A.N.: I apologize for the quality of this chapter, but due to the Coronavirus outbreak I am working overtime. It was either updating today or in two weeks so here I am. If you find mistakes, please don't forget to tell me.
Stay healthy, don't be paranoid, and enjoy the chapter!
Harry closed his eyes and relaxed. While he was the first one to criticize the Hogwarts train, he admitted it was the perfect way of relaxing with his friends for a couple of hours.
The last training session of the Holidays was brutal. This time, however, Elizabeth suffered with him. As petty as it was, it made him feel better. Today, Harry could feel every muscle in his body complaining at the slightest movement.
He swallowed the grunt that was about to leave his lips when Luna changed positions and cuddled to his side. For some reason, little Luna was being more affectionate than usual. He didn't really mind, though he would not complain if she chose another victim instead of his sore self.
"...I'm really glad I decided to go with daddy," Luna said, telling everyone about her holidays. "I think these memories will make daddy happy when we can't meet again."
"The summer break will arrive sooner than expected," a beaming Fleur told Luna.
Instead of answering, Luna simply hugged him tighter and closed her eyes. The little sleepyhead was preparing to take the nap of the evening.
"This is fascinating," Fred hissed, looking at the notebook on the table.
"I know right? I love chemistry even when it hurts sometimes," Justin agreed, emulating the redhead's excitement.
"Mental, both of you," Flora sighed, though she dutifully kept trying to solve whatever exercise was making her frown.
"Harry, you have to help me with the hydrocarbons theory because I'm lost," Justin told him.
"Your mum also asked me to begin helping you with organic chemistry."
"Gah, but it's evil!" Justin whined. Neville and Cedric exchanged confused glances.
"Whatever, your muggle potions thingy is boring," Draco declared, holding the book he was reading a moment ago above his head. "This is real magic!"
Harry could only sigh. Ever since Lizzy forced his friends to visit the muggle world for some 'quality entertainment', Draco was obsessed with Star Trek and any other kind of fiction he could get his hands on. George was fascinated with muggle technology, just like his father, though he at least had an idea of how the basics worked – thanks to Elizabeth's exasperated lessons, if he may add.
Admittedly, it was a good experience for his friends to see how much muggles advanced. At least that is what he told himself when he heard Daphne have a heated conversation with Blaise about car models. At least Louie seemed to share his exasperation. For lacking human features, the cat was able to make a variety of expressions.
The only thing that made the walk from the train to the carriages interesting was his vain efforts to ignore his sore muscles. At least the thestrals seemed to understand his pain and were gentle when moving. Harry knew he would need a few bags of dried meat and maybe some apples to feed them. Considering that Luna spent most of her free time with the thestrals, he guessed he would join her on her next visit.
The feast was as boring as ever. The only highlight of McGonagall's speech was the introduction of the counsellors, two per house and two additional ones for the whole school. It was not much, but Harry hoped it was enough to help the students that were going through separation anxiety and homesickness. The castle barely allowed him to read in peace when the kids were distressed so he was forced to send elves with baked goods and sometimes even talk with the kids in person. It was tiresome and he needed a break.
"Tomorrow we will be having the preparation courses," Daphne sighed, burying her face in the low table of their headquarters.
"Did you have to remind us, woman?" George hissed, throwing himself quite dramatically on the couch.
"We have to deal with the Head Boy thingy," Fred groaned, looking strangely pained.
"Dear bother, one of us will take the position," George said, banging his head against the couch.
"Yeah, at least mum won't nag us that way."
"What did I miss?" Harry asked, feeling quite confused. What courses? Why Fred and George didn't tell him about the Head Boy position? What happened?
"Didn't you receive the letter?" Neville asked, also looking confused.
"I'm lost, someone explain," Harry said, not knowing to what letter was Neville referring to.
"That's what you get for ignoring us for your book," Blaise muttered, smirking at him.
"The school decided to choose the prefects in advance so we can take courses to prepare us before taking the position," Justin explained, "Most of us received a letter. I don't understand why you didn't."
"Now that you mention it, I had a few letters to read but with everything that happened I only opened the important ones."
"I guess that you ignored it," Theo began, "because mine said that I was the secondary candidate and no one else received one."
"Unless Crabbe and Goyle got miraculously nominated," Draco added.
"What about you?" Harry asked the older twins, who looked at each other and groaned in unison.
George was mumbling something, but the sound was lost with his face buried in a pillow.
"What my brother is trying to say-" Fred began, sitting on his brother. Strangely, George didn't complain, "-is that we don't know how it happened. We received the letter when mum was out. We were making breakfast," George said something and Fred nodded, "that's right, brother of mine. When mum's out we are in charge of the kitchen because Ginny is an arsonist and Ronnikins is a menace."
"Percy is above cooking and dad works all day, so it's the least we could do," George said, finally ending his efforts of auto-suffocation. No, Harry was wrong. George buried his face on the pillow once again.
"Yeah, the thing is that we received the letter. It said that we were both candidates for the position. We played stone cloak wand and the loser became head boy, but," Fred said, unnecessarily stretching the word, "I received a letter from Flitwick saying how proud he was of me for coming so far and my ugly brother got a letter from professor Somerhalder. So we decided to take the courses because we were emotionally coerced. Once it's time to chose, we play one last stone cloak wand to decide who will become Head Boy."
"Right," Harry said, a bit confused on how the Weasley logic worked. "We better go to bed before more of us fall asleep."
He smiled fondly at Hestia and Flora sleeping peacefully on the couch but sighed when he noticed that Viktor and Cedric followed their example. At least he could use his soreness as an excuse so the others were responsible for taking the sleeping quartet to their beds.
"Harry," Luna whispered to him, "it's time to go to the fairy room."
Harry looked at the girl and sighed in tacit approval. The others saw as Luna dragged him out of the room but didn't comment, either because they were too tired to deal with the girl's antics or were amused at his suffering. He walked in silence while Luna hummed to herself. The doors of the library opened and the wards around the restricted section allowed them to pass.
As subtly as possible, Harry prepared his wand in case the fairies attacked them, but when Luna pushed the door open, nothing happened. The fairies observed silently as they took a few steps in the room until one of them stopped their path.
The first thing Harry noticed was the contrast between the fairy's white hair and coffee skin, his white robes and midnight wings.
"You have done my people a great service, daughter of the moon," the fairy said in a surprisingly deep voice.
"It was my honour, King Oberon," Luna said with a curtsy.
"I will repay this favour with advice, blessed one," the fairy said, looking at Harry. He decided to remain silent. "Beware of the path you are walking, son of the stars. As the seed of a cut lily, you were forced to grow between cypress trees. Beware, because her favourites rarely meet the bluebird. Beware and encase your heart in the eye of Horus. Beware, because the sons of the stars always lose their hearts to Azrael, who plants the Bird's-foot trefoil seed in their minds, only for their bodies to feed hyacinths."
With those words, the fairies in the room disappeared, leaving the place silent. Harry looked at Luna, who simply sighed.
"Fairies talk in symbols and fibs, it's hard to know what they mean."
For some reason, Harry didn't believe her, but let it slide, focusing on the single parchment over the old table, which strangely was the only furniture in the room. After a few diagnosis spells, he grabbed the yellow parchment. It contained symbols he had never seen before and, considering how tattered it looked, he guessed it was a long-forgotten runic alphabet.
"Let's rest now," Harry told Luna, who nodded cheerfully, grabbing his offered arm.
The weight of the single parchment didn't allow Harry to sleep that night.
Minerva McGonagall looked at the students and sighed. Today was one of those days where she felt strangely disheartened and glum. She sighed once again when she took a look at the empty chair beside her. At least today her depression had a valid reason.
Albus was not doing well.
She visited his office yesterday, only to find it empty. Not even Fawkes was in his usual perch. That was the drop that the glass spilt, she had enough of Albus' strange behaviour so she decided to find the man. Her first stop was Aberforth's inn. That wasn't a good decision.
Aberforth was also worried. Aberforth! If she hadn't been worried before, that would be enough to put her on edge.
Apparently, Aberforth had been receiving multiple letters from his brother. In some, Albus apologized, in others, he promised to visit during the weekends. The problem was the content of the letters. Each one was eerily similar to the other.
Minerva knew Albus' handwriting better than her own, along with the peculiar parchment and colourful inks he favoured. She knew it wasn't a prank. What was happening with Albus? She had no idea, but knew it was bad.
"Albus is in the infirmary," Poppy whispered, Minerva's gaze immediately focused on the woman. "He was utterly pissed."
And that was another reason for her worries. Albus had a problem with alcohol. A severe one, if the amount of empty firewhisky bottles that the elves had at their disposal was anything to go by.
"Once he is sober, I am forcing him to visit the Healers. He'll be suspended if anyone knows about his problem."
"I know," Minerva whispered, her mood souring even more. "Give me a month."
"Minerva-" Poppy began saying, her lips were pursed in obvious disapproval.
"Please, give me one month. Aberforth and I will help him, but we want to keep it quiet. I promise that if he doesn't go back to normal, I will be the one taking him to Saint Mungo's."
"You have two weeks," Poppy snapped, leaving her breakfast unfinished.
Poppy was quite scary, especially when the children's safety was involved. It was good to be reminded of the woman's nature.
Minerva noticed Flitwick's concerned frown and denied with her head. She couldn't tell him what was happening unless she wanted Albus out of the castle. Their friendship may be strained, but he was still her friend and she would do everything in her power to protect him.
"Good morning students!" she decided it was time for the announcement before her mood plummeted further and she was unable to hide it. "I have some news for you. First of all, I want to thank professor Snape for acting as Slytherin's House Head for so long. It was decided that he did more than enough and it's time for new blood. Welcome professor Kowalski as the new Slytherin Head!"
While she was expecting some excitement, she would have never anticipated this riot. Slytherins were cheering for the woman as with so much enthusiasm that the other houses joined the celebration. Minerva spared a glance to Severus and sighed, that young man was going to be a nightmare to deal with for the next days.
Isabelle clapped her hands once, amplifying the sound and the room fell silent. Right, that girl had quite an intimidating aura.
"I am thankful for your warm welcoming. I promise to fulfil my duties as Head of the House. Last night was dedicated to each one of the Houses to meet their counsellors, so I decided to wait before introducing myself. Tonight we'll have a meeting, just to know each other."
As expected, one smile from the beautiful woman was enough to put the students at ease. Minerva had to suppress a grin, Isabelle was a Slytherin at heart, even if she wasn't a Hogwarts student.
"As I said, we need new blood. That is the reason why I have also decided to step down," Minerva said, smiling fondly at her shocked lions. "It has been a pain and pleasure to serve as the Head of Gryffindor. I really enjoyed my time even though I didn't make much for you. I am leaving you, my dear lions, under professor Munter's care. Don't give him too many headaches."
Unlike the previous announcement, this one wasn't received with euphoric celebration. Her lions clapped and the other Houses joined. It was a warm goodbye and a candid welcome.
"I'm sure that many of you know me, but for those who don't, the name's Benedict Munter and I'm in charge of Martial Magic. We'll also be having a meeting tonight. Don't worry, nothing serious, just want to meet the House."
Benedict's casual tone and jovial attitude would easily win the House over. Minerva knew that she took the right decision when she approached the man.
"One more thing, throughout the week, the counsellors will be calling each one of you to their offices. I want to remind you that they are in school for the students, they will never tell us or any other person what is confided to them. We are hoping that this way, all of you get to know your counsellors and have no reservations in visiting them when you need someone to talk with. Now, finish your breakfasts before it gets cold!"
Minerva ignored her plate and nursed a cup of tea, deciding to observe the students. She hid her smile when she noticed the older students changing the colour of their uniforms to match either Gryffindor or Slytherin, while the younger ones approached the older ones to do the same. And someone had the brilliant idea to colour its hair. What a mess! Red and green dominated the great hall before the schedules were given!
She exchanged an amused smile with Flitwick, who decided to join the students and changed his white hair to green and his beard to red.
Despite everything going on, Minerva lived for moments like these. Children being children. No stupid House rivalry destroying potential friendships. No bloody wars destroying their lives.
Harry Potter could only stare at Viktor.
"Come again?"
"The second task is in a few days and mum is coming."
The Tournament. He completely forgot about it. In his defence, Harry had much more important matters to take care of. At least he hoped that his elves remembered and their protective gear was ready.
Only two weeks went by since the year began and yet so much happened already.
The raid to the Ministry was the trigger for all his plans to begin moving.
The first thing that the Minister wanted to know was if the documents they left behind were real. Much to her horror, they were the unadulterated truth. Madam Bones immediately disbanded the Department of Mysteries and, considering the new state of martial law, no one could object. Then she proceeded to proscribe any kind of immoral experimentation and urged Miss Blair and Marcus to actively modify the creature's regulations. That was merely the beginning.
The raid was an insult to Auror Moody. The man prided himself on his skills and being unable to discover any clues about the incident made him even more paranoid than usual, just as expected. However, Harry felt slightly guilty for playing the helpful man this way. Using C4 to destroy the place was a calculated risk that paid off. Magicals were not familiar with muggle technology and their ignorance played against them.
Now that Auror Moody had carte blanche over the DMLE and the Ministry's security, many things were changing. The DMLE was now divided in Law Enforcement Patrol (the new police of the magical world), Aurors (the army), Hit-wizards (some trained under the DMLE while others had more informal training but were recruited by Moody), and the EIS (Elite Intelligence Service, an experimental group dedicated to identify and eradicate all threats against the country). Overall, Harry was pleased with the result. Hopefully, they took care of Voldemort and his followers without forcing Harry to participate in the confrontation. He had too much to lose now and was unwilling to risk it.
While they were busy, Marcus was put in charge to reorganize the Departments and budget. The Ministry was in for a surprise.
Those were the changes that remained invisible under the public's eyes, something that wouldn't be revealed in order to keep the public order. Of course, the Death Eaters in the Ministry tipped Voldemort off, but at least they were now excluded from the decision-making. In the eyes of the people, the greatest change was the way blood purity was perceived.
Thanks to Rita's book, a mild social revolution was ignited. The younger generations were the most open-minded, accepting the facts, though some with more difficulty than others. Older people tended to be more close-minded, too scared of change to join the new mentality. The real problem came from the blood-purists, the ones that blamed first generations for stealing their magic and destroying the society. Those people were a time bomb, they would explode sooner rather than later and take stupid decisions in the process. Harry could already feel the tension when he visited the alley.
There were many blood purists who owned businesses in the alley and, if they barely treated their 'impure' costumers, now they reserved the right of admission to their stores. It was a stupid move that only gained contempt from first generations, who in turn antagonized blood purity in a rather public way. Hostilities were rising between them.
Of course, those two groups were rather small compared to the rest of the population, but if tensions escalated, it would affect the whole country. Marcus said that there were Aurors keeping an eye on them, just in case.
Aside from that, the most important change for the future was taking place inside of Hogwarts. There were students so indoctrinated with the blood purity ideology that any idea that went against it was considered sacrilege. However, they were still young and social pressure was a terrific motivator for good conduct. The majority of the student body accepted the truth of the founders long ago and Harry's efforts to change the mentality of the future generation were giving its first fruits.
His House, Slytherin, once motivated by fear and self-preservation became the paragon of change. Now they were motivated by the acceptance and admiration of the whole school. The youngest students learnt from their example and there was no prejudice in their eyes. It was somewhat invigorating to see the kids talking freely amongst each other, without any real rivalry aside from personal differences.
A sharp poke on his ribs broke his train of thoughts. He gingerly rubbed the spot and looked for the responsible.
"You were not paying attention," Hestia said, giving him her most innocent smile. Harry glared at her, swearing some kind of revenge later on.
"So we are meeting your mum," Harry told Viktor, not showing his curiosity.
"Yeah, my father had an accident during one of his hunting trips."
Harry decided not to question his friend. There was not the slightest hint of grief on his expression, only relief. The lines that worry had etched on his face looked less pronounced and that was enough to make him happy. Unfortunately, not everyone had the same self-control.
"So what really happened to him?" Draco asked, earning a smack on his head, courtesy of a frowning Terrence.
"He really had an accident," Viktor answered, looking unbothered by the question.
"When is the second task again?" asked a nonchalant Blaise, who received a grateful look from Daphne. Strangely, the girl was the usual peacemaker.
"Next week," Adrian answered with far too much enthusiasm, "and I already have my bets placed."
"That's not fair. Why is he allowed to bet but I'm not?" Luna whined, her usual dreamy expression replaced with a pout.
"Because, little Luna," Fred said, sharing a knowing look with his brother.
"He is not a seer."
"I know you will regret this," the slight girl said, but there was no fire in her words.
Harry shared a worried look with Blaise while Cedric frowned at the girl. Luna was acting a bit strange lately.
"Only one more task was added, right?" Neville asked Fleur, but Harry looked at the girl. Had it also been amongst the letters he ignored?
"Yep, I think they are trying to give the champions more chances to shine. Valery didn't do well last time, Iwan had terrible luck, and they robbed points from those two," Fleur said, signalling Viktor and Cedric.
"Did any of you bothered to solve the clue or you just asked Marcus," Flora asked, giving the four champions in the room a disapproving scowl.
"I forgot my sphere here!" Viktor quickly said, washing his hands off the problem.
"Dad killed mine when he tried to make it reveal the clue," Cedric sighed, pouting slightly.
"How do you kill an object?" Theo asked, looking utterly bewildered at the notion.
"Ask my dad. He tried to charm it and it turned grey."
"That is talent," Blaise nodded sagely, as if Cedric's explanation made complete sense to him.
"So what's your excuse?" Flora asked, judging Harry and Fleur.
"I may have misplaced it," Harry muttered while Flora stared open-mouthed. He was not ashamed of misplacing it, but for forgetting about the whole event. So much for being called a genius.
"I solved it!" Fleur declared, a radiant smile illuminating her face.
"Gabrielle solved it," Adrian mumbled under his breath, earning a glare from the French girl, who apparently possessed sharp ears.
"As I was saying, my sister and I solved it. I was expecting something harder."
"You killed Master Smith when you got frustrated and threw your ball at him," Neville retorted, looking solemn.
"Stop mourning Master Smith, he would have liked you to move on," Justin said, emulating his friend's solemn expression.
"Are they talking about that cactus?" Adrian whispered to George, who simply shrugged in response.
"It was an accident," Fleur groaned, "I already said that I will buy you a new one."
"Master Smith is irreplaceable," was the curt response of Neville, who was looking at the wall with a far-away expression. Harry tried to contain the urge to rub his temples, apparently, Draco infected poor Neville with his overdramatic tendencies.
"I'm lending you my grand-mère's notes on illusions," Fleur sighed and Neville immediately perked up.
"Okay," Cedric said, stretching the word, "who wants to duel?"
And just like that, the focus of the room centred on a totally different matter. It was sometimes hard for Harry to understand how his friend's minds worked, but he went with the flow instead of stressing about it. Otherwise, he would have wrinkles and grey hair and he was too vain to say goodbye to his youthful appearance for at least a few decades. Thank you very much.
Time flew by when it was the most inconvenient, Harry decided, stabbing the innocent food on his plate.
He was so immersed in trying to learn everything the Potter Grimoire had to offer that he almost missed the most important detail from his family history. Yes, his family was decades, perhaps even centuries ahead of their times in potion-making. Yes, there were some interesting spells and artefacts that his ancestors invented, but he almost missed the most important lesson. Respect magic.
Something he always thought he did. Only now he began to understand that respecting magic was not only respecting her nature and all her wielders, but also in all her forms. Magic was everywhere, from the smallest living being to the earth that he walked. The reason for the Potter's blessing was their respect towards life.
The particularly specific ingredients that his family potions contained were not that strange, now that he thought about it. Willingly given animal ingredients, never using those parts that had death's mark. Vegetable ingredients that were reaped on times of abundance, always respecting the lives that sustained on that ecosystem. That is how the Sanctuary was born, to offer a safe haven to other species in exchange of a few, willingly given parts (hair, nails, feathers, and so on).
The few spells in the grimoire were dedicated to either healing or protection. The artefacts that his family invented also were meant for these uses, though he admitted there were some much more interesting than others were. The process of weaving an invisibility cloak was quite tedious, but the end result was magnificent. Though considering he already owned one and had never really used it, Harry didn't see a reason to trouble himself with creating more. There were also instructions to create special rune stones. They were way harder to create than normal ones, using painite – or any similar precious stones – to create the desired result. Just like every single artefact his ancestors invented, the Potter method included the use of potions.
Well, the Potters were always known for being potion savvies. Which meant he had to dedicate much more time to learn how to brew potions the Potter way and unlearn all the bad habits he acquired throughout his different teachers.
At least aunt Eleadora was no longer in charge of teaching potions. Not that the woman didn't do a great job, but he would rather have her as the loving aunt instead of the sadistic teacher that she was ninety percent of the times.
"You have to eat," Theo chided him softly, pushing a bowl of fruit towards him.
"I'm not that hungry," Harry muttered but he accepted the offer. Theo had the uncanny ability to see too much and he didn't want to worry his friend further.
"Granger isn't glaring at you," Draco said as if it was the strangest thing in the world.
"Hermione changed a lot since that day," Neville offered with a shrug.
"So she really stopped hating Harry?" Adrian asked in wonder.
"I think she began hating the rumours more than she hates him," Hestia suggested.
"You do know that I'm present. Right?" Harry said, containing the strange desire to spray water on Draco and see if the boy would hiss at him. And maybe smacking Adrian and Hestia, just a little.
"I think she's biding her time," Cedric said, as helpful as always.
"That's right, lowering his defences to stab Harry in the back when the time comes," Fred agreed, sharing a look with Flora.
"Do you also want to strangle them?" Daphne whispered on his ear.
"Sometimes."
To be honest, he didn't really understand why they were making such a big deal out of it. As far as he was concerned, Granger had no real effect on his life. He distantly remembered the altercate they had during their first year and the latest incident a few weeks ago. If he was frank, he didn't understand why the girl was so hostile before, but he didn't really care. Now that he thought about it, he was really... intense and perhaps a tad too petty. Neither had the best impression of each other and that was fine, people changed. He certainly did.
Somehow, his apathy turned to slight indifference and his volatile temper eased down. He hardly, if ever, got angry anymore. His confrontational nature gave place to a more laid-back attitude, where he observed everything before reacting. His dislike of people also disappeared. Now, instead of immediately disliking strangers, he was simply indifferent. He guessed that his slightly hostile nature turned lackadaisical. It was far easier this way, he didn't waste time in petty acts of vengeance or useless grudges.
That is why he had reacted the way he did when Neville told him that Granger lost her cat before the Yule Holidays and was desperately looking for him.
Louie was precious to him. A living memory of his mother. However, there was also the possibility of him also being precious to another person. Sometimes, Harry really hated his ability to see things from another person's perspective. He simply decided to take his cat to the Gryffindor tower and hope the girl lost another one with a similar physique. Neville had obviously been beside him – nagged until Harry agreed.
While Harry now had access to all the common rooms, he lacked the curiosity to visit them, so he never visited the Gryffindor common room. The woman on the portrait greeted him with eagerness and promptly granted them access. He only held Louie tighter to his chest when all the eyes of the room turned to him. Neville, as supportive as ever, only gave one of his looks for the students to look away. They kept glancing at them, but at least they now tried to be subtle.
Granger was sitting near the fireplace, her eyes glued to the book on her lap.
"Hermione," Neville said as greeting, approaching the girl. "This is the cat that we found."
Harry only raised an eyebrow as Louie jumped off him and ran to the girl, whose eyes looked strangely shiny as she hugged the purring cat.
"Thank you," Granger muttered over and over again in a shaky voice, her eyes were focused on the cat. "You had to worry me like that, right Crookshanks? I looked everywhere for you," she said to Louie, caressing his face. "You are heavier now, I'm guessing that Neville treated you well."
And that is how Harry knew he had to let Louie go. Damn it! He knew it was a bad idea to get attached.
"Where did you find him?" she asked, petting the cat, who kept purring at her ministrations.
"In the dungeons, he followed us," Harry said.
Much to his confusion, the girl's head snapped up and she glared at him.
"It was before the aurors tempered the hallways so Harry took him with us," Neville said, recognizing the outburst the girl was about to have.
"Actually, we asked people around and no one lost a cat," Harry added, only for the girl to flinch as if he had yelled at her instead. He only exchanged a confused look with his friend.
"He likes to wander in the forest," Granger muttered, not meeting their eyes. "I thought he went on another hunting trip. Crookshanks always comes back so I didn't worry until we had to leave and he wasn't back."
"You let him wander in the Forbidden Forest?" Harry asked slowly, scowling slightly at the girl.
However, he wasn't expecting her to cower at his accusation. He was used to seeing the spitfire and didn't know exactly what to make of this meek person wearing Granger's face.
"He likes to hunt and I don't want to restrain him."
"Wait, was it your cat the one that left that giant spider in our room?" Neville asked the girl, looking amused for some reason. She simply nodded, "Ron almost had a heart attack. He also left that bird in the living room, right?"
"Yeah," Granger muttered, looking flustered for some reason.
"You had to see it, Harry. That bird was bigger than the table! Richard screamed loud enough to wake the whole House."
"He can take care of himself, I get it," Harry said, raising his hands in surrender. "So how did you find him?"
"I bought him last year," Granger said in a more stable tone, apparently getting over whatever strange mood that took hold of her.
Harry would have perhaps noticed if he was not rendered speechless by her declaration. "It's not possible," he simply said, frowning at the girl.
"I did buy him at the pet store," Granger began explaining, her brows furrowed in confusion. "Last year my parents finally agreed to have a pet at home. I always wanted a cat and the shopkeeper was showing me all the kneazles when I saw him. He said that Crookshanks had been in the store for more than ten years and I decided to take him." It was an unnecessarily detailed explanation if someone asked him.
"I see," that was the only thing Harry could force himself to say. "Come here, Louie."
Harry simply petted the cat, not caring about all the eyes that examined his actions. For some reason, he felt guilty. He felt like he no longer deserved to take care of his mum's cat because he failed him. It was not a logical reaction and he would need some time alone in order to organize his scrambled emotions.
"Spend some time playing with him," Harry told the girl, ignoring her puzzled and, dare he say, concerned expression. "He really likes to run so maybe you can run with him."
Granger only nodded, looking at Neville in search for answers. The boy in question looked troubled for some reason, with a sigh, he decided that the best course of action was actually acting.
"Hermione, Louie is Harry's mum cat."
"That's not possible."
"I said the same thing," Harry muttered under his breath, denying with his head in order for his friend to remain silent.
Neville pretended not to notice. "He really is. If you want to, I can show you pictures. He knew his way around Harry's house and knew which one of the old elves would give him treats-"
"That's enough," Harry said in a much harsher tone than necessary. He would apologize later.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Granger asked, looking more annoyed than angry. He could only blink at the strange question.
"Not really," Harry sighed, scowling at Neville. "He was mum's cat, but now he is yours. Thank you for taking care of him," he told the girl.
It was his simple yet candid way of saying thank you. Few persons adopted adult pets and Harry was fully aware of that fact. Personally, he would have never looked for any other companion than Hedwig, so he would have never met Louie if not for Granger.
"Would you mind if I visit him every once in a while?" he asked the speechless girl.
"What? I, uhm... Crookshanks does what he wants, I'm sure he will visit you if he wants to," Granger told him, looking utterly disconcerted.
"Thank you," Harry gave the girl a small smile and signalled Neville to leave.
After long hours of meditation, he had his fully justified revenge against Neville Longbottom while George and Fred were in charge of pranking Gryffindor for spreading strange rumours regarding the event.
"...and everyone really likes counsellor Ciro, but he's a manipulative little berk," Daphne commented and Harry only blinked. What were they talking about?
"You like him though," Cedric muttered, frowning when he received an excited nod in response.
"I feel kind of guilty for thinking Crabbe and Goyle were dumb," Draco sighed, playing with his food.
"I think everyone feels guilty," Justin agreed.
They were not wrong. Once the counsellors examined all the students, they realized that at half of the student body had dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyscalculia, language-processing disorder, or some kind of learning disability. All in all, an eye-opening discovery. While they had different theories, the counsellors' main priority was to help the students.
"Yeah, but at least Ronnikins now knows that there's nothing wrong with him," George said, looking fondly at his little brother.
"Mhm, we barely managed to convince Munter not to send a letter to our parents telling them about Ron. Dad doesn't need more stress and mum is having a hard time," Fred added, "but we sent a letter to Bill yesterday."
"He was pretty harsh with Ron during the summer," George sighed and Blaise placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Right, they were also feeling guilty. Harry would talk with them later.
"I think everyone learnt not to judge others," Fleur said in an almost inaudible voice, her eyes were fixed on the table. "Adrienne is so kind and cheerful, I never imagined she was dealing with so much."
Fleur buried her face on Viktor's chest while he gently comforted her. Harry stopped Flora from asking further, this was a topic that Fleur would talk about when she was ready and only if she wanted to. The night that Fleur's classmate decided to tell her about her depression on the counsellor's recommendation Harry felt his mark pulsing painfully, forcing him to look for the girl. She was sobbing silently in the Ravenclaw common room.
That night Fleur felt guilty for not noticing her classmate's struggle. They were not friends, but Fleur was empathetic to a dangerous degree. Harry only comforted his friend.
Next morning, he asked one of the school elves to keep an eye on Adrienne, just in case life overwhelmed her and pain clouded her mind, making her make rash decisions. Fleur would never forgive herself in that case.
"Counsellor Lucy is really chill," Terrence commented in an effort to ease the tension.
"He's in lust with her," Adrian confided the others in a not-so-hushed tone.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," George said, looking eager for some reason. "We are hanging out with Lee after the task, who's joining?"
"No thanks, I was sufficiently ignored last time," Cedric immediately said.
"And you ignored us to flirt with that waitress," Viktor retorted, giving the prefect a disapproving frown while signalling Adrian and Terrence.
"And you ignored us for that book!" an exasperated Terrence exclaimed.
"You're talking when you ignored me to ogle at the counsellor," Adrian sighed and Terrence gave him a sheepish smile.
"Blaise, my friend, are-"
"I have a date with Andrea," Blaise interrupted Fred, who clutched his chest dramatically.
"We are shopping," Neville immediately said, signalling the youngest twins and Luna, along with the resigned looking Justin, Draco, and Theo.
"Daphy, Daph," George almost sang, and the girl in question threw a spoon at him.
"I have a date." Cedric choked.
"But... But, you are baby," the prefect whined while Justin patted his back.
"Do you want me to tell the others how you disappeared from the Ministry Ball with that girl?" Daphne asked and Cedric turned into an interesting shade of red.
"Technically, you just did," Theo told the girl, who shrugged in response.
"I don't feel loved, brother of mine," Fred said theatrically, leaning on his brother's shoulder.
"I'm meeting Viktor's mum," Fleur immediately said when he looked at her. Despite her smile, her eyes were still shiny.
Fred made a scene worthy of a politician or maybe even a football player.
"What about you, Harry?" asked a hopeful George.
"I don't have plans," he lied, winking at Viktor, "I just hate you."
Never before had the student body looked as interested in their dynamic as that morning.
Nothing changed since the last time Harry Potter was in the stadium's waiting room, aside from one small addition. There were now six small lifts in the room. Apparently, the six champions would compete at the same time. The first signal resounded in the room and the professors helped the champions in the one-person lifts.
"I believe in all of you," Kowalski said and tensed when the second signal rang.
Harry had the impression that the woman wanted to say more, but she remained silent as the doors of the lift closed. In the small space, only the gentle light of his crystal shined.
For some reason, Harry felt his heart beating faster. No matter how many deep breaths he took, it felt as if oxygen refused to enter his lungs. He didn't realize he began hyperventilating until the glaring sunlight entered from the open roof of the lift. As sudden as it happened, his body returned to normal while he was left on edge.
When the lift – though platform would now fit better – stopped moving, Harry looked around. Water, he was surrounded by it, though he could see different islands around. He could faintly see Cedric on the left and Valerie on the right.
"Let's cheer for our champions!" the announcer exclaimed. "Today, they have to collect three tokens and return to their platforms to complete the task!" The giant mirrors came to life and showed three wood chips with different symbols engraved. "The mask, the dagger, and the maze. The full set has to be collected, but that is not all. There are a few rare tokens that will give either extra points or clues about the next task to our competitors. Before starting, I will remind the public to keep their composure or the sound barrier will be activated. Champions are you ready?!"
The shrill signal resounded.
Instead of going to the closest island, the one in front of him, Harry decided to look around. He froze the water and created a narrow path to his destination. He could faintly hear the enticing song of the sirens, thanking aunt Eleadora once again for forcing him to learn occlumency.
The island he chose was small, rocky, and painfully artificial. Harry only sighed as he climbed the rocks. There was a hippogriff resting on its nest a few meters away from him, Harry immediately bowed. Fortunately, the animal didn't seem too bothered at the territory invasion and bowed back instead of attacking. He was about to move on when he caught a glimpse of the animal's nest. Contrasting with the glinting gold and beige hay, there were dun tokens tangled in the nest.
Carefully, Harry placed his wand behind his back. The sound of grinding rock was followed by a hiss and the soft rasp of something slithering on the floor. A snake larger than him emerged from the rocks and the hippogriff immediately dismissed Harry in favour of the new threat. The boy simply took a few steps back while the animal began expanding its wings in a threatening pose.
Harry discreetly approached the nest. Once close enough, he crouched and subtly grabbed the closest token, putting it in his pocket after glancing at it. He tried to look for a non-repeated piece but his snake tackled him, saving his head from the hippogriff claws. As the rational human being he was, Harry chose to make a strategic retreat. His transfigured snake would hold off the hippogriff, fortunately, it was charmed to distract and protect rather than attack or he would feel guilty for tricking the animal.
The next island was empty save for a few dead trees. Harry would have turned away if not for the imps that decided he was the perfect target practice. He conjured a shield and summoned a token. It didn't work. Imps were not easy to deal with. The little bastards were impervious to most spells and fast enough to avoid being hit. Suddenly, he remembered the toffee that Luna slipped on his pocket this morning.
He would get her something nice for her birthday.
Harry summoned the closest imp and waved the sweet in front of it before it complained.
"Bring me one similar to this," Harry said, showing his token, "and I give you this."
The imp immediately flew away, returning a few minutes later while he contemplated his life decisions and how he ended up in this strange situation. The panting imp allowed the token to fall with a clatter on the ground while Harry unwrapped the toffee and handed it.
Harry took the token and left the island after casting a shield around his little helper for the other imps not to steal his reward.
The next island Harry visited was full of trees but there was no creature or token, and if there was, he had been unable to find it. He moved on.
The next island had a rocky shore that led to the entrance of a cave. Either go in or leave. As he conjured a Lumos, Harry wondered where his sense of self-preservation went. The light of his wand made the innumerable keys of the walls glint. There were so many keys in different materials and shapes that he decided not to concentrate on them. He eyed with curiosity a strangely empty space in the rocky wall that didn't seem all solid.
He kicked a pebble towards it. The pebble trespassed the wall and clattered against the floor. As he entered, Harry wondered if perhaps he was an adrenaline junkie with no desire whatsoever to leave his teens.
The warm glow of the torches illuminated the room. The air was so humid and warm that it was hard to breathe. There was a woman resting in a small pool, looking at him.
The first thing Harry noticed was her hair. Long and dark, looking so silky that he had the strange desire to ask what products she used. Her cinnamon skin and amber eyes complimented her exotic beauty.
"What do we have here, huh? A blessed one. I haven't met one in a while," the woman purred, tracing her eyes over him.
Curious, Harry never suspected Nagi to possess the same allure that veelas did. It was obvious once you thought about it. After all, Nagi were carnivorous and needed to attract preys.
"Harry Potter, may I know your name?" he asked the woman, not approaching her.
"Daja is the name," the woman said in a silvery voice, flicking her long tail so part of it left the water. "Why don't you join me, Harry Potter, the water is warm."
"I like to live, sort of."
The woman huffed, pouting as she pushed her hair back and showed off her torso. "Are you sure?"
"Not really, but I guess every teenager has depressive bouts every now and then," Harry shrugged, ignoring the woman's innuendo. He wiped his face when Daja splashed water at him, staring at the woman with a raised eyebrow. "Rude."
"I have never been denied before," the woman complained, drawing lazy circles on her clavicles. "I can take you to Elysium and back," she purred, biting her lip.
"Ah, molester then," Harry nodded sagely, only to be sprayed with water and thanking his waterproof uniform.
The woman was scowling at him as her tail flickered back and forth. "Rude," she chided him, but her sparkling eyes spoke of amusement.
"Will you tell me where the token is?"
"So boring," the woman huffed, crossing her arms. "I am supposed to tell a riddle, but that is boring. Mmm, bring the bronze key that opens that chest and you can take the token."
Harry gave an unimpressed look at the woman, wondering how naive she thought him to be. "What if I blast it open?"
"I attack you, of course... But it would be a shame, there are many other things I would rather do."
He weighed the possibilities and took the path with the least effort. With a shrug, he left the room. Harry summoned the bronze keys, not surprised when nothing came. It was obvious that the woman was tricking him, he just needed to find her game. For some reason, the situation reminded him of those confidence tricks he read about on his game theory obsessed stage.
Ah, so that was it.
While Harry greatly doubted that the Ministry was able to come up with the idea, Marcus had taken a fancy to muggle logic. If his hypothesis was wrong, then he had no problems in confronting the Nagi.
"That was fast," the woman said, eyeing the random key that Harry grabbed. "Not what I asked for."
"Not at all," Harry agreed, making Daja smile.
With careful steps, Harry approached the chest and placed the key on the entrance.
"I will have to attack you, you know?" Daja sighed, examining his every move.
Instead of answering, Harry turned the key while looking at the woman, ready to react in case she attacked. Daja only sighed and closed her eyes, playing with her hair once again. Harry took the piece inside absently, still keeping an eye on the Nagi. Well, it was not the token he needed but it wasn't repeated either. It had engraved the image of two wands forming a cross.
"You are an interesting human, Harry Potter," Daja purred, offering her hand. "The Fowk clan has nothing against your kind, you should visit me when you are old enough."
Harry crouched at the side of the pool and kissed the woman's hand while she smiled widely at him, showing off her venomous fangs.
"Perhaps one day."
The woman smirked at him and relaxed on the pool while he placed her gift on the inner pocket of his jacket.
Compared to Daja's island, the next one was simply boring. A large magical salamander tried to eat Harry when he answered its riddle. In the end, the teen got the piece he needed plus two extra. Deciding that he had enough, he returned to his platform at a leisure pace. Or at least he tried to.
The mark pulsed on his chest and Harry immediately knew Cedric was in trouble. While he trusted Marcus to make the tasks safe, accidents did happen. Once he was close enough, he dived in the water, wand ready.
The siren that was dragging Cedric towards the bottom of the artificial lake fell unconscious with a spell. Considering that Harry had little experience swimming, he relied on instinct and dumb luck to reach the surface, only to come face to face with another siren.
The woman's beauteous features deformed into horrific ones from where the water touched her face.
"Her magic will not protect you forever, star child," the siren said in a musical, almost hypnotic tone. "And we are eager to see you lose her blessing."
The siren raised her head completely, displaying her enticing visage. Without any warning, she screamed, immediately submerging in the water and fleeing. Harry closed his eyes and tried to ignore the painful ring on his ears and sudden nausea, waiting for his surrounding to stop moving. Once composed enough, he dragged Cedric with him to the closest platform. In the back of his mind, Harry noticed that last month's training was effective. Otherwise, he would be suffering much more while carrying Cedric.
The platform immediately descended and once the doors of the lift opened, Harry was attacked by a horde of healers. He didn't mind too much.
Between healing spells, one of the healers handed him a vial. Harry easily tore its certification seal and downed it, not bothering to ask what was he drinking. Not that he could hear the answer either way.
Fine? Harry asked Cedric to the seal before succumbing to exhaustion.
Yes. Lost objective. The boy guessed that the prefect meant he lost his tokens and could literally feel his disappointment.
Have extra, use them. He ordered, not been able to wait for a response before falling asleep.
Albus Dumbledore stared absently at the dark room, nursing a bottle of firewhisky. In one of his rare lucid moments, he wondered what was happening with him. His body was failing, not something that should happen at his age. Muscle weakness, poor coordination, and dulling senses were nothing compared to how much his mind atrophied. In moments like this, he remembered all the letters he sent his brother and the few he sent Gellert, along with all the rash decisions he made on the heat of the moment. He was known to be a planner, taking irrational decisions was not in his nature yet that is the only thing he did these past years. Why? What was wrong with him?
A painful shudder crossed his body and he took another swing of his bottle to numb the pain, wondering when he began depending so much on the substance.
The door was kicked open and Albus took a moment to recognize the persons entering.
"See what I told you? It is time," the woman said to her companion.
The man only stared at Albus and he swore that those dark eyes seemed familiar. "You're right," the man sighed, handing a strange vial to the woman.
"I was expecting more resistance," the woman muttered, taking something from her robes. "He is your hero, after all."
"I've changed."
"You did, I have never seen you happier."
The man didn't answer. The woman approached Albus and he frowned, another moment of clarity hit.
"So you were always a snake," Albus told the man, who didn't even look at him. "You serve him."
"Not really," the man sighed, looking at him at last. "But you never believed in me."
"You are just like Tom," Dumbledore stated, not fighting the woman when she lifted his hair to have access to his neck.
"I am," the man admitted shamelessly, "outcasts of our Houses and hated by society. You never bothered to meet Tom though, you only saw Voldemort. Either way, Tom died a long time ago."
Albus clenched his teeth when he felt the needle penetrating the base of his head. Not even now he could gather enough strength to fight his attackers. Fawkes watched silently from his perch.
"You have been poisoning me," Albus concluded in an almost nonchalant tone.
"For three years now, I never expected you to last this long," the woman confirmed in the most indolent way. "I was an acolyte, you know?" she said while examining the diagnosis charm she cast on him. "I was totally enamoured with Grindewald's ideology and was devastated when you defeated him. So I came here to meet the great Albus Dumbledore and, for a time, I followed him. I was never loyal to him, I am loyal to the cause."
"You are serving Voldemort now," Albus grunted, fighting off the dizziness.
"While the acolytes dispersed, we are always in contact. The leader of the new era has emerged and we decided to follow him. We act from the shadows to clear our leader's path. Believe me when I say that Voldemort is nothing but a bug that will soon be crushed."
"You betrayed me," Dumbledore managed to say, feeling numbness overpowering his body.
"Trust me, Albus, this is for the greater good," the woman whispered on his ear, kissing his cheek.
The pair cleaned the evidence and left. Albus felt his grip on his bottle slackening until it shattered on the floor, spraying fine crystal shards. Fawkes began trilling a nostalgic tune but didn't shed a single tear.
Albus Dumbledore took his last breath.
Minerva McGonagall was a woman on a mission. Albus missed breakfast, something rather common, but he promised to be present! She knew that his absence didn't escape Poppy's sharp eyes and time was running out. Sooner rather than later, the nurse would make public Albus' constant absence and perhaps even going as far as divulging his problem with alcohol. Her friend lost too much already, she didn't want him to lose more.
After taking a deep breath, Minerva knocked on the door, not surprised at the lack of answer. With a simple spell, she unlocked the door, only to be received by darkness. With a sigh, she walked towards the closed drapes, ignoring the crystal grinding under her shoes. The woman opened the drapes with unnecessary violence, glaring at the state of the room.
Minerva's heart clenched when she noticed her friend drunk to unconsciousness again. He was calmly sleeping on the couch surrounded by shattered crystal. Heaving a sigh, she vanished the broken bottle and approached the sleeping man.
"Albus," Minerva said, gently shaking his shoulder. "Albus?" she tried once again, feeling ice settling on her heart at his lack of response.
Minerva got closer to the man, he was not breathing.
The events that followed barely registered on her mind, pain numbing her heart and obfuscating her mind. Sometimes, she thought this was a nightmare and she would wake up soon. It felt simply unreal.
Saturday morning Harry Potter was rushed to Saint Mungo's for emergency treatment. Saturday morning, the body of Albus Dumbledore was taken to the hospital's morgue.
Sunday morning the death of Albus Dumbledore was made public.
Monday evening Harry Potter was released to Hogwarts' infirmary under the strict surveillance of a Healer. Monday evening the funeral of Albus Dumbledore took place.
Monday night Minerva realized this was real. Monday night Minerva McGonagall allowed herself to mourn her lost friend with a glass of firewhisky and a handful of sherbet lemons.
Tuesday morning she assumed her new position as Headmistress, bowing to be remembered as that bitch that transmogrified Hogwarts. Perhaps in a century or so, she would be called revolutionary.
The first thing Harry Potter felt was a familiar hand playing with his hair. Little by little, he began taking in his surroundings.
"...can't be trusted, what if she harms him?" someone asked, it took a few seconds for Harry to realize that there was a heated argument going on.
"Ella is on guard," Neville snapped, having the decency to whisper.
Slowly, Harry opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times to clear his bleary vision. Part of his Court was present.
"Welcome," Luna whispered, handing Harry a glass of water that he gratefully drank.
"You want something to eat?" Blaise asked gently. Harry pretended not to notice how close he was to Luna and denied with his head.
"What happened?" Harry asked, noticing that his friends were looking at him with different degrees of relief.
"A siren attacked you and Cedric," Theo began explaining, taking a sit on his bed. "You managed to put Cedric underwater before she screamed."
"They took you to Saint Mungo's for treatment," Draco added in an almost inaudible tone.
Harry began noticing the different degrees of tiredness on his friends' faces and wondered for how long had he been unconscious.
"Ruptured eardrums and severe acoustic wave induced traumatic brain injury, congratulations," Daphne huffed, Harry didn't miss her swollen eyes and tried to smile at her.
"Actually, I think Head Healer Abbot was torn between breaking his Hippocratic bow and slapping you for being so reckless or turning you into a test subject," Justin informed him almost cheerfully.
"He says you shouldn't have been conscious after the attack, much less for so long," Neville told him in his usual gentle tone.
"And Cedric?" Harry asked, closing his eyes.
"He's fine," Blaise answered with clear amusement.
"You will have to speak with him though, he is feeling guilty," Draco said.
"When am I getting out?" Harry asked with a heavy sigh, knowing that the answer wouldn't satisfy him.
"A week at most," Theo said, making Harry sigh again.
"Don't worry, we brought you your books, wand, mirror, and that ugly cat sneaks at night," Justin added cheerfully.
Harry only hummed in response, his eyelids felt too heavy and his brain too foggy to remain conscious. Absently he felt a healer examining him but paid no mind. Before sleeping though, he wondered how would he explain his absence to Elizabeth. The girl was intense when worried.
Hermione Granger clutched Crookshanks closer to her chest when she heard voices in a distant hallway, her heart beating faster as she hurried her steps. She pushed open the heavy door while chanting the seventeen rules she was breaking while trying to ignore the echo of the closing door.
As always, Crookshanks jumped from her arms to his objective. Hermione only sighed and sat on the closest chair while unwrapping a sandwich and nibbling on it. If someone told her she would be breaking more rules in a week than in all her previous years, she would have laughed. How the tables have turned.
If anyone found her, she was accusing Crookshanks of emotional manipulation and blackmail. Hermione sighed again, not daring to look at the bed, a mistake she had only made once before.
Monday night Crookshanks was brought to the Gryffindor tower by a smiling Neville. Apparently, her spoiled cat invaded the infirmary to visit his friend. Madam Pomfrey wasn't amused. From there on, her cat began a strike. Destroying her homework, biting her books, breaking her quills, scratching her backpack, and not allowing her to sleep. She lasted less than a day under those conditions and ended up sneaking her cat to the infirmary while chanting the twenty-six rules she broke that day.
Four days went by and no one found out. Though there was a strange creature that almost gave her a heart attack while offering Hermione some food, considering the small thing kept quiet, it didn't count. She forgot to research the creature again, dang it!
As she ate her humble dinner, Hermione pondered on how much life changed the since classes began.
Potter taking care of Crookshanks wasn't something she ever thought to be possible, yet it was. Being honest, that encounter changed her perception of the boy, leaving her a bit uncomfortable when she noticed how superficial she had been while judging him. For someone who prided herself on her intelligence, it wasn't smart to judge a person by the rumours that surrounded them.
'Where there's smoke, there's fire'. Hermione's mother lived throughout this motto, always showing her pleasant mask in public and eviscerating people on the shadows. She always thought it was an excuse to be cruel and vowed to never be like her. She obviously failed, quite spectacularly at that. Too bad she didn't inherit more of her dad, maybe then life would be easier.
After Potter returned Crookshanks, her life turned a hundred times more exciting. Change Hermione didn't welcome at all.
First came the rumours. The witnesses began spreading rumours about Hermione purposefully leaving Crookshanks in the dungeons for Potter to find him. Others said that she charmed her cat to find Potter. Attention-seeker, braggart, poseur – in the eyes of Potter's fans and the school in general, Hermione was all that. The rumours and attempts of bullying revealed her classmates' true nature.
Most of the times, Lavender and Parvati flanked her when going to classes. Others, the boys took their places. Ginny never left her alone and even Ronald sat beside her during meals. All in all, the experience forced Hermione to realize that her classmates may not be the best students, but they were good people and that was enough. Thinking about it, alienating her roommates only because they had different interests than her was one of her most stupid decisions. What could she say? She was shallow and prided herself on being different from the other girls. Too late she realized that people are unique in their own way.
Lavender was an artist in every sense of the word. She had an eye for colours and beauty, which were shown off in her drawings. Parvati loved writing. True, the girl was into romance, but she was able to create fantastic worlds. It was a shame Hermione took four years to realize that her roommates weren't airheads, just people with different goals.
She was also feeling guilty for the way she treated Ronald. The boy got on her nerves because of his blatant lack of interest in school, she never realized the reason why he was having such a hard time in school. Dyslexia and ADHD, he obviously had a hard time learning. Counsellor Ciro taught everyone a spell that jumbled up the words in a book but, apparently, it helped the students with dyslexia to read better.
Seamus was a bit of a pyromaniac, but he always managed to make her laugh. Dean was quiet, finding comfort in silence and always accompanying her to the library. Hermione didn't know them well, but she was trying.
It was an eye-opening experience to realize that her housemates were fellow teenagers with different interests, not brainless cavemen.
As much as the whole thing helped her to grow as a person, Hermione was thankful for the teacher's intervention. All of her bullies-wanna-be were punished, and the ones clever enough to avoid punishment were pranked by Ginny's older brothers. However, no one could stop the rumours and the glares.
Of course, everyone forgot about her when Potter was friendly with a fifth-year Hufflepuff girl. Some said she was Potter's new conquest, others said she was Zabini's girlfriend, and everyone knew better than trying to bully a Hufflepuff because if you attacked one, you attacked the House. This time, Hermione ignored the rumours.
"What are you doing?" a raspy voice asked, almost giving her a heart attack.
Hermione clutched her chest as she tried to convince her heart to stop trying to leave her chest. Her head snapped up and she glared at the boy, only to look at the floor a second later. Yeah, looking was a mistake.
Potter looked pale and his hair was a mess. Considering how soigné and neat the boy presented himself, Hermione felt as if she was violating his privacy... and also, it was a tad frightening. She clearly remembers her grandfather's funeral – wan skin, dry lips, and closed eyes. It was illogical because she intellectually knew Potter was alive, but the image was enough to give her chills.
"Sorry for scaring you," Potter said in a rough voice, absently petting the now purring Crookshanks.
"Uhm... Do you want some water?" she asked, trying not to look at him.
"If you don't mind."
Hermione immediately filled the glass on the night table and carefully handed it to him, scared to let go of the glass. The silence stretched as Potter drank, only being broken when she heard the gentle sound of the glass being placed on the night table. She was already regretting visiting that night.
"Are you... uhm, hungry?" Hermione asked. She wouldn't ask Potter how was he feeling, it was pretty obvious.
"To be honest, I don't think my stomach can handle food." The silence stretched again. Crookshanks loud purrs served as white noise. "I guess the situation was bad for you to visit me."
Hermione winced, trying to ignore how similar Potter sounded to her mother when she was about to be scolded – or harshly criticized for all her shortcomings, however you wanted to call it.
"Crookshanks wanted to visit you and I don't want Madam Pomfrey or Healer Abbot to catch him," Hermione said in a small voice, hating how a simple tone could reduce her to this state. She didn't mention how bad the situation actually was.
Like most of the school, she saw the Second Task. Potter rescuing Cedric Diggory and being attacked by that siren. Even from the bleachers, Hermione heard the siren's scream, her ears hurt the whole weekend. Everyone saw the blood running down Potter's neck. Everyone witnessed the medical team panicking because of Potter's state through the mirrors until the connection was cut. All in all, bad didn't cover it.
The Sunday Herald headlines talked about Potter being in Saint Mungo's and Dumbledore's sudden death. There was also a full article that talked about the siren that attacked Potter causing a rift in her tribe. Everyone forgot about how cosy he was with that Nagi, but considering that the other champions were either rendered a blushing mess by their charm or scampered as rats when attacked, it was a tame reaction.
The whole weekend was a mess.
On Monday, Professor Dumbledore's funeral took place. Personally, Hermione regretted assisting. Professor McGonagall looked empty and the old Hogshead barman was sporting swollen eyes and vacant expression. There was a small crowd, all showing different degrees of grieve or satisfaction. She was reminded of the reason why the adult world was such a scary place.
"So it was bad," Potter sighed, startling Hermione. "You are really transparent."
Hermione didn't answer and not once met his gaze. She didn't even know how long she was staring at the floor, lost in her thoughts. When she finally snapped out of her trance, she noticed that Potter was unconscious and Crookshanks was plastered to his side. Carefully, she covered her cat and cast a charm on the blanket to mask the lump that her overgrown feline was.
Before leaving, she filled the water glass on the night table and warned Crookshanks not to get caught or no treats until next month. Carefully, she sneaked out of the infirmary towards her common room. Hermione didn't fancy any possible rumours, she was glad being the good old invisible Hermione Granger.
She no longer hates Potter and she definitely doesn't like him, but least she could now proudly announce she didn't envy his fame and the constant scrutiny he was under. Her simple life was perfect for now.
