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CHAPTER 40

THE REUNION

"Are we just going to leave them in the forest to escape?" Harry asked as they stepped into Sirius's office.

"Oh no, pup" Sirius replied as he took a seat. "Tonks stayed behind to round them up with some help from other Aurors.

"Are you alright though, Harry?" Sirius asked as he took in the tense expression on the boy's face.

"Yeah, I'm just worried. Voldemort sent those men after you" Harry replied.

"How did you know that?" Sirius asked, not sounding as surprised as Harry would have expected.

"I used Leglimency on one of the death eaters to find out why they had come after you" Harry cocked his head to the side as he studied his godfather. "You don't seem surprised by that"

"That's because I am not" Sirius answered with a gentle smile. "Remus and I always suspected that Voldemort might try to get to you through us"

"What?!"

"Relax, pup" Sirius clapped a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Remus and I have no intentions of ever letting him get us or you"

"I'm worried, Padfoot, not for me but for you both. Although I'm not exactly sure what Voldemort wants with me except maybe that I am the 'the boy who lived'" Harry said as he put up his fingers in a quotation mark sign.

"I don't want you worrying about this pup, seriously. Remus and I are experienced and skilled wizards, we…"

"Yeah, but so were my parents" Harry interjected as he rubbed a hand down his face with a resigned sigh.

"Harry…" Sirius began but was cut off when the boy stood up.

"I have to go, Padfoot" Harry said as he ran his fingers through his hair distractedly. "I have to stop by the school"

"Why? Is there a problem?"

"Just some issues with teachers…nothing I can't handle" Harry answered.

With that, the boy left the office, leaving his godfather looking worried and troubled as he watched his retreating back.


Ron was in the Gryffindor's common room, playing chess with the twins when he looked up and saw Hermione and Neville walk in together. Hermione looked nervous as she darted quick looks at Neville while the latter just looked distracted and slightly angry. He watched in shock, as they both walked towards the couches placed in the isolated corner of the common room. As the duo sat down, Hermione looked up and locked eyes with him. She turned to Neville and whispered something to him, causing the boy to nod his head.

Hermione turned back towards him and gestured for him to come over. Hesitantly, he got up and began to approach them. Neville sensing his approach, looked up. He watched him warily as he got closer.

"Hey" was all he could manage as he reached them.

"Ron, sit down" Hermione whispered.

Neville still hadn't moved or acknowledged him, if anything, he looked like he was uncomfortable.

Guilt and regret laced through Ron as he thought of the fact that he and Hermione were the cause of Neville's discomfort.

"So, Ron…you're probably wondering why we are sitting here with Neville" Hermione began when the silence had become deafening and Neville had made no attempt to talk.

"Yeah, I was. What's going on?" Ron asked as his eyes darted between the still sullen looking Neville and Hermione.

Hermione was just about to reply, when she was surprised to hear Neville speak up. She thought he was going to remain quiet throughout their meeting as he didn't seem to be comfortable around Ron and her. In fact, he had been wearing a scowl since they had run into each other in the Great Hall.

"The reason we are sitting here together like this is because, I have something to discuss with you both" Neville began softly, still managing to avoid looking at Ron or Hermione.

"I was called into the headmaster's office today and was rather surprised when he began to inquire about our friendship and lack thereof" Neville continued, still sounding surprised. He was still shocked by the headmaster pretty much insisting that he made up with his friends. It was all very strange to him. It wasn't like he didn't have other friends. The whole situation just seems suspicious to him and he wanted to know what the duo had been told by headmaster. "I ran into Hermione and she told me that you both had a similar conversation with the professor"

"Yes, he yelled at us for what happened and insisted that we made up with you as soon as possible" Ron said with a nod of his head in agreement.

"Is that why you both have been trying to talk to me" Neville asked because he needed to know. Their answer would decide what direction he wanted to go with their friendship regardless of what Dumbledore said.

"What? No!"

"Absolutely not, Nev!" the duo replied simultaneously, sounding almost enraged that he had asked such a question.

Relieved by their response, Neville smiled slightly before turning to look at them for the first time since they had sat down to talk.

"Ok, I believe you" he smiled at them as he heard them breathe out audibly in relief. "But I still think that it is strange that the headmaster seems this invested in our friendship"

"I agree!" Hermione answered, nodding her head in agreement.

"What I don't understand is why is he so invested though?" Ron mused aloud.

"I don't know yet but I am going to find out" Neville said with determination. With that, he got up, he had to go study.

"Erm, N-nev?" he heard Hermione call out.

"Yes?" he asked as he took in their downcast faces.

"Can we hang out for a little longer" Hermione asked tentatively. "I've missed this"

"We've missed you, mate" Ron cut in, gazing at him solemnly.

"W-well" he stuttered. The few minutes that they had spent talking had felt familiar. It reminded him of how close they used to be. He did miss them too but he couldn't just forget what had happened and just go back to the way things were just because the headmaster had demanded it.

"Look, I'm not sure what you both expected from this little meeting" he said as he ran his fingers through his hair. "But I can see that you are both are being genuine and I might have been a wee bit resistant to your attempts at mending fences"

"I don't trust you completely but I would like to try, not because of the headmaster's insistence but because I want to" he took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm headed to the library to study, if you want…we…can…go together"

He knew he had done the right thing with taking the next step in them mending their friendship. The duo's faces lit up at his offer.

"We would love to go with you" Hermione replied with a huge smile on her face.

"Sure mate" Ron grinned.


Harry pressed his fingers to his temples to massage and ease his growing headache. He was really regretting visiting the school after his encounter with Death Eaters in the forest. He should have just waited to visit another day but he knew he had to deal with the mess he was facing with the professors. He looked up when he felt a gentle nudge at his side.

Deputy Headmistress Dresden smiled at him and subtly nodded towards the Professor Longbush who was still talking and seemed to be gesturing furiously with his hands. She understood that the professors haven't been very happy with the fact that Harry now owned the school. What she didn't understand was why they were being resistant and uncooperative. The boy wasn't making any changes that would affect them negatively, if anything, he was proposing making things even better. But for some reason, they were being stubborn. She suspected that Professor Longbush was behind the resistance. He hadn't been in support of Harry taking over since the first day the news was broken to the professors.

She watched as Harry listened patiently to Professor yell and berate him to the other professors. She opened her mouth to defend the boy but was stopped by a slight shake of his head. She smiled because it seemed like the boy had a plan. It also seems like he knows that Professor Longbush had been advocating against him behind his back.

"In conclusion, we can't let such a young boy to take over and just change things. The system that we have in place has been working for years. The same system that was used when he was a student here. The same system that had helped him graduate early" the professor concluded his tirade, with a rousing support from quite a few professors.

Harry looked around the office and noticed that not all of the professors were in support of Professor Longbush's opinions. He had also noticed that the professor seemed to be the instigator and the mastermind behind the resistance from the opposing professors. A little use of Legilimency really goes a long way.

"Thank you, Professor Longbush" Dresden said with a stiff smile. She turned to Harry, "Harry, is there anything you'd like to say in response?"

"Yes, I do have something to say, thanks Gwyneth" Harry smiled as he gazed at the professors. "A lot has been said today, as well as in the past couple of weeks regarding my taking over and ownership of the school. I have tried my best to accommodate your requests and also make the transition as easy and smoothly as possible. However, some of you have decided that whether or not I do right, you are still going to resist and make things difficult"

He walked around the desk to stand in the middle of the office as he gazed directly at the professors, maintaining eye contact with the opposing teachers.

"Today, those of you that oppose have not only come right out and stated that but also insulted me by calling me calling a 'young boy' who doesn't know what he is doing. I realise now that if I don't prove myself to you, you'd never take me seriously. So …" he smiled wickedly as he pulled out his wands, "I propose that those who don't think I'm capable come forward with their wands to duel against me"

Harry ignored the shocked gasps made around him, as he kept his eyes on the opposing professors. Quite a few of them looked down and faltered, knowing that he was a defence prodigy and had built quite a reputation during his time as a student at the school as being one of the best prodigy student ever to graduate.

Harry continued to wait as he watched the opposing teachers fidget nervously in the seats while throwing looks at Professor Longbush. They seemed to be pleading with him to do something.

"I-I'll take the challenge" Professor Longbush said as he struggled to hide his nervousness. He knew that the other professors were looking to him to take up the challenge since he had been the most vocal about opposing the boy. If he could do this and win, he thought to himself, he would be able to not only humiliate the boy but also prove his point. And if possible, take over as the head. He was aware of the boy's reputation, but what's a teenage boy's skill compared to him, a fully grown adult, he thought to himself with a smile.

"Excellent!" Harry replied with a wide smile. "We begin the duel after lunch"

With that, he walked out of the office leaving heated whispers breaking out in his wake.