AN: Sorry for the late update today! You can blame Yugioh Master Duel and Pokemon Legends Arceus. This is also quite literally the last of what I've written for this story (outside of my pre-planning notes for year one, which do go through the end of first year.). I will endeavor to get you a full chapter next week, but I won't make any promises! Anyways, on with the chapter!
Finals proved to be a good time if you were a member of the Sphinx Club. The studying the group had done up to that point had severely over-prepared the group for their exams, and because of that, they had no issues at all. The Sphinx Club are currently meeting in their room, on the final day before the winter break.
"So you all are going home?" Harry asks, looking at his friends.
"Yes, my parents have been having some issues with me being away this long, so once they heard that I had a winter break, they demanded that I come home," Hermione says. "I'm their only child, they've been complaining that the house feels way too empty without me."
"Susan, Hannah, and I are all more or less required by our parents to attend a few events as 'good pureblooded ladies' . Thankfully we'll have each other," Daphne says. "Tracey will probably be there as well, so we can keep an eye out for each other, especially since Malfoy and his cronies will probably be there."
"I've got to attend those too, at least I'll have you guys this time!" Neville says grinning at the girls.
"Our parents want us to come back to India for a bit, and hear more about what we've been up to. We haven't been able to send as many letters as they would like because of the sheer distance." Padma says, Parvati nods along.
"Mom needs me to tell her in person about what's been going on here, also possibly yell at me for not telling more about what you're doing." Lavender says with a shrug. "Why aren't you going home?"
Harry freezes, he had hoped he'd never need to tell them about the Dursleys, especially now that he was so close to truly being free of them. Flitwick said the proceedings were going very well, and that it was incredibly unlikely that the Dursleys would be resuming their guardianship. As of this moment however, it was unknown who would be taking over it though, as they weren't allowed to interview new guardian options until the old guardians were officially deemed "unfit". The nine people in this room though, they were his friends. He had risked his life for one of them, and would have done so for any of them. They had never treated him poorly, had never been less than amazing friends to him, and have pushed him to be the best Harry he could possibly be. They deserved to know the truth.
"I'm not going home, because I really don't have a home to go to. I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone else about this, at least not for a while. After my parents died, I was put with my aunt and uncle, my mother's sister and her husband. They aren't very nice people. They would beat me and would have likely starved me if I wasn't responsible for cooking their food. I did all of the household chores, and my 'room' was the cupboard under the stairs. Thankfully Professor Flitwick has been helping me with leaving them, and having them put in jail for child abuse. As of now though, my only guardian is Professor Flitwick." Harry says, tears having found their way out of his eyes.
Not even a second after Harry finishes his statement however, Hermione has thrown her arms around Harry and is giving him a bone breaking hug. "Oh Harry! I should have known it was that bad when they weren't there at the station. Oh those miserable little… UGH. Oh, I wish I could have you come home with me for Christmas, but there's no way I could get permission in time." Hermione rattles off quickly. While Hermione's hugs where often painful, they were always nice and warm. Harry hopes all hugs are like this.
"That's awful Harry. I'm glad you're getting it dealt with. I hope that whatever family they put you with is good for you. You deserve it for being a good person despite everything you've been through." Padma says, joining Hermione in crushing Harry's bones with a hug of her own. Padma's hugs were rarer than Hermione's, but no less nice. Though they were less painful.
"Ooh, I hope Auntie makes sure they get the book thrown at them. No one deserves that, especially not someone as nice as you. Move over, I'm getting in on this." Susan says, wrapping her arms around Harry as well. Harry had not experienced a Susan hug before this moment, but had no complaints. The close proximity of several pretty girls was however getting him rather flustered.
"Th-thanks guys, I really appreciate it. Just make sure you don't tell anyone okay? I don't want there to be a bunch of public fighting for my guardianship. Hopefully one of my parent's friends will step up and take me in." Harry says, his face beet red.
"You've got it Harry, we'll keep it under wraps, and we'll be here to support you." Neville says, giving a thumbs up from another nearby couch.
The rest of the groups time together was spent simply enjoying being together one last time before the end of break. Throughout the rest of the day though, Susan, Hermione and Padma only very rarely left Harry's side.
The morning after was bittersweet for the Sphinx Club, Harry went down to the Hogwarts station to see his friends off as he said farewell until they returned from their break.
Harry however, truly feels alone for the first time since he was at Hogwarts. He always had Hermione or Padma or someone with him at all times since the start of term, and now all his friends are gone. Even his roommates, who he has become more friendly with as the term went on had left to join their families for Winter break.
Harry's feet carry him to the Sphinx Club room, as they often have, and he begins his normal cardio routine. Professor Flitwick had introduced Harry to a few cardio exercises that were designed to improve his respiratory function, as well as his muscles ability to react quickly. One of these exercises that Professor Flitwick had introduced, and Harry hated more than anything were called "suicides." During one of these exercises, Harry would run one quarter length of the Sphinx club room, then back to his starting position, then to the center of the room, then to his starting position, then to the three-quarters length of the room, then his starting position, before finally running the full length of the room and back again. Then he would start from scratch and go for a half-hour, regardless of how slow he needed to go. Madam Pomfrey had been supplying Harry with a nutrient and electrolyte potion that had allowed him to do these workouts without seriously damaging his body, and Harry had been pleasantly surprised by his progress, his first few attempts had him evacuate his stomach at only the twenty minute mark, while he could now go the entire half-hour at a reasonable pace the entire time. He is still largely exhausted by the end of it. Finishing off his exercise for the day, and drinking down his potion, Harry looks around at the Sphinx club room.
The large room was still very barren as a whole despite the amount of time Harry and his friends spent here. The room was larger than any of the common rooms, and really only the Great Hall and Entrance hall seemed to be bigger than it. The group had acquired some couches and set them up in a circle around a few tables in one corner of the room, and had certainly made that area their own, but lacked anything to truly do with the rest of the space. Harry had little in the way of idea for what they could do with the extra space, beyond hope that perhaps they could add some decorations, maybe a banner denoting the Sphinx club.
Moving past that, Harry grabs his satchel and pulls out his flute that Hagrid had made for him. The purplish-black surface warming to his touch, as Harry plays a few scales that Professor Flitwick had taught him as a way to loosen up his fingers.
Harry's flute practice occupied him for a few hours before he noticed that his stomach was rumbling, and that it was time for him to get some lunch. A quick "Hey guys, I'm starving!" about to leave his lips before he realizes that none of his friends would be there to hear the statement left Harry feeling hollow.
Harry's lunch in the great hall shows him how few students were staying at school over the break, only five Ravenclaws including Harry were staying for break, no Hufflepuffs, three Slytherins, and six Gryffindors, all but two of which were of the Weasley family. Harry simply sits alone as he eats his lunch, before wandering out of the great hall.
Harry's holiday consisted of this routine, with only a short break for Christmas day. Harry had ordered some presents for the members of the Sphinx club, Hagrid, and Professor Flitwick, but didn't expect anyone to get him anything, as he had never had a Christmas present before. He is incredibly shocked however when several gifts were under the tree in the Ravenclaw common room with his name on them. The first gift he opened was from Hermione, and it was 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' by Galatea Merrythought, which Hermione informed him in the included card was the textbook that Dumbledore used when he taught Defense Against the Dark Arts in the forties. The next gift was from Neville, who had gifted him a large box full of chocolate frogs. Harry had tried some in the past and quite liked them, so he was very excited for his new treat. Daphne would be even more excited by the cards he would pull from them though.
The next large present was apparently a group effort by Lavender, Padma, Parvati, Susan, and Daphne as from them he received a small Wizarding Wireless Radio, which they said they got for him to make break seem a little less dull, and also so that he could listen to the kind of music that they grew up with. The next present was from Professor Flitwick, who had gotten Harry a few scarves with warming charms saying that he'll need them for outside training during the Scottish winter. Harry wasn't particularly excited about that prospect, but was enamored that his Professor thought enough of him to get him a gift at all.
The final present however, has Harry stumped. Wrapped in some unadorned brown paper, with twine holding it together was a small note that read: " Your father left this in my possession before he died. Use it well." Harry was certainly anxious. If the note was true, and this was something that had belonged to his father, Harry would be ecstatic. Beyond genetics, Harry had nothing to remember either of his parents by, and only knew their faces from the brief flashes he could see in his dreams. Carefully undoing the packaging, Harry finds a silky silvery cloak, sized for someone much larger than himself. If this truly had belonged to Harry's father, the man was much larger than he had imagined. The fabric of the cloak was cool to the touch, and Harry pulled it around his body. Blinking, Harry makes an audible gasp as he watches his legs disappear from view under the cloak, not simply being covered, but looking as though they weren't even there at all.
Standing up, Harry went over to a mirror that was in the common room, and sees that anything covered by the cloak was well and truly invisible, with nothing capable of being seen.
Gathering up his newly acquired items and setting them in his section of the dorm room, Harry makes his way down to the great hall for a hearty Christmas morning feast, full of delectable treats. After finishing his meal, Professor Flitwick speaks with Harry. "Happy Christmas Mr. Potter, I believe I have some news for you. Would you care to come with me to my office?"
"Happy Christmas to you as well Professor, and yes I'll come to your office." Harry responds, wiping his mouth and standing up from his now finished meal. Harry follows Professor Flitwick to his office, the diminutive Professor humming seasonal tunes the entire journey. His spirits were remarkably high, and Harry hopes that it is more than just the Christmas spirit infecting him.
"Ah, yes here we are. Before we start in earnest, I do hope you liked my gift for you." Professor Flitwick says, his smile beaming across his face.
"Oh yes Professor, I liked it very much, thank you. I've been doing my exercises indoors, but getting to run around outside will help my endurance far more." Harry says, sitting straight up.
"Good good! Now then, I have something very exciting to tell you. I had mentioned previously that your relatives had their trials just before Christmas break. They have been sentenced and truly no longer have any claims of guardianship over you. Your Uncle is to receive twenty years in muggle prison, and your aunt is to receive fifteen. Your cousin is to spend the next two years in a juvenile detention facility, followed by finishing his education at a school for underaged delinquents." Professor Flitwick says.
"While it's good to hear that I won't be going back to them, I can't say I'm particularly excited by the prospect of them going to prison. They weren't nice to me, I understand that. But isn't it enough for me not to go back to them?" Harry asks.
"Dear boy, what they did to you was actually criminal, and they have been punished accordingly. The fact that you feel bad for them however does speak wonders of your character. You're a good man Mr. Potter. As it stands however we will be shortly entering the interviewing phase for potential guardians for you. At the moment there are three names that are in the running, and while my familiarity with them is somewhat lacking due to them not having been members of my house while they were in school, I have no doubts of two of them treating you well. The third I will withhold judgment on." Professor Flitwick says, looking over a document in his hands.
"May I know who they are?" Harry asks nervously.
"Of course dear boy, I'm simply making you sweat. First we have Amelia Bones, your friend Susan Bones' aunt. She was a friend of your parents, and is currently working as the head of magical law enforcement. Since she has full custody of Susan, who is by all accounts a remarkable young witch she has a precedent of being capable of raising a child. There is currently a worry about how her work schedule would interfere with her care for you, but that is to be monitored. The second is Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, the parents of Draco Malfoy from your year. I'm aware of your history with the boy, and will suggest that perhaps they be given a much lower priority, but Narcissa is among your closest living relatives, being the great-niece of your great-grandmother. Finally Andromeda and Theodore Tonks, who were very good friends of your parents, Andromeda being the favored cousin of your father's best friend. She is also Narcissa's sister, so she also shares a distinction of being a relative. They have a daughter who graduated from here last year, and I believe is on her path to becoming an Auror." Professor Flitwick explains.
"I see. Well, I suppose just keep me updated. Will I get to meet them before a final decision is made?" Harry asks.
"Of course dear boy. At the end of the day you will be the one who makes the decision. It is just our job to make sure that you make a properly informed decision about who you live with. We need to make sure we do not move you from one abusive environment to another, but we also want you to live a happy life, and find yourself a family that will love you, and that you will love in return." Professor Flitwick says.
Harry smiles and nods. "Thank you for everything sir."
"There is no need to thank me Mr. Potter, it is both my duty and my pleasure to do so." Professor Flitwick says, a wide smile on his face. "Now, I believe you have a holiday to enjoy! Happy Christmas!"
"Happy Christmas Professor." Harry says, before walking out of Professor Flitwick's office. Harry couldn't help but find a skip in his step on his way back to the Ravenclaw tower. This had been far and away the best Christmas he had ever had, but every minute of the day found it becoming better and better.
Making it up to his dorm room, Harry had one person left he needed to spread some of his Christmas joy to. "I'm going to write a letter." Harry said aloud to the no one that would hear. On cue though, as though the words were a spell themselves Hedwig appeared at the window near Harry's bed, her white feathers gleaming with the soft twinkle of snowflakes that have fallen on her in her flight.
"Happy Christmas Hedwig! Sorry to trick you, I don't actually have any mail for you, but I do have some treats." Harry says to his inordinately intelligent bird. Harry gently feeds her some bits of bacon he had saved from his breakfast while stroking her. She coos gently with his strokes, in a manner that conveys 'Yes, I like that very much.'
"We might have a new family soon, Hedwig. Not just our friends from the Sphinx Club, but maybe something like a mom and a dad. I'll have to make sure they're good to you too, it wouldn't stand for our new family to not like my best girl." Harry says, and Hedwig gives him a look that says 'Of course they'll love me. I'm the best.'
"You're right girl, you're great. Of course they'll love you to pieces. Want me to play you a song?" Harry asks and Hedwig gives a soft hoot in agreement. Hedwig has enjoyed Harry's occasional concerts for her, and seemed to find great joy in his improvement. Harry picked up his flute and played a few Christmas songs from a songbook that Professor Flitwick had given him at the beginning of December.
Eventually however, night falls and Hedwig returns to her place in the owlery, and Harry is once more alone. He's not lonely however, as he knows that soon all of his friends will be back together, and he will be able to thank them for their wonderful gifts, and get to enjoy their company again.
Harry Potter is happy, and he cherishes that feeling.