The Last Kefsen by Jardyn39
Chapter 19: The Moving Target
Harry, Ron and Hermione sat in the common room in their favourite arm chairs by the fire. Ron was dozing. Harry felt a tiredness beyond sleep and he was sure Hermione must be tired too.
Harry learned to enjoy the few times they could sit and just relax. Most of their time was now spent receiving or giving extra defence lessons and Harry now rivalled Hermione for library time since he now had access to the restricted section.
Unlike Harry and Ron, however, Hermione had also kept up to date with all her coursework.
Hermione smiled and looked over as a Jen's loud laugh erupted from across the room. Jen loved hearing jokes, the worse the better it seemed.
Hermione looked back to Harry and said, "I was asking Jen about herself earlier. I told her I could find hardly anything about her people in the library. She was quite chatty until I asked what really happened when you met."
Harry looked at Hermione but said nothing.
"She said I should ask you."
Again, Harry said nothing.
"When I asked when Jen would need to feed again, she answered without thinking and then she changed the subject. I couldn't get her to say anymore."
Harry looked down. Hermione pushed on.
"She said she wouldn't feed again. Is Jen really getting better?" asked Hermione in a whisper.
"Well," Harry began quietly, feeling at last he would have to tell Hermione. No, Jen was not getting better. It was his fault.
At that moment Ron woke with a start and Harry lost his nerve.
"How about a game of chess?" asked Harry, not daring to look at Hermione.
*
Harry and Ron were the last to leave their dormitory next morning. Harry sat down on his bed facing Ron, having decided what he would do.
"Ron, could I ask you a favour?"
"Sure, anything," said Ron, who looked surprised Harry needed to ask.
"Sit down a moment. I need to ask you something."
Ron sat and looked a Harry with a curious expression on his face.
"Last year, the night when Sirius died, Dumbledore told me some things. Things about my past and You-Know-Who."
"You didn't say the name," said Ron seriously.
"That's because this is important. Dumbledore said I could tell those I trust. Ron, I want to ask you two things. The first is whether you really want to know this secret. People have died for this and more may follow."
Harry leaned forward and said quietly, "If I tell you this, you must swear never to reveal this secret to anyone. Anyone. Even an accidental mention in anger or a forgetful word could have fatal consequences. Do not answer me now. Think very carefully about it first."
They sat in silence for a while before Harry continued.
"The second thing concerns Hermione. She and I are going to have this same conversation. The thing is, she is going to freak."
"And some," agreed Ron with a smile.
"I need you to be understanding and supportive. No petty arguments for a while, until she calms down. It may take some time."
Ron snorted.
"You should know that I'm not going to tell her everything. I trust her but some of it will just do her head in. I need you to help her. She'll know I'll have told you and there's a good chance she will come to interrogate you. For her sake, Ron, no questions, no answers, no hints, no jokes."
*
Harry's first session as an honorary junior sub-assistant Slytherin defence coach, or "Moving Target," according to Draco Malfoy, probably went better than he should have hoped.
Although Pansy had wanted to try and do something non-Slytherin, it soon became clear that few people were prepared to be associated with such a group, even on the quiet. Harry had agreed to help, though, and the whole anti-Voldemort stance was quietly ignored for the present.
In truth, Harry hadn't been too keen on this but Hermione had said it would at least give him an opportunity to reach out to them.
The turn out was, Harry felt, rather good all considering. About twenty or so people had attended the first session, including many that had seen him duel with Professor Flitwick.
Malfoy had decided that he should take full credit for reorganising their defence club, although Harry knew that Pansy had done all the recruiting and had persuaded Snape to allow them use of an unused dungeon classroom.
Of course, Malfoy promoted the club as an anti-Gryffindor defence club.
Malfoy had also insisted upon teaching the group personally, picking inexperienced lower year students to humiliate before randomly going around and stunning people while they practised, usually with their backs to him.
Pansy had pleaded with Harry not to interfere too much and instead he satisfied himself quietly walking around the practising pairs giving encouragement and advice. Soon he was being asked to show them much more advanced defence, quickly becoming recognised as the far better teacher.
Harry found that attending had been good for himself as well. Hermione had told him it would. The main benefit was getting to know these Slytherins better. Gradually he saw them as people who were just as much in fear of Voldemort as everyone else.
Malfoy had promised the group that, at the end of the two hour session, he would personally duel with Harry and show him a thing or two.
However, when it actually came to it, Malfoy appeared to want to let Harry off this time. It may have had something to do with some of the demonstrations Harry was giving.
"I'll duel with you!" said Pansy enthusiastically, walking out to the centre.
They had previously agreed to duel if no-one else wanted to. Harry had even agreed to fight properly and not allow an easy defeat as he'd offered her. Harry felt it might be better if he lost, at least the first time.
From the reaction of their audience, Harry realised that Pansy was probably better at duelling than she had let on.
For the first few minutes, Harry kept stopping and showing Pansy and everyone else some of her basic errors. It was mainly small things like stance, wand grip and incantation timing that could make a difference. Harry explained the weakness and what could happen for the benefit of everyone.
He even forgot they were in the middle of a duel at one point, when he got everyone to practice the defensive stance he'd just shown Pansy. As he congratulated the group he suddenly remembered and turned back to Pansy to apologise. She just grinned at him and invited him to carry on.
They finished with a proper duel with no interruptions, baring all the cheering.
As Harry grimaced, struggling to maintain his shield while Pansy barraged him with spells from a wide assortment of angles, he realised that Pansy was indeed rather better than she had let on.
Harry shifted his shield and Pansy was forced to dive out of the way of her own deflected hexes. Harry fired a short burst of stunners and finally caught her with an impediment jinx and another stunner.
He quickly went over to her to check she was alright. His wand still covering her, he reached down with his free hand.
The moment he touched her shoulder, Harry was thrown onto his back. What felt like electric shocks buzzed up and down his body.
Pansy, even though she had been unconscious, had beaten him by placing some kind of charge on herself at the last moment.
As Harry sat up to find a laughing Pansy sitting up next to him, he realised he could learn as much from them as he could teach.
He was also struck by how she laughed. He had never heard this warm laugh from her before, one that was relaxed and amongst friends.
*
A week later, Ron and Harry found they were again the last to leave their dormitory once again. This time, however, Harry was rushing to get his things together and Ron was sitting on his bed looking pensive.
"Harry, I've decided."
Harry stopped and sat down on his bed. They had not spoken about this matter since although he knew Ron had given a lot of thought to it.
"Harry," Ron began again, "I've decided not to hear the secret. Not right now anyway. I'm glad you trust me enough to tell, but the truth is I'm afraid I might let on something. You may have noticed I have a tendency to say things without thinking." He looked down, not wanting to meet Harry's eyes. "I have a feeling it is something You-Know-Who would benefit from rather than something that can be used against him. What did Hermione decide?"
"I do trust you, you know," said Harry, not answering Ron's question. "Remember, if anyone ever asks you about this or wants to talk about it, then you will know they won't know anything and shouldn't be trusted." He got up and they left for class.
Inwardly, Harry was glad with Ron's decision. He also found a new admiration for his best friend. At one time Ron could not have resisted the chance to satisfy his curiosity.
Harry had actually told Hermione everything before he had even approached Ron. She was the first one he'd told, much to Jen's approval.
With some discomfort, Harry had suggested, and Hermione had agreed, how he should tackle Ron. To his relief she had agreed with his suggestion. He did not want to lie to Ron. He still felt more than a little guilty that they had concocted a special edited version that he would have told Ron. They had another for Neville. Luna and Ginny would separately be told more or less the whole truth if they wished to hear it.
Hermione had not freaked out. Harry had not really expected her to and he was so pleased he was able to tell her everything. Well, everything to do with the prophecy, anyway.
He had told her the evening they'd walked down to the lake inside her trunk. He was glad to be confiding in Hermione again, and that helped him even though he wasn't ready to acknowledge everything just yet. He knew Hermione realised there was more, but she didn't push him.
Hermione had listened impassably to Harry as he told her as they walked up and down the lakeside. When he had finished her eyes looked red and only a single tear fell down her cheek. He had expected her to be a little emotional when she heard everything. Hermione had a habit of coming at him when he least expected her to, and Harry had been so sure she would again then.
He felt more than a slight disappointment when she did not.
It was true, however, that he did rather tire of her later insistence that he should recite the full prophecy to her what seemed an endless number of times. In the end she headed off to the Headmaster's office for a first hand account.
She appeared to be looking for a loophole.