Will You Ever Return to Me?

Chapter 3.

Harry Potter stirred, turned, and opened his eyes. He reached in front of him, trying to grab Hermione.

"Harry," Hermione repeated.

"Her--Hermione?" he asked

"Yes," she replied. "What--"

Ron gave her a glare, ans she stopped. "Drink this," Ron said, putting a cup of thick liquid to his lips.

Harry gulped it down. "Let me get you some food," Ron said. As soon as he had the plate, Harry began eating greedily. "Thanks, mate," he managed after he finished. "Can--"

"No," Hermione said. "Harry, if you haven't eaten in a long time, your stomach may rupture if it takes in too much at once." Instead, Hermione drew her wand and conjured up a pair of glasses. Here you go," she said, putting them on Harry.

"Thanks, Hermione."

"It's really you, then?" Ron asked.

"Of course it's me--" Ron embraced him.

"Ron, you'll break my ribs," Harry said.

"Sorry."

"Look, it's not that I'm not happy about this," Hermione said, smiling, but... officially, you're dead, and if you aren't, you were supposed to be in Azkaban."

Harry looked at her. "I escaped," he said.

"You pulled a Sirius Black?" Ron asked.

"More like a Barty Crouch Jr.," Harry replied. "A fake death--"

"What--you planned that?!" Hermione demanded.

Harry nodded. "It was the only way to escape without putting the entire wizarding world on alert. That's why,"--he looked carefully at them-- "it took me so long to get here." He paused. "I now know what squirrel, rat, lizard, snake, toad, and earthworm taste like."

Ron made a disgusted noise. Hermione simply shook her head. "Why did you have to be so far away?" Harry asked.

"Harry," Hermione ignored his question, "why didn't you escape immediately?"

"I couldn't. You know had a Memory Charm placed on me. I didn't remember what happened that night..."

"But you remember now?" Hermione said. Harry nodded.

"Dementors made me relieve my worst memories. And although suppressed by the charm, that night ranked among them. The Dementors exposed it, and when I learned what happened, I knew I had to escape. So I did."

"How?" Ron asked.

"No... what did you learn?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange and someone named Hund--"

"Hund... I heard that name somewhere..." Hermione said. "But I can't remember."

Harry continued. "They wanted me to end up in Azkaban. They framed me for the murder. Hund killed Malfoy."

"But why?"

"I don't know. I plan to find out."

"We'll help--"

"No. Please. Listen, you have a life, a family--"

"You're part of our family," Ron said.

"Yeah, but you shouldn't go after me in whatever crazy quest I'm on."

"At least stay with us a few days. You can't go out there looking like you do now. What happened?"

"Like I said, I had to escape, and I had to do it without Bellatrix and Hund knowing about it. That meant the Crouch Jr. method--or at least a variation thereof. No one replaced me--they didn't have to."

"Harry, I can see there are things you're not telling us," Hermione said.

Harry nodded. "Trust me, you'd rather not know." He said it so firmly that Hermione decided to stop the inquiry.

"Mate, this may sound rude, but... we believed you were dead, and opened your will."

"Did you spend all my money?"

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "We kept it perfectly safe. And you really shouldn't have--"

"Who else could I give it to? No family, no children, no wife..." He said that last part bitterly. "It's the least I could do for two people who are starting a new life after standing by me in everything since I was eleven. And no, I don't want it back. Definitely not now, when Hund and Bellatrix can get word of it. I want them to keep thinking I am dead."

"And what are you planning to do about them?"

"I need them to clear my name," he said. "I also have no intention of letting them carry out their plans, whatever they are."

"But if you're going to travel, you'll need money," Hermione said. She thought for a moment. "I'll arrange a few accounts for you, and transfer the money, so you can live in either the wizarding or Muggle community. And I'll try to find out who Hund is--I'm sure I read the name somewhere at work."

Caroline started crying upstairs. Hermione and Ron got up simultaneously, and laughed. "I'll go," Hermione said.

When she left, Ron gave Harry a careful look. "Mate, there's something you should know. At your funeral..." Ron paused, since that sounded weird. "At your funeral, we met Ginny."

Harry opened his mouth. "And?" he asked quickly.

"She said she loved you," Ron said reluctantly. I don't--"

"Thanks, Ron."

"What--? You don't think of--"

"I don't know, Ron! I just don't know!" Harry exploded. "Ever since she agreed to marry Malfoy--or maybe before that, since we didn't have much contact--it's been like she's two different people--the Ginny we knew, and someone else. But I do know something for certain--I'm not ready to face here. Not yet."

Ron considered that. He finally broke up the silence with the dreaded question. "Do you love her?"
Harry looked at him, paced the room a few times, and breathed heavily. "Yes," he said. "That isn't the problem--or maybe that is the problem. I look at other women--or I used to, before I starved too much to do it--and it's like they all have neon signs flashing "NOT GINNY!" over their heads." He shuddered. "You have no idea how lucky you are."

Ron shrugged. "After all that happened, we're all lucky to be alive."

Harry could only nod. He had absolutely no doubts that, had he not escaped, the funeral Ron, Hermione, and Ginny came to would have been quite real.