A/N: I wrote out a long message, but I've saved that for the Author's Note at the end of the Chapter. After a year (to the day) without updates, I present to you the next chapter of A Second Life, and with it the start of Year Two! Enjoy!
Oh, and I apologize in advance if I've butchered the accents in my dialouge.
Special shoutout to Dark Machine, who betaed the chapter and listened to my several tangents on the fic overall. Thank you for your help!
BananaCarrot-Five
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Harry Potter is owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment and J.K. Rowling.
Previously...
June 21, 1992
Kings Cross Station, UK
Hermione turned to Harry and hugged him tight, ignoring his limb's refusal to hug her back with the same ferocity.
"You better write this summer Harry Potter! I don't want to be left in the dark about you!"
Harry finally responded with some sort of squeezing motion with his hands. "I promise I'll write. Hedwig will like the flying."
Hermione broke off the hug and fished in her pockets, finally pulling out a slip of paper. "This is my family's number, Harry. Call once in a while? Even if you write the day before. Please?"
Harry smiled. "For you, anytime." He produced his own paper. "Same thing, though I wouldn't call unless I say something in my letter, Uncle Vernon might not appreciate it."
Hermione nodded in understanding and the duo swapped papers. Neville coughed slightly, inclining towards a much older woman making her way over. Harry's eyes lingered for a few extra seconds. This woman, who was Neville's grandmother, had a unique wardrobe. A dark green dress with a vulture hat. Neville waved and walked over to her, and the trio walked off in opposite directions.
Harry and Hermione, armed with their belongings, made their way back through the barrier and into the muggle world. "I'll see you again in forty days," Hermione quietly said, before splitting from him. They were now separated, each of them hoping to receive the other's letters soon. As Harry caught a glimpse of Hermione hugging her parents in the distance, he also caught sight of his Uncle Vernon, who was angrily tapping his foot. Forty Days. 960 hours until freedom once again.
Chapter Fifteen: Forty Days
The drive to Surrey was - surprisingly - civil. Uncle Vernon didn't make any snide remarks to him, and as the familiar streets of Little Whinging passed by the windows Harry's dread only grew larger in the pit of his stomach. Some way or another, this summer wouldn't be any different than any other.
He had been right about one thing, though. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were so paranoid that Harry would use magic against them that they locked everything magical he had, including his wand, into the cupboard under the stairs that he had occupied not even a year before. Thankfully, Hedwig was threatening enough that Vernon didn't try to send her out of the house. Harry was grateful for that.
His good luck fully ran out when he was escorted upstairs and saw no less than seven padlocks on his door. Towards the bottom of the door was a small cat flap. So this is how they are treating me this summer. Great. Just great.
"Well Peter, I guess it's just you and me now."
"Hoot!"
"Yes, you too, Hedwig," Harry replied, cracking a tiny smile at his owl.
18 Hempstead Avenue, Crawley
It was close to midnight, and Hermione had just finished explaining to her parents the "watered down" version of the past two months. It was pitch dark in her room; the black silence only broken by occasional "meows" from Crookshanks who laid peacefully on Hermione's legs. Hermione smiled softly as she pulled him off her legs and into a hug, with his shocked meow of being moved from his comfy position. The grumpy orange fuzzball had been one of her best sources of happiness over the past year.
One of her other sources of joy was out of reach. Harry might have only been gone for a few hours, but she was already missing him. Momentarily frustrated, she laid Crookshanks next to her before sitting up and going to her desk. She was about to start writing him a letter before she realized that she had no way to contact him. Taking several deep breaths, she calmly turned off her light, again, and crawled into bed, Crooks finding a spot on her arm. Even laying down, her mind wandered to Harry. How he was doing, what he was going through now. Was he awake? Was he asleep? Was he also thinking about her? It took her over twenty minutes of tossing and turning, her mind running wild thinking about her friend, to fall asleep. Crookshanks was not happy she pulled her arm back.
Saint Mungos Hospital, London
Neville and his Gran had exchanged no more than twenty words when they arrived at St. Mungos. Neville knew where to go every time, and the nurses let him go as they knew him to visit frequently. He entered his parents' room and greeted them. He knew they wouldn't recognize him. They never did. He knew they wouldn't the first time, and this time too. It still hurt worse and worse every time he came to visit, but he couldn't imagine a reality in which he wouldn't see them. They weren't dead, and that is what mattered. Even if they didn't know who their son was, it was enough for Neville to keep coming back, to keep seeing his parents. Other than his Gran, they were his family. A family that was ruthlessly ripped apart from him.
Later, his Gran joined him, and the four spent the next few hours together in silence, broken only by the random mutterings of his parents.
June 22, 1992
King's Lynn, UK
Mariella was relaxing on the beach near their cottage when there was a sudden spike of pain in her head. She closed her eyes, trying to push it away, in that instant the same image rapidly flashed four times behind her eyes.
Mountains. A large stone structure in the distance. A huge body of water right in front.
She opened her eyes again and groaned in anger. This was the third time she had dealt with this. She had no clue what she was seeing in her mind. She turned to her side and picked up Hermione's drawing of part of her school's library which she'd had framed. It was the only thing that would calm her down after she felt this way.
She stood up and walked inside and found Toby cooking some eggs. Toby seemed to notice that she looked extremely tired and stopped what he was doing.
"Mari, you alright?" Toby checked her visually before helping her to the couch.
"Yeah, it happened again."
Toby sighed. Mari looked exhausted. Toby made sure that she didn't have a fever before going back to the kitchen and making some basic soup for her.
When the soup had finished cooking, Toby filled two bowls and joined his wife on the couch.
"Mari, explain to me what happened this time," he requested. And she did.
June 30, 1992
4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey
Harry was exhausted. He had been unable to send anything to Hermione or Neville at all. Uncle Vernon had been checking randomly to make sure Hedwig was still there. However, tonight, Harry was lucky. Uncle Vernon had gotten drunk after sealing a minor deal for his company and had passed out on the couch. Aunt Petunia had shooed him to his room in embarrassment.
Without Uncle Vernon's sporadic checks that evening, Harry deemed it safe enough to risk sending a letter to Hermione. Tying the letter to Hedwig's leg and receiving an affectionate hoot in response, Hedwig took to the skies. Harry could only hope the letter would arrive safely.
July 1, 1992
18 Hempstead Avenue, Crawley
It was just past midnight and Hermione was dozing off when she heard something tapping at her window. Crookshanks noticed it too and meowed in her face to get up. Hermione walked over to the window and had to blink very hard to be sure she wasn't seeing things before swinging it open to let Hedwig in. The owl flew in and landed on her desk, sticking out her leg and waiting until Hermione had removed the letter before she joined Crookshanks nearby.
Hermione,
I'm sorry for taking a week to send you a letter, Uncle Vernon wouldn't stop checking on Hedwig. How are you? I hope you haven't been too lonely. I've been better, but I wish I was with you or Neville. I don't know how often I can send you letters, but Hedwig will stay until you have a reply. I think she likes you more than she likes me, if I'm being honest. I'll be waiting for your reply.
From,
Harry
Hermione's emotions rocketed from elation to worry and then back to elation before ending with her bursting into laughter. She abandoned the idea of sleep and spent the next twenty minutes writing her letter to Harry. When she finished, she scratched Hedwig's ear before feeding her a treat and sending her off with her letter.
\-0-0-/
Hermione was woken up by Crookshanks, again. Looking at her clock, she saw it was just past seven in the morning. What also caught her eye was Hedwig, sleeping in the same spot she had been in originally. Hermione was a bit puzzled, but as her letter was clearly gone, she assumed Hedwig had dropped it off and Harry had sent her back.
But why would he not send a letter with her?
4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey
Harry had been rudely awoken by his Aunt Petunia at the glorious hour of six in the morning. He had been surprised when he saw that his window was still open from last night and that Hedwig was nowhere in sight. Harry sighed, he had rushed sending the letter to Hermione, and in doing so gave himself a wave of adrenaline that didn't wear off until around three, during which he'd passed out from boredom waiting for Hedwig to return with her reply.
Grumbling, Harry sat up and closed the window to a small crack, that way Hedwig could still get in should she return during the day. He put his shoes on and wiped his face before exiting his room. He grimaced at the smell of the shirt he used; it hadn't been cleaned in days. He walked downstairs to clean up the mess from last night, and sure enough, the table was full of food scraps and empty brandy bottles. Lying on the couch was Uncle Vernon, still passed out from the festivities.
Harry cursed inwardly and started to clean up the mess. He also had to make breakfast and clean the house after this. And then it was whatever Aunt Petunia had lined up for him outside. When seven o'clock rolled around, Aunt Petunia and Dudley came downstairs and Harry was just finishing with breakfast. Petunia glared at him as he finished and moved to wake Vernon from his drunken slumber. By the time the three Dursleys had made it to the table, Harry had put all the food out and set the coffee pot in the middle of the table.
Uncle Vernon, surprisingly, was enthusiastic. He ranted on and on about the drills contract he had settled and how it was the gateway to the "big score" that would grow the company threefold. Harry internally scoffed at that and went back into the kitchen to clean the dishes. Forty minutes later the Dursleys were finished eating and Uncle Vernon seemed to get some of his sarcastic side back because he announced that they would be going to celebrate the deal he had gotten.
Harry momentarily got excited because that meant he would have the house to himself until his Aunt Petunia swivelled her eyes toward him before returning to her husband.
"We're taking the boy with us. I don't trust him here alone now that he knows it."
Vernon's mood evaporated and he snarled at Harry. "No. We'll lock him in his room until we return. That ought to show him who's in charge around here."
Harry sighed in defeat as Petunia escorted him to his room.
\-0-0-/
Dublin, Ireland
"Mum, why the heck are we goin' to Austria? And why do I hav'ta go wit' ya?" Seamus asked his mother for the sixth time this morning.
"Because, Seamus, this is my job and one day you are going to be doing this too."
"Wha' if I don' wanna be on some stupid committee?"
Isla Finnegan glared at her son. "Seamus, you don't know just how important this committee is. I will explain it to you later, we have to get going. Our apparition time slot to the conference is in two hours, and we are not going to be late."
When they arrived, they landed in a small room. Quickly exiting the room and down a hall led them to the main atrium. The atrium was a massive 250 by 250 metre circle stretching twenty stories up. Vienna was the heart of the European Magical Nation Alliance, which twenty-one nations were a part of. There was a section allotted for each countries' operations, and at the other end of the atrium was a set of massive ornate wooden doors that led to the conference hall, the place that everybody would be spending most of their time.
The reason for the conference was because in April, the Bulgarian High Court announced a new piece of legislation that was considered controversial to many of the European nations. The conference was called to debate the ethics of such a controversial law being passed at all, and the Bulgarian's subtle attempt to get other nations to agree to pass a similar law through their courts.
When Isla exited the transportation wing, she was greeted by several colleagues from different nations who were also on the committee that would be examining the law. Seamus, following a few steps behind, momentarily forgot about his irritation at his mother when he saw the beautiful atrium that was the EMNA's headquarters. He was still in awe and caught the tail end of the conversation his mother was having.
"-and Franz, if this does pass there, it will only spark unnecessary tensions throughout the rest of the alliance."
"Yes, I do fear for ze future of ze alliance should siz pass. However, as a committee, vee are only an advisory board, albeit a strong advisory board to our respective nations." Franz looked at his watch and frowned. "I must depart, my delegation is avaiting my arrival."
"Good talking with you Franz, I presume we will see each other on the floor in a few days?"
"Of course, Frau Finnegan, Herr Finnegan." Franz bowed his head to both and departed.
Isla turned to her son. "Come Seamus, we must get to our suite."
\-0-0-/
Harry listened as the Dursley's drove away. He muttered expletives at them before sighing and sitting on his bed. Without Hedwig, he was all alone. After about twenty minutes of sitting about, Harry got an idea. Lyingdown, he removed a piece of the floorboard to reveal a hidden area for a few small items. His flute, his present from Hagrid, lay at the bottom. Harry smiled at this. He had kept it tucked into his shirt and since it was oversized anyways the Dursleys were none the wiser. He had managed to smuggle it into his room the night he got back.
As he pulled it out, he thought of all of the memories he had made this previous year. He thought of his teachers and his classmates and Hedwig and Crookshanks. He began to play, at first random notes so that he could get the feel for it again. He also thought a lot about Neville and Hermione.
Hermione.
Harry had been sitting on the idea of Hermione's present for a few days now, and having thought it through, he put his plan into action. When lunch came around, he broke off from his friends and walked up to the Head's table.
"Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, I was wondering if you could help me?" Harry asked.
Professor Flitwick sat up and smiled. "What can I do for you, Mr. Potter?"
Harry fidgeted with his hands momentarily. "Well, Professor, I want to give Hermione Granger a special Christmas present, I just don't know how to do it."
"And what is it that you want to give her, Mr. Potter?"
"A journal that doesn't run out of pages but also doesn't add extra weight. And a quill that comes with it so she can use it anywhere, and maybe the quill doesn't need ink."
Professor Flitwick sat in silence for about fifteen seconds before nodding in agreement. "Of course, Mr. Potter. Come see me in my classroom when you get a chance and we can go over the specifics."
Harry smiled at that. "Thank you, Professor! Enjoy the rest of your lunch!"
Harry walked back to Neville and Hermione and sat down, a smile wide on his face.
"What was that for?" Hermione asked.
"Oh, nothing," Harry replied, and he began to eat his lunch in silence.
Harry smiled at the memory. Then he frowned. Hedwig wasn't back yet. Surely Hermione would be awake by now to see the letter from him? He wished that Hedwig would come back to him soon. Despite the warmth that Peter gave him when he was in his subconscious, he still needed to talk to someone that understood him, even if she was an owl.
And as much luck as he had gotten that day, it finally ran out when, after the Dursleys had gotten home after their day of celebrating, Uncle Vernon noticed that Hedwig was missing after checking on Harry.
"No food for a week, boy! I'll not have you sending secret little messages to your freaky friends! Never!"
Vernon made the point of putting a large box in front of Harry's door. It was more to block the cat flap that was there, but it was also a redundant security measure in the event that he somehow escaped out of the room. Harry slept wearily that night, using the silence of the night and the darkness in his room to relax.
July 2, 1992
4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey
Harry awoke to the sounds of soft hooting in his ear. Sitting up, he realized that Hedwig was perched on his bed, comforting him. He sat up and looked at the clock to read that it was half past five in the morning. He stroked her feathers and smiled.
"Thanks for coming back, Hedwig. Do you have a reply from Hermione?"
Hedwig hooted and flapped her wings several times which Harry interpreted as "no" and sighed. He helped Hedwig back into her cage and ruffled her feathers once more.
"At least you are home again." Harry sighed and sat back down on his bed, eventually giving up on sleep and sitting in silence until the sun came up.
Harry was later woken by the sounds of a drill outside of his window. Lo and behold, Uncle Vernon was outside, precariously balancing himself on a ladder as he drilled iron rods against Harry's bedroom window.
"Peter, what have I done to deserve this?"
Longbottom Manor
Neville trudged downstairs and sat at the large table in the dining room. On the table, the Prophet lay flat. Neville glanced over at the headline, "Ethics Conference in Vienna starts Saturday!" The article explained the basics of what was happening internationally, and while Neville would normally have gobbled up that information for future use, he ignored the paper and ate his food in silence. With his Gran out of the house due to summer Ministry business, he often had the house to himself. It wasn't all bad, Trudy often kept him company, and when he wanted to think of his friends he would go to his room to look at the painting from Hermione or read more of his encyclopaedia from Harry; both of which were Christmas presents.
Neville left his half-eaten bowl of cereal on the table and grabbed his book before heading out to the Greenhouses. He had started to lose hope after he hadn't received a letter from either of his friends since they parted ways back at Kings Cross almost two weeks ago. He could understand Harry not responding; he had said that it would be near impossible to send a letter to either of them, but Hermione had been more understanding and promised letters frequently.
Nevertheless, Neville still paced back and forth, wishing he could be with his friends.
July 4, 1992
The European Magical Nation Alliance, Vienna, Austria
"The European Convention for International Magical Affairs is now active. Proper decorum will be required. If you do not conform to the policy you will be escorted out. Now. We are here to discuss the confirmation of a piece of legislation that was brought forth by the Bulgarian High Court in April. The Bulgarians have agreed to attend this conference as a sign of courtesy to the Alliance. The European Committee for International Magical Affairs has convened in this Hall in Vienna. You may begin deliberations." Austrian Chancellor of Magic Hugo Vienmann looked around at the twenty-one nations' delegations as the conference began.
A short woman from the French delegation rose to speak.
"The Committee recognizes the delegation from France," Vienmann stated, nodding to Margot LeCroft, the French representative, to signal her to speak.
"Thank you, Chancellor. As this Committee is aware, we are gathered here to discuss the ethics of the proposed legislation by the Bulgarian High Court. With respect to the High Court, I would inquire on why such a law is being proposed in your country to begin with. Is it not enough that we have the three Unforgivables already forbidden throughout Europe? What is the point of this new law?"
Vienmann raised his hand as soon as Margot sat down. "I will allow the delegation from Bulgaria to respond.
A short man stood up for the Bulgarian delegation. "Chancellor, I would like to default my time to a member of my delegation to answer Mademoiselle LeCroft's inquiry."
"You may proceed," Vienmann stated.
The man nodded and stepped out of the way as a tall man with perfectly ironed robes and a calculating look in his eyes stepped forward. "For ze record, my name is Arthur Harrison III. I am ze head of za High Court and it vaz myself and two colleagues who introduced this proposal to ze floor. Za basics of ze law are simple. Restrict dangerous and potentially life-threatening spells from being taught to our students in our Institutions. As it is well known, we haff had two significant attacks on our society in ze past fifty years; Grindelwald in 1945 and Voldemort in 1981. This occurred because we allowed dangerous spells to be taught within our schools, and thus used outside of ze school for nefarious purposes. This law will restrict what spells will and will not be taught in our educational institutes by creating a classification system of four ranges. Green, Red, Grey, and Black. The spells themselves vill be classified via a panel of impartial Witches and Wizards on the ICW. Thank you."
Isla sighed. This was going to take a while, and it was only the first day. They still had two weeks left for the Convention.
\-0-0-/
July 5, 1992
King's Lynn, UK
Mariella had locked herself into her greenhouse for hours at this point. The back wall of their greenhouse, while normally filled with shelves for plants, was now occupied by a giant corkboard with several bad sketches hanging from it. Mariella had spent most of the past 2 weeks since she had her last vision in here, furiously trying to sketch out what she saw. She fought to remember small details, and she was growing anxious and frustrated with her lack of recollection.
Toby had looked on with concern and had tried to keep his wife grounded. He made her meals everyday and comforted her when she would let him. He had seen some of her sketches and was concerned that he would have to take her back to the doctor. However, Mariella had swore at him after the first time he had done it, insisting that she wasn't going mad. Toby wanted to believe her, but he could see that she was overexerting herself too much too often. He didn't know what to do.
4 Privet Drive, Surrey
Harry was lying in bed and staring into space. He had done everything that Petunia wanted him to do and was now thinking aloud to Hedwig.
"Hedwig, what did I do wrong? Why do they hate me?
"Hoot?"
"Why am I always the one getting into trouble?"
"Hoot."
"You're right, I guess it just happens to me."
"Hoot."
Harry sighed. "At least you're with me, Hedwig, Thank you for being my friend."
Hedwig hopped off her pedestal and into Harry's arms, nuzzling him. Harry smiled and sighed, thinking about his friends. Specifically Hermione.
Harry spoke softly. "What do you make of me now?"
"A boy with no magical experience following a bad childhood," Hermione had replied.
Maybe his friendship with his friends was too strained, considering it took the three of them over two months to properly treat each other as friends. Harry still had bad flashbacks from when he yelled at her for hugging him last year. He hadn't had a hold on his feelings nor his place. Maybe the stress of being showered in love so suddenly had made him push her away? Maybe, now that she wasn't there to be with him every day, was questioning exactly why she had befriended him in the first place?
Harry shook his head. He wouldn't believe that. This was just a letter, not an act of throwing away their friendship. Plus, he knew Hermione had a cat and not an owl, but it also begged the question: Neville was magical so why didn't he use his Gran's owl like he used Hedwig so many times?
July 7, 1992
Vienna, Austria
Isla Finnegan was in a heated debate with the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. The Minister had taken a special interest in the conference for some reason and had shocked Isla when her fireplace activated that evening after the session.
"Can you give me an update on what is going on, Isla?" Cornelius asked almost immediately after connecting.
Isla sighed. "Minister, I honestly don't know what your special interest is in this."
Cornelius raised an eyebrow.
"You never have any interest in the Ethics Conferences. Bagnold wasn't interested in them either."
Cornelius interrupted her mid-sentence. "I am not former Minister Bagnold, and I have an interest in this because I am interested in the outcome."
Isla kept her face neutral as she watched the Minister blather his way through his bullshit explanation. "The Bulgarians are standing their ground on the basis of the Law being created for the two schools run by the Bulgarian government, the Bulgaria Magical Institute and the Durmstrang Institute of Magic."
"The classification law is meant to help the schools, is that right?" Cornelius asked excitedly.
Isla nodded slowly. "Yes, Minister, that is why the law was proposed, and that is why we are at this Conference now. The Bulgarians want to spread the Law to the entire continent, and as it stands on the floor now, several countries are considering following them."
Cornelius nodded thoughtfully. "What is your opinion?"
Isla took a moment to think. "It depends on how the law is enforced, and whether it will remain only for the purpose of education."
Cornelius nodded again and smiled. "I will let you go now Isla, I know you have a busy day tomorrow."
"Enjoy your night, Minister," Isla disconnected the Floo and sighed heavily.
July 10, 1992
18 Hempstead Avenue, Crawley
Hermione had spent her morning travelling; her parents had reluctantly driven her to London so that she could go to Diagon Alley to post Harry and Neville a letter. As they were driving home, Samuel got a call from one of his business partners. Hermione knew that her parents were expanding their business and from what she heard over the phone her parents were opening a location in downtown London. Expanding from their practice in Crawley was probably one of the goals that her parents had after moving their entire business from Paris all those years ago.
Having a practice in London came with its own benefits as well. Hermione would be within a twenty minute walk to Diagon Alley and she could spend more time with her parents, instead of staying home alone as she had for most of the time she'd been home. When they got home, Sam had looked over at her and his wife and grinned.
"We are the proud owners of a new dentistry clinic in London!"
The three Grangers had cheered for their new success and went inside for an afternoon snack.
It was then that Helen got a call from her brother-in-law, Toby. According to him, Mariella had been acting erratically for the past few weeks and he hoped that her sister would be able to help her out of her funk. Helen quickly agreed and by the late afternoon the Grangers were on the road again, heading towards King's Lynn once again.
July 13, 1992
King's Lynn, UK
Hermione was getting a light tan on the beach that the cottage overlooked. She had received a letter from Neville that morning, reassuring her that Harry was perfectly fine, and he was hoping to get a reply from him soon. Information acquired, she had allowed herself to relax. It was around midday when she spotted her Aunt Mariella coming outside. She noticed that she was clutching onto the picture frame as if her life depended on it. She walked over to Hermione and sat down next to her in the sand.
"Hi, Aunt Mari, how are you holding up?" Hermione asked.
"As good as I can do, given the circumstances."
Hermione looked on with a sad expression. "Uncle Toby said you were erratic and acting weirdly. What is going on?"
Aunt Mari sighed. "I don't know, Hermione. I get these… almost visions… but they come at random times and it's so hard to understand what it is. I tried to sketch out what I had seen, but I've not remembered it and it is making me go all 'erratic' like your Uncle Toby is saying."
Hermione tilted her head. "Do you want me to look? I might not be able to help, but I could try and understand whatever it is that is going on?"
Mariella laughed, then became sad. "Sure, you can, but don't be impressed. You are still the better artist in our big family."
Nevertheless, Mariella brought Hermione over to her drawings. Hermione had no clue what her Aunt was trying to depict. Meanwhile, Mari was trying to explain her drawings to Hermione.
"There's a big lake here, it might be a river, I couldn't tell, there's mountains, and there's this big stone monument or something. All in the middle of it. I just can't figure out what it is! And that is what is getting to me about it!"
It was then that Helen entered the greenhouse and looked at the drawings too. She was just as clueless as Hermione and soon enough Toby called the entire family for dinner. Dinner was awkward for several reasons. Hermione didn't know what to say and by this point everyone had seen the sketches, and nobody had any idea at all of what Mariella was trying to process. After dinner, Samuel had expressed to Toby that he thought that she was reliving some traumatic event that she didn't fully realize, or a recurring dream that she was trying to interpret. Either way, being around them had helped Mariella's mood considerably. Since Sam and Helen had a few days before they would be due in London to work on staffing for the clinic, they decided to stay with Toby and Mari. After all, a few extra days with her family wouldn't do her any harm, would it?
July 14, 1992
Vienna, Austria
"WHAT?" Isla Finnegan was in her suite when Franz knocked on the door.
"It iz true, za Bulgarians have pazzed za bill. Zeveral delegations are also conzidering broaching ze topic of Spells Classification in their nation, mostly as a sign of rezpect to Bulgaria."
"I thought that they understood that the proposal was too controversial? I thought we sorted that out last week?"
Franz frowned. "I had thought 'hat we did. Ve are miztaken apparently."
Isla raised an eyebrow. "Didn't Willams get through to Harrison? Didn't the guy nod in understanding?"
"I cannot comment on what I didn't see, I was, regrettably, not paying attention to the floor at that point."
Isla waved it off. "Don't worry, I do it too occasionally. But what changed his mind?"
Franz shrugged, arms out, palms up, "I don't know.".
Isla groaned in frustration. "The floor will be chaotic this afternoon, I bet."
Franz could only frown and nod.
Seamus had stayed in his room and heard the entire conversation. He didn't dare exit until the German delegate had left. All summer long, he had been cooped up in Vienna. He was allowed to explore the city, and he adored the sights, and up until a few days ago he had seen his mother come back to their suite more anxious than the day before.
When the weekend had come, his mother had been calm, almost relaxed. He knew that she didn't like talking about what had happened that day with him. And for all he knew, he didn't really care either. However, hearing that something had happened after it wasn't going to get him to pay attention. He wasn't ready to confront his mother about it, just yet.
\-0-0-/
Isla's prediction was right. When she entered the floor three hours later, the chamber was in complete chaos. She turned to her support staff, daring them to start yelling in support or in protest of the Bulgarians. She then stared forward as she waited, as patiently as she could, for the Chamber to quiet down. Vienmann had to yell twice before the Chamber quieted, and he didn't look happy either.
"Silence!"
From across the room, Arthur Harrison stood tall and firm, his gaze never faltering as he made eye contact with everyone on the floor, almost daring them to challenge him.
Isla knew what the headlines would read; "Bulgaria passes controversial law!" The Prophet could easily make her the villain in this if they so desired.
\-0-0-/
July 17, 1992
18 Hempstead Avenue, Crawley
Hermione had returned home and was sad when Hedwig wasn't at her windowsill with another letter. She had known that Harry's life at the Dursley's was bad, but she didn't think it was so bad to the point where Harry couldn't even send a letter to her. After all, he did promise to write. However, the dark side of her mind started emerging. Despite Neville's reassuring letter from a few days ago, it didn't help that her negative thoughts were drowning out her positive ones.
Had all of the fights and the yelling from the beginning of last year been too much for him? Was he ignoring her to not think about it? But then why get her a journal? Why get her a special present for Christmas? He clearly cared about her, but was it enough? Before she could unwind all of her scenarios into her mind, her mother knocked on her door to inform her that dinner was ready.
Dinner that evening was full of her parents talking amongst themselves about the move to London. They decided to bring some items over, but not much as this was still their home and the flat above the practice was in case they had to stay there overnight. It was over an hour's drive between the new practice and their house, after all.
4 Privet Drive, Surrey
Harry had been doing his best to only think about the positive encounters between himself and Hermione. Quite frankly, the bad should not be outweighing the good, and it shouldn't have gotten to this point. He had been isolated in his room far more times than he would care to count. So much for this summer being better than the others. His days were filled with all of the good and funny things that he had experienced with Hermione.
At night, it was the opposite. The fights, the crying, the isolation, it was on repeat. It was horrible for Harry to bear, over and over again. After the first time it happened, he berated himself for not thinking about his other best friend, Neville, but he didn't exactly have several earsplitting fights with him, and even though he was the glue that kept them together in the beginning months, Harry's mind was locked on the bushy haired girl that he also called his best friend.
His head wouldn't stop spinning. He had even asked Peter for advice. Advice that didn't exactly work, and it made him even angrier at himself.
July 18, 1992
Longbottom Manor
Neville was reading through his encyclopaedia in Greenhouse C when his Gran entered.
"Neville, you have been cooped up in the greenhouses for the past three weeks. It's time for you to get some air. Think about it, alright?"
Neville nodded in response to his Gran's advice and spent the next several hours contemplating the decisions that he would make for the rest of the summer. He had lost hope of Harry joining him in August since Harry hadn't responded to any of the letters that he had sent to him over the summer. His mind wandered and his eyes drifted over to one of his dirigible plum plants.
At that moment he felt stupid. How could he have forgotten his best friend? He literally talked about her to Harry and Hermione on numerous occasions and here he was, sulking in not being able to hang out with his friends when he had completely ignored perhaps his most important best friend. It took several seconds for his frown to turn into a smile, but once he thought of Luna, he couldn't get the images of the beautiful girl that she was becoming. He smiled wider at this thought. He knew what else he wanted to do for the rest of his summer. He closed his book and walked out of the greenhouse to head to his room.
\-0-0-/
July 20, 1992
Lovegood Residence, Devon, UK
Neville sat quietly and smiled as he accepted some warm tea from Mr. Lovegood. He sipped it slowly as Mr. Lovegood, again, repeated that Luna was still getting ready. About ten minutes later, Luna skipped down the stairs, clad in a light blue summer dress. Her hair was undone, and her silvery blue eyes brightened when she saw her friend again.
"Hello Neville! It has been a long time since you visited me!"
"It has, Luna, sorry for that. School and everything. Has Ginny been around recently?" Neville asked.
"No, but maybe she is also busy like you!" Luna exclaimed. She grabbed his arm and pulled him outside.
Neville smiled. He loved how energetic and happy Luna always was. He knew that she was doing it mainly to not think about her mother's passing, though. It had been almost a year and a half since it happened, and even though Luna was cheery as ever, Neville could see her eyes were not there.
Damn you and your advanced perception, Neville! Ok, think about something else…
"Are you excited for Hogwarts?" Neville asked.
"Yes! I can't wait to see the castle for the first time! Daddy said that it was a beautiful sight! Maybe we can hang out there too?" Luna tilted her head and gave Neville a questioning glance.
"Of course, Luna! Who else would I spend time with at Hogwarts if you were there?" Neville replied cheerily. He smiled at her looking down and turning red.
"Did you make friends this year?" Luna asked quietly. Before Neville could answer, she continued. "I heard Harry Potter went this year. How is he? Is he nice?" Luna asked several questions before looking at the grass and pulling at it, seemingly more interested with that than Neville. Neville sat down next to her and smiled.
"Oh yes, as a matter of fact, Harry is one of my best friends now!" Neville exclaimed happily. "I also met this girl, her name is Hermione, and she is wicked smart. Professor McGonagall – you'll meet her when you go – says that she is one of the smartest in her year. She also helped me and Harry get through our exams."
"Ooh, that sounds fun! Can you introduce me to Hermione when we go to Hogwarts?" Luna asked.
"Of Course! I'll also introduce you to Harry! But word of caution, don't mention any of the 'Boy-who-lived' stuff around him, he doesn't like it at all."
Luna nodded several times before switching subjects. "Do you want to see my dirigible plum plants? Come on, I'll show you!"
Vienna, Austria
"Arthur, we talked about this a million times! But you still go with it! What is the meaning of this? The Law has been a thing in your country for a week, and you are implementing it for the school year! Shouldn't you wait for next year instead of hastily rushing into this?"
Arthur Harrison looked at Isla FInnegan, judging her. "Youz British folks tarnish ourz lives, alvays having the say in our geopolitical decisions. Not anymore. We have formed our new path and will commit to this. It is for za wellbeing of our population, ezpecially our students. Bulgaria is done compromising for the sake of your British brats opposing everything. And, for da record, the Law passed in April. We had the courtesy of waiting for approval from you. This iz meant for our schools, for our students, for now. Make sure zat point is relayed to your Minister and your friends. Good day, Madam Finnegan."
Isla huffed in anger as Harrison walked away with his support group. "Damned Bulgarians," she muttered under her breath. She exited later after to Floo the Minister to explain the situation.
July 24, 1992
4 Privet Drive
Today was a rare day. The Dursleys had left the house and didn't lock him in his room. As soon as the car was out of the driveway, Harry bolted to the phone. He was so anxious to call Hermione and he wanted to know why she wouldn't send letters even if Hedwig was there. He quickly dialled the number for Hermione's house and anxiously waited. Annoyingly, the call was never picked up. Harry slammed the receiver down in anger and ran back upstairs, trying to vent his pent up frustration of his female friend without causing a scene for the Dursleys.
Meanwhile, in Crawley
The Grangers were gearing up for another trip to London. Helen had forgotten several items from the house that she wanted up in London, so she persuaded Sam to drive them all back to the house. As the Grangers exited their car, Helen smiled at Hermione.
"Dear, why don't you open the door while I get the post and Dad grabs some things out of the car?"
Hermione smiled brightly. "Of course, Mum!"
Inside the house, the phone started ringing. On the seventh ring, the phone stopped ringing, and three seconds later Hermione opened the front door, happy to be home, if only for an hour.
She ran upstairs and grabbed her journal; in the excitement of leaving for London the week prior, she had embarrassingly forgotten to bring it with her.
\-0-0-/
July 29, 1992
Longbottom Manor
Neville walked into the dining room where his Gran sat, reading the Prophet. He sat down in a chair near her.
"Gran, can I ask you something?" Neville asked. His Gran waited several moments before putting down her paper and looking at him.
"Fudge just approved what I am going to call the boldest move by anybody on this planet, and it wasn't even his idea."
Neville was puzzled. "What?"
His Gran slid him the paper. "Remember that Conference mentioned a while back? This is the result of it. Apparently not everyone is happy."
Spells Classification Signed into Law!
Even though he read the article, he wasn't able to focus on it. Quickly, he placed the paper down and looked over at his Gran.
"My friend Harry Potter promised to write to me and my friend this summer, but my friend has only gotten one letter and he hasn't responded to any of the letters that she's sent to him."
"Is this other friend Hermione Granger perhaps?" His Gran asked.
Neville nodded. "Yes, Hermione Granger is one of my friends. She said she sent a bunch of letters to Harry but never got a response. She doesn't know what to do, Gran. Harry's birthday is coming up soon, I don't know what to do." Neville seemed to sink in his seat, defeated.
His Gran, however, started smiling. "I have the perfect present for young Harry," she stated. "Do you know his address?"
After his Gran explained her plan, Neville smiled brightly; soon Harry would be with him and then later on, he could see Hermione again.
July 31, 1992
4 Privet Drive, Surrey
Harry was woken up by his Aunt and was ordered to make breakfast. As he left his room, Hedwig hooted sadly at him. Today was supposed to be the day that he got to leave Privet Drive, Dumbledore had promised him. But alas, it seemed that he would be stuck in his house for the rest of the summer. Harry glanced at her for a second before continuing downstairs, Dumbledore's hollow process still running through his head from that day at Hogwarts. He made breakfast silently, and he didn't communicate with any of the Dursleys as they came down and ate their breakfast. It was like clockwork. Even on his birthday, Suddenly, at exactly eight AM, the front door was knocked several times, loudly.
Aunt Petunia, who was standing already, went to answer the door. When she opened it up, she was met by an older woman wearing a dark green dress. She wore half-moon spectacles, and her handbag was abnormally large.
"What can I do for you, Miss?" Petunia asked kindly. The older woman narrowed her eyes at her.
"Harry Potter. Right here. Now."
Petunia froze and her eyes widened in shock. Vernon, wondering what the problem was, called out to his wife. It was then Harry looked into the hall to see who was at the door, cracking his first smile in a while. He quickly placed the saucepan on the stove and from the kitchen, waved and called out, "Madam Longbottom! Hello!" His lifeboat had finally arrived. He was free at last. Thank you, Peter.
A/N: Wow, it's been exactly one year since I last posted an update to this story. I had wished that I would avoid a HIATUS for this long, but alas, life got in the way yet again. This chapter has been written, rewritten, betaed, forgotten for two months, edited again, rebetaed, edited after that, forgotten for another three months, edited to add more bits and pieces to it, forgotten for another four months, and reopened just a week ago to finish the chapter and get it ready for its release today. Continuing to write this story after so long of inactivity was difficult for me, but with the support of many of my fellow writers, I was able to not only finish writing this chapter but got it betaed.
I sincerely apologize for this chapter taking, in my opinion, way too long to be released. This chapter should have been released last year in May. The roughly 8,000-word chapter has been sitting in my files for months, just begging me to finish it. However, I had made a promise to myself very early on: I would write out this story no matter how long it took me. I ended up reading the entirety of my story to realign myself with the finer details I may have forgotten in my absence. I hope that you will bear with me; the next few chapters might jump around in terms of continuity errors due to my slow reunderstanding of my own story. Notes only get one so far, after all.
I apologize to all of the people who have read this story in the past three years. I promised updates after the First Year was completed, and I have all but failed in that promise. Let this chapter be the steppingstone to rekindling that promise. The one promise I can make is that I will be releasing a chapter every month. I have so much more to add to this story and this chapter is the first step in that long list. I hope that you will stick with me as I begin to update this story again, even with the challenges of real life.
As we leave First Year behind, the hype for Second Year grows, and I am excited as the writer to bring this story to life as it now has resumed living in my head rent free. It is not a perfect story, I will admit that, but I can only hope to make the story better as time continues. And for anyone wondering, yes, this is still a Harry/Hermione pairing fic. Oh, and shoutout to the most recent commenter on the work - you know who you are - thank you for your kind comments on the story which lite the fire under my arse to finish this chapter.
Until the next chapter,
BC5