The Leaky Cauldron Spills Over
The moment Harry walked into the Leaky Cauldron, he wished he could turn around unnoticed. He wondered what Draco Malfoy was doing in the Leaky Cauldron, but attempted to ask if he could stay a night without Draco seeing him. He didn't succeed, unfortunately. Malfoy turned around, laughing at the sight of Harry's totally uncombed hair (he'd forgotten to comb it, but who cared, it would be a mess ten minutes later anyway) and the rushed look on his face.
"I suppose you've left those Muggles then, have you?" said Malfoy, his nose wrinkling at the word "Muggle," which was strange because he had been the one who uttered it. "Turning seventeen, you'll be of age and doing all sorts of stupid stuff, right?"
Harry thought Malfoy's insults were particularly lame this afternoon. "Not half the stupid things you'll be doing," he said calmly. He knew he wasn't always rational, but he also knew Malfoy was never rational.
Soon after the short encounter with Malfoy, he settled into his room at the Leaky Cauldron. Malfoy had been gone for quite a while, and Harry lay on the little bed that was provided for him, reading a book about Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was his best and favorite subject. Too bad he'd never had a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who lasted more than a year. Quirrell, he didn't miss at all; Lockhart was not a good DADA teacher; Lupin was the best teacher they'd ever had for DADA, but he wouldn't return; Moody turned out to be a Death Eater, though the real Moody (however odd he was) was quite good; there was no other word to describe Umbridge other than horrible; lastly, Snape was someone Harry had never liked.
Harry headed downstairs to leave the Leaky Cauldron and head out for a little shopping in Diagon Alley. He came down to find that many of the people he knew were downstairs. He counted: Hermione, Ron, Fred and George, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, Professor McGonagall (Harry had to look twice to make sure he had really seen McGonagall; he had), and many others. There were eight people there, standing in front of him. His mouth was hanging open and he was trying to find a place where they could all sit; the Leaky Cauldron was already full to the brim, so to speak.
Finally, one of them spoke. It was Hermione, who looked gorgeous and seemed to be clinging to Ron; Mrs. Weasley kept glancing at them and smiling in what she must have thought was a non-obvious manner. "I was at Flourish and Blotts trying to find some books on…on Voldemort, and the history of Dark magic…" she looked around herself, and Harry noticed that even Ron didn't flinch at the sound of Voldemort's name. Harry had to suppress a proud smile. Hermione continued. "I was…with Ron already, and knew his family was off looking at things they needed in Diagon Alley, so Ron and I were walking around looking in the windows and Ron was admiring broomsticks and things, so we walked past the Leaky Cauldron and saw you coming down the stairs."
Harry grinned, but didn't understand how McGonagall had gotten there. "So…er…was Professor McGonagall passing or something?"
McGonagall smiled a small smile and so did Hermione, who spoke up once again. "Actually, yes. I didn't realize it until I saw you here and told Ron. She overheard and asked if you really were here, so I said yes. She joined us and the family…" Hermione gestured toward the rest of the Weasleys. "…And we came to visit with you, Harry," Hermione concluded.
Harry saw that McGonagall was motioning for him to come speak with her. "Just a moment, I'll be right back," he said, and went to go see what she wanted.
"Harry," she began in her normal stern, but somehow kind voice. "Hogwarts will be open this year." Harry realized immediately he wanted to return and smiled. "You realize Professor Snape will not be back this year, and we will have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
"Yes, Professor," Harry said with a tinge of bitterness in his voice, for he could not forget that it had been Snape who killed Dumbledore. "Yes."
"And there will be no need for a new Transfiguration teacher," continued McGonagall. "For that I am rather glad…Headmaster is a difficult job, you know." When she said that, she sounded remarkably like Hermione.
"Why?" Harry asked before McGonagall could continue speaking.
"Well, I thought you should be the first to know that Dumbledore was not really killed, though every bit of evidence we had pointed to it last year, didn't it?"
Harry drew in a quick breath and nearly immediately hiccupped. "Yes…but he's not dead? How? I saw Snape…I saw him do it!"
McGonagall nodded. "You saw him say it, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"He didn't deliver the Killing Curse, Harry. He didn't kill Dumbledore."
"We saw the burial, all of it!"
"Professor Snape pretended to kill Dumbledore, Harry. He used his mind to cast a short spell on Dumbledore to make it appear he had died. The burial was not real."
"So why did Snape pretend to do it?"
"As you know already, Harry, Snape is very good at Occlumency and Legilimency. He convinced Voldemort that he killed Dumbledore, and made it look as though he did, as well. It was necessary for everyone to believe he was dead."
"…And Malfoy?" Harry was, of course, asking how Malfoy (not to mention the other Slytherins) would be dealt with.
"Mr. Malfoy has been taken care of and will not be attending Hogwarts anymore; besides, he doesn't wish to any longer after the events of last year. There is no need to go any further; everything is under wraps and Dumbledore can resume his position as Headmaster. The only job that will need to be replaced will be the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, which has proven hard to fill; thus far no one has taken it."
Harry felt like all his dreams had come true when he found that Malfoy would no longer be at Hogwarts, and Dumbledore being alive still. He also had to slightly laugh at the idea that no one wished to fill the DADA position. The feeling was amazing, and he couldn't wait to share with his friends Ron and Hermione. Though he wanted more details, he knew that as the year went on, he would get them.