Most students would have one thing to fret about upon entering their final year at school. The looming threat of exams, the tests that would likely define their future, was endlessly repeated by their professors. It didn't matter whether they'd heard the same speeches over and over again - each teacher seemingly felt it was their duty to make them sweat. The likes of McGonagall and Snape were particularly effective at exactly that.

Yet Harry struggled to absorb their words, regardless of how many times they began their classes with the warning. There was simply too much bouncing around in his head. It was something he'd found difficulty with pretty much since his Fourth Year, which happened to coincide with the return of Voldemort. He'd managed to scrape by without too much damage to his grades, but he felt like it was an unreasonable explanation for him to both save the literal world and pass with flying colours.

In truth, the school year had started on rocky foundations, thanks in part to Enola's presence. The search for the horcrux and the anger surrounding his new relationship had meant that his already small focus on schoolwork had dwindled alarmingly. Now that that had been resolved, Harry wanted to hope that he'd be able to get back on the right track. He just wasn't willing to be too optimistic, even with Hermione trying her best to keep him grounded.

At times, he'd wonder whether it would have actually been better to leave Hogwarts. With the war simmering in the background and surely bound to blow into a full-on conflict, were they wasting time? Should they have abandoned their education to focus on the horcruxes? He pictured he and his friends living in a tent, constantly moving to new locations, forever worried about being tracked. It was a sign of his overactive imagination, though it was sometimes fun to ponder what might have been.

It was, however, a mistake to have brought it up in front of Hermione.

"Are you insane?" she'd practically screeched.

Sitting in the confines of Gryffindor Tower, she'd gone a deathly pale at the suggestion, ignoring the fact that Harry hadn't actually suggested the plan. Her reaction was enough to warrant attention from other students in the vicinity, with Neville and Ginny subtly edging closer in case of their being yet another emergency. At their approach, Harry had shaken his head in warning, sparing them the inevitable onslaught that Hermione was gearing up towards.

"It was just an idea," he'd meekly defended.

"An irrational one."

"Well…I don't think it's as silly as you believe."

At that, Matthew had leaned back in his armchair, hissing in concern. "You've done it now. You've gone and done it."

"No, I want to hear this," Hermione had countered, folding her arms, which Harry should have taken as a sincere threat.

He sat straighter. "You've got to admit that we have a lot of distractions at Hogwarts. Even if we just left for a few months, we'd probably be able to find the remaining horcruxes."

"Despite the fact that we don't have a lead to build on."

"We've done well so far. I've learnt not to doubt our skills."

"If we were to leave, even if just for a few months, we'd be sacrificing everything we've worked towards over the past six years."

"We won't be able to enjoy that success if Voldemort wins."

"We're going to stop him, Harry. I'm sure of that. So we need to set ourselves up as best as possible for the future. If you were to fail your NEWTS, a number of doors would close."

"Are you sure about that?" Matthew had risked intervening. "He's Harry Potter. Even if he was a delinquent, he'd still have people clamouring for his involvement. He can coast by on media partnerships and sponsors. And, if he really wanted to get a proper job, they'd give him a second shot at the exams. Can you imagine the public backlash if the hero of our society was pushed to one side? There'd be riots."

"And what about us? We don't have that fame."

"We're friends of Harry Potter. I've learnt that that comes with perks."

"I'd like to earn my position in the world through hard graft, rather than it being handed to me."

"And you're going to do that. Because this is just a hypothetical situation. We're not actually going to leave school before the summer."

Harry had slumped back amongst the cushions. "I feel like we're killing the idea before we give it a chance."

"Going out on our own won't work, not as you're imagining it. First of all, do you really think that Sirius and Remus would let that happen? Or Hermione's parents? You've built up a support network, including the strongest wizards around, so purposefully isolating ourselves would be foolhardy at best."

"But what about the horcruxes?"
"You've already said that we've been doing pretty well on that front. Better than anyone could have expected."

"But we could be doing even better…"

"If we stumble across a lead, then we have a pretty nifty mode of transport that can get us there at the drop of a hat. Having a Tardis up our sleeve removes any need to abandon Hogwarts. Because I'm certainly not camping in the woods like you suggested. I've grown used to a certain level of comfort and luxury, and I'll be damned if Voldemort robs me of that."

Following that discussion, Harry had allowed himself to move on. Largely because there were always other problems waiting around the corner. Whilst enjoying a meal in the Great Hall, he'd foolishly imagined that he was immune to any such disasters. No one, even the Dark Lord, would be cruel enough to strike during dinner. Mad-Eye Moody might have preached the merits of constant vigilance, but surely that didn't stretch to when Harry was wielding a soup spoon.

The potential chaos came in the form of Enola, instead.

Which he should have been used to, in all honesty.

Having just been about to take a large slurp of the aforementioned soup, Harry's spoon hung by his mouth once his eyes landed on the lone figure. Enola had arrived late for the meal, standing by the main doors and looking distinctly out of place. She hadn't actually bothered to turn up for the school-wide gatherings, seeing as she wasn't actually a member of the school. For whatever reason, she'd been inspired to make a change but, judging by her expression, she wasn't too thrilled about the choice.

Harry resonated with that line of thought, if just because he was glancing warily at his friends. He might have had a heart-to-heart with Matthew, and his friend might have made certain assurances about his behaviour, but that didn't mean he was going to be able to keep his promises. Not when it was the first time that Matthew was being presented with the problem head-on. Harry considered removing all the pointy objects in their vicinity but, given why they were gathered in the Great Hall, that was going to be a near impossible job.

And it wasn't as if they needed conventional weapons to hurt one another.

There didn't seem to be any immediate animosity, which was certainly a vast improvement on their previous interactions. If anything, Matthew looked unnervingly relaxed, though he'd abandoned his meal to focus on the new arrival. It was a rare occurrence indeed for anything to disrupt the boy from eating, and Harry couldn't tell whether that was a good or bad thing. He was likely doomed to over analyse Matthew's behaviour for the rest of his life, though he'd been doing that since they first met.

Seeing no initial signs of trouble, Harry tentatively waved in Enola's direction, who brightened up slightly at the invitation. That being said, she still moved without her usual level of confidence, keeping her head down. It was likely because she was taking such a risk, putting herself in public view at a time when she'd been asked to keep to the shadows. Given how secretly they'd started their relationship, it was the first chance they'd had to act like a normal couple in front of other people.

Which explained why Harry started to sweat as well.

Thanks to that particular realisation, he was now debating every thought and movement. Were there going to be different expectations now? Was he supposed to greet her with a hug or a kiss on the cheek? Did she want to keep things a secret? Were they meant to act as if nothing had changed? Or would she be insulted if he behaved as normal? It was an entirely new minefield that he hadn't expected to be thrown into at that precise moment. All he'd wanted was to enjoy his soup.

What didn't help were the curious looks and hushed whispers of his fellow students. They weren't hiding the fact that they were gossiping about Enola, particularly since she was walking right to the most famous kid in the school. Though she'd been at Hogwarts for quite some time, and had even attended a few lessons the previous year, most of the student body were yet to learn anything substantial about the stranger. With how fervently they spoke at their respective dinner tables, it was clear that they were just as hungry for information as they were for the food in front of them.

Neville was thankfully aware enough to shuffle out of the way, giving Enola space to sit down. Harry was still slowly computing what was going on, which left it up to Hermione to say thank you on his behalf. Whilst it was a shock to have Enola coming to see him so brazenly, his stunned stupor couldn't entirely be blamed on that. She seemed to have the same effect on him no matter the circumstances, his heart thundering against his chest. Was it nerves or love? Or were the two intrinsically linked together?

"Hi," he said dumbly.

"Hi," she returned whilst getting comfortable.

"I…um…I didn't expect to see you here."

She arched an eyebrow. "Disappointed?"

"What? No! Absolutely not!"

"I'm messing with you, Harry," she assured him, patting him softly on the arm. "One of these days, you'll make it harder for me."

"I really don't think that's going to happen."

"If you must know, I was bored of eating on my own. I get the same food delivered as is served here, but it's about the company, isn't it? There's only so much of my own company that I can take. One of the reasons why I chose to come here was to be surrounded by people…good people…for the first time since I left home. So far, I haven't really had that."

Harry bit his tongue, with a quick response threatening to escape his lips. There was a reason as to why Enola had been robbed of that socialising, and it was because she'd conspired with Voldemort and his cronies. The punishment had been lenient, particularly compared with what other people had suggested at the time. And, as much as she might have had a good reason for her choices, there had to be some consequences. Not that he was actually going to say that out loud. He wasn't going to ruin the relationship straight away.

It was just a surprise that Matthew hadn't countered with the same argument.

Which meant it was deeply concerning when the boy in question opened his mouth.

"I was actually the one who suggested that she join us," Matthew explained.

It was safe to say that Harry didn't bother hiding his surprise. Neither did Hermione, who was evidently finding out about that tidbit of information for the first time too. Matthew, however much he must have known that he'd be greeted in such a way, rolled his eyes at their expressions. Harry went as far as looking at Enola for confirmation, who simply nodded her head. It seemed that she'd been just as taken aback by the olive branch, even if she'd now had time to process it.

"You…were?" Harry asked.

"I told you that I was going to make an effort and I'm a man of my word. I can be grown up when I want to be."

Hermione scoffed. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Harry was still struggling to process the news. "So the two of you…spoke to one another? And arranged this whole thing?"

"He left me a note," Enola quickly corrected him. "I heard a knock at the door and the parchment was waiting there for me by the time I opened it, floating in the air."

He turned his attention back to Matthew. "Maybe I was giving you too much credit."

"Hey! Baby steps and all that. It's a new mindset that I'm adopting, so it'll take time to adjust. Frankly, I didn't want to risk talking to her in private, in case I let my emotions get the better of me. I thought this was the perfect compromise."

"Well…thank you, Matthew. It means a lot."

Harry had known that Matthew wasn't lying about attempting to do better. The conversation had been too raw and open for such deceit. But it definitely hadn't anticipated the changes to happen so soon. It hadn't even been a given that Matthew would be the one to actively do anything different, instead adopting an air of neutrality that would have still been a vast improvement on what had come before. The fact that he was making such a concerted effort pushed Harry to the verge of hugging the other boy, but he wasn't going to embarrass his friend.

Not yet, anyway. It could wait until he was least suspecting.

"Let's see how it goes before you start praising me."

"I wasn't entirely sure that it wasn't a trap," Enola remarked.

"But you still came here anyway."

"Because I wanted to believe that things could get better. So, as much as you don't want the gratitude, I'm going to echo what Harry said. Thank you for doing this, Matthew. I hope this is a sign of things to come."

"Whatever happens will be down to you proving yourself. Don't mess up again and we won't have any problems."

Harry braced himself for the start of an argument. It was a constant cycle between the two. Matthew would call Enola out for her perceived wrongdoings and she'd take the bait every time without fail. But, on this occasion, she didn't respond. There were no efforts to defend herself, no attempts to argue that she had never messed up to begin with. It was her turn to receive Harry's gratitude, the pair sharing a soft smile before he cautiously laced their fingers together.

"Would you mind feeding my curiosity?" Hermione wondered, entering the fray.

Enola shrugged. "Go ahead."

"What are your intentions?"

"With Harry?"

"With the school. You're not a student. You're not going to get any qualifications at the end of the year like the rest of us."

"I'm not in any need of qualifications. I might not be as academically bright as the rest of you, but I can get by perfectly fine."

"I'm not trying to insult you or anything like that. I truly am just curious. What do you want to get out of the experience?"

"Well…I've been in this time period for quite a while now, but I haven't actually had the chance to appreciate it. When I first arrived, I obviously had other people keeping a watchful eye over me, so I couldn't enjoy what the world has to offer. And I've been kept in the castle for the most part over summer, besides my weekly trips to see Harry. I want to see the world. I want to learn about it. I want to discover how I can forge my place in this era. Spending time with more people my age should hopefully help with that."

Harry was nodding his head, if just because it was so close to what he imagined his future to be like. Whilst he didn't like to think of what was to come after Hogwarts, with the threat of Voldemort making any such daydreaming a waste of time, he'd always pictured himself exploring the globe. There were so many magical societies to embrace and new people to meet. Having only seen what the United Kingdom had to offer, he was curious to find out what else there was to learn. And the fact that Enola was seemingly intrigued by the same prospect left him feeling closer to her than ever before.

"Really, I want to see if there's a life for me here," she pressed on. "Because I've found a reason to stick around now. I don't have anything to go back to. If Harry has opened himself up to me…and if you're willing to do the same…then I want to actually have an understanding of what's waiting for me."

"It's funny you should say that," Matthew commented, and Harry's stomach filled with dread. "You know, about exploring and whatnot."

"Why?"

"We've arranged to meet Beauxbatons soon, one of the other magical schools based in France. With Voldemort's forces having already shown that they want to attack Hogwarts, Voldemort and the rest of the staff are hoping to bulk up their numbers by attracting more allies. For some reason, it's being left to us to do the dirty work."

"Mainly because Harry's won their favour in the past," Hermione added. "There was a whole international tournament that I'd love to tell you about when we get the time. Even if it was quite a traumatic experience."

"Anyway, if you truly want to see more of what this time period is about, then you should come with us."

It was strange for Matthew to be so inviting, even stranger than the openness he'd shown up to that point. Harry scanned the boy's face and soon came to the conclusion that he had every right to be suspicious. There was a lightness to Matthew's demeanour that he had never shown in front of Enola before, which couldn't just be attributed to the concerted efforts he was making in the name of peace. The smirk on his face gave the game away.

It was too late by the time that Harry cottoned on to what Matthew was doing. The damage had already been done. He was inviting Enola to Beauxbatons for the sole reason that it would make Harry's life more awkward, given that his first proper crush also happened to be there. Matthew was likely banking on the resulting chaos to be a fruitful form of entertainment. And, with Hermione bringing up Harry's closeness to the school, he was convinced that the couple were working together to get their own sort of payback for his tight lips.

"But don't worry if you think it's too soon," Harry quickly intervened.

Matthew quirked an eyebrow, seemingly enjoying that his devious plan was working. "Nonsense. I insist."

"I wouldn't mind coming," Neville said, leaning in to join the conversation. "I've heard that France has some wondrous indigenous plantlife, and pictures in books can't do them justice."

Ginny followed suit, making it clear that more people than they would have liked were listening in to their conversation. "If Neville gets a ticket, I want one too. By all accounts, France is utterly romantic. I wouldn't mind a taste of that."

There'd been a time when, if Ginny had been fluttering her eyelashes, it would have been directed straight at Harry. Or even Hermione, after her heroics in the Chamber of Secrets. He was relieved that they'd worked past that previous infatuation, and that her attention was now focused on Neville. The poor boy, however, looked to be struggling, with how brilliantly pink his cheeks and ears became. Harry was thankful that someone else was just as useless when it came to love and relationships.

"I think a larger group will be a good idea," Hermione reasoned. "A strong show of force. Dumbledore will be with us, of course. But I'd imagine that only students can give the impassioned arguments that will make a difference."

"It wouldn't hurt to extend the invitation to Malfoy and Greengrass," Matthew added. "The show of cross-House divides being torn apart should prove just how seriously we're taking the threat."

A smile returned to Harry's face. "You know, if I was a betting man, I'd say you like Draco now."

It was his own form of payback, with how Matthew had been mercilessly teasing him. And it was effective too, given how quickly Matthew's eyes widened at the perceived insult. Having carried an easy breeze throughout the conversation, he was now sitting upright in his chair, pointing his fork in a dangerously threatening manner. Harry was again reminded that he should have gotten rid of the cutlery, even if he hadn't predicted that he'd be the target.

"I'll have your tongue out for that."

"You haven't said a bad word about him for months. It must be a record."

"Because I haven't been anywhere near him. The summer holidays must have made me more positive, but trust me when I say I'm working on correcting that."

"What about when we were searching through the Room of Requirement?"

"I wisely suggested that we split up, just so that I wouldn't have to put up with him."

"I was the one who told us to work in pairs."

"Yes, well, I didn't argue, did I? Which supports my argument."

"Harry's got a point," Hermione chimed in. "When Draco comes up in conversation nowadays, you don't even turn your nose up in disgust. I'd say he's earned your respect."

"Traitor. I'm revoking your kissing privileges for the last week."

"Based on previous experiences, you won't be able to last until we're back in the common room."

Matthew scowled. "I will admit that Malfoy and Greengrass were…useful during the battle. They showed a lot of skill, as well as a great heap of bravery. And they threw themselves into the horcrux hunt, which has to be commended."

"According to Daphne, you and Draco even fought together. Quite well, apparently. Very in sync, she said."

"I'll be having words with her. I forgot that the two of you were friends. It makes it more difficult to keep things from you."

"You shouldn't be hiding things from me to begin with."

He folded his arms. "Weren't we talking about Enola, anyway? How did we get so distracted?"

"I'd love to travel to Beauxbatons if you'll have me," the girl in question answered, having quietly watched the chaos unfolding before her. "I think it could be a good chance for me to get to know you all. And for you to finally learn more about me. The true me."

Harry had been steadfastly against the idea of letting Enola come to France, from a purely selfish point of view. He'd been more concerned about the potential fallout, mixed with his muddled thoughts when it came to Margot. But, as he looked more closely at Enola's face, he started to appreciate what was best for her. The soft smile and hopeful glint in her eye spoke of a burning desire to etch herself a place in the world, and Harry knew better than most that that stemmed from finding people to surround yourself with.

How could he possibly deny her that?

"I'm looking forward to it," Hermione replied. "If you're important to Harry, then you're important to us. And I've got so many questions that I could fill a whole book. Many of them revolve around you hopefully having awkward stories about Matthew when you were kids."

"She's been sworn to secrecy," Matthew interjected desperately. "As part of the terms of our truce."

Enola smirked. "I don't remember agreeing to that. It wasn't written on the note you left for me. Maybe you should have personally spoken to me."

"Don't make me regret this."

"I'd like to learn more about you, actually," Neville nervously said.

He was looking at Enola with obvious trepidation, as if she were inherently dangerous. Based on her track record, that wasn't entirely inaccurate. Harry felt spending more time as part of the group would be a good thing, if it meant the likes of Neville no longer felt like they needed to walk on eggshells around her. And the admission had apparently caught Enola by surprise, like she'd imagined they would put up a fight when it came to including her. He would have to thank Neville later for the simple act of kindness.

"Largely because you're still a massive mystery," Ginny added. "You just showed up one day. But we've learnt to accept it when these three are involved."

"A day doesn't go by without them collecting another mystery to their repertoire. I don't know how they keep up."

"By taking advantage of all the food on offer at Hogwarts," Matthew explained, sliding a plate closer to him. "A cherished occasion that you're ruining with all your talk."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "He gets grouchy when he's hungry. Or when he tries to be nice for too long."

With that, a semblance of normality returned. With their stomachs threatening to grumble, the group focused their efforts on that most basic of instincts. By this point, Harry's soup had grown cold and he looked at it forlornly. Only for Matthew to tap his wand against the dish, with tendrils of steam soon reaching up to the air once more. He muttered under his breath, either at Harry's inability to think of the same solution or at how loud Harry's sulking had been.

He might have paid more attention to the food if he hadn't picked up on Enola's quiet behaviour. Instead of diving in and shoving things into her mouth, she was watching the scene before her with obvious interest. It was like she was being presented with the most wondrous of spectacles, given the shine evident in her eyes. Harry gave her a slight nudge to break her out of the reverie, and she gave him a sheepish smile in return.

"Everything okay?" he asked, speaking quietly so as not to draw attention to themselves.

"Is it always like this?"

He glanced back at the friends around them. Whilst Matthew had preached about the virtues of enjoying the meal, he'd stopped in his tracks to entertain Neville with a long winded story that probably wasn't true. Ginny would occasionally interrupt, with the sole purpose of poking holes in the narrative, but Matthew would always be on hand to come up with a smooth counterargument. And Hermione would watch it all, shaking her head affectionately at the absurdity of her boyfriend's words.

"Yeah."

Enola sighed contentedly. "I quite like it."

"Yeah, me too."