Chapter 13: Willkommen und Abschied
Harry and his companions slept the day through and awoke at sunset for food and then went to
their dormitories to sleep more, or, in Hermione's case, to study for the O.W.L.s. Naturally,
she admitted this with a small look of regret and embarressment in Harry's direction, but Harry
just shrugged it off and sat down in one of the big armchairs by the fire. Ron soon joined
Hermione at the table with the pretense of studying and Harry couldn't help but smile about that.
Neither one of them would admit it, but it was almost more than clear to the rest of Gryffindor
they were interested in each other, even more so now than it had been during the now infamous
Krum Incident.
Fred and George were huddled in a corner of the room whispering busily about something and that
left Ginny. She stood around awkardly for a moment then approached Harry. "I'm," she hesitated a
bit, "sorry about Sirius, Harry. I've never lost anyone close to me yet so I can only imagine
what you're going through and I just wanted to tell you that."
Harry looke d at Ginny, surprised. Of the entire team, Ginny was the last he would have expected
to hear this from. Still, he smiled and tried to hold back the tears that wer threatening to
overflow. "Thanks, Ginny. It means a lot to me." And then, without meaning to, Harry hugged
Ginny and when he let go, Ginny's face was as red as her hair and she stammard a goodbye before
running up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. 'Well, that proves one thing,' Harry though,
'her feelings for me haven't changed a bit.'
****
The next day, Ron and Harry were just leaving divination when Hermione came running up to them
out of breath. "You guys better hurry, if you want to see Sean before he leaves."
"What?! He's leaving already?" Ron asked.
"Yes. He seems to be in a hurry to get things done."
Harry and Ron then followed her down the stairs and out the main enterance. There was Sean,
standing next to his Yugo, flanked by two Weasley twins and an auburn-haired woman none of them
had ever seen before.
The three caught up with them just in time to hear Fred ask, "Why do you have to go so soon Sean?
There's so much more we have to learn from you!" His face was pained at the parting.
Sean laughed. "'So much more to learn,'" he mocked. "If you guys learn anymore, you'll be a
force I'd hate to see unleashed on the wizarding community, especially one so conservative as
the British one." He shuddered. "Besides, I don't doubt you won't figure anything you don't
already know out soon enough," he added conspiritorially. He then turned to Harry and stuck out
a hand. "Bye, kid. I know it seems sudden, but I'm going now."
Harry took his hand and shook it. "Something come up?"
Sean gave the woman a side-long look and then said, "Yeah, I guess you could say that."
She smiled at him and he looked back at the group gathered in front of them. "In any case, I
have some final business I did to finish with a certain Ali Bashir and then I guess it's
retirement for me."
George's mouth fell open in surprise. "Retirement? But Sean, you can't retire! You don't need to!
Who is going to smuggle--, I mean," he paused for a second trying to find some tactful way of
phrasing this. "Who's going to do the cool stuff you do if you retire?"
Sean looked at him closely. "Somehow, I don't think that's going to be an issue." He turned
again to the woman next to him. "You ready, Regina?"
"Yep...for a while now, too."
"Alright...let's go." He waved at them in the typically casual american way a winked at Harry
as though he were trying to say, "Good Luck, kid", and then the two of them got in, the Yugo's
slightly rusted out engine started with a low grummbling sound and it back up a few yards, Sean
turned it around, drove it down the long road around the lake, driving ever faster and finally
the Yugo took off into the sky, fading from view as soon as it did.
Harry and his companions slept the day through and awoke at sunset for food and then went to
their dormitories to sleep more, or, in Hermione's case, to study for the O.W.L.s. Naturally,
she admitted this with a small look of regret and embarressment in Harry's direction, but Harry
just shrugged it off and sat down in one of the big armchairs by the fire. Ron soon joined
Hermione at the table with the pretense of studying and Harry couldn't help but smile about that.
Neither one of them would admit it, but it was almost more than clear to the rest of Gryffindor
they were interested in each other, even more so now than it had been during the now infamous
Krum Incident.
Fred and George were huddled in a corner of the room whispering busily about something and that
left Ginny. She stood around awkardly for a moment then approached Harry. "I'm," she hesitated a
bit, "sorry about Sirius, Harry. I've never lost anyone close to me yet so I can only imagine
what you're going through and I just wanted to tell you that."
Harry looke d at Ginny, surprised. Of the entire team, Ginny was the last he would have expected
to hear this from. Still, he smiled and tried to hold back the tears that wer threatening to
overflow. "Thanks, Ginny. It means a lot to me." And then, without meaning to, Harry hugged
Ginny and when he let go, Ginny's face was as red as her hair and she stammard a goodbye before
running up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. 'Well, that proves one thing,' Harry though,
'her feelings for me haven't changed a bit.'
****
The next day, Ron and Harry were just leaving divination when Hermione came running up to them
out of breath. "You guys better hurry, if you want to see Sean before he leaves."
"What?! He's leaving already?" Ron asked.
"Yes. He seems to be in a hurry to get things done."
Harry and Ron then followed her down the stairs and out the main enterance. There was Sean,
standing next to his Yugo, flanked by two Weasley twins and an auburn-haired woman none of them
had ever seen before.
The three caught up with them just in time to hear Fred ask, "Why do you have to go so soon Sean?
There's so much more we have to learn from you!" His face was pained at the parting.
Sean laughed. "'So much more to learn,'" he mocked. "If you guys learn anymore, you'll be a
force I'd hate to see unleashed on the wizarding community, especially one so conservative as
the British one." He shuddered. "Besides, I don't doubt you won't figure anything you don't
already know out soon enough," he added conspiritorially. He then turned to Harry and stuck out
a hand. "Bye, kid. I know it seems sudden, but I'm going now."
Harry took his hand and shook it. "Something come up?"
Sean gave the woman a side-long look and then said, "Yeah, I guess you could say that."
She smiled at him and he looked back at the group gathered in front of them. "In any case, I
have some final business I did to finish with a certain Ali Bashir and then I guess it's
retirement for me."
George's mouth fell open in surprise. "Retirement? But Sean, you can't retire! You don't need to!
Who is going to smuggle--, I mean," he paused for a second trying to find some tactful way of
phrasing this. "Who's going to do the cool stuff you do if you retire?"
Sean looked at him closely. "Somehow, I don't think that's going to be an issue." He turned
again to the woman next to him. "You ready, Regina?"
"Yep...for a while now, too."
"Alright...let's go." He waved at them in the typically casual american way a winked at Harry
as though he were trying to say, "Good Luck, kid", and then the two of them got in, the Yugo's
slightly rusted out engine started with a low grummbling sound and it back up a few yards, Sean
turned it around, drove it down the long road around the lake, driving ever faster and finally
the Yugo took off into the sky, fading from view as soon as it did.