Chapter 27: All is well that ends well

Chapter 27: All is well that ends well

The room was slightly bright and Karista had to squint slightly to prevent herself from going blind.

"Will she be alright? What happened?"

The voice sounded familiar, yet the room spun so violently around her she had to forget who it was.

"I think she might be waking up," someone clucked above her and Karista opened her eyes some more. Madame Pomfrey stood above her, waving her wand every now and then over Karista's fragile form and off in the distance stood Harry and Dumbledore, rendered speechless.

"I told you to reconsider doing the spell, Karista," Callidus hissed from her shoulder.

"What spell? Karista, what is he talking about?" Harry asked, coming to stand by her side. Karista looked up into his eyes before another spiral of color spun around her.

"Mr. Potter, if you don't leave my patient alone, I will kick you out of here," Madame Pomfrey snapped before bustling into her office, muttering about 'unwanted visitors'.

"Harry, I think its best if we let Miss Flannigan explains this all to us at a later date," Dumbledore said quietly before leading Harry out of the ward. Harry cast one suspicious look back at Karista before entering the corridor outside.

"Professor, I can't help but be suspicious about everything that is going on around Karista," Harry said quietly as they made their way down to Dumbledore's office. "I mean, first off, she has these out-of-body things and then…she gets that tattoo."

Dumbledore looked deep in though for a moment before stopping in front of the stone gargoyle and muttering 'Chocolate Frog'. After they made their way up to Dumbledore's office and sat down, Harry spoke again.

"Why does everything that goes wrong or is possibly bad always happen to people around me?"

Dumbledore looked up, an apparently startled look on his face. But his surprise didn't last for very long.

"Harry, being Heir of Gryffindor isn't fun…I can't even imagine what it would be like. But you must understand is that you should never give up the things you love most, no matter how astray they go. It may seem like Karista is…well…bad, but she is just as vulnerable as you are. I would say more so only because you have had more time to deal with this type of thing."

Dumbledore paused, looking at Harry keenly from his half-moon spectacles. His blue eyes were twinkling with their familiar warmth and Harry felt at ease once again.

"Harry, promise me something," Dumbledore said quietly as he leaned forward in his chair. "But first, realize that you were at one time in Karista's shoes."

Harry paused for a moment before realizing that he was. Back in his second year, everyone thought he was a dark wizard because he could speak Parseltongue and that he opened up the Chamber of Secrets. Now Harry realized that he had passed the same type of judgement upon Karista this year. For almost a minute Harry's stomach did a weird flop out of guilt.

"Now Harry, if there is one thing to be remembered from here, remember this; it is not wise to pass judgement on someone until you know all the facts, and I honestly think that now you can agree with me, right?'

Harry nodded his head deftly before standing from his seat.

"I think I should go see my parents," Harry mumbled before crossing the room and opening the door.

"Oh, and Harry…" Harry spun around to see Dumbledore with an oddly serious expression on his face. "I don't think you should question what Karista was doing in that room today."

Harry nodded his head before leaving Dumbledore's office.

***

"Sirius, shut up! You'll blow it!" James hissed as the three Marauders sauntered into the kitchens. House Elves were in a frenzy cooking that evening's dinner, which just happened to be the last feast of the year.

"The busier, the better," Sirius chortled before moving the large bucket he had been carrying and lumbering it onto a table top. A small house elf approached them a bit timidly, to which the three Marauders flashed their trademarked mischievious grins. "Ah, hello there. Dumbledore has sent us down here to introduce the new drink that he wants you to serve."

A few more house elves came over to the table after the original one approached and generously took the buckets over to the various pitchers on the house and staff tables.

"This is going to be so much fun!" James cackled as they each left the kitchens, practically skipping down the corridor. They reached the Great Hall which was packed full of students, causing Sirius to break into uncontrollable fits of laughter. They resumed their seats at the Gryffindor table before Dumbledore began his speech.

"This was an interesting year for us all. We have much to be thankful for in light of recent difficulties and tragedies. We must be thankful for everything good that has come our way. But now, another year has come and gone and it is time for you all to go home and forget about anything you have learned this year," Dumbledore said happily, peering around at the students with his half moon spectacles. "Therefore, without pumpkin juice, I would like to make a toast to you all and hope that you all choose the right paths in your futures."

The Great Hall shook with cheers and the bangs from people pounding on the tables. The food then appeared on the tables along with the Marauder's mysterious drinks. Sirius, Remus and James grinned mischieviously before everyone began taking hearty swigs of the potion…until…

POP! POP! POP! People all around them were changing, or at least their clothing were. Dumbledore was now in a clown suit with a red nose while Snape was in a moldy green dress with an ugly hat with a vulture on top perched on his head. Harry's clothing turned into a an ugly pink frock while Karista and Hermione's clothing became swimsuits…rather revealing swimsuits. Ron, who was laughing at the three of them, stopped pointing at them to find he was in a violently purple and voluminous dress. Lily, who was already glaring at the Marauders, had on a Cinderella-style ballgown. Eventually, after Draco Malfoy's attire changed into a spaceman's uniform, the Marauders were the only ones left in the entire hall with anything normal on.

Dumbledore, who was at first shocked to find something happening at all, began laughing so hard that he fell back in his chair, honking his clown nose. Soon the other people in the hall joined in as they all began to eat, all the while laughing and giggling. Growing bored with their gray and black robes, the Marauders soon drank their pumpking juice. James ended up wearing purple and yellow swimming trunks, Sirius wore a cat suit and devil ears while Remus' robes turned blue, gold and shocking pink while his hair gained purple spots. The Great Hall erupted into laughter again while the Marauders stood up and bowed to a tumultuous applause. Karista nudged Harry who was clutching at his side from laughing so hard and pointed at Snape.

"I don't understand his get-up at all," she giggled. Harry glanced at the staff table and began laughing harder.

"Yeah, well back in third year…"

***

"Can't believe I failed History of Magic and Herbology. Of course, I was never really good at taking care of plants," Karista grumbled over breakfast the next morning. "Oh well, at least I have a whole stinking summer to dwell on that fact."

Harry grinned mildly at her. "So, excited about going back to New York?"

"Oh yes!" Karista squealed, launching into another explanation of NYWI (her old wizarding school) as well as all the places and people she was going to visit.

"Sounds like fun," Hermione said happily as she stood up from the table with Ron. "Looks like the carriages are here."

Hermione, Ron, Karista and Harry made their way out into the entrance hall along with the rest of the school.

"Kar, promise me you will stay safe, including after everything that has happened this year," Harry said as he took Karista into his embrace.

"I will," she whispered. They kissed briefly before hugging each other. Then, without another word but a few glances back at each other, Karista, Ron and Hermione were gone, all waving goodbye to him.

"So Harry, we're in it for the long haul, eh?" James asked, laying his arm to rest on Harry's shoulder.

"Yeah. At least we'll have plenty of pranks to play on Sirius and Remus."

James laughed a little before turning Harry around.

"We had better start training you in the ways of the Marauders, my boy," James chortled as the walked towards the marble stairs.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, stopping and grinning at his father.

"You have to prepare for your final year at Hogwarts. You got to leave with a bang, you know," James said, a mischievious grin on his face.

"Let's get started then," Harry said, equalling his father's look.

"The carbon copies are up to something," Lily said, drawing their attention from the first landing on the stairs. "And I know what it is."

James and Harry smiled at each other before joining Lily and making their way up to Gryffindor tower…together.

**THE END**