After the excitement and drama of the Heir's final message-not to mention, the petrification victims finally waking up-the End of the Year Feast felt almost anticlimactic. Hufflepuff was awarded the Quidditch Cup while Ravenclaw concluded a tight race by winning the House Cup.

As for the Heir and his monster, all any of the victims reported was a bright flash of yellow so the Heir's true identity was still a mystery. However, for once, it was a mystery the students seemed happy enough to abandon if it meant there were no more petrifications. Even Matsukawa and Hanamaki seemed slightly relieved to finally end their betting pool.

Talk of shutting the school down had, likewise, tapered off with every day without a petrification and every former victim that rejoined their classmates. With the mysterious and unexplained return of the Sorting Hat, Hogwarts seemed set to continue next year as planned.

All in all, it was a surprisingly normal end to what was a very abnormal year.

Hinata smiled, happily grabbing another roll from the feast.

Across from him, Kenma narrowed his eyes. "I don't want to know."

"Wha do vou wean," Hinata asked, mouth still full.

"However you were involved and whatever you did to stop the Heir," Kenma said, "I don't want to know."

Hinata swallowed. "Why do you think I did anything?"

"Because I know you," Kenma answered, sighing heavily. "Plus, Kuroo came back to the dorm a few nights ago with way too many bruises for Quidditch. Just tell me: Is everyone safe?"

Hinata exchanged a look with Kageyama and Yachi.

"Yes, everyone's okay now," Yachi admitted.

Kenma nodded. "And is the Heir really gone?"

Hinata hesitated. "Um, well, I really don't think petrifications are going to be a problem anymore."

Kenma gave him an assessing look that made Hinata kind of feel like his friend could look straight into his mind.

Finally, Kenma nodded again and the intensity folded back in until only the quiet, unassuming Ravenclaw remained.

"Good," Kenma said softly.

Around them, the students laughed, gossiped, and joked and everything was once again back to normal. Or at least as normal as Hogwarts could ever be.

ooooooo

"Um, Oikawa," Bokuto said cautiously. "Isn't that your girlfriend over there making out with Takeuchi from Ravenclaw."

"Huh," Oikawa barely looked up from the parchment. "Oh, yeah, apparently he helped her through her 'bereavement' while I was petrified."

Oikawa finished the statement with a pronounced eye roll before going back to reading.

"That's terrible." Suga frowned. "Are you okay?"

Oikawa snorted. "We went on two moderately okay-ish dates. I think I'll survive without her."

"Good," Iwaizumi muttered darkly.

This time Oikawa did look up. "Oh, what's the matter, Iwa-chan? Something got you annoyed?"

Iwaizumi shrugged. "She was irritating."

"Jealous, Iwa-chan?" Oikawa smiled with a particular spark in his eyes.

Iwaizumi just looked confused. "Of what?"

"What indeed," Oikawa mumbled but let the conversation drop, turning to Suga with a bright smile. "Anyway, if we're talking about anyone's love life, I think it should be Suga's? How's things with your not-so-damsel in distress?"

Suga blushed, smiling softly. "I gave him my floo address. We're going out for ice cream at Foretescue's once break starts."

Kuroo elbowed him, waggling his eyebrows. "Look at that, defeated the monster and got the guy. Oikawa's right, you're a regular knight in shining armor, Suga."

Suga swatted his elbow away, grinning. "If anyone's the knight, it's Iwaizumi. Pick on him."

"Traitor," Iwaizumi shot back as both Kuroo and Bokuto turned to him with gleeful smirks already present.

Before they could say anything, Iwaizumi was temporarily saved by someone approaching their table.

"Hinata!" Bokuto boomed, shooting up to hug the younger boy while Oikawa gave him a nod.

"Hey," Hinata said, slightly subdued and almost nervous. "Um, can I talk to Suga for a second?"

"Me," Suga asked and then Oikawa was pushing him towards Hinata.

"Take him," Oikawa said before turning to address Suga. "He's been looking for you since yesterday."

Suga frowned, feeling more confused, but something in Hinata's shoulders at slightly relaxed at word that he was coming so Suga withheld the questions and followed Hinata out the Great Hall and down to an empty classroom.

"Could you, ah, do the whole silencing charm thing," Hinata asked. "I gotta talk to you about...um, something with your family."

Suga stopped, barely suppressing a wince, but complied with the instruction-casting one of the most powerful privacy charms he knew.

Only when he finished, did he turn back to Hinata. "My family?"

Hinata pulled out a diary. "Yeah, I-I wanted to give this back to you."

Suga took it, holding it carefully as someone else might hold a viper.

"This was my grandfather's diary," Suga told Hinata, quietly. "He gave it to me before he died."

"I know," Hinata said. "I read it."

Suga froze. "You...you what?"

"I'm sorry," Hinata said. "I didn't know it was yours. I don't know if that's like a breach of privacy or something. I know it has all those security charms on it. But Kenma said I accidentally broke through them and...and then Hisa-your grandfather mentioned he was the Heir and I thought it could help with the petrifications and so I kept reading and...and…and then I found out everything and…"

Hinata broke off, wiping at his eyes. "And, Suga, it was so sad and there's not even anything I can do to help it because…because everything's already happened."

Hinata was breathing quickly, tears running down his face, and Suga pushed aside his own questions, reaching out and wrapping the younger boy in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry," Suga whispered and Hinata held on tighter. "I know it had to be awful. Watching all of that."

"It was," Hinata said. "It was terrible."

Suga sighed. "My grandfather was a terrible man. That's why I choose never to read his diary."

Hinata stiffened, pulling back abruptly. "You've...you've never read it?"

Suga shook his head, smiling without humor. "Never needed to. If I want to know more about my family's atrocities, all I need to do is open a newspaper."

Hinata was shaking his head. "No, Suga, you have to read it. You have to. You need to see."

"Hinata, trust me," Suga grimaced, "I know exactly what kind of man my grandfather was. I don't need to witness it firsthand to see that he was a monster."

"You do, though" Hinata insisted, tone increasingly desperate. "Suga, you don't understand."

"I do," Suga promised him. "Hinata, it's okay. I understand. When I was five years old, I thought my grandfather was the greatest wizard alive. It took me years to learn how much of a monster he truly was. It was a hard thing to realize. I can't imagine what it was like to see it through his own memories. It had to be terrible"

"Suga, no," Hinata said, wiping away the last tears. "I'm not upset because your grandfather was a monster. I'm upset because he didn't have to be. Because he wasn't always one."

Suga stopped, hands still reaching out to comfort Hinata while his next words died on his tongue.

Hinata stared back at him. "But he became a monster anyway. And that's sad. That's terrible. Because he thought...they both thought they were making the world better and all they did is make it so, so much worse."

Hinata shook his head. "Suga, you really need to read the diary."

"Hinata," Suga tried again.

"Please," Hinata pleaded. "Please, promise me you will."

The diary clenched in his hands while Suga regarded Hinata, face still tear stained but eyes stubborn. Hinata didn't look like he was giving up anytime soon.

Finally, Suga broke the stare, pulling his bag up and making a show of putting the diary safely within it. Hinata's shoulders dropped, his entire frame relaxing as he gave Suga a small smile.

"Thanks, Suga."

Suga nodded. "Are you alright, Hinata?"

Hinata tilted his head, almost confused. "Hmm, oh yeah, I'm fine." The look turned rueful. "Or I guess, I will be fine, you know? Don't worry about me, the diary just….made me realize a few things."

"I can imagine," Suga said neutrally.

"Yeah…" Hinata's eyes slowly grew warm. "I'm just really, really grateful for my friends."

And that at least Suga understood.

He reached out, ruffling Hinata's hair. "So am I."

Hinata smiled, a pure kind of brightness that caught somewhere in Suga's chest.

"Yachi wanted us to pack tonight so we won't be late for the train," Hinata said, casting a glance back at the clock. "I should probably go."

With a flick of his wand, Suga cancelled the privacy charms and watched as Hinata threw a final wave before heading down the hall.

Suga watched him go. As he disappeared from view, Suga took out the diary again.

Frowning, he turned it in his hands and muttered a quick spell detection charm, his frown only deepening when the diary turned a bright, bright blue. The protection charms were still in place. Judging by the color, they were even in full force.

The Noroi family had always been paranoid about privacy. From all of Suga's experience, their protection charms didn't have holes in them. If someone outside of the family wished to view the diary, the innate amount of magic it would take to get passed the barriers should be borderline impossible.

Suga ran a finger down the diary. Exactly how powerful is Hinata?

"Well, that's a serious expression."

Suga turned and smiled.

"And that's a significantly less serious one," Daichi said, smiling back. "Everything okay?"

"Just talking to Hinata," Suga said, moving closer until he could feel the warmth from Daichi's body and his shoulders finally started to relax.

The change in posture didn't escape Daichi's notice. "Everything okay with Hinata?"

Suga paused. "I think he was just worried."

"Should he be," Daichi asked, simple curiosity and concern without the slightest hint of accusation.

Suga looked down at the diary, considering, and Daichi followed his gaze in confusion. And under Daichi's stare, the diary seemed to weigh heavier in Suga's hands. Another remainder of what Suga wanted to put behind him.

Daichi was opening his mouth to ask and Suga spoke before he could.

"No," Suga said, quickly shoving the diary down in his bag. "Hinata was upset over something old that's impossible to change. He'll be fine soon."

Hinata wasn't the type to let things hold him down for long, even whatever he'd learned in the diary. That at least Suga was certain about.

"So," Suga said, adopting a lighter tone and reaching out to Daichi with his now free hands, "what brings you out to these neck of the halls."

Daichi laughed, reaching back to hold Suga's hands. "The ones right by the Great Hall, you mean?"

"Exactly."

"I was heading down to meet the others," Daichi told him, "but I don't think they'll mind waiting a bit."

Suga bumped into him. "Not too long. They'll worry."

"They have the map." Daichi paused before shrugging. "Knowing them, Noya's still trying to get them to come up with a name."

"A name?"

"Apparently, Noya thinks we need something better to call ourselves than 'six Gryffindors and a Slytherin.'"

"It is a bit long." Suga admitted.

"But accurate," Daichi protested playfully. "Friend groups don't need names."

Suga hummed, not commenting.

"Right, Suga?"

Suga motioned zipping his lips.

Daichi narrowed his eyes. "You don't?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You guys-Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Kuroo, Bokuto, and you-you can't tell me you actually have a name?"

Suga grinned.

"You do," Daichi accused. "Come on, what is it?"

Suga laughed. "If we did happen to have one, I'm not sure I could tell someone who doesn't believe in them. If we did and all that."

"Now, you've gotta tell me."

Suga leaned against him. "Maybe if you got one of your own."

Daichi rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. I know when I've lost. What kind of name, then? I'd call them 'Troublemakers' if it wouldn't just give them ideas."

Suga laughed again. "True."

"What do you think," Daichi bumped his shoulder into Suga.

Suga tilted his head in consideration before smiling.

"You've got something," Daichi asked.

Suga nodded. "How about…"

ooooooo

The train whistle broke through the early morning air, startling Kageyama into a yawn. Yachi looked at him in commiseration as he leaned heavily against the train window.

Meanwhile, Hinata, as the only true morning person in the compartment, grinned brightly.

"I can't believe this is the last time we'll see Hogwarts for an entire summer."

"And all the teachers left us to remember it with is the boring summer assignments," Lev groaned, poking at the parchments in the bag as if they were a particularly hideous bug.

Kenma raised an eyebrow. "You're going to do them last minute again, aren't you?"

"Why ruin tradition," Lev asked, blinking innocently.

Yachi shook her head. "Yaku's really is going to kill you one day." .

"Yeah, probably," Lev agreed, entirely too fond.

"So," Hinata said, turning away from the window, "who do you thinks going to teach Defense next year?"

"Poor Mananda" Yachi sighed. "I heard he resigned almost immediately after he woke up."

"Good," Kageyama muttered, half-asleep.

Lev nodded in agreement only to get elbowed by Kenma. "Hey, he said it first!"

"Professor Nekomata mentioned they're already looking at someone," Kenma said, utterly ignoring Lev.

Yachi hummed. "Apparently they started looking right after Mananda got petrified."

"Oh, right," Lev said. "I heard from some of the older years, the guy's like a top curse breaker or something."

Hinata's eyes went wide. "That's so cool!"

"Can't be any worse," was Kageyama's less than enthusiastic response.

That set Yachi was off, discussing possibilities and the hypothetical professor's probable expertise with Lev shouting whenever she hit a particularly exciting one and Kenma offering his own softer contributions. Next to Hinata, Kageyama had already fallen back into a light doze by the window.

Hinata leaned back, for once, just quietly observing his friends while feeling utterly and completely warm.

This was exactly where he belonged.

ooooooo

"Really," Tsukishima asked flatly. "An entire year and still no one bothered to learn an expansion charm."

Sitting in Asahi's lap with his legs casually thrown over Tanaka, Noya shrugged. "There was a lot going on this year. Priorities."

"You know you could always learn them yourself," Ennoshita pointed out.

Tsukishima muttered darkly to himself.

"Charms aren't really Tsuki's thing," Yamaguchi translated, only to receive a half-hearted glare from the person he was basically sitting on. "Not that there's anything wrong with that."

"Ya know," Tanaka said, making an aborted movement to stretch his arms out before accidentally hitting Ennoshita, "even without the expansion charm, I'd say this has been a pretty successful year. We finished the map, fought a basilisk, and Daichi got a date. I'm gonna call this one a win."

Narrowly missing Asahi's nose, Noya's head twisted over to Daichi. "Oh! Hey, did you give Suga my owl address, yet? I've got like a ton of questions and since he's basically our step-parent now, I feel like he's socially obligated to answer."

Daichi sighed, looking mildly pained. "I did but if try to refrain from calling him any kind of 'parent' at least until we have our first date."

"Daichi," Tanaka said, "come on, he's gotta start getting used to us somehow. This is baby steps."

And that...that was far too reasonable and accurate of a statement for Daichi to truly want to comprehend right now so he unwittingly went with the tried and true method of parents everywhere: blatant distraction.

"By the way, I might have made progress on the name front," Daichi said. "Well, more like Suga did."

Daichi would forever deny if his smile went slightly dopey at the later name.

Tsukishima groaned. "No, Daichi, I thought you were one of the sane ones."

"Not with that smile," Asahi muttered only to be faced with one of Daichi's patented glares.

"I think a name sounds fun," Yamaguchi admitted, smiling in the face of Tsukishima's betrayed look.

"What is it? What is it?" Noya asked.

"The crows," Daichi said, shrugging. "Suga said it fit us for some reason."

"Crows," Noya sounded out the word. "I like it. Black wings, awesome. Flying, super awesome. And they got like that cool air of mystery or something."

Ennoshita smiled. "Noya, there is literally nothing mysterious about you in the slightest bit."

"You never know," Noya answered. "Anyway, I like it. I approve. One vote for crows."

"Two votes," Tanaka said, high-fiving Noya.

Asahi quietly and with a small blush, held up three fingers for his vote.

"Crows does sound cool," Yamaguchi said, turning to Tsukishima.

Tsukishima sighed. "As far as names go-which for the record are still utterly unnecessary-I suppose it will do." A slow smirk spread over Tsukishima's face. "Actually, I think it's fitting."

Ennoshita, narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Why?"

"What do you call a gathering of crows," Tsukishima asked.

Ennoshita's eyes widened before he snorted in amusement. "A Murder"

Tsuki smirk widened. "Exactly what I want whenever I meet up with you all."

"You love us," Noya said, unbothered. "So, we're agreed! Long live the crows!"

Almost as one, the compartment turned to Daichi for the final say.

Daichi smiled. "Yeah, long live the crows."

ooooooo

"And there it goes," Bokuto said, leaning around Oikawa to glance out the window as the train started departing.

Oikawa sighed, leaning his head against the window and looking out as the castle spires were cast in a pale dawn glow. "You know, petrifications and all, I'm really going to miss this place."

"We'll be back in a few months," Suga pointed out.

"Plus," Iwaizumi said, "at least you get to practice magic over the summer."

Oikawa brightened. "That's true! Of course, like the Ministry notice said, I'll need it to make up all those missed assignments."

Kuroo rolled his eyes. "The ones you did months ago."

"The very same," Oikawa agreed happily. "And yes, I might not use the newfound freedom entirely for school work. But, if you think about it, it's really just compensation for being discluded from class ranks."

Kuroo looked at Iwaizumi. "You'll at least try not make sure the idiot doesn't blow himself up experimenting, right?"

"Probably." Iwaizumi shrugged.

"Least we can really ask for," Suga deadpanned.

Oikawa stuck out his tongue. "And, just for that, any cool, exciting, or possibly ground breaking things I find over the summer, I am only telling to Bokuto."

"Awesome!" Bokuto grinned.

"Can you believe we actually missed him," Kuroo asked, shaking his head.

"Aww, you missed me," Oikawa teased.

"Maybe a bit," Kuroo said. "A really, really small bit. Minuscule, actually."

"Cute," Oikawa said.

"Oh, I'm adorable," Kuroo agreed.

"Well, just wait," Oikawa declared dramatically. "Yes, this year might have had its unique difficulties."

Iwaizumi snorted. "Just a bit."

"But," Oikawa continued, "next year's going to be great. I can feel it." He paused to exchange a fist bump with Bokuto. "And just to double check, no one else is hiding any big secret snake related family legacies, right?"

"None here, just Hufflepuff," Bokuto answered.

Suga laughed. "I believe there was just that one."

"Good," Oikawa said, bumping into Suga. "Remember, friends don't let friends deal with their ancestor's mind controlling snakes alone. It's a common saying, Suga. Look it up!"

"I'll do that," Suga said. "Anyway, I think I've had enough of keeping secrets to last a lifetime."

For just a brief second, Suga thought inexplicably of the diary hidden in the bottom of his trunk. He pushed the thought away to focus on the moment in front of him, on what was important.

"Besides," Suga smiled, "you're more than friends, you're family."

Oikawa smiled back, the sun shining down on his face.

"Then that sounds like a bright future"

ooooooo

A man walked calmly down the halls of Azkaban's high security wing.

The darkness of the night cloaked the cells, clinging thickly in the curious absence of the prison's infamous guards.

The man walked, undisturbed. Past the cell of a mass poisoner, now twitching restlessly even in sleep. Past the rare shared cell of a husband and wife, the fallen lord and lady of what used be a old and noble pureblood family. Past the newest addition, the disgraced magiarcheologist glaring mutely at the walls of the cell.

At the end of the hall, he stopped.

He tapped his wand on the last cell's lock and watched as the metal dissolved into black sand.

The door of the cell swung open and its inhabitant looked up with large owlish eyes, blinking in the sudden light.

The man stepped forward, kneeling by the prisoner's cot before slowly removing his hood.

There was a sudden intake of breath and then a frail hand reached out to hesitantly run a finger down the man's cheek.

"Master?" Tears ran down the prisoner's cheeks. "Is that really you? I thought-I thought you were dead."

The man smiled, bringing up his own hand to catch the prisoner's and hold it against his cheek, letting his warmth run through the other.

"Sorry, it took me so long," the man said and the prisoner let out a choked sob. "Care to get out of here?"

The prisoner let out a wild laugh and the man took that as their answer, pulling them to their feet while quickly casting the charms needed to make his visit undetectable.

Finally, he pulled them out of the cell and cast one final spell to fix the lock. The prisoner spun down the hall, laughing still and thin spindly legs practically dancing in the light of the moon and the first taste of freedom.

The man walked sedately behind them.

A hand shot out from another cell, feebly grasping at the man's cloak and he looked down to see the wife of the shared cell, looking out at him with pleading, hopeful eyes.

"Master," she croaked out. "Help?"

The man regarded her, letting a cross between pity and sympathy show on his face.

"Soon," he promised her. "Wait just a little bit longer. Then all of you will be free."

The woman's hand dropped away from his cloak, going back and being held to her chest as a wide crooked grin broke across her face and her eyes lit with a fire much too dark to be quite sane.

"Soon...soon," she whispered, repeating the word over and over as she slowly sunk back to the darkness of the cell.

The man continued walking, joining the newly freed prisoner outside on the creaking rusted metal overhang from back during a time Azkaban used more traditional guards.

With the cold wind blowing at their face, the laughter was slowly dying from the prisoner's eyes replaced with something almost like clarity.

"Master…" the prisoner rasped softly, voice strained from disuse.

The man inclined his head to show he was listening..

"I read about Noroi's death," the prisoner said. "I'm sorry, Ichiro. He will be missed."

The man's hands tightened painfully on the bar, hit with a grief so strong it was near overwhelming.

I'm sorry, Ichiro. He will be missed.

The man let out a ragged gasp.

Focus, he reminded himself sternly.

I'm sorry, Ichiro.

Ichiro. Ichiro used to be the name of a someone too smart for his own good, driven by his desire for acceptance, and fiercely protective of those he loved.

Everyone the man had ever loved was dead.

And Ichiro-the young man, almost a boy, who wanted to rebuild the world as a better place-was gone.

All that was left was a man who wanted to watch the world burn.

All that was left was…

"Master? Ichiro?"

The man clenched his jaw, shaking his head. "The Giant."

ooooooo

A/N: First off, thank you everyone for holding on with this story throughout. I really don't think I would still be posting without the amazing support I've received for the story so thank you to everyone. Next, HAIKYUU! SEASON FOUR! I'm so, so excited I'm taking a bit of a break to get some stuff done and fully write out a chapter plan for the third story. I should begin posting the third story in late January or early February. Next story: "Yu Nishinoya and the Shrieking Shack" In addition to Oikawa and Hinata, it will mainly focus on Noya, Kuroo, and Yachi. The first line is "Yachi awoke to the sound of Aurors banging on the door" I'll post the plot summary on my author page soon. Happy Holidays, everyone!