Author's Note: Hey guys! Long time no see! For any of you who have been holding out hope for me to finish this story, I have good news: the draft is done! I'm making some final updates and will be uploading one chapter a week until it's completed. For those of you who prefer to read stories all at once, that means the final chapter is scheduled for posting on September 19, 2020. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I've enjoyed finally writing the ending that I dreamt up almost a decade ago.

Prologue

"I'm not coming back to Hogwarts next year," Harry Potter said quietly. He was a tall sixteen year old boy with messy black hair, round glasses, and a thunderbolt shaped scar on his forehead. He was sitting with his best friends Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Sienna Sinclair by the Black Lake on a bright, warm day that heralded the coming of summer. Dumbledore's funeral was set for the next morning, and this was their last day at Hogwarts before the break.

Ron and Hermione glanced at each other. "Er, we expected that Harry," Ron said slowly. Ron was a tall, lanky Gryffindor with red hair and freckles, and he had been Harry's best friend since they'd met their first year. "You're going to find the Horcruxes."

"And we're going with you, Harry," Hermione added quickly. Another Gryffindor, Hermione was leaning back against a tree with a book open in her lap. Her bushy brown hair was moving restlessly in the slight breeze.

"Guys, I can't let you do that," Harry replied, his brow furrowing in frustration. "I don't want you to get hurt or anything."

Ron rolled his eyes, "Yeah, and we absolutely won't get hurt now that You-Know-Who is back and Dumbledore's dead. Face it, Harry, we're coming with you."

Hermione nodded enthusiastically. "You'll need our help. Besides, there is no way you could keep us from coming."

Harry unwillingly began to smile, but it faltered. He looked over to where Sienna, a willowy Ravenclaw with soft brown hair and deep chocolaty eyes, was sitting silently staring at the lake. He watched her for a moment, waiting for her to insist on coming as well.

Hermione spoke for him, "Sienna, what about you? Aren't you coming?"

Sienna sighed. "I'm not coming back to Hogwarts next year either, but I'm also not going with you." She took a deep breath and continued, "I was accepted to Atlantis School of Sorcery for seventh year. I've already committed to going there."

Harry and Ron looked utterly bewildered, but Hermione's jaw dropped. "You were accepted to Atlantis?" She exclaimed. "I can't believe it. That's a huge honor! They hardly ever accept students in the exchange program."

Ron interrupted, looking annoyed. "Would someone please tell me what Atlantis School of Sorcery is?"

Sienna began to explain, still not making eye contact with any of them. "Atlantis School of Sorcery is the most exclusive magical school in the world. It accepts students from all over the world, though most of them tend to be from Europe and America. There really aren't very many of them to be honest. It has many of the most talented teachers in the world as well. It's my life's dream to attend there and it's finally coming true. It took months of applications and tests, but I'm officially registered for next fall. I'll take my N.E.W.T.s there too."

"Do you know which house you'll be in? They do have some sort of house system, don't they?" Harry asked, his voice too strained to be truly excited.

"Yeah, I'll be an Amazon. There are four different colleges: Amazonia, Elysium, Olympia, and Troy. Amazonia and Elysium are all female and all male respectively. Olympia and Troy are both mixed. Most exchange students become Trojans, it's really rare for one to be an Amazon."

"So did you have to try on a sorting hat?" Ron asked laughing.

"No, you're sorted based on tests you take. Don't worry though," She continued glancing over at Harry and Ron's incredulous looks. "Students don't take those exams until the end of third year. All first through third years are Trojans. The students who score particularly well on the exams join one of the other three colleges. Amazonia and Elysium are the two smallest, but Olympia is the most prestigious college. The Amazon mascot is the doe; the Elysian mascot is the leopard; the Olympians get the dragon; and the Trojans have a stallion."

The four of them continued to talk about Atlantis until lunch time. Hermione and Ron walked quickly up to the Great Hall, Hermione lecturing Ron about all the other wizarding schools in the world, while Sienna and Harry lagged behind.

"Harry," Sienna said softly. "Look, I'm sorry I can't go with you, but I just have to do this. Maybe this is my destiny."

Harry shrugged, but Sienna could tell he wasn't really okay. "Harry, you've been my best friend ever since we met on that first train ride to Hogwarts, please don't tune me out. This year will end and then we'll see each other again. In the meantime, you've got Hermione and Ron, not to mention the Order."

After several minutes of silence, Harry spoke, "You'll write, won't you?"

"Er, Harry, that's the thing: I can't write. There's no outside contact allowed at Atlantis. That is," she paused, considering. "Unless I can find a way around the system." With that, she was silent a moment as she rummaged in her bag. "Ah ha!" She said triumphantly, pulling a mirror out of it. She tapped it with her wand and a second mirror appeared. Sienna then linked the two mirrors together through a complex looking spell. She handed one to Harry. "I'm sorry to say, I didn't come up with this idea myself," She said smiling. "If you remember, Sirius gave you a mirror very much like that one. That, of course, means you already know how to use it."

Harry smiled at her and took the mirror. "Will you at least be staying for the wedding?" He asked, looking hopeful.

Sienna grinned at him. "Of course! I wouldn't miss it for the world." Enjoying the sunlight of their last full day at Hogwarts, they walked back to castle.

AN: Since I posted an earlier version of this a few years ago, I want to address some of the more common complaints I've gotten here.

Complaint #1: Sienna is a Mary Sue.

I understand why people say this and it was partially intentional. In my rewrite, I've tried to make her a more interesting and compelling character, but I will not apologize for making her a prodigy or best in class at Hogwarts. If you read the story, you'll find that this is a major plot arc. At least read though a few chapters before discounting her as "too perfect."

Complaint #2: Sienna is a coward and bad friend for not going with Harry.

Sigh. A couple of things here. First, Sienna started the application process for this in FIFTH YEAR. Harry only decided to drop out of school to go Horcrux hunting yesterday. Add to the timeline that attending Atlantis is Sienna's dream come true, and you should have a beginning of an understanding of why. The other big thing to point out here is that Sienna is not a Gryffindor. She never has been and never will be. Ravenclaws, like Slytherins, are known for playing the long game. Assume that you don't know what happens in DH; would you assume the entire war would be over in a year? Of course not. Sienna is preparing for another few decades of war, like last time. For that, getting a solid education at Atlantis this year is far more prudent than living in a tent for a year. If you think that's crazy and of course she should be living in a tent, then I'm glad I suppose that Gryffindors are willing to read my writing, but I hope you can put yourself in Sienna's shoes long enough to appreciate her position.

Complaint #3: Harry should not be listed as a main character

I promise you, Harry does not disappear after the first chapter. He will appear in most if not every chapter. He plays a similar role to the one Sirius plays in GoF. I include him in the tags because he's a recurring main character, Sienna talks about him even more than he appears, and because it helps people who are looking for specific sections of the fanfiction to find this story. By including Harry I make sure people know this isn't a Marauder or Next Gen fic. I'm sorry if you disagree, but I'm not forcing you to read the story so feel free to put it away if you wanted Harry to come along to Atlantis.

That's all! If you have other questions or comments, feel free to DM or comment. I hope you enjoy!