Harry potter and the Time of Retirement
Everything related to Harry Potter belongs to JKR
Chapter 9
Days kept passing at Hogwarts, so much so that Halloween was getting close. That anniversary had lost most of his importance to Harry after his school years, as nothing special tended to happen during it anymore, but it still was a somber reminder of his terrible childhood and as such remained one on his least favorite celebration year wise.
This, combined with his own small side-projects, had made Harry retreat a little more into himself. The book he took from the library had been entertaining, and a good source for names of more technical spells, rituals and texts regarding spirits and exorcism; after some research, he identified another book inside the forbidden section which should include an obscure spell used to search for possessions inside someone's mind and, while not technically perfect for his situation, it could still give him an hint regarding the presence of a soul fragment inside his scar - or lack of it, hopefully.
So, at the end of a random school day, he decided it was time to act. The fact that even first years were technically able to leave their dorms at will did not particularly reassure him, as someone with Dumbledore's personality was far more likely to just place spells that warned him of what his students were doing instead of outright preventing them from violating the rules; therefore he was going to be especially careful in all phases of this escapade.
After having previously checked both his dorm room and his common room for tracking spells of every kind, Harry's first step had been to silently place a weak sleeping charm to all of his dorm mates, one after the other. Once dressed up, he spent some time placing as much disillusionment and notice-me-not charm on himself and his clothes as he could without having them crash on themselves. Sight, sounds, weight and heat: he made sure to spell away all the traces through which he could be spotted. A series of supersensory charms, placed on his glasses, clothes and ears ensured he would be as forewarned as possible about people around him.
This part of his preparation completed, he left his dorm moving into the common room. No one was present; unsurprisingly, as it was late into the night. His only obstacle was the main door: like all the house's doors it had an intent charm placed on it, so that it was able to understand if the one asking for passage had right to do so or not; the real problem, though, was the possible presence of a secondary charm that would warn a faculty member if anyone passed by after a certain hour. Harry's best idea had been to cast a strong confundus charm on the door itself, pushing forward the intent that he was a professor; hopefully that would not only open the door, but also avoid any alarm placed on it.
With no hesitation, he cast his spell and the door opened, apparently with no other consequences. Be it because it worked, or for lack of any kind of alarm, he progressed forward uncaring of the few portraits that seemed to be awake – their own small magic would not allow them to pierce his protective enchantments. No prefects were around, and it seemed no professors were either: they were few and had to sleep too after all, so unless something drew their attention he should be safe. That was why he made sure to cast, every set amount of steps, a light diagnostic charm to his surroundings. These kinds of spells were not perfect, and they could in fact trigger wards or the very same spells they were attempting to detect, but even that would still leave Harry forewarned.
The long trip from his House entrance to the stairs had been made even longer and boring by this approach, and repeated negative results to his searching made Harry almost feel silly in insisting: he was inside a school, after all, so maybe all the safety protection he feared did not actually exist. Was all this work overkill, a sign of old-age paranoia? Still, he valued professionalism too much to just relax and walk blindly forward. His determination was rewarded when he finally received a response for what seemed a weight-activated ward placed on the slab of stone where those that wanted to reach the upper floors had to stay if they wanted to attract one of the moving stairways to themselves.
'Clever, really clever' he thought. Should he conjure a rope to climb to the stairways? No, he could do better than that. Maybe conjure a cat similar to Mrs. Norris, to activate the stairs without alarming the few awake portraits? That was already a smarter solution: in fact, it could easily be a good way to just "open" the way for Harry up until the library, as any ward activated by it would probably alarm no one. Unfortunately, conjuring a cat with such precision was out of his possibilities for now, not with all the spells he was keeping active at the moment.
Maybe he could slowly walk up the walls, by a combination of feather-light charms on himself and sticky charms on his shoes? A crude but effective idea, and had there been less portraits around it could have worked – but walking right on top of them was bound to get him noticed, being semi-invisible or not. After a while, he decided to risk using one of Lockhart's few useful spells, Alarte Ascendare, to propel his body high in the air, enough to grab the handle of the first stairway and climb on it. Slowly, he progressed onward, always checking his route for wards.
When he arrived on the third floor, he moved forward to the library's entrance with the same caution he used until that moment: surprisingly, no wards were there. Less suprisingly, the forbidden section's door had an exceedingly strong intent-based ward, certainly made to warn the caster if anyone passed trough it – something that Harry almost feared had been already activated by his mere diagnostic spell. There were probably less subtle, and louder, wards after the door designed to scare off unauthorized students but Harry was not worried by those: he never really planned to actually enter the section.
Casting first another strong Confundus on the door, and then pushing it open with a weak Depulso, he proceeded with his original plan: placing an empty diary on the ground, he cast a bastardized version of the Gemino charm on the book he planned to copy, which he had long since verified was in sight from outside the entrance, and intermixed it with a transfiguration enchantment on the diary. Using those spells together, a remnant trick learned in his latest years as head Auror, he could hopefully reduce the chances he activated any wards, or at least being identified by them, while getting a copy of his target which would remain safe and untouched inside the restricted section.
Once the diary was filled with the content of the book, he picked it up, closed the door with another weak Accio, and left immediately wasting no time. His trip back to the common room was almost as slow as the way out, and luckily it was also as lonely; luckily, a cushioning charm on his shoes, and a light-feather spell on himself, were all it took to jump down straight to the first floor. With a bit of optimism, Harry thought that he might have just done it without leaving traces behind him: and if he did not, it was not because of lack of trying on his part. So, after entering his dorm and charming the cover of the diary to look like a normal textbook, he placed it inside his chest, canceled all the spells he cast on himself and finally went back to sleep.
"Potter, you look terrible today" said Zacharias, distractedly, while eating his breakfast.
"Mmhh" was Harry's brilliant answer. Feeling quite exhausted from the previous night probably did not help his complexion, nor did the chaos and noises filling up the Great Hall during the morning.
"Is there some problem, Harry? You do look gloomy... more than usual" said Ernie, a teasing tone in his voice.
"Is it because we have Potions later in the morning? Come on, Snape may still sucks but you seem pretty good at it at least" said Justin, next to them.
"I am just tired, guys. Didn't sleep well last night" said Harry, wondering if he should force himself to eat something. That was bound to help him.
"Oh. Well, when that happens, you should drink something hot, even outside classes. But I have no idea if these tables still works outside of meal hours" said Justin.
"They don't; I tried them once, coming back from Herbology, but nothing" said Wayne. At this, Justin's face fell a little, enough for Harry to notice.
"If necessary we can just go to the kitchen, Justin, don't worry" said Harry.
"You know where that is? Nice" said Susan, sitting in front of them, while interrupting her conversation with Hannah.
"Its position is not exactly a secret, Susan; it should be near our common room, too" said Ernie, immediately followed by Zacharias.
"Yes, you have to touch a painting or something to get access. Not that I can imagine why you would, there is even too much food available".
"We could still organize some party, if... if whoever is in charge of it gives us something on request. Like, for birthdays" said Hannah.
"Or for Halloween, it is coming. If only they taught us already how to modify dresses with magic..." said Sally-Anne with a dreamy tone. Next to her, Megan immediately added her own comments on what kind of dress she would like, and they started chatting fast between themselves.
"...whatever. I am pretty sure there is going to be an official party anyway, here in the great hall" said Harry, less sleepy but with his persistent headache not abandoning him.
"Really? With music, decorations, magical entertainments?" said Justin excitedly.
"I hope they are not just going to hang a couple pumpkins on the candles and modify the menu" said Zacharias shaking his head.
"Nevermind that. Instead, I need to know who is coming to the field this evening" said Ernie.
"Oh, I am in" said Wayne.
"Me too" added Justin.
"What are you talking about?" asked Harry.
"It's flying time, Harry. If we are enough we can create our own team and challenge the other houses in the pitch" added Ernie.
"Don't think you are not invited, Potter. But you weren't there, when we were talking about it" said Zacharias, with a small sneer on his face. Justin, maybe in reaction, added his own piece.
"You should come, Harry. Beside, you said you liked to fly."
To be precise, Harry was planning to start reading immediately his new diary; of course, this schedule was set before he found himself with the repercussions of his night trip. So, the choice was between being hard on himself and keep working, or flying. 'Easy choice', he thought.
"I'll come. After the evening classes, right?"
"Right. Just follow us, instead of disappearing" said Ernie.
"Hey, what about us?" said Susan, frowning, from her side of the table.
"What about it?" said Ernie.
"Aren't we invited?" she pressed on.
"Well..." Ernie said, turning his eyes around towards the faces of the other boys. Most did not look back.
"If you want to come, do it. No one mind, probably" Wayne finally said, uncaring of her darkening expression.
"That's not exactly the same thing..." started Hannah, but Zacharias stopped her.
"He just said you can come, stop whining"
"...jerks" said Susan, going back to her food.
Breakfast was over, and all the students started leaving the tables – alone or in small groups. Harry saw his classmates leave together and was about to follow them, but he was also torn by the presence of Dumbledore, finally back at his place of the staff table. He really had to go and talk to him, but he just could not muster the energy to do that at the moment. Maybe for the day he could just ask one of the teacher to remind the headmaster of his desire to meet him. Which was the first class of the day again? Nevermind, any one would do. Except Quirrell, or Snape. Taken his decision, Harry tagged along his peers.
The sun was setting, and madame Hooch had called back all the first years from their game. Their original plan, to play in the quidditch field, crumbled in front of reality – there were no teams training that evening, sure, but it was still plenty of older years who wanted to use it and obviously had precedence – but they still managed to have their share of fun organizing small, weirdly ruled games between the houses. Slytherin and Gryffindor's first years started arguing almost immediately, thanks to Malfoy and Weasley, so in the end Ravenclaws played with the former and Hufflepuff with the latter. Choosing two isolated trees as the targets to hit with their single available Quaffle, the two teams started flying with the school brooms, boys and girls together. Hufflepuff took the lead immediately, mostly out of Harry's presence, but once he recognized how he would basically ruin the game for everyone else he moved to keeper position, trying to play without putting in too much effort. In the end Hufflepuff still won the game and while they had no Bludgers, Snitches or even-numbered teams it was still entertaining enough that everyone headed back to the castle in a great mood.
Along the way, Ron Weasley tried almost immediately to chat up Harry flattering him on his 'Quidditch natural talent', but was soon distracted by the rest of the kids who wanted to talk either of the game, or about their favorite professional teams. Harry, who was happier and more tired than he felt in a long time, was glad for the distraction and remained silent. Only a random conversation from behind him draw back his attention:
"...yeah, we invited him but he refused. Maybe he's still scared." Was that Dean Thomas?
"Or embarrassed. With good reasons, I would say" that seemed Zacharias. Harry turned, and addressed them:
"Are you talking about Longbottom?"
"Who else? Beside, he is the only Gryffindor that didn't come today" continued Dean Thomas.
"Isn't there that other girl, too... what was her name?" asked Megan.
"You mean, the know-it-all? Who cares" said Weasley.
"That's harsh, Ron. She is still your house mate" said Ernie.
"Yes, but... no one likes her, Macmillan. I am sure you don't either" said Weasley, smiling triumphantly when he did not answer back. In fact, none of the nearby kids came to her support. Harry knew he could not help her, but could not resist trying.
"She is not that bad. Only... annoying?"
"Potter, the first day, when we were talking about you, she said you behaved like an insufferable rude brat" said Seamus Finnigan.
"Yeah. She kept telling to everyone who would listen the story on how you told her off for no reason. After a while a 4th year listening said that he would have done the same too" added Dean Thomas.
"Yeah, that was great! I am sure the only reason Neville still talks to her is because he is scared of telling her to scram" added Weasley.
"Maybe they are in love" giggled from the front Lavender Brown, which was walking and talking together with both Gryffindor's and Hufflepuff's girls.
"Oooh, yes! She said once that Neville was the only boy she did not want to slap until the next year" added enthusiastically Parvati Patil.
"...clearly soul mates" said Harry rolling his eyes, and starting another wave of giggles from the two Gryffindor girls.
"Had they been here, you would have been destroyed... try to invite them next time, eh?" said Justin, getting closer to the group.
"No way! I want to win the next time!" almost shouted Finnigan.
"What about house kinship?" pressed on Zacharias.
"That is for 'puffs. A true Gryffindor aim only to victory" said Weasley with a joking tone. The nearby Gryffindors smiled, and the conversation went back to normal Quidditch. As for Harry, he disconnected his brain once again and just kept walking. Dinner and the bed were his only remaining goals for the night; everything productive would have to wait.
Author's note: writing the night raid made me go crazy. On one side, canon informations are horribly contradictory: Hogwart's wards are supposed to be the very best in Magical Britain, even better than Gringott's (whose had still been pierced by three school kids, to be honest) and yet everything and everyone seemed to be able to pass them until the final fight in book 7. The only way to make it logical was to consider wards overall useless at stopping an intruder, barely helpful in detecting one, and for Hogwart's wards in particular to need some kind of activation from the headmaster or a faculty member to trigger any connected traps. That's why Harry encountered only 3 of them: during normal school periods, wards are calibrated to find curfew-violating students, not repelling professional assassins or thieves. I hope the weight ward on the stairways, and the strong protective ward in the forbidden section were realistic and in-canon compatibles.
As for Harry, I needed to keep him both street-wise and talented, but definitely underpowered. The 'hero' must stand up to his challenges, after all, but the challenges themselves must be there – what fun would be if Harry just used imperio and obliviate to get the book from some prefect or professor, or had some phoenix pet or flying animagus form that would have allowed him to skip most of the obstacles? Instead, I tried to force him to work for the prize, within constraint of time, energy and believability. Hopefully it was also entertaining to read.
On a different side note, flying hours for students just seems believable. JKR did not write of them, but it just make so much sense: quidditch is supposed to be the best and only sport in the magical world, and yet no one but the teams play it in school? And what is madame Hooch doing half of her time? This could be a reasonable explanation.