Chapter 33 - Hogwarts

He was in front of the Hogwarts' gate waiting for Hermione who was late in arriving. It was a long time since the last time he had been there, and memories were popping in his mind in rapid succession. And it was an alternation of pleasant and unpleasant, funny and sad, elating and tormenting but the prevail sensation was nostalgy. Nostalgy for a castle that had been his first real home, where he had made his firsts friends, where he had found a place where he wasn't an intruder or an undesirable. He knew that it was going to be an afternoon full of this swing of sentiments and he felt excited and weary at the same time at the thought of it.

Hermione was beside him a few minutes later, apparating with a crack. 'Sorry, I had some troubles with Hugo. He didn't want to let me go'

'How come?'

'A bit disorientated, I believe. You know, England, Rumania, England again in a different house, the Burrow…'

'I'm sorry' he said guiltily; most of those whereabouts had been because of him 'If you can't stay is alright. I can manage by myself'

'Don't be silly. It's ok. And I'm not one hundred per cent sure you would manage by yourself anyway; you and Ron had never been that quick with research in the library'

Harry smirked 'What about the Ministry? Don't you need to go there?'

'I'm a free-lance, remember? And this is more important'

'More important than internationals diplomatic exchanges and the possible capture of a dark wizard?'

'Definitely'

Harry chuckled 'Ok then'. He took his wand, closed his eyes, and concentrated on the new baby about to be born, its possible face, the first time he would have hold it in his arms… He opened his eyes and shouted 'Expecto Patronum!' and the silvery phoenix shot out from the tip of his wand and flew toward the castle bringing the news of their presence.

'A phoenix?' Hermione asked perplexed 'Wasn't it…?'

'It changed' he interjected flatly.

Hermione arched an eyebrow 'Classy'

Harry burst out laughing.

They saw McGonagall walking briskly toward them, austere looking but with a smile, in seeing them, she was trying very hard to suppress.

'Potter, Granger' she greeted them opening the gate and letting them pass.

'Hullo professor!' Harry answered cheerfully being delighted to see her again. She was getting old but was still imposing and energic as back in the Hogwarts days and he felt a rush of affection toward her.

'I'm not a professor anymore, Potter. I'm headmistress' she said sternly but then she softened 'But, I dare say you reached an age where you can call me by my first name if you so wish'

'If you will call me Harry' he replied wry.

'I cannot call you anything but Potter'

'I cannot call you anything but professor'

'So be it' she replied still with a repressed smile, beckoning them to follow her on the path for the castle.

'I'm following your vicissitudes on the newspapers. The magic community is scarcely talking about anything else and, consequently, the students.'

Harry didn't answer being even too aware of it.

'I'm sorry to hear about the Fidelius charm; it's a serious grievance'

Harry assented.

'It would have been helpful to ask for Professor Flitwick help, but he is enjoying his retirement in Mexico. I'm sure, however that with Granger's aid, if there is something that may be apprehended, you will be able to do it'

'I hope so too' he said smirking to Hermione on his side.

They approached the castle and emotions were getting stronger. It was exactly as he remembered it. After the battle it had been rebuild in the same shape. Hagrid's hut could be seen in the ground and a pang of nostalgy pervaded him. Hagrid was no more. A new caretaker had taken his place and was inhabiting the hut, but Harry didn't know him.

Just behind, lay the forest where so many perils had been met. He wondered if Ron's car was still in there, somewhere.

And then his mind fixed itself on a thought, a thought he had tried to cast away since Lily's death, a tempting yet dangerous recollection. He almost stopped walking; his gaze attracted by those trees hiding something that would have allowed him to bring back his little girl from that reign where normally was impossible to return. A stone. No, not a stone, the Stone. The second of the Deathly Allow. The one that could bring her back. That alluring consciousness had been there since he had got out from his madness. He had awoken one morning, and it was there. Born from nowhere and he had discarded it fast not allowing himself to indulge in it. But now it pushed its way in his mind causing an internal argument.

You don't know where the stone had fallen, it could be a lifelong research.

His reasonable voice stated.

Wouldn't be worth though to have her back?

A second voice argued.

She would never be back as you remember her.

The first voice opposed.

It would still be better than nothing at all.

The second one retorted.

Is it? Do you want her back as a sad cold figure you wouldn't even been able to hold? Do you want to bring her back here to suffer in a world where she cannot be dead and cannot be alive either? Is it what you really want?

No. It wasn't. The stone ought to stay there where nobody could ever find it. He would have taken that secret in the grave.

He resumed his step briskly. Hermione, thinking he had hesitated because of Hagrid, smiled at him sympathetic, a sad smile he returned. This secret hadn't been revealed not even to her.

'Potter, I should probably thank you to have dropped on my lap that loose cannon that is your eldest son'

Harry smirked 'I'm sorry professor, we are trying to check him, but he is a bit of a handful'

'I noticed' she only replied opening the big doorway to let them pass.

She closed it behind them, and the echo of the sound reverberated in the vast entrance.

The hourglasses containing the stones for the house's points were empty on their right, as the dining hall on their left.

'Of course, what happened on Christmas may be one of the reasons' she said cautiously 'He was vivacious before but now he is turned in an earthquake.'

'That may be a reason, yes' Harry answered feeling uneasy.

There was an awkward pause and Harry knew what it was coming and braced himself in having to hear what it still caused disquiet.

'I'm really sorry for what happened, Potter. It's a great loss' she said patting slightly his arm in a comforting way and that coming from her was like a tight hug and a smacking kiss.

'Thank you, professor' he answered trying to bring his thought to something else, anything else.

'Your Albus is a dear though. Very polite and gentle.'

Harry smiled 'Yes, I've got the couple: the angel and the devil'

'What about the one is about to come?'

'We don't know yet but judging by the strength of the kicks, I'm inclined to think is more on the devil's side' he sniggered.

In the meanwhile, Hermione was on the threshold of the dining hall indulging in nostalgic reverie, and McGonagall, noticing it, suggested a walk through the castle before to accompany them to the library.

They accepted cheerfully and she conducted them about, shifting her attention to Hermione, complimenting her for Rose performances. She had taken Hermione's brain and thirst of knowledge and in that first year, despite the difficulties encountered, she had already shined.

They started a conversation about her potentials to which Harry decided not to participate to be able to enjoy recollections freely. He tried to ban the painful ones in favour of the others, but it was difficult to accomplish; in all the happy ones there was Ron.

They walked in the empty corridors, greeted enthusiastically by paintings. Nearly Headless Nick was overjoyed to meet Harry again and accompanied them for a trait of their walk retreating only when called from the Fat Friars for a hunting session.

They found themselves in no time in front of the Fat lady that swung the door open without the need of any password and they were soon in the common room where it lay the strongest feeling of them all. Being there, in that room, where so many chats had been done, so many schemed formed, so many jokes and laugh had taken place, was just amazing.

He caressed his favourite armchair in front of the fire where so many times he had sat doing homework. The fire where he had talked to Sirius, the corner where Fred and George tested their merchandise. It was torrent of images swirling fast in his head.

McGonagall suggested a visit to their old rooms. They started with Harry's: the four-poster beds were still there but it was completely different now that some other boys were inhabiting it, different posters on the walls and few belongings left there to be found the following year.

When about to go to Hermione's one, Harry remembered about the stairs transforming in a slide if a boy dared to approach them and pointed out his impossibility to follow. But McGonagall only stared saying 'You are with me Potter, don't forget it and I'd like you to accompany us; there is something I would like you to see'. She made a complicated flick with her wand that allowed Harry, that was wondering what she could possibly want to show him in the female dormitory, to follow.

When she opened old Hermione's room, Harry swore loudly. Both Hermione and McGonagall stared disapprovingly but he didn't even notice, his surprise at what he saw being too great.

The walls were literally plastered with him, glowering, laughing, staring at them. He was surrounded by himself! Pictures had been cut the from the magazine, some enlargements were made, and they were covering every inch of the walls. They had counterfeited the ones where he was with Ginny substituting her face with pictures of them.

Spooky, very spooky…

Looking better, Phil-jerk was there too together with the beater of the Chudley Canon plus some others Harry knew only slightly or didn't know at all. All staring curiously at them, some waving, some scowling, some winking alluringly at Hermione (the Phil's one. What a surprise...)

He was paralyzed in the middle of the room with his mouth half open. Hermione was contemplating unconcerned her old room, probably it didn't appear much different from when she was there, with different subjects obviously (perhaps Gilderoy Lochart?).

When the first surprise was over, Harry felt, in spite of himself, reddening. Hermione seeing this started to chuckle.

'It's hot in here…' he gabbled trying to justify his flush.

Hermione's chuckle transformed in a burst of amusement, between gulps she stammered 'Literally, very hot indeed!'

Harry flushed even more 'For god's sake Hermione! Drop it!'

McGonagall was struggling to repress the laugh that Harry's embarrassment was provoking 'I thought you may have liked to see' she addressed him wry.

'Ergh… Ok… Right… Kind of freaky perhaps but ok…' he stuttered getting another glimpse at his many selves.

'I wonder how they can possibly sleep serene at night with all these men staring…' McGonagall said, now with a prim expression on her face.

Harry, thinking about Regina's letter, knew exactly which kind of serene sleep they were having. Those were all groupies in training.

'I considered to ban Witch Weekly but I was afraid to make the situation worse' McGonagall admitted.

'I don't see how it could get any worse…' Harry said under his voice starting to recover from the embarrassment.

Then, out of the blue, an idea struck his mind and in a fit of mischievousness, he added 'Actually, there is an easy way to make it worse'

A quill appeared from thin hair called by his wand, with it he signed every picture of him he could reach (he restrained himself on writing injuries on the Phil's one) scribbling witty remarks on some of them, especially the ones where Ginny's face had been substituted. Hermione followed him in his enterprise giving suggestion on what to put down.

When he was done, he made disappear the quill and pocketed the wand looking around the room satisfied.

'A small welcome back present' he sniggered cheekily.

McGonagall frowned displeased as her plan to destabilise Harry had suddenly backfired.

'We'd better go the library' she muttered rather sullen, surely thinking about the uproar she would have needed to control once the girls would have been back from summer holiday.