Harry had not requested it, and he felt mortified just thinking about doing so, but he was glad nonetheless when Ardila announced the night before his departure to Hogwarts as "denning night." He needed a bit of tangible familiarity before what would appear to be a lonely school-year. (He would forgive her earlier indiscretion regarding her ward-dances just for that.) Strangely, neither Jerry nor Ana objected to the arrangement. They even helped him pack for the semester, using the trunk and schoolbag the family had gifted him several days ago for this very reason.
However in the end, before all was done and just when they were getting sleepy, Ed came by unexpectedly and they ended up playing a rather rousing series of board games. Harry would prefer this instead of packing anyway, although he knew he would regret the delay tomorrow. At any rate, he fell asleep with a smile flanked by the twins and the two men.
His awakening was rather unpleasant though. Ardila had just trickled a bit of icy water on his temple. Given the advantage of not having to grab his spectacles to be able to see, he gave chase to her all around the settlement without any ado. On hindsight, he wondered if she had deliberately aimed for that very reaction, since he felt quite awake and spirited when he returned back into the house, however fruitless his chase had been.
When he was done with his morning ablusions, he found the two men and two girls standing by his trunk and schoolbag in the central room, with Hedwig already in her cage beside his belongings.
Jerry excused himself then, saying that he had to return to his base. Harry's heart sank a bit on that. He was slightly molified though, when the mariner promised to at least see him off the gate of the Forest-home.
Besides, he was distracted by the suspicious motions Ed was making on the periphery of his vision, as if the man was activating a camera. Before he could confront the "walking camera" about it though, Jerry had already ushered him out of the house and past the trees to the front gate, with the Ar's trailling behind with his luggage and Hedwig's cage.
The sight of the thick wooden planks of the gate brought home the fact that he was leaving to school more forcefully than any other before. Suddenly, the prospect of learning at Hogwarts seemed less appealing, less sure, and he wanted to just turn around and go back to the safety of the environment he knew and liked. Unfortunately – or fortunately – Jerry seemed to know what he was thinking about and marched him to the gate, murmuring, "We are so near, just remember that."
He clutched the blue stone inside his right pocket, taking comfort from its warmth. Afterwards he nodded to Jerry and marched on his own volition out of the gate.
He was going to Hogwarts. He was not going to disappoint anybody.