Chapter 15

The rest of the summer break flew by, Harry spent most of the remaining fortnight reading through the new schoolbooks he had bought. He was surprised by the books assigned for Defence Against the Dark Arts, it was the only subject that had set more than one book and none of the books by this Lockhart fellow had any real instruction in them. They read more like adventure books than anything else, he couldn't deny that they were interesting reads but at the end of 'Holidays with Hags' he didn't learn anything useful on how to avoid or defend against Hags, in fact he couldn't find a single spell that was named in any of the books. Eventually he had packed them away in his trunk and focussed on the other books he had bought; the Charms and Transfiguration books were far more interesting anyway.

His only break from this was when Professor Flitwick had arrived unannounced to collect him for the lunch with Percival and Alastor that he had forgotten about. After a brief round of greetings, he and the professor had left and after a short walk down the street, they had disapparated from Little Whinging.

They appeared on a mundane looking country lane, bordered by thick green hedges and a few scattered trees. Behind them the lane continued beyond Harry's sight but ahead of them the path came to an abrupt halt at a pair of ornate wrought iron gates. The gates seemed to hum and vibrate gently as they approached and the bubble of magic that stretched up and around from them shivered in tandem, rippling waves of colour and light expanding up and away from the gate.

They stood in front of the gates for less than a minute before they swung outwards silently, and as they did, they revealed what the enchantments on and around the gates were for. Where before there was just a field and a small abandoned looking farm behind the gates, now stood two large buildings and behind them a sprawling orchard. The first and central building was clearly an old building, made of wooden beams and weathered bricks it looked sturdy and comfortable. The second and slightly smaller building looked to be an old stable of some kind, though there were no animals in the open stalls that he could see.

"Filius! About time, I was about to send a search party for you." The cheerful voice of Percival echoed from the left of the stable and as they walked in that direction, they found a round wooden table set out on the grass beside a large pond and already sat with drinks in hand were the familiar figures of Percival and Alastor.

"Afternoon Potter, Filius, all fine collecting the boy?" The Auror Captain asked, his signature dragonskin overcoat was draped over his chair, his sleeves rolled up to reveal thick scarred arms. He looked out of place sat next to Percival who's own shirt was open to the sun, a wide smile on his youthful face as he gestured to the two empty wooden deck chairs on the other side of the table.

"Hello Alastor, Percival. Yes Alastor, it was a struggle, but I was able to retrieve Harry all alone." Professor Flitwick jibed as he took a seat on one of the chairs, a firm cushion appearing beneath him so that he sat high enough to reach across the table and retrieve a glass of amber coloured liquid. Percival snickered at the comment, hiding his grin behind his own glass when Alastor shot him a look before the older Auror let out his own snort and shook his head.

"Sorry Filius, just thought you might have needed a hand." Alastor took a sip of his drink, a fizzing blue liquid. "But I suppose as long as there weren't any Hags you should have been fine."

This time Percival couldn't even attempt to hide his laughter as a spray of liquid shot from his mouth as he cackled in his seat. Professor Flitwick didn't react except to tap the table with his wand and clean the spilt drink as a small sigh slipped from his lips.

"I had hoped Castamir would be able to keep that to himself." He muttered as he took a long drink from his glass and shook his head as Percival's laughter slowly stopped.

"Erm I'm sorry Professor but, what exactly is a Hag?" Harry asked as he took a sip from his own glass, it was filled with a refreshing lemonade that was just the right combination of sharp and sweet. His question provoked a few new chuckles from Percival, but Alastor seemed surprised by it.

"They don't cover dangerous creatures in first year Defence anymore?" He asked and as Professor Flitwick remained quiet, Harry took that as a sign to reply to the question.

"Well, we covered the Ogroids, like Trolls and Giants, and then we did a little bit on Vampires and Ghosts, but then we covered curses and jinxes after that." He explained with a shrug.

"Hmph, well at least you know about some of them I suppose." The Auror took another sip from his bubbly blue drink and let out a satisfied sigh before he started to speak again. "Well, Hags are a tricky one. There's been some debate over them for several centuries now, much like Vampires and Werewolves a Hag usually starts out like a normal witch. There are two ways to become a Hag; you can be born of a Hag and thus you grow to become one or, and this is the method they're better known for, a Hag or a coven of them will sometimes make deals with people. Often, they will provide a service, cure an ailment or reveal some unknown information, but in exchange they require an offering. They take a young girl, no older than five, and they raise the child themselves. The girl will grow to be an ordinary witch, though they are said to always be very beautiful, and once they are of age they leave their home in search of a … partner. They lure in the partner and they have a child with them, and then once the child is born they transform into a Hag. They have no choice in the matter, it's a powerful curse much like Lycanthropy, they are forced to do all of this. To fall in love and have a child, and then they transform forever, usually killing the father, and take the babe with them to be raised and repeat the cycle."

"But… to become a Werewolf you have to be bitten right? So do the Hag's bite the baby or something?" Harry asked as he tried to understand the nature of the creatures he had heard mentioned but never seen.

"No lad," Alastor shook his head sadly. "There have been a few occasions where the child was recovered only moments after the Hag has taken them, deals are dangerous things and magic doesn't like when they are broken so a family allowed the Hag to take the child but then swiftly killed the Hag and recovered the child. It was a famous case in Europe not that long ago, anyway they took the girl to the best Healers in the world, and all agreed she was perfectly healthy. Sixteen years later the girl fell in love with a local farmhand and bore his child, as soon as it was born, she transformed, killed her parents and the farmhand, and left with the baby." Harry couldn't help the shudder that ran up his spine at the story.

"They sound awful, I don't get it. If they're so terrible, why is it so funny that Professor Flitwick was surprised by them? He still beat them, didn't he?" Harry asked, he never wanted to encounter such creatures if he could help it. He was surprised when it was Percival that answered him this time.

"Hags are dangerous if you aren't expecting them its true, their particular brand of magic excels at ambushing and creating traps. They can create nearly undetectable runic hexes that distort your senses, and the stronger covens can even stop other magic from working within their hexes. In terms of actual combat though, Hags are limited, their magic allows them to conjure fire and they have wicked claws and teeth, but against a skilled wizard they will usually retreat. However, your teacher is one of the finest duellists to come out of Hogwarts in the last century, Filius won several tournaments in Europe, none of us doubt his skill. It is precisely because we know how dangerous Filius is that we find it laughable that he was waylaid by Hags, even a coven of them." Percival explained gently.

"Oh…wow." Harry sipped on his drink as Alastor changed the subject and asked about how long food would be. Much of the conversation blurred around him after that revelation and he spent most of the lunch picturing the Charms Master duelling other wizards, though by the end of the lunch the diminutive figure of the professor had been replaced by a taller figure with a cane in one hand and a wand in the other as he conjured great storms of fire and ice to defeat his opponents.

Much like the previous year, Harry was awoken early on the morning of September 1st, as his aunt once again helped him carry his trunk downstairs and after handing him a wrapped parcel of food for the journey, she once again bid him a teary farewell as the taxi driver (a different man this time) set off. It was bittersweet for Harry to once again be leaving his aunt for another nine months, he knew she was often lonely in the house and though she had cheered up this summer with regular visits from Terry's mother, he worried for her. But the worry was tempered by the knowledge that there was little he could do to help, at least not until he was older and more able, so he pushed the worries from his mind and settled in for the drive into London.

He arrived with time to spare and took his time walking through the crowds to get to the barrier between platforms nine and ten, he had grown taller over the summer but he was still most of a foot shorter than the other passengers milling around the station floor and he was once again glad for his own particular sense of awareness as he doubted normal vision would have helped him see much with the crowds that morning. He was so preoccupied with his musings on his sight and the crowds that he didn't notice the odd flickering of the barrier's magic until he had collided with the very solid brick wall and bounced off of it, drawing a few strange looks from the passers-by. A few stopped to help him and he had to spend several minutes assuring a kindly older lady that he was just waiting for his group to meet and that no he wasn't lost.

Once he had fended off the attentions of the other passengers, he spent several minutes stood next to the barrier that should have allowed him access to Platform 9 ¾ and what he found confused him. The barrier's magic was trying to open for him, he could see it, the seam that should have split to allow him entry to the hidden platform was bulging and straining against some invisible force that prevented it from opening. If it wasn't stopping him from reaching his train, he would have been intrigued by the magical force that he couldn't perceive that was strong enough to block a decades old enchantment, as it was, he just found himself growing annoyed by it.

"Harry? You okay mate?" He heard from behind him and as the crowds split, he noticed that Terry had approached along with his mother, and both were staring at him and the conspicuously solid wall he was leaning against.

"Ah hello Terry, hello Mrs Boot. Well, it looks like I'm a bit stuck Terry, the barrier isn't opening for me." Harry explained as he shifted his cane nervously in his grip. His nervousness only worsened when Terry reached out a hand and pressed it against the solid brick wall of the barrier, unable to pass through as he should have been.

"Um that's weird, it's definitely not meant to do that is it?" Terry asked, though Harry wasn't sure if it was aimed at him or Mrs Boot.

"No dear, I'm fairly sure it's not." Mrs Boot said as she looked around and shook her head before she gestured to the two of them. "Follow me, we'll have to head to the Leaky Cauldron, you should be able to Floo up to Hogsmeade from there."

The Boot's lived a life in two worlds; Terry's father owned and ran an apothecary in Oxford while his mother was a teacher at a local school, she had a small car and it was a bit of a squeeze to fit the three of them and two large trunks into the car but they managed. After a short drive to Charing Cross, they made their way to the bland exterior of the Leaky Cauldron, it took Harry and Terry a few minutes to help Mrs Boot through the Muggle Repelling wards on the old pub but soon they were inside and she was able to shake the enchantments off.

Harry had heard mention of Floo travel and knew the basic principle of how it worked but reading about something and seeing someone step out of a sudden blaze of green fire, their magic swirling and forming into an outline that stepped suddenly solid from the fireplace, was a very different thing. A part of him wanted to take a seat and watch for a few more patrons to use the remarkable method of transportation, it was incredible to think that you could use fire and a sympathetic link between fireplaces to allow for near instantaneous travel, whoever had created the system was a genius.

"Harry?" He jolted in surprise at the greeting and turned with a smile.

"Castamir!" He cried as the taller man weaved between the tables and stopped in front of the three of them. His beard was a little longer and he was wearing a long cloak that covered most of his body, but his magic was unmistakeable.

"What are you doing here Harry? It's- " A flick of his wrist and a silver pocket watch swung into his palm with a light smack, a quick glance and then another flick and the watch disappeared into the depths of the cloak. "The Express will have left by now, what happened?"

"Harry dear, I take it you know this man?" Mrs Boot asked, she didn't seem outwardly nervous but the way her hand was gripped tightly onto Terry's shoulder led him to think she was just good at hiding it.

"Oh yes, don't worry Mrs Boot, this is Castamir, he's a friend of Professor Flitwick's. Castamir this is Mrs Boot and Terry, they found me at the barrier in Kings Cross, it wouldn't let us through, and brought me here so we could take the Floo to Hogwarts." Harry explained as he hurriedly introduced the man to his friends mother.

"Oh you're the guy who made Harry's cool quill right?" Terry asked as Mrs Boot shook Castamir's hand.

"Ah yes that is one mine, and you must be Terry, yes? Harry has mentioned you several times. Now you need to get to Hogwarts? Well, you can't Floo there, the wards only allow for outgoing travel and even then, only to certain locations." Castamir led them away from the doorway of the Leaky Cauldron as a few more patrons entered.

"Yes I remember but Robert has taken the Floo to Hogsmeade before and it's a short walk from there to the school isn't it?" Mrs Boot twisted her hands before she continued in a whisper. "I can't apparate them and this was all I could think of."

Castamir nodded and patted her on the arm, clearly understanding her meaning.

"If your husband has taken the Floo before then you know you won't be able to go with them, the Floo network uses one's own magic as the fuel for the travel." Mrs Boot nodded at Castamir's words.

"I know, but I had hoped I would recognise someone here or there might have been a way to get a message to Hogwarts. Harry said you know Professor Flitwick, could you contact him?" She asked as the fireplace burst into light and cool heat as another patron appeared from the flames and strode to the bar.

"It would be quicker to Floo to Hogsmeade and walk to the Castle, I would make a Portkey but the Ministry are already displeased with me. I could escort the boys to Hogwarts though?" Castamir offered.

"You say Castamir is a friend of Professor Flitwick's Harry? Well alright, I'll be sending a letter to Professor Flitwick to make sure the boys make it there safe though." Mrs Boot warned Castamir who grinned and nodded.

"Certainly Mrs Boot, I can take them through now if you would like?"

"Send me a letter tonight to let me know you're there safe, I will send a letter to Professor Flitwick explaining what happened and to expect you. Be good and learn lots." She kissed Terry's cheek and then surprised Harry by sweeping him up in a quick hug as well. "I will let your aunt know what happened but I'm sure she will want a letter from you as well Harry."

"Right, have either of you ever used Floo powder before?" Castamir asked as they stepped up to the wider than normal fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron.

"I used it once with my Dad but he did the powder stuff, I just held onto him." Terry admitted while Harry just shook his head, he just hoped it was less uncomfortable than apparating.

"Alright well it's pretty simple to use, you take a pinch of the powder." Castamir pointed to a worn clay pot filled with a glittering dark powder on table next to the fireplace. "And then you step into the fire, speak the name of the place you want to go and then throw the powder into the fire. The Floo network does the rest of the work for you, but you need to speak clearly, if you say the wrong place the Floo can spit you out on the other side of the country." Castamir threw a silver sickle onto the table next to the pot of powder and then gestured for the boys to take a handful of the powder each.

"Right Terry you can go first, then Harry and then I'll follow on behind in case one of you goes the wrong way. We're going to the Three Broomsticks, okay? Nice and clearly, go on."

Terry stepped forward into the fireplace, the low flames licking up his trousers and trunk but finding no purchase on him, and after a quick breath he threw the powder into the flames and said in a slightly rushed breath.

"Three Broomsticks!"

WOOSH

In a surge of fire and magic, Terry disappeared. It happened too quickly for Harry to catch most of the process, but he was able to perceive Terry's form being surrounded by the emerald flames before it began to blur together and then he was gone and the fireplace was empty again, leaving only small flames to flicker across logs and coals.

"Excellent, now you Harry, and keep a tight grip on your belongings." Harry nodded and stepped into the fireplace, not something he ever thought he would be doing willingly. It was an odd sensation, to have tongues of fire flicker up your legs and yet feel not heat, in fact they felt remarkably cool, like a chilly breeze.

"Three Broomsticks." He said as he threw the fistful of powder into the fire below him. In an instant he was surrounded in fire and magic. He felt himself being surrounded, cocooned in the surprisingly gentle flames and he had a vague sense that he was moving, or at least things around him were moving as he could see shadows moving swiftly beyond the fire. Although trying to pay more than the barest attention to what was occurring outside the cocoon of flame was a sickening experience, his awareness was brushing against and past things at such speed that he felt sick.

And then it was over. Cool air hit his face as the flames fell away from him and he staggered forward as his awareness washed out and filled the room he found himself in. Luckily, Terry had moved away from the fireplace as Harry stumbled forward, catching himself on his cane as he shook his head and did his best to adjust to the sudden change.

"You alright there mate? Bit weird isn't it." Terry patted Harry on the arm and led him across to a bench as the fireplace surged behind them and Castamir stepped out into the pub.

"Well done boys, the first time is always the worst." Castamir praised them as he made his way past them and up to the bar, the pub was empty except for a witch stood behind the bar lining up glass bottles on the counter. "Hello Rosmerta, looking lovely as ever."

"Castamir, what are you doing up this way? Do I need to worry about the Hitwizards knocking on my door asking about you?" The witch, Rosmerta, asked with a smirk as Castamir affected an air of faux hurt.

"Me? In trouble with the Ministry? I'm wounded Rosie, truly that cuts me deeply." He straightened with a grin and a wink that made Rosmerta sigh, though a small grin still crept onto her face. "No I'm not here on business, I'm just escorting these two to the Castle. The barrier closed up on them and they couldn't get to the train, so I've been asked to take them up to the gates."

"You couldn't Floo straight onto the platform with them?" Rosmerta asked as she looked across at them, her eyes widening briefly when she realised who Harry was.

"By the time they ran into me at the Cauldron the train had already left, this was the next best thing." Castamir explained before closing his mouth quickly at the expression on the barmaid's face.

"And what were you doing in the Cauldron? Is my bar not good enough for you? Have to go slinking off to that grubby place instead?" Rosmerta demanded as she leaned forward across the counter and glared at Castamir who looked nervously at the boys for help.

"Now Rosie let me explain, I wasn't there for a drink, I only got back from Europe today and I had to Floo from the Ministry. The Cauldron was just closer to home, that's all. Why would I go there for a drink when it would mean missing seeing your lovely self?" Castamir quickly explained as he leaned away from the angry witch.

Rosmerta eyed him for a long moment before she finally snorted, shaking her head as Castamir let out a breath of relief.

"You're a fool Castamir Leventis, go on then get going. If you get back before the lunchtime rush maybe I'll have a drink waiting for you." Rosmerta shooed him towards the door, calling out to Harry and Terry as they left. "I look forward to seeing you here next year boys and don't let this scoundrel lead you astray."

Castamir shook his head as they exited the pub and stepped out onto the cobbled high street of Hogsmeade, the street was mostly empty as they followed Castamir to the right and up a slight hill.

"A word of warning to you boys; don't upset Rosmerta, she's wicked with her wand and she has a short temper." Castamir called back to them as he strode to the top of the hill and then pointed down a path to the right. "That leads to the station where the Express comes in, but it won't be there for a few hours yet so we might as well walk up to the Castle. I think its this way…"

"You think? Didn't you go to Hogwarts?" Terry asked as they began walking along the left pathway, pulling their trunks along behind them.

"Oh no, I attended the Durmstrang Institute, I've only walked this way once and I was rather drunk at the time." Castamir replied as he glanced back at the two of them.

"Durmstrang?! But they teach dark magic!" Terry exclaimed as he tugged on his trunk, it had caught on an exposed root and as he gave it a final heave the root broke with a brittle crack.

"Well yes that's why I went, I'm a curse breaker and enchanter Mr Boot, I'd be a bit rubbish at breaking curses if I didn't understand them wouldn't I?" Castamir stopped and turned to face them with his wand in his hand. "Besides I still learned all the things you do at Hogwarts." With a single wave of his wand, the already lighter than usual trunk in his grip became almost buoyant as it floated a few inches from the ground. Terry's trunk did the same and after a quick test, they found that they could pull the trunks along behind them with no more effort than holding a balloon would take.

"If its so useful then why don't Hogwarts teach it?" Harry asked as they resumed their walk, now at a faster pace thanks to Castamir's spell.

"I'm sure they did teach it, or at least some of it, at one point. But dark magic is dangerous and without proper care and training, it warps the mind so sometime in the past hundred years or so it was phased out of the curriculum. I do know that if you want to study it, for theoretical purposes, you can apply with your Ministry to learn under a master they provide." Castamir added.

"Huh, I guess that makes sense." Terry nodded along and then fell silent, appearing to be deep in thought as they spent the next several minutes walking in silence. Harry had known some of the information already and was less shocked, it was like being a doctor; you had to know how the injuries were caused and how the body worked before you could really help.

Only after they had crested the top of the slope and began to make their way down the steady decline on the other side, the trees that bordered the path growing steadily thinner and sparser as the path curved to the right, did Terry speak up again. This time though, it wasn't a question but an exclamation that burst from Harry's friend.

"Wow, I've never seen it from this side before." Terry gasped as he caught his first glimpse of the Castle, the stone towers reaching into the sky above the great stone castle. As they rounded the last bend, the glittering lake also came into view, shimmering like a puddle of light on the grassy plains that surrounded the school.

Unfortunately Harry's awareness, while greatly improved since his first day of magical schooling, was still limited. Beyond a hundred meters his awareness of the world around him ended, he could push that border if he focussed but he rarely needed to. This was one of the rare moments when he once again felt a pang of pain at his loss, he could never see the world like Terry could. He hid the disappointment, burying it with a cough and a tensing of his shoulders as he kept walking forward, he let his cane tap ahead of him every few steps but mostly used his sight to check for any holes or bumps he might trip over.

By the time they reached the heavy gates of the castle grounds, the actual school still a way off, Harry was getting hungry. The wrapped sandwiches in his pocket had been shared between him and Terry already and although they helped, his stomach still gurgled sporadically at him.

The gates were closed and as they approached, Castamir drew his wand and pointed it at them with a gentle push. Nothing visibly happened for Castamir or Terry, but Harry was treated to a light show as a gentle wave of royal purple magic rolled out and up to the castle gates before breaking against the thick wall of magic that buttressed the grounds. It made the wards on the Dearborn house seem…paltry, like a barbed wire being compared to the Great Wall of China. Castamir's magic dissipated and flowed away from the Castle wards but not before an almost imperceptible shiver ran along them.

"And now we wait." Castamir said as he took a few steps back and sat down abruptly on the grass beside the path. "Someone should come down soon."

He was correct. Harry and Terry had settled down on the grass alongside Castamir and, after a suspiciously casual comment from the older wizard about how now they were technically back at school, they could cast magic again, began to play a new game where they levitated clods of dirt and had them fight. It started with simple levitation but quickly they both added animation charms and a little transfiguration, soon they both had a small dirt knight ready to duel.

Harry had cast the hardening charm 'Duro' on his dirt warrior and had transfigured a twig into a makeshift sword that he quickly added a featherweight charm to, hoping it would allow his knight to attack more quickly. He wasn't sure of all the spells Terry had used on his dirt figure, but he did recognise some of them and he could tell that his friend had used a lot more transfiguration to change the dirt into a harder stone.

They were about to do battle with their new knights, the remnants of their previous duel lay scattered around them, when they heard the heavy creaking of metal on metal. The gates swung inwards to reveal a figure walking down the cobbled path towards them, tall and draped in long dark robes.

"Why am I not surprised to see you flouting the rules, Potter? Why aren't you on the Express?" Professor Snape snapped as he stopped at the gates. "And who is that with you?"

Harry hurried to his feet and opened his mouth to explain when Castamir interrupted from behind him, having stood as well and stepped forward.

"Greetings Professor Snape, the boys were unable to pass through the barrier at Kings Cross and Mr Boot's mother asked that I escort them to the Castle. Her letter should have arrived for Professor Flitwick by now." Professor Snape sneered at Castamir and looked closely at him before suddenly straightening, a cold blank expression falling across his face.

"Very well, I will escort both of them up to the Castle. I'm afraid without an invitation from the Headmaster or the Board of Governors I cannot allow you to come any further. Come along Boot, Potter." Professor Snape whirled around and began to stalk back up the path towards the school.

"Right well I'd best be off and you two had best follow Professor Snape before he closes the gates on you. It was good to meet you Mr Boot, expect an owl, Harry." Castamir smiled at the two of them before twisting on the spot and disappearing with an echoing CRACK.

"We should catch up with Snape." Terry said to Harry's silent nod. He doubted Snape would really lock them out…but best not to test his theory.

"That Castamir bloke is alright you know." Terry added as they jogged through the gates, the creaking beginning again as they stepped onto the path as the gates swung closed behind them.

"Quickly before I decide to leave you back outside the gates!" They heard shouted from ahead of them and any response fled Harry's mind as he struggled to catch up to the Potions Master without falling over on the uneven ground.

There was a marked difference when walking behind Professor Snape compared to when Harry and Terry had walked with Castamir. The main difference was the silence. Castamir had peppered the walk with comments and questions, engaging them in conversation and waiting for them when they fell behind. Professor Snape was silent and unyielding in his pace, he never turned back to look at them, expecting them to keep up or be left behind.

The silence was only broken by the occasional pant for breath or the skittering of stones as Harry did his best not to fall too far behind the Potions Master. The rocky path seemed to grow more treacherous the closer they got to the school and only his trusty cane saved him from falling on his face several times along the walk.

But then they reached the school. Hogwarts' warm and welcoming magic seemed to stretch out towards them as they approached the huge doors, wrapping around them and drawing them in like a hug. Harry wasn't sure if the sudden warmth he felt as they stepped through the open doors was because of the magic or just his mind playing tricks on him.

"The Express will be arriving any moment so the other students will join you shortly. For now, you can go to your table and wait. It's impressive to lose points before term has even started but that will be fifty-" Professor Snape was interrupted by a gentle cough as the doors to the Great Hall swung open and revealed the Headmaster standing in the now open doorway.

"Thank you, Professor Snape, but I have just spoken to Mrs Boot about the issue in question, it appears a rather potent jinx was placed on the barrier at Kings Cross. We will investigate but I believe that two second year students, no matter how talented, are not capable of the jinx in question." Professor Dumbledore moved closer to them, his steps echoing in the otherwise silent entrance hall, and smiled at Harry and Terry.

"Very well Headmaster, if that is all I have a brew to return to." Professor Snape said stiffly before turning and stalking away in the direction of the staircase. Once Professor Snape had disappeared from view Harry couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped his lips, echoed by Terry almost simultaneously.

"Come along then gentlemen, the other students will be a little while yet and we may as well sit comfortably while we wait." Harry began to follow the Headmaster into the hall when his grip on the gentle weight of the floating trunk in his grip suddenly disappeared as his trunk vanished. A quick check let him know Terry's had disappeared as well, but he was still relieved when he heard the Headmaster call back to them from within the hall. "Do not fret, your trunks will be waiting for you in your dormitories."

Being in the Great Hall while it was empty was strange, even on the earliest mornings Harry had come down for breakfast there were always a few students and members of staff present, to see it entirely void of chatter and life was unsettling.

The Headmaster stopped halfway up the length of the tables and, with an agility that belied his advanced age, took a seat on the bench of the Ravenclaw table, gesturing for Harry and Terry to join him.

Harry couldn't deny a certain level of nervousness at being sat so close to the Headmaster, he was a figure of legend and the last time they had spoken it had been a very serious topic. He wondered if perhaps they were still going to be punished but by the Headmaster instead of Professor Snape. He would almost prefer the caustic Potions Master's cruel words to the Headmaster's piercing gaze.

"Now," The Headmaster leaned forward, his eyes slightly narrowed as he reached into a deep pocket at his side. "Gobstones anyone?"

A/N – So obviously first I have to apologise. I said previously that I would be releasing updates every two weeks but with work getting busier and looking to move house soon, I definitely won't be able to keep to that promise. If I want to keep releasing chapters of a similar length to this one then I think I will need to be only releasing one chapter a month for the next few months.

Also, I realise that my chapters have grown to quite a length, averaging about 6-7k words now with a few that are even longer. How do you all feel about this kind of length? Would you prefer shorter chapters? Let me know if you have a preference, I will try to adjust my writing to fit what most of you prefer.

As always, a big thank you to everyone who has Followed, Favourited and Reviewed! I am blown away by how many people enjoy my work, please do let me know what you like and don't like so I can try to improve my stuff.

I might be looking at setting up a Discord soon so let me know if you would be interested, it would be free to join and would just be a place to chat about various topics, not just HP.

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Many thanks,

Daedalus Smythe