Broken Fate

Chapter Twelve ~ Between Friends

Later on Sunday afternoon, the second Hogwarts Coalition meeting took place. It had grown--there were about thirty more students sitting at the table. Everyone talked about the events of the past week, and how everything had been handled. "I think it went quite well," the Seventh Year Slytherin, Filip, said. "The Slytherins that--disagree--with us have become much more wary. They haven't given up on trying to find ways to curse us behind our backs--"

"--or do awful things to us in our House--" Alessandra Harmon, who was out of the hospital wing, interjected.

"--but they're much more careful and sneaky about it," Filip finished.

"Especially since Snape has gotten really upset at any Slytherin who attacks another," a Third Year Slytherin put in. "He's handing out detentions left and right, at anyone who so much as thinks 'lumos.'"

"And Draco Malfoy's planning something," Alessandra's fellow Second Year Xanthe piped up. "We've heard little bits of rumors, but we're not sure what he's planning on dealing out."

"We're keeping a close eye on Malfoy and his group, but they're keeping an equally close eye on us," Blaise agreed.

The end of the meeting consisted of Harry and several other older students teaching the younger ones the Disarming Charm, so that if they were attacked in the halls without an older student or teacher present, they could at least try to disarm their attacker. Harry realized with a strange feeling of resolution that the D.A. was going to continue, whether he had consciously decided that it would or not. He found himself already planning; the students who had been in the D.A. could help teach the ones that hadn't...they could review everything they'd learned last year...

He shook his head. As if I'm not already busy enough...

When the meeting ended, he headed back to Gryffindor Tower with Ron and Hermione. "You know, now that we're working with the Slytherins, I'm learning a lot more about them," Hermione said. "I can't believe some of the stuff that's been going on in their dormitory for years...some of them standing against Voldemort--oh, Ron, deal with it!--and their reasons for it." She shook her head. "Did you know some of them have parents that are just as deep in the Dark Arts as the Malfoys, but they're fighting against their own parents."

"I imagine their summer vacations must be fun," Ron muttered.

"Not to mention Samuel Nott--"

Ron started. "Nott? Like the Death Eater Nott?"

Hermione sighed. "Ron! Haven't you been listening to names?"

"Of course I have, Hermione! But there are like, twenty Slytherins, not to mention all the new people who have joined, and I can't remember all of their names!"

"Well, I was talking to Samuel Nott. When he came here his First Year, he didn't know what to think or believe. His cousin, Andrew, is in our Year. Samuel didn't want to go against his father, but he wasn't sure his father was right. At that point, Blaise was moved to a different dormitory because of his conflicts with Malfoy, and he was starting to keep an eye out for other Slytherins like him. They didn't form a group or anything until this year, but Blaise was watching out for other Slytherins who thought the way he did. He took Samuel under his wing, and now look--his father is an active Death Eater and Samuel's part of a Coalition to fight against the Dark Arts."

"Oh, yeah, really fun summer vacations," Ron repeated. "What I don't get is Zabini--what made him start fighting against the Dark Arts?"

"I haven't asked--"

"He won't say."

Startled, Ron, Hermione, and Harry looked over their shoulders at Ginny, who had come up behind them unnoticed.

Ginny hitched her book bag higher on her shoulder. "I asked him about it last week, but he just looked at me and said in a very quiet voice, 'that's a sad story that won't be told today.' The other Slytherins seem to know what the story is, but they're not talking either."

They all exchanged glances, and Hermione said, "This school is full of surprises. As soon as I think I won't be surprised by anything that happens here, something always proves me--" she cut herself off when faint voices reached their ears. They had been nearing Tonks' office, and now saw that there was a light on inside of it. As they got closer, they recognized the voices--they belonged to Tonks and--

"Professor Lupin!" Ron exclaimed.

Hermione and Ginny motioned them to silence. "He doesn't sound too happy," Ginny whispered.

The four of them stopped outside of Tonks's office, and the voices became words. "--on, Remus, it was secret."

"From the whole Order, I know. I don't understand why Dumbledore would do that, though--why not let the rest of us help?" Remus Lupin asked, sounding as if he were trying very hard to understand something. "You're in danger now, Tonks--Voldemort's going to have everyone out to get you, because he knows you betrayed him."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny exchanged puzzled glances. How had Tonks betrayed Voldemort?

"I chose to put myself in that danger, Remus. I could do it--I'm a metamorphmagus, and had the ability to do it. Besides that, it's my family that are Death Eaters. It's my duty to do everythiing I can to stand against them. Sirius--"

"Sirius was my best friend," Lupin broke in.

"And he was my cousin. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy are my uncle and aunt. Bellatrix Lestrange is my aunt, and she's still free. The Aurors are guarding Azkaban, but how long until it's attacked? How long until the rest of my family--" this word was spoken with a great deal of sarcasm "--is out killing and torturing again?"

"All right, that's all well and good, but why couldn't you and Dumbledore have let the rest of the Order in on it? Why couldn't we help you? If you were spying on Voldemort, shouldn't we have known about it?" Remus questioned.

Ron mouthed, 'spying on Voldemort?' Harry and Ginny shrugged, and Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"No," Tonks stated.

"Well, why not? Is it because he doesn't trust the rest of us?" Lupin sounded as if he were trying not to sound exasperated. Harry, used to hearing Lupin sound in control and very patient, wasn't quite sure why he sounded so nettled. He knew that Dumbledore's trust meant a great deal to Lupin, and that Lupin felt as if he had broken much of Dumbledore's trust during his years at Hogwarts. Perhaps that was why he seemed upset.

Tonks sighed heavily. "That's exactly the reason, Remus. Well, not precisely the rest of you; but he believes that there is someone spying on the Order. He's not quite sure how, and I've been helping him with it."

"He thinks one of the Order's betrayed us?"

"He doesn't think it's someone from the Order, but he knows that someone has found a way to get information from the Order."

"Why choose you to help, though?" Lupin sounded much more normal, but still puzzled. "Why not let Severus learn what he could? He's already in the Death Eater's ranks."

"I'm an Auror, Remus. It was to our benefit to try to get an Auror into Voldemort's ranks, and the more eyes we have on him, the better. And besides that, whoever is getting intelligence on the Order used that information to attack me when I was on duty last June, just before the battle at the Ministry. Dumbledore and I decided not to tell anyone about it."

Lupin sighed. "I still wish he would have told us. It would have come as less of a shock now."

"I apologize for that," Tonks said sincerely. "And please don't think that Dumbledore--or I--don't trust you, Remus. He trusts you more than you give him credit for."

It seemed that nothing else was going to be said, and Hermione took that moment to step forward, into the light coming from the office. "Tonks--oh! Professor Lupin!" she said, feigning surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Harry, Ron, and Ginny came forward, and Lupin smiled at all of them. "Just paying a visit," he said. "And what are you four up to?"

"Oh, we just finished a meeting," Ginny replied, just as smoothly. "We were heading back to our dormitory. Loads of homework to complete, you know," she said, wrinkling her nose.

Lupin chuckled. "Of course--and even more for you; it's your O.W.L. year, isn't it?"

Ginny groaned. "Oh, don't remind me."

Lupin shot a sideways glance at Tonks. "I hope Tonks isn't loading you down with too much work."

"Just doing my job, Remus--as I'm sure you did, when it was your turn," Tonks replied tartly.

"How long will you be staying?" Harry asked Lupin. It was good to see him. This summer he had spent quite a bit of time talking about Sirius with him. It was comforting to have him around--out of all of Harry's father's best friends, Lupin was the only one left that he could talk to. He was one of the only links to his parents and Sirius that he had.

"For a few days, at least," Lupin replied.

"Well, we'd best be getting back to Gryffindor Tower," Hermione said cheerfully. "We'll see you later."

The four of them left Tonks' office, and as soon as they were out of earshot, began discussing what they had heard. "Do you think it's possible? Is a member of the Order leaking information?" Ron asked in disbelief.

"I don't know," Hermione said doubtfully. "We can't underestimate the possibility, though--just look at what happened with Peter Pettigrew."

At the mention of Ron's old rat Scabbers, who had actually been an Animagus, Ron growled.

"All I'm saying," Hermione said as they approached the portrait of the Fat Lady, "is that we need to be careful."

~*~

Bed curtains flung open, and Dean Thomas's face peered at Ron. "Ron, what are you doing?" he whispered, bleary-eyed. "It's after midnight!"

Ron stopped mid-stride. He had been pacing back and forth in his dormitory, listening to Neville's snores and trying to convince himself into talking to Hermione about how he felt about her. He'd been at it for a good hour now.

"Nothing," Ron muttered. "Just thinking."

"Well, do you mind thinking a little quieter, mate? We have class in the morning, and you sound like a hippogriff on a rampage!"

Ron sighed. "Sorry, Dean."

Dean's bed curtains closed, and Ron went to sit on his own bed, folding his hands together nervously. Why was it so hard for him to think about doing this? It was Hermione, for Merlin's sake!

But that was precisely the problem. It had been nearly two days since his conversation with Ginny, and all he had been doing was stewing over it. How could he be sure Ginny was right about Hermione liking him? Thinking about everything else he knew about his little sister, he knew he should trust her word--growing up in a house with six brothers, Ginny had learned how to find out pretty much anything that was going on.

It was close to two in the morning before Ron finally decided that no matter what, he would talk to Hermione the next day. He couldn't bear the thought of Hermione laughing at him, or telling him she didn't know what he was thinking, there was no way she liked him...but not knowing was the worst kind of torture. He wasn't eating much, he wasn't getting any sleep, and now he was starting to affect his dormmates rest.

I have to know. One way or another...I have to know...

~*~

Ron found that he couldn't get much sleep, after all. He ended up trudging down to the common room at around five in the morning, his stomach a knot of nerves. Breakfast wasn't for a couple more hours, but the thought of eating anything made him feel even sicker than he already felt.

When he stepped into the common room, he found Ginny, curled up on one of the couches in front of the fire, Hermione's old copy of Transfiguration Theory spread open on her lap. Ron rolled his eyes and walked over, carefully lifting the book off of her lap. Someone--Ron suspected a certain house-elf--had tucked a blanket over her and set one of Hermione's elf-caps carefully on Ginny's left ear.

Ron plunked down on one of the armchairs in front of the fire, watching Ginny take slow, deep breaths and envying her peaceful slumber. He sat in the chair for quite a while, trying not to fidget, waiting impatiently for Hermione to get up, and dreading it at the same time.

Shortly after six, Ginny stretched and yawned, then slowly opened her eyes.

"'Morning," Ron said.

Ginny jumped. "Ron?" She looked around and groaned. "Oh, no. I did it again. And I still didn't get my Transfiguration paper written." She frowned and picked up the tiny knitted hat that was on her ear. "What is this? One of Hermione's hats?"

"I think Dobby must have been trying to keep the side of your head warm last night," Ron said humorously.

Ginny smiled and then sighed. "What time is it?"

"Just after six."

"You're up awfully early. Usually you sleep as late as possible," Ginny said, sitting up on the couch and tucking her knees against her chest.

"I decided to get up early today," Ron said defensively.

Ginny's eyebrows rose. "I didn't say there was anything wrong with it; I was just commenting on my surprise." She ran her fingers through her tangled hair. "Well, I'm going to take a shower before the rest of the Gryffindor girls invade the bathroom." She set the elf-hat on the arm of the couch, scooped up her copy of Transfiguration Theory, and headed up to the girls' dormitories.

Just a few minutes later, Ron's heart jammed in his throat when Hermione herself came trudging down the stairs. Her bathrobe was tied tightly over her pajamas, and her hair stuck out in a dozen different directions. She yawned and plopped down on the couch Ginny had just left. "What is it, Ron?"

Ron's heart settled a bit, and he frowned. "What's what?"

"Ginny just snuck into my dormitory and woke me up. She said you wanted to talk to me."

For a moment, Ron wasn't sure whether to be thankful or furious at his sister, and he wondered if he was really that transparent? Or perhaps it was just Ginny that saw through him so well. "Oh. Well. Um..." Ron felt his face heating up, and he looked down to hide it. Now that Hermione was actually in front of him, he thought that perhaps he should wait a bit before he had this conversation. He didn't really need to do this right now, right? He could just tell Hermione to go back up to bed...

"Ron? Are you all right?" Hermione asked, a frown creasing her forehead.

"I...er..." Ron tugged at the neck of his pajamas. Ginny's words to him in the locker room the other day came back to him with crystal-clear clarity. "You have to talk to her about it. So get to it... I know you have it in you." He swallowed hard. "I...I...I have to talk to you."

Now Hermione looked concerned. "About what? Ron, are you feeling well? You look a bit ill."

"I have to tell you something," Ron said determinedly, trying to quell the rising nausea in his stomach.

"Yes..." Hermione said slowly. "We already determined that." She had an odd look on her face, like she was trying to figure him out.

"Hermione, I..." Why was this so hard to say? Because you're afraid of being rejected, mate, he told himself. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I--"

"I know you have it in you," Ginny's voice echoed.

"Ron?"

"I can't do this!" Ron exclaimed aloud. He jumped to his feet and stalked over to the window, staring out onto the dark grounds. He was frustrated at himself--frustrated that he felt so inadequate, frustrated that he was so worried about saying what he needed to say.

"Ron..." Hermione sounded concerned. He heard the shuffle of feet, and then she grabbed his arm and turned him around. "Come sit down," she said firmly, dragging him to the couch and pushing him down. Then she sat next to him, tucking her feet under her bathrobe. "Now," she said, "tell me what's going on. What do you want to say?"

"You'll laugh at me," Ron grumbled.

"I won't," Hermione said. "I promise."

"You'll think I'm an idiot."

"Ron, I already think you're an idiot!" Hermione said, exasperated. "Just tell me what's going on, would you? You've been acting oddly all week, and you won't tell me what's wrong, and now that you finally seem willing to talk, you won't! I'm your best friend, Ron, and despite all of our arguments and disagreements, I'll always be your best friend, so there's no use in--"

"Hermione, would you please shut up! You're making this even hard--"

"Well, if you would tell me what it is, I would know what makes it harder, wouldn't I?" Hermione interrupted. "If--"

"I love you, Hermione, okay?" For a moment, Ron's eyes met hers and he stared at her in horror. He hadn't meant to say it like that...he had meant to start by telling her that he liked her... A bit shakily, he said, "There. I said it. I love you, okay?"

Hermione returned his stare in stunned silence. Her mouth moved, but no words came out. Then she closed her mouth and sank back against the arm of the couch, her gaze still locked on his. "You...love me?" she said in a very small voice.

Ron nodded.

Hermione blinked twice. Then, all at once, she squealed loudly and threw herself at Ron, crushing him in a hug. "You blithering idiot!" she told him, laughing in his ear.

"Hermione, you promised you wouldn't laugh!" Ron exclaimed, not quite sure what this meant.

"Ron!" Hermione stopped laughing and leaned back to look at him, a grin on her face. "It's about bloody time. Do you have any idea how long I've waited to hear you say that?"

It was Ron's turn to gape at her. "You...what?" Did this mean what he thought it meant? "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you weren't ready to hear it. You needed to come to conclusions on your own," Hermione told him. "I knew that when you were ready, you would know. You just had to realize it." She was still grinning at him.

"But, Hermione--"

"Oh, Ron, just shut up and kiss me."

~*~

Harry--and half of Gryffindor House--was startled awake by the sound of a scream. Harry was on his feet in an instant--that was Hermione's scream. He ran for the door to his dormitory as Dean, Neville, and Will threw open their bed curtains. Seamus was still asleep. Harry noticed that Ron wasn't in his bed, and he bolted toward the common room even faster. What had happened? Had someone been attacked? If Ron or Hermione were hurt...

Several other dormitory doors were being flung open, but Harry was the first one down the stairs. He came to a halt at the bottom, efficiently blocking the stairs, and several other Gryffindors peered over his shoulders. Harry's eyes were locked on the scene that was taking place on the couch in front of the fire...Ron and Hermione, his two best friends, were tangled up in each other's arms, locked in a kiss.

His mouth dropped open, and the sound of giggling caught his attention. He tore his eyes away from the couch, and saw that a group of girls were at the bottom of the stairs leading to their dormitories. Pushing through the crowd of them was Ginny, toweling her long red hair dry. She was grinning at the couple on the couch, and then her eyes traveled across the room and met his.

Harry wasn't sure what to think. He was in a state of such complete shock. Ron and Hermione finally heard the snickers from the Gryffindor girls, and pulled apart, realizing they had an audience. Ron immediately flushed red, but Hermione just giggled.

"Great. I lost an hour of sleep to a snog--fest," Dean grumbled, turning around and trudging back up to the dormitory.

Slowly, people trickled back up to their dormitories, but Harry felt frozen at the bottom of the stairs, still staring at Ron and Hermione. Ginny strode across the room, throwing her towel over a chair. "I told you that you could do it," she told Ron, throwing him a wink. She stopped in front of Harry. "You all right?" she asked quietly.

Harry blinked at her and ran a hand through his hair. "Um..." He looked at Ron and Hermione helplessly. "You knew about this?"

"Harry," Hermione said quickly, standing to her feet. "We didn't...we...um..." She trailed off, flustered.

Harry didn't know why he felt so surprised. He had known, in the back of his mind, that Ron liked Hermione. It was obvious from the way he got so jealous during their Fourth Year when she went to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum...obvious in the way he got jealous at the mention of Krum, or of Hermione being with any other boy...but he had never really thought about it; never really considered that this might happen.

And now, he still wasn't sure what it all meant. If Ron and Hermione had gotten together--and it seemed they had, if the display on the couch had been any indication--what did it mean for their friendship?

"Harry, you don't have to worry," Hermione said quickly, as if sensing his thoughts. "You're still my best friend...things don't have to change between us..."

"But they will," he realized quietly. "Maybe not in huge ways...but they'll change in little ways." Change...it seemed things were always changing.

"Not all change is bad," Ginny said quietly. She was still studying him curiously.

Harry managed a smile. "No. Not all change is bad." He nodded at Ron and Hermione. "I'm happy for you...really, I am...I was just surprised."

Gryffindor common room was soon bustling with activity, and Ron and Hermione were teased unmercifully. Harry retreated upstairs to get ready for the day, and when he came back down, Ron and Hermione were gone, but Ginny was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. "They were going to wait for you, but I told them to go down to breakfast," she told him.

"That's all right. I'm not really hungry."

Ginny tilted her head and studied him. "Do you want to take a walk?"

Harry shrugged. Maybe a walk would help clear his head. "Sure."

Ginny fell into step beside him, and they walked in comfortable silence through the castle and out onto the grounds. They found themselves walking along the side of the lake, and Ginny finally broke the silence. "You don't have to worry, you know."

Harry stopped and looked at her. "Worry about what?"

"Ron and Hermione. They're not going to abandon you."

"I know," Harry said, a bit defensively. "They're my best friends. It's just..." he trailed off. Turning, he sat on the ground by the lake and picked up a rock, rolling it through his fingers.

"Just what?" Ginny plunked onto the ground beside him.

Harry threw the stone into the lake. Ripples ran through the water, and moments later, one of the giant squid's tentacles flailed out of the water. "It's just odd, you know...thinking that they'll share something that I won't. That I can't be a part of." He shook his head, picking up another rock. "I should have expected it...I guess I just hadn't really thought about it."

"You're afraid they're going to abandon you," Ginny said frankly.

"What?" Harry said, startled. He shook his head and hurled the rock into the lake. Another tentacle flung up out of the water and waved around. For some reason, he really didn't mind Ginny talking about this--she was Ron's sister, after all; she knew Ron as well as Harry did. "I know they won't abandon me," he muttered. "They're my best friends. I want them to be happy." But things are going to be different...what if they don't want to spend time around me anymore? They have each other in a different way now... He scooped up a third stone and cupped it in his hand. He pulled his hand back to throw it, but Ginny caught his wrist and plucked the rock out of his fingers.

She held it up in front of his eyes. "Relationships change, Harry--but the kind of friendship you, Ron, and Hermione have can never be removed or replaced. You'll always have people coming into and out of your life, but no matter what, Ron and Hermione are not going to leave you. They're not going to ignore you. You might have to put up with some lovey-dovey mushy stuff for a while," she said, rolling her eyes, "but you've survived worse."

Harry had to grin, and Ginny returned it, and then she flung the stone into the lake. The water rippled, and a third tentacle shot up, and this time, the giant squid threw the rock back at them. Harry and Ginny ducked and the stone sailed over their heads. "But between you and me," Ginny said, standing to her feet, "I think Ron and Hermione are going to be more concerned about how you handle their relationship. They worry about you."

Harry's smile faded. "They shouldn't," he sighed.

"But they do. After all, that's part of what being friends is about." She tucked a strand of damp hair behind her ear.

"Yeah? And I suppose another part of being friends is dragging one outside and lecturing him on the faithfulness of his other friends?" Harry asked wryly.

"Oh, Harry, I wasn't trying to lecture, I just--"

Harry grinned again. "I know. Don't worry about it, Ginny. I appreciate it--you're right, I'd be stupid to think that Ron and Hermione would run off and leave me alone just because they'll be dating." Dating...how odd is that?

"Not stupid--just not sensible," Ginny said. "So...are you hungry yet? Because I sure am."

Harry pushed himself to his feet. "Yeah, I think so...and I should probably find Ron and Hermione." They headed back up to the castle, and when they reached the doors to the Great Hall, Harry pushed the door open, then stopped and gave Ginny a half-smile. "Thanks, Ginny."

"Sure thing, Harry. Between friends, and all." She winked at him, then swept past him into the Great Hall.

Ginny had certainly changed in the last year...he would never have been able to talk to her during the first four years he had known her...she had always seemed so shy and withdrawn around him. He was glad she had gotten over that, because she had turned out to be a very sensible and shrewd person, and she had told him exactly what he needed to hear.

Ron and Hermione were sitting together at the Gryffindor Table, whispering between themselves. When Harry approached, they looked up at him--Ron, with a tense expression, and Hermione, with a concerned one. He noticed that they were holding hands.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione began, as soon as he sat down across from them, "I'm really sorry, I wouldn't have wanted you to find out about us the way you did...I mean," she said, flustered, "there was nothing to find out about until that moment, but..."

Her nervousness calmed Harry's anxieties even more. "Hermione," he said, holding up his hand. "It's all right."

"Really, Harry?" Hermione said, biting her lower lip.

"We're still friends, mate," Ron assured him.

"We're not going to leave you out of anything...well, I mean, kissing and stuff like that..." Hermione blushed.

Harry laughed. "Hermione! It's all right. I promise, it's all right. I've never known two people who deserve each other more."

Ron and Hermione exchanged glances, obviously not quite sure how to take that last statement. "You'll really be all right, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, unless you keep at me like this!"

"All right," Hermione finally relaxed and smiled at him. She held out her hand to him. "Friends?"

Harry set his hand on top of hers. "Always."