The Aftermath; Healing and New Hopes
“It’s ridiculous!”
Ron was trying to hide his snicker in his elbow as Hermione leaned over the form.
Harry couldn’t keep the fond smile off of his face. “Mione, just don’t take it.”
“I won’t, though I expect us all to take the OWL anyways. Between Justin, Harry, and I, we can get the Heralds through it. Anthony, too, if we can pull him away from his books long enough.” She ignored the boys laughing at the irony of her statement. “I cannot believe this is the syllabus! Not to mention, it’s not as if anyone actually leaves the wixen world for the muggle one.” She huffed, a stray strand of hair blowing in her face as she did.
Ron leaned forward on his seat between their two beds. “So, Muggle Studies is a no. Luna says Divination is a wash unless you have the sight, and even then, there are better ways to learn. The applicable stuff isn’t even taught for a few years, we can just self-study that.”
Hermione flipped a page, quill flying as she scribbled notes around the paragraph describing the coursework of Muggle Studies.
Harry sighed as he scanned the options. “You wanted to take Runes, right? And Mione will want to take Arithmancy.”
“We don’t have much of a choice about Runes, not after Babbling heard what we did to the wall.” Ron watched him with a wry expression. “And don’t even pretend this conversation isn’t going to end with all of us taking Care, Hadrian James.”
“I wasn’t going to assume…” Harry looked at him with an innocent smile. “I wouldn’t blame you two if you didn’t want to take it.”
“Oh, please,” Hermione said as she rolled her eyes. “It’s almost inevitable that wherever we end up living after graduation is going to become a menagerie of some kind, most likely with animals we aren’t allowed to own. Taking Care is only logical.”
Harry felt a warm flush, but his grin widened. “I was just going to get Luna and her dad to help, but that works too.”
Ron nudged his arm. “Might as well get used to it, mate. You’re stuck with us. So Care, Runes, and Arithmancy.” He sighed. “I don’t know why I’m surprised I’m ending up taking the two hardest courses, and one more than we need.”
“You shouldn’t be surprised, you’re capable of more than you think.” Hermione signed her form with a flourish.
“Sure, and I appreciate that. But you know Pansy is just as capable, and she’s probably taking the easiest classes so she can focus on her political clout.”
She scoffed. “That’s because Pansy already has political clout. The rest of us, starting from practically nothing, need as many advantages as we can get.”
The doors opened, and Draco stumbled through, barely able to catch himself before he turned to glare at the figure who had just shoved him through.
Ginny gave him an unrepentant grin as she flipped her hair over her shoulder in her trademark move, and walked away from the blonde to sit by Neville’s bed on Harry’s other side, giving a slight bow to Lady Longbottom, who was watching her grandson carefully.
(Even with the Longbottom heir swearing that he didn’t blame her, Ginny had yet to forgive herself for handing Neville the diary and starting what was the worst year of his life.
She promised to make it up to him, and she and Luna had barely left Neville alone since he was allowed visitors.)
Neville just gave her a soft smile and they started whispering.
Draco, however, had barely moved from where he had been forced into the room, eyes downcast. Harry stood, waving off Ron and Hermione’s calls to stay in bed, and strode across to meet him.
Draco would later swear he could feel the near-suffocating disappointment, the anger, in Harry, even as he stood half a foot shorter and in infirmary pajamas.
Harry eyed him. “I can only assume your father had a discussion with you before he left campus?”
He twitched, wringing his hands together. “I didn’t know what he was going to do, Hadrian, you have to believe me.”
Harry sighed, pausing to consider his next words. “I do, Draco. I believe that your father didn’t trust you enough to tell you his plans.” He ignored the blonde’s wince. “But the way you acted this year, even if it was because you were scared, showed me why I can’t yet trust you to tell you mine.”
“But Ha-”
“No. You know we’re trying to build something, Draco. And not only are you what I thought was a friend, but you’re my cousin, you’re blood. You’re a Black. But when you start turning on the rest of us, Draco, you don’t realize how much damage you do to both us and yourself. I can’t defend your actions to the rest of the group. Do you truly think we trust you after the way you acted this year? Even Luna, your beloved cousin, has to think about it before she asks you for a favor.”
He waited, letting Draco work through his seething. “I understand that your father is your role model in all of this. I get that you want to please him, to make him proud. I can only imagine that if my father were still alive, I’d want to do the same. But I know you’re smart, Draco. I know you can see how things are falling. That your father, for now, at least, is on the opposite side of what we’re doing here. And you need to decide where you stand. Think about that this summer, while we’re still in the playground of politics that is the school. Merlin knows the rest of us will.”
Harry paused for another moment, ensuring Draco’s attention was on him, that he was paying close attention. “Make these mistakes, these choices, now, Draco. When we get to the real world, I won’t give you another chance. Neither of us can afford that.”
“Mr. Potter, if you’re not back in your bed in fifteen seconds, we will see how permanent permanent sticking charms can be.”
Harry didn’t look away from the wide, gray eyes of his cousin. “Sorry, Madam Pomfrey, House Black matter that couldn’t be avoided.” Draco turned red and turned away, and Harry watched him slink out of the wing before he sat back down.
He instantly smiled at the heightened mood of his godbrother, who was laughing with a lightheartedness that had been rare since they had met.
Ginny was at the foot of his bed, Luna, who had somehow gotten into the room without Harry noticing, braiding her hair as they chatted with Neville.
“It’s weird, but I’m actually excited about seeing the mindhealer. Gran said that I can see her for as long as I need, to talk about Tom, or Uncle Algie, or even…” His joy faded for a moment. “Even my parents.”
Ginny leaned forward, keeping a gentle hand on Neville’s leg. “You know you can talk to us, too, right? We may not be able to help as much as a mindhealer, but a burden shared is a burden lightened.”
He gave her a nod and a happy, if small, smile. “Anyways, Gran also said that we’re stopping at Ollivanders before we go to Morocco.”
The doors opened again, and Pansy and a stiff Theo crept through the doors, both bowing slightly towards where Augusta was now talking to Pomfrey just inside the room.
Pansy skipped forward, pressing a kiss to Neville and then Harry’s cheeks. “How are our two favorite heroes?”
Neville immediately blanched. “I-I’m not a h-hero, Pansy, I’m a victim.” He rolled his eyes, landing on Theo afterwards. “Hey, Theo.”
“Neville. Glad everything turned out okay. School wouldn’t have been the same if something had happened.”
Pansy smirked at their interaction and sat on Hermione’s bed. “Figuring out electives?”
Hermione just nodded. “I wonder how much trouble it would be to ask to take them all…”
Everyone groaned, even Justin stalking over from his own bed to flick Hermione’s ear under the scarf she used to keep her curls up and back. “Mione, no. You literally just said that Muggles Studies was worthless.”
“And you really would be wasting your time in Divination. Ron, maybe, would do well having his eye trained, but the rest would be bored.” Luna conjured a flower to tuck into the braid crown now on Ginny’s head.
Ron blinked. “Why me?”
Her eyes lost focus, but then she blinked and shrugged. “Just a feeling.”
Harry sat up, crossing his legs under him. “Hermione Jean, you keep saying we need to act like kids. Overloading on courses you’ll never need and burning out at fourteen is not the way to go.”
Hermione bit her lip. “But what if I do need it?”
“That’s why you delegate. You already know everything to know in Muggle Studies, you could literally write a book on it that would be loads better than whatever dribble Burbage spouts.” Pansy tugged at Ginny’s braid, winking down at the girl. “Plus, I’ll be taking it, and I promise to let you go over the syllabus, textbooks, and any assignments she gives us.”
“Why are you taking Muggle Studies?”
“It’s an easy O. I’m taking Care, as well, though that’s more a safety precaution being friends with Hadrian.”
Harry gave her a grin and turned back to Hermione. “So there. A spy in Muggle Studies. And once Luna gets to third year, that’ll be your eyes in Divination.” He scanned his own copy of the electives selection sheet. “How would you even take all of the classes at once, anyways? They’d overlap with our normal ones, you’d have to be in two places at once.”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure if I asked, they’d figure something out. Snape has a soft spot for us, you know.”
Ron leaned over and pulled the sheet away from her lap. “No. We care too much about you to let you do that to yourself. If you absolutely must, you can reach out to the professors and see if they’ll give you materials to study outside of class. But no attending, and no homework with a deadline.”
Hermione huffed but let the sheet be taken away.
A silence fell over the group, only broken a moment later by a soft clearing of the throat.
Everyone turned to look at Theo, who paled under the weight of half a dozen pairs of eyes.
He awkwardly shifted at the side of Neville’s bed. “I understand if you say no, as we don’t know each other very well and you’ve had a stressful year. But, I would regret not asking. Heir Longbottom, would you…” He swallowed audibly, eyes flickering to the two women paying no attention to the children. “Would you be opposed to me writing you this summer?”
Neville blinked at him for a moment before he blushed furiously. “Uh… If you… If you want to, I wouldn’t mind at all.”
Theo nodded firmly, even as a slight blush appeared on his own cheeks. “Then I’ll speak to you soon.” He turned to leave down a side door, avoiding the rest of the group entirely.
Pansy looked at the boys with eyebrows raised and followed him out, barely hiding a snicker of laughter.
Harry and Ron immediately turned to Neville with wide grins. Ginny and Luna squealed at the edge of his bed.
“Nev!”
“Theo Nott just asked to be penpals?”
“Do you like him?”
“Do you think he likes you?”
“Why else would he ask to write like that, Harry, he’s obviously gearing up to court Neville.”
“We’re twelve, Ginny, excuse me for not assuming he’s starting to court my godbrother already. Nev, you have my blessing.”
“Nott, on the other hand, might have to work for it.”
Neville pushed at Ginny lightly, glancing towards his grandmother. “Guys, shut it, it’s just a few letters over the holiday.”
Harry and Ron looked at each other with smirks. The girls were whispering under their breath.
“Sure, sure.”
“Whatever you say.”
“Mr. Weasley, I cleared you to leave two hours ago.”
Ron gave Pomfrey a wry grin. “I know, Madam, but I’m still feeling a slight bit winded. Maybe it was the dampness of the Chamber where I was trapped after an explosion blew apart the stone ceiling.”
She eyed him warily.
He gave a weak cough.
Her snicker wasn’t quite hidden by her turned back, but she threw a hand up. “Fine. Far be it for me to try and punish a student who actually wants to spend more time in an infirmary bed.” She disappeared into her office, the lights dimming.
Ron and Justin immediately moved to sit on Neville and Harry’s bed, leaving Colin and a sleeping Penelope on the other side of the room by themselves.
“Are we going to talk about the sword?” Ron pulled Harry’s bag up from the floor and put it between them with an expectant expression.
Neville looked over eagerly, even as Justin and Hermione swapped confused glances.
“You don’t want to talk about the fact that the Dark Lord is a muggle-raised half-blood named Tom?” No one seemed moved. Harry sighed and pulled the sword out, finally giving it a decent once over. “Well, I’m not sure if this made my life easier or exponentially harder.”
“What is it?” Hermione moved to shove Ron over, settling on Harry’s bed next to him.
“This sword came to me in the Chamber, I used it on the basilisk. I didn’t see a reason to return it to Albus, even though it was Fawkes and Alastair that gave it to me.” Harry tilted the sword so the others could see the beautiful engraving reading Godric Gryffindor.
Ron gave a low whistle.
Hermione and Justin met each other’s eyes with a gleam. “Research project?”
The next morning, Pomfrey gave one last look over them all, and then dismissed them to their dorms to start packing.
The Leaving Feast was that night, and the train was set to leave right after an early breakfast the next day.
Neville, however, was leaving within the hour.
Harry waved away his friends, and offered to escort Lady Longbottom and her grandson to Gryffindor tower, and then to McGonagall’s office, where they intended to floo home.
Neville and Harry chatted idly about the electives offered the following year, Augusta scoffing about how much things had changed since she was a student.
When they approached the Transfiguration Hall, Harry rubbed his neck. “I suppose I should take my leave, let you two get home.”
He bowed to Augusta after giving Neville a brief hug, promising to write.
She eyed him. “You intend to honor your placement as godbrother to my grandson?”
Harry looked up, eyes wide. “I always intended to. The fact that I lacked the sight to see him suffering this year will always haunt me, and I intend to make up for that as well. But yes, Regent Longbottom, it is my wish that we continue on like the brothers we were meant to be.”
She huffed. “Call me Gran, then. I’ll expect you for dinner this summer, if not to join us on our trip to Morocco later on.” She nodded. “Write to Neville for dates, we’ll figure something out.”
She took a few steps before turning back with a slight smirk. “Not to mention, I’d gladly claim anyone who was willing to put Albus Dumbledore in his place in his own castle. Well done, lad.”
“Thanks, Gran.” Harry grinned, which turned into a laugh at Neville’s shocked face.
He left them to head home, and took… a slightly longer route to dungeons.
Harry sidled up to Hermione. “Say, Mione. Do you think that healing magic you’ve been learning could work on a snake?”
She instantly glared. “How big of a snake?”
He just gave her a too-innocent smile.
“Hadrian James, you did not go down there to see if the basilisk was still alive by yourself.”
He winced. “Her name is Bai and she’s right pissed about the whole thing. Well, about Tom. She’s quite forgiving about the whole ‘me stabbing her in the mouth’ thing. Well... it took some bribing. A lot of food from the kitchens, Tweak might be a little mad at me. She said she'll definitely forgive me if we can heal her mouth, and whatever we can of her eyes. And she won’t hurt me, or my friends, and she can shield her gaze. Apparently I’ve… accidentally become Heir of Slytherin? At least in the school’s magicks. Right of conquest, between tonight and Halloween of ‘81, so she's inclined to not kill me.” He had to force back a cower as her glare intensified.
She stared at him for a full minute in complete silence before she took a deep breath through her nose. “Morgana help me, Potter, you’ll put in me St. Mungo’s before we’re even teenagers.”
“You’re already thirteen, Mione, your birthday was ages ago.”
“Keep digging.” Her glare subsided at his pleading look. “Let’s go to the chamber, we only have a few hours before the Leaving Feast.”
(They ended up being late. Hermione didn’t account for them both being so interested in the history and heritage that adorned the walls under dirt and dust. Bai found it amusing, and reluctantly answered Hermione’s questions with a patience only able to be gained by being alone for centuries at a time.
It wasn’t until Tweak popped into the room, slightly scolding them for not paying attention to the time, but surprisingly not worried about the giant snake, that they headed back towards the Great Hall via one of the pipes that, with Harry’s Parseltongue, turned into a pathway letting out in a secret passage just around the corner.
Just in time for Professor Babbling to hand them extra homework, even though they hadn’t even gotten assigned a textbook for her class. Apparently Pomfrey had asked her to undo their rune work on the wall of the infirmary, and she was rather excited about their array. Hermione was only too happy to be included in the extra work. The twins, however, who were taking their OWLs the next year, were not.)
It was with a fond nostalgia that Harry settled in the corner of the common room after everyone had returned from dinner. He had already finished packing, had been packing a little at a time all week.
Everyone else, apparently, hadn’t had the forethought. Even seventh years, done with their final tests and halfway through the alcohol supply, were running into various rooms in and around the common room, trying to ensure that they wouldn’t leave anything behind.
(Although Snape had already mentioned to a worried Bridget Daugherty, who was terrified that if she left anything in the first year dorm, she’d accidentally free all of the house elves and ruin the school’s ability to function, that any lost items would be owled to their homes.)
Movement from the second year girl’s lounge had Harry hesitate at the doorway.
“Millicent, may I have a word?”
He barely got a second glance from any of the others. Millie nodded and followed him away from the other girls, not even asking as they went out of the common room and towards an abandoned corridor.
When they were far enough away, he turned to her with a worried look. “I don’t mean to press on any wounds, but how Dark Lord aligned was your family?”
She winced. “They’re pretty fundamentalist, but I don’t think anyone was officially marked, why?”
He shifted awkwardly. “I need a favor that you’re best suited for, but I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or for you to get in trouble.”
“My family doesn’t pay attention to me, Hadrian. My mom was the daughter of a muggleborn who died before anyone could find out my da sullied himself with her to have me. He hasn’t claimed me past giving me his name, and I was practically raised by the house elves. He won’t care to check on what I’m doing, and no one else in the family would look twice. What’s the favor?”
“Millie, I’m serious. This isn’t just chatting about old rumors about people hundreds of years ago. This has to do with the Dark Lord himself.”
She looked at him, at the concern in his eyes, the way he was wrenching his hands together.
“Hadrian, you’ve been in the wix world two years and you’ve already made things better, even if it’s just at Hogwarts. You’ve stood up for us halfbloods, for the first gens. I know you’ll go on to change the fabric of our society, even if it’s at Hermione’s bidding.”
She ignored his half-hearted snicker to meet his eyes, making sure he realized her sincerity. “If you keep your way, I may be able to actually do what I want with my life. If I can do something to help, I will. I’m used to not making myself seen. What do you need?”
He sighed. “Find out everything you can on Tom Riddle.”
“The prefect who got the special award the same year Hagrid was expelled?”
Harry nodded. “He was for sure a half-blood, raised in the muggle world. But once he graduated Hogwarts, he... became rather powerful in our world."
She frowned, taking down notes on a small notebook she had paid Justin to get for her back at Yule.
“And Millie, I’m about to tell you something very few people know right now, though once we know more that will change. This information is not shared lightly, and if Dumbledore knew I was sharing this with you, he’d be livid, not to mention what the Dark would do.”
She looked into his eyes again, and nodded once more at the trace of fear there, and the fact it was on her behalf. “Anything, Hadrian.”
“Tom Riddle is the given name of the Dark Lord.”
She sucked in a breath.
“If the wrong person finds out you’re researching this, it could get you hurt. If you think someone knows, if you get scared, if you think you need help, you reach out to a Herald immediately. We will get you out one way or another. You will not be left in a situation you cannot handle.”
He was offering her a way out, an escape route.
She just saw it as inspiration to keep going, her mind flying at the implications of what this information could do to the political world. “I promise. I won’t fail you, Hadrian. If Riddle really is the Dark Lord, this information could chip away at his support. If people found out he was a halfblood, he’d lose casual followers in droves.”
He nodded. “It could change the upcoming war. But your safety comes first. Do not think this is more important than you being okay.”
Harry was shocked when she lunged forward to wrap him in a hug.
“You know this is why people would follow you through war, right? You’re going to be a fantastic person, Hadrian Potter. You already are.”
The next morning, they all crammed in a train car.
At first it was just a few of the Heralds, mainly the ones who were directly involved with the chaos of the year.
As soon as they settled, Justin presented Harry with a scroll detailing a bloody history of the sword of Godric Gryffindor, and the potential conflict with the goblins who made it.
“Goblinmade. That’s going to be an issue. Unless there’s express contracts that state differently, the goblins will maintain that anything they make should be returned to them.” Ron scratched his chin as he scanned the page over Harry’s shoulder.
Harry sighed and tucked it away. “I suppose I’ll need to talk to Gerard about this, too.”
“It’s not clear in wixen law who it belongs to." Justin shrugged when Harry looked his way. "And I know you're getting Gerard to get you a copy of the Hogwarts Charter, maybe that will help us figure it out. If it’s the castle’s, and therefore Dumbledore’s, or if it’s yours because you were able to summon it. But in goblin law, it’s clearly theirs.”
Harry groaned. “I’d much rather be in trouble with the Wizengamot than with the Gott Clan.”
Everyone in the car nodded near violently.
Over the next hour, more and more of their friends shoved into their car, until all of the Heralds and most of their upper year friends were sprawled across seats and the floor.
The group looked up after a while to the door slamming open, Fred and George standing there with wide grins. “You’ll never guess who we just saw Percy making out with.”
The entire car responded. “Penelope Clearwater.”
Fred’s jaw dropped, while George just started cackling as he fell into the seat next to the not-entirely pleased Theo.
“You knew? You all knew?” Fred twisted to stare at Ron and Ginny.
Ron didn’t even look up from his chess game with Anthony. “Of course we knew, mate. He walks her to Ravenclaw Tower every night, and we were hanging out with Luna and Anthony and saw them back around Samhain.”
Fred turned to Ginny, who flipped a page in the magazine she was looking over with Pansy. “Oh, I saw them start of spring term. I don’t know how you two didn’t notice. He was really worried with her up in the hospital wing, he even tried to get Pomfrey to let him intern just so he could keep an eye on her.”
Fred closed the door and moved to settle on the floor next to her legs. “Gin, why didn’t you tell us?”
She tossed her hair back over her shoulder as she stared down at him. “Information is power. What do I get out of telling you, other than the drama of hearing you two and Percy poke at each other all summer?” She turned back to the page. “Which, to be frank, is quite boring by now, find something else to entertain yourselves.”
Fred’s jaw dropped while George looked on, proud. “She’s grown so much, I can’t believe we have Slytherin to thank for that!”
All the snakes in the car turned to stare.
“Careful, Georgie, four of your siblings are Slytherin,” Marcus called from where he was leaning against a smirking Oliver.
Fred groaned as he shoved into a seat beside Harry, before any mock irritation melted away, and he ruffled Harry's hair and shot Hermione a wink.
Hermione and Harry turned red but shared a grin.
The light hearted mood stayed the entire train ride back, the group laughing and teasing, only really leaving to say farewells to other friends, or when Justin made a comment about the Harpies, and Ginny chased him down the entirety of the train until Percy saw their giggle-filled tussle and sent them back.
It wasn’t until his friends left, one-by-one, either by floo or through the platform, that Harry’s amusement faded.
He stared at the wall leading back to King’s Cross with a twist of his lips.
Gerard appeared at his shoulder, Marcus just behind. “Only one week, I swear, Hadrian. I will not let you suffer at their hands any longer.”
Harry nodded, heaving a playfully forlorn sigh. “For the greater good.”
The Flints both laughed as Harry gave a wink and strode forward through the bricks, where Vernon was waiting with an even heavier stature and an angry scowl.
Both the Grangers and the Weasleys were waiting for him, however, and he was passed around by both families quite visibly in front of his uncle.
Dan made a rather loud and pointed comment about expecting his call the next day, eyes locked on the furious Vernon.
Molly, in particular, worried over Harry, fussing over his hand-me-down clothes and the wrinkle between his brows.
“Counselor Flint’s told us all about the plan this summer. Don’t you worry, if we don’t hear from you by the end of the week, Arthur will stop by Amelia Bones’ office and we’ll get you out of there in a heartbeat.”
Harry gave her a sad smile. “Thanks, Molly. I’ll see you soon.”
She pressed a kiss to his forehead, and he pulled away from the two families that were watching him with worried looks.
“I’ll be fine, everyone. Carry on, and all that rot. I’ll write tomorrow, and then we’ll have family dinner soon enough.”
Hermione stepped forward, laying her head on his shoulder. Ron wrapped his arms around them both.
They hugged for a moment, and then Harry pulled away, not able to look back even one more time as he resigned himself to another visit with the Dursleys.