"What if they keep us from seeing Harry?" Hermione whispered, as she and Ron stepped out of the Floo in a room that looked like it might be the center of Malfoy Manor.
Ron darted his gaze around, but didn't say anything. This wasn't the room they had Flooed into when they'd visited Harry before. It was a huge, tomb-like place, with alcoves along the walls that held busts or jewelry or other small, random things with silver light glowing down on them. Ron snorted. Showing off. Just like Malfoys.
But then he really took in what Hermione was saying, and shook his head firmly. "They wouldn't do that. They wouldn't have let us come here at all if they were just going to block us from seeing him."
"But they could."
"Yeah, but what sense would it make?"
"I just don't like," Hermione said, and studied the room around them instead of finishing her sentence. Ron waited more or less patiently for her to finish it, and she finally whispered, "I just don't like that they took Harry away from the school and that was the last time anyone outside his family saw him. He needed Healers. He needed to talk to people at the school."
"He has us now," Ron said, and slapped her on the back. "Come on, we'll see him and cheer him up if he's moping, you'll see."
"Henry has had Healers. And frankly, Granger, your speculation that he needed to talk to people at the school is insulting, when it's those people who let him get kidnapped in the first place."
Ron scowled as he saw Malfoy—Draco—leaning against the side of the doorway, his eyes fixed on them with disdain. Why had the bloody Malfoy parents sent him? Where was Harry?
"He needed to talk to Madam Pomfrey, and Professor Dumbledore needed to tell him about Moody escaping, and—"
"Madam Pomfrey isn't the kind of Healer who could do anything for him," Draco said dismissively. "And we know about Moody escaping. It was all over the Prophet, if nothing else. Come on, if you want to see my brother."
He started walking out of the room without waiting to see if they would follow. Ron cursed and scrambled after him. Hermione did the same, for once not scolding Ron for the language. He was grateful. Maybe she was feeling the same way herself.
They were at least of one accord in glaring at Draco's back, and trading dark glances.
What does he mean, not the kind of Healer who could do anything for him?
Draco led them down another corridor Ron had never seen before, and into a large room with huge windows that let in lots of light. Ron had to squint to see the small figure who stood near a green chair in the center of the room, smiling hesitantly at them. But then he made out the Gryffindor scarf around his neck, and ran straight towards him.
"Harry!"
"Mate!"
Harry grabbed both of them and hugged them desperately. Ron didn't think it was his imagination that Harry's arms were shaking. Then he took a step back and smiled again, more fully this time. "It's great to see you."
Hermione hadn't let go of Harry. "Have you been walled up here all this time?" she demanded. "Oh, Harry, we would have sent Howlers to the Malfoys if we'd known—"
"I was not walled up here all this time."
Ron jumped. Harry's voice was cold and sharp and slid into them like a knife between their ribs. Ron exchanged a wary look with Hermione and saw her studying Harry as if he had taken Polyjuice when they weren't looking.
"Where were you, then?" Ron asked. It seemed it was his turn to ask, since Hermione was biting her lip and flushing.
"Here and in a few places where I could fly and not have to encounter anybody." Harry breathed out. "I didn't want to give interviews to the Prophet about my kidnapping or have a meeting with Professor Dumbledore or any of that. But my family wasn't keeping me prisoner. Okay?"
"Okay," Ron said quietly, and he could feel himself flushing. This was the kind of thing that Harry had told him off for before, he realized. Acting like a prat and jumping to conclusions. It was still hard sometimes to think that Harry was a Malfoy, but Ron wanted to be his friend, and he wouldn't get there if he just argued with Harry all the time.
"I think you should meet with Professor Dumbledore, Harry," Hermione said. "He has important information about the war."
"Then why didn't he send that in a letter?"
"It's not safe. He warned us about writing to you, too, but I think it was important for us to do it."
"Not safe? What does he think, that a Death Eater is going to intercept the owls?" Harry made a scornful sound. "He's the one who never noticed something off about a man everyone says is one of his best friends for months and months!"
"Harry!"
Hermione started talking about how no one could possibly have expected Professor Dumbledore to know Moody was really a Death Eater and had put Harry's name in the Goblet, but Ron kept quiet. He kind of agreed with Harry. Professor Dumbledore was a great man, and he probably did have important information about the war, but…
He had allowed someone into the school disguised as one of his friends. He had allowed Harry's name to be put into the Goblet and not really tried to stop it.
Professor Dumbledore was powerful. But one of the things Ron had decided about powerful people was that it meant you had to be more careful, and take more responsibility for things. If Dad was responsible when someone screwed up in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office and could be punished because one of his subordinates made a mistake, then Professor Dumbledore could be held responsible for his mistakes, too.
....
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