Harry Potter and the Goblin Rebellion

Chapter 29 - Left Behind

Near the end of January, Harry, Ron and Hermione were at breakfast together when the owl post arrived. Harry was surprised when a tawny owl came to him, but then realized it was carrying a copy of The Quibbler, which he had been receiving all year, as Mr. Lovegood had promised. Harry removed the newspaper and gave the owl a strip of ham before it took off. Hermione had already started to open the paper. As she did, a handwritten parchment note fell out. She handed it to Harry.

"Here, Harry. What does it say?"

Harry unfolded the note. "It's from Mr. Lovegood. It says: 'Harry, as soon as we received the article you and your friends wrote we started reorganizing this month's layout. Do I detect Luna's style in this? As you can see, we gave it front page treatment. Readers will just have to go to page 2 to find out about Boudicea Belfry's claim that there are acromantulas near Hogsmeade'"

Harry looked up at this and saw that Ron and Hermione were surprised that this had made the paper. "He adds a parenthetical," Harry went on, "'Ridiculous, isn't it? Maybe some Hogwarts student played a trick with an engorgement charm on a garden spider. But it sells papers.'"

"Wow, that puts all those other strange articles in a new light," said Hermione.

"You said it," said Ron, "when you hear somebody else say that something you know is so is ridiculous, well, maybe there's something to some of the articles."

"Oh, look! Pictures! Nasty looking with all those legs and pincers grasping about, aren't they?" said Hermione, starting to flip the paper and push it toward Ron.

Ron choked back a scream and ducked under the table. Everyone in the Great Hall looked toward them as Hermione laughed wickedly.

"Ron, she was just teasing you," reassured Harry, "There are no pictures. She just has no respect for sensitive souls, such as yourself."

Ron climbed back onto the bench. "You'll pay for that, Granger!" he growled.

Hermione giggled, "I'm all aquiver."

"I'll bet," said Harry slyly.

"And just what is THAT supposed to mean!" snapped Hermione, arms akimbo.

"Oh, nothing," said Harry with a wry smile.

"Hmm! Well, mind you," Hermione went on, "I'm still not going to spend much time worrying about crumple-horned snorkacks. What else does it say, Harry?"

"Okay, he goes on 'We also decided to reprint a copy of the Anti-apparation charm bill and I got The Quibbler's lawyer to write a commentary on it with reference to the Ministry's Charter. I also wrote to several of my friends who use Anti-apparation charms to protect their homes as well and I've reprinted excerpts from their responses on the back page. Thanks, Harry, to you and your friends for the fine article. Adrian Lovegood. P.S. Give Luna a kiss for me."

Ron grinned, "Make sure you do that, Harry."

"Yeah, right," said Harry, "I don't think so. I'll let her know he mentioned her."

"Well, it's good to see the article made it into print so quickly."

"Yeah, I hope it will do some good," said Harry. "I think I'll owl Mr. Lovegood to get a copy sent to Grishnack so the goblins at Gringotts know that the word is being put out to the wizarding community against this law."

"That's a great idea, Harry," said Hermione, "It doesn't do any good to beat the law if the goblins do something rash."

For much of the rest of breakfast, Ron and Harry discussed the upcoming Gryffindor-Ravenclaw quidditch match. Ron had developed a number of plays involving Harry in disrupting opponent defenses and hand signals to let Harry know when he needed to execute them. Hermione pulled out her Arithmancy book and reviewed her lessons.

When Ron and Harry had a lull in their quidditch talk, Hermione said somewhat quietly, "There's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up."

Harry had been anticipating this inquiry for some time and was prepared. "Uh-huh. Don't worry, I'll let you and Ron have your time together. I'm not going."

"Hey, mate," said Ron, aghast, "It's not like that."

"Harry, would you stop feeding those rumors?" protested Hermione, "We're excellent friends - just like you and I are."

"Sure! Sure you are," teased Harry, "besides it doesn't take me to feed the rumors - remember Seamus's little comment in DADA at the beginning of the school year? I didn't put that idea in his head."

"How could I forget that!?" said Ron, as Hermione rolled her eyes and turned red.

"So, Ron, has you father explained it all to you yet?" said Harry.

"Why - you need me to fill you in?" snarled Ron.

"Alright, relax," said Harry, "Seriously, I'm not going to go. It was a right cock-up last time."

At the first Hogsmeade weekend that year, Harry had been jumpier than Mad-Eye Moody, expecting Death Eaters at every motion or sound. Hermione had had to unhex four students and three villagers who had surprised Harry, and those were just the ones he had fired on. He couldn't relax or enjoy himself at all. The only consolation was that Malfoy and his crowd saw how dangerous it was to be around Harry, so they gave him lots of room.

"Well, you don't have to be that edgy," said Hermione, "Dumbledore wouldn't let you go if he thought there was danger."

"Oh, yeah, Dumbledore would never let me get into a dangerous situation, would he?" said Harry sarcastically.

"But doesn't your scar tell you Voldemort's still out of the country?" she asked.

"Yeah, well, he's got plenty of stooges to do his dirty work, doesn't he? No, I really would just rather stay here. You know me - I don't go looking for trouble," said Harry.

Half the Gryffindor table overheard that statement and guffawed.

"Oh, shut up, all of you," said Harry, grinning.

The morning of the Hogsmeade visit, Hermione fussed over Harry before she and Ron went to the village.

"Now you're sure you're going to be okay?"

"What am I? Seven! I've got lots to do, and I'm used to spending time alone. Here: here are a couple of galleons - get me some sugar quills and other stuff like that - nothing goblins or vampires would favor. Oh, and a couple of bottles of butterbeer. Thanks. You two run along now and play nicely."

"Alright, Harry, if you're absolutely sure," said Hermione reluctantly.

"Hermione, he'll be okay," said Ron, "Besides, after all that he wouldn't admit to wanting company even if he did. Give him a break."

Harry grinned. Ron understood. That was what was so valuable about him as a friend: Hermione's mothering could be really nice, but having a friend like Ron who understood how he thought - most of the time - was invaluable.

After watching them head out of the castle, Harry went back to the Great Hall for a piece of buttered toast and preserves. He had finished most of his homework the night before with Ron and Hermione, who didn't want that hanging over them while they were in the village. He decided he would get his gym bag and take his time with a morning workout.

As he headed to the Hall door, he heard his name called "Harry, Harry!"

It was Marietta, "You're not going into the village either?"

"No, I get a little too edgy in places like that."

"So I've heard," she said with a bemused smirk.

"How about you? Why aren't you headed in?" asked Harry.

"Well, y'know, I'm a seventh year, it's not such a big deal anymore, and..." she trailed off.

Harry smiled. "Cho dumped you."

"Yeah."

"Let's see - it's not the Gryffindor Seeker, that's me. It's not the Ravenclaw seeker, that's her. I don't think she fancies Malfoy ..."

"Ick" said Marietta, with a laugh.

"So that leaves the Hufflepuff Seeker, "said Harry.

"You've observed the pattern, have you?" said Marietta.

"Mind you, I can't blame a girl for seeking Seekers," said Harry with a wink.

"Oh, get off, you! You're not that full of yourself!" she laughed.

"No, I'm not," Harry said seriously, "Thank you, that's one of the nicest things anyone's said about me."

"That's a shame. You really have a lot of nice qualities - I mean besides the rushing into awful danger all the time to save the world," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, well, I'm really not, um ... Say, I was going to go to the gym: want to come, too?" asked Harry.

"Sure, sounds good. I'll get my bag and meet you there," said Marietta, as she tossed her hair and trotted toward the stairs down to the Ravenclaw dorms.

Harry bounded up the stairs to get his gym bag. This could be pretty nice, he thought, having a friend to work out with. He had to admit to himself, that his thoughts went a bit beyond mere friendship: Marietta was very pretty and pleasant, she treated him like a regular person and didn't let him take himself too seriously, and he had noticed that she had behaved quite affectionately this year. Maybe that was just gratitude that he had been willing to accept her back into the DA or maybe it was just her nature as a healer trainee, but Harry had enjoyed the attention and familiarity immensely.

When they got to the gym, they found it filled with first and second years, who couldn't go into Hogsmeade yet.

"Coach!" went up the call from all around the exercise room. Having worked personally in the DA with every student there, Harry was treated more as a combination professor and star athlete by the younger students. Marietta had to stifle her laughter at the obvious hero-worship most of them exhibited. Harry rolled his eyes and smiled. He never encouraged that attitude, he thought, but he sort of understood it since he had spent so much time hiding from the Boy Who Lived image. He didn't play it up even now, but if it got the others to prepare for the war, he wasn't going to run from it.

Harry wasn't even sure how he got caught up in it, but somehow he got goaded into a bit of showing off. Some of the younger students had started chattering around him during his early sets of lifts, talking about how he was taking it easy and could lift a lot more; others said that he was lifting all he could already. Marietta was making gestures that variously teased him for the attention and taunted him to show off. Harry started lifting considerably heavier weight than he was accustomed to and to do more repetitions. He was still careful not to tear anything, but he was pushing his limits. The younger students more and more began to gather around to cheer him on. Marietta stepped in to 'spot' him on several lifts, which he had hardly ever needed before. This required her to stand very close to him, and Harry found that the proximity and the scent of her sent his mind racing. It was after 11 before he knocked off and he and Marietta headed to the locker rooms.

After they showered and dressed, Harry suggested they sit together for lunch. They seemed to be the only students their age around, except for some fifth-years who were already showing signs of OWL-stress, and so were not good company. Since most of the school was at Hogsmeade, there would be no problem with either of them sitting at the other house's table. Indeed, with the camaraderie of the DA, it was not at all unusual to see students of various houses at each other's tables, except at the more formal meals. Harry and Marietta sat across from each other.

"You were a real idiot at the gym, you know," said Marietta.

Harry smiled, "I reckon. I know I overdid it. I'll pay in the morning, I'm sure."

"Why did you do it?" she asked.

"Dunno. There was such a pack there, and I felt like I was part of it as they cheered me on," Harry answered, "You didn't help, you know."

Marietta smirked at the accusation.

"Yeah, I think I can understand that. I probably should have tried to slow you down, but it got kind of funny," said Marietta, "We can do a lot of stupid things trying to feel like we fit in, can't we?"

"What? Do you feel like you're not really a part of things, like you're ... isolated?" asked Harry.

"Oh, absolutely," replied Marietta, "Especially this year."

"I thought it was just me," said Harry, "because I'm, well ..."

"You're special, right?" said Marietta in mock anger, "And I'm just common, am I?"

"No, not at all!" said Harry, aghast, "Actually I'm finding very much that's special about you."

"Oh, yeah, what?"

"I guess mostly that I've been able to share my feelings with you and you share yours with me. When I was in hospital, we really got to talk a lot, and that seems to have carried over ever since."

"Thanks. That's very sweet."

"But I didn't know that others felt so separate," said Harry.

"Well, I guess I can see how you can feel like you're so unique - things haven't been normal for you since you came to Hogwarts, have they?" said Marietta, with Harry rolling his eyes in agreement. "But most people feel that way much of the time. It seems to come on as a teenager. For the past two or three years, I've had my friends, and we've been very close, but still there's always a gulf. I remember as a child feeling very connected, even if I didn't always understand the world. Now I feel like I'm not really fully a part of the world."

Then she added with a laugh, "and it doesn't help when your best friend blows you off whenever a handsome snitch-hound comes along!"

Harry grinned. "That may have been the worst quidditch position for me. Everyone else is always in the flow of activity around the quaffle, coordinating plays, blocking the other team, stealing the quaffle, all that. I circle around, watch for bludgers, sometimes run a bit of interference, and hopefully catch the little blighter. Even as a member of the team, I'm kind of separate."

"But you are very good at it: Cho points out things you do that I don't even realize you're doing. There's nothing wrong with that. I'll bet the Keepers feel separate, the beaters feel separate, maybe even the chasers. At some point we all realize that each of us is on our own game plan, different from the rest," observed Marietta.

"That sounds so bleak," said Harry.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Marietta, "I really don't mean it to. After, erm, what happened last year, I've been feeling particularly out of it. Some people beat that feeling. They get wrapped up in something bigger than themselves that they really care about."

"I feel like I'm wrapped up in something bigger than myself, but I just want it to be over," said Harry.

"The war?" she asked.

Harry nodded, "There's no escape for any of us from that. But we can only move cautiously if we hope to see it through alive."

"He would really come for us then?"

Again Harry nodded, but more slowly, "For me first, but then the rest of you. My help to you and your willingness to train to oppose him makes you all targets. He wants immortality and unfettered power: since I was born, I have been seen as the thing in his way. That gets really old."

Marietta gave a small smile, "I'll bet it does. So how about you - what does the famous Harry Potter want."

"I want it to be over," he said. Then, "No, I want that, of course, with Voldemort and all the Death Eaters gone, but I want to be like Professor Weasley."

"Really?" said Marietta, with genuine surprise, "He's a nice enough guy, I guess, but he's a little goofy and rather poor, isn't he?"

"Goofy maybe, but he's the richest man I know," said Harry, "Have you seen him with his family? He's mad in love with all of them, and they love him, too. Even when his son Percy turned his back on them last year, Professor Weasley couldn't stop loving him. He's angry with Percy, yes, but he loves Percy and all his family without reserve. It's just fabulous."

"Wow, that puts him in a new light to me," said Marietta, "and you, too. You could seek glory or fame or power, but what calls your heart is love. That's awesome."

"I guess, but it hurts a lot," said Harry, "I'm so keenly aware of the dangers that are brewing that I get visions of everyone I care about dead or terribly hurt."

"You don't just brood about it, but actually see it?" asked Marietta and Harry nodded, "Have you... have you ever seen me that way?"

Harry nodded, "Several times. A few minutes ago I saw you in a pile of rock debris on a street; you were unconscious, maybe dead."

Marietta gasped and put her hand over her mouth, "mangled?"

"No, not mangled, quite beautiful, in fact, if such a thing can be beautiful."

"Oh, well, then, as long as I leave a beautiful corpse!"

"Marietta!"

She laughed at him. "Harry, you say you get these visions about everyone you care about right? And that's almost everyone you know, right? Well, I'm not going to take it personally then. I mean I'm thrilled you care about me enough to see my death, but I can't live my life avoiding all streets or anyplace there's rock. Besides, you called them visions, not premonitions. It's just your fear and concern playing out in your mind. Come on, let's go do some sparring - it'll get your mind off of all this."

Harry tried to get up but had difficulty. "Oh-oh! All that lifting this morning has me so sore and stiff I can barely move."

"You are such an idiot. I should leave you this way until Granger could rescue you. Come along. We've got an ointment in the Hospital Wing that will heal the muscles and tendons. You're not the first git to overdo exercise. Madam Pomfrey will give me some and we'll go to the Room of Requirement for a massage."

"A massage? I don't know, Marietta," said Harry.

"Now what are you worried about? Is there a part of you I haven't touched already? Not that I can think of. You need the ointment worked into your muscles and I'm a healer trainee with massage experience. Would you rather hurt?"

"No, no, I guess you're right. It's not like I have any secrets around you, is it?" admitted Harry.

Marietta came around and helped Harry get up from the table. They laughed as he walked like a rather feeble old man, hobbling up the stairs. Marietta made a side trip without Harry to the Hospital Wing for the ointment and still got caught up with him before he got to the hallway to summon the Room of Requirement. She paced back and forth three times while thinking of a massage room. When the door appeared, they found a massage table in a fairly small room, with soft aimless music playing. Harry started to get up on the table.

"What are you doing? I can't rub this liniment on you in your robe!?" said Marietta.

"Oh, of course," laughed Harry.

Somehow, Harry felt so nervous that he had forgotten such a basic thing. She helped him ease off his robes and his shirt. He had put fresh gym shorts on after his shower.

"Lay on your front first," said Marietta, "just like with the murtlap."

"Okay, but don't levitate me - I've had enough of that," said Harry.

"No, I wouldn't do that. I've got to rub this in pretty hard to make it work," she said as she poured some of the liniment on Harry's left calf and began rubbing it into the muscle.

"Yeowch, that hurts," said Harry.

"Well, what did you expect - you hurt your muscles and now we've got to work this in deep. Oh get back down, you big baby!"

Marietta worked on his muscles one by one. Harry got used to the pain and started to feel relief. They chatted as she worked her way up. Harry laughed nervously when she lowered his gym shorts to work on his gluteals. She leaned close over him as she worked on his trapezoids and neck muscles. Harry felt her hair tickle his back. She gave him a little slap on the shoulder and told him to roll over. He shifted around and she started from the foot again. They continued to talk about feeling alone and isolated, about their fears and their dreams, about how nice it was to have someone to talk with.

Finally she reached his shoulders again and she leaned across him to work on both sides at once. Harry looked up into her face as she was concentrating on his shoulders. She noticed that he was looking at her and returned his gaze. He put his hands up and around her shoulders. She smiled and gave a slight nod, closing her eyes. They drew together and began to kiss.