Chapter Text
Walking towards the barrier at King's Cross, Harry felt tension claw into his body, stiffening the muscles in his neck and shoulders. He wasn't sure what he should expect once he passed the gate that separated the Muggle world from the Wizarding.
After the Battle of Hogwarts Harry had refused to step foot outside the Burrow. He had refused even to visit the Ministry's Death Eater hearings, only giving his statements via owl, and had refused them access to his memories even though they had begged for them on more than one occasion. He had had enough of having another person inside of his head, and enough of doing other people's work.
So now that he was about to go back, after months of hiding from the public, he wasn't sure if he'd like what was waiting for him on the other side.
The only thing he truly wanted was one last final year, one as peaceful and as calm as possible before he had to leave Hogwarts and face the world outside of school where he'd get dragged into politics whether he wanted to or not.
Hermione came to a halt next to him, looking rather grey as she stared at the brick wall. "We'll be fine," she assured him, "What's the worst that could happen? As soon as we make it into the train we'll be good. And we're super early, so maybe we can ditch the worst part. Right?"
"Yeah." Harry said, trying to sound reassuring but failing as he choked on his final words. If even Hermione was worried—
"Well we can't stand here and wait for them to corner us in the middle of a crowd of Muggles so we better get this over with," Ron piped up from Harry's other side, his burning red ears a blunt contrast to his white face. "What if we just run and only stop once we're in the train? Hermione has all of our stuff in her handbag so it could work."
"Let's just face whatever is waiting there and keep running as our last exit strategy," Harry huffed. He took a deep, steadying breath and walked the last three steps towards the wall.
For a moment it was as if the three of them had been thrown back in time to the Battle of Hogwarts. As soon as Harry had reached the other side of the barrier, there were flashing lights and loud screaming all around him. Ron and Hermione stumbled into him and together they stared in horror at the chaotic scene unfolding in front of them.
There were many more reporters than students and parents. A gang of Prophet journos had cornered someone Harry couldn't make out, whilst the rest of them had been waiting for the latest arrivals, seemingly losing their mind over finally seeing them.
It took only a few seconds for all the eyes on the platform to swivel onto them, and Harry felt like he was about to be sick.
Blinded by the flashlights, Harry pushed his way through the crowd, trying to make his way towards the train but the baying crowd wouldn't budge. They allowed him only a few steps before they blocked his way once more, screaming a dozen questions in his face. Harry's final straw came when he heard a low whimper from Ron behind him. Turning around he saw his best friends getting dragged away.
Pulling his wand, Harry let out a fierce scream that made the reporters around him freeze in place. Slowly the realisation spread through the crowd and the others started to notice what was happening. They all turned their focus back onto him.
"Leave. I'm not saying it again. Let go of them and crawl back into the holes you came from." Harry's voice was shaking from rage and it took his last shred of composure to not curse them all into oblivion. But that'd only give them another story to write about, and he wasn't about to do them this favour. "Ron, Mione, in the train," he said urgently. "I have to go and see who they cornered over there, get us a good compartment."
Waiting until they both entered the train, Harry elbowed his way through the gathered crowd towards the spot where the mob of reporters had gathered when the three of them had entered the platform. As Harry made his way forward, he began to make out a figure, sitting on the ground frozen in place, face buried in his hands. Knowing what it'd look like if he turned around and left, Harry walked the last final steps and bent down toward the wizard. "Get up. I'll take you to the train."
Malfoy shook his head without looking up and Harry let out an annoyed sigh. "This is not up for negotiation," he muttered. "They'll shred you to pieces as soon as I'm on that train so you're coming with me."
Knowing that those vultures would get their front cover now, Harry reached for Malfoy's arm and pulled him to his feet, dragging him towards the train as the flashing lights around them picked up in earnest once again.
Pushing Malfoy in front of him, Harry navigated him towards the train and shoved him roughly through the door before shutting it behind them.
Looking down at Malfoy who had instantly dropped to the ground again, Harry let out a sigh. "You should be safe now, go and look for a seat. I'll send my Patronus to Mr Weasley, the Ministry should be here soon to clear the platform so your friends will be fine once they arrive."
Not sure if Malfoy had heard him, Harry went to look for Ron and Hermione, already sending his stag towards Mr Weasley.
Finding Ron but not Hermione, Harry slipped into the dark compartment and sunk down heavily onto one of the seats. "Well that all went great. Where's Hermione?"
"Checking if someone else is here already and if everyone is okay. We're not prefects anymore, but she insisted. Instead of taking a minute to breathe," Ron said rolling his eyes before a shy smile slipped onto his face.
Laughing at Ron's lovesick expression Harry hummed. Ron and Hermione were ridiculous with each other, the months spent at the Burrow didn't help to get used to it. "I sent a Patronus to your dad, hopefully he'll send the Ministry to clear this freak show. Did you see who I dragged into the train?"
"Yes. And you'll be plastered all over the news tomorrow thanks to your good deed. But it was the right thing to do so who gives a fuck, right?" Ron said, pulling the screen on the window a bit back to glimpse outside. "Looks like dad got your Patronus. They're clearing the platform already."
Pointing his wand at the screen, Harry let it snap upwards to watch the scene outside, surprised how quick Mr Weasley had forwarded the message.
The Ministry had sent about two dozen people to clear the platform from everyone who wasn't a student or parent. Harry watched, satisfied as Reporters begrudgingly disapparated one after the other.
"Bloody hope they'll make sure they don't come back as soon as they've cleared the place," Ron mumbled.
Nodding, Harry leaned back and closed his eyes.
He had hoped for a better start.
Hermione came back thirty minutes later, her hair slipping out of the lazy bun she had twisted at the nape of her neck when they left the Burrow earlier. "They cornered the other students too, but thankfully it wasn't as bad for the rest of them as it was with us. A first year fell, scraped their knee but that was an easy fix. Poor thing comes from a Muggle family and they had no clue at all what was going on. They're okay now."
"Good. Anyone else we know already on the train?" Harry asked.
"Not yet. Ginny and Luna will be here in about twenty minutes if they leave Luna's home as planned. And the others will find us whenever they come."
Yawning, Harry leant back against the headboard. He was already shattered and it'd be at least another hour and a half before the train left King’s Cross, and then many hours before they'd finally reached Hogsmeade and only then would their year begin. He hoped desperately that they'd be sheltered far away from the public.
Once everyone had arrived and the train started to steam forwards, their compartment felt slightly packed even with Hermione's extension charm. At least surrounded by his friends he didn't feel too stressed about it. The situation felt familiar, even homely.
They had all spent the summer at the Burrow together, even Neville and his gran had visited more often than not. A small part of Harry felt like nothing had changed, as if somehow they were all still there.
Harry spent most of the time napping or idly listening to the conversations happening around him. The single time he had walked to the toilets, he felt many eyes flicking over him as he padded through the corridors. Once he was back with the others he decided to just stay there for the rest of the ride.
When the sun slowly went down, Harry felt the atmosphere change from easy chatting to tense, uncomfortable silence as they all got dressed and packed away their things, ready to leave the train as swiftly as possible.
Thinking of the Thestrals waiting for them, Harry felt his stomach drop, wondering how many people would see them for the first time this year. Many, was the only not so helpful answer his brain came up with.
"Five minutes. Do you think they'll wait at Hogsmeade again?" Ron asked quietly, forcing Harry out of his trance.
He knew he was thinking of the reporters crowding them, and snorted loudly enough for all of them to look over at him. "What? I want to see how they try with McGonagall waiting in Hogwarts. She'd hex them into next week before they've even realised what's happened. We'll be safe there, mostly. There's still the students. I don't expect them to be that bad as King's Cross was tho."
"Man, now I wish I'd apparated there. Just to see McG’ go after them," Neville said dreamily and all of them laughed.
"I'm really excited for dinner, I missed the ghosts and chatter around me while I eat. It's not the same at home," Luna sighed.
The train started to slow down, and Harry leaned over Ginny to watch the lights of Hogsmeade come into sight, his heart fluttering at the well known sight. He still loved Hogwarts more than any place on earth, even after everything that had happened.
Wondering if it might feel strange to be back, Harry sat up straight in his chair and stretched his legs before shoving his wand up his sleeve.
Once the train came to a halt, they decided to wait until most of the students had left the train before disembarking. As soon as the rush had thinned, Harry and his mates followed the younger students across the path towards the carriages, waving a quick hello towards Hagrid who already led the impressed first years towards the lake.
Patting one of the Thestrals, Harry hopped onto a carriage and waited for the others to follow him. After only a few moments the magical beast started to move and Harry looked around. He took in his surroundings with some kind of childish excitement that didn't go unnoticed by his friends.
By the time they reached the gates and Hogwarts stood before them, as majestic and impressive as Harry had always believed it to be, all of them were smiling. Feeling a lump form in his throat, Harry tried to swallow it down together with the overwhelming mix of emotions. Even after all the months that had passed he still wasn't sure if he was ready to step through those doors again. Shaking his head to get rid of the dreadful memories flooding his mind he took a deep steadying breath.
Hogwarts was his home, his place to be, no matter what had happened. Harry was determined that his year would be the best he had ever had, and nothing could change that.
His job was done. Now it was his time to be just Harry and nothing else. He felt a weight drop off his shoulders at that thought. He was finally free to be just Harry, and nothing else.
Stepping through the entrance, Harry felt his hands shake and he buried them deep inside the wide pockets of his robes. This wasn't the time to allow his nerves to take over. There were still a few signs of the battle left if he looked close enough. Spell damage, probably. Some of those curses were too powerful to not leave traces behind. But they were barely noticeable.
"Traces of history," Luna mumbled next to him, following his looks. Then louder for everyone to hear: "See you later guys."
Watching her glide to the Ravenclaw table, Harry allowed the others to drag him towards theirs, trying to ignore the looks he got from some of the students.
The feast itself was uneventful. The first years got sorted, the hat singing about unity and lighter times ahead of them if they manage to learn from their past. McGonagall gave a powerful speech about staying away from the forbidden forest, and a very brief recap of the happenings earlier this year, so the new students would know what happened right from the beginning. Then everyone ate enough food to feel like they were about to burst before they slowly made their way up towards the Gryffindor common room.
"I wonder how they'll fit us all in there," Hermione wondered loudly. But Harry only yawned as an answer, too tired to care much.
As long as he had a bed he'd be happy, no matter where in the tower he slept.
To Ron and his own surprise, they found that they'd been allocated their regular dorm. The only thing that had changed was another added floor on top to fit the extra students for the next couple of years.
Smiling at the trunk waiting at the end of his bed, Harry shrugged out of his robes and placed his glasses on his bedside table before falling face first onto his bed. He decided to ignore the laughter around him.
"How cool is that? We're all back!" Dean announced loudly once he emerged from rummaging in his trunk, pyjamas in hand.
"Where's Seamus? I thought he wanted to come back."
"He'll be back in two days, still a few things left to deal with."
Harry only shrugged as he felt the other's eyes on him, not capable of reacting any other way and also not seeing what else there would be to say. It wasn't as if he'd have anything to deal with, so it was none of his business.
He heard the others carry on their chatter whilst they unpacked their things and got everything sorted out, but Harry really couldn't be arsed to do anything tonight. He was dead asleep within five minutes, cocooned in all the well known noises and emotions of home.
The next two weeks flew past before Harry had the chance to settle in. Before he knew it his friends and he were back in their usual rhythm. At least mostly.
Harry tried his best to stay away from crowds since people unashamedly stared at him and the experience slowly got annoying. He felt like back in his second year but a thousand times worse. So while Ron and Hermione were busy he stayed at his dorm and spent his time studying, for once not distracted by looming danger following him.
The second Saturday after school started, he once again sat on his bed and flipped through the pages of Advanced Potions when a loud bang from the door startled him. It made him jump up and pull out his wand, aiming it at the intruder without thinking.
Shoving his wand back in his sleeve once he realised it was Ginny rolling her eyes at him, he flopped back on his bed. "Way to get yourself killed woman."
"As if I couldn't block your Expelliarmus. We're looking for players for a Quidditch match, Luna will jump in as our commentator. I thought you might enjoy a round or two."
"Yes! Let me get dressed. Wait for me at the portrait, will you?"
Ginny nodded and pulled the door shut while Harry jumped out of his bed and rummaged through his wardrobe to find his leathers, hoping they'd fit without him wasting thirty minutes on extension charms.
In the end it only took ten minutes, even though they were still rather tight. Deciding that it'd do, Harry grabbed his broom and raced downstairs, only coming to a halt in front of Ginny. He could already feel the grin spread over his face.
"Eager, aren't we? I bet the others are already at the pitch, let's hurry."
Walking after Ginny, Harry all but bounced downstairs, ignoring the barefaced stares everyone sent his way.
"Potter you outgrew yourself over the summer!" cut through the air, followed by a catcall. Harry jerked around, turning to look for the girl that had shouted out. But the entrance was busy, packed with students, and to his sheer horror half of them were either blushing or laughing already so there was no chance he could find the source.
A snort from Ginny made him turn towards her. If he were a character in one of Dudley’s cartoons, he thought, he'd have visible question marks hovering over his head.
"Your pants might be a tad too tight for them to handle."
"I expanded them!"
"Not saying it's a bad look. Not at all."
"Did you see who called that?" Harry asked, feeling heat creep over his face as he pushed his way through the staring crowd and stepped out into the open, hurrying to finally get to the pitch.
"Yup. Not gonna tell you though. I won't discuss the Slytherins with you today."
"Wait, it was a Slytherin?"
"What? Surprised they can appreciate a good arse once they see one?" Ginny laughed.
"Oh, shut up."
Harry fell silent, and followed by Ginny’s giggling and teasing he marched down to the pit, not daring to turn and see who was following them.
Once there he waved at Luna who was already waiting in Lee’s usual spot and he felt giddy excitement rushing through his veins. He clearly remembered how much he had loved Luna's one and only commentary she had done before.
Looking around, he found students from many different years, waiting on the pitch with their broom in hand. Smiling at them, Harry left it for Ginny or whomever to take care of the teams. He jumped on his broom.
Pushing himself from the ground, Harry soared up into the sky, challenging the wind in his ears for a race. For everyone on the ground it must be looking like bragging as Harry fell into half a dozen loops and sharp curves, but for him flying was freedom. Feeling the adrenaline rush through every cell of his body, Harry let out a laugh and changed direction once again to fly to the other side of the pitch, beating the shadows of his past, losing them in the air.
"You finally done up there? Things are settled. You're playing Seeker for the Ravenclaw-Gryffindor Team," Ginny screamed up at him.
Smiling, Harry flew down to them and came to a halt hovering beside her. "Who's playing for Slytherin-Hufflepuff?"
"Claire, first year Slytherin. She's fast and not at all happy that she can't play for the first team yet. But she seems rather impressed by all of us so she shouldn't be too hard to beat."
Humming with anticipation, Harry looked to the other team and found a girl staring at him. Once she noticed him looking her expression changed into a challenging grin and Harry nodded, excited for their game. "Doesn't look too impressed if you ask me."
"That'll change, you delivered a good show up there, let's hope you can keep it up for the game."
Someone conjured a whistle, and the game began.
Against every expectation, Luna managed to keep track of the points while telling them fun facts about creatures and counting the clouds above them, which made room for confusion since Harry never knew if she was speaking of points or her current cloud count.
Harry realised quickly that Claire was a fair match for him. She managed to impress Harry by leading him on plenty of times and not falling for his bluffs as often as he had liked her for. She was fast, and nearly as good as him. Nearly.
Ginny was right of course: Once she was face to face with any of them she lost her composure and started making mistakes by getting distracted. That was how Harry was able to win their game.
He had seen the Snitch a couple of times before but it didn't feel sporting to just snatch it out of the air and end the game. It was only when Harry finally grew too tired and hungry that he made it a quick end. Claire was distracted by a nearly crash with Ginny, and she didn't see the Snitch in time. Harry caught it easily, flying up to Luna and presenting it to her so she could end the game.
Once on the ground, his legs threatened to give up on him, but the group storming towards him kept him on his legs long enough to find his balance. As soon as the crowd had cleared, Harry looked around the pitch to find Claire.
Spotting her, Harry jogged towards her. "Claire, right? Nice game up there, you're a pretty good flyer."
Grinning, Claire held out her hand and Harry shook it without hesitation.
"Thanks, Potter. I'll keep on training, maybe we'll meet at the pitch again one day."
Smiling, Harry nodded at her and turned to trail after the others towards the Great Hall to get dinner.
"I can't believe I missed Quidditch..." Ron had looked positively miserable when Ginny had given them a brief overview of their day, while Hermione had only smiled at Harry and patted his arm.
"You can play with us next time mate," Harry said while loading his third helping of mashed potatoes high on his plate.
"Yeah, Harry's tight trousers distracted the other team enough to give us a clear win. Maybe you can convince him to get out of his shirt next time. When everyone faints they'll have no chance. On second thought, we should get Neville as a cheerleader, that'd be even better," Ginny said, winking at Neville as he choked on his salad.
"Don't be crass, Ginny. What would mum say when she'd hear that?" Ron said in fake outrage.
A low cough behind them stopped Ginny from answering. They turned to find Parkinson standing behind them, looking rather unimpressed. "Sorry to interrupt your thirst chatter, I pulled the short straw."
The table felt silent, all staring at her.
"We're having a party. Slytherin Common Room, tonight at nine, everyone of legal age is allowed to join. And we’d appreciate your appearance. Bring booze and pillows to sit on. We cleared a dorm for it."
The following silence felt too long, everyone just staring at Parkinson. Hermione was the first one to regain her mind and speak.
"Sounds fun. Will you open the door for us or do we need a password?"
"We can collect you at your Portrait, not sure if you even know how to—"
"We know where to go," Harry piped up, kicking Ron under the table who had snorted at his words.
"Well, then just knock at the wall, we'll let you in. Tell the others. My duty here is done." At that she turned and left the Great Hall together with Zabini who was waiting for her at the door.
"Anyone else thinking that this might be a trap?" Ron asked loudly.
"Oh come on, how could this be a trap? They can't take down all of us, it'd be stupid to even try. Maybe this is how they'll try to befriend us?" Hermione said, furrowing her brows as she looked back at the open doors leading out of the hall.
"Not going to happen. But I won't say no to a party. Harry should probably shower before we go though, he smells like a dead Blast-Ended Skrewt."
"Wow, how nice you are." Harry sniffed. "I spent hours playing Quidditch!"
"Yup. And still the fresh air didn't help you smell less bad. Shall we go upstairs then and get ready?"
Hours later Harry was well and truly pissed, sitting in the middle of the Slytherins boys dorm and still very confused about what this party was supposed to be about. Except getting drunk out of their minds and probably getting expelled of course.
The conversations felt forced at best, even though Hermione had tried everything to talk to the Slytherins. The only thing that somehow lightened the mood was when everyone witnessed how Harry stumbled over his own feet, nearly landing face first in the half- empty punch bowl.
After that incident Harry was truly done with the party.
Making his excuses, he left to go to bed, already dreading all the stairs.
Harry was just about to leave the Slytherin common room when a scream from behind him made him jump and turn, just in time to see someone running after him. The next thing he knew was that he was lying on the ground with a throbbing head and something heavy on top of him.
"What the—?"
"Potter are you hurt?"
Blinking through the pain and general alcohol induced dizziness, Harry tried to make out the face hovering only a couple of inches above his own. "Malfoy? What the—?"
"That's a Snap Trap, common joke around here but if you're not used to them it'll come as quite a painful surprise," Malfoy stated with a huff as he rolled away from Harry and got up.
"A what?" Harry asked.
"Snap Trap. Painful, loud, annoying. It's a bad joke, must have been one of the younger ones. They're mad you're having a party without inviting them. Let me dismantle it for you."
"How do you—?"
Before Harry could finish his sentence Malfoy had touched the door handle and a loud bang followed by flashing lights and an overdramatic amount of smoke filled the space around them.
"No other way to dismantle it. We're quits for King’s Cross now," Malfoy said, rubbing his arm and flinching.
Staring at him, Harry wasn't sure what to say. He hadn't seen much of Malfoy since they had returned. And now that Harry thought about it he hadn't seen him at the party either. "Where were you tonight?"
"You're welcome. Good night." Ignoring Harry's question, Malfoy turned to leave.
Staring after him, Harry let out an irritated huff before getting up and stumbling back to Gryffindor Tower. This was strange. But when had anything that had to do with Malfoy not been strange?