Chapter Seven
"Excuse me?" Daphne said, cutting through the silence of the room.
"You are going to take me to The Greengrass Estate. Then, you are going to return to Potter Manor."
"And why the hell would I do that?" Daphne asked. "Are you going to use me as bait there, too?"
"Don't be a child," Harry scolded. "You were never alone. Even when Parvati and I left, there were four of the best witches and wizards in England surrounding you."
"Against half a dozen Death Eaters," Daphne countered.
"I'd take those odds," Harry replied. "This is not a request. You will take me to The Greengrass Estate. I'm going to convince your father to remove the tracking charm from you."
"How do you suppose you are going to do that?" Daphne asked.
"I'll appeal to his better nature."
"He doesn't have a better nature."
"Then, I'll appeal to his desire to stay out of prison," Harry replied. "Putting a tracking charm on another person is worth ten years in Azkaban."
"You can't prove that he cast it," Daphne replied.
"Do you think your father knows that?" Harry asked. "Eventually, we'll need you out into the field and I can't have you being tracked everywhere we go. If we can't get him to remove the charm, then you're useless to us."
"Wow, Harry," Ron replied.
"It's true and you all know it," Harry answered. "Now, you have your orders. Execute them."
While it was clear that everyone was uncomfortable, they did as he asked. Harry gave a wave of his wand and dropped Snape to the ground. Williamson quickly cast a series of ropes around Snape that bound him before she and Goran Disapparated with Snape. Meanwhile, Hermione, Ron, and Kliner Disapparated to Potter Manor.
That left Harry and Daphne standing alone in the half-destroyed bar.
"Are you sure that this is what you want?" Daphne asked. "My father is very well guarded. There's no chance that you're going to get in to see him with your hand on you."
"I'll be fine," Harry replied. "Let's go."
Reluctantly, Daphne took hold of his arm and together, they Disapparated from Chasers to a spot about fifty meters from the front entrance of The Greengrass Estate. The house itself was roughly similar in size to Potter Manor, although it had clearly seen some modifications over the years. As Daphne had said, a single tower rose high above them with a pond to their left.
Harry could imagine how a sunset just beyond the pond and the trees would be quite beautiful.
The house was old, although not nearly as old as Potter Manor. The front was a wall of windows that led into a six-story foyer with two massive staircases on either side that led up to the rest of the house. From what Harry could see, there was a great deal of glass inside the house. Some of the walls appeared to be made solely of glass and the largest chandelier that Harry had ever seen hung in the center of the foyer.
Strangely enough, the house did not seem particularly well lit, which meant that strange, long shadows covered the house, immediately giving it a foreboding look. It was beautiful and terrifying and Harry could immediately see that Daphne was uncomfortable even being in the presence of the house.
Thankfully, Daphne needed to leave anyway. The moment they landed, half a dozen guards started walking towards them from their posts around the house. They would be on them in only a few moments. Harry turned to tell Daphne to return to Potter Manor, but she Disapparated before Harry could get a word out.
Once Harry saw that she was gone, he turned back to the guards and raised his hands into the air.
"My name is-"
"We know who you are," the guard directly in front of him said roughly. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I have a business proposition for Mr. Greengrass."
"What makes you think that Mr. Greengrass would want to hear your little proposition?" the guard asked. "What if I just killed you here and now? I'm certain someone would reward us handsomely for taking care of The Boy Who Lived."
"You do that and half the Ministry will be on you in less than an hour," Harry said. It was a lie, but it wasn't a stretch. Sooner rather than later, if Harry didn't report back in, Hermione would likely report to Amelia, who would send half the Aurors in after him. She might not like him, but it was political suicide to be the person who let Harry Potter die.
"What's your business proposition about?" said one of the other guards.
"That's between Mr. Greengrass and myself, unfortunately," Harry replied. "Now, are you going to take me to him or not? I don't have all night."
Harry watched as the guards looked to each other, silently communicating amongst themselves. Finally, the first guard, who appeared to be their leader, stepped forward.
"Where is your wand?"
"I carry a holster on my wrist," Harry said. "It's rigged to curse anyone who attempts to remove my wand but me."
The guard scowled at Harry.
"Just give us the wand. You make a move that even looks hostile and I blow your fucking brains out."
"Noted," Harry replied. Harry could have easily killed all six guards without breaking a sweat, but he was trying to handle this situation as diplomatically as possible. So, Harry reached into his sleeve and removed his wand. Then, he handed the wand out to the head guard.
"May I see Mr. Greengrass now?"
The guard took Harry's wand and pocketed it.
"Follow me."
The guard turned and immediately, Harry was flanked by the others, ensuring that the only direction that Harry could move was forward. Harry followed the guard through the giant double-doors into the foyer and up the stairs, all the way to the top. Once they reached the sixth floor, the guard motioned towards a hallway that stretched the length of the house.
"Walk," he barked. Harry, knowing that he wasn't in a position to argue, did as he was told and began to march down the hall, seven guards following him. The hallway, lined with floor to ceiling windows like most of the rest of the house, gave Harry a wonderful view of the Estate and the well manicured gardens that surrounded it. It was growing more and more evident that Daphne had greatly underexaggerated the opulence of the Greengrass Estate.
At the end of the hallway, Harry was stopped by a pair of large oak doors. Just before Harry was about to run into the doors, they opened of their own accord, revealing a massive library of sorts. Books lined the walls along with dozens of artefacts on display, most of which immediately looked dark in nature.
At the far end of the room was a fireplace that Hagrid could have stood inside, two wingback chairs in front of it. Harry was escorted across the room until he reached the chairs. One of the chairs was empty and Harry was immediately instructed to sit by the guards.
The other chair, however, was occupied by none other than Ezekiel Greengrass. Harry had met Greengrass twice before, both at Ministry events before it had become publicly known that Greengrass was the main financier of the Death Eaters. Greengrass was a tall, lean man, much like his daughter, with a sharp brow and eyes like a hawk. His hair was greying and while he certainly had less hair than when he was younger, it didn't make him any less intimidating. If anything, he wore his baldness with pride, refusing to hide it like some would have done. He was the kind of man who knew that he was better than you and if he wasn't, he could afford to make up the difference.
For years, Ezekiel Greengrass had been Lucius Malfoy's primary rival at the Ministry of Magic. Both men preferred to operate from behind the scenes, letting others wield power in the Wizengamot while they remained in the shadows, pulling the strings of their puppets. Of the two, Ezekiel had always been the quieter and more dangerous. In more than one case, people who betrayed Ezekiel Greengrass or failed to live up to his expectations had mysteriously disappeared without a trace, never to be heard from again.
Now, Harry sat across from him, unarmed. The head guard handed Ezekiel Harry's wand and then whispered something in the older man's ear. Ezekiel listened and simply nodded in response. Immediately, five of the seven guards left the room. The other two remained in sight, albeit on the far side of the room, so that Harry and Ezekiel could speak in private.
"Mr. Potter," Ezekiel said, his voice deep and gravelly, "I can't say that I was expecting a visit from The Boy Who Lived this evening."
"Well, I know that you are notoriously difficult to get in touch with," Harry replied. "Thankfully, I had a conversation with a friend of yours this evening and he let me know that you were at home."
"I was unaware that you and I had mutual friends," Ezekiel remarked.
"Oh, yes. Severus Snape and I go way back."
If Harry expected Ezekiel to be worried, he was going to be disappointed. Instead of showing fear or worry, Ezekiel smiled.
"I knew that you were working with my daughter," Ezekiel said. "Even now, I still have my sources within the Ministry after all. Of course, even if I hadn't known that you were working with the SAF, I would have suspected you. Only someone with access to the most powerful wards could have hidden my daughter."
Harry, refusing to give away any more information than necessary, remained silent. Ezekiel waited for Harry to speak, but when it became clear that he wouldn't, Ezekiel's attention instead shifted to Harry's wand.
"A man could make a great deal of gold with this wand," Ezekiel mused softly. "Other than The Dark Lord's, there is likely no other wand of more value in the world. This wand could go for a million Galleons easily. All it would take is the right collector."
Ezekiel lifted the wand and held it up between the thumb and index finger of each hand. Just the slightest amount of pressure and Harry's wand would snap in half.
"Of course, I could also just break it. I could even burn it like you did with Snape's."
That wasn't something that Harry expected Ezekiel to know already. His surprise must have registered on his face, because Ezekiel immediately smiled.
"You honestly think that I'm not aware of everything that happens with the Death Eaters?" Ezekiel asked menacingly. "I know everything that my Death Eaters are doing."
"Your Death Eaters?" Harry asked. "You think they belong to you?"
"Harry, everything belongs to me," Ezekiel replied. "If I don't own it, then it is a matter of time before I do...or it is destroyed. Take you, for instance. We both know that you are far too noble to be bought and so, when the time is right, you will be destroyed."
"You seem pretty confident in that."
"I have been on this Earth for seventy years," Ezekiel sneered. "In that time, I have never lost and I have never failed to get exactly what I want."
"Except your daughter."
That jab was clearly a sore spot. Ezekiel grimaced at the mention of Daphne and Harry could tell that his failure to reign in his daughter was truly a sore spot for him.
"Yes, well, I'm a patient man. Sooner or later, she'll be mine, too," Ezekiel growled. "Now, as much as I am enjoying this little repartee, I must ask why you were stupid enough to come to my home. You can't possibly think that I'm just going to let you walk out of here."
"You won't let me walk out," Harry said firmly, "but that doesn't mean that I'm not leaving."
Ezekiel chuckled darkly.
"Such bravado. Severus talked about you at great length. According to him, you're as arrogant as they come. He'll be glad to know that he was right in his assessment."
"Well, he'll spend the rest of his life in a cell," Harry replied.
"You seem very confident in that fact."
"He's no Sirius Black," Harry said firmly. "In either case, Snape was wrong. I'm not arrogant. I am exactly as confident as I should be. Now, as for the reason I'm here, I would like you to remove the tracking charm from your daughter."
"Ah, Daphne, the older and far more...naive of my daughters," Ezekiel purred. "She always believed that everyone deserved equality, that even Muggles should be treated with respect. I spent most of her youth trying to beat that out of her, but clearly, I failed."
"Clearly," Harry said through gritted teeth.
"You disapprove of my parenting methods?" Ezekiel asked.
"Not at all," Harry said mockingly. "It just seems beneath you to beat your daughter like a common Muggle."
So far, everything that Harry had said, even his first jab about Daphne, had garnered no real reaction from Ezekiel. Calling Ezekiel a Muggle, however, did cause a reaction. Ezekiel's nostrils flared and his eyes opened wide, rage evident across the features of his face.
"Watch your tongue, Potter. Compare me to a Muggle again and I'll make sure that your friends won't find what's left of you."
"Then remove the tracking charm and I'll be on my way."
"Not a chance," Ezekiel replied.
"And why not?" Harry asked. "You've clearly lost control of your daughter. Why not just consider her a lost cause? According to you, you'll claim her one way or another."
"Twisting my words against me won't work. I am a Slytherin, after all. As for why I won't remove the tracking charm, there are two reasons. First, I don't want to. Knowing where my daughter is at all times is incredibly valuable information, especially since she started working for my enemy."
"What's the second reason?"
"I didn't cast the charm."
Harry hadn't expected that.
"If you didn't cast it, then who did?"
"That would be me."
Harry turned over his shoulder and saw a woman who looked remarkably like Daphne Greengrass enter the room. It was only after he looked a little closer that he realized that it was not Daphne, but her younger sister, Astoria. While they were a little less than a year apart in age, they looked almost identical.
The only major difference was their eyes; Daphne's were brown while Astoria's were an icy blue.
Astoria walked past Harry and stood behind her father, resting her arm on the back of her father's chair. Maybe it was the eyes, but Harry couldn't help feel like he was looking at a cruel copy of Daphne.
This is Daphne as she would have been if she had followed her father's lead.
"Harry, so nice to see you," Astoria said. "I hear that we're talking about my dear sister."
"We are," Ezekiel said. "Harry here would like you to remove the tracking charm from your sister."
Astoria looked at Harry and then smiled. Unlike Daphne, who smiled rarely but looked pleasant when she did so, Astoria's smile turned her into a predator, a hunter who intended to play with her food. Even though they weren't related, Harry couldn't help but think of Bellatrix Lestrange.
"No, I don't think so," Astoria replied casually. "My sister has abandoned our family. Family is all we have. I'm certain that if you had any living relatives, you would agree."
Harry passively stared back at Astoria and then returned her smile.
"You think that taking a shot at my parents or my godfather is going to get me to react?" Harry asked. "Do you honestly think that either of you have the ability to get under my skin?"
"I think that my father could take the wand in his hand and flay you alive with it," Astoria growled. "I think that you should show us a bit more respect, considering your position."
"What position is that?" Harry asked.
It was clear that while Ezekiel might have been cool and calculating, his daughter was not. It was all too easy to agitate her. Show her family one second of disrespect and she lost control. She reminded Harry of himself as a teenager.
Thankfully, Harry had grown thicker skin over the years.
Astoria had not.
"This room is surrounded by a dozen guards. There are two in the room with us, not to mention my father and myself, who is holding your wand."
"I'm well aware that your father is holding my wand," Harry replied. "Now, I'll ask you one more time. I'll even ask nicely. Would you please remove the tracking charm from your sister?"
Apparently, Harry had pushed Astoria too far. As Harry finished his question, she reached for a hidden compartment in her dress. It was unfortunate for her that Harry's wand was far more accessible. He simply reached out his hand and Summoned his wand.
Without any hesitation, the wand flew the short distance from Ezekiel to Harry. Harry quickly Disarmed Astoria before he turned and Stunned the two guards in the room. Then, he turned back to Astoria and Ezekiel, caught Astoria's wand out of the air, and tossed it into the fire next to them.
"No!" Astoria shouted as her wand immediately caught fire. Harry flicked his wand towards her, tossing her into the air, like he had Snape less than an hour earlier. It had taken this long for Ezekiel to realize that he was no longer in control. However, before he could even reach for his wand, Harry froze him in place just as four more guards entered the room.
In a second, Harry had Stunned all four of them, leaving six guards unconscious on the floor, Astoria floating in the air above them, and Ezekiel frozen in his chair.
In all, it had taken Harry less than ten seconds.
He was out of practice.
Harry looked around the room once to ensure that none of the guards were going to get up. Once he was certain they were down, he took his seat once more.
"Alright, where were we?" Harry asked as he sat down. "Oh, that's right, you were agreeing to remove the tracking charm from Daphne."
"No, we were not!" Astoria cried. "Put me down!"
"I think not," Harry replied. "At least, not yet. In fact, why don't you be quiet?"
Harry waved his wand towards Astoria, Silencing her. Now, she could scream and curse at Harry all she wanted and he would hear none of it. With that taken care of, he turned back to Ezekiel and removed the Freezing Charm that he had placed on him.
"Ezekiel, you aren't a stupid man. You have reprehensible morals and are one of the worst fathers I've ever known, but you aren't an idiot. You saw what I did just then. You know that there is no way that you are winning this fight. Order your daughter to remove the tracking charm. She's the obedient one, right? She'll listen to you."
For the first time, Harry saw that Ezekiel Greengrass was afraid. He looked at Harry and then turned to his daughter.
"Astoria...remove it."
Astoria silently gaped at her father, clearly surprised that he would make that request of her. Harry waved his wand towards Astoria and removed the Silencing Charm.
"What do you say, Astoria?" Harry taunted. "Your father, the man that you betrayed your sister for, is ordering you to remove the charm. You don't want to disappoint dear old Daddy, do you?"
"Go to hell, Potter," Astoria growled.
"Astoria! Do as I say!" Ezekiel roared, his voice shaking.
"No, I will not abandon our cause. I would rather die than remove the charm."
"That can be arranged."
Harry stood and aimed his wand at Astoria. As he did, Ezekiel mirrored him. Before Harry could even attempt an attack at Astoria, Ezekiel fired a Killing Curse at Harry. However, for as powerful a man as Ezekiel Greengrass might have been, he was a shit wizard. Harry could have easily dodged the spell, but he didn't need to as it sailed several meters over his head.
Harry considered the Death Eater for a moment before he turned his wand to him.
"Crucio!"
Immediately, a red stream of light struck Ezekiel Greengrass in the chest. He collapsed to the ground, howling in pain, as Harry pressed harder like a knife digging into a wound. Above him, Astoria screamed and pleaded to no avail. For almost a minute, Harry tortured Ezekiel Greengrass. In the past, Harry might have viewed this as a step too far.
Now, he understood that removing Voldemort and those that followed him was the only thing that mattered. In the end, Ezekiel Greengrass should be thankful that he was still alive.
When Harry finally released Greengrass, the older man lay flat on his back, breathing deeply, barely awake. Confident that he had done what was needed, he turned back to Astoria, who still floated high in the air, sobbing as she stared at her father.
"The tracking charm," Harry said calmly. "Remove it."
Astoria's eyes remained locked on her father and she seemed entirely unresponsive to Harry's request. With a flick of his wand, Harry allowed Astoria to fall to the ground, hitting the floor with a thud.
"Remove it!" Harry roared, aiming his wand at Ezekiel. "Remove it or I'll show him real pain!"
"Astoria…" Ezekiel moaned, clearly pleading with his daughter.
Astoria stared at Harry, pain and fury evident in her eyes. Finally, she nodded. Harry stood back and allowed her to stand. With a series of simple wand movements, Harry could feel a rush of magic that told him that something had happened.
"If that did anything other than remove the tracking charm, I'll be back for you," Harry said as he turned to walk out of the room.
He had just about reached the door when he felt an extraordinary amount of pain as the Cruciatus Curse hit him in the back. Harry dropped to one knee and clenched his jaw, fighting to push the pain away. In the past, this spell might have incapacitated him. But Harry had spent years training his body just as much as he had trained his mind. With a stabilizing breath, Harry pushed the pain away as he stood.
He turned back to see Ezekiel Greengrass standing, his wand outstretched towards Harry.
"Die, you halfblood filth!" Ezekiel screamed as he fired another Killing Curse at Harry. This time, Harry was ready and he easily stepped out of the way. The Killing Curse sailed past his head just as Harry turned and leveled his wand at Ezekiel.
"Depulso!"
The Banishing Charm flew across the room and hit Ezekiel in the chest. Instantly, he was thrown backwards, his body landing in the fireplace. Only a second later, his screams filled the room as Astoria ran towards him. Before she could reach the fireplace, Harry tossed a Freezing Charm at her, hitting her in the back.
Now, she stood only a few feet away from the fireplace, frozen in place, forced to watch as her father burned alive.
This time, when Harry turned around, no one cursed him.
Less than a minute later, Harry exited The Greengrass Estate and Disapparated, landing in the middle of his study at Potter Manor. As expected, the members of the SAF were waiting for him there. Immediately, all of them asked Harry what happened.
"The tracking charm has been removed," Harry said firmly, "and Ezekiel Greengrass is dead."
"He's what?" Hermione said, unable to hide her surprise.
"He attacked me and I defended myself," Harry replied. He knew that wasn't going to be enough of an explanation for Hermione or Ron, but for now, it would appease those who didn't know him as well.
For her part, Daphne took the news rather well. While it was clear that she was upset, she seemed to understand better than anyone else that Harry had done what was needed.
"You said the tracking charm is gone?" Daphne asked.
"Your sister was the one who cast it," Harry replied. "I convinced her to remove it."
"Convinced her how?" Ron asked.
"I asked nicely."
No one believed him, but Harry wasn't particularly concerned with that at the moment. Given the choice between torturing Ezekiel and protecting his team, Harry didn't believe that there was a choice to be made. After that, it was Ezekiel's decision to attack him.
Quickly, the rest of the SAF left. However, as expected, Ron and Hermione remained behind. Once they were certain that everyone else was gone, they approached Harry's desk where he sat, finishing up some of the work that he had been reviewing earlier in the day.
"Mate, what the hell happened?" Ron asked.
"Astoria Greengrass was being uncooperative," Harry replied. "She needed some encouragement."
"And you encouraged her by…"
"Torturing Ezekiel Greengrass," said Harry plainly. "In the end, she gave me what I wanted and Ezekiel Greengrass was alive."
"Then, how did he end up dead!?" Hermione shouted.
"He decided that cursing me was a good idea. He had already fired a Killing Curse at me once. It was a weak attempt and it missed badly. For that, I let him live. When he tried to kill me a second time, I killed him."
"That's not how this works, Harry," Hermione replied firmly. "You could have waited. You could have taken the entire team with you."
"I could have and there's no guarantee that things would have turned out differently than they did."
"Yes, they would have turned out differently," Ron replied. "You wouldn't have tortured and killed Ezekiel Greengrass."
"And more than likely, Daphne would still have the tracking charm on her," Harry countered. "Am I supposed to be sorry that a Death Eater is dead? I cut off a major source of income and intelligence for the Death Eaters."
"And that's why you did it?" Hermione asked. "You didn't kill him because you wanted to? Because I think you killed him because you can't kill Voldemort!"
"I can kill Voldemort and I will!" Harry roared as he came to his feet, slamming his hands against the desk and throwing his chair behind him. "Voldemort will die and I will finally get the peace that I deserve!"
Ron and Hermione stared at Harry, stunned into silence. He knew why they looked at him like that, a mix of disappointment and fear in their eyes. Harry had always been the one to push back against the idea of murdering their opponents. He had always been the one who had said that Voldemort would be the only one to die.
Now, he had killed Ezekiel Greengrass and his only real defense was that he believed that Greengrass deserved to die. He knew that wasn't a valid reason. At least, it wouldn't have been a valid reason in the past. Was murder ever truly justified? That's what he had done tonight. He had murdered Ezekiel Greengrass, burning him to death in front of his daughter.
Was he a cruel, despicable man? Yes. Was he a horrid and abusive father? Also yes. But were those good enough reasons to end his life?
Harry turned back to his chair, picked it up, and sank into it.
"Harry, tell us what happened," Hermione said softly. "Tell us everything."
He did. He told them everything that had happened that night. But when he started the story, it didn't start, as he expected, with his arrival at The Greengrass Estate. Instead, it started with Parvati leaving Chasers.
When he was done, Hermione and Ron sat in silence. They stared at each other and Harry could tell that neither of them knew exactly what to say. Unexpectedly, it was Ron who eventually spoke first.
"Is it possible that...Parvati is the reason you're upset?" Ron asked, his voice unusually gentle. "We know how much you love her and I know that you didn't want to end things with her."
"I couldn't do it anymore," Harry replied. "I couldn't watch her fall apart, knowing that there was nothing that I could do to stop it. I failed her."
"No, you didn't," Hermione said. "You did everything you could to convince her to get help. She's just not listening at the moment."
"But I could have forced her. I could have taken her to someone who would have helped her."
"And she would have resented you even more," Hermione replied. "You told her that you couldn't help her, right? You were honest about that?"
"Of course."
"And you encouraged her to get help?"
"I even gave her contact information for a couple different Muggle therapists who specialize in that kind of thing," Harry said. "She just wouldn't do it."
"It sounds like you did everything you could for her," Ron said. "Now, she's gotta figure this out on her own. If she wants help, she'll find it."
"But, Harry, that doesn't excuse what you did tonight," Hermione declared. "This can't happen again."
"I know."
"I'm serious," Hermione reiterated. "We can't be judge, jury, and executioner for every Death Eater out there."
"And we have our own lives to think about," Ron added. "You know that we believe in you. But we can't be a part of a crusade like this. We're not kids anymore. There are rules to follow."
"Imagine if George or Fred heard you saying that," Harry said.
While Ron laughed, he followed that up with a good point.
"Fred and George make their living selling joke items, but they still have to follow the rules in order to do it," Ron pointed out.
"Harry, you have to know that if you do something like this again, we'll walk," Hermione said bluntly. "The only person that you get to kill is Voldemort. Everyone else goes to Azkaban."
Harry nodded. He knew that they were both uncomfortable with the idea of killing people. But Harry had seen the cost of weakness more than once. If they had killed Bellatrix Lestrange years ago, Sirius would still be alive. If Snape had been murdered the moment that he had revealed that he was a Death Eater, then maybe his parents or Professor McGonagall would still be among the living as well.
But, Harry also knew that being reckless was no way to inspire confidence. Considering the puzzle of Voldemort's research, Harry knew that he couldn't solve it on his own. He knew that he needed the support of others. He needed Hermione, he needed Ron and the rest of the SAF, and he needed the support of the Ministry.
He didn't mourn for Ezekiel Greengrass. He was a cruel, tyrant of a man who deserved the death that he had been given. But the Ministry was unlikely to see it that way. He already knew that he was going to be scolded by Percy and probably Tonks when it was discovered. Harry probably wouldn't get in much trouble for his behavior, but a warning was likely coming.
Ron and Hermione both considered Harry before looking at each other. Harry watched as they silently communicated with each other, seemingly forgetting that Harry was in the room. That was when Harry remembered that while he had often considered himself to be their best friend, that likely wasn't true any longer. For four years, they had been forced to deal with Harry's absence and while they were no longer dating, their friendship had likely only strengthened in that time, bolstered by the pressure they must have felt from others to provide information on Harry's actions and whereabouts.
Ron and Hermione eventually bid him goodnight. Once they were gone, Harry returned to his work. He knew that he wouldn't sleep well that night and so, if he wasn't going to sleep, he knew that he might as well be productive. For more than an hour, Harry continued to dig through the research, looking for anything that could give them a clue or a lead on what exactly Voldemort was planning with all of this information.
Suddenly, just after midnight, a knock on the door broke his concentration. He looked up to see Hermione, her robe covering a t-shirt and sweatpants, standing in the doorway.
"Hermione?" Harry asked.
"I tried to sleep," Hermione said as she walked into the room, "but it just wasn't happening."
"Is everything okay?"
"You mean other than my best friend setting a man on fire?"
Harry flinched. "Fair enough."
Hermione took the same chair that she had sat in with Ron earlier that evening. For a few moments, she was silent, although Harry could tell that there was something bothering her, more than just the conversation that they'd had earlier.
"Hermione, what is it?" Harry finally asked when he couldn't stand the silence any longer.
"You told Ron and I about what happened to Viktor," Hermione said softly. "But, the more I think about it, the more the story doesn't make any sense."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked. He knew the story didn't make sense. It was a lie, the best lie he could come up with while telling as much of the truth as possible.
"Viktor was a powerful wizard, sure, but the way you described it, Viktor had been frozen in place by Voldemort. How was it possible that he got a spell off towards him?"
"I don't know. That's just what happened," Harry replied, hoping that would appease her. He knew better, however. He knew that however much he hoped that Hermione would drop her line of questioning, she wouldn't be satisfied until she had the answers.
"Harry, did you...did you tell us everything?"
Harry sighed. "Are you asking if I lied to you?"
It was evident that Hermione had intentionally avoided using that word. She knew that Harry had always valued the truth. She knew that he had spent much of his youth rallying against people that lied to him. Four years ago, accusing Harry of lying would have been one of the most disrespectful things that Hermione could have asked him.
"I'm asking if there are parts of your story that you left out."
"Yes, there are."
Hermione's face clearly registered her surprise. Not in the answer, but that Harry had answered her at all. She had probably expected Harry to continue to deflect, to push her away, and refuse to answer her. While Harry had no intention of elaborating, he wasn't about to try and convince the smartest person that he knew that the lie that he had told made sense.
"I assume that Viktor's death happened differently?" Hermione asked.
"It did," Harry replied. "That's all I'm going to say."
"And Dumbledore and Fleur know what happened?"
"Only because they were there."
"You trained with them for years. You wouldn't trust them with this information?" Hermione asked.
"If I had my way, no one would know."
Hermione silently stared at Harry, a sad look upon her face. When she finally stood, Harry thought he saw a tear crawl down her cheek.
"Well, that answers my question."
"What question?"
"I said that it was either dangerous or that you were ashamed," Hermione replied. "If it had been dangerous, you would have told us the truth the first time. But, you lied."
Without another word, Hermione turned and walked out of the door, leaving Harry to watch her go. She was right. He had lied.
And he was ashamed.