Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of Weston Grove number 6, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal. Sure, maybe they had some drawbacks, like the rising of a nephew with magical powers, but now it was all back to normal.
They lived in the suburbs of North London, their son Dudley was about to finish school, and they didn't see him much; Mrs. Dursley was a housewife, and Mr. Dursley had recently returned to work as director of a drill company.
That morning in late spring, he absolutely didn't expect anything strange to happen; it had been a long time since he had heard of his nephew or his family, or receiving news from the order that had so insisted on kicking him out of his old house.
He said goodbye to his wife and drove to his office.
Before entering, he stopped and as is customary, bought a bun from the bakery across the street, in front of the office; but a strange thing happened: as soon as he got out of the car he saw a flock of owls passing over him.
No no no no. He refused to believe it.
He returned to his office determined to not think about it, he made a few phone calls and sign his usual paperwork. It was already late afternoon when he decided that for that day it would be enough, and went to the exit to go home.
However, as soon as he got out, a couple of fireworks caught his attention; and only when he managed to look away from the still bright sky, where for some reason they had managed a to make appear them; he saw, another time after the Potter's death, those strange people with cloaks.
No no no no. He pretended not to see them.
He was walking on the sidewalk looking around in every direction like an international spy, and he heard it.
"Potter." "Yes yes, Harry Potter." "He defeated him." "We won!" a small group of people with weird cloaks spoke near him.
No, please, not again...
Many days had passed from the battle of Hogwarts.
All wizarding world was celebrating happily ever since, the most wonderful celebration ever; never was seen a more beautiful celebration, perhaps only when Voldemort was defeated by Harry for the first time.
Owls were flying from north to south, from east to west, bringing the relief of the dark lord's death across the planet. Fireworks reverberate in the night; lightening and falling stars were coming from the sky together, they shone day and night; Falling stars even during the day! Ancient happy songs were returned to homes after being forgotten. Families and friends had gathered after long periods of separation.
All the muggles could do in this situation was watching the splendor of the happiness of the wizarding world.
Unfortunately, for many it was a happiness with a bitter taste: there were those who had lost friends, relatives... those who no longer had a home; those who had to start their life all over again. But all of them knew that there would always been someone to help them, without the constant fear of death to haunt them.
After the battle, the wizarding world faced the post-war period, obviously a magical post-war period is a little easier to solve: a faster recovery. They rebuilt all that had been destroyed, but there was something that couldn't be repaired, with, or without magic: feelings.
It seemed that everything was fine, but the most combative Death Eaters continued to do attempts all around the magical world; and also the ones that weren't any more so sure about being Death Eaters had do participate, or they would be killed by the others. They were also trying to make the others escape from Azcaban.
Ministry of magic was trying to stop them and hide the fact that they were still silently fighting. The magical population had already suffered enough. They needed a truce!
So, the wizards' lives resumed their course, trying to heal the scars.
After the battle, Harry had absolutely no intention of returning to the Dursleys, but he still did not feel ready to take his own house and start living alone. Till that, the Weasleys offered to host him as long as he needed, because he was like a son to them.
Also Hermione come to live there until her parents were found in Australia and she had restored their memories.
So the three friends (and Ginny) had passed the whole summer in peace at the burrow; when we say the calm after the storm.
It seemed like they were back at before the war, when they were just Hogwarts' students, even if a bit special, that could laugh, talk, and even study together, like normal friends and schoolmates. But we know that war changes people, sometimes irretrievably: even if they wanted to look like just high school students, they were the heroes of a war, and they knew sufferance, regrets, and everything that war involved. Deep inside, they still remembered what they had gone through, but they lived trying to forget their past and make up for the lost time; their youth spent solving adult problems.
It was eleven at the burrow; eleven of a mead summer day, a totally normal day. The warm sun was shining on the fields around the burrow, and everyone was enjoying their holydays. Nobody would have expected anything special to happen that morning.
Mrs Weasley was sitting on her favourite armchair, and she was already working on the Christmas jumpers, with the excuse of not wanting to arrive on Christmas eve with all the jumpers still to be made; excuse that earned her the freedom not to prepare the lunch for all the Weasley' family. Instead of her, Hermione and Ginny would have to prepare it.
Harry, Ron, and the other Weasley brothers that were already home for the Sunday Lunch were playing quidditch. Even if there wasn't any more a quidditch house cup, Harry and Ron didn't want to lose training. Ginny would have liked to go play with them, but Molly kept her in the kitchen helping Hermione; she was a guest after all!
All was silent.
Without Fred, depression took over. Mrs. Weasley was doing her best to keep herself distracted and to look happy again. Mr. Weasley and Percy were all day long at the ministry, Bill and Fleur always at their house, Teddy with his grandma Andromeda, and Charlie was now back in Romania. Even George seemed to have lost his habit of joking around randomly: he didn't speak much now, he claimed that his voice at his ears was like Fred one, and he didn't want to hear it anymore. Silence was now new normality. But they were trying to recover, and go back to the happy readhead wizards family they were before the war.
That's why, when a voice broke that silence, they were so surprised.
While Hermione and Ginny were fighting with the pudding, that seemed to have come to life, a voice came from the outside: "guys, I've a fantastic news! Letters from Hogwarts have arrived for you!" shouted Mr Weasley, just got home from work, searching for the recipients of the letters.
When they arrived (Hermione and Ginny covered in pudding) he handed them the letters impatiently waiting to know their content.
It was so nice to see the letter with the Hogwarts' seal in their hands again.
"why would they wrote to us?" Asked Hermione while opening her letter.
"we just have to find out." said Harry.
"oh my, professor McGonagall in person wrote it." Ron was quite scared by his discovery. (he and McGonagall had never been "friends")
Dear students, I'm glad to announce that the Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry is ready to welcome new and old students.
You, and all the students that had attended classes last year, received the opportunity of repeating the past school year.
Its's up to you whether to come or not. Just remember that our door will be always open for you.
Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts.
"of course we will go!" Hermione exclaimed, waiting for nothing else.
Ron instead made a guilty face, and his ear went from their usual pink colour at a bright purple red. "I don't know... I would gladly do without an another year of hard studies with professor MaGonnagal. And then Kingsley said that he offers us an auror job even without the N.E.W.T.s"
Hermione seemed to have completely lost her temper. (and if Hermione loses her temper, Ron loses his head!) Even if she was smiling. "Ronald Weasly! Don't say nonsense! You absolutely must complete your school path, graduate, take your diploma!" Ron's face became a beautiful tomato red, and if possible even redder than his ears.
"exactly, Ron!" Harry reproved him, so he would avoid Hermione's rebukes, his face contracted not to laugh.
Seemed like one of the dialogues from when they were at school, it was nice to speak lightly once again after the war, like good friends, not warriors tormented by deep thoughts.
After reading the letters aloud They already began to imagine their return to Hogwarts. They missed all of Hogwarts. Who wouldn't miss it?
For the next month, at any moment, they did nothing but talk about what it would have been like to have a normal year at Hogwarts at last, with no people trying to kill you around every corner, or risk death going to the bathroom.
"mom!? Have you seen my greeeeeeeeen sweater?!" it was Ron who tumbled down the stairs with a shapeless pile of clothes in his arms.
"I think it's on the sofa; wait, but didn't you put it on last week?" Ginny asked, from the kitchen with a sandwich in her hand.
"So?!" asked Ron arrogantly.
"how, so?! I'm disgusted! You should bring clean clothes, it surprises me that it has been on the sofa since last week without being touched, you could have washed it!" added Hermione raising her head from the neat pile of clothes she was arranging in her trunk. She picked it up from the sofa and brought it to Ron using just two fingers as if it had the black plague.
They finished packing their trunks, and went to Diagon Alley to buy what was still missing, like books and stationery. They also went to George's shop to stock up jokes for the school year, but he was no longer the same without Fred. George had not yet recovered from his brother's death, but wanted to carry on the shop for both of them, their ideas, and what they believed in; was all he still had of Fred. Making wizards and witches of all ages laugh was what didn't make George's joyful soul go out. His happiness was in making others happy.
As they walked through the streets of Diagon Alley, in front of Gringott, where the goblins still looked at them bad for their robbery of some time ago, and in front of Olivander's shop, they thought about their adventures, and strangely even came to imagine that it would have been really wonderful to go back to school. (even Ron seemed to be happy about it).
As soon as September arrived, they were back at King's Cross station, London. And they found themselves one last time in front of the wall that separated two opposite worlds, between tracks nine and ten.
"Ready guys?" Asked Harry, who was first in line, looking back at his companions. "Yes, but could we go together?" Ginny asked him. "Of course." Harry replied, taking her hand and going through the portal. "come on, Herm, let's go too. said Ron disappearing into the wall. "it's really nice to be a student again who leaves for Hogwarts, I will miss all this." Hermione said to herself in a low voice before going through the brick wall.
A few seconds later, they were all immersed in the dark fog of platform nine and three quarter. Eyes and nose full with the smoke of the red Hogwarts express.
Molly and Arthur hastily greeted everyone. "be careful guys" Mrs. Weasley admonished them, while hugging tightly Ginny in her arms. "Of course mom, what do you want to happen again?" Ginny muttered as she tried to breathe. Molly broke away from Ginny and clung to Ron after he tried to escape as far as possible. "mom, we're late!" Ron yelled trying to run away from his mother who left him immediately. "Come on then, go on the train!" she encouraged them.
"Thank you for everything." said Hermione cordially greeting them. "Yeah, thanks." Harry repeated. "Our house will always be there for you." Molly replied lovingly as Harry and Hermione looked at her gratefully. "Come on guys, hurry up! Or you'll miss the train!" said Arthur. "Okay, goodbye." Hermione greeted them.
"remember to write to us!" Molly said greeting her biological children and also those whom she now considered adopted, while they were at the door of the train. "of course mom." Ginny and Ron replied bored, rolling their eyes. They all greeted them once again waving before disappearing on the train.
They walked along the corridor, and while they were chatting together, they entered an apparently free compartment. As soon as they walked in, an arrogant voice made them notice the presence of a tall boy with platinum blond hair wo sat with his head leaning against the window looking outside.
"Don't- don't you see that I am here, Potter?" the boy sighed with a subtle arrogant note in his voice. He detached his head from the glass of the window and reluctantly, as if it costed him far too much energy, he got up turning to the group of friends.
"Unfortunately, yes, I see, Malfoy." Harry replied annoyed.
"Well, then go." Malfoy encouraged again with that tired tone. Tired of what then?
"But you're only one, and there are four of us." Ron replied trying to stay calm.
"very good Weasley, you managed to understand it, but it is not relevant. I've been here before you, and I'm waiting for others, so get out." the blond said arrogantly. but it wasn't the same arrogant tone he used during the last years: it was a subtle arrogance, almost faded, as if tired of being there.
At this point the Gryffindor group couldn't help but notice that... that tone of voice... almost... surrendered? as if it was asking them to go away because he had already enough of his own problems.
"Oh please, let's not waste time with this imbecile, there will be other compartments." Hermione said in a calm but slightly annoyed and sharp voice. Then with Ginny's help she dragged the boys away from the compartment and continued their search. They found a free one and catapulted themself in before anyone could occupy it.
"not everyone has changed after the war..." Harry Muttered.
But his voice... I never heard it from him... he never used it...what's going on...?" Hermione mumbled talking to herself (even if loud enought for the others to hear) sitting down by the window watching the city go by. They didn't think any of the Slytherins would come back, and instead...
"who knows with which bravery he returns to Hogwarts after what happened, after what the Slytherins and his family did!"
"you don't have to judge a person for the mistakes he makes, but for the strength, and the courage with which he gets up and tries to remedy. Least an entire Hogwarts' house for the choice of a few." Luna said appearing at the entrance of the compartment.
"damn Luna, what a pearl of wisdom." Ginny said. Luna was good at pearls of wisdom, sometimes they were a little crazy, or maybe difficult to understand, but it was always wisdom.
"What are you saying Luna?! it's Malfoy!" Hermione scolded her.
"I repeat what I just said, you don't know what he suffered, but he is here to fix it, I think. And then, it is thanks to you if he is still free, you defended him in court because he and his mother lied to Voldemort and helped you, or maybe you did not do it?!" confirmed Luna remaining in the doorway.
"yes, but we certainly did not do it to find him again in our last and theoretically peaceful year at Hogwarts. but I blindly trust you Luna, so if you say so, is like that." Harry satisfied her.
"Hy! I'm sorry, have you seen my toad?" asked Neville popping behind Luna. "just kidding, he's right here with me. Or maybe not, who knows where is that toad!" he added. "nice to see you again, can we sit here too?" Neville had just arrived at the entrance of the compartment behind Luna, who wore his beautiful glasses and held a pile of the Quibbler's magazines in her arms.
Trevor surprised everyone hopping near Neville's foot; seemed like he had almost learned to obey him, and don't run away all the time. Neville had become a tall dark-haired boy, also quite handsome to be fair. He no longer looked like the awkward, shy, clumsy boy they met in their first year.
Luna was still the girl with long blond hair similar to the ones of the Malfoys, always lost in her thoughts; but like the others she had not remained the same after the war. She seemed to have lost some of her usual light-heartedness to leave more room to seriousness for important things, despite that she was happy to laugh and joke as before, with the head covered by wrackspurts.
"sure! What have you been doing all summer! We have not received your letters to the burrow!" Harry invited them as Neville and Luna sat one in front of the other on teh corridor side of the compartment.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Neville were back on the Hogwarts Express, ready to go on a new adventure.