The Final Lesson
by Jardyn39
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AN: Just to make up a little for leaving you with the last chapter ending as it did, I thought you might appreciate some additional help:-
Each Character (not counting Ollivander, obviously) will tell the truth as they know it in this Chapter.
Just don't expect to learn the real (true?) truth until the very last Chapter. Enjoy.
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Chapter 26 - Ron's Tale
Harry felt his knees buckle under him and he fell onto the carpeted interior of the white tent.
Standing directly in front of him was Hermione, her arms crossed and not looking at all pleased.
Harry barely noticed Luna, standing with her and apparently preventing her from exiting the tent to join the fray.
"W- Where are the others," Harry managed to ask, looking vacantly around the vast tent. He was almost afraid to look at the rows of cots, each with restraint straps.
Luna answered by indicating off to their side. A short distance away Neville was sitting down while Ginny was tending to him. He appeared to have another broken nose and was covered in blood.
Mary was quietly sobbing in a chair on her own.
"We have to get away from here," said Harry, getting to his feet and at last coming back to himself.
"How could you, Harry?" muttered Hermione through gritted teeth.
"What? Look, I really think," began Harry, but he had to dive to avoid the purple flame that Hermione had just fired at him.
Harry lunged forward and grabbed her wrist. He roughly jerked her arm away making her wince with pain. He let her go as soon as he realised he had actually hurt her.
"Hermione! Let's get out of here before we start fighting each other, shall we?"
The tent flaps opened and Ron came inside looking dazed. He was still covered in dirt but he no longer carried his wand in his hand.
"What are you lot doing here?" he asked in confusion.
"Get out of my sight you!" shouted Ginny angrily as soon as she saw her brother. "Go back to your Death Eater chums."
Ron stood there, looking shocked at the strength of her animosity.
"Are you okay to Portkey away?" asked Harry. "From all the screaming I was afraid you'd be, well, cut up."
"What screaming? There was no screaming."
Harry didn't have time to worry about what they were saying. He cut a corner off one of the rugs hanging up and said, "Portus!"
"Here," he said offering it up. "You all take this Portkey back to Grimmauld Place. I'll follow with Bear and Ollivander." Hermione did not accept it.
Mary gave another loud sob.
"Pity you didn't care more about John when he was alive," spat Hermione.
"What are you talking about?"
"The only way you could have escaped from the Arena was by killing him. We know what was going to happen, Harry. They told us everything."
"He's not dead," said Harry.
"He was your friend, Harry. How could you?" asked Hermione, who hadn't heard Harry.
"N- Not dead?" asked Mary weakly.
"No, but he is badly hurt," said Harry. "Please, there are just too many of them in that Arena. I can't quite believe we've had as long as we have."
On queue, there was an angry roar from somewhere outside. A loud bang followed and a bright flash momentarily lit up the canvas of the tent.
"Ollivander's gone," said Ron. "He managed to grab his spare wand and then he just vanished. I can't imagine he'll have long to live without urgent medical attention."
Harry swore and thrust the odd looking Portkey into Hermione's hands.
Luna and Ginny helped Neville up and then gently ushered Mary over towards Hermione.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" spat Harry angrily at Ron.
"I, er."
"Grab hold of the Portkey, Ron. I haven't done with you yet."
Ron tentatively took hold of the tattered carpet as Harry said, "On three. One. Two. Three!"
*
Harry pocketed the wand that he'd just lifted from Ron's pocket and ran out from the white tent. There was no sense in taking any chances that Ron might be tempted to do something stupid again.
He first checked to make sure Ollivander really had gone. Harry found nothing there but the broken wand. He'd known that anything short of a killing curse would be unlikely to actually kill the old wizard, but at the same time he had hoped to do just enough damage to take him alive.
Harry hurried over to where Bateman was lying hidden.
He was just wondering whether or not to risk another side along Apparition when they were fired upon.
Death Eaters and sympathisers were streaming out of the Arena in complete disarray.
It sounded like there was fighting going on in the stands.
Harry decided he shouldn't put Bateman at any further risk by investigating, so he grabbed tight hold of his broken arm and Disapparated them both away.
*
Harry paced up and down the corridor waiting for news of Bateman's state of health. It had been almost an hour since he'd been thrown out of the ward.
He turned again, wondering how long he could contain his growing anger.
Harry stopped seeing Professor McGonagall approaching.
Rather than going inside, she sat down on a chair beside the entrance doors. Harry sat down beside her.
"I got thrown out," he said unnecessarily.
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat gently and said, "I owe you an explanation, Harry. You see, I bear some responsibility for Sergeant Bateman's present condition."
They both turned hearing footsteps approaching.
Kingsley Shacklebolt sat down opposite them both.
"Congratulations, Kingsley," said McGonagall. "I hear that the raid on the new Arena was a great success."
"Yes, we got quite a few of them."
He shifted uncomfortably and looked at Harry.
"All this is my fault, Harry. It was my idea, and it was me who decided to keep you all in the dark."
"The kidnappings from here?" asked Harry.
"They never took place," answered McGonagall. "The story of the attack was mostly fabricated. It wasn't a real kidnapping."
"We had people planted in Ollivander's group, and they were the ones who collected them. At the time only the girls knew anything about it. Unfortunately, Neville Longbottom didn't, so he really did put up quite a fight trying to get to them," added Kingsley.
"Miss Granger only learned of our plans when she arrived here to confront me," continued McGonagall. "She eventually agreed to go along with Kingsley's plan, but she didn't really believe it would work. I believe she went along with it just so that she could be present to look after the others if needed."
"How did Ollivander know Hermione was here at Hogwarts?" asked Harry.
"I ordered a book in her name and had it delivered here," admitted Kingsley. "We knew the bookshop owner was in contact with Ollivander."
"Where was the bookshop?" Harry asked tentatively.
"It was a place down Knockturn Alley."
Harry sighed, feeling more than a little ashamed that he'd even suspected Edward and Jennifer.
"Okay, so why was Ollivander after Hermione, Luna and Ginny?" asked Harry.
"Simple. They are the three girls you are known to be closest too."
Harry took a moment to calm himself.
"So, what was all this really about?" he asked finally.
"I persuaded the Minister of Magic that we could use you to flush his suspects out into the open. I knew that you would stop at nothing to help your Muggle friends. It was just a matter of finding the right motivation for you and make your investigation touch on the fringes of their activities to make them nervous enough to make a mistake."
Harry fought an impulse to go over and punch Kingsley off his seat.
"Months ago, Harry, Bateman and I had a long conversation about you," said Kingsley. "He was convinced that you needed to be hardened up. You see, he thought you weren't afraid to kill; rather, you just thought it wasn't right. He also speculated that it would only take a nudge in the right direction."
"You wanted me to become a killer?"
"Merlin! Yes, absolutely. Harry, Voldemort is obsessed by you. Everything he does is centred around you. Not only do you need to protect yourself; you also need to fight back."
Harry shook his head.
"Anyway, much later I modified Bateman's memory. I was actually rather pleased with that. Not only did I remove Bateman's memories of his ideas concerning you, I also left just enough to set him and Miss Alice off in search of the traitor. Colonel Falcon's Journal should have lead to me, of course. I was the fictitious Traitor, but I was able to deflect his suspicions. By the way, I was telling the truth about Bateman intending to martyr himself. It was at that moment that I decided I could use him to our advantage."
Harry frowned.
"So Bear did have two memory modifications?"
"Yes. It was important that he was regarded with suspicion even after most of his memories were restored."
"Why?"
"Tardov and his associates had to believe they were still in the clear. I've been feeding them false information for months. Unfortunately, that will have to stop now."
"He knows he's been discovered?"
"Tardov was found dead at the Arena. I've no idea who killed him. He may have just got caught in the crossfire."
"What about Harriett Castle?"
"That was unfortunate, but in time she'll make a full recovery."
"Unfortunate? She almost killed herself!"
"Yes, well, you aren't the only one to have a go at me for that mistake. The problem was I had no idea she was being used like that. The way I prepared the information being leaked, there was absolutely no need to use an Imperious Curse. I just underestimated how cruel and ruthless our opponents were."
"Is Careem working for you too?"
Kingsley smiled and nodded.
"He was our man from the start, Harry. He's actually a squib, by the way."
"No," breathed Harry, genuinely surprised by this revelation.
"He and his brother were raised by Muggle foster parents. Actually, while I'm confessing, I probably ought to admit that I never did stop working with the Prime Minister. He's known just about everything I knew relating to Tardov's activities. Had we worked harder on getting our stories straight, Miss Granger might never have caught us out."
"I doubt that," commented McGonagall dryly.
"Tell me about Ollivander," demanded Harry.
"I know very little about his current activities. He's becoming known for his unsavoury anti-Muggle views and he's known to associate with Death Eaters. He has never been accused of being a Death Eater himself and you are the only person to accuse him of being The Healer."
"You just said you've had your people working for him!"
"I didn't say they were very successful. He trusts hardly anyone, you know? He's had all of our people involved with building that damn Arena for ages now."
Harry frowned and shook his head.
"So, if Ollivander wasn't part of your plot, why didn't he kill me when he had the chance? All be really did, until our final fight, was taunt me about how feeble I was compared to Voldemort."
Kingsley just shrugged.
"Ollivander came out of the tent where they were being held, but when I got in there they were all just waiting for me. Did he free them?"
"No idea. Our people should have been there the whole time to see that they came to no harm. None of them have checked in yet, but one of them could have freed them, I suppose."
"What about Ron?"
"He, er, wasn't part of our plans," Kingsley admitted quietly.
Harry bowed his head.
"You're going to have to deal with him yourself."
"DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME THAT!" shouted Harry, his eyes blazing. Kingsley jumped back in shock, staring at the wand Harry was pointing at him.
Professor McGonagall reached up and gently pulled Harry's arm down.
Kingsley took a moment to recover and Harry had the impression that his life had flashed before him.
"That's the trouble with creating fledgling killers," said McGonagall lightly. "You can never tell who they'll decide to attack next."
The pair of doors to the Hospital Wing both swung open and Madam Pomfrey appeared.
"He's stable but he'll be sleeping for several hours while his body recovers."
"Will he be okay?" asked Harry.
"Yes, I've mended his bones. In fifty years I haven't seen so many breaks in the same two arms. Of course, he would have died had you not hit him with that curse. I dread to think where you learned it, Potter, but stopping the blood flow saved his life."
"What about the injuries to his head?"
"There will be no long term problems there. Fortunately our Sergeant has a thick skull that is now back to its usual shape."
"Can we see him?"
"Certainly not! I will not permit any visitors, without exception. He'll be unconscious for the next two days at least, so you might as well all go."
"Thank you, Poppy," said McGonagall with a small smile. "We're quite comfortable out here."
Madam Pomfrey gave them a disbelieving look before returning to her duties.
"Tell me about Bear," said Harry. "He tried to get me to kill him. He said it was his final lesson, or something."
"Well, he wasn't exactly thinking clearly at that point, was he?"
Harry resisted another urge to attack Kingsley.
"I'm sorry," said Kingsley as Professor McGonagall returned a precautionary hand to her lap. "That was uncalled for. As I said, it was his idea that you needed to learn how to fight and kill if necessary. I think the circumstances he was in forced that idea back to the surface."
"He told me in the arena that he remembered."
They were quiet for a long moment.
"So, was all this worth it?" asked Harry. "How many lives did you save?"
Kingsley shifted uncomfortably and said, "Well, obviously the people we captured will be kept off the streets for a while. We'll publicise who they are too, so they'll find it harder to operate."
"What about all the false information you fed Tardov?"
Kingsley looked very uncomfortable now.
"That," he said slowly, "has been less successful. I still don't know how, but they managed to target a good number of their victims in spite of the false information."
"How was that supposed to work?"
"We pretended that the Muggles were successfully spying on the Ministry. Tardov was actually assigned to spy on the Muggles. We intended him to get the doctored information about Ministry activities that way. It worked well too, in the beginning, anyway."
"So, Scrimgeour played me along from the beginning," said Harry, remembering the look the Minister had given him just before greeting him and showing him into his office.
"Not entirely, Harry," said Kingsley. "Even he didn't know all of the plan. Originally, he just wanted to get you to talk to that ghost Librarian for him. You should know he was very reluctant to use you like we did. Come to think about it, when he finds out I sanctioned the fake kidnapping of four Hogwarts students, he'll probably string me up."
Kingsley's smile faded seeing Harry's serious expression.
"Why did you do that?"
"While Ollivander was busy having fun with you, he was distracted from what was going on with Tardov and the fake information we were feeding him. We just had to keep it up just a little longer. Ollivander isn't stupid, by any means. If he'd been thinking straight, he'd have smelled a rat straight away."
"There's another leak, isn't there? One you don't know about."
Kingsley just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.
"That now seems very likely. It's possible they were just lucky, but somehow they knew when to act on the information. Even the faked stuff had to have elements that were true in them in order to maintain credibility. I just don't know how it was done. If only we could have got to Tardov in time. There was one hell of a fight in the Arena. Malemo isn't being very co-operative at the moment, either."
Then Professor McGonagall stood up.
"Harry, I suggest you return to the others. I expect they'll have lots to explain as well. For my part, I'd like to apologise. I placed your friends any my students at an unacceptable risk when I agreed to go along with all this. I should have listened to Hermione, instead of helping to change her mind."
*
Harry entered the drawing room at Grimmauld Place and went straight over to Mary. Hermione was sitting with her and Ginny was curled up with Neville on the couch.
"How is he?" Mary asked at once.
"He'll be fine," said Harry. "He's in hospital and won't be awake again until tomorrow at the earliest. We'll smuggle you in to see him, but I think you should get some rest first."
She nodded shakily.
"Where's Ron?" asked Harry.
"He's upstairs with Luna," said Hermione at once. "Harry, I-"
Harry stood to leave.
"Harry?"
"Later," he said coldly, and headed straight for the door.
*
It wasn't too difficult to tell which of the bedrooms they were in. Harry knocked on the door but the shouting continued.
In the end he opened the door to see Luna brandishing a bedpan at Ron.
"I'd like a word with Ron," said Harry.
Luna turned and smiled warmly at him.
"Of course, Harry. I'll be downstairs."
Almost casually she hurled the bedpan at Ron and left the room without looking back.
Harry closed the door and picked up an overturned chair to sit on.
Ron moved around and sat on the edge of the bed.
"I suppose it's time I told you the whole truth," said Ron miserably.
"High time," agreed Harry, sitting down.
Ron rubbed his fingers through his hair and collected his thoughts.
"I didn't lie about how I met with Ollivander," he began, "but I didn't tell you everything we discussed, nor everything he asked me to do.
"First of all, Harry, Ollivander is a bigot. He hates Muggles and Mudbloods, and he's fairly contemptuous of just about everyone else. He actually admires You-Know-Who and what he's achieved using one of his wands.
"Ollivander is capable of doing some pretty sick things, Harry, but the one thing he isn't is The Healer."
Harry's scepticism was evident on his face.
"Some of the people I've been mixing with actually knew the Healer. I've no idea who he really is, but I'm sure it isn't Ollivander."
"But what about Alison Weston's reaction?"
"I can't explain that. Maybe she had seen someone else and you only assumed it was Ollivander because he was the only one you saw. Harry, Ollivander wanted you to think he was the Healer, even though he isn't."
Harry shook his head in disbelief.
"He did kind of admit that he observed the work the Healer did. You know, at Voldemort's camp. He certainly didn't do anything to ease their suffering and he did have a ghoulish fascination with what the Healer was doing."
Ron shifted slightly.
"Now, you know that Ollivander and Dumbledore went way back?"
"Yes, Ollivander told me."
"Right, but he didn't tell you about the obligation Ollivander had to Dumbledore."
"Ollivander said something about not being obligated to Dumbledore any more. I assumed he meant because he had died."
"No, Harry. Ollivander was given a final task by Dumbledore before he died. A terrible one."
"What was it?" asked Harry with a feeling of growing unease. He knew only too well what it was like to fulfil a terrible promise made to Dumbledore.
Ron did not answer at once but Harry's thoughts at that moment were of Dumbledore and his pleading as Harry fed him the poison.
"He," began Ron hesitantly. "He promised to do something. Dumbledore made him promise to teach you."
"Teach me?"
"He promised to teach you to kill, Harry. He was to do this regardless of casualties and he was to complete this task even if it meant provoking you into killing him."
"That's insane!"
"Is it, Harry? Dumbledore knew that You-Know-Who would order no further attempts to be made on you life. The Death Eaters are terrified of even giving you a scratch for fear of what he would do to them and their families.
"Ollivander agreed that You-Know-Who ordered this partly because he wants to be the one to kill you-"
"You don't say?" interrupted Harry in a mocking tone.
"And," continued Ron carefully, "because he has a better motive. You-Know-Who wants to fight an inexperienced you. He knows you, Harry. He knows your weaknesses. You wouldn't hurt anyone unless you could help it. You couldn't even finish off Ollivander properly, could you?"
Harry shrugged.
"It won't matter how many hexes and defences you have learned if, when it comes right down to it, you will hesitate before taking You-Know-Who's life."
Harry looked down, knowing this to be true.
"Ollivander did some truly terrible things when he was younger. He knows exactly what it's like to kill. He was the only one Dumbledore could turn to. You see, he needed someone he could trust to keep their word."
"What do you mean?" asked Harry.
"Lots of people have killed, Harry, but how many could be trusted to complete Dumbledore's instructions, even at the expense of their own life?"
They were silent for a long time.
"What about you, Ron?"
"What about me?"
"We've been very concerned about you. Kingsley has dropped some heavy hints how I should deal with you. Herita said I should just execute you and move on, irrespective of the facts."
"Oh," said Ron. "It didn't occur to me that I might be a victim of your final lesson. Hermione wouldn't approve."
"She was pretty upset with you, actually. But you're right, Hermione would not approve. Nor would most of the people who thought they were your friend."
Ron's face became a little flushed and he looked away.
"You get immune to it after a while," said Ron. "At first I just ignored all the anti-Muggle comments. Then I found myself believing them. I knew none of it was true or right, but it's so much easier when you've someone to aim your hatred at.
"Almost everyone I met down Knockturn Alley had some kind of grievance that festered. Muggles are easy prey. They can't fight back with magic.
"Anyway, I was reaching the point when I had to either disassociate myself from those people or join in. I was on the point of leaving when I met Ollivander. He persuaded me to play along for a while."
"Play along?"
"I exaggerated my views. It meant I could stay in their company for longer, although when I refused to take part in any Muggle bating I needed Ollivander to stop them from killing me. The very worst part was that time at the Burrow, though. I'm just glad I didn't need to use any of the really bad Mudblood material I had in order to provoke you."
"But why, Ron?"
"Ollivander could be quite convincing. He taught me loads of wand hexes. You've seen how much better I've got now."
"You haven't told me why, Ron."
"I don't honestly know," Ron admitted. "The way he told it, it all made sense. I was going to be able to help Ollivander fulfil Dumbledore's instructions. We would both help fight You-Know-Who by provoking you into standing up for yourself. Ollivander knows you've got it in you, Harry, despite all the things he's said.
"Mind you, hearing what he said after he stunned me does make me wonder if he might have just been using me after all."
"It won't be easy for your family to forgive you, you know that?"
"I know. I tried to tell Dad about it, but he didn't believe me. I was hoping either you or Hermione would find all that rubbish I left behind rather than him."
"Where did all those sick Pureblood pamphlets come from, Ron?"
"No idea."
"Ollivander?" asked Harry
"Possible, I guess. I've been receiving them for months now. I assumed everyone was getting them since they arrived with the official Ministry handouts."
"Ron! Didn't you consider it strange that the Ministry was handing out that rubbish?"
"Not really. Anyway, I asked Dad not to tell anyone that I'd spoken to him, so I imagine Mum and the others still hate me. Your crack about the painful brand certainly hit home too."
Harry combed his fingers through his hair.
"How could you be so stupid, Ron?"
"It's a gift."
"I'm being serious," Harry said firmly. "Only the three of us know the truth about how we are going to defeat Voldemort. Have you any idea what would happen if he found out what we know?"
"I would never have told anything about that."
"You could have been made to talk. I'm amazed that your new associates didn't just hand you over to Voldemort. At least one of them must have known how close you are to me."
"They were too afraid of Ollivander," said Ron quietly.
They were quiet for a long moment.
"I believe you've told me the truth as you know it, Ron, except in one respect," Harry said at last. "What I can't believe is that you bought all that rubbish Ollivander told you. Maybe Dumbledore did make him promise to do something, but I can't believe Dumbledore of all people would resort to forcing me to learn how to kill."
"So, what did Ollivander really promise then?"
"I've no idea. Ollivander has always given me a chance to escape unharmed. Part of that could be his promise to Dumbledore, but more likely its Voldemort's instructions that only he may kill me."
"That's what I just said. Harry, what's the one respect you don't believe?"
Harry looked at Ron coldly.
"You said it didn't occur to you that you might be a victim of my final lesson."
"Oh," said Ron, looking down. "Yes, Harry. Hermione told me ages ago that you were testing us. She thought that was why Bateman was really invited to Hogwarts. He was there to kill us if we failed the tests, wasn't he?"
"I would never have allowed that to happen," said Harry. His voice was kindly but his face was unsmiling as he raised his wand to Ron. "I would never allow Bateman to do something that was my responsibility."
"Er, Harry?"
"Where did you hear the phrase Final Lesson, Ron?"
"What? Er, I don't know. Ollivander must have said it. Why?"
"Bateman used the same phrase. His final lesson was to teach me to kill as well. Strange co-incidence, don't you think?"
Ron just stared open mouthed at Harry's wand tip.
Harry considered for a long moment before lowering his wand. Ron sighed with relief, but Harry had decided that if Ron had truly turned against them, Percy would be dead by now.
Harry stood up and made to leave the room.
"So am I reprieved?"
"No, Ron. Let's call this a stay of execution. You'll need to reconcile yourself with everyone you've upset. I'm afraid there are quite a few of them. I suggest you start with Hermione. Oh, yes," Harry added, remembering. "Ron, why was Luna so mad at you?"
"Er," said Ron hesitantly. "Well, she wrote to me. I don't know if you knew, but McGonagall got everyone at school to write to everyone who didn't turn up in September and try to persuade them back. Luna got me. Actually, I only recently found out she was supposed to be inviting me back to school. You see, her letter didn't actually say anything about coming back to school."
"Go on," said Harry, who could well believe that of Luna.
"Right. I contacted her a short while ago. It was just after you took that DA class, so she knew I'd been thrown out by Dad. I was desperate, Harry. There was no-one I could talk to about all this. Anyway, she just said Ollivander was mad and that I should come clean and tell you and Hermione everything.
"She's, er, a little upset that I didn't act upon her advice."
*
Harry closed the door behind him and realised he had no idea where he wanted to be at that moment. He heard a soft sniff and looked up. Hermione was waiting for him, red faced and puffy eyed.
"Harry, I," was all she managed before bursting into tears.
Harry crossed the corridor and opened his arms to her.
"Shh," he said gently. "Let's not do this tonight."
"N- No, Harry. We need to talk about this."
Harry guided her into a bedroom and relented only in as much as he let Hermione tell him exactly what happened from the moment she left him.
His anger at her had dissipated the moment he heard her begin to cry, even if he couldn't quite bring himself to forgiving her just yet.
Somehow Hermione's failure to trust him had hurt even more than Ron's actions. Ron had been stupid, and had admitted it. Although he believed Hermione's explanation that Professor McGonagall called Kingsley as soon as she arrived to challenge them, he would never have believed that Hermione could be so easily persuaded.
Perhaps wisely, Hermione had not asked for his forgiveness just yet. He was in no mood for that.
"I went straight to Professor McGonagall as soon as I realised. I was sure she could contact Kingsley if she needed to in an emergency, and I wanted to ask her advice. At the time I was afraid he really was the Traitor we'd been looking for.
"I should have been stronger, Harry. Kingsley just kept going on about the lives that could be saved if they discovered the full extent of the Ministry leaks. He also wouldn't let me contact you. He was afraid you might do something rash.
"I think he'd spent a long time persuading Professor McGonagall too. When she supported Kingsley, I finally agreed to go along with it.
"The trouble is, I still think Voldemort has so many supporters in key places at the Ministry, Kingsley will have an impossible job to identify them all. I kept telling him to ask for Scenariste's help, but he wouldn't agree."
Gradually, Hermione began to tell him more.
He learned that Kingsley's undercover Aurors had taken them to the White Tent. Once Ollivander had seen them captive for his amusement later, the Aurors freed them and returned their wands.
Mary and Bateman had been coincidentally captured by Ollivander's loyal men. Unfortunately, Bateman was sent straight to the Arena to fight. Mary was sent to the White Tent.
"Ron is sure Ollivander isn't the Healer. So why did he want you in there?"
"He may not be the Healer, Harry, but there are many other ways to entertain a sick mind."
Harry had asked why Ollivander had come out of the tent satisfied that everything was in order. He also told Hermione about the screaming he had heard coming from the tent.
"That was weird," said Hermione. "The Aurors had been called away to the Arena and said it would be too suspicious if they didn't attend as ordered. They performed a charm near the tent entrance, and when Ollivander came in it was like he could still see us still tied up. Perhaps the screaming was part of the illusion too."
"Even if Ollivander isn't the Healer, he's still pretty cracked," said Harry. "You should have seen the look of anticipation on his face after he looked inside."
-
AN: The bit where Harry caught Ron out didn't count, just because. Okay, enough of all this Characters telling the truth nonsense! Next: Will Ron get a green light to join the fight?