Chapter 5: Back to Hogwarts
For the next few days, Harry spent most of his time thinking about Riddle's House and when he would get another chance to explore it, but other things were keeping him busy too. He didn't know why, but ever since he had gotten here he had tried to avoid Ginny, he supposed it had something to do with the way they had broken up last year, or maybe because the day he had arrived at her house she had looked at him with furious eyes. Like him she had avoided him too, breathing hardly every time she saw him. Also, Hermione hadn't contacted them since Harry's night at the Riddles house and it was worrying him and Ron, even though Mr. Weasley said that he had checked on her and her family, and they were all right.
Three days after the night when he had almost been captured by Voldemort, Harry found himself in deep conversation with Moody.
"So you've been practicing with auror training books, eh?" Mad-eye said to Harry with interest.
"Yeah… that and… other things," Harry said awkwardly.
"What other things?" he asked.
"Just… random magic," Harry answered nervously. In fact Harry had also been trying to become an animagus, but he had been unable to work it out, therefore, he had stopped trying.
Moody stared at him with both of his eyes with a suspicious look on his face before he changed his expression and said, "So why did you turn into a rat instead of anything else?"
Harry was thankful that Moody hadn't asked what random magic meant since that magic was illegal. He then answered Mad-eye.
"Well, it's the only thing I've managed to turn into apart from a cockroach," Harry said slightly ashamed.
"Well that's not bad considering that turning into animals is very advanced magic and hardly any student can manage it," he said looking at him in what Harry supposed was an approving expression since his features were so disfigured.
"Thanks," he uttered, turning red.
The last days in the burrow would have been some of the best he'd had there if news about deaths hadn't come daily. Apart from deaths, Voldemort's death eaters had taken to destroy important things, like statues and famous buildings, only the day before Harry would be leaving to Hogwarts, the Big Ben was destroyed. It had come as a shock to both wizards and muggles that such a wonderful thing was destroyed. Muggles were told that there had been an accident involving someone smoking, and gas pipes.
Harry couldn't believe Hogwarts would be running with so many things going on, and even more now that Dumbledore wasn't there, but he supposed that the ministry would put a lot of heavy protection on the castle.
The day came and Harry and Ron found themselves searching the house for things they might have left in another room that wasn't theirs.
"Come on boys you're going to be late!" Mrs. Weasley yelled from downstairs. That statement could hardly be true, Harry thought, since this year, students that could apparate were to do so the first of September, therefore they couldn't be late because apparating just took a few seconds.
"You ready?" Ron asked standing next to his trunk, which was now closed and had Pigwidgeon's cage on it, Pigwidgeon was still downstairs eating their leftovers from breakfast.
"Just a second," said Harry putting the last pair of socks into his trunk and shutting it closed. "Okay let's go."
They slowly went down the stairs with their trunks behind them, and entered the kitchen. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were there waiting for them, Ginny was still sleeping because underage students would be getting to Hogwarts the next day by floo powder.
"Come on outside boys," Mr. Weasley said starting to walk.
"Why are we going outside?" Harry asked waling beside him; they didn't have anything to do outside.
"Well, you can't dissapparate inside the house; there are a lot of charms protecting the hose now."
"Oh."
Once they were outside and they were squeezed to death by Mrs. Weasley, Harry and Ron said good bye and vanished from the spot with their trunks, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Weasley quite alone in their backyard.
Harry opened his eyes ready to contemplate the great castle that he so perfectly knew. But all he could see was an enormous field with damp green grass.
"Where's the castle?" Harry asked Ron exasperatedly.
"I don't know!" Ron gasped with his mouth hanging open.
"Do you think it got destroyed?" Harry asked still staring at the stretch of grass.
"No," said a familiar bossy voice behind them. Harry and Ron turned around and saw Hermione smiling at them. "There should be a lot ruins and rubble lying around if that had happened. I actually think that the fidelius charm was cast upon the castle."
Harry gazed at her trying to understand what she was talking about and then he remembered about the spell that made buildings disappear. It seemed like a lot of trouble to Harry to put a charm that powerful on a place so big.
"It's so good to see you!" Hermione screamed suddenly, and than hugged both of them around the neck.
"It's good to see you too Hermione, but can you please let us breath!" gasped Ron
Hermione let go of them and beamed at them.
Harry noticed now that he was facing the road to Hogsmeade, that a small crowd of students was standing a little way ahead in front of him. It was a big crowd actually, and Harry thought that everyone who could apparate must already be there. He would have thought that few students would return to the castle now that Voldemort was at large, but it seemed that every one was here. And these were only the seventh year students and some sixth years.
"Quite a lot of them came back," said Hermione who had been staring at Harry while he thought all this. "It seems that their parents have finally realized that Hogwarts is much safer than their own homes."
"Yeah," Harry said remembering how some parents had taken their children home last year.
They made their way towards the group of students and found Dean Thomas and Neville chatting with Hannah Abbot and Justin Finch-Fletchey. Lavender Brown was sitting on a tree stump beside Parvati Patil.
"Hi!" Neville, Dean, Hannah and Justin said to them as they approached them.
"How've you been?" They answered back, and started talking about their summers and the things they had heard about other people's families.
"I know, poor Lavender," Hannah said sadly as she stared at Lavender who was now staring at the sky, "It must be so hard to come back here after her father died just a few weeks ago," she finished softly.
"Listen up everyone!" shouted a voice from behind them. Mrs. McGonagall was standing at the front of the crowd wearing long velvet robes and had her hair tied up in the usual bun she wore.
"I am going to give this note to the person at the front and you are going to pass it by after you've read it.
She passed the note to a Ravenclaw student at the front who read with his brow furrowed and then passed it on. He looked up and let out a gasp, staring right in front of him at something that no one else could see.
One by one students read the note and then let out gasps of surprised as they looked at the place where the castle once was. Harry soon realized that Hermione theory must be true, because the look on their faces as they stared right in front of them was very obvious.
The note reached Harry and when he looked up, he saw it for himself for the first time in weeks. The giant castle with its many towers and turrets, with hundreds of windows that reflected the sun's light.
When everyone had read the note Mrs. McGonagall flicked her wand and the small piece of parchment burst in flames and the wind took its ashes.
"Follow me," she said as she turned around and strode towards the gates of the castle. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione and together they walked towards the castle with the rest of the students.
Hope you liked it, and please review!