End of the Year
Thankfully, Harry had managed to convince Madam Pomfrey that he was well enough to go to the end of year feast, even though the woman was convinced he would break apart like a piece of fragile china if he even stood up from his bed.
It had been a grueling task, and had only been successful due to the fact that Neville had come up to see him before the feast, and had actually been the reason that he was able to go.
“I’ll sit with him the whole time, Madam Pomfrey.” He’d said softly. “We’ll all make sure that he eats, and we’ll get him to bed at a reasonable hour. Harry shouldn’t have to spend the last night up here in the hospital wing, should he?”
As the two of them walked through the corridors on their way to the Great Hall, Harry smiled at his friend, gently bumping him with his shoulder.
“Thanks for the jailbreak. I was going stir crazy up there.” He said softly. “It’s hard when all you can do is think.”
“I can imagine. The last few times we’ve come up to see you, you’ve seemed… I dunno. Haunted?”
“That’s a good word for it.”
“...Do you want to talk about what happened?” Neville asked after a moment. “If you want to, of course, but… The Aurors never even came to get your testimony after they got it from Draco, and I can’t imagine keeping all that inside is good for you.”
Harry bit the inside of his cheek before he shook his head. “No, uh… I’m alright. Thank you for offering, though.”
“If you ever want to, just write me a letter, okay?”
“I will, I promise.”
Neville smiled at him, pushing the door to the Great Hall open and trotting over to the Slytherin table with him, completely foregoing his friends in Hufflepuff to sit next to Harry and the rest of the group, who scooted apart to make room for them.
When Harry sat down, Blaise reached across the table and grabbed his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. He squeezed back, which seemed to appease whatever worry that the other boy had been holding on to, because his shoulders slumped in relief and he pulled his hands back down into his lap.
The Feast hadn’t started quite yet, as many of the students were still filing in, but Harry could see that the seat Quirrell usually occupied at the head table was completely empty, and that sent a wave of nausea through him.
It was empty because of him.
He quickly looked away, staring down at the plate in front of him as he swallowed the bile that was rising up in his throat. Neville rubbed his back gently, and he offered the other boy a weak smile, closing his eyes as he took deep breaths, focusing on Blaise’s magic to ground himself once again.
Eventually, the rest of the student body had filed in, and Dumbledore stepped up to the podium, causing the chatter that filled the air in the hall to quiet down. He cleared his throat, making Harry open his eyes again to watch the speech.
“Another year gone!” Dumbledore said cheerfully. “And I must trouble you with an old man’s wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were…you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts…”
“Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with two hundred and sixty-two points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two.”
Harry frowned, looking at Draco with a raised brow. Apparently, the headmaster wasn’t even going to bring up what happened to Quirrell, which felt… Strange.
That was the only way to explain the feeling it gave Harry. Strange.
However, he wasn’t able to think about that fact much longer, because excited cheers erupted from around him as his fellow Slytherins celebrated their victory, while the other three houses clapped politely, even though their faces were anything but supportive. Dumbledore smiled genially as the cheers died down, before he spoke again.
“Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin,” said Dumbledore. “However, recent events must be taken into account.”
The room went very still. The Slytherins’ smiles faded a little, and Harry watched as Professor Snape sat up a little bit, a slightly confused look on his face.
“Ahem,” said Dumbledore. “I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes… First of all, to Hermione Granger, for her efficient and brave efforts that brought both myself, and a team of highly trained Aurors to the school in an attempt to help save the lives of two of her classmates, I award her with fifty points!”
The cheers from the Gryffindor table were almost deafening. Harry did a quick bit of mental math, realizing that Hermione’s fifty points brought Gryffindor up to three hundred and twelve points.
“To Ronald Weasley and Seamus Finnegan, for boldly walking into danger to help assist a dear friend despite your fears, I award you with fifty points each!”
Another hundred points?!
Worried murmurs began to fill the air at the Slytherin table. That brought Gryffindor up to four hundred and twelve. Only sixty points behind them.
“But, of course…” Dumbledore continued, his face solemn. “We cannot forget that while those three brave first years walked into danger to try and stop a force of evil that had entered the school, two of our other first years faced that evil head on.”
“To Draco Malfoy, who stayed calm in the face of true danger, and gave strength to his dear friend in his time of need, I award you with thirty points!”
Cheers erupted at the Slytherin table again, and Draco was wrapped up in a side hug by Gemma Fawley, which caused his face to turn bright red.
“And, last but not least, to Harry Hartford, who not only walked headfirst into danger, but outsmarted the obstacles that were created by myself and our brilliant members of staff out of sheer love for his friend, I award you fifty points!”
Harry paused for a moment, a small smile pulling at his lips as Theo threw his arms around him and laughed.
Dumbledore waved his wand, causing green and silver banners to fall from the ceiling.
“Slytherin wins the house cup with a whopping five hundred and fifty-two points! Congratulations, Slytherin!”
And the sheer joy that filled the air when their win was announced was almost deafening.
—
“I can’t wait to go home.” Harry groaned as he flopped back against the seat in their train compartment, pulling his bag into his lap as he closed his eyes. “I miss my parents. And my sister.”
“Your sister hasn’t even been born yet.” Blaise chuckled as he settled in across from his friend, the rest of their group squeezing into the compartment. Harry shuffled his way up against the wall closest to the door, keeping the windows open so he could watch his classmates walk by.
“Doesn’t mean I can’t miss her.”
“No, no, Harry has a point.” Theo chimed in, scooting to the side to sit closer to the boy in question. “I miss his parents. And his sister.”
“Then we’re simply going to have to go and visit the Hartfords regularly this summer.” Blaise smiled. “Mamma was already planning on it, but with you staying with us, we’ll have even more reason.”
“Lucky.” Daphne sighed. “Mother and Father are dragging Astoria and I to Spain for the summer. I would love to get to meet Harry’s parents.”
“You might get to see them at the station.”
“How will I know which muggles they are?”
“You’ll know.” Blaise and Theo said in unison, which made the rest of the compartment burst into laughter.
Harry was able to calm himself down the fastest, rubbing his face as he shook his head, letting out a final puff of air. “The fact that my parents have become bloody celebrities in our house is absolutely hysterical to me. They send us baked goods once a week and now the entirety of Slytherin loves these two random muggles.”
“Bribery works, Harry.” Draco shrugged. “And those baked goods are, dare I say it, magical.”
“Apparently. Hey, Nev, what are your plans for the summer?”
“Huh? Oh!” Neville gasped a bit, his eyes going wide as he looked at his friend. “I, don’t think I’m doing much, actually. Why?”
“Think you could convince your Gran to let you come visit me over the holiday?”
He paused for a moment. “I think so, yeah. Are you sure?”
“I wouldn’t have offered it if I wasn’t sure.”
“...That’s almost exactly what you said to Theo about the Christmas holidays, isn’t it?”
“Yep. And it worked. Sooo?”
Nev snickered, shaking his head. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Harry grinned at that, pumping his fist in the air. They all got settled in after that, tentative plans to visit having been made, relaxing on the train ride home after the utter hell the past year had been, for himself especially.
He let his eyes drift closed, resting his head against Theo’s shoulder, who adjusted his position to make a better headrest for his friend.
The compartment stayed in a peaceful quiet for a majority of the ride, no one within having enough energy to keep up with much more conversation. The only sounds that filled the air were the occasional turning of a page, or the shuffling of someone in their seat, and that peace was very quickly lulling Harry to sleep. He groaned a bit, blinking his eyes a bit to try and force himself to stay awake.
Theo’s hand snaked around his shoulders, pulling him closer as he rested his head on Harry’s.
“Get some sleep.” He muttered. “I’ll wake you when we’re at the station. Okay?”
“You sure..?” He asked quietly. “You won’t be uncomfortable.”
“Not at all.”
He smiled the slightest bit at that, pulling his legs up onto the seat and nestling further into Theo’s shoulder as he closed his eyes, allowing his consciousness to drift with the knowledge that he had his friends around.
They wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him, and as long as they were on the train, they were completely safe.
And in a few short hours, he would be back home, with the people he loved most in the world.
—
Somehow, getting off of the Hogwarts Express at the end of the year was more difficult than during the winter holidays, despite the amount of people on the train being almost the exact same.
Harry was still groggy from his nap, which had spanned basically the entire train ride because he, apparently, was ‘too cute to wake up’ in Daphne’s words, and was currently trying to shove his way through the crowd of people taking up the train corridor.
“For the love of god…” He muttered, rubbing his face again as he groaned, grabbing onto the back of Blaise’s shirt as his friend began to push through the people instead. Theo’s hand grabbed the back of his, and he smiled a bit, knowing that they had just become a train of first years, shoving their way through the rest of the students to escape the train and get back to their families for the summer.
Once they were free, the train broke apart, and Daphne quickly rushed over to Harry, throwing her arms around him in a hug.
“I see my parents.” She said quickly when he hugged her back. “I’ll write over the summer, I promise. I’ll see if I can slip away for your birthday or something, okay?”
“Alright, Daph.” Harry chuckled, squeezing her a bit before they pulled away. “Be safe, have fun in Spain. You should send me a jar of sand from the beach!”
She laughed at that, but nodded, waving at the group before she rushed off to her family, wrapping her arms around a dark haired little girl in a hug and kissing her forehead, before she greeted her parents. Harry watched as the four of them disappeared into the crowd, before he said his goodbyes to Neville, who was already heading off to his Gran.
“See you later this summer, Harry! Don’t do anything stupid!” The boy called with a smile.
“I make no promises!” Harry replied, laughing as Neville shook his head in an exasperated way, walking up to a stern looking older woman wearing a… Very gaudy hat.
And that was the nice way of putting it.
“Harry!” Draco called over the loud chatter in the station. “Come on! Our parents are on the muggle side of the station!”
Harry looked at him in confusion, following Draco, Blaise, and Theo to where he knew the entrance back to the muggle side of King’s Cross was.
“What are your parents doing on the muggle side?” He asked in confusion, standing back as Theo went through the doorway first, then Blaise.
“Dunno. I think they want to meet you?”
“Oh.”
Draco grinned, before he jogged through the doorway, and Harry went through a few seconds later, trying to figure out why his friend’s parents would want to meet him.
The usual disorientation that came with passing through the doorway was less present than it was the first couple of times he experienced it, and he smiled as he stepped back out into the familiar station, looking around for half a second before he saw his parents.
“Mum! Dad!”
“Harry!” They shouted in unison, causing him to rush over to them, being met halfway by Gid who scooped him up into his arms like he was a little kid again, clutching his son to his chest like he was afraid to let go.
“Thank god. Oh thank god you’re alright.” His dad whispered, his voice thick with tears as he kissed the side of Harry’s head. “Oh buddy, oh my god… We were so scared. We’re so happy you’re safe, Harry, thank fuck…”
Gid slowly set Harry down, wiping his eyes a few times and chuckling weakly when he saw the tears that were starting to slip down his son’s cheeks as well. He didn’t get a chance to reply, however, because Fiona wrapped him in as tight of a hug as she could with her baby bump in the way, her shoulders shaking with the force of her sobs.
“Mum- Mum, I’m okay. I’m okay, I promise.” Harry whispered, clinging to her shirt and letting himself cry against her. “I’m okay.”
“Oh, my baby…” She whimpered, pulling away a bit and cupping his face, looking him over for any visible injuries. “My sweet boy… I’m so sorry.”
Harry smiled weakly up at her, nuzzling her hand a bit as she kissed his forehead.
“I’m sorry I scared you both so much.” He said softly. “I didn’t mean to.”
“We know you didn’t, Haz.” Fiona reassured him gently.
“Yeah. I mean, shit, we’re so proud of you.” Gid chuckled. “I really wish you didn’t get, y’know, almost murdered? But you… You were brilliant, from what we heard. Absolutely brilliant.”
His heart sank a bit at that, not knowing exactly how much his parents knew. Did they know that he had killed Quirrell? That he had done so without hesitation?
Did they think it was in cold blood, or self defense?
Harry was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of a man clearing his throat, and he turned to see the blonde couple that he knew to be Draco’s parents; Lord and Lady Malfoy.
“Mr. Hartford?” Lord Malfoy said softly. “My name is Lucius Malfoy, I’m… Well, I’m Draco’s father. This is my wife, Narcissa.”
Lady Malfoy smiled gently at him. “Draco told us all about what you did for him, rushing into danger like that to save him. We just… We wanted to thank you. For being such an amazing friend, and thank your parents for raising such a kind young man, which we’ve done, profusely.”
Harry felt his cheeks flush at the praise, and it took him a moment for the words to form in his mouth.
“I-it was nothing. Really. Draco’s my friend, and… And I wasn’t going to let anything bad happen to him.”
Their expressions softened at that, looking upon Harry with a sort of approval in their eyes. Lady Malfoy wiped the tear that tried to slip down her cheek away, and smiled at him.
“Still. Thank you, Mr. Hartford. I don’t know what we would have done if we lost him.”
Fiona sniffled above him, the sight of the other woman crying opening up the floodgates once again, and she wiped her eyes on her sleeve once again.
‘H-harry’s a good kid.” She sniffed, a soft chuckle escaping her. “We can only hope we do even half as good of a job on our next one as we did with him.”
Harry chuckled a bit, his blush becoming even darker as he looked away. Gid gently ruffled his son’s hair, crouching down a bit to whisper in his ear.
“When we get home, will you tell me exactly what happened?” He asked softly. “I got a big chunk of the story from Juliana and the report that Madam Bones brought to us, but I trust your word above everyone else's.”
He hesitated for a moment, but nodded, a gesture that seemed to relax his dad even further, letting him stand up once again.
“Alright.” Gid smiled a bit. “Lovey, we should head home.”
Fiona looked over at her boys, nodding a bit and smiling at them. “Right, yeah.”
“Narcissa, Juliana, I’d love to have you both over for tea sometime soon.” She said softly.
“How about this coming Saturday?” Lady Malfoy asked, raising a brow. “Would the morning work? Between nine and noon?”
“That works for me.” Fiona smiled.
“Me as well.” The Contessa hummed in acknowledgement. “We can bring the boys as well. Let them run around for a bit while we have a bit of girl time.”
“Perfect!” His mum beamed. “I’ll see you ladies then.”
Harry chuckled, walking over to his friends and pulling them all into a tight hug, squeezing them when he felt their arms come around him as well.
“See you guys on Saturday, then.” He laughed a bit.
“Yeah, see you Saturday, Harry.” Theo smiled, gently bumping their heads together. “Be safe, okay?”
“Oh, trust me.” Harry said as he pulled away. “The most exciting thing I’m getting up to this summer is hanging out with a baby, and I have no plans to do much more than that.”
That earned another round of laughter, Blaise and Theo making their way over to the Contessa, while Draco headed back to the Malfoys. Harry went back to his parent’s sides, grabbing both of their hands and letting them lead him out of the station and to the car.
He was finally getting to go home, and he truly could not wait to just… Collapse into his bed.
He desperately needed it after the year he’d just had.