Dearest Ron and Hermione—

I'm sorry I haven't gotten a chance to write sooner, there is much more to do before the start of term than I'd realized.

Like we suspected, McGonagall has made me Head of Gryffindor House. Just because we thought she might doesn't make it any less of an honor. I'm going to try my best to be half as good as she was.

It's been so quiet in the castle without any students and barely any professors. More have arrived over the last week or so to get ready for the year and honestly, I'm glad.

It was almost too quiet. This castle has always been home, but it was just unnerving the way it was dead silent.

Neville is here. As he told us, he's interning under Sprout before her retirement next year. We've gotten on alright and it's nice to have a friend my own age.

Sometimes I worry people like Slughorn, Flitwick, Sprout, and especially McGonagall still see me as a student!

Wish there was more to say, even though it's been weeks since I've last written it's been uneventful other than just setting up the classroom and office.

How are you both? How is Ginny? Have you been keeping up with the Harpies in the news? Ron, what do you think of the new Chaser?

Hermione, I've purchased a class set of the DADA textbook for everyone, but I wanted to ask what other books you might recommend? I know nothing prepares as good as hands-on work, but it still won't hurt to give the students some light reading.

Anyways, the Hogwarts Express should arrive in Hogsmeade in a few hours. It already sounds so much livelier now than it has since I've arrived—Professor Wicks got in this morning. He is across the hall from me and why does it sound like a bogart is banging around his classroom?

Maybe I'll go investigate.

Yours, Harry.

Harry put down his quill and read over his letter one more time. He was never one to agonize over what to say to Ron and Hermione before, but perhaps now that he was a professor, he should at least make sure his grammar was alright.

When the ink was dry, Harry reached into the desk drawer for an envelope. He sealed the letter, writing only the recipient names on the outside before glancing up at his owl.

Ariel stood on the perch her cage hung from, staring out the window with her eyes blinking slowly. Harry suspected she was delaying her nap because she sensed he'd be calling for her and he did.

"Girl—" Harry cooed softly and the owl's head swiveled towards him. "Take this to Ron and Hermione. Try the Burrow first, but you know to check Hermione's flat in London as well if they're not there."

Harry approached the perch and Ariel grabbed the letter in her beak. He pushed open the window in the office and Ariel swooped out fast, her wing barely missing clipping his ear. Harry chuckled and readjusted his glasses.

He stood there for a moment, breathing in the new September air and feeling the breeze.

It'd been about ten years since Harry last stood in this room—the office adjacent to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom—and he never thought before that it'd one day be his office.

Harry had been an Auror after the battle. He'd been a great one, rounding up a few of Voldemort's stragglers as well as a few Wizards practicing Dark Arts for the hell of it.

But Harry couldn't do that anymore. He was sick and tired of watching his back for a Wizard out for revenge or watching the sky for the Dark Mark.

But Harry couldn't retire either. He hated the solitude of his cottage outside Hogsmeade. It was too quiet, and no amount of gardening made him any less paranoid that one day, the thorns in the rose bushes wouldn't be enough to hold a skilled Wizard back.

Harry had bolted upright in his sleep over a month ago when the catfight outside sounded a little too Dark Wizard-like.

It was then that he knew he needed to move. But go where?

Hermione had a flat in London, though she rarely slept there, preferring to stay by Ron's side at the Burrow, but Harry had briefly considered subletting from her.

Why? Would the bustle of London be calming compared to the eerie silence of the outskirts of Hogsmeade? No, it wouldn't.

In his heart of hearts, Harry knew that Hogwarts was his home.

Everything seemed to fall into place then. He heard from Neville that Professor Walters was leaving the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts and Harry felt a longing like no other.

He'd written to McGonagall to please consider him and her reply came back within the hour—she'd asked Ariel to wait right there on her desk while she wrote it—and before Harry knew it, the post was his.

Harry loaded up everything he cared for from his cottage and made his way to Hogwarts. After a long meeting with McGonagall, he was not just a professor, but head of Gryffindor as well.

She'd also somehow roped him into giving the FIrst Years' their flying lessons, and it all felt like a dream to Harry—to be here, to walk these halls again.

It was wonderful.

It was home.

Harry stepped back from the window and gazed around his office. He'd been setting up since his arrival, but there were still unpacked boxes all over the floor.

Harry approached the largest one and reached for his wand in his robe pocket. He pointed his wand at the box and watched the tape magically peel back and the cardboard flaps spring open, revealing the set textbooks inside.

He then pointed his wand at the far end of the room and the door swung open.

He stood up, preparing to carry the books across to the classroom when he caught his reflection in the mirror, the cloth he'd draped over it apparently having slipped off.

Harry hadn't studied his own reflection in ages, preferring to avoid his own haunted gaze, but as he reached for the cloth on the floor, he found himself staring in slight shock.

The dark circles that had rimmed his eyes as much as his own glasses were almost completely gone. It was true that Harry had been sleeping a full eight hours almost every night since his arrival to the castle, he was shocked to find out the circles had been from lack of rest.

He'd always assumed they were as permanent a scar like the one on his forehead, but apparently, he was still salvageable in some way.

Though the dark circles were almost gone, the stripe of gray in his jet-black hair that had appeared one day two years ago was still there.

Ginny had once told him to buy a hair-dyeing potion if it bothered him, but he found it didn't. There'd been times growing up when he didn't think he'd live long enough to grow gray hairs, so he was not ashamed of them.

"Good." Ginny had replied when he'd said as much. "You don't want to be one of those pathetic Wizards who rely on dye and deny their own aging. I think it makes you look distinguished."

Harry ran his fingers through the slate-gray patch, almost imagining it was her.

Ginny.

Though they didn't see each other romantically anymore, Harry could never deny what an important person she was to him, even still.

She'd been so happy when he apparated down to the Harpies' training field last week and told her of his teaching position, throwing herself into his arms and even kissing his cheek.

"Oh, I love that for you, Harry! I know you'll do great!"

He hoped she was right.

"Harry—" The door to the corridor swung open and Harry reached for his wand again, his pulse skyrocketing as he glanced up at the mirror and caught Neville's eye.

"Dammit—Neville—" Harry forced his breathing to slow back down, his cheeks still flushed as he turned to glare at his friend. "Please, knock next time!"

"I'm sorry!" He said, holding his hands up. "I didn't mean to scare you, honest."

"It's fine." Harry said, though his heart still hammered.

"Just wanted to check on you." Neville said. "The staff meeting is in an hour, you know."

They were all set to have a brief meeting with McGonagall before the students were to arrive. Harry glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and silently cursed.

Apparently, he'd been daydreaming longer than he'd realized. He hadn't even finished setting up the classroom.

"I know, I know." Harry left the cloth on the floor and grabbed instead for his wand, levitating the box of books. "Give me a hand, would you?"

Neville nodded and went ahead of Harry, holding open the door to the classroom as Harry moved the box through the office.

In the classroom, the two got to work, Harry shoving the bookcase full from the box as Neville muttered the cleaning spell to vanish the dust that still caked most of the room.

Harry grabbed his wand and did the same, cleaning the desks and the windows, stepping back when it looked presentable.

"Thanks." He muttered, relaxing when he no longer felt like he was behind on his duties.

"No problem. Sorry if some of the dirt was me, though." Neville said, wiping his hands on his already mud-stained robes. "Sprout has been keeping me busy in the greenhouses. I better wash up before dinner. See you."

Harry nodded, turning once more to gaze out the familiar classroom window and only looking back when Neville knocked once on the door before poking his head back in.

"Oh, I almost completely forgot what I meant to tell you! Guess who else is a new professor this year? Luna!"

Harry couldn't help the sudden bright smile from spreading across his face at the thought of her, yet another friend as a colleague in the castle.

"Really? Arithmancy?" He asked, recalling one of the posts that had been open when he applied.

"Yep. I saw her coming in this morning! I almost didn't even recognize her. Well, I better go change. See you in a bit."

Harry was in good spirits, even when Neville left. He glanced back out the window, feeling the breeze and ready for the year ahead.

He went back into his office to kill time before dinner. He'd considered changing but decided against it. He was wearing a plain black robe over a brown sweater Molly had knitted him and he saw nothing wrong with it now.

As for brushing his hair—Harry had given up on that years ago.

Instead, he opened another box in his office, this one containing dozens of magical vinyl records. Harry had never had the chance to curate his own opinion on Wizard music, therefore, he thought the best thing to do was to buy a whole box of records from a second-hand store in Diagon Alley and start listening.

He grabbed one he'd grown to care for—despite the fact that both Ron and Ginny called it for old people, and popped it under the needle of the magical phonograph.

The sound seemed to radiate at the perfectly comforting volume from every corner of the room, the occasional scratch from the old record didn't diminish how much Harry enjoyed it.

He hummed to himself as he finished cleaning up the last few boxes, even feeling in spirits enough to sing. He didn't do it often, despite the fact that Ron and Hermione had both insisted he had a surprisingly good voice.

He made sure the lock on the desk drawer that held his invisibility cloak and Marauders' Map was still locked. He also made sure his sneakoscope was still laying on his desk, as it had been for weeks without making a sound.

Other fixtures in Harry's office included the empty tank, which had once held a Grindylow, and a wall of shelves that now contained many interesting magical books and artifacts Harry had collected over the years.

Before he knew it, the clock on the wall chimed that it was time to head to the meeting. Harry turned off his music and after a second thought, decided to close the office window.

He was something like a hundred yards up, but he still never left windows open where someone could get in. If Ariel returned, she'd know to find him in the Great Hall.

Harry walked down to the Great Hall, already glad to see more bustle in the castle. Nearly Headless Nick nodded in greeting to him and Harry smiled back, falling into step beside Neville who now wore clean robes.

The Hogwarts Express would be pulling into Hogsmeade in about an hour, but until then, the Great Hall was acting as the place for the staff to meet with McGonagall for a last-minute meeting.

Most of the professors were already inside. The house tables were gone, making the already-expanse room seem massive. For the meeting, a round table had been set up, scrolls of parchment and books already covering most of it.

McGonagall was sitting at the head of the table with a few of the teachers. A few others still hadn't taken their seats, preferring to catch up with one another.

Harry couldn't miss Hagrid, who still towered over everyone, his beard and massive mane of hair now completely gray. He was talking to a witch and Harry did a double take, stopping in his tracks as Neville went onto sit down.

Harry knew now why Neville said he almost didn't recognize Luna.

She seemed so different—yet, the same.

Her golden blonde hair had been pulled up in a pretty bun, a writing quill stuck right through it. Tendrils of hair had come undone from her bun and framed either side of her face.

Bright red radishes hung from her ears and she wore a blue blouse under her midnight blue robes. She was laughing at something Hagrid was saying.

"You may all have a seat." McGonagall said and Harry forced his attention off the pair.

Luna went to her spot at the table, an open book and parchment already out at it. Harry moved to take the seat beside her, but was beaten by Hagrid. He beamed at Harry as Harry sat down beside him.

"Harry! How are ya'?" He asked, his massive hand patting Harry on the back.

"Fine." Harry smiled before trying to lean either way to get a look around Hagrid—it was impossible. He was a wall.

McGonagall spoke again, her voice never raised but stern enough to demand rapt attention. She began the meeting, reminding them of a few things Harry had already been aware of. He let his mind wander before yanking it back—this was important. He wasn't a student anymore, he couldn't tune out when the lecture grew dull.

"Any questions?" She finally asked, her gaze sweeping around the table. "Yes—Professor Lovegood?"

"Just wondering—" Luna's dreamy voice floated up from Hagrid's other side. "—Has anyone seen a purple ink quill? I cannot find it anywhere, and it was a gift from my father—"

Harry felt burned inside when there were the usual chitters of laughter after Luna spoke. He'd expected more from his fellow professors, but as he rounded on them, he saw looks of fondness on the faces of Sprout and Flitwick.

"It's in your hair, Luna!" Neville chuckled, likely having a better view of her around Hagrid from where he sat on Harry's other side.

"Oh!" Luna squeaked, Harry picturing her hand flying to her hair. "So it is! Thank you very much, Neville!"

"Well, if that's all, then we best get this Hall in order before the students arrive." McGonagall stood up and everyone was dismissed.

"Better get down to Hogsmeade." Hagrid said and Harry nodded.

Harry stood up, finally spotting Luna and ready to follow her out when McGonagall addressed him.

"Potter, lend me a wand, if you please."

"Uh—right."

Harry and McGonagall waved their wands over the empty round table and it vanished. Another wave and it was replaced by the four house tables.

"There, good as new." McGonagall said.

Harry didn't wait for her to dismiss him. He just turned and started out to the hallway. He stepped out, nearly colliding with Professor Wicks, who'd stopped to talk to Professor Nettles.

Harry weaved through the lot of them, past Sprout and Flitwick, but Luna was gone.

Harry went back to his office and opened the window to see if Ariel would return before dinner. When she didn't, he closed the window again and went back to the Great Hall.

This time, it was like stepping into his fondest memories.

The twilight sky shone through the windows around the Hall, with the vast ceiling showing the faint stars that were already appearing.

Hundreds of lit candles floated above the five tables that were all now covered in stark white cloths and golden cutlery.

Harry sat down at the professors' table, almost jumping when a dreamy voice sounded from over his shoulder.

"May I sit by you, Harry?"

He turned to see Luna smiling at him and he smiled back.

"Of course, Luna."

"Thank you." She'd taken the quill out from her hair, though now her wand was tucked behind her left ear. "I'll say, I almost didn't recognize you with your hair graying. Is that natural or dyed?"

Luna had always been one for blunt truths, something Harry had grown fond of over the years. He laughed now, running his fingers through the spot in his hair again.

"It's natural." He assured her. "Honestly, I almost didn't recognize myself in the mirror earlier, either."

"Well, I like it." Luna nodded. "It reminds me of a ghost—I mean that in a nice way."

"Thank you." Harry said. "How have you been, Luna? I had no idea you were looking to teach."

"Nor did I, but when I saw the posting, I thought it might be fun!" She said dreamily, her gaze sweeping out over the Hall. "I always did enjoy Arithmancy. I had no idea you were looking to teach either, but I'm quite glad."

"Are you?"

"You were always such a good Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." She said. "I never would have survived the war without your lessons!"

The war.

Harry's smiled slipped as a million images flashed through his mind—blazing spells flashing, Luna under Malfoy Manor, This very Hall the place where he killed Voldemort—

Harry was forced from his racing thoughts as a large brown owl swooped in through a window. Ariel landed elegantly between the goblet and plate in front of him and offered the letter in her beak.

"Oh, she's gorgeous!" Luna smiled, reaching out to stroke Ariel's head. "I've been meaning to get one of my own to write to Dad, but I suppose I could always use a school one like I used to."

"You could borrow Ariel." Harry said, taking the letter from her. "Anytime."

He jumped, swearing softly when Ariel nipped hard at his fingers. She looked from the empty plate to him, her gaze stern.

"I haven't gotten anything for you, sorry." Harry said, shoving the letter into his robe pocket.

"Here, that this—" Luna reached up and pulled off one of her earrings. "These are good for you."

"Luna—" Harry watched in awe as Luna pulled the small hook off the radish and held it out to Ariel. "You don't have to—"

"Oh, I make new ones all the time." She shrugged, smiling as Ariel took the radish in her beak. "They'd just rot otherwise."

Ariel swooped off the table and out the window. Harry looked over, laughing as Luna put the empty hook in her pocket and giggled at him.

The doors to the Great Hall opened and Harry looked up as students poured in. Head Boy and Head Girl—a Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw respectively—followed by prefects from each House, led in the swarm of students from the carriages.

Harry beamed as the castle seemed to come to life under the shouts and laughter of the students. They raced one another to their house tables or lingered for last-minute conversations with friends from another house.

Prefects snapped at students who were tossing books or balls of parchment across the crowds. Head Boy and Girl rounded on the groups and they all dispersed, giggling and running to their tables.

Just as all the students sat down, their conversations never ceasing, the doors to the Great Hall opened once more.

Hagrid led in the First Years now, all in jet black robes and some trembling in fear.

"They look so small!" Luna gasped in awe and Harry nodded in agreement.

The students' chatter went soft as McGonagall rose from the table. They then went dead silent as she stepped down and drew a scroll from her pocket, taking the hat off her head and placing it down on an empty stool.

Immediately, the Sorting Hat sprang to life.

Harry hadn't heard a Sorting Hat song in over ten years and he smiled at the hat's familiar and nostalgic voice. Luna even swayed softly back and forth as the hat explained the virtues of each House.

They all clapped when the song finished, Harry smiling at the look on the First Years' faces.

"When I call your name—" McGonagall started, her voice projecting out. "Sit down and place the hat on your head. Martha Abrams—"

Martha, a terrified-looking girl with curly hair, approached the stool and picked up the hat. She sat down and placed the hat on her head. The Sorting Hat smiled.

"Slytherin!"

Martha's mouth opened in shock as the Hall erupted in applause. Harry reminded himself that as a professor, he couldn't hold animosity towards his old rivals. He clapped as Martha jumped off the stool and ran to her new table.

"Henry Allen—"

"Hufflepuff!"

Harry watched as one by one, the students were sorted. He applauded extra loud and beamed as a boy became the first new Gryffindor.

Luna was just as happy when a girl became the first new Ravenclaw.

Finally, the last few students were sorted and the ceremony came to an end. McGonagall put the now-dormant Sorting Hat under her cloak and addressed the Great Hall.

"Dinner is served."

Harry blinked and suddenly, the tables were covered in food of every kind. His stomach growled and he reached automatically for the nearest roast beef and potatoes. From beside him, Luna reached for a bread roll.

They ate in comfortable silence, Harry watching as Luna tore off tiny pieces of bread and dipped them in pumpkin juice before eating them. It was oddly endearing.

"Are you still seeing Ginny Weasely?" Luna asked, the bluntness of the question making Harry blink and feel suddenly warm.

"Er—no." He shook his head. "Ginny and I haven't been together for a while, actually. She just got too busy with the Harpies and I got too busy with…work."

"Auror work?"

"Yes." Harry said, deciding he didn't want to talk about that. "How's your father? Still running the Quibbler?"

"Yes." Luna beamed. "He's been wanting to do a big story to cover the upcoming election next year for Minister of Magic. It sounds rather boring to me, but if he wants my opinion, my money for the winner is on Hermione Granger."

"Definitely!" Harry laughed. "But try telling her that. She still thinks moving up wouldn't do her any good. She says she makes a real change where she is now and doesn't want to be stuck behind the Minister's desk until she's ready."

"Oh, thank goodness!" Luna breathed in relief. "Everyone knows the Minister gets converted into a vampire on their first night in office. I certainly wouldn't want Hermione to go through that until she's ready."

Harry laughed, realizing now how much he'd missed Luna. It'd been such a long time since they'd seen each other, and even longer since they'd had a good conversation.

Before Harry knew it, dinner was replaced by dessert. He had a treacle tart and noticed that Luna went for bread pudding before loading blackberry preserves on her serving.

Tea was after dessert, but Harry was too stuffed to have anything more than a few sips of peppermint tea.

Luna sifted through the tray of tea bags and took two earl grays before slipping them into her pocket.

"In case I'm thirsty later." She explained. "I often wake up from sleepwalking with such a thirst for tea."

Harry opened his mouth to respond when he noticed heads of houses beginning to make their way down towards the students.

"I better make sure the students get to the dormitory." Harry said. "But it was so nice catching up, Luna."

"It was." She nodded. "See you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow."

Something about knowing this would go on again tomorrow gave Harry an extra bounce in his step, his sleepiness at bay just enough to make his way down to the tables.

He walked alongside the Gryffindor prefects as they led all the students—most dragging their feet and yawning—towards the common room.

"I can take it from here, Professor." Rosemary, a seventh-year prefect girl said as they approached Gryffindor Tower, one way up the spiral staircase towards the common room, and beneath it, the Head Teacher's Chamber where Harry slept.

"Right." Harry's mind was wandering but he noticed she still stared at him expectantly. "What?"

"The password?"

"Oh—right, uh, Gemini, I think it was." He said and she nodded.

Harry watched the students go up the spiral staircase before turning and heading towards his own chambers.

Harry's chambers was a small room directly under the Gryffindor common room. It was a round room with a fireplace on one wall, a writing desk in the corner, a wardrobe, and a large four-poster bed.

Harry took off his robes and draped them over a chair, pausing to take the letter out of the pocket before walking to the bathroom.

He read over the letter, which swapped between Ron's messy scrawl and Hermione's even penmanship. They were both doing well and happy for him.

He read Ron's opinion on the Harpies' latest member before taking a quick bath and changing into pajamas. He was brushing his teeth when a scraping noise from outside the bathroom made his heart jump into his throat.

His hand went to his pocket where his heart dropped down into his stomach—his wand was outside in his robe. Harry began to breathe fast, grabbing instead a crystal rinsing goblet off the sink counter and brandishing it like a weapon before peering out into the bedroom.

His eyes swept over the dark room before the sound started again at the window. Harry let out a sigh when he saw it was only Ariel outside his window.

"Sorry, girl. I should have left the window open." Harry hurried to open it as Ariel swooped in, landing on the desk before dropping something with a thud onto his sheets.

"Hey—" Harry was about to recoil with disgust when he realized the thing was not a pellet, but rather the radish that Luna had given Ariel at dinner.

He put the rinsing goblet on the bedside table and picked up the radish, which was still whole, aside from the slight indents from the points of her beak.

"What? You didn't want it?"

She just kept staring at Harry. He finally sighed, dropped the radish onto the bedside table, and opened the jar of treats he kept there as well.

"I owe you a few, I suppose." Harry popped a few into her beak before she turned and swooped back out the window. He shut it behind her.

Harry made sure to grab his wand then, quickly lighting the fireplace, filling his goblet with water, and taking off his glasses.

He climbed under the sheets, his hand still clutching his wand under the pillow as he settled against the undeniable softness of the bed.

Despite the slight scare of his owl, he was happy. Truthfully, there'd been two main worries in Harry's mind about teaching. One—it would be awkward, his only colleagues being staff who couldn't look past having once taught him as a child, and two—that it would be boring with no one to talk to about anything other than lesson plans.

He'd been ready to resolve himself to a year of only having tea with Hagrid and Neville, but now there was at least one other person he could spend time with.

His fuzzy gaze settled on the radish on his bedside table before he fell asleep.

The start of the school year was bright and slightly cool. Harry dressed in another hand-made sweater with his robes before heading down to breakfast.

From his shoulder bag, Harry pulled out the Gryffindor class schedules he'd finished up over his tea that morning.

Like Harry, this year's first years had been born in times of war. Despite this, there were many more students per year than there'd been when Harry attended Hogwarts, meaning that rather than all of the First Year Gryffindors in the same classroom, they were split into two groups.

First Year Group A would have Defense Against the Dark Arts right after breakfast, while Group B would have herbology.

Harry stepped into the Great Hall and passed out the schedules, hearing the tables erupt into chatter on who was in what class.

"I can't stand her! Please, switch groups with me—"

"I'm with Maxon in potions! Oh, I hope he wants to sit with me—"

Harry handed the last batch to the Seventh Years at the end of the table before glancing up at the teachers' table, but he didn't see Luna. Or Hagrid, for that matter.

So he sat by Neville, letting his mind wander a bit as his friend went on and on about his curriculum.

Just before the bell, Harry stuffed the last of the toast in his mouth and left the table, wanting to have the classroom ready for his very first lesson.

Harry wrote his name on the blackboard and placed a textbook on each desk. He unlocked the door just as the bell chimed.

Students poured in from the hall, some still laughing over their breakfast conversations or playfully pointing their wands at one another. Others looked meek and terrified, that look spreading when they all seemed to lock eyes onto Harry, who leaned casually back against his desk with a smile.

"Good morning." He said brightly.

"Good morning, Professor Potter." They chorused in monotone, some giggling.

"There is a textbook for each of you. Please, put it in your bag. If you already have one, you may leave it on the desk at the end of the class—"

Harry turned his back to write on the board, suddenly aware of the barrage of whispers.

He was a fool to pray this wouldn't happen.

His whole life since he was eleven, Harry had been whispered about and stared at. Despite hoping the students would have tact, or hell, even find his life story boring, he knew in his heart he'd have to address it before it became a distraction.

"Now—let's just get this out of the way." He turned around and faced the class again. "Any questions you all have about me—you may ask now."

Every hand in the room shot up and Harry resisted a groan before nodding at a girl in the front.

"How did you survive the killing curse as a baby?"

"Well, because my mother sacrificed herself for me." Harry said plainly. "If someone loves you enough, their sacrifice for you can create a sort of enchantment. That magic kept the killing curse from working."

"Ooh…" Their chorus of interest was almost endearing.

After answering a few more questions, clarifying the details of stories these kids likely all heard growing up, Harry allowed for one more question.

"What's a Horcrux?" A boy asked.

Harry tried not to flinch, picturing a young Riddle asking that very same question. He reminded himself these kids were innocent.

"It's a very dark magic." Harry said quickly, his heart starting to pound. "Unspeakable—but if I must, it tears apart your soul. With a piece of your soul separate from you, even if your mortal body perishes, you cannot die until that piece is destroyed. Now, for the lesson—"

"Didn't You-Know-Who have a few?"

"Yes, but enough—"

"Didn't he try to make you into one?"

"I said enough!" Harry snapped.

There was a collective gasp from the students as they all fell silent. Some held their textbooks up, hiding slightly behind them. Others giggled awkwardly.

Harry felt his heart drop slightly. The very last thing he wanted was for the students to be afraid of him or dislike him. He knew what it was to dislike a teacher and for those students who saw the school as home, Harry wanted to make them feel safe everywhere.

"As I was saying—" Harry started, forcing a smile back on his face and mentally checking his rubric. "We're going to try something fun today. Who can tell me the most basic defense spell?"

He nodded at another girl who'd raised her hand near the back.

"E—Expelliarmus?" She squeaked.

"Right!" He grinned. "Five points to Gryffindor!"

The students seemed to relax then, smiling or sitting up straighter in their chairs. Harry gave a brief lecture on the spell.

"In a dangerous situation, disarming your opponent can definitely save your life! Now, I want you to come up to the front of the room, please."

The girl who'd answered the question came up to the front. She and Harry faced one another, Harry bowing to her and she seemed to remember to bow in return.

"Now, try to disarm me."

Harry held his wand out loosely by his side. The girl took a deep breath, pointed her own wand and shouted the spell.

Harry didn't even feel his wand twitch.

"Good effort." He smiled. "But I didn't think you'd really be able to. Still, watch closely how it's done—Expelliarmus—"

As gently as he could, Harry disarmed the student. Despite almost whispering the incantation and barely waving his wand, hers flew widely out of her hand and sailed over them in a high arch.

Harry effortlessly caught it and all the students gasped. A few even clapped. Harry laughed before handing the girl her wand back.

"Honestly, it just takes practice. I want everyone to pair up—"

He waved his wand and the desks vanished. Shyly, the students began to pick their partners as Harry instructed them to practice.

Soon, the classroom was filled with incantations. Some said it wrong or waved their wands all wrong. Others got it after a few tries and wands began to fly all over the room.

Students bumped into one another in an attempt to find their wands on the floor. One boy chased another whose spell had accidentally hit him and Harry stepped in between them before it could escalate.

"Now, you don't—" Harry started, when suddenly he felt his wand forcibly yanked from his hand.

He turned to watch it sail across the room and land in the hand of a stunned-looking student.

"Oh my gosh, that was fantastic! How did you—" Harry was interrupted again when another spell whizzed right by his ear. His words of warning were drowned out by all the shouting.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw his classroom door burst open and Professor Wicks standing in the doorway.

"Do you mind? We are trying to have a lecture—" He jumped back from two boys who tossed aside their wands and began swinging their fists.

"Enough!" Harry shouted, before remembering what he'd vowed to always keep on hand.

He reached beneath the collar of his robes and pulled the chain of the whistle. He blew it sharp and shrill and everyone froze.

The last few wands clattered to the floor as all eyes turned to him, all students falling silent. Harry scanned the room for the girl who held his wand before turning to Professor Wicks.

"So sorry." He said. "Got a little carried away in here. Won't happen again."

Wicks narrowed his eyes in scrutiny before finally going back across the hall, closing the door behind him. Harry took his wand from the girl and pointed it at the entire wall that faced the corridor, muttering a silencing spell, something he should have thought to do to begin with.

"You two—" Harry rounded on the boys who'd been fighting. "This is not the time and place for that. I don't ever want to see raised fists in my classroom ever again, understood? Now—sit down."

He waved his wand and the desks reappeared. The students all returned to their seats as Harry leaned back against his own desk and faced the class.

"Very good effort today! Raise your hands, who was able to disarm their opponent?" He asked, watching as a little less than half the class raised their hands.

"Good, good. Now, where's the one who managed to disarm me?" He asked with a smile, honing in on the girl who'd raised her hand. "What's your name?"

"Evelyn—but I wasn't aiming for you, Sir! I was aiming for the boy behind you."

"Never mind that." Harry waved his hand. "I still think you've earned your house another five points!"

The students all whispered excitedly, smiling at Evelyn. The bell chimed overhead and Harry instructed the students to keep practicing on their own time.

Next period were second-year students and Harry started it the same, answering a few uncomfortable questions to get it out of the way before having them practice disarming. They were much better at it than the slightly younger students.

The bell then chimed for lunch and Harry hurried to the Great Hall. He nearly bumped into Neville who fell into step beside him.

"How are the first-year Gryffindors so far?" Neville asked him.

"Promising." Harry smiled. "One was able to disarm me! Of course, I had my back turned, but still—it was amazing. How're they with herbology?"

"Alright." Neville shrugged. "I get it, it's not as exciting as getting to cast spells, but you'd think they'd at least have done the reading! Sprout was way too lenient on them, too. Hardly any of them had even opened the textbook. Or even bought it for that matter."

"Perhaps they couldn't afford it."

Harry recalled the countless times watching Arthur and Molly count every coin before a Diagon Alley trip for books, trying to make sure every kid could get a set, and watching Ron or Ginny patch the books they did get with tape.

Of course, Neville wouldn't think of that. Though he was raised by his grandmother, she always made sure he had the supplies that he needed, new, even if she did have to send along the ones he'd forgotten.

Neville fell silent and for half a second, Harry feared he'd been embarrassed, but then Harry noticed it looked more like he was deep in thought at that as they walked towards the Great Hall.

Harry sat with Neville and only ate something quick before returning to the classroom to get ready for the upper-year students. He cast one last glance back towards the teacher's table, spotting Luna talking to someone else.

It was Professor McGonagall. Harry thought it was best not to interrupt them.

The rest of the lessons went smoothly for Harry. He was impressed with what the third and fourth-year students could do. Apparently, Professor Walters had been trying to teach them patronuses, though none of them had conjured a corporeal one quite yet.

"Promise we'll learn that this year?" A third-year girl asked.

"I can promise I'll try my hardest to teach you!" Harry nodded.

He'd managed to teach almost all of Dumbledore's Army to conjure corporeal patronuses, but most of the students were in fifth year or older. Still, he'd learned in his third year, and he'd vowed to try and help students as much as Remus had helped him.

After break, his last classes of the day were sixth year, followed by seventh year Gryffindors. Harry leaned back against his desk and faced them, making the same speech at the start of each class.

"Listen, because I'm going to be honest with you. I'm going to talk to you like adults, because you practically are adults. Now, you all know what I've been through, let's not act like we don't. I don't know exactly what your past professors have taught you, but there are dark wizards out there who aim to kill. They'll kill kids your age without a second thought, so you need to be ready."

Harry took questions from the class, but was impressed by their maturity and hurt at the thought that they would even need to ask these questions.

But they were all small children during the second war, and they no-doubt remembered having older family members injured or even killed by Death Eaters. The best way to honor those fallen was to protect themselves now.

"Professor Walters was teaching us some about the unforgivable curses." A seventh-year student said in Harry's last class of the day. "But he wouldn't answer hardly any of our questions."

"What sort of questions? If you're old enough to wonder, then you're old enough to at least get an answer, I think." Harry said.

"Well, what makes them so bad? I mean, obviously the killing one is awful, but the other two—Imperius just seems like it doesn't actually hurt the person—"

"It absolutely does." Harry said. "Look—I've used both Crucio and Imperio in my life, back during the war."

Harry's words sent a hushed silence over the room, all eyes on him. Harry's heart pounded but he forced himself to go on.

"I'm not proud of it, but I did what I had to do to defeat Voldemort, and what I needed to do was to get somewhere he hid his Horcruxes. I had to use Imperio to get someone to let me in. You might think it doesn't hurt, but it does. Imagine you had no control over yourself, you feel yourself doing something you'd never do—something unthinkable, but you have no way to stop it. Doesn't that sound painful?"

The boy went silent as the other students whispered among themselves. Another hand shot up and Harry nodded at another boy in the back row.

"Can you show us? Just, like on a mouse or a bug or something?"

"What?" Harry blinked in surprise. "Definitely not."

"Why not? You just said you did it before—"

"That was in war. I'd never use it so senselessly now, not even on a bug."

"I thought you said you wanted us to learn—"

"You are going to learn." Harry snapped. "Learn how to avoid these spells at all cost—both being hit by them, and resorting to using them."

"So if someone has some information we need, we can't even—"

"No—"

"But you just said you did—"

"That was not the same thing, dammit!"

Harry's breath was coming fast, his heart racing and his face flushed as he slowly gazed around the room. Most eyes were glued on him, wide in shock.

But a few students were staring at the boy who'd provoked Harry. He looked at the boy now, with a new lens.

He looked so ordinary, messy brown hair and steel blue eyes. There wasn't anything snake-like or malicious. He was just a kid.

"What's your name?" Harry demanded.

"Claude. Claude Crawford." He said.

Harry racked his brain for anyone with that surname—any dark wizards, but came up empty. He breathed deeply, calming his mind.

Claude was just a curious kid, Harry told himself. He's not a threat.

"Well, Claude, I want you to write an essay tonight—why the Imperius Curse is unforgivable. A full page, front and back, to be handed in to me tomorrow. Anyone else have any questions?"

There was some slight grumbling from Claude as he shoved his things into his bag. The other students shook their heads or kept their eyes down, grabbing their things up as the final bell chimed.

Harry crossed the classroom and stepped into his office as the students filed out. As the corridors filled with students making their way to their common rooms for the final break before dinner, Harry locked his office door.

He kept a small array of brewed potions in a locked cupboard in his office, the occasional energy potion to drop into his morning coffee or a sleeping draught for if his insomnia were to flare up again—but Harry reached now for a bottle in the very back.

He pointed his wand at a copper kettle of tap-water on his desk, letting it heat up before making a cup of tea. When it finished steeping, he took the potion bottle and poured a small splash in before drinking it.

The calming draught took instant effect, his anxiety and agitation almost completely vanishing. His once tight muscles and weary bones felt lighter.

Getting worked up by his last class felt so inconsequential now. Harry found himself smiling, opening the window for Ariel and turning on his phonograph.

He sang along to the music as he sat down at his desk to start another letter to Ron and Hermione.

Harry finished the letter just as the bell chimed for dinner. Harry went down to the Great Hall, feeling rather hungry.

He scanned the teachers' table, finding he'd somehow arrived early, with several places empty. He sat down and watched the students as the doors opened again and more teachers poured in.

"Harry!" Neville bounded up and turned to take the empty chair beside him. "Wait until you hear about the new growth on the chomping cabbage—"

He felt his stomach drop. It wasn't that he disliked Neville at all, it was just that he did not want to hear about herbology over breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

"Uh—" Harry started, ready to come up with an excuse to eat in his office.

"Actually—" Luna's dreamy voice floated up from behind them. "I was hoping to sit by Harry. I have something very important I have to discuss with him."

"Oh." Neville looked between them both, Luna's soft smile and Harry nodding seriously. "Uh, well, alright."

Professor Sprout began to call Neville from the other side of the table and Neville seemed happy to join her. Harry breathed in slight relief as Luna pulled out the chair and sat beside him.

"Thanks—"

"I really did want to show you something." She reached into her robe pockets. "I meant to show you yesterday, but I completely forgot."

She took something out and laid it on the table. Harry instantly recognized the Wizard on the chocolate frog card—it was himself.

He still recalled that day, just after his twentieth birthday. He'd been officially inducted into the Auror Headquarters after only training under a mentor for about two years.

There'd been a small press conference with plenty of reporters, but Harry hadn't expected someone to rush the stage to get such a close-up photo.

The surprise showed on his face, his chocolate frog counterpart looked shocked and uncomfortable, his eyes wide and the photographer's camera flash showing in the reflection of Harry's glasses on a constant loop.

He looked extremely uncomfortable. Harry couldn't help but laugh.

"I haven't seen this picture in a while." Harry chuckled, flipping the card over and skimming his achievements listed on the back.

"I just got it the other day. I bought the candy for Willow—he loves them—and I saw you on the card and I just thought it was so interesting. I want to keep it, but I won't if it makes you uncomfortable, I won't."

"It doesn't make me uncomfortable." Harry said and she smiled.

"Oh, well perhaps I will keep it." Luna put the card back in her pocket as McGonagall made the dinner announcements.

The tables then magically filled with food and Harry got to eating, his mind wandering to the floor below.

As advisor to the current Minister of Magic, one of the first things Hermione did was make new laws for House-Elves. Their slavery was illegal, as was the breeding and trading of them.

That meant that all the House Elves who cooked and cleaned the school had to be paid. Things didn't change overnight, though, and Harry knew that for a long time, none of the elves would leave the school and some even admitted to throwing away the gold they got or accidentally losing it.

But some took to freedom quite nicely. Kreacher, Harry's elf he inherited from Sirius, bought himself fancy robes that were made for a Wizard, meaning that dragged on the ground behind him.

Harry made sure Kreacher was buried in those robes, as well as his personal collection of Black family heirlooms, when he passed away last year.

"I think the elves cook better now that they're free." Luna said, seeming to read Harry's mind.

He looked over, watching her blow carefully on her soup before taking a sip from her spoon. She then nodded.

"Yes, that's definitely much better than I remember."

"Some Wizards hate Hermione for what she did for the elves." Harry said, deciding to have some soup for himself.

"Well, they just need to open their minds. Personally, I was so shocked to hear that Hermione cared so much. Nothing against her! It's just, she always seemed so…booksmart, and when Wizard history teaches something as the way things are, I didn't expect her to question it."

"I think it's because she was raised by Muggles." Harry said. "In the Muggle World, at least, most civilized countries, slavery is illegal and looked down upon. I think she was shocked to see slavery in the Wizarding World, especially when it's supposedly superior to the Muggle World."

"My mother freed her House-Elf." Luna said, pausing to blow on her soup again.

"Really?"

"Well, she didn't mean to—she was just a little girl and didn't know any better. My mother was raised in a wealthy family with nine siblings. One day when she was about five or six, she had no one to play with—all her siblings were away at school or work—so she asked Lucky to play with her. They were playing dress-up when Lucky began crying over his freedom. Apparently Mum had given him a pair of trousers, and that was that."

"Were her parents angry?"

"I think so, but they couldn't really blame her." Luna shrugged. "She was a child and she didn't really know what she was doing. Still, Lucky took his freedom and vanished and her family never saw him again. My mother cried for a while, only because she missed him."

Harry remembered once Luna telling him about her mother's death and how hard it was on her. He was glad she still had so many stories and memories she could share about her mother, unlike Harry.

She'd also once told him it was just her and her father. If her mother came from such a large family, what happened to them? Did they all die in the war? Something told Harry she'd tell him if he asked, but he didn't want to.

"Who is Willow?" He asked instead. "You said you bought the chocolate for him?"

"My cat." Luna said. "He loves chasing the frogs before he eats them."

"Teddy—my Godson loves them too. He'll be starting next year." Harry said proudly. "He can't wait, and he can't decide between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor—his parent's houses. Whatever he's chosen for, they'll have a handful to deal with. He's a Metamorphagus, you know, and he's already trying to imitate other people. I can definitely see that getting him in a lot of trouble."

As they ate, Harry found himself watching her earrings as they dangled above her plate. Today, she was wearing long groups of feathers from each ear, some dusky brown or black and others dyed bright blue.

"Ravens and eagles." She said when she caught him staring. "For Ravenclaw. I made them this summer."

"I like them. Do you still have your eagle hat?"

"No, it was in my room when my father's Snorkack horn exploded." She sighed, looking down sadly. "It was destroyed."

"Oh—um—" Harry started, but Luna quickly brightened up, smiling.

"I'm making a new one!" She nodded. "And a new lion one too, the old one doesn't roar anymore. I think the spell wore off, plus the fur is falling off and it looks so ragged. Don't worry, though, it'll be ready by the first quidditch match. I swore I'd always be one of your supporters, Harry, and I meant it."

Harry felt slightly stunned for a moment, his heart hammering, though he wasn't sure why. Maybe he didn't really expect Luna to mean it all these years later, but why not? She was a witch of her word in every other way.

He found himself smiling, but tried to quickly wipe that look off his face and finish his soup.

All too soon, dinner was over. The dirty plates vanished and there was clattering as the students and teachers went to make their way back to their rooms.

"Harry?" Luna paused and glanced back at him. "This was very fun. Do you think maybe it'd be alright if we had dinner together again tomorrow night?"

"Sure, Luna." He smiled. "We can sit together any time. You don't even have to ask."

"I appreciate you saying so." She smiled. "But I just wanted to be sure, I didn't want to presume anything."

Harry and Luna sat together at dinner every night for the first week of term. Harry didn't always see her at lunch, and he never saw her at breakfast, so it was nice to catch up in the evenings.

The first week of classes was the hardest Harry had worked since he was a student himself. He tried to keep that in mind, not assigning too much homework other than practicing spells as well as the occasional reading.

Other than Claude's essay, the only punishment Harry gave out was when he finally had to give detention to the two boys from his morning class who he found again, fist-fighting in the corridor. That detention was to be served in his office Saturday night, and though Harry didn't really want to spend that night observing two kids write lines, he figured he should try and oversee as many detentions as he could, to prevent another teacher with a crueler streak from dishing out something way worse and potentially more dangerous than just lines.

On Saturday morning, Harry purposely woke up early. He'd be giving flying lessons to first-years after breakfast, and after lunch, he'd be sitting in on the first try-outs for the Gryffindor quidditch team.

It was a full day and he wanted to get some of his own flying in before then. Harry got dressed, putting on another sweater and plain back robes before he grabbed his Golden Sky broomstick—one of the newest racing broom models—and headed out to the field.

The sun had just barely risen, dew wetting the tails of his robes and the cool morning breeze ruffling his hair as he walked across the grounds with his broomstick over his shoulder.

He made his way onto the field, a million memories flooding his mind as he stood on the grass and looked around the stands and at the goalposts.

After a moment of nostalgia, Harry mounted his broomstick and kicked off. He was filled with that familiar rush as he soared higher, the broom naturally responding to his every touch.

He did a few laps around the field, his smile growing wider as he went faster and faster, practicing dives and dodges.

He finally slowed down, flying lazy circles in the air and just enjoying the feel. It was nice to escape the noise of the castle—and to think he thought it was too quiet when he first arrived.

But out here there were no students, no portraits calling his name as he passed or Peeves taunting him just to get a rise.

He slowed down his flying when he spotted something in the distance below.

It was a person, someone walking across the grounds from the direction of Hagrid's hut, but this person was much too small to be Hagrid.

Harry felt his curiosity piqued, his heartbeat quickening just slightly as he flew over their head before slowly dropping lower.

Luna was walking across the grounds towards the Forbidden Forest. She wore mud-stained boots and denim overalls. She was hauling a heavy-looking wooden bucket in gloved hands as Harry flew over her head, she lifted one hand to hold down the brim of her straw hat as it ruffled.

"Good morning!" She called up to him, her smile bright.

"Morning." Harry flew lower and lower, finally dropping off his broom and landing right beside her. "Where are you off too with—"

He froze when he saw the contents of the bucket—slabs of raw meat of various flesh, some red, some green, all oozing blood around the rim of the bucket.

"I'm feeding the thestrals." Luna said, appearing not to have noticed Harry's shock as she adjusted her hat. "I do this every morning."

"Oh, that's why you've not been at breakfast—it's just—I've noticed."

"Hagrid asked me to just for a few days, but I've grown quite attached to the routine. He says it helps him greatly so I've just kept it up." Luna said. "They're expecting me about now."

"Do you want help?"

Harry didn't realize what he'd roped himself into until the words were already out. Thestrals, while not truly a horrible omen like some thought, weren't exactly Harry's favorite creatures.

They could be kind and gentle, especially the Hogwarts herd, but the very fact that Harry could see them was a reminder of everything awful he'd been through. They always made him think about Cedric.

"I don't want to trouble you, but I would greatly enjoy that."

"It's no trouble." Harry's apprehension faded when she smiled at him.

She took off her dragon-hide gloves and shoved them into the pocket of her overalls before taking his broomstick so he could hold the bucket.

Harry hadn't expected it to be so heavy, but he resisted grunting as it picked it up and they began walking towards the forest.

He watched her, relieved she seemed to at least know how to hold his broomstick, over her shoulder the way he had so the bristles didn't drag on the ground.

Harry wished he had gloves or something just in case the bloody meat dripped on him. He was already wishing he'd just used a levitation spell, but there was no way he could put the bucket down and switch to using magic without looking stupid.

"Alright—" Luna stopped in her tracks and held out one arm to stop him. "Here is okay. Hagrid told me not to go all the way in so I won't frighten them. I've been getting a little closer each day, but you're with me, and I think they might be scared with a new scent."

Harry nodded, quickly putting the bucket down on the grass. Luna handed him the broom back and he carefully set it in the grass a few yards back. She then pulled her boots off.

Harry knew better than to question her oddities. He was sure she had a good reason for suddenly putting her bare feet on the ground and as she put her gloves back on and grabbed a piece of meat from the bucket, he understood.

When they'd walked across the grounds, Harry noticed of course the way her boots stomped on the ground, loudly crushing twigs and leaves underneath, but now, in her bare feet, Luna seemed to slide silently across the grass without making a sound.

Harry knew his presence was already potentially keeping them at bay, so he didn't follow her. He just stood still, trying not to breathe too loudly or make any noise.

He watched as Luna stared at the treeline, her arm still outstretched, the bloody steak dripping from her hand. After several long moments, Luna dropped the meat on the ground and came back over to where Harry stood.

"I don't understand." She said as she pulled her gloves off and shoved them back in her pockets. "They've been coming closer to me every day, I was so sure they'd start to eat from my hands."

"Maybe it's me." Harry said. "Like you said, an unfamiliar scent or whatever. Maybe they don't want to come out of the trees. You can get closer, if you'd like. I can wait here."

"No, that's alright. I just need to be patient."

Luna and Harry stood shoulder to shoulder, watching the treeline. Harry wasn't sure why his heart raced when the wind changed, and he no longer smelled the faint scent of blood, but the earthy and floral scent of Luna.

Her boots and overalls were stained with mud and there were even flecks of dirt in some of the loose locks of her golden hair that had come out of her braid.

But the floral scent came from her earrings. As Luna slowly and quietly took her straw hat off, Harry saw the clusters of yellow and white dandelions hanging from her ears.

"Attractive?"

"What?" Harry felt his whole face flush.

"To bees—my earrings." She said, a soft smile on her face. "Whenever I wear dandelions outside, I can barely keep them away."

Harry didn't see any bees, even as the seconds dragged on. After a moment, Luna's silvery eyes widened and Harry glanced back at the treeline, watching as a dark shape gracefully padded out of the forest.

Harry felt his breath catch in his throat. He hadn't seen a thestral up close in a long time. This one was young, Harry could tell by the deep glossy black of the skin that clung to its skeleton.

Harry felt Luna reach over and take his hand, interlacing their fingers.

The thestral turned its head, it's bright white eyes locking into Harry's, as if it could sense how fast his heart was pounding. Harry blinked slowly and the thestral looked away before crouching down and clamping its pointed mouth around the meat.

Luna began to slowly pad forward, gently taking Harry with her. They walked towards the bucket and Luna grabbed another piece of meat out with her bare hand before tossing it over onto the ground.

Harry did the same, ignoring the squelching cold of the meat in his left hand, and instead trying to focus on the way Luna's hand felt in his right. It was small, but warm.

Together, they created a small pile of meat on the ground. Harry looked around as more thestrals slowly came out of the forest. They began eating the meat off the ground.

Luna held out a piece in her hand to an elderly-looking thestral with graying skin. It eyed her and Harry for a moment before it slowly came closer. Harry felt her squeeze his hand happily when it finally took the meat from her hand.

Harry gasped as the young thestral finished eating and began sniffing him. Its breath ruffled his hair and its flank pressed hard against him, almost playfully. He stumbled, his shoulder bumping into Luna's, who almost lost her footing and bumped back against him.

She began to laugh softly, still squeezing his hand as she looked around at the thestrals in awe.

"They've never come this close to me without Hagrid before." She whispered. "Most of them are young, too young to even pull the carriages. Hagrid told me it might be a while before they weren't scared of me anymore."

Luna wiped her hand on her overalls and Harry did the same onto his robes, making a mental note to clean it off later as she slowly pulled him back away from the treeline to give the thestrals some space.

They continued to eat, playfully snapping at one another or flapping their wings. Luna walked back to the space they'd left her boots and his broom before she sat down cross-legged in the grass, her hand still in his. Harry sat down beside her.

"He could have asked you." Luna said. "Hagrid, he could have asked you to watch after the thestrals instead. He knows you see them too. I think he was worried it would upset you. But you're more resilient than people realize, I think."

"So are you."

"I'm not so sure, but I appreciate you saying so."

"No, really, Luna." Harry turned towards her, squeezing her hand just slightly. "You are. You never seem bothered or scared. Even when—during the war."

"I was scared." Luna said. "But I also trusted you. I trust everything you taught us. I never had friends much in school, but with the Dumbledore's Army meetings, it almost felt that way. So I decided to work as hard as I could in them."

"You did."

"And I trusted that you were the chosen one, too." She looked at him, her eyes wide and silvery. "I knew there'd be peace soon, I just had to survive to see it. I'm glad I lived to have good friends."

Harry glanced down to where their hands were still linked. Luna had taken his hand a few times before, once to comfort him after Sirius' death, and then again at Dobby's funeral.

But what did this mean now?

Harry looked up as the thestrals walked back into the forest, leaving nothing but a few drops of blood on the grass. Luna sighed dreamily.

"Thank you. I was concerned your presence would scare them, but I don't think it did. I think it finally made them trust me."

Harry couldn't bring himself to ask why. Did bringing a friend other than Hagrid prove something to the thestrals, or could the thestrals sense some sort of connection between the two of them?

Harry forced himself not to dwell on that.

"I could come with you tomorrow morning, or whenever you like." Harry said. They reluctantly dropped hands and Harry glanced at his watch. It was later than he'd realized.

"I would like that." She smiled, and for a second, Harry thought she was blushing too.

"Um—I have to get back to the pitch for flying lessons." He said, picking his broom up off the grass.

"Good luck."

"Thanks. See you at dinner."

Harry took a few steps before realizing what he'd said, what he'd implied—that they'd eat dinner together tonight.

He looked back at Luna for a moment. She stood, barefoot and staring into the forest, the slight breeze blowing her hair and the dandelions hanging from her ears.

After another second, Harry turned away and took off towards the Quidditch pitch.