Ch 26: A Hunting We Will Go
As the air around Hogwart's turned steadily crisper, Harry enjoyed the autumn season. While his schedule of Auror training, classes, and Quidditch practice kept him very busy, nevertheless he was very happy. As September turned into October he was looking forward to the Quidditch Tournament, when all four teams would play over the weekend to put together an All-Star team to compete against the teams from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. While he had almost felt overwhelmed during his first several weeks of classes, Harry was feeling much better about his ability to deal with the rigorous training with Hunt, the intensive dueling in Snape's class, and the demands of his other classes. Thanks to his extensive conditioning, Quidditch practice was more of a joyful exercise than a burden, and Hermione did most of what he considered the hard work of running the DA club, drawing up lesson plans and organizing meetings-all he had to do was show up and help the students practice the spells until they learned them. All in all, things were going very well and he was very happy at Hogwarts with Hermione and his other friends.
---
As the weekend of the tournament drew nearer Ron grew even more intense, if that were possible. Harry had always enjoyed Quidditch, even the manic sessions with Wood, but Harry was beginning to have some doubts. And he wasn't the only one-Ginny and Ron's tempers were getting increasingly short, especially with each other. When they couldn't eat at completely different times, they sat at opposite ends of the Gryffindor table. Harry and Ron were on better terms, but they hadn't had any more discussions about girls since the day after Hermione's birthday.
The night before the tournament was to begin, all of the students were extremely nervous as they finished their dinner and talked animatedly amongst themselves. When several of the team members asked where Ron was, Harry replied, "I think he's in our room writing up new plays for tomorrow."
"He skipped dinner?" asked Hermione in a shocked voice. By the looks on many other Gryffindor students, she was not the only one who was surprised. After dinner, Harry and Hermione chatted as they headed back to the common room but were stopped by a low voice from the shadows.
"Constant vigilance, Potter!" chuckled Hunt as he watched the two jump back and whip out their wands.
"Blimey, Hunt! Don't you have anything better to do than skulk around in the shadows, trying to scare students witless?" barked Harry.
Samuel laughed again. Then his eyes hardened. "Actually I do, Potter. We do have something better to do."
"We? What do you mean?"
Samuel glanced up and down the hall quickly, then motioned for the pair to follow him into an empty classroom. He sealed the door and made sure they couldn't be overheard.
"I just got a tip about where some of those escaped Death Eaters might be hiding. I thought you and I would go find out." His eyes gleamed with a strange light.
"Tonight? But I have a Quidditch match tomorrow…" began Harry.
"Quidditch? Dammit Potter! Why do you think I've been training you?" He paused before continuing in a cold, hard voice. "Maybe I've been wasting my time with you. Tell you what-you go play in your game tomorrow if it's so important." He turned to leave and was halfway to the door before Harry managed to grab his arm.
"Hunt, I didn't mean it like that. You just caught me by surprise is all. Of course I'm in." Harry glanced quickly at Hermione. "When do we leave?"
"Shouldn't you notify the Ministry?" suggested Hermione.
"I've already talked to Dumbledore. And no offense to Arthur or Remus, but they still have a lot of work to do straightening out the mess at the Ministry. By the time someone there decides what to do, it will be too late-they'll be gone. No, if we want to nail them, we do it ourselves. And we leave in five minutes."
"I'll meet you at the front gates in five then," replied Harry and turned to Hermione. "I'll grab my stuff and be back in a minute." He gave her a quick kiss and then disappeared.
Hermione turned towards Samuel but he spoke first. "I'm sorry Miss Granger, but Dumbledore would never let me take both of his favorite students. Don't worry, he is ready for this."
"I know. I just worry. You'll watch out for him won't you?"
"Of course. But you don't need to worry. He's the best wizard I've ever trained with. He'll be fine."
Hermione nodded, her face expressionless as she watched Hunt leave. "You have to be strong," she kept telling herself. "He'll be fine. He defeated Voldemort, for crying out loud! You knew this day would come. He's training to be an Auror after all. This is what he'll be doing the rest of his life-you might as well get used to it." Though she told herself to be strong, it didn't provide much comfort as she waited in the quiet classroom.
Walking down the dark hallway, Samuel tried to forget the recent discussion he had just finished with Hermione. It reminded him of too many conversations just like it from long ago. That look of fear and worry in her eyes was a familiar one, he had seen it in the faces of the loved ones of many of his best friends. He only hoped he would never have to see the look of grief and heartbreak on Hermione's face that he had seen on far too many others when he had to inform them of the death of one of their loved ones. "But Potter is different. He's sharper, and faster, and more powerful than anyone I've ever trained with before. But he's still young and eager and though he's experienced in combat, he's never done the kind of things I've been training him to do. And it's always the young ones who died first. But Potter is different. Potter is different." He kept telling himself that, hoping it would be true.
When Harry appeared in his room, he was surprised to find it empty. He had planned on telling Ron, but there was no time to find him, so he simply grabbed a warm cloak and pulled on a pair of heavy boots. He already had his wand and with his pouch, he could access whatever else he might need. Samuel hadn't mentioned where they were headed, so he grabbed his broom just in case he needed it. As he reached for his broom, he was happily surprised to notice that his hands weren't shaking. "Why am I not afraid? Should I be? Have I faced so many dangers that it no longer bothers me-no, I am nervous, I'm just not afraid. All those times before, I faced danger because I had to, I really had no other choice. But this time, I'm deciding to do this on my own. Hunt or some Aurors from the Ministry could do this-I don't have to try and track down these Death Eaters.
Am I an idiot? Do I have a death wish?
No, I don't think so. For some reason I have been blessed with these amazing powers-and I think I can make the world a better place."
The words of the oath that he had taken when accepting the Sword of Gryffindor and the feelings he had felt that night suddenly flashed through his mind. "Fighting evil and defending the weak-it almost sounded like some corny line from one of those action movies Dudley liked to watch-but it actually means something to me, and to Mione, and to Dumbledore and Hunt and Lupin. It meant something special to all those in the Order who gave their lives in following those two ideals, including both of my parents and Sirius. And this is exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life." With a last, quick glance around the room, Harry threw the cloak around his shoulders and disappeared.
When he reappeared in the classroom behind Hermione, he saw her standing stiffly staring at the door. He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her and squeezed gently. "You okay Mione?"
"Yeah, I think so. I'm just trying to get used to the idea of you…of you going off like this," she said softly.
"Yeah, I was thinking about that too. Try not to worry too much, Mione. I'll be careful, I promise."
"I know, I know. It's just hard," she said, clasping her pendant tightly.
"I know, but this is something I need to do. Something I want to do." In a lighter tone, he added, "Besides, I'm very good at beating the bad guys and saving the world."
Hermione chuckled. "Don't go getting a big head, Potter. Or I'll have to tell Hunt." Turning around, she looked deeply into his eyes. "And you come back to me in one piece as soon as you can, you understand?"
"I promise." He leaned forward and kissed her. Then he disappeared and she walked back to her room alone through the shadowed halls.
--
The next morning, a bleary eyed Hermione poked at her porridge listlessly. Across the table from her, Ron slumped into his seat and looked intently at her.
"So, where's Harry? Don't tell me he's doing extra training on the first day of the tournament. I don't need him all tuckered out if we're going to win against…" he wandered off as Hermione looked up slowly at him.
"I don't know where he is, Ron,"
"WHAT?! What do you mean?"
"I mean he's gone and I don't know where he is…I thought he told you yesterday…"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HARRY'S GONE?! HOW CAN OUR SEEKER NOT BE HERE FOR THE FIRST DAY OF THE TOURNAMENT? DOESN'T HARRY KNOW…"
Hermine stood up and replied as heads everywhere in the hall looked their way. "Keep your voice down you idiot. Let me explain it to you again in small words so that even you should be able to understand. And I'll say them slowly. Harry is gone and I don't know where he went," she hissed angrily. Hermione turned her head as tears started leaking from her eyes and she grabbed her bag and moved away from the table. As she stepped towards the door she bumped into McGonagall, who had heard the commotion from outside the Hall and stepped inside to see what all the commotion was about.
Ron's face turned beet red and he stood as well, clenching his fists at his sides.
"What is going on here?" demanded McGonagall.
"I don't know. Ask her. She's the one going mental," muttered Ron, pointing at Hermione. "All I did was ask where Harry is-you know we need him for the match today."
With a sharp look at Hermione, she looked back at Ron. "Believe me, Mr. Weasley, I want to win as badly as any Gryffindor. If Mr. Potter is not here, I am sure there is a very good reason for it. You will simply have to adjust your strategy."
"You can say that again-how are we supposed to win without the best Seeker in the school? How could he do this to me?" muttered Ron under his breath.
McGonagall heard him however and advised in a low whisper. "There is no need to give up, Mr. Weasley-even without Mr. Potter you have one of the strongest teams Hogwarts has seen in years. You are the captain-start acting like it." She turned to talk to Hermione, but she was already gone. She looked up and down the hall but did not find her. She then caught Dumbledore's glance, nodded briefly, and then left the hall.
"Oi!" bellowed Ron. "All Gryffindor Quidditch players will meet me in the locker room in fifteen minutes! No exceptions and don't be late!" When one of the new beaters protested, saying that they had an hour and a half before the match started, Ron growled, "Wanna make it ten? Good, then finish eating." Then he stomped out of the hall.
--
McGonagall checked the library first and then headed to the Gryffindor common room. She pulled the bell rope outside of Hermione's room and then stated clearly, "Miss Granger, I would like a word with you."
The tapestry shimmered for a moment, and McGonagall stepped through into Hermione's tidy bedroom. There was a canopied bed, but it was nearly buried from sight by piles of books stacked neatly on various tables in the room. She hid a smile as she sat down across from the young woman staring at the floor.
"I assume Harry is out training with Samuel?"
Hermione nodded.
"He has been gone before, hasn't he? What makes this exercise different from the others?"
Hermione looked up. "Dumbledore didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
The emotions on Hermione's face froze between shock, fear, and anxiety.
"I've probably already said more than I should. I shouldn't have said anything in the great hall…"
McGonagall's face looked very concerned now. "Do you know where Harry went?"
A variety of emotions passed over Hermione's face, and then she made her decision. "No. But this wasn't an ordinary training session, either. They're out hunting Death Eaters. And they're a long ways away from here." Hermione didn't notice the look of shock on McGonagall's face as she finished. "They're so far away, I can barely sense my telepathic connection with Harry. I've never felt so alone. What do I do? What do I do? I should be there, beside him, helping him…"
"Sometimes, you will be by his side, helping him. Sometimes, you can help more by not being a distraction, by staying somewhere safe, out of harm's way. But I know it's not easy, Hermione. Actually, I think the waiting is the hardest task of all," whispered McGonagall, who was not looking at Hermione, but staring into the fire.
Hermione glanced up at McGonagall, and then looked into the fire as well.
"I wish I could tell you that the waiting gets easier over time. Or that the dread that fills your stomach every time someone you care for leaves to confront a new threat and make the world a little safer for the rest of us goes away over time. Or that the anger at feeling useless or being left behind becomes easier to deal with, but it doesn't-at least very much. You and Harry are destined for great things. I have sensed that for a long time. But it has not been easy, as you well know. Nor will it likely get much easier in the future."
"Then how do you deal with it?"
"The only thing I've found that helps is to stay busy with other things, try to continue your life as normally as possible, Hermione. And always remember that the things you are accomplishing, the people you are helping, are worth the price you are paying."
For a few minutes, both women sat and watched the flames in the fireplace slowly die down.
"Now, if you'd like something to do before we watch the Quidditch matches, you can come with me while I ask Professor Dumbledore why he didn't see fit to notify me that one of my students went off chasing Death Eaters."
Noticing the hard tone in her voice, Hermione thought that watching Dumbledore defend himself to McGonagall would probably be better than any Quidditch match she might see today. Hiding her smile she nodded quickly and followed McGonagall out of her room.
--
The rain continued to fall steadily. Just as it had the entire night. And the stench from the garbage in the alley, combined with his own alcohol-soaked, threadbare clothing, made Harry want to gag. "So this is the glorious life of an Auror? This is what I've spent years hoping I would do someday-lying in an alley full of trash pretending I'm a drunk bum in the pouring rain waiting for some scumbag wizards to show up? Funny, I don't remember reading about this part of the job description in those pamphlets McGonagall gave me. And why do I have to be the drunk bum? Why does Hunt get to be the guy eating at the warm, dry restaurant across the street?"
The distinctive pop of someone Apparating stopped Harry's train of thought. He froze in place, refusing to turn and look, but tried to control his breathing in order to appear asleep. He heard several more pops and then footsteps and low voices.
"Well, what do we have here? Another pathetic Muggle?" Harry's breath exploded from his chest as one of the wizards kicked him sharply in the ribs. He grunted in pain and rolled over. Thinking quickly, he moaned in a thick, raspy voice that accompanied his old, weather beaten face and long white hair. "Who's there? Who's kicking me?" Harry pretended not to be able to see the wand aimed directly at him nor the grinning face of the wizard holding it.
"McNair! That's enough."
"But I just want to have some fun. Besides, nobody will miss this useless old Muggle."
Harry lay on the ground whimpering softly even as he clutched his wand tightly under his badly patched coat. "Listen McNair, and you might live just a little bit longer," he thought. "I want to make sure you're all there before I make a move…go on, leave me alone…don't make me take you guys down early. Go on, go inside."
"Listen McNair. If the Muggles find a dead body here, they'll be all over this place, looking for answers, even for a worthless Muggle like this. Now get inside and wait for the others, I'll take care of this. Obliviate!"
Harry braced his mental defenses as soon as he heard the first syllable of the spell. They held and he was able to deflect the full force of the spell. Nevertheless, his head snapped back against the brick wall, forcing him to see stars. He collapsed back into the filthy trash of the alley and lay motionless. Through one eyelid that he left partially open, he watched the wizard march through a small wooden door on the opposite side of the alley.
Harry sat up groggily and rubbed his head. He glanced up to curse the falling rain again and noticed a dark shape slowly descending and growing larger. The bird, which turned out to be an owl, landed on the sill of a third floor window and began tapping the window. Harry stared at the owl for a moment and then tapped a small button on the plastic piece that fit snugly behind his ear. Samuel had warned him against using any spells or magical items, since they might set off any wards that the Death Eaters had guarding their meeting place. The muggle cell phone in Harry's pocket was set to automatically dial Samuel's.
"Hello, this is Jim speaking," replied Samuel.
Harry rolled his eyes at having to go through the verification procedure Samuel had insisted that they use.
"Hi dad, it's Bobby. I missed the school bus again," replied Harry.
"OK, how can I help?"
"Listen, we've got a problem. We've got to go in now," whispered Harry urgently.
"Patience, boy. We want to make sure all of your friends are there before…"
"I know. But there's been a change of plans. Someone sent a message from my school. We…"
"What? Are you sure?"
"I'm positive dad. It's gotta be now. We need to find out who sent it."
"Fine, I'll be at the front door in forty-five minutes. Be ready."
He quickly looked up. The window had been opened and the owl was nowhere to be seen. Glancing both ways down the alley, Harry quickly glanced at his watch and watched the seconds count down as he slowly stood, trying to shake out the cramps and muscle aches. His side ached slightly where he had been kicked. "I owe you one, McNair," he thought grimly. He concentrated for a moment, trying to determine if Samuel was correct in assuming that there were spell detection wards in place. He felt a slight tingle and suspected that there were. With fifteen seconds before Samuel was to arrive at the front door, Harry pulled out his wand and began the complicated incantation that would prevent any of them from Apparating away. Dimly, he heard a bell going off inside the house. So Samuel had been right, they did have defensive wards in place. Satisfied that none of them would escape, he stood slightly to the side of the door and bellowed, "Reducto!"
The door blasted apart and then a second explosion propelled all the door fragments straight ahead into the alley while Harry threw his arm in front of his face in a defensive reaction. Though he was out of the direct line of the explosive trap, Harry was still hit by a few pieces and flying splinters. He paused for a moment, trying to sense other traps and then ran through the smoking doorway. His eyes immediately adjusted to the gloom of the dark hallway. A door down the hallway was opening and Harry saw at least one pair of eyes looking out. He saw a dark cloak and didn't hesitate as he raised his wand and sprinted forward. "Reducto!"
The door blasted inward, right off of its hinges and sent wood splinters flying through the room. Harry crouched as he stepped through the doorway and one spell flew harmlessly over his head. He reached under his cloak inside his pouch and pulled out a small globe and tossed it towards the two figures he saw against the wall. Both were immediately trapped within the strong, sticky fibers of a large web. Harry cast a silencing spell on them, then summoned both of their wands which he immediately snapped and left on the ground. He heard a few noises and returned to the hallway. He saw a shadowy figure ahead and raised his wand but realized it was Hunt heading for the stairs. Harry smiled, cloaked himself in invisibility, and shapeshifted into his dragonform. He easily passed Samuel climbing the steps. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure hiding on one of the landings, waiting in ambush for Hunt. Harry swooped down and bit the man deeply on the neck. The man twitched once before falling to the floor unconscious with a loud thud. Harry saw a smile break across Samuel's face as he reached the landing.
"Good job, Potter, but you'll probably want to rinse your mouth out later. I'm sure Death Eaters can't taste that good." He then chuckled when he heard a soft cough and what sounded like a snake hissing and spitting.
Hunt moved cautiously down a hallway on the second floor, while Harry hovered behind him silently and invisibly. There was a flash of movement and Samuel sprinted after the fleeing Death Eater. Harry moved to fly after them, but then got blown backwards as an enormous explosion engulfed the hallway. Harry transformed back to his human form and shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs again. He spotted Samuel laying quietly about ten feet in front of him. He kneeled and quickly found a pulse. Fifteen feet further down the hallway were the charred remains of the Death Eater. Apparently the Death Eater had forgotten about that particularly nasty defensive ward and, luckily for Samuel and Harry, had saved them the trouble of disarming it. Making his decision quickly, Harry cast a disillusionment charm on Samuel and then left him where he was as he quickly finished checking the rest of the second floor for Death Eaters. Finding no more threats on the second floor, he ascended to the third floor by himself.
Approaching one of the doors on the third floor, Harry's keen hearing discerned voices in the room angrily discussing strategy. He shifted back to his human form and listened for a moment, making his own plans. He then took a risk and teleported to the other side of the door, praying there wasn't a chair or something that was in the space in which he would appear. There wasn't and he quickly took in the scene before him while he was still invisible.
One wizard was beside the door with his wand out, waiting to attack whoever came through. A witch was waiting behind a heavy desk, also aiming her wand at the door. The third wizard stood by the fireplace had his wand out as well, but was busy watching a small parchment finish burning. The owl sat perched on a chair by the window, but had no reply message attached to its leg.
Harry teleported to the far side of the room and launched a powerful stunner at the witch hiding behind the large desk. She fell over the top of the desk and lay still while both wizards turned in shock towards Harry, who had disappeared again. He reappeared beside the wizard by the door and launched a vicious hand strike at the man's throat. He dropped his wand and raised both of his hands to his throat as he started to slump to his knees. Harry caught him before he fell to the ground and spun him around in front of him to use as a human shield. The wizard took the full brunt of the spell but was still thrown back into Harry, pinning him to the wall for a moment.
Harry teleported again and was blasted by freezing shards of ice.
"I guess McNair has learned his lesson for picking on defenseless Muggles. But then again, you're no common Muggle are you Potter?" laughed the final wizard.
"How did you know…Somebody from Hogwarts tipped you off I was gone, didn't they…"
"The Dark Lord always said you were a clever boy, far too clever…"
Harry moved as if to brush the ice from his arms and chest while listening but instead launched a stunning spell which the wizard easily dodged, as if he had been expecting it.
The two circled warily for a moment, ignoring the coughing wheezes from the heavily bleeding McNair. Harry changed his form back to his normal appearance.
"The problem with you Death Eaters is that none of you are too clever, you're always choosing the wrong side, the wrong creep to follow, and you're always getting in each other's way," hissed Harry. "After that spell you hit McNair with, I'm not sure he's going to make it back to his cell in Azkaban. Tell you what, you tell me which one of your Death Snacking friends is hiding at Hogwarts, and I'll go easy on you. Your master couldn't beat me, and neither will you."
In response, the remaining wizard swung his arm in a large arc and muttered, "Inflammatio arcus!" A roaring fire rushed towards Harry, causing the carpet and walls to burst into flame as well.
Harry quickly countered with a fire charm that prevented him from being hurt by the flames. As the flames grew around him, Harry stretched out a hand and began pulling in the energy from the fire. He then held his wand upright and spun it in a tight circle. He then spoke "Aire Vaccuous," pointed to the window, and took a deep breath. With a tinkle of glass, the window exploded outwards. The owl, which had been squawking loudly in fright, took the opportunity to escape through the window. There was a loud whoosh as all of the air left the room in a rush, extinguishing the remaining flames. The dark wizard gasped, but there was no air left in the room as Harry moved forward quickly. The wizard feebly tried to lift his wand, but Harry kicked him solidly in the wrist. There was a loud snap and his wand went flying.
The curtains by the broken window fluttered strongly as air rushed back into the room. The dark wizard, clutching his broken wrist, gasped desperately for air as he stared angrily at Harry.
Harry raised his wand threateningly as he stepped nearer, "Who sent the owl from Hogwarts? Who is there?"
The wizard gave a crazy laugh. "Potter!" he spat. "I'm not going back to Azkaban. And I'm not telling you anything. So do your worst!"
"Well, I can always talk to one of your buddies here. Don't worry, I'll find your accomplice at Hogwarts."
"They don't know who it was, they can't help you." Then he laughed again.
"Fine, I guess we'll just have to get some Veritaserum. You'll give him up soon enough." As Harry aimed his wand to cast a binding charm, the door burst open. Harry spun and realized it was Hunt charging into the room. He turned back towards the wizard who had dove for his wand. Harry yelled out "Stupefy!" as Samuel shouted "Incarceo!" Their shouts mingled with the sounds of the third spell that was cast, "Obliviate!" But he didn't cast it at either Harry or Samuel, his wand was pointed at his own head. All three spells hit their mark and left the wizard unconscious on the charred floor.
Samuel cast binding charms on the other witch and wizard, as well as a spell to slow McNair's bleeding, while Harry asked about Hunt's condition. "Are you alright? I can't believe that guy cast a spell that took out his own guy as well."
"I'll be fine. And remember, there's no such thing as loyalty among dark wizards. They don't care who they kill as long as they get what they want." As Harry turned to check the fireplace for surviving scraps of the message that had been burnt there he added, "By the way, you did the right thing, leaving me there with a disillusionment charm. It was more important to finish clearing out the house. But you didn't need to burn down the house, did you?"
"That wasn't my spell Hunt. Actually, I was the one who put it out. There's nothing left here of the message, or probably any other evidence, for that matter. And he said nobody else knew who was there at Hogwarts." He then glanced at the wizard lying on the floor. "And for some reason I doubt he'll be doing any talking anytime soon. I'm not sure what the effects of casting Obliviate on yourself are but it can't be good when combined with the effects of the other two spells we hit him with."
"I doubt it. Well, let's finish searching this room for clues-that won't take long considering its condition-and then I'll call in the cavalry to finish mopping up."
"Why didn't you call in some Aurors to help us out?"
"Two reasons. Besides Remus, I don't know any of them. And I don't know if Remus and Arthur have had time to find and get rid of all the bad ones yet."
Harry nodded and then they searched the room thoroughly, but Hunt was right. There was nothing indicating whether the escaped Death Eaters had any further plans, where the remaining Death Eaters might be, or who the spy at Hogwart's might be. Their only hope was that the Aurors might be able to get some useful information out of the nine Death Eaters they had captured.
Lupin himself arrived with five Aurors shortly after Hunt notified him. He spoke with both Samuel and Harry briefly-he didn't seem very happy that Samuel had left him out of the loop or that he had brought Harry along with him. They both told their versions of the capture of the Death Eaters to Lupin and one of the other officers. Harry was very tired by the time he was done speaking with them.
Lupin pulled him aside after his second interview. "You've done an outstanding job here today, Harry."
"Come on, Remus, we didn't get all of them, and the only one who could have led us to the rest of the Death Eaters managed to make sure he couldn't give us any information. And it's my fault, because we went in early."
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Harry. You made the right call. You might not have been able to get all of them here today anyways. And now we know that we have to be extra careful at Hogwarts. None of those who came today managed to escape. You and Samuel are both fine. That's all that matters. That's how these battles are fought Harry. A little bit at a time. Very seldom do you get to wipe out the entire enemy in one day, like you did with Voldemort. And we know now that we didn't even get all of them that day Harry. Now go back to school and take a couple of days off-I'll handle the rest of the paperwork. I understand you have a tournament you need to win for Gryffindor."
Harry grinned. "Well, if you don't need me anymore, I'll take off then. But let me talk to Hunt first." Lupin told him which room he was in and Harry walked out after saying goodbye.
Harry knocked on the door and entered. Hunt and the Auror looked up. "Lupin told me to head on back to school, so unless there is something else you need me to do…"
Samuel smiled. "Nah, I think we've got it from here. Go back and have fun in the tournament. And give that girlfriend of yours a big kiss. And give her one for me."
Harry smiled widely and snapped a jaunty salute. "Yes sir."
"And Potter, you did good today."
"Thanks Hunt."
--
Hermione was sitting quietly in the stands, glumly watching the match between Hufflepuff and Slytherin, with her hand clasped around her pendant and her thumb rubbing it absentmindedly. Suddenly she leaped out of her seat and began shoving her way through the shouting crowd.
Ginny grabbed her shoulder from behind and asked, "Where are you going Hermione? They're still playing!"
"He's back, Gin. He's back!" And she flashed a bright smile before she turned and finally made her way to the stairs. For the first time all day, Ginny smiled too as she watched her friend run down the stairs.
"Where are you? Are you OK?"
"I'm fine, Mione. I just need a shower and some food. And a nap. It was a long night."
"Well, I'll run down to the kitchens and get some food from Dobby. Then I'll meet you back in the common room in fifteen minutes. How does that sound?"
"Sounds great. How is the tournament going?"
"I'll tell you later."
"That bad, huh?"
"Just go take your shower. Don't be long, I can't wait to see you."
"Great. I'll see you in a bit."
Dobby nearly broke a basket loading it with sandwiches, fruit, and pastries. Hermione had to cast a hover charm on it to get it back to the common room. Harry wasn't down yet, so she sat down in a couch by the fire to wait. He didn't take long. As soon as he stepped off the last stair, she ran over to him and smothered him in a huge hug. "I missed you Harry. I'm glad you're back." She didn't notice him wince slightly.
"Me too, Mione. I'm back in one piece, just like ordered. Everything's fine now."
They stood there, glad to be back together even though it had been less than a day they had been apart. A rumble from Harry's stomach broke the quite moment and both broke out into laughter. "I think Dobby sent enough food to fix that particular problem Harry," chuckled Hermione. They sat down and Harry ate and filled Hermione in on everything that had happened since he left last night. When he was done, Hermione told him about her day-Harry was especially interested in the confrontation between her and Ron in the Great Hall and asked her if she had noticed anything out of the ordinary. She then told him about their first match with Ravenclaw that he missed that morning, and what she had seen of the second match of the day. Finally caught up on events and full of food, Harry stretched out on the sofa with his head in Hermione's lap and quickly fell asleep while she played softly with his hair. Hermione simply sat and watched the flames in the fire, just happy to be with Harry again.
Perhaps two hours later, Hermione heard the door open and in poured a number of Gryffindor students. The dull muttering she heard suddenly quieted and when she looked away from the fireplace, she saw several of the students had spotted her and Harry resting on the couch.
"Harry's back!" shouted one shocked fifth year student. Harry flinched, but didn't wake up fully.
"Quiet!" hissed Hermione. Several of the students backed up a step.
"Harry's back?!" shouted another voice from behind the couple. Harry's eyes snapped open and he sat up slowly while Hermione took a deep breath to try and calm herself as Ron walked around the couch.
"Enjoying a little nap Harry? I hope you enjoyed your little trip-it's not like we had anything important going on here. Just the first game of the Quidditch tournament is all! Oh, by the way, in case Hermione forgot to mention it, we lost our first match because our star seeker decided not to show up for the game!"
"Oh shut up Ron!" snarled Ginny. "Maybe if you and the other boys on the team had been focusing on the game instead of that little French tart playing for Ravenclaw you might have stopped a few more shots."
"Maybe if you had caught the snitch earlier when you had the chance instead of letting their Seeker cut you off…"
"Ron, he nearly knocked her off of her broom. I don't think you can blame her for not catching the Snitch right then," countered Hermione.
"Oh shut up Hermione, nobody was talking to you," snapped Ron peevishly.
Harry stood up suddenly right in front of Ron. "That's enough," he announced quietly. "There's no need for you to be barking at Ginny and Hermione when it's me you're pissed at." Though he had to look up at Ron, it was Ron who backed up a step.
"You're right, Potter, I am pissed at you. I can't believe you just took off and left all of us high and dry. You abandoned your team and your house-you let all of us down. We were depending on you and you just took off for some reason. Why? I think you owe me an explanation." There was complete silence in the room as most of the Gryffindors watched in slightly frightened shock.
Harry glared at him before replying in a chillingly quiet voice. "Do I? There are some things that are more important than Quidditch, Ron. And you know I wouldn't have just left without a good reason. Now if you want to continue this discussion, we can do it somewhere else."
All eyes turned to Ron. "Fine, let's go," he snapped, while glaring at Harry. Harry matched his stare, but Ron didn't back down. Then, to the shock of everyone present, the two best friends simply disappeared.
-->