the hat, and they saw what was supposed to happen. Black lines spread out all around the blank paper from the bowler hat, and soon the parchment resembled a map. Thinking that the spell was done, Hermione took the parchment and examined it. Ginny went around the table to look at it behind her.
The point where somebody using the Portkey would pop in was centered on the map, and four walls enclosed it. About fifty feet around the enclosure were open spaces and clumps of trees at the far edge.
"It looks like somewhere in Scotland," said Ginny. "But other than that it doesn't say where, really."
"I think you're right," said Hermione. "It looks like some kind of a shack. Voldemort's holding Ron in a shack? Here's the door, a fireplace, a table, and a bed."
"What's this right here?" said Harry, pointing at a spot about forty feet from the shack.
"I think it's a little outhouse," said Hermione. "The loo, maybe?"
"I say, if we'll have to pop in unnoticed, I think we should go right here," said Harry, pointing at the back of the outhouse, opposite the shack. "The trees are out of range, and we'll be seen."
"I agree," said Ginny. "Do you really think Ron is in that shack, Harry?"
"I think so, but I won't be surprised if he isn't there," said Harry. Ginny and Hermione stared at him. "I don't believe Voldemort would hold him there. It's too small. I think it's just a transit point or something. Maybe Voldemort's in another place much bigger. My guess is as good as yours. We'll think of another plan if it turns out that way - I hope we'll know what to do when we get there." They all fell silent. One thing they could expect for sure is the unexpected, and they had to get ready for that.
"Don't forget the second part of the spell," Ginny said to break the silence. "Then we have about an hour to get ready. We have to gather everything we need."
Hermione obliged, and pointed the tip of her wand on a spot near the outhouse. The center of the map shifted on it automatically. "I think that's done."
Harry inhaled deeply. This was it. In about an hour, Hermione, Ginny, and he will embark on a very dangerous task. He didn't know what to expect once they cross over the line, but he was certain about one thing: this will be unlike everything that has happened to him for the past four years as a wizard, and that includes both of the girls. He wanted to make sure everyone was up to it.
"Last chance to back out if you feel like it," he said without looking at anyone. "I'm not going to."
"I've already made up my mind, Harry," said Hermione earnestly. "I'm ready. We'll watch each other's back, okay?"
"Me, too," said Ginny, with a very serious look on her face. She looked very brave at that point.
"Whatever happens," continued Harry, "all of us must come back. I won't permit anyone being left behind. We can all do this together."
"You can count on it."
Ginny held out a hand, and Harry and Hermione put theirs on top of hers.
"For the love of Ron," they all said together.