Responsibility

"Right!" Hermione cried, and Harry flew left, pulled the broom steadily higher.

The bludger was flashing close by.

"Ahead!" They went into a spectacular dive, and another iron ball rushed past them.

"You can fly with just one hand, right?" They flew with high speed through the air.

Harry nodded.

"Good, then hold my left arm tightly with your right." She instructed him matter-of-factly.

Before Hermione had finished, Harry got already hold of her arm.

"What are you doing?" He demanded while he felt how she removed one arm from his waist.

Over his right shoulder, he saw that she pointed her wand toward a nearing bludger. Seconds later it exploded in a thousand little particles.

"Harry!"

He had been so surprised by her casting that he had forgotten to look out for further missiles.

They barely avoided a direct collision with a sharp pull to the right. Still, the broom vibrated and Harry noted a jolt. He could hold with insistence their course.

"Are you alright?" Harry requested when he discovered that her clasp on him began to slip.

"Tighter, hold me tighter!" Her voice was contorted with pain.

Another bludger exploded a few metres in front of them. Hermione was fit enough to do magic, yet his concern grew. But first, they were in need to land in one piece and to accomplish that he had to focus on flying.

"Left!" It was just a whisper, and Harry's reaction was delayed accordingly.

Once again, it was a close call, but from the right, he saw another projectile rushing towards them. Too late, they went into a dive. The impact of the metal against his temple was massive.

"Harry, please, you've to pull up!" The forceful shaking of his shoulders, the energetically yet weak voice but at last how her soft lips ghostly touched his cheek got him out of the drowsiness.

"One we've to eliminate in the air. The last two while we're landing." She told him when they were going up again.

Harry nodded yet still felt dizzy. The fresh air and the adrenaline banished the numbness soon.

"Right!" He took a sharp left curve.

In the background, he heard a bang.

"Land!" She commanded.

Roughly, they came down in the middle of the Quidditch Field. Harry drew his wand at once. The last bludgers blew up at the same time.

"Wait till I get my hands on him!" Harry scornfully breathed and was about to run after Ron and to search the castle for him.

Ron had just run off after he had set eight training and two tournament bludgers on them.

"Don't!" It was so faint, yet it held Harry back.

Harry spun around and was frozen by the sight of Hermione. She was down on her knees. Her left arm hung useless at her side, and her shoulder was bleeding through the pullover. Most of all, it was her face that frightened him. It was bloodstained, and from a wound on her temple, even more, blood was welling.

Like through a fog, Harry hurried back to her, wild panic, fear was ruling him.

"I deserve it; after all, I broke Ron's heart." She said, exhausted.

"Hermione!" Harry was kneeling by her side now.

Close up her wounds looked to him worst. He couldn't understand why Ron, no matter the reason, would take the risk to hurt Hermione that severally as the result of his outburst?

"You're bleeding, Harry." She stated weakly as soon as she saw him and touched his face with her hand.

This gesture had such a surprising effect on Harry that he shrunk back. Here she was severely injured yet worried about his well-being. Indeed, when she pulled her hand away from him, it was smeared with blood too.

"We need to get you to the hospital wing. Can you walk?" His voice was rough. Nothing seemed to matter but Hermione.

With difficulty, she stood up, swayed slightly, but Harry was at her side and supported her. Together at a slow pace, they nearly reached the front gate of the castle before her legs gave way again, and she was back on her knees.

"I'm -" She flattered and wet her lips. "I'm sorry, Harry, I shouldn't have thrown myself at you like that yesterday."

Truly aghast, he stared at her. Hermione was practically lying in his arms, and he didn't know what to do.

"Stay with me, Hermione!" Desperately he held her face.

Her eyes turned more glassy by the second.

"Emergency medicine. You need to use magic, Harry!" She fought to remain conscious, but he understood what she tried to tell him.

In his fear, he had forgotten that he was actually a wizard and could wield his wand to stabilise her.

"I carry you." after Harry had cast a few spells, Hermione's eyes were focused again, and the all-consuming panic slowly subsided from him.

"I'm too heavy!" She protested.

"I'm sure magic will help with that too." He replied now in amusement.

The light shone in lines through the large windows and illuminated the dust particles floating across the corridor. From here, it wasn't that far to the room of requirements. Harry hoped to catch Ron before he would reach it. According to the map, he was close.

Harry had left the hospital wing with the excuse he needed to change and perhaps take a shower too. It had worked in him ever since Madame Pomfrey had treated Hermione's injuries. Hermione's arm hadn't been just dislodged but broken also. Severer, however, was the head injury — Skull fracture. Harry had glared at the matron when she announced the diagnosis as if she had gone crazy. A few spells, some nasty potions would do, and everything will be fine again she had told him.

Still, the seed had been planted, and Harry was looking for a confrontation with Ron. What he was doing on this floor, Harry could just guess. After all, the room offered the possibility to get to the little magical village called Hogsmead too.

Just in time, Harry was able to find cover in a branch of the main corridor. Unfortunately, he had left the invisibility cloak back in the headquarters to avoid any inquiring about it by Hermione when he returned into the hospital wing. Now, he could use this incredibly useful item, because Ron had suddenly stopped in front of the room of requirements.

He didn't seem to have any intention to walk three times, as one usually needed to do so they could enter the room through the then appearing door. Instead, Ron just stood there in the corridor and was waiting. By closer inspection, he looked nervous and frustrated. Several times he was gripping his hair while murmuring something under his breath.

Did he feel guilty? If so, why wasn't he in the hospital wing rather than standing here in a deserted corridor? Finally, a door appeared on the wall. Ron wasn't here to escape to Hogsmeade and to get drunk in one of the pubs. Both he and Harry were now starring at the door, anticipating whoever there might step out of the room. At last, a petit figure well covered in a cloak, the hood deep in the face, but Harry assumed it to be a woman, opened the door and stopped in front of Ron. His reaction didn't give anything away until the person greeted him.

"Weasley, I didn't think you would come." Pansy Parkinson's sultry, self-righteous voice was unmistakable.

"You didn't leave me any other choice, now did you? Blackmailing me, really now?" Ron spat.

And again, this two were meeting. Pansy Parkinson was a wanted Death Eater, who was responsible for the death of several Muggles. It had been all over the Daily Prophet, but Harry had chosen to stay away from the coverage. He had decided to return for the seventh year to Hogwarts after all so he could escape the chaos in the magical world and to have one year in peace. Voldemort was defeated. Harry had done the deed. Now others could take care of the rest.

"It worked."

"Just too bad that it won't matter anyway." Ron hollowly laughed. "Tell her everything, if you like, I don't care. She cheated on me with my best friend anyway!"

"Didn't I tell you, she only got eyes for Potter? What do you want from that mudblood, anyhow?"Pansy hissed.

Harry clenched his fists. He couldn't believe what kind of conversation he was overhearing.

"Don't call her that!" Ron warned her half-hearted.

They stood by now closer, more intimate to each other. The body language and their looks were telling. Harry closed bis eyes in disgust. Soon, he heard rustling and how they were making out.

"You've missed me!" Pansy triumphantly sighed.

Fervently Harry hoped they would soon vanish into the room or lay off from another. It was inconceivable Ron had an affair with Pansy.

"Why did you want to see me that badly?" Ron had pushed Pansy against the wall.

"I already told you that yesterday." She replied irritated.

"And I told you that I don't have anything to do with it. Ask Malfoy!" Ron turned in anger away from her and was straightening his clothes.

"I haven't seen him in over a year, Ron! You know that too well." She snapped.

Harry was only relieved that the mood had cooled considerably down between them.

"I can't use this now." Ron muttered and stepped even further away from her.

Perhaps, he realised with whom he had made out.

"Listen to me!" Pansy's voice sounded completely different. "I'm going to turn myself in by tomorrow."

A long silence followed.

"You can't do that! They'll throw you into Azkaban for years!" Ron seemed honestly shocked by her decision.

"I have to, or I'll never have a chance to lead a normal life. For this, I have to know that someone takes care of her, while I'm gone, that she is fine." Tears were running by now over her cheeks.

Harry almost felt sorry for her. Ron, however, made this emotional outburst angry.

"Do what you want, but I won't help you." He shouted and turned to leave.

"Ron, please!" She grabbed his wrist to hold him back.

"Forget it! Look for any other solution!" He shook her rudely off and walked away from her.

For Harry, it was difficult to decipher what this was all about? Minutes went by before Pansy had calmed down and left the corridor again through the room of requirements.