Author's Note: Here it is, part one of the final chapter. It's hard to believe I started posting this fic in June, and started writing it about a year ago. *wipes away tear* My baby's all grown up and posted. Well, here it is, I hope you all enjoy!
As Dumbledore kneeled by Snape, the potions master gave a small moan and wearily opened his eyes. Dumbledore let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.
"Did it work?" Snape murmured tiredly.
"Here Albus," Madam Pomfrey said, handing him a vial of something to help restore some of Snape's energy. "Harry's alive, but barely. He's not waking."
"He's not?" Snape asked worriedly, clumsily climbing to his feet, still filled with exhaustion. Sure enough, Harry was breathing and had a pulse, but he still looked like death. He felt a sinking dread. "Might his soul have escaped somehow?"
"That's impossible since Harry's life energy was not destroyed. All we can do now is wait and see what happens. In the meantime, you need to get some rest. You look like you're going to collapse. Draco can sleep in my chambers tonight. If I can borrow some Dreamless Sleeping Potion from you for him, Poppy?"
With a wave of a hand, he conjured up another bed. He helped Snape over to it, despite the potions master's protests. Yet, the spell had definitely taken a lot out of him and only seconds after Dumbledore forced him into the bed, he was fast asleep. Madam Pomfrey removed his shoes and covered him with a blanket. He also walked over to Harry and, with another wave of his hand, changed his clothes into the more comfortable Hospital Wing standard pajamas.
"Are you going to tell Harry's friends yet?" she whispered as she began injecting a few potions into Harry's arm to try to help his recovery along, if there would be one.
"No. We'll have to see what happens with Harry's condition first," he said quietly. "I need to go collect Draco, are you going to be okay with watching over them?"
Madam Pomfrey raised her eyebrow in annoyance.
"Oh right. Of course you are. Simple slip of the tongue, Poppy, take no offense," he said with an amused smile.
"That's right I can watch over my patients, Albus. Now you go on, I'll see you in the morning," she said, showing him out.
After the headmaster disappeared with a vial of the needed sleeping potion, Madam Pomfrey walked up to Harry's bedside. "Come on now, Harry. You can do this. You need to come out of this. A lot of people need you."
She sat down beside his bed, gently took his hand, and began quietly telling him what his friends were going through, and why he needed to pull through.
"And you want to know a secret? Even your snarky old potions master who hates everybody needs you. He'd rather died than admit it, but I can tell. I don't know how you did it, but you've made him care about someone. If you leave now, right after opening that door, I fear it will close again and will never be able to be reopened. You can't let that happen, all right?" she said quietly. "You need to keep living to keep some other people living. That's the burden you take on when people love you."
The next morning, Snape woke to find himself staring into the watchful face of the school nurse, causing him a bit of a start.
"Poppy, do you have to stand over me like that? I'm not used to being bloody stared at in my sleep!"
"Oh quit your griping, Severus. I was checking to make sure that spell or those potions didn't have any side effects. However, you are your normal self, unfortunately," she teased. Snape shot her a not-so-menacing glare.
Suddenly he shot up in bed.
"How's Harry?" he asked, looking over at the still unconscious boy. "Has he woken yet?"
"No. I've got him on nutrition and hydration potions to try to make up for the absence of food and water for practically a week," she said as Snape got out of bed, ignoring her stern gaze. "But he hasn't changed at all," she said tiredly. Snape looked over and studied her face.
"Poppy, you've been up the whole night. I'll watch over Harry for a bit and you go get some rest," he said sternly, slipping into the chair next to Harry's bed.
She looked at him with a sly grin.
"What happened to 'Potter'?"
"That's what I said," he said quickly.
"Oh really? So I was just imagining that you called him 'Harry' twice this morning?" she asked, clearly amused.
"Lack of sleep," he grumbled with a glare. Madam Pomfrey chuckled.
"Suuure, Severus. Me and my crazy imagination," she said sarcastically. She then became sincere. "He needs you Severus."
Snape's eyebrow shot up. "What?"
"It's true," she said simply.
"Poppy, I really think you need some sleep," he scoffed.
"He told me you've helped him a lot this year. Do you realize that you were the first to know about both his relatives and the cancer? When I asked him if he had talked to anybody about his life at his relatives, he said he had confided in you. And when I told him that I found that slightly surprising, he said he trusted you. Do you understand how little people have Harry's trust? He told you something he's told no one else about, something he's guarded like his life depended on it."
"He only told me that because he was only half-conscious at the time," he informed her.
"Severus, do you know how many times I've tried to question him while he's half-conscious? When that boy wants a secret kept from someone, they won't find it out by Harry telling them. Maybe he just needed to get it all off his chest, but the point is that he chose to confide in you."
"It doesn't make sense, Poppy, why would he choose me of all people?" Snape asked, bewildered.
"Well, the papers did say he was mentally unstable," she said with a shrug, laughing when Snape glared at her. "Who knows, Severus, the point is that he did. Well, I'm off to sleep. If he wakes up, just yell."
Snape nodded distractedly, thinking of what Madam Pomfrey had just said. He eyed the raven-haired boy wondering if there could have been any truth in her words.
Throughout the day, Snape and Madam Pomfrey took turns watching over Harry while Dumbledore helped Remus keep Sirius from going back to look for Harry's body.
While switching shifts at one point during the day, with Madam Pomfrey going to stay with the Gryffindor while Snape came out, a second year Hufflepuff came into the hospital wing, supported by two of his friends. It was obvious the boy had twisted his ankle and was in extreme pain. When the three saw Snape, they froze.
"Er…is Madam Pomfrey in, sir?" one of them asked, trying not to let his voice shake.
"Not at the moment. Lay him on that bed," he instructed.
"Who's going to heal me then?" the injured boy asked.
"I will," Snape said coldly. The boy paled.
"Actually, I'm not hurt. We're going to go now," he said quickly. His friends obviously agreed and helped him turn around.
"Get in here now," Snape instructed harshly. The three reluctantly turned around and got their friend to the bed, each of them watching Snape suspiciously, as if he was planning on poisoning them.
Snape rolled his eyes and couldn't help thinking that Harry wouldn't have had a problem with him healing him.
"Er…s-so you can heal, Professor?" one squeaked in fright.
"Of course I can, Cauldwell," he snapped. "I brew half the potions in here. And stop that pathetic whimpering, Whitby, you just twisted it, you didn't rip it off for Merlin's sake!"
He healed the ankle with a quick spell and told the boy to be on his way. The three practically ran from the infirmary. He heard one say quietly that he'd never go back to the Hospital Wing if Snape was going to be the new healer, even if his foot did get ripped off.
He scowled at their retreating backs before using the fire in Madam Pomfrey's office to Floo to his chambers.
That evening, while nearly everyone else was at dinner, Snape was sitting next to a still unconscious Harry Potter, flipping through a potions book that he'd already read.
He was trying to read the same paragraph for the fifth time when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He set down his book and watched the boy next to him very closely.
Harry's fingers twitched, and Snape's breath hitched. He quickly got out of the chair and sat next to Harry on the bed.
"Harry?"
A faint moan came from the boy.
"Open your eyes. It's time to wake up," he said quietly, holding his breath without realizing it.
It was obvious Harry was trying to swallow, but his throat was too dry. He whimpered painfully. Snape carefully pulled Harry into a half-sitting position, propping up the pillows behind him. "Come on, Potter, you can do it. Just open your eyes and I'll give you some water to drink, all right?"
He dimmed the lights a bit with a flick of the wand so the light wouldn't hurt the boy's eyes. Harry's eyes slowly fluttered open.
"Professor?" he whispered tiredly. He blinked. "'M alive," he croaked in awe, wincing as his voice grated against his dry throat.
Snape never knew what came over him in that moment to make him act so out of character. He was just so overwhelmed with knowing that Harry was alive and was going to pull through. For the first time in his life, he felt envious of James Potter for being the boy's father. He grabbed Harry and pulled him to his chest in a hug, letting a few silent tears drip into the boy's hair.
At first Harry stiffened in his arms, not used to being hugged, especially not by Snape. Yet as he felt what could only be a tear drip down the back of his neck, he tentatively hugged him back.
"Poppy! Poppy, he's awake!" he yelled as he gently helped Harry lay back on his pillows. "Say a word about that to anyone, and you'll spend the rest of your life in detention," he whispered, quickly wiping the few tears off his face.
Harry grinned tiredly. "Blackmail…excellent," he joked with a rough, tired voice. Snape poured a cup of water and helped Harry drink it as Madam Pomfrey burst into the room.
"Oh Merlin, he's awake! He's back! I just sent the message to Albus," she said excitedly grinning from ear to ear. "How are you feeling, Harry? I need you to tell me everything exactly, okay?"
"How am I alive?" he asked as his voice slowly returned, ignoring the nurse's inquiries. His eyes suddenly widened and he sat up quickly. "Did the spell work? Is everyone okay? Is Voldemort—"
"Yes, dear. He's dead. Everyone's fine, well physically. As for you being alive, it's a long complicated explanation, but you can thank your potions professor for that one," she said, grinning at Snape who merely rolled his eyes. She leaned in and said in a loud whisper, "He really cares about you, you know."
Harry blushed, but Snape looked absolutely mortified. "Weren't you asking him how he was feeling, Poppy?" he asked in an irritated tone.
"Of course, now let's hear it, Harry."
"Er…I'm just a bit tired. And it sort of hurts," he said, slightly embarrassed.
"Hurts where?" Madam Pomfrey asked worriedly.
"Er…well, no one place in particular," he said shyly. The two adults both knew by now that this was Harry's way of saying everywhere. But the two adults were at a loss for the cause. "Erm…it might be from the Cruciatus curse?" he prompted.
"Oh my goodness of course!" the nurse said abruptly. "Oh it must seem like it just happened to you! Oh, let me go grab some potions from my office, I'll be right back!" she said before racing from the room.
"How long have I been out? And where am I?" he asked.
"You're in a secret room of the Hospital Wing. You died last Friday. We brought you back yesterday evening and it's now Thursday," Snape said.
"I actually died?" he said in awe. "I thought there was no spell to bring back the dead."
"There isn't a spell to bring back a destroyed life energy, so that's true in a sense, but your life energy wasn't destroyed. I'll explain it all later. Now I need you to be absolutely honest with me, Harry, do you feel sick at all?" he asked carefully. If any part of the cancer had stayed in the boy's system, it would just grow and kill him again. Harry just looked up at him in wonder.
"You just called me Harry," he said in a near whisper. Snape's eyes widened and he quickly cleared his throat.
"Answer the…"
"You can, you know, call me Harry, if you want," he said shyly. Snape inwardly smiled, but outwardly raised an eyebrow.
"Do. you. feel. sick. Harry?" he asked, emphasizing each word to make sure the boy didn't dodge the question again. The raven-haired boy took a moment to assess how he felt.
"No," he said in shock.
The medi-witch chose that moment to return with the potion, the headmaster following right behind her, his eye twinkling truly for the first time since before the attack.
"All right dear, drink some of that up. It will help fight the effects of that awful spell," she said handing him a glass. "Imagine, using that on a boy! If I could get my hands on some of those Death Eaters, ooh, they'd be sorry," she said angrily. Harry chuckled slightly at the thought of the Death Eaters cowering as the school nurse came after them with the same stern look she'd given him each time he was injured in Quidditch.
"Down girl," Snape muttered under his breath.
Harry had to bite his lip to keep from bursting out in laughter.
"Albus, I think it's gone, but you need to make sure," Snape said grimly, praying that they hadn't missed anything. Harry looked up at them confusedly.
"What's gone?" he asked.
"Lay down Harry and just relax. I just need to do a quick test, all right?" the headmaster said warmly.
Harry nodded and laid back on his pillows, closing his eyes in an attempt to relax.
Dumbledore took his wand and said a quick spell. Nothing happened. The three adults sighed happily.
"All right, Harry," Dumbledore said cheerfully. Harry sat up and looked up at them expectantly. Dumbledore took out the crystal from his pocket, a red substance trapped inside. "This, Harry, is your cancer," he said handing the crystal to the boy.
Harry looked from the crystal to the headmaster in confusion. "What?"
"Professor Snape found an apparently successful way to get rid of your cancer," Dumbledore explained with the first genuine smile he'd had all week.
Harry looked to the potions master with his jaw hanging open. "I'm cured?" he asked in awe. "You cured me?"
"Yes. I wasn't going to let you get away with skipping out on advanced potions. I do expect top-notched marks on all your exams," he said sternly. Harry nodded dumbly.
"But wait, if the cancer's gone, that's what made my magic get all powerful. Is that all gone?" he asked.
"Well, there's one way to find out," Dumbledore said nodding toward an empty glass. Harry looked at it and concentrated on making it move. Nothing happened.
"No more stealing Hermione's food then, I guess," he said, only slightly disappointed. "I think I'd rather have it this way though," he said with a smirk, handing the red crystal back to Dumbledore.
"All right, Harry, we're going to move you into the main part of the Hospital Wing. Are you ready to deal with some very hysterical people?" Dumbledore asked in amusement.
Harry nodded and got out of bed. Dumbledore kept a light hold on Harry's arm to steady him as he walked through Madam Pomfrey's office into the empty infirmary, slipping into his usual bed, discretely checking for his initials. He was glad to see they were still there.
Dumbledore disappeared to gather Harry's friends and such. Snape also left, as the young Malfoy had been left alone far too much with his grief lately.
Madam Pomfrey looked on her guard for anyone who might bother Harry, casting fond smiles at him every once in awhile as she bustled around the Hospital Wing, doing whatever it was she usually bustled around doing.
"I guess I'll be making my birthday after all," Harry said happily.
"I'll send you a present myself," Madam Pomfrey said warmly.
Dumbledore knocked on the door to Remus's private chambers. A very haggard professor opened the door, giving the headmaster a sad smile.
"Come in, Professor. Sirius is sleeping so we'll have to be a bit quiet," he said, closing the door after allowing Dumbledore inside.
"Actually, I think you'd better go wake him," he said, his face not betraying any particular emotion.
"Is something going on?" Remus asked warily, not sure he could stand anything else happening at the moment.
"Yes, the first good news we've had in awhile."
Remus nodded and quickly waked Sirius, leading him in from the other room.
Sirius looked awful, to put it bluntly. It reminded the headmaster of how the man had first looked after escaping from Azkaban, before Harry had reminded him about the better parts of life. He had dark circles under his eyes, which were absent of life.
"Sirius, Remus, please take a seat. I have some very good news," Dumbledore said gently. The two looked completely apathetic, not believing that anything could make them feel better at the moment. They took their seats on the couch across from Dumbledore.
"So what's this good news, Albus?" Remus asked, trying extremely hard to put on an upbeat facade for Sirius. Sirius only looked blankly ahead.
"Severus has been working on a lot of research that has finally resulted in success. Harry was dead, but his life energy was never destroyed."
The two looked up at him perplexedly. "What does that mean?" Remus asked, not daring to get hopeful.
"Severus has been able to return Harry's life energy, and separated the cancer from it. Harry's alive," he said with a smile. The two looked at him in shock.
"Where?" Sirius asked quickly.
"In the Hospital Wing."
Without another word, Sirius turned into his dog form and bounded from the room at top speed. Remus gave another stunned, wordless glance at the grinning headmaster, before racing after the black dog.
Students jumped out of the way to avoid being run into by the huge black dog speeding down the hall. As he got to the Hospital Wing, he turned back into a human and threw open the door.
Harry's head whipped up as the door banged open and Sirius simply stared at him, unsure whether to believe the sight before him. He had dreamed of this happening and wasn't sure if this was just another one of his fantasies.
"Sirius?"
That was all it took. Sirius burst into tears and was immediately at Harry's side, hugging the boy desperately and weeping. Harry hugged him back and nestled into his godfather's embrace.
"It's okay, Sirius. I'm here. I'm alive. And I'm not sick anymore! I'm going to be alive for a long time," Harry muttered comfortingly as his godfather continued to sob and clutch him tightly to his chest.
"You're alive. You're alive," Sirius whispered through his tears. He grabbed the sides of Harry's face and looked into the boy's eyes searchingly. "I love you so much. You're like a son to me, do you understand?"
Bright green eyes looked back at him, acknowledging the sincerity behind the statement with a small bit of surprise. He nodded. "I—I love you too," he said awkwardly.
Sirius smiled and burst out into a new fit of sobs, causing Harry to smile as well. The ex-convict pulled his godson back into another tight embrace when the door banged open once again. Both heads whipped toward the door to find an out of breath and stunned Remus.
"Moony, he's alive," Sirius sniffed happily, waving his friend over. Remus walked over slowly, still stunned.
"Hey Moony," he said with a smile.
"Harry?" he whispered, cautiously touching Harry's cheek. When he felt that Harry was indeed solid and real, he burst out in a sob and jumped into the hug.
"Oh sure, just go and jump on my patients, that's right," Madam Pomfrey said in annoyance as she watched the scene. Harry laughed and the two adults just ignored her. "Now seriously you too, Harry is just having the after effects of the Cruciatus curse, so you too better stop squeezing him so hard. Let him get some air."
This time they listened and looked at Harry worriedly as they broke away, letting Harry lean back on his pillows.
"Harry," Sirius said seriously, "Now, you've been a great hero for the first fifteen years of your life. Let's leave it at that, okay? No vanquishing any Dark Lords from now on, okay?"
"Aw, you're no fun," Harry said in a fake pout.
"I'm serious, Harry."
"I know you're Sirius! It's your first name!"
Remus laughed.
"Oh no, I knew one day that joke would some back to bite me," Sirius said. "Anyway, I'm not kidding, Harry. No more of these sacrifices okay? No more fighting Dark Lords, no more taking other people's illnesses for yourself, no more keeping secrets that are eating you up inside, all right? Those are the rules from now on."
"Well, it's a bit different than normal house rules, but I think I can live with them," Harry said grinning. "Er…so tomorrow, when I get to King's Cross, I'm…" he trailed off hopefully.
"You are never going back to the Dursleys, if that's what you're thinking about, Harry," Remus almost growled. Sirius nodded firmly. Harry beamed.
"I'll pick you up from King's Cross and you'll be coming home with me," Sirius said happily.
Harry beamed at him.
"Really?"
"Of course! What, did you think I was joking last time we talked about this. You need to learn to take me seriously, as serious is my middle name. Oh wait, it's my…"
"First name," Harry finished for him. "Merlin, this is going to be a long summer," he teased.
Dumbledore's office was getting a bit crowded. Hermione, Ron, and Eloise were sitting on a small couch while Fred, George and Neville sat on the floor in front of the couch. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were standing next to their children, having Apparated to the edge of the Hogwarts wards after receiving an owl with an urgent message from Dumbledore.
Professor McGonagall appeared with the Stensons. He had sent the Gryffindor Head of House to bring the Muggle family there. Nobody knew the reason they were all assembled.
Mr. and Mrs. Stenson shook hands with the Weasley parents, while Kota gave each of Harry's friends a greeting hug. She had red-rimmed eyes and a red-tipped nose from the constant crying she'd been doing over the past week. She slid onto the floor in between George and Neville.
"Do you know why we're here?" she asked quietly as everyone was getting settled.
"We're guessing it's about the funeral," he said sadly. Kota nodded sorrowfully.
"That's what we figured."
Dumbledore looked to the students. "I presume that you could not find Ginny?" he asked gently.
They all shook their heads, minus Kota.
"She's missing, and so is Harry's invisibility cloak," Ron said numbly.
"She's still grieving. We figured that funeral arrangement stuff would be too much for her anyways," explained Fred.
"I wish she could have been here, but we'll just have to track her down soon. We are not here to talk about a funeral. In fact, I have a bit of good news," Dumbledore said, his eye twinkling especially bright.
"Good news? I thought we were here about Harry," Mrs. Weasley said confusedly.
"Yeah, why are we here then?" Mrs. Stenson chimed in.
Dumbledore put up a silencing hand. "Actually, it is about Harry."
He began to explain the spells and potions that had saved Harry but quickly realized he was talking to a very perplexed audience, who looked more pained at talking about Harry than relieved as they should have been. Dumbledore stopped and smiled.
"What I'm trying to say is that Harry is alive and cancer-free," he said bluntly. A room full of people stared back at him in uncomprehending shock.
"What?" Hermione asked breathlessly.
"Anyone who cares for the explanation can stay, anyone who cares to skip it and just go see for themselves can use this door right here."
He stood and said, "Hospital Wing waiting room," before opening the door. Everyone stared through the door, stunned.
"Professor? I don't understand," Fred said. "He can't be."
"Albus? What's going on?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"Why don't you all just follow me," he said, motioning toward the door. They all dazedly got up and walked through to the waiting room. Once they were all through and the door had disappeared, Dumbledore opened the door to the Hospital Wing, motioning them all through. They slowly entered the room, and all grouped near the entrance, looking in wonder at the scene before them.
Remus was sitting back in a chair laughing as Sirius was stacking food on Harry's lap who was just as quickly putting it all on the nightstand.
"Sirius! I'm not bloody hungry!" Harry insisted with a laugh, pushing the plate in his godfather's hand away. Sirius put the plate back on the table and felt Harry's forehead. Harry rolled his eyes and pushed his hand away. "And for the millionth time, I'm not sick!"
Suddenly, Harry noticed the entourage at the doorway and looked up at them with his brilliant green eyes.
Mrs. Weasley gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.
"Harry?" Ron asked breathlessly.
"Yeah Ron, it's me," he said with a smile. He quickly got out of bed and stood up, shooting Sirius a playful glare as the man started protesting. "Don't worry guys, I'm really al—oomph!" he said as Ron raced over to him and flung his arms around Harry's neck. Hermione was right behind him, nearly knocking Harry over as she slammed into the other two. His two best friends began to cry, just when they thought they had no more tears to spill.
"Oh Harry, it's really you. I'm not dreaming!" Hermione sobbed, hugging him tightly.
"You're back, you're back," Ron muttered. He was shaking uncontrollably.
"Ron are you okay?" Harry whispered. Ron shook his head into his shoulder but said nothing else.
Before Harry could think of something to say to his distraught friend, Eloise and Neville ran up with tears of joy. They were followed closely by the twins and Kota, until it looked like a huge dog-pile with Harry in the center.
"Oh Harry dear!" sobbed another voice. Harry looked up to see the Weasley parents. Mrs. Weasley looked as if she had been restraining herself (or having Mr. Weasley restrain her). She now burst out and ran to him, the other kids jumping out of the way as she came through, pulling him into a motherly embrace. She cried hysterically as she planted kisses in Harry's hair. The other kids shot each other looks and giggled at Mrs. Weasley's behavior.
Mr. Weasley came up joined his wife, fondly ruffling Harry's hair with a laugh.
The tearful Stenson parents were next. Mr. Weasley pulled his wife into his own arms to allow the Stensons their turn at hugging the boy that had saved their family.
When they pulled away from the embrace, the group of kids all swarmed in on Harry again, causing Harry to blush and the two remaining Marauders to burst out in laughter.
Harry had received more hugs in one day than he had in his entire life. He was beaming with joy.
"Okay guys," Harry laughed after a few minutes, "I really need to breathe now."
Nobody budged. Madam Pomfrey came in and shrieked.
"What is this! Now Harry, get back into bed. Am I the only sane one in this place? This boy is recovering from extreme subjection to the Cruciatus Curse! Are you all mad? Now shoo!" she said, waving her hands at the people surrounding Harry. They let go of him, now eyeing him like he would break at the slightest touch.
"Oh Harry, we didn't mean to hurt you!" Hermione gasped.
"It's okay, 'Mione, I think some people are overreacting a bit," he said, directing the comment at Madam Pomfrey.
"And some people better get back in bed if they want to be released for the feast tomorrow," she said sternly. Harry rolled his eyes and climbed back into bed, sitting up against his pillows. Remus laughed and ruffled Harry's hair.
"Tough luck, kid," he said with a smile.
"I know you're all excited, but let's try not to injure my patient further, all right?" she said irritably.
"Where's Ginny?" Harry asked.
"Professor McGonagall's looking for her now," Hermione told him, a small smile playing on her lips.
Practically everyone's eyes were brimming with tears, those of shock and those of joy. Ron and Hermione sat on the bed on either side of Harry, while the Fred and Neville sat on the bottom. Everyone else surrounded the bed, and Harry couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed.
Luckily, Madam Pomfrey came to his rescue.
"All right! This is ridiculous! We're going to do this in smaller groups. Sirius, Remus, you've had your turns, ah ah ah, don't you protest to me! Out, out!" she barked. Sirius glared, but her own glare won out. Remus and Sirius grudgingly left, promising to be back first thing the next morning.
"Okay, the Stensons can go first. Everybody else…out to the waiting room! There you can discuss the order in which you go. Minerva, perhaps it might be a good idea to try to find young Miss Weasley."
The Gryffindor Head of House nodded, still stunned, and left the room.
Everyone grumbled on their way out. Ron still looked severely shaken. Hermione and Mrs. Weasley were still crying buckets through their smiles, Hermione whispering comforting words to Ron as Mrs. Weasley did the same for the twins. A teary Eloise held onto Neville, who looked unsure whether to believe his eyes yet.
Madam Pomfrey shut the door behind them and went into her office, ordering Harry to stay relaxed.
"Very pushy woman, eh?" Kota said quietly.
"You have no idea," Harry said with a smile.
"Oh Harry sweetie, oh God, when we heard about what happened, I can't tell you how much grief we went through," Mrs. Stenson said, grabbing Harry's hand tearfully.
"You made me cry for five days straight, you bloody prat!" Kota said, wiping a tear away and then playfully punching Harry on the arm.
"Thank God you're alive," Mr. Stenson said quietly. "Thank God you're not sick anymore. Listen Harry, you're going to visit us over the summer so much you're going to be completely sick of us, whether you want to or not," he said with a smile. Harry laughed. "And if anything happens with your godfather, and I mean even the slightest row or even if you're just annoyed with him, you come right to our house, all right? You still have the key?"
Harry nodded and then grinned. "Yeah, but I'll probably be coming through the fireplace."
"Like Santa Clause," Kota mused.
"Without the weird clothes," Harry added.
"Or the pot belly. You know, your headmaster looks a bit like Santa Clause on Weight Watchers," Kota said thoughtfully. Harry burst out laughing.
"But seriously, anything you ever need, you have us, all right?" Mr. Stenson insisted.
"That's right, we're here for you, love," Mrs. Stenson added.
"Whether you like it or not," Kota threw in. "You're family. You're stuck with us. Though hopefully my dad won't try to be overprotective with your dating life as well."
"No dating until you're married, Harry, and any potentials will have to meet our approval," Mr. Stenson said, causing everyone to laugh.
"We'll just have to make sure he gets on with the Weasleys very well then, right Harry?" Kota said quietly, in a conspiring type manner. Harry blushed and glared at Kota, glancing nervously at the closed door to the waiting room.
"Kota!" he hissed.
"What is this Harry? You fancy Weasley girl? Oh that's adorable!" Mrs. Stenson said quite loudly. The three others shushed her.
"Muuuum!" Kota whined, embarrassed for her mum blurting out Harry's secret so loud.
"Oh right, shhh," Mrs. Stenson said putting a finger to her lips and nodding excitedly, as if she was now in on a huge secret. Harry just put his head in his hands and shook his head, praying that none of the Weasleys had heard.
"All right, we'd better get going before my lovely wife embarrasses you any further, Harry," said Mr. Stenson, giving a chuckle when his wife slapped his arm. "Stenson girls and hitting, don't think that's a really good trait."
"Yeah, I'll have to warn a certain redhead about it," Harry said quietly with a wink at Kota.
"Oh you mean George?" Mrs. Stenson asked loudly. Harry burst out laughing. Mr. Stenson shook his head while Kota's eyes widened.
"Muuuum!" Kota cried indignantly throwing her hands in the air.
"Oh love, don't you worry. He can't hear us through the door. And don't you worry Harry, neither can…"
She was cut off as Kota covered her mouth with her hand. "Mum, how about not talking about who anyone fancies until we get out of hearing range," she said quietly.
"All right, well we'll see you later, Harry. We'll invite you, your godfather, and the Weasleys over soon," said Mr. Stenson, giving Harry a quick hug goodbye. The two females did the same before walking out the door. He heard a "Muuum" out in the halls and immediately became very worried.
Seconds later, Eloise came into the room, closing the door behind her. "Dakota's mum's a bit odd. In the hall somebody mentioned Ginny, and Mrs. Stenson turned to her husband saying, 'Oh, isn't that adorable?' Do you know what she meant, Harry?" she asked, taking a seat on the edge of his bed.
"Not a clue," Harry muttered, hoping his blush wasn't too obvious.
"Sure you don't," she winked. "You've got to remember Harry, I'm a hopeless romantic. I notice these things long before anyone else. We're going to be having a long chat about this at some point, so I want you to start brainstorming now. I'm going to need to know when you first knew you were in love, what the marriage proposal will be like, and possible names for kids for starters."
At seeing the horrified look on Harry's face she patted his hand.
"Just joking Harry," she said with a smile. Harry sighed with relief. "Actually I'm not, you'll be coming over this summer for a nice long conversation. Don't worry, I'm going to force Neville into one too. He's got it a lot worse than you, since he has to figure out who he fancies and you already know!"
"Oh dear God," he muttered.
"Well, hey, if you humor me, I can give you tips. I may not be the most experience person with relationships, but I do share a dorm with four other girls."
"Hmm…we'll see," Harry said mysteriously with a smirk.
"Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for being my friend. You and Neville are really my first true friends and it means a lot to me," she said quietly.
"Eloise, you don't have to thank me for being your friend. I love being your friend just because of who you are. You're a great person to be around and I feel sorry for all those people who don't get to be your friend. I'm lucky! So thank you."
Eloise blushed. "I also want you to know how much it meant to me for you to take me to the dance. I didn't get to go last year and I didn't think anyone would ask me this year either. It was all the girls were talking about and you don't know how much it meant to me to be able to join into their conversation without being pitied or something. And I wasn't even going with just old any date, I was going with Harry Potter, one of the hottest boys in school!"
Harry blushed and his jaw dropped slightly in surprise. He hadn't been expecting for Eloise to say that. "Oh brother," he murmured.
"Oh shut it. You are and you know it."
Harry just laughed. "I'll have to make sure to inform your future husband about your psychotic tendencies."
"Harry, are you seriously that oblivious? Why do you think Cho was after you so much? Oh piss it. Never mind. Anyways, what I was trying to say, was thank you for taking me to the dance even with half the school after you for a date, which I'm sure had nothing to do with you being good-looking, since they had no idea what your personality is like."
Harry rolled his eyes. "It's called unwanted fame, but back to the more important subject, you don't need to thank me for the dance. I want to thank you! I had so much fun with you! Besides, what other date would have let me dance with all those other girls? You're just plain cool, Eloise," he said cheerily.
"Ah, I only let you do that because I wanted to dance with their dates," she said with a grin, nudging his side playfully. "You're a great friend, you know."
"As are you."
"I guess it's probably someone else's turn, but you're going to come over this summer for that chat."
"Er…we'll see about that conversation. Neville and I will have to plan some diversionary tactics or something," he said with a smirk. Eloise gave him a quick hug and left.
Neville was the next to come in. He looked a bit nervous as he closed the door behind him and walked over. He was a bit sniffly from getting teary and sat down next to Harry. He looked down at his lap.
"Harry? Do you ever miss your parents?" he asked quietly. Harry was a bit stunned. The question certainly caught him off guard. He quickly snapped out of it when he figured out where the conversation might be headed. Neville didn't know that Harry knew about his parents.
"Yes. I mean, I don't really remember them all that much, but I always wondered what it would be like to have them," he said quietly. "You know, I don't think I've ever admitted that out loud before," he said truthfully.
Neville took a deep breath as his eyes brimmed slightly with tears. "Mine were Aurors. Death Eaters put them under the Cruciatus Curse for too long. They wanted information, you see, and my parents wouldn't tell them. They, er…they went mad from the torture. They have to be in a special ward at St. Mungo's. They don't recognize me anymore."
Neville finally looked up nervously, waiting for Harry's reaction.
"They sound like they were really brave," Harry said quietly.
"They were. I wish I could have been more like them. Brave and brilliant at magic," he sad sadly.
"Neville, listen to me. You are really brave! And you have talent with magic, you just aren't confident enough to see it or use it. But really, like in our first year when you stood up to me, Ron, and Hermione when we kept sneaking out, I would never have had the guts to do that! I just know you and I know how you are. I'd trust you with my life," Harry insisted sincerely. Neville looked at him in surprise.
"I think you've cracked, mate," he said weakly.
"Well, whether I've cracked or not, I know I'm right about this, and I really meant what I said."
Neville smiled genuinely.
"I'm sorry about your parents, that's got to be rough," Harry said, a bit awkwardly.
"Well, I figured you'd know what it's like," he said with a shrug. "Well, I think my time's about up. I'm glad you're back, Harry. Eloise said something about inviting us over this summer. Something about planning our love lives. I don't know, she said she'll explain it later."
Harry chuckled. "I think it's time to start being scared."
The two said their goodbyes.
A/N: No folks, I am not just randomly ending the story or a chapter here (well, not really). This chapter is CONTINUED in chapter 39 since I went a bit overboard writing this last chapter and it ended up being 40 pages long! The next chapter picks off in the same scene as this one, so roll on!