Chapter 29: Return to Hogwarts
Harry and Sean made one last trip to the room they had occupied for Harry's training. They both looked around it for a while when they realized that they had no reason to come there. Harry had only brought his wand, and he had left that with Hermione. Sean's only real possessions were his weapons, and he wouldn't need those where he was going. Sean had sent Regal back to Hogwarts with a note saying that he would attend the feast, so the falcon wasn't at the monastery. He breathed a sigh as he looked around the room one last time.
Harry was imagining what it would be like for him to leave Hogwarts after he graduated. He was sure that it would be the same way Sean was feeling right now, and Harry felt some of the same feelings.
"Hey," Harry said to Sean, "are you ready to go?"
Sean took a good look around at all his surroundings. He remembered everything about his life in the Order of St. George and how it had given him faith and purpose. He looked around his room one more time, most likely the last time and breathed a deep sigh before answering, "Aye, I'm ready."
They closed the door behind them and left the room. Sean and Harry walked away from the monastery with many Knights pausing to look at them in silent respect.
After they got to the point where they could apparate, Sean grabbed Harry's arm and they were off. They appeared at the same spot as the night before and decided to walk to Hogwarts. Sean's foot had healed greatly since purification; but he still walked with a limp on his left side. As they made their way to the school, Sean spoke to Harry.
"Where's the school?" he asked Harry, "all I see over there is an old ruin."
Harry's first instinct was to wonder what Sean was talking about, but then he remembered the protective spell on Hogwarts that caused Muggles to see it as an old ruin. He remembered that it must have been down the night of the Battle, because Scrimgeour made it so in order to get Voldemort and his forces inside.
"There's normally a spell on the school," Harry began to Sean, "to shield it from Muggle eyes, but it was down the night of the battle. I am sure that McGonagall or someone else will be there to lift it for you."
Sean nodded, he didn't quite understand it all, but he was sure that everything would go just fine. After a couple of minutes, he again spoke to Harry.
"Your old mentor would be proud of the Sagart and I coming here, he was striving to further relations between the wizarding world and the Order of St. George."
Harry interjected at this point, "He'd be glad that the two of us have lived and trained together and destroyed Riddle and Scrimgeour."
Harry and Sean made small talk for the rest of the way to the school. They were both dressed in their battle gear due to the fact that Harry had his robes at Grimmauld Place and that the Priest had brought Sean's clothes to Hogwarts for him to change when he got there. A little ways before they got to the school, Kinglsey Shacklebolt stood to greet them.
"Hello Harry" he said in his slow, deep voice, "it is very wonderful to see you again." Kingsley's attention then strayed to the man next to Harry. "And you must be Sean," Kingsley said as he extended his hand. "Kingsley Shacklebolt."
Sean took the large man's hand and answered "Sean O'Sullivan."
After a moment Kingsley spoke again, "McGonagall asked me to stay here and lift the spell off of you so you can enter and make your way through Hogwarts."
Sean nodded, and Kingsley removed his wand and pointed it at Sean.
"Reveal!" Kingsley said in his strong voice and pointed his wand at Sean.
Instantly before his eyes, Sean saw the ruin transform into the glorious Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was taken aback by this and staggered slightly, but Harry was there to make sure he didn't fall.
Kingsley smiled, "My job here is done, I will see both of you at the ceremony." He then bowed in respect to Harry and Sean and entered the school.
Harry and Sean then approached the main gate and did the same. There wasn't anyone else there to greet them, but they were okay with that, they both wanted to just change into their clothes and relax before the ceremony. They eventually saw McGonagall and the Priest chatting in the outdoor area of the school and decided to go have a word…especially since Sean needed the Priest to tell him where to find his clothes.
They could hear the conversation as they approached the Headmistress and the Priest. McGonagall was trying to get answers for several questions she had about Scrimgeour.
"But how was he able to survive in the sunlight?" she asked the Priest with a confused tone.
"Well," he began, "the man you knew as Rufus Scrimgeour was originally a Hungarian priest who delved too deeply into what we call the Dark Arts. His lust for power and immortality eventually led to him becoming the original vampire. When they grow old, they become very powerful, almost invincible. They begin to lose some of their weaknesses, in this case his vulnerability to sunlight--or he may have gained invulnerability from knowing magic."
As they spoke, they looked to see Sean limping over with Harry walking beside him.
"There you are" the Priest said with a smile on his face, "I'm glad you could make it."
Harry and Sean exchanged salutations with the two people before them. Sean constantly had a smile on his face at seeing the culmination of what had been his Sagart's fondest wish, the union between the Order of St. George and Dumbledore's world. McGonagall looked Harry up and down, she smiled as she saw the boy she had first seen as a baby, and then from the day he arrived at Hogwarts, now a strong, handsome, and mature young man.
"Mr. Potter" she began, "you will find your things up in the same dormitory you have occupied every year here at Hogwarts. Your dress robes have been prepared and are on your bed, and, may I ask that you arrive an hour early…you will be joining us at the head table."
Harry was taken aback at the announcement that he would be seated at the head table. Inside he wondered why he would be sitting there, but he had learned not to ask too many questions, that it was better to simply adapt to whatever situation he was placed in.
McGonagall then turned to Sean to address him, "I trust, Mr. O'Sullivan, that you got my note?"
Sean nodded in response to this and McGonagall continued.
"The Priest has taken the liberty of bringing your formal attire here to the school. He has requested that he take you to it, he wants to have a few words with you along the way."
Sean nodded and gave a polite bow to the Headmistress before leaving with the Priest. Harry took his leave and made his way to his dormitory to prepare for the ceremony.
As Harry made his way to his dormitory, he noticed several students who had either remained at Hogwarts, or come back a little early, around where he was walking. The ones who noticed him coming, looked up and paused. Harry had become accustomed to people staring at him when they noticed his scar, mostly they would look at him with a sense of awe at seeing the famous boy-who-lived. But this time it was different, this time they looked at him with a sense of reverence.
When Harry would notice them looking at him, he would give them a nod. He realized that word had traveled fast around the school that it had been him at the Opening Feast and that he had destroyed, once and for all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He knew things would never be the same, "but," he thought to himself, "in a very good way."
He was right; things were already different and going very well for him. In the span of a few days, he had destroyed the bane of his existence, he had a very beautiful girlfriend, and now he was going to be sitting at the head table at the Opening Ceremony. Harry made his way to the Great Hall, and ascended the stairs to the portrait entrance.
"Oh, Mr. Potter," the Fat Lady greeted Harry enthusiastically. "We are all so grateful for what you did, but we wonder…how were you able to do it?"
Harry paused for a moment before figuring that starting the flow of information here and now would prevent him from being questioned later. "Let's just say that I had special training" Harry remarked with the confident monotone that he had developed by training with Sean.
Harry came into his dormitory and was surprised to see Ron Weasley waiting for him there. Ron was dressed in his robes, ready for the ceremony.
"Ron" Harry acknowledged emotionlessly as he approached his friend.
Ron hadn't forgotten what he had seen several days earlier, he had first confronted Hermione about the scene on the couch, and she had confirmed that it was Harry she was with. But he wanted to hear Harry's side of the story.
"Hello mate" Ron said with an equal lack of emotion, but more due to curiosity than anything else.
Ron remembered seeing Harry there on the couch, and he had looked completely different, he only wondered how different he was now on the inside. He had noticed that he looked different in a way that could be good or bad. He didn't look like a boy wizard anymore, he looked like a hardened soldier.
The two of them looked each other over for a little while, each of them with memories running through their heads. They remembered their first meeting on the Hogwarts Express so many years ago, their many adventures together, playing Quidditch, and facing the good times and the bad together. Ron wondered if Harry even remembered the old days and if he was still even friendly. He wondered whether Harry had basically ravaged Hermione that night he had returned.
Harry and Ron looked at each other a little longer, each looking for some kind of sign from the other. Harry then cracked a smile as he realized it was all over and that he was free to be with his friends without worrying about losing them. Harry then cracked a smile, which Ron soon did also, and then the two of them came together in a masculine embrace.
"It's so great to see you" Ron said to Harry with excitement, "you look so different" he added looking Harry up and down.
"Yeah" Harry answered, "I've been through a lot of changes over these past few months, and all for the better."
Ron couldn't help but be taken aback by the new look and voice of his best friend. Harry now spoke with a strong and deep voice; no trace of how he had spoken every other time Ron had seen him. He had a strong demeanor about himself that suggested absolute confidence, and his build was like that of a professional Quidditch player. Ron was a little nervous about speaking to him, wondering if he was still even the same person.
"Chocolate frog?" Ron asked slightly nervously handing one to Harry who took it slowly out of Ron's hand.
"Thanks mate" Harry said as he unwrapped and ate it. Harry paused as the tasty treat entered his mouth and went down his throat, letting out a deep "mmm" as he did so, and added "it seems like years since I've had one of those."
The ice had now been broken, and the two best friends began to talk about what had happened since they had last seen each other (awake in Harry's case, he hadn't noticed Ron when Ron had seen him and Hermione asleep together).
Ron and Harry talked for a little while, something they hadn't had the opportunity to do for some time. Harry asked Ron about how things had been working with Fred and George, and Ron said it had been fun but he was always wondering what Harry was doing. Harry knew that he didn't have enough time to tell Ron everything that had happened to him over the summer, so he paraphrased by saying that he had trained with Sean, then fought and destroyed Voldemort, and then gone with Sean for purification.
At this point, Ron could no longer contain his curiosity and desire to know about what was troubling his mind.
"Harry," Ron asked in a more serious tone than he had been using, "I need to know what is going on with you and Hermione."
"Why do you need to know?" Harry asked with an inquisitive tone.
"You two are my best friends," Ron answered, "and I saw you sleeping on the couch a few nights ago…I just want to know what is going on."
Harry had no problem telling Ron about all that had happened, Ron was after all his best friend. Harry began from the start, telling Ron about that first night in front of the Burrow fireplace. He told Ron about the other moments he and Hermione had had together before he left for training.
"Then when I came up after I fought Voldemort," Harry said to Ron, "she was there standing guard. We started saying hello and then just ended up together on the couch."
Ron stared wide-eyed at his friend as he finished his story. It was going to take some time for him to accept that his two best friends were almost lovers.
"So," Ron began nervously, "did you two…"
"No" Harry answered knowing what Ron was getting at. "I took off my shirt because there was so much blood on it, and Hermione kept her nightgown on the whole time. We just slept next to each other." Ron felt relieved knowing his friends weren't yet lovers; the last thing he wanted was another complication.
"Well," Harry said to Ron after a pause, "I have to get ready to go to the ceremony, McGonagall wants me to be there early."
"Alright mate" Ron answered.
"Could you tell Hermione about me needing to go early and be at the head table?" Harry asked, and Ron nodded.
"Thanks mate" Harry answered. Harry then began to go to get ready.
"Hey" Ron called out.
"Yeah" Harry answered turning around to look at Ron.
"This should be a great year eh?" Harry smiled at Ron and merely nodded in response as he went to change into his robes for the ceremony.
Meanwhile, Sean and the Sagart were walking around the castle to where the Sagart had left Sean's formal wear for the ceremony. They walked slowly and spoke to each other in Irish Gaelic.
"Does it hurt" the Sagart asked Sean referring to his injured foot.
"Only a little" Sean answered, "I can walk on it fine, I just limp a bit."
The Sagart began to speak to Sean in a serious tone, "I trust that you have read my letter about the rulers of the Order?" Sean nodded in response to this question and knew what was going to come next.
"As you know," the Priest began, "you will be relieved after the vampires are extinct, but it is asked that you help in the training of Knights and new recruits."
Sean realized that the Sagart had not said what he thought he would say. "I was under the impression that I was already relieved," Sean said with confusion in his voice.
"About that," the Priest said, "there is one more mission that you are being asked to go on before you are relieved."
"Tell me" Sean answered in his usual strong voice.
"As you know," the Priest began, "when the head vampire is killed, those who were changed by ones changed by him die and those who were changed by the head vampire himself become crippled. But, there is a ceremony, performed at a certain place and under a certain moon that can change one into a head vampire…Raiganzi himself was the first one to do this."
"Yes I know," Sean said, "but the only thing we know about that location is that it is somewhere in Hungary. We don't know where it will be."
After Sean finished, the Priest paused and had a gleam in his eye as he looked at Sean. Sean noticed the look and could figure out what it meant, "you've found the dark shrine of the head vampire?" he asked.
"Aye" the Priest responded, "some of our Hungarian Knights were looking for vampires the night you killed Raiganzi, and they found a group of them congregating at a certain spot. They would have killed them, but they heard them talking about a large meeting that will take place in two weeks under the right moon when they choose a new head vampire."
Sean's face brightened up greatly as he realized what this meant. "This could be a chance for us to eliminate the vampire threat for good. We only need to destroy the vampires when they assemble there and then destroy the shrine."
The Priest smiled and politely applauded his former student. "The supreme leaders and I would like for you to take command of a group of Knights for this assignment."
Sean paused for a moment to think this over, and then he realized that by taking command and succeeding, he could end his active service to the Order with honor and without regrets.
"I'll do it," he answered simply.
"Well then God be with you" the Sagart said to Sean, "and I hope that you can destroy the remaining vampires and then start to live the life that you should have had the chance to live all along."
The rest of the journey was in silence as the Knight and the priest came to a room where Sean found the same clothes he had worn to Bill's wedding waiting for him. He stripped down out of his battle clothes and put on his socks, shoes, shirt, kilt, and coat with his crucifix still around his neck. He came out a few moments later and he and the Sagart made their way to the Great Hall. When they arrived, they found Headmistress McGonagall waiting for them.
The first Sean noticed was that whoever cleaned up the Great Hall after the skirmish he and Harry had with the Vampires, Death Eaters, and Inferi had done a very good job. While he was taking in his surroundings, he hadn't really been able to the last time he was there because he had been focusing on the battle at hand, McGonagall spoke to him and the Sagart.
"Welcome gentlemen" she bid them as they walked towards the head table. "Priest" McGonagall said to the Sagart, "I would be honored for you to sit on my right as our honored guest."
The Sagart nodded, and McGonagall turned to Sean.
"And you Mr. O'Sullivan, will sit there between Harry Potter and Mr. Bill Weasley."
After a few minutes, all of the faculty and others who would be sitting at the Head Table had arrived and taken their seats. Sean was not questioning Harry like Harry thought he would be doing…until his eyes wandered up to the ceiling.
The ceiling of the Great Hall had taken the form of a beautiful sunset stretching out across the heavens and conveying nothing but good, peace, beauty, and happiness.
"What is that?" Sean asked in quiet awe as he gestured to the ceiling. Bill was talking to Kingsley Shacklebolt, so Harry answered Sean's question, remembering how he had felt the first time he had seen it.
"The ceiling of the Great Hall will change to different images. It has something to do with the overall mood in the room. But with Voldemort gone and everyone safe, it's no surprise that it is beautiful and hopeful today."
Sean smiled as Harry said the last part of his answer; he turned to Harry and placed a strong hand on his shoulder.
"And that is thanks to you" Sean said to Harry.
"Without your training I probably would have ended up leading myself and others into some kind of horrible oblivion" Harry said to Sean.
The two of them said nothing for a while and silently agreed with each other. After a bit, the students filed in and McGonagall decided to begin the ceremony.