"Amor animi arbitrio sumitur, non ponitur."
"We choose to love, we do not choose to stop loving."
Chapter 11
The first three weeks of classes flew by quickly and James fell into the rhythm of school. He would spend most of his time with his two best friends (for Nate and Teddy were surely now his best friends) and, surprisingly, Professor Potter. When the castle was still sleeping in the wee hours of the morning, James and Professor Potter would already be up. It's usual for the older man to be seen flying over the Quidditch pitch and James, during his morning walk around the castle grounds, would always come across him. The two would catch up, either talking about how James' classes were going or Quidditch, before they would re-enter the school and go their separate ways to begin their day with the rest of Hogwarts.
James loved his morning chats with the professor. What he had learned from the boys that first day of class didn't colour his opinion of Harry Potter. James was taught by his mum that one's past did not define their present and certainly would not define their futures; and so he chose to approach Harry Potter the same way. To James, Harry Potter wasn't Harry Potter. Professor Potter was witty, smart, and very easy to talk to. He did not make James feel like a child which many adults tend to do. To James, he was simply a professor at Hogwarts who was quickly becoming someone James deeply admired and respected.
It was the third Saturday of September and James was sat on his bed early that morning penning a letter to his mum. It was her 29th birthday and he wanted to send her his love and well wishes. He woke up much earlier than usual since he wanted to get her letter owled as early as possible. Putting on his sweater and shoes, James grabbed his letter and an owl treat for Athena and quietly padded out of the boys' dormitory and towards the owlery.
The hallways were quiet as James made his way to the West Tower where the owlery was located. He glanced at his wristwatch and saw that it was only half past five in the morning. Furthermore, it was a Saturday so there would be no classes for the day. There were no students, professors, or ghosts in the hallways (even Mrs. Norris wasn't in sight) and James revelled in the silence.
The past three weeks had been a whirlwind. His lessons were eye-opening and everyday he's more in awe of what he's being taught. Instead of learning about the Pythagorean theorem in his Maths class (for this was part of the Year 7 curriculum), he's taught how to ride a broom! And speaking of broom, James was surprised at himself for being quite good at riding it. He hadn't expected this, especially since broom-riding didn't even come to mind until he was on the Hogwarts Express. But James' confidence made him quite the figure on the broom. His fellow first years didn't seem to perform well under pressure. When Madam Hooch had asked the Gryffindors to individually fly through the Quidditch hoops and back, many didn't do the task as quickly or as effortlessly as James did. They were scared of being scrutinized by their classmates or of falling off their brooms. On the other hand, James (who spent summers playing England's favourite past time - football), wasn't fazed by the task so he did it effortlessly. He was commended by Madam Hooch and at the end of the lesson she even encouraged him to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
James was still trying to decide if trying out for Quidditch was something he wanted to do. He knew it would be a lot of commitment; with practices to attend and games to play. His classes were already challenging enough (don't even get him started on Potions), that he wondered if he could handle Quidditch on top of all of that. Still, the idea of being part of the Gryffindor Quidditch team pleased him. He wanted to make the most of his time here at Hogwarts, and joining an organized sport (which seemed to be the only sport in the wizarding world, now that he thought about it) was in line with this mission. Nate and Teddy were also very encouraging about trying out and said that if he does it, then they will try out with him.
He decided that he would ask his mum for her opinion on the matter and was relieved that he had included in his letter that he wanted to use the two-way mirror with her later that night. They haven't had the opportunity to communicate via the mirrors yet but they wrote letters to each other frequently.
Finally reaching the West Tower, James made the slow climb to the very top where the owlery was located. Pushing open the wooden doors, James was greeted by chirps and feathers and he quickly made his way to Athena's stoop. His precious bird was still sleeping so he stroked her feathers gently rousing her awake. Her big eyes opened and she looked at him as if judging him for interrupting her slumber. James continued to stroke her feathers and reached into his pocket with his other hand to grab the treat.
"I'm sorry for waking you up early, girl, but it's mum's birthday today. Can you please deliver this letter for me?" James asked, showing Athena the letter and the treat.
The bird begrudgingly shook herself awake and extended a clawed foot to James. James grinned and tied the letter to Athena's leg and gave her the owl treat. The owl hooted and nipped at James fingers to secure her treat. James extended an arm out and Athena hopped onboard.
He led the eagle-owl to the large window carved from the stone wall of the owlery. The hatch was already opened and James was greeted with a view of the Hogwarts grounds with the Forbidden Forest to one side and the Great Lake on the other. No matter how many times James had seen this view, it never failed to make his breath catch. Hogwarts was huge and James marvelled at the many unexplored places he had yet to discover.
"Fly fast, girl," James whispered and Athena hopped off his arm and flew east towards the rising sun. James watched the bird until he could no longer see her over the horizon. Glancing at his watch, he found that it was only ten past 6 and therefore not yet time for breakfast. Deciding that he didn't want to go back to his dormitories, James walked down the North Tower and towards the castle grounds.
Fall had already creeped in and there was a chill in the air as James walked his usual route around the castle. He really wasn't expecting to come across Professor Potter this morning since he had noticed the man would usually sleep in on the weekends, yet there he was on his broom flying over the Quidditch pitch once again. Looking forward to another chat and wanting to ask Professor Potter for his opinion on trying out for Quidditch, James changed his direction and headed towards the Quidditch pitch.
Harry woke up that morning very much aware of the date. If he was to be honest with himself, he really didn't need any waking up since he barely slept a wink that night. It was a Saturday. It was the 19th of September. It was her birthday.
He was tossing and turning the whole night with his head filled with thoughts of Hermione Granger. This always happened around her birthday. For the rest of the year he tried hard to not think about her but he allowed himself this one day to lose himself in memories.
He remembered when they first met on the train. She had always been so smart and he was so thankful (and, truthfully, a little scared) when she whipped out her wand to fix his broken glasses. He had been in awe of her since then but he kept a distance since it was obvious Ron and her didn't get along. That all changed when they saved her from the troll, of course, and he was so grateful that he'd earned a new friend. She proved to be much more than a friend and soon Harry was proud to say that he had two best friends. How lucky was he? They were the Golden Trio that day forward and Harry felt like he truly belonged.
Even though Ron and him had their ups and downs (and Harry learned not to begrudge him for that, they were just teenagers after all), Hermione remained steadfast. She never once turned her back on him. When everyone else, even Ron, doubted him and questioned him, she remained loyal. He wouldn't have survived the Triwizard Tournament without her in fourth year, of that he was certain. He wouldn't have patched things up with Ron without her either. And he definitely would not have made it through the Forest of Dean if not for her.
The Forest of Dean. That was something Harry tried so hard to forget but failed. It was the most distraught, then confused, and finally happiest Harry had ever been and he didn't know how to handle it. When he and Hermione made love that night, it was as if all the wrongs in the world had suddenly been made right. He felt stronger, self-assured, and more hopeful than he had ever been. When he was with her that night, he truly felt like he could win against Voldemort. Because how could he not, with this beautiful and smart witch by his side?
He saw Hermione in a new light that night and he had regretted it ever since that they never got to talk about it afterwards. The realities of their world came rushing back and the conversation about the night kept getting pushed back. Ron rejoined their team. They destroyed the remaining Horcruxes. The Battle of Hogwarts. The Defeat. The feast after The Defeat. And then… she was just gone.
It still hurt Harry to this day when he remembered finding her empty bedroom. She had left the feast early the night before citing a stomach ache and when Harry offered to take her back to her bedroom she had refused. She gave him and Ron kisses on the cheek, waved at their friends, and bid them all good night before exiting the Great Hall. He made a mental note to bring her some pepper-up potion the following morning before turning his attention back to the celebration.
The morning of May 10th 1998, Harry knocked on Hermione's door with the potion in hand. There was no reply so he waited patiently outside for a few ticks before knocking again. Still, there was no reply. Harry decided that he would just leave the potion next to Hermione's bed so that she can take it when she woke up. He gently twisted the door handle and entered the room to find her bed made and empty. Realizing that she probably had woken up already (for she's an early riser, that Hermione), Harry made his way to the Great Hall expecting to see her having breakfast. She also wasn't there. Next he made his way to the Library, then to the Hospital Wing, the Owlery, Hagrid's Hut, the Lake, and everywhere else she could possibly be while asking everyone he came across if they had seen her. The panic and the dread had spread over his entire system when it was lunchtime and still he didn't catch a glimpse of his best friend. By now, all of the Weasleys, Sirius, Remus, the professors, and his friends have been alerted to look out for the brown eyed witch. Maybe she had hurt herself somewhere in the grounds and was unconscious. Or maybe someone had taken her. For the whole day everyone looked for Hermione Granger with Harry Potter commanding the operation around the castle.
When the whole castle had been combed but still there was no trace of her, they expanded their search to the Hogwarts grounds and beyond. No inch of the Forbidden Forest was left untouched and the merfolk in the Great Lake was commissioned to help with the search. Then they moved on to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, and Harry made the tough decision to alert the wizarding world of the missing witch.
The Daily Prophet and The Quibbler ran front page articles about Hermione Granger's disappearance. They detailed the events (with The Quibbler sticking to the facts and The Prophet adding its usual flourishes) and soon everyone in the wizarding world knew to look out for Hermione Granger. Her smiling face dominated the front page with moving clips of Harry's worried countenance peppering the article. No tables were left unturned and yet, no one found her.
Days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months. Harry never gave up on his search but it seemed like the rest of the world did. While Ron and his friends didn't say anything to him, he could see it on their faces. They had accepted that Hermione was gone and they were all thinking that Harry should too.
Soon after his 18th birthday, Minister Shacklebolt asked him to join the Aurors. He jumped at the opportunity. If he was being honest with himself, he thought that being an Auror would give him more power to continue his search for Hermione. And it did, but he still was unable to find her. For even while he had easy access to Ministry records, hospital records, and could consult a network of spies the Ministry had in place worldwide, Hermione Granger remained lost. The last sighting of her was at the Great Hall that night. It was as if she left the Great Hall and just disappeared into thin air.
Harry tried to move on, if moving on meant burying himself with work. He was at the Ministry before the sun rose and after it set, pouring over case materials and planning field missions. If he wasn't at the Ministry, then he was out on the field chasing the next dark wizard and disposing of them. Ron and his friends thought that he was burying himself in work because he didn't have someone special. He and Ginny had tried to date after The Defeat, and they tried to make it work for a while, but it didn't go anywhere for he was too consumed with Hermione's disappearance. Now that he was consumed with his work, Ron (and even Ginny, for she accepted their breakup quite maturely) tried to set him up with many different witches. And those didn't go anywhere either. They were either too clingy or too star struck. They didn't want to date him, they wanted to date the Harry Potter. They also didn't understand how important his work and his obligations were too him. They couldn't handle his long disappearances and secretive work. He couldn't blame them though for he wasn't invested in those "relationships" either. Perhaps that was why he didn't bother trying to change his ways for them. Because, at the end of the day, he thought that they weren't enough.
They weren't Hermione Granger.
Yes, that's right. Harry Potter, years after she was gone, realized that he was in love with Hermione Granger.
It was during a field mission when he realized this, whilst he was out tracking a witch in South America. His latest girlfriend had ended their relationship right before he left for the mission but he didn't feel any pain or sadness. If anything, he felt relieved that he didn't have to think about her or worry about her anymore. And he questioned why he felt that. She was fun, yes, but he found her to be too scatterbrained. She would also stroke his arm too much while they were talking and the subject of their conversations never had a lot of meaning. He couldn't imagine a future with her, and shouldn't that be the ultimate point of dating? For him it was, since Harry only ever wanted a family of his own. If he truly and honestly couldn't see himself having a family with this witch, then why continue with the relationship? And so he accepted the "breakup" with a nod of his head and a kiss goodbye, and that was it.
And then he did the same exercise with all of his past girlfriends all the way back to Ginny. It was harder for Harry to formulate why he found it right that he and Ginny broke up. All of his friends certainly thought that they were going to be together. Even the wizarding world had their nose in on the Potter-Weasley love affair. Merlin knew that Mrs. Weasley was basically already planning their wedding. Harry knew it also wasn't entirely because of Hermione's disappearance. Ginny was so supportive during that ordeal that he truly felt like an ass for putting her through his moods and anger. Hermione's disappearance might have been the straw that broke the proverbial's camel's back, but it certainly wasn't the cause.
Harry couldn't picture himself with Ginny in the future and he truly wondered why. She was beautiful, she loved Quidditch, and she truly cared for him, maybe even loved him. He considered her family as his own. So why then could he not picture her as future Mrs. Potter?
So he thought to do the next best thing which was to picture who he could see as his future partner and was almost knocked off his feet when the image started to form in his head. He imagined someone who understood him; truly understood him. He imagined someone who had a strong will able to withstand his outbursts and calm his temper. He imagined someone smart, focused, and driven. He imagined someone dependable and trustworthy. He pictured calm chocolate brown eyes and a warm smile. He pictured home. He saw Hermione.
Harry angled his broom downwards and slowed his pace. He had noticed James Watson making his way towards the field from above and Harry thought it would be a good time for a chat so he would stop wallowing in his thoughts. It was barely past 6am and already he needed a distraction.
And James, Harry was glad to admit, was very good company. The young boy was smart and so comfortable around Harry that Harry always found himself enjoying their conversations. He touched down on the ground and James approached him with a grin and a wave.
"Good morning Professor Potter!" The boy said in greeting.
Harry dismounted his Stormbreaker and returned his wave. "Good morning James! You're up early, I see."
James walked towards an oak tree lining the side of the pitch and took a seat on the grass. Harry followed his lead and sat down underneath the tree as well next to the boy. He laid his broom to the side and extended his legs in a stretch.
"I wanted Athena to deliver a letter early for me. It's my mum's birthday today!" James exclaimed. Harry found himself smiling. From the conversations he and James had previously, it was clear to him that this boy was devoted to his mother. James' "mum" would sometimes come up in conversations (like "Mum taught me this spell," or "Mum's not a fan of flying") that it became very obvious to Harry she and the boy were very close. And Harry didn't mind this at all, for he wished he had a "mum" to talk about when he was in school. Harry figured a dad wasn't in the picture since James never spoke of him before.
"I'm sure she'll appreciate waking up to your letter," Harry replied.
"Thanks, Professor!" James chirped. "Say, Professor. What do you think about joining the Quidditch team in first year? Madame Hooch is encouraging me to try out for the Gryffindor team but I'm not too sure what to do..."
Harry's eyebrows rose on his forehead in surprise. He'd heard from James before that his flying classes were going better than what he expected but this was the first time he's hearing of James being told to try out for the Quidditch team. "I think that's excellent! Madame Hooch wouldn't have said that lightly so I'm sure she truly believes that you've got a shot in making it on the team!"
"But I'm only a first year though. What if I do make it on the team and can't handle all of my responsibilities? Schoolwork comes first, of course, but then there will be Quidditch practices and games and I'm scared I won't be able to handle both." James said with his eyebrows knitting in worry.
"James," Harry started. "I was in the Gryffindor Quidditch team when I was in first year and Merlin knows I did not have my shi- er, stuff together as much as you back then," Harry said. James turned to look at him and he continued. "Trust me when I say that you'll be fine. Quidditch was one of the best things that ever happened to me and it made my years at Hogwarts so much better. Besides, Nate and Teddy will be there to help you along the way - I'm sure of it."
"How was your first year like, Professor Potter?" James asked.
Harry smiled as he recalled his younger days. "It was difficult at first - I must admit - but it got better. I had no idea I was magical until Hagrid came and got me on my eleventh birthday. The whole thing felt so surreal and it didn't start to sink in until I was on the train to Hogwarts. Then I met my best friends, and I had my very first flying class. Malfoy - we work together now, but he was a knob back then - took a friend's remembrall and threw it across the field during class. I didn't know what I was thinking, but I knew I didn't want Malfoy to win. So I mounted my broom and zoomed across the field to get the remembrall before it fell," Harry said. "And James, being on that broom and catching that remembrall was one of the best feelings I've ever felt." He grinned at the boy listening so attentively. "And then Professor McGonagall came down to the class and told me she needed to speak to me. I thought I was in trouble. Everyone thought I was in trouble. But she took me to see Wood since she wanted me to play Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team!"
"Wow!" James exclaimed. "Did you know what Quidditch was before then?"
Harry laughed. "No! Wood had to explain to me the whole mechanics of the game. I was very hesitant to join the team until one of my best friends told me that my father used to play too," Harry said, his eyes softening. "They - my parents - were killed when I was a baby and I grew up not knowing a lot about them. But when I found out that my dad was in the Gryffindor Quidditch team, I knew I wanted to do it since it would be something he and I would share."
James nodded his head in understanding and thought that if he was put in Professor Potter's position he would do the same.
"The game made me feel closer to him. Being on a broom made me feel closer to him. His name was James too, you know. James Potter." Harry said with a smile to the listening boy. "He was a Gryffindor Chaser! My godfather said that he absolutely loved Quidditch."
James bit his lip before responding. "I wish I knew my dad, or at least know what he's like."
Harry's eyes softened at the remark. This was the first time James had ever mentioned his father. "If you ever need to talk about it to someone, James, you know I'm here."
James nodded and smiled at the professor. "I know, Professor. Thank you."
"Anytime."
James spent the remainder of his Saturday after breakfast with Nate and Teddy in the Gryffindor common room working on their Potions essay. Professor Snape, though he had certainly become more fair and less bias towards his own house, was still known to give out long and difficult school work. This week's homework was five rolls of parchment on the Forgetfulness Potion which was their first major assignment in class.
James was currently in the Great Hall side-by-side with Nate and Teddy as they ate their supper. He had gotten an owl back from his mum during lunch and the two had made plans to talk via mirrors at 7:30pm that night. This was right in the middle of dinner in the Great Hall and James wanted the Gryffindor dormitory empty so he could use the mirror.
Glancing at his watch and noticing the time, James quickly scarfed down the remaining of his supper and bid a hasty goodbye to Nate and Teddy. He walked quickly through the Hogwarts halls and into the Gryffindor common room, up to his dormitory, and sat on his bed.
It was exactly 7:29pm when he removed his two-way mirror from the depths of his trunk. Grasping it carefully in his hands, he looked at the mirror and whispered his mum's name, "Hermione."
For a second nothing happened, but then his reflection on the mirror started to disappear to be replaced by a hazy white background. And then his mum's smiling face appeared in the mirror.
"Mum!" James exclaimed in glee. "Happy birthday!"
Hermione let out a laugh from the other side and brushed a stray curl from her cheek. "Thanks, baby. And thank you for the letter. It was a great way to wake up this morning!"
"How are you mum?! I miss you. What did you do today?" James rattled off excitedly.
"I miss you too, love! Remember my new friend, Rose?" Hermione asked. James nodded. His mum had written to him about the lady she met after dropping him off at King's Cross on the first day of school. "She took me out for a girl's day - we had lunch and went shopping afterwards! We had a day out in London and it was a lot of fun."
James smiled widely at his mum's enthusiasm. "I'm glad you had good day, mum!"
"Thanks love. How is school? How are your classes?" Hermione asked.
"My classes are so cool! Defence Against the Dark Arts is definitely my favourite class. Professor Potter taught us how to make red sparks this week!" James chatted excitedly.
Hermione's eyes clouded a bit and she forced to maintain the smile on her face as he spoke about his DADA class. It pained her to keep this hidden from her son but she knew that telling him about his father over two-way mirrors would not be right. She couldn't help but anticipate and dread for the Christmas holidays when all would finally be revealed.
"... Teddy managed to make red sparks too, but Nate, for whatever reason, ended up singing his eyebrows! It was hilarious! Do you remember Teddy and Nate from my letters, mum?" James continued his excited chatter.
Hermione definitely remembered who Nate and Teddy were from her son's letters since he wrote about them a lot. James told her that they were his new best friends. He described Nate as funny and boisterous but very kind and protective of his friends. Teddy was described as sarcastic, witty, and very bright in his classes. James only had good things to say about the two and Hermione was glad that he had made friends so quickly.
"I definitely do, baby. How are they doing?"
"They're great! By the way… I think of all three of us are going to try out for Quidditch."
"Quidditch?" Hermione asked, her eyebrows raising. "You're going to try out for Quidditch?"
James nodded eagerly. "Yeah. Madam Hooch said that I'm very good on the broom and that I should try! What do you think of it mum? I really like Quidditch and flying but I'm scared and I don't want to do badly in my classes because of it. I don't wanna disappoint you, mum." James confessed as he bit his lip.
Hermione's heart swelled at James' statement. "Love, you will never disappoint me. I can tell that you like Quidditch a lot so you should try out! I trust you, baby. I know you won't let your classes suffer because of it."
A smile lit up James' face at his mum's encouragement. It was the last push he needed to hear to fully commit to trying out for Quidditch. Immediately his mind spun as he made a note to ask Madame Hooch to borrow school brooms to practice as much as he could before the tryouts next weekend.
"Thanks, mum! I'll try out for Quidditch then. And I promise I won't let it affect my schoolwork if I do make it to the team. You're the best!"
Hermione smiled through the mirror and James launched on a retelling of his first month at Hogwarts. Hermione listened attentively, adding "Uhuh"s and "I see"s throughout James' story. She had missed her son so much. His letters, while they come often, could not appease the longing she felt for his presence daily.
"Baby, I can't wait for you to come home for Christmas holidays. I miss you so much!" Hermione said when there was a pause in their conversation.
James nodded enthusiastically. "I can't wait too, mum! Is it okay if Nate and Teddy come over our house one day for the holidays? I'd really like to show them Muggle London! Nate's family lives in London but I think he's only been to the magical parts while Teddy's from Liverpool! It'll be cool to show them our Christmas traditions like skating at Somerset and the holiday markets!"
Hermione grinned. "Of course, love. I'd love to meet your friends. If their parents are okay with it then your friends can have a sleepover."
"Thanks mum!"
Hermione bit her lip and considered if she should tell James about the important conversation they were to have over the Christmas holidays about his father. But looking at his shining face filling up the screen of her mirror, Hermione reconsidered. Now was not the time and alluding to the conversation but not telling him fully wouldn't be right. "Christmas can't come sooner, love. I really miss having you home," Hermione said honestly.
James gave her a shining grin from the other side of the mirror. "Soon, mum! We'll have the best holidays ever!"
Hermione could only hope that that would be true.
Harry was in his chambers preparing a lesson plan for the following week when a silver hummingbird flew through his closed door and hovered over his desk. It wasn't the actual animal but a corporeal patronus used by the Gryphons to signal that a message needed to be relayed. He told his team that if they ever needed to contact him outside of their bi-weekly scheduled floo meetings then they should send the hummingbird. Seeing as he just spoke to his team last week, this hummingbird came unexpectedly.
Harry immediately rose from his desk and walked to the fireplace which Professor Dumbledore had specially installed for cases such as this. No sooner after he situated himself in front of the fireplace did he see Remus Lupin's head emerge from the flames.
Remus was Harry's second-in-command and had taken over most of the work while Harry's on his "extended holiday". He's Harry's main source of all things Ministry and Auror related while at Hogwarts.
"Remus," Harry said in greeting. "What's going on?"
The fiery head of Remus Lupin crackled and sparked in the fireplace. "Harry," he began. "Our contacts in North America have reported signs of dark magic in New York this morning."
Harry's brows furrowed at Remus' statement. Magic, light or dark, if used inappropriately in Muggle communities could risk the exposure of the wizarding world. It's especially alarming that Remus mentioned it was dark magic. "Dark magic? What kind of dark magic?"
Through the flames Harry could see Remus frown. "That's the thing, Harry. Some of the traces left weren't from just simple spells. They're something we haven't seen before, but the residual aura mimics that of the Unforgivable Curses. The MACUSA thought to alert us since they haven't seen anything like it before either."
Harry's mouth formed into a line as he processed the information. Spells and curses leave a trace after casting. Simple spells like Accio or Lumos leave a trace so inconsequential since the amount of magic required to perform them, in the grand scale of things, was very little. Spells requiring more concentration, more thought, and more magic to cast leave larger traces. To go hand in hand with traces, which tells of the amount of magic cast, are auras. Auras identify the type of magic that was cast. Most spells were varying shades of grey, but dark spells like the Unforgivable Curses which can only be cast when the intent to do harm was present, leave very dark auras. Feelings of dread, discomfort, and unhappiness can immediately be felt after entering the vicinity where this spell was cast. What Remus stated meant that someone had casted a spell so dark and so powerful to leave such a trace and aura behind.
"Where did this happen?"
"The Met."
Harry cursed. Someone in New York City was performing very dark and unknown magic in a Muggle-rich area.
"Any casualties?"
"Not that we're aware of."
"Send people from our team immediately to liaise with the MACUSA agents. Include Malfoy on the team. Maybe he would be able to tell us what spell was cast after he surveys the scene." Harry instructed. It had surprised everyone when Draco Malfoy, after The Defeat, decided to join the Aurors. It was difficult for him to find employment after the war since the Malfoy name had been stripped of its former glory when the acts of his father were made clear. Trenton Winchester took pity on the young man and offered him a position in the Auror academy. Draco, very much like Harry, worked himself from the ground up until he earned the reputation of being a keen researcher and analyst. Harry took him in as part of the Gryphons at the team's infancy and he and Harry had worked closely since. Now, not only was Draco Malfoy an integral part of the team but he and Harry, despite all odds and their very difficult history, became good friends.
"I was already planning on it. I'll send Adams and Cheng along with Malfoy. Hopefully we'll get to the bottom of it. I don't like this one bit, Harry," Remus said with a grimace.
Harry nodded his head in assent. "Keep me updated. Find out who is casting this dark magic and what spell they're using. Once we know the why, I want this matter taken care of cleanly."
"Got it."
"I'll talk to you later, Remus. Take care."
"Always. Goodbye, Harry."
At his words, the flaming bust of Remus Lupin disappeared from the fireplace until only crackling embers were left behind. Harry leaned back on his chair and laid his head on his hand. He wanted to be out there. He wanted to be the one to go to New York and see for himself the trace left behind by this spell. For the first time since he got back at Hogwarts, Harry felt trapped. He wanted to be with his team and it did not sit him with him well that he couldn't.
However, he couldn't physically do anything for the Gryphons right now and he had new commitments to take care of. So, with that uncomfortable thought in mind, Harry tried to turn his attention back to the class notes he was making for his next lesson. But try as he might, he couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that something much bigger was starting to unfold.
Author's Note: Oooh things are happening! I'm excited for you to see what I have in store in the secondary plot line that is now unfolding. I apologize for the late-ish update on this one but I was away for about 2 weeks and could not write/edit during that time! I'm super excited to be back! I am also re-reading the Harry Potter series via Audible and it's given me so much more inspiration for this story!
Side note: I watched Fantastic Beasts and the Crimes of Grindelwald on its opening night and liked it a lot! What did you think of the movie? I preferred the first one since it was more of a complete story and this one left us HANGING. What did you think of that reveal?!
Cheers, and see you soon!
