OLD MAGIC

Chapter 31: Returning to School

Harry gave Darius a tight hug then pulled away, smiling as he said farewell at King's Cross Station. "I'll miss you all. It was a fabulous Christmas."

"It was indeed, Harry. I just hope poor Draco and Severus are doing alright. Please send me an owl as soon as you know their status," Darius requested.

"I will. I just hated how it had to end that way," Harry sighed. Then shrugged. "Ah well, that was the way it had to be. Ready to go Wine," he said to his familiar who rode on his shoulder at the moment.

"Meow!" The kneazle said emphatically. Both the humans laughed.

"He must really like Hogwarts to be in such a hurry to get back," Darius observed, amused. "I dare say, we hardly saw him around when we were home."

"That's because he spends a lot of his time with his fellow kneazles and others of the forest when we're there." Harry said, shrugging. A loud train whistle interrupted them. Sighing, he prepared to leave his friend. "Guess, we'd better get going. Take care."

"You as well." Darius stepped back and watched as Harry placed Wine inside his coat then grasped his cart and made for the pillar that would get him to the proper platform. Within minutes, he was walking along the cars of the Hogwart's Express. He paused a moment before reaching the baggage car to wait for Hedwig to arrive.

She had been on a roof nearby and called to him to warn she was flying in. She landed daintily near her cage then stepped inside. Harry shut the door and gave her an owl treat. "Hello, my love, have a nice flight?" He asked as he began to move again. She hooted at him and bobbed her head. "That's good to know. You get some rest and I'll see you at the castle," he said as he handed his things over to the loading crew. She gave him a parting hoot.

Smiling, he headed off toward the passenger cars and boarded. He hadn't seen his friends yet, as he searched for an empty car or them, whichever came first. About halfway through the third car he traveled, he heard familiar voices. Stopping, he pulled open a door and was happy to see Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Luna. They shouted happy greetings to him as he found a seat next to Hermione and sat down.

"Harry! We were beginning to worry you'd miss the train," Hermione said.

"I was running a bit late but I least I did make it," he said smiling. "Everyone have a great Christmas?"

"Oh, definitely! Wait till I tell you about all that my family saw in America," Hermione said, excitedly and proceeded to regale them with all the exciting things she'd seen and did.

For once her scholarly manner of speaking made the events of her holiday interesting and not boring to the ears. Everyone took turns asking her all manner of questions about America until they'd rung nearly everything out of her.

Though she liked to talk, Hermione was hardily glad when the trolley lady arrived with her cart full of goodies. Her voice needed a break, but she was happy nonetheless as everyone was just as taken with her trip as she had been.

Harry treated everyone to a nice sampling of all the things on the trolley, ignoring protests that he really shouldn't. He enjoyed doing this once in a while. Money was meant to be spent not hoarded (though he did know it was a good idea to have enough for the future set aside).

As everyone enjoyed the treats, Harry asked, "How was your Christmas, Ron? Did your older brothers make it?"

Ron's face lit up with joy and pleasure as he remembered how great this year had been. "Oh yes, and it was the best Christmas ever, with lots of things to eat and wonderful stuff Charlie and Bill brought as gifts. And, best of all, no attacks by Death Eaters to spoil things."

"I'll second that!" Neville said, smiling shyly. "I'm afraid my Christmas was fairly quiet but it was nice ... for once." That last he said more softly than the rest.

Normally, he was stuck with stuffy visits to people he didn't know well but were part of his Gran's circle of acquaintances. But this year, to his surprise, his Gran had taken him to see his parents at St. Mungos, then, to ease the sadness of that visit, they went to a London mall and walked around seeing all the wonderful Christmas decorations and light displays. And when they'd gotten tired and seen their fill, she treated him to a very nice dinner in a popular joint rather than one of those upscale, snobby places. He didn't know what had prompted his rather tight-laced and proper grandmother to do this but it had made it a marvelous Christmas for the first time since he was forced to live with her.

Harry gave him a rather sad smile. He knew it was very rough for Neville living with his rather demanding Grandmother since his parents were at St. Mungo's in the mental ward due to a curse from Bellatrix. Snape had told him about it and it had made him very angry. His smile went hard as he thought of how he'd like to put her away ... permanently and find some way to cure Neville's parents. He'd asked Darius if there was any muggle way to help but his friend shook his head with a regretful look on his face.

"Since it was a curse, I'm afraid not, Harry," He'd said, sadly. "But perhaps, the old ones might know something?"

"Hmm, well I guess I could get Hagrid to ask ..." Harry said thoughtfully then hadn't found the time to do that yet.

Well with the holidays over he needed to bring it up, as well as the other matter they had to deal with as well. He sighed and returned his attention to the present just as Ron asked him how his Christmas had been. "Very interesting and a lot of fun. We had lots of guests and great food with fantastic gifts. I think it was the best one I can remember."

"That's great, Harry." Hermione smiled, glad the orphaned boy had such a loving family to protect him since the loss of his parents. "What about you, Luna? How was your holiday?"

"Oh, my father put up a small tree, we decorated it, then went hunting for a Crumple-Horned Snorkack. We didn't find one but we did have an enjoyable holiday," the girl said, smiling vacantly.

Everyone else made polite noises then Hermione asked, "Did anyone hear if Draco has been found?"

Ron snorted derisively, but answered readily enough. "My dad had to muck around in the snow for most of the holiday looking for that git ... uh ... him," altering what he was about to say when he saw Harry's eyes narrow in displeasure.

"They couldn't find any signs and he was allowed to go home while the rest of the order and aurors continued on with the search. Didn't hear no more about it since then. By the time the holiday was over, there still wasn't any word on him nor Professor Snape either. Hey! Do you suppose that means we'll have a substitute for potions? That would be brilliant!" He finished grinning at the possible prospect.

"Who knows. Guess we'll find out when we get there," Harry said, carefully, while hiding his amusement.

"I would like to know who did it and why," Hermione said, frowning. "Are their any guesses?"

Ron shook his head. "My dad was very tight lipped about it all. No one's talking so we'll just have to wait and see if anyone at school knows anything."

"I heard it was the forest dwellers," Luna said, tranquilly. The others (except Harry) gaped at her.

"Why on earth would they want to do something as daft as that?" Ron blurted.

"Perhaps to get the wizarding communities attention. They are, after all, always being put down and belittled. They might be doing this to tell everyone they've had enough, or so my father suspect," Luna said, her guileless eyes seeming to look through them and beyond as she spoke.

Harry eyed her curiously. Luna was a puzzle but he had a suspicion she wasn't as air-headed as she seemed. Nor was her father as radical and odd as everyone said he was. Hagrid might find their beliefs and way of thinking rather interesting. As for himself, he thought she might be a good candidate for his growing inner circle of believers who want to change the wizarding world's attitudes on a number of subjects. He filed that away for now and promised to get to know Luna a bit better in the days to come. He would need people like her when he set his plans in motion.

After more speculation about who might have done the kidnapping and why the pair had been taken in the first place was hashed out over the next hour, the group finally drifted off to their own pursuits as the train continued on into the falling night.

With it quiet now within the car, Harry turned his head and stared out at the falling snow as it hissed past his window. It had been a great Christmas, he thought, but I wish I'd had time to see Sirius. They were supposed to have gotten together sometime during the two weeks but something had come up. A message had reached him from Sirius that the man was being sent on a secret mission and wouldn't be back until the middle of January.

Poor Sirius! He would have liked the Christmas we had, but then I'd have to tell him about the Hagrids. The elders were firm that this must not happen. They knew of Sirius and felt the wizard was not completely trustworthy enough to know just how involved the forest dwellers were in the affairs of wizards and muggles. So Harry was not to say anything about his affiliation with them until they declared Sirius safe.

Though they did admit Harry's Godfather was peripherally aware of their existence, they said his interaction was limited and he still held the same attitudes as the rest of wizard kind about them. His prejudice was the greatest detriment against him right now.

Harry had objected to their summation of Sirius but was over ruled and had to accept that, in this, the elders were more informed than he and were only thinking of his welfare and safety. But he still didn't like it.

As his eyelids began to droop in sleep, his last thoughts were, I hope he's safe wherever he is.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Hours later, the Hogwarts Express pulled into the quiet station at Hogwarts. The whistle blew loudly announcing its arrival to one and all. Students poured from the cars, excited voices filled the air as they streamed to their vehicles for the ride to the castle proper. Many voiced surprise when they weren't met by Hagrid as normal. Instead many house elves appeared to snap their baggage to their rooms, startling many of the familiars in their cages as they were apparated from the baggage car to the dorm rooms or owlery in the blink of an eye. The owls were immediately released from their cages and fed while the others would have to wait for their owners to appear.

The children poured into the school foyer and on into the dining room. Nearly all were starving. As they took their seats another surprise awaited them. Professor Dumbledore wasn't there to greet them at the high table. The room buzzed with their questions about just what was going on. The younger ones were a bit fearful.

Harry was probably the only one who wasn't concerned. It simply confirmed to him that Draco had made it back safely and, though he didn't see the boy over on the Slytherin side, he knew Draco would be down probably by tomorrow if Ms. Pomfrey released him by then. Smiling secretly to himself, he waited for the food to appear.

After escorting her charges into the hall, Professor McGonagall took a stance near the teacher's table and demanded their attention.

"As you all can see Headmaster Dumbledore is absent. He had important Hogwart's business to deal with. As many of you know, Draco Malfoy had been kidnapped at the beginning of the Christmas break. You will be happy to learnhe has been returned and is, presently, in Madame Pomfrey's capable hands. He should be back with you tomorrow or the next day. I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable holiday and are ready to return to your schoolwork. Please eat and go directly to your rooms after dinner. Tomorrow will be a very busy day. Enjoy your meal ..." she said the last with a flourish that made the food appear instantly before them.

Voices erupted in speculations and gossip about Malfoy as they all set to serving themselves. Added to the cacophony were their shared news about everyone's holidays. McGonagall seated herself but didn't look very happy, her eyes straying toward the entryway every few minutes or so. She also didn't encourage the other teachers to talk with her except for a brief word or too.

Harry could imagine she was fairly eaten up with curiosity about what Draco was telling those up in the medical ward. He just hoped the boy managed to keep his secrets against the formidable array of adults facing him.

"Well, there's your answer," Ron said, heaping his plate full. "The git is back."

That nasty comment made Harry bristle but he said nothing as he had about given up trying to make Ron see Draco in a different light. Until the boy was taught the world didn't' revolve around separate houses and their petty rivalries, there was no point in trying to change Ron's mind. However, he was pleased to see someone else wasn't happy with the red head's comment.

"Ron ... that's not nice and I'm tired of hearing it from you," Hermione snapped at the boy. Ron gaped at her in surprise. "I'm glad he's been returned unharmed. Now if only we knew why he'd been taken ..." She continued as if he was beneath her notice. That stung him even more. She chose some turkey and potatoes from huge platters set near her refusing to take the offer of a roll from Ron.

Harry smirked to himself. Maybe there was hope for him yet as Ron hated being snubbed even if he didn't care for girls just yet.

In a more sulky tone, Ron grunted, "Don't know if we'll get those answers even when he's released. Have to wait until the gossip goes round to find out." He went back to eating but left one parting remark. "He's probably being grilled as we speak." He didn't hide how that pleased him but someone else was just as concerned by Draco's welfare, much to Harry's pleased surprise.

Neville, sitting next to Ron, grimaced unhappily. "I don't envy him that attention," he said quietly, putting more sweet potatoes on his plate. Though he had no love for Draco, he didn't wish such a thing on the boy. It was no fun being the center of so much harsh adult attention. Even someone with an arrogant attitude like Malfoy's wouldn't fare so well with aurors staring and barking questions at them.

Neville would have been surprised to know that Harry shared his concern and worry. I just hope he fends them off but the worst will be his father. He'll be lucky if he manages to keep from being taken home. That thought sent a shiver down his back. What the elder Malfoy would do to his son if he managed to have him alone, wasn't something Harry wanted to even thing about.

He nibbled on a biscuit and worried. I'm going to go crazy wondering what is happening in the medical ward right now. And forget trying to sleep. Wait! I could send Wine to check for me. He hid his smile. I'll send him out as soon as we're all to bed. Oh, I'd better save him some of this feast too.

He produced a small ziplock bag from an inner pocket of his robe and began slipping small samples of meat into it then sealed it closed, returning it to his pocket. He loved these bags. Far better than a napkin that had to be washed and weren't very good for transporting wet goods at all. He used the ziplocks for a lot of things but kept them hidden as he didn't want them confiscated as being inappropriate for wizards ... which he thought totally ridiculous.

Darius had been amused when Harry had asked him to purchase a box of the nifty bags, made by the Americans in some form or other since 1968, for him at a large market in London. Most villages near the forest didn't use much of the modern marvels from out in the world but the larger cities did.

The only downside of the bags were their inability to break down once disposed. Because of that, he usually washed and reused them until they wouldn't close or tore from continued use. He did hear, though, that recently the bags were being made of biodegradable material and that this was true for a lot of plastics being made lately. At least muggles were finally seeing the error of their ways and were trying to rectify their mistakes. But there was still a lot of stuff out there filling landfills that would never vanish no matter how much time had passed.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. He wiped his hands off and quickly produced a ball point pen and small notepad. Hiding it beneath the table, he quickly wrote down his idea of using wizards to help ease the problems of pollution. Smiling, he quickly tucked both items away again. His little notepad was nearly filled with all his ideas of how wizarding kind could redeem itself and help the environment as well as well as dozens of other ideas for helping the planet and muggle kind.

Everyone was so wrapped up in the return of Draco and their own news that no one had seen him writing but he knew he had to be very careful. Until he was ready to begin his campaign of reeducating wizarding kind, he had to keep his ideas and writings secret.

Looking around, he saw dinner was nearly over and just walking through the entryway came a concerned and tired, Professor Dumbledore. Gradually, everyone else began to take notice the headmaster had entered the room and began to quiet down.

Dumbledore stopped at the center of the line of tables the students sat at and waited until all was quiet before speaking.

"As you've been told, young Draco Malfoy has been returned to us safe and more or less unharmed. His injuries are minor but he is exhausted and is presently resting as we speak. He may be returning to classes tomorrow but that decision will be Madam Pomfrey's. Please don't harass him for answers. If he wishes to tell you anything, I'm sure he will but if he doesn't then please respect his wishes. It was a trying ordeal and I'm sure he would like to put it behind him. I hope you all had wonderful holidays and are well rested. Tomorrow starts another school day so get some rest and be ready bright and early to work. Dismissed."

Voices started up again as the tables magically cleared and students rose to their feet and headed for their dormitories.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

It was an hour later before Harry was able to close his bed curtains and bring out the food he'd saved for Wine. The kneazle appeared, laying upon Harry's pillow. He rose, stretched then walked regally to the food Harry laid out for him on a plate he'd conjured from a piece of cardboard.

Smiling, Harry caressed the kneazle's head briefly before allowing it to eat undisturbed. When Wine was done, Harry disappeared the plate. "Draco made it back alright," he told his friend in a very low voice.

Wine paused in his grooming to eye Harry questioningly. "Yes, I would like you to check on him and see how he's doing and whether he suffered any problems from the interrogation. My worst fear is whether or not he will be spirited away by his father even though Dumbledore said Draco was sleeping here," Harry said worriedly.

Wine made a soft mew of concern. "Yes, that would be very bad. So let's hope that's not the case. Safe travels," Harry said as his familiar jumped down from the bed and disappeared. Sighing, the boy crawled beneath the covers, put his glasses away in its case and placed it under his pillow before laying down. Hope I can stay awake till he gets back, he mumbled to himself before sleep ambushed him.