The rest of summer flew by faster than any of them could've imagined. Frankly, it was the most relaxing month Tess could remember in a long time. There was no fear, no scrabble to find a safe place to sleep, no worrying about food or money. She always knew where Harry was. He didn't have to come back from an exhausting job, his body completely worn out. They could relax, if just for a little bit. Delia seemed to be enjoying it as well. She smiled more, looked healthier, more radiant. Daisy was having the time of her life exploring the castle. All of the professors, even Snape, had been charmed by her. The Order was at the castle regularly, and Tess got to know most of them. Tonks was hilarious and just the type of person who fit in with them. Mrs. Weasley still reminded her of Fiona, and Mr. Weasley was endless entertaining with all of his questions about Muggles. It was especially nice to see the Weasley twins again. Fred and George hadn't changed much, still the two biggest troublemakers in Great Britian. Now, however, they got paid for it.
The only person truly not enjoying the break was Harry. Sure, she saw him laugh and smile once in a while when Remus and Sirius told him stories about the Marauders or when Tonks changed her nose, but they were fleeting. There was nothing relaxed in his posture. She knew he could never be truly relaxed anymore, not after what happened to Bea, but she hoped it would've lessened over time. Still, at least Tess got to see him happy sometimes. They played Quidditch and lots of pokers with Ron, Ginny, and Delia and told old stories. Harry was still a great storyteller, and even Dumbledore sat there riveted as Harry told yet another tale. Tess like watching him tell stories. It reminded her of the old Harry, the one who smiled more and trusted easier.
One night, after Harry had told his story for the night, Daisy looked at him with the wide-eyed innocence of a child and asked, "Where 're you' stories f'om?"
Harry just smiled at her and tapped his head. "Right up here," he answered. "In my head."
Delia raised an eyebrow. Inwardly Harry smirked. Of course she didn't miss a chance to fight with him. "You made up all those stories?" she asked, skepticism clear in her voice.
The look in Harry's eyes changed, no longer joking. "I never said I came up with all of them," he answered quietly. "I picked up some on the streets, some from traveling, and some..." Harry stopped. "A friend helped me make them up. She loved stories even more than I did."
"Loved?" Ginny repeated. "Does she not like stories anymore?"
Harry and Tess shared a look, neither of them wanting to bring it up. Unfortunately for Tess, Harry got out of it first. "I'm going to bed," he announced, getting up from his seat in the Great Hall. Everyone watched as the Boy-Who-Lived walked out.
"What's wrong with him?" Ron mumbled.
Tess gave him a sad smile. "Our friend died a few years ago," she explained. "Harry doesn't like to talk about it."
Ginny, remembering the guy from Diagon Alley, asked, "Does it have anything to do with that Markus guy? You know, the Death Eater?"
"Death Eater?" Sirius repeated, appalled. "My godson's friends with a Death Eater?"
Tess simply shrugged as if it didn't surprise her. "Usually Harry hates Death Eaters with a passion. I don't know what was up with that."
Daisy spoke up. "He's a st'eet 'at," she stated cheerfully.
Delia looked at her sister sternly. "Daisy, that's not a very nice thing to say to someone," she scolded.
The little girl shook her head furiously, trying to make her sister understand. "That what 'Arry calls 'im," she explained.
A light bulb went off in Tess's head. "Oh, he's one of the Street Rats. That explains it."
"A what?" Sirius asked, a confounded look on his face.
"They're the people Harry first lived with when he escaped," she explained. "They know more about him than I do. Then again, they've known him longer. And they had Bea..."
"Your friend," Remus guessed. Tess nodded.
"She always knew Harry best. Bea could handle him," Tess said softly. "Sometimes it felt like they were one person instead of two."
"What happened to her?" Mrs. Weasley asked gently.
Tess went to open her mouth, but no words came out. She still couldn't talk about that day, that horrible day. She still remembered every detail. She remembered someone breaking down the front door and charging into the kitchen. She remembered Phin shouting at them to run, shouting stunners at the Death Eaters. She remembered grabbing Harry's hand and taking off, Harry in the middle. She remembered hearing Bellatrix torture Fiona, her screams petrifying. She remembered Bea tripping on a stump, losing grip of Harry's hand. She remembered that, even before Harry could move to help her, a burst of green light hitting Bea right in the chest. She remembered Harry being frozen in place, her forcing him to keep moving. She remembered Phin retrieving them hours later, his eyes blood-shot. Most of all, she remembers Harry's howls when he saw Bea's dead body, how Phin had to hold him back from going and doing something stupid. She remembered the moment Harry Potter broke.
Finally, she responded, "I can't... I just can't..." For the first time in a while, Tess broke out into sobs. Delia moved towards her, pulling close and whispering reassuring things into her ears.
Dumbledore sat there, his musings disturbed. What could have this remarkably strong young woman breaking down into hysterical sobs? Better yet, what kind of damage could this have done to Harry? How long had he been devoid of emotion, of feeling? Would he still be able to take on Voldemort? The headmaster decided to keep a close eye on Harry if not because of the prophecy but also for James and Lily, who would've hated seeing their son in such pain.
Dumbledore requested that Harry, Tess, and Delia take the train to Hogwarts simply for the experience. Harry, too tired to argue with the old coot, agreed. Professor Snape agreed to watch Daisy while they were gone since the young girl was scared of trains. She had had the greasy bat wrapped around her finger the day she found a blue lily outside and decided it would be a nice present for "Professor Sevy" as she nicknamed him. This had caused both Harry and Ron to burst out into laughter. Harry was starting to get close to the youngest Weasley son as well as Ginny. Sure, he wasn't going to trust them with any of his deepest darkest secrets, but they were good company.
Getting to the train a bit early, they set out to find a compartment. Harry and Tess immediately started playing poker, something they had been addicted to since their days at Fiona's. Harry always won, but Tess still played in hopes of winning one day. Ron left to go on perfect duty while Ginny went to go find a Dean Thomas. Delia simply propped up her feet and closed her eyes.
The first one of their friends to find them was Luna. She simply appeared at the door, not making a sound.
"Hey Luna," Harry greeted, not even looking up from his cards.
"Hello," she said. Tess nearly jumped out of her seats.
"Luna, you scared the crap out of me!" she exclaimed, glaring at Harry who was laughing.
The blonde girl looked thoughtful before stating, "You have too many Nargles. They're infesting your brain."
Harry nodded much to Tess's dismay. "That makes sense," he agreed. Luna smiled her odd smile at him. "How's the Quibbler doing?"
"Good," Luna responded cheerfully. "Daddy really appreciated that Crumple-Horned Snorkacks sighting evidence you sent him."
He shrugged. "No problem."
"Sit down, Luna," Tess requested, and so the blonde girl sat next to her. The compartment was soon filled with friendly chatter, perfectly undisturbed until a familiar figure appeared.
"Theo!" Tess squealed, rushing up and giving him a huge hug as was her way. Theo rolled his eyes slightly but returned the hug.
"Hey Nott," Harry greeted with a nod.
"Potter," Theo acknowledged in his usual manner. Of course, the Nott heir brightened up a bit when he saw Luna. "Hi, Luna," he added. Theo was one of the few Slytherin who didn't call Luna Loony.
"Hello, Theodore," Luna replied, her nose stuck in the latest edition of the Quibbler. She was the only person allowed to call him Theodore. Harry had tried once, and the results hadn't been pretty.
Delia awoke amongst the ruckus going on in their compartment. She yawned and stretched out, nodding a greeting to Luna and Theo. Harry smirked. "Morning, sleep beauty," he mocked.
"Go fuck yourself," Delia retorted immediately, yawning into her hand.
Theo raised an eyebrow. "Has anyone ever told you guy that you would make a lovely couple?"
"It's the Nargles," Luna quipped. Upon seeing her friends' confusion, she elaborated. "Whenever Delia and Harry are around each other, the numbers of Nargles they have doubles."
Delia and Harry shared a look before bursting out in laughter. Not they were making fun of Luna in any way, because they weren't. It was just the right moment. It had been too long since they had laughed together. The laughter was contagious, and soon people were coming by their compartment to see what was going on.
Yes, Tess thought to herself, my friends are crazy, but it's kind of a good crazy. The kind of crazy that just might keep them together. Hopefully...
The train ride went by quickly. The five friends played poker, which Harry continually won, and Exploding Snap, which Theo won. Luna read parts of the Quibbler to them. Halfway through the ride, Tess fell asleep. Theo and Luna both pulled out books while Harry simply turned to enjoy the scenery. Delia simply watched him.
It was hard to believe how much they both had changed since they first met. She remembered being twelve and scared, with Daisy to take care of and nowhere to turn. She remembered Harry and Tess spotting her in that alley. Tess had recognized something in Delia that reminded her of herself. Later on, when Delia had heard Tess's story, she would know why the brunette girl fought so hard to take her and Daisy with them. Tess still remembered what it was like to be cold and alone on the streets, with no hope and no one to help you. Of course, Delia had been fascinated with Harry from the first moment. There was something cold about him, something that had been hardened deep inside long before they met, and yet there was something else too. Later on, Delia realized that if Harry had really been against taking her and Daisy, he wouldn't have taken them. Nothing Tess said had convinced him. No, it was something in his heart, in the one place he wouldn't let her in. It was already taken by another blonde haired girl, one that she simply couldn't match up to no matter how hard she tried.
"Delia?" The blonde girl turned to look at Tess. "We're here," she announced. Having already changed into their robes earlier, the group headed out. Delia studied Harry's face before he noticed.
"Like what you see?" he smirked.
Delia rolled her eyes. "In your dreams," she replied, walking saucily in front of him. If there was one thing she knew about Harry Potter, it was that he loved a chase.
Delia, Harry, and Tess said goodbye to Luna and Theo as they headed over towards Hagrid with the first years, who looked at them with wide eyes.
"Hey 'Arry," Hagrid said. "How ye doin'?"
"Good," Harry responded.
"You three can share a boat," Hagrid instructed. He turned to Harry. "No scaring the 'irst years!"
Harry pouted. "Hagrid, do you really think so little of me?" he fake-moaned. Hagrid just gave him a knowing look. "Fine," he huffed. Both Tess and Delia giggled at his ridiculousness.
The boat ride to the castle was beautiful, though the attempt by Harry to push Tess into the water was not appreciated. They entered the castle and waited by the Great Hall doors. Professor McGonagall nodded curtly when she saw the three, but Harry knew she was excited. The Transfiguration teacher had developed a soft spot for Harry, and the teen was always on his best manners around her.
She went into the usual speech about Houses, which Harry sort of tuned out. He had heard this before from Phin one time. When they were ten, Bea, Harry, and Tess had wanted to know every single thing about Hogwarts imaginable even if Phin and Fiona had decided to tutor them at home. He learned about the friendly house elves in the kitchen, all the secret passageways, how Peeves was always willing to help you cause some chaos.
Finally, the Great Hall doors opened, and the first years walked in. Harry, Delia, and Tess followed. The Sorting Hat sang a witty song, and the sorting went on. Once all of the first years had been sorted, Dumbledore stood up. "We have three six years students joining us: Delia Grove, Tess McKinnon, and Harry Potter," he announced. There was suddenly a lot of muttering around the room. Harry rolled his eyes.
Professor McGonagall held up her parchement and read, "Grove, Delia." With a wink to her friends, Delia walked up to the stool, waving to Daisy on the way who was seated at the staff table next to Professor Snape. McGonagall placed the hat on her head.
"Hmm... Not a bad mind to be sure. You're also extremely loyal. Helga would've fought for you. Slytherin's not an option, I'm afraid. You care too little for worldly gains to be a snake. Your only true goal is to keep the ones you love safe. So, it better be..."
"GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat shouted. Delia beamed and went to sit down next to Ron and Ginny.
"McKinnon, Tess." Tess walked up to the stool, and McGonagall placed the hat on her head.
"A lot like your friend, Miss McKinnon. You're smart and loyal, but there's also cunning in you. A thirst to prove yourself, to avenge those whom you lost. But you don't like to hurt people. Your loyalty doesn't extend to many, does it? Yes, Hufflepuff is not the place for you. Neither is Ravenclaw. You have too much energy for them."
So either Gryffindor or Slytherin?, Tess asked mentally.
"Do you have a preference, Miss McKinnon?" the Hat asked.
Gryffindor, Tess answered firmly. I've known too many bad Slytherins.
"Fair enough," the Hat responded. "GRYFFINDOR!" Tess went to join Delia at the Lion's table.
"Potter, Harry." Harry walked up to the stool, no nervousness or fear traceable on him. People stared at him. He had fun with it, even winking at some fourth year girls who promptly turned red. With a stern look, Professor McGonagall put the Hat on Harry's head.
"Now your head is an interesting one, Mr. Potter... I haven't seen a mind this complex in many years. This should be fun." The Hat paused for a moment. "Needless to say, I think all four Founders would've fought for you. You value loyalty above all else and would never betray a friend no matter what, even going as far as breaking a law. How did you break into... Never mind. Helga would've wanted you badly, but she would've lost. Yes, your loyalty is life-long, but only to those who have earned it. Rowena would've wanted you as well. You know the value of intelligence as well as the value of logic, which is sorely lacking in the Wizarding World today. You know there is more to knowledge than books and homework, something the average Ravenclaw can't seem to grasp."
"The real battle, however, would've been between Godric and Salazar. You have five times the bravery of most people. You do want you need to do, caution thrown aside. Your fear level is really nonexistent. Then again, after seeing into your head, I can see why... Still, you're cunning and resourceful, and you have a certain disregard for the rules without completely breaking them. You do what's necessary to survive and never apologize for it. You embrace darkness; it doesn't scare you like it does Dumbledore. You know that darkness is necessary for there to be light."
"The real question, Mr. Potter, is whether you want to be good or great? You'd achieve greatness in Slytherin, but you'd be good in Gryffindor. Your choice."
Harry thought about it for a moment. He remembered Bea and her warm smile all those nights by their tree before running away. He remembered her soft voice reassuring him, "We're not going to be like them, Harry." He remembered the way she seemed to light everything up, the way she dazzled. He remembered how she never picked up money off the streets no matter how hungry they were. "Let someone else have a good day," she'd say. Harry could never fight with her. Bea always wanted things to be good. She wanted him to be happy.
Good, he answered, I want to be good.
"Interesting choice, Mr. Potter. I would like the chance to explore your head more? Find me the next time you're in Dumbledore's office."
Okay, Harry replied.
"GRYFFINDOR!"