An unusually grim sort of morning arrived on the day that the Hogwarts Express was bound to take the students back to Hogwarts. The grey skies, threatening to unleash a downpour at any moment, rumbled quietly as thunder rattled off far into the distance. It was an ill omen, and one that left Harry wary.
The last time he'd been at Hogwarts had been just after the disastrous third task. He'd nearly been kidnapped or killed in the hospital wing by Barty Crouch Jr, who'd been disguised as Professor Moody for the entire year. Then, he'd left the school after he'd woken up, full of anger in his heart from the dark magic he'd used.
At the very least, Harry knew that he was stronger now. The darkness that had lingered in him for so long was now no more than a tiny speck in the far recesses of his mind, and his wandwork and magical talent had improved threefold over the summer thanks to his tireless practising with Astoria and Daphne. He was far better equipped to deal with whatever he would inevitably confront at Hogwarts.
Optimism was a thing of the past for Harry. Each year at Hogwarts came with its new trials and tribulations that seemed insurmountable at the time he was first faced with him. This year would doubtlessly be no different in that regard, but with Astoria and Daphne by his side, Harry believed that he'd be able to adapt and overcome whatever came his way.
Perhaps his optimism wasn't entirely dead after all.
"Are you two all packed up and ready to go?" Cyrus asked as he stepped slowly into Astoria's bedroom. The repaired bonds between the family were still fragile. All four of them sometimes acted like they were walking across a frozen lake that was continuously threatening to fracture beneath their feet. It would take months if not years before things returned to a semblance of normalcy, the kind that existed before Cyrus and Anastasia separated their two daughters, but no one had made a major misstep yet.
"Almost," Astoria answered as she walked along her bookshelf for the umpteenth time. She was a voracious reader, and a surprising amount of her trunk space was dedicated to which books she'd take from home. She already had nearly two dozen in there, though she wasn't likely to finish them all by the winter break.
Harry was laying back on her bed, watching her scrutinise every book in her collection. He'd finished packing the night before as he so often did. Though he used to be quite the slacker when it came to getting things done, he'd always been beyond excited to pack up to go to Hogwarts.
"Daphne and mum are waiting for us downstairs," Cyrus informed Astoria and Harry. "And you know how your sister gets if you make her late for anything."
"I know, I know," Astoria waved him off, still not taking her eyes off of her books. "We'll be down in a minute."
Cyrus shot Harry a pleading look before he turned around and headed back downstairs.
With a small smile, Harry slipped off of Astoria's bed and swept up behind her. He wrapped his arms lovingly around her waist and pressed his cheek to the top of her head. "You've already got plenty of books packed," he pointed out.
"I know, but there's so many I want to read," Astoria replied.
"Weren't you the one complaining about how I take up so much of your reading time?" Harry asked with a chuckle.
"Yes, and I'll never forgive you for that," Astoria said teasingly.
"Not even if I offer you a kiss?"
"Mmm," Astoria hummed in thought.
"Ouch," Harry said as he let go of her and took a step back. "Maybe I'll go offer Daphne a kiss instead."
"No!" Astoria exclaimed, spinning around and grabbing hold of his wrists before he could get away from her. "A kiss from you would be wonderful."
"I don't know," Harry grinned. "I'm starting to feel like second place compared to your books."
Astoria playfully sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll pick just one more and then we can go. After you've given me that kiss that is."
"Deal," Harry said as he closed the gap between himself and Astoria and gave her the kiss that they both so desperately craved. He'd never tire of feeling her soft, sweet lips against his and experiencing the rush of warmth that filled his chest and emboldened his heart.
Astoria moaned softly as Harry pulled away from her. "I wish we could get a room together at Hogwarts."
"So do I," Harry agreed. "You could always go back to sneaking into my dorm though."
"It's not exactly the most private place," Astoria sighed.
No, it wasn't. "I'll see if Dumbledore has any suggestions."
"He did say that he was going to be helping you train this year," Astoria said, remembering the conversation early in the summer when Dumbledore had come to visit Harry here. "Maybe you can convince him that you need a bit of privacy to help relax more. After all, you have quite the burden to bear."
"That's not a bad idea," Harry smiled at her.
"It's a great idea," Astoria countered playfully. "I'm full of them. So, if you need help with anything else…"
"How about using a great idea to pick out that book so that we can get going?" Harry chuckled.
"I was hoping for something more intimate," Astoria sighed.
"We're already close to running late as it is," Harry pointed out. "Even if we tried to go fast, I don't know if I could finish that fast."
"Spoil sport," Astoria pouted.
"I promise to shag you rotten tonight at Hogwarts," Harry told her.
That put a bright smile on Astoria's lips. "I'll be looking forward to it."
Finally, she turned back to her bookshelf one final time. She didn't even need to think about it as she grabbed a dark-covered book off of her shelf and brought it over to her trunk. She neatly deposited it atop the stack of other books she had held firmly in place by her robes and then closed her trunk up for good.
With a wave of his wand, Harry shrunk both his and her trunks so that they could easily fit in the palm of his hands. He stuffed them in the inner pocket of his robes so that they wouldn't get lost and then offered Astoria his hand to take. She beamed as she took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers together.
"Let's go," Harry said as he planted a sweet kiss atop her head.
The two of them hurried through the halls of Greengrass Manor. As they walked, it surprised Harry as to how much this place already felt like a home to him. He'd never felt that way at the Dursley's house, even after he'd gotten his own room. The only other place that'd felt like a true home for him had been Hogwarts, and he found that same pang of bittersweet sadness strike his chest as he started to leave this place. Thankfully, just like with Hogwarts, he knew that he'd be back here eventually.
As they neared the entry hall of the manor, they found Daphne, Cyrus, and Anastasia waiting for them.
"Finally," Anastasia sighed as she walked over to them. Instantly, she started fussing with Astoria's robes, ensuring that they were as crisp and beautiful on her as possible. Harry smiled at the sight; it was exactly the type of thing a normal mother would do.
Harry released Astoria's hand and walked over to Daphne, who he greeted with a kiss as sweet as the one he'd given Astoria earlier. Daphne was more forceful in kissing him back, almost deepening their kiss to the point that it would have been inappropriate to do in front of her parents.
Cyrus cleared his throat loudly, but Daphne held onto the kiss for another second before releasing Harry. "We should get going," Cyrus told everyone.
"Right," Anastasia nodded as she stopped fussing over Astoria. "Remember to apparate to the eastern apparation points at King's Cross."
Harry offered Astoria and Daphne his hands, which they gladly took, while Cyrus gave Anastasia his arm to hold onto. The two groups smoothly side-along apparated away, leaving Greengrass Manor behind.
With Daphne and Astoria holding onto him, Harry managed to not stumble out of his apparation for once. The three of them arrived in a wide circle that was ringed with runes that prevented anyone from accidentally apparating in while anyone else was already inside of it. They quickly stepped out of the circle and met up with Anastasia and Cyrus, who arrived in a similar circle just a few metres away. By the time they started moving towards the horde of families headed towards the Hogwarts Express, more families were apparating in behind them.
The steam from the Hogwarts Express wafted across the station, obscuring people from sight. Harry, Daphne, Astoria, Cyrus, and Anastasia shuffled forward blindly, moving at a slow pace so that they didn't accidentally knock anyone over. Still, that didn't stop them from being bumped into by people headed for the train. The thrum of the noise from the countless families brought back Harry's uncomfortable feeling this morning that something was wrong.
Thunder boomed overhead. The lightning arrived a moment later, illuminating the great windows that overlooked the station.
The noise was so loud that it caused some of the younger children around to jump or cry out in fright. People jostled around, and Harry ended up banging his hip against someone who stumbled back into him.
"You alright?" Harry quickly asked the man before he saw who he was.
Draco Malfoy spun around with a sneer on his lips, which only grew when he saw who he had bumped into. "Watch it, Scarhead."
Harry narrowed his eyes at Draco. "You're the one who ran into me."
"I—" Draco paused in his words as he noticed the Greengrass family standing around Harry. Astoria and Daphne came up to Harry's side confidently and stared Draco down. "Greengrass," he nodded politely to Daphne before glaring at Astoria. "I see that you're still hanging on with Potter. Haven't you gotten tired of him already? There are plenty of proper wizards I could introduce you to."
"Your perceptions on proper wizards must be skewed, Malfoy," Astoria replied acidly. "But who can be surprised when you have a Death Eater as a father."
Draco scoffed at her, but Harry could see that Astoria's words got under his skin. "You need to get your head checked, or else you might end up losing it once things start to change around here."
"Be careful with your words," Daphne said icily. "You're threatening my sister here."
"I'm not threatening her," Draco quickly backpedalled at Daphne's cold glare. "Just giving her a warning is all. Things are going to change, you can be sure about that, and I'd hate for you and your sister to be on the wrong side when the time comes."
"We won't be," Daphne assured him.
It was clear that Draco took those words opposite the way Daphne intended them. What a fool he was.
Through the steam, Harry saw Lucius Malfoy striding towards him. The man looked far more confident than the last time Harry had seen him. Without Voldemort around to chastise him, he stood tall and proud with his long, flowing hair and snake-headed cane. Harry scanned his face, disappointed that he saw no burn scars there from his Fiendfyre.
"Come now, Draco," Lucius said as he placed a hand on his son's shoulder. His eyes bore into Harry's with a dangerous edge that held unspoken violence within. Voldemort wished for Harry's death, and Lucius was more than willing to be the one to grant it, but Voldemort didn't seem the type to allow anyone else to do his killing for him when it was this personal. Harry had humiliated Voldemort by managing to escape his clutches; he wouldn't let Lucius kill Harry for him.
"Lucius," Anastasia said politely.
Lucius turned his gaze onto her, completely ignoring Cyrus. "Anastasia," he said, dipping his chin in the barest form of a nod. "I see that you've chosen to keep company with a… controversial man."
"Yes," Anastasia replied, her tone darkening a touch. "My daughters are quite taken with him."
"Daughters?" Draco repeated, his voice choking up in surprise. His pale eyes flickered between Harry, Astoria, and Daphne's faces in surprise, like he couldn't believe that this could be true. Anger, jealousy, and loss all crossed his face in a flash, and Harry had a sudden realisation: Draco must have wanted the sisters for himself, or at least one of them. It was easy to see why; Daphne and Astoria were two of the most beautiful witches of their generation, and they were both incredibly intelligent and magically talented. Since they were both adults, Draco could've tried to secure a marriage contract and have his fun with them at Hogwarts.
Realisation dawned on Draco that Daphne's earlier words hadn't been meant to say that she'd join the other fanatical pure-bloods. At that moment, Daphne grabbed onto Harry's arm, and Astoria mirrored her action with his other arm.
Draco's face twisted up into something disgusting. "You're going to regret this, blood traitors," he said. Harry wasn't sure if it was directed to him, Daphne, Astoria, or maybe all three of them.
"And you're a fool for ever thinking that you had a chance with me," Daphne retorted sharply.
The blow stung Draco's pride something fierce. His nostrils flared in fury, and he looked ready to fight to reclaim some scrap of his former pride. He might have even done so had his father not been holding him back.
"Draco," Lucius said sharply, finally causing Draco to look away from the trio before him. "That's enough. They've made their choices, and they'll come to understand the ramifications of them soon enough. It's time we take our leave."
"Of course, father," Draco said petulantly. He shot Harry one last furious gaze over his shoulder before he stormed off close behind his father.
"What a prat," Astoria muttered.
"I can't believe he ever thought that you would've agreed to be with him," Harry said to Daphne with amusement in his voice.
"He tried many times," Daphne replied, shaking her head. "Parkinson hated me for it."
"Do let me know if he tries to do anything to you or Astoria," Harry told her.
"We can take care of ourselves," Daphne assured him.
"All the same, please tell me," Harry insisted. He didn't doubt that Daphne and Astoria could handle Draco with ease, but he couldn't tolerate any actions taken against them because of him. He deeply wanted to protect them from any harm or even the mere threat of it, and he'd ensure that Draco would never get a second chance to do so.
"Alright," Daphne agreed.
Harry turned around then to see Cyrus looking mightily concerned with the conversation that had just taken place while Anastasia was still staring at Lucius' retreating back. "Thank you for backing us up there," Harry told her sincerely.
"For better or for worse, we're all with you, Harry," Anastasia assured him. "Just make sure that no harm comes to my daughters."
"I will," Harry promised.
He so dearly wished he could be genuine in that promise.
"Good," Anastasia nodded. "Now, you three should get on the train."
A round of hugs ensued, and Harry was surprised that even he was pulled into a hug by Anastasia. He shook Cyrus' hand and then helped Daphne and Astoria aboard the train. It was only a few minutes later that they found Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Neville aboard the train sitting with a strange blond-haired woman named Luna Lovegood. Hermione, Ron, and Daphne left not long after to go do their prefect duties, but they eventually rejoined everyone near the end of the trip.
By the time they reached Hogwarts, Harry felt the familiar joy of returning to the first place he could truly call home. Even the dreary mood from the dark skies couldn't get him down.
But then he saw something peculiar. The horseless carriages weren't so horseless after all.
"What…?" Harry murmured under his breath as Astoria and Daphne glanced curiously at him. They tried to follow his gaze, but all they saw was air.
"I can see them too," Luna told Harry. He'd only exchanged a handful of words with her on the train, and those had been quite odd, but now he couldn't help but wonder if she wasn't so strange after all.
"What are they?" Harry asked her.
"Thestrals," Luna answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
The fleshless horses would have looked like a skeleton had it not been for their black coats clinging to their bones, making them appear entirely distinct from normal skeletons that Harry had seen. They had withered, black wings that stretched out from their backs like a bat's.
"I've heard about those," Hermione chimed in. "They're clever creatures who live in herds in forests. Despite their terrifying appearance, they're actually quite gentle and friendly creatures, as long as you treat them well."
"Can you see them?" Harry asked her.
"No," Hermione said hesitantly, giving a slight shake of her head. "They can only be seen by those who've seen death."
Harry's mind flashed back to the graveyard. The man—Yaxley, another Death Eater had called out his name—he'd burnt alive with Fiendfyre. There may have been others that died too that day. Merlin, he didn't know how many people he killed.
Suddenly, Harry felt sick to his stomach.
Daphne noticed the shift in his expression right away. "Let's get in and get up to the castle," she said as she ushered Harry towards the carriage.
Harry let her guide him up. He sat down with Astoria and Daphne on either side of him as they rode up to the great castle. Normally, he enjoyed taking in the scenery, but he was lost in his mind today instead. He kept replaying that night in the graveyard, trying to see if he could remember anything beyond the haze of the flames he'd conjured. Could he remember anyone else he killed?
It was impossible to tell. Besides Yaxley, he'd seen at least half a dozen men be touched by the flames, but that didn't mean that they died.
He didn't feel bad about killing Death Eaters. At least, not entirely. They were horrific criminals who'd slaughtered hundreds, if not thousands. What he did feel bad about was that he was the one who did it.
And yet, it was an unfortunate reality that he would have to do it again. Voldemort needed to be stopped, and there would be more fights to come.
Harry steeled himself internally with that knowledge. Killing Death Eaters wasn't wrong, and yet it felt like it was. It was another burden he'd have to bear.
Daphne rested her head against his shoulder lovingly. "You didn't do anything wrong," she murmured to him, as if sensing his thoughts. "You were protecting yourself."
He was. It made him feel a little better about his actions, but more than that, it brought up a new feeling of anger inside of him. Anger that Voldemort had forced Harry into a situation in which he needed to defend himself in the first place.
No, he couldn't let himself be consumed by anger again. Harry took a deep breath in and held it to help his heartbeat return back to normal.
Ultimately, he couldn't blame himself for killing that Death Eater or any others. They'd made their choices, and Harry wouldn't simply allow himself to be killed just for living his life. He would defend himself if need be, and even if he didn't like the fact that he had to kill anyone, that wouldn't stop him from doing it if he had to in order to protect himself or the ones he loved.
"Thank you," Harry murmured back softly to Daphne. He took her hand in his and squeezed it comfortingly.
They arrived at the castle steps a few minutes later. The great oak doors stood open, ready to receive the incoming students. Already, a swarm of them were flooding into the castle's entrance hall, eager to reach the Great Hall where they could feast and enjoy their first night back at Hogwarts.
It hurt to part ways from Daphne and Astoria, but during important meals like the opening feast, they had to sit at their house table. He kissed each of them and followed Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville off towards the Gryffindor table. Still, his gaze lingered on Astoria and Daphne as they went to sit down at the Slytherin table together.
The sorting ceremony was interesting as always. The seventeen-year-old, first-year students were led down the centre of the Great Hall to be sorted. The Sorting Hat gave a song on inter-house unity in the face of darkness first, a portent warning given the secret return of Voldemort, and then the sorting began. Harry clapped along with his house each time a new student was sorted into Gryffindor, and then once the final student was sorted, he listened as Dumbledore welcomed everyone back and announced the start of the feast.
A dizzying array of dishes suddenly appeared across the five tables in the Great Hall, making them all sag under the weight of them. Harry happily loaded up his plate with all of the components of a classic Sunday roast and tucked into it as he caught up with Ron and Hermione.
By the meal's end, his belly was full, and he could see that he wasn't the only one. There was nothing quite so uniquely satisfying as a Hogwarts meal after a long time away.
Not long after the dishes were cleared away, Dumbledore returned to his place behind the podium, overlooking all of the students.
"Your attention please," Dumbledore smiled at everyone as he waited for the chatter to cease. "The start of a new school year comes with many unexpected changes, including in our staffing. This year, we are very pleased to announce that Professor Snape, the head of Slytherin, will be taking over the role of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."
There was a smattering of applause from that from three of the houses, but the noise from Slytherin was the loudest.
"In his place as potions master, the Board of Governors has seen fit to elect one of their former members to the position," Dumbledore announced. Despite his sharp words, they were delivered with the utmost politeness. "Please welcome Lucius Malfoy to the position."
This time, the cheers and applause from Slytherin was practically deafening. Harry had to wonder how many of the students' parents had instructed them to do so at his announcement.
Lucius stood up from his seat and gave a short bow towards the Slytherin table, ignoring the unenthusiastic but polite applause from the other houses.
Afterwards, Dumbledore's speech continued on as normal. He reminded everyone of Filch's increasingly ridiculous rules, Quidditch tryouts, and a number of other mundane matters that hadn't changed since Harry's first year at Hogwarts.
As he finished his announcements, Dumbledore dismissed everyone to return to their dormitories for the night. There was a rush of movement as everyone got to their feet. Ron and Hermione hurried to help guide the new students through the halls of Hogwarts.
Harry was ready to head back to his dorm too when a letter suddenly appeared on the table in front of him with his name on it. Curious, he opened it up to find a note from Dumbledore, inviting him up to his office after the meal ended. He glanced back up at the head table only to find that Dumbledore was already gone.
It took a great deal of careful manoeuvring through the throngs of students heading back to their houses for Harry to make his way to the stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office.
"Fizzing Whizbee," Harry said.
The gargoyle suddenly animated and moved aside as the wall behind it split and revealed a stone staircase moving upwards. Harry stepped onto the bottom step and allowed it to carry him up to the top of the spiral-shaped stairwell. He stepped off to a small landing and used the gryphon-shaped knocker on the old wooden door to announce his arrival.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Harry stepped inside to Dumbledore's unique-looking office. Unlike normal, it was quite silent here tonight. The portraits of all of the past headmasters and headmistresses were awake, but none spoke up as Harry entered the room. Dumbledore was alone, sitting behind his desk in a high-backed chair with a myriad of documents laid out before him. He was just in the middle of signing something when Harry stepped inside.
"Harry, my boy!" Dumbledore exclaimed, looking more jovial than ever. "How are you? Did you enjoy the feast?"
"I did," Harry smiled in return.
"Please, sit," Dumbledore said, gesturing to the seat across from him. Harry sat down quickly, curious as to what the headmaster wished to meet with him about. "For your training this year, I will send you letters whenever we have the ability to meet. There is much we have to cover and precious little time to do so. Our first session will likely occur within the next week or two."
"I'm eager to get on with it," Harry replied honestly. "Would Astoria and Daphne be welcome to them as well?"
"Of course," Dumbledore told him sincerely. "But be warned that there may be some meetings that may best be done in private."
"I have nothing to hide from either of them," Harry said.
"I understand and commend you for that," Dumbledore nodded. "But there are things that may require some more sensitivity. I will not stop you from bringing them if you insist upon it, but I hope that you can trust my judgement when I feel it is required."
"I'll try," Harry agreed hesitantly. He supposed that he could always tell them everything afterwards if he decided to.
"Excellent. Then, let us move onto a more pressing concern," Dumbledore began, leaning forward in his seat. "It should be no surprise that Lucius Malfoy was and still is a devoted servant to Tom."
No, it wasn't.
"I'm still surprised that you hired him," Harry replied honestly. "I know that you were in a tough spot with the Board of Governors and the Ministry, but…"
"Could I have done more to find an alternative candidate?" Dumbledore finished Harry's thought for him. "Perhaps. Yet, I do not regret Lucius' appointment to the staff. Given the man's proclivity for politics, I find it quite curious that he has decided to forgo spending his time whispering into Minister Fudge's ear to instead broaden the minds of the students here at Hogwarts."
Harry's mind connected the dots quickly. "Did Voldemort order him to seek this post?"
"That is my suspicion," Dumbledore replied gravely.
"Then I'm confused," Harry admitted. "Knowing this, why did you hire him on?"
"To discover exactly what his plans are," Dumbledore told Harry honestly. "If I did not hire Lucius, another would have been sent, and then another. One of them might have slipped beneath my notice and been able to operate in secret. Lucius, however, cannot. It is sometimes better to keep your enemies close if it allows you greater insight into their planning."
"But that's a dangerous game," Harry pointed out. "He's close enough that he could strike when you least expect it. What if he was sent here to kill us?"
"Lucius is not the type to give away his own life so foolishly," Dumbledore replied. "He would not stand a chance against me, and I would wager that you'd give him a run for his money as well. Even if he succeeded, Lucius would not be able to escape Hogwarts. I believe he's here for another purpose. Something that requires a trusted hand. If Tom simply wished us dead, there are many more notorious killers throughout Europe whom he could have hired."
"Do you have any idea as to what it is that he's after?" Harry asked.
"I have suspicions, vague suspicions," Dumbledore clarified. "I would appreciate it if you kept a close eye on him as well and report to me anything you deem worthy of my notice. Err on the side of caution, Harry."
"I will," Harry promised him. "Are you keeping an eye on his son as well? He might use him."
"I do not believe that young Draco would be a threat like his father is," Dumbledore tried to assure Harry. "Lucius loves his son dearly, and I have no doubts in my mind that he would not involve Draco in something as dangerous as whatever goals he is pursuing."
Harry wasn't quite won over. Draco was a horrible person who seemed destined to become a Death Eater, if he wasn't one already. Harry could imagine him jumping at the chance to help his father if it meant currying favour with Voldemort.
"I would also caution you to be careful around Lucius," Dumbledore continued. "The man is most definitely relaying information to Tom about the goings on in the castle, and I do not doubt that you have been marked as a prime focus. Avoid anything to get on his bad side, if you can."
"Okay," Harry agreed.
"Wonderful," Dumbledore said, clapping his hands together. "I do not wish to take up any more of your time tonight, Harry."
"One last thing," Harry said quickly. "I was hoping to make a request of you, if I could."
"Go on," Dumbledore nodded, looking intrigued.
"I'm concerned about Astoria and Daphne's safety within Slytherin," Harry began. "And given my… closeness with them, I was wondering if we might be able to get a private suite in the castle for ourselves. I know that it's happened for married couples, and although we're not quite there yet…"
"You hope that I would make an exception," Dumbledore finished for him again. He leaned back in his seat and slowly stroked his long beard. "It would be highly irregular for me to grant you this, but you are in highly irregular circumstances. I will consider it."
"Thank you, professor," Harry said sincerely.
"Now, it is past time that you head off to bed," Dumbledore dismissed him.
Indeed, it was. But first, he had a promise to keep with Astoria. Hopefully she didn't mind him shagging her rotten in his dorm room.
A/N: Hey, thanks for reading! If you are interested in reading more or supporting me, check out at p atreon .com(slash) ashox