Hello everyone! I'm back... It has been a while and I sincerely hope to publish chapters at a much better frequency moving forward. Until then, here's chapter 59... Enjoy!

"Wormtail," exclaimed Voldemort loudly.

Almost instantly, Pettigrew came running towards him.

"Your arm," he demanded.

Pettigrew walked cautiously towards The Dark Lord and held out his left arm.

Voldemort pointed his wand at the vivid red tattoo. Instantly, the dark mark came alive.

"Master?" exclaimed Pettigrew.

"It's time," remarked Voldemort. "Now we shall see... now we shall know..." he said softly.

Barty Crouch Jr felt it, Eldon Redwood felt it, Severus Snape felt it, and so did every death eater alive... a searing pain in their left arm, the dark mark coming alive.

A few minutes went by as Voldemort, Pettigrew and Barty stood waiting for the others to arrive.

Redwood was the first to arrive.

"My Lord?" he exclaimed and bent down in front of Voldemort.

"Welcome back, Redwood," exclaimed Voldemort with a snigger.

A few moments went by in silence, and then suddenly the air was suddenly full of the swishing of cloaks.

One by one, the arriving death eaters moved forward slowly, cautiously, as though they could hardly believe their eyes.

Then one of the death eaters fell to his knees, crawled toward Voldemort and kissed the hem of his black robes.

"Master... Master..." he murmured.

One by one, the death eaters behind him did the same. Each of them approached Voldemort on his knees and kissed his robes, before backing away and standing up, forming a circle.

"Welcome, Death Eaters..." exclaimed Voldemort quietly. "Thirteen years... thirteen years since we last met. Yet you answer my call as though it were yesterday," he remarked loudly.

"We are still united under the dark mark, then... Or are we?"

Every single death eater present stood quietly, daring not to utter a word.

"I smell guilt," continued Voldemort. "There is a stench of guilt upon the air," he said.

A shiver ran around the circle, as though each member of it longed, but did not dare to step back from him.

"I see you all, whole and healthy, with your powers intact... such prompt appearances... And I ask myself... Why did this band of wizards never come to the aid of their master, to whom they swore eternal loyalty?"

No one dared speak.

Voldemort looked around at everyone and after a few moments, he continued.

"And I answer myself... They must have believed me broken, they thought I was gone. They slipped back among my enemies and they pleaded innocence, and ignorance... and bewitchment..."

And just then, there was a swishing sound and out of thin air, appeared another wizard.

"Finally..." gasped Voldemort.

"My Lord?" exclaimed Severus, taken aback at the sight of Voldemort. Severus had known for a long time that Voldemort was back, everyone at The Order did. But the sight of Voldemort brought back memories from his past.

"Welcome Severus... We have been waiting for you," exclaimed Voldemort.

"Master... A word in private?" remarked Severus, shivering internally, but putting on a brave face externally.

"Yes, of course," replied Voldemort. With that, he left his terrified followers behind and walked away with Severus following him closely behind.

After they were some distance away, Severus spoke up.

"It is an honour to be in The Dark Lord's presence once again," he said and bent down in respect.

"Let's forgo the niceties, Severus..." remarked Voldemort with a slight glare.

"The Potter boy survived and called the Order. They have Aurors outside Potter's muggle residence, guarding him," said Severus and took a lengthy pause. "What happened, Master? How did he survive?" he asked.

Voldemort remained silent for a moment. He wasn't sure what had happened back at the graveyard.

"Severus Snape... the loyal double agent... Tell me, where do your loyalties really lie?" asked Voldemort, in a really low and spine-chilling voice.

"You can trust me, My Lord..." began Severus but got cut off.

"Only a fool would trust you, Severus..." retorted Voldemort.

"Classes are going on. Every day, we are getting more and more homework," sulked Harry.

"Hmm" responded Sirius.

"Thankfully, most of my work is done. Hermione gets everything done almost the very day they are given. It's not like I have anything to do. I sit with her and complete my work as well," he added.

"What about your quidditch?" asked Sirius.

"Suspended, remember?" retorted Harry.

"But, you were going to help train Colin?" retorted back Sirius.

Harry remained silent for a few seconds.

"McGonagall got you the permission from all house heads, didn't she?" asked Sirius, surprised.

"She did... They all agreed to let me play quidditch out of sympathy... I'm not feeling like flying around after a snitch," replied Harry hastily.

"Good Night, Sirius... I'm sleepy now... Talk to you later," he added after a couple of seconds.

"Good Night, Harry," greeted back Sirius.

And with that, the Godfather and his Godson kept their respective halves of the 2-way-mirror down.

It had been a few weeks since John's death. And everything seemed to be back to normal. The immediate shock of the death of a fellow classmate had died down. The surge in the panic caused by Voldemort's return seemed to have subsided as well.

Everything might have been back to normal, as far as the school was concerned, but there was one thing that had never resumed. For the first couple of weeks, Draco let it be. Then a couple more went by, and it wasn't just Draco who was feeling it, it was Neville too. And in an unlikely turn of events, Draco and Neville collaborated to speak with the rest of their Phoenix Juniors' members.

"Weasley," called out Draco, right after their Potions class. Ron who was walking a few feet ahead, along with Harry and Hermione came to a halt and turned back to glance at Draco.

"Malfoy... what's up?" asked Ron in reply.

"A word?" requested Draco.

Ron looked surprised.

"I'll join you guys in a couple," remarked Ron looking at Hermione and Harry and was about to make his way towards Draco when Harry replied.

"We'll wait for you," replied Harry.

"No, it's fine, you don't have to... It's McGonagall's class now... you don't want to be late," retorted Ron.

"We should wait for you..." began Harry when Hermione chimed in.

"Let's go, Harry... he'll be alright, come on," she said and pulled Harry away. Harry resisted for a moment but hesitantly walked away with Hermione.

"What's up with him?" asked Draco, intrigued by what he had just witnessed.

"Nothing... he's just a bit rattled, you know? With everything..." replied Ron.

"How are all of you holding up?" asked Draco.

"We are alright," replied Ron, unconvincingly.

"Well..." began Draco and sighed. "It's about time we got back together for our sessions, don't you think?" he asked hopefully.

"You mean the Phoenix Juniors ones?" retorted Ron.

"It's been a while..." remarked Draco.

"We should meet up sometime..." replied Ron. "I don't reckon Harry will join though," he added, pessimistically.

"How long is he going to be like this?" retorted Draco.

But just then, Ron realised he was now actually getting really late for his Transfiguration class.

"Mate... I got to go, I'll talk to him, yeah?" replied Ron and dashed away.

It was this unspoken understanding that had come about between all of them, that none of them would be the one to broach the subject of a Phoenix Juniors meetup. Neville and Draco might have been the ones to talk to each other about it, but both Ron and Daphne had entertained the idea themselves but dropped it.

Ron on the one hand had been getting more and more worried, watching the way Harry had seemed to change overnight. Ever since they had been back from John's funeral, Harry had become a lot less chatty. For the first few days, Ron didn't care much. In fact, he himself was behaving somewhat similarly. But, as the days went by, Ron began noticing another subtle change. Not only had Harry become quiet, but he had also begun wanting to be around him and Hermione all the time.

Harry had started suggesting to the both of them to study and work on their assignments together. The trio had started going to classes together, much more often than they earlier did. Even when Hermione had her Runes or Arithmancy classes, the ones that Ron and Harry didn't have, Harry would walk with Hermione to her class. As much as Ron liked being around Hermione and Harry, it no longer felt the same way as used to earlier. Both Harry and Hermione would be lost in their separate worlds, while there would be almost complete silence between the three of them. And Ron did not have the heart to pick on them for it.

Thankfully, there was one thing that he had noticed about Harry. Ron had often observed Harry waking up in the middle of the night, and taking his 2-way-mirror that Sirius had given, out to the common room. At least he was talking to someone, unlike Hermione, who seemed to have shut herself into a hole, more so than ever before.

Daphne, on the other hand, was struggling to even get some time alone with Harry. And in the very little time that they did spend together, he seemed dull and lost. And the worst part wasn't even that. It was, of course, Hermione, more specifically, how much more time Harry and Hermione were spending together. There was another thing that was beginning to bug her. She had been suspecting for a long time, much before John's death, that Harry and his closest friends were keeping some type of a secret from everyone else. Every friend group has a few secrets that no one knows. But this one seemed to have more than a few. And they didn't even care to make it discreet that they were keeping some kind of a secret. All those whispers behind her back, all those discussions that deliberately came to a halt upon her arrival. Phoenix Juniors sessions were a way for her to remain close to Harry's friends.

One evening, Daphne was presented with a lucky short window of opportunity where she could speak with Ron, alone. Ron and Harry were going back to their common room when Gryffindor's quidditch captain, Angelina Johnson approached the pair and a moment later, took Harry away with her.

As Daphne watched Harry walk away with Angelina, she made her way toward Ron.

"Hey..." she said as she walked over to him.

"Hey," greeted back Ron.

"Professor Moody was in a bad mood today, wasn't he?" she remarked.

"When is he not in a bad mood? He is the most paranoid wizard I have ever seen," retorted Ron.

"He's much better than Lockhart though," remarked Daphne.

Ron glared at her for a second and replied, "that, he is," he said with a chuckle.

After a few seconds of silence, Daphne whispered, "Listen..." she said and gave a pause. "I was thinking..." she continued and gave another pause for a few seconds. "It's about time we started back our sessions in the room of requirement, don't you think?" she asked. But before Ron could reply, she continued, this time hastily, "I know, it's probably a bit insensitive of me. I might not have been his biggest fan, but I was starting to like John. Honestly, I think, we should start the sessions. It would be a nice change of pace for Harry... and you," she added. "I would have spoken with Harry directly, but I don't think it would feel right coming from me," she finished.

Ron gave a chuckle and replied, "Twice in two days," he remarked. "It was Draco yesterday and now you want me to speak with Harry..." he said.

"Malfoy?" retorted Daphne, surprised.

"Yeah... he wanted us to resume as well... I don't know, Daphne... Harry is..." began Ron but left the statement hanging.

"What?" asked Daphne, intrigued by what Ron was going to say.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Ron continued, "He is not doing well," he said. "And I don't feel like resuming without him," he added. "... and without John..." he finished.

Daphne hopelessly stared at him.

"He has stopped talking to me... I don't understand... I have tried getting him to open up. He's not even stubborn, he's just... lifeless," she retorted and looked stunned at what she had just said. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean it like that... It's just..." she began correcting herself when Ron interjected.

"No, it's okay... I know what you mean," he said. "I'll speak with him... We are all trying to help, aren't we?" he remarked.

And just then, their conversation got interrupted.

"Hey, Ron... Daphne..." greeted Colin Creevey as he made his way towards the pair excitedly.

"Colin... What did Harry say?" asked Ron.

"I'm in so much trouble... I thought I was going to be benched by Angelina... But, I'm getting one final opportunity... And Harry may not help me get better," he replied with a chuckle.

"I don't get it... Why are you happy about it?" asked Daphne, confused.

"Because I know someone else who could help me get better..." replied Colin and glanced hopefully towards Ron.

Ron, Daphne and Colin stared at each other for a few seconds before Ron spoke up, "wait... you want me to help you?" he asked, confused.

"You are the biggest quidditch fan I have seen... I'm shocked you aren't trying out for a spot in the team. I'm sure you could help me get better," replied Colin, excitedly.

Ron burst into laughter. "You are in so much trouble," he remarked and began walking away.

"Hey... where are you going? Are you going to help me or not?" exclaimed Colin at Ron who was walking away without turning back.

"I'm going to..." began Colin glancing at Daphne and gesturing something with his hands, but paused for a second. "You'll be cheering for me, right?" he asked looking at Daphne.

"Uh... No," replied Daphne and walked away in the opposite direction.

"Why is everybody walking away from me?" remarked Colin with a chuckle, loud enough for Daphne to hear.

She gave a chuckle in response and continued walking away.

Colin sighed and made his way after Ron. "Mate... Come on," he could be heard exclaiming.

"Here," said Neville as he handed Hermione his transfiguration homework.

As Hermione began reading up, Neville sat beside her and watched with bated breath. After a few minutes, Hermione glanced back up at Neville.

"There are a few things that you should change... I'll make a note of them for you... but this is good work, Neville," she said with a smile on her face.

Neville took his homework back from Hermione. "Thanks, Hermione," he replied, blushing.

After a few seconds of silence, Neville spoke up.

"How are you doing Hermione?" he asked.

Hermione looked taken aback. Not because she was surprised by the question, she had been hearing it almost every day. But she hadn't heard it once from Neville.

"Uh... I'm fine," she replied, unconvincingly of course.

"You don't have to lie, Hermione... I understand... You'd rather remain silent, than talk about it," retorted Neville with a sigh.

Hermione stared at him, not being sure how to react.

"I miss him too, you know?" remarked Neville. "He helped me a lot... He was the one who told me to buy myself a new wand," he added taking out his wand from his pocket. After a few seconds' pause, he continued. "I never hung out with him much... I wish I had," he finished.

Hermione responded with a wistful smile. There were so many things she wanted to say, but there weren't any that she actually could.

"You should talk to someone, you know?" remarked Neville. "I can see that you want to," he added. In a way, Neville knew what it meant to lose someone close, to keep a part of his life a secret, hidden from his friends, and how difficult it can be to open up to someone. After all, none of his friends knew about Frank and Alice Longbottom.

After a few seconds of silence, Neville got up, thanked Hermione once again for checking his work, and left the library.

The moment Hermione was alone, she heaved a resigned sigh and pitied herself for the position she found herself in. On the one hand, she badly wanted to let out everything she knew about John. On the other, she didn't have anyone she could do that to. Harry seemed way too broken to handle the revelation that time travel is real, that John was Ron and Daisy's son from the future. Talking to Ron about it, seemed like the worst idea. How was she going to tell her best friend that his son died, even before he was born? And thoughts of the kind stewed inside her continually.

A couple of weeks went by, and our golden trio continued living there, now sombre life. Ron tried to broach the subject of the phoenix juniors' sessions, multiple times, but, all he got was reluctance, in abundance, from Harry. Then came one evening. There were murmurs about this day, around the castle. For some time now, there was one thing that was on most students' minds, one thing that wasn't Voldemort, Lockhart or Harry Potter. And that was Hogsmeade's visit. It was once again, that time of the year when an upcoming Hogsmeade visit would keep everyone excited. But this year, things were different. Not everyone was sure if a Hogsmeade visit would happen. Some had parents forbidding them from going to Hogsmeade, some didn't want to step outside Hogwarts castle even if their parents didn't disapprove and there were some that were itching to get out and visit the magical village.

And one evening, came the notice on the notice board. The weekend, a couple of weeks from then, a Hogsmeade visit for all those who wished for one, with increased security and precautions in place.

"Like that's going to matter," whispered Harry reading the notice.

"What?" asked Ron, who didn't quite catch what Harry had whispered.

"There's no precaution in the world they could take that's going to keep You-Know-Who away," replied Harry.

"We will be fine, mate... All of us will stick together," assured Ron in response.

"I'm not going," retorted Harry instantly.

"What? Why not?" asked Ron.

"I don't feel like it..." replied Harry.

"Oh come on... Harry," exclaimed Ron, disappointed.

"What?"

"You can't keep doing this... I get it... John died... He was my friend too, remember? It happens... there's nothing you or I could have done about it. You have to move on," retorted Ron, strongly.

However, Harry seemed indifferent to Ron's words.

"You have anything to say? He'll probably listen to you," remarked Ron glancing at Hermione. But her silence only enraged Ron further.

"Not you too... Please tell me," began Ron and paused looking at her face. Hermione was slightly shaking her head and looked like she was about to cry.

"I can't believe this..." sighed Ron and walked away.

As the day of their next Hogsmeade visit approached, it came became more and more apparent to Ron that Harry wasn't impulsively deciding not to tag along. There was a conviction in Harry's choice and a strong disinterest in listening to any reasoning against it. Hermione siding with Harry instead of with him didn't help matters at all.

And when the day arrived, it was no surprise that Ron didn't try to push Harry to come along with him to Hogwarts. And it was no surprise, that close to half the castle had made a similar choice, either willingly or unwillingly.

It was around midday, when Hermione and Harry found themselves in a spacious Gryffindor common room, surrounded by a few others. After much deliberation, Hermione spoke up.

"Harry..." she called out.

"Hmm?"

After a few seconds of pause, Hermione continued. "I want to tell you something..." she said.

"What about?" retorted Harry.

She took another pause and looked around.

"Hermione... what happened?" he asked, confused.

"Not here... come with me," she retorted and got up.

"Why? No one can hear us..." retorted Harry, but Hermione had already started walking away by then. Harry got up from his seat and began trailing her.

Almost a minute later, Harry realised where Hermione was leading them to.

"Why are we going to the room? Hermione..." exclaimed Harry as he caught up with her. "What's going on?" he asked.

"I need somewhere to talk... where no one can overhear us," replied Hermione and continued walking.

Finally, the pair were inside the room of requirement.

"Okay... what is it?" asked Harry, the moment they entered.

"Harry..." she began but went quiet once again.

Harry could see how upset and conflicted she looked.

"Hermione..." exclaimed Harry, this time much more softly. "What happened? Whatever it is... you can tell me," he said.

"I brought you here to tell you something... I don't think I should, but I'm tired... tired of keeping the secret," she replied.

"What secret?" was going to be Harry's response. But before he could utter those words, Hermione continued.

"I know some things about John... that no one knows," she said and watched Harry's expression turn.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice shaking a little as he did.

"You and I both know that John kept a lot of secrets. He barely ever told us anything..." she began in response as Harry nodded along. "Well, last year... I found out some of it..." she added.

Harry looked confused and Hermione continued.

"I don't know where to begin..." she remarked and sat down on a comfortable-looking sofa. Harry followed suit and took the seat right beside her.

"John and Remus had a fight... just a few days before Remus left Hogwarts..." she began. "And I overheard a lot of it..." she continued.

"They had a fight?" asked Harry, surprised. "What about?"

"Your wand..." whispered Hermione in reply.

"My wand?" retorted Harry, confused and took out his phoenix feather wand as he did.

"Not this one... the other one," retorted Hermione. "The one that John gave you," she added.

Harry took out his other wand, the one that had unicorn hair in its core.

"John gave this to you... Ever wondered why it works for you so well?" she asked.

Harry looked dumbstruck for a moment. It wasn't that he hadn't considered it. But he had never really put any significant thought into it.

"Harry... this is your mother's wand," whispered Hermione.

"What?" retorted Harry.

Hermione nodded in response and continued. "It is your mother's wand..." she said reassuring him of what he had heard the first time.

"But, how?" he asked, shocked.

"Remus recognized your wand instantly and was enraged... I have never heard him so angry, ever before... He had the same question that you have... How did John have your mother's wand? John had secrets... not just from us, but from everyone..." replied Hermione. "And it was during this confrontation, that John revealed the truth to Remus..." she added.

"John was... and Jane too... both of them were at Godric's Hollow, the night You-Know-Who killed your parents..." she added softly.

Harry looked too stunned to speak.

"I approached John and told him that I overheard their fight... A few days after that, John told me a lot of things... He was with your mother when she was killed by You-Know-Who..." added Hermione and paused herself from continuing. It was going to be a long day, and it was just beginning.

After a long silence, Harry spoke up. "But... that doesn't make sense... How were John and Jane there? What were they doing with my parents? How did they even know where they were? There was a fidelius charm on their house..." he thought out loud, taking a pause every few seconds. "All of this happened 13 years ago... Wouldn't they have been kids at the time, like our age right now?" he continued.

"Harry... Harry... calm down... I have answers," reassured Hermione.

Harry looked perplexed and she continued.

"They were there to protect all of you..." she said and took a pause. "There's more to the story..." she added and paused. She knew there was no going back now.

"John and Jane are from the future..." she uttered after a moment's silence.

"What?" retorted Harry, confused. "From the future? What does that mean?" he added.

"They are time travellers... And they are from the future," repeated Hermione.

"Time travel? Wh... I don't... Why? How?" retorted Harry, stunned.

"I don't know how they did it... John never told me... In fact, he even told me once that he didn't know how to travel through time. There was someone else with them when they came back to the past... And as to why they came back in time... John told us that from the beginning. It was to protect you," replied Hermione.

"Who was with them?" asked Harry.

"I don't know... I saw her when I performed legilimency on him, but I don't who she was. And when I asked him, he refused to tell me," replied Hermione.

Harry was too stunned to respond. It was evident from the look he had on his face that there were a million thoughts in his head.

"So, that's why he gave me that wand? Because it was my mother's and wanted me to have it?" remarked Harry after a few minutes.

Hermione nodded in response. Harry looked rattled and his body was shaking a little. Hermione expected such a reaction. She had it herself, back when she found out. She did the only thing she could... she held his hand. They were cold. The moment he felt Hermione's hands, he held onto them tightly.

"Thanks for telling me..." he said. Hermione smiled in response. Though, it wasn't one that acknowledged Harry.

"There's more..." was what Hermione wanted to reply in return, but she refrained from doing so.

After a silence that lasted for a long time, Harry spoke up.

"It makes sense now..." he remarked. "Why he kept all of it a secret... He couldn't go around telling people he was from the future, could he? He always seemed to know everything..." he added.

"But why protect me? Why travel back in time? Was You-Know-Who still around terrorizing the world?" he asked after a few minutes.

"I asked him this... but he didn't give me a proper answer... He told me that You-Know-Who was gone, for real... But why travel back in time, I do not know..." replied Hermione.

"Why would he give his life for me, Hermione? Why all this effort? Did he know me in the future somehow?" retorted Harry.

Hermione went silent. In all of her time with John after finding out his secrets, she hadn't once heard John mentioning anything about Harry in the future. He had told her a little about the "future Hermione", he had told her about Ron and Daisy, but nothing about Harry.

"Harry... there's more," she said finally, after a few seconds of silence.

"More? What more?" retorted Harry confused. "There is more to the story?" he wondered.

"John and Jane are not just from the future... there is something else... about them that connects us..." she replied. Harry looked at her confused about where she was going.

"I need you to promise me that you won't tell all of this to anyone," she said.

"Of course, I won't... Ron can know, right?" replied Harry.

"Absolutely not... You cannot tell Ron any of this... Or Daisy," replied Hermione.

"What? Why?" retorted Harry.

"Promise me," retorted Hermione, looking as serious as ever before.

"Okay... I promise," replied Harry.

After a few seconds of silence, Hermione took a deep breath and continued.

"They are Ron and Daisy's children..." she said as tears filled her eyes.

"What?" retorted Harry, shocked and wondering if he had misheard her. Hermione didn't have any words in response, just tears.

"What do you mean? Ron and Daisy's kids? Ron is John's father? But, how is that possible... Hermione... what are you saying?"

Choking and slurring her words, Hermione replied, "it is the truth, Harry... I know it's hard to wrap your head around... but that is the truth... Ron and Daisy get married in the future... And they have 2 kids... twins... Jane and John..."

"Oh my God... Oh no... No, that cannot be...Hermione, please tell me you're joking... Hermione... John died... Ron's son died... Oh my God..."

Harry sat frozen and in tears as Hermione quickly hugged him.

"I know... I am so sorry, Harry... but this is the truth," she said.

There was yet another bout of silence between the pair. And Harry found himself running through a million thoughts.

"John and Daisy... it makes so much more sense now..." he thought.

"Ron... when he got cursed... any time Ron was in trouble, John reacted like the end of the world..."

"Harry... what are you thinking?" asked Hermione, breaking the silence.

"What are we going to do Hermione?" retorted Harry in a defeated tone.

And for once, Hermione seemed to have run out of answers.

After a few moments of silence, Harry spoke up.

"Remus and Sirius know about all of this?" he asked.

Hermione nodded in response. "Remus, Sirius and Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape... though I don't know how much everyone knows," replied Hermione.

"Snape? John told Snape?" retorted Harry.

"Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall knew it already... Filling in Snape on the truth was just for convenience... the exact words of John," replied Hermione.

The pair spent an hour or so more inside the room of requirement before coming out of it. Pretty soon thereafter, one by one, the Hogwarts students who had gone to visit Hogsmeade returned.

A weary Ron approached the common room, wondering the reception he might get from Harry.

"Harry..." he exclaimed, the moment his eyes fell on Harry. Unlike the sombre response he had been getting, this time was different.

"Ron... you're back," exclaimed Harry with a smile.

"I... am," remarked Ron in low voice, surprised by Harry's reaction. "Hey, Hermione," he greeted and got a smile in response.

"What is going on?" asked Ron with a chuckle.

"What do you mean?" retorted Harry, looking surprised.

"What happened when I was gone? And don't lie to me... I know something did... Both of your faces look very different... and dare I say, much more friendly and inviting than it has done in the past few weeks," remarked Ron fervently as he took a seat between the pair.

"Nothing significant," replied Hermione.

"I don't know what you're on about, mate," replied Harry, with a chuckle.

"What I am on... you're smiling... you are actually smiling... Did John come back to life, or something?" retorted Ron with a chuckle.

"The truth is..." began Harry and glanced at Hermione. "She happened to knock some sense into me..." continued Harry looking at Hermione and then back at Ron. "We have all got to move on, haven't we?" he remarked.

"You couldn't have done that sooner, could you?" retorted Ron looking at Hermione.

"Speaking of which... Ron" continued Harry and took out something from his pocket.

"What is it?" asked Ron impatiently.

"I want you to have this," replied Harry and handed Ron a watch.

"This is John's watch... Why are you giving this to me?" retorted Ron as he took the watch.

"Because I want you to have it... You will make better use of it," replied Harry coyly.

Ron stared at the watch for a few seconds. "Thanks, Harry..." he said.

"There's one more thing..." began Hermione.

"What?" retorted Ron.

"Well... we should gather the others, don't you think?" retorted Harry.

"The others?" remarked Ron, confused.

"The Phoenix Juniors, Ron... can't resume the sessions without everyone now, can we?" replied Harry, with a chuckle.

It had been just another morning at Hogwarts. The students were eating breakfast at the great hall and looking forward to the classes of the day that lay ahead. And like many other mornings, posts arrived with the help of the owls. These posts often included "the daily prophet", for which quite a few students had an active subscription.

It took only a few moments for chaos to ensue inside the great hall.

"This is bad..." remarked Ron and glanced worriedly at Harry and Hermione.

"What happened?" asked Harry.

"Mass breakout from Azkaban," read out Ron and there was a hushed silence at their table.

...

Meanwhile, in a different part of the country...

Gilderoy Lockhart apparated to the front gate of his mansion. After giving a cautious look around the surrounding, he opened the gate and walked inside.

Lockhart walked into his mansion and walked up the stairs without suspecting anything.

"Welcome home," came a voice, from behind him.

Lockhart's heart skipped a beat as he turned around looking petrified.

"You... shouldn't be here," he said, with a tremble in his voice, as he took out his wand.

"That's not going to help you," retorted Jane in response.

"Please... leave me alone..." pleaded Lockhart. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to hurt him... He shouldn't have been with Harry... Harry was the target..." continued Lockhart, bawling his eyes out.

"You have any last words?" remarked Jane, in an eerily calm voice.

Lockhart glanced at her with a defeated look. He could see the next few seconds playing out in front of him.

"Avada Keda..." screamed Lockhart as he swished his wand at Jane. But to his horror, his wand disappeared and his incantation stopped midway.

"What... How..." he stumbled, shocked, as he looked around for his missing wand.

"Avada Kedavra..." she cried and a jet of green light escaped her wand and hit Lockhart right in the chest and he fell down with a thud.

A tear trickled down Jane's cheeks as she saw a motionless body lying on the floor.

"One down..." she sighed and apparated out of the mansion.

Hope you liked this one...

PS - Chapter 60 is in the works... Ciao!