Barnaby had done his best to comfort Penny while Sarah was gone, but she was so worried about Talbott that her mind wouldn't settle on anything else. To make matters worse, when Sarah did come back, he could tell she hadn't received good news.
"Did you see Dumbledore?" Penny asked.
Sarah nodded. Her eyes had a far off look, like she was seeing something horrible happening inside her head. "Barnaby, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked.
"Sure." He took her hand as they went back down the stairs, exited the shop, and walked down the lane.
"You okay?" he asked her. She nodded again, but didn't speak until they'd nearly reached the gateway at that marked the end of the village.
"Listen, Barnaby. Dumbledore's gathering people together to try to stop You-Know-Who from getting powerful again. I'm going to help."
"Okay," he said at once. "What do we have to do?"
She held both of his hands, but she wouldn't meet his eyes, choosing to look up at the dark and cloudy sky instead. "That's just it. You can't come with me."
"Yes, I can," he said. "I'll quit my job if I have to."
"Barnaby, the Death Eaters will be looking for you. They'll want to use you to get information out of you. You need to hide somewhere, so you can be safe."
"I don't want to be safe, I want to be with you," he said. His body was so tense he was shaking. He didn't understand what was going on. "If you're going to fight You-Know-Who, then I'm coming with you."
"You-Know-Who can read minds!" she said, stomping her foot in frustration. "I can guard myself against it. You can't. He can use you to get secret information on Dumbledore. It's not worth the risk."
"So teach me," he said. The words were pouring from his mouth before he even knew what they'd be. "Teach me to block him out like you can. I'll learn how."
"Barnaby, you can't. Especially not this quickly. Your mind just," she fumbled for a moment, searching for the right words, "isn't strong enough."
He felt a pang in his chest, as if she'd struck him with a sword. "You mean I'm too stupid."
She grabbed him by the arms, her eyes diving desperately into his. "Barnaby, you're so good at so many things. But you just don't have the ability to defend your mind against Legilimency."
"You've always told me I'm smarter than everyone says I am. You were the only one who always believed in me, no matter what."
Sarah didn't say anything. She was breathing hard now. He could tell she was trying not to cry. He was surprised to feel stinging behind his eyes too, but he held the tears back, stepping in close to touch her face and wipe the tear that had just run down her cheek.
"I learned how to cast a patronus to protect you when the dementors came to Hogwarts. I've dueled multiple people so you could get away. I've always been there to protect you."
She closed her eyes, then stepped away. "Not this time."
"Don't," he said. "Please, don't. I love you."
For an instant, they stood there, watching each other. "It's for the greater good," she whispered.
Then there was a pop, and Sarah was gone.
Barnaby stood there, alone, his body and brain hollow and numb. He must have stood frozen for a long time, as it was pitch dark before he finally had enough feeling in his feet to wander back in the direction of Penny's.
As he meandered down the abandoned streets, he shoved his hands deep in his pockets. He flinched when his fingers felt the wooden box, as if he'd been burned.
Still there.