Wot In The Harri Potter?

25 - The Threat

The atmosphere on the train journey home holds a sombre tone.

I feel restless all the way, the idea of being shut away from the wizarding world when Lord Voldemort is about making me jittery and nervous.

"We'll hatch a plan, won't we Fred?" George says as I sit in the compartment with them playing Exploding Snap. "We'll make sure you're not stuck there all summer."

I smile a smile which does not quite reach my eyes. I feel so gloomy, I wonder if I will ever feel happy again. This should have been an exciting time, the summer ahead - my sixteenth birthday finally on the horizon.

But all of it seems futile. Sex, love, happiness. None of it seems as important to me as it was pre graveyard.

And bless Fred, who is constantly trying to cheer me up, but I can barely crack a smile anymore let alone laugh and make out.

I feel shrouded in darkness, and it weighs heavily upon me. My mind is constantly in that graveyard, with Cedric's body dropping over and over again before my eyes, a scream forever stuck in my throat.

After a while, I excuse myself, needing to stretch my legs. Fred jumps up, a worried look in his eyes, and I promise him I will not be long.

I go to find Pansy and co, wanting to say goodbye before we reach London. But as I approach one of the usual compartments occupied by Slytherins, I freeze at the sound of my name drifting from the slightly open door.

"Potter will never tell, right?" Theo murmurs. "She wouldn't betray us like that?"

My heart pounds in my chest and I try not to breathe.

"If she does," Crabbe mutters, "she'll be meeting this-" I shudder at the sound of knuckles cracking.

"You dare touch her!" Draco snarls.

"Shut it, Malfoy," Goyle growls, "you need to learn what side yer on. Potter is the enemy now. She ain't no friend of ours."

I jump as the door gets thrown open. Draco's eyes widen as he sees me standing there. I quickly shrink back, not wanting the others to see.

Saying nothing, Draco slides the door shut behind him and grabs my arm, pulling me along the corridor with him.

"I take it you heard that?" He murmurs quietly in my ear.

I nod. "I heard you stick up for me, thank you."

Draco stops and looks at me, his throat bobs as he swallows. "The thing is, they're not wrong though, are they?"

"What do you mean?"

Draco looks up and down the corridor, making sure we are alone. Then he lowers his head, moving his lips to my ear and says very softly, "He wants you dead."

"Well, he's doing a crap job of that!" I feel angry and irritable, and I go to move away but Draco clasps his fingers around my wrist, halting me.

"I'm not saying this to be cruel, Harri," he says fiercely, his eyes flashing. "I'm saying it because it's true, and those lot in there are on their parents' side. You need to watch your fucking step from now on."

I am so confused because I cannot tell if Draco is threatening me or not. Anyone passing by would certainly think so, with the aggressive way Draco is suddenly behaving.

Glaring up at him I snatch my wrist back. "I thought we were friends?"

"I am your friend, and that is why I'm warning you. We're not in some stupid tournament anymore, Harri. People want you dead, so you need to do everything in your power to stop them."

Suddenly the train lurches, and I topple sideways. Draco reaches out to steady me, his breathing hard.

He does not let me go, instead he pulls me into a hug, so that my nose is full of his scent and I can feel the steady beat of his heart beneath his chest. "Stay out of trouble, Harri, I mean it."

And then he lets me go and strides back in the direction he just came from, not once looking back at me as he slips inside to the other Slytherins.

*****

When we finally reach London, Fred walks with me through the wall as we pass into the Muggle world.

Straight away I see Uncle Vernon, his back to us as he looks around and crossly checks his watch.

My heart sinks, the thought of announcing myself to him making me want to cry.

"Come on," says Fred, grabbing my hand.

"Fred!" I gasp, feeling panicked as he drags me towards my uncle. "What are you doing?!"

"I think I should introduce myself and have a little word in his ear about the way he treats you."

I try desperately to dig my heels in the ground, but Fred is freakishly strong, and before I know it, he is tapping on Vernon's shoulder.

I shrink back in horror as my uncle angrily spins around, furious about being approached like this.

His eyes bulge out as they land on me and pop out even further when he sees our joined hands.

"Good afternoon, sir," Fred says cheerily. "My name is Fred Weasley and I'm your beautiful niece's boyfriend. Now, as you may or may not know, I am old enough to do magic outside of school. So, if I don't hear from Harriet for even a single day, I promise you that I will be blasting down your front door to see for myself that she is okay and being treated like the queen she is. If I get even so much the tiniest hint that you are locking her up and starving her then I will not hesitate to perform such magic on you that you will quickly wish you had never been born. Have I made myself clear enough for you, or would you like me to write it down?"

My uncle says nothing, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish as his face turns redder and redder.

"I'm sorry, sir," Fred continues, still smiling. "But I cannot leave Harriet until I hear from you that you have understood everything I have just said. A simple nod will do."

Wordlessly, Vernon nods as incomprehensible spluttering sounds fall from his lips.

Clearly happy with this response, Fred turns to me, his brown eyes twinkling warmly into mine.

I cannot help but smile, and mouth 'thank you'. He hugs me fiercely and I hold him tight, not wanting to let him go.

"I'll wait to hear from you tonight, okay?" Fred says, before pressing his lips to my scar. "And then the next night and every night until I see you again. I need to know you are safe."

"Will I see you again?" I ask, hopefully. "Before September?"

"I'll try and sort something out, I promise."

He presses his lips to mine, and I wish Uncle Vernon were not standing there because I want to kiss him properly.

"Goodbye, my love," Fred murmurs, his words causing my heart to flutter.

He glares one last time at Vernon before turning away.

I watch him leave, and a genuine smile tugs at my lips, reaching my eyes for the first time since that night in the graveyard.

My love.

*****