Leaving Hogwarts
They all crammed into one of the smaller cars, too many people in too small a space to truly be comfortable, but after the chaos of Quirrellmort, and with the impending doom of a seemingly endless summer, no one wanted something as trivial as space.
Harry took in all of the friends he had made throughout this first year as he leant against the window of the car, sitting in the floor between the two benches, Hermione and Ron on either side, their legs tangled in front of them.
Justin had a pile of books beside him, trying to cram in as much as possible before his return to the muggle world. He, Hermione, and Harry had already swapped telephone numbers, with promises of at least weekly calls to just check in. Harry had blushed furiously when Hermione took him by the shoulders, Justin just behind her wearing a rare expression of seriousness. They were unusually blunt about telling Harry that they didn’t know all the details, but he was their friend, they cared about him, and they were going to make sure he was okay.
Fred and George were the bench across from Justin, heads together as they skimmed through sheafs of notes. Every so often George would look up and just check that Harry and Ron were still okay, nod, and then continue reading. Fred, however, the more emotionally stunted of the two, just kept working, trying to think of anything that can make up for not being there when his youngest brother and his best friends were bleeding out in the bowels of the school. The twins had been extra protective ever since Harry had woken up in the Hospital Wing, ignoring Madam Pomfrey’s promises of detention to attempt to stay by the first years. Ron whispered one night that that’s how they showed affection, turning into Mini Mollys when someone’s hurt.
Harry and Hermione didn’t mention that Ron did, too. Just shared a fond look when he wasn’t looking.
Marcus had started the ride with them, but needed to go spread some whispers among those graduating, trying to gather support for Harry from those who were going to be in the real world. The only reason he felt comfortable leaving was Oliver settled beside the twins, squeezing his hand as he left. Flick would have been a better choice, being a graduate herself, but she refused to be anywhere other than where she could see Harry, sitting stock-straight on the floor in the corner of the car, legs spread out across the closed and locked door.
Terry had followed Marcus in, and hadn’t left when his captain did, instead settling on the floor next to his sister, arm over her tense shoulders, offering another layer of protection between the door and the first years they had accidentally adopted.
Theo and Draco were as far away from the others as possible, whispering back and forth about what Draco had seen in the Mirror Room. They didn’t really engage with anyone, only each other, Draco still pale and shaken, Theo subtly leaning into him in support. No one had tried to engage with them other than Harry just handing them a pile of sweets from the trolley without a word.
Between them and Justin was a very nervous Neville, who held his father’s wand in front of him, a book on wand lore stolen from Justin’s pile. It seemed that the many Nook discussions on pushing magic through different wands had affected him, and getting hit in the face with the reality that the Dark Lord was back in some way spurred him into at least thinking about asking his grandmother for a wand that chose him. Apparently his distracting of Professor McGonagall ended with him asking her for advice on it, and he had left her office with a pleased flush, which disappeared as soon as he heard that his friends were in the Hospital Wing.
Pansy was uncharacteristically worrying at her bottom lip as she sat behind Flick and Terry, her eyes skating over her friends every few seconds. Occasionally her eyes would settle on Draco, her childhood best friend, the boy her parents hinted at an engagement with, and saw how scared he was, after years of never letting anyone see anything other than the best from him. They were too young to deal with this, she thought to herself, but she knew that their group of purebloods would be having a lot of discussions this summer about the delicate balance of figuring out what to do without letting their parents know they were even considering a side not behind the Dark Lord.
As the train rolled steadily towards London, towards summer, there was a stream of people just checking in. Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil stepped in early on, before they could get into Ravenclaw mode about anything, Anthony passing off a letter from his cousin Rolf with a wink, and Padma giving Harry a book on basic Hindi.
“It may not be the exact language of the Indian branch of the Potters, but it’s a good place to start. Something to keep you occupied until you get back to Diagon. Write me if you need help, Parvati and I should be available towards the end of the holiday.” Padma offered him a tight smile before she pulled Anthony out of the car and back towards where her sister was sitting with Lavender Brown down the train.
Dean Thomas poked his head in quickly, passing Harry his phone number and address, and waving at Neville and Justin before heading back to the other Gryffindors. While the muggleborn had gotten over the house lines, Seamus Finnegan still was unhappy with the idea of being friendly with any snakes, and was still on Harry’s shortlist of assholes to curse if needed. With everyone on edge as it was, Dean didn’t dare bring his best friend through to say goodbye to the group.
Hannah and Susan paused in the doorway, and then stepped over Flick to hug Justin and ruffle Harry’s hair.
“Hadrian, my uncle Tom is going to have me working at the Leaky this summer, so if you come stay again maybe we can study together? Susan will be off with her aunt for a few weeks, I could use the company.” Hannah’s grin was blinding as Harry nodded with a smile.
Even Percy, seemingly on his rounds as Prefect, looked concerned as he lingered in the doorway. His eyes flickered between all three of his brothers, each comfortable in a space with multiple houses, different years, each taking care to keep an eye on the slight of a boy literally in the center of the room. He had heard, of course, of the chaos of the third corridor, that his brother and his two best friends had faced a professor that was apparently trying to bring You-Know-Who back, that they had won, but seeing the way all of these people instinctively moved to protect the three of them, even Draco Malfoy, sent a shock through him. When he pushed away from his family, finishing his rounds to settle with Penelope towards the front of the train, it was with the knowledge that something at Hogwarts, in the wixen world in general, had changed.
They finally reached the station, after awkward silence and meaningful glances. Hermione, Justin, and Harry all peeled off their robes to get back in muggle t-shirts and jeans. No one mentioned the baggy clothes that hung off Harry’s slight frame, but the loaded looks passed between everyone was enough to say what was needed. It took a while for them all to gather their things and get off the train. Those taking the bricks back to London were being shepherded through by a guard in twos or threes, so they didn’t attract too much attention of the muggles on the other side.
Harry had never gotten as many hugs or handshakes in his life as he did those final ten minutes. Flick and Marcus kept a keen eye on them all as Harry’s friends and acquaintances slowly filtered out of the station, flooing away with their parents or leaving for the Knight Bus, or going to meet their families on the other side of the bricks. Finally, it was only the trio and a lingering Flick, Terry leaning against a wall on the far side of the train.
“See you soon, sprog. Owl me and you can take me out to dinner to celebrate me graduating. And we can have a conversation about the Grey.” Flick winked and grabbed her brother’s arm, disappearing with a crack.
Ron slung an arm around both Harry and Hermione’s shoulders. “You’ll have to come for dinner this summer. Even if we spend most of the time in the Alley, Mum’ll go mental if she can’t feed you herself a few times. Speaking of.” Ron lifted a hand as Ginny shrieked from in between the twins and ran across the stones towards them.
“Hadrian! Hermione!” She flung herself between them, Ron groaning and moving back as her hair smacked his face. “Mum wouldn’t tell me anything other than that you were in the Hospital Wing! You’ll have to tell me everything!” She pulled away from her hug, eyes flickering in between them.
“Oi! What am I? Your favorite brother and I don’t even warrant a hello? I was also in the Hospital Wing!” Ron pushed Ginny’s forehead out of his personal space.
“Oh, please, Harry’s my favorite brother.” Harry blushed brightly at her words, luckily not noticing her matching embarrassment, though she pushed through it stubbornly. “And I’ll see you plenty this summer, who knows when I’ll see these two again.” She gave them both another hug. “Write me?”
Hermione grinned and grabbed her hand. “We will. Harry’s going to be holed up in the Alley for most of the summer, and I’m planning on joining once my family comes back from holiday in France.”
Harry nodded when Ginny looked his way, but his eyes kept focusing on the bricks that he was sure Vernon was waiting on the other side of. Before Ginny could say anything, Mrs. Weasley walked into his view and immediately wrapped him in a hug.
“I swear, you three are going to give me more grey hairs than the twins.” She turned to give Hermione the same treatment. “I expect to see you both to the Burrow within the month for a family dinner, Bill and Charlie should be around towards the beginning of August.”
“Yes, Molly,” Harry and Hermione chimed, smiling at the matriarch, who sighed and hugged them again.
“Other than this madness, did you have a good year?” She pushed Harry’s beanie back from over his eyes.
“Very.” He grinned up at her as they started to walk towards the barrier.
“I’m sure you’ll be writing the boys this summer, but don’t be afraid to write to Arthur and me if you need anything. The Burrow is always open to you if you need a place to stay or just a good meal with family.”
Harry blinked back tears as they emerged on the other side of the bricks, where a purple-faced Vernon was tapping his foot impatiently. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me this year, Molly. Asking for help from you on the first of September was the best thing that happened to me.”
Molly wiped her own eyes. “Oh, Hadrian Potter, don’t get me started. Now, I’m guessing that man over there is your uncle, and he doesn’t seem eager to wait much longer. Keep in touch, you hear me?” She ruffled his hair and pulled Ginny away from the trio.
“Hurry up, boy, we haven’t got all day.” Vernon’s gruff voice cut through the atmosphere like a cutting charm.
Harry instinctively jumped back into Ron’s side, eyes downcast. He swallowed audibly. “See you over the summer?”
Ron wrapped his arms around them both, and the three squeezed together one last time.
Vernon coughed pointedly.
Hermione turned and glared.
“Hadrian James, you better call me once a day,” she muttered, still staring Vernon down.
“I’ll try, Mione, I will. Just stop, you’ll only make it worse.” Harry pulled away, taking a deep breath before stepping a few feet away. “It’s only a few weeks. Gerard promised to come get me himself if I don’t show up in his office.”
“Screw Gerard. We’ll come get you. We’re your family, you belong with us,” Ron swore, Hermione nodding on Harry’s other side, the entire Weasley family only a few feet away watching with smiles.
“It’s a promise.”
BONUS MATERIAL to add some flavor while we wait for me to finish Year 2. Dates not accurate, just around when I could see the photos taking place. Maybe when my ADHD hates writing I'll try not to butcher these poor kids' faces and give myself some fanart, you all are welcome to join:
POLAROIDS HERMIONE & FRIENDS TOOK AND TAPED TO THE WALLS: (each with a date; description, and the -photographer)
- Draco staring into the lens with a confused expression (12 Jan, 1992; Draco being shown how muggle cameras work… through show and tell. -Hermione)
- Pansy and Blaise in a staring contest in the courtyard (21 Feb, 1992; Pansy and Blaise, either determining who has the best eyes or who can do the best uninterested leer. -Ron)
- A selfie of the whole First Blood group, Dean and Justin criss cross on the floor, Hermione and Harry with arms thrown around each other’s shoulders, Hannah and Susan sitting on a table in the background, Marcus and Terry drawing Quidditch tactics on the chalkboard almost out of frame (17 October, 1991; First Blood Club! LtoR, Members: Dean, Justin, Harry, Hermione, Mentors: Hannah, Susan, Marcus, & Terrence. -Flick)
- Flick and Harry covered in dirt after a ritual went wrong, Harry laughing on the ground, Flick staring down with a disgusted look (11 March, 1992; Flick may be Head Girl, but never let her become a teacher. Things may literally end in flames. -Hermione)
- Daphne, Tracey, and Pansy, hands full of bottles, standing behind a seated, visibly nervous Hermione, whose hair was down and full (30 Mar, 1992; Apparently girls night is now a thing. Hermione doesn’t seemed thrilled at the idea of hair potions, even if Hadrian owns part of the company. -Millicent)
- Marcus and Oliver, hands tangled at the Gryffindor table, free hands waving from discussing the latest professional Quidditch match, even as other lions are glaring from the background (17 Feb; 1992; These two will have the most Quidditch-crazed kids known to wixen kind. -Neville)
- The first picture from Hermione’s actual polaroid, that she didn’t have to send off to have developed, the remnants of their Yule morning, Harry and Ron on the floor surrounded by paper and books. (25 Dec, 1991; Our first Yule! Thanks Papa, the camera will be put to good use between the three of us! -Hermione)
- A picture of the entire first year Slytherin class, even Crabbe and Goyle scowling in the group (06 Jan, 1992; Apparently one of the purebloods saw the camera and insisted on a group photo. These kids can’t decide if they’re best friends or mortal enemies. -Terry)
- Theo and Ron playing chess, Ron with a smirk and Theo with a faint scowl (02 Dec, 1992; Theo may have found his match in Ron, but he’s not letting that stop him. -Harry)
- A variety of photos of Hermione’s favorite places at the school to share with her parents, of candids from the whole year
- the Slytherin common room, especially the couch the Trio tended to use, fire roaring, books stacked and parchment everywhere (13 Sep, 1991; Best place for studying when you want to stay in the snake nest. -Hermione)
- the Nook, tea tray full, chalkboard covered in notes, Justin napping in the corner and Anthony studying at the table (11 Nov, 1991; Harry found a place just for our friends! We spend more time here than anywhere else anymore. -Hermione)
- people looking into cauldrons, steam rising, strange ingredients stacked and organized in the background, Harry in the foreground, hair crazy from the heat, Snape looking unimpressed at his desk (19 May, 1991; Harry’s favorite class so far, even though it makes his hair worse than mine. He has far too many experiments planned even for me. -Hermione)
- the Quidditch field during a game, Slytherins cheering like crazy, green scarves and signs waving, Harry and Ron nearly over the railing as they yelled (16 Apr, 1992; I may not be a huge fan of sports, but the boys go crazy for it, and it’s hard not to cheer with a crowd like this. -Hermione)
- the full train compartment at the end of the year, everyone pensive from the events of Quirrellmort but still smiling around at each other, no one even noticing Hermione’s camera (25 June, 1992; The train ride home. Too many friends to list, but with a long summer ahead, no one minded how little space there was. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have met all of these people in the first ten months of being a witch. -Hermione)
- Marcus, Terry, and Harry covered in mud grinning after practice one day, arms wrapped around each other, Harry laughably shorter than the older boys (06 June, 1992; Marcus is set on Harry taking Terry’s spot next year. Slytherin for the win!!! -Ron)
- Everyone cheering in the Slytherin stands around the trio, who asked Flick to take a picture of them at one of the games, the three of them decked in green and grinning, even as Hermione has a book under her arm and Harry covered in dirt from being in the Forest before the match (08 Apr, 1992; The boys have got Hermione in green, but still haven’t managed to get her to leave my book in the common room. -Flick)
- Crabbe, Goyle, and Ron, seated side by side at the End of Year Feast, each with plates piled almost to their chins with tons of food. Draco looks disgusted in the background. (These boys could eat more in one sitting than Harry even weighs. Glad the girls don’t share a bathroom with them. -Hermione)
- Flick sprawled on the couch in the Nook, a laughing Terry collapsed on top of her (28 Apr, 1992; Terry has strange ways of distracting his sister from NEWT studying. -Justin)
- Flick sprawled on the couch under a laughing Terry… And a laughing Harry, Ron, Anthony, Padma, Justin, and Hannah in a massive pile barely able to stay on the couch (28 Apr, 1992; Apparently everyone needed a study break. -Susan)
- A bunch of people napping where they shouldn’t be
- the twins asleep at a table in the Kitchens, surrounded by food (29 Mar, 1992; Pranking is hard work. Fred & George with their defenses down. -Harry)
- Neville somehow napping under a batch of Mimbulus mimbletonia without a care in the world (03 Apr, 1992; Proof that Neville Longbottom can speak to plants. Not even Sprout could do this, mate. -Ron)
- Hannah, Susan, Justin, Anthony, Padma, Harry, and Dean asleep on a large blanket under a tree down by the Black Lake, Neville and Ron sitting up and talking amongst them (10 Jun, 1992; First year multihouse picnic turned into a nap session, apparently. The weather was just too nice to sit in the Great Hall for lunch. -Hermione)
- A random table in the library filled with fifth years, all with their heads down, barely visible between the stacks of books, Anthony photobombing with two thumbs ups (02 Jun, 1992; Looking forward to OWLs already! -Hermione)
- so many pics of Harry, asleep on couches, on the floor in the Nook both on and off the floor cushions they used, sprawled out in the grass in the sunshine, drooling on various people’s shoulders, head down on the table in the Great Hall, tucked into corners of empty classrooms, even passed out in the hallway waiting for a class to start. (various dates, all with just a ‘Boy-Who-Slept Sighting’ and the photographer. What the Nook kids didn’t know was that by the end of their first year, the Boy-Who-Slept joke was starting to spread)
- A pic of Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys at Hogwarts in their Yule sweaters (25 Dec, 1991; Thanks Molly for the family sweaters! So glad to have a family to share my first Hogwarts Yule with! -Hermione)
- An actually artsy photo of Hermione lighting one of her bluebell jars in the Nook, gentle light casting up on her face as she smiles softly (08 Feb, 1992; The way Hermione has with fire should be a warning to any Fundamentalist pulling any tricks. -Dean)
- Harry showing off his exam results because it was the first time he’d been able to do his best and he was near the top of the class, grin wide as Hermione insisted taking a picture to celebrate (23 June, 1992; Harry’s first marks at Hogwarts, the first year he could really try. Couldn’t be more proud, top 5 in all of his classes! -Hermione)
- Percy bookended by Harry and Hermione while they talk about his OWLs, Ron having snagged the camera at dinner one day, and Harry and Hermione are looking seriously at the notes in front of Percy, Percy with a fond, almost disbelieving smile as he pointed out something (03 June, 1992; Percy taking Harry and Hermione through his OWL study guide. I, though, am about to find Fred & George and go flying. -Ron)
- Her favorite photo so far: A very tentative photo of Harry and Ron sharing candy on the floor of the train, both sharing hopeful smiles as well as the Bertie Botts box in Harry’s hand, both looking small and unsure in their unsorted robes. (01 Sep, 1991; Made two friends on the train. A lot of serious talk, but they seem like they’ll be good choices. Looking forward to our first year at Hogwarts! -Hermione)
PAGES FOUND TAPED TO THE FIRST YEAR BOY’S LOUNGE AND THE NOOK
- A stray note from Ginny to Ron about how fun the game she got to come to Hogwarts to watch was, even with Harry needing the attention all to himself afterwards
- The first photo of the boys on Yule
- A potion report of Theo’s with a stray note from Snape about an experiment done years prior in a Potions Monthly Journal. Different colored inks have covered the page, even spare pieces of parchment stuck up around it, between Hermione, Daphne, Draco, Harry, and Theo, all debating the experiment, variations, how to use the resulting potion, and how soon they could safely try said experiment. Ron had just tacked up a note saying ‘NO POTIONS EXPERIMENTS IN THE DORMS’, and someone else underlined it
- Random drawings of animals Harry rotates through obsessing over. The main one seems to be Fluffy, with a few notes about how the middle head, Bruno, likes a sweeter meat, while the outer heads, Al and Craven, like a richer, bloodier meat. Many notes were added concerning rules about pets in the castle, the size of Fluffy’s teeth, and the fact that Hagrid would be upset if Harry kidnapped his dog.
- A list of small-scale rituals, charmed with a simple ward so only the Nook kids can read it, and each has a few notes and whether it worked or not. One, the one that ended with Hermione taking a photo of an ash-covered Flick and Harry, has a bunch of x’s and no’s next to it.
- An ongoing list of muggle pop culture that the wixen-raised kids need to be exposed to. Examples include: various sports, Disney, the concept of fast food, Doctor Who, West End/Broadway, horror movies, the concept of TV/movies, and video games
- An ongoing list of muggle history that needs to be taught, such as the muggle world wars, nuclear weapons, space travel, the royal family, and the theory of gravity
- A list of questions, both first gen to pureblood and vice versa. Like, “Is the Loch Ness Monster real,” and “Why in Merlin’s name would you play a game where you fight dragons in some dungeon?”
- A tally in the Nook of who got the highest marks in various class tests
- Tally of number of wins in chess, between Anthony, Draco, Theo, and Ron. None of the girls seem interested
- List of muggle supplies to ask Hermione or Justin’s parents to send, including muggle candies after Justin came back from Yule hols with a bucket load
- The pride and joy of the Nook: the sign up sheet for Hermione Granger’s army for the Hogwarts Coup, dozens of names listed below, some with later-added notes dictating positions in the army, additions added, and a parchment added with a ridiculous timeline with massive goals no one expects to actually meet, and the final goal stating that Hermione Granger will be Minister of Magic by the new century