Disclaimer: The fine tapestry of plot and characters belongs to J.K. Rowling. I am merely pulling threads at will and weaving my own design in counterpoint to hers.
Chapter 47
The Power of Silence
After watching Neville and Luna leave the following week’s practice session hand-in-hand, Harry suggested to the others that it might be an ideal time to stay behind and complete their earlier Horcrux search. Ron and Hermione offered to stay put in the Room of Requirement while he retrieved the metal box housing the locket to be their divining rod. When he returned, they exited into the seventh floor corridor briefly to allow Harry to call forth the Treasure Room instead.
They began with the bottle depository even though they all concurred that it was unlikely that a Horcrux was hidden there. The task was so monotonous that it seemed like an ideal time to reassess their progress.
“Dumbledore was certain that there were only four more Horcruxes to find, right?” Hermione commenced. “Considering that the ring and diary had already been destroyed.”
Harry nodded. “Since then, we have isolated three more: the Potions book, the photo album and Slytherin’s locket. That leaves only one more.”
“Perhaps I should write this down,” Hermione suggested as she started to pull out her ever-present memo pad.
Ron caught her arm to forestall her. “You don’t want any papers that could fall into the wrong hands.”
“I agree with Ron,” Harry added as he turned down another aisle. “We need to keep this in our heads… Dumbledore was certain that Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup was sure to be among Voldemort’s Horcruxes. We revisited a memory that showed Riddle coveting it and everything.”
“So you think that the Cup is likely to turn out to be the missing Horcrux?” Hermione echoed.
“Absolutely,” Harry affirmed. “I just have no idea where to begin looking for it.” Not to mention the fact that Snape had warned him that the Death Eaters were also on the lookout, but he kept that last part to himself.
“Wasn’t there some mention of Voldemort’s snake as being a possibility, though?” Ron screwed up his face to try to draw forth a stubborn memory.
“True, but I’m not so sure Dumbledore really bought into that theory,” Harry conceded in hindsight. “It was the only idea I could come up with when he put me on the spot. Voldemort does seem to have a rather warped association with his snake, but from the start Dumbledore argued that there were valid reasons why a living subject would not make an ideal Horcrux.”
“Such as?” Hermione prompted him.
“The bloody thing will die of natural causes at some point, of course!” Ron countered.
“That was the main one, yes,” Harry agreed. “Undying loyalty was also an issue.”
“So you suspect that Dumbledore originally included Nagini in the listing of possible Horcruxes simply to humor you?” Hermione surmised.
“Perhaps ‘humor’ is too strong a word. I think he included my suggestion more as a way to bolster my confidence.”
“That’s still pretty harsh, mate, wouldn’t you say?” Ron asked.
“We have to be willing to look the truth squarely in the eye if we hope to succeed,” Harry countered. “Anything less than that and we’re just fooling ourselves.”
“I think we should commend Harry on his brave stance,” Hermione suggested. “But let’s not discount the snake, either. Voldemort didn’t get this far by being predictable.”
After what seemed like hours of trudging up and down tumbling aisles of old bottles, they had found nothing. Harry surrendered the metal box with the locket so that Ron could begin sweeping the area near the door. Meanwhile, Harry removed the Prince’s book to a temporary hiding place to avoid any false readings. It was an unnecessary precaution, though, as the locket remained inert as they finished searching the remaining quadrant.
With a sigh of resignation, they sat down wearily in a small clearing they had created near the center of the room. One more Horcrux to find and they had no earthly idea where to continue their search.
“We have to have them all before we start destroying them,” Hermione remarked.
“I’m not sure that’s necessary but I certainly want to save the locket for last,” Harry opined. “It’s the only one that seems to react with the others.”
“Any ideas on how to begin destroying the ones that we have?” Ron asked pointedly.
With a heavy sigh, they admitted that they were clueless.
“Let’s not forget that some of these items may contain a secondary curse as well,” Harry cautioned as he reminded them of Dumbledore’s blackened hand.
“We never did find out what caused that, did we?” Ron remarked.
“Dumbledore kept promising that it would be such a rollicking good tale, but he never got around to telling it before his time ran out,” Harry stated flatly.
“That seems to be one of those harsh life lessons,” Ron muttered sagely.
“I think our next order of business is further research on curses, curse-breaking and possible ways of destroying these objects,” Hermione suggested as she stood up wearily. “We still have a number of books we haven’t worked through yet.”
“You don’t mind if we wait until tomorrow?” Ron implored as he staggered unsteadily to his feet with fatigue.
“You two go on ahead,” Harry suggested. “I’ll keep an eye on the Map and then follow. I need to return the Prince’s book to its usual spot.”
Hermione nodded and then offered to take the metal box with her. Harry gladly turned its responsibility over to her with the explicit instructions that Ron return it to its habitual spot on the uppermost closet shelf.
The Treasure Room seemed particularly creepy and unsettling once Ron’s and Hermione’s voices had died away. Even the absolute stillness seemed to press upon him in a disquieting way. Harry concentrated on his task of replacing the old Potions book so that he, too, could make his escape as soon as possible. The thought of a warm bed after a long, wearisome day was extraordinarily appealing.
Hastily, Harry unfolded the Marauder’s Map to check that the way was clear. As his eyes swept the room, each suspicious shadow seemed to recede into an innocent shape only to resume its menacing stance once Harry’s eyes returned to the Map. Despite his hammering heart, he kept telling himself that it was just a trick of the light coupled with exhaustion.
With dismay, he noted that two round dots were situated between the room’s exit and the stairs to the floors below, effectively barring his immediate departure. It was not possible to retreat down the opposite corridor, either, not without risking the door being seen “ even if he used the Invisibility Cloak. His eyes were too blurry to distinguish the names at first glance, so Harry ignited his wand tip and brought it closer to the Map surface.
One of the dots belonged to Robert Anderson. Harry’s heart sank. Of all the bloody luck, that was the last person he wanted to see right now. It struck him as rather reckless for Ginny to be traveling in this part of the castle, though, as she knew that Harry often trained with the others during weekday evenings. He peered at the second dot more carefully, then wiped his glasses on his sleeve to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. The second dot was labeled ‘Daphne Greengrass.’
Robert and Daphne together? And sneaking down a seemingly deserted school corridor close to curfew. Granted, he was trying to do much the same -- but something told him they were not on a mission to defeat the Dark Lord. Sheer curiosity overcame his fatigue as he soundlessly moved to the door so that his ear was resting on the infinitesimal crack that remained while the room was in use. His ears registered nothing other than the sound of his own breathing.
He watched the progress of the dots on the Map but they did not seem to be in any hurry to move. If he hadn’t known better, he’d think they were combing the hallways looking for a lost earring or other small object. If only he had a Decoy Detonator, he mused, then realized that he didn’t have any good way to introduce it into the corridor without giving himself away in the process. Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, that’s what he needed, he thought belatedly. Anything to fend off the realization that he was effectively trapped.
Harry watched the minutes tick ever closer to curfew on his wristwatch, hoping that Neville and Luna would begin their rounds soon. He could always throw himself on their mercy, if need be. So what if they felt obligated to deduct a few house points in the process? Chances are they wouldn’t anyway, especially once they heard the true reason.
A solid half hour after curfew, the dots finally seemed to come to the sudden conclusion that their return to their respective Houses was long overdue. Like magnets turned to their repellent sides, they dashed off in opposite directions. With a sigh of relief, Harry threw the Invisibility Cloak over his head and carefully made his way back to Gryffindor Tower.
Hermione and Ron were waiting anxiously for him just on the other side of the stone sconce.
“We were worried, Harry,” Hermione gushed, running to his side immediately.
“Too many creepy things in that room, pal,” Ron offered as reason for his worried frown.
“Believe me, I wasn’t too thrilled being trapped in there myself,” Harry agreed wearily as he sank into the nearest chair and proceeded to fold his Cloak.
Ron handed him a cold butterbeer as a life preserver to a drowning man. Gratefully, Harry quenched his parched throat before recounting the recent events.
“Are you sure it was Daphne and Robert?” Hermione demanded. “You never heard their voices, did you?”
“The Map never lies,” Harry intoned.
“Then there’s only one explanation,” Ron concluded. “And I’m not going to be the one to tell Neville.”
“Considering I never actually saw anything,” Harry returned, “I’m not reporting anything to anybody.”
“Not even to Ginny?” Hermione inquired.
“Especially not Ginny,” Harry returned. “She’d have no reason to believe me, not when it comes to Robert. I don’t want to have to defend my integrity when it comes to a louse like that.”
“Sounds like you’re sympathetic to her plight,” Ron observed knowingly.
“Of course, I am! But unfortunately, I can’t do anything about it.”
Despite diving into the remaining Horcrux books with vigor, none of them contained any information on how to destroy them. The books implied that once such an object was identified, the safest path was to steer clear of it entirely. Not a bad policy, Harry had to admit, but not one of his options, either.
As the appointed time to conference with Snape drew near, Harry struggled to devise some plan to steer the conversation to the subject of cursed objects. True, it would be like trying to redirect a tidal wave. As far as he could tell, though, no one else held a larger cache of the answers that they needed. Why Dumbledore had trusted this enigmatic, unlikable man and given him such unprecedented access into his secret plans was a question for the ages. Surprisingly, the weekly verbal matches had only served to fuel Harry’s determination to somehow extract the information he needed despite Snape’s habitual surliness. It had become a challenge of wits against a worthy opponent and he was not about to back down.
As the minutes ticked away, his impatience grew but the mirror remained stubbornly inert. Harry did not dare initiate the contact himself, knowing that he might inadvertently expose Snape’s cover. He allowed nearly two hours before he concluded that circumstances had prevented this week’s conversation. The unmistakable sting of disappointment only left him anticipating the following week’s encounter that much more.
Not having any other plans, Harry donned his school robes and ventured forth to be among the other students. He was not scheduled to meet with Lupin until later in the afternoon, so he tucked the Valley of the Kings book into his pocket to pass the time. He would have preferred to continue his research among some of the Muggle books that Hermione had located, but the titles might draw unwarranted attention. If he was going to try to enjoy a bit of fresh air reading today, he would have to stick to something innocuous.
Since it was still the lunch hour, the halls were crowded as he worked his way down to the gravel path that wove past his favorite rock. The melting snow had left the grounds conspicuously muddy and it was not a good idea to cut across the sloping lawn as he usually did. As he neared the open archway, he could smell a definite change in the air. It was the scent of freshness and hope as the hardiest spring plants began to poke their tender shoots through the last snowy remnants.
The bodies between him and the doorway cleared abruptly and he was struck with an unexpected sight. Sitting abnormally still on the closest stone bench in the courtyard was Ginny. Harry followed his first impulse to turn on his heel and walk in the opposite direction, but as he neared the stairs at the end of the corridor, it occurred to him that he had not seen Robert at all. A quick review of Ginny’s class schedule indicated that her usual haunt at this time of day was on the far side of the building. With the unshakable feeling that something was amiss, Harry raced up the staircase before him to find a better vantage point.
He found himself in the familiar corridor outside the Transfiguration classroom. As Harry worked his way to the broad windows that provided a panoramic view of the courtyard from a different angle, he took special care to stay in the shadows as Ginny was likely to see him at the window if she lifted her eyes. She had not moved from her previous position, though. He scanned the courtyard more carefully, but still found no sign of Robert. Finally Harry spotted him laughing merrily among a group that was working its way towards a small wooded area bordering the lake.
Turning his attention back to Ginny, he watched as a group of girls stopped by to exchange a few words with her. She looked up at them and shook her head glumly, uttering a smattering of words that Harry couldn’t distinguish. Instead of returning her gaze to the gravel at her feet, though, Ginny looked fixedly into the far distance as she lifted a hand absently to her face. In a heartbeat, Harry realized that she was crying! The sparkle of moisture on her cheeks was unmistakable as it caught the fragile sunlight.
Hardly taking time to consider his actions, Harry raced down the stairs two steps at a time and approached her quietly from behind. A single footstep on the gravel surrounding the bench was the only indication he gave Ginny of his presence. Silently, he slipped onto the bench behind her and wrapped his arms tenderly around her waist. She did not turn to face him, but it was clear by the way that her delicate arms wound themselves over his that she recognized who it was. She laid her head back against his shoulder comfortably and accepted the strength that his closeness imparted to her. It wasn’t long before her tears subsided.
Harry let the silken strands of her hair caress his cheek as he rested his head on hers. Almost imperceptibly, the slow rise and fall of his breathing adjusted itself to match hers. It was as if time had stood still and eternity spun its silver web out before them. The courtyard slowly emptied of students returning to their scheduled classes, but neither of them noticed. If anything, the return of the peaceful sounds of the birds only intensified the feeling of serenity that enveloped them.
With a start, Ginny jumped up from the bench and grabbed her book bag. She tossed a panicked glance toward the first floor Transfiguration classroom, but Lupin’s face was no longer visible there. She caught Harry’s eyes only long enough for the wetness to return to hers then wordlessly dashed off into the building.
Without moving from the spot that he had shared with Ginny, Harry withdrew the tattered book from his robes and attempted to focus on the paragraphs before him. With a contented sigh, he gave it up as hopeless and simply let his mind wander. He could still smell the faint, flowery scent that he associated with Ginny’s closeness in the surrounding air.
Lupin looked up from the Transfiguration lesson that he was demonstrating for the sixth years as he heard the door to the classroom open.
“Sorry I’m late, Professor,” Ginny offered quietly as she slipped into the nearest empty desk and tried to redirect her attention to the lesson at hand.
The absurdity of changing spiders into tea cozies or lizards into salad tongs did not even register with her as it usually did. There would be no need to seek out a practical application to a lesson that she could not retain. Her entire existence was still wrapped around that bench in the courtyard below.
Once class was over, Ginny recognized that she owed Lupin a better apology and took her time getting her things together. She glanced up again to review the long line of supplicants that were waiting for a bit of face time with the professor. Good thing she didn’t have any more scheduled classes for the remainder of the day, she thought to herself.
Lupin looked up and caught her eye as the Ravenclaw girl before him melted out the door. There were still five others waiting in line for his attention. Motioning for their patience, he raised his head above them and nodded to Ginny, “Ginny, I’d like a word, please. My office, now.”
The sternness of his tone reverberated in the air as he directed a gentle smile at the next student in line. Just as he hoped, the knowledge that Ginny’s sentence was hanging in the air added an unconscious sense of urgency to the requests before him and they were completed in record time.
Now came the difficult part, Lupin reminded himself, as he took resolute strides down the corridor that led to his office. He visualized the officiousness of Poppy Pomfrey to keep his demeanor consistent with his walk and was satisfied when clumps of students dissolved out of his path instinctively. With a calculated swing, he wretched the office door open and allowed it to slam shut. Quietly, he double-checked that the lock had been engaged.
Tossing his battered leather portfolio on the desk before him, he shrugged out of his robes and went in search of Ginny in the inner office. She was standing before the solitary window and turned a stricken face to him as he entered. Without a word, he whipped out his wand and turned the inner lock, followed by a muffliato charm just to be on the safe side.
Lupin slowly turned his eyes to Ginny to gauge the effect of his performance. He could see that her eyes were filling up with unshed tears. He felt like a total heel for causing her any additional distress, but it had been absolutely necessary. It wouldn’t do for a male teacher to offer any sort of comfort to a female student, regardless of…well, anything.
“Please, Ginny,” he implored her softly, “I’m not angry with you. That was just a pretense for everyone else. Just tell me what happened.”
Ginny nodded that she understood but she was clearly too choked up to answer.
Throwing caution to the wind, he enveloped her in his arms and allowed her to rest her head against his shoulder. He stroked her long hair soothingly just like when she’d been a small child with a skinned knee.
“Come, Ginny, this isn’t like you. You’re always such a sensible girl. Please just tell me what’s got you so upset.” As an unwelcome thought hit him, Lupin pulled back and looked her directly in the face. “Ginny, has something happened to your family?”
She shook her head to indicate ‘no’ but was still too overcome for words. She held up a hand to forestall him and then choked out the words, “Please, Remus… I promise I’ll tell you… Just give me a moment… You’re sure you aren’t angry with me?”
“No, Ginny, I’m not,” Lupin reassured her softly. “I could see you out the window; I saw Harry come to comfort you. I just want to understand what upset you so much that you walked into my class after it was half over. If I’m not mistaken, you probably can’t even tell me what the lesson was about, can you?”
“I’m sorry, Remus…”
“Come sit until you’re ready,” he offered, ushering her to one of the chairs by the fire. “I can wait. Would you like some butterbeer for your throat?”
“Thanks.” Ginny managed a weak smile as she took the frosty bottle from him. “Don’t you have an appointment with Harry coming up soon?”
“I do, but I’ll keep an eye on the clock. He knows to knock if the door is locked.”
After a few long pulls of butterbeer, Ginny felt like she could at least begin. She hoped that Lupin would help her fill in the gaps where the words escaped her.
“It all started when Robert said that he wanted to break up,” she began, then quickly added, “This isn’t going where you think it is, Remus, so please hear me out before you say anything… It wasn’t like I haven’t broken up with others before. It’s usually accompanied by feelings of anger, revenge, revulsion; you get the picture.”
Lupin had a difficult time hiding his smile at Ginny’s choice of adjectives. It was clear that she refused to allow herself to be victimized by sexist roles.
“Only this time, when he told me, I just felt nothing. Just a great, big, numbing void…” she hesitated, not knowing how to describe the feelings of isolation that had engulfed her. “I just couldn’t help wondering what was wrong with me.”
But Lupin could easily visualize the picture that she was straining to paint: the shock that she must have felt when Harry had so blithely arrived on the scene and stirred up a host of new emotions. It was too much for her to sort out at once.
“I saw the rest of it, Ginny,” he assured her. “I even gave you a few extra minutes after the others arrived before I started class… Tell me this, though, how did you know it was Harry? As far as I could tell, you didn’t once turn your head until you got up.”
“I could tell by the sound his footstep made in the gravel behind me,” she answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Did he whisper anything to you?”
“No.”
Lupin was stunned. As far as he knew, such acuity belonged to Animagi who had transformed into animal form not to ordinary witches or wizards.
“Can you distinguish everyone you know by their footsteps?” he asked gingerly as he held his breath for her response.
“No, just Harry,” she admitted then looked at Lupin suspiciously. “You act as if this is something rather spooky.”
“Not spooky, just unusual.” Lupin wondered if Harry shared the same affinity for her presence as well. “Can you also tell when Harry walks into a room if he doesn’t make any sound at all?”
“I really haven’t tested that one,” she admitted with a small giggle. “You should probably ask Harry how many times he’s managed to sneak up on me unawares. He’s always accusing me of doing that to him!”
A grain of an idea was forming in Lupin’s mind. It might just work; it might just be the solution to the problem that was insurmountable, but he needed to gather a bit more information before he could be sure.
“That’s Harry now,” Ginny remarked off-handedly. Five seconds later they heard a knock at the door.
Lupin whipped around in shock.
“Aren’t you going to answer it?” Ginny asked, with an indescribable look of satisfaction on her face.
“Yes, of course,” Lupin replied as he staggered to the outer office. Absently, he opened the main door for Harry.
“I’m sorry, Professor, I didn’t realize you were already busy,” Harry noted, flashing a smile in Ginny’s direction.
“Perfect timing, Harry,” Lupin offered warmly as he gestured for Harry to join them in the inner office. “We’re just getting to the part about Ginny’s punishment.”
“Excuse me, Remus,” Ginny cried. “I thought you said you weren’t angry with me!”
“I’m not.” Lupin shrugged. “I never said there wouldn’t be a price to pay, now did I?”
“Pretty sneaky,” Ginny protested under her breath.
“And just so you won’t be totally disappointed in me,” Lupin announced archly, “it will not involve house points.”
Harry tried unsuccessfully to hide his smirk at Lupin’s deviousness.
“We have a change of plans this afternoon, Harry,” Lupin addressed him directly. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Do you want to reschedule for tomorrow then?” Harry suggested solicitously.
“Probably, but that doesn’t let you off the hook for today,” Lupin returned. “A punishment as good as this deserves an audience.” Lupin smiled wickedly in Ginny’s direction. “If either of you have plans for this evening, I suggest you cancel them.”
“Now you make it sound as if I’m being punished, too,” Harry added jokingly.
Lupin’s silken reply was not what he expected. “Oh, but you are. I believe you were partially to blame for Ginny’s state of mind this afternoon.”
Now it was Ginny’s turn to giggle.
“You each have half an hour to return to your rooms, change into comfortable clothing, then meet me back here. Bring your wands.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, Professor, will we be done in time for dinner in the Great Hall?”
“Probably not. Tonks and I will make sure that no one goes without supper tonight, even if we have to special order it ourselves.”
“They have that privilege?” Ginny whispered to Harry.
“Absolutely,” Harry returned with a smile.
The common room was silent when Harry rushed in like a maelstrom, hastily tossing his school uniform and robes onto his wrinkled bedcovers. He had no idea what Lupin had in mind for this evening, but he had to admit that his interest had been piqued. To Lupin’s credit, it was not everyone who could imbue detention with such an indescribable sense of anticipation. Dread, yes; anticipation, no. Tonks was not the only one with an undeniable sense of showmanship.
A hastily scribbled note on his desk caught his attention. In a childish hand, it read simply: ‘It has arrived’. It was signed by Dobby.
What perfect timing, Harry thought as he called the elf’s name aloud. With a sharp pop, Dobby materialized beside Harry’s rumbled bed.
“Would Harry Potter like a bottle for this evening, sir?” Dobby asked happily.
“Yes, but not right this minute. I’ve another appointment before dinner and it wouldn’t do to take it with me now. Can I call on you later and have you bring it then?”
“Absolutely, sir, Dobby will make sure that it’s properly chilled.” Dobby’s head bobbed up and down eagerly.
“Dobby, thanks again for all your assistance.” Harry smiled. “I cannot say that enough.”
Slightly embarrassed by all the praise, Dobby gulped noticeably before replying, “Please let Dobby know how Professor Tonks likes it.”
“I’m sure she will be delighted, but I promise to recount everything in detail for you. Complete with dialogue, if you’d like.”
Dobby smiled broadly. “As always, Harry Potter is most kind.” With a curt bow, Dobby Disapparated.
Lupin wore an unmistakable expression of glee as he ushered them into the Room of Requirement that evening. Harry gaped in awe at the unexpected sight before him. They were in a massive sports arena complete with long stone bleachers for the spectators, empty except for the three of them and a small figure warming up on the grassy field below.
“Ginny, did you remember to bring your wand?” Lupin asked, turning in her direction.
She smiled and produced it with a flourish from beneath the stretchy athletic top she was wearing.
With a nod, Lupin continued, “Then the first order of business for tonight’s festivities is for you to face Tonks in a duel. She’s already on the field warming up. I suggest you do likewise.”
Harry watched the dwindling figure of Ginny as she bounded down the long terraced aisles that led to the center of the field. Her bright copper pony-tail bounced along merrily behind her.
“Come, Harry, let’s find a spot to view the action up close.”
This was the strangest detention he’d ever served, Harry mused inwardly as he followed Lupin down the steps, but he had to allow extra points for sheer style. Ginny would never be able to accuse Lupin of being an amateur.
“Care for a bit of a wager on the outcome of the first round?” Lupin’s eyes twinkled as he settled his jeans on one of the worn stone benches.
“Are you sure you’re not secretly related to the Weasleys?” Harry countered as he reviewed Lupin critically.
“What makes you say that?” Lupin chuckled.
Harry recounted how the twins had handicapped the contestants as well as the dragons in the Triwizard Tournament and then wandered up and down the reviewing stands openly taking wagers. “Granted, I only heard about this second-hand since I was confined to the champions’ tent. I was keyed up enough to be confined to a straight-jacket,” he added wryly.
“So you’re telling me that I could be a millionaire today if only I had put my galleons on the Chinese fireball and it had incinerated Viktor Krum?” Lupin asked merrily.
“I believe that was the long shot that Ron recalled.” Harry replied with a laugh as he absently watched Tonks stretch into a position that would surely have put him in traction.
“Then this definitely calls for a wager. In honor of the twin’s unquenchable business acumen, of course,” Lupin amended.
“Acquaint me a bit with the facts first,” Harry requested. He was captivated by Ginny’s deep breathing exercises that showed off her lithe posture. “What have you told Tonks about Ginny’s dueling style?”
“Nothing “ other than to say that she was extremely talented.”
“What about Tonks? I never really got much of a chance to observe her when we were in the Department of Mysteries.”
“She was hardly at her best that day,” Lupin conceded. “She’s much better on an even surface when she can really pull out all the stops.”
“As she will surely do today.”
“Absolutely. You don’t think she was selected as the youngest member of the Auror Department because Alastor Moody thought she was cute?”
Harry laughed. “Knowing her stand on sexism, she would probably have cut him down on the spot if he had!”
“Then I doubt they would’ve offered her the post!” Lupin threw back at him.
“How about if we flip for it?” suggested Harry giddily. He pulled out his lucky fake galleon. “For bragging rights?”
“Is that the coin that was used to summon Dumbledore’s Army?” Lupin reverently examined the coin.
“The very one. Hermione infused it with a Protean Charm.”
“Throw the coin in and you’re on!” Lupin replied decisively.
The coin toss allotted Ginny to Harry and Tonks to Lupin. Not much of a surprise there, Harry thought, but it sure would make things a lot simpler when it came time to congratulate the winner.
“If you gentlemen have completed your preliminary paperwork, I believe we’re ready to begin,” Tonks offered from the base of the reviewing stands.
Harry blew Ginny a kiss for luck as she and Tonks lined up back to back for the count off.
“You do realize that Robert broke up with Ginny earlier today?” Lupin whispered pointedly.
“Not really; although that does put things into perspective.”
“Ginny didn’t tell you?”
“We didn’t need words this afternoon, Remus.”
From the start, Harry could tell that this was going to be tough match to call. Tonks was a surprisingly acrobatic fighter, giving her an advantage in side-stepping Ginny’s combination moves. After her usual meteoric start, Ginny was definitely pacing herself so that she wouldn’t become winded too early. However, this was allowing Tonks additional time to react instead of keeping her off balance. The advantage kept wavering from one to the other as they each tried to locate their opponent’s weaknesses. Little by little, Harry noticed that Tonks directed more of her spells towards Ginny’s left side which put Ginny in an awkward position. Most of the combinations that Ginny had innovated moved from left to right. Since Harry was right-handed also, he had never given it a second thought.
But Ginny was not to be so easily outdone as she soon caught on to Tonks’ tactics. With remarkable intuition, she slowly moved the action to the uneven terrain of the stone stairs that led up into the viewing stands. Wisely, Tonks resisted the urge to follow her and simply sprinted up the next staircase until they were both on the first spectator tier.
Slowly, they drew together once more with the measured steps and narrowed eyes of adversaries. It was clear to Harry that Ginny’s strategy would hamper them both with insufficient room to maneuver. Tonks fired off a quick spell that Ginny narrowly avoided by jumping out of the way. Ginny fired back, but she had not properly regained her balance and the spell went wide. Not giving her an extra moment to recover, Tonks brought it home with an effortless immobilizing spell.
Harry caught Lupin’s arm before he gave in to the instinctive urge to applaud. “Before we do the critique and all cards are on the table, I want to have a go at Tonks myself,” he whispered tersely.
“You have an idea?” Lupin turned to look at him full face.
“Yes, but it will never work if we deconstruct Ginny’s technique first.”
“Sounds to me like you’re anticipating your own punishment,” Lupin replied smiling.
“Just going to the hangman with my head held high,” Harry returned deftly.
Lupin bounded lightly over to where Tonks was catching her breath and advised her of the next event. Harry could see her nodding that she understood, but then his attention was diverted by Ginny settling herself down on the bench next to him.
“You did a great job of keeping Tonks on her toes,” he offered with a broad smile.
“Thanks,” Ginny gasped as she strained to catch her breath. “I think she still has a lot more up her sleeve than she’s let us see so far.”
“That’s comforting, considering I go up against her next!”
“So, any last words?” She grinned mischievously.
Harry fought the urge to smooth the few stray strands of hair that had come loose around her face. Ginny was distracting even sitting at arm’s length, he admitted to himself. Trying to keep his mind focused on the upcoming duel, he turned his attention to the field below. Tonks was taking a deep swig of bottled water as she took a much deserved breather between rounds. From the corner of his eye, Harry could see that Lupin was returning to join them in the stands.
“Tonks isn’t at all like what I thought when I first met her. Back when she served as my Ministry-assigned escort,” Harry observed to no one in particular.
Lupin leaned over and handed an unopened bottle of water to Ginny, then smiled in Harry’s direction as he settled himself on Ginny’s other side. “She’s gained a lot of confidence since she started teaching at Hogwarts,” Lupin explained. “But she’s always been a bundle of contradictions.”
“And then some!” Harry added appreciatively.
“That’s one of the things that I most love about her,” Lupin admitted with a lopsided grin.
Ginny offered a few whispered words of encouragement as Tonks signaled to Harry that he should join her on the grassy field below.
“Professor, I believe this now belongs to you,” Harry offered as he lightly tossed the fake galleon in Lupin’s direction.
“Thanks, Harry!” Lupin replied as he easily snatched the coin in mid-air. “I promise to take good care of it.”
Tonks walked over to exchange a few quiet words with Harry before the duel.
“I know that Remus intends this to be a punishment for you,” she began with a twinkle in her eye. “But I admit to having an ulterior motive. If I win, will you agree to help me out with a few more classes?”
“More Patronus work?”
“I’d like to start them on a bit of dueling practice and that really takes two instructors to keep things safe at all times. Are you up for it?”
“Sure. What do I get if I win, though?” he added wryly.
“In the unlikely event, you mean?” Tonks shot back.
“One still has to be prepared for the contingencies,” Harry replied.
“Make me a counter-offer,” she suggested with a nonchalant shrug.
Put on the spot like that, Harry had no idea what to say. “I wasn’t really prepared for that,” he admitted.
“How about a condition to be determined later then?” she offered without batting an eye.
“That’s rather open-ended, don’t you think?” Harry laughed. “I could ask for just about anything.”
“Provided you win first,” she noted with a wink. “But I can always deny that this conversation ever took place if you demand something too outrageous!”
There was a skewed logic to it all, so Harry agreed good-naturedly.
He tried to avoid looking towards the spectator stands as he suspected Lupin had attempted to rope Ginny into another wager. Much to Lupin’s chagrin, Ginny was probably calculating odds and Harry really didn’t want to know how she rated his chances at this point. It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried to warn Lupin beforehand.
He stood back to back with Tonks and took deep, calming breaths to try to appease his hammering heart. As they counted off the requisite paces, he kept going over his makeshift plan in his head, knowing that it would likely be scrapped once he got into the thick of battle. Before Harry reached his final heartbeat, he dived headlong into his opening maneuvers.
He could tell from Tonks’ momentary expression of surprise that he had caught her off-guard. Not giving her a second to recover, Harry launched into his next planned set of spells to keep her unbalanced. If he could do to her what Ginny always seemed to do to him, he would have a small chance. He kept at Tonks unmercifully, starting a new spell even as he artfully dodged one of her retaliations. She was remarkably precise, and even the spells that were issued haphazardly did not stray far from the mark. With utmost stealth, he began to back her towards the closest set of stone steps, varying the angles of his barrage so that it made for an indirect path. It would not do to let her guess his ultimate goal.
Harry made as if he faltered and saved himself from the white jet from her wand at the very last minute. While Tonks indulged herself in the slightest hint of a smile, Harry hit her from an expected direction. Her back foot came within inches of the stone steps behind her. It was too much to expect her to be unaware of the stairs that she had been observing peripherally throughout much of the duel.
Now came the moment of truth that must be executed flawlessly, Harry reminded himself. Since it involved a highly dangerous spell that he couldn’t actually cast without endangering Tonks, he would have to convey his opportunity to cast it without actually doing so. Tricky at best when every second had to be accounted for precisely. Switching his wand to his left hand without turning his head in that direction, he pointed towards the stone steps with his right.
“Reducio!” he intoned verbally as if he fully expected the steps to crumble or reduce themselves to powder as Ginny had once done in practice. Then, very deliberately, he allowed his wand to drop to the ground.
Tonks faltered for a moment and then recognized that she had been bluffed. With an undeniable look of triumph, she fit Harry with a jelly-legs jinx that brought him to his knees. As if in slow motion, Harry allowed himself to crumble to the ground without coming in contact with his wand. Tonks stood back to savor her victory as Harry noted that Lupin and Ginny had risen to their feet in the stands.
“I need a judge’s ruling here!” Harry cried between gulps of air. “Please, don’t release your spell yet, Tonks,” he gasped.
He was counting on Lupin to see what Tonks had missed, but what was taking them so bloody long to get down to the field? Tonks’ look of concern seemed to waver in and out of focus before him.
“You’d better recast your spell to allow him to breathe more easily, Tonks,” he heard Lupin’s voice as if from far away. “Try not to affect anything else, though. Harry’s determined to risk unconsciousness in return for showing off.”
Suddenly, Harry felt as if a huge stone had been removed from his stomach and he was finally able to gulp huge mouthfuls of air. He still couldn’t move his legs and feet, though, so turning over to face away from the ground was next to impossible until he first replenished his air supply.
“Can’t we just help him up?” Ginny complained. “Harry, are you all right?”
“Just do it quickly, Remus.” Harry strained at the words. “Review the pieces of the puzzle!”
“Finite,” Lupin intoned as he walked over to the other side of Harry’s body and took in the final tableau.
Harry sat up, rubbing his calves automatically to urge the flow of blood to return to his legs more rapidly. Lupin pointed at the wand where it lay on the grass, immediately where Harry had dropped it from his left hand.
“I believe if we were to replay this event, it could be seen that Harry dropped his wand before you jinxed him, Tonks. Assuming that his Reductor Curse had hit home -- which at this range is practically guaranteed -- it’s likely that you would have been too busy dodging a small avalanche of rocks to hit him with the modified jelly-legs jinx.”
“That’s a lot of hypotheticals on which to hang a victory, Remus,” Tonks argued.
“True,” acknowledged Lupin, “but you couldn’t very well expect him to invoke such a spell in reality. Even if the room can reset itself magically, you could’ve still been injured by the falling rubble. Both of you could have been.”
“Again with the could have’s and should have’s,” Tonks replied with a stubborn smile. “A victory in dueling practice needs to be more definitive.”
“So you’re going to penalize him for not being given an updated rule book?” Ginny came to Harry’s defense.
“I think Harry’s been punished enough this afternoon. I recommend we judge the second match a draw due to the overabundance of hypotheticals,” Lupin suggested diplomatically.
But Tonks’ expression still showed that she was unconvinced. “We could try replaying it in the Pensieve,” she suggested devilishly.
“From whose vantage point: yours or Harry’s?” Ginny rebutted.
“Stop, please,” Harry croaked, finally able to speak again after Ginny had brought him some water. “Tonks and I have a small wager on this contest, and if we could come to a reasonable compromise with that, I think that’ll satisfy everyone concerned. Is that not so, Tonks?”
Lupin looked at Tonks expectantly as she nodded.
“Who’s offering first then? I can’t believe we’re deciding a duel by negotiation,” Lupin commented. “You two are just too competitive!”
“I am, too!” Ginny admitted merrily as Lupin burst out laughing.
Harry sat down on the stone steps to finish drinking his water more comfortably. “Tonks, I’ll agree to help you with your classes. It’s nothing I wouldn’t have done anyway if you’d asked. I just wanted to accept the challenge of the duel. It wasn’t about disappointing you.”
Tonks beamed in Harry’s direction and then presented a counter-offer. “How about if I compile a list of those students who asked the most embarrassing questions in each class and you can use them in your demonstrations?”
Harry’s eyes lit up at the prospect. “You won’t forget Sarah, will you?”
“I believe she asked you two questions,” Tonks replied with a smirk. “I think we can put her name down twice.”
“Deal,” Harry agreed.
Harry Potter and the Hero's Lament by L A Moody
Chapter Notes: Another foray into the Treasure Room; Harry’s chivalry gets Ginny into trouble with Lupin; Tonks is recruited to provide an extra dueling challenge.