SECRET ( Drarry fanfiction)

Chapter 8

"Harry, why are you acting so different?" Ron burst out suddenly.

Harry startled at the question. Of all the questions he'd expected to be asked, that wasn't one of them. "What do you mean?" he asked warily. "I'm not different."

"Yes, you are!" Ron exclaimed.

"You're just imagining things, Ron," Harry said dismissively.

Ron turned pleadingly to Hermione for help, and she took up the challenge. "Harry," she said slowly. "You just called an Order meeting, ran said meeting, laid out the basics for the counter-attack tonight, and you stood your ground with both Lupin and Mrs. Weasley. This is not to mention you standing up to Professor McGonagall, not just once, but probably twice," she said knowingly.

Harry briefly considered the short, private chat he'd had with McGonagall before the Order meeting, and realized Hermione had known about it, if not what was actually said. She'd seen McGonagall come away from that talk and hand over control of the Order meeting to Harry.

Before Harry could figure out how to respond, Ron was speaking again. "And you volunteered to make potions!" he shouted, making it sound as if it was the most horrific thing Harry had ever done in his life.

Harry snorted in wry amusement. "Madam Pomfrey said she would need the potions, and like I said, I have a way to help. As for the meeting, it may have looked like I was taking charge, but it was only with McGonagall's permission. The only reason anybody listened was because Fawkes made his sudden appearance, and then I was lucky enough to have Hermione's help to deflect attention."

He gave her a huge grin. "By the way, that was bloody brilliant!"

Hermione was unable to resist grinning in return. "I thought it was quite good myself," she said primly.

Ron and Ginny laughed, and they all relaxed a little. If Harry had hoped it would help deflect attention, though, he was wrong.

"I think what my idiot brother was trying to say," Ginny said with a pointed glance at Ron, "is that we didn't quite expect to see you so take charge and in control. Help or not, you came here today with a plan and nothing was going to stop you. Even the adults . . . even Mum . . . seemed to respect that," she said in awe.

"We're used to you in a crisis, but this was all a bit more . . . involved," Hermione said, floundering a little for an appropriate word. "When we last saw you, you were extremely angry and grieving. We didn't expect to see you so . . . calm, especially considering the circumstances."

Harry shrugged carelessly, gazing at his friends. Hermione looked like she thought Harry was going to explode just from what she'd said. He supposed that he might have in the past.

"There are things that needed to be done. We don't have time to sit around grieving. It's not to say I'm not angry. I'm furious that we have to deal with any of this, but it has to be done. I'm scared as all fuck that people will get hurt tonight," he admitted quietly.

It wasn't going to do for him to admit that he was also scared about Malfoy and Snape getting hurt, too. He was still struggling admitting that to himself and he had a clue as to what was going on.

"We know you're scared as well," Hermione said softly. "But something's changed you over the last month."

"I thought you were determined before, but this new you is amazing," Ginny said.

Harry shook his head in exasperation. "I haven't changed all that much," he protested. "All three of you know I've been determined all along – especially since Dumbledore's death – to win this war, whatever it takes."