Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.



Chapter Sixteen- Goodbyes



The next morning, Dumbledore had spoken to the whole school of what had happened at Hogsmeade. Clearly, everyone (well, maybe not Draco Malfoy and some of the Slytherins) was shocked by this. He also announced that the survivors would be moved to a shelter where they could find new homes and jobs to get back on their feet.



Dumbledore had also taken Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny aside and explained that Emily would be taken to a foster home, since she had no other family. The inheritance from her late parents would still be saved, so on a brighter side, there was still a chance she could go to Hogwarts



"She will be well taken care of, I assure you," Dumbledore told them.



Though Harry trusted Dumbledore's judgement, he was still concerned about how the foster parents he had chosen would treat Emily. After all, she had just lost her brother and sister. The last thing she needed was living with people like the Dursleys. Also, it would be really hard to say goodbye to the girl later that afternoon.



"I wish I could stay," Emily said sadly, after they explained what was to become of her. "It's so nice here."



"I'm sorry, Emily," said Hermione. "But you know you'll have to go to the foster home. If Dumbledore chose the people you'll be living with, they must be nice."



"And we're sure that you'll get to go to Hogwarts when you're old enough," added Ron.



"Somehow, I don't think that Hogwarts is really on her mind right now," Ginny whispered to Ron.



***

That afternoon, Harry was waiting with Emily and the other survivors outside the castle for the carriages that would take them away. Since Hogsmeade station was ruined, the carriages would take them to another train station far away. The survivors and Emily had no belongings with them except for the clothes on their backs and the supplies Dumbledore and the other teachers had given them.



"You write to me if your foster parents treat you right or not," Harry told Emily while they were waiting.

"Uh-huh," Emily nodded. All of her frizzy auburn hair was covering her face because her head was bowed down so low. Harry grasped her hand tightly.



They didn't say much after that. It was as though both of them didn't want to speak of the other night again. Emily probably had nightmares of it the previous night, although she didn't directly say so. Harry didn't really have nightmares, but the scenes of the night played over and over in his head; Voldemort murdering Joshua and Lili, the dementors, the strange black oceans and the visions he had in it, and Fiona... Fiona rescuing him from the dementors, Fiona admitting her painful past with Tom Riddle before he became the monster known as Voldemort...



The carriages arrived, driving Harry out of his thoughts. "There's your ride," Harry said quietly.



"I guess so," said Emily, looking up. She started towards the carriages, and then turned around. "Harry?"



"Yeah?"



"The next time you meet the Dark Lord, don't end up going into another catty-what's-it-called, okay?"



Harry smiled slightly. "Okay." He didn't bother to tell Emily the correct pronunciation.



She hugged Harry very tightly for a girl her age, joined the other survivors going into the carriages, and waved goodbye from a window in on of them. Harry stood there, waving back at Emily, until the carriage she was in and all of the other carriages disappeared from sight.



***

A few days later, on the day of the end-of-the-year feast, Harry and the others had gotten back their exams, and they all had done pretty well. Even Neville had gotten a good grade on his Defense Against the Dark Arts exam, which made his horrible Potions one seem like just a small mistake. He, like all of the Gryffindor students, were terribly sad to see "Professor Clark" leave on that day.



"Can't you stay for at least the next year?" he asked her on their final class that day. Fiona's suitcase, already packed, was right beside her. She smiled.



"No, my place is at my home," she replied, a little sadly. "You've all been very students. Oh cheer up!" she exclaimed, seeing all of their sad faces. "I'm sure you'll get a good Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher next year."



"Not likely," Ron muttered. Harry silently agreed. Two out of the six Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers (that included Fiona) had ever turned out to be good, despite their strange secrets.



As everyone began to leave, Harry turned to Ron and Hermione. "You go ahead. I'll catch up to you."



"Well... all right..." Hermione said, both she and Ron looking puzzled. But they left without further comment.



"So... you're leaving..." he said softly, as soon as everyone but he and Fiona had left and the door was shut.



"Yes," Fiona replied. It was the first time they had spoken since the night Hogsmeade was destroyed.



"Nine years ago... when you came to my old Muggle school... why did you come there? Was I in some sort of danger back then?" Harry asked, remembering that day in the nurse's office.



"I just came to meet you," explained Fiona. "and to make sure you didn't lose hope. I didn't want to see you end up like Tom, you see."



"I'm not Tom Riddle."



"No, you're Harry Potter. You're different. And not because you're in Gryffindor. When Tom was at Hogwarts, there were Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and even Slytherins that bullied him most cruelly. It just goes to show you that it doesn't matter what House you're in as long as you're a good person." Fiona paused and added, "That's what I told Tom once.



"You're different from Tom because you were able to resist the Darkness, even when all hope seemed lost. You realized, not a moment too soon, that you were pushing your friends away, unintentionally of course. It was too late for Tom, but it wasn't too late for you. Despite what happens, Harry, your friends will be there for you. They're your family now. I could go on and on with other differences between the two of you..."



There was silence again. When he found his voice, Harry said, in a strangely hoarse voice, "Thank you for everything."



Fiona smiled warmly. As she picked up her suitcase, he asked, "Will I ever see you again?"



"I guarantee it." She kissed his cheek gently. "Goodbye Harry. Be strong. Don't give up faith. Not even for one moment."

"I won't," Harry promised.



Giving him one last smile, Fiona walked out the door. In a sudden movement, Harry bolted towards the door and looked out. He wanted to see Fiona walk away until she was completely out of sight.



But she had disappeared without a trace.



"Goodbye.... Fi..." he whispered.



***

There was a flurry of rumors passing around the other students that night at the feast. And they were all about Professor Clark.



Everybody was still wondering what she was wearing all year that chased away those dementors, on account of neither Harry, Ron, Hermione, or Ginny ever leaked a word of the cross around her neck.



However, they were talking about her too. Ron was still wondering if Snape might have briefly fancied her, but this was just about anybody's guess. Hermione was still wondering where she was from, and what she had meant by saying she was from "North". Ginny was wondering if the next Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher would be as nice as Professor Clark.



Harry was the only one not talking about her. He knew perfectly well the answers to what Ron and Hermione were wondering, and he wasn't about to tell. What he was wondering was where Emily was at this moment and if she was treated well. All three of his friends must have been wondering the same question because Hermione asked him, right in the middle of the feast:



"Harry, who was she?"



"What do you mean?" asked Harry casually.



"She means, was Professor Clark the woman in the nurse's office at your Muggle school when you were little?" Ron translated.



"Yes," Harry replied. "Yes, she was." He took a deep breath, and also said, "She was something else too."



The three leaned forward so that they could hear what Harry was about to say. "What?" asked Ron. "What was she?"



"A friend," Harry said, in a voice that all could barely hear. "She was a very close friend."



He refused to say anything more than that. They simply changed the subject of what Dumbledore and the other teachers could possibly be doing to stop Voldemort, despite the continued denial and possibly interference from Fudge, but this was something none of them could answer.



When they all headed to the dormitory for their final night at Hogwarts, Harry wondered if Fiona was really right about his friends being always there for him. What if the next time Voldemort actually murdered Ron or Hermione or any of his other friends...



"I made a promise," he murmured to himself as he got into his four poster bed. "I made a promise to Fiona. I will be strong, Fiona.... I won't give up..."



He also wondered, very briefly, what Fiona knew about Voldemort wanting to kill him in the first place. Then he figured that he shouldn't worry about that right now.



Whatever happens, happens, he thought to himself. I will be strong. Worrying about it isn't going to help. I wonder... what did happen between Fiona and Riddle? It's none of my business, really....



Before he went to sleep, Harry repeated softly, as though he was reassuring both himself and Fiona, if she could somehow hear him, "I will be strong."

To be concluded...



I hope this chapter wasn't corny or anything. I also hope that you liked this chapter. Up next is an epilogue, which is a little final resolution to the whole "Fiona was Tom Riddle's former guardian angel" thing. Won't say much about that. So please stay tuned!