Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, only the Archard family belongs to me. The French words/phrases will be italicized, as well as the spells. Please review!

Chapter 30: Homeward Bound

Esme POV

After a terrible last night at Hogwarts, it was now time to leave. After double checking that my wardrobe was empty and everything was neatly packed away in my trunk, Daphne and I settled on our beds facing each other one last time, lost in thought.

"I can't believe an entire year has passed already," Daphne said as she finally broke the silence. "Despite everything that happened, it feels like it all happened in a blink of an eye."

"I know what you mean, but I also feel like I've known you far longer than this short year."

"I completely agree! Now we just need to make the memories to fill in the feeling."

I giggled a bit at her words. "Hopefully Papa will let either you visit the manor or for me to visit you."

"If not, we can get by with letters, and we may yet see each other at the two weddings this summer, especially the Selwyn-Black one, since it will be the social event of the season."

"I've never attended a wedding before."

"I've been to a few. While the handfasting ceremonies are all the same, the wedding feasts have always been fun."

A knock suddenly sounded on the half-open door, and Farley stuck her head through it a moment later. "Final House meeting starting in a few minutes. Finish your packing quickly," she ordered briskly before moving further down the dormitory corridor, no doubt to inform the other dorms of the impending meeting.

"What is left for there to be a meeting about?" I asked as we made our way out of our room.

"Professor Snape might be addressing what happened last night at the feast," suggested Daphne.

"Honestly, I don't think anyone wishes to re-open that wound, not when further information won't make it better or soothe the sting of the slap we received from Dumbledore."

The common room was already bustling when we entered, but we easily found Theo and Blaise settled on a sofa in the corner. They managed to make enough room for the four of us to squeeze together. I didn't mind being close to any of them, but it was still a bit uncomfortable, so hopefully this wouldn't be a long meeting.

Professor Snape soon made his entrance, pitch-black robe billowing behind him. His dark eyes were as sharp and hard as ever, though his face was clearly being kept purposely blank with only a small tight frown on his face.

The common room went dead silent as the graduating prefects, Higgs and Farley, joined Professor Snape, both appearing grim, yet still proud.

"First, I'd like to address the unfortunate incident which occurred at last night's feast." Professor Snape's voice was soft, yet it echoed through the silence. "I was not aware of Professor Dumbledore's actions beforehand, and apologize that such an injustice was done to you all with no warning whatsoever. Nothing which occurred was deserved, either by you or the Gryffindors who falsely were declared the House Cup winners. In my mind, I know Slytherin are the true winners."

It was nice to know he was just as shocked as the rest of us by Dumbledore's actions to fix the House Cup competition, and my heart warmed a bit by his declaration.

"Secondly, as a reminder, in accordance with the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, all underage magic outside of school is banned. Should any student use magic over the summer, the Ministry will know and you will be punished equivalent to the degree of your violation."

Maman had mentioned something similar during winter break, but I'd honestly forgotten since then until Professor Snape brought it up. It sounded strange to me both times, because in France students were able to perform underage magic outside of school in wizarding households or districts. We were only forbidden from using magic in front of Muggles. That way students could practice magic over the summer, for either our classes or learning from our parents or tutors.

However, summer practice wasn't an option for me anymore with us living in England. I was disappointed and, after last night, this was just another source of frustration. While I could still learn new spells, I wouldn't be able to practice performing them, which was the best part of spell practice. I did wonder though; how would the British Ministry punish someone who performs underage magic?

"Finally, the boats are waiting on the shore to transport you to Hogsmeade Station, where the train leaves at one o'clock sharp. Do not be late. Dismissed."

Without waiting a second, Professor Snape turned and stalked out of the common room. Students waited for a breath before moving. Those who were already packed followed after Professor Snape, while those who still needed to finish returned to their dormitories.

"Are you girls finished packing yet?" asked Theo.

"Yes, we're done," Daphne answered for the both of us.

"Then we might as well make our way to the carriages," said Blaise. "That way we can claim a compartment entirely for ourselves."

"And avoid sitting with Parkinson, yes please," I replied, pulling myself up from the sofa.

We made our way up from the dungeons and out to the lake where the dark wooden boats with the golden crest of Hogwarts on the sides waited for us. Each boat appeared to hold five or six people comfortably, so the four of us had plenty of room in our own little boat. It felt nostalgic to smoothly sail across the dark waters, except now it was now the end instead of the beginning of something.

Disembarking from the boats, we made our way up the stony path towards the train station. Up ahead Hagrid stood amongst the bustling students, standing several heads taller than even the now-graduated Seventh-Years. I debated if I should bid him farewell or not, as we hadn't spoken since I failed to convince him to get rid of the dragon.

"Esme, there yeh are."

I paused in front of him, my decision to speak to him easy now, so I waved on my friends to find a compartment for us to sit in. "Guess this is goodbye for the summer," I said as I gazed up at him, still feeling a bit unsure of myself.

"I wanted ter say, I'm sorr' for all the bad tha' happene' at the end there fer yeh. Taking the House Cup from yeh and yer House at the last momen' was not fair ter any of yeh. And with Norbert, I kno' yeh were only tryin' to help. Next yea' will be better fer yeh, I know it."

I felt touched by his words, happy to see there was at least one non-Slytherin who acknowledged the injustice of Dumbledore's actions at the End of Year Feast. Hagrid truly was a good one, even if he apparently made poor decisions where magical creatures were involved.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I'll try to visit more next year."

"I'm lookin' forward ter it! Happy summer, Esme."

"You too!" I replied while accepting the hug he offered. He patted my head with his large hand before I hurried off to climb aboard the scarlet train.

I searched through a couple carriages before I found Daphne sitting in a compartment with Neville of all people. Sliding open the door, I made my way to the open seat beside Daphne. "Where are Theo and Blaise?" I asked her.

"They got roped into sitting with the other boys so Draco could avoid sharing a compartment with Pansy. I found Longbottom with no place to sit, so I kidnapped him to join us."

I blinked in surprise, before addressing Neville. "You know you don't have to sit with us if you don't want to."

The red already dusting his pale cheeks grew darker as he fidgeted in his seat. "I-I know, I don't mind…"

"We're happy to have you," interjected Daphne, with a bright smile on her face.

I looked at her out of the corner of my eye. I wondered what she was up to. She'd previously told me to keep my distance from Neville, and after what happened last night, I didn't think she'd want to be near a Gryffindor; yet here she was, actively trying to keep Neville sitting with us.

It wasn't long before the whistle blew and the Hogwarts Express slowly pulled out of Hogsmeade Station, picking up speed until green countryside flew past. Conversation between the three of us was awkward, but neither Daphne nor I were discouraged and kept the conversation going as best we could.

Daphne was at least fairly familiar with Neville since they'd been attending the same social events all their lives. Though I could tell some of the things Daphne brought up were more for my benefit than her actually being curious about them. Yet, I still felt I learned a bit more about Neville, and I appreciated the effort Daphne was putting forth, even if I was still curious as to why she was doing so.

During a lull in the conversation, I took the moment to address Neville across from us. "I did want to thank you, Neville, for all the time you spent helping with all our Herbology assignments and studying for the exams. I wouldn't have passed, let alone ranked as well as I did if it wasn't for you."

"I'm glad I c-could help. And I liked it, I-I mean, helping you. I liked helping you."

"You truly worked some magic, Longbottom, to get this hopeless case to pass," Daphne said as she poked my side in jest. "I swear the house-elves had to charm the plants in our dormitory to withstand her toxic touch."

"I am not that bad!" I protested.

"She really was never that bad at the coursework or in class," Neville laughed. "Esme is amazing at learning new things."

I felt heat rise to my cheeks at Neville's compliment, and the sudden smirk on Daphne's face was not helping the blush I knew was there go away.

"That's sweet of you to defend her honor, but you can't deny Esme isn't naturally gifted when it comes to Herbology."

"Well, w-we've all got something we're bad at."

"That's a very polite answer; very heir worthy of you," complimented Daphne, sincerity clear on her face.

"I can admit I am not naturally gifted when it comes to Herbology, I'm just not as bad as you were making it sound."

"Fine, fine, point made," Daphne said as she brushed her hands over her skirt. "Anyways, enough talk about coursework. We have the entire summer before us, full of socials, teas, and more!"

"I don't know about you two, but I doubt that it being summer break will excuse me and my siblings from lessons. If not tutors then my parents will be holding further lessons again. I know for a fact Papa will be busy with Alaric's heirship training."

"It'll be the same for me, Gran always has lessons lined up about being the Heir, and I know my Aunt Sylvie will be helping out again."

"Yes, but lessons won't take up the entire summer, and are no excuse to not have fun." Daphne reached out and placed her hand on mine. "You must come visit my family's estate! We could have tea by the lake, or even on the lake."

"That sounds lovely! I promise to ask permission, but no matter my parents' answer, I'll write to you." I looked over at Neville. "To both of you."

"O-oh, yes, of course I'll write to you!"

Neville's eager response made me smile, and I pointedly ignored the squeeze Daphne gave my hand. I was happy I could at least exchange letters with them should Papa continue to forbid any of us from leaving the manor's grounds. I had hope, now that those who attacked us had long been taken care of, that this summer would be different from before, filled with more than lessons and quiet time with Maude.

Conversation moved on to our favorite summer activities, so of course Daphne immediately shifted things to discussing her burning desire for Spellbound to perform in England this summer so that she could see them perform live.

Muggle towns sped by and soon it was time to change out of our school robes into our casual clothing. Neville volunteered to go change elsewhere, so that Daphne and I could change in the compartment. After closing the blinds, Daphne and I changed quickly, and were long settled back into the plush cushions of our compartment when Neville returned.

It wasn't long later when the train began to slow down as it pulled into the station. Looking out the window, I saw the platform was packed with parents waiting for their children. I wondered who had come to get us this time, Maman or Papa.

It took a while for the three of us to get out of our compartment and carriage to get to the platform, though along the way, Daphne and I lost sight of Neville in the crowd of shuffling students. We stuck close as we collected trunks and things from the unseen house-elves, then moved our trolleys out of the way to begin searching for our families.

"Oh, I found my parents," Daphne announced. "Will you be alright here?"

"Oui, I'll be fine. I'm sure my siblings will find me soon enough."

Daphne and I quickly hugged, before she grabbed her trolley and pushed it forward into the crowd. "Take care, Esme!"

"You too!" I called after her as she disappeared in the bustling crowd. I continued to look through the jostling bodies of everyone as best I could - it was hard to see when I was a foot shorter than most of the people shifting around me.

"There you are, ma petite papillon."

I sighed in relief when Alaric made his way over to me, happy he found me and I didn't have to wait here alone any longer.

"Do you know where the others are?" I asked when I noticed Alaric didn't have any of his stuff.

Alaric grabbed the handles of my trolley. "Yes indeed. Blaire and I grabbed the twins when they picked up their things from the trunk line. Dustin finally spotted Maman and Papa in the crowd, so hurry along now, they're all waiting for us."

I followed behind Alaric as he pushed my trolley through the crowd. As we made our way slowly down the platform, Alaric added over his shoulder, "You did miss Uncle Reginald. As soon as he found Ernie, he collected all his things and left."

While I was slightly disappointed I missed saying farewell to Ernie (he'd proven himself bit by bit since his rudeness at Yule, being openly friendly to me in the corridors and such), I wasn't upset to have missed Uncle Reginald. Although, I doubt he took the time to remember my name, since at Yule he appeared only concerned with Alaric as Papa's heir.

Finally, I could see the rest of our family waiting for us up ahead; however, they were not alone. Speaking with Maman and Papa were Lord and Lady Malfoy, as well as an elegantly dressed witch who I didn't recognize. Nearby, Draco was patiently waiting with my siblings, not really talking with them, though I saw Blaire was speaking with an older-looking girl who appeared vaguely familiar.

As soon as Draco spotted Alaric and I, the bored expression on his face vanished. Ignoring the adults who were no doubt schmoozing Papa and Maman, I focused on Draco and the girl whose name I didn't know.

"Esme!" Draco exclaimed as soon I was near. "I was worried I wouldn't be able to bid you farewell."

"It wouldn't be farewell for long," I replied. "We'd see each other soon for next term, or maybe even sometime this summer during a social event."

The discussion going on between the adults didn't appear to be ending anytime soon, so tilting my head in the direction of Blaire, I asked Draco, "Do you know who that is talking with my sister?"

"Oh, that's Seryna Rosier. She's a Ravenclaw and will be a Seventh-Year next term. Her mother is over there with our parents. She's Lady Wyla, the current Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Rosier while her husband is indisposed."

I wondered what caused Lord Rosier to be indisposed, hopefully not illness; no matter the advancements of Healing Magics and Potions, various diseases such as Dragon Pox and Spattergroit could weaken older wizards and witches to the point of death. If Draco didn't specifically mention what the cause was, then it was likely he didn't know what afflicted Lord Rosier, so I simply nodded in acknowledgement and held back my curiosity.

"Seryna," called Lady Wyla. Seryna and Blaire paused from speaking as they both faced the adults, the rest of us remaining quiet as well.

"Time to go, Felix and Millianna are waiting on us for dinner."

"Yes, of course, Mother," Seryna gave quick and quiet goodbyes to us before the pair walked through the crowd, disappearing from sight.

Without prompting, Draco whispered to me, "Felix is Seryna's older brother and the declared heir, and Millianna is his wife of two years."

I found it interesting that Lady Rosier remained the Head of the Rosier family when there was a male Heir of age already married. I knew from my lessons (and a few rants from Blaire) that most Noble Houses were patriarchal, the Archards being one of the few who were egalitarian, with even fewer Houses being matriarchal. I supposed with Lady Rosier being the Head of the family while her husband was indisposed either meant she was unable to pass along the headship as a regent or she was purposely waiting until she felt her son was ready.

Either way, another family's succession was none of my business, and Lord and Lady Malfoy appeared to be giving their own farewells. Draco, taking some sort of que from his father, gently grabbed my hand. I let him raise it to his lips as he politely bowed. "I bid you farewell for now, but I promise to exchange correspondences with you this summer."

I smiled in amusement at Draco forcing himself to sound more adult; his words may be formal, but his demeanor was still a mixture of arrogance and uncertainty. I heard a quiet snicker and just knew it was Dustin. Ignoring him, I gave a light curtsy to Draco as I responded, "I look forward to your correspondence." It was only because our parents were present that I hadn't teased Draco for his change in speech - we had agreed to stop all the stiff etiquette after all, but I'd bet my wand he was doing this for Lord Malfoy's benefit.

The Malfoys then gathered Draco's trolley and disappeared into the still-crowded platform. I sighed in amusement and elbowed Dustin when he started to cackle. "Don't be rude," Blaire scolded under breath to Dustin as well. The sharp reminder to behave was enough and Dustin got himself under control before our parents noticed.

"Come along, my darlings! The car is waiting for us out front, and we should probably hurry along to relieve Tonks of her watch over your rambunctious younger siblings."

I certainly did not need to be told twice to hurry back to our younger siblings. I took my trolley from Alaric so he could grab his own and followed after Papa, who cleared a path in the chattering crowd for us all.

We reached the crowd of families heading towards the barrier to leave the platform for King's Cross Station, and stood at the end of the line slowly moving forward. Peeking around the milling bodies I saw why there was a line in the first place. A wizened old guard stood by the barrier, letting people go through the entrance in small groups of twos and threes.

Since the platform was much busier than it was for winter break, it made sense the wizard was needed to keep order. With this many families leaving all at once, we would surely attract the attention of Muggles, regardless of the Notice-Me-Not charm placed on the stone barrier.

Maman had explained before the start of term; Muggles couldn't go through the barrier unless they were holding onto someone who was magical, nor would they notice the barrier entrance - or people disappearing and appearing through it either. However, the charm did nothing to stop Muggles from seeing us once we were past the barrier, so controlled exits made sense to keep large groups of use from alarming the Muggles.

Slowly we came closer to the barrier, and Papa went ahead and arranged when and in which groups we would be going through. Finally it was our turn, and Papa went through first with Alaric, followed by Carlisle and Dustin. Maman then took Blaire and I through last.

Papa and the boys were waiting further up the platform between nine and ten. King's Cross Station was busy with Muggles rushing about and jostling my trolley as they hurried past, irritating Flèche who was expressing his displeasure with various screeches and hoots.

I heard calls and shouts of, "Bye, Harry!" and "See you, Potter!", but pointedly ignored them and kept my eyes forward, completely uninterested in what Potter was doing - probably hiding from his adoring public. It would take time for me to move past my anger, but time would not erase the memory.

I followed after my siblings, Maman's hand resting on my back in support as she kept close to me. Papa led us outside to where two black cars, the same as before, were waiting for them. I had thought we would all fit in a single car, but Papa clearly thought otherwise and split us up once again between the two cars. He had Alaric, Blaire and I riding with him, while Maman cheerfully climbed into the other car with Carlisle and Dustin.

Like he had back when he picked us up for winter break, Papa remained silent as he looked over various parchments from his briefcase. Alaric occupied himself with staring out the window while Blaire happily petted a napping Noir in her lap. The silence suited me just fine, as I leaned back against the plush leather seat and closed my eyes.

This had been a long and at times strenuous school year. Yet...despite the almost soul crushing event of having the House Cup stolen out from under Slytherin, I had still enjoyed myself overall. Yes, Dumbledore fixing the House Cup for Gryffindor as a reward for breaking the rules had ended the year on a sour note, but it was not the sum of the year. The classes had been interesting, I learned much as I progressed in my magical understanding and skill, and I made wonderful friends.

Without a doubt, I knew the warm glow of happiness from my First-Year was because of Daphne, Theo, and Blaise. I'd known them less than a year, but it felt like much longer. They made things fun and amusing, even when I felt stressed from classes and all the other things that happened. I looked forward to strengthening our friendships further, especially with Daphne. I did really hope I was able to see her this summer.

The only other hope I had concerned the Philosopher's Stone, mainly that the whole mess was as settled as I thought. The Stone should be returned to the Flamel family to safeguard; it clearly did not belong in a school, magical or not. With the Stone hopefully no longer being a concern, I was certain there would be no more strange dreams.

I couldn't be a Seer, I couldn't be, not when I never gave a prophecy. The Stone probably caused it all for some reason. After all, it was a powerful magical artifact. If I had no further dreams this summer, then it would prove it was all just a fluke, and I would have nothing else to worry about.

Right?

Oui = yes

Ma petite papillon = my little butterfly

Special thanks to my Beta-Readers: TheSparkler and Anonymous!

That's a wrap for Book 1! Stay tuned for Strength Freely Given Book 2!