If you want to read by 20+ Chapters from here you can visit my Patre-on.
[P] [A] [T] [R] [E] [O] [N]
[email protected]/Vermeail
••••••
Even the ever anxious Hermione felt as though she was adequately prepared for the exams once she actually saw them, effortlessly filling out answers with what was almost certainly an excessive amount of detail. The practical exams came even easier for the group, being able to display spells in pure textbook fashion, even though many of them had found more comfortable personal ways to cast certain spells. Padma, for example, had taken to the calming charm so well that she no longer needed the wand movement for it, which had been excellent in keeping Hermione from hyperventilating in the lead-up to exams.
Harry, Hermione, Neville and Luna were sat outside, enjoying the fresh air of the late Scottish spring, waiting for the rest of their merry band to finish with their exams. It was the final day for them, and everyone was quite ready for them to be over. The stress and anxiety that filled the castle was overwhelming, and now everyone would have the necessary time to wind down.
"Do you all have any plans for the summer?" asked Hermione, looking over at her friends.
"Not that I know of really, I think Nym wants to go to the Quidditch World Cup since it's being held in England this year. She's really hoping the English team will make it, but from what the guys in my dorm have been saying, Bulgaria's going to have it on lock." Harry said, leaning back on his hands. Quidditch was an interesting game, but it just didn't hold the same appeal to him that dueling did. Maybe in another life he would have played. Maybe.
"Seamus has been pulling for Ireland, but they do pretty well on the regular. Wouldn't be surprised if they ended up taking it." Neville said. Neville did actually quite like Quidditch Harry knew, although he was not quite skilled enough with a broom to consider playing. Harry had spent some time working with him to improve his skills, but it seemed his balance just didn't exist in the air. Neville had been fine with that, he didn't need to play Quidditch for his house team, just do well enough for a casual game with his friends and dormmates. In that regard he was more than capable, and was supposedly quite the beater when he wanted to be.
"Oh, you should let us know if you plan on going Harry! Father can get press passes for the Quibbler, so I can go with him and see you." Luna said, smiling over at him.
"I suppose if you all were there it might be enjoyable, but I never did get the joy of that game. Not like Susan at the very least." Hermione said.
"I don't think any of us could enjoy the game like Susan does. I'm sure she's already got tickets for the event, and would have even if her aunt wasn't the head of the DMLE." Harry said with a chuckle. For all his dormmates cared about quidditch, they couldn't hold a candle to the passion for the sport his Hufflepuff girlfriend showed.
"Imagine if you had played Quidditch Harry, Susan would cheer louder than anyone in the stands for you, probably against her house team." Neville said, laughing at the image.
"Probably best for Susan's lungs and everyone's ears that I didn't give in to Davies then." Harry said. Davies had finally given up on recruiting Harry just a few months ago, and even then that had likely been because Cho Chang had really started to excel as a Seeker.
They continued to discuss their summer plans for a while, when a large black dog caught their eye. It was dragging something behind it.
"Ron?" Neville asked, clamoring up. "It's got Ron Weasley! Hey! Dog! Let go!" Neville dashed after it. Harry, Hermione, and Luna wasted no time in chasing after as well. Regardless of their opinion on the youngest Weasley male, they wouldn't want him injured.
"Where did he go?" Harry said, as he finally caught up with Neville by the Whomping Willow, thankfully just out of its reach. Hagrid had told Harry it could take down Perytons with a single blow, and he wasn't in any hurry to test that.
"Dragged him under the tree, in that little hole there. Come on! We've got to follow him." Neville said, before dashing to the tree and starting to crawl under it. Harry was proud at the confidence Neville was showing, he had really come a long way from the shy boy he had been only a couple years ago. This wasn't a time to think about that though. He had to move.
Harry managed to squeeze into the tunnel, with Hermione and Luna following behind him. "Any idea where this goes?" Luna asked, her voice unconcerned. Leave it to Luna to be this cool under pressure.
"Not a clue." Harry said.
"We'll find out soon, there's light up ahead!" Neville said, as he began to crawl even faster.
Clamoring up through the hole, Harry immediately met eyes with Professor Remus Lupin, who was standing next to a large black dog. It looked familiar, but Harry couldn't immediately place from where.
"Professor Lupin? What are you doing?" Harry asked, confused. Was Professor Lupin the latest in an increasingly long line of bad Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers?
"You couldn't avoid getting seen? Really?" Lupin asked to the dog, ignoring the students for a moment. At that moment, the dog began to stand up on it's hind legs, and started to shift. Fur gave way to pale skin, except at the top of the skull, where it formed into a curly unidentifiable mess. Dread started creeping through Harry's mind, filling his body with this chilling feeling that flooded him from head to toe.
Harry knew the man in front of him.
He had killed his parents.