Chapter 78 - Approaching Holidays
December arrived quietly.
After the excitement of the troll incident and the Quidditch match, the school days became peaceful again. Classes continued, students complained about homework and Fred and George continued terrorizing the castle, normally, as it is supposed to be.
In short, Hogwarts returned to being the school Hogwarts.
For me, however, December was important for another reason, my expedited fourth-year exams.
The exams would happen during the third week of December. If I passed them successfully, then the next major step for me would be the O.W.L.s in June.
Honestly, I was not worried. The exams were difficult for most students, but not for me. They never truly were. And for once, I did not even need to pretend to be slower than I really was. That alone felt strangely relaxing.
The exam week passed quickly. I finished each paper comfortably and the practical exams went more than smoothly.
Professor Flitwick looked delighted during Charms.
Professor McGonagall only gave one approving nod during Transfiguration, which from her was basically a standing ovation.
Even Professor Snape looked mildly impressed.
We had not talked about the incidents and neither had he asked me about them. It was like he understood what I was doing and had nothing to point his fingers at my plan. That alone was probably my greatest achievement.
Because of the exams, I had to remain at Hogwarts for a few extra days after the winter holidays officially started. Harry and Dudley decided to stay back too so we could all return home together. It also gave them a few free days where they could enjoy with the few friends who remained behind, like Ron.
My final exam finished around midday on the twenty-third of December. As I packed my belongings inside the dormitory, my mind drifted toward the original timeline.
According to canon, this should have been the Christmas when Harry received the invisibility cloak from Dumbledore.
The cloak of James Potter, One of the three Deathly Hallows.
And after receiving it, Harry would eventually discover the Mirror of Erised.
I had a guess that the cloak was probably charmed by a faint compulsion charm that would unknowingly guide the person wearing it towards the room where the mirror was stored.
But things were different now.
Harry had a family waiting for him. So, he was not staying back at Hogwarts during Christmas anymore. He had a home after all.
So what would Dumbledore do now? Would he abandon his plans? Or will he not return the Potter family's property back?
No, I doubted a man like Albus Dumbledore would simply abandon his plans.
The older the ginger, the spicier it became.
And Dumbledore was one of the greatest strategists alive. He adjusted plans naturally and improvised on the go.
That thought remained in my head as I carried my trunk toward Professor McGonagall's office. Harry and Dudley were already waiting there.
Dudley looked excited to finally return home. Harry looked excited too, but there was also something else on his face that made him a bit distracted.
I noticed it, but I did not think too much about it as I had no time for it. Professor McGonagall had already arrived, waiting for us. She escorted us through the Floo connection to the Leaky Cauldron.
From there, we three boarded the Knight Bus. The ride was as horrible as always.
Dudley nearly turned green and Harry almost crashed into a window once. Meanwhile, I questioned all my life decisions during every sharp turn the bus took.
Still, by evening, we finally reached home.
The moment Mom opened the door, she immediately pulled Harry into a hug.
Honestly, she hugged Harry even more tightly than Dudley.
Not that Dudley minded much anymore.
Mom worried about Harry constantly these days as she knew he could be in danger in that world.
Even though we had hidden the dangerous details from her, she still worried.
Dad welcomed us warmly too and helped carry our luggage inside.
For a while everything felt peaceful.
The house felt warm house, with half-done Christmas decorations. The food also tasted good, it tasted like home. At time like these do people recognise what is meant by Family.
It almost made me forget that dark lords, magical conspiracies and manipulative old men existed.
Almost.
Unfortunately, Dudley possessed one fatal weakness. He could not stay quiet when excited. And during dinner, that weakness destroyed all peace.
It started innocently.
Dad asked how school had been.
Dudley proudly started talking about classes and other mischiefs.
Then he talked about Halloween with the troll, explained about Quidditch and then about Harry nearly falling from the broom.
And he topped it up finally with...
"Arthur even argued with Dumbledore in front of the whole school!" Dudley announced proudly.
The room became silent.
Very silent.
Mom's face lost all color.
Dad stiffened immediately.
Harry looked down at his plate.
Meanwhile I slowly turned toward Dudley.
Dudley finally realized he might have made a mistake. A very large mistake.
Mom suddenly grabbed Harry and pulled him into a tight hug. Her hands were shaking slightly.
"They already took Lily..." she whispered weakly.
"I won't let them take Harry too."
Dad looked angry now.
Not at us.
At the situation.
At Hogwarts.
At the magical world itself.
"You did the right thing," Dad said firmly to me.
He placed a hand on my shoulder.
"You are the elder brother."
"You protect them."
"And if things become dangerous, then we leave."
"I don't care where."
"Safety comes first."
"The rest can go to hell."
Mom nodded immediately.
"Yes."
"We'll go anywhere."
"America, Australia, forests, mountains, I don't care."
"We'll disappear if we have to."
Harry looked guilty hearing all this.
So did Dudley now.
I sighed softly and tried calming everyone down.
"It will be alright."
"I already warned Hogwarts."
"And Professor Dumbledore promised an investigation."
Dad snorted a little at that.
Still, after a long discussion and a lot of reassurance from me, Dudley and Harry, Mom finally calmed down enough for the night to continue normally.
Eventually everyone retired to bed.
I went to my room and collapsed onto the bed tiredly.
The house was quiet now.
Peaceful.
For a few minutes I simply rested there.
Then came a knock on my door.
I opened it.
Harry stood there quietly.
And in his hands was a strange silvery bundle of cloth.
I thought, 'Oh boy!'
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End of Chapter 78 - Approaching Holidays