Chapter 10: Professors and Friends
Harry sat in his room on the afternoon of his second full day at Hogwarts. He had taken out parchment to write his friends. The events of the past few days were finally starting to seem real. It was a feeling that had become more and more common.
The first time he had felt it was when Dumbledore had asked if he had questions. It was something he would never had heard at the Dursley's. The first rule of life there, Don't ask questions.
Yet, here they wanted him to ask. He was asked questions as well, and not yelled at or scolded if he didn't answer. They just wanted to hear his opinions, Harry said smiling at the memory as he looked down at his shirt. McGonagall had transformed several pieces of his clothes, making them fit and look less sloppy as well.
He was still scared this would be temporary. Even with the promises, the new-old clothes and feeling of belonging at this school. But they had not made him do anything he hadn't wanted to. He had been allowed to stay inside Gryffindor tower the past two days with little disruption besides check ins from McGonagall, and occasionally, Dumbledore.
Dumbledore had inquired about his new clothes, how he slept and just kept to general small talk. To Harry, it seemed the man was hesitant, maybe even scared. The conversations were stilted and awkward. He'd asked Harry questions and blathered on upon whatever while Harry listened. It was quite interesting, but Harry still felt uneasy.
It was strange how his professors were making an effort to spend time with him and get to know him. McGonagall sat with him to do her work, suggesting he do his and asked if he had any questions as he did. One day she'd pulled up a set of wizards chess, saying she'd wondered if he knew how to play.
"I supposed you must know how, considering Mr. Weasley's aptitude for the game," she'd said as he nodded. Harry was pretty sure she regretted ignoring him when he'd protested though he played with Ron, he always lost within ten or fifteen minutes. Still, she'd kept coming with the chess set and insisted on explaining why his moves had failed each time, before resetting the game to see how he would do.
Otherwise, he'd spent the past day and a half exploring the tower. With it empty, he was seeing things he hadn't noticed before. He spent time reading from the books left around the shelves of the common room by Gryffindors over the year. He'd even taken a closer look at the bulletin board, seeing ads, notes and lost posters dating back decades.
Some were amusing, curious glimpses into the past. Others were notices from the prefects and Head Girl and Boy. His mother, Harry noticed, on one announcement from 1976, tracing the writing with his finger. He wrote the letter 'g' like she did. She was a prefect. As he continued to look, he saw that she was Head Girl as well.
He tore the poster from the wall and tucked it away in the pages of the album Hagrid had given him. He'd spent plenty of time looking at it, studying each moment of his parent's lives that had been captured on film.
He didn't include all of this in his letters to his friends, but he told them as much as he could write until his hand started to ache from holding the quill. He sealed the pieces of parchment and rubbed his wrist, looking around for Hedwig. The owl was nowhere to be found. Harry supposed he could wait until later to send his letters, but he didn't want to wait any longer.
Biting his lip, Harry came to a decision. He made his way for the common room and down the empty halls. Instead of the whispers of students as he passed, he heard the portraits talking instead. He made his way past Flitwick's office toward the stairs to the owlery. Luckily, it was only one floor up.
Harry borrowed one of the school's owls. Hedwig would stay with him for company. Hogwarts was lonely enough without his friends. Harry gave the owl one last stroke and a treat before sending it off to deliver the letters.
Finished, he'd walked back down the stairs, and turned the corridor to the Fat Lady. As he walked down the hall, a passage at the end of the hall opened. Harry recognized it as the Gryffindor's favorite shortcut from beside the Defense Classroom and Office. The one with the trick staircase behind the tapestry. Dumbledore walked out and stopped upon seeing Harry.
"Ah, Harry, exploring, are you?"
"No. I just went to the owlery. I had to send a letter," Harry told him.
"Ah, very well. You have caught me on the way back to my office. I was just finishing up cleaning up in the Defense rooms, as Professor Quirrell will no longer be with us."
Harry stopped. Dumbledore smiled at him. "That is not your fault. Quirrell did a very evil thing by allowing Voldemort the usage of his body and therefore, access to you. Now, onto happier topics. Do you have a plan for the afternoon now that your letter has been sent?"
Harry stumbled and bit his lip. He could feel this conversation going in a new direction, one they hadn't broken into yet. He was outside of the tower, and things could be different, especially if the other professors were around. But Dumbledore had been nothing but nice, and he felt like he'd seen most of the tower at this point. It was probably better to just tell the truth. "No, sir."
"No need for the sir, Harry. It is summer after all. Just Dumbledore is fine, or Professor. Even Albus, if that fits your fancy." Dumbledore proceeded to chuckle at himself, but continued to beam down at Harry. "So, are you heading back to the dormitory, or will you join me for a quick jaunt around the grounds?"
Harry paused. It would be rude to say no. He just wanted to return to the dorm without the whispers of the portraits, or the sorry expressions everyone was sure to have. Still, Dumbledore was the one in charge, if Harry didn't do what he wanted, he could send him away. So he nodded and followed Dumbledore down the hall.
"I suppose it is strange to see the school during the summer. I have become used to it, but I believe I was just as amazed at the emptiness the first time I spent the summer holiday here."
Harry nodded in response. He quickened his step to keep up with the tall headmaster. Dumbledore continued.
"I was an adult then, a teacher, and I can understand it must be strange to be spending time with your professors treating you as a peer, and asking the same of you."
"Yeah," Harry said after a moment, though he wasn't sure that's how he'd describe it.
Dumbledore hummed. "You shall see as you spend more time as us, even though we are your professors, adults, we are still people. You will learn to laugh at our follies, to see we have interests, hobbies, faults and merits. I hope in time you will become much more comfortable among us.
"You have undergone much more than all others your age, and I believe you will continue to live the life and have the experiences of one much older. You have lost most of your childhood. For the first time in your life, you are able to be just that, a child. Ahh, I am afraid I have lost track of my point and have made you listen to an old man's ramblings."
"No sir," Harry said and shook his head. "I understood."
"Remember, Harry. It's summer. No need for the sir."
"Okay, professor," Harry said smiling a bit. Dumbledore smiled back. The continued walking until they were heading across the Castle's 7th floor. Harry followed Dumbledore down the stairs, and towards the exit to the Greenhouses and vegetable patch.
"I enjoy coming out here when the weather permits," Dumbledore said as they stepped outside. "I was never good with plants myself. They interested me only as far as their magical properties, but over the decades I have come to appreciate the variety and beauty we have growing here on the grounds."
Harry skipped a few steps to keep up with the headmaster. Dumbledore turned to look at him. "If I may ask, do you enjoy the outdoors? Mrs. Figg told me she often saw you working in the garden. I know now that perhaps you had no choice in this."
"It was fine," Harry said suddenly. He stopped and paused but realized Dumbledore was waiting for him to continue. "I liked it. Especially when it was nice out. I could get away from the Dursleys. I don't mind it much, the work. Sometimes it was nice to see the garden and know I helped make those things grow."
"Believe it or not, I often think that way about my students."
They were passing the fenced garden now. Harry could see hopping toadstools and chomping cabbages out of the corner of his eye. The glass of the greenhouses was glinting in the sun. The only sound was the cabbages chomps, some rustling from the wind and Dumbledore's long robes trailing upon the ground.
They continued in silence for a while longer. Harry found himself enjoying the peace, and being able to walk around the ground without being stared at, or asked millions of questions. He was actually able to appreciate the grounds without running into trouble, like people pushing to learn everything about him or just running into Malfoy. Before his Hogwarts letter he'd never left Little Whinging, and though he felt free at Hogwarts, he hadn't been able to really lower his shields and explore.
"Professor! Harry!" Hagrid's booming voice startled him out of his thoughts. "I heard you'd be stayin' with us for the summer."
Harry grinned. "Yeah. I am."
"Good. I was gonna miss you lot, still will miss Ron and Hermione. But at least you'll be 'round."
"Yeah," Harry said still feeling his grin growing and ready to split his face. He could always count on Hagrid. "I miss them too. But I'm happy I got to stay."
Hagrid smiled at him, then his eyes watered and he pulled Harry into a crushing hug. "I want ya to know. I wouldn'tve let 'em take you back there. I'm sorry you were ever there. I was there that night, ya know?"
"It's fine, Hagrid," Harry told him once he was sure he was safe from being squished. He didn't want everyone to keep apologizing to him, and talk about the Dursleys like it was all that mattered about him. He'd had enough of that with his scar and Voldemort. Harry looked around and frowned. "Where's Fang?"
The boarhound was missing from Hagrid's side. Strange for when he was doing groundswork. He usually stayed at the huge man's side almost all the time. Hagrid explained that Fang was back in the hut.
"He's scared of some of the creatures, ya know. I take care of them durin' the summer for Professor Kettleburn. Couldn't 'ave brought that coward along."
Harry turned between Dumbledore and Hagrid. "Is Professor Kettleburn not here? Do the professors leave Hogwarts during the summer too?"
Dumbledore nodded. "Some. Many of the Professors take time to visit family and friends. Professor Kettleburn uses the time for excursions on Magiczoology studies. For some Hogwarts is their only home. But others, like Professor Snape have homes elsewhere, where they vacation from time to time."
Harry's eyes widened at the mention of Snape and the idea of the man having a home. It was too ridiculous to even contemplate. Hagrid laughed and Dumbledore's mouth twitched. The giant man patted Harry's shoulder. "Must be strange, eh, Harry? But think of it like this. You'll get to see wha' the other students miss out on during the year. If you want, I could let you come an' help me with the creatures. I'm finished for t'day, but you can come for a cuppa' tea."
Harry looked between the two adults. Dumbledore nodded and told them he'd finish his walk on his own. He reminded them both to have Harry back for dinner, if he wouldn't mind eating in the Great Hall. Hagrid told Harry to go see Fang in the hut and he'd get there soon. He heard Hagrid asking the headmaster some questions, but he was too busy being licked to death by the giant dog to think much of it.
Hagrid joined him soon after, served him some tea and some baked goods he was experimenting with, which Harry fed to Fang. Hagrid just asked him how he'd been the past few days, Harry asked about his work and let the groundskeeper regale him with his tales for the next few hours. It wasn't the same without Ron or Hermione, but Hagrid and tea was much less scary than walking with the headmaster, or having a meal with the rest of his professors.
"Look at the time! Harry, we should be goin'. I'm sure dinner will be soon," Hagrid said putting the tea things away. "Fang, stay here yeh great lump."
Fang looked up momentarily from where he was curled up on the bed, gave them an uninterested look and lied right back down.