The Pride
by Jardyn39
Chapter 8 - I'll Get It, Shall I?
Harry Apparated to the top of the metal observation platform just as he heard the metallic thumps of someone running up the steps three at a time. An instant later the sprung gate clanged and almost swung off its hinges as Hermione shoved it open and ran right for him, gasping for breath.
He half-turned and had to grab hold of the railing to stop himself toppling over after Hermione had launched herself at him. The whole unstable observation platform seemed to wobble uncertainly for a moment and it felt like the railing was becoming lose at one end.
"Harry! What were you thinking of?"
Meanwhile, Caesar was roaring louder than ever over in the far compound.
Trusting that Hermione wouldn't actually push him off the viewing platform, Harry let go and put both his arms around her. Her heart was thundering against his chest.
"Hermione, you're shaking!"
It took a moment for her to control her breathing, but finally Hermione grabbed hold of his shirt and dabbed her eyes before burying her face again.
"When I get my magic back I am so going to jinx you," she threatened, making Harry smile down at her.
"Did you run all the way?"
"No, Susan almost ran me down. She gave me a lift. I assumed you would attempt to feed Ron to that Python of yours."
"Barry? Well, I was considering that but I remembered the inner compound at the last moment."
"Justin is going to be very disappointed in you for disturbing his lions."
"By the sound of all that roaring, I'd say he was fine. I'll go and apologise later."
"You're not going back in there!"
"Um, I meant I'll apologise to Justin, not the lion."
"Oh."
Caesar stopped roaring for a moment making Harry glance behind him. Caesar was still standing at the top of the low mound, looking right at Harry through the dividing fencing. A moment later he was roaring again and Harry smiled.
Maybe he would try and persuade Justin to let him go back in and apologise after all.
"What did you do with Ron?" she asked.
Harry's face fell.
"I let him go, Hermione. I've given him until midnight to say goodbye to his parents. I can take you to the Burrow if you want."
"What?"
"If you want to go with him. He'll be on the run, though, at least at first."
"Do you want me to go?"
"No, Hermione. That's honestly the very last thing I'd want, but I'm not going to try and stop you."
"Ron is going on the run? He admitted it, then?"
"He's a pretty useless criminal, actually. He didn't hurt anyone and I don't think he got much money either. I'm pretty sure the Minister will agree to a short sentence, and then he'll be able to return."
"But you're making him run now? Does Ron know he'll get a lenient sentence?"
"No, we were interrupted. Tell me what you want me to do, Hermione," said Harry.
"I don't want Ron falling into even more trouble just because he thinks he has no alternative."
Harry sighed and said, "Okay. He did offer to let me Apparate away from Caesar first, I suppose."
"Caesar?"
"The chap who's doing all that roaring down there."
"Oh. How about if we ask Mr Weasley to have a word with Ron? Perhaps he can keep in contact with Ron and check up on him until he gets himself sorted out. Then he can go to Azkaban for a few days."
"Months, Hermione."
"Weeks," she countered.
Harry just rolled his eyes and realised she was still hugging him very tightly.
"You're really not tempted to go with him?"
"No, Harry. He deserves a chance to redeem himself, though."
"What about me?"
"Yes, Harry, even you."
"So, um," he began, wondering if he dare go on. "What's this about you stunning me?"
Hermione's eyes snapped up and she went rigid. Harry smiled down at her.
"I was terrified. Ron was angry enough to do anything and you might have really hurt him."
Harry put on a sceptical look.
"Alright! I didn't want you to know; get the idea that," she said before trailing off. Hermione bit her lip and her eyes moistened.
"It's okay," he assured her gently. "No wonder I slept well on your couch, mind!"
"I only did it the once! I was just mortified at what you'd say."
"Hermione, you know what I'd have said; well, what I'd have said after Ron had gone, maybe."
Hermione shook her head slightly.
"Um," began Harry before swallowing hard. "I think it's about time I admitted that Mrs Weasley may have been right all along. Actually, I seem to recall you were almost pushing me off a great height the last time I tried to tell you that."
"Oh, Ginny will be pleased."
"Ginny?"
"Who do you think gave Mrs Weasley the idea in the first place?"
Harry groaned remembering how Ginny had refused to listen to his protests and felt Hermione chuckle against his chest.
"How long do you think they have been conspiring?"
"Harry, please. You didn't think you were the only one she was dropping hints to, did you?"
"Well yes, apart from Luna and Ginny, obviously. Let's talk about you for a moment, can we? I think you shouldn't be alone until you're completely well again. Either stay with your parents or with the Weasleys."
"Or with you?"
"Sure, absolutely, if you'd like. But you're going to consult a Healer and get some time off work. Ron said stunning me was the last decent magic you did. Did anything happen?"
"No."
"Hermione, what if I'd been carrying the Talisman? You could have been killed."
"You promised me you would never use that thing again!"
"I've been moving it around trying to find a suitable hiding place. I could have had it in a pocket, or something," he said, suddenly feeling rather scared at what might have happened.
"Is it somewhere safe now?"
"For now, but I need to find a permanent hiding place."
"Why not give it to Caesar?" suggested Hermione. "Susan said he can recognise Wizards."
Harry frowned.
"That's an idea. It would have to be hidden, though. We'd need to be sure there were always lions to guard it."
"I'm sure Gringotts would exchange your gold for Muggle money. You could make a donation to the park. How does the Humbled Harry compound sound?"
Harry snorted and said, "Hey, I heard your scream a mile away! I'm definitely calling it the Howling Hermione compound!"
Hermione laughed and continued with, "Petrified Potter?"
Harry was laughing too much to think of another so quickly.
"Are you sure you want to stay at my place?" he asked, still chuckling. "The cooking's much better at the Burrow."
"It's the company that counts most," she said quietly.
"No more night-time stunning, though?"
"I'm not promising anything. Anyway, you'll need to fix your place up first. It was quite a mess when I left."
"It was?"
"I went back to my own flat at first. Ron was there waiting for me and demanded to know where I'd been. I'd hoped to get back before he missed me at all. Anyway, I said I was going to pop out and get us both something to eat. He followed me but I cut through the underpass. Those tunnels always confuse him and I managed to board a tube train.
"I thought I'd lost him but I'd barely closed your door when he was opening it again. All the furniture went a bit crazy and attacked him. I managed to Floo here in all the confusion."
"Well, I think I gave both of you keys but I've no idea why the furniture would attack. Why did you go there?"
"I had nowhere to go. Ron was bound to find me anywhere else and I could hardly come back here so soon. I felt awkward about leaving so abruptly yesterday as it was. It was so rude of me, but I felt so uncomfortable. I was scared I'd be called upon to do some magic."
"So, Ron forced you to come back?"
"I came for much same reason I went to your flat in the first place, Harry. I went there hoping for some reminder of you but I'd forgotten how little time you spend there these days. I wanted to be brave and feel safe like I always do around you."
"I don't like it there much either," he admitted sadly. "No reminders of you."
"In all the confusion of the furniture flying around, I just ran and tried to hide in one of the bedrooms. All you seem to have is empty rooms, though."
"Well, I've only just moved in. There hasn't been time to furnish the place."
"You've had that place a year now! Anyway, there was a distraction when Luna showed herself. I think she was doing the thing with the furniture."
"Luna? What was Luna doing there?"
"She seemed to be expecting you, Harry. Is that the sort of thing you like her to wear?"
"Luna knew I was spending the weekend here, Hermione. She was the one who got me invited to stay here, remember?"
Hermione frowned.
"Then she must have been there for another reason. Does she have a key?"
"No, but she would have no problem getting in if she needed to. There's no special security."
"You and she really aren't?"
"No, Hermione. I expect it was thanks to Luna's distractions that Ron didn't come looking for you until this morning."
Hermione looked up at him and said, "We're a fine pair, aren't we?"
He nodded again.
"Hermione, how did you get the fire going for the Floo?"
"Did I not mention the fire?" she said innocently. "It sort of spread to the hearth and I threw Floo Powder at it."
"There was a fire?"
*
Harry really wasn't happy as he descended the stairs. Susan had just thrown him out of the private apartments at wand point and threatened to hex him if he prevented her from tending to Hermione properly.
He knew better than to argue after that. Susan never made idle threats and he'd seen first hand just what she was capable of.
Harry still thought, however, that he was the best qualified to look after Hermione and rather resented his exclusion. After all, she was much calmer now than she had been.
In any event, Susan made it very clear that she wasn't impressed and was torn between hexing him and tending to Hermione.
Susan had eventually sent him off in search of Justin, probably to be told off like a three-year-old, but he knew this was just an excuse to get him out of the way while she interrogated Hermione further.
He arrived at the bottom of the stairs and had entered one of the airy display rooms before he knew where he was going. A party of bored looking Scouts stood around and a few clusters of them seemed to be conspiring to slip away from their Guide.
Harry saw one youth elbow his friend hard in the ribs to get his attention and he turned to see what had caught the boys' attention.
The figure-hugging outfit Luna was wearing seemed to draw disapproving stares from the portraits all around the room. The stares were on the whole rather more approving from the live occupants. He'd never seen her with her hair done up like that before, revealing discrete gold earrings. The high heels she wore too made her look tall and slender.
She paused a moment and then headed straight for Harry.
"Hi, Harry," she said, apparently unaware of all the eyes now upon her. "Are you here for the meeting too?"
"Meeting?" asked Harry, moving to block the view the admiring boys had of the long slit in her skirt. Luna however stepped over to admire one of the table displays.
"Luna," whispered Harry. "Is that outfit entirely appropriate?"
"I know! These earrings are all wrong, aren't they? Well, I didn't get a chance to change. I only came here because I'd lost track of Ron. He skipped off while I was saying good morning to Mrs Brown."
"She lives downstairs, I think."
"Yes. She seemed quite nice but wasn't too impressed with the hole burned through her ceiling. I was pointing out how much friendlier it was. I mean, you can say hello without going outside now."
"Yes, Luna. I should have thought of that."
"Do you know where Ron is?"
"I expect he's gone to the Burrow. Where do you keep your wand in that outfit, anyway?"
"I've sewn some quick-release buttons so I can get to it in a hurry, but I can still just about reach it," she said, but Harry caught her arm in time.
"I don't need to see," he assured her, although several other young visitors in the room probably would have disagreed with him on that point.
"Ah, I think they're ready for us. This way, Harry."
Harry followed her into the door that had just opened.
Luna closed the door behind them and indicated that Harry should sit at the end of the long dining table. Luna then took a seat at the side, joining around a dozen people who were obviously witches and wizards.
She immediately picked up a pencil and began sketching a neat little picture of the scene outside the window on one of the pads provided. Everyone else's pencil and pad remained untouched. Harry decided just to leave her to it.
"Welcome, Mr Potter," said the wizard at the opposite end of the table. "We represent the leadership of the Dark Force Defence League. We won't introduce ourselves by name, if you don't mind."
Harry scanned everyone present. Each wore an obscuring charm which made their faces look blurred. It was an illusion but had been performed well. He'd seen it before where the blurring effect didn't move in time with the head making identification possible.
"Where are Susan and Justin?" Harry asked.
"They are no longer active in the organisation, but they do help us out occasionally."
"So, what do you want with me?"
"Oh, we just thought you'd appreciate a little reminder, that's all. We wouldn't want you to forget we are here."
Harry folded his arms.
"I'll tell you what I won't forget," he said firmly. "I won't forget the fact that you placed one of my best friends at great personal risk."
"Weasley was hardly that much of a threat and besides, Miss Lovegood has been monitored constantly."
"I did volunteer to help, Harry," Luna said quietly, not looking up.
"None of you knew the true level of risk. Okay, it looks like Twynford was the brains behind some of this, but there has to be more. Someone has been guiding Ron and right now I've no idea who that could be."
"Guiding him?"
"Easing his way through those rapid promotions," explained Harry. "I thought that's what you were investigating? Is that right, Luna?"
"Oh, no. That wasn't me. The League say they have better people placed inside the Ministry for that."
"Good," said Harry.
"Good?" asked the wizard at the end of the table.
"I trust Luna, but not you lot. Whoever was investigating the Ministry end was either helping Ron or concealing the truth about what happened. Either way, I'm putting this whole matter under an official investigation."
"We aren't the enemy here."
"Then you've got nothing to worry about."
"You can't make our involvement public. Our work needs secrecy."
"Voldemort has gone now. Your excuse to remain unaccountable died with him."
"You'd prefer to trust the Minister's Aurors? The very people in question?"
"Well, perhaps we can find some people who are trustworthy enough. How about it Luna? Will you come and work with us?"
"Okay, Harry," Luna answered without hesitation, although she looked like she wasn't paying them any attention at all now.
"I think you'll find we won't be so easy to dismiss," threatened the wizard.
Harry smiled back at him.
"The Minister already knows my views. I told him a long time ago the terms under which I was prepared to allow him to remain in office."
"And yet you will let Weasley go because he was your friend. Those are some flexible terms you have!"
"Yes, Ron is my friend. That's why I'm going to send him to jail. He'll pay his price to society and hopefully get over his problems. His old job, the one he actually earned, will be there for him just like the Minister promised."
Luna looked up briefly and smiled at him.
"Perhaps we'll just lose all the evidence that might allow Justin and Susan to keep this place, then?"
"No, you won't," said Harry, standing up. "I don't need it anyway. Twynford can rot in Azkaban until he relinquishes any claim on this Estate and the Title, as far as I'm concerned. The deal was for the benefit of his family, not him. He got no time off at all.
"I appreciate you taking the time to try and intimidate me, I really do," added Harry. "We might have had a common enemy in Voldemort that didn't make us allies. I dealt with him with the help of my friends.
"Susan and Justin and all their recruits are the people I owe my loyalty to, not you. Not the League leadership. You never did anything that might have placed yourselves in danger while the rest of us fought Voldemort. All you ever did was to occasionally join us after the fighting when you were sure it was safe.
"You even deluded yourselves that all those League members died in your service. They didn't. They died fighting for a cause and its high time their sacrifices were properly recognised.
"I promised myself a long time ago that I'd expose you cowards for what you are. Now, at long last, I might be able to fulfil that promise."
"Don't you threaten us, Potter! We are more powerful than you could imagine."
"You can all expect to be interviewed by our investigators in due course. We already have all your contact details, thanks. Those that co-operate will be treated fairly but don't expect any deals for clemency."
Luna got up then but seemed to hesitate.
"Come on, Luna," said Harry. "We're done with these people."
Luna followed him to the door and then out into the larger display room.
"Harry, I ought to return these things," she said, removing an earring.
"Luna, don't worry about it. The Minister will cover any cost of your outfits, I'm sure."
"What, even-?"
"Yes, even down to your underwear," added Harry, afraid she might decide to remove more than her earrings right in front of the Scouts who appeared to have waited for her return.
"Oh, this was a bit too tight for underwear as well. See?"
*
"I can't believe you didn't tell me," Hermione said for the umpteenth time. "You were working for the Ministry the whole time."
"I didn't think you'd be that interested. Besides, it hasn't been that long."
"Admit it! You didn't trust me."
Harry smiled reluctantly but didn't answer.
"Summon the soap for me, Harry?"
"You get it," he said with a laugh that echoed slightly off the marble tiles. "You threw it over there."
"I didn't mean to. It slipped out of my hands for some reason."
"Yes, that was some slip. It must have landed ten feet away. If you want to use soap-on-a-rope again, you'll need something a lot longer."
Hermione splashed the water in frustration.
"Get it for me and I'll let you have the scenic end next time? The view of the lake is rather good."
"The view's just fine from this end, thanks."
"Fine! I'll get it, shall I? Cover your eyes."
Hermione pulled a wet towel off the side of the bath and covered herself carefully as she emerged from the sea of dense white bubbles. Muttering the whole time she climbed out of the bath and hurried to retrieve the soap.
"Close your eyes, Harry Potter!"
Harry smiled and obeyed this time, placing a wet hand towel over his face. They had been staying with Justin and Susan for the past few days while Harry's flat was redecorated. The fire damage had been minimal because Luna had insisted Ron take the trouble to put it out before he left. He hadn't asked what other distractions there might have been to delay Ron's leaving, either.
A moment later, he heard Hermione clamber back into the bath.
Harry waited for permission to remove his mask. It still seemed strange that Hermione should move the boundaries of their new relationship so freely but he wasn't about to argue. They would proceed at whatever pace, forward or backward, Hermione felt comfortable with.
"Okay, you can look now."
"No, no," said Harry politely, reaching forward blindly. "Where's that soap gone now?"
A moment later Hermione squealed and wave of foamy water escaped over the side. At the same time the bath made a deep clanging noise as the soap bar hit the side and went flying again. This time it landed in the far corner of the room.
"Oh, not again," breathed a very red Hermione between giggles. "What are you doing now?"
"Will you stop kicking, Hermione? I suspect you'll have Justin's ceiling down judging from the amount of water you've managed to spill. I mean, you already wrecked their antique bed, after all."
"Me? I thought you admitted how you took a running jump to get up there."
"Yes, I did tell them that but for some reason they didn't believe me. Apparently poor Caesar was quite disturbed by all the noise as well."
Hermione frowned slightly before blushing furiously again.
"Maybe we've outstayed our welcome, Harry. The repairs to your flat should be finished soon, shouldn't they?"
"Hm. I wonder if Luna will leave any of the outfits you mentioned?"
"Why? I don't suppose they'd fit you."
Harry snorted.
"Have you heard from Mr Weasley yet?"
"No. Luna managed to catch Ron before he left and persuaded him to go into hiding with her for a while. I just hope they can resist setting the place on fire again."
"They're staying at your place?"
"Yes, I assume so. I hardly ever go there, so why not?"
"Ron knows about the deal?"
"No, not yet. He needs time to feel what its like to live life on the run."
"Poor Ron. Azkaban will seem so much worse if he and Luna really hit it off. She's not with him, on orders, is she?"
"No! Luna was the League's fem fatale, not mine. I promise you, she's done with all that nonsense."
"Oh. You will try to make things up with Ron?"
She had asked him this question over and over.
"Yes, of course," he said yet again. "I thought I'd wait until he's actually in custody, though. Anyway, it was as much my fault than his."
"Just so long as you try, Harry."
Harry leaned forward and asked gently, "How about we start those exercises after breakfast?"
"I'm not sure I'm ready, Harry."
"Hermione, the Healer explained what the problem was and how we are going to fix you up. You've no reason to feel guilty now and there are no more secrets to keep between us. It'll be slow, but you're already on the mend. You can't expect everything to come back all at once, can you?"
Hermione shrugged and toyed with the thick foam. The specialist Healer they had consulted had almost more to say to Harry than Hermione about her condition.
Harry had encouraged her to be as open and honest as possible, but had been surprised at just how much Hermione had opened up in the short time they had been together.
"She needs confidence," she had said after several hours of consultation. "She needs to truly feel loved and to know the love she feels for you won't be spurned. It's as simple as that. She lost her magic because she felt she had betrayed those she loved the most.
"Hermione hid her feelings from you out of an obligation to your friend, Ron. You made it seem you no longer cared for her; like you wanted to forget what had almost happened between you.
"Her magic hasn't gone by any means. It will return and she will be as powerful as ever but only so long as she feels like she is being true to herself."
"I should keep telling her how much I love her?" he had asked.
"No, it isn't that simple. The words alone will never be enough. In the beginning she'll want to share a level of intimacy you won't expect and a moment later she'll push you away. She just needs to know you'll come back no matter what and that there are no conditions to your love."
"Confidence?"
"Confidence," the Healer had agreed.
"You know?" said Harry. "I can't remember feeling this happy and relaxed since-"
"Since the last time I was this happy and relaxed," Hermione finished.
Harry smiled and nodded.
"You know that's when I fell for you?"
Hermione snorted and blinked as her eyes moistened.
"Great timing, wasn't it?" said Hermione. "Alone, surrounded by dozens of people who wanted to kill us and you had to choose that moment to get randy."
"Not so long ago I'd have given anything to be back there again, with you."
Hermione nodded.
"I wouldn't let you shrug me off so easily this time, though," he promised. "One minute you were all over me, and the next-"
"Harry, what did you expect? I suddenly realised that we were perched on a purlin at least fifty feet off the ground!"
"Well personally, I was just too lost in the moment to care. To be honest, I thought you were too at first. Besides, that roof timber was perfectly safe. It was well over two feet wide where we were."
"I still shudder just thinking about it!"
"I only wanted another kiss!" Harry said indignantly. "After all, the first one was over rather too quickly."
"You wanted a little more than that, Harry," she reminded him gently. "Still, I'm sorry for the way I reacted. I was uneasy about the height up there anyway, but I knew I was betraying Ron. Well that and imagining what Voldemort would have said if we'd slipped off and landed on his dinner table."
"Yes, that would have been embarrassing," agreed Harry. "Still, I'm sure Professor McGonagall would appreciate another visit and you've got time off from work. Maybe we could give her a call?"
"Shut up, Harry," said Hermione in the tone she reserved just for him but still going very red.
Harry grinned at her.
"I almost suggested we move up to the battlements but you seemed to be in a bit of a mood after that," teased Hermione. "What are you doing?"
"I'm just checking how well you're treating my leg."
"I think you'll find it was my other leg, Harry."
END
-
AN: Well, that's it for another. Thank you for reading and especially for your kind comments.
I'm currently trying hard to finish one last story before DH that I've just started. This one will be much lighter exploration as a sober Harry tries to keep his inebriated friends out of too much trouble before they collide with Hermione's hen party ...