Harry was trying to placate Gwen at lunch that afternoon.
"I just want to run away." She said, the tears threatening to enter her voice. Her mouth was set in a hard line. She pounded her fist on the table. She wanted to rip out her hair. She wanted to scream. She wanted to be free.
Harry gave her his pluckiest smile and said, "It'll be ok." She shook her head. "No it won't. There were a thousand other things I could have done than run down there to tackle them myself. The least I could do was wake a teacher. I didn't think Harry, I just did. And I need to stop that."
"What's the worst that can happen?"
"I can be expelled."
"They wouldn't."
"They might. I endangered another wizard's life."
"He," Harry said emphatically "endangered himself."
"The hearing council might not see it that way. If they don't expel me, they might just suspend me which will delay my license for a year. They may even put me on a kind of probation, bar me from practicing some kinds of magic. I doubt I'll be able to teach now."
"Dumbledore will not let something like this prevent your appointment to the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. You're the first viable candidate since Snape and he really doesn't want Snape in there."
Gwen leaned over, bumping her head on the table top. The others jumped back slightly as she began to repeatedly bang it onto the hard surface. Harry was reminded suddenly of Dobby the house elf. He pulled her up by her shoulders into a sitting position again.
She looked at him surprised. "Harry, why do you do this to yourself?"
"Do what?"
"Put up with me. Take care of me. I've never known anyone with as much patience as you have."
"I told you I was patient." He smiled wryly.