Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

...

Harry left Potions as one of the crowd, as per usual the only Gryffindor who seemed to be smiling after having gone through the ordeal with Snape. What joy there had been amongst his peers was due to the fact that it was the last time they would have to spend in the dungeons for the year. There were only a handful of classes left before the semester came to a close over the Yule break.

The last class the Gryffindors had was Charms of which many of them were silently praying that Flitwick didn't have much planned for them or would teach them something festive. Harry meanwhile walked in a completely different direction without so much as a look over his shoulder. While many of his peers had questioned why he had gotten such special treatment at the start of the school year, said voices were rather silent on the matter now. Harry was blitzing through the curriculum at a record pace and with him not being in the classroom it actively made them look better.

Walking through the empty hallway, Harry knew that he had to organize his gear and pack for his upcoming vacation to France. The timeline was so disjointed at this point that such an idea of travelling across the Channel was both nerve wracking yet not at the same time. It wasn't like he had ever left the country previously and now he would be joining Luna and her family to visit the Delacour household with Xenophilius and Pandora.

Hopefully his sanity would remain intact during this time.

"Ah Harry, shouldn't you be in class about now?" asked a familiar voice which spread a smile to Harry's face.

"Thankfully Professor, I'm exempt from going to class with Flitwick," stated Harry as he turned to face the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"And pray do tell, how you accomplished such a thing?" asked Remus.

"By lasting a good couple minutes in a duel against him," said Harry with a shrug. "I'm sure Dumbledore could show you the memory if you asked."

The statement momentarily caught Remus off guard as he blinked thrice in something akin to shock. "I think the whole thing was brought about because I helped Flitwick defeat a shade of Voldemort back in first year," continued Harry.

"I think I need to have a chat with Professor Flitwick at some stage," said Remus after what seemed like an eternity. "I'm surprised you left such descriptions out when you explained your past to us."

"I left out a lot in that conversation," said Harry as the two of them started walking together. "The chronicles of my life first time round would easily fill several books let alone what I've done this time. It does make lessons a fair bit easier when you already know all of the answers."

"Do you help teach your friends at all?"

"And rob them of the opportunity to learn themselves? Where would be the fun in that?"

"Touché," said Remus with a wily smile.

"I must say that the map has been a great deal of help, both times round in fact," said Harry.

"That thing survived? I thought Sirius had lost it for good," reminisced Remus.

"It's been an absolute boon," stated Harry. "Utilise that with the Invisibility Cloak and I was trying to solve every mystery that popped up during the school year."

"Not utilising them for secret rendezvous with someone special?" pried Remus.

"Not off the top of my memory," said Harry.

"I'm sure that Sirius will be most sad to..." Remus' words trailed off as he and Harry entered a certain hallway. The Hogwarts Professor found himself looking around in a mixture of confusion and awe, the world around them having shifted from one full of colour to a mixture of black, white and an array of grey.

Harry, having found himself experiencing the exact same sensation, took three steps back and watched as the world burst back into colour once more. Dropping to a single knee, Harry ran his fingers across the ground. The runes were recently etched into the ground from his reckoning. Given that he hadn't heard of any whispers in the halls about this specific walkway, it would be possible that he and Remus were the first ones to discover the area.

"You are experiencing what I am?" asked Remus.

"If you're talking about how the world has gone grey, then yes," said Harry as he stepped into the area once more. "And what a sight it is."

"Well, once you get past the absurdity of the entire scene, then yes, it is quite a scene indeed," added Remus as he admired the view. "Well we best make ourselves scarce. Last thing we want is for others to stumble upon this area when it is just the two of us here. I was quite the trouble maker in the past and if Minerva was to catch me here I know just who would be getting the blame."

"So...bail?"

"Bail."

...

Susan struggled to take notes during class. It wasn't just because she was in the middle of History of Magic and paying any attention to what Professor Binns said was difficult at the best of times. More so Susan was concerned about the upcoming school break. She was scheduled to get on the train at the end of the semester and head back to spend the festive season with her aunt.

It would be the first time however since she had started Hogwarts that she wouldn't be spending the break with Harry. Not just the Winter break, but any break in total. Having time with Aunty and herself would be fun but it wouldn't be as fun without Harry there.

In reality, in would primarily be her and Tiddy for most of the time as her aunt worked at the Ministry most days. Every now and again she would get in contact with Hannah or another one of her friends but that wasn't an every day occurrence. Most days it would be her and the family House Elf, doing assignments and planning to do well come for the rest of the year.

Sure she could try to develop some plans for Potter Club, it wasn't as if she had the resources of the school library at her disposal though. There was little chance that Aunty would just so happen to have potentially dangerous tombs of knowledge just casually hanging around the house. It wouldn't look good as a woman in her position of power.

Still, there was surely something she could do. Some sort of extracurricular activity, some book which could provide her with some non-curricular learning which wouldn't raise the suspicions of her Aunt? It was a long shot but perhaps Hermione would be able to help her.

The thought of Hermione brought a little tinge of something into Susan's mind. It was weird actively knowing another member of Potter Club, or, more precisely, actively working with another member of Potter Club and actively knowing who it was she was working with. While the anonymity of most of the members made her feel the exclusivity of Potter Club, actively having someone to talk to was somewhat of a blessing.

Maybe she could actually track down Hermione before semester's end and actually invite her up to her house at some stage. Even if they didn't do anything Potter Club related, just the two of them actually acting like teenagers wouldn't be a terrible option. At least it was somebody else whom she could spend a day or two with during the holidays.

Now she just had to find a way to approach Hermione in a way that felt somewhat natural. That was probably going to be the hardest aspect of it all.

...

Pandora smiled as Luna and Harry walked towards him with Albus Dumbledore by their side. The main hall was still rather packed full of students given that it wasn't yet the end of the term and school was still in session for another two days. Pandora however had pulled a couple strings to arrange for Harry and Luna to leave Hogwarts a couple days early. Something about wanting to avoid traffic for travelling by International Portkey.

Pandora got the feeling that Albus wasn't too phased about anything regarding Harry these days which, all things considered, wasn't surprising. She had her reasons for going to France and taking Harry with him for research on how to defeat Voldemort would more than likely get him out of any assignment. She was sure if necessary Dumbledore could find a way to get Harry out of handing in two feet of parchment to Professor Sprout regarding his Herbology Assignment.

"No Xenophilius today?" asked Harry.

"He's off galavanting across South Africa at the moment," said Pandora. "While he wishes he could be here he knows that he couldn't really keep himself in check."

Harry couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in mild confusion at the words Pandora had chosen. At the same time though, he knew that Pandora often had a odd choice when it came to her wording. So, more likely than not, it was nothing to be concerned about.

"Tell me Harry," said Dumbledore as he placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder. "Have you ever travelled by Portkey before."

Pandora could tell by the smirk on Harry's face that the boy wasn't considering this time round. "A couple times," said Harry with a shrug. "Landed on my ass more often than not."

"Sounds about right," said Pandora. "Try not to embarrass yourself when making an entry into foreign territory however."

"No promises."

"Are we heading off now?" asked Luna, looking up at her mother.

"We'll swing by Hogsmeade where we will Floo to where we can get the Portkey," explained Pandora. "All things considered, we should be in France in no more than two hours and should be making our way to the Delacour Estate before sunset."

"Sounds good to me," said Luna, beaming up at her mother. While she was definitely cheerful, it wasn't the same sought of cheerful that Harry would associate with Luna. He deduced it could very well have something to do with the fact it would be her first time leaving the country. It was hard to tell just how Luna's mind operated at the best of times.

"Very well then, do not let me keep the three of you waiting," said Albus as Harry and Luna joined Pandora's side. "Give my regards to the Delacour family."

"Of course Headmaster," said Pandora with a light smile. "I'll keep my eyes on them at all times."

"I'm sure Harry is more than capable of looking after himself if necessary, you just focus on your time with your daughter," said Albus. "Now do not let an old man keep you from your journey."

"Very well, we will be on our way," said Pandora before turning to address her daughter. "Be sure to say goodbye now Luna."

"Farewell Headmaster Dumbledore," said Luna as she turned to Albus and gave a slight bow.

Once more Harry couldn't help but watch Luna say her goodbyes and feel like something was off. At the same time though, this was Luna. It could very well be her way of saying goodbye to someone for an extended period of time. There was no real way of telling.

Now though, France awaited. It was time to gain some allies.

...

Severus basked in the grey light of the hallway, the colour of the world having faded away. He was not the only one present at that time, a number of students and adults occupied the area as they discussed amongst one another what it was they were experiencing.

He for one, was used to seeing a world of grey. It's not like he couldn't see colours, far from it. His vision was impeccable and given that the a single shade of colour could be different between a potion being beneficial to society or poisonous. He had to be focused on every potion being brewed at any given time.

For now though, he was content watching the world in shades between black and white. In a world full of colour, sometimes a reminder that things weren't simply black or white was refreshing. Things were rarely as they seemed and nothing was every as simple as it appeared. Shades of grey was a good metaphor for the students to understand, if they could manage to comprehend such a thing.

Even if they couldn't understand the nuisance necessary to truly appreciate what they were experiencing, hopefully they could learn something from this sensation. If not, it was wasted on these dunderheads.

In a world full of different shades of grey, it was good to appreciate colours when you lived amongst it.

...

Harry was somewhat perplexed by the environment in the carriage as it strode through the French countryside. Pristine white horses drew the violet carriage along a narrow pathway, not a house to be seen amongst the vast green plains. His companions, Pandora and Luna, he had assumed would be staring out into the vastness with wide eyes, admiring the beauty of the countryside. Instead, they sat side by side, Pandora's arms draped around Luna lovingly as she held her daughter close. Luna even looked as if she was doing her best to nuzzle deeper into her mother's side, if that was at all possible.

Something was amiss here.

"I assume you're trying to figure out why Luna is acting as such," said Pandora.

"I didn't know that you were a mind reader," commented Harry.

"Hardly," scoffed Pandora playfully. "Tis merely written across your face."

A twinge of a smile pulled at the corner of Harry's lips. "Well, I can't help but notice that Luna here is acting in a manner that I have not seen previously. Naturally while I assume she acts different while her mother is present, I wouldn't think it would be to this degree."

"You are right," said Pandora as she looked down at her daughter. "And the reason that you are in the dark is because the two of us have not been very forthcoming with you."

Harry raised an eyebrow in curiosity as Luna released the vice grip she had on her mother's torso. Sitting upright, she looked at Harry with glossy eyes, almost as if she was on the verge of crying. "Harry," she started softly, taking in a deep breath. "Je n'ai pas l'intention de revenir à Hogwarts."

Harry couldn't help but blink several times in confusion at what he had just heard. "Okay," he said slowly. "Firstly, that's impressive. Secondly, I have no idea that you could speak French. Thirdly, I have no idea what you said."

A soft smile spread across Luna's face. "Firstly, thank you," she replied. "Secondly, I've been learning for quite some time now. Thirdly, I said that I have no intention of returning to Hogwarts."

Those last few words crashed into Harry like a tidal wave as he felt an unseen force crash into his soul. "I'm sorry, all this French landscape must be getting to me. Could you please repeat that?"

"Harry," said Luna as her eyes began to well with tears. "I'm not coming back to Hogwarts. I'm staying in France."

...

Hope you enjoyed.

If my French sucks, I apologize.