As the quartet traveled back to London, Hermione and Holly talked excitedly about Hermione's possible trip to Bulgaria. While they spoke, they let Crookshanks and Archimedes out of their cages. Their familiars curled up together and instantly fell asleep. The girls continued to talk about Bulgaria and what they might see there while Harry and Ron played chess, but Ron was so distracted that he lost to Harry twice. Eventually, Ron got up and said that he was going to visit his brothers. Holly and Hermione thought that it was odd that Ron would do such a thing.
Harry sat down next to Holly, "You two were being a bit insensitive."
"Us, why?" Holly asked.
"It was like you were rubbing it in Ron's face that you have a boyfriend, Hermione. You know he has a crush on you."
"Well, if Ronald has a crush on me, he went about it all wrong in showing me. He treated me poorly all year long, and I will not tolerate being treated that way by anyone, especially by someone with the emotional depth of a teaspoon. Ron had his chance, and now I'm with Aleksandur," Hermione said.
"Fine, you're with Aleksandur, but don't flaunt it in front of him."
"I suppose I can do that," Hermione said.
"Good."
Ron never came back for the rest of the ride to London. It turned out that he ended up sitting with Lavender Brown and Parvati Patel. He had a lovely conversation with Lavender, and they promised to write to each other over the summer. While this was going on, Holly and the others were joined by Neville, Ginny, and Luna. Neville and Ginny had started dating after the Yule Ball. Ginny and Neville had hit it off so well that night that they started spending more time together. They were right for each other. Ginny brought Neville out of his shell while Neville taught Ginny patience and how to calm her temper. And as it turned out, Neville was going to ask his gran if he could spend the summer with the Weasleys.
So while they all talked amongst themselves, Harry got to know Luna a little better. Harry found Luna quite charming. Behind her dreamy attitude and strange ideas, there was a passionate person who loved to read and learn about new things. She was an adventurer and had many plans for her future. And that was something that appealed greatly to Harry. He thought that they could be great friends. Harry was also grateful for all the help that Luna had provided for his sister during the year with the Tournament. By the time they reached the station, Harry and Luna also had decided to keep in touch over the summer.
When the train finally arrived at the station, the platform was packed with parents waiting for their children. Everyone said goodbye to their friends and went in search of their families. Hermione and the Potter twins found their parents standing by each other. The Grangers had crossed into the station with the help of Remus and Sirius and had spent the entire time talking with each other.
Hermione was so happy to see her parents that she sprinted up to them and hugged them tightly, "Mum, Dad, I'm so happy to see you." Hermione said as she hugged each of her parents.
"We're so happy to see you too, love," Mr. Granger said.
"How did you get through the barrier," Hermione asked.
"With the help of Remus and Sirius." Mrs. Granger said.
"How was school, darling, did you do well on your exams?" Daniel Granger asked.
"Yes, Dad, I got all O's on everything. I ended up at the top of my class."
"Good girl, Hermione, we're so proud of you," Jean Granger said.
"Now what about this boyfriend of yours, when do we get to meet him," Her father asked.
"Aleksandur will be dropping by in a few days. He only needs to get settled back home and visit with his family for a bit."
Her parents nod.
While this is going on, Holly and Harry were making their way over to Remus and Sirius. Their parents were still worried about the twins after everything that happened during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Especially to Holly, since she had taken the brunt of the torture to protect Harry.
"Bambi, Prongslett!" Sirius yells
Holly and Harry smile, "Sirius!"
Sirius kissed each of his kids on the head. While Sirius is hugging the twins, Remus gets their trunks and shrinks them down. He puts them in his pocket and picks up the cages of Archimedes and Hedwig. When he walks back over to the group, Holly crashes into Remus and hugs him tightly, nearly making him drop the pens.
Remus puts the cages down and hugs Holly. He then kisses Holly's head, "How are you feeling, cub?"
"I'm okay. I'm starting to have nightmares, though," Holly whispers to her godfather, she didn't want Harry or Sirius to know.
"Well, we'll have to give you some dreamless sleeping potion for a while," Remus tells her.
"Thank you, Moony."
After they talk, Remus moves on to Harry and embraces him as well. It turns out he's having the same problem, but like Holly, he doesn't want anyone to know, so they don't worry about him. Right before they left, Holly and Harry hugged Hermione and told her to have a lovely summer.
"I hope to see you in Sophia, later this summer," Holly whispered.
"I hope so too," Hermione whispered back.
With that, Holly and the others took a portkey and left for the Potter Mansion. When they arrived at the mansion, the twins were greeted by all the Potter elves, but they were surprised to find a new elf there. "Winky! What are you doing here?" Holly asked when she saw the little house-elf.
The last time Holly and Harry had seen Winky, she had been a drunken mess in the kitchen, but now she looked delighted in her new Potter uniform. Winky smiled up at the twins, "I's be a new house-elf for Master Harry Potter and Mistress Holly Potter."
Holly and Harry looked at each other confused, "How did that happen," Harry asked.
"That would be mine, and Siri's doing. We were down in the kitchen and saw Winky's sorry state, and Dobby told us what happened to her. So we asked her if she would like to be a Potter house-elf," Remus explained.
"She readily agreed. Being a free elf was not something she wanted and didn't feel right to Winky. It was slowly killing her."
Holly and Harry looked at each other. Once Aleksandur explained to Holly about house-elves, she passed the knowledge onto the twins so that they had a better insight. Winky's behavior now made perfect sense. She had nothing to live for since she was dying anyway.
Holly kneeled in front of Winky and hugged her, "Welcome to the family, Winky."
The little house-elf teared up and hugged Holly back, "Thank you, Mistress Holly. Winky will serve House Potter faithfully."
Harry then kneeled, "We know you will, Winky," He then hugged her too.
The rest of the house-elves were so happy that Winky was accepted into their family. Wobbey, the head elf, clapped his hands, "Alright, everyone, back to work." With that, the house-elves popped out of existence and went back to their jobs. Wobbey stayed to greet his master and mistress. "Welcome home, Mistress, and Master Potter. I've had your rooms prepared with fresh linens if you'd like to freshen up. Dinner should be ready shortly. I'll have your trunks taken to your rooms."
"Thank you, Wobbey, we appreciate that."
With a snap of his fingers, their trunks were taken to their rooms, "I also have food for your familiars ready as well unless they would hunt?"
"That's fine, Wobbey; I think they're too tired to hunt, thank you," Harry said.
"Anything for Heir Potter."
With that, Wobbey bowed and popped away. Holly and Harry looked at their parents, "It's weird that he speaks so well."
"That was your grandparents doing. Dorea Potter wanted to have the head house-elf to be educated and well versed in case he needs to help Charlus with running the house and the finances. So, they spent a lot of time educating him. Wobbey even learned finances from the Goblins. Your grandparents paid a hefty sum to get the goblins to agree. But it was worth it in the end, to have someone with complete loyalty to the Potters helping with the finances worked in their favor."
The twins nod, then Holly yawned, "Do you think there's enough time before dinner to have a quick nap?"
"I'm sure there is, Holly. Why don't you go up and rest?"
She nodded and went up to her room. When she got to her room, Holly went to her trunk and took out Viktor's Quidditch jersey and hugged it, then laid it across the bed. She'd sleep in it tonight. Holly laid down and took a quick nap.
Thirty minutes later, Winky pops into Holly's room to wake her up for dinner, "Mistress, dinner be ready now."
Holly sat up and stretched, "Thank you, Winky, I'll be down in a moment."
She puts on her shoes and heads downstairs. The had a nice dinner of soup, roasted chicken mashed potatoes, and asparagus. For dessert, they were served Harry's favorite, treacle tarts. When the family finished their dinner, they went to the living room to talk, "So, what do you plan to do with the prize money?"
The twins looked at each other, "We gave the money to Fred and George so that they could start their joke shop," Holly said.
"We didn't feel right keeping the money. It would only remind us of what we lost. And we didn't want to give back to the Ministry, so we decided to put it to good use.
"That was very generous of you," Remus said.
"Fred and George deserve all the help they could get. Besides, Holly and I have more than enough money; we don't need it or the reminder," Harry said.
The little family talked for a bit longer, Remus was subtly asking the twins questions so that he could see how they were genuinely doing after everything that happened. Remus didn't want to push Holly and Harry to talk about it because he knew if he did, Harry would close himself off. Holly would probably speak to him but at her own time. After a while, Holly yawns, she stands up and kisses her brother, Remus, and Sirius then went up to bed. Holly goes to her bathroom and gets ready for bed. She puts on Viktor's Quidditch jersey, which reaches past her knees and a pair of shorts. She gets into bed and goes to sleep.
The rest of the family soon followed suit and went to bed. It was around three in the morning when Remus and Sirius heard a blood-curdling scream. They jumped out of bed and rushed to Holly's room. She was thrashing in her bed as if she was trying to get away from something. Remus started talking to her very softly, "Holly, Holly, it's okay, cub, you're safe. You're back home. No one's going to hurt you. Come on now, open those pretty green eyes."
Holly gasped and opened her eyes. She looked around, disoriented for a moment until she looked at Remus. Tears started spilling out of her eyes, and she latched onto Remus. "Oh, Moony, it was awful, we were back in the graveyard, and I saw Wormtail kill Cedric. But then Voldemort killed Harry!" Holly desperately looks around for her brother, "Where's Harry?!"
Sirius, who had been standing in the doorway, comes into the room, and sits down next to Holly, he hugs her tightly, "He's in his room, puppy, he's fine."
Holly shook her head, "I need to see him, Siri, could you ask him to come in here?"
"Okay, puppy, let me go get him," Sirius got up and went across the hall to Harry's room.
He opened the door and saw Harry thrashing in his bed, but no sound was coming out, "MOONY!" Sirius yelled.
"Stay right here, cub," Remus said to Holly as he rushed out of the room into Harry's room. Sirius was trying to restrain Harry but was having a hard time.
"Padfoot talk to him; you need to reassure he's safe. Holding him is only making it worse."
Sirius nods, "Come on, pup, you're safe, everything's okay. You're home now; nothing's going to happen to you here. Wake up, Prongslett, Moony, and I are here for you."
Harry sat up and yelled, but no noise came out. Sirius quickly canceled the silencing spell, Harry grabbed Sirius by the shoulders, "Where's Holly?!"
"I'm right here, Har-Bear," Holly said, standing in the doorway.
Hot tears starting falling from Harry's eyes, "He killed you, Wormtail killed you instead of Cedric."
Sirius and Remus looked at each other; the twins had almost the same nightmare. Holly rushed in the room and jumped on Harry's bed, she wrapped her arms around Harry, and they held each other tight. They sat there holding each other and rocking back and forth like they used to do when they were little and needed comfort. Sirius joined them on the bed while Remus went to get them dreamless sleep potion. He came back into the room and had the twins drink their potions. Sirius pulled out his wand and expanded Harry's bed so that they could all sleep in the bed together. Holly and Harry had no intention of sleeping apart, and Remus and Sirius didn't want to leave their children alone. Putting the twins in the middle, Remus got on one side while Sirius got on the other. They laid down and stroked Holly and Harry's hair until they relaxed.
The room was quiet when Sirius whispered."Is that Krum's Quidditch Jersey,"
"Let it go, Padfoot," Remus whispered back.
The next morning Holly and Harry woke up alone; their parents had gone downstairs to see about breakfast. When Holly and Harry woke up, they were holding hands as they used to when they were little. Holly sat up and stretched. She felt well rested after taking the dreamless sleep potion. Harry reached for his glasses while Holly got up to go back to her room. Harry's brow furrowed as he watched Holly leave his room.
"Is that Viktor's Quidditch Jersey?"
Holly smiled, "Yes, it is. We exchanged jerseys before he left. I like to sleep in it; it normally helps with my nightmares."
Harry smiled, "I'm glad you have someone, Hol."
"So am I Har-Bear, but don't worry, you'll find someone who will love you the way you deserved to be loved."
"You think so?"
"I have no doubt."
"Thanks, Holly."
"Anytime, Harry. Now, get ready. I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast."
Harry nods.
As Holly shuts his door, she thinks back to the ride back to London and how Harry had been talking with Luna. She knew that her friend had a crush on Harry and hoped that something would come of it. They made a good couple. Luna could teach Harry how to relax, and Harry could teach Luna how to stand up for herself. They would complement each other the way Neville and Ginny did.
Holly went to her room to shower and change. When she was ready, she called for Winky. Holly asked Winky to carefully wash Viktor's jersey and have it prepared for her by that evening. Holly had stolen Viktor's cologne, and she would spitz his jersey with it to have his smell. After that, Holly went downstairs to have breakfast with her family.
Holly entered the sunroom and found Remus and Sirius sitting at the kitchen table reading the Daily Prophet. They looked up when they heard Holly come into the room.
"Good morning, Cub, how are you feeling?"
"Good morning, Moony, Siri. I feel better after you gave me that potion," Holly said as she kissed her dads.
"Well, so that you know, we can only give that to you for a little while. The dreamless sleep potion is very addicting."
Holly nods.
"Where's Harry," Sirius asked.
"He should be down in a little bit," Holly said as she sat down next to Remus. He smiled at her and poured her a cup of tea, she adds milk and honey to her tea and takes a drink, sighing as the warmth fills her body.
A little while later, Harry comes into the sunroom and takes a seat next to Sirius. He greets everyone and accepts the cup of tea that Remus pours him. Bobsey comes in and informs her masters that breakfast is ready, she snaps her fingers, and their breakfast appears. Bobsey made eggs, bacon, sausage, oatmeal, croissants with jam, and bowls of fruit. The family serve themselves and begin eating their breakfast.
A little while later, Archimedes comes into the sunroom with Hedwig following behind. Hedwig lands on Harry's shoulder and nips his ear affectionately while Archimedes jumps onto Holly's lap. Holly gives him some sausage, and he jumps down to eat his breakfast on his pet bed. Harry gives Hedwig a piece of bacon, and she goes to her perch to eat. They continue to eat until Remus looks at the twins.
"How long have you two been having the nightmares?"
"Almost from the day that Cedric was killed," Harry said, and Holly nods.
"Is it every night?"
"Not every night, but when we have them, they're pretty bad," Holly tells them.
"And do you always use Silencing Charms, Harry?"
"Yeah, at first I didn't, and I woke everyone up. They kept asking me what was wrong and wouldn't leave me alone. After that, I started using the Silencing Charm."
"Do you do the same, Holly?" Remus asked.
"Yeah, because of the same thing. I didn't want to disturb anyone. I forgot to do it last night."
"I'm glad you didn't, Holly. We need to know these things so that we can help you," Sirius said.
"But-"
"No buts, we're family, we'll deal with this together. Do you understand?"
Holly and Harry look at each other, then nodded. At that moment, a large Eurasian Eagle Owl comes flying into the sunroom. It flies straight towards Holly and lands on her shoulder. The owl gently nips her ear and holds out his leg. Holly takes the letter and reads it. Holly smiles as she reads the letter that Viktor sent her.
*My Dear Holly,*
*I have returned home and wanted to write to you to let you know that I have arrived home safely and to see how you are doing. Are you still having nightmares? I hope not; I cannot stand the thought of you suffering. I also wanted to let you know that my parents have everything arranged for your visit this summer. I cannot wait to see you; I have so many things to show you. A month is going to seem like forever. But we have no other choice; my Quidditch practice starts in a week so, I will be very busy, but I will try to write to you as often as possible. Ah, before I forget, this handsome owl is Vladimir, he will wait for your response if that is alright with you. I hope to hear from you soon.*
*All my love,*
*Viktor*
"Is that from Viktor," Remus asked.
Holly smiles brightly and nods.
"He doesn't waste any time does he," Sirius askes without looking up from his paper.
Vladimir gives an indignant hoot and flies over to Sirius and nips his ear hard, "Ouch, bloody bird."
Holly giggles, "He's only defending his master, Siri," Holly says as Vladimir flies back to Holly and cuddles with her affectionately. Holly laughs and gives him some bacon. The owl flies off and perches with Hedwig and eats his bacon then drinks some water. He settles down to wait for Holly's response.
"Before I forget, Holly, I wanted to tell you that I'm coming with you to Bulgaria," Remus informs her, "Not to stay, Padfoot and I only want to see where you'll be staying, that's all."
"Okay, Moony, I'll tell Viktor when I write him."
"He already knows, that was the agreement we made when we said you could go."
Holly nods. After that, they go back to having breakfast. Once Holly finishes, she excuses herself, calls for Vladimir, and goes upstairs to respond to Viktor's letter.