Running

Chapter 10

It was the last Tuesday before the Christmas break. After their classes for the day were done, Harry and Hermione headed to the Room of Requirement. This time it formed a small library. Shelves of books lined the walls and a pair of comfortable armchairs sat in the centre of the room.

"So, he's just given you the Invisibility cloak?" Hermione asked as she sat down. Dumbledore's sudden change of heart had come as a surprise to both of them.

"Yeah," Harry shrugged. "Maybe he just didn't need it anymore anyway." Streams of light came in through the magical windows. Though the sunlight wasn't real, it was still warm, cosy. "I suppose this means we can retrieve the stone at any time now," Harry paused.

"The sooner the better," Hermione sighed. "Then we need to figure out what to do with it." She got up and began fingering through the books on the nearby shelves, searching for a title that might interest her.

"I want you to go home for Christmas," Harry said, surprising her. She turned and stared at him, waiting for him to start laughing and tell her he was joking. He very clearly was not joking

"What? Why? I came here to help you! It's not like there's anything I can do for you when I'm not at Hogwarts." Hermione near shouted, not really angry but shocked at Harry for trying to send her home.

"You are helping me Hermione, a lot. I wouldn't know where I'd be without you right now. But you haven't had a chance to spend any time with your parents since you obliviated them and sent them to Australia. That was like 20 years ago. I don't have anyone to go back to, but you do, and I'm sure they've missed you for the past 3 months. You'll come back and we can destroy the stone here together."

Hermione looked away, embarrassed by her outburst. "You're right, I should." She went back over to sit by him, "Are you sure you'll be fine here? Alone? With the Weasleys?"

"I'll manage, it's only two weeks," he smiled at her.

"And you're sure you know where the mirror is?"

"Hermione, it may sound kind of ridiculous but I visited that room, even after the mirror was removed. Loads of times. It was the first place I actually ever got to see my parents. I even went there before my last fight with Voldemort.."

"Harry," she held his hand in hers, "that's not ridiculous at all."

WEDNESDAY

Ronald Weasley slowly trudged his way up the stone steps to Dumbledore's office. At least while he was home for Christmas he wouldn't have to deal with all these stairs just to meet with some old man. The effects of the sweets Dumbledore had laced for Harry were finally starting to wear off. His feelings towards Hermione were fairly unchanged, she was still in the way, and generally just a nuisance. But to a certain degree, he now resented the Headmaster. For a couple of weeks, Dumbledore had been all he could think about. Wanting to impress him, help him and do anything to make him happy. It had even had an effect on his schoolwork. His grades had begun to gradually increase as he strived to catch the eye of the Headmaster through any means necessary. But now those feelings were gone, and Ronald had done all that work for nought. Honestly, he thought, I could care less about what some old man wants me to do.

After what felt like a lifetime he finally arrived at the door to the Headmaster's office. He swung open the door without knocking and barged in causing his mother to squeak in surprise. His mother? She was sitting at Dumbledore's desk, a pile of envelopes sitting next to her.

"Ronald!" Molly exclaimed.

"What?" he replied gruffly.

"Manners," she said through gritted teeth. Her son, too tired to care for a lecture, strode up to the desk and sat next to her.