A/N: Here it is – the last chapter. My apologies for having taken so long, but I was a bit fried after the last few, and the words just weren't coming. The story ends on a note such that I'll have to continue with Year 6, which will be forthcoming. I'm still working on the outline. In the meantime I may work more on the "Back Stories". Thank you, thank you to everyone who read and reviewed. I received a response for this story the like of which I never expected. I'm glad I've provided so many hours of entertainment for so many people. The final document – in Word – is 223 pages, 10-point font. Whew!
krysalys73: Yes, I think Harry could be central to Professor Thornby's recovery, too. Enjoy!
All Hail Chaos: Thank you! Yeah, it'll be a summer of books.
Kemsy: Thank you so much for weighing in! Good luck with your own story. This one has taken me almost two years to finish, and I can tell that my work has grown and changed over that time, so definitely keep it up!
Kaye: Yeah, she's really insane, but Harry's going to try and change that. He's got a stubborn streak.
Phoenixtearsp322: Yeah, I read those comments by J.K. Rowling somewhere. Of course she doesn't want to paint herself into a corner, so I can't say I'm surprised. I'm glad you had a good vacation. I'm jealous – Disney World is a pretty neat place. I've been there several times during my childhood but it's been a while since my last visit.
Haunting Darkness: Thanks! I can only assume that that was an EVIL laugh at the end.
capncrunchnotthecereal: Hope you got caught up on the chapters you missed. Interesting new name you've got there!
totallystellar: Not so much action in this chapter, but there's always tomorrow. Thanks for your always faithful reviews – you've really been super.
Rob: The whole "most ancient of magics" part of the prophecy was referring to the Guardianship thing. The Singers can't singlehandedly defeat Voldemort, though they can certainly do their part to help. Fighting him will definitely be a team effort.
Jemma Blackwell: Hey, thanks! I'm glad you think they're acting their age. I'm in my mid-twenties, which means I was once fifteen myself, but I don't really remember how I acted. :-) Thanks again for all your wonderful, wonderful reviews!
athenakitty: After reading this chapter you may want someone else to die. :-) Heh!
Sherry: Er… the fifth year is ending, but the overall story will continue! Thanks for the great compliments!
howling wolf1: Harry's definitely going to be working on that cure – as soon as he's done with exams.
Prongs4: A lot of stuff was broken on ff.net in the past week or so, wasn't it? It was really frustrating when I was ready to update and couldn't log in. Hey, thanks so much! The best AU 5th year you've read? Cool!
Amethyst Star: Wow. If you read this in one go then your backside must have been tired! Thanks for all your kind comments, and I hope you'll continue with the sixth year story (once it gets posted).
misao-werewolf: I think Harry is starting to understand that not everything is black and white, including Draco Malfoy. The Slytherins have got their own choices to make, and Malfoy's got lots of reasons for doing… well, whatever he might do. Welcome to the story!
Jedi Buttercup: It wasn't fun for me to make Professor Thornby insane at all, and you're right – Remus needs some love. He's been unfairly shunted aside for something he can't control, and thought that she would be able to empathize. You've been a really great reviewer – thanks for all your encouragement and advice. I take it very seriously.
Nimbus 1944: I'm so relieved that you liked the story, since your own writing was so wonderful. I do enjoy ballroom dancing, which is so much more fun than just wiggling around. Thanks for taking the time to read and let me know what you thought. Oh, and I'm glad you let me know about the length of the story. 500 pages? Wow! Just the other day I was wondering how it compared to a regular Harry Potter book.
Meg S-R: I can't say "thank you" enough for your incredible comments. As I continue to write I do hope you continue to enjoy it. Cheers!
Chapter 41: Year's End
When the rest of Harry's friends found out what he, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were planning, they one and all offered to help. Harry and Neville were both touched beyond words. However, everyone except Ginny and Katie had either O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s coming up, so most of them had little time to spare until summer began. As shocking as it was, even Fred and George were studying night and day. "Mum's been putting the pressure on," Ron confided to Harry and Hermione.
Harry didn't quite understand it, but even with all the work they had to do, everyone seemed to find a little time for the project. Hermione taught everyone the copying charm and soon they had all found ways to get just a little more research done. Parvati, Lavender, Seamus, and Dean took to leafing through tomes during meals, simply marking relevant passages and letting their enchanted quills do the copying. Fred, George, Alicia, and Angelina took study breaks in the form of paging through medical books. No one read the passages thoroughly, but they'd have plenty of time to go over their copied pages after the exams.
Harry didn't know when he had ever been so busy. When he wasn't studying or looking through a stack of library books for clues, he was reading the Daily Prophet. The fallout from Voldemort's attack and Fudge's death was incredible. Every day sensational new stories were being printed. Harry could easily imagine the Daily Prophet reporters salivating with glee as they dashed off each new article.
Elections were going to have to be held, and nominations were already starting to come in. Dumbledore was the first person named, of course, but the headmaster immediately made a public statement declining the nomination. Many of the Hogwarts students seemed surprised, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione weren't. One of the reasons Fudge had hated the headmaster so much was the fact that he had been a second choice for Minister – behind Dumbledore, who had refused the position. Harry had no doubt that most people would have embraced Dumbledore with open arms had he accepted the nomination; no one else would have dared to run against him. Perhaps that's why he turned it down, thought Harry. Maybe he thinks someone else deserves the chance to lead.
Fudge's infrastructure was falling apart. Lucius Malfoy was in captivity and Walden Macnair had simply vanished, unmasked as he was. Suddenly members of the Assembly and the Wizengamot who had refused to oppose Fudge's policies were standing up and speaking out. It was astonishing how many people had let Fudge have his way simply by remaining silent, but now their blackmailer was gone.
Madeleine Jenkins, the witch who had been Fudge's voice in the Wizengamot, unexpectedly resigned from the court. Madam Bones was firmly back in control, and people were clamoring for Dumbledore's reinstatement as Chief Warlock. On this matter Dumbledore had not yet weighed in, but then again, he had not been formally asked. The court was already discussing several decrees passed under Fudge's administration including decree number one thousand, one hundred and twenty-two and its companion. Harry couldn't wait for them to be repealed; they had done enough damage already. Ron never mentioned his latent talent, but it was obviously on his mind. He followed every story about the Singers' proclamations with meticulous intensity.
Professor Thornby's public exoneration seemed all but assured, but Harry soon had something even better to be excited about. One week before their first exam he, Ron, and Hermione were eating breakfast over the Daily Prophet, which they had taken to dividing amongst themselves to save time. Hermione suddenly coughed down her bite of scone and exclaimed, "Harry!"
"What?" said Harry, looking up from an article on the search for Voldemort's location.
"Look!" she said, grabbing her section of the paper and thrusting it under his nose. She pointed to a small article that was nestled in the bottom corner of the page below the bigger, more important stories. The little headline read "SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT?"
Harry's eyes widened and he feverishly began to read.
An unnamed source at the Ministry of Magic reports that the interrogations of Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy have shed new light on the events that led to the arrest of Sirius Black. Black was tried for and convicted of the murders of Peter Pettigrew and a dozen Muggles on a public street in London. He served twelve years in Azkaban before escaping three years ago. He has not been seen since.
Last year, Harry Potter claimed to have seen Pettigrew alive and in the company of You-Know-Who. These allegations alone raise serious questions about the events of twelve August almost fifteen years ago. Black has long denied ever being in league with You-Know-Who. The careful interrogation of the two Death Eaters in custody may give further insight into the affair.
Harry finished the article and sat in stunned silence. All capacity for speech seemed to have left him.
"Wow, Harry," breathed Ron.
"It makes sense," said Hermione with a note of wonder in her voice. "Malfoy certainly knew that Pettigrew was a Death Eater – they were both there in the graveyard that night. He and Bellatrix have to know that it was Pettigrew all along, not Sirius! If they use Veritaserum and ask the right questions – oh, Harry, they'll have to declare him innocent!"
"Yeah," Harry whispered, finding his voice at last. "Can… can I keep this, Hermione?"
She beamed at him. "Of course."
After that, Harry had to force his nose to the grindstone. The very thought of Sirius being cleared of all charges made his heart dance for joy. It was difficult to keep secrets all the time, and Sirius was one of the biggest secrets of them all. He knew he probably shouldn't get his hopes up, but it was too late – they were up and staying up. At the same time, it was painful to realize that the key to Sirius' freedom might have been in Azkaban with him all along – the other Death Eaters. What had they known that the Ministry had never bothered to ask?
With just days to go before the big exams, everyone but Ginny and Katie stopped doing any research at all. Hermione, who had been almost angelically calm the whole time, finally began to show her nerves. She studied by taking endless notes, and now she was cranking out page after page in the library at night. Harry and Ron knew she had no cause for worry and told her so; she was the most dedicated student in their year, if not in the whole school. Hermione would not be pacified, though, and she continued tearing through her books at a frantic pace.
Harry was feeling surprisingly calm. Perhaps it was because his classes were going better than they ever had before, or maybe it was the fact that he had faced so many things that were worse than exams. Even the feared O.W.L.s couldn't be worse than fighting Voldemort for your very life. Whatever it was, Harry just felt ready. Everything he needed to do well in he thought he could handle. Some tests would be better than others, but he had high hopes for some decent marks. Potions weighed the most heavily on his mind, but the older students had told the fifth years that Snape wouldn't be the exam proctor. Harry thought that this alone would bump his grade up several points.
The last days flew by in a flurry of ink, parchment and headaches. On Saturday night, one day before the exams, every single fifth and seventh year was holed up in the library save Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry and Ron were comfortably settled in the Gryffindor common room playing Wizard Chess. Hermione was curled up in a chair nearby reading The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5. Harry and Ron felt they deserved and needed a night off, but they hadn't been able to fully convince Hermione to do the same. The fact that she was with them and not in the library was a victory by itself.
"King's rook to D-4," said Ron, and his piece promptly smashed one of Harry's pawns.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I don't suppose you could ask your pieces to break each other as quietly as possible?"
"If I did that, they'd stop taking directions from me," said Ron. "They'd think I'd gone soft."
"Well, it was worth a try, anyway," she said, turning the page.
"Harry, what's going to happen to you once the term ends?" asked Ron. "You're not going back to Privet Drive, are you?"
"I found another note from Professor McGonagall on my pillow," Harry replied. "I'm supposed to go see Dumbledore in the morning."
"He couldn't possibly send you back there," said Hermione. "They've tried to kill you. Twice!"
"Not deliberately," said Harry, "but yeah, I think they're out of the question now. To think that all these years, all they had to do to get me out of the house was to try and kill me!"
"Ugh," said Hermione. "Gallows humor really doesn't suit you."
"They'll put you at Alverbrooke," said Ron. "Besides here and Privet Drive, there's nowhere else that you've lived."
"That's what I'm counting on," said Harry.
**********
The next morning Harry went down to breakfast with Ron and Hermione. He had just a few minutes to grab a bite to eat before his meeting with Dumbledore. The rest of the fifth year Gryffindors were already bent over their textbooks, so no one said anything much until a group of elderly witches and wizards appeared out in the entrance hall. Harry thought that one of them, an old, gray-haired witch, looked familiar. Everyone craned their necks to get a better look through the doorway.
"Is that them?" Lavender said nervously.
"The examiners? Yeah," said Neville. He pointed to the witch Harry vaguely recognized. "That's Griselda Marchbanks. She's a friend of my Gran's."
"Oh, great," said Ron, looking more than a little green. "Anyone who's good friends with your grandmother is going to make me nervous."
Neville grinned at him. "Come to think of it, they are very much alike."
"What else do you know about her?" said Hermione.
"Well, she's a little hard of hearing, I think," said Neville, "and Gran once said that Professor Marchbanks was an examiner when Dumbledore was a student."
"Oh, don't say any more," exclaimed Lavender.
"You're only making this worse," said Dean.
Neville rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. You don't know them and they don't know you. How bad can it be?"
Everyone slowly turned to stare at him. No matter how much he had changed in the past year, Neville being brave when everyone else was nervous was still something to marvel at.
"Is that prefect badge giving off vapors or something?" said Seamus, peering at the gleaming piece of metal pinned to Neville's robes.
Harry looked down at his watch and jumped to his feet. "Oh, bother – I've got to go."
"Where's the fire?" said Parvati.
"Got to see Dumbledore," said Harry. "New living arrangements."
"You're not going back to your aunt and uncle?" said Seamus.
"Don't think so," said Harry as he hurriedly stuffed the last of his muffin into his mouth.
"Hey, congratulations!" said Dean.
"Fanksh," said Harry, spraying a few crumbs as he rushed off.
Harry ran through the halls until he approached Dumbledore's office. He skidded to a halt in front of the stone gargoyle and found Professor McGonagall waiting for him. She raised an eyebrow at his undignified entrance, but her half-smile clearly said, "Kids."
"Right on time, Potter," she said aloud. "Pepper Imp!"
"Good morning, Harry," said Dumbledore as they stepped into his office.
"Good morning," Lupin echoed. He was sitting in a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. He looked as if he hadn't slept since the battle. His eyes were shadowed, but the smile that touched his lips when he saw Harry was real enough.
"Hello, Remus," said Harry, venturing a smile of his own. "How… how are you doing?"
"A little better, I think," said Lupin. "I've been doing a lot of reading."
Me too, thought Harry, but he didn't say anything. Neither he nor any of his friends knew what the adults would make of their quest, and they had decided not to tell until they were found out.
"I know you have studying to do, so I'll get right to the point," said Dumbledore. "After the Dragonthistle Potion and those Christmas chocolates, I no longer feel that the Dursleys offer you adequate protection. In fact, they have become a liability. Still, I will not make a decision without consulting you first. Do you want to return to Number Four?"
Harry wrinkled his nose. "Merlin, no!"
Dumbledore smiled. "I thought you would say that. I will arrange for the appropriate papers to be drawn up. I have contacts in the Muggle government – squibs, actually."
"Papers?" said Harry.
"Your aunt and uncle are your legal guardians until you come of age," said Dumbledore. "They will need to relinquish custody of you. Remus has agreed to be your legal guardian, if that is all right with you."
"That'd be great," said Harry, grinning at Lupin. His old teacher looked relieved, as if he hadn't believed that Harry would agree. "What did Sirius think?" Harry asked.
"Well, he wanted it to be him, but since he's still a convicted felon on the lam…" said Lupin.
"Right," said Harry. "But maybe not for long!"
Lupin smiled. "Believe me, we're all pretty excited about that. Sirius is trying to stay calm, but he's not having much success."
"With luck, Sirius will be exonerated," said Dumbledore. "Who will serve as your legal guardian at that time will be up to you, Harry. Until then I expect that this will go smoothly, but I must ask you – can you think of any reason why the Dursleys would refuse to give up custody?"
Harry shook his head. "No. They've never wanted me around."
Dumbledore's face darkened. "I am sorry for that, but I would wish you to know that I had a reason for leaving you with them all these years."
"You started to tell me last summer," said Harry.
"Yes," said Dumbledore. "Actually, it is only your aunt that you needed to live with, as she was your mother's sister. Your mother died to save you, sealing you with a protection so strong that it nearly destroyed Voldemort. Her blood flows in her sister's veins, as different as they seem to be. Living under your aunt's roof was all that was necessary to keep some portion of that charm alive."
"Is this a spell?" said Harry, feeling confused.
"Yes and no," said Dumbledore. "As I once said, this is magic of the oldest kind, though no incantation was spoken. Your mother's sister, like it or not, became involved simply by being her kin."
"But after I found the Sorcerer's Stone, you said that it was my mum's love that saved me. Aunt Petunia doesn't love me," said Harry. Professor McGonagall gave him a sympathetic look.
"You might be surprised," said Dumbledore. "From what Arabella Figg told me, she was worried sick about you while you were poisoned."
"Yeah, only because if I died she'd be a murderer," scoffed Harry.
Dumbledore raised his hands in surrender. "Surely that was part of it, but my point is that you don't know what lies deep within her heart. That she is self-centered and blind to all that really matters in this life, I do not dispute, but for that – I pity her."
Harry didn't have anything to say to that. He had never really thought about it before.
"The headmaster will write to your aunt and uncle explaining the situation, but you will want to do the same," said Professor McGonagall. "It will be better if you make a clean break than to leave matters unfinished. You can't simply disappear without a word."
"If I never saw them again, I wouldn't care," said Harry.
"You don't have to see them," said Professor McGonagall, "but you at least need to write."
"Okay," said Harry. He drew a deep breath and exhaled. "This is exciting," he said, feeling a big grin creep across his face.
Lupin smiled back at him. "We're looking forward to having you," he said. "It will be as it should have been from the very beginning."
A short time later, Harry found himself in the library, telling his friends about his good fortune. Afterwards they settled in for one last, long day of studying, but even this couldn't dampen Harry's good mood. His whole body felt like a balloon soaring higher and higher into the sky.
He was never going back to Privet Drive again.
**********
"Oh, no," Hermione moaned. "I can't remember all four relatives of the Confundus Charm."
"Memory Charms," said Harry, not looking up from his own notes.
"Imperius," said Ron.
"The Misdirection Charm," said Harry. "And…" He and Ron looked up at each other and frowned.
"Are you sure there are four?" said Ron. "Maybe Confundus is the fourth."
"No, there are four besides Confundus," said Hermione, beginning to look frantic. "Maybe if I just run back up to my room, I can look it up. Let's see, I've got half an hour… ten minutes to get up there, ten to find and memorize the information, ten to get back down…"
"Would you take it easy?" Ron grumped. "You're making me nervous." They were eating breakfast in the Great Hall. Their first exam would be taking place shortly.
Hermione shook her head. "This could be the one thing that makes the difference between an Outstanding and an Exceeds Expectations mark –"
"There's nothing you need to worry about," said Harry. "You're going to get O.W.L.s in everything, just wait and see."
"Yeah," said Ron. "It's in the bag."
Somehow they managed to convince Hermione to stay and eat. "You won't be able to think if your stomach is growling the whole time," said Harry. She admitted that he was right, but she couldn't seem to stop worrying.
"If the Confundus Charm is on the test I'm going to kill you both," she threatened as they stepped out of the Great Hall with the rest of the students. The doors were shut, and the fifth years waited while the interior was transformed for the test. When the doors were thrown open again, the long House tables were gone. Rows of desks stood in their place.
The students were seated alphabetically. Harry found himself sitting near the Patil twins and Pansy Parkinson. Ron was far in the back near Blaise Zabini, while Hermione was right behind Gregory Goyle, who was staring down at his desk with a blank expression. While he was looking around Harry managed to catch Draco Malfoy's eye. Malfoy sneered at Harry and quickly looked away. Ever since his father's arrest he had been withdrawn from the rest of the students. It was as if he wanted nothing more than to just vanish into the background for a while.
When they were all seated, one of the wizards who had arrived the day before walked to a large desk at the front of the group. "Good morning," he said. "I am Professor Tofty of the Wizarding Examinations Authority. I will be administering first examination, Charms, which is in two parts. You will have one hour to complete the written section, after which comes a practical section. When your papers appear on your desks, you may pick up your pencils and begin." Professor Tofty waved his wand and several sheets of thick, yellow parchment materialized in front of Harry. Harry took his pencil as Professor Tofty turned over a large hourglass on his desk.
1. List four ways to become invisible, including incantations, if applicable.
Harry smiled. He knew four, thanks to Ron in part. Besides invisibility cloaks, there were also the Disillusionment Charm, the Imperceptus Charm, and Avertia, which Ron had called "Muggle Repellant".
Harry methodically worked his way through the papers. It really wasn't that bad; he found that he seldom needed to skip a question. He knew most of the material from Charms class, the Dueling Club, and his exhaustive study sessions. Even after he had gone back over the questions he'd skipped the first time through, there were still five minutes to spare when he put his pencil down. He could see that Hermione was still working, but it looked like she was merely changing a word here and there.
"Time," said Professor Tofty, and several students groaned. He waved his wand and their papers vanished. The other examiners entered the Great Hall, and Professor Tofty asked everyone to leave save Hannah Abbot, Terry Boot, Susan Bones and Mandy Brocklehurst.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione congregated outside the closed doors of the Great Hall. "I don't want to talk about it," said Ron when Hermione opened her mouth.
"It went that badly?" said Harry.
"It went fine," said Ron. "I'm just not the type who likes to rehash a test right after it's over, especially not with you, Hermione. You'll undermine my confidence." Hermione smiled and flushed.
It wasn't long before another group of students was called into the Great Hall. The ones who had already been examined did not reappear.
Hermione was the first of the three of them to go. When her name was called, she gave Harry and Ron a nervous grin and slipped into the Great Hall. Harry leaned against the stone wall and tapped his wand against his palm, trying not to think about his test. He still thought it had gone well, but dwelling on it only made him wonder.
"Parkinson, Patil, Patil, and Potter," said Professor Tofty, opening the door. Ron gave Harry a thumbs-up and a weak grin before the door swung shut again.
Harry found himself being examined by Professor Marchbanks while the others paired off with the other three examiners. The old witch had Harry conjure a fire out of nothing, make a padded cushion do loop-the-loops in midair, and turn a songbird into stone, among other things.
"Very good," she said in a reedy but loud voice, smiling and making notes on her clipboard as Harry successfully made a frog sing and dance. Everything she said was loud; Harry could only suppose that it had something to do with her hearing.
"I have heard," Professor Marchbanks said casually, "that you successfully cast Donum Vitae and saved Professor Snape's life."
Harry was suddenly wary. "Yes," he said.
"Where did you learn this spell?"
Harry opened his mouth and shut it again. How was he supposed to explain it? He glanced about the room looking for a reason to stall, but found none. Unable to think of anything better, he decided to tell the truth – or part of it, anyway.
"I didn't really learn it," he said. "It was cast on me once."
Professor Marchbanks smiled at him. "By Celeste Thornby. Yes, I know," she said when Harry gaped at her. She had dropped her voice so that it was audible to no one but Harry. "I am a friend of Albus' and a member of the Wizengamot and the Order. And I'm not as deaf as I make myself out to be." She winked at him.
So that's where I've seen her – at the Wizengamot, thought Harry. "Why are you –" he began, and she held up a hand.
"Just so you know who your friends are," she said quietly. Then she raised her voice again so it carried throughout the Great Hall. "Excellent charm work, Mr. Potter. Good luck with the rest of your exams."
"Th-thanks," Harry stammered, and left the Great Hall through a side door.
**********
"Oi, Ron!" called Fred from across the room. "Over here!"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stumbled across the room to the plush red sofas where Alicia, Angelina, and the twins were relaxing. Ginny was sitting on the floor nearby, copying something out of a thick book into a blank one. The fifth years were fresh from their last O.W.L., and all of them were exhausted after three days of tests.
"We'll be having a little party tonight," said George with a wink. "Graduation's in a week, but we've definitely got to celebrate. Only one day left at Hogwarts."
"So how did it go?" said Angelina.
Harry rubbed at his eyes. "I'm so tired," he said. "But I think it was worth it – all the studying, I mean."
Hermione smiled smugly. "Your year of hitting the books has paid off, then?"
"See, here's the thing," said Ron. "You've been doing it ever since you first got here. How is it you're not dead?"
"If you want to be an Auror, you're going to have to keep it up," she said lightly.
"I know," Ron groused. "I think I might actually miss Divination next year. All my skiving-off classes will be gone."
"I won't miss it," said Harry, thinking back on his exam. It had been an unmitigated disaster, but he couldn't care less. Divination wasn't a subject one needed to get into Auror training. "All those sightings of the Grim and predictions of my death? And let's not forget that my very presence made the Inner Eye open a bit wider." He rolled his eyes.
Ron laughed. "Yeah. Good thing Trelawney hasn't made any more prophecies this year, or I don't think she'd let you go period."
Harry shuddered. "I'd rather not think about it."
"I heard Lavender's Divination exam actually went rather well," said Alicia.
Harry looked across the room to where Lavender was sitting with Parvati and Neville. Even though that particular exam had taken place the day before, she was still talking about it. Her excited gesticulations made that clear enough.
"Well, good for her," said George. "Just as long as she doesn't start dressing like Trelawney –"
"- or talking like Trelawney –" said Fred.
"- or having delusions of grandeur like Trelawney, then she'll be all right," finished George.
"I'm going to go pack," said Ron, standing up. "I want tomorrow to be completely free."
"An excellent idea," said Fred. "We've been packed for days. Seeing as we're now nastily exhausted, it's a good thing." He flashed them a toothy grin, looking anything but tired.
"Say," Ron said suddenly, "you never said how your tests went."
"Well, we always said we'd die of shame if we ever earned a single N.E.W.T.," said George.
"But as it turns out, Charms and Transfiguration have been more useful than we anticipated," said Fred. "Expect us to die of shame when our marks come in."
"You really think you did that well?" Ron said doubtfully.
The twins scowled at him. "Do you think for one moment that we'd study that hard for nothing?" said George.
"It'll make Mum happy," said Fred.
"It'll make Mum cry," Ginny said quietly, not looking up from her book. "She'll be really proud."
"Well, I guess it'll be worth it, then," said George with a grin.
"Come on, Harry," said Ron. "Let's get this over with."
"Yes," said Fred. "You don't want to miss the hot butterbeer!"
"We would get firewhiskey, but you're too young," teased George.
"So what?" Ron retorted. "It's horrible stuff."
"Someday you might not think so!" Fred shouted after Harry and Ron as they disappeared up the staircase.
They arrived in their room to find it empty. Seamus, Dean, and Neville were all still in the common room, chatting about the exams. Ron had been rather reluctant to talk about how his own tests had gone, and Harry was dying of curiosity. "Well?" he said as he pulled sets of school robes from a wardrobe. "What do you think?"
"What do I think about what?" said Ron.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Are you going to make it to Auror training?"
"I don't know," Ron sighed. "Charms went pretty well. I know I missed a point here and there on the written part but the practical stuff was fine. Transfiguration was pretty good, even though my fork still had a tongue on the first try."
"Mine had scales on the first try," said Harry. "The second went better."
"If snakes could turn into salad forks whenever they pleased, you Parselmouths could just ask them to do it," said Ron.
"Potions is what I'm worried about," said Harry.
"Me too," said Ron. He reached up and took his Chudley Cannons poster down from the wall. "Everyone knows Snape won't let anyone but the best into his class. It doesn't seem to matter how hard I work at Potions – it's never perfect."
"Your practical went really well, though," said Harry. "I saw your Strengthening Solution. It was just the right color."
"But I missed a whole question on the written part," said Ron. "I couldn't remember the ingredients for the Draught of the Living Death."
"Well, I've heard that a really good practical can make up for forgotten facts on the written part," said Harry. "I mean, come on. If you were going to make the Draught of the Living Death in real life, would you make it from memory?"
Ron snickered. "If I did that, it would turn out to be the Draught of the Actual Death."
"Exactly," said Harry. "Even Snape wouldn't… well, he might."
"He might," Ron agreed. "But only because Potions are his life, the weirdo. Anyway, we have six weeks until the results. I'm going to try and not think about it until then."
"Me too," said Harry. "If I didn't make it into Auror training… I don't know what else I'd do. I'm too set upon it." He folded up the last of his shirts and stuffed them into his trunk along with his spellbooks, notes, ink and parchment. He closed the lid and propped his Firebolt up against the trunk. "Well, I'm ready," he said. "All we need to do tomorrow is get Hedwig and Orpheus, and we're done."
"This is taking too long," Ron grumbled. "Accio shirts!" The wardrobe door flew open and a small blizzard of clothing flew into the trunk. "Well, it's not very neat, but it's done," he said defensively.
Harry sat down on his trunk to wait for his friend to finish. "Ron," he said cautiously, "have you given any more thought to learning?"
Ron's back was turned toward Harry, who saw his friend's shoulders slump. Obviously Ron knew exactly what Harry meant. "Yes," he said. "I think I will want to learn someday, but not quite yet. Maybe when those decrees get repealed. I want to do my part, you know, but I never thought that this would be it. I can carry a tune, but to sing like the professors do? I don't know if it's possible. What if I turned out to be the worst Singer ever?"
"Bellaton would teach you," said Harry. "Besides, you'll never know if you don't try. Maybe you'll be really good. You could be famous."
"I don't know if I want to be famous," said Ron. "I used to want to be, but after hanging around you for five years, I'm not so sure. Rita Skeeter was brutal to you last year. And let's not forget that not everyone likes Singers. I could be an outcast."
"I think that's changing," said Harry. "You saw how disgusted people were with Professor Thornby's arrest. Hardly anyone seemed to care that she was a Singer. Yeah, she shocked them all, but they got over it."
"Well, once those decrees get repealed, we'll see," said Ron.
"Ickle Ronniekins! Butterbeer!" came a shout from the hallway. Harry could hear the noise level in the common room rising.
"I'm actually going to miss them next year, the insufferable gits," said Ron.
"Yeah," said Harry. "Someone else will have to become official school prankster."
"Brendan Hill is a pretty good candidate," said Ron as they left their dorm room. "You know that rooster that popped out of the pudding last month and sang Happy Birthday to Olivia Stile? That was him."
"Even Fred and George thought that was a nice piece of work," said Harry. "Maybe they should give him their official seal of approval."
They had reached the bottom of the stairs. The common room had been decked out in red and gold banners and students were laughing and talking everywhere. "Have a drink," said Fred, pushing a bottle of butterbeer into their hands. "Hufflepuff may have won the House Cup this year, but we're still Quidditch champions."
Hermione came running up, holding her own bottle of butterbeer. "Come on," she said. "We're composing a fight song for Gryffindor, but it's dreadful. We need some help."
"Looks like you've got a chance to practice those dulcet tones," Harry said under his breath.
"Sod off," said Ron, but he grinned back.
**********
A whistle screamed and Harry, Ron, and Hermione all lurched forward as the Hogwarts Express rolled to a stop at platform 9 ¾. All three of them stood up and hurried out of the compartment. The corridor outside was already packed with students, all of whom were eager to get off the train and see their families again. For the first time ever, Harry was excited to go, too. The Dursleys were out of his life for good.
Finally they reached the doorway and spilled out onto the platform. "Ron!" Mrs. Weasley called immediately. She and Mr. Weasley were easy to find with their bright red hair. Ginny was already with them, and Percy was there as well. "Oh, welcome back, welcome back," said Mrs. Weasley, enfolding Ron in a quick hug.
"Hullo, son," said Mr. Weasley, grinning from ear to ear.
"Oh, and hello, Harry, Hermione dear," she continued, hugging them both in turn. Percy merely smiled and shook their hands.
"Hullo again!" crowed Fred as he came walking up with George.
"Oh, Fred, George," said Mrs. Weasley, all a-twitter. "How were your tests, boys?"
"Ron's went well, or so we hear," said George.
"George," Mrs. Weasley began dangerously.
"Don't worry, Mum. We think you'll be pleasantly surprised," said Fred. "You've made mamma's boys out of us, and we'll never live it down."
Mrs. Weasley gasped and her face lit up. "Oh, how wonderful! Did you really try? Ginny, dear, did they –"
"They did, Mum –"
"Maybe we should get out of the way," laughed Mr. Weasley.
"Oh! Oh, yes, let's do, Remus is waiting outside!" Mrs. Weasley seemed about to burst with excitement.
"He is?" said Harry.
"Yes," said Mr. Weasley. "He wanted to avoid the crowd."
Harry hastily made his way to the barrier. He ran through as quickly as he could and got out of the way to make room for everyone else. Lupin was standing a short distance away. "Harry!" he said when they appeared.
"Hi, Remus," said Harry, happily giving him a quick embrace. "Come on, I'm ready to go."
Lupin laughed. "I doubt you've ever been this eager to leave before."
"Nope," said Harry, practically bouncing on his toes.
"Oh, you'll come to the Burrow for tea first, won't you?" said Mrs. Weasley breathlessly. "The Grangers will be there – they've been added to the Floo network, you know – and Sirius said he'd come. I've got biscuits and petit fours…"
"What's he doing here?" Ron interrupted. He was staring down the platform with a look of disbelief on his face.
Harry turned to look. Uncle Vernon was standing not ten feet away, watching the group. One hand was in his pocket and an impatient expression was on his face. "I… don't know," Harry said truthfully, feeling his excitement replaced by apprehension.
Lupin scowled and strode over to Vernon. "Is there a problem, Mr. Dursley? The papers are to be signed tonight."
Vernon looked at Lupin with obvious disdain. "I'd like to speak to Harry before you drag him off into the sunset."
Everyone turned to look at Harry whose eyebrows shot up. "What about?" he said cautiously.
"I have… some things to say," said Vernon. He sounded almost penitent. "After all, this is probably the last time we'll ever see each other, and I can't say I blame you."
Harry stared at his uncle in disbelief. This was highly unusual behavior. Maybe Dumbledore was right about the Dursleys, thought Harry. Then he remembered the Dragonthistle Potion and the poisoned chocolates. Then again, maybe not, he thought. He trusted his uncle no farther than he could throw him – and he couldn't throw that portly bulk one inch. Still, he didn't see what harm it would do to hear Vernon out, so long as they were within sight of the others. "All right," he said.
Lupin started to follow them, but Vernon stopped. "I'd rather it were just the two of us," he said.
Lupin gave Harry's uncle a dark glare and retreated. "Don't go far," he said ominously.
"Right," said Vernon. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and mopped at his forehead. When they had moved out of earshot of the rest of the group, he turned to face Harry. He hadn't yet removed his left hand from his pocket, and his nonchalant pose was at odds with his suddenly angry expression. "So. You've decided to go live with the rest of your freaky friends."
Harry narrowed his eyes. "This is what you wanted to talk about?"
"We did our best to make you normal, you know. It was all for your own good."
"I suppose that when you poisoned me the first time and then tried again, it was all for the best?" Harry said sarcastically.
"Don't you take that tone with me, boy."
"I'll take any tone I want," Harry retorted. "You're not in charge of me anymore."
"Sixteen years of supporting you are almost over," said Vernon. "It really was most inconsiderate of your parents to die and spring you on us. You can't imagine how expensive it is to raise a child."
Hot anger welled up inside Harry. "Shut up," he snarled. "You've been kicking me around ever since they died. I don't need any more from you."
"But I need something from you," Vernon said smoothly.
Harry blinked. "What –?"
Before Harry had a chance to react, Vernon snatched at his pocket and seized his wand. He finally pulled his left hand from his coat pocket. Harry barely had time to notice that his uncle was wearing a black glove before he snapped Harry's wand in two, quick as a wink.
Harry's heart stopped. "No!" he shouted.
The Weasleys instantly stopped talking and turned to look at them in surprise. Lupin, who had never taken his eyes off the pair, had begun to charge Vernon.
Vernon let the broken pieces of Harry's wand fall and stretched out his gloved hand.
Harry stumbled backwards. He didn't know what was going on, but he didn't want to stick around and find out. It was time to get away.
He was too late. Vernon's hand closed on Harry's bare wrist. The last thing Harry heard was Lupin's roar of wrath and frustration as Kings Cross winked out around them.
~FIN~
A/N: Harry's 6th year is currently entitled Harry Potter and the Dark Uprising. Chapter 1 is up. I would post the link here but for some reason it won't show up on the page when I upload. You can get there by going back to the top of the page and clicking on "Gabriel4", just opposite the chapter selector. It's a link to my author page. Select the new story from there.