Into Forever

***Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s POV***

“Would you please stop messing with the radio?” Hermione snapped, sitting up on her bunk to glare at Ron, who glared back.

“I want to hear the news,” Ron complained, continuing to turn the dial. The crackling reception set Hermione’s teeth on edge. She got to her feet, making sure not to disturb a sleeping Harry as she made her way over to Ron.

“All you’ll hear is the twisted media that the Dark Lord wants you to hear!” she muttered, reaching to snap off the radio. “What would Dumbledore think-“ Just as her fingers touched the dial, a familiar voice came over the radio.

“Hello all and welcome to the first edition of PotterWatch, brought to you by Sleek Geek, the number-one oil Severus Snape trusts to keep his hair as slimy as a bucket-full of slugs!”

Hermione’s jaw dropped at the same instant Ron cried,

“That’s Lee!”

His exclamation was enough to draw Harry out of his slumber; drowsily, he sat up and asked,

“Wha’?”

“Lee’s on the radio!”

Blinking, Harry hopped down off the bunk and trudged to where Ron and Hermione were gathered around the radio.

“Allow me to introduce ourselves,” Lee said, clearing his throat. “I’m River, your host for this evening. Beside me are my three co-hosts, say hi guys!”

“It’s a pleasure to be here, River,” a new voice said as the three friends cried,

“That’s Kelsey!”

“And it’s great to have you here, Roundie.”

“Roundie?!” Harry burst out, barely able to contain his laughter so they could hear Lee say,

“And right next to Roundie is her aptly-named boyfriend, Rape-her!”

“It’s Rapier,” Fred said exasperatedly, barely heard over the laughter of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

“Keep telling yourself that,” Lee said, then added, “And our final co-host is the charming, irresistible Rape-her look alike, Rodent!”

“Yes, thanks for that wonderful welcome,” George said dryly. “Why do I get to be Rodent?”

“Did you knock up Roundie?” Lee asked. “No? Well then you can’t be Rape-her. It wouldn’t fit.”

“For the last time,” Fred cut in exasperatedly. “It’s Rapier!”

“Anyways,” Lee said, snickering to himself, “Let’s get on with it, shall we?”

“River, I’m sure our listeners out there are wondering, what is PotterWatch?” Kelsey asked; Harry smiled at the sound of her voice as Lee answered,

“We’re the truthful media, the untainted, correctly biased news feed that will keep all you anti-Voldemort witches and wizards armed with the correct knowledge.”

“Well said, River,” Fred praised. “And now, for those family-oriented listeners, I’m proud to inform you that today Roundie here is exactly six months pregnant! Let’s give her a round of applause, folks!”

“Yes, thanks for that Rape-her,” Kelsey said dryly; faintly in the background, a smack was audible, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione burst out laughing.

“Moving on,” George said, clearing his throat. “I’m afraid it’s time for the sad news. The death toll is on the rise. Just recently, Janice and Cartwell Minstell, a lovely wizarding family, were found dead in their apartment. The cause of death was confirmed to be the killing curse. Along with the Minstell family, three more muggles were found killed in western England yesterday morning, also from the killing curse. We ask for a moment of silence to honor those untimely deaths.”

The radio went silent for a second, and the trio bowed their heads.

“On the bright side, we have a few Moldy-Voldy rumors floating around that we’d love to set right for you paranoid folks at home,” Fred said, bringing the station back to life.

“For starters folks, I cannot begin to stress how ridiculous it is that you’re believing the tap water has been laced with the killing curse. Come on, guys, that’s impossible,” Fred urged. There was the sound of clinking glasses, and he said, “Just to prove this point, I’ll drink this glass of water right here, right now!”

Kelsey came on the air and said,

“And there you have it folks, he’s a-okay! Wait, Rape-her? Oh, well, he’s on the floor and going into a seizure, but we’ll call that alright.”

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were laughing so hard they could barely breathe.

“As we draw to the end of this PotterWatch,” Lee cut in, his voice light from laughter, “we want to send a word of luck.”

“Harry, Ron, Hermione,” Kelsey said, catching the trio by surprise. “If you three are listening, and I hope you are, don’t forget you aren’t alone. Especially you, Harry. This is the time to rely on your friends. Trust us to help you out. Stay safe, guys, and keep on keepin’ on.”

“Well said, Roundie. Listeners, that brings us to the end of PotterWatch. WE don’t know when it will be possible to broadcast again, but you can be sure we shall be back. Keep twiddling those dials: the next password will be ‘Tonks’. Keep each other safe: Keep faith. Goodnight.”

The radio dial twirled around a bit, and then the lights behind the tuning pad went out. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were still grinning; hearing the voices of their friends had lifted their spirits higher than they had been in months.

And more importantly, it had added on to Harry’s hope; he had forgotten that other people were resisting Voldemort along side him, and knowing that Kelsey was safe and fighting along with him gave him the strength to carry on.

Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged a smile. They were not alone.