Courage - Harry Potter

-112-

Book: Courage
Chapter 112
Word Count: 3755

Layla had not expected Hermione's anger to abate overnight, and was therefore unsurprised that she communicated mainly by dirty looks and pointed silences the next morning. Ron responded by maintaining an unnaturally somber demeanor in her presence as an outward sign of continuing remorse.

Bolstered by the destruction of the locket, they set to debating the possible locations of the other Horcruxes, and even though they had discussed the matter so often before, Layla felt optimistic, certain that more breakthroughs would succeed the first. The sudden upswing in their fortunes, the appearance of the mysterious doe, the recovery of Gryffindor's sword, and above all, Ron's return, made Layla so happy that it was quite difficult to maintain a straight face.

Late in the afternoon, she, Harry, and Ron escaped Hermione's baleful presence again, and under the pretense of scouting the bare hedges for nonexistent blackberries, they continued their ongoing exchange of news. Layla and Harry had finally managed to tell Ron the whole story of theirs and Hermione's various wanderings, right up to the full story of what had happened at Godric's Hollow; Ron was now filling Layla and Harry in on everything he had discovered about the wider Wizarding world during his weeks away.

"... and how did you find out about the Taboo?" he asked Layla and Harry after explaining the many desperate attempts of Muggle-borns to evade the Ministry.

"The what?" asked Layla.

"You and Hermione have stopped saying You-Know-Who's name!"

"Oh, yeah. Well, it's just a bad habit we've slipped into," said Harry. "But I haven't got a problem calling him V—"

"NO!" roared Ron, causing Harry to jump into the hedge and Hermione (nose buried in a book at the tent entrance) to scowl over at them. "Sorry," said Ron as Layla helped Harry back out of the brambles, "but the name's been jinxed. Guys, that's how they track people! Using his name breaks protective enchantments, it causes some kind of magical disturbance — it's how they found us in Tottenham Court Road!"

"Because we used his name?" Layla frowned.

"Exactly! You've got to give them credit, it makes sense. It was only people who were serious about standing up to him like Dumbledore, whoever dared use it. Now they've put a Taboo on it, anyone who says it is trackable — quick-and-easy way to find they Order members! They nearly got Kingsley—"

"You're kidding?" said Harry.

"Yeah, a bunch of Death Eaters cornered him, Bill said, but he fought his way out. He's on the run now, just like us." Ron scratched his chin thoughtfully with the end of his wand. "You don't reckon Kingsley could have sent that doe?"

"His Patronus is a lynx," said Harry, "we saw it at the wedding, remember?"

"Oh yeah..."

They moved farther along the hedge, away from the tent and Hermione.

"Guys... you don't reckon it could've been Dumbledore?"

"Dumbledore what?" spoke Layla.

Ron looked a little embarrassed, but said in a low voice, "Dumbledore... the doe? I mean, he had the real sword last, didn't he?"

"Dumbledore's dead," Harry said. "I saw it happen, I saw the body. He's definitely gone. Anyway, his Patronus was a phoenix, not a doe."

"Patronuses can change, though, can't they?" said Ron. "Tonks's changed, didn't it?"

"Yeah, but if Dumbledore was alive, why wouldn't he show himself? Why wouldn't he just hand us the sword?"

"Search me," said Ron. "Same reason he didn't give it to you while he was alive? Same reason he left you an old Snitch and Hermione a book of kids' stories? Mine and Layla's were the only cool gifts."