Harry Potter & The Friend He Never Had

by DoctorAlchemy

This is an AU where Harry Potter grows with the Dursleys, but in this AU, Petunia loves her Nephew, and so does Dudley. Harry meets John Smith, a wizard just like him, but not everything is what it seems like. Who is this Original Character, what are his motives and how will the story turn out in this Alternate Universe? This is a planned slow burn mystery-thriller. Enjoy reading!

58. Chapter 58

Well... Here we are...

I am sad... And I know that a lot of you might also be. But we have to move on.

This has been a difficult chapter to write. John has been a character that I have been extremely closely associated with for a good part of a year and a half. To kill him off at the moment I did, the way I did, has been something that I had planned quite frankly from the very first day (week more like).

And this very thing made this chapter that much more difficult. You see, I didn't mind writing Chapter 57. But focusing on 58, focusing on how our characters are going to react, made this a much longer process than I originally thought it would be.

Anyway... enough of this... Here is Chapter 58... I don't have the heart to tell y'all to enjoy this one... So,

---

Harry took out his necklace and held the totem in his hand.

"I want to go home," he thought to himself. And it happened immediately. Harry felt as though someone or something had just jerked him irresistibly forward. His feet left the ground andthoughtfelt himself speeding forward in a howl of wind. And then suddenly his feet slammed into the ground and he fell flat on the hard road.

Harry got up immediately and felt himself. He wasn't in the graveyard anymore. He looked around and recognized the street immediately. He was home and was standing in front of his gate. Harry immediately rushed in and unfortunately for him, the door was locked. It was still the middle of the afternoon, which meant Dudley would be in school and Aunt Petunia was probably still at the bakery.

Harry took out his wand and pointed it upwards, at an angle. He looked around once, to make sure there wasn't anybody looking at him.

"Expecto Patronum"

And to his horror, nothing happened.

"No... no... no... not now... please not now," he muttered under his breath.

"Expecto Patronum"

And once again, nothing happened. Harry was panicking. He was not thinking clearly and was definitely not in a state to concentrate and produce a Patronus that could send a message. But there wasn't an alternative. Harry had to do it, John's life depended on it.

Harry sat down, on the steps and tried to calm himself down. His thoughts travelled back to his lessons with Remus, back to all the times he had produced a Patronus, back to his sessions with the phoenix juniors. After a couple of minutes, Harry got up, invigorated and pointed his wand upwards. He closed his eyes and put himself in his happy place, the one he always relied on to produce a Patronus.

"Expecto... Patronum," he cried and a blinding, dazzling silvery animal burst out of his wand. The horse-like animal lowered its head and galloped around Harry. A bright smile formed on Harry's face. He had done it.

"Go to Dumbledore... You-Know-Who has John... They are in a graveyard... I saw Tom Riddle's name there. John needs help... I am home, I used my totem," said Harry hastily and slashed his wand. Harry's Patronus galloped away from him and after a few seconds disappeared.

And now, it was time to wait.

Harry sat back down on the steps. He suddenly felt a pain all over his body. The past 30 minutes or so replayed in his head. Harry checked his arm and knees to discover minor bruises. There were scratches over his face and his scar seemed to hurt too. He wasn't sure what came over him, but suddenly, Harry burst into tears. Was it because he had somehow survived You-Know-Who once again, or was it because John was still stuck there, he didn't know. Harry wiped his tears and assured himself that everything would work out. He had after all sent Dumbledore the message. It was only a matter of time before they'd get to John, and he'd be fine.

And then Harry heard something. It was a screech owl. An owl soared its way towards Harry, dropped a large parchment envelope it was carrying on its beak on Harry's head, turned gracefully and zoomed away across the street.

Harry ripped open the envelope, hoping it was a message from the order. However, his heart skipped a beat when he read the contents of the message.

Dear Mr Potter,
We have received intelligence that you performed the Patronus Charm at thirty-three minutes passed two this afternoon in a muggle-inhabited area.
The severity of this breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery has resulted in your expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ministry representatives will be arriving at your place of residence shortly to destroy your wand.
Hoping you are well,
Yours sincerely,
Mafalda Hopkirk
Improper Use of Magic Office
Ministry of Magic

Harry read through the letter twice. Inside his head, all was icy and numb suddenly.

"Absolutely not... I was trying to save a life. I cannot be expelled from Hogwarts for that," he told himself.

A million things swarmed inside his head. Harry was back to not thinking clearly. And how could he?

"John should somehow hold on till the order arrive"

"Would the order have reached by now? Will Voldemort be defeated today?"

"John is an experienced wizard. Surely he can hold on for a few minutes. He was hiding and should stay hidden"

"Why did he stay? He should have come with me. I should have never let him stay back. He wanted to get me to safety. If I had remained stubborn, he would have come with me."

Harry started pacing back and forth in front of his house. After a few minutes, he lost patience and felt like an idiot.

"Well, if I am already expelled from Hogwarts, there is nothing more they could do," he told himself and pulled out his wand.

"Alohomora," he muttered and the door opened.

Harry walked into the house and started pacing inside now. With every minute that passed, Harry got more and more anxious. The slightest of sounds from the street grabbed Harry's attention. He would run outside, realise it was nothing and would come back inside.

About 15 minutes had passed since Harry had arrived at 4, Privet Drive. And more than 10 minutes had passed since he had sent the message to Dumbledore. And yet, there was nothing he knew of what was going on.

Only an hour ago, Harry was enjoying his time with Daphne, at Hogsmeade.

"Oh my God! What if You-Know-Who attacked the students at Hogsmeade? Hermione, Ron, Daphne... hope they made it back to the castle"

"That was so stupid, what I did... I should have never gone looking for that man. Had I stayed put, John would have never known about it, and we wouldn't have ended up getting caught by that man and... Lockhart"

"Lockhart... that deceiving little prick. I will kill him with my bare hands if I see him again. How could he do this to us? Was he always working for You-Know-Who? Is that why he took the job at Hogwarts? To capture me?"

And it suddenly dawned on Harry.

"John warned me... he warned me to be careful around Lockhart. He tried to warn me and yet I fell for it. I can't believe that prick tricked us. Is that why he always wanted to stay close to me? Was that his plan all along? To trick me into trusting him and then capturing me to take to You-Know-Who? Was Lockhart behind the attack on Ron?"

"Why didn't I just tell Ron about that man? All of us could have been there looking for him and we would have never been ambushed."

Harry suddenly noticed his hand was shaking. He stopped pacing and sat down on the floor. Tears rolled down his cheek. But Harry knew better. He knew how powerful John was, he had seen him kill a death eater before. He was the most skilled duellist he had seen, at least amongst all the students. If there was one person who could get out of that situation alive, it was John.

Harry's thoughts once again travelled back to the graveyard.

"What happened there with You-Know-Who? Why didn't his killing curse affect me? What happened after that? I didn't know spells could collide and create an irresistible bind."

"And did John know about this? Is that why he wanted me to fight You-Know-Who? Does my wand have some power that I did not know about?" he wondered and looked at his wand. It looked worn but otherwise as normal as Ron's, Hermione's, or John's did.

Harry was pacing inside the house once again. He had gone to the kitchen to have some water, but he couldn't have any properly. Gulping the liquid felt difficult. Somehow the water tasted weird. But he was sure it wasn't the water that was different. Harry felt tired and worn out but couldn't stop pacing. Whenever he paused, his brain fired a million thoughts, every single one of them making Harry feel guilty, restless and anxious. Time passed by, sometimes it felt slow and then suddenly it felt like time had flown by. Harry kept thinking back to what differently he could have done.

"I should have stayed with John. At least, I'd know what's going on. I could have produced the Patronus there as well. Then, John would have somebody with him."

And then Harry's thoughts went somewhere that he dreaded.

"What if the order got late? What if John was found and killed before the order could get there?"

"No... no that can not happen. John is way too powerful for that. He's good at hiding. He will survive. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up here right now"

Harry hopefully made his way out of the house, but there was no one there. After a few minutes came back in.

It was almost an hour and there still was absolutely nothing Harry knew of what was going on.

"What are they even doing? Why is this taking so long?" he kicked out in frustration.

"Is John injured? Could they be taking him to the hospital? Is that why this is taking so long?"

"What if my message didn't reach Dumbledore?" and Harry started to panic once again. He hadn't thought of this yet. And suddenly it seemed to explain everything.

"Oh no... I'm an idiot. I should have sent multiple messages. Dumbledore might not even know that John is in danger."

"John trusted me... what have I done?"

Harry lay on the floor, inside the house, in shock at what had happened. He was now certain he had failed in sending Dumbledore the message.

Harry got up immediately and was about to dash out of the house to produce another Patronus when his ears picked up something.

A cracking sound.

Harry pulled out his wand and cautiously made his way out of the house. If it was You-Know-Who or one of his death eaters, then he was going to be ready.

Harry walked out of the house, his wand up and looked around. And his heart skipped a beat in delight. His eyes fell on Remus Lupin who was walking towards the house from a fair bit away.

Harry ran towards Remus, extremely delighted and dove at him and hugged him.

"Thank God! Dumbledore got my message. I was afraid he hadn't. Why did it take so long? How is John? Is he hurt? Why isn't he here?" asked Harry hastily. Harry hadn't noticed the look on Remus' face when he had jumped on him in delight. But Harry released the hug and this time, he did take a look.

"Remus?" he exclaimed. "Where is John? Has he directly gone to Hogwarts? Are you here to take me as well?" he asked, a tinge of worry added with every word he spoke.

"Remus... say something," remarked Harry, tears starting to build up in his eyes.

Remus looked distraught. There was no other way to put it. A realization started to build inside Harry. His worst fear started to take shape inside him.

"Harry... let's go inside," replied Remus, his voice sounding a little different.

Remus had to drag Harry inside the house, for Harry was not even remotely interested to do anything without knowing what had happened.

"Remus... please tell me," pleaded Harry once they got inside the house. And Remus' expression gave away everything he wanted to say. He knew he needed to be Harry's strength, but for a moment he had let it go. He had experienced many deaths, and none of them made it easy for the next.

Harry fell to his knees in shock.

"It cannot be"

"It cannot be"

Harry kept repeating. His eyes looked red, he was visibly shaking, and the tears seemed to have dried up. His whole face was red now. His heart was beating as fast as it ever had.

Remus knelt down beside Harry, his eyes glistening, and hugged Harry tightly and didn't let go.

Harry kept repeating, "it cannot be". Tears poured down Remus' face. He knew very well what it felt like to lose a friend. There was no consolation for that. Nothing he could possibly say could make Harry feel better.

Remus began patting Harry's back. Harry would have repeated the phrase for about a minute more when he finally broke down.

"Remus..." he began but whatever he said further got drowned in the cries and tears.

Remus continued patting Harry's back.

"How did it... Why... John's really gone?" asked Harry, his words slurred.

Remus remained silent for a couple of minutes as Harry continued balling his eyes out.

"We were late... We couldn't reach him in time," replied Remus finally, his voice deeper than usual.

"What about..." began Harry.

"Escaped with his men," replied Remus.

Harry stopped crying after a few minutes. He had cried his eyes dry. He wiped his tears away and got up and slowly walked into the kitchen.

He came back to the hall, about a minute or two later, holding a glass of water. Remus glanced at him as he sat down on a chair. Harry had an empty look on his face. Remus wasn't sure what Harry was thinking. He had seen people in the same position, he had been in similar positions and he knew that everyone dealt with death differently. And Remus was desperate to make sure Harry's safety, mental and physical.

Remus kept staring at Harry, who was blankly staring at the water. After a few seconds, as if a switch had been turned, tears started pouring down Harry's cheek uncontrollably.

"He's dead because of me, Remus," began Harry as he clutched his head with his hands.

Remus rushed towards Harry and placed his hands on either shoulder. "No, Harry... you're not responsible for what happened. You cannot put this burden on yourself," he remarked strongly.

"How can you say that when you don't even know what happened?" lashed out Harry angrily and got up, pushing Remus away.

"Harry..." began Remus and couldn't add another word.

Harry began pacing the house once again. Remus sat back on a sofa and watched Harry, dreading... wondering what was going through his mind. He would have given anything to be a part of Harry's healing. Perhaps, he already was, even though it didn't feel like it.

Every now and then, Harry would walk over to the table, gulp a bit of water, staring at Remus, who would be staring back at him, wipe his tears and resume pacing the house.

After a while, Remus lost his will to remain silent.

"Harry... please take a seat," he said.

"I'm fine," replied Harry bluntly.

"No, you're not... Harry, please take a seat," retorted Remus softly.

"I don't need to sit down, Remus... I'm waiting for John to return. He's going to get a piece of my mind," snapped Harry angrily.

Remus, however, stared at Harry, confused. After a couple of minutes, he replied, "Harry..." he called out softly in a heartbroken voice. "John is not going to return, son..." he said cautiously and slowly.

"Remus... don't say that... I know you're tricking me," replied Harry annoyed. "John does this often... He goes away for a few days... weeks too, and then suddenly comes back like everything was normal," he added with a forced chuckle.

Remus had no words in response. He continued staring at Harry, worried and wondering how to help him cope with the loss.

Some time passed in silence. Remus would occasionally try and initiate a conversation with Harry, but every time he got shot down. And then they heard footsteps.

It was Harry who heard the footsteps first. He sprinted to the entrance, almost believing that his prayers had worked. But it wasn't John who was at the entrance.

"Harry..." exclaimed Aunt Petunia, shocked. "What are you doing here?" she asked, confused and a little worried looking at Harry's face.

Remus heard Petunia's voice and walked over to Harry.

"Remus?" she exclaimed, now double shocked, as she entered her home.

Harry immediately burst into tears and hugged Petunia tightly, leaving her stunned and speechless.

"Harry... darling... what happened?" she asked as she dropped everything she had and hugged Harry back.

Harry, however, was inconsolable and was pouring his eyes out.

"Remus... what has happened?" she asked, glancing back at Remus.

Remus shook his head in disbelief, looking distraught. "He's back," he replied, his voice barely coming out of his mouth.

"Who's back?" asked Petunia. However, she realised who Remus had meant even before she finished her question. Her expression turned immediately, and all life drained out of her face.

"Remus..." she whispered in disbelief. It wasn't a big leap for her to realise somebody had been taken from them, from Harry.

"John," whispered back Remus in reply.

"Oh my God!" gasped Petunia in shock and disbelief.

"I was there... Aunt Petunia... I left him there to die..." sobbed Harry.

"Oh, my beautiful boy..." tears trickled down Petunia's cheeks as she held onto Harry tightly. "It's alright... It's not your fault, Harry..." she added as she wiped the tears away from his cheek.

Petunia's arrival had brought some peace to Remus' mind. Harry's words and his behaviour were starting to scare him. However, with Petunia's arrival, Harry seemed to have calmed down, even if just a little.

Harry kept mumbling, kept repeating incoherent, incomprehensible words. Petunia forced him to have a cup of hot chocolate and sent him to his room, to have a lie-down.

"Give him some time," sighed Petunia, the moment she came back down.

"Of course, Petunia... He should take as much time as he wants," replied Remus.

"Don't worry about him. I'll make sure he gets back to Hogwarts," said Petunia.

"This letter," began Remus as he picked up the Ministry's notice to Harry, "... is nothing... Albus has already taken care of it. Harry is not suspended or expelled from Hogwarts," he added with a sigh.

"That is not the reason, he doesn't want to go back to Hogwarts," retorted Petunia, calmly.

"No... I know... Unfortunately, I know what Harry's going through. I just wish I could stay longer to be with him... He needs someone to be with him," replied Remus, looking worried.

"I'm here, Remus... It's alright... I understand that you have to go back to your people," said Petunia.

Remus gave a weak smile in response.

"How are you holding up?" she asked after a few seconds.

Remus twitched at those words. He was trying very hard to bury his emotions inside him.

"Not very well," replied Remus, weakly.

Few words were said after that, and a few minutes later, Remus made his way out of 4, Privet Drive.

"There will be a couple of wizards guarding your home... Don't worry, all of you will be safe..." said Remus just before he left.

"Are you sure, Remus? Can they really hold him off... if he decides to come here?" retorted Petunia.

Remus glanced at Petunia, with a worried look and after a few seconds, he left.

---

"Avada Kedavra"

The jet of green light, soaring through the air, hitting John right in the chest, replayed inside Remus' head again and again.

The past few hours had been quite eventful, emotional wrecking and had taken a heavy toll on him. Remus was alone in his house, when he got the message from Albus Dumbledore, for him to immediately come to Little Hangleton Graveyard, and that John was in danger. Remus took his wand and immediately apparated out of there.

His very next sight?

A jet of green light striking John right in the chest. The Order was late. Late in arriving at the scene, and late in reacting, for the moment John fell to the ground with a thud, Voldemort and his death eaters disappeared into thin air.

"Oh no," gasped Remus at the sight of John, from far away.

Remus and Tonks rushed towards John while Dumbledore, Alastor Moody and Severus stood still, in shock.

The Aurors arrived a few minutes later, along with the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge.

"Dumbledore," gasped Fudge.

"Cornelius... Lord Voldemort has returned..." replied Dumbledore in a thunderous voice.

"What... what happened? I... don't..." mumbled Fudge.

"I've been telling you for months... Now a boy is dead, Cornelius," retorted Dumbledore.

"Dead? A boy is dead? Oh dear God!" gasped Fudge in disbelief.

It took a while for the Ministry to finish their procedures, including the one where Dumbledore had to convince a few officials that Harry had indeed produced a Patronus in a muggle residential area out of necessity.

"Remus," called out Albus softly.

"Professor Dumbledore?" exclaimed Remus, wiping his tears away.

"Harry..." began Dumbledore, but paused for a moment. "You should be the one to tell him," he added.

Tears rolled down Remus' cheek, the more he wiped away, the more they seemed to pour down and the redder his face became. "Yes, Professor," replied Remus.

"I'll send Williamson and Shacklebolt in some time... to guard Privet Drive," added Dumbledore.

Remus nodded in acknowledgement.

"What about Jane?" he asked.

"We are yet to get a hold of her... We will find her, Remus..." replied Dumbledore, though the reassurance in his voice had disappeared.

Remus immediately left for 4, Privet Drive.

And when Remus left Harry with his Aunt, he came out of the house and walked away from the muggle residential area.

"I should go and meet Sirius..." he thought to himself. He was about to apparate out of there and go to Grimmauld Place when he paused for a moment. And after a slight change of mind, Remus instead decided to go back home.

It was a small apartment that he lived in. But it was sufficient for him, for he lived alone.

Remus went inside and sat down on the chair, tired and exhausted, physically and mentally. After a few minutes of not doing anything, he got up and went into the kitchen.

In there, on one corner shelf, lay an opened, half-full bottle of whiskey. Remus poured himself a heavy pour and walked out of the kitchen, holding a glass.

Just as he came back to the hall and sat down on a couch, he remembered something.

Reluctantly, he got up and this time, walked over to his bedroom and sat down on the floor, to take out a heavy and dusty trunk from under his bed.

After a few minutes of shuffling the contents of the trunk, Remus finally found what he came looking for. And old photo, from back in the day, of the marauders. Remus, James, Sirius and Peter, standing next to each other, wearing Hogwarts robes, a photo taken just before they had graduated from school. Under the very photo, was another. This one was taken on Lily and James' wedding day. It consisted of the wedding couple along with the rest of the Marauders.

Remus took both the photos and came back to the hall. Once he had taken a seat, he took a good gulp of the cheap whiskey and started staring at the photos.

Remus closed his eyes and visions started flowing in his head, of the good old days.

"... don't take pictures of me wearing this..." pleaded Lily as she dashed towards the camera. "Remus," she exclaimed loudly as Remus continued capturing as much as he could before his camera was snatched away.

And just as Lily was about to get a hold of the camera, she heard Sirius mutter something and before she knew it, the camera vanished from Remus' hands.

Remus burst into laughter as Lily turned around sharply and looked at Sirius. He was holding the camera.

"Sirius," she exclaimed. "Not you too..." she began as it was Sirius' turn to capture Lily.

"Oh Loony... I can't believe it took us this long to figure out how to push her buttons," chuckled Sirius.

Lily had had enough and she dove at Sirius. The next moment, she was on him and he was struggling to keep the camera away from her. Remus quickly joined the struggle between the pair. All 3 of them were at it for a good minute before realizing that James had entered the room and was laughing his backside off.

"What on Merlin's name are you three doing?" he asked, barely able to control his laughter.

"Potter... get your boys in control," screamed Lily as she continued trying to get a hold of the camera.

"Potter... get a hold of your girlfriend," screamed Sirius in return.

"Fiancée," corrected Remus as he did his best to hold a fierce Lily back.

And just then Remus heard a popping sound and opened his eyes immediately, alarmed.

Remus took out his wand and held it out and got up from his seat.

"Who's there?" he asked and walked cautiously towards the entrance.

A couple of seconds later, Remus saw a shadow and a second after that, he saw Sirius standing outside.

Remus' eyes grew wide in delight and then suddenly his expression grew suspicious.

"Who are you?" he asked as he had his wand pointed at Sirius.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," replied Sirius calmly.

Remus dropped his wand and replied, "mischief managed".

Sirius quickly walked over to his oldest friend and gave him a quick hug.

"I thought you were gonna come there..." said Sirius as he walked in.

"I was..." replied Remus as he walked in too. "Sorry... I had to make sure it was you and not... someone else in disguise," he said apologetically.

"Since when did you start apologizing?" chuckled Sirius in response.

Sirius looked around and immediately saw the glass of whiskey and the photos that lay beside it.

"What do we have here?" he remarked with a smile as he picked up the photos. "She looked beautiful that day, didn't she?" he remarked. After a couple of seconds, he added, "and look at our boy... never before and never since that day did he ever look and behave like a man," he chuckled.

"Sirius," exclaimed Remus, confused. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"What are you doing? Drowning yourself in cheap whiskey?" retorted Sirius. "I could have gotten you so much better, had you told me..." he added.

Remus silently sat down beside Sirius.

"Here..." said Sirius and handed him the glass of whiskey.

"I don't want it," replied Remus and kept the glass back on the table.

"Oh, you knew I was coming, and poured it for me? How nice... It's quite a generous pour though," smirked Sirius sarcastically, as he took a sip.

"Ooh... that doesn't taste good," remarked Sirius as he kept the glass back on the table.

"I have made a big mistake," whispered Remus.

"What?" asked Sirius.

"And I can't do anything about it..." he added, with tears trickling down his cheek.

"You couldn't have done anything, loony," retorted Sirius in a whisper.

"No... I know I couldn't have prevented this from happening," replied Remus.

"Then?"

"He was just a boy, Sirius," whispered Remus, his voice barely audible.

"As I understand, he was just a few years younger than us..." suggested Sirius, calmly.

"You are Remus Lupin?" asked John.

"Yes, you seem surprised, why do you ask?" asked Remus, amused at seeing John's face.

"I solemnly swear, I am up to no good," said John with a satisfied smile.

"Remus?" called out Sirius, for he had remained silent and lost in another world for close to a minute.

"He joked about me being a werewolf, the first time we met," sighed Remus. "I always wondered how he knew so many things about us... He even knew our secret greeting," he added.

Sirius stared at Remus, however, he didn't say anything.

"He was always so... friendly... I almost forgot I was a werewolf when I was with him," added Remus.

"He got me a job at Hogwarts... Without him, I would have never been able to spend so much time with Harry..."

"We are time travellers, Remus... we were there to stop Tom Riddle... But we failed," added John.

"Time... travellers? What..." gasped Remus. His wand still pointed at John. Either this was a ridiculous act or...

"I am from the future... That's why I know who you are, your secret phrases, Sirius' innocence... I know it all because you told us those things..." replied John.

"I could have had so much more time with him... if not for my stupidity... He pleaded with me to believe him and I didn't... I thought I needed time... I had time... and now I don't have it..."

With every word Remus uttered, tears started pouring down his cheek, his voice went deeper and his tone got angrier and angrier.

"What have I done... Sirius? What have I done?" asked Remus as he glanced at a quiet Sirius Black.

Sirius pulled Remus into a hug as Remus began sobbing. "First it was James and Lily... and then I lost you... and now John... when will this stop, Sirius?" he yelled angrily.

"Sun will shine on us, brother... until then, do not lose hope," consoled Sirius.

---

It had been a rather enjoyable day for Daisy. Not that anything dramatic had happened. Results of a class test had come, and she had scored very well, despite her worries. And a boy from her class had asked her out, what with it being Valentine's day and all. Even though Daisy had declined him, it didn't stop her from feeling good about herself. And life, in general, had been pleasant. A short while after she came back home from school, she took out her bicycle and went out of the house. She decided to take the usual route, from her house through Harry's to the lake, spend some time there, and then back through Harry's till John's house, and then back home.

It was a nice evening and Daisy took off on her bicycle and cycled away peacefully. A short while, she found herself breezing past Harry's house. Strangely enough, the gate and the door were wide open. Ignoring it, she continued peddling away and soon Harry's house was far behind and she had finally reached the lake.

After a nice half an hour or so of strolling, she hopped back on her bicycle and peddled away from the lake. And within some minutes, she was once again near Harry's house. And once again, she spotted that their door was wide open. However, something else caught her eye that made her come to a jerked halt. There were 2 rather funnily dressed men standing a few feet outside Harry's house. There was something about their demeanour, coupled with their dressing sense that reminded Daisy very much of Ron.

Intrigued, Daisy hopped down from her bicycle and walked it towards the house. She had just gotten near enough to the house when to her surprise, she was stopped by the 2 men.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked the man closer to Daisy.

"Who are you?" retorted Daisy, slightly annoyed.

"No one's supposed to go inside," added the man, in a mildly threatening tone.

"Who are you, child? What do you want with the Dursleys?" asked the other man, this one seemed a lot more friendly.

Daisy froze suddenly. It had become obvious to her by then that the 2 men were indeed wizards. And in the excitement of it all, she was about to ask them if they were indeed wizards when she realised something.

"You are not supposed to know about wizards, idiot..." she cursed herself internally.

"Dudley..." she said and glanced at the 2 men. They were staring at Daisy confused.

"Dudley... he is my friend, he lives here," she added calmly.

"What's your name?" asked the other man.

"Daisy," she replied calmly.

Daisy watched the 2 men walk inside Harry's house and come back out a couple of minutes later.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" asked Daisy, confused, the moment they came back.

"You can go inside," said the first man. Daisy stared at the 2 of them for a moment and then walked into the house.

"Aunt Petunia? What's going on?" she asked casually as she entered the house.

As Daisy walked into the hall, she saw the faces of Aunt Petunia and Dudley, and they were both quite strange. Daisy couldn't make out from their faces what they were thinking, but she definitely sensed something was up.

"Daisy dear..." exclaimed Petunia, though there wasn't the usual life in her voice.

"What are wizards doing outside the house?" asked Daisy, slightly lowering her voice.

"They are..." began Petunia but she wasn't sure how to proceed, and hence chose to remain silent instead.

"Dudley... why are you staring at me like that? You look like you have seen a ghost," chuckled Daisy.

…

Harry was lying on his bed silently. He had cried his eyes dry, he had run through the various things he could have done differently, and he had even decided in haste that he wouldn't go back to Hogwarts. Aunt Petunia had strongly told him to his room and have a lie-down. But every time Harry closed his eyes, he saw John's face. Everything that had happened that day, replayed in his head again and again. Harry was tired. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but Harry was finally sleeping.

But a sound woke him up. Harry opened his eyes and looked around. For the first few seconds, he thought he had dreamt everything. As Harry looked around his room, he began registering that he wasn't in Hogwarts. And everything came back to him in a flash. The great hall covered in pink flowers, the awkward and funny dance he had with Daphne earlier that day, spotting Barty Crouch Jr in the crowd, the dark mark, his duel with Voldemort, returning back to 4, Privet Drive with the portkey John had given him and then finally, the look on Remus' face right after he apparated into Harry's sight.

Harry slowly sat up straight and rubbed his eyes. They seemed to be burning a little. He found himself taking deeper breaths than usual. And then he heard something and froze instantly. It was unmistakably Daisy's voice.

"Oh no," he whispered to himself. Harry walked out of his room slowly, he felt weak with every step he took.

…

Daisy grew more and more intrigued and even slightly worried with the continued silence of Aunt Petunia and Dudley. Just as she was about to prod them further for answers, she heard the sound of footsteps coming from the stairs. She turned around and glanced at the staircase surprised. A few seconds later, her eyes fell on Harry Potter.

"Harry?" exclaimed Daisy, shocked as her eyes lit up. "What are you... how..." she continued as she got up and dashed towards Harry excitedly. Daisy proceed to hug him like she always did, however this time, Harry didn't seem to reciprocate.

"Daisy..." whispered Harry weakly, his voice sounded extremely nasal, like he was down with the flu or something.

"What's with your voice?" asked Daisy releasing the hug. "And why do you look like..." began Daisy and immediately stopped herself and stared at Harry. "What happened, Harry?" she asked instead.

"Why is everyone acting like this?" she asked looking at Harry and then back at Aunt Petunia and Dudley.

"I need to tell you something," replied Harry weakly.

Daisy stared at Harry intently.

"Something happened earlier today..." began Harry. "And John..." he added. Harry tried so very hard but couldn't bring himself up to say the words.

"John..." continued Harry. "... is dead," he finished in a barely audible whisper.

"What?" retorted Daisy, straining her ear. She hadn't heard what Harry had said. Or at least, she thought she hadn't heard what Harry had said.

Harry could only shake his head in response. But the look on his face while he did, made Daisy question herself.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "Harry... I don't understand... what are you saying?" she added, her face having gone white in shock.

Petunia had gotten up from her seat and had made her way toward the pair.

"I am so sorry..." began Harry but his words trailed away.

Daisy stumbled back a few steps in shock. Harry saw the gradual change in Daisy's expression, from one of excitement to one of confusion and shock. And then came the tears.

"But..." she began. "What... how? I... don't understand..." she added, stuttering.

Petunia put an arm around her and guided her back to her seat. Harry followed the pair and took a seat beside Daisy. And then there was silence.

Dudley was sitting opposite Harry and Daisy, and he was staring blankly at everyone around him. It was the weirdest feeling ever. He had not seen or heard about anyone's death all his life. Sure, a long time back, his father, Vernon Dudley had passed away, but he had no recollection of the day since he was a baby at the time.

Petunia, who was sitting beside Dudley looked like she had seen a ghost. Well, she had definitely heard about a ghost returning back from the past. A ghost that had just taken another life. She was lost in the memories of the past when she had first heard about Voldemort from her sister, and then when she found out that her sister and her husband were killed by that monster.

Harry was staring blankly into the void too. It was like his head was empty. For once, that day, he wasn't thinking about what could have happened, what he could have done differently. He wasn't thinking about anything. A few minutes earlier, when he had just woken up and heard Daisy's voice, the first thing that came to his mind was Ron. Not just Ron, but also Hermione and Daisy, and everyone in the phoenix juniors, and everyone else at Hogwarts and how he was going to tell them what had happened at the Little Hangleton Graveyard. As Daisy wept her tears away, while resting her head on Harry's shoulder, every thought he had running in his head faded away.

"How did it happen?" asked Daisy, after a few minutes of silence.

"Tom Riddle is back," whispered Harry after a few seconds.

"Tom Riddle?" retorted Daisy. "Wait... the dark wizard?" she asked after remembering the name.

Harry nodded in response.

---

Jane was lying down sideways on her bed, with her entire body supported by her left shoulder. There were 2 big half-eaten tubs of ice cream beside her and the TV was turned on. Jane had woken up late that morning. She had been waking up later and later with each passing day. Living all alone, shielded by her own defences was not as pretty as she had once thought it would be like. It was on days like this that she wished she was back in her time. The 90s felt barbaric in comparison to the couple of decades she had lived in the 21st century.

As she tucked back into her ice cream, Jane lazily began browsing the channels once again. It had been a short while when something caught her eye and she paused. She went back to a couple of channels and then she saw it.

It was all over the muggle news. Dark clouds suddenly appeared in the sky in various parts of Britain. "Dark clouds" as the muggles called it was what the wizarding community called the dark mark, the mark of Voldemort. In an instant, Jane was up and ready to move out of her house.

"This is not good news..." she thought to herself as she made her way out of the house and apparated away. Jane began scouting various parts of Britain in search of Voldemort, but all she came across were streets filled with panic. Voldemort and his men had seemingly accomplished what they had hoped for, confusion amongst the muggles and panic amongst the wizards.

She explored for hours and hours and surprisingly, she didn't come across one single place where anybody had been hurt. It seemed like Voldemort had just announced to the world he was back, but nothing more than that. But there was one place which she had yet to go to. And that was Hogsmeade.

Jane was aware of Valentine's day celebrations planned at Hogsmeade and had rejected the idea of a possible attack immediately.

"There is no way he attacks Hogsmeade, not with all the Professors being there..." she had told herself.

And finally, when she couldn't think of anywhere else to go, she decided to take the risk and go to Hogsmeade.

The moment she apparated into Hogsmeade, the scene took her by shock. Hogsmeade was in complete and utter disarray. Some shops were destroyed, litter lay all around the village and an eerie silence welcomed her.

And then she looked up at the sky, "John is dead, you're next!" she read. The dark mark was etched up in the cloudy sky and the words hung beside it.

Jane forgot everything for a moment, all she could physically do was read and re-read the message. Every time she read it, she wished the words would change, or that she would realise she had misread it, or that she would wake up from this sick nightmare, or one of the many other things it could be.

After a couple of minutes, Jane did the only thing that came to her mind. She had to find out what had happened at Hogsmeade. And there was one person she knew she could go to for answers.

In an instant, Jane had apparated in front of The Hog's Head Inn. Jane dashed inside the dingy, dirty inn and immediately called out for Aberforth.

"Aberforth... Aberforth... Are you here?" she called out at the top of her voice.

Aberforth walked out, looking extremely angry.

"Stop shouting or I'll gut you with my bare hands," he yelled back at the sight of Jane.

"What happened here?" asked Jane.

"Whatever do you mean, young lady?" retorted Aberforth.

"The dark mark? Destruction all around? What happened?" retorted Jane hastily.

"Everyone saw the dark mark... everybody started running... and then everybody was gone back to the castle. And then some idiots came and trashed the village. That all? Can I go back now?" replied Aberforth, sounding really annoyed.

Before Jane could speak up, she heard another voice, from behind her.

"Hey... I know you... you are the one who tried to kill the kids in the school, aren't you?"

Jane looked behind and saw a man, as drunk as anyone could be, unsteadily pointing his wand at Jane.

Aberforth wasn't of any help and now this. Without spending another second, Jane stunned the drunk, dashed out of the inn and apparated away.

Jane arrived back home in an instant. Specifically, she arrived back, right in front of her house and was about to enter her home when she saw a familiar black dog waiting patiently on the opposite of the deserted street.

Jane looked around cautiously and walked closer to the dog.

"What are you doing here?" she asked sternly, the moment she got close enough. The dog suddenly walked past her and towards the gate.

"Fine... I'll let you in," sighed Jane and walked inside the gate. Jane took out her wand and slashed it in front of the gates.

"You can enter now," she said and continued walking in.

Sirius transformed back into his human self a moment later and walked in.

"Sirius... what are you doing here?" repeated Jane the moment Sirius walked in.

"Where have you been?" asked Sirius cautiously.

"Haven't seen the news, have you? He's back... and back with his old tricks, it seems," replied Jane.

Sirius remained silent in response, though there was a different look on his face that Jane realized immediately.

"Sirius..." she called out, in a much more cautious and low voice. "What are you doing here?" she asked again.

Sirius stood like a statue in front of her.

"What is he doing? Why... is he not saying anything?" wondered Jane. With every passing second, she began fearing the worst. "There is no way... He is not... Voldemort was just taunting me... It can't be true..."

After a long silence, Sirius finally decided to walk closer to Jane. Once he was close enough, he whispered in her ear, "please take a seat... I have something... to tell you..." he said, his voice breaking in between.

"Sirius..." gasped Jane in shock.

Sirius shook his head slightly in response. And her worst nightmare had come true.

"No..." wailed Jane in anguish as her knees buckled making her fall to the floor on her knees. Sirius immediately knelt down and embraced her.

"I'm so sorry..."

Jane's wails and cries were unbearable for Sirius. It was a helpless feeling that had no fix. There didn't exist any words that he could possibly utter.

"How... did it... happen? Where is John... can I see him?" asked Jane after a few minutes, her words barely decipherable.

"I don't know much... they were ambushed, I mean the students... in Hogsmeade. Harry and John were taken," replied Sirius cautiously.

"Harry?"

"He's alive... he is home," replied Sirius.

After a few minutes, Jane spoke up again, "Sirius... I want to see him," she said.

"I'll find out..." replied Sirius. Though honestly, he didn't know how it could be done.

"Find out?" retorted Jane.

"Jane..." began Sirius.

"What?"

"John's body is with the Ministry..."

"With the Ministry?"

"Yes," replied Sirius and continued hastily, "but don't worry. We will make sure you can see him one last time," he finished.

And a switch seemed to have turned inside Jane. She got up furiously and seemed to be leaving for somewhere.

"Jane... what are you doing?" asked Sirius alarmed.

"Sirius, I think it's time for you to leave. I need answers and I am going to Harry's," replied Jane fiercely.

"No, you're not. Not right now, not in this state... Jane, please..." began Sirius but got cut off.

"Try and stop me," retorted Jane.

Sirius looked at her and knew that he couldn't do anything to stop her.

"Fine... you can go..." he agreed.

"Thank you for not fighting back..." retorted Jane. And with that, Sirius made his way out of Jane's house and apparated away to 12, Grimmauld Place while Jane apparated away to Privet Drive.

---

"Come on, Hermione..." pleaded Ron. "Shake a leg," he added with a smirk.

"What has come over you?" retorted Hermione with a chuckle.

"I don't care about anything... look at me go," responded Ron in a strangely carefree tone. For once, Ron was being stupid, but the kind of stupid that got everyone around laughing and cheering for him.

Ron had the moves, funny ones at that, as he grooved along with the music.

"You've got to join me now... come on Granger..." added Ron with a chuckle.

"Oh, Ron... what are you..." began Hermione but the rest of her remark drowned in a scream that made everyone jump. And then everyone saw it, the dark mark.

Chaos ensued within seconds. People had started running like they had lost their minds. Someone ran into Ron just a few seconds later and got a mouthful in return.

"Hey... watch it... you blind git" cursed Ron at the Slytherin.

"What is that?" asked Colin Creevey, who was standing a few feet behind Hermione, Ron, Neville, Seamus and Dean Thomas.

"The dark mark," sighed Ron in response, his voice seemed to tremble a little.

"Dark mark?" questioned Colin, confused.

"It's the sign of You-Know-Who..." replied Seamus, his voice quavering while he did.

"Daphne," called out Hermione suddenly. Daphne, who seemed to be moving around like a headless chicken spotted the group and gladly made her way toward them.

"Where's Harry?" she asked looking at Ron.

"What do you mean?" retorted Ron.

"He isn't with you?" asked Hermione, confused.

"He was just here... he went to get butterbeer and I haven't seen him since," replied Daphne, equally confused.

"He must be in the crowd somewhere," suggested Dean while Hermione and Ron gave each other a worried glance.

"Let's go lads... stick together everyone," said Ron and everyone seemed to nod at him.

It took a while, but the Professors got the situation under some semblance of control. And within minutes, all the students were back in the castle, everyone except of course Harry and John.

"I can't see them anywhere, Hermione..." sighed Ron, worried.

"I know," retorted Hermione.

"You don't think..." began Ron but stopped himself from saying anything in front of the others.

"What?" interjected Daphne. Ron looked at her confused.

"You were going to say something," said Daphne looking at Ron.

"I was going to suggest that they might have reached the castle before we did..." lied Ron in response and walked away from the group.

Minutes went by and the minutes soon became an hour and then a few hours.

"Where do you think Harry and John are right now?" asked Hermione as she walked over to Ron and sat beside him. However, Ron remained silent.

But after a minute or so, he spoke up, "you don't think they are dead, do you?" he asked in a whisper.

"Ron..." exclaimed Hermione, shocked. But then, she had considered the possibility before and had decided not to let her thinking get the better of her.

"What else do you think could have happened?" retorted Ron.

"Let's not think about it, shall we? They are fine... I know it... they are fine," replied Hermione.

The news that Harry was missing had spread across Hogwarts like wildfire. Every once in a while one or the other student would come to either Daphne, Ron or Hermione to ask about Harry.

And the theories surrounding his sudden disappearance had started growing wild too.

"I'm telling you... It's not a coincidence that they're both missing together," said one boy from Gryffindor.

"What about the dark mark then?" retorted the one sitting across him.

"That was him too," replied the first boy.

"How dense do you think I am?"

"Think about it... Nobody has seen Professor Jane in a long time. I bet you anything, she took Harry and John with her," reiterated the first one.

Meanwhile, the phoenix juniors were discussing with a little bit more sense.

"You-Know-Who can't be back... He is gone, remember?" remarked Daphne.

"But what if he is?" retorted Neville.

"If he is, then he has Harry and John with him..." interjected Draco.

"You think this is funny, Malfoy? They are actually missing... now is not the time for jokes," snapped back Daphne. However, Neville and Draco were staring at each other confused.

"I'm not joking, Greengrass... That was the dark mark you saw earlier... You know what that means, don't you?" replied Draco, looking as serious as never before.

And just as Daphne was about to snap once more, they heard the footsteps of Professor McGonagall.

"Ron... Hermione..." she called out, her voice not as thundering as it usually was.

"Professor McGonagall? Do you know where Harry and John are?" asked Hermione the moment she heard McGonagall's voice.

"My office, please?" retorted McGonagall leaving the group silent. Ron and Hermione glanced at each other and after a moment, they followed Professor McGonagall to her office.

And once they had entered her office, Ron couldn't help himself but speak, "Professor? Has something bad happened?" he asked.

Professor McGonagall stared blankly at the pair of them, and after a few seconds, replied, "Yes, Mr Weasley..."

Hermione and Ron stared at her in shock and disbelief.

Without making them wait anxiously, McGonagall continued, "Harry and John were taken by death eaters... Harry survived and escaped... however," she said and took a pause for a couple of seconds. "Mr Smith didn't make it..." she added, her eyes glistening as she uttered those words.

"What?" gasped Ron and Hermione together.

"What do you mean?" continued Ron. "He didn't make it?" he added, shocked.

"John was killed using the killing curse, by You-Know-Who..." she replied. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Ron and Hermione," she added and watched them both break into a pool of tears.

---

"What if he disappeared?" asked Daisy.

"Disappeared?" retorted Harry, confused.

"John told me that he could read minds... Maybe he knew what was going to happen and he disappeared at the right moment," suggested Daisy confidently.

"Daisy..." sighed Harry. "He's gone..." he added in a whisper.

"Come on, Harry... you can't tell me that cheating death isn't a possibility when you have magic," reiterated Daisy.

Harry glanced at Aunt Petunia who seemed to be equally struggling. And just then they all heard a sound from outside the house

Harry took out his wand and cautiously walked towards the door, despite Petunia telling him to stay put. Harry opened the door slowly and took a peek outside.

Jane was standing outside the gate, facing the 2 wizards put on guard of 4, Privet Drive. The moment Harry saw her, he dashed outside the house.

"Jane?" he exclaimed loudly.

"Hello Harry..." retorted Jane. "See, he knows who I am," she added looking at the 2 wizards.

"What's going on here?" asked Harry, confused.

"Nobody's supposed to come here, except for the Order," replied one of the wizards.

"Jane can come in... She is part of the order," retorted Harry.

"Harry, are you sure? She's also a wanted fugitive," asked the other wizard.

"Fugitive? She's not a fugitive... And she's more than welcome here," retorted Harry, annoyed, and with that, Jane walked into the gate.

The moment Jane walked in, Harry was overwhelmed by a rush of emotion and he embraced her immediately.

"I'm so sorry, Jane... It's my fault that he's gone... If I hadn't asked him to come with me, none of this would have happened," he said hastily, all in one breath.

"Harry..." exclaimed Jane. "It's not your fault... There is no need to apologize to me, I don't blame you for his death," she added calmly as she released the hug and held Harry's hands. As Jane looked around, she spotted someone else.

"Daisy..." exclaimed Jane as her eyes fell on the teary-eyed girl standing beside Harry. Daisy immediately dashed towards Jane and dove at her and burst into tears. And Harry watched Jane's facade disappear as her calm expression turned into the one it was when she heard the news for the first time.

"Is... he... really gone, Mrs Smith?" sobbed Daisy as she tightly held on to Jane.

"It's okay... you're going to be okay..." consoled Jane as she caressed her back.

The group who had gathered at the entrance of the house moved in eventually. Petunia sent Dudley away, forcing him away from the conversation that was going to take place. She had wanted to do the same with Daisy, but couldn't get past Jane.

"It's fine... she can stay, Petunia," remarked Jane, the moment Petunia suggested it.

"No, she doesn't... she doesn't need to hear this," retorted Petunia, annoyed.

"Let her decide for herself," retorted Jane strongly.

"I want to hear, Aunt Petunia," added Daisy.

"Darling... you've had a long day... There isn't any reason why you need to stay for this. In fact, I don't know why we are discussing this today..." said Petunia calmly.

"I need to know everything that happened... And I think Daisy should too if she wants to," snapped Jane.

And all Petunia could do after that was give Jane a cold hard glare. Petunia went back inside after a few moments, leaving Daisy, Harry and Jane alone in the hall.

"Harry..." exclaimed Jane, the moment Petunia left.

"Hmm?"

"Tell me... what happened today?" asked Jane.

"Uh... We had our Valentine's day celebration at Hogsmeade..." began Harry and took a long pause. "It was arranged by Lockhart... it was all part of the plan?" he wondered out loud.

"What plan?" interrupted Jane.

"Christmas party... John told me that his watch buzzed when he saw me with Lockhart... He must have planned on capturing me that day itself. That's why he arranged another party, this time outside Hogwarts," replied Harry.

"Lockhart is working for Riddle?" asked Jane, her tone didn't feel shocked, more interrogatory.

"Yes... He was the one who captured us, along with Barty," replied Harry.

"Barty? Who is Barty?" asked Jane, confused.

"I don't know... I have seen him in my dreams before... He's a death eater," replied Harry.

"Hmm..." acknowledged Jane.

Harry glanced at Daisy who seemed to be staring at him.

"Your dreams?" she asked, confused, or perhaps it was concerned, Harry wasn't sure.

"Daisy... yes... dreams... it's a long story," replied Harry feebly.

"Harry... go on," remarked Jane.

"So, we were all at Hogsmeade... and then I saw him... I saw Barty," began Harry. "I got up and started following him. That's when I ran into John. So, we started following him together," he added. "And that's when it happened," he finished.

"What happened?" asked Daisy.

"We saw the dark mark," sighed Harry.

"What's the dark mark?" asked Daisy.

"It's what Riddle uses to put fear into everyone... It's his symbol," replied Jane.

"Yes... and almost immediately after we saw it, we were captured by Lockhart and Barty," continued Harry. "We were apparated to Little Hangleton Graveyard... and he was there," he added.

"What happened then?" asked Jane.

"John used my wand to help us escape and hide... but we were outmatched," replied Harry.

"Who all was there?" interrupted Jane.

"You-Know-Who, Barty, Lockhart, Pettigrew and another death eater... I have seen him once before with Lucius Malfoy," replied Harry.

"Okay... go on," responded Jane.

"John told me that I could fight You-Know-Who... that my wand gave me some power..." continued Harry, however, left the statement hanging.

"Priori Incantatem..." sighed Jane. "He told me about your twin wands... and how you can't hurt each other using your own wands," she added.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry, confused.

"You both share twin wands... It's rare but not unheard of... and 2 wizards sharing twin wands cannot hurt each other in a duel," replied Jane. "That's why John gave you another wand," she added.

The room was suddenly filled with a silence that lasted for a couple of minutes.

"Okay, what happened then?" asked Jane, finally breaking the silence.

"John said he would protect me, and that I had the power to fight You-Know-Who... So, that's what I..." began Harry.

"Of course he did..." remarked Jane sardonically.

"Tom and I fought, while John tried to kill him... but there was this dome around us that protected Tom," continued Harry. "Having no other choice, John told me to let go... and I did," he added. "We escaped and hid again... But this time, John wanted me to leave and call for help..." he finished.

"How did you leave?" asked Jane, confused.

"Using this..." replied Harry and took out his chain which had the totem John had given him.

Jane looked stunned. After a few seconds, she spoke, "a portkey?" she asked.

"Yes... he wanted the Order there... he wanted to fight You-Know-Who... I shouldn't have left him there..." mumbled Harry.

"It's not your fault, Harry... Don't work yourself over it... he took a decision and it backfired... I need to go, thank you for telling me all this," remarked Jane hastily as she got up from her seat in a hurry.

"Wait... where are you going?" asked Harry, shocked.

"Mrs Smith?" called out Daisy.

But Jane didn't respond to either of them and left the house instantly.

"Where is she going?" asked Daisy, glancing at Harry, looking worried.

"I don't know, Daisy..." sighed Harry, looking really white.

"I feel really sad for her... he's the only one she ever had," sighed Daisy as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Jane on the other hand had instantly apparated out of Privet Drive, back to her home. The moment she went in, she threw her wand, directed at a wall. The wand hit the surface of the wall and fell to the floor with a thud.

"Stupid... got himself killed... idiot..." cursed Jane as she pulled out a chair and sat at the table.

She was devastated. She replayed Harry's words again and again. "... he wanted the Order there... he wanted to fight You-Know-Who..."

"Why couldn't you have just left with Harry?" she yelled at thin air. "Why did you stay back? That was so dumb, John..." she continued yelling at the top of her voice.

"Why did you leave me?" her voice trailed away as anger turned into sorrow.

Jane was now lying, with her head on the table, sobbing her pain away. The shock of losing her brother had turned into anger. Anger at John, at Voldemort, at Lockhart and most of all at herself.

"The only reason he decided to stay back was because of me," she told herself.

"He knew I didn't like it very much, being in this time. And if Voldemort was gone without a shred of a chance to ever come back, we could have begun searching for a way back to our time."

"Not only did I make him fight a battle he had no chance of surviving, but I also wasn't even there with him."

"And all of this happened only because I had to make that stupid impulsive decision to confess to something I didn't even do."

And just like that, with thoughts of anger, guilt and a bunch of what-if scenarios that never could happen, Jane fell asleep.

Reality hit differently a few hours later when she woke up in the middle of the night.

Jane woke up in a daze, the emotional trauma had sent her into a deep sleep. It took her a while to be truly awake. And when she was, she felt empty. It was the strongest sense of helplessness. It felt like her chest had been ripped apart in half. She felt her mind be numb.

"What am I going to do now?" she asked herself, struggling to come up with an answer.

---

"What do you think Professor McGonagall wanted with Ron and Hermione?" asked Daphne, a good 10 minutes after Ron and Hermione had left with McGonagall.

"You don't think anything has happened to them, do you?" retorted Neville.

Draco left the two of them, for he was already done with the negative talk. For all the optimism he had, he knew very well that McGonagall couldn't have possibly had any decent news to share with the pair.

10 minutes turned into 30, and then soon it was an hour. But Hermione and Ron never returned back to the great hall. The truth was, the moment they got out of McGonagall's office, they went back to their common room. They didn't have it in them to face everybody just then. Ron was speechless, and Hermione was in tears. Hermione had barraged McGonagall with a truckload of questions, only to get a few answered. But eventually, she left her own office, leaving the kids behind. It was going to be a difficult time for everyone. They would have spent about 15 minutes in the empty common room when they heard footsteps. And it was none other than the Weasley twins, the young Weasley twins, Fred and George.

"Oye... what are you two doing here alone?" exclaimed Fred the moment his eyes fell on Ron and Hermione.

Ron looked up at his brothers, looking devastated. Hermione wiped her tears. She wasn't sure why she did that, for the entire school was anyway going to find out pretty soon.

Ron sat silently for a few moments, but he couldn't keep it in. In a rush of emotions, Ron got up and dashed towards his brothers and hugged them both at the same time.

"Woah" exclaimed Fred.

"Ron... what happened?" asked George. George held Ron by his shoulders and looked at him surprised.

And then the tears began flowing and Ron's voice went.

"We were... we were at McGonagall's office..." he said. "You-Know-Who killed... John..." he added and burst into tears. "Harry escaped... but John... John is dead," he finished.

"What?" gasped George.

"Ron, what are you talking about?" retorted Fred, shocked. And then he glanced at Hermione, who was also in tears. Fred and George glanced at each other, speechless. George pulled Ron back into a hug.

It was pretty soon time for dinner. Neither of the 4 of them was in any mood or state to eat and decided to stay back in the common room. But the majority of the school was assembled in the great hall. Everyone knew there were going to be announcements regarding the events that unfurled earlier that day.

Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his usual spot, and so were the rest of the Professors. Gilderoy Lockhart's absence was noted by the students almost immediately, and there were already murmurs about the same.

The food popped up in front of everyone, but unlike any other day, barely anybody was eating.

And after a while, Dumbledore finally stood up and walked over to the front. There was an immediate hush of silence.

"Good evening all of you," greeted Dumbledore. But the usual glint in his eye, the gentle smile on his face was not there.

"There is much that I would like to tell all of you tonight," he said and took a pause to look around. His eyes fell on the Gryffindor table, and unsurprisingly, Ron and Hermione were missing.

"What started off as a promising day of love and happiness has turned into one of sorrow and death," he added and watched the students turn their heads towards each other, in shock.

"Earlier this afternoon, at Hogsmeade, there was an attack on all of us at Hogsmeade. Harry Potter and John Smith were taken by the death eaters," he said. "It is my deepest regret to inform all of you present here that, Mr John Smith is no longer with us. In an act of bravery unheard of, Mr Smith sacrificed himself so that Mr Potter could escape the clutches of the dark wizard known to all of us, Lord Voldemort," he finished and took another pause.

There was an uproar of shock, disbelief and confusion across all the tables. Everybody looked at the person beside them for answers.

Did they hear Dumbledore correctly?

Did he say John Smith was dead?

You-Know-Who is back?

Harry's alive right?

And much more...

After a minute or so, Dumbledore continued. "John was known to us all as a charming, friendly, helpful and intelligent individual. But only the ones closest to him knew him as the best friend one could have, as the bravest individual one could meet, as the kindest human being one could have the privilege of knowing. My deepest condolences to his close friends and family. Hogwarts has lost a gem today," he finished. After another few seconds pause, Dumbledore continued.

"Harry Potter is safe and is currently back home. He will not be back in school for some days," he added.

"It pains to me say that the events of this afternoon might have been orchestrated by Lord Voldemort, but they were carried out by someone we all thought was one of our own," he continued and there was an immediate hush in the great hall. "Professor Gilderoy Lockhart helped Lord Voldemort capture Harry Potter and John Smith," he added. Everyone stared at each other, speechless at another shocking news to add to the already long list.

"The Aurors are looking for Lockhart as we speak. I need not mention that effective immediately, Gilderoy Lockhart will no longer be teaching at Hogwarts. A suitable Defense Against the Dark Arts professor will soon be appointed."

"And finally, a word of caution," he began and took a pause. Everyone looked at him intently. And hence he continued, "In this time of grieving, I believe it is important each one of us knows this. Lord Voldemort has returned. And going forward, with every step we take, we should remember this."

"All classes for all years will remain shut this week. We shall resume next week."

Every face in the hall was stunned and frightened. Even the Slytherin table was awfully quiet, their faces pale.

Slowly, groups of students began leaving the hall. John and Harry, You-Know-Who and the dark mark and what it all meant were the only things on everyone's minds.

Daphne and Draco caught up with each other, though there weren't any snide remarks from either side.

"I want to see Ron," said Daphne.

"I can't believe it..." whispered Draco. "Ron and Hermione shouldn't be holed up inside their common rooms," he added.

"Neville..." called out Daphne.

Neville however glanced at the pair but went ahead without walking over to them.

"Leave him be... let's talk to them tomorrow," said Draco. And with that, they went back to their common room as well.

A while later, there was a knock on Albus Dumbledore's office.

"Albus, it's me," came his voice.

The door opened and in he walked.

"I'm sorry for your loss," said Professor White.

"We were there, yet we couldn't do anything," retorted Dumbledore, looking disgusted.

"Who was John Smith?" asked Benjamin after a few seconds.

"I don't understand," replied Dumbledore.

"You're hiding something... He isn't just another student, is he?" he asked confidently.

"No, he isn't," replied Dumbledore, calmly.

Professor Benjamin White waited patiently for a few seconds. But there was only silence. "I gather, it's not a secret you wish for me to know," he said.

"Maybe another day," replied Dumbledore.

---

A few days went by. Harry was doing much better now than he was back on Valentine's day. He had even started eating regularly, or at least, he wasn't denying it anymore. Daisy had left 4, Privet Drive, early the following morning. And he hadn't spoken to her since. And there weren't any visitors either. Of course, that was about to change just then.

The doorbell rang and Harry stared at Aunt Petunia.

"I'll go and see," she said and went to open the door. The moment she opened the door, she recognized the face on the other side.

"Mr Weasley?" she exclaimed.

"Hello Mrs Dursley, may I come in?" greeted Arthur, politely.

"Of course," replied Petunia. By then, Harry had walked over to the door.

"Harry... my dear boy," exclaimed Arthur instantly.

"Mr Weasley?" exclaimed Harry, surprised. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

The three of them walked into the hall. Arthur took a few seconds and then spoke up.

"How are you holding up?" he asked looking at Harry.

"I'm fine," replied Harry hastily.

"I'm here to take you to the burrow," said Arthur.

"The burrow? Why?" asked Harry, confused.

"We are having John's funeral tomorrow," replied Arthur. After a few seconds, he continued, "everybody is going to be there," he added.

Harry was in no mood to step anywhere outside Privet Drive and definitely did not have any interest in meeting anyone. But he didn't have the energy to protest either.

"Okay," replied Harry blankly.

"Good..." sighed Arthur.

"You shall be going back to Hogwarts with your friends," said Arthur after a pause.

"I'm not going back to Hogwarts," retorted Harry, angrily.

"I have tried talking to him... he's adamant," chimed in Petunia.

"It's okay, I can understand," retorted Arthur. "Harry, get your things... let's go, shall we?" he added.

"I'm not going to Hogwarts, so, don't try to convince me," retorted Harry, strongly.

"Okay, Harry, I won't... I promise," assured Arthur calmly.

With that, Harry went back upstairs, to his room. But almost immediately, he came back down.

"We have to take Daisy with us," he said looking at Arthur.

"Daisy? But, she's a muggle, Harry..." remarked Arthur cautiously.

"So? John's death has affected her just as much as it has affected me, Ron, Hermione or any one of us. She has to be there..." argued Harry strongly.

Arthur glanced uncomfortably at Petunia, but after a moment he looked back at Harry. "Okay, Harry..." he said.

And about 15 minutes later, Harry and Mr Weasley apparated out of Privet Drive. Just like Harry knew, Daisy was more than thankful to Harry and Mr Weasley for asking her to be there at the funeral. And with that, Arthur along with Harry and Daisy apparated out of the muggle residential area, back to the burrow.

It was a different reception that Harry received this time around. The Burrow wasn't as jubilant as it usually was. Molly was the first one to witness Arthur and Harry's arrival. The moment they arrived, they saw Molly come to the entrance of the house. She had that smile on her face, similar to what Aunt Petunia used to have whenever she wanted to console Harry.

"Harry, my dear boy..." she exclaimed and grabbed Harry into a hug.

"Hello, Mrs Weasley," greeted back Harry.

"Hi," greeted Daisy. "I'm Daisy... I'm a friend of Harry's and John," she added awkwardly.

"Welcome to the burrow, Daisy..." greeted back Molly and gave a quick confused glance to Arthur.

"Come on in," she said and with that, the four of them entered the house.

The sounds of their entering obviously reached Ron's room for Hermione and Ron dashed out of their rooms in an instant to check if Harry had indeed arrived.

"Harry..." exclaimed Ron and Hermione from up the stairs and immediately rushed down the stairs.

Harry looked at them and everything came rushing back in a second. He didn't have the courage to face his friends.

"Please don't hate me for what I did," he thought to himself. "I'm sorry... It's my fault, John is dead."

For a moment there, Harry considered turning back and running away from the burrow. But just then, Ron embraced him and a moment later, Hermione joined the boys. And somehow, Harry forgot everything he was thinking and hugged his friends back tightly.

"Daisy," exclaimed Ron, surprised.

"Hi, Ron..." greeted back Daisy and the pair embraced for a quick hug.

"I didn't know Dad was going to ask you to come here," remarked Ron.

"All thanks to Harry," replied Daisy. "Hi, Hermione... how are you?" greeted Daisy as she gave Hermione a quick hug as well.

"Hi Daisy, I'm glad you're here," greeted back Hermione.

The funeral the following morning was a simple affair consisting of a small crowd of close friends and acquaintances. Everyone from the Weasley family was present at the gathering, including Bill, Charlie and Percy. Fred and George had also accompanied Ron and Hermione from Hogwarts. From the Order, Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall, Remus and Sirius had made it a point to be there for the final rites. Jane had to be convinced by Sirius to be present at the burrow for the ceremony, though she looked wrecked and in no state to be anywhere outside.

No one at the funeral had the heart to ask the golden trio to speak a few words about John. So, it was Remus who shared a few heartfelt words.

"... I will miss you, my friend," finished Remus with his eyes glistening. Daisy, Ron and Hermione stood on either side of Harry, remembering all their wonderful moments spent with John.

Sirius walked up to Remus and patted him on the back and after a few seconds of consoling, the two old friends along with Mr Weasley and Jane surrounded John's body.

As everyone watched with tears in their eyes, and memories in their heart, bright white lights erupted next to John's body. And a moment later, the lights began ascending, slowly obscuring the body. White smoke spiralled in the air and within seconds, the smoke vanished and in its place lay a marble white tomb, encasing John's body.

Ever since Harry arrived, Ron and Hermione made sure they never left him alone, even for a moment. It wasn't something they had planned, more so something they had both instinctively done. Perhaps, the truth was also that, they didn't want to leave each other's side. They felt at their most comfortable, most secure when all three of them were together. But then came the evening and Dumbledore wanted to have a word with Harry alone.

"Harry, how are you?" asked Dumbledore.

"I'm fine, Professor," replied Harry blankly.

"I'm sorry for what has happened... there are many things that we have done, that we shouldn't have. I feel responsible for Mr Smith's death," said Dumbledore, in a tone and a voice Harry had never associated with Dumbledore. And suddenly, he found himself speechless.

"Harry," exclaimed Dumbledore mildly. "I want to know exactly what all happened that afternoon," he said.

"Oh... Well... that day," began Harry but got cut off.

"Not here, Harry... Some day later, at Hogwarts... we will talk about this," he said.

"Professor..." hesitated Harry. "I don't want to come back," he wanted to say but remained silent instead.

"Harry... I'm going to tell you something, that you may find hard to accept. But, happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times," remarked Dumbledore and took a pause to glance behind Harry. Harry turned around and saw Hermione, Ron and Daisy staring at the pair from a distance away. "If only one remembers to turn on the light," added Dumbledore.

Harry stared at Dumbledore, not sure what he was getting at. "Stay close to your friends, Harry," continued Dumbledore. "You're going to need them," he added and took another pause. "And they are going to need you," he finished.

Soon after that conversation, Dumbledore and McGonagall headed back to Hogwarts. Harry, however, was still not convinced that he should go back to Hogwarts. But then came his Godfather.

Jane had decided to leave the burrow late that evening, despite Molly and Arthur's multiple requests. Daisy said her goodbyes to Harry, Ron and Hermione as well, as Jane suggested taking her back home.

Early the following morning, Sirius found Harry alone for a moment and seized his opportunity to speak with him, with both hands.

"So," he remarked and glanced at Harry, who looked subdued.

"So?"

"I was thinking we could explore Europe," remarked Sirius with a straight face.

"Huh?" retorted Harry confused.

"I heard you were thinking of dropping out from Hogwarts," retorted Sirius with a smile.

"I uh..." began Harry, but went quiet for a minute. "Wait, you are not here to convince me to go?" he asked instead.

"Hasn't everyone already done that?" retorted Sirius with a chuckle. "Remus... Ron... Hermione... Dumbledore... what is poor old Sirius Black going to do that these haven't?" he added with a smile.

Harry looked at Sirius with great curiosity. In all the days since John's death, this was the first time anybody had even tried to smile in front of Harry.

"What are you thinking?" asked Sirius after a few seconds of silence.

"Nothing... I'm just..." but Harry didn't complete his sentence.

"You didn't kill him, you know? Tom Riddle did," remarked Sirius. "And nobody is going to say otherwise," he added reassuringly.

"How can you say that?" retorted Harry.

"Because that's what I told myself... but it took me a long time to accept it," replied Sirius, for the first time, his face went a little serious.

Harry stared at Sirius.

"It's funny," continued Sirius. "The day you lose someone isn't the worst," he said and glanced blankly at nothingness. Harry continued staring at him. After a moment, Sirius glanced at Harry and continued, "at least you've got something to do. It's all the days they stay dead," he finished.

"It hurts, Sirius," sighed Harry.

"Stay with them, Harry... they will give you the strength... and you give them your strength. This too will pass, my boy," remarked Sirius.

"I'm worried about Hermione... she was the closest with John out of all of us," said Harry as he glanced at her. Hermione was sitting on the opposite side of the room.

"She will take care of herself... it's Ron that concerns me," replied Sirius.

Harry didn't quite understand why Sirius said that, but he didn't prod further.

"Speaking of which... there's something you should have," said Sirius and took out something from his pocket.

"What?" asked Harry, surprised but then his eyes fell on the watch. "Sirius... No," he retorted instantly.

"Why not?" asked Sirius.

"That's John's watch... You should give that to Jane. What am I going to do with it?" retorted Harry.

"I gave this to Jane. But she did not want it. She suggested I give it to you," replied Sirius.

Reluctantly, Harry took the watch from Sirius.

---

It was the quietest he had heard the great hall be. Sure, when Dumbledore had words to say, everyone would be silent. But this silence was different, it felt different. It was almost like everyone at the castle was waiting for Harry's return. Just so that, when he did, they could all stare at him. The stare, Oh! The stare! Those piercing eyes, penetrated Harry every chance they got. Harry rushed to his common room, just to escape the stares. And he didn't go back down the entire evening, not even for dinner.

It felt painful to wake up the following morning. Not the emotional pain he had been reeling with since John's death. This was that feeling at the back of your head when you know what would happen if you were to face the crowd. When you would rather stay alone, but you can't.

"Hey, you alright?" asked Ron, who glanced at Harry and found him lost in a world of his own.

"Yeah, let's go," retorted Harry after a moment, and with that, the boys went downstairs for breakfast.

As Harry and Ron headed towards their usual spot at the Great Hall, Harry noticed that Hermione wasn't the only one already there.

"Harry," exclaimed Daphne, the moment her eyes fell on him. "I'm so sorry," she said as she got up and hugged him.

"Hey..." was the only thing Harry mustered in response.

"I'm glad you're safe..." she added as she released the hug. Harry gave a weak smile in response.

The world began feeling like a lonely place. Harry had never felt like this, especially not when he was surrounded by Hermione and Ron. There was silence at the table. No one was sure what to talk about.

Everyone else at the castle was talking about Voldemort's return. The purebloods and the half-bloods who grew up hearing the stories of the dark lord had a lot to talk about with the other students who perhaps had only heard of Voldemort, but not lived through the horror.

Harry's eyes fell on Fred and George, who had just arrived at the seats near them. He had never seen them so dull. They looked like Fred and George but acted nothing like he had known them to be like. And then he remembered something.

"Listen," he said glancing at Ron.

"Yeah?"

"What were you guys talking about, yesterday morning?" he asked.

"Who?" asked Ron, confused.

"Percy and your dad seemed to be going at each other. I saw Fred and George playing the mediators," retorted Harry.

"Oh, that was Percy being a git," replied Ron. "It seems, nobody told him, Siri... I mean Padfoot was going to be there... Or that he is actually innocent," he added with a nervous chuckle. Ron thanked Merlin that he corrected himself before letting Daphne about Sirius.

"Oh," reacted Harry, shocked.

"Wait... really?" asked Hermione, shocked.

"Yeah... And of course, Percy wanted to let his beloved boss know about it. But dad had none of it," replied Ron.

"What now? Is Percy going to tell Fudge that we know where he is?" asked Harry, alarmed.

"No... He managed to convince Percy to keep his mouth shut. But, we have to do something to get him proved innocent soon. There is no trusting Percy," replied Ron.

"Who is innocent?" asked Daphne, seemingly lost during their conversation.

"No one," replied Harry instantly.

"Dad's friend... Got into small trouble with the Ministry," replied Ron instinctively.

"Oh my God, what happened?" asked Daphne, concerned.

"No biggie... Sold some cheap muggle artefacts for quick galleons," replied Ron.

And Harry went back to his silence.

"Surely, Percy wouldn't do that, would he?" he thought to himself. "Yes, Percy was one for following the rules. But, this is about a man going to prison for something he had nothing to do with."

"I wish we could prove Sirius' innocence somehow..." and his thoughts trailed away.

After a while, his ear picked up some conversation, his friends were having beside him.

"... not believe he will be teaching us Defense Against the Dark Arts now," remarked Ron, excitedly.

"Yeah, I heard it too... He's a legend... And so much better than Lockhart," added Hermione hopefully.

"Who is it?" asked Harry chiming into the conversation.

"Mad-eye Moody," replied Ron.

"Who?" asked Harry, taken aback by the funny nickname.

"Alastor Moody... He's one of the most feared Aurors the Ministry has ever had," replied Hermione.

"Wow... And why do they call him Mad-eye?" asked Harry, curiously.

"You'll see... he has this brilliant eye, like a proper magical eye," replied Ron.

"Well, till the time he isn't working for Voldemort, I don't care," retorted Harry indifferently. And almost immediately, the table went dead silent.

The classes were a big welcome for the following few days. Especially the Transfiguration and Potions ones. Because they were taken by Professor McGonagall and Snape, the two Professors, whose classes nobody dared speak in. Which meant, the times of the day when Harry had complete peace.

Not everyone who came and spoke with Harry was horrible though. Some of the notable exceptions were Cedric Diggory and Luna Lovegood.

Luna, who was a year younger than Harry had some interesting things to tell Harry.

"Harry Potter," heard Harry from behind him. Harry and Daphne turned around immediately.

"Hi, I'm Luna," she said looking straight at Harry.

"Hi," replied back Harry uncomfortably.

"I wanted to give my condolences," she remarked.

Harry nodded as Daphne looked at her curiously. Luna was after all sporting a funny-looking necklace, upon close observation would indicate, one made of tiny butterbeer cups. Incidentally, she also had her wand tucked behind her ears. It was then that Daphne realised, she was looking at the much-talked-about weirdo of Hogwarts, Loony Lovegood. Until that moment, she had only heard other students talking, laughing about her.

"You must be jealous right now," added Luna.

"Excuse me?" retorted Harry.

"That he left you behind," replied Luna. And almost immediately, she continued, "I didn't mean to offend you," she added hastily.

Harry was too annoyed and irritated to respond.

"My dad told me about my mum. She left us behind to go to a better place," she added.

"Where did she go?" asked Harry, confused.

"Oh, she died when I was young," replied Luna nonchalantly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," remarked Harry. He didn't realise that's what Luna meant when she said her mother had gone someplace better.

"She was a brilliant witch, but she did like to experiment. And one of her spells went rather badly," she added.

Harry gave a chuckle at that reply. He didn't mean to, but he couldn't help it. "I'm sorry... It's just that, that's exactly what John told us about himself, the first time we met him," remarked Harry.

"John was a good friend. I would like to think he is with my mother right now, making her laugh with his jokes," remarked Luna.

"Wait, you knew John?" asked Harry, surprised.

"Yes... He spoke with me when the others made fun of me. He was nice," replied Luna.

Harry resisted the urge to ask her why she was made fun of. It didn't feel like the question one should ask. After a few moments of silence, Luna went away rather suddenly.

"She is..." began Harry, intrigued by the past few minutes.

"Interesting," finished Daphne.

"Different... but yeah, interesting too," remarked Harry. "I didn't know John was friends with her," he added.

It wasn't just the students that approached Harry to give their condolences, there were some Professors too.

Madam Hooch, Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick all expressed their thoughts to Harry, Ron and Hermione. But perhaps, the weirdest one took place at the end of their first week back.

Harry, Hermione and Ron were sitting idle near the lake, John's and quite recently, even their favourite spot in the castle.

When he walked over to them, none of the golden trio even realised that someone was standing behind them.

"Mr Potter," called out Benjamin White, after clearing his throat.

All three of them turned around instantly and were faced by the American wizard.

"Professor White?" exclaimed Hermione, taken aback.

"Yes, Professor?" replied Harry.

"Might I have a word with you?" asked White politely.

Harry looked confused and hesitated for a few seconds.

"Very well then, might as well address all three of you," remarked White and gave a quick glance to Ron and Hermione.

"I am deeply sorry for your loss," he said. "Losing a friend is never easy," he added.

The golden trio nodded in acknowledgement.

"Professor Dumbledore has been telling me all about all of you," he continued.

"He has? What about?" wondered Harry.

"He was really special, wasn't he?" remarked White and stared at Harry.

Hermione looked at Professor White curiously.

"He was..." replied Harry.

White gave Hermione a quick glance and went back to addressing Harry.

"I regret not having the opportunity to meet Mr Smith," he said. "Anyway... I wish all of you comfort, peace and strength in this difficult time," he added and gave a brief smile.

And with that, Professor White left the golden trio alone.

"That was weird, right?" asked Hermione after a minute or so.

"Weird? What was weird about that?" retorted Ron, surprised. "He seemed like a nice chap," he added.

"Nothing... It's just... I got this feeling, he was trying to read our thoughts," replied Hermione, looking confused.

"What?" retorted Ron, shocked.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry, surprised.

"I'm pretty sure he is a Legilimens. And he just tried to read our minds. And he was surprised when he realised I knew what he was doing," replied Hermione.

"Are you sure you are not imagining this, Hermione?" asked Ron, with a chuckle.

"No... I am absolutely certain," replied Hermione, confidently.

---

I'm working on Chapter 59... Hopefully, I'll have it ready to be published shortly. Ciao!

PS - I guess I don't mind mentioning, that, Chapter 60 will mark the end of 4th year worth of stories. So, we are just 2 chapters away from finishing this year off.