Harry Potter and the Last Goodnight

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Consequences

Rationally, Harry knew that Eva was merely a player in this dinner theater. Rationally, he knew the kiss that was about to happen was nothing more than a finale to a performance. Rationally, he knew she kissed him every night.

But Harry knew that if he had to watch Eva kiss another guy, something inside of him would die.

His wand was out of his pocket before he even had time to think of it. He muttered the incantation. Ron, who had recognized the words, turned to Harry, wide-eyed.

"What are you doing?!" he demanded. "Harry, are you crazy?"

But it was too late. The damage had been done. The spell, which he had directed at Simon, now headed straight for Eva as he dipped her low for a spectacular smooch.

I am in so much trouble.

The spell hit Eva dead on target. It was hard to see the magic itself in the dim room with all of the spotlights on the stage. However, all of the students, including Mr. Weasley and Professor Avis, recognized it for what it was and looked around to see where the spell had come from.

Eva made a kind of whimpering noise as her legs started twitching beneath her dress. She stood up so quickly on her feet that she head-butted Simon, who fell over backwards onto the stage. Eva wandered around on dancing legs, looking terribly confused and bewildered. She ran into the table where the king and queen were, then headed towards the horse before the stagehands finally pulled the curtain closed.

A Muggle dressed in all black climbed out from the pit in the floor where the technical crew was. "Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the inconvenience. Please, sit back, relax, and our show will continue momentarily."

Harry found that highly doubtful, considering that the counter-spell was the only remedy to Eva's current condition.

Mr. Weasley jumped to his feet. "This is bad. This is very bad. Martha, get the students together and get them back to the Ministry at once. Tell Fudge that the dinner was canceled and that they all need to get back to Hogwarts as quickly as possible."

Professor Avis nodded. "All right, you heard Mr. Weasley, stand up. We've got to get going," she said hastily.

"You. Sit." Mr. Weasley firmly placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and forced him back into his chair. "You're going to help me fix this mess."

Harry gulped. What had he done? In a moment of weakness and stupidity he'd let his jealousy get the better of him. He'd get expelled for sure.

After a few more agonizing minutes of waiting, the same Muggle appeared at the front of the dining hall and apologized, saying that the show was canceled. Everyone's money would be refunded.

Instead of following the crowd back to the arena, Mr. Weasley led Harry up to the stage where he got a chance to see Mr. Weasley's Muggle relations skills at work. He distracted the stagehand by complaining about the horrible show and then pushed Harry past the curtain.

Nobody seemed to notice him in the chaos. The horse had been spooked and most of the stagehands and the rest of the players were trying to calm it. There were goblets and plates scattered all over the floor. He could still hear Eva's heels clicking against the wooden floor.

"What the hell's the matter with you?" the young man who played the Black Knight demanded as he watched Eva trip around the stage. Harry saw that without his helmet, he didn't look quite so evil. He had brown curly hair that was plastered to his forehead with sweat.

"I... I don't know David, I can't stop!" she said breathlessly.

He stood up and approached her, his arms open. Harry thought for a moment he was going to hug her, but instead, he grabbed her wrists, trying to keep her still in one place. However, her legs just kicked and scratched the floor beneath them.

"Ouch! Stop, David! That hurts!"

"Sorry." He abruptly let go. Eva continued to wander around the stage on her shaky legs. David chased after her.

Harry quickly hid behind a nearby pillar and made sure that he had the correct aim this time. He muttered the counter-jinx and Eva fell to the floor, panting.

The Muggle who Mr. Weasley was complaining to suddenly stepped through the curtain and marched over to Eva. "Eva Finnigan!" his voice boomed. "What kind of stunt are you trying to pull? Get into my office, NOW!"

Eva jumped up to her feet looking positively fearful. Mr. Weasley took a step towards her and whispered in her ear. "Meet me at the Ministry."

She nodded curtly, glanced wearily at Harry, and then followed the director off stage.

Mr. Weasley led them back to the costume room, where Harry took off his Knight's armor and transformed, once again, back to Harry Potter in a sweatshirt that said "M.O.M." on the front. Quietly, he followed Mr. Weasley outside.

Instead of stopping, he kept walking towards the direction of the Ministry. Harry stayed one step behind him in the darkness. He would have given anything for Mr. Weasley to have been shouting at him. Anything was better than the silence that stood between them.

After a good ten minutes and a lot of thinking of what he had done wrong, Harry found himself outside of the Ministry where the telephone box was. Mr. Weasley dialed the number and stated his business to the welcome witch.

Mr. Weasley did not speak as they took the lift to the second floor. The silence was killing him. Mr. Weasley was probably incredibly angry with him, not to mention disappointed. This was some kind of stunt that Fred and George would have pulled, but not Harry Potter. He felt so ashamed of himself.

When he closed his eyes, all he could see was his portrait on the Weasleys' clock, and hear Mrs. Weasley's voice welcoming him home.

Once they reached the office, Harry suddenly felt a tight grip on his shoulder as Mr. Weasley turned Harry to face him. He could still see the anger in his face, but his eyes were troubled. "I don't know why you did it Harry, but you'd better have a damn good explanation for it. If charges are filed, I won't be able to get you off the hook this time."

Harry tried to swallow the enormous lump in the middle of his throat. He wouldn't have been able to speak even if he could have thought of something to say. "I'm going to do some damage control and talk with Eva. You can sit over at that desk and don't you dare try to pull anything." He sighed. "Honestly, I never expected this from you."

Mr. Weasley turned around and went inside of his office, leaving Harry to think of his last words. He'd completely lost Mr. Weasley's trust.

Harry was too upset to know how much time had passed before Eva finally came storming into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She was dressed in her normal, everyday clothes, which were soaked with water. It must have started raining. She took a deep breath, tried to dry her hair a little, and then marched to Mr. Weasley's desk.

Perhaps he shouldn't have been listening, but couldn't help but creep closer to Mr. Weasley's cubicle to listen in on the conversation.

"Have a seat, Eva," Mr. Weasley offered.

"Somebody," Eva said breathlessly, "somebody, I don't know who, used magic on me tonight."

Harry's heart rate increased rapidly. Was Mr. Weasley going to tell Eva that it was him? That Harry had cast the spell on her? But he didn't reply.

"I don't care who it was," she continued, outraged. "I want to know why. Why would they want to humiliate me up on stage like that? Why would they want me to lose my job?"

"I'm not sure that was their intention."

"So they just wanted to have a little fun with the Muggle, eh?" Eva cursed. "It's a cruel joke, I'll tell you that much. I feel like the Muggle victim in those terrible stories you tell. My boss thought I was drunk! He thought that I'd come to work intoxicated! Me! And how could I explain the truth to him?"

"You didn't, did you?" Mr. Weasley asked suddenly.

"Of course not!" Eva snapped. "I'd be breaking about a dozen Ministry rules, not to mention he'd probably have me committed. I couldn't do anything but ask for a second chance. He said that he didn't give second chances and that I'd best seek some professional help." She cursed again. "He thinks I'm a bloody alcoholic! Oh, what am I going to do? I needed that job!"

If Harry had been feeling bad before, it was nothing compared to how he felt now. Eva worked so hard at all of her jobs, and now he'd just gotten her fired.

"Maybe I can talk Fudge into making your job full-time," Mr. Weasley suggested.

"No," Eva replied. "I don't want any special favors. I know that things between you and Mr. Fudge aren't exactly smooth right now." Mr. Weasley tried to protest, but Eva refused.

"So did anyone else suspect anything out of the ordinary?" Mr. Weasley questioned. "Did everyone think that you were just... intoxicated?"

"Yes. Well, all but David," Eva said. "He knows there's something suspicious going on. And he knows I'm not a drunk."

"Do you think he'll try anything funny? We could call in the Obliviators..."

"No, I can handle him," she interrupted. "I told him it was a severe muscle spasm. He didn't buy it, but I know he'll drop the subject sooner or later."

"All right, Eva, you have two choices." Mr. Weasley took a deep breath. "I know who performed the spell."

"You do?"

"But before I tell you, you need to decide what course of action you want to take." He paused. "Right now, as it stands, the only people who know that magic was used are me, you, the other chaperone at the dinner, and the students from Hogwarts. However, I am the only one who knows who did it. If you file a report with the Ministry about this incident, there will be an investigation. The Muggles will be questioned, the students will need to testify as witnesses, and the individual who performed the magic will face severe consequences."

Harry gulped. Eva's question mirrored his own. "How severe?"

"The individual in question will be immediately expelled from Hogwarts, meaning that he will no longer receive further magical instruction. He will also face heavy fines, a possible sentence in Azkaban, as well the breaking of his wand."

"What does that mean?"

"That the individual can never do magic again."

Eva gasped. "That's rather harsh."

"Well, you are a Muggle. The Ministry does not take these infractions lightly. You have suffered some damage from this whole escapade."

"What's the other option?"

"Your second choice would be to not file a report. Fudge would not know about this incident, and you would merely take the fall for everything that happened tonight. That means if someone asks you about the incident, you must agree with the story that you were, in fact, intoxicated and that is why you lost your job. The individual will still receive some consequences, but they will be much less severe."

"What kind of consequences?"

"The headmaster will certainly be informed of tonight's chaos. The individual will lose some special privileges and be given a series of detentions. You will also receive a formal apology immediately." Harry thought for sure that Mr. Weasley had said that last part a little louder to make sure that his voice would carry outside. "It is your choice."

Harry held his breath. This could be the end of him.

"Well, I would never want to prevent a witch or wizard from never practicing magic again," Eva replied. Harry breathed a sigh of relief on the other side of the door. "I don't relish the idea of taking responsibility for tonight, but I'll be okay. I do not wish to file a report with the Ministry."

"I think you'll find that you made the right decision," Mr. Weasley said. "Harry, please come in."

Harry felt his cheeks redden as he stepped inside Mr. Weasley's office. Eva looked confused. She still somehow managed to look gorgeous, even though she was still soaking wet from the rain.

"I believe you have something you wish to tell Miss Finnigan."

Harry took a deep breath, his gaze cast down on the floor. He couldn't meet anyone's eyes. Eva had just saved him from his worst nightmare. "Eva, I'm so sorry."

"But... then... it was Harry?" She looked from Harry to Mr. Weasley, then back again.

"I'm afraid so." Mr. Weasley got up from his desk. "I'll just leave you two alone to sort this out." He quietly left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Harry..." Eva began. "How... how could you? Why?"

"I don't know," Harry replied. That was the easy way out.

But she wasn't going to go easy on him. She got up from her seat and stalked over to him. He could smell the rain on her like fresh morning dew. "Look at me," she demanded.

Cautiously, Harry raised his eyes until they met hers. He could see she was very upset. Her cheeks were nearly as red as his. "Why?" she asked again.

How could he put his feelings into words? How could he possibly tell her that it was the jealousy inside of him that made him do it? No, it wasn't even the jealousy. It was the pain he would have felt if he had to watch her kiss someone else. He didn't know at what point she had captured his heart, but he was sure that she had, and he wasn't going to allow her to break it so easily. How could he tell her his entire explanation when they'd only known each other for so little time? How could she possibly understand?

But she certainly wasn't going to buy his ignorance. He had to think of something to say.

"Why?" she demanded again.

"It... it was temporary insanity," Harry replied. "Everything happened so quickly. You were swept up on that horse... He looked as though he was going to throw you off at any moment. I forgot it was only a show."

"But... why did you wait until the end to do it? And how was it supposed to save me?"

That was true. He had many opportunities to use the spell. It was the almost-kiss that had shaken him up. And a crazy-dance jinx didn't add much sense to his bravery. "I don't know, okay? I just thought that you were in danger. I thought I needed to rescue you."

Harry could see in her eyes that she didn't believe him. Instead, her face grew red with anger. He was quite sure he was really going to see the Irish temper in her tonight. "Rescue me?!" she cried, offended. "Harry, I don't need to be rescued!"

He didn't know what to say. With Eva fuming in front of him, all he wanted to do was grab her by the wrists as David had done and make her stand still for just a few moments so he could kiss her. So she could feel how he felt, so she would understand what was going on inside of his head - and his heart.

"If... if it's about the money, I've got money. I'd be happy to pay you." He'd give her all of his money in Gringotts if that's what it took to win her back.

Immediately, he knew he'd said the wrong thing. "First you insult my intelligence with your absurd story and now you try to insult my integrity by paying me off?!" she cried. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "Everybody told me that you always played the hero. I should have believed them! Well, I don't need your charity, Harry Potter. Go and save somebody else!"

She grabbed her coat and didn't even bother to put it on before she marched out of the office and slammed the door shut behind her.

Harry winced. Not because of the door slamming, but because of what Eva had said. It stung. It hurt. He was pretty sure it hurt even more than if he had been forced to watch her kiss another guy.

Mr. Weasley opened the door turned off the lanterns in his office. 'You got off easy Harry. You were very lucky." He gave him a pat on the back. Harry barely felt it. He was still stunned. "C'mon, Dumbledore is waiting for you back at Hogwarts."

And somehow, he didn't find that very reassuring.