Friendship, Loyalty, And Love

Friendship, Loyalty, and Love

Chapter 12:

Homecoming

"Move it Harry," Draco called behind him, dashing down the corridor.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked, lengthening his stride to catch up with the blond. "I thought we came in that way." His hand pointed vaguely off to the right.

"We did, but it's no use going out that way," Draco answered. "If Finnigan and Thomas are as clever as they seem, they'll have talked Weasley and Granger into taking your broom and will be well gone, and the two of us can't ride just mine. We can pick up two new brooms in the front hall closet." Draco sped up as he rounded the corner, almost running down the hall.

"Won't the front hall be guarded?"

"Hope not."

There wasn't much Harry could say to that, so instead he just matched Draco's pace down the hall, keeping his wand at the ready.

It seemed, though, that whatever guards there were at Malfoy Manor must have been elsewhere - chasing the other Gryffindors or running to Lucius' aid - because no one was waiting for the two boys in the front hall. Draco practically raced to the far side of the hallway, throwing open the door to the hall 'closet' - a full sized room in Harry's opinion. Hanging from hooks on the wall were a series of expensive looking cloaks in different styles with assorted trims and linings, some with hoods, some without, and in a rack in the middle of the room was a collection of broomsticks. Harry spotted a Firebolt, as well as several of the Nimbus line and a collection of what Harry realized were antique brooms. He was a little surprised when he saw Draco pull out a pair of Nimbus 2000s, but Draco explained.

"The Firebolt's my father's, and I wouldn't trust him not to have hexed it, and the Nimbus 20001 line came with an anti-theft charm. While I'm family, and thus I wouldn't be considered to be stealing the broom, you're not." He handed over the broom, and jerked his head towards the door. "Once we're out we'll go as high as we can, as fast as we can. Get out of range of anybody on the ground. Then we head north like there's no tomorrow, so there will be one."

Harry took the broom and nodded. "Let's go."

***

"Hermione, we've got to get higher!"

"Seamus, I can't! It starts to shake every time I try." She sounded frantic, and scared, something Seamus wasn't used to.

"It'll be ok, 'Mione. That's just how the broom is." Ron was trying to help Hermione, but didn't seem to know what to do - she'd have been unable to handle the Firebolt, he suspected, but apparently his old broom wasn't any better.

"Seam, the sun is rising. Muggles'll be able to see us soon." Dean looked worried, and Seamus was worried that there was now enough light for him to be able to tell. They'd been fine as long as it remained dark out, but now... "We've got to get higher," he echoed Seamus.

"'Mione, the broom will be fine, it won't give out, I promise, but we've got to get above the cloud cover."

"Ron, I'll fall!"

"You won't, 'Mione. I swear it." Ron sounded so convinced that Hermione slowly nodded.

"I'll... I'll try." With almost agonizing slowness, Hermione guided her broom further up into the sky, knuckles whitening around the handle of the broom as it shook slightly underneath her.

The four of them made it into a cloud bank just as the sun peeked over the horizon, turning the water vapor around them almost blindingly white.

"How will we know where to go?" Ron asked, keeping as close to Hermione as he could without getting in her way.

"The sun rises in the east - we go as far north as we can and look for landmarks," Dean answered.

"There's a spell," Hermione said, her voice only shaking a little bit. "Hogwarts Invenio, which will find the school for us, kind of like the 'Point Me' spell. I'll need my hands free to cast it, though, and I'm not letting go of this damned broom until I'm on the ground."

"We'll do it when we stop to rest. For now, going straight north will work well enough," Seamus said.

"How... how far is it?" Hermione asked, her voice sounding tight.

"Far enough," Dean answered.

"You'll be fine," Seamus added, smiling at the girl, but she didn't answer, simply set her face and nodded slightly.

***

It was dark before Seamus would let them land, and Hermione had looked exhausted, but she'd agreed that they couldn't risk being seen. Luckily it had been fairly overcast all along their path, although they'd had to divert from their straight northern path to follow the clouds a few times. They rested a few hours before pushing on again - the sooner they got back to the castle the sooner they could let the Professors know what had happened and maybe help Harry, and now that it was dark they could risk flying low enough to see. Between that and Hermione's location spell giving them the proper direction to travel they made good time, spotting the lights of Hogsmeade a few hours before dawn.

The second they were over the wall to Hogwarts grounds, Hermione dove straight for the ground, hopping off the broom as soon as she could, and then dropping to her knees, holding herself tightly. As the boys followed her down they could hear her muttering to herself, "Never flying again."

Ron hurried over to her, wrapping his arms around the girl. "It's ok now. You're safe."

It was Dean who spotted the light coming towards them. "Um... guys," he said, and the others all looked up.

"Who goes there?" a commanding, but thankfully familiar voice came from out of the darkness.

"Professor Sprout?" Dean called back. "It's us. Dean and Seamus and Ron. We've got Hermione."

The approaching light had paused as Dean started speaking, then moved quickly forward, until the four of them could make out the slightly portly witch hurrying through the grass. "Thank the founders you're all right," she said, quickly moving to Hermione's side and clearly looking the girl over for any injuries. "Come on, we must get you to the Headmaster at once, all of you..." She cut herself off. "Potter and Malfoy?" she asked.

Biting his lip, Dean said, "We're not sure. We think they're behind us but..."

Sprout cut him off with a nod. "We'll get you inside and you can tell it to everyone at once."

Apparently, by 'everyone' Sprout meant herself, and Professors McGonagall, Snape and Flitwick, for that was who was waiting for them when they reached the Headmaster's office.

"Where's Professor Dumbledore?" Hermione asked, looking worriedly to Professor McGonagall seated behind his desk.

"Gone to Malfoy Manor to retrieve some abominably stupid..." Snape began, but Professor McGonagall cut him off.

"Later, Severus," she said. "Weasley, tell us what happened. Where are Potter and Malfoy?"

But it was Seamus who spoke up quickly. "They were behind us - Draco said he'd distract his father so we could get Hermione away, and Harry went with him."

Snape's eyes had narrowed at Seamus' use of Draco's first name, and he growled, "What stupidity made Potter think he could 'distract' Lucius Malfoy?"

"Presumably the same that made Draco think he could." It was out Seamus' mouth before he had time to think.

"Ten points from..."

"Severus, please, later. Finnigan, continue. Or rather, start from the beginning. What on earth possessed you children to leave school and fly off to Malfoy Manor?"

Taking a deep breath, Seamus launched into the story from the very first attack, through the Malfoy letters, and up to Harry and Ron's rash decision to fly off. He kept it as simple and brief as he could, but none of his audience tried to interrupted his story for clarification.

"Malfoy said he'd be coming with us, because he was the only one who knew how to get there and could get past the wards, and Harry wrote a note for Dumbledore, and we all set out. He did help us through the wards, and led us down to where Hermione was being held. After breaking her out, we split up, and here we are," Seamus finished.

"Quite a tale, Mr. Finnigan," came a voice behind him, and everyone's attention snapped to where Dumbledore was now standing, with Harry and Draco at his sides.

"Oh thank God!" Hermione cried, jumping out of her chair and rushing towards Harry to throw her arms around him.

"I'm ok, 'Mione," Harry said as the other Gryffindors started for him, crowding around the two of them. "Really, I promise."

"I'm so glad you're back safe, mate," Ron said, clapping a hand on Harry's shoulder.

It was Seamus who glanced over at Draco. "All right then, Malfoy?" he asked from where he stood near Harry.

Draco gave the Irish boy a little smirk, but his voice was devoid of malice as he said, "Well enough, Finnigan."

"Yes, yes, all back safely. For now... it will be sixty points from each of you for leaving the school, and sixty to each of you for successfully rescuing Ms. Granger from a dire situation. Thank you, Harry, for at least telling me where you were going this time." Dumbledore sounded tired, although his eyes twinkled slightly at this last. "And now, if you don't mind, Professors Snape and McGonagall will see you safely back to your respective common rooms, I'm sure everyone will be very glad to see you're back."

"Thank you Professor," Dean managed, looking embarrassed as Professor McGonagall rose to escort them out of the room.

"Of course, Mr. Thomas," Dumbledore said. "And you can all be excused from lessons to rest - I can't imagine you've slept much since you left us two nights ago."

Out in the hallway, Snape took Malfoy by the shoulder and the two of them headed down towards the dungeons without a word that the assorted Gryffindors could hear, although Seamus would later swear he'd seen Draco glancing over his shoulder towards Harry as he turned the corner.

"Come on," Professor McGonagall said, her lips thin as they headed through the hallway towards the Common Room. Outside the portrait hole she paused. "I am glad you've all made it back safely, and if you ever do such a stupid thing again..."

"Professor, have Justin and the others been woken yet?" Seamus asked as she trailed off.

She sighed. "The cure is brewing even now, and Professor Snape predicts it will be ready before tomorrow night. Now, get inside, and get to sleep."

"Thank you," Hermione said, looking about ready to collapse in the hallway.

***

The entire dormitory was woken the next morning by Parvati's shriek at discovering Hermione asleep in her bed. When grilled by their respective dorm mates, Hermione and the boys said they'd been too tired to even contemplate waking everyone to let them know they were back, and that they'd tell the story tonight, after classes. Most of the younger kids accepted this, but Parvati looked mutinous and the boys never did find out what Hermione said to placate her.

Ginny, however, would not be put off. With Neville and Colin at her sides, she slipped back into the Common Room after everyone else had gone to the Great Hall for breakfast. "You will be telling me what happened now," she told Ron, and he was too exhausted to argue with his sister, for once.

He gave her the short version, and even so by the time he was done Neville was almost late to their first lesson.

"Wait, what happened here?" Ron asked, looking curiously at the three of them.

"We've got an open period," Colin said. "Nev, get to class, we'll tell them."

"T...tell them?" Neville said, eyebrows raising as he shot a worried glance in Ron's direction, which Ron simply looked baffled at.

"Don't be silly," Ginny put in. "Not that."

And whatever she meant seemed to reassure Neville. "Ah, right," he said. "Right. Must dash, don't want to be late." He darted quickly out the portrait hole, leaving the two younger kids to field everyone's stares.

Seamus shot a look at Dean, but Dean just shrugged. Sighing, Seamus turned back to Ginny. "So, go on then. What was happening here?"

"Well," Ginny said, "after the ruckus you had Neville cause, it took Professor McGonagall a while to figure out you all had vanished. Once she did she was furious, but when she went off to tell Dumbledore she didn't come storming back - he must have said something to her. As for you lot getting Nev to..."

"Gin," Colin cut in. "Anyway, two nights ago - the night after you all vanished - I was out taking some photos."

"Which you shouldn't have been doing on your own," Ginny put in.

"Which I shouldn't have been doing on my own," Colin agreed without hesitation, "I heard something behind me. I spun around, and without thinking about it my finger hit the shutter stop. Which," he clarified at Ron's puzzled look, "set off the flash, which blinded the man with the silver arm who had appeared behind me."

Hermione gasped. "Colin, what did you do?"

"What any sensible person would do - kicked him while he couldn't see me and ran like mad."

Seamus laughed, more at Harry's affronted look than at Colin's answer. "Good on you, mate," he said. "Trust me, heroics are never the way to go."

"Yeah, well. I ran down to the Great Hall, where I was lucky enough to run into Professor Sinistra. When I told her what had happened she brought me back to Gryffindor and told the Prefects not to let anyone leave the tower, then went off to let the rest of the Professors know and sent everyone back to the dorms."

"We were in here for the next two hours," Ginny put in, "waiting. Eventually, McG. came in to let us know that the intruder had been driven out, but not captured. We're still to be on guard, but they don't think anyone else will be attacked. Rumor has it that Snape fought the guy but couldn't catch him, but who knows if that's true."

Harry and Ron exchanged dark looks, but Hermione simply nodded. "I'm glad you're all right, Colin," she said.

"Well, that makes two of us," he said. "And I'm glad you're all right as well. We were worried."

Dean stifled a yawn. "I'm glad you're both all right, and that we're all back, but I'm still exhausted. You two ought to get to your next class, whatever it, and we ought to do what Dumbledore said and get back to bed."

Seamus said, "Sounds like a plan to me."

Ginny nodded. "Come on Colin," she said, tugging at his hand. "I want to see if we can sweet talk some breakfast from the House Elves before Herbology. Sleep well!" The two of them disappeared out the portrait hole, waving a farewell wave behind them.

"Er... you guys go on," Ron said, as soon as they'd left. "I think we'll stay down here for a bit and talk."

"Suit yourself, mate," Seamus said. "Later all." He stood to make his way up to their dorm.

Dean followed, shaking his head at the muted buzz of furious whispering that started as soon as they were around the curve of the stairs. "Heroing," he muttered.

"Hey, if it makes them happy..."

"They're mad."

"Quite possibly."

"And we helped this time. What's that make us?"

"Mad, clearly," Seamus said with a laugh, and Dean didn't argue.

With a yawn, Dean flopped back onto his bed when he reached it, stretching his arms up the headboard.

Seamus considered him for a second, then smiled to himself. Toeing off his shoes, he crawled onto Dean's bed, laying down and resting his head on Dean's chest.

Dean looked down at Seamus, vaguely amused.

"Mind?" Seamus asked sleepily.

"Nope." With a shift of his shoulders, Dean brought one arm down to curl around Seamus' back and the two of them drifted off to sleep.

***

Note: The spell Hogwarts Invenio translates to find Hogwarts in Latin.