Last Time on Black and White:

"Do not worry about your fa- your relatives, Harry. They will have little to no say on what you do this summer." the aged man responded with a secretive smile and glint in his eye.

"What do you mean, sir?"

"Ah, I do believe that is a secret that you will discover tomorrow. Now then, we should convene to the Great Hall for the final dinner."

Dumbledore stood from his seat and made his way to his office door, motioning for Harry to follow him. The two left the office and made their way towards the first floor, when Dumbledore excused himself so that he could enter through the teachers' entrance and allowed Harry to share the exciting news about the upcoming summer.


Book 4 – Chapter 44: Going Home

Boarding the Hogwarts Express was always a chaotic mess, leaving Hogwarts or leaving London was filled with students rushing for compartments, looking for friends, or just talking loudly in the hallways it was a stressful endeavour.

"Fucking move, please." Andrew grumbled as a boy rushing past him shoulder checked him as his friends chased him down the hallway.

Harry was behind him smiling at his grumpiness, the pair hadn't gotten much sleep as they had been up discussing what Dumbledore might have meant by his cryptic message to Harry. As such they had woken up after only a handful of hours and had to get ready to leave.

Thankfully, Hermione had promised to find them a compartment so they were simply walking past, looking for her signature bushy mane. Ron had told them that he would catch up with them when he had spotted Lavender and joined her and Pavarti. It was weird that he had seemed to get himself a girlfriend, but the brothers were not against it in the slightest, he seemed happier, more eager to learn and explore various things, ultimately he seemed better than before.

Finally, Harry caught sight of Hermione's hair and opened the door to see the girl reading a book of some kind, it didn't seem like a Hogwarts book though. He didn't think on it too much and walked in, placing his bag in the over hang before sitting opposite the girl.

"Earth to Hermione." Andrew said while waving his hand in front of her face.

"Hmm? Oh! Hey guys. When did you get here?"

"Just now." Harry responded. "You're really into that book."

"Yeah, have you heard of it? It's called "Ostrich Boys".

The boys shook their head no.

"Oh it's this gripping story about a group of four best friends, but one of them ends up dying in a car crash, the other three decide to get revenge on the person or people responsible, but before they do, they have to give their friend a funeral he deserves, so they decide to steal his ashes!"

There was a moment of silence as Harry and Andrew digested this information.

"Everything you just said sounded mental." The braided boy said with a frown.

Hermione shot the boy a stern look before placing a bookmark between the pages she had been reading and turning back to the boys.

"So, what do you plan to do about... You-Know-Who?"

"It's Voldemort, Hermione. Calling him by those stupid alias' makes him seem like a monster. He's just a man." Harry commented.

"I don't know man. He... he was barely human." Andrew commented as his mind wandered back to the night in the graveyard.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, Andrew had barely spoken of that night, so she hadn't gotten any details about what had happened.

"He was... humanoid, sure, but... his face... it was snake-like. I don't know just how... human he is. I could barely keep my arm up while duelling him. He may not be a monster, but it'd be stupid of us to underestimate him."

"That may be true, but we have something he doesn't; each other." Harry said as he shot Hermione a smile and slapped a hand on Andrew's shoulder.

At that moment the door to the compartment opened up and in walked Ron with a goofy smile on his face until he noticed the three occupants. He frowned for a moment before rubbing the back of his head shyly and chuckled slightly.

"Did I miss something?" he asked.

The other three chuckled at their red headed friend and invited him in, explaining what they had just been discussing.

"I mean, Andrew's right. You guys don't really understand the damage he caused the last time he rose to power, families were destroyed, muggles and those who stood against him went missing daily, the Light had basically given up, only Dumbledore and the Order were basically left to fight."

"The Order?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"Right, the Order of the Phoenix. It was a group of rebels who stood with Dumbledore, against the V- Vol- He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, they fought against the Death Eaters and kept them at bay... for a while."

"What happened?" Hermione asked again. Andrew and Harry were silent waiting for Ron to speak again.

"My family had joined the Order, you see? Including my Uncles Fabian and Gideon were killed, according to Bill, mum was torn up about it for a good long while. He says she basically hovered over him and Charlie from that point on; making sure they were safe, and wouldn't let them out of her sights. Then, of course, there was the Bones family. Susan from our year, her parents were part of the Order as well, and well... supposedly Amelia Bones never really forgave Dumbledore."

"What? But, it couldn't have been his fault." Harry spoke up.

"No, I don't think Dumbledore sent them out to die or anything, but you know, grief makes people react, and sometimes that reaction is blaming someone, so... can you really blame her?"

Harry leaned back in his seat and digested Ron's words for a moment. "No, I guess you're right."

"Then after about a year or so, The Dark Lord decided to attack the Potters, and well..." Ron's words died off and all the others knew what he meant immediately. "And those are just the people we know about, so imagine how many people we didn't hear about. Don't underestimate him, he's seriously bad news and if- and now that he's back, we have to do everything we can to make sure that history doesn't repeat itself."

"And we won't." Harry said sternly.

Andrew wanted to tell his brother that he shouldn't make promises he can't keep, but decided against it when the door opened again and a boy walked into the room. He frowned and blinked in surprise as this random boy just stood in the doorway watching the group.

"Um, hello? Can we help you?"

He turned to Andrew and ruffled his hair for a moment.

"Right, err sorry, I was just, err..." His eyes flashed over to Hermione for a moment.

"Oh, guys this is Marcus, a friend of Su, he was the one who lent me the book."

The three boys turned to look at Marcus, evaluating him before Hermione spoke up again.

"What can I do for you, Marcus?" she asked with a smile.

"Oh, well, I just came by to ask how you're liking the book?"

Andrew frowned again. "So you just randomly came by to ask about a book she couldn't have possibly fini- that she potentially couldn't have finished from when you had lent it to her?"

"Err, well..."

"Andrew, he just wants a quick review of it so far, not to ask about how I felt about the entirety of the book." Hermione responded, as if that were common knowledge. "I'm really enjoying it! It's so interesting!"

"Great! Great, I'm really glad you liked it! I can't wait to hear more from you. Maybe, I was thinking, possibly, that I could owl you and we could talk about the book more."

Hermione's cheeks burned for a moment, "Oh, err, yes. I- I think that would be great."

"Brilliant! Okay, um, so I guess I'll write to you then." he said as he backed out of the compartment all the while smiling brilliantly.

"I look forward to it!" Hermione responded just as awkwardly as the boy.

When she sat back down it was obvious that she was lost in her own thoughts.

"What the hell did we just watch?" Andrew asked with a raised brow.

"What?" Hermione asked when she snapped back. "Nothing! Just, you know, normal things people do when they lend each other books and such."

"Oh God, we're going to have to suffer through an entire year of this awkward shit?"

"Shut up!"

The three boys laughed at a tomato faced Hermione as the train let out a shrill ring and lurched forward as the Express began its long trek back to London.

HP-AP-HP-AP-HP-AP

Harry jolted in his seat, sitting up and looked around the compartment. He had fallen asleep sometime during the trip and looked over to see Andrew had fallen asleep as well. He felt a sudden need for the toilet and excused himself from his friends in search of the bathroom.

After he had finished, Harry made his way out of the bathroom when he ran into someone.

"Watch it! Oh, Potter, it's you."

Harry stared into the grey eyes of Malfoy who was flanked by his usual thugs as well as a few other boys. He pushed past the group and was about to leave the bathroom when Malfoy spoke up again.

"I heard your brother was almost killed during the final task, I'm sorry to see he survived."

Harry paused, bit his tongue and continued to leave.

"I wonder though, now that He's back, how long before that luck of his finally runs out?"

Harry turned to the blond haired boy and gave him a glare.

"What? Do you have something you want to say?"

Harry walked up to the boy, completely ignoring his minions who puffed themselves up in order to intimidate the black haired boy. Harry ignored them and stopped just in front of Draco, his face set in a hard look.

The stood glaring at one another for a moment before Harry smiled, it was a cold smile, one that did not reach his eyes. He reached forward and grabbed Malfoy by the collar for a second before breathing out and began straightening the blondes jacket.

"You know what? Have a good summer, Malfoy." He continued to smile as he turned and left the bathroom, leaving the three Slytherins stunned at his response. They had been waiting for him to explode or escalate the banter, not do whatever it is he had just done.

Harry walked back to the compartment, his hands shaking in anger and frustration. Malfoy would get his, and Andrew would be safe. Harry would make sure of that.

HP-AP-HP-AP-HP-AP

The train began to decrease its speed as it approached the station in London. Peaking from the window; Harry, Andrew, Ron and Hermione could see the throngs of parents waiting for their children to depart so that they may take them home.

Once the express came to a stop, they decided to wait for the initial rush of students to leave so they wouldn't be bum rushed by over eager first years and impatient elder years. They sat talking about their plans for the summer. Hermione promised to send Ron the books on Quidditch which caught the two other boys by surprise. They hadn't begun thinking about their plans for after Hogwarts and had a moment of self reflection.

Eventually Hermione stated that they should move as it seemed like the flow of students had slowed and that they would be able to slip in with little trouble. They made their way off the express, their luggage beside them and as they arrived on the platform they were immediately found.

"Oh, there you are. Arthur, I've found them!"

Mrs Weasley hugged each one of the students tightly. "Dreadful news, that Tournament. Oh, so very sad about that boy, Krum. Well, at least you lot are okay."

"Hi mum. Yeah, we're okay." Ron commented as his mother released them from her arms.

"Hello, you lot." Mr Weasley greeted as he approached the group.

They spoke for a little bit, though it was clear that the adults were doing their best to avoid mentioning the Tournament any more than they had to, even if it was Mrs Weasley's opening line to them.

As the conversation came to a natural lull, Mr Weasley was suddenly bumped and stumbled slightly. Turning his once kind smile, turned to a cold stare.

"My apologies, Arthur, I must have not seen you there."

"Not a problem, Lucius. Gathered my bearings before anything could happen."

"Yes, thankfully."

As the two proceeded to speak of nothing important, and trade poorly disguised insults at one another, Draco was glaring daggers at the Ron and the others while Harry was watching Malfoy Jr with something akin to apathy. This seemed to cause the boy a bit of frustration, which caused Harry to smirk mockingly.

While Harry was silently antagonising the young blond, Andrew found his attention drawn to the other Malfoy adult. Mrs Malfoy stood looking as regal as she always did when Andrew saw her; her hair was perfectly kept and pulled to a slick bun on the back of her head, showcasing her blonde and black split rather meticulously. Her body stood straight and alert, yet she gave off an air of nonchalantness, as she scanned the Weasley's, Harry, a slight twitch of her perfectly done-up face betrayed her emotions as she scanned over Hermione, causing Andrew to narrow his eyes in anger. Then her eyes met his.

Grey orbs stared into his own hazel ones and it seemed as though she would not look away, she continued to stare, which in turn prompted Andrew to stare. The two continued to watch one another, for what felt like an eternity. Neither one moving even an inch, then almost as suddenly as he had realised what had been happening, Andrew felt it, a slight force, pushing it's way all the way into the back of his eyes. It was not uncomfortable, but not pleasant either, as he had flashes of this year run through his mind; his name coming out of the Goblet, the animosity of the school, his near death experience, the Dragon, his kiss with Su, and finally he managed to grab the force and ejected it from his mind.

In a moment of anger Andrew decided to push right back, he saw a flicker of surprise on her face before he saw a field, a wide open field with rolling hills and a lovely lake. The light from the sun glittering perfectly on the surface of the water. He then saw two individuals, one looked a lot like Mrs Malfoy, albeit, younger, she was sat on a small hill watching the lake glitter, serenely, a gentle smile on her face as a breeze called attention to her hair, which had seemed to have only begun to blonde on one side of her head.

He then saw... himself. He walked over to the young Mrs Malfoy and joined her on the hill.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked gently.

"Whenever you bring me here, you ask the same question, and I always give you the same answer."

"We can always just... run."

"And become disowned like my sister? No, thank you."

"You would let them dictate your future so? Do you not wish to be happy? I can make you happy."

She paused for a moment, letting the breeze wash over her once more.

"Maybe, but I will not compromise my family, for fleeting ideas like happiness, what is important is our duty to our families."

"Always the same response." he muttered, plucking some blades of grass and tossing them to the side with a huff.

"I told you. Besides, this is the last time, I'll be seeing you." she told him softly, almost as if she whispered it.

"What? Why?"

"I have to fulfil my duty. I'm sorry, I just- I wanted to see you one last time bef-"

Andrew was suddenly back on the platform, Mrs Malfoy looked towards the Weasleys before grabbing her husband's arm and whispering in his ear. Lucius Malfoy listened to his wife's words before nodding and turning to give the Weasley's a goodbye. His eyes landed on Andrew, who was still reeling from the interaction he had witnessed but he could have sworn he saw a look of hate pass the elder man's face before he walked away with his family.

Andrew continued to watch Mrs Malfoy leave, a feeling of deep confusion in his gut. He had never hung out with the Malfoy Matriarch alone! Never mind on a hill of some kind! He frowned, that was at the forefront of her mind, she had been thinking that when she was looking at him, why?!

And why did he have a feeling of sadness and loneliness fill him when he thought of that memory?

"Andrew, you okay?"

He turned to see his brother watching him with a frown.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

He decided to shelf those questions for a different time and turned back to the others.

"Well, we should get a move on. Hermione, your parents are waiting on the other side of the platform, are they not?" Mrs Weasley said as she placed a hand on her husband's shoulder lovingly.

"Yes, Mrs Weasley. My dad's probably causing a scene as we speak." she muttered with a small smile.

"Would you like us to walk you out, honey?"

"It's okay, Mrs Weasley, Andrew and I will walk her out. We've got to get to our uncle anyway." Harry offered with a shrug of his shoulders while Andrew nodded in agreement.

"Such sweet boys. Alright, but be safe you lot, and we'll see you again soon." she told them before giving them one more hug, while Mr Weasley shot them all a warm smile and began leading his family away.

"Bye guys! See you soon, yeah?!" One of the twins yelled as the other waved, earning them a smack on the head by their mother.

Ron promised to write to them before following the rest of his family and disappearing into the crowd. As the three remaining friends made they're way to the barrier, Andrew felt a small tug on his shirt, turning he came face to face with Su who was being followed by her mother.

"Hey." she greeted with a nod.

"Hey." he responded, a slight look of confusion pulling at his face.

The pair stood silently for a moment, Harry, Hermione and Mrs Li stood waiting for whatever this was to end.

"So, you've got any plans for this summer?" she asked looking up at him.

"Well, I'm not really sure?" Andrew responded turning to look at his brother who just shrugged.

"Right, of course, well, I was just... you know, I was wondering..."

"Good Lord. Would you three like to come celebrate Su's birthday with her?"

"Mother!"

"Honey, I've got clients. This is adorable, but can we please move this along?"

"Oh, err, I mean, do we know if we're still with...?"

Harry immediately understood the question.

"I'm honestly not sure, but we can check, so, maybe?"

"We'd love to go, but we'd have to get back to you on if that's actually something we can do."

"Oh, okay."

Mrs Li sighed. "How about you exchange letters this summer and you can let her know when you do?"

"Sure! Actually that's perfect. I'll send Arc with a letter to you when we know for sure." Andrew responded, not noticing Su's scandalized look at her mother.

"I'll probably be spending summer this year in France so, I don't think I'll be able to make it." Hermione answered with a slight frown.

"Hang on, didn't your family go to France last year? Or the year before?"

Hermione blinked, before smiling and nodding her head. "We've got some family out there and they guilt trip my parents to visit more often." She responded with a shrug.

"Huh."

"Well, Su, honey, are you happy now, he said- I mean they said maybe, can we move along now, please?"

Su shot her mother a scowl before nodding to her fellow forth years and headed towards the disapparation station.

Harry and Hermione shot each other a smirk while Andrew frowned at their antics. He questioned their looks and got a nonchalant dismissal with a small chuckle from Harry and giggle from Hermione. As the three exited the platform using the disillusioned wall they were met by a throng of pedestrians going back and forth on the platform.

"Huh, that's odd." Hermione commented.

"What's wrong?" Andrew asked.

"Usually my dad rushes me and hugs me by now."

"How's he doing by the way?" Harry asked. "We haven't really asked since third year. Sorry about that."

"Oh, he's much better, he doesn't really remember what happened." she answered with a shrug.

"My baby!"

The three friends turned to see a dark haired man rush towards them and grab Hermione before pressing his lips against her cheek with a loud smack.

"Dad!" Hermione shrieked, a blush rushing up her neck.

"Michael, if you don't stop embarrassing our daughter in front of her friends, you will be sorry!"

Michael Granger placed his daughter down but refused to stop squeezing her.

"But Jane... she's my baby!" he argued back with a pout.

"Dad! Stop it!" Hermione yelled squirming in his arms, she shot a glare at Andrew and Harry who both looked like they were having trouble holding in their amusement.

"But Hermione...!"

"I think it's sweet, sir." Andrew chimed in before Hermione could comment. "A father who loves his daughter this much and isn't afraid to show it should be a staple."

Michael seemed to regard Andrew for a moment before nodding his head.

"You, my dear boy, are wise beyond your years."

"So I've been told, sir."

Hermione shot the braided boy a look which promised pain as she struggled against her father's grip. When he finally let her go, her mother gave her a softer and much shorter hug, to the girl's relief.

"How long have you guys been waiting here?"

"About 30 minutes." Her mother responded.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't think we'd kept you waiting so long."

"That's okay, sweetie. We actually had some lovely company."

Just as Jane finished her sentence a commotion could be heard not too far away from the platform where they had gathered.

"Like hell you are!"

Harry and Andrew immediately recognised Vernon's booming voice over the collective rumblings of the station crowd. They shared a look of confusion and made their way over to him. As they pushed past the gathered crowd they saw Vernon, Petunia and Dudley but they also saw Remus, Tonks and Sirius.

The two boys shared another look of confusion.

"Dursley, I'm not here to make a scene. Just go home."

"We've looked after those two since you were in prison and could fulfil your duties as their Godfather. You think now that you're out you can come here and just take them back?!"

The crowd broke out into little murmurs as Sirius' criminal past was exposed.

"Firstly I was exonerated and those charges were completely dropped. You however, have several cases of money laundering and tax evasion cases pending, do you not?" The long haired man shot back, calmly.

Over the school year, Sirius had heard about the rumours circulating, regarding his Godsons, and did not appreciate how every rumour seemed to have begun because of the Dursley's. So, with the help of Tonks, he launched a private investigation on the family and found a few interesting things regarding their financials.

"How do you- I have no idea what you're talking about!" Dursley argued.

"Yeah, I'm sure. In any case, I feel it would be safer if they stayed with us from now on. You have already signed the Guardianship over to me. So if you would excuse us."

Vernon opened his mouth to say something else, when Petunia grabbed his arm and pulled him in close so she could whisper into his ear. After a few moments a red faced Vernon stared angrily at the trio and grunted before turning and leaving the platform with his family.

"Well, that could have gone smoother." Remus said with a small sigh.

"God, he's a pain." Tonks commented.

"Too true, now let's go pick up Harry and Andr-"

He turned to see the boys staring at him in wide eyed shock. He stared back for a moment before a smile made its way onto his features and as his posture moulded into one of calmness and relaxation.

"Hey, you two. Shall we go home?"