Another Year Gone
Irwin checked his watch as he left Dumbledore’s office and saw it was nearly twelve o’clock in the morning.
He ran off to Ravenclaw tower to go wake up the others.
“Which room can you eat?” asked the knocker.
“A mushroom,” answered Irwin.
The door opened, Irwin was about to go find Anthony and the others, but they were already awake.
“Irwin!!” screamed Lisa and Mandy jumping on him and hugging him.
“Why are you covered in filth?” asked Lisa brushing herself off.
“Where the hell have you been!” asked Terry.
“You’ve been gone for four hours!” agreed Michael.
“Finding the Chamber of Secrets, killing a Basilisk, and saving Ginny Weasley,” Irwin answered calmly.
Seven faces just stared at him gobsmacked.
“You’re kidding right?” asked Anthony uncertainly.
“Nope.”
“Wow!” breathed Padma and Persephone.
Professor Flitwick then came and announced there was going to be a huge feast to celebrate.
It was the strangest meal Irwin had ever been to. Everyone was sitting eating in the pyjamas, Irwin was still in his filth covered robes, but he was so happy to be back with his friends he just didn’t care!
Not long after the beginning of the feast Harry and Ron rushed over to the entrance to the Great Hall.
“Hermione!! Anne!!” screamed Harry.
Irwin ran over to join them.
“Harry thank god you’re alright,” said Anne crying into her brothers’ arms.
“Thank god you’re alright!” replied Harry, “you two have been petrified for three months!”
“Hi Anne,” muttered Irwin not wanting to disturb the family reunion.
“Irwin!” cried Anne disentangling herself from Harry's arms.
Anne pulled Irwin into a deep hug. He never wanted to let her go ever again.
Irwin kissed Anne lightly on the forehead, before leading her over to the Ravenclaw table.
Anne blushed but she didn’t say anything.
“Anne!” called Padma and Lisa.
Anne hardly had time to eat she was so busy being hugged by all her friends.
“I’m glad you’re back Anne,” said Luna dreamily, “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too Luna!”
“Here you haven’t eaten in three bloody months!” chuckled Michael as he passed Anne a plate loaded with roast chicken and roast potatoes with broccoli and Yorkshire pudding and gravy.
“Thanks, Michael!”
“Anne! Irwin!” exclaimed Rolf coming over to their table halfway through the meal.
“Thank god you’re both alright!”
After hugging both Anne and Irwin at least three times each he turned on his brother.
“Irwin, I could bloody kill you! You went after the Heir of Slytherin on your own, you should have told a teacher!” shouted Rolf. “Just you wait till Dad finds out, you’re so bloody reckless sometimes!”
Irwin pushed his food around his plate shiftily.
“Look I’m sorry mate,” said Rolf calming down. “It’s just if you had died then I could never forgive myself.”
“It’s alright” muttered Irwin.
At the end of the feast, Anne didn’t know what news was better. The fact that Hagrid came back at half-past three in the morning, or that Lockhart announced that he would be leaving at the end of the year to start a new book.
When the school exams were cancelled the Ravenclaws were in uproar.
After the meal Anne and Irwin and the other second-year Ravenclaws went to talk to Professor Flitwick about it with Mandy as their spokesperson.
“Sir,” began Mandy, “we have been studying for these exams since January!”
“You will all be able to continue to the third year, no exams were meant to be a treat!”
“But what about the OWL and NEWT students?”
“Yes well” admitted Flitwick, “they will still have to take their exams.”
“Sir,” said Anthony, “the exams were going to start in a few days, surely the papers have already been written?”
“Well yes…”
“Can’t we just take the exams for our own sake then?” asked Padma.
“Yeah” offered Terry, “what else are we supposed to be doing for the next two weeks before going home?”
“Oh alright!” sighed Flitwick finally giving in. “I’ll see if you nine can do your exams anyway, I don’t see why you are all so upset though.”
“For some of us Sir having an exam is a kind of treat of its own!” laughed Michael.
The young Ravenclaws took their exams which much of the rest of the school thought was ludicrous. But they all passed with flying colours as they knew they would.
At the end of the term, they all packed their trunks and got on the train to go home.
“Dads going to kill me when I get home!” muttered Irwin when they were about an hour away from London. “I’ve only just managed to get Rolf to calm down!”
“I don’t know why you saved your friends and killed a ruddy Basilisk!” laughed Terry.
“Yeah, but I could have been killed by that Basilisk.”
“Not to mention,” said Anthony as he moved a chess piece, “you faced a form of You Know Who.”
“It was only a teenage version of Tom. Besides Dads probably going to still be angry at me for not going for a teacher or something and Grandpas probably livid that I killed a creature!”
“It was petrifying people! It would have killed you given half a ruddy chance!” laughed Michael.
“You don’t know my Grandpa!”
“Irwin,” said Anne softly, “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
Irwin put his arm around Anne’s shoulder, “Thanks, Anne!”
“Checkmate!” called Anthony ten minutes before arriving in London, “I believe that’s fifty victories to seven to me!” he gloated as he began to pack the set away.
“Yeah well,” sulked Michael, “we start again from a fresh slate next September and I'm going to practise all ruddy Summer!”
They all get changed out of their robes and went to meet their families on the platform.
“You want me to go with you?” asked Anne when she noticed that Irwin was white as a sheet.
Irwin nodded nervously, he felt like he was going to be sick!
“Irwin!” cried Landon as they headed over to the Scamander’s.
“I’m so proud of you!” he said pulling his son into a deep hug.
“What?” asked Irwin confused expecting to be rebuked.
“You were so brave!”
“But I could have died!” protested Irwin.
“But you didn’t Irwin, you protected your friends and saved countless lives,” Landon said looking at his son proudly. “You’re brave just like your mother; Mary would have been proud of you!”
Anne left Irwin to his family, knowing that Irwin would be fine getting fussed over by Mr and Mrs Scamander.
She started to pull her trunk over to where Harry was chatting away with Sirius and Remus.
“Anne kiddo!” yelled Sirius running over to her.
Remus quickly took Anne’s trunk before it was dropped.
Sirius lifted Anne off the ground and started swinging her around like a mad man.
Anne started screaming at being thrown around like this
“Put her down Padfoot,” said Remus, “she doesn’t like it!”
“She loves it Moony, you’re such a ruddy spoilsport!”
“She’s screaming!” said Remus taking Anne from Sirius and placing her gently back on the ground.
“Screaming with laughter!” protested Sirius.
“You ok?” asked Remus gently.
“Yeah.”
“Sorry kid, I just got excited to see you!” said Sirius earnestly.
“That’s ok.”
“Come on you lot,” said Remus picking up Anne’s trunk, “let’s get home!”
“Guess what we’re having for dinner?” asked Sirius as they headed for the car.
“Burgers and chips! My favourite!” exclaimed Harry.
“No actually we’re having that tomorrow,” answered Sirius as they loaded the two trunks and Hedwig into the boot of the car.
“We are having lasagne with garlic bread and peas,” said Remus.
Anne looked up curiously.
“We’ve even got cake and strawberry ice cream for pudding!” added Sirius.
“Why are we having my favourite things, Harry fought Voldemort not me,” said Anne confused.
“We are having Harry’s favourite food tomorrow night; Harry wasn’t petrified for three months!” laughed Sirius.
“Oh right.”
“We’re just happy to have you home safe and sound,” said Remus as they got in the car.
It had been a long year, but Anne was looking forward to a nice quiet summer with her family.