* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *
PART THREE
The Eighth Year
Chapter 48: One Step Forward, One Step Back
March dragged by, the snow turned to rain again, and the days seemed to last forever. Melody finally began to settle in at Hogwarts. With the help of Hermione, Lilly and Luna, in particular, she managed to get back on track for her N.E.W.T's. She was happier now, and the real Melody was a very lovely person.
Hermione had become fairly close with her, but she doubted that Melody would ever become a member of their little 'group', she preferred to stick with her own kind, and she had become close with Luna. Gilderoy Lockhart could be seen coming and going from the castle, and he often got glared at by Filch when he was seen too close to Melody.
As March went on, the students started to get pulled in for career meetings. These were compulsory and were with their Head of House. Harry remembered his initial meeting with McGonagall in his fifth year; it had been a critical moment for him because it had pretty much been when he decided that he wanted to be an Auror.
This time it was different; these meetings meant more. People came back with application forms; it was scary how close they were to being out there in the real world. Harry thought he would be better prepared for it. After all, he had been out in the world on his own for the better part of a year, but that had been different.
This was real life; it was the wizarding world; it was civilisation, not living in a tent for months. Harry sighed as he continued to fill out his application form to participate in the Auror selection process. He knew he would get in, regardless of his application, but he was still doing his best to efficiently fill out the 60-page form.
The common room was empty; most people were in class, but Harry had a free period. The time passed slower because he was waiting for Draco and Theo to return to the common room. Draco technically should have gone straight back to Ancient Runes, and Theo should have been on his way to Astronomy, but they were both coming back to the common room to tell Harry how their career meetings had gone. Theo's meeting with Slughorn was right after Draco's, and both of them had been gone for nearly an hour now.
Harry was about to take a break and put his quill down when the door swung open, and his two friends walked into the common room.
"How'd it go?" Harry asked the two boys the second they were in the room.
"You first, Theo," Draco said as he sat down on an armchair by the fire. Harry abandoned his forms and made his way over to the fire. He sat down on the sofa next to Theo. Neither of his friends had application forms, and Harry's heart sank.
"Well, I told Slughorn about the Auror thing," Theo said. He had a slight smile on his face, "And he told me that I would have to get the grades first, but he thought that I could do it. He checked me out for a criminal record and said I was fine, but as a Slytherin and because of my family history, I'd need four references."
"Well, I'll be one," Harry said instantly.
Theo smirked, "I told him you'd say that, and he said he'd be another."
"McGonagall will give you one," Harry added with a slight smirk, "She pretends she doesn't, but she likes you. You remind her of Sirius."
"I thought she might, which means I just have to find a fourth reliable reference," Theo said. He reached into his bag and pulled out the forms.
"Great!" Harry said happily as he turned to Draco, "And how did yours go?"
Draco shrugged; he looked up for the first time, "It could have gone worse," he said honestly, "I told Slughorn that I wanted to be an Auror, and he gave me a sympathetic look and said I had a criminal record. He told me I wouldn't have any problem getting the grades, but then he brought up my record."
"Yeah, and what did it say?" Harry asked. He wrung his hands anxiously. He really wished people were more willing to give Draco a second chance.
Draco sighed deeply. It was the sigh of an old weathered man, not an 18-year-old with his life ahead of him, "I have a few charges against my name...let's put it that way," he said as he pulled a sheet of paper from his bag and handed it to Harry. It was a copy of Draco's criminal record, and it read:
"CRIMINAL RECORD
NAME: Draco Abraxas Black (Malfoy during the time of these offences).
GENDER: Male.
LAST KNOWN ADDRESS: Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire, England.
TERM ADDRESS: Hogwarts Castle, Highlands, Scotland.
PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS:
Offence: Cursing a student by the name of Katie Bell and the attempted murder of herself and Albus Dumbledore.
Further details: Miss Bell was cursed by a necklace given to her by Mr Black. It was meant to be for Albus Dumbledore.
Punishment: None due to his being a student at the time of the offence and his running away once the truth was revealed. A later statement from Harry James Potter saved him from jail time.
Offence: The poisoning of Ronald Bilius Weasley and the attempted murder of he and Albus Dumbledore.
Further Details: A bottle of poisoned mead was accidentally given to student Ronald Weasley but was meant for Albus Dumbledore.
Punishment: None, due to his being a student at the time of the offence and the fact that he was found to be under the control of Lord Voldemort, who was blackmailing and threatening the Malfoy family. This was backed up with a Legilimency test and a statement from Harry James Potter.
Offence: Aiding and abetting in the murder of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
Further details: Allowed known Death Eaters into Hogwarts, which gave them access to the Headmaster.
Punishment: A fine of 301 Galleons, 3 Sickles and 4 Knuts.
Offence: Known Death Eater.
Evidence: A known dark mark.
Punishment: A trial, however, no time in Azkaban due to a statement from Harry James Potter.
NOTES:
In a statement to the Ministry after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry James Potter stated that Mr Draco Abraxas Black (then Malfoy) had saved his life. Mr Potter found himself caught by snatchers and in Mr Black's home. Mr Potter had a stinging charm on his face; Mr Black recognised him but did not give him up to his father, which gave Mr Potter time to escape. This was verified by a Legilimency test and an inspection of Mr Potter's memory of the event.
Mr Draco Abraxas Black's mother, Ms Narcissa Dorea Black (then Mrs Malfoy), also saved Mr Harry James Potter's life by telling Lord Voldemort that Mr Potter was dead when he was alive. This gave Mr Potter time and opportunity to escape. This was verified by a Legilimency test and an inspection of both Mr Potter and Ms Black's memory of the event.
These statements, combined with the memories provided to the Ministry within them, aided in the sentencing of Mr Black after the Battle of Hogwarts. No charges were pressed upon receipt of a fee 502 Galleons, 0 Sickles and 3 Knuts."
Harry gulped as he finished reading the record. He handed it back to Draco, who surveyed him carefully and looked for a reaction.
"Notice a recurring name in my criminal record?" Draco asked. He sounded bitter and on the verge of an explosion of anger.
Harry opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again, so Draco narrowed his eyes at his friend, "Your name appears on it quite a lot, Harry James Potter."
"I suppose it does," Harry said as he tried to act casual about that.
"Harry, I can fight my own fucking battles," Draco barked. He looked like he might pounce shortly.
"No, you can't," Harry argued, "If I hadn't stepped in, you would be rotting in Azkaban right now! Sometimes you need to learn to accept help!"
"Help!? That's what you call it?" Draco shook his head in disbelief, "You paid 500 bloody Galleons to vouch for me! And you still hated me then, why would you do that?"
Harry growled as he pushed himself to his feet in his anger, "I didn't hate you, Draco! I felt sorry for you! I went through hell before I got to Hogwarts, and if I hadn't had someone to save me, I'd have been just like you! All I was doing was trying to help you out!"
"So you're my hero now?" Draco shouted as he got to his feet and grabbed his wand. Harry instinctively did the same.
Theo shouted, "Fight, fight, fight!"
"SHUT UP THEO!" Harry and Draco yelled as they both shot a stunning charm in his direction.
"No, Draco, I'm not anyone's hero but will you not just accept that I helped you?"
"No! I didn't need your help, I've never needed your help, and I don't want it to get into Auror training either!"
For some insane reason, they then started duelling. Maybe it was because they were both stressed out of their minds, and they needed a way to get it all out but spells shot back and forward between them for at least 10 minutes, and they didn't say a word throughout the entire duel.
Eventually, Draco stopped, and Harry didn't fire a spell back at the man who had let his defences down. He wasn't that cruel with his friends.
"Finished being an idiot yet?" Harry asked; he was exhausted.
Draco nodded and sheepishly made his way over to Harry and hugged him. Harry was shocked, but he awkwardly patted Draco on the back.
"Sorry for being a prick," Draco mumbled. Then with pink cheeks, he made his way back to his armchair.
"Forgiven," Harry said as he sat back down on the sofa next to an unconscious Theo, "As long as you don't hug me again."
"Deal," Draco said, and they sat in awkward silence for a moment.
"So you didn't get anywhere with the Auror thing with Slughorn then?" Harry asked, eventually.
"What?" Draco asked as Harry's words brought him back into the real world. He then remembered what the conversation had initially been about, "Oh, right," he reached into his bag again and pulled out a large stack of papers.
Draco grinned broadly, "He said I would need six good references, including a Ministry official and that I'd have to get, and I quote Slughorn here, my 'good friend Harry Potter to pull some strings', but he gave me the form."
Harry grinned just as broadly and walked over to his friend. He hugged him proudly.
Draco laughed, "We need to stop with this hugging thing," he joked.
"Shall we have a celebratory drink instead?" Harry joked as he conjured up some firewhiskey from his secret stash upstairs in his dorm room.
"I think we should," Draco said with a smirk as he glanced over at Theo, "Do you think we should wake him?"
Harry grinned, "Nah, sleeping beauty needs all the rest he can get," he teased as he poured out two shot glasses of whiskey.
"Cheers!" They both said as they downed their drinks.
As the month dragged on, forms got sent away, and replies slowly started to filter in.
It was the morning of Sadie's birthday, and as it was a Wednesday. Sadie had decided she didn't want a party per se, just a little get together and a few drinks in the common room later, which would, of course, become a party, as it always did.
Sadie had scanned the hall for an owl making its way to her at breakfast that day. There had been a few, but none with the news she was waiting for, and she sighed. Her Mother's large owl swooped towards her and dropped a letter and a package; there was a birthday card and a present. Sadie pulled the brown packaging off and found a large white box sealed with a pink ribbon. She eagerly undid the ribbon and opened the box; she gasped, as did many of the other girls when she saw her present. It was a beautiful hand-made silk dress, it was a very pale green, and it was beautiful. With it was a note from Sadie's Mother, which read,
"Dear Sadie,
I hope you will wear this as your prom dress. It was mine when I was at Hogwarts, and it was hand-made by your Grandmother. Happy Birthday, darling.
All my love,
Mother."
Sadie's little cousin Owen had shyly made his way over from the Hufflepuff table with a lovely hand-made card that sang 'Happy Birthday' to Sadie, who was both honoured and embarrassed. Theo had given Sadie her present at the breakfast table; he had given her a beautiful photo frame with a picture of them from Harry's New Year's party inside it. The girls had combined money and given Sadie a jumper she had seen while shopping in Diagon Alley and had wanted for months. The boys had joined forces, and they had given Sadie a leather-bound diary.
Truthfully, she had felt very spoiled during breakfast, but she was still upset that the letter she had been hoping for had not yet arrived.
The morning passed reasonably uneventfully, apart from the fact that Trelawney got the entire class to sing happy birthday to Sadie in Divination. When lunchtime came, Sadie got another birthday surprise when an owl she didn't recognise swooped into the hall and dropped a letter on her lap.
Sadie looked at the parchment; it was dark brown, not like the light colour that they used here in the UK. She grinned when she saw the seal, and she eagerly ripped the envelope open and pulled out the letter inside it. It was exactly what she was hoping for.
"Dear Miss. Cauldwell,
We have reviewed your application and are pleased to inform you that you have a provisional place on the course: Alchemical Studies at the Centre for Alchemical Studies.
To maintain this place, you must receive the highest result possible in the N.E.W.T subjects listed below. In the United Kingdom, that result is O/Outstanding:
- Potions
- Herbology
- Arithmancy
You must also receive a high pass (In the United Kingdom, an E/Exceeds Expectations) in the subjects listed below:
- Charms
- Transfiguration
- Ancient Runes
This course begins on the 1st of August, 1999. You are expected to be in Cairo for this date and to be prepared with the list of textbooks attached with this letter. Accommodation will be provided for you in the city of Cairo, and your campus will be: The Alexandria Library Campus
We expect a reply by the 1st of May.
Yours sincerely,
Iris Remal
Head of the Centre for Alchemical Studies,
Cairo,
Egypt."
Sadie grinned from ear to ear. She jumped up and hugged Theo, "I got in!" she squealed, "I got in!"
Theo grinned happily and hugged his girlfriend back, "Congratulations!" he said as he kissed her passionately in the middle of the Great Hall amidst many cheers.
It wasn't until they sat back down at the table that Theo caught sight of the letter for the first time, and his heart sank, "Sadie...it says you have to go to Cairo."
"Yeah," Sadie said a little sheepishly, "The centre is in Cairo."
"You didn't tell me that," Theo said quietly, although he knew Draco, Harry, and Neville could hear every word because they were sitting very nearby, "Were you ever planning on telling me?"
"Of course I was Theo-" Sadie began to say.
Theo could tell straight away that she was lying, "You're lying, Sadie," he said quietly, and without another word, he got to his feet and left the hall. Sadie was left staring after him, and her eyes beginning to fill up with tears.
Neville quietly and stealthily exited the hall after Theo and found him sitting on the floor in an alcove in the dungeons.
"You okay?" Neville asked as he cast a discreet muffliato charm and slid down onto the floor opposite his friend.
"Fine," Theo lied. Neville didn't call him out on it or push him.
"She's going to Cairo, Nev," Theo said, he was angry, and Neville didn't blame him after what Sadie had kept from him, "Fucking Cairo, in Egypt! And she didn't even tell me!"
"I know," Neville said sympathetically, "Is she staying there?"
Theo nodded. He suspiciously moved his sleeve over his face like he was crying, "She has to stay in the accommodation there."
"What are you going to do?" Neville asked.
"I don't know, fall apart and turn into a bastard again," Theo said, and the sad thing was that he meant it, or at least thought he did.
"It's her birthday Theo," Neville pointed out.
Theo merely snorted, "So I should pretend I don't care and be nice to her? Like that's going to help anyone."
"I'm just saying, you should probably try and talk to her before you make any big decisions," Neville said.
"Big decisions," Theo said with a shake of his head. He pulled a black velvet box from his robes and threw it to Neville. His friend opened the box and looked at the gleaming ring inside.
"Wow," Neville said, "You were going to do it today?"
Theo nodded as he stared down at the ring, half gold and half platinum with one diamond set in the middle. It was classy and straightforward, which was exactly what Sadie would have wanted, "I was going to do it tonight, at her surprise party."
"And you aren't going to anymore?" Neville asked. He closed the box and gave it back to Theo. He felt genuinely dreadful for his friend.
Theo shook his head, and once again, he mysteriously rubbed his sleeve against his face, "She'll think I'm only doing it to stop her going to Cairo, and I'd never stop her getting what she wants. I just wish she wanted it with me."
"Can't you work it out?" Neville asked with a frown, "Surely, you can just apparate to Cairo and visit her?"
Theo sighed and shook his head, "I wish it was that easy, Nev. Cairo is a restricted zone; in fact, Egypt as a whole is. You need a licence to apparate in and out of restricted zones at will. I'd have one as an Auror but not until the three years of training are over. I could visit her, but it would be long waits at the apparition centre, jumping through zones and checkpoints, you know?"
"So you're just going to give up on something that could be amazing?"
"I don't know what I'm going to do," Theo said as he stood up, shoved the ring box back into his pocket and left the alcove.
Theo and Sadie spent the rest of the day being miserable and avoiding each other until dinner when they spoke for the first time.
"I'm sorry about this morning," Theo said quietly as he sat down next to Sadie.
She shook her head, "Don't be. I should have told you when I first applied."
"Why didn't you?" Theo asked. It was clear that he still felt hurt and betrayed.
Sadie sighed and bit her lip, "I was afraid that you would do something stupid, like propose to me to get me to stay or something."
Theo smirked somewhat sadly, "Funny you should say that..."
Sadie looked up, surprised, "Theo, you weren't going to be that cliché, were you?"
Theo sighed, "No, if I wanted to be cliché, I would have proposed to you tonight at the surprise party that you've known about for the last week."
Sadie smiled for the first time since lunch, "Theodore Nott, are you proposing to me?"
Theo was shocked for a moment; he should have known his proposal to Sadie would have been on her terms instead of his. He eventually regained his composure, "Well," he said with a smirk, "I suppose I better since I've mentioned it now. Do you fancy marrying me?"
Sadie's grin widened, "Where's the ring then?"
"What ring?" Theo asked as he faked a look of shock.
Sadie narrowed her eyes at him, "You are joking, aren't you?!
Theo grinned, reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out the little velvet box. He popped it open to show her the ring. Sadie's jaw dropped, and the others inched closer to get in on the action.
"Get on your knee then, Nott!" Draco shouted from further along the table, and Theo got down on one knee before Sadie.
"Sadie, you know I'm not one for speeches...but I love you. Go on, marry me; you know you want to," Theo said. He smirked up at the girl, who rolled her eyes in amusement.
"I suppose you'll do," Sadie teased, and Theo slid the ring onto her finger.
At the head table, McGonagall reached her hand out to Flitwick, "You owe me 20 galleons, I believe Filius."
Neville smirked and hurried up to the head table, which he then jumped on. In doing so, he stuck his arse right in front of McGonagall's face.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Teachers and terrors. I would like to congratulate Theodore Roosevelt Nott on the most original proposal, ever, to the soon to be Sadie Nott!"
"Actually, Mr Longbottom," McGonagall said from behind Neville, "That is not entirely correct. I think you will find that Mr Potter's parents did something very similar around 20 years ago."
"Brilliant!" Harry exclaimed down at the eighth year table.
Sadie and Theo finally stopped kissing, and it was as they broke for air that Sadie said with a grin, "I was never planning on staying in Cairo Theo, I wanted to apply and then if I got in see if I could study from England."
"Really?" Theo asked. His eyes were wide with surprise, "You'd do that for me?"
"Of course, I would!" Sadie said as she smiled at him, "You aren't getting rid of me that easily."
"No," Theo said with a grin, "You're tied down to me now."
"Not literally, I hope," Sadie whispered.
Theo only laughed as their friends began to hug them and say congratulations, giving Sadie a chance to show her ring off to the girls. She could safely say that she would never forget this birthday, then a thought struck her.
"Theo..." Sadie said slowly.
Theo turned back to her, "Yeah?"
"You didn't propose to me on my birthday so you wouldn't forget our anniversary, did you?" Sadie asked suspiciously.
"No..." Theo said with slightly shifty eyes, "Of course not."
Sadie narrowed her eyes at him, and Theo said, "Oh, by the way, the wedding is on my birthday, is that okay?"
Sadie just chuckled and hit him around the back of the head affectionately. The others weren't listening in for once, so Sadie said quietly and sincerely, "I love you."
Theo smiled genuinely at her, "I love you too," he said just as sincerely as she had.
Yep, it was the best birthday ever.
Shortly after this touching moment between the newly engaged couple, Harry got up onto the eighth year table, "At the risk of being accused of copying my good friend Neville with all due warning to the Headmistress, I would like to announce to all eighth years and select seventh years with privileges to our common room," he winked at Ginny and Luna, "That Sadie's surprise party, which was the worst kept surprise ever, is now also an engagement party! And it starts in half an hour, so to all those invited, eat up!"
Harry bowed to the school and jumped down from the table amidst cheers.
"You out-speeched me, you git," Neville said with a mock glare as Harry sat down.
Harry smirked, "I'm the boy-who-lived Nev. You can't beat me in a speech or out-bad arse me for that matter. I heard about St. Mungo's, and this prank war is officially on."
"Oh, it's so on," Neville said with narrowed eyes.
"Oi, you two! No pranks, I just got engaged!" Theo said from the sidelines.
After this exchange of words, the eighth years hurriedly made their way back to the common room for the mother of all parties.
The party was well underway when Harry and Daphne arrived with a few kegs of butterbeer they had smuggled in from The Three Broomsticks.
"What took you so long?" Hermione asked with a roll of her eyes as they dropped the kegs on the table just as the door opened and Charlie walked in. Charlie had taken over for Hagrid when the gamekeeper announced that he would no longer be teaching Care of Magical Creatures.
"Uh, nothing to see here, Professor Weasley," Harry said with a smirk as he stepped in front of the kegs.
Charlie scoffed, "You're as terrible a liar as ever," he said as he poured himself a cup of butterbeer, "I'm here to make sure you aren't doing anything heinous, apparently. But since everything looks under control, I guess I'm not needed."
"You're such a responsible teacher, Charlie," Hermione laughed.
Charlie shook his head, "This is tame compared to some of the parties I threw at Hogwarts. Where do you think Fred and George got it from?"
They laughed as Charlie left. After that, the party was left alone. As far as eighth-year parties went, it was pretty tame, but Harry put that down to the fact that everyone was so genuinely pleased for Sadie and Theo that they didn't want to cause any aggro.
The following morning was very interesting, indeed. It was a Thursday, and the Minister for Magic walked into the Great Hall amidst shocked ooh's and aah's from the students. He didn't make his way to the Head Table as those who knew about his involvement with McGonagall expected. Instead, he walked to the eighth year table and stood nearby the friends fronted by Harry and Draco.
"I apologise for barging in like this," Kingsley said in his deep booming voice, "But I was on my way to discuss the new education reforms with Minerva. The letters will come in the post next week, but I can officially tell you the good news now."
"Is it about Auror training?" Draco asked nervously.
Kingsley nodded once more, "Harry, Neville; congratulations. It gives me great pleasure to tell you that you have been accepted into the selection process for Auror training. Mr Nott, thanks to your outstanding references, you too have been accepted."
Theo grinned broadly, and Sadie beamed proudly from her spot beside him. He got to his feet and shook the Ministers hand, "Thank you so much, Minister. That is the best news on top of what happened yesterday."
"I heard of your recent engagement Mr Nott," Kingsley smiled, "Word spreads as fast in the real world as it does at Hogwarts. Congratulations."
"Thank you," Theo said with a grin as he sat back down next to his fiancée.
As the others had been receiving their good news, Draco had sunk lower into the bench with the hope of disappearing from view. He knew what was coming, the others had gotten such good news in front of everybody, and he was going to be told sorry, but we can't accept a monstrous bastard like you into the programme.
Finally, Kingsley turned to look at him, "Mr Black, I am very sorry to inform you that despite your references and Mr Potters best attempts to outsmart the system, which he thought he could do without me noticing," Kingsley smirked at Harry, who looked very sheepish.
The Minister continued, "The Auror Department did not immediately accept your application. You will, however, be accepted into the selection process following a short trial in which you will have to submit memories from the war."
Draco was delighted and stunned as he realised what that meant. He would get into the selection process. He had gotten past the background check stage, and now they just had to verify that he wasn't a Death Eater anymore.
He was one step closer to becoming an Auror, which he never thought he would be able to do.
Draco got to his feet and shook the Ministers hand, "Thank you so much, Minister. I'm honoured to be given this opportunity."
"I can see that," Kingsley said, "And I can see you will fight for it. People like you are who we need to be filling the gaps in our organisation, Mr Black. Do not make me regret this decision."
"I won't," Draco said firmly as he sat back down.
The Minister did not seem to be finished just yet because he pulled a letter from his robes and handed it to Susan, "And Miss Bones, this is for you. Congratulations, I look forward to welcoming you to the DMLE family."
Susan smiled as she accepted the letter. Kingsley barely managed to conceal a smirk as he said, "Although I have a feeling that Mr Weasley already informed you of the good news."
Susan glanced down awkwardly, and Kingsley left the hall without another word. Susan was immediately pounced on by her friends at this news.
"Mr Weasley?" Hermione asked in disbelief, "Which one?"
"Percy, obviously!" Lilly grinned, "He's the only one in law enforcement! Is something going on between you and Percy, Suse?"
"My brother, Percy? That Percy?! Ginny asked in disbelief. The conversation and the presence of the Minister for Magic had brought her to the table. Her nosiness had gotten the better of her as usual.
Susan looked quite embarrassed, "Yes, that, Percy."
"What exactly is going on with you two?" Daphne asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Nothing," Susan replied quickly.
"Oh, come on, he told you about you getting accepted before the letter was even ready," Sadie said as she nudged her friend, "Are you dating?"
"We're not dating," Susan said with a shake of her head, "We're just friends."
Ginny made a face, "Please don't say with benefits."
Susan laughed, "Not exactly. Nothing has happened between us, not really. I'm trying this whole, taking it slow thing, for once," she shot Harry a smile.
Harry understood why. It was because of the conversation they'd had after she and Neville fell out. Susan was trying to show Percy she was worthy of his respect, and Harry admired her for that.
* ~ TBC ~ *