Chapter 17
Harry
Two months ago, he had told Kihe box that he and Drao had found.
About the pitures on the floor, a took to open it, how Hermio they deserved a hao look at if before the ministry took it away About the jourhe maps, the ers between Mad-Eye and Dumbledore. How despite everythihrough, it seemed like it still might not be over.
Kingsley had sifted through all of it, the expression on his fae never hanging. Harry wao ask what he was thinking but bit down on his lip instead, hard enough that he khere would be a mark left behind. Fi take it anymore. “So?”
Ki a away, just reahed up ahe gold h he always wore. Harry tried to tell himself that was a sign of a leader who thinks before he speaks rather thaik. “Might be nothing.”
“But it might be something.” Harry didn’t want it to be anythihose aring up at him and the people Mad-Eye had said they killed, those were still his responsibility, his fight.
“It might be,” Kihe leather journal he was leafing through shut, a all into his desk drawer, like he utting away meddlesome paperwork. “Just let me deal with it.”
“But—”
“Potter.” He was the kind of man who inspires onfidene, and Kingsley is able to stop ah only a few words and a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Let me ha. I’ll let you know if I turn anything up. But until then?” He’s ushering Harry out of the offie, and Harry ould imagine him loking the door behind him, opening that dra, and h it, beause they both khough people alled Mad-Eye razy, he k when he saw o tell anyone.”
That was two months ago, and Harry had triked himself into thinking that maybe it roblem, that the fight was atually over.
& that, but now he’s haviing in his kithen.
&hought that this part of his life was doh, but apparently not, beause here he was, alling for quiet in his owhe remnants of the Order and Dumbledore’s Army staring bak at him.
Dumbledore’s Army, he thinks, in those few seoween being a friend and beoming a leader again, lookihered here like some sorry ss reunion. What a sorry bunh we make.
I is Gins all of their attention, standing up on a hair and whistliumbles on the way bak down, and there are s it stops as sooands.
One before, he had stood in front of a rowded room and told them that they were going to look for something, not knowing that he was ommao ght for him, to die for him. Now, he has learned, aly what it means when he asks for their help.
“Mad-Eye left us a job to do.” He had deided on absolute hoy, beause Dumbledore had always been aught up in a web of lies and half truths, and Harry didn’t not wa kind of leader. “We—Drao, Hermione, Ron and I—found a journal up ielling us about the people he suspets that were still , bidiime. O might not have been supporters of Voldemort, but who were just waitiide of his defeat to their own power, like he did with Grindewald.”
&ieable flinh when he said Voldemort’s he ig, ahe bnk wall instead, rolling dowhat Drao had spent st night painstaki listed the names and loations of suspets, their rimes, what they might be pnning to d terrorists, hate rimes waiting to happen. “Ki night, whih is why I asked you all here.” He felt nervous, more than he ever had before, beause it was oo ask them to fight when they are young and think that war brings glory, but it is ahey have felt the truth of it. “These are the most redible threats.”
“And what’s that got to do with us?” Gee alled out from the bak of the group, his voie tight and angry. Harry tried not to flione of his words—this was uatiohe loss of his ear and the abseo hide behi done well in rowds of people. The anger, he reminded himself, was him. “The ministry a?”
&ry is…ie for this partiur situation.” Harry ko hoose his words arefully, unless Kier him f seret informatioill some onern of orruption, and this is seioo ha indepely, like we did before.”
There were only bnk stares. “And why should we?” It was Gee again, sullen, angry, hurting. “How muh more do they expet us to give?” He shook his head, then stood up so fast his hair fell to the floor. “No. I’m sorry, Harry, but I’m done.”
And the.
Harry didn’t really know what to do with that, beause os of his life is that when it is time to fight, there have aleople willing to stand beside him, eve askio. And now that he was askio, he was getting no volunteers, and beside him, only Roaly behind him, like guards.
(And Drao, who was aross the room, hidde Harry was trying not to look at him beause it was m than anything else.)
“Look,” He said, weakly, and words were o expin why they should let themselves be drawn bak into this. “You doo. I get that, that you’ve given enough. But someoo do this, and I’m going to try, even if I have to do it alon