Voldemort knew that you were being moved tonight and the only people who could have

told him were directly involved in the plan. You might have been an impostor."

"So why aren' you checkin' me?" panted Hagrid, still struggling with the door.

"You're half-giant," said Lupin, looking up at Hagrid. "The Polyjuice Potion is

designed for human use only."

"None of the Order would have told Voldemort we were moving tonight," said

Harry. The idea was dreadful to him, he could not believe it of any of them. "Voldemort

only caught up with me toward the end, he didn't know which one I was in the beginning.

If he'd been in on the plan he'd have known from the start I was the one with Hagrid."

"Voldemort caught up with you?" said Lupin sharply. "What happened? How did

you escape?"

Harry explained how the Death Eaters pursuing them had seemed to recognize

Him as the true Harry, how they had abandoned the chase, how they must have

Summoned Voldemort, who had appeared just before he and Hagrid had reached the

sanctuary of Tonks's parents.

"They recognized you? But how? What had you done?"

"I . . ." Harry tried to remember; the whole journey seemed like a blur of panic

and confusion. "I saw Stan Shunpike . . . . You know, the bloke who was the conductor

on the Knight Bus? And I tried to Disarm him instead of – well, he doesn't know what

he's doing, does he? He must be Imperiused!"

Lupin looked aghast.

"Harry, the time for Disarming is past! These people are trying to capture and kill

you! At least Stun if you aren't prepared to kill!"

"We were hundreds of feet up! Stan's not himself, and if I Stunned him and he'd

fallen, he'd have died the same as if I'd used Avada Kedavra! Expelliarmus saved me

from Voldemort two years ago," Harry added defiantly. Lupin was reminding him of the

Sneering Hufflepuff Zacharias Smith, who had jeered at Harry for wanting to teach

Dumbledore's Army how to Disarm.

"Yes, Harry," said Lupin with painful restraint, "and a great number of Death

Eaters witnessed that happening! Forgive me, but it was a very unusual move then, under

The imminent threat of death. Repeating it tonight in front of Death Eaters who either

witnessed or heard about the first occasion was close to suicidal!"

"So you think I should have killed Stan Shunpike?" said Harry angrily.

"Of course not," said Lupin, "but the Death Eaters – frankly, most people! –

would have expected you to attack back! Expelliarmus is a useful spell, Harry, but the

Death Eaters seem to think it is your signature move, and I urge you not to let it become

So!"

Lupin was making Harry feel idiotic, and yet there was still a grain of defiance

Inside him.

"I won't blast people out of my way just because they're there," said Harry, "That's

Voldemort's job."

Lupin's retort was lost: Finally succeeding in squeezing through the door, Hagrid

Staggered to a chair and sat down; it collapsed beneath him. Ignoring his mingled oaths

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 670