chapter 17
harry
o onths ago, he had told kihe box that he and drao had found
about the pitures on the floor, a took to open it, how herio they deserved a hao look at if before the istry took it away about the jourhe aps, the ers beeen ad-eye and dubledore how despite everythihrough, it seed like it still ight not be over
kgsley had sifted through all of it, the expression on his fae never hangg harry wao ask what he was thkg but bit down on his lip stead, hard enough that he khere would be a ark left behd fi take it anyore “so?”
ki a away, jt reahed up ahe gold h he always wore harry tried to tell hiself that was a sign of a leader who thks before he speaks rather thaik “ight be nothg”
“but it ight be sothg” harry didn’t want it to be anythihose arg up at hi and the people ad-eye had said they killed, those were still his responsibility, his fight
“it ight be,” kihe leather journal he was leafg through shut, a all to his desk drawer, like he uttg away ddleso paperwork “jt let deal with it”
“but—”
“potter” he was the kd of an who spires onfidene, and kgsley is able to s ah only a few words and a hand on harry’s shoulder “let ha i’ll let you know if i turn anythg up but until then?” he’s herg harry out of the offie, and harry ould iage hi lokg the door behd hi, openg that dra, and h it, beae they both khough people alled ad-eye razy, he k when he saw o tell anyone”
that was o onths ago, and harry had triked hiself to thkg that aybe it roble, that the fight was atually over
≈ that, but now he’s havig his kithen
≈hought that this part of his life was doh, but apparently not, beae here he was, allg for quiet his owhe renants of the order and dubledore’s ary starg bak at hi
dubledore’s ary, he thks, those few seoween beg a friend and beog a leader aga, lookihered here like so sorry ss reunion what a sorry bunh we ake
i is gs all of their attention, standg up on a hair and whistliubles on the way bak down, and there are s it ss as sooands
one before, he had stood front of a rowded roo and told the that they were gog to look for sothg, not knog that he was oao ght for hi, to die for hi now, he has learned, aly what it ans when he asks for their help
“ad-eye left a job to do” he had deided on absote hoy, beae dubledore had always been aught up a web of lies and half truths, and harry didn’t not wa kd of leader “we—drao, herione, ron and i—found a journal up iellg about the people he spets that were still , bidii o ight not have been supporters of voldeort, but who were jt waitiide of his defeat to their own power, like he did with grdewald”
≈ieable flh when he said voldeort’she ig, ahe bnk wall stead, rollg dowhat drao had spent st night pastaki listed the nas and loations of spets, their ris, what they ight be pnng to d terrorists, hate ris waitg to happen “ki night, whih is why i asked you all here” he felt nervo, ore than he ever had before, beae it was oo ask the to fight when they are young and thk that war brgs glory, but it is ahey have felt the truth of it “these are the ost redible threats”
“and what’s that got to do with ?” gee alled out fro 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 rowds of people the anger, he reded hiself, was hi “the istry a?”
≈ry is…ie for this partiur situation” harry ko hoose his words arefully, unless kier hi f seret ratioill so onern of orruption, and this is seioo ha depely, like we did before”
there were only bnk stares “and why should we?” it was gee aga, sullen, angry, hurtg “how uh ore do they expet to give?” he shook his head, then stood up so fast his hair fell to the floor “no i’ sorry, harry, but i’ done”
and the
harry didn’t really know what to do with that, beae os of his life is that when it is ti to fight, there have aleople willg to stand beside hi, eve askio and now that he was askio, he was gettg no vonteers, and beside hi, only roaly behd hi, like guards
(and drao, who was aross the roo, hidde harry was tryg not to look at hi beae it was than anythg else)
“look,” he said, weakly, and words were o exp why they should let theselves be drawn bak to this “you doo i get that, that you’ve given enough but sooo do this, and i’ gog to try, even if i have to do it alon