Dark Pasts { A Harry Potter Story }

Chapter 33 - The Order of the Phoenix

The warmest day of the summer was coming to an end, and although the city was engulfed in darkness, the warmth of the sun was still present in the room. I unfolded my legs, making the old bed squeak and crack under the shifting weight, before I finally decided to close my book. My eyes roamed across the dark room, which was lit by a few candles and a small light hanging from a high, gloomy ceiling. I heard the wooden floor crack in the hallway, and suddenly the door was flung open, revealing none other than Ron.

"You alright?" I asked him, chuckling as he let himself fall on the sofa adjacent to the other bed in the room, on which Hermione was comfortably sitting.

"Still no news?" he asked and I shook my head. Then he sighed. "I'm terribly hungry."

I rolled my eyes, but Hermione just glared at him.

"With everything that's going on, you still think about being hungry half the time?" She said as she propped herself off the bed. "Honestly, Ronald."

He turned to look at me with wide eyes, but my mind wandered off once again to think about all the things that had worried me all summer: the fact that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named  was most likely back, but mostly the fact that Harry was being called a liar for saying that. And now, the dementor attack. . . .

Surely, they wouldn't expel him if he had used magic in self-defence? That seemed logical, which was why I couldn't believe that there was going to be a hearing at the ministry.

Poor Harry. I wondered how he felt about us — about me — for he knew not the fact that Dumbledore had asked the three of us to not tell him anything, but that did not change the fact that he had been led into danger because he was kept apart and uninformed.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening, and I had only a glance of the dark haired boy standing in the door frame before Hermione threw herself into his arms.

"Oh, Harry," she breathed out, pulling away. "We didn't hear you arrive! Oh, how are you? Have you been furious with us? I bet you have... we've got so much to tell you, and you got to tell us– the dementors!"

"Let the man breathe, Hermione," Ron said as he walked to greet Harry.

I stood up as Harry took a step toward me, and then the two of us engulfed each other in a tight hug. Meanwhile, Hermione rambled on, making me chuckle.

"And this hearing at the Ministry, its just outrageous!" She exclaimed. "I've looked it up they simply can't expel you, they just can't, there's provision in the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Sorcery for the use of magic in life-threatening situations."

"Hedwig!" Harry said as he caught sight of his snowy owl.

"She's been in a right state," Ron said. "Pecked us half to death when she brought your letters, look–"

"We're sorry, Harry, we really are," I said. "But Dumbledore made us swear not to tell you anything."

"He thought it would be best," Hermione added.

"Yeah?" Harry raises his eyebrows. "Have any of you been attacked by dementors this summer?"

"Well, no– but that's why he's had people from the Order tailing you all the time–"

He rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "Didn't work that well, though, did it?"

There was a short moment of silence in which Ron, Hermione and I glanced at one another, not really knowing what to say.

"So why's Dumbledore been so keen to keep me in the dark?" Harry asked.

"We told him we wanted to tell you what was going on, we really did, mate," Ron said. "But he was really busy."