They weaved their way back down through the castle, across the Entrance Hall and up the corridor towards the Hospital Wing. Dumbledore strode ahead of them, pushed open the doors and allowed Y/N and Hermione to lift Harry through the door, Sirius trotting in after them.

They were surprised to find the room alight with activity, however. Mrs Weasley, Bill, Ron, and Ginny were grouped around a harassed looking Madam Pomfrey. They appeared to be demanding to know where Harry, Y/N and Hermione were and what had happened to them.

All of them whipped around as the four of them, and the black dog entered, and Ron hurried over to help them carry Harry in, just as Mrs Weasley let out a kind of muffled scream.

'Harry! Oh Harry!'

She too started to hurry toward him, but Dumbledore moved between them.

'Molly,' he said, holding up a hand, 'please listen to me for a moment. Harry has been through a terrible ordeal tonight, as has Y/N. Both of them have just had to relive it for me. What they need now is sleep, and peace, and quiet. If he would like you all to stay with them,' he added, looking around at Ron, Ginny, and Bill too, 'you may do so. But I do not want you questioning them until they are ready to answer, and certainly not this evening.'

Mrs. Weasley nodded. She was very white. She rounded on Ron, Ginny, and Bill as though they were being noisy, and hissed.

'Did you hear? They needs quiet!'

'Headmaster,' said Madam Pomfrey, staring at the great black dog that was Sirius, 'may I ask what-?'

'This dog will be remaining with Harry for a while,' said Dumbledore simply. 'I assure you; he is extremely well trained. I will wait while you both get into bed.' He added to Y/N and Harry 'I will be back to see you as soon as I have met with Fudge. I would like you to remain here tomorrow until I have spoken to the school.' He left.

Y/N allowed Ron and Madam Pomfrey to take Harry as he limped over towards the bed next to him.

The adrenaline hadn't left his body from the moment it had begun, staring down Mad-Eye Moody outside the maze. Y/N was grateful for that. It had definitely allowed him to stay calm during the graveyard fight. But now it flooded out of him as he leant up against the bed, to the point where he swayed dangerously.

He felt two pairs of hands grab him as Hermione and Ginny supported him onto the bed, where he landed with a dull thud before glancing down at himself.

If his face reflected his robes, he was a mess. The parts that weren't torn were covered in muck, dirt and even the odd patch of dried blood. Several rips had cut clean through the fabric. The red star was missing, he didn't know where that had gone. And some of the rips had travelled through into cuts on the skin. Nothing dangerous or life threatening, but certainly not a pretty picture.

'God, I look terrible,' said Y/N hoarsely.

'You're telling me that?' said Hermione. 'I've seen you since the moment you got back.'

'Yeah… well, at least I'm here. Gave Lucius Malfoy a good thrashing as well.'

Y/N watched as Madam Pomfrey led Harry to the bed next to him, and then, out of the corner of his eye, spotted the real Moody lying motionless in a bed at the far end of the room. His wooden leg and magical eye were lying on the bedside table.

Harry had noticed too.

'Is he okay?' Harry asked.

'He'll be fine,' said Madam Pomfrey, giving Harry some pyjamas and pulling screens around him. She did the same with Y/N and Ginny slipped out as the curtains closed. Hermione however, helped Y/N remove his robes and shirt and pull on the top.

She looked away as he changed his trousers.

He waved his wand to open the curtains before he detached his holster, placing it on the bedside table. The Weasleys filtered back in, settling themselves on the far sides of both Y/N and Harry.

'Hey Y/N. I never got to thank you,' said Harry.

'You don't need to, mate,' said Y/N, 'I'm just sorry I couldn't step in sooner.'

Harry shook his head.

'I'm glad you were there. You saved my life. Again. And I'm glad you made it back.'

'Are you kidding me? Voldemort is nothing compared to these two,' said Y/N, indicating Hermione and Ginny.

Harry gave a small laugh.

Mrs Weasley's eyes filled with tears as she smoothed his bedcovers unnecessarily, looking between the two boys.

Madam Pomfrey, who had bustled off to her office, returned holding a two small bottles of some purple potion and a goblet.

'You'll need to drink all of this,' she said to them. 'It's a potion for dreamless sleep.'

They each took the goblet and drank a few mouthfuls. Y/N felt himself becoming drowsy at once. Everything around him became hazy; the lamps around the hospital wing seemed to be winking at him in a friendly way through the screen around his bed; his body felt as though it was sinking deeper into the warmth of the feather mattress.

'I love you, 'Mione,' breathed Y/N, 'Sorry for making you worry.'

And with that, he was gone.

He wasn't gone for long though. He came to what could have only been a short while later feeling extremely heavy and light. At first, he wondered what had woken him up. Then he heard hissing all around him. Whispers.

'They'll wake them if they don't shut up!'

'What are they shouting about? Nothing else can have happened, can it?'

Y/N opened his eyes and shifted himself up slightly. Hermione's eyes snapped to him at once and he watched as they filled with warmth and happiness at seeing him awake. But she raised a finger to her lips and pointed at the door with her free hand. The other, he now realised, was wrapped in his.

Mrs Weasley was on her feet.

'That's Fudge's voice,' she whispered. 'And that's Minerva McGonagall's, isn't it? But what are they arguing about?'

Y/N could hear them too: people shouting and running toward the hospital wing.

'Regrettable, but all the same, Minerva-' Cornelius Fudge was saying loudly.

'You should never have brought it inside the castle!' yelled Professor McGonagall. 'When Dumbledore finds out-'

The hospital wing doors burst open. Y/N watched out of the corner of his eye as Harry seemed to reach for something, then put on his glasses as he sat up. Y/N followed suit, propping himself up

No one bar Hermione seemed to have noticed, they were all watching as Fudge came striding up the ward. Professors McGonagall and Snape were at his heels.

'Where's Dumbledore?' Fudge demanded of Mrs Weasley.

'He's not here,' said Mrs Weasley angrily. 'This is a hospital wing, Minister, don't you think you'd do better to-'

But the door opened, and Dumbledore came sweeping up the ward.

'What has happened?' said Dumbledore sharply, looking from Fudge to Professor McGonagall. 'Why are you disturbing these people? Minerva, I'm surprised at you, I asked you to stand guard over Barty Crouch-'

'There is no need to stand guard over him anymore, Dumbledore!' she shrieked. 'The Minister has seen to that!'

Y/N rarely ever saw his mother like this. He knew she could get angry but above all of that there was another tier. One he'd only seen twice before. There were angry blotches of colour in her cheeks, and her hands were balled into fists; she was trembling with fury.

'When we told Mr Fudge that we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events,' said Snape, in a low voice, 'he seemed to feel his personal safety was in question. He insisted on summoning a dementor to accompany him into the castle. He brought it up to the office where Barty Crouch-'

'I told him you would not agree, Dumbledore!' Professor McGonagall fumed. 'I told him you would never allow dementors to set foot inside the castle, but-'

'My dear woman!' roared Fudge, who likewise looked just as angry, 'as Minister of Magic, it is my decision whether I wish to bring protection with me when interviewing a possibly dangerous-'

But Professor McGonagall's voice drowned Fudge's.

'The moment that, that thing entered the room,' she screamed, pointing at Fudge, trembling all over, 'it swooped down on Crouch and… and-'

Y/N felt his stomach turn to ice. He didn't feel sorry for Crouch. He'd put them through too much for that. But the thought of the Dementor clapping its mouth over his, and performing its kiss… it was stomach churning.

'By all accounts, he is no loss!' blustered Fudge. 'It seems he has been responsible for several deaths!'

'But he cannot now give testimony, Cornelius,' said Dumbledore. He was staring hard at Fudge, as though seeing him plainly for the first time. 'He cannot give evidence about why he killed those people.'

'Why he killed them? Well, that's no mystery, is it?' blustered Fudge. 'He was a raving lunatic! From what Minerva and Severus have told me, he seems to have thought he was doing it all on You-Know-Who's instructions!'

'Lord Voldemort was giving him instructions, Cornelius,' Dumbledore said. 'Those people's deaths were mere by-products of a plan to restore Voldemort to full strength again. The plan succeeded. Voldemort has been restored to his body.'

Fudge looked as though someone had just swung a heavy weight into his face. Dazed and blinking, he stared back at Dumbledore as if he couldn't quite believe what he had just heard. He began to sputter, still goggling at Dumbledore.

'You-Know-Who, returned? Preposterous. Come now, Dumbledore.'

'As Minerva and Severus have doubtless told you,' said Dumbledore, 'we heard Barry Crouch confess. Under the influence of Veritaserum, he told us how he was smuggled out of Azkaban, and how Voldemort, learning of his continued existence from Bertha Jorkins, went to free him from his father and used him to capture Harry. The plan worked; I tell you. Crouch has helped Voldemort to return.'

'See here, Dumbledore,' said Fudge, and Y/N was astonished to see a slight smile dawning on his face, 'you… you can't seriously believe that. You-Know-Who, back? Come now, come now. Certainly, Crouch may have believed himself to be acting upon You-Know-Who's orders, but to take the word of a lunatic like that, Dumbledore…'

'When Harry touched the Triwizard Cup tonight, he was transported straight to Voldemort,' said Dumbledore steadily. 'Y/N discovered the impostor Crouch and followed. They witnessed Lord Voldemort's rebirth. I will explain it all to you if you will step up to my office.'

Dumbledore glanced around at them and saw that Y/N and Harry were awake, but shook his head and said, 'I am afraid I cannot permit you to question them tonight.'

Fudge's curious smile lingered. He too glanced at them, then looked back at Dumbledore, and said, 'You are, er, prepared to take their word on this, are you, Dumbledore?'

There was a moment's silence, which was broken by Sirius growling. His hackles were raised, and he was baring his teeth at Fudge.

'Certainly, I believe them,' said Dumbledore. His eyes were blazing now. 'I heard Crouch's confession, and I heard Y/N's account of what happened after they were transported away; the two stories make sense, they explain everything that has happened since Bertha Jorkins disappeared last summer.'

Fudge still had that strange smile on his face. Once again, he glanced at them before answering.

'You are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, on the word of a lunatic murderer, and two boys who… well...'

Fudge shot them another look, and Harry suddenly spoke.

'You've been reading Rita Skeeter, Mr Fudge,' he said quietly.

Ron, Ginny, Mrs Weasley, and Bill all jumped. None of them had realized that the two boys were awake.

Fudge reddened slightly, but a defiant and obstinate look came over his face.

'And if I have?' he said, looking at Dumbledore. 'If I have discovered that you've been keeping certain facts about the boy very quiet? A Parselmouth, eh? And having funny turns all over the place-'

'I assume that you are referring to the pains Harry has been experiencing in his scar?' said Dumbledore coolly.

'You admit that he has been having these pains, then?' said Fudge quickly. 'Headaches? Nightmares? Possibly, hallucinations?'

'And what of my word then Fudge?' asked Y/N nastily. 'Does that mean nothing to you either?'

'The word of a son of the world's most wanted Death Eater, second to only You-Know-Who himself?' said Fudge. 'Funnily enough, I'm inclined to believe your family have a history of stirring the pot, Mr L/N. Your heritage doesn't fill me with confidence in your testimony.'

'Listen to me, Cornelius,' said Dumbledore, taking a step toward Fudge, and once again, he seemed to radiate that indefinable sense of power that he had after he had Stunned young Crouch. 'Harry is as sane as you or I. That scar upon his forehead has not addled his brains. I believe it hurts him when Lord Voldemort is close by or feeling particularly murderous. And Y/N is as much against Voldemort as you or I. He has had no communication with his mother since his birth and never once, have I believed he bears a secret love for the dark arts.'

Fudge had taken half a step back from Dumbledore, but he looked no less stubborn.

'You'll forgive me, Dumbledore, but I've never heard of a curse scar acting as an alarm bell before.'

'You've never heard of anyone surviving the Killing Curse before either,' spat Y/N.

'Look, we saw Voldemort come back!' Harry shouted. He tried to get out of bed, but Mrs Weasley forced him back. 'We saw the Death Eaters! I can give you, their names! Lucius Malfoy-'

Snape made a sudden movement, but as Harry and Y/N looked at him, Snape's eyes flew back to Fudge.

'Malfoy was cleared!' said Fudge, visibly affronted. 'A very old family, donations to excellent causes-'

'Macnair!' Harry continued.

'Also cleared! Now working for the Ministry!'

'Avery, Nott, Crabbe, Goyle, Snow!'

'You are merely repeating the names of those who were acquitted of being Death Eaters thirteen years ago!' said Fudge angrily. 'And one who is hunting for your friend's mother. You could have found those names in old reports of the trials! For heaven's sake, Dumbledore, the boys were full of some crackpot story at the end of last year too, the tales are getting taller, and you're still swallowing them, the boy can talk to snakes, Dumbledore, and you still think he's trustworthy?'

'You fool!' Professor McGonagall cried. The anger was even more evident in her face now. She obviously wasn't taking kindly to the slander of Y/N. 'Cedric Diggory! Mr. Crouch! These deaths were not the random work of a lunatic!'

'I see no evidence to the contrary!' shouted Fudge, now matching her anger, his face purpling. 'It seems to me that you are all determined to start a panic that will destabilize everything we have worked for these last thirteen years!'

'Lucius Malfoy has a new scar up his back,' yelled Y/N. 'I gave it to him myself in that graveyard, tonight!'

Y/N didn't know an awful lot about the minister, but he did now that he normally took a lot of Dumbledore's advice and recommendations. He trusted and respected Dumbledore. But that side of him seemed to be gone.

Now, all that stood before them was a short, angry wizard, refusing, point-blank, to accept the prospect of disruption in his comfortable and ordered world, to believe that Voldemort could have risen.

'Voldemort has returned,' Dumbledore repeated. 'If you accept that fact straightaway, Fudge, and take the necessary measures, we may still be able to save the situation. The first and most essential step is to remove Azkaban from the control of the Dementors-'

'Preposterous!' shouted Fudge again. 'Remove the Dementors? I'd be kicked out of office for suggesting it! Half of us only feel safe in our beds at night because we know the Dementors are standing guard at Azkaban!'

'The rest of us sleep less soundly in our beds, Cornelius, knowing that you have put Lord Voldemort's most dangerous supporters in the care of creatures who will join him the instant he asks them!' said Dumbledore. 'They will not remain loyal to you, Fudge! Voldemort can offer them much more scope for their powers and their pleasures than you can! With the dementors behind him, and his old supporters returned to him, you will be hard pressed to stop him regaining the sort of power he had thirteen years ago!'

Fudge was opening and closing his mouth as though no words could express his outrage.

'The second step you must take, and at once,' Dumbledore pressed on, 'is to send envoys to the giants.'

'Envoys to the giants?' Fudge shrieked, finding his tongue again. 'What madness is this?'

'Extend them the hand of friendship, now, before it is too late,' said Dumbledore, 'or Voldemort will persuade them, as he did before, that he alone among wizards will give them their rights and their freedom!'

'You- you cannot be serious!' Fudge gasped, shaking his head, and retreating further from Dumbledore. 'If the magical community got wind that I had approached the giants, people hate them, Dumbledore, end of my career-'

Now it all made sense to Y/N. Fudge loved his throne too much. He was the Minister for Magic. A title that had evidently gone to his head. And Dumbledore too, seemed to notice

'You are blinded,' he said, his voice rising now, the aura of power around him palpable, his eyes blazing once more, 'by the love of the office you hold, Cornelius! You place too much importance, and you always have done, on the so-called purity of blood! You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be! Your dementor has just destroyed the last remaining member of a pure-blood family as old as any and see what that man chose to make of his life! I tell you now, take the steps I have suggested, and you will be remembered, in office or out, as one of the bravest and greatest Ministers of Magic we have ever known. Fail to act, and history will remember you as the man who stepped aside and allowed Voldemort a second chance to destroy the world we have tried to rebuild!'

'Insane,' whispered Fudge, still backing away. 'Mad...'

And then there was silence. Madam Pomfrey was standing frozen at the foot of Harry's bed, her hands over her mouth. Mrs. Weasley was still standing over Harry, her hand on his shoulder to prevent him from rising. Bill, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and Y/N were staring at Fudge.

'If your determination to shut your eyes will carry you as far as this, Cornelius,' said Dumbledore, 'we have reached a parting of the ways. You must act as you see fit. And I, I shall act as I see fit.'

Dumbledore's voice carried no hint of a threat; it sounded like a mere statement, but Fudge bristled as though Dumbledore were advancing upon him with a wand.

'Now, see here, Dumbledore,' he said, waving a threatening finger. 'I've given you free rein, always. I've had a lot of respect for you. I might not have agreed with some of your decisions, but I've kept quiet. There aren't many who'd have let you hire werewolves, or keep Hagrid, or decide what to teach your students without reference to the Ministry. But if you're going to work against me-'

'The only one against whom I intend to work,' said Dumbledore, 'is Lord Voldemort. If you are against him, then we remain, Cornelius, on the same side.'

It seemed Fudge could think of no answer to this. He rocked backward and forward on his small feet for a moment and spun his bowler hat in his hands. Finally, he said, with a hint of a plea in his voice,

'He can't be back, Dumbledore, he just can't be…'

Snape strode forward, past Dumbledore, pulling up the left sleeve of his robes as he went. He stuck out his forearm and showed it to Fudge, who recoiled.

Y/N saw what must have been on Wormtail's arm back in the graveyard. A skull with a snake protruding from its mouth.

'There,' said Snape harshly. 'There. The Dark Mark. It is not as clear as it was an hour or so ago, when it burned black, but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had the sign burned into him by the Dark Lord. It was a means of distinguishing one another, and his means of summoning us to him. When he touched the Mark of any Death Eater, we were to Disapparate, and Apparate, instantly, at his side. This Mark has been growing clearer all year. Karkaroff 's too. Why do you think Karkaroff fled tonight? We both felt the Mark burn. We both knew he had returned. Karkaroff fears the Dark Lord's vengeance. He betrayed too many of his fellow Death Eaters to be sure of a welcome back into the fold.'

Fudge stepped back from Snape too. He was shaking his head. He did not seem to have taken in a word Snape had said. He stared, apparently repelled by the ugly mark on Snape's arm, then looked up at Dumbledore and whispered,

'I don't know what you and your staff are playing at, Dumbledore, but I have heard enough. I have no more to add. I will be in touch with you tomorrow, Dumbledore, to discuss the running of this school. I must return to the Ministry.'

He had almost reached the door when he paused. He turned around, strode back down the dormitory, and stopped at Harry's bed.

'Your winnings,' he said shortly, taking a large bag of gold out of his pocket and dropping it onto Harry's bedside table. 'One thousand Galleons. There should have been a presentation ceremony, but under the circumstances…'

He crammed his bowler hat onto his head and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The moment he had disappeared, Dumbledore turned to look at the group around the beds.

'There is work to be done,' he said. 'Molly, am I right in thinking that I can count on you and Arthur?'

'Of course you can,' said Mrs Weasley. She was white to the lips, but she looked resolute. 'We know what Fudge is. It's Arthur's fondness for Muggles that has held him back at the Ministry all these years. Fudge thinks he lacks proper wizarding pride.'

'Then I need to send a message to Arthur,' said Dumbledore.

'All those that we can persuade of the truth must be notified immediately, and he is well placed to contact those at the Ministry who are not as short-sighted as Cornelius.'

'I'll go to Dad,' said Bill, standing up. 'I'll go now.'

'Excellent,' said Dumbledore. 'Tell him what has happened. Tell him I will be in direct contact with him shortly. He will need to be discreet, however. If Fudge thinks I am interfering at the Ministry-'

'Leave it to me,' said Bill.

He clapped a hand on Harry and Y/N's shoulder, kissed his mother on the cheek, pulled on his cloak, and strode quickly from the room.

'Minerva,' said Dumbledore, turning to Professor McGonagall, 'I want to see Hagrid in my office as soon as possible. Also, if she will consent to come, Madame Maxime. I also want your answer.'

Professor McGonagall, looked towards Y/N.

'He's ready Albus, I can see it in his face. He has a lot more to learn. But I have no doubt he'll learn it, and be a valuable asset to the Order.'

'Thank you,' said Dumbledore. McGonagall nodded, and swept from the room.

'Poppy,' Dumbledore said to Madam Pomfrey, 'would you be very kind and go down to Professor Moody's office, where I think you will find a house-elf called Winky in considerable distress? Do what you can for her and take her back to the kitchens. I think Dobby will look after her for us.'

'Very- very well,' said Madam Pomfrey, looking startled, and she too left.

Dumbledore made sure that the door was closed, and that Madam Pomfrey's footsteps had died away before he spoke again.

'And now,' he said, 'it is time for two of our number to recognize each other for what they are. Sirius, if you could resume your usual form.'

The great black dog looked up at Dumbledore, then, in an instant, turned back into a man.

Mrs Weasley screamed and leapt back from the bed.

'Sirius Black!' she shrieked, pointing at him.

'Mum, shut up!' Ron yelled. 'It's okay!'

Snape had not yelled or jumped backward, but the look on his face was one of mingled fury and horror.

'Him!' he snarled, staring at Sirius, whose face showed equal dislike. 'What is he doing here?'

'He is here at my invitation,' said Dumbledore, looking between them, 'as are you, Severus. I trust you both. It is time for you to lay aside your old differences and trust each other.'

Dumbledore was asking for a near miracle. Sirius and Snape were eyeing each other with the utmost loathing.

'I will settle, in the short term,' said Dumbledore, with a bite of impatience in his voice, 'for a lack of open hostility. You will shake hands. You are on the same side now. Time is short, and unless the few of us who know the truth do not stand united, there is no hope for any of us.'

Very slowly, but still glaring at each other as though each wished the other nothing but ill, Sirius and Snape moved toward each other and shook hands. They let go extremely quickly.

'That will do to be going on with,' said Dumbledore, stepping between them once more. 'Now I have work for each of you. Fudge's attitude, though not unexpected, changes everything. Sirius, I need you to set off at once. You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, the old crowd. Lie low at Lupin's for a while; I will contact you there.'

'But-' said Harry.

'You'll see me very soon, Harry,' said Sirius, turning to him. 'I promise you. But I must do what I can, you understand, don't you?'

'Yeah,' said Harry. 'Yeah... of course I do.'

Sirius grasped his hand briefly, nodded to Dumbledore, transformed again into the black dog, and ran the length of the room to the door, whose handle he turned with a paw. Then he was gone.

'Severus,' said Dumbledore, turning to Snape, 'you know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready. If you are prepared.'

'I am,' said Snape.

He looked slightly paler than usual, and his cold, black eyes glittered strangely.

'Then good luck,' said Dumbledore, and he watched, with a trace of apprehension on his face, as Snape swept wordlessly after Sirius.

'Finally, Y/N,' he said, turning to Y/N, 'If you can, please rise.'

Y/N pulled himself sideways out of his bed, and stood across from Dumbledore.

'Know, that you can refuse what I am about to ask you. You may say no. But if you say yes, there is no going back. You will fight for us until the end.'

'I'd do that anyway Professor Dumbledore. Voldemort can't win. He won't win. I won't let him.'

'Then it is with great pride, that I offer you a position within The Order of the Phoenix,' said Dumbledore, holding out a hand.

'It is with even greater pride that I accept.' Y/N seized his hand and shook it.

He heard several gasps from behind them as flames enveloped where their hands connected, but it did not burn. It was a warm, pleasant feeling. It enveloped Y/N's entire body and gave him a surge of energy.

'As I mentioned to you before,' said Dumbledore, 'You will not be given assignments in the same way the others are. You are not yet of age; even if the trace does not affect you, you must study and learn. You will, however, be my eyes and ears inside the castle and amongst the student body. You have proven time and time again that you and your friends can find things even we cannot. And your previous assignment still stands.'

'I'll perform it to the best of my capabilities, Professor,' said Y/N. Dumbledore gave one final nod then gestured Y/N back to his bed.

'I must go downstairs. I must see the Diggorys. Take the rest of your potions. I will see all of you later.'

Harry slumped back against his pillows as Y/N clambered into his own bed. The gathered people turned to look at him.

'I didn't think Dumbledore would take someone underage,' said Mrs Weasley. 'You truly are a special case, Y/N.'

Y/N simply nodded. They remained there in silence for a long while, before Mrs Weasley broke the silence again.

'You've got to take the rest of your potion, Harry.' Her hand nudged the sack of gold on his bedside cabinet as she reached for the bottle and the goblet. 'You have a good long sleep. Try and think about something else for a while, think about what you're going to buy with your winnings!'

'I don't want that gold,' said Harry in an expressionless voice. 'You have it. Anyone can have it. I shouldn't have won it. It should've been Cedric's.'

Y/N heard Harry's voice shake and saw him look upwards towards the ceiling.

'It wasn't your fault, Harry,' said Y/N.

'I told him to take the cup with me,' said Harry.

Mrs Weasley set the potion down on the bedside cabinet, bent down, and put her arms around Harry. They stayed like that for a long while. Harry looking at though he was on the brink of collapse.

There was a loud slamming noise, and Mrs Weasley and Harry broke apart as everyone else jumped.

Y/N hadn't noticed that Hermione had moved away at some point, she was now standing by the window. And was holding something tight in her hand.

'Sorry,' she whispered.

'Your potion, Harry,' said Mrs Weasley quickly, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. 'And you, Y/N.'

Harry drank it in one gulp, but Y/N turned his eyes quizzically onto Hermione. She, however, shook her head.

'I'll tell you later love, drink. Sleep. I'll explain once you wake up.'

Y/N took a deep breath, took the goblet Ginny was holding out and drained it in one. Once more, the same light and empty feeling swept through him, and he felt himself fall backwards against the mattress.

The next few days were mostly a blur. Y/N didn't feel as though he needed as long in the Hospital wing as Harry did, but both Madam Pomfrey and Hermione refused to let him leave. Finally, they were released.

They returned to Gryffindor Tower that following evening. From what Hermione and Ron told them, Dumbledore had spoken to the school that morning at breakfast. He had merely requested that they leave the duo alone, that nobody ask them questions or badger them to tell the story of what had happened.

Most people, he noticed, were skirting them in the corridors, avoiding their eyes. Some whispered behind their hands as they passed. But Y/N found it difficult to care. Most of his free time was now spent with Hermione and some combination of Ginny, Luna, Harry, and Ron in some dark corner of the castle.

He'd told them all what had happened in the graveyard and then avoided the subject all together. Especially whilst Harry was around. But nothing would prepare him for the talk he and Hermione had, shortly after he got out of the Hospital Wing.

The two of them were sat alone in the library when Hermione closed her book, got up, and took Y/N's hand. Y/N allowed her to pull him to his feet and then followed her, slightly bemused, through the castle.

'Want to explain where we're going?' he asked after a few minutes.

'If I wanted to do that, I would have done it,' said Hermione with a smile.

She led Y/N all the way down a corridor and to the door of the training room.

'I think we've had enough of this this year, Hermione,' said Y/N exasperatedly.

But Hermione gave the password and dragged him inside. The room was just as he remembered it. Except faint music was ringing out. He looked around curiously and spotted a wizarding wireless in the corner, playing a soft gentle tune. Sitting next to it was Ginny.

She smiled as the two of them entered and then got up and made her way past them without a word. Hermione seized Y/N's other hand, wrapped it around her waist and then began swaying slowly, her head on his chest.

'Is this the part where you yell at me for doing something stupid?' asked Y/N as he slowly twirled her away and then back into him.

'No. This is the part where I thank you for coming back to me alive,' said Hermione. 'I can't keep worrying about you getting into danger. You're obviously going to do it. And I can't keep getting angry when you go without me. I would have been no help in that graveyard, and you saved Harry's life and still got out of there alive. You faced Voldemort and lived.'

'I guess I did do that,' said Y/N as they continued to sway, 'I will admit, it doesn't feel like much of a victory. The Death Eaters were nothing compared to the Dominators, and I didn't duel Voldemort. That was all mum.'

'But you're alive. And you're here, with me, so let's just enjoy it and dance.'

The two of them moved for an indeterminate amount of time. It could have been a few minutes. It could have been several days. Y/N didn't care. He was happy being here, with her. Just moving.

Then, their dance came to an end. Y/N pulled Hermione into his chest, and she looked up into his face.

'I love you, Y/N. Thank you for being so wonderful.'

'I love you too, Hermione. And thank you too.'

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. It was light, fleeting, but sent a warmth through Y/N's body that only she could give him. This was love. True love. And he would fight to keep this, until the end.

()()()()()()

As there was no longer a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, they had those lessons free. They used the one on Thursday afternoon to go down and visit Hagrid in his cabin. It was a bright and sunny day; Fang bounded out of the open door as they approached, barking and wagging his tail madly.

'Who's that?' called Hagrid, coming to the door. 'There yer are!' He strode out to meet them, pulled both Y/N and Harry into a one-armed hug, ruffled their hair, and said, 'Good ter see yeh, mates. Good ter see yeh.'

They saw two bucket-size cups and saucers on the wooden table in front of the fireplace when they entered Hagrid's cabin.

'Bin havin' a cuppa with Olympe,' Hagrid said. 'She's jus' left.'

'Who?' said Ron curiously.

'Madame Maxime, o' course!' said Hagrid.

'You two made up, have you?' said Ron.

'Dunno what yeh're talkin' about,' said Hagrid airily, fetching more cups from the dresser. When he had made tea and offered around a plate of doughy cookies, he leaned back in his chair and surveyed the two of them closely through his beetle-black eyes.

'You all righ'?' he said gruffly.

'Yeah,' said Harry, answering for both of them.

'No, yeh're not,' said Hagrid. ''Course yeh're not. But yeh will be.'

Y/N gave Hagrid a warm smile, one he returned.

'Knew he was goin' ter come back,' said Hagrid, 'Known it fer years. Knew he was out there, bidin' his time. It had ter happen. Well, now it has, an' we'll jus' have ter get on with it. We'll fight. Migh' be able ter stop him before he gets a good hold. That's Dumbledore's plan, anyway. Great man, Dumbledore. 'S long as we've got him, I'm not too worried.'

Y/N nodded along in approval, though he saw the other three wearing varying looks of shock.

'No good sittin' worryin' abou' it,' he said. 'What's comin' will come, an' we'll meet it when it does. Dumbledore told me wha' you did.'

Hagrid's chest swelled as he looked at Harry.

'Yeh did as much as yer father would've done, an' I can' give yeh no higher praise than that. Returnin' his body was a good thing.'

His eyes turned onto Y/N.

'And yer charged inter hell and made sure yer friend got back. At risk to yerself. Yer mother would be proud.'

'She was,' said Y/N thickly. His mind picturing his mother's face again. 'She is.'

'What's Dumbledore asked you to do, Hagrid?' Harry asked. 'He sent Professor McGonagall to ask you and Madame Maxime to meet him, that night.'

'Got a little job fer me over the summer,' said Hagrid. 'Secret, though. I'm not s'pposed ter talk abou' it, no, not even ter you lot. Olympe, Madame Maxime ter you, might be comin' with me. I think she will. Think I got her persuaded.'

'Is it to do with Voldemort?'

Hagrid flinched at the sound of the name.

'Migh' be,' he said evasively. 'Now, who'd like ter come an' visit the las' skrewt with me? I was jokin'- jokin'!' he added hastily, seeing the looks on their faces.

It wasn't long before the end of term was upon them. Y/N found himself, Harry, and Ron packing up their trunks up in the dormitory on the night before their departure. The leaving feast wasn't going to be pleasant.

Y/N, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had all avoided the Great Hall as best they could during mealtimes, choosing instead to slip in whilst it was quiet. The stares they got were more obvious, but there were less of them. Tonight however, it would be unavoidable.

As the five of them entered the Hall, they saw at once that the usual decorations were missing. The Great Hall was normally decorated with the winning House's colours for the Leaving Feast. Tonight, however, there were black drapes on the wall behind the teachers' table. A respectful gesture for the dead.

The real Mad-Eye Moody was at the staff table now, his wooden leg and his magical eye back in place. He was extremely twitchy, jumping every time someone spoke to him.

Professor Karkaroff's chair was empty, emphasising Snape's point of Karkaroff fleeing the moment he'd felt the Dark Mark burn.

Madame Maxime was still there. She was sitting next to Hagrid. They were talking quietly together. Further along the table, sitting next to Professor McGonagall, was Snape. His eyes lingered on them all for a moment as they looked at him. His expression was difficult to read.

Professor Dumbledore stood up at the staff table. The Great Hall, which in any case had been less noisy than it usually was at the Leaving Feast, became very quiet.

'The end,' said Dumbledore, looking around at them all, 'of another year.'

He paused, and his eyes fell upon the Hufflepuff table. Theirs had been the most subdued table before he had gotten to his feet, and theirs were still the saddest and palest faces in the Hall.

'There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight,' said Dumbledore, 'but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here,' he gestured toward the Hufflepuffs, 'enjoying our feast with us. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to Cedric Diggory.'

They did it, all of them; the benches scraped as everyone in the Hall stood, and raised their goblets, and echoed, in one loud, low, rumbling voice, 'Cedric Diggory.'

'Cedric was a person who exemplified many of the qualities that distinguish Hufflepuff house,' Dumbledore continued. 'He was a good and loyal friend, a hard worker, he valued fair play. His death has affected you all, whether you knew him well or not. I think that you have the right, therefore, to know exactly how it came about.'

Y/N felt his breath catch. Was Dumbledore really going to do this?

'Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort.'

A panicked whisper swept the Great Hall. People were staring at Dumbledore in disbelief, in horror. He looked perfectly calm as he watched them mutter themselves into silence.

'The Ministry of Magic,' Dumbledore continued, 'does not wish me to tell you this. It is possible that some of your parents will be horrified that I have done so, either because they will not believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, or because they think I should not tell you so, young as you are. It is my belief, however, that the truth is generally preferable to lies, and that any attempt to pretend that Cedric died as the result of an accident, or some sort of blunder of his own, is an insult to his memory.'

Stunned and frightened, every face in the Hall was turned toward Dumbledore now.

'There are others who must be mentioned in connection with Cedric's death,' Dumbledore went on. 'I am talking, of course, about Harry Potter and Y/N L/N.'

A kind of ripple crossed the Great Hall as a few heads turned in their direction before flicking back to face Dumbledore.

'The two of them managed to escape Lord Voldemort,' said Dumbledore. 'They risked their own life to return Cedric's body to Hogwarts, and was even prepared to give his own to accomplish the act. Luckily it did not come to that. They showed, in every respect, the sort of bravery that few wizards have ever shown in facing Lord Voldemort, and for this, I honour them.'

Dumbledore turned gravely towards them and raised his goblet once more. Nearly everyone in the Great Hall followed suit. They murmured their names, as they had murmured Cedric's, and drank to him. But through a gap in the standing figures, Y/N saw that Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and many of the other Slytherins had remained defiantly in their seats, their goblets untouched. Dumbledore, who after all possessed no magical eye, did not see them. Y/N found he didn't really care.

When everyone had once again resumed their seats, Dumbledore continued, 'The Triwizard Tournament's aim was to further and promote magical understanding. In the light of what has happened, of Lord Voldemort's return, such ties are more important than ever before.'

Dumbledore looked from Madame Maxime and Hagrid to Fleur Delacour and her fellow Beauxbatons students, to Viktor Krum and the Durmstrangs at the Slytherin table. Krum, looked wary, almost frightened, as though he expected Dumbledore to say something harsh.

'Every guest in this Hall,' said Dumbledore, and his eyes lingered upon the Durmstrang students, 'will be welcomed back here at any time, should they wish to come. I say to you all, once again, in the light of Lord Voldemort's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.

'It is my belief, and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken, that we are all facing dark and difficult times. Some of you in this Hall have already suffered directly at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Many of your families have been torn asunder. A week ago, a student was taken from our midst. Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory.'

()()()()()()

The four of them were waiting just outside the Entrance Hall for the carriages that would take them down towards Hogsmeade station. Ginny had already broken away as the third years were sent on ahead, though she'd promised to save them all a carriage. Hermione was wrapped around Y/N's arm and Y/N was trying very hard to not pay attention to the owl cages absence amongst his belongings.

''Arry!' said a voice.

They looked around. Fleur Delacour was hurrying up the stone steps into the castle. Beyond her, far across the grounds, Hagrid was helping Madame Maxime to back two of the Abraxans into their harness. The Beauxbatons carriage was about to take off.

'We will see each uzzer again, I 'ope,' said Fleur as she reached him, holding out her hand. 'I am 'oping to get a job 'ere, to improve my Eenglish.'

'It's very good already,' said Ron in a strangled sort of voice. Fleur smiled at him.

'And zank you!' she added, turning to Y/N, 'you saved me, in ze maze.'

'Only doing what I was asked to do,' said Y/N, shaking her hand. 'Stay safe, Fleur.'

'Good-bye,' said Fleur, turning to go. 'It 'az been a pleasure meeting you!'

'Wonder how the Durmstrang students are getting back,' said Ron. 'D'you reckon they can steer that ship without Karkaroff?'

'Karkaroff did not steer,' said a gruff voice. 'He stayed in his cabin and let us do the vork. I liked Diggory,' he added abruptly to Harry. 'He vos alvays polite to me. Alvays. Even though I vos from Durmstrang, with Karkaroff,' he added, scowling.

'Have you got a new headmaster yet?' said Harry.

Krum shrugged. He held out his hand as Fleur had done, shook Harry's hand, and then Ron's. He completely blanked Y/N and Hermione. Krum had already started walking away when Ron burst out, 'Can I have your autograph?'

Krum, looking surprised but gratified, signed a fragment of parchment for Ron.

Just in time for the carriages to swing into sight at the end of the drive. Y/N let out a small gasp. The carriages were no longer horseless. Now, several skeletal black, serpent like horses were revealed pulling the carriages along.

'What's up?' asked Hermione quietly as she too stared at the carriages.

'Nothing, just excited to see them,' said Y/N. It wasn't a full lie, but he didn't need to tell Hermione about the creatures. Thestrals could only be seen by those who had seen death. Y/N always wondered whether he'd ever see one. It hadn't exactly been high on his to-do list.

The quartet arrived at the station and found the compartment where Ginny was situated. They heaved their luggage in and took up seats across and next to her. The five of them chatted happily through the entire ride, stopping only for a short moment once the lunch trolley arrived. Y/N went to get up, but Hermione pushed him back into his seat, asked what he wanted, and then bought food for him and Ginny as well as her own.

When Hermione returned from the trolley and put her money back into her schoolbag, she dislodged a copy of the Daily Prophet that she had been carrying in there. Harry looked at it, unsure, but Hermione, seeing him looking at it, said calmly, 'There's nothing in there. You can look for yourself, but there's nothing at all. I've been checking every day. Just a small piece the day after the third task saying you won the tournament. They didn't even mention Cedric. Nothing about any of it. If you ask me, Fudge is forcing them to keep quiet.'

'He'll never keep Rita quiet,' said Harry. 'Not on a story like this.'

Y/N gave a very hearty laugh.

'Oh, Rita hasn't written anything at all since the third task,' said Hermione trying to hide her own smile. 'As a matter of fact,' she added, her voice now trembling slightly, 'Rita Skeeter isn't going to be writing anything at all for a while. Not unless she wants me to spill the beans on her.'

'What are you talking about?' said Ron, looking between Y/N and Hermione.

'I found out how she was listening in on private conversations when she wasn't supposed to be coming onto the grounds,' said Hermione.

'How was she doing it?' said Harry at once.

'How did you find out?' said Ron, staring at her.

'Because she's a genius,' said Y/N proudly.

'Well, it was Y/N, really, who gave me the idea,' she said.

'How?' asked Ginny

'He mentioned a list of things that his sense couldn't find. As Rita clearly wasn't using an invisibility cloak, it had to be one of those. So I did some digging and Rita Skeeter-' Hermione's voice trembled with quiet triumph, '-is an unregistered Animagus. She can turn-' Hermione pulled a small sealed glass jar out of her bag, '-into a beetle.'

'You're kidding,' said Ron. 'You haven't- she's not.'

'Oh yes she is,' said Y/N happily, as Hermione brandished the jar at them.

Inside were a few twigs and leaves and one large, fat beetle.

'That's never… you're kidding,' Ron whispered, lifting the jar to his eyes.

'No, I'm not,' said Hermione, beaming. 'I caught her on the windowsill in the hospital wing. Look very closely, and you'll notice the markings around her antennae are exactly like those foul glasses she wears.'

'She told me the day after she caught her,' said Y/N, 'I could have kissed her!'

'You did. Several times,' said Hermione.

'Yeah, well…' said Y/N.

'There was a beetle on the statue the night we heard Hagrid telling Madame Maxime about his mum!'

'Exactly,' said Hermione. 'And unless I'm very much mistaken, Rita was perched on the windowsill of the Divination class the day your scar hurt. She's been buzzing around for stories all year.'

'Remember when we saw Malfoy under that tree...' said Ron slowly.

'He was talking to her, in his hand,' said Hermione. 'He knew, of course. That's how she's been getting all those nice little interviews with the Slytherins. They wouldn't care that she was doing something illegal, as long as they were giving her horrible stuff about us and Hagrid.'

Hermione took the glass jar back from Ron and smiled at the beetle, which buzzed angrily against the glass.

'I've told her I'll let her out when we get back to London,' said Hermione. 'I've put an Unbreakable Charm on the jar, you see, so she can't transform. And I've told her she's to keep her quill to herself for a whole year. See if she can't break the habit of writing horrible lies about people.'

Smiling serenely, Hermione placed the beetle back inside her schoolbag.

The door of the compartment slid open.

'Very clever, Granger,' said Draco Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle were standing behind him. All three of them looked more pleased with themselves, more arrogant and more menacing, than they had ever seen them. It didn't suit them.

'So,' said Malfoy slowly, advancing slightly into the compartment and looking slowly around at them, a smirk quivering on his lips. 'You caught some pathetic reporter, and Potter's Dumbledore's favourite boy again. Big deal.'

His smirk widened. Crabbe and Goyle leered.

'Trying not to think about it, are we?' said Malfoy softly, looking around at all three of them. 'Trying to pretend it hasn't happened?'

'Actually, I'm just imagining the screams of pain I heard from your father when I slashed his back and used the Cruciatus curse on him,' said Y/N.

'You've picked the losing side, Potter!' said Malfoy, ignoring Y/N. 'I warned you! I told you, you ought to choose your company more carefully, remember? When we met on the train, first day at Hogwarts? I told you not to hang around with riffraff like this!' He jerked his head at Ron. 'Too late now, Potter! They'll be the first to go, now the Dark Lord's back! Mudbloods and muggle-lovers first! Well, second, Diggory was the f-'

It was as though someone had exploded a box of fireworks within the compartment. Several large bright flashes of light radiated from both in and out of the compartment along with several loud bangs and yelps of pain.

Y/N looked down at the floor, his blood boiling.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were all lying unconscious in the doorway. He, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny were on their feet, all five of them having used a different spell. Nor were they the only ones to have done so.

'Thought we'd see what those three were up to,' said Fred matter-of-factly, stepping onto Goyle and into the compartment. He had his wand out, and so did George, who was careful to tread on Malfoy as he followed Fred inside.

'Interesting effect,' said George, looking down at Crabbe. 'Who used the Furnunculus Curse?'

'Me,' said Harry.

'Odd,' said George lightly. 'I used Jelly-Legs. Looks as though those two shouldn't be mixed. He seems to have sprouted little tentacles all over his face. Well, let's not leave them here, they don't add much to the decor.'

Ron, Y/N, and George kicked, rolled, and pushed the unconscious Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, each of whom looked distinctly the worse for the jumble of jinxes with which they had been hit, out into the corridor, then came back into the compartment and rolled the door shut.

'Exploding Snap, anyone?' said Fred, pulling out a pack of cards.

Y/N and Hermione chose to sit out, allowing Ron, Harry, Ginny, and the twins to play. The two of them sat, Hermione with her head in Y/N's lap, simply watching the sky blaze by out of the window. At least they were, until Harry spoke.

'You going to tell us, then?' he said to George. 'Who you were writing to all year?'

'Oh,' said George darkly. 'That.'

'It doesn't matter,' said Fred, shaking his head impatiently. 'It wasn't anything important. Not now, anyway.'

'We've given up,' said George, shrugging.

'That's a lot to give up on,' said Y/N seriously and Fred and George exchanged a grave look with each other.

'Of course you know!' said Ron indignantly. 'How do you always know what's going on?'

'I'm just that good,' said Y/N confidently. 'They won't leave you alone until you answer by the way,' he added to the twins. George sighed.

'All right, all right, if you really want to know, it was Ludo Bagman.'

'Bagman?' said Harry sharply. 'Are you saying he was involved in-'

'Nah,' said George gloomily. 'Nothing like that. Stupid git. He wouldn't have the brains.'

'Well, what, then?' said Ron.

Fred hesitated, then said, 'You remember that bet we had with him at the Quidditch World Cup? About how Ireland would win, but Krum would get the Snitch?'

'Yeah,' said Harry and Ron slowly.

'Well, the git paid us in leprechaun gold he'd caught from the Irish mascots. By next morning, it had gone!'

'But, it must've been an accident, mustn't it?' said Hermione.

George laughed very bitterly.

'Yeah, that's what we thought, at first. We thought if we just wrote to him, and told him he'd made a mistake, he'd cough up. But nothing doing. Ignored our letter. We kept trying to talk to him about it at Hogwarts, but he was always making some excuse to get away from us.'

'In the end, he turned pretty nasty,' said Fred. 'Told us we were too young to gamble, and he wasn't giving us anything.'

'So, we asked for our money back,' said George glowering.

'He didn't refuse!' gasped Hermione.

'Right in one,' said Fred.

'But that was all your savings!' said Ron.

'Tell me about it,' said George. ''Course, we found out what was going on in the end. Lee Jordan's dad had had a bit of trouble getting money off Bagman as well. Turns out he's in big trouble with the goblins. Borrowed loads of gold off them. A gang of them cornered him in the woods after the World Cup and took all the gold he had, and it still wasn't enough to cover all his debts. They followed him all the way to Hogwarts to keep an eye on him. He's lost everything gambling. Hasn't got two Galleons to rub together. And you know how the idiot tried to pay the goblins back?'

'How?' said Harry.

'He put a bet on you, mate,' said Fred. 'Put a big bet on you to win the tournament. Bet against the goblins.'

'I knew it,' said Y/N. 'I knew he had to have some motive for wanting to help Harry and not Cedric. And I was thinking gold after we ran into him in The Three Broomsticks.'

'Well, I did win, didn't I? So, he can pay you your gold!' said Harry.

'Nope,' said George, shaking his head. 'The goblins play as dirty as him. They say you drew with Diggory, and Bagman was betting you'd win outright. So, Bagman had to run for it. He did run for it right after the third task.'

George sighed deeply and started dealing out the cards again.

Before long, the train slowed to a crawl and came to a stop in Kings cross station. Together, they gathered up their luggage and made their way out onto the platform. Y/N lost Harry and the twins in the crowd so he, Hermione, Ron and Ginny went through the barrier to the other side.

'I'll see you both soon,' said Ginny, hugging both Y/N and Hermione very tightly. 'Really soon.'

'Of course you will,' said Y/N, hugging her back, 'And we'll keep in touch-' but Y/N stopped himself, he'd said it without thinking. The absence of his owl now burning even brighter.

'Chin up mate,' said Ron, holding out his hand to Y/N. 'We'll get them back. All of them.'

'Of course, we will,' said Y/N. The two Weasleys waved as they departed. Y/N and Hermione returned the gesture, both to them and to Mrs Weasley who was stood waiting a short distance away. Then, Hermione turned to face Y/N.

'I'll have to go cause my parents need to dash. But I'll come and visit you?'

'As much as you want,' said Y/N, pulling her into a back-breaking hug. 'You can stay over as often as you like. You know where we are.'

Hermione pulled him down towards her and kissed him. Not as lightly as she had in the training room but still, Y/N felt that electric burning coarse through his body. She gave him one last big hug and moved off, waving, he waved back and then turned to face the barrier just as the twins and Harry came through.

Harry moved over to him.

'I gave the twins my prize money.'

'Good on you,' said Y/N. 'If you weren't going to keep it, they're next best. They'll do good with that. I have no doubt.'

'Thanks again Y/N, for everything.'

'You don't owe me thanks, Harry,' said Y/N with a smile, 'Friends look out for each other, you'd do the same for me, and have in the past. Just do me a favour and stay alive. I can't protect you at the Dursleys.'

'I think they hate magic that much it knows to stay away from our house,' said Harry with a small laugh.

'Tell that to Dobby,' said Y/N.

'I'll see you soon mate,' said Harry.

The two gave each other a friendly hug and then Harry moved off towards his aunt and uncle. Y/N took position on the nearby bench and waited.

'Anyone would think that bench was the most comfortable thing in the world,' said a voice. 'You're on it every time I'm here.'

'It's always for the same reason though,' said Y/N, opening his eyes to look at his mother. 'I'm always waiting for someone, and she knows this is the meeting place.'

McGonagall laughed.

'You ready to go?'

'I reckon so,' said Y/N, staring out across the station.

'Ready for what comes next?' she asked.

'Not even slightly.'

(A/N: Reminder, this is now a dead account, I will not be uploading Order to this site. If you wish to continue following my work please find me on Ao3 or Wattpad. If not, I wish you all the best)