AN: I do not own Harry Potter or the Wizarding World Universe.

Chapter 17

Harry was the first one out of the Defense classroom on Thursday. He had from Thursday to Wednesday of the following week to enjoy the Easter Break. Not all the Hufflepuffs in his year were headed home for the holiday. Abbott, Bones, Hopkins, Green, and Jones were all staying. Harry finally discovered that Macmillan lost a grandfather to age near Christmas and felt a little bad for not knowing about it earlier.

Thankfully, the professors didn't load them up with many assignments. Harry could enjoy the last break before summer doing whatever he wanted. Bones seemed oddly focused on reviewing for the end-of-term exams and coaxed Abbott into staying with her. Hopkins and Green put their names down for borrowing the school brooms.

Harry couldn't use the dormitory like he did during Christmas. After thinking about it for some time, he decided that he needed to sit down with Hagrid and properly thank him. Instead of borrowing a blasted owl, he took the letter down to the groundskeeper's hut and left it on the doorstep the day after class let out.

"Kreacher," he called when he was alone in the dormitory.

A few seconds later, his house-elf appeared beside his bed. Harry immediately could tell the difference. Kreacher still looked old, but he didn't look like he was one missed meal from death. The aged house-elf also had a clean tea towel with a prominent crest. Harry assumed it was the Black Family Crest, but he wasn't sure.

"Master called," the house-elf grumbled.

"Thank you," Harry said with a smile. Kreacher didn't smile back. "Are you eating well? You look much better."

"Kreacher is eating."

"Your new tea towel looks brilliant." Kreacher didn't answer; he just stared at Harry. "Uh, right. Well, I got told today that the last day of term is June twenty-six. Will… everything be ready by then?" he asked carefully.

Kreacher grumbled about blood traitors living in his mistress's house. "Yes, Master," he said louder.

"Thank you for all your help. Did you get something you like?"

The house-elf looked uncomfortable. He wore a strange expression as Kreacher shifted on his feet. "Kreacher got a box for Master Regulus' locket," he admitted as if the information was forced from him.

Harry nodded. "You loved… Master Regulus," Harry said, slowly saying the unfamiliar name and concept. What was love really? "Are… never mind," he quickly said. It wasn't worth asking Kreacher to search for the invisibility cloak now. As much as he missed it, he was used to having his stuff stolen. He hadn't used it except to hide from the others and he felt a little ashamed of that. "Will I need to meet you somewhere when I get off the train? I can use the Knight Bus if I know where to go. I don't want to bother you unless I have to… and I'm sorry, but I do not want to return to the Dursleys."

Kreacher muttered quietly under his breath. Harry barely heard him. He decided to wait and not push.

"Master will call Kreacher to escort him to the Ancestral Home of Black," the house-elf revealed.

Harry blinked at him. Live where? He felt bad. "I didn't mean to take your home from you, Kreacher. I just… well, should I get… a flat or a home… or something else?" he quickly asked. "I don't know how to do any of that," he muttered.

Kreacher's head cocked to the side. "Master doesn't find The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black's Ancestral Home good enough?" he sneered.

The sneer on a house-elf reminded Harry of Draco for some reason. "I don't know," he grinned, trying not to laugh at the ridiculous image of an old Malfoy house-elf. "Is it good enough?" he mocked with his own sneer.

Kreacher's back straightened. "My mistress…" he grumbled before trailing off. "The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black has the highest quality wards available. No other House can match our reach. It is Unplottable, has filthy Muggle-Repelling Charms, Notice-Me-Not Charms, Anti-Apparition and Portkey Wards, several curses ready for any intruders, and many other enchantments to protect The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black's residents."

Harry fought back a gulp. "Am… am I welcome there?" he asked carefully.

Kreacher didn't immediately answer. He grimaced. "Mistress would hate Master… but Master is the rightful owner… as he has the blood of Black."

Harry blinked. Was he related to the Blacks? That was news to him. "Thank you for all you've done, Kreacher. Is there anything else you'd like?"

"Kreacher wants to go back to mistress and not deal with the blood traitor master," the house-elf grumbled. "No, Master," he said louder.

"I understand. Please go back to doing what you like. Again, thank you," Harry said softly just as the house-elf vanished with a pop.

Hagrid answered Harry's letter on Saturday morning. He invited Harry over for tea that afternoon or Sunday afternoon. Hagrid said he would be in on either day. Merriweather wasn't in the Common Room the first few days of the break. She lived in the Library and practically never left unless it was for class. Harry didn't want to bother her, but he did wish her luck. She smiled at him.

Harry just wanted to get the meeting with Hagrid out of the way. After lunch, he went down to his hut alone. He saw a large shape moving across the window as he went down the pathway. When Harry knocked on the door, Hagrid opened it almost immediately.

"Harry!" the giant greeted as he wrapped his arms around Harry and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

Harry froze and tried to breathe. All he got out was a cough, but strangely, he didn't feel scared around the giant of a man who could and likely would crush him with one hand. Hagrid released him and quickly made his way over to a massive table near a lit hearth.

Harry managed to get his breath and stumbled into the hut.

"Come in, come in," Hagrid laughed. "Take a seat, n' mind Fang, he'll drool on yer robes if yer not careful. Fancy a cauldron cake? Just made 'em this mornin'. They're a bit burnt on the edges, but they're still good!" he asked in a rush as he pulled something from the large iron cauldron in the fireplace.

Harry heard a thump and realized the massive black dog, Fang, had woken up and noticed him. Already drool puddled on the wide floorboards.

"Uh… I'm good, Hagrid. Thanks," Harry said as he saw the giant moving around the hut, collecting things to make what he hoped was tea. "I just wanted to thank you again for the book with those pictures in it."

Hagrid stopped what he was doing and turned to Harry. His bushy beard quivered near his mouth.

"Harry," Hagrid said, his voice soft but a bit gruff, "there's somethin' I've been meanin' to tell yeh. Yer mum and dad... they were two o' the best people I ever met. Brave, kind, an' always lookin' out fer others. They loved yeh more'n anythin' in the world."

He cleared his throat and looked away for a moment. "I... I was there, Harry. The night it happened. Took yeh outta that house myself, straight outta the wreckage. Still remember holdin' yeh in me arms, just a tiny little thing. Yeh'd survived somethin' no one else ever had."

"Figured yeh didn't have too many pictures of 'em, so... I'd been collectin' some things. Took a while, but I wanted yeh to see what they looked like, who they were. Yeh deserve to know, Harry.

Yer mum, Lily… always had a kind word fer everyone. And yer dad, James, well, he was a right laugh. Got into all sorts o' trouble, but his heart was in the right place."

Hagrid sniffed loudly and gave Harry a reassuring pat on the shoulder that nearly knocked him sideways. "They'd be proud o' yeh, yeh know. More proud than words can say."

Harry took a seat, careful to keep an eye on Fang. Ripper was not a nice dog. Not all dogs were as evil as Ripper was, but he wasn't taking a chance.

"Thank you… I look at the pictures sometimes," he admitted.

Hagrid grinned and took a seat.

"Bet James would've expected Gryffindor. Reckon he'd've been scratchin' his head a bit. But Lily... oh, she'd've understood. She knew the importance o' kindness and care. She'd've been over the moon, I think. Loyal, hardworking, and brave in yer own quiet way. Fits yeh like a glove, it does.

Hufflepuff's a good House, no doubt about it. A place where yeh can grow, find yer own way. And yeh'll have friends who'll stand by yeh, no matter what. That's what yeh need, Harry. Not just people who admire yeh for bein' the Boy Who Lived, but folks who'll see you."

Hagrid crossed his arms and smiled. "Yeah," he said. "Yer gonna do great things, Harry, no matter where yeh were sorted. But somethin' tells me, in Hufflepuff, yeh'll find a home."

Harry hadn't expected to hear that. "Sir, did you… really try to raise a dragon?" he found himself asking.

Hagrid's grin showed teeth, but then his eye flicked away as he suddenly stood and went over to the cauldron. He started to stir. "Ah, so yeh've heard the rumors, have yeh? Folks'll say all sorts o' things, yeh know. But a dragon? Who'd be mad enough ter raise one o' those in secret?"

He paused, glancing down at Harry, and sighed. "Alright, alright. Suppose there might've been a bit o' truth ter it. A Norwegian Ridgeback, it was. Little Norbert. Got 'im from a feller down at the pub—bit of a handful, mind yeh. He was a beaut, Harry. But I knew it weren't safe, not fer him nor fer me. Had ter find 'im a better place ter live."

Hagrid looked at his window quickly before leaning down and saying softly, "Takes a special touch, lookin' after creatures like dragon or Fluffy. Yeh've got ter respect 'em, treat 'em right. They're not pets; they're partners in their own way. Understand 'em, and they'll do right by yeh. But cross 'em, and, well... yeh'd better hope yeh've got yer wits about yeh.

Now Fluffy isn't unique… yeh want ter keep on Fluffy's good side, yeh listen here: it's all in the music. Play 'im a tune, anythin' soft and steady, and he'll go right ter sleep. But don't yeh go pokin' round him fer no reason! He's there ter guard somethin', and that means trouble fer anyone who doesn't belong."

He gave Harry a significant look. "So, if yeh hear any more rumors, best ter ignore 'em. And don't yeh be gettin' any ideas about dragons or Fluffy, alright? Leave the dangerous stuff ter me."

Harry grinned at the gentle giant. "I won't say anything, and I don't know anything about rumors," he promised.

Hagrid grinned at him. "Yer father would say ter same thing."

Harry went back up to the Castle feeling a little better about everything. For some reason, hearing Hagrid talk warmly about his parents made him both melancholic and happy for the life that they lived. They loved each other, or so Hagrid said. He wasn't sure how someone knew they were in love, but it sounded nice.

His first stop was at his dormitory to get his notes, the coursebooks he needed, and his assignment list. None of the other first-years were in the Common Room. He heard Peeves before he saw him and thankfully avoided the poltergeist. That made him realize that he needed to protect his notes somehow. If they got wet, all his hard work would be gone.

Madam Pince wasn't at her station. He passed Granger, Weasley, Longbottom, and Brown sitting with their heads together near his table. Their mouths were moving, but he couldn't hear anything Granger was saying.

Harry found Secure Scribbles: Enchantments for Unbreakable Notes and Ink and Incantations: Guarding Your Magical Writings in the Student Aid and Practical Charm section of the Library. When he returned to his table, he saw the four Gryffindors still arguing and pointing at something in a massive tome in front of Granger.

About thirty minutes into Harry copying and writing his notes on a few charms that looked great to learn, he felt uncomfortable. Looking around, he saw Granger staring at him. She wasn't glaring at him, but her expression also wasn't friendly. Longbottom whispered something to her, and she eventually looked away. Harry didn't know what was going on. They might have been talking about him.

"I told you we'd find him here," Abbott said as she dropped into the chair across from Harry. He hadn't heard her or the others arrive. It was possible that was why Granger was looking at him.

"We tried the Common Room. So, how did it go with Hagrid?" she pressed.

Harry had just looked away from the Gryffindors, but he caught Granger and Longbottom's head whip around and look at them out of the corner of his eye. "Good," he answered carefully.

"Did he talk about your mum and dad?"

"A bit."

Abbott seemed to realize he didn't want to talk about it. "Did you already finish the Dragons Blood essay?" she asked as Bones sat beside her.

"Yes, but I need to look it over," he admitted.

"Did you find anything between Dumbledore, Flamel, and Dillonsby?" Bones asked.

Harry and the others at his table jumped when something loud echoed across the Library. He looked over to see Granger lift her hand off the table and take off at a run for the stacks. Her companions all looked confused. Harry turned to Bones and Abbott. They shrugged at him.

"No, Dumbledore and Dillonsby apprenticed under Flamel, but nothing I read said that Dillonsby discovered eight uses for Dragons Blood already. Then again… who knows the truth? I'm going to put it in my essay to mess with Professor Snape," he grinned.

Bones rolled her eyes. "He'd probably love it. I get the feeling those two are not best of pals." Abbott snorted but didn't comment.

They worked together for a while. "I hate that we keep going back over things we've done essays on," Abbott grumbled. "Somehow, the professors always make the assignment different enough that we can't just copy our old work."

As they finished up for the day, Bones surprised him. "Harry, would you like to visit over the summer?" she asked abruptly.

He opened his mouth and then closed it again. With a grimace, he looked at Abbott and Bones' smiles. Their grins dropped. "I can't promise anything," he said slowly. "I… live with Muggles, and they aren't the most… understanding," he admitted carefully. He didn't want to let anyone know his plans if at all possible. It might not even work.

Bones' frown deepened. "You live with Muggles? Seriously? Auntie said you lived with a wizard. He's your guardian," she said with a glance at Abbott.

Harry shook his head. "They are… my aunt and uncle," he said and tried not to grimace or sneer. Vernon and Petunia were not family to him. They just shared the same blood as he did.

"We knew all those books were lies… but… Potter, you… really? I suppose that's why you were so confused the first month or two here?" Abbott asked as she shifted on her feet. She'd stopped putting her things away.

"Who did you think my guardian was?" he asked Bones.

"Remus Lupin. He was a friend of your father," she answered as her eyes flicked back and forth between his. "Well… if you can't make it, I understand… but I know I would love to see you. I promise it isn't Auntie looking to meet you. Although, she'd probably love to meet The Boy-Who-Lived," she smirked.

Harry rolled his eyes. He hadn't heard that name for him in some time. The Duffer-Who-Lived was still popular after the article in the Daily Prophet. He still hadn't found the issue again to read whatever they said about him. In the end, it didn't matter.

"As you've seen, I'm nothing special," he said with a flat look at the two of them.

They rolled their eyes at him. "Sure." "If you say so."

Harry glanced at Bones as they made their way down to the Great Hall. She knew more about his situation than he did. Why was Remus Lupin his guardian if he had to stay with Petunia and her family? That didn't make sense. How much did Amelia Bones know about him? He wanted to ask so many things but didn't feel like he knew Susan well enough to ask them.

That evening, Harry didn't return to the Library. Instead, he stayed in the Common Room and reviewed the notes he'd taken on how to protect parchments, make them fire-resistant, and keep them pristine. He decided against spells like keeping frost damage away, secrecy charms for the writing, and even a self-destruction charm. The last one reminded him of the Howlers some students got. Once the red letter stopped bellowing the message at the student or teacher, it would explode in a puff of red smoke.

Practicing any magic while in the Library was strictly off-limits. If Madam Pince discovered you did so, she would be very cross. One wrong spell could destroy her books. Harry took out his wand and went over his notes on each topic. He had an old essay he didn't mind losing if the spells somehow went wrong.

"You know… that's quite useful," Abbott said when he lit the long bit of parchment on fire. Only the edges smoked a little before the fire went out.

"No fire in the Common Room!" someone shouted.

Harry sighed. At least he knew the Flammae Absorptio Charm worked. "I'll test this later," he muttered, looking at the next charm on the list.

"Impervious Charm?" Bones said as she sat forward. "I know this one. Auntie uses it on her important papers from work. She's got an entire shelf of books on charms like this. I was wondering what you were working on," she admitted.

Harry frowned. They were sitting with him the entire time. He assumed they would be nosy enough to look at his work. It was nice to think they hadn't. "I ignored a few, but this one looked good. Protects the parchment from dirt, water, and other liquids. Not perfect, but it should be good enough. I don't want all my hard work to go up in flames or get damaged because of Peeves. He's the reason I looked all this up. I heard him in the corridors when I headed up to the Library," he admitted.

Abbott and Bones shared a look. "That's probably the most you've said to us in… well… maybe all term," Hannah grinned. "Did you find anything to protect it from rips or tears?"

Harry shook his head. "I can just mend them."

"Not if the other piece gets lost," Bones said with a frown. "You know… this is pretty important. I hadn't considered losing my notes. Can I look at what… oh, right. Uh… I'll go look this stuff up tomorrow."

Harry pursed his lips. This wasn't like their homework assignments. He set the stack of parchment in front of her. "I don't mind. We can't get in trouble and… well… I don't know if it will help, but maybe it'll give you an idea of what books to look in," he said with a shrug.

Susan's eyebrows almost reached her hairline as she took the pages. "Thank you," she said and shared a look with Abbott.

"Want to make a list of things to practice on? We can… I don't know… see whose charms and enchantments work the best?" Hannah challenged.

Harry considered it. After a moment, he nodded. It might be worth looking into other charms to protect his belongings. Anti-Theft Charms might be a good idea too.

Classes resumed on the twenty-second of April. Harry was not all that excited. He almost forgot to finish his essay in Defense before someone reminded him. That essay wouldn't be due until Friday.

"There are only a few classes left of the term, and it has been a pleasure to reinforce your knowledge and ability to fly," the older witch said as she moved across the lawn. All the first-years were together, and barely half the number of brooms was available. Each House had a select number of brooms they would rotate out so no group of people could hog time on the broom.

Harry kicked off the ground easily as he took to the air. It always felt wonderful to be on a broom. Wind buffeted his face as he rolled to the left to level out. Madam Hooch was more there to make sure no one fell to their death, but only a few students weren't comfortable on a broom now.

Longbottom banked toward the ground, and Weasley raced to catch up. Initially, the slightly overweight boy was dreadful on a broom, but after a few months of continual practice, he seemed more comfortable. Madam Hooch still stayed near him when possible.

"Next year, I'm going to be our Seeker," Malfoy said to a few Slytherins as Harry came to a soft landing beside Harper and Jones. Both looked like they couldn't wait to get on the broom.

Harry had to admit that Draco could fly. He smirked. Diggory would destroy Malfoy on the pitch. He almost couldn't wait to see it happen.

"Diggory would fly circles around him," Jones spat, echoing Harry's thoughts.

That set off several laughs, not just from Hufflepuff. "Even McLaggen is a better flier than Malfoy," Finnigan jeered.

"Chang will knock him off the broom with her speed," Rivers added in a loud, carrying voice.

Malfoy's face went red.

Harry ignored the Quidditch argument. Macmillan landed next and passed his broom to Green. "What's this mess?" he asked as he sat next to Harry.

"Malfoy's chances of making the Slytherin team and the merits of low intelligence Beaters," he reported.

Ernie snorted. "Let me guess, the low-intelligence Beaters in question are Slytherins?"

"That seems to be correct," Harry smirked. He knew neither Bole nor Derrick were dumb. At least they weren't as dumb as Crabbe and Goyle. Madam Hooch wouldn't even let the two on a broom at the same time, and she made sure all the safe flyers were in the air when she escorted one of them off the ground.

It had to be humiliating for Malfoy since he was always with them.

Harry enjoyed the day and went to bed early. Getting up for Astronomy was rough. He tossed and turned on the uncomfortable mattress until the others started getting up. Professor Sinistra looked excited to see them and hurriedly took their assignments.

"Come, come, get your telescopes ready. You won't want to miss this," she said as she waved her wand. The Astronomy tower railing and metal floor shifted and expanded.

Harry was initially hesitant to step out from the tower. Could he trust the metal to hold them all? He wasn't the only one who looked hesitant.

"It's safe. I just want to give you all a chance to see this," the professor said as she strode onto the extended metal platform. "Come to this side and face the Forest. You'll be looking toward Seirios. Hurry now! We have maybe ten more minutes if my star chart is correct."

Harry set up next to Hopkins and Harper. He found the Sirius cluster fairly quickly. He felt a little nervous with so many students on one side of the tower.

"There!" the professor shouted and pointed toward the sky.

Harry looked up and saw a flash of something in the sky. It took him a moment to realize what he was seeing. It was a meteor shower.

"Brilliant," someone murmured from farther away.

Harry bent to his telescope but froze. What felt like thousands of feet below them, he saw white light illuminate some of the Forbidden Forest. A red stream of sparks rose from a little farther away. He had no idea what he was looking at. Nothing else seemed to happen for a full minute. The others were staring at the sky through their telescopes. He glanced down at the Forest one last time before returning to the meteor shower in his telescope.

The next morning in Potions was terrible. Professor Snape snapped at anyone who breathed too loudly. Harry lost points when his bronze scale thumped against the table. He looked at Martha Gordon, who was grimacing. Her dark, frizzy hair seemed more out of control than normal.

"Blithering dunderheads," the professor sneered. "Those of you who included anything about Ivor Dillonsby will get marks off for your lack of proof."

Harry fought back a grin. He knew it would make the professor angry. Bones' head shook at the table in front of his. Abbott leaned over and whispered something to her. Their shoulders shook. He knew they were laughing at him and didn't care.

"Dragon's blood is not to be used as a throat lozenge!"

Harry fought back a grin as Professor Snape began berating his students' general lack of intelligence.

"You're too amused by the professor. Your essay?" Gordon whispered.

Harry shook his head. "Only the Dillonsby bit," he admitted. "I want to read the other essay, though; that sounds like a right laugh."

His Housemate gave him a level look but didn't say anything. She went back to their ingredients, carefully measuring their foxglove.

At lunch, Harry sat with his back to the Gryffindors. He sat at his usual place near the end of the table. Granger, Weasley, and Longbottom came in together and passed by him.

"… another Unicorn," Granger whispered.

Harry tried to tune them out, but he couldn't help but overhear the poorly whispered conversation when they sat directly behind him.

"But, Hagrid said," Longbottom argued.

"Mate, Snape is going to go after the stone. Those dead Unicorns? His fight with Professor Quirrell? Something is going to happen soon. I'm just glad Fluffy took a bite out of Snape's leg," Weasley snorted. "Now you've got Firenze saying..."

"Keep it down," Granger hissed.

Harry ate quickly. He hoped he could get back to the Common Room before Defense. He forgot his coursebook because he overslept.

"Why aren't we taking this to Professor McGonagall?" Longbottom asked.

"We did," Weasley huffed.

"No, the new information. About S-snape threatening Professor Quirrell? She can't ignore that."

"It'll be our word against his," Granger huffed. "We know the…" she continued, but her voice dropped too low to hear.

Harry finished his food and went to get his book. He remained wary of any Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, but nothing had happened since they found the cursed artifact. If anything, he felt comfortable in the classroom for the first time since the start of term. Not a single headache or twinge from his scar.

"P-potter, p-please turn i-in your essay," Professor Quirrell ordered as he waved his wand. Several parchments rose in the air. Sue Li, Harry's partner for the lesson, raised an eyebrow at him. He quickly took out his assignment and watched as it rose into the air.

The professor reviewed basic defense spells and the best dark creatures to use them against. It was a little difficult to follow the lesson as the professor seemed to jump around from subject to subject. Harry wasn't the only student who looked lost.

"You think something addled his brain?" Macmillan whispered behind Harry.

"Garlic," Harry muttered back, trying to fight a smile.

Sue Li snorted quietly and continued to take notes.

"P-potter, your essays a-are slipping. S-stay after class," the professor called. His Housemates looked at him. Bones, Abbott, Macmillan, Hopkins, and Lowe exchanged looks. They got up and made for the door but seemed to take their time.

"Y-you may leave, c-children," the professor said.

Harry frowned. He was getting a bad feeling. All of a sudden, his head started to throb. He clutched his wand behind his back and rubbed his index finger with his thumb.

The echo of the heavy door closing felt off, wrong somehow. It seemed to come from far away and not twenty feet behind him.

"Mister Potter," the professor said as he stood from his desk. Ants decided to run down Harry's back. "Your performance has been… disappointing," Professor Quirrell laughed.

It took Harry a moment to register what he was hearing. No stutter. A slow pressure started to build in his head.

"I must admit. The stories about the Boy-Who-Lived were… amusing," the professor continued as he moved to the front of his desk. Professor Quirrell's dark purple robes seemed to move on their own. The purple head wrap looked larger than usual. "Do you know what an Obscurial is, Missster Potter?" he asked.

Harry shook his head and backed away from the professor. He was glad he had his bag on because he wanted to run but struggled to figure out why he couldn't. It was as if an invisible force held his robes.

"They are young witches and wizards who are forced to suppress their magical power. Yours is so minimal that Albus Dumbledore must have done a wonderful job destroying your life before Hogwarts. I can barely feel you, Potter. Did you enjoy your aunt and uncle's care?" the professor sneered.

Something moved across the professor's pale face. It was like a dark cloud.

"The best thing about this, Missster Potter… is that no one will believe you. Albusss has given up on you. The Duffer-Who-Lived. You survived the Dark Lord… how?" Professor Quirrell hissed.

Harry shook his head. He had no idea.

"I'm going to enjoy watching you destroy yourself, Mister Potter. From the inside out. The best thing is, I don't even need to lift a finger. Your reaction to my little present in class was clear proof. Your magic will turn dark. If you're lucky… you might die alone."

Harry stared, horrified at what he was being told. He wanted to deny what he was hearing. However, the image of the Hospital Wing came to him. A shiver went down his spine.

"Yessss, you see what I ssseee," the professor grinned. "I met something so much more than vampires when I traveled abroad. Young and ready for greatnessss. I found it. Now. Mister Potter. Before I let you go off to your little friends waiting outside… do you know what the magical community does to Obscurials?" He didn't wait for Harry to answer. "They murder them… for the safety of all. Have a wonderful rest of your term, Missster Potter… what little you have left."

The door opened behind him. Harry hadn't realized he had his back to the wall, his wand pointed at the floor.

"Y-yes, Mister M-macmillan, please feel free t-to escort, Mister P-potter," Professor Quirrell said with a grin.