Harry potter and the Time of Retirement
Everything related to Harry Potter belongs to JKR
Chapter 71 – Year 4
"Let's get out of here" said Ernie to the group of boys nearby him.
"I don't mind lunch" added Wayne, as he picked up his own books and supplies.
Justin and Zach, too, were busy packing up while aiming amusing comments about each other's performance during their last class, Transfiguration; the girls in the front of the class too seemed to be gathering their stuff up.
Harry, silently, followed suit. This first morning of his return had been going smoothly enough so far – he listened to the lectures and performed his spells without a word. He had been paired up with Wayne, who was not a big talker either, and their companions so far have been Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. One nice perk of all this was that, in fourth year, lessons and spells were already complex enough to require some focus even from him, let alone his fellow students.
They were not truly difficult to follow, not yet – it was all mundane stuff that any average grown wizard could do without excessive effort, so long as he was focusing on them. And Harry enjoyed fishing from the books and the explanations those details that upgraded an average cast to a perfect one. 'If only it was a one-day thing', he thought 'it might even be pleasant'.
As for professor McGonagall, she had sent him some puzzled out stares here and there but otherwise never commented on his work. She had started with a curt: "Welcome back among us, Mr. Potter" but after that she rarely addressed him. When Harry completed the class' objective in one attempt, a particularly complex switching spell, and then tried again and again with an half focused half bored expression to perform the casting faster, or make the edges smoother and more natural looking, she stared at him for a second but then moved on with a shrug.
Harry hadn't missed that, but his train of thought was not on McGonagall. 'If this means Dumbledore really spoke to the faculty, I could even get a normal potion class for once in my life. Assuming Snape is capable of giving one' he thought with a disdainful sneer on his lips.
He wouldn't discover that until the morning after, though, for Potions was not on his class schedule yet. For the moment, Harry followed his classmates towards the great Hall.
They were friendly and welcoming, that much was clear, but Harry still remained silent most of the time. Once he had been updated, courtesy of the previous evening in the common room, on all the major gossips of the school he found out that he was sorely unaware of everything elese. All 4th year Hufflepuffs kept referencing minor previous pranks, fad or even just school works that he had missed on since his petrification mid second year. Apparently, it would take a while before he would really fit in again among them once again.
While they were all sitting down at the lunch table, during a hole in the conversation, Justin turned towards him.
"So, Harry, how did it go? Any problems with the class?"
"If you fell behind, try not to embarrass us. McGonagall went down hard on that fool Longbottom, couple days ago" added Zach.
"Not his fault… well, not completely. The profs are going crazy over the tournament" mumbled Wayne, while swallowing a big piece of roast.
"I'll be fine" said Harry. "Sprout kept sending me some homework to do all this time."
"And you did them? You? You." asked Susan, skeptical.
"Yes, I did. Me. Me" countered Harry, lying shamelessly.
"I gave you a look here and there during class, Harry" added Sally, from her corner. "You did great, you have nothing to worry about."
Megan looked at her and giggled. "Girl, he has been back five minutes" she whispered, still loud enough that everyone could hear her. Sally glared at her but said nothing.
"I wonder if we even get the House tournament this year" butted in Ernie, unsure. "With the Quidditch one being cancelled, and the Triwizard thing in the middle."
"We are still getting points and all" said Justin, shrugging. "So, yes?"
"In terms of bragging rights, just being the champion of Hogwarts beat everything else hands down" said Wayne. "And think if you win for the school…"
"I wonder how he will be selected, though" said Ernie. "An in-school pre tournament competition?"
"She" said Megan, smirking. "And yes, either that or they will just use grades."
"Honestly, it would make more sense to just focus on seventh years. You would have to be a pretty amazing sixth year already to prevail over the best older students. Fifth and younger No chance." commented Hannah.
Harry looked at her, puzzled, before grimacing. 'Actually, that makes sense.'
"Seventh years are busy with the N.e.w.t., though. Why would they care?" asked Susan.
"The money, of course" answered Hannah with a shrug.
After that, the conversation went on for a while over, once again, what they would all do with such a fabulous amount of galleons. Not long after they all stood up, ready to move on to Charms class.
On the way, Sally approached Harry.
"I wasn't joking, though, before. You did great. Perfect, even" she said.
"My, thank you Sally. You'll make me blush" said Harry cheerily, before looking at her. No trace of smile on her face. "Wait, was that even a compliment?"
"Ehm, it was I guess" she answered. "But it's weird. I remember you being good before, but that… have you really studied by yourself all these months?"
"What can I say" started Harry, shrugging, before a mischievous smile appeared on his face. "I am using a new wand, might be that."
"A new wand" repeated Sally, skeptical. Harry nodded, even while smiling, and sped up leaving the girl behind.
Much later that day, after dinner, Harry was sitting together with the other Hufflepuffs in their common room. A table full of books of parchments in front of them revealed what they were doing, and while showing a calm exterior Harry was fuming inside.
'Homework' he thought, evenly. 'Stuck again with homework.' Just like the respective classes, the assignments were not hard to complete but they certainly took their time and their tool on his patience. His aching wrist, having long lost the habit of writing long essays, was proof of that.
Distractedly, he thought of the next day's classes. Both Snape and Moody – and Divination too, he considered with a quick smile. The last one was actually slight intriguing – he studied next to nothing of it back in his school days, and it might be refreshing to review the text book, check if there was anything valuable to be taken out of it.
As for Snape and Moody…. 'At least it is Moody' he thought. Checking on the Marauder's map the real identity of the professor had been one of the first things he did once he was back in his dormitory, the night before, and just for safety he had double checked again that very morning. 'I do wonder where Crouch Jr. is, though. Still prisoner of his father?' mused on Harry.
As for Snape… Harry disdainful sneer that appeared instantly on his face told everything. 'We'll see if the headmaster's pretty little speech really changed something. Anything.'
"Done" he said, placing his quill back into the inkpot and rolling up his parchment. "Already?" asked Ernie, surprised, next to him. "It was supposed to be three feet on goblin rebellions" added Zach, skepticism clear in his voice.
"It should be the right length. Big letters and large spacing helps a lot" said Harry.
Wayne, back in his corner, snorted loudly. "Yeah, this is how I remember you pal. Real role model."
"Harry, are you sure you don't want to study a little more? We could practice transfiguration too" asked Hannah, some worry showing through her face.
"I am fine, I promise. Unless any of you need any help…" asked Harry, and as no one answered he picked up his stuff. "I'll go then, I wanted to tour the castle before curfew. Later."
Quickly dropping his school supplies on the bed, Harry walked out of the dormitory first and the common room later, the stares of his classmates on his back as he went out.
The hallways of the castle were almost empty, and that suited Harry just fine for the night. He was in a particularly bad mood. Apparently, the news of his return had spread far and wide, and a lot more people were staring at him compared to breakfast. Two groups in particular were noteworthy: the Slytherins, who were quite obviously busy gossiping among themselves while staring at him, and the Weasleys.
It was with a certain dark amusement how Harry had noticed a whole group of Gryffindor female third years glaring at him as if he was their mortal enemy. Apparently, Ginny being Ginny and therefore friendly and popular, all of her friends made circle around her in their resentment against him; something that actually pleased Harry, comforted in seeing how her friends supported her no matter what. 'Of course, should I join the Yule Ball this year, there are no chances I could ask any of them out now' he admitted with a smile.
Ginny herself was not glaring at him, though, having always a neutral expression on her face whenever he caught her, at dinner, spying towards him. Who knows what was she thinking? Less doubts were involved with her brothers: both Ron and the Twins were clearly hostile, while only Percy seemed to be ignoring the whole matter. The twins especially worried Harry – he was not cherishing the idea of having to pull a Percy and severely punish them to stop some pranks.
'It will be what it will be' he concluded almost philosophically, as he walked out of the castle and into the school grounds. With little desire to mingle with the few students that were still touring the hallways, Harry walked straight to one of his old refuges.
"Down, Fang, down!" shouted Hagrid, as Fang had started yapping the second Harry had knocked on his hut's door. Opening it, the half-giant's face blossomed into a big smile at his sight.
"Harry!" he said. "Of course I saw yeh at lunch time but let me welcome yeh back here at Hogwarts! I am glad you finally decided to listen to me!"
Harry smiled tightly at this words, and then more warmly. "Hi Hagrid. Yes, I am back. I am just wasting time, are you busy?"
"Not really, don't worry" he said, stepping away from the door and waving inside. "Later I have to patrol the forest, but here I was cooling down after dinner. Come in!"
"Thanks" murmured Harry, stepping inside. Fang immediately went to him, his tail wagging, and Harry patted him a couple times before sitting down at the dinner table. Hagrid had cleaned up already, but some leftovers like bread, fruit and rock cakes were still there.
"Rock cakes? Again?" asked Harry with a smile. Hagrid blushed a little but didn't back down. "Not for guests, for me only. I still like them!"
"Sure, sure" he commented, relaxing on his chair. "What can you tell me, Hagrid? Any news?"
"Plenty" answered Hagrid, sitting down himself. "The Triwizard tournament is the main one, of course. I am deeply involved in its planning, yeh know?"
"Really?" asked Harry. "How so?"
"Plenty of magical beasts to be involved in the trials" said Hagrid, while pouring down some firewhiskey in one of the clean glasses on the table. Harry instantly picked up another glass and offered it to Hagrid, who just glared and then ignored it. "Also, we need some heavy landscaping. Yeh know we took over the stadium, right?"
"Yes, Sprout hinted at that" said Harry. "Professor Sprout, professor Sprout" he also added, with a roll of his eyes, when Hagrid seemed to be about to correct him. "And you are stuck doing all the preparations by yourself? Seems tough."
"Nah, that would be impossible for me alone. I have me classes to teach too, after all" said Hagrid, again on his feet. Moving on to a cabinet, he took out a bottle of butterbeer and gave it to Harry. "The ministry is involved. I am working with some guy from the department for sports, and the aurors."
"Some guy" mused on Harry. "A certain Bagman, maybe?"
"Yep, that's the guy" confirmed Hagrid. "Do you know him? He was a famous quidditch player, once."
"Oh, I know him alright" said Harry with a sly smile. "It is another one of my fans."
"Good for yew, kiddo!" said Hagrid, happily. "I'll make sure to mention it next time I meet the guy."
"Please do" said Harry. "Anyway, anything else?"
"There is a new professor, Moody. A bit weird, but who isn't? Have yew met him already?" asked Hagrid. Harry shook his head.
"No, my first class with him is tomorrow. Heard plenty of good things though, seems like he knows what he is talking about."
"He is a retired auror, and a famous one" said Hagrid, before frowning. "Don't mess with him, Harry. He will not tolerate any fooling around."
"I wasn't planning to" said Harry. "The headmaster pre-scolded me, saying that he expects perfect behavior from now on."
"Yeah…" said Hagrid, a bit awkwardly. "What's done is done, Harry. Don't take it personally but yes, he asked all us professors to keep an eye on yew. I tried to speak up in yehr defense, but…"
"Ah, it's ok" said Harry, dismissive. "I think the headmaster and I found an understanding, anyway."
Hagrid just nodded, a bit sadly, and for a minute they were both silent. For a minute. "Harry, there was something I wanted to check on, too."
"Sure, go ahead" said Harry, sipping the end of his butterbeer.
"I read on the Prophet that yew got involved in some nasty trouble, couple nights ago. Did yehr house really burn down?"
"Most certainly did" commented, almost cheerily, Harry. "All my stuff, gone. Of course most valuables were in my vault, and the rest I carried to safety myself."
"A heinous thing, what happened to the Abbots" said Hagrid, grumpily. "I hope they get caught, Harry. Maybe yeh can get some of the damages back."
"I hope so" said Harry, adding nothing. It was not his favorite topic, and there were few details he could share with the half giant. Silence went back to the room, and after a minute he stood up. "Well, I am out of topics Hagrid. Your class with me is in… three days I think?"
"Sure is" said Hagrid, standing up himself. "I look forward to giving yeh a lesson, Harry. Perfect behavior, right?"
"Right" confirmed Harry, sadly, while approaching the door. "I'll go back to my dorm now, it is pretty late. Good night, Hagrid."
"Sleep well, kiddo. And welcome back" said Hagrid, as Harry walked out of his hut.
"Ok, students, stand up" said professor Moody to the class, not long after his entrance. "You better have reviewed the full-body bind curse and its countercurse, because it's time to practice. Pair up."
Lazily, Harry stood up himself. All of his classmates seemed to have a match already, so he turned his eyes towards their matching house for the day, Gryffindor. They, too, were odd numbered so Harry started considering his option. Ron was tempting, of course – but he had instantly poached with Longbottom, loudly claiming that he "would show him how to do them". Finnigan and Thomas, unsurprisingly, were together – Harry could remember how they had been best friends even back in his days. Patil and Brown, too, paired up pretty quickly which left….
"Potter" said Hermione, evenly, as Harry approached her. "Wanna match up?"
"Sure" answered Harry. "You start, I don't mind." Looking around, he could already see some of the kids here and there falling down, the effect of the curse clearly at work; some instead kept moving on purpose, almost as to tease their match for their failure. One of these was Susan that, so Harry noticed, had also opted instead to sit down on the floor in advance. "Maybe I should sit down too" he proposed, with an awkward smile.
"Don't chicken out on me, now" said Hermione, drily. "Petrificus Totalus!" she cast, and immediately Harry's limbs got stiff, as he started to fall down on the floor. He was tempted, even if just for a second, to wandlessly Finite the curse before he crashed down – but only for a second.
"Finite Incantatem!" she cast soon after, and Harry felt the effect of the curse go away. "It hurts" he complained, massaging his nose and standing up.
"You might be right, then. Let me sit down" she added, her tone still emotionless. Only the upward angle of her eyes, and how they were now shining, made Harry slightly suspicious of her genuine intentions.
With an annoyed shrug, Harry quickly cast the curse himself, resulting in Granger stiffen immediately on the floor. Two seconds later he cast Finite too, and she was free.
"Done" he commented. "What now?"
"We practice more, of course" said Hermione. She raised her wand and cast the curse again – only for Harry to sidestep it. The two looked at each other silently for a couple seconds.
"You are not meant to avoid it. Stand still" she commented, raising her hand again. Harry tensed immediately once again and she stopped mid-way, annoyed.
"You are obviously good at it already, Granger" he said. "Why don't you go and help… Weasley and Longbottom?" he proposed, after checking the duo out. They had not been able to cast anything substantial yet.
"I am not their tutor" she countered, and raised her wand a third time – only to stop when professor Moody placed himself in the way.
"That wasn't a bad proposal, miss Granger" said the professor. "Go and help those two little buggers. Five points to Gryffindor, by the way."
"Thanks, professor" she said and, after a final look at Harry, she walked away.
Moody, his fake eyes still touring the classroom and the other student, kept staring at Harry in silence. Harry sustained his look for a while and then, shrugging, tried to sit down on a chair.
"Stop right there, Potter" said instantly Moody. "I want to see what you are capable of. You skipped all of last year, or so I have been told."
"I did" said Harry, sighing and remaining standing up. "You want me to try and curse you?"
"Actually, yes" said Moody, smirking. "Try and catch me, boy. Show me what you can do."
Harry, lazily, said "Petrificus Totalus" once again aiming at the middle of Moody's chest. He sidestepped, and snorted.
"Don't waste my time, lad. Give me your best shot" he added.
"I am pretty sure I get a passing grade with what I already did, sir" answered Harry.
"Let me rephrase it, then. Give me your best shot or I am drowning you in remedial homeworks. The old man spoke at length on how troublesome you are, don't disappoint me" said Moody, frowning.
"It's not like you are young yourself, profe…" started Harry, shrugging, before raising his wand. One fake cast, one real Petrificus Totalus where Moody had escaped to, one silent Petrificus Totalus towards where he stopped. Only a rushed Protego saved the professor, who glared at Harry with both of his eyes.
"I didn't say you could start. What made you thi…" only to do exactly the same. A fake casting, that made Harry raise his wand. A real one, that he sidestepped. A final silent one, that Harry stopped by throwing a nearby Defense book right in the way of the spell. As the book fell on the ground, a bit burned, Moody smiled at him.
"That's more like it" he commented, satisfied, before pointing at the book. "You better be able to fix it, though, or the damages are on you". His fake eyes spinning around, he noticed how some of the closer students had stopped casting to look at them. "Who told you brats to stop? Continue practicing!" he shouted, and went away to the nearest couple. Harry, sighing, picked up the book.
"Curse marks are always a pain to take off" he murmured, and started to cast Reparo. The first few attempts were useless, but a solid ten minutes of attempts later the book was mostly ok. Mostly.
"I hope Granger won't mind these dark spots" he commented with a snort. Of course she would.
Behind him, the voice of Moody – aimed at the whole class – drew his attention. A new exercise, and the class moved on.