Chapter 48: Until Next Year
Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 48: Until Next Year
The final feast of the year was a bittersweet affair.
The Great Hall had been decorated using the colors of House Gryffindor.
According to what Harry had been told, this decision was made based on the winner of the yearly Quidditch Hogwarts Cup.
Quidditch was truly something that he had been paying no attention whatsoever to, so he couldn't care less about that.
He sat at the Slytherin table, his eyes scanning the crowd of students, whose faces were lit with excitement and relief. Exams were over, and the school year was finally done. Everyone was going home.
Harry should have felt the same relief. He was going home. He was going to see the Dursleys. He was going to escape this castle and its endless secrets and dangers.
But the weight of everything he had done, everything he had seen, hung over him, pressing on his shoulders.
The incident on the third-floor corridor had faded from the rumour mill.
No one had been caught, so there had been no punishments.
The professors had made a few announcements about the fire being caused by a malfunctioning charm, but no one truly believed that.
Still, without any new developments and with the end of the year right there, the interest had quickly died down.
Students had moved on to other topics, like their final exams, holidays, and plans for the summer.
Harry was grateful for that. But even if the students had moved on from the affair, he knew this was not going to be the case for the Headmaster.
He could not shake the feeling that Dumbledore was merely biding his time.
At the staff table, the Headmaster sat in his usual place. His white beard was gleaming almost as much as his white robes, under the light of the enchanted candles, and his half-moon spectacles sat low on his nose.
He smiled warmly at the students, his eyes twinkling as he raised a goblet in a toast to the graduating class.
"To another year of growth, of learning, and of hard work for the greater good," Dumbledore said, his voice carrying across the hall.
Harry did not raise his goblet.
He watched Dumbledore grin, watched him chat with Professor Flitwick, watched him laugh at something Professor Sprout said.
The mask was flawless. If Harry did not know what he knew, he would have believed the old man was genuinely happy.
But Harry understood what lay beneath the mask. He had seen the chamber, the jars, the blood, the bodies. He had seen the Dark Lord chained to a metal frame.
He had seen Dumbledore's true face, and that was not something he could just forget.
'He's hiding it,' Harry thought. 'He's hiding it all. He doesn't want anyone to know what he lost. He doesn't want anyone to know how much it cost him.'
He took a sip of his pumpkin juice, forcing himself to look away from the staff table.
Near the end of the feast, Harry allowed himself to relax, just a little. He turned to Draco and Crabbe, who were engaged in a heated debate about the merits of different broomsticks.
" – and the Nimbus is clearly superior," Draco was saying, his voice animated. "The Comet can't even compare."
"The Comet is more reliable," Crabbe countered. "The Nimbus is too temperamental. You have to be a skilled flyer to handle it."
"Well, I am a skilled flyer."
"You've only been flying for a year."
"And I'm already better than half the Quidditch team." There was a great deal of pride in Draco's face.
Harry smiled. It felt strange, after everything, to be sitting here with his friends, hearing them bicker about broomsticks.
It almost felt normal.
He looked at Draco and Crabbe, and his smile faded slightly. Pansy should have been here. Her absence was a gap in their group, a hole that could not be filled.
Trying to get his mind out of that dark road, he directed his attention elsewhere.
Daphne Greengrass was having an animated conversation with her friend Tracey.
Harry would have liked to become closer to her, but the incident at the lake had made it difficult.
Daphne was already walking on thin ice and could not afford any mistakes, like becoming associated with someone who was being closely watched by the Headmaster.
'Perhaps next year...' He thought.
His eyes moved away from the Slytherin table. He found a familiar face at the Ravenclaw table.
Hermione Granger.
The girl had not changed one bit over the past year. She still had the same cold, emotionless expression on her face.
She was eating her dinner by herself, ignoring everyone around her. Or perhaps they were ignoring her...he was sure which one.
He didn't think she had made a single friend in the entire year... which was not surprising given her attitude towards others.
All she seemed to care about were her studies and following the school rules.
Harry could not help but feel pity for her. After all, it was not Hermione's fault. She was only one more victim of the cruel system created by wizards like Dumbledore, who believe themselves above the rest and that, for some reason, they have the right to decide how Muggleborns should be raised and incorporated into their magical society.
He wished he were in a position to help her, but unfortunately...that was not the case.
At the Gryffindor table, the Weasleys' status was evident. They spoke, and everyone listened.
Even Ron, who was just a first-year, had the respect of all his housemates.
But Harry could tell that all that veneration was completely fake. And that students were just afraid of their family status and what could happen to them if they were to offend one of the Weasley members. That was all.
'If there is some justice left in this world...they will one day get what they deserve.' Harry thought.
The feast eventually ended, and the students filed out of the Great Hall.
Harry, Draco, and Crabbe walked together through the corridors, making their way back to the dungeons.
"Summer...finally," Draco said, his voice filled with anticipation. "No more classes, no more rules. We can finally have some freedom."
"Speak for yourself," Crabbe said. "My mother is going to put me to work in the garden."
"Your mother has a garden?"
"A very large one. She grows ingredients, both for cooking and for potions, and I have to help her."
Draco shuddered dramatically. "The horror."
Harry chuckled. He could imagine that Crabbe would have preferred to spend the entire summer locked in his room, reading books.
They reached the Slytherin common room and climbed into their beds soon after.
Tomorrow, they would take the train back to London early in the morning, and they wanted to be well rested.
Tomorrow, they would go home.
Harry lay in his bed, staring at the canopy above him, and thought about the Dursleys.
He fell asleep with a smile on his face.
<><><><><><><><><><><>
The next morning, Harry packed his trunk with care.
His robes went in first, folded neatly. Then his books, his cauldron, his potion kit. He placed his wand in its box and tucked it into his bag.
He planned to send Vesper away on its own, not wanting the owl to suffer the cramped journey in a cage.
Harry carefully removed the toy soldier and the silver watch from his nightstand and wrapped them in a cloth. He placed them at the top of his trunk, where they would be safe.
Then he looked at the loose floorboard beneath his bed.
He knelt and lifted it, revealing the hidden compartment. Inside lay the Invisibility Cloak and his diary. He stared at them for a long moment.
'I can't leave these here.' He thought. 'Someone could find them.'
He had been writing everything he had done during the past year in that diary. Those pages had been his only outlet to express himself truly...the only place where he could share his inner thoughts and deepest secrets.
'But taking it home could be risky as well...' He was not completely sure that Dumbledore's scrutiny would end after he left the boundaries of the castle.
What if he continues to watch him at home?.
But just then... he heard Draco and Crabbe talking in the common room, and a plan formed in his mind.
<><><><><><><><><><><><>
The train ride to London was long, but it passed quickly.
Harry, Draco, and Crabbe sat in a compartment near the front of the train, their trunks stowed above them.
The countryside rolled past, green and peaceful, a stark contrast to the castle's gloominess.
Harry watched the scenery fly by while thinking.
Draco was reading a Quidditch magazine. Crabbe was eating a large bag of sweets that he got from the trolley lady.
They were less than an hour away from the station.
Harry decided this was the best time to do it. They were very far away from Hogwarts, but not yet at the station.
He reached into his bag and pulled out a well-wrapped bundle. It was small, about the size of a book, wrapped in brown paper and tied with a string.
"Draco," he said, his voice low. "I need you to hold onto something for me."
Draco looked up from his magazine, his eyebrows raised. "What is it?"
Harry handed him the bundle. "I can't take this home. I don't trust that it will be safe. Can you keep it for me? Just until we see each other again?"
Draco took the bundle, his expression curious. "What's inside?"
"Some things that are important to me," Harry said. "Please. Don't open it. Just keep it safe."
Draco studied Harry's face for a moment. Then he nodded. "I'll keep it safe. You have my word."
Harry let out a breath of relief. "Thank you."
Crabbe watched the exchange, his expression thoughtful. Then, he shrugged and went back to his snacks.
Harry took this as a sign of trust. Neither of them had questioned anything because they knew he would tell them if he could.
A smile appeared on his face. It was good to have friends.
Forty minutes later, the train pulled into King's Cross Station. It was around midday by now.
Harry, Draco, and Crabbe gathered their trunks and stepped onto the platform.
The station was already crowded with students and families as they descended the train.
"I'll write to you," Draco said, clapping Harry on the shoulder. "Every day."
"Not every day," Harry said, smiling. "Vesper will get tired."
"Then he can rest. I'll write anyway."
Crabbe nodded. "I'll write too. But I'm not good with words."
"That's an understatement," Draco said, grinning.
Crabbe shrugged, unbothered.
After saying their last goodbyes, Crabbe and Draco went on to find their families.
Harry wasted no time in leaving the magical side of the station and crossed the barrier, emerging into the Muggle side, where he hoped his family would be waiting for him.
The noise here was overwhelming... trains, announcements, crowds of people hurrying to their destinations.
Harry looked around, searching for the Dursleys. Petunia had said she would meet him at the station. She had promised in their last letter, almost two weeks ago.
But he did not see them.
He scanned the crowd again, his heart beginning to beat faster.
There was no sign of Vernon's broad shoulders, or Petunia's long neck, or Dudley's round face.
"Where are they?..." Harry wondered.
He waited for several more minutes but still saw nothing.
He was starting to get worried...something was wrong.
Suddenly, he heard someone calling his name. But the voice was an unknown one.
"Mister Potter."
Harry spun around and found a man standing before him, tall and elegant, dressed in well-tailored robes. He was in his mid-thirties, with a clean-shaven face and sharp eyes.
He carried himself with an air of authority.
"My name is Remus Lupin," the man spoke in a measured tone. "I am the Inspector Chief of the Auror Department."
He held out a badge, its surface gleaming with official seals.
"I need you to come with me."
Harry stared at the badge, then at the man. His mind was racing.
"Remus...Lupin...?"
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