The Lewis House 107 страница

Ron clenched his teeth and blinked his eyes. He couldn't look up. He would not sniffle.

His father ruffled his hair. "Have a good afternoon," he said gently. "Take some time to yourself, and say hello to Hermione for me. We haven't seen enough of her lately - we haven't even had a chance to talk to her about her parents. Your mother wants you both over for dinner to celebrate - and you, Ginny."

Keeping his eyes on his knees, Ron nodded. He felt his father's hand slip off his hair, and heard him and Bill walk to the door and pause.

"Would you come, Sirius?" Arthur asked. "I'd like to discuss a few things with you."

Out of the corner of his eye, Ron saw Sirius rise and leave the office with his father and eldest brother. He was alone in the office with Ginny, and it was safe to look up now - though when he did so, he wished he hadn't.

She was gazing at him with very wet eyes and pulling off her leather gloves with fingers that seemed to want them gone. "Sorry I fought with you," she managed, throwing the gloves onto the desk. "I don't think you're vindictive. Please don't think I meant it. I just said it because I was angry. You know that, don't you?"

Ron wanted to tell her that he didn't really think she was unprofessional either, but he wasn't sure he trusted his voice. So he stood instead and beckoned for her, and opened his arms a bit.

Ginny stood, still sniffling, and walked straight into them. She gave him a tight, wordless hug.

The sun filtered in around them through the giant Ministry windows, bathing them in shafts of light full of dust. The Dementors would vanish, but Malfoy would go free. And they would have to help him. They'd have to channel the kind of Darkness they had fought against in order that Malfoy might walk back into his old life and continue to live it in a terrible way that might one day have terrible consequences.

But Ron knew his father was right - he did have the important things. He had Hermione's incredible love - he had Harry's unfathomable friendship - he had a family who supported him in everything, and he would always have those people. Always. No matter what terrible consequences came, no matter what else was lost along the way. And if they had to fight again, then they would stand together and do it. He knew it without question; he could not imagine it any other way.

A life empty of that, Ron thought suddenly, would be the worst possible punishment.

He hugged Ginny tighter for a moment, then let her go. "Should we go and tell Hermione and Harry?" he asked.

Ginny checked her watch. "They'll be home between four and five, and it's only one. I… sort of want to visit Mum." She gave him a hopeful look. "Want to come with me?"

"Yeah, all right," Ron said. He had a sudden urge to see his mother too. "Let's surprise her." He tucked Ginny's arm into his. Together they left the Ministry of Magic and Apparated home.

~*~

Harry stood in front of his locker in the equipment tent, staring at his dragon riding gear and wondering what, if anything, would be useful to him. It was good gear. Flame-proof. It had kept him from getting torched on several occasions, and it had a heavy strength to it that had grown comfortable to him after many months of extended wear. His eyes scanned the thick, black gloves… the jacket with all its safety straps, harness loops and pocket zippers… the safety goggles that kept out heat and smoke as well as fire. He supposed he didn't need any of it today. They weren't going to be on dragons, for this; they were going to be on brooms. And Harry knew that he was most comfortable on a broom when he was in plain robes, just flying. He'd be fine without all this.

And anyway, none of it would protect him against whatever Malfoy was planning.

He slowly shut his locker, then turned, leaned against it, and fingered his wand as he looked around the room. He didn't know what to expect, and neither did anyone else. Every expression was one of muted terror, but not one person had refused to participate.

Harry still couldn't believe that Ron had explained the situation so calmly. Malfoy - free. All of them - bound to use Dark magic. The Dementors destroyed.

The last part was the only bit that Harry wasn't sure he believed. He knew a contract had been signed that guaranteed Malfoy his freedom if he followed through on his word - that much was certain. He knew also that every person in this tent - and several who weren't in it - were going to fly out over Azkaban and do the sort of magic that had only worked against them in the past, in an attempt to see the Dementors destroyed forever. Or so Malfoy had promised.

But what did Malfoy really intend to do?

A vision of all of them falling from the sky, limp and helpless, came into Harry's mind unbidden - he pushed it down as hard as he could. But it rose again, stronger and more merciless, warning him that Malfoy could not be trusted. That for all they knew, they were being lured to their collective death.

"Do we need those?" Harry asked vaguely, as Mick pulled on his own gloves.

"I do." Mick flexed both hands. "It's all about getting a nice, firm grip, Harry." He flashed Harry a weak grin that didn't last long, and then turned back to his own locker looking less than confident.

Lisa tucked her hair up into her helmet. Burke pulled on his inflammable jacket - perhaps he thought it would help. Even Charlie was pulling on gloves, although Harry supposed that Charlie, like Mick, was so used to those that he might actually fly better with them by now.

Viktor Krum shut his locker without taking any of his gear out of it except his broom. "I fly better in robes," he muttered. "I vill… be outside." Looking grim, he pushed the tent flaps open and disappeared.

"I don't see how this goes on." Hermione had taken Cho's jacket out of her locker and was trying to work out where the armholes were. "Does it buckle around the back or something?"

Cho, who apparently didn't want her gear, helped Hermione into the jacket.

Ron watched them, pale as a ghost. He met Harry's eyes, and Harry knew what he was thinking; Hermione was a terrible flyer. Neither of them wanted her up there for this.

"How about a hand for your old dad, Ginny?" said Arthur. Ginny had just come into the tent, and he was struggling with one of the jackets in much the same way as Hermione had been.

"You won't need it," Ginny said quietly. "It won't help, Dad. It's just for fire." She came and stood beside Harry. Harry felt her hand slip into his and he gripped it. He saw Arthur's eyes flicker towards them, but he couldn't let her go. He wondered if this was the last time he was going to touch her, and suddenly the whole year seemed like a colossal waste of time. They had been given just one year of peace between battles, and they hadn't used it. Just as they had finally come together, they were being ripped apart. None of them had any idea what they were going to have to do - they were going to have to trust Malfoy to show them everything.

"Ow," Ginny whispered.

Harry relaxed his grip on her fingers. But just a little.

Seconds later, Viktor came back into the tent. "Ve are all expected outside by seven o'clock," he said shortly, and disappeared again. Arthur squared his shoulders, took up his broom, and left the tent. Charlie, Cho and Mick followed him right away, and Burke and Lisa were right behind them. Hermione took a little while longer - she was still fussing with the straps and buckles on her jacket when Ron, still very pale and carrying both their brooms, guided her out.

Harry hesitated, still holding fast to Ginny's hand. Leaving the tent meant joining the fight. And though he knew that he was going to do it, he had never been so reluctant to take the risk. It was ridiculous to risk everyone and everything, all because of one person. It was like Voldemort all over again, only this was almost worse, because it felt paltry. This did not feel like a noble fight. It might have, if Harry had been able to believe that Malfoy was really going to keep his word - it would be worth a fight to be rid of the Dementors - but he had no reason to believe that it was really going to happen. If Malfoy was up to something more than he was letting on, then they were all in danger, and to die at his hands would make a mockery of all their previous efforts to survive.

"Let's go, Harry."

He looked at Ginny's face. It was as pale as Ron's, but very determined, and her eyes were bright and clear. Full of strength. Life. Harry felt something inside him snap.

"They'll be waiting for us," she said gently.

Harry knew it. But just for the moment, he didn't care. "Listen," he said urgently, turning Ginny towards him and grabbing her other hand as well. "You can't get hurt, do you understand me?"

"Then you can't either," she said swiftly, her eyes growing instantly brighter and her determination seeming to falter. "Please - you can't."

He wouldn't. He took her face between his hands and kissed her while there was still a chance. The world outside slid out of focus and she was all there was.

Was this what it had been like for his parents? How many battles had there been? How many times had they almost died before they had been killed - how often had they kissed and wondered if it was the last time? It was almost worse this way, Harry thought. He had been afraid before, but he had always been ready to die - ready to sacrifice whatever was necessary in order to make things come out right. But now he wasn't willing. Now he had Ginny Weasley in his arms - her mouth moved on his; her heart beat near his; her hands fluttered to his chest and clutched his robes, making him hot and cold all over. It was far worse to have something to come back to. It made Harry want to come back.

"No," she muttered suddenly, breaking away. "No. This isn't the last time - this isn't all we get. We're going to be all right." She looked right at him, breathing hard. "And so is everyone else. He's not taking this from any of us."

Harry wanted her to be right.

"Get your broom, Harry," she said, letting him go and grabbing her own from her old locker.

He obeyed. They walked out of the tent and into the rising morning light where at least a hundred people were walking slowly towards the empty enclosure where Mordor had used to be - where Arthur and Rose now stood with Mad-Eye Moody and Sirius, who was holding a very small pouch. The three of them seemed to be standing on an elevated platform, though Harry couldn't see it through the throng, which was made up of many people he had expected to see and a few he hadn't, most of them gripping their brooms. The twins were there with Angelina, all looking resolute. There was Penelope… Amos Diggory… Bill and Fleur… Remus, who was standing very near the platform… there was Joe Cooper, who had taken over for Malfoy… Harry even spotted Mrs. Weasley, and he was sure he'd never seen her look so ill. The rest of the crowd was made up of guards, Aurors and members of the M.L.E.S. - Seamus Finnigan stood with a crowd of his fellow Enforcers, and Lavender stood beside him, as sober-eyed as Harry had ever seen her.

Harry couldn't believe that it really took this many intelligent people to deal with Malfoy. It was ludicrous.

"Is everyone here?" asked Rose, in a nervous, amplified voice, as Harry and Ginny approached the edge of the crowd. It was a crowd composed entirely of Ministry officials and powerful witches and wizards who had made great differences in the war, and yet many pairs of eyes traveled over him with unconcealed interest. Harry found it strange that, in a group such as this, anyone could still think he was worth staring at. He and Ginny slid into place beside Ron and Hermione, and none of them spoke as they waited for information.

Rose gestured for silence from the rest of the crowd. "Thank you - all of you - for coming. My name is Rose K. Brown, I am the Secretary Privy to the Council on Magical Matters, and I know that many of you have been summoned here today, or have volunteered yourselves, without knowing exactly what you're getting into. I'm sorry we couldn't be clearer before this. Please listen closely."

Rose consulted her clipboard and took a deep breath.

"I'm sure you're all aware of the situation with the Dementors. It's a perilous situation in many ways. It's very hazardous for the dragon riders of the Permanent Azkaban Patrol, who have, up to recently, been entirely responsible for containing the Dementors in Azkaban. It's a drain on the resources of the Ministry of Magic, due to the cost of keeping this dragon camp open, paying the salaries of each member of the P.A.P., and in spending valuable time in discussion and debate over what ought to be done to remedy this. Finally, and most importantly, it's a matter of life and death to every witch and wizard in Britain - and the world. If the Dementors are not contained, if they are free to wander land and sea, then they are free to take the souls of whomever they meet. Up to this point, however, the dragon riders have been able to contain the Dementors. Since it's creation, the P.A.P. has been one-hundred-percent effectual in preventing fatal accidents.

"Recently, things have taken a sharp turn for the worse. The members of the Permanent Azkaban Patrol are no longer able to contain the Dementors alone. If you walked down the shoreline to get here, then you saw dozens of guards in place, and you probably also saw that every one of them is necessary - the Dementors can now escape in large groups and at high speeds and are extremely dangerous. You may have seen them gliding towards the shore.

"You may be asking yourselves how it's possible for the situation to have declined so quickly. At first, we didn't know ourselves. But a week ago, information became available to us that we will now share with all of you.

"On the first of April, Draco Malfoy was arrested under suspicion of war crimes and taken to Culparrat prison to await trial. At that time, he was a member of the P.A.P. and was one of its most efficient dragon riders. The loss of him as part of the flight team resulted in a dramatic shift in the behavior of the Dementors. Over a period of just a few days, the Dementors went from well contained to out-of-control. It was such a violent shift that it required the placement of dozens of guards and several Aurors, who have been working alongside the dragon riders to make sure that the maddened Dementors do not find their way to Stornoway village, or further inland, where they might do damage to innocent wizards.

"The violence of the shift led certain members of the Ministry to suspect that Mr. Malfoy might have been exercising some form of power over the Dementors, which kept them contained in one space. This would have explained why, when he left, they were no longer under good regulation and control. But there was no proof of this, as Mr. Malfoy had never mentioned to anyone that he might be doing such a thing.

"Thanks to interviews subsequently held with Mr. Malfoy, we have discovered that the following things are true: one - that he was indeed controlling not only the Dementors, but also, sometimes, the dragons. Two - that he was using Dark magic to do this."

An angry murmur went up among the throng of people around Harry - Aurors, guards and members of the M.L.E.S. looked at each other in fury and fear. They shook their heads and muttered.

"Please refrain from talking." Rose was quiet until the murmuring died down, and then she took a deep breath and continued to speak. "Three - that he had all along, in his possession, an object which has the capacity to destroy the Dementors."

There was a general outcry. Rose waved her hands to stop it.

"Please," she shouted. "We must have your attention. There is more to say. Allow me to give the floor to Sirius Black."

At the mention of Sirius, silence fell immediately. Harry looked around him and saw that nearly every face was full of apprehensive awe.

Sirius tapped his throat with his wand.

"In this pouch," he said harshly, holding it up, "is a ring. In the ring there lies a core of Basilisk's venom, and around the ring are placed curses so powerful that none who did not work for Voldemort himself can know how to operate or break them."

Many faces in the crowd went white. Harry wondered if most of them still weren't used to hearing Voldemort's name said aloud.

"The ring once belonged to Lucius Malfoy, who died last June. It now belongs to his son. It is the object capable of sending the Dementors to their deaths. It is an object so cursed that none of us here can understand fully how to operate it. Draco Malfoy, however, can."

Everyone glanced edgily at each other, as if they could guess what was coming.

"The Ministry has been forced into a very difficult situation. We have had to decide what was more important - punishing Mr. Malfoy for his war crimes, or setting him free to contribute to the destruction of the Dementors. We hope you will all agree that punishing one man is not as crucial, at this time, as guaranteeing the safety of the wizarding world from a group of creatures who have no conscience and whose only desire is to steal the souls of innocent people."

Sirius didn't speak again for a long moment. He seemed to be working to control his voice, which grew rougher with every word. He stared silently down at the pouch in his hand, with such passionate fury in his face that even Harry was slightly awestruck. If he didn't know his godfather personally, he knew he'd be just as nervous as everyone else in the crowd.

"Draco Malfoy," Sirius managed, after a long pause, "is being held nearby by several Aurors. He has not yet explained to us in any detail the way in which this ring operates. But in a moment, he will be escorted here to explain to all of you what it is that you will be expected to do. If you choose not to continue your participation at that time, you will not be punished. Your contribution is voluntary. Only Malfoy's is not. Are there any questions?"

No one seemed to want to direct a question to Sirius Black.

Finally, one witch among the Aurors raised her hand. "We'll be… using Dark magic ourselves, then?" she asked shakily.

"Yes."

The witch pressed her lips together and nodded. Beside her, a very short man in hooded robes crossed his arms defiantly.

An older wizard from the M.L.E.S. cleared his throat. "Er - Mr. Black. I can't help wondering if this whole thing might not be a trap."

Harry's heart sank. Knowing that others felt the same way he did made him sure that he was right. It had to be a trap. From the first time Malfoy had challenged him to a wizard's duel, he'd showed himself to be a lying coward. He hadn't changed.

"This may well have been intended by Mr. Malfoy as a trap," Sirius answered honestly. "We would not put it past him to lure us all out over Azkaban in order to harm you in some way. Precautions have been set in place."

Harry folded his arms and waited. He wasn't sure there were any precautions they could take that would be good enough to calm his fears.

"First, he will not have his wand. He will be handed it in order to demonstrate what will happen, and then he will be stripped of it when he is given this ring. At the end of this experiment, if it is successful, he will only be given his wand again if he returns the ring to us to be locked away. Secondly, the reason that we have invited so many Aurors and Enforcers to help us is that, if Mr. Malfoy does attempt harm on anyone, we want him arrested immediately and brought to shore. He is aware that any false step will result in his immediate and permanent return to Culparrat. We believe that his desire to evade a prison sentence will deter him from committing harms against you."

Seamus Finnigan snorted. "And if he's suicidal?" he called out. "I mean, what if he's willing to go down with us, just to see us all dead - what then?"

Sirius's eyes darkened. They seemed to sink deeper, making his pale, gaunt face look almost like a skull, just as it had the first time Harry had ever seen him. "As I said," he rasped finally. "You are all welcome to excuse yourselves from this assignment. It is entirely voluntary. No one will blame you if you are not willing to take that risk. Leave now if you wish."

The crowd was still. Harry waited to see which of them would go - he knew there had to be at least a few people who would not be willing to sacrifice themselves in such a way.

But no one moved. Harry glanced around at the crowd of determined faces and he felt a strange new sense of… belonging. Of community. They had all been through that war. They were all afraid to die. But none of them was willing to step down from the duties at hand. They weren't all Gryffindors - they hadn't all lost their parents to Voldemort - that wasn't what mattered. They were all good, strong people who saw the danger and were choosing to face it.

Harry's fear was cut in half. He was ready. He would do this more than willingly, he would stand with these people and fight. He looked at Ginny, who held his eyes for a moment, smiled faintly and nodded as if she knew what he was thinking. Which she probably did.

"If there are no further questions," said Arthur, stepping up beside Sirius, "then may we please have Mr. Malfoy escorted here."

Moody gave a curt nod, limped down from the platform and led a team of his Aurors away from the enclosure. As the crowd waited for his return, everyone began to buzz and murmur. Harry saw a sudden splash of water against his glasses. He took them off to wipe them on his robes.

"Oh, don't tell me it's going to rain…"said Hermione quietly.

But it was. Within seconds, the sky had grown dim and gray, and a light rain had begun to mist around them.

"It'll probably blow over," said Ginny, but she didn't sound convinced.

"I don't want you up there," Ron said under his breath, turning to Hermione. "When the rest of us go, you stay here."

"Absolutely not," Hermione said briskly. "Harry, do the Repelling Charm on your glasses and fix them to your face please."

Harry did as she said.

"Hermione," Ron said, his voice urgent, "I'm not trying to make you angry here, and you know I'd never say it if I didn't have to, but you're the worst flyer I know."

"Oh thanks."

"Don't get huffy, damn it." Ron took her by the elbows and turned her to him. "You never get higher off the ground than five feet, you only managed to get fifteen feet up so you could pass the class in first year, and then you never wanted to do it again. You know you can't balance. You're horrible. You're going to get hurt."

"What about the flying keys?" Hermione protested, trying to pull away. "I can fly when I have to - and I'm not letting you and Harry go up there without me, I'm not -"

"You are." Ron kept a firm hold of her. "Listen to me now. With this many people up there, Malfoy's never going to notice if you stay back, and even if he does there are ways around it - and Hermione, if anything happened to you, I don't know if I could -"

Ron didn't finish his sentence. He didn't have to. Any of them could have finished it for him.

"And if something should happen to you?" Hermione whispered. She wrenched an arm out of his grip and turned on Harry. "Or you? I'm going, you can't make me stay, I've always been there with you, always, and you know you've always needed my help, and I've never - I've never stayed back unless I was Petrified -"

"But this isn't like that," Harry said, keeping his voice low and quick. "This isn't about that. We know you'd never leave us to fight anything without you, but you can't fly. You're miserable at it. It's one of about two things in the world that you can't do, Hermione, and you know it -"

"That doesn't matter. You might need me."

"Of course it matters!" Harry exploded in a fury. "We do need you!" Several people glanced at them, and Harry lowered his voice again, but he glowered at Hermione with all the force he had. "Can't you understand that? Don't you know how much we care about you?"

Her mouth fell open. Beside her, so did Ron's.

"You're not risking yourself as stupidly as that," Harry went on, not sure what was making them both look so shocked. "It would be different if you could fly, but you can't, and what if something happens out there? We'll need someone here to help us. Someone on the ground. You have to be that person - who else can get us out of a problem, if there is one? Do you trust anyone else?"

Hermione closed her mouth again. She stared wide-eyed at him for a moment.

"That's true…" she said slowly. "You do need someone on the ground." She glanced up at Ron. "All right," she agreed. "I won't go - but only if you promise me you won't get hurt."

"I promise." Ron said, his voice full of relief.

His promise didn't stop Hermione from looking terrified; she stared up at him and smoothed the front of his robes with anxious fingers.

"It's okay," Ron said gently. "Look - the Cannons won yesterday. Am I really going to die three weeks before they play in the finals?"

Hermione made a noise that was halfway between a laugh and a cry.

Harry wished there were a good enough reason to make Ginny stay behind as well. But she could fly, and she was even less likely than Hermione to stay behind when it was a matter of his safety - he knew that. Although…

"You couldn't touch that ring, you said," Harry said suddenly, turning on Ginny. "You said it hurt you."

She nodded.

"If you couldn't even touch it, then how are you going to withstand whatever magic it does?" Harry pressed. "You can't go out there either."

Ginny gave him a narrow look and opened her mouth - but before she could answer him they all heard a cold, familiar voice drift across the crowd and towards them.

"Well, well."

Malfoy. Ron's face hardened. Hermione's was a mask. Ginny thrust out her chin. All four of them turned to face the platform where Draco Malfoy stood in the misty rain, surrounded by a half-circle of Aurors, all of whom had their wands at the ready.

"What a pleasant little gathering," Malfoy sneered. His face was white with anger, but for someone who had been Stunned for weeks, he looked remarkably healthy. "Let me make myself perfectly clear. I've been dragged here this morning against my will in order to demonstrate the abilities of one of my private possessions. I was never under any obligation to disclose these abilities to anyone, no matter what so-called good it might have done. You all harbor other delusions, I'm sure."

Дата добавления: 2015-11-04