Gabrielle followed Harry to the back of the crimson Hogwart's Express after bidding a hasty goodbye to the rest of the Delacours. They found an empty compartment at the very back and sat for several moments in silence, Harry fingering his reclaimed holy and phoenix feather wand and Gabrielle staring out the window watching the Platform 9¾ fade into the distance.
The door to their compartment bust open and a tall bushy-haired brunette girl shuffled in followed by a taller, freckled redhead.
The boy looked at Harry quizzically. "Harry? Blimey mate, what happened to you?"
"Uhhh…"
"Ronald! Were you to busy stuffing your face to remember Dumbledore said he doesn't remember anything? Honestly!" The girl said, punching Ron's shoulder.
"Sorry Hermione, just a little shocking seeing your best friend like this," Ron replied motioning to Harry.
"I take it we knew each other?" Harry asked the two.
"Yeah, you could say that," Hermione said, almost bursting into tears, until Ron put an arm around her and pulled her into hug.
"You might as well have a seat," Harry stated. Ron and Hermione sat on the soft bench across from Harry and Gabrielle.
"And I take it you are Harry's…girlfriend?" Ron blurted.
Gabrielle giggled and hid her blush by burying her face in Harry's shoulder.
"I'll say that's a yes?"
Harry nodded in reply. "This is Gabrielle. She's my…bondmate?" He said, looking to Gabrielle for confirmation.
"Oui, eet eez true."
"Veela…" Ron breathed after a short pause.
"Oui, but only quarter." Gabrielle explained before laying her head on Harry shoulder.
"But you said you wanted to know what happened, Dumbledore didn't tell you?"
"Only parts of it mate, said it's up to you if you wanted people to know," Ron replied, looking hopeful.
"I died," he said bluntly.
"That's impossible!" Hermione screamed.
"That doesn't mean much, because up till about a month ago I would have said the same about magic."
"No, that's different," Hermione went on.
"It's not different Hermione, just because you can't explain it. Look at Voldemort, Dumbledore says I've already killed him three times, yet he kept coming back…" Harry started getting heated and Hermione saw it and chose not to comment.
"Dumbledore said that when he went through some memories at the Ministry, they showed that I was hit with a killing curse at the same time that I was caught in the explosion of a Time-Turner, it killed me the present me, and I took over." He saw the confusion in their faces. "I know, I don't really understand it either but that's what happened. Dumbledore said he would show me my memories sometime at Hogwarts."
"How does he have your memories though? I mean…" Ron shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "there is no body."
"He must have got there before it disappeared then."
"Hermione, are you all right?" Harry asked her, seeing the defeated look on her face.
"Well…it's just…"
"Out with it."
"How are you going to defeat You-Know –Who now? At least when he came back last time you knew enough magic to defend yourself," Ron said for her, earning a glare from Hermione.
Harry said nothing and put an arm around Gabrielle and kissed her forehead. "Because I have something that he doesn't," he said after a long awkward pause.
"And what eez zat?" Gabrielle piped in.
"Something worth fighting for."
-HP&PWT-
'Finally, Hogwarts, I already feel like I belong here, like this is my home,' Harry thought as he and Gabrielle climbed into a boat with two other nervous boys.
"Eet eez so big!" Gabrielle cried, as the immense castle came into view at last, bathed in the white light of the moon, giving the turrets and towers a ghostly shadow on the lake.
Harry wasn't ready for Gabrielle this time as she squeezed the air out of his lungs with a vice-like hug. "Excited?" He gasped in between breaths.
"Oui!"
Soon the scraped up on a gravel bank and the first years disembarked and followed Hagrid up a steep slope and into the castles large Entrance Hall. A severe looking woman wearing emerald robes and a tall pointed hat entered the hall and studied them.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, my name is Professor McGonagall. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the great hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The sorting is a very important ceremony because while you are here, your houses will be something like your family within Hogwarts. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you points while any rule-breaking will lose you points. Follow me please."
They followed her through a pair of great wooden doors and let them up to a stool with an old hat sitting on it. "When I call your name, you will come forward and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head.
"Jules, Oliver." Harry recognized the mousy boy as one that was in his boat. "Ravenclaw."
"Delacour, Gabrielle." Harry squeezed her hand as she went up to reassure her. "Gryffindor." The Gryffindor table exploder in applause. Harry watched her receive several high-fives as she took her new place half way down the table. She smiled at Harry who returned it weakly.
"Giles, James!" The other boy in his boat went up. "Slytherin!" The hat screamed after a while. As the Gryffindor table before, the Slytherins burst into applause.
"Potter, Harry…?" McGonagall almost fainted. Harry walked up to the stand and the hat was placed in his head.
'Ah. Mr. Potter? I seem to remember placing you in Gryffindor. What are you doing here? Get to your table!' said a voice in his head. He stood and walked to his place next to Gabrielle after removing the hat. Nobody clapped, nobody shook his hand, and everybody just stared.
The moment was short lived however as the whole of the student body started shouting that he couldn't be Harry Potter. Harry Potter died.
"Silence!" Came Dumbledore's magically magnified voice. "As you can see, strange thing are once again happening at Hogwarts, this time in the form of Mr. Potter returning, seemingly from the dead. Harry Potter did not die that day at the Ministry but it is not my place to say more. If he wishes to tell you what happened that day he may, otherwise…let the feast begin!"
Harry about tumbled off the bench when the golden plates in front of his suddenly filled with mountains of food. He heard Gabrielle gasp next to him.
Harry piled his plate with food of every kind; turkey, potatoes, pudding, and infinite sweets….just to start off.
He saw a silver blur to his left that was Gabrielle's hair whipping around as she spun and drew her wand. She marched over to the Ravenclaw table next to the Gryffindor and stuck her wand under a third year's chin before whispering something in his ear. He nodded vigorously and Gabrielle came and sat at her place like nothing happened.
The first thing Harry did was look to the staff table to see if anybody saw, but either they didn't not just didn't care.
"What was that?" Harry asked Gabrielle.
She turned her head away from her food and gave him an innocent smile. "I 'ave no idea what you are talking about."
"Ok?" He let it go and returned to his food.
-HP&PWT-
"Gryffindors, this way to the common room! Keep up please!" Harry followed Ron and Hermione up several flights of stairs, which took much longer than it should have because the staircases kept moving. They finally made it up the seventh floor, barely dodging Peeves, and to the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Alright midgets-" Ron began, once again getting punched in the shoulder by a fuming Hermione.
"First years, behind this portrait is the Gryffindor Common Room. The password is 'Spiglet.'
The portrait swung open revealing a small opening which they crawled through, entering the cozy room, lit by a warm fire in the corner.
"The girls' dormitory is on the left, boys' on the right. Your things have already been brought up."
Most everybody went straight to the common rooms to get sleep for tomorrows lessons but Harry and Gabrielle sat on the fluffy red couch in front of the small fire. Gabrielle took her usual position and leaned against him, using his shoulder as a pillow.
"Does zis mean zat we cannot share a bed anymore?" Gabrielle asked him.
"I don't think the professors would be too happy if we did."
"Well zen I sink I will get not much sleep," she pouted.
"What do you mean?"
"I am so used to sleeping wiz you zat I will be…thrown off? Oui?"
Harry knew exactly what she was saying because he felt it too. He wanted to spend his whole life as close to this girl as possible. He was getting ready to give her some words of comfort when he realized that she had fallen asleep on him. He couldn't contain his smile. He looked around to see if there was a girl that could take her up to the dormitory but it was later than he thought and the common room was empty except for them. He slowly lay back on the couch careful not to wake Gabrielle.
-HP&PWT-
That's how Hermione found them in the morning. Gabrielle was laying on Harry, using him as a pillow and he had his hands around her waist to keep her from rolling off the couch.
"For good sake Harry, wake up! You'll be late for class!" She said, shaking him and Gabrielle awake. "About time!"
"Harry you have to be more careful, if McGonagall had found you two like you are, you would have had detention for a month, not to mention the points she would have taken," she continued.
Gabrielle started to sob, not because of Hermione's tone but because Hermione was right. This was the last time they could sleep together until school was out. She buried her face in Harry's shoulder and let the tears flow.
"Shhh, it'll be all right," Harry tried to comfort her. "We'll figure something out."
"You really love her, Harry?" Hermione asked sincerely.
"Yes."
"I'll talk with McGonagall and see if she can do anything," she offered.
Before Harry could even say thanks Gabrielle had bolted to Hermione and latched on around Hermione's waist repeating, "Sank you," over and over.
"You better get to breakfast, there's not much time until class starts and firs period is Potions."
Harry and Gabrielle thanked Hermione one last time before heading to the Great Hall. Hermione didn't go to breakfast though; she went to the Transfiguration Room.
They were sitting at their table eating eggs and toast and pondering which class they would like the most when a terrified looking Hufflepuff first year handed Harry a letter and scampered away to her own house table.
"What do you think that was about? She looked like she thought I was going to murder her."
"I 'ave no idea. What eez in ze letter?"
Harry,
I thought that you would like to learn more about yourself, from your own perspective of course. Come to my office as soon as you get this letter and we will go through your memories as I promised. The password is 'Lemon Drop.' I'm sure Mrs. Granger or Mr. Weasley would be delighted to show you where to go.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
"Lucky you 'Arry, you get out of potions. I over'eard some of ze older students talking about 'ow dreadful Professor Snape eez."
"Will you be ok?" Harry asked her.
"I will be fine, go 'Arry, find yourself."
Harry walked down the table to where Ron was sitting and ten minutes later they were standing in front of a stone gargoyle.
"Here you are mate," Ron said, and he left Harry for class.
"Lemon Drop." The gargoyle jumped to the side revealing a staircase. He went up and knocked on the large wooden door at the top.
"Enter, Harry. I am glad you could come," Dumbledore said, opening a cupboard and removing a silver basin, which he carried over and set on his desk. He then grabbed a vial of his desk and poured the silvery glowing contents into the basin. "This is called a pensieve; it will allow you to replay your memories. Everything I pulled from your head is in it at the moment. You could be in there for say…fourteen years and be here for only an hour."
"Where are you going, sir? Harry asked when Dumbledore made for the door.
"These are your memories Harry, some more private than other. I think it best if some things are kept to yourself. I do not wish to invade your privacy," And with that Dumbledore swept from the room leaving Harry to replay the lost five years of his life.
-HP&PWT-
Harry sat in the back of DADA barely paying attention to anything except the anger that he was barely keeping in check. Gabrielle let Harry be and was quietly sitting next to him shooting anxious glances at him.
"Mr. Potter? Are you quite alright?" Moody grumbled.
"I'm fine." Harry said
"Well you don't look like it; maybe you should go to the nurse."
"I said I'm fine!"
"Please sir, 'e just remembered 'is past," Gabrielle helped.
"Yeah well, ten points from Gryffindor for that outburst. Now who can tell me about Dementors?" He asked turning back to the class.
"They're the guardians of Azkaban. They the feed on happy thoughts and suck the soul of you. It's called the Dementor's Kiss. They can be repelled using the Patronus Charm," Harry said immediately.
"Very good, Mr. Potter. Take ten points for Gryffindor. I'd also like to see you after class," Moody told Harry, his magical eye spinning wildly in its socket. "Ms. Delacour, you might as well stay too."
When everybody had left except Moody, Harry, and Gabrielle, Harry asked why they had to stay.
"As you no doubt know by now, You-Know-Who will stop at nothing to kill you, so Dumbledore has asked me to give you combative magic training. Seeing as how you and Ms. Delacour seem to be inseparable it would probably be a good idea to teach her too," Moody explained. "Saturday evening at 6:00 you two will be here with whoever you can convince to join you. Since your DA doesn't seem to care for you anymore, you should try and get a new crowd."
Harry nodded and he and Gabrielle left.
"What eez ze DA?" Gabrielle asked him as soon as they made it back to the common room.
Fred and George took that moment to chime in.
"Well the DA was-"
"A secret organization started by Harry-"
"Last year to fight You-Know-Who."
"Didn't quite end the way we'd hoped because of that toad Umbridge though," Ron added from across the room.
"What brought that up?" Hermione asked from a study desk in the corner.
"Professor Moody told 'Arry 'e needed a new crowd because ze DA non care for 'im anymore," Gabrielle said. Harry really wished she hadn't told them that.
"Of course we care! How could he say that?" Hermione blew up.
"Ha, you've hardly spoke five words since he came back!" Lavender challenged.
Harry stood up sensing the fight to come. "Goodbye." He sprinted from the room and the pursuing Gryffindors.
Soon the most of Gryffindor house was searching Hogwarts for Harry Potter. After searching over four hours they had all come to the same conclusion, 'Harry Potter must be hiding in the Room of Requirement.'
They all sat outside the blank stretch of wall where the door would appear, brainstorming on how to get in.
"It's not 'I need somewhere to hide' or anything along the lines," Said Fred sitting on the floor next to Hermione.
"I know what it is!" Ron came running. "Who wants to bet it's 'I need somewhere to train?'
"Well take those odds!" Fred and George said at the same time. "How's five sickles sound?"
Ron smiled and nodded to the twins before pacing back and forth in front of the wall three times. A door instantly grew in the wall and they all piled in.
"It's the old DA training room!" Seamus said
"It's also five sickles for me!" Ron said in triumph. The twins grudgingly handed over the payment.
Harry worked in a corner casting random spells at a training dummy made to look like a Death Eater, oblivious that thirty people had just entered the room.
"Look at that! He still knows more spells than over half of us!" Somebody said.
Harry turned to a chest and cast an unlocking charm on it. Out of the chest came a boggart dementor. Everybody backed up except Harry who shouted, "Expecto Patronum!" and a bluish/silver shield forced the creature back into the chest which shut and locked. He turned and saw everybody staring wide-eyed and speechless.
"Bloody hell, eleven years old and he could still probably take everybody in this room," Ron said, impressed.
"Yes, quite impressive."
Gabrielle ran forward and jumped on Harry. "Never leave me again 'Arry! I was so worried!"
"What's there to worry about? What could happen in a school?"
"Harry…you realize that every year you've come here you've about died, right?" Hermione stated.
"Moving on. Harry, you've got to realize we're still your best mates. We're just really busy. I mean we're sixth years now; we have N.E.W.T.S. for one, and separate classes." Ron said clapping Harry on the back.
"I know."
"So why's you run out on us?" Dean asked.
"I…I just needed to be alone. I just watched five years of my life and I needed somewhere to go where I could sort it out. I just found out that I lost the most important person in my life and it was all my fault."
"Harry, Sirius wasn't your fault. If it was anybody's fault, it was V-Voldemort's," Hermione said, causing everybody but Harry to flinch.
"So…are you like an adult in a child's body?"
"No. No, I don't feel any different, I just know things. I still feel like eleven year old Harry."
"Who else wants to keep training under Harry this year?" Colin Creevey asked.
Everybody's hand went into the air.
Harry heard a clunking as he was heading back to the common room and went to investigate.
"Potter, I believe this is yours," Moody said, and handed Harry a large piece of parchment, which Harry recognized from his memories as the Marauder's Map.
"Thanks. And Professor, I don't think I'll need those lessons after all."
-To Be Continued-