Tannim's blog: "Harry Potter and the Mental War"

Harry got off the train feeling the worst he had ever felt, even worse than when Sirius died.  Ron and Hermione had let him be on the train, but now they approached him quietly.

“Harry?” Hermione asked tentatively with a hand on his shoulder. “Are you going to be all right?”

Harry savagely shook off her hand.  “Not right now, Hermione, please.  I need to sort this out myself, alone,” he said sadly.

Ron angrily whirled him around.  “Look at me, Harry!”  Harry still looked down at his feet, refusing to meet his eyes.  Ron looked at his best mate, seeing the dark circles under his eyes, the tear lines running down his face, and lifted Harry’s chin up to look him square in the eyes—eyes that were normally bright green but right now were more dull greenish-black and bloodshot.  Ron made a mental note to ask Hermione and Ginny later about that, but continued.  “We’re all feeling it, Harry, maybe not as much as you, but we are.  We know you have to go back to those git Dursleys to fulfill Dumbledore’s wishes, but I swear to you this: we WILL be there on your birthday to get you out of there, and not even Voldemort himself is going to change that!  We’re with you all the way, no matter what happens, mate.  We’ll be talking to you in the meantime, through the D.A. coins.  Give Hermione your coin for a moment.”

Harry shrugged, not wanting to argue, and handed his coin over to Hermione, as did Ron.  Hermione pulled out three others and held them all in her hand, then silently waved her wand over them.  They glowed light pink for a moment and then returned to normal.  Harry was lost in his own thoughts and didn’t notice anything until she gave him and Ron their coins back, but she slipped the other four in her pocket.

“Harry, all you have to do now—HARRY! Please pay attention for a moment!”  When Harry looked up she continued.  “When want to talk to each other, just say the name of the person you want to talk to and that person’s coin will vibrate three times.  The coin surface will turn into a smooth surface and you can see that person.  It can also work for multiple persons.  I got the idea from my parents’ cellular phones.”

“What’s a sellooyar fone?” asked Ron, completely puzzled.

“It’s a Muggle device for communicating wherever you may be at, a portable telephone,” Harry responded glumly.  “Don’t tell your Dad, though, because he’ll go bananas wanting to find a portable ‘fellytone’ to examine,” Harry continued with a weak smile, the first one he had had since That Night.  It seemed foreign to him to smile right now, but he knew he had to try.

“Well, alright then, Harry.  Listen,” Hermione continued, shaking her bushy mane of hair out of her eyes in the slight breeze. “We’ll be talking a lot, at least to make sure you’re OK.”

“What if I don’t want to talk?” Harry retorted.

“Then don’t, but realize that if we don’t hear from you then we’ll be coming by in person!” Hermione replied in kind.  She lowered her voice.  “Harry, the danger now is even worse than before, and silence is nowhere near golden.  An American philosopher once said, ‘We need to hang together, else we shall all hang separately.’”

“Ben Franklin, if I recall,” commented Harry, remembering his Muggle history classes from all those years before.  It seemed like a lifetime so long ago--someone else’s lifetime.  A lifetime he wished right now he had never left.

“Well, he was right, Harry,” Hermione continued.  “There is always strength in numbers, and with that there is always hope.  We’ve been through Hell and back with you, and if you think,” she jabbed her finger into his chest, her annoyance showing, “that I’m leaving the brother I never had now, then you need to get a bed next to Neville’s parents at St. Mungo’s because you truly are insane!”

“Yeah, what she said, mate,” Ron chimed in.  “You realize that you became a pseudo-Weasley on this very spot at the beginning of first year, and Hermione did too after Quirrell’s troll.  You push away those that love you now, and everybody loses.  Besides,” Ron forced a grin. “Who would I talk Quidditch strategy with anymore without you being there?”

Harry looked up at them, their words hitting home, but still threatened to be overcome by the waves of despair washing within him.  “OK, but you need to promise me two things.  One, no adventures.  We all need time to sort ourselves out.  Two, if there are any problems at all, you tell me immediately.  You’re right, this is a war, and there is strength in numbers.”

Harry looked over and saw the Dursleys waiting for him.  “It’s time to go.  I’ll see you both soon, I hope.”  The trio locked into a powerful group hug for a moment.  When they disengaged, Harry’s eyes seemed a little greener.

“BOY!”  Vernon Dursley yelled.  “GET A MOVE ON!” Harry made his way over to them, but a furious blur of flaming red hair got there first.

“Now look here, you lard-assed git!  I’m only going to say this once:  You WILL treat Harry right and you WILL respect his wishes and you WILL put up with him talking to his friends while he is with you.  That goes for you, too, Porky!” Ginny turned and glared at Dudley.  Then she rounded on Petunia.  “As for you, Petunia Evans, remember that the only reason you are still alive is because of your blood nephew.  You’ve spent 15 years treating your own flesh and blood like rubbish when you should be thankful that his presence gave you fifteen more years of life!  If your sister were here, she’d hex you into next year!  If I were of age, I’d do it myself!”  She lowered her voice and pure anger and power radiated from her.  “And if I hear of any mistreatment, my age won’t matter, either!”

Dudley had squeaked and cowered behind Vernon, who was alternating between shades of white and dark purple.  For once, common sense got the better of him and he didn’t say a word.  “Come on, then,” he gruffly said, turning his back and starting to stride away, only to crash directly into Dudley, sending him sprawling.  Vernon went to help up his son.  Petunia was still standing there in white-faced shock, but then turned and went to help Dudley.  That left a glaring Ginny, who turned around to face a thoroughly stunned Harry, his mouth slightly open.  “Uh, Ginny, you didn’t…” he began.

She cut him off with a smile.  “No, I didn’t have to do that, Harry, but I wanted to.  That’s been building up for a while, and on the train I just couldn’t take it any more.  I had to let it loose.  Now you listen to me, and listen good.”  She handed him a parchment.  “Read this July 30.  It’s enchanted to not open until then, and only at 11PM.”  Harry looked at her blazing brown eyes and billowing hair in the breeze and simply nodded.  He knew not to cross this beautiful girl, because Hell hath no fury like a pissed-off female Weasley, as he and Ron had seen years ago after the flying Ford Anglia incident.

“In the meantime, you better be using those coins.”  Again, Harry nodded.  “One last thing: this will have to do you until the end of the month.”  She then threw her arms around him, grabbed the back of his head and pulled it down to her, and promptly planted a long, deep, and passionate kiss on his mouth.  Time stopped for Harry, and the emotions that came with the kiss were overwhelming his grief and depression.  When she finally let go, she looked into his eyes, now as green as they ever had been.  Ginny gave him a special, gentle smile. “See you soon,” she whispered, with a twinkle in her eye, then stepped away and went to rejoin her family.

Harry just looked at her, mouth smeared with her lip gloss, her strawberry flower scent lingering, looking to all appearances like he had been Confunded—which he was, but not from any wand spell.  Shaking his head back to reality, and ignoring the roaring lion in his chest, he finally turned and followed the Dursleys to their car.  They loaded up the trunk, Harry let Hedwig out of her cage to fly on, and they left King’s Cross.  He didn’t see what happened behind him.

Ron watched the whole exchange between Harry, Ginny, and the Dursleys with disbelief, turning slightly red in anger, until Hermione stepped on his foot.  “Leave it, she knows what she’s doing!” she whispered.  Ron shot her a look as Ginny rejoined them with tears in her eyes, but satisfaction on her face. Hermione slipped the three coins to Ginny, Tonks, and Lupin, who pocketed them.  Lupin, who had just seen Ginny snog Harry senseless, grinned and muttered, “Potters and their redheads!  Some things never change!”  Tonks disillusioned herself and followed Harry to the parking lot, then followed the car to Privet Drive on her broom.  Hermione and Lupin went to her parents to prepare them to go into hiding.  Charlie came up and escorted Ron and Ginny, where they side-apparated to the Burrow.