- Christmas Break -
The days following Hermione's departure from Hogwarts saw some changes happening at Hogwarts. The first was Gryffindor losing 75 points for Ron's bullying, firmly placing them at the bottom. And he was also given a month's worth of detentions.
Rumors started going around the school that Harry had not only rescued Hermione, but also defeated the troll in single combat. Cho and Marietta had a wonderful time teasing him about that, calling him a storybook hero and a white knight who gallantly raced off to rescue damsels in distress.
Harry took their good-natured ribbing in stride. While he was sad that Hermione wouldn't be around anymore, he was glad that she was doing well.
A week after she left, he received a letter from her. She had arrived at Beauxbatons and quickly got settled in. He was happy to learn that she had already made several new friends at her school. Apparently, one of the older girls took a liking to her, and was helping her with her French and getting caught up on her school work.
Things quickly settled down at Hogwarts, and Harry found himself getting back into his routine. Dreading, the first private lesson with Minerva after Halloween.
- Flashback: Two Days after Hermione's Departure -
Walking into Minerva's office on Saturday, Harry prepared himself for what he was sure was going to be a long lecture.
Sitting down in his usual chair, he watched as she silently looked over his appearance, noticing his stiff posture. Eventually, she spoke up. "I'm not upset with you Harry."
That brought some relief. "You're not?" He asked.
"No." Minerva shook her head. "What you did was very brave. Foolish, yes. But brave nonetheless. Something that, as the Head of Gryffindor House, I must commend you on."
Staring into his eyes, her voice softened. "I'm proud of you."
Harry felt a blush on his cheeks at her words.
After the moment passed, Minerva returned to her strict demeanor. "That being said, I will not allow you to be lax in your studies. In fact, I expect you to put even more effort in our sessions."
"Now that I know you can be reckless enough to get yourself into a confrontation with a troll, I will be pushing you harder in our lessons. That way, should you find yourself in a similar situation again, you will have more at your disposal than simply blinding your opponent."
- Flashback End -
After that came one of the toughest lessons Harry ever had. Minerva pushed him to not only master the spells he already knew, but to do them all silently and with the fewest wand-motions. She even taught him how to spread out his transfigurations to affect multiple targets, starting with transfiguring several matchsticks at once into needles.
The lessons were grueling, but the results more than made up for it.
His scores in Transfiguration were the highest in class, and he was starting to become known as a Transfiguration prodigy. Though he hadn't yet moved on to Second Year spells, he had the First-Year spells mastered to where he could do them both silently, and affect multiple targets at once with a single wave of his wand.
By the time Christmas Break arrived, he was able to transfigure every matchstick in the box into needles with one smooth motion.
The proud look on Minerva's face that day still made him feel warm inside.
Not everything was enjoyable however, Malfoy made an appearance once or twice.
"I do feel sorry," said Malfoy during one Herbology class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."
He was looking over at Harry as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckling along with him.
Harry, who was reading over his notes, ignored them as best he could. 'I hate Mondays.'
As the time for the students to leave for break arrived, Cho and Marietta gave him a hug before waving goodbye as they left for the train, going home to spend Christmas Break with their families.
While he was happy for them and wished them a safe journey, he still couldn't help the lonely feeling at their missing presence. Everyone in Ravenclaw, except for a single seventh year had gone home for the holidays.
Waking up on Christmas morning, Harry shivered at the crispy morning breeze as he looked around at the empty dorm. Normally the Ravenclaw Tower was an amazing place to be, with its many windows looking out over almost the entirety of the ground. But when the cold set in, the tower because freezing. Making his way down into the common room, he waved at the seventh year, he said. "Happy Christmas."
Getting a wave and a 'Happy Christmas, Harry' in reply, Harry made his way over to his small pile of presents under the tree.
Gathering his presents, he walked over to a chair and table that sat next to a window and a small fireplace. The fire greatly helped in keeping the winter chill back.
Looking out the window, the sight looked as if it were from a winter wonderland. Pristine white snow blanketed the grounds, as small flakes of snow were continuing to fall, some students were already outside throwing snowballs and making snowmen.
Returning to his presents, he opened up Marietta's gift first. It was a long, fluffy scarf in blue and bronze. Wrapping it around his neck and snuggling into its warmth, he moved to open Cho's gift. Laughing, he pulled out a Ravenclaw jersey with Cho's name on it and '#1' below it.
Quickly taking off the scarf to put his new jersey over his pajamas, he put the scarf back on before taking a moment to enjoy how warm they felt.
After Cho's gift came one from Hermione. Unwrapping it, Harry discovered it was a book on Learning to speak French for Beginners, along with an invitation to visit her and her family in France sometime over the summer. That got Harry thinking over what his summer accommodations were going to be like. He was going to have to ask Minerva about it.
Speaking of Minerva. Opening her present, he saw that it was a photo album. Turning to the first page, he gasped when he saw that it was filled with photos of his parents. Reading the letter attached to it in Minerva's elegant, neat writing:
"Dear Harry,
I spoke with several of my colleagues and your parents' old friends. And gathered as many photographs and memories I could of them.
Never forget that they loved you dearly.
A Very Happy Christmas,
Minerva"
Several of the photos were from his parents' younger years, a few of them went all the way back to when they were third years at Hogwarts. Included with some of the photos were written messages describing people's memories of his parents; including some funny anecdotes and personal moments with them.
Harry wiped a tear from his eye as he looked through the album.
He truly appreciated all of the gifts he got. They weren't expensive, but they were heartfelt.
His gift for Cho was an order for a Nimbus Two Thousand. The broom was stupidly expensive, but he wanted to make sure she had the best tools possible, and knew that she would put it to good use. Hopefully they'd even win the Quidditch Cup.
Marietta turned out to be harder to shop for. Eventually he settled on a pair of VIP tickets for her and Cho to go see the Weird Sisters band live. They were her favorite magical band, but it was almost impossible to get tickets for them. Harry had to go through Gringotts just to purchase the tickets, and even then, he had to allow the Goblins to use him name to be able to get them.
Hermione's gift was a fairly simple one. A couple books on Beauxbaton's and France's history, both magical and muggle. And her own personal owl, that way she could send her own letters whenever she wanted. The owl was a male, and had almost completely black feathers.
For Minerva, he sent a letter to a store in Diagon Alley that created small figurines for children. He bought her a small lion figuring in Gryffindor colors that would give a cute little roar before laying down and falling asleep. It was a small gift, but it was something that she could put on her mostly empty desk in her office.
The final present he received was incredibly light, and wrapped in colorfully lined wrapping paper. Realizing what it must be, Harry quickly took the package and the rest of his presents, and made his way up to his dorm. Making sure the room was empty first, he opened the present. Inside was a folded silvery cloth. Running hand over it, its gleaming surface felt strangely like water woven into material.
Picking up the note, he read the narrow, looped writing:
"Your father left this in my possession before he died.
It is time it was returned to you.
Use it well.
A Very Merry Christmas to you."
Walking into the bathroom, he slowly wrapped the cloak around his shoulders. The moment it was on him, his body seemed to disappear.
It was strange to see his head floating in the mirror, but he was more fascinated by the fact that before he put the cloak on, it almost looked too big for him. Yet when he wore it, the cloak seemed to shrink itself to perfectly fit him.
'Wait…wasn't this supposed to be made by Death?'
With that, Harry quickly got dressed before making his way to the Room of Requirement.
- Room of Requirement -
Stepping in the room, Harry asked it for a place to sit down in, and the room delivered.
It was a small, cozy space with the wall opposite the door changing into a floor to ceiling window that looked out over the Hogwarts grounds and its beautiful snowy landscape. There was a Christmas tree on the left side of the room, and a massive fireplace on the right with a roaring fire that warmed the whole space. In the middle of the room was a large, comfy looking leather couch that faced the window.
Making his way to the couch, he called out as he sat down on it. "Death?" He silently placed the Cloak of Invisibility on his lap as he waiting for her to appear.
While she said that he couldn't call her unless he had another horcrux, Harry was hoping that this was a unique enough circumstance.
Slowly, a tear opened in front of him; becoming a familiar portal as Death steps into the room.
"Hello, Hero." came her soft, comforting voice in greeting.
Smiling, Harry greets. "Hi Death, Happy Christmas." Patting the seat next to him on the couch, Death follows his silent ask and sits down.
Her hood slightly tilts down as she looks at the cloak in his lap. "Ah, the Cloak of Invisibility."
Reaching out her hands wordlessly, Harry hands the cloak over.
Running her pale hands over the cloak, she asks. "Would you like to hear the story of how the Deathly Hallows came to be?"
Nodding, Harry settles back into the couch facing her.
"One day, three brothers used a ritual to communicate with Death. They believed themselves strong enough to contain me, and planned to use my power to give themselves eternal life. Playing along with their scheme, I appeared in their ritual circle, allowing them to believe that they had forcefully summoned me." As she spoke, Harry found himself riveted by her story and the soft tone she spoke it in.
"Once I arrived, the eldest brother arrogantly declared that they now controlled Death, and commanded that I grant them eternal life. I grew annoyed, and offered to make them artifacts that would lead them to their wish, but in secret I would curse each artifact to lead them to an early grave."
Harry could hear the anger in her tone at their attempt. Keeping his thought to himself, he listened on.
"For the first brother, who believed himself more powerful than any other and demanded a weapon that was greater than any other; I gave him a wand that was compatible with all forms of magic. But in return, anyone who gazed upon it would desire it for themselves, and seek to kill the wielder. And as I predicted…a week later he was killed in his sleep. And every wielder since has been killed by another's hand."
It was here that she held up her hand, and soon her chilling black energy coalesced into an image of a odd-looking pale wand. "The wand became known through rumor and legend, as the Elder Wand."
Speaking up, Harry replied, "That's the same wand Headmaster Dumbledore has."
Laughing softly, Death acknowledged, "Yes, it is. And like every wielder before him, he shall die by another's hand."
Continuing on with her story, she spoke of the second.
"For the second brother, who was greedier than the others, he demanded that I grant him an item that would return those who had died back to life. So I gave him a stone that would pull the shades of the departed and allow him to speak with them. In return, the shades would compel him to join them in the afterlife. And as predicted, he killed himself three days later. As have all who have used the stone."
This time, the energy coalesced into the shape of a black gem. "The stone became known as the Resurrection Stone."
As she began speaking of the third brother, her tone turned less resentful. "The third brother was humbler than the others. He realized that their attempts to control me were unsuccessful, and as respectfully as he could, asked for an item that would hide him from all who might come looking for him, even from myself."
Blinking, Harry's tone was incredulous. "He didn't really think you'd give him something like that, right?"
Laughing, she replied. "He was desperate. And desperation can lead one to make foolish choices. Nevertheless, I gave him a cloak that would allow him to hide from, and move through, all forms of magical protection or tracking. In return, he would be compelled to not resist his eventual death. And when his time came to pass on, he did so without complaint. As have all who wielded this cloak."
"Wait, but didn't Dumbledore and Harry both wield them in the storybooks. That didn't happen to them."
Staring straight at him from under her wide hood, she asked knowingly. "Are you sure?"
Hesitantly, Harry nods his head.
"Think back…At the moment of his death, Dumbledore was murdered by Snape, but as a result of his own choosing, an assisted suicide. And he did so without resistance or complaint. Harry willingly walked up to Voldemort to be murdered, again of his own choosing, and did so without any form of resistance."
That froze him for a moment, quickly trying to think up a counter argument. "But Dumbledore was already going to die, wasn't he? And Harry didn't stay dead for long."
Nodding her head, Death explained. "It matters not to the Hallows, the reasons that lead to their death, or what may about come after. Only that the one who wields them die."
"What about Malfoy? He disarmed Dumbledore, yet he didn't die."
Pleased, Death replied. "That is true. But he also did not wield the wand. One must both hold, and use them."
This wasn't how Harry thought this conversation would go. Learning that the cloak was eventually going to lead to his death was a scary thought, and now he wished he hadn't tried it on earlier.
"So does that mean I'm cursed too?"
At her silent nod, Harry felt his heart drop into his stomach. It hadn't even been a year, and already he was bound to die. Looking out the window, Harry stared at the snow as his thoughts ran rampant in his head, trying to think of some way to change it.
"I could remove it, and allow you to keep using the cloak."
Hearing that, Harry quickly looked back at her. "You will?"
Holding up a finger, she said. "But. You must do something for me in return."
"Anything." he replied.
Staring at him for a long moment under her hood, Death gave a single nod in return. "Very well…There is an item that resides under this castle. One that has allowed someone to elude Death for over 600 years. Retrieve the item for me, and I shall allow you to keep the cloak, and remove it's curse."
Pausing, Harry asked, "You mean the Philosopher's Stone, don't you?"
"Indeed. In the eyes of Death, it is just as foul a trinket as the soul fragments; and must be destroyed."
That was a pretty good deal. He gets to keep a ridiculously powerful cloak, get rid of a curse bound to kill him, and all he had to do was get through some traps that he already knew how to beat. "Alright. I'll do it."
Calling upon that chilling black energy again, Death laid her hand back on the cloak. A moment later, she handed it back to him. "Then you will need this."
Taking it back, Harry watched as she got off the couch. "It is time I took my leave, once again."
Standing up, Harry replied. "Wait, before you go..."
Pausing, Death turns back to look at him, silent.
"With the curse removed, does that mean it will affect Dumbledore's fate too?"
Nodding, she replies. "It does. Now, when his time comes, he will…I believe the phrase is, 'not go quietly?'" With that, she made her goodbyes. "I shall see you soon, Hero."
Death stepped into the portal and disappeared.
Standing alone in the room, Harry stared at the spot where she left before slowly pulling the cloak on. As it fell around his shoulders, he pulled the hood up. Making himself completely invisible, only one thought went through his head. 'Let's just get this over with.'
- Third Floor Corridor -
Quickly heading down to the Third-Floor corridor, Harry wasted no time in reaching the locked door. Sure, he could have put it off, but right now was actually the perfect time do get it done.
Barely anyone was in the castle because of the holiday. And those that were, had all gone to the Great Hall for breakfast. 'No time like the present.'
Reaching the door, Harry drew his ebony wand and carefully slid it out of the cloak. The sight looked comical, half of his jet-black wand floating in mid-air. Then again, weirder things happened in this castle.
"Alohomora." He whispered, hearing the lock click open. In his head, he gave a silent thank you to Professor Flitwick.
Ever since the incident with the troll, Flitwick had been pushing Harry in class. Giving him useful tips and even making suggestions on other books to read. The Alohomora was in one of the first books he suggested, and Harry had practiced it several times in preparation for a moment like this.
While he could do the spell silently, he'd rather use the extra power, just in case the door had any sort of stronger magical lock on it.
Quickly stepping into the room, he quietly tiptoed around the sleeping form of a massive Cerberus. 'You know, it really is quite cute when it's sleeping.' Harry had to stop himself from reaching out to pet it, the Cerberus's fur looked quite fluffy, giving credence to its name. 'Hagrid really isn't that original with names, is he?'
Spotting the trap door underneath it's massive paw, Harry slowly pointed his wand at it.
'Wingardium Leviosa.' This time, he made sure not to say it out loud, otherwise he'd risk waking up Fluffy.
It wasn't as easy as it looked though. The paw was quite heavy, and without the additional help of speaking the incantation, Harry felt more of his power being drained as he cast it.
Several seconds of struggling later, the paw finally moved off the trapdoor.
Opening the hatch, Harry gripped his wand tightly in his hand as he jumped down.
Landing on something soft, Harry quickly turned to point his wand below him. 'Lumos Solem.' It was a good thing he acted fast, because the vines had already wrapped around his legs and were making their way quickly up his body.
It turns out that, outside of a single passage in his Herbology book, there were no discussions about Devil's Snare in class. The plant was fairly rare in the magical world, and most people never encountered it in their lifetime. In fact, had Harry not already known about it ahead of time, he would have no idea what it was.
Watching as the vines started to burn from the sunlight, they quickly withdrew to the far corners of the small room. Looking around, Harry spotted a stone passageway at the far end of the room.
Traveling down the passageway, the only sound Harry could make out was the gentle drip of water making it's way down the walls around him. Eventually, the passage sloped downwards towards an open chamber, a rustling, clinking sound echoing from it.
Inside the chamber, was a brightly lit room with a high arching ceiling. The room was filled with small, jewel-bright keys that fluttered and tumbled all around the room. A single broom sat resting in the middle of the floor. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.
Making his way over to the door, Harry once again cast "Alohomora." Not hearing the lock click, he tried opening it but it wouldn't budge. 'Was worth a shot.'
Searching the keys, Harry spotted a big wooden key with bright blue wings, the wood the same color as the door.
Taking a deep breath, Harry took off the invisibility cloak before grabbing the broomstick and mounting it. The moment he did, a swarm of keys became agitated and began attacking him.
Racing after the wooden key, Harry found himself struggling to keep up with it. Without any Seeker training, this was proving to be several times harder than it would have been. After several laps around the chamber, he finally caught it.
Reaching the ground, Harry jumped off the broom and picked up the cloak before racing to the door. In a rush, Harry got the key in the lock and opened the door before heading through and shutting it behind him. The sound of multiple impacts against the door shook the whole doorframe.
Quickly throwing the cloak over himself, he steps into the new chamber. The room was massive, filled with light cast by dozens of torches. And in the center, a life-size chessboard and chess pieces.
Testing his luck, Harry quietly snuck past the opposing chess pieces without being noticed. Opening the door, Harry felt like he was almost cheating with how quickly he was moving through everything.
The next room was incredibly foul-smelling. The stench originating from a massive troll that was starting at the door confused, it's limited intelligence not understanding why no one was there. Sneaking past the troll and trying not to breath, Harry felt his eyes water from the smell as he quickly stepped over to the door and into the next room.
Making his way through the room, he prepared himself for what was supposed to be Snape's test. Waiting for the flames to appear, Harry looked around surprised as nothing happened. Apparently, the cloak allowed him to step through the spell meant to spawn the flames, without triggering it. 'This is just sad.'
- Mirror of Erised -
In the final room, Harry got his first look at the Mirror of Erised.
It was a magnificent mirror, nearly as tall as the ceiling with a golden frame set on two golden clawed feet. Stepping up to the mirror, he read the inscription carved around the top of the frame:
Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi
'I show not your face but your heart's desire.' Harry could admit, he was curious to see what his heart's desire would be. Taking off the cloak, he stepped up to the mirror before staring into it's reflective surface.
Inside the reflection, he saw that he looked older. Standing at a respectable 6 feet, with a muscular frame, and a tailored black three-piece suit with a white shirt and emerald-green tie. His older self looked imposing. 'Gotta say. I don't look half-bad.'
Surprisingly, his reflection's arms were wrapped around the blurry figure of a silvery-blonde woman nearly as tall as he was with a willowy frame. At their feet were three children, two of them had the woman's blonde hair while one had his raven black hair. One of the blonde's had his emerald-green eyes, while the other two had mesmerizing blue eyes.
Standing around them were Cho, Marietta, and Minerva. Minerva stood placing a hand on his shoulder as she looked on proudly. Just over his shoulder, he spotted Death waving merrily back at him, her hood drawn back and a soft smile on her face before she seemed to disappear. Making him wonder if that was actually her messing with him, or just part of the mirror's spell.
However, it was the woman in his reflection's arms that drew his attention most. 'Is that…Fleur?'
That came as a shock to Harry. He had always liked her character in the storybooks, and thought that the French accent was incredibly appealing. But to think that she would appear in the mirror was a surprise.
Movement from his reflection's drew his attention.
Harry watched as his reflection held up the Philosopher's Stone in its hand, a simple red stone that seemed almost like a ruby. The reflection winked at him before placing it in its pocket. As it did, Harry suddenly felt the stone's weight settle in his own pocket.
With his objective complete, he took one last look in the mirror before throwing the Invisibility Cloak on and disappearing out of the room.
Quickly making his way back through the chambers, he grabbed the broomstick in the key room on his way out. Once at the Devil's Snare trap, Harry mounted the broom and cast Lumos Solem to create a hole in the vines, before floating back up through the hole.
The real struggle was when he had to get through the trap door and off the broom, before quickly getting past the Cerberus before it could eat him. Even with the cloak on, the noise he made opening the trapdoor still alerted Fluffy to someone's presence. Luckily for Harry, it took a few moments for Fluffy to fully wake up. Moments that gave him just enough time to retreat back out of the room.
With the stone in his pocket, Harry made his way back to the Room of Requirement.
- Room of Requirement -
He didn't put much thought into what room he wanted, and ended up with the last room he made earlier.
Taking a breath to calm himself after the little bit of excitement with the Cerberus, Harry called out.
"Death." Watching as the familiar portal appeared, Harry reached into his pocket to pull out the stone.
"I must admit, I did not think you would complete the task so quickly." Walking over to him, Death took the Philosopher's Stone and held it up into the light, appearing to look it over.
"Finally…soon, Death shall come to Nicholas Flamel. And this time, he shall not escape me."
Flooding her hand in her black energy, the Philosopher's Stone crumbled to dust.
Looking back at Harry from under her hood, her painted black lips stretched into a smile. "Well done, Hero. As I said, the cloak is now yours to do with as you will."
"Thank you. It really came in handy with getting the stone. For something so powerful, the traps they set up were rather easy." Harry replied, still surprised that they hadn't placed harder traps to guard it.
"Was it?" Death asked amused, indicating she knew something he didn't.
Confused, Harry said, "I mean, yeah…"
"The protections were placed to keep out a weakened spirit that had latched itself onto an average wizard's body. Were they not?" Nodding silently, Harry watched as she smirked.
"Even then, can you think of one person who knows enough about Magizoology to know the single weakness of a fully-grown Cerberus? One with the required knowledge of Herbology to know the weakness to a rare magical plant that could strangle you in moments. With the talent to race on a broomstick to catch a magical flying key…The skill to win a chess match against pieces that learned as the match continued."
It really was starting to sound more difficult, and she still kept going.
"How about them also needing to have the magical strength to face a troll, inside a small room, at close quarters. One who also had the intellect to figure out a riddle that could potentially lead to their death by poison or magical fire. And finally, they would also have to get past the mirror. Something that would only give the stone to one who suffered through all of that, and yet still did not wish to use it themselves."
Okay. When it was put like that, the traps actually made a lot more sense.
Laughing at his face, Death continued. "And even then, those defenses were meant to keep the person occupied until someone could get there."
"I…I guess I never thought of it that way." Harry admitted.
"Do not worry yourself, Hero. You completed your task, and that is what matters." Reaching over, Death placed her hand on Harry's cheek. "Forgive me, but I must go." Leaning in, Death placed a gentle kiss on his lips before stepping back.
"Merry Christmas, Hero."
Smiling, Harry replied softly. "Merry Christmas, Death."
And once again, Harry found himself alone in the room.
- Timeskip: End of Break -
The rest of the winter break passed slowly for Harry. He had received a thank you letter from Hermione for the owl, who she had decided to name Hermes. Something which had Harry chuckling at her choice in naming, thinking her and Hagrid really weren't that original.
Harry sat reading while he waited on a couch in the Ravenclaw Common Room. The Hogwarts Express had shown up a few minutes ago, and the students returning from break would be making their way up to their common rooms before heading on down to the Great Hall for dinner.
Reading through his book on French, Harry never even noticed the black-haired missile that slammed into him. The momentum nearly tipping the entire couch over as Harry tried to unsuccessfully extricate himself from the increasingly tight hug.
Finally, the person pulled back from the hug enough to reveal Cho's beaming face as she repeatedly exclaiming, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Laughing, Harry barely had time to get his breath back before being pulled into another hug, this time by Marietta who was just as ecstatic as Cho. "Thank you so much for the tickets, Harry! I don't know how you got them, but thank you! The concert was amazing!"
As they made their way down to the Great Hall, Cho and Marietta filled him in on their winter break and the concert. Marietta gushed over the fact that she received signed autographs from the Weird Sisters.
When they asked him what he had been up to, Harry kept his response fairly simple. "Oh, you know, read a couple books, finished up on homework. Ate a ton of food."
The response slightly bummed out the two girls, who felt guilty for going on about their time with their families while he was stuck at the castle. Waving it off, Harry quickly changed the subject to asking Cho about how her new Nimbus broom felt. That got her talking for the next several hours about all of the moves she tried on it, and the number of times she was nearly seem by muggles because of her antics.
As Marietta scolded Cho on her recklessness, Harry took a moment to simply enjoy their presence.
He really had missed them.
- Timeskip: One Month Later -
It wasn't long after the winter break ended that classes started picking up. Everyone was getting ready for the end of the year, and Professors were already mentioning the end of the year exams.
During one of his typical sessions with Minerva on Saturday, she finally broached the topic of his housing situation for the summer.
- Minerva's Office -
Minerva watched as Harry practiced with several teacups, attempting to use the Avifors spell. The spell turned small objects into birds, and Minerva had challenged him to cast it on several of them at once.
Interrupting him before his next attempt, she spoke up. "Harry, we need to speak about your situation for the summer."
Lowering his wand, Harry sat down in his usual chair as she poured them both tea. "Before I go any further, I feel you should know that I have already spoken with the Headmaster regarding your situation…"
- Flashback: Headmaster's Office -
"What do you mean the Blood Wards are gone? How is that possible?" Minerva demanded, surprised at the discovery, and increasingly worried for what it could mean for Harry's future.
"What I mean, Minerva, is that they are no longer protecting the Dursleys residence." Dumbledore patiently intoned. "It is my understanding, that the protections required there to be familial love between Harry and Petunia in order to power them."
"Unfortunately, no such emotion exists between the two, and without it the Blood Wards faded from the home." He speculated out loud, though he privately believed that the horcrux might have played a role in their fading.
Thinking for a moment, Minerva asked. "And what does this mean for Harry?"
Sighing, Dumbledore slumped in his chair as he rubbed the bridge of his nose for a moment. "This means, that Harry is no longer safe with the Dursleys, and different accommodations are required."
"I had originally hoped that he and young Ronald might have become friends, thereby opening up the Weasley's home as an alternative. But after the events with Miss Granger, I fear that any such hopes of a friendship between the two have soured."
Slumping back in her own chair, Minerva pondered for a moment. "Perhaps the Leaky Cauldron then? He has already stayed there before, and has shown a remarkable sense of maturity and responsibility for one his age. Both during his lessons with me, and in his other classes."
Thinking it over, he responds. "Hmm…Perhaps it is for the best. If Harry proves that he can handle the responsibility this summer, we may have to see about renting him an apartment in Diagon Alley in the future."
- Flashback End -
"…That said. The Headmaster and I have decided, that you will be staying at the Leaky Cauldron for the summer, and will notbe returning to your relatives again, now or in the future."
Fantastic! Harry was worried that the Headmaster might force him to go back, but it looks like he dodged a major bullet.
Minerva continued, "You should know, that the original protections placed on the Dursleys have been found to have fallen. After notifying them of this, as well as your presence no longer being required, they have decided to sell their home and move away from Surrey."
Speaking up, Harry asks her, "Why did the Headmaster have me stay with the Dursleys in the first place? Surely there must have been someone…anyone better suited for it."
Sighing, Minerva took a moment to drink from her tea before answering. "You must understand, Harry. The protections that were placed around the Dursley's residence were powerful. Nearly as powerful as Hogwarts' own wards, and far better suited to protecting a smaller group of people."
Raising her hand, she stalls his next statement.
"I understand that the Dursleys were not suitable people to have placed you with. The Headmaster too, is remorseful that you had to go through such experiences as a result of his decision."
Pausing, Harry asked. "Then why did he never come to check up on me?"
Leaning back in her chair, Minerva's face looked more tired than he had ever seen it.
"The Headmaster is not perfect, nor is he cruel, Harry." She begins. "He truly never intended for you to suffer the way that you had…It's just…he just, doesn't see things the way we do."
"I have been teaching here at Hogwarts for over forty years." That was surprising, but then again magicals age slower and live longer than non-magicals. Minerva certainly didn't look that old. "After graduating Hogwarts, I worked for the Ministry for several years before accepting a teaching position here. Since then, I have seen forty years' worth of students come through these halls. Even back to before the Civil Blood War had started, when the number of new students were almost triple what they have been reduced to now. That is hundreds of students, all of whom I have taught at one point."
"By the time I started teaching at Hogwarts, the Headmaster had already been teaching for at least thirty years."
Letting that sink in, Minerva continued. "He has been teaching for nearly 80 years, and has seen thousands of students walk these halls. Some of whom have had home lives similar to yours…and some who have had worse…much worse. And it is because of this, that his reactions to your situation are not as, dramatic, as others would be. He has simply seen too much to be as moved by them as he perhaps should."
This conversation was starting to put Dumbledore in a different light for Harry.
To have seen and taught thousands of students? It was surprising the man could even remember their names at this point.
And thinking about how that Halloween night must have been when Dumbledore placed him on the Dursleys' doorstep, things were beginning to make a lot more sense.
Dumbledore had probably only seen Harry once before Hagrid had handed him over, and even then, it didn't seem like his parents were very close friends with the man. Plus, with the horcrux in Harry's head, Dumbledore had no way of knowing how that was going to affect him.
Even if he had some inkling, the guy had to run a school, act as the head judge for the courts, AND be the head of the international courts as well.
Not exactly a ton of time to keep watch over a newborn. 'And it's not like he could trust anyone else to do the jobs. Look at who they chose as Minister for Magic…Fudge! Imagine who they would have picked to run their courts. They might as well have set the whole place on fire at that point.'
Minerva's voice broke him out of his internal musing. "He is old, Harry, but he does learn from his mistakes." She added. "That is why he is willing to allow you to spend the summer at the Leaky Cauldron unsupervised."
"Should you prove mature enough to handle this responsibility, then we will look into getting you an apartment in Diagon Alley for your future housing. But!" She warned. "This is only so long as you continue to do as well in your studies as you have, and with the understanding that you do not abuse the trust we are placing in you."
Nodding his head, Harry couldn't be more excited. Things were getting better and better for him, and he knew that it was all thanks to the woman sitting in front of him. "Thank you for this, Minerva. I promise your trust hasn't been misplaced."
Satisfied at his response, she nodded. "Good." Her tone turned lighter as she reminded him, "In that case, you still have some tea cups to transfigure, don't you?"
"Right!" Quickly getting out of his seat Harry moved back to continue practicing the Avifors spell, more focused than ever.
- Timeskip: End of the Year Feast -
The end of the year brought much celebration to Hogwarts.
Students were finally finished with their exams, and the last Quidditch game of the season had taken place earlier that week.
The final game came down to a match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, and it had been spectacular for everyone to watch. Cho's new Nimbus and her own growing talents allowed her to outmaneuver the Gryffindor's Seeker easily, and she was finally able to catch the snitch after an hour of intense flying.
Unfortunately, the Gryffindor Chasers proved to be devastatingly effective; and had thrashed the Ravenclaw's Seekers, scoring enough points to win the game for Gryffindor despite the extra points gained from Cho catching the snitch. While the Ravenclaw team was slightly disappointed at their loss, everyone agreed that the match was overall a fantastic showing by both teams.
Minerva receiving the Quidditch Cup had been hilarious to see. Watching as she completely broke out of character to gloat in Snape's face over Gryffindor's victory, was a memory that still made him chuckle whenever he thought about it.
Sitting down next to Marietta with Cho opposite them, they listened quietly as the Headmaster made his final remarks before announcing the winner of the House Cup.
"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "What a year it has been! Now…before I announce the House Cup. You may all have noticed, that Professor Quirrell is no longer with us." Gesturing to the empty seat at the Head Table. "I'm sad to say, that he is no longer with us. Professor Quirrell asked it be kept hidden from the students that he was sick. And had been sick, for quite a while. A moment now, if you all will, for Professor Quirinus Quirrell. May his soul rest in peace."
The students all went quiet. Some offering their words of condolences to his memory.
Waiting a few moments, Dumbledore continued with his speech. "Now then…as I understand it, the House Cup needs awarding!"
That livened up the mood quickly.
"In Fourth Place: Gryffindor, with 312 points." The other Houses politely clapped for them. Unfortunately, Ron Weasley's massive points loss was too difficult a hurdle to overcome. Especially when he began to lose more points his classes for not getting his homework done on time. The boy had barely scraped by on his grades in order to graduate, tying with Crabbe and Goyle for the lowest passing grades in their year.
"In Third Place: Hufflepuff, with 352 points." Everyone clapped for them. As much as some of the students made fun of Hufflepuffs, they were just too nice for anyone to keep any sort of hard feelings with.
"In Second Place: Slytherin, with 426 points." Only Slytherin clapped at that. Snape had tried his best to cheat his House into the number one spot. Giving Slytherin students points for things like "stirring their potion with poise." and other such nonsense. Unfortunately for him, the other professors caught on to his attempts and quickly had the nearly 200 additional points removed from the counting.
Professor Sprout, in particular, was most vocal in her demands of fairness to the Headmaster. Proving to everyone that she was the right choice for Head of Hufflepuff.
"And finally, in First Place: Ravenclaw, with 472 points!" A storm of cheering and stomping broke out from the Ravenclaw table. Marietta had practically crushed Harry against her as she bounced up and down in victory.
"Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, "that a change in decoration is in order!"
Clapping his hands, everyone looked up as the green and silver hangings changed to blue and bronze; and the huge Slytherin serpent vanished as a massive Ravenclaw eagle took its place.
Everyone who wasn't in Slytherin had a laugh and cheer watching Snape reluctantly hand over the House Cup to Flitwick before shaking his hand. His horribly forced smile looked painful.
It was a night of celebration, and one that Harry would never forget.
All too soon, the wardrobes were emptied, trunks were packed, and notes were handed out to the students reminding them that magic was not allowed over the summer. After following Hagrid and the rest of the first years down to the fleet of boats for one last sail across the lake, Harry was back on the Hogwarts Express with Cho and Marietta in their own cabin, making plans to meet up for the summer and talking about their final grades.
Cho had once again scored 2nd in her year, with Marietta trailing just behind her in 5th place. Harry was surprised to learn that he had actually scored 1st in his year.
Apparently, he had been tied with Hermione before she left. He quickly wrote a letter to her, letting her know that while asking her how she did. Opening the cabin window, Harry sent it off with Hedwig. He and Hermione had agreed to alternate between their two owls; not wanting to tire either of them out by constantly traveling back and forth between France and Britain.
Finally arriving at King's Cross Station, the three shared a round of hugs before Cho and Marietta went off to meet their parents, while Harry went to the nearby Floo to head over to the Leaky Cauldron. Where his room was already paid for already and was now just waiting for him.
- Headmaster's Office -
"The Philosopher's Stone is destroyed, then?" Minerva asked, once again seated in Dumbledore's office.
Seated comfortably in his chair, Dumbledore replied. "As is the Mirror of Erised. When Quirrell attempted to bypass the protections we put in place to protect the stone, he found himself rather unsuccessful in dealing with the mirror. When I arrived, he gave up on trying to retrieve the stone and destroyed the mirror in his rage."
Hesitantly, she asked. "And you said that…You-Know-Who was possessing him?"
Nodding, he reached over to stroke Fawkes's plumage. "Indeed. Though, he was only able to sustain himself through Quirrell's magic and the blood of a unicorn. When he realized he had failed, Tom separated himself from Quirrell and fled from the school grounds, leaving Quirrell's body to die."
Sighing, he continued. "For now, he has lost too much of his strength in his desperate attempt for the stone, and will need to recover for several years at least."
At that, Minerva relaxed back in her chair. This year had been one of the most stressful she had ever had to deal with in the last decade.
"Let us hope that's the last we see of him." Minerva half said, half prayed.
Chuckling, Dumbledore replied. "Ah, my dear Minerva…one can only hope."