"Fuck them," he answered, not giving a damn about the DMLE, or the Ministry, or anything but his best mate. "Harry was an Auror, and look what happened to him? I'm not letting it happen to you."
The reality of it all was hitting so hard that it stung Justin's eyes with tears. "I'm not losing you Ern, you hear that? I lost my Dad, and that's more than enough for me, thank you very much."
He sat down next to where Ernie lay tied up, and rested a hand on his mate's knee. "Remember how bad you felt when Professor Sprout made me go back to classes, and then I got caught by the basilisk?"