Chapter 18: Year's End
Harry awoke to the hospital bay ceiling. A sea of white, curtains and all, with bright rays of sunshine lighting up through the top of the curtains. His bones were stiff, but no longer in pain; he sat up, testing his strength and feeling around his body as he did so.
Looking down, all he had on was a hospital gown and some undergarments. His robes were folded neatly on a nightstand, with his wand placed next to a note of some kind. The first thing he did was pick up his wand, and the next was to pick up the note and read it.
"Harry, please stay in bed. I have a surprise for you. -Albus Dumbledore"
Harry put the note down and grumbled. Dumbledore may or may not really have a surprise. He wasn't going to torpedo the goodwill his recent stunt must have engendered. He would listen, but it didn't mean he would remain in hospital garb. He disrobed and put on the folded clothing. These robes… they weren't any he recognized. A lighter blue than he would have ever chosen, but it worked.
"Not planning on leaving, were we Harry?" Dumbledore came through the curtain.
"No sir. Not a fan of the wardrobe here is all," Harry responded.
The old man sniffed in amusement, "No, I don't imagine you would be. Do you like your present? Your other robes were in quite an unacceptable condition."
Harry glanced at Dumbledore's flamboyant starry sky robes with gold trim, and realized this set had been thoroughly compromised for his tastes. He'd be nice.
"I like them, but this is as risky as I'll go. Don't get any ideas," Harry joked.
Dumbledore laughed more heartily than Harry had ever seen. "I would not dare to impose my good taste upon you any further m'boy!" Dumbledore wrinkled his nose. "Consider it an apology as well. McGonagall was pleased to learn the true nature of your magical outburst, though the blame now rests squarely on my shoulders. The whole school has been informed that you were cursed, and your name has been cleared."
"Did you catch Voldemort?" Harry dropped the light mood instantly.
Dumbledore coughed as his smile dropped. "I'm afraid not. While he is weak and not much of a threat in such a form, he is also much immune to earthly constraints. If he had tried to possess the Granger girl I could have. He caught on I was coming no doubt."
"The trap failed then…" Harry sat down on the bed, saddened.
"It would not have succeeded. After seeing his form, I can only guess at the magic tying him to this plane. But don't lose hope. His departure meant I could leave the school more freely, which comes to the nature of your surprise," Dumbledore hinted. He sat down in one of the guest seats across from Harry with a broad smile.
"And here I thought it was the robes," Harry drawled, rolling his eyes.
"I made a quick trip to Azkaban to visit an old student of mine." Dumbledore peered down his half-moon spectacles, examining Harry for a reaction. "I have every reason to believe Sirius Black is innocent. His trial will still be a difficult political maneuver, and it will not change your plans for the summer… but eventually Harry, he will solve your guardian crisis."
"I will be disappearing for the summer Headmaster," Harry said. "What can I do to minimize the damage for you?" He spread his arms as an open gesture.
Dumbledore pulled on his eyelids, the bags became more apparent and redder as he did so. Did the old man even sleep last night? "Harry. I both appreciate the gesture and am confounded by your insistence. Can I not bask in the positives for even a moment? You must stay there, or the protections will fade." He sighed. "If you manage to slip away. You will be unable to use magic. Your idea of staying in certain magical areas is all well and good, as is your idea camp out in said areas. No doubt you understand how the trace works. However, Lucius Malfoy will have people to check the records. I cannot in good conscience allow you to camp out alone in magical wilderness without the use of magic. If you had to use it in an emergency, which you would I assure you Harry, he would be the first to find you."
"Thank you for explaining to me Headmaster."
"Harry," he warned in a carefully hedged tone, "If I prevent you from escaping your home life, it is only because Lucius must not find you first. You are overly cautious of me, but not cautious enough in general. If you hate me for it, then I will accept it as necessary."
"I both appreciate the gesture and am confounded by your insistence," Harry mocked, "I will escape. If you punish me for it, then I will accept it as necessary." He chuckled happily. "I'm not angry about it, but my resolve to do this is set. You can give me detention forever. I will not change my mind. Not on this matter."
Dumbledore twisted his mouth and nose. "How ill-timed then, that I am freeing you from your detentions. Your most recent heroism has earned you so much. But now I feel I am being taken advantage of."
Harry barked with laughter. "Get used to it."
# # #
Harry established to Dumbledore he had no interest in spreading the story of exactly what happened with Quirrell. They severely underestimated the rumor mill of Hogwarts, even during the break. After Harry obtained permission to leave the hospital wing, the school was abuzz. The whispering he still got became enhanced once again as he made his way through the corridors, passing the occasional student.
His entrance to the Great Hall became something of a scene.
"HARRY!" Hermione's unmistakable voice pierced his eardrums, only this time it was happy instead of fearful. Hermione leaped from the Gryffindor table and wrapped him in a hug which he stiffly accepted with wide eyes. From the side, he could see Fred and George giving him knowing glances and retching. Ron's face was far less excited, the red tint on his cheeks was underlined by a slight scowl. "I'm so sorry Harry! Neville says you knew I was cursed, but I don't know how you'd forgive me. I'm certain you won't. Oh Harry!" Hermione blubbered.
"Harry!" Neville called out, drawing more attention to their group at the large entrance to the Great Hall. He was in good spirits.
Taking any excuse to separate Hermione from his person he waved back. "Let's sit down, er-Hermione? I'd rather not be on display." The leers and points from all over told Harry rumors may have already started.
"Sorry Harry," she apologized with a faint hue on her cheeks. He hoped to Merlin she was only embarrassed.
They walked to the Gryffindor table where Ron had his arms folded. He eased up on his mood when Hermione sat next to him across the table from Harry.
"Sorry for stunning you Ron…"
Ron took a piece of ham from the center of the table without a word. "Stunning me? I don't care about that."
"Eh?"
"I could have helped!" He stuffed a sizable section of ham into his mouth.
"I'll- uh- keep you in mind next time?" Harry said in bafflement, Neville secretly rolled his eyes at Harry.
"Mphf!" Ron gave the thumbs up.
The teacher's table for lunch only had McGonagall and Sprout. McGonagall made a respectful nod in his direction before returning to her conversation with the Herbology professor. He relaxed in his seat. The world felt much less dark than it had when Quirrell was hovering over him every other day. His heroics had earned him the trust he had been so lacking in before.
"Thanks for trusting me Neville," said Harry.
Neville beamed. "We're best friends for a reason! I'm the one who almost forgot."
A pair of arms wrapped around Harry's shoulder from both sides. "A Ravenclaw Hero George. Have you ever heard of it?"
"There was Rowena Ravenclaw-" Hermione interrupted.
The twins ignored her remark. "I dunno Fred. He does hang around here a lot. Maybe the sorting hat is losing its touch?"
"I had to save the Gryffindors from themselves," Harry huffed as he turned around to greet the twins, "Sounds standard Ravenclaw to me."
Fred fell over, his face pale, clutching his stomach as he lay on his back.
"Fred! Fred! Are you okay?" George dramatically came to his side, kneeling.
"The force of his reasoning, it was too powerful for us small minds George. Right dangerous he is," Fred spoke in a raspy breath. "UGH!" He sprawled out, and let his tongue hang from his mouth as if he had died.
"Noooo! Fred! Damn you and your wiles Potter!"
The Hufflepuff students looked on in either amusement or annoyance depending on their age as Fred acted out dying on the floor with gurgling noises, while George pretended to mourn his death. Waxing poetic at times about the evil nature of Harry Potter.
All the Gryffindors except Percy laughed at the antics, Harry also stared blank-faced at their display.
"Did you guys need something? Further business perhaps?" Harry's eyes narrowed from his smile as he flashed his canines.
The twins reacted to this by hopping to attention as if they weren't just rolling all over the floor cursing his name in dramatic prose. They went to shake his hand.
"Aww, and I had a few more lines about how you're a cod liver's uncle," George whined.
Fred elbowed George. "Lee tells us he owes you a big favor. Like more than our entire savings big. You dropped ten galleons on Diggory?"
Those who could overhear their conversation whispered with bulging eyes. Ten galleons was not a massive amount for an adult wizard, but for schoolyard gambling it was a bit too intense. In his desire to throw his weight around, he had unintentionally caused the house to lose out. There was no nefarious purpose, with his immense wealth and precarious situation, galleons just meant less to him.
"I did."
"Those odds were-" Ron began to choke on his food and cough he was so startled.
"This is our and Harry's business, Ronald. Please stay out of it." Fred cracked his knuckles menacingly.
Ron stopped choking and gulped loudly. Neville and Hermione's mouths could have fit two golden snitches at that moment.
"You want, influence peddling?" Harry asked.
"You're real cloak and dagger, we like that. We want to be the go-to guys. For the profit and excitement," said Fred as he moved in to avoid being overheard.
Harry whispered in Fred's ear, "Learn occlumency this summer. I'll give you a book on it."
Fred looked confused but nodded. He whispered to George, who nodded with a determined glint in his eyes.
# # #
The sun glared down overhead from a cloudless sky. April was in full force by the end of the break. The grass shone brightly on the grounds, with an occasional wildflower breaking through the sea of green. Neville and Harry waited for Tracey at the entrance gate, backs up against the brick to retreat into the small amount of shade provided from the late afternoon sun. Sweat trickled down Harry's neck.
The first carriage appeared in the distance when he stuck out his head to look out onto the road. Dust kicked up in the distance.
"See anything?" Neville asked. His slightly chubby frame made him more vulnerable to the heat, he pulled on the neck of his robes to give himself some air.
"They're here," Harry replied.
# # #
Tracey burst out of the carriage, her trunk rolling behind her, arms wide. She sniffed the air. Daphne, Pansy, and Draco followed behind her, stepping gracefully. The Slytherins nodded to Harry and Neville as they exited, but Tracey bounded over to meet them with a beaming smile on her face.
"My boys! You had an adventure I heard." She flipped her hair and winked at Harry, as they had been speaking through their book the whole break.
Neville flashed his teeth in an uncomfortable smile. "I'm not proud of it, but yes!"
She dropped her stuff and hugged the two boys in turn, she held onto Harry's shoulders. "You look a damn sight better Potter. Not that I disliked your moodiness…"
"Potter? What are we strangers?" Harry swished his wand and floated her trunk. He turned towards the castle and started walking. "Catch up ya dweeb," he said with his back turned.
Neville chuckled as he ran up. "Missed you Tracey."
# # #
The return to the regular school schedule had been an odd adjustment. Dumbledore took over the Defense Against the Dark Arts position in a last-minute push, according to older students, this had happened in the past as well. Most of the classes were in review, as there was little more than a month before exams after the Easter Break.
With Dumbledore at the head of the DADA class, Harry lost one of his free reading periods. The class advanced by leaps and bounds thanks to his tutelage though. Quirrell had been a subpar lecturer, Dumbledore knew how to keep their attention.
Snape relentlessly brought them through every potion they had ever done, and assigned essays every class. Even Harry had less free time as a result, but it made the time go faster. Despite the lack of detentions making Snape's mood sour, he had remained professional concerning Harry. Neville was still a klutz, and every Friday still created an argument between him and Tracey; but Harry had helped Neville with his essays, so he still managed to get between E's and A's.
The Ravenclaw common room became a disaster-zone for any younger student. The second and first years, since they had no electives and easier classes, were forced outside completely. Fifth years and seventh years created permanent residences on couches and seats all around the common space. Any younger year who dared trespass on their territory was treated as a practice dummy. Much unlike break, it had become semi-official, even Flitwick warned all the students to not bother the fifth and seventh years, or suffer at their own peril.
Weeks passed, until exams were upon them. Harry felt no need to study, but Neville and Tracey were not in the same boat. He coached them through everything: quizzing them, perfecting their wand-work, and helping them troubleshoot with Potions. Neville was so grateful he went out of his way in Herbology to give Harry extra pointers. A few days before exams, Tracey was sucked into a Slytherin study group, and Neville was forced to get between Ron and Hermione before they ripped each other's throats out.
Harry breezed through the exams better than even he had anticipated. Neville's Herbology pointers shored up his only weak point. His obsessive perfection in Potions due to Snape's unfairness concerning him, and his need to concoct Polyjuice, led him to produce extremely high-quality work. Charms were done perfectly, Transfiguration he had gone way overboard, and all his Defense work was above reproach. Dumbledore's eyes had twinkled when Harry completed his practical with ease.
He sat with his Ravenclaw classmates in a sunny stone square of the castle. It was surrounded by shaded outside hallways and hedges with a garden path. They had completed their last exams, Charms, with the Hufflepuffs.
Neville and Tracey still had Potions to do and the common room and library was off-limits, so there was little else to do. In the center of the square, older students splashed with the fountain. Padma was busy calming Su Li, who was in a complete panic after forgetting a single detail.
"I was so close to a perfect score! So close! I think Granger will have me in Charms, Potions I think I got her, we'll see," she breathed heavily.
"It's first-year exams! Jeez, they're DONE. Can we move on?" Anthony complained.
"Give her time to process," Padma snapped, rubbing Su's back.
"I am glad to have them behind me…" said Michael, "Where does the water come from for aguamenti by the way?"
"Condensation!" Su Li answered while shutting her eyes tightly as though she were being quizzed.
Harry noticed a flicker of silver out of the corner of his eye. Dumbledore crossed the square; a guilty expression marred his face. His legs didn't appear to move beneath his robes, almost as if he were floating. The students in the fountain jumped out and stood at attention when Dumbledore walked by, but he ignored their activities and strode past.
"Harry." Dumbledore came to a stop, blocking the sunlight. "Might we talk in private?"
"Is there some emergency Headmaster?" Harry asked.
"Not at all. But you may appreciate my discretion," Dumbledore half-smiled.
Harry stood up and Dumbledore led him away from the group of Ravenclaws, into the garden path surrounded by hedges. Dumbledore sat on a stone bench and beckoned for Harry to sit next to him.
"Harry. You know, were the circumstances any other way, I would not have you staying at your mother's relatives," Dumbledore began, "unfortunately we are at the point where it is most necessary to have you stay there for a time. No other option presented itself, and believe me I tried to think of one." Harry opened his mouth to speak but Dumbledore continued, "I know you plan to escape. But you know I cannot allow this."
"I appreciate you saying all this, but I already understood. Why does this require a further conversation Headmaster?"
Dumbledore put his hands into his robes, and pulled out a pouch. It was Harry's pouch. "I hope this does not change your attitude towards me, now that I have disrupted your Floo powder escape." Dumbledore winced.
"How?" Harry asked, completely calm.
"Tom didn't say a word Harry. While Floo is regulated somewhat loosely nowadays, The Leaky Cauldron is an entrance to our world. Escaping the night before, setting up the broom as a distraction, and then using Hogsmeade Weekend to draw my attention there. You even purposefully got detention to solidify your broom escape as the real one." Dumbledore smiled, shaking his head. "The Department of Magical Transportation happened to be especially diligent that day. I must say, I feel I don't deserve the win here."
Birds chirped in the background somewhere far off. Harry leaned back to look up at the sky. "You waited until now so I couldn't come up with another plan."
"Quite right. But take heart, I have spoken with your relatives. They are painfully aware I am protecting them, and I think you will find your experience there much improved. I intend it to be a safehouse, and while it may contain bad memories for you, it will be a safe house, I promise you that much."
Harry snorted. "No pleas to make peace with them?"
"None." Dumbledore grimaced. "I apologize on that account Harry. It was wrong of me to insist. I left your other items in your care. It is not my place as Headmaster to determine how you handle your family situation. Calming Draughts may go a long way."
"Apology accepted." Harry stood up and stretched. "I'm not mad about it anymore. If I manage it, I manage it. With the restrictions on my magic and the danger, and seeing You-Know-Who; I'm not as keen to run away as a first resort."
"I'm glad you're maturing into a responsible young man Harry," said Dumbledore.
# # #
A few days later Harry, Neville, Tracey, Hermione, Ron, Daphne, Susan, and Hannah Abbot all crowded into a cabin together. Harry sat quietly in the corner and just watched their antics play out. It made him happy. He opened the window in the cabin to let Hedwig stretch her wings, opening her cage and having her fly next to the train. Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched Hedwig sail alongside gracefully. Harry looked into the distance and sighed. Hedwig would be unhappy with his destination no doubt.
END OF BOOK ONE
For plotting and cliffhanging purposes, I have decided to cut here. Book two has a good amount finished, but I'll likely release that all at once. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far. I've been using these as practice, so that when the muse isn't striking me, I turn to fanfiction. If you feel like dumping on it, go bananas. If you feel like praising it, go bananas! All input is greatly appreciated. If you give this a review, good or bad, that is a favor to me. Thank you so much for reading this far! :D