Join me on Discord for discussions, character portraits, and one advanced chapter. Server code is vN7sTYhEp6.

  Or hop onto Patreon under the same penname to read an additional five chapters.

  This chapter was edited by Gdiusx. Check his works on HP and ASOIAF, I highly recommend them.

  “So, Suzie. You’re also taking Ancient Runes?”

  “Yes, I look forward to tomorrow’s css.”

  It was a relief to have some time alone with his girlfriend after the severe ck of privacy at his party or ter on the train. For once, Harry let go of his concerns and rexed.

  “Me too,” he agreed. “I heard it would mostly be learning dead nguages like Old Norse, Pictish, or Gaelic. It’s a bit of a shame as I had hoped it would include more nguages from around the world.”

  “Oh, Harry. You’re starting to sound like Hermione. We had the same discussion during the party with your ancestor’s portrait.” His girlfriend giggled as she coiled her fingers with his own. “First, don’t tell anyone that you think Gaelic is a dead nguage. Pictish, perhaps, Old Norse, I don’t know, but I know that the Irish keep the nguage alive both in the muggle and magical worlds.”

  “Huh, I didn’t know that,” said Harry with surprise.

  “The more you know. Second, when it comes to Ancient Runes, each nation has a region they focus on. I mean, you can’t expect us to study Ancient Chinese when we have barely learned our own historical nguages, right?”

  “Fair enough.”

  Harry chuckled as Susan tched onto his arm. They walked along the grounds to Hagrid’s hut for their css after several rounds of snogging that left Harry giddy and Susan with a permanent blush. They still had some time, yet many students rushed to the Hogwarts Gamekeeper’s hut, not wishing to be te. While everyone saw Hagrid as soon as they left the Hogwarts Express, most students hardly had a reason to interact with him. Now that he was a teacher, it was only natural for them to want to leave a good impression; Hagrid was an unknown quality when it came to teaching and his habits.

  Naturally, Harry had no qualms about his friend; he only wondered if Hagrid still had some of that mead. Suddenly, something nudged his mind, and he stiffened, bringing them both to a stop.

  “Harry, what’s wrong?”

  Harry raised his hand for silence and closed his eyes, slipping into Hedwig’s skin as she flew over the mountains to the south and towards the Forbidden Forest. His heart thumped loudly as he realised she was being chased by a wizard on a broom.

  “Come on, you stubborn bird, stop! How the bloody hell are you ignoring the charm!”

  Hedwig hooted disdainfully and dived into the woods near the grounds.

  “Harry?”

  He cut the connection and turned to the nearby forest, realising where Hedwig would be in the next few minutes. Another gnce at Hagrid’s hut showed the giant man had not arrived, and only a dozen or so students were there.

  Making up his mind, he turned to Susan. “I have to go somewhere. Someone is chasing my owl, and she’s waiting for me in the forest. Could you–”

  “Of course, I’m coming with you, Harry.” Susan smiled sweetly, yet her eyes were narrowed as if getting ready to argue should he try to go alone. “Well, then, let’s go! Poor Hedwig could be in danger!”

  Not wishing to waste time, he nodded, dropped his bag by a tree, and dashed into the Forbidden Forest; Susan hot on his heels after she had dropped her bag. Within a minute, Harry could hear a man’s voice cursing, but a gnce through Hedwig’s eyes calmed him.

  The twisted trees and their grasping roots felt easier to navigate this time. Soon, they arrived at a clearing that was still away from the Wildnd to find his owl’s pursuer hung upside down by his ankle from a tree branch, his broom abandoned on the ground, a noticeable crack running down its handle. The man groaned as his face was a dark shade of red from all the blood flowing to his head. He tried to point his wand at his leg, but whatever spell he cast kept missing.

  Harry wasted no time disarming him.

  The man twisted around like a fish in water, looking at him with eyes wide like saucers. After half a minute of staring, he coughed.

  “Ah, hello,” he said, groaning. “A student from Hogwarts? Please help me out here—I feel like my head is going to blow. Or try and get a teacher?”

  “I suppose I can help as long as you expin why you were chasing after my owl.” Harry pocketed his wand before approaching and raising his arm. A heartbeat ter, Hedwig gently nded on his forearm and stretched out a cw to present him with a letter.

  Susan looked curiously at the man before her eyes widened in recognition. “You’re a Ministry worker—or well, you wear the robes of one. Department of Law Enforcement, but not an Auror. A hit wizard?”

  The older man grinned, only for his face to turn green. “Ugh, I think I’m gonna hurl.”

  Feeling no malice from the pitiful man and considering Hedwig had enjoyed the chase, Harry waved his wand, and the tree branch holding his ankle slithered like a snake, dropping him to the ground with a yelp. Just as he was about to wave his wand again to stop the hit wizard from crashing, Susan was faster and muttered, “Wingardium Leviosa,” causing him to float an inch from the ground, his heavy-looking blue robes holding him like a hanger.

  “Haha, that was close. Thanks for the save and good levitation charm.” The hit wizard scrambled to his feet and gave an unsteady bow. “Wilfred Kidd, at your service. As the young dy mentioned, I work for the Ministry, though I’ve been foisted with the strangest jobs tely. You look familiar, but can I have my wand back?”

  “Name’s Harry Potter,” Harry replied bndly, causing the young man to gawk and stumble over one thick root when he tossed the wand back. Harry then motioned to his girlfriend. “This is Susan Bones. Now, may I ask why you were chasing my owl?”

  “Bones? Wait, Director Amelia’s niece?!” Wilfred’s face paled considerably. He gnced at his broken broom and then at his girlfriend. “Please don’t tell her I broke the Ministry broom. I-I mean, I didn’t break it! It flew away by itself, I swear! I can’t afford to have my wages docked; I don’t even earn three digits a month!”

  Susan giggled, waving her hand dismissively. “Rex, I’m just a student. I have no reason to tell my aunt anything that doesn’t concern me.” His girlfriend’s smile turned mischievous. “Of course, it would help if you could expin why a hit wizard was chasing my boyfriend’s owl. Tampering with the mail is a serious crime, after all.”

  “Ah, well, er, you see, I’m not really at liberty to discuss that, but er…” Wilfred Kidd rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, “I-I mean, I’m not really a hit wizard, barely a rookie in w enforcement patrol.” He pointed to the badge on his cloak, “I barely graduated a couple of years ago myself, Gryffindor as well. But by golly, what are they feeding you kids?! I remember when you first arrived, Potter. You were tiny!”

  Harry ignored Susan’s snort and narrowed his eyes at the older man; there was no way he could remember every single older year, but then again, Eleanor also identified him easily enough. “Listen, we have to go to css soon, but I cannot let the fact you threatened my owl pass by. I know your name and your profession, Wilfred Kidd. Tell me what I need to know, and I will let this misunderstanding go without filing a compint.”

  The w officer grimaced, and Susan chimed in, “Your father is Mr Kidd from the Administrative Registration Department, Wilfred Kidd Senior, right? I believe my brother works with him as well. We’re all friends here. I’m sure we can all come to an agreement.”

  Wilfred Kidd Junior rubbed his long hair harshly before groaning aloud and sitting on a tree root. “Fine, this isn’t worth it. If I get fired, whatever, I always wanted to be a curse breaker anyway.” The blonde man looked at them seriously, “You realise something major happened in the Ministry st night, correct?”

  Harry felt trepidation as he and Susan sat across from the man on another root, “Yeah, Narcissa Bck invaded the Ministry.”

  “Yeah, and the result was ugly. Uglier than anything from the blood war…or at least that’s what my superior says because no one really knows for certain what happened. What we do know is that the Minister had decred a state of emergency and set up anti-owl charms in critical pces in Wizarding Britain to stifle news from coming out. The floo network is being monitored and even international portkeys are suspended until further notice. My father told me they were probably trying to set up some narrative or something, and even the Daily Prophet was only allowed to write about the attack on the Express; even then, I heard Fudge harassed the writer so much st night that she only managed to take his word for what happened.”

  Harry frowned inwardly, something was bothering him but he could not pinpoint what it was. Still, he recalled that only subscription owls from the Daily Prophet had arrived this morning. “I assume the gag order is not perfect, then?”

  “Oh, it works well enough…except for your bloody owl. I have no clue how she managed to shrug off the charm around Hogwarts, but she was somehow faster than my Comet 260!” Wilfred looked aggrieved at the haughty snowy owl on Harry’s shoulder. “Any chance you will surrender that letter, by the way? It came from London, possibly St Mungo’s, and there’s a great risk it contains sensitive info–”

  “Out of the question,” Harry stood and helped his girlfriend up–he had learned more than enough to get an idea of how chaotic Magical Britain had become. “You will just have to pretend the owl never made it through. You make it sound like the DMLE is severely undermanned and overstretched, even more than usual; I’m sure no one else will notice an owl flying through the wards.”

  “B-But what about my broken broom? My superiors will definitely notice something is off when I return it broken!”

  “Just say you were practising the Wronski feint or something and crashed.” Harry sighed as the older wizard looked close to tears–this was getting extremely awkward. Did the Ministry really pay the DMLE so little that a grown man would cry over the threat of docked wages? He rummaged under his cloak for his money pouch and tossed it to the young man. “Here, there should be fifty galleons in there. I doubt it’s enough to buy a new broom, but you could still have it fixed. It’s only a crack along the length anyway.”

  “Oh, Harry, that is so kind of you,” Susan added as she looked at the wizard holding the pouch in confusion. “To feel responsible that your owl caused the nice gentleman’s broom to be damaged. Though I’m sure Mr Kidd would not mind keeping what happened a secret. It would be a shame if someone learned he was outpaced by an owl and on a Comet 260 as well.”

  Harry had to stop himself from snickering at Kidd’s baffled look before his eyes widened in realisation, pocketed the pouch, and looked at them askance. “Say what now? What owl are you talking about? Students like you ought to have csses and, as far as I know, are forbidden from entering the Forbidden Forest. Off with you now, shoo.”

  Harry shook his head as he waved farewell to the eccentric officer and led Susan back out of the woods. His girlfriend looked positively radiant.

  “Never thought I’d see you so happy bckmailing Ministry employees,” Harry drawled.

  “What? No, it’s not like that!” Susan replied with a flustered face. “We had an adventure! Just the two of us, and it ended very well indeed.” She hugged his arm and kissed his cheek. “Although, I really hope Auntie doesn’t learn I helped facilitate a bribe. My, Harry, you are such a terrible influence on me; I never could have dreamed of breaking the w so easily.”

  “Heh, and I appreciate your help out there.” Harry kissed her temple, practically smelling her giddiness rising to new levels. Though he would not voice it aloud, he appreciated Susan’s show of loyalty.

  Susan beamed at him. “You’re welcome! Now, go on, let’s see what the letter that caused so much trouble is about.”

  Harry chuckled before opening the letter; Hedwig had already taken off to the owlery for some rest. “Oh, it’s from Chiara. Don’t give me that, Susan. I thought you got over my attendant’s affliction.”

  Susan grimaced, her smile wilting as she looked away. “Sorry, it’s just…sorry.”

  With an apology given, Harry couldn’t stay mad…but he could feel that the words had not been sincere. Susan was not sorry at all, and it irked him. As, this was not a difference that could be mended by words. The moment he turned his back, they would be back to squabbling.

  Susan was a good person, but…the prejudice was frustrating. She had no love for goblins but had no problem working with the tellers in Gringotts, so why couldn’t his girlfriend just…accept Chiara? She clearly wasn’t a rabid beast that went on about cheating, stealing, and biting respectable folk. At least Susan was trying…even if it wasn’t sincere.

  His good mood was lost; Harry shoved the letter in his pocket as they arrived by the tree where their bags were left and hurried to Hagrid’s hut.

  The big man was taking attendance, and a rge crowd of students shifted awkwardly as they stood outside his pumpkin patch. There must have been at least fifty students, nearly three-quarters of the entire year; conspicuously absent were nearly all the Ravencws but two.

  “‘Arry, there yeh are. An’ yeh brought Miss Bones too, eh? Almost te, but I reckon it was a fair hike ter get ‘ere.” Hagrid beamed at their approach and checked their names on his massive clipboard. “Now, where was I? Ah, right—Smith! Where’ve yeh got to? Ah, there yeh are–”

  “Hey, Harry.” Daphne greeted him as they approached her. Tracey and Hermione were nearby, talking to Hannah Abbot and a few other girls. The troublemaker wiggled her eyebrows as she saw their arms were still hooked. “You two lovebirds must have had too much fun to be te to css.”

  “Indeed, Harry was the perfect gentleman.” Susan hugged his arm tighter, her eyes fixed on Tracey, who raised an eyebrow before turning away to continue her conversation with Hermione. His girlfriend looked confused, almost as if she was uncertain whether that was a victory or not.

  Harry did not want to get involved with whatever they were up to; he had already made it clear to Tracey that he had no desire to pursue a retionship now that he was already in one, but the blonde girl had merely shrugged. “I’m sure we can still be friends then. It might not look like it, but Susan and I are also friends.” The words had been sincere but not entirely truthful, further confusing him.

  Sometimes, he felt that Tracey was the more troublesome of the two sisters despite how easy talking to her was. She was smart and witty, like a more worldly Hermione, yet also had a barbed tongue that the blonde girl was not shy from using. Besides, he would admit that she was pleasing on the eye, even if she cked the sensuality that his girlfriend had, but it could be that Jon was comparing her with another golden-haired emerald-eyed queen considered to be the most beautiful woman in the Seven Kingdoms, even if their faces were not quite the same.

  But beauty was far from everything; Cersei Lannister was proof of that. Harry would rather have a partner who was faithful and true. But if he demanded loyalty, he had to reciprocate in turn.

  But then, there was Apollo Greengrass, who held out quite well with two wives.

  Wait…“Ghost, stop that.”

  The direwolf huffed in his mind, and Harry could vaguely tell his companion’s intent. Don’t overcomplicate things.

  “So, Harry, if it was not a nice, sacious snog, what really had you run off into the woods all of a sudden?” Harry jerked awake to find Daphne smirking at him–Susan had joined Tracey, Hermione, and the rest of the girls at some point. “Some people already saw you and Susan snogging by the clocktower. Was kissing not enough for you incorrigible duo?”

  “Get your mind off the gutter, Daphne.” Harry gnced around him, finding that Hagrid was not in a hurry to finish taking the roll, and the rest of the students were chatting. “Did you know there was an anti-owl charm around Hogwarts?”

  All mischief and mirth vanished from Daphne’s eyes as they narrowed seriously. “Tell me everything.”

  Harry told her of the strange meeting they had with the Ministry official, and Daphne nodded when he aired his suspicions about why there weren’t any mail owls this morning. “Damn, Narcissa must have done something utterly mad to warrant all these countermeasures. Did you check the letter from your friend? If it came from St Mungo’s, then I have an inkling what it’s about.”

  Once Harry was certain nobody was close enough to eavesdrop, he opened the letter. Chiara’s usually neat handwriting was messy and clearly rushed.

  Harry,

  Albus Dumbledore brought Narcissa Malfoy to Janus Thickey ward before departing just as quickly as he arrived.

  Master Tonks and I were responsible for healing her. We stabilised her, but she’s in terrible condition and has yet to awaken.

  Two Aurors guard her door at all times while two squads of Hit Wizards patrol the fourth floor.

  There’s a communication ban, but I trust Hedwig will be able to circumvent it.

  I bring this to your attention because you once mentioned Narcissa Malfoy, though her file now has her stated surname as Bck, was a friend and an ally. I don’t know what she did, but it has to be serious. I have yet to leave the hospital and only got a few hours of sleep in the tearoom, but clearly, she’s being treated as a criminal.

  I heard one of the Hit Wizards mention the Ministry is in uproar, and the Minister is trying to have her executed without trial. I was not there but Master Tonks had to leave for a commotion in the reception and returned looking irritated and cursing the Minister.

  I will keep you updated.

  Your loyal servant,

  Chiara.

  PS: Severus Snape was also admitted to the Dai Llewellyn Ward.

  “Damn,” Daphne whistled after Harry finished and showed her the letter–there was no sensitive information in it, and he trusted the Greengrass heiress. “Talk about hardcore.”

  “We don’t really know what Narcissa did in the–”

  “I’m talking about your loyal servant.” Daphne chortled, “Ignoring the Minister’s decree and sending a letter behind the DMLE’s back is absolute recklessness at its finest. You got a top ss on your hand, Harry. She would lose her healer licence if she is discovered, probably tossed in Azkaban even. She needs to be more subtle, all things considered, if you know what I mean.”

  Harry groaned inwardly as he pocketed the letter, of course Daphne would focus on the weird stuff. Still, the girl kept staring at him pointedly, yet Harry only felt confused, causing her to roll her eyes and elbow him. Before he could retort by pinching her sides, Hagrid finally finished roll call and started the lesson.

  “Right, now that we’re done takin’ names, and I’m real gd so many of yeh picked my css, but let’s agree tha’ roll call was a bit of a yawn, eh? Dragged on more’n it needed to, if yeh ask me.” A few chuckles and ayes sounded out causing Hagrid to beam. “Well, I’ve got just the thing to shake off that tedium. A great lesson an’ a real treat for yeh all. Right, follow me.”

  Hagrid led them around his hut and strolled around the edge of the trees. Five minutes ter, they found themselves outside an empty paddock that was open on one end leading deeper into the Forbidden Forest. “Everyone gather ’round the fence here! That’s it. Make sure yeh can see over the fence but don’t jump over, at least not yet. Now, firs’ thing yeh’ll want ter do is open yer books–”

  “Exactly how are we supposed to do that?” Came the dull voice of Theodore Nott. The boy sounded like he was unused to speaking out and being the centre of attention, judging by how he gulped when Hagrid stared at him like he had grown a second head.

  “Yeh asking how to open a book? Really?”

  “Oi, the bleeding thing attacks anyone who tries to open it,” Nott protested as he pulled out the Monster Book of Monsters, his copy bound by a chain that rattled uneasily every now and then. Several other students also brought out their books, all of them secured in some manner; Goyle’s looked like he belted his book shut, while a couple of Hufflepuffs had crammed them inside tight bags. Seamus and Neville even cmped theirs with binder clips.

  Naturally, Harry had his book in hand, docile as ever. Daphne and the rest of his friends in the know, had quickly stood close to him before bringing out their books, all of them pcid and cowed by his presence; so much for the monster book of monsters, once it realised it was in the presence of an actual monster, it bowed its head in obedience.

  A huff in his mind had Harry scowling inwardly. “Shut it, Ghost.” Yet, the direwolf continued to ugh in that silent way of his.

  Still, a few students did not bind their books and easily opened them, chief among them were the two Ravencws, Su Li and Padma Patil, as well as Millicent Bulstrode and Leane from Hufflepuff (Harry still didn’t know her surname).

  Hagrid, however, looked aggrieved. “Did any o' yeh even bother readin' the sylbus? I made sure to put notes on all yeh'll need for css. Among 'em was how to open the ruddy book, mind.”

  “Wait, we have a sylbus?”

  “'Do we 'ave a sylbus?' he says. Course we do, Smith! How else d'ye think the rest o' yer yearmates opened the book? Ain't that right, Harry?”

  Harry, meanwhile, was gring at Hermione, who would not meet his eyes, even as he sensed schadenfreude coming from her. A gnce at the rest of his friends showed Tracey must have also read the sylbus. Both girls were the only ones in his group who stood far enough so that the books would have started growling again, yet they had opened them with no problems.

  Not willing to tarnish his image, Harry grinned at Hagrid, “Of course we did, Professor Hagrid. You were very clear on how to tame the Monster Book of Monsters. Isn’t that right, Daphne?”

  The witty girl did not even blink before smiling politely to the beaming Hagrid–being called professor did wonders to his mood. “Naturally, it is such a smart way to prepare us for the highly misunderstood creatures that share our world, Professor. Millie? How about you tell the css the secret of how to open the book?”

  Millicent Bulstrode looked askance at Daphne–for a terrible moment, Harry feared the Slytherin girl would throw them under the carriage but rexed when she sighed. “You stroke the spine. Just like a cat.”

  To demonstrate, the big girl grabbed Pansy’s book, untied the rope, and ran her meaty fingers over the spine with surprising tenderness, instantly making it docile. Many of the students oohed and aahed, trying to hide how they should have known all along…Harry included. He would have words with Hermione and Tracey ter.

  “Excellent! Take five points to Slytherin. As expected from Snape’s students, he warned me you lot’d be a bunch o’ dunderheads, an' for a moment, I almost believed 'im. He helped me set up the sylbus an' me css, see.” Hagrid’s sardonic smile wilted. “I hope he gets better and returns soon.”

  Harry barely held his surprise; not many students or teachers grieved for the ornery Potions Master’s absence, yet he recalled Snape had been giving Hagrid lessons over the summer. At the very least, the Slytherins seemed to open up to Hagrid now; even when he was absent, Snape still held considerable influence.

  “Right, now that we’ve got this all sorted, time to bring out today’s guests of honour!” Hagrid waved his massive wand and released a strange whistling sound that grated on Harry’s ears. Strangely, no one else seemed to react to it, and Harry wondered if it was some sort of dog whistle.

  No, not a dog whistle, as memories of when he and Chiara cleared out their home from trolls came to his mind.

  “Oh wow!” Lavender Brown squealed as she pointed at the approaching creatures. “Hippogriffs!”

  A dozen of the familiar creatures approached the paddock; all of them had leather colrs around their necks but no chains. Hagrid easily stepped over the fence and waved his wand, conjuring steel chains that swiftly flew to hook into the colrs. Some of the Hippogriffs shied away from the chains, only for Hagrid to growl “None o’ that” at them, cowing them into obedience. Once they were secured, Hagrid turned back to them, grinning at Lavender.

  “Correct, Hippogriffs! Take five points to Gryffindor. Now then, what d'you all think? Ain’t they beauties?” They certainly were, judging by how positive the css was to the lesson, though when Hagrid asked if anyone wanted to volunteer to approach them, none moved.

  Daphne, with a shit-eating grin on her face, even nudged him on the side. “You’re the Gryffindor here.”

  Chuckling, he jumped over the fence. “Sure, I got it, Professor.”

  Harry didn’t wait for Hagrid to respond and picked the biggest and meanest hippogriff of the lot, a grey one nearly half the size of the griffin that invaded his home a few months ago. Noticing his choice, Hagrid waved his wand, untching the colr from his neck.

  “Good choice, Harry. Buckbeak is the leader o’ this herd. Get his approval, and the rest’ll follow.”

  Harry nodded and remembered Chiara’s teachings. He bowed slightly to the beast, keeping eye contact, but Buckbeak did not look impressed and reared up. Before Hagrid could interfere, Harry focused and dived into the hippogriff’s eyes. Within a few heartbeats, he was gazing back at himself from Buckbeak’s eyes, crushing the beast’s panic and tearing down any resistance in its mind. Ghost did not even need to interfere; the creature was half-bird, and it was easy to picture it as a stuffed turkey, which quickly turned it docile lest he follow his threat–he was starting to feel a bit peckish. Just like a rowdy horse, one must break its wild streak before gaining its loyalty, and sure enough, Buckbeak bowed deeply to him once he retracted his consciousness from its mind.

  “Well done! Oh, well done, Harry! That’s the quickest I’ve ever seen a hippogriff take to someone!”

  Hagrid cpped loudly before turning to the rest of the students to expin what he did and how to approach a hippogriff. Harry, however, had a strong urge to follow up with his taming; after breaking a horse, it was only natural to ride it, and those wings looked powerful enough to lift them both in the air. Not sure if Hagrid would allow it or not, Harry approached the hippogriff, patting its beak and running his fingers down its feathery neck. After stretching the stiffness of his body, he moved to its fnk and vaulted over its back.

  Several gasps from the crowd had Hagrid look back at him, “Oh, you’re gonna fly him already? Good man, Harry. Go on then, take him for a spin. Just don’t pull any of his feathers.”

  Harry grinned, and with a nudge of his feet, Buckbeak reared up before galloping for a few feet and jumping, his powerful wings beating against the air with ease, sending them soaring skyward. The hippogriff might not have a saddle or reins, but Jon had ridden without a saddle before, and Buckbeak’s feathery back was comfortable enough for him. Reins were useless, considering he could easily nudge the hippogriff through the skinchanging bond. Even now, he could feel the beast’s mind on the back of his consciousness, the connection facilitated by their physical closeness.

  Within a minute, they were circling Hogwarts hundreds of feet in the air, and for the first time in a long time, Harry felt pure, unadulterated joy. It was different from flying on a broom. For all that he loved his Nimbus 2000, the broom was still an unfeeling piece of wood, whereas Buckbeak was alive, and his pounding heart could be felt through his warm back.

  The cool air refreshed him, and Harry felt his eyes tearing up from the wind. No, it was not the wind; as they flew over the forest, memories of another life surfaced in his mind. Of simpler times as Jon rode with his brothers and father through the Wolfswood, hunting game or learning woodcraft.

  As, those times had passed, no matter how much he longed for them. His kin…they were all dead, and Winterfell and the North did not exist here. And if they did, Harry knew not how to reach them. Even if he did, he was no longer Jon Snow but Harry Potter.

  With his mood turning nostalgic and solemn, Harry let his thoughts slip out and flow away and around him like the wind in his face. Buckbeak screeched as he turned his head sideways, their newly formed connection allowing the hippogriff to understand his emotions; the winged steed veered away from the forest to fly over the ke and took him all the way to Hogsmeade, where they circled the town from a kilometre above.

  Harry could feel Ghost sending him warmth and comfort through their bond as well. Hedwig also appeared from nowhere and flew around him. He smiled; he might have lost a lot, but he gained much more in return.

  They continued to fly for the better part of an hour, Harry waving away several ministry workers patrolling the skies, Wilfred Kidd flying among them; they did not approach, merely monitored him until he turned back to Hogwarts. Soon, he was flying past Hagrid’s hut and nded back in the paddock; many of the students were sitting on the ground as they took notes on conjured tables while Hagrid expined all the intricacies of caring for a hippogriff. It appeared the Keeper of Keys had a knack for Transfiguration, judging by the ease he had conjured so many tables.

  Once he noticed him, Hagrid turned away from the css, though Harry noticed a gleam in his beady eyes as he stared at him. “Harry, yer back! Gd yeh decided ter rejoin us. When I said yeh could take Buckbeak fer a spin, I didn’t mean yeh could skive off till css’s nearly done!”

  Several students chortled at his expense, but Harry didn’t mind. His face was aching from the wide smile he had. He dismounted and patted the hippogriff’s neck; even after an hour of flight, he showed no sign of tiring. A contingent of flying hippogriff ncers would have probably put dragonriders to shame back in Westeros with their agility in the air.

  “Sorry, Ha–Professor Hagrid. It was just so much fun!”

  “Aye, I can believe that.” Hagrid’s bnk face smiled wistfully. “Wish I could find meself a griffin ter befriend. These beauties are tough, but not quite enough ter carry me weight, see.”

  Harry grinned inwardly as an idea formed in his mind. He waited until Hagrid approached to check on Buckbeak before he spoke quietly, “If you want a Griffin, I know where you can find one. I can point you to it, but I will need a favour.”

  Hagrid looked at him strangely, “Yeh don’t need ter do that, Harry. Just ask, an’ I’ll help yeh any way I can, no strings attached.”

  “Thanks, Ha–err, professor,” he hastily corrected. It was weird to say associate Hagrid with the word professor, but Harry respected the man too much to undermine his authority by being too casual in css. “Still, there’s nothing wrong with helping each other out.”

  “Alright then, what d’yeh need?”

  “I need an escort next week in the Forbidden Forest. I’m looking for a strange cave close to the borders. It has steam coming from its vents and looks like–”

  “Like it sprung up outta nowhere in the middle o’ a clearin’? Aye, I know what yeh mean. Took Snape there once, lookin’ fer somethin’. Never did tell me what he found, though he looked mighty uncomfortable afterwards. Anyways, sure, I’ll take yeh after css. Yeh’ve got Charms next, right?” Harry nodded, filing away that Snape had apparently met Cinder in the past and his Fae had not told him. “Next week, we’ll go after css. I can write you a note for Filius if yer te.”

  “Great, thanks, Sir.” He was gd the gentle giant did not even ask why he wanted to go there. “Now it’s my turn, you know about the Wildnd in my new home?” Hagrid nodded. “I met a griffin that lives on that mountain. It has a flock of hippogriffs as underlings, but I’m sure I can give you a chance to meet it in the future.”

  Hagrid’s eyes lit up in childish glee before fixing his face as the rest of the css stared at them, wondering what they were talking about. “Right, we’ll discuss that ter.” He raised his voice as he beckoned him, “Come on then, back to your friends. I’m sure Hermione will allow you to copy her notes if you ask nicely.”

  Later, as he rejoined his friends, Harry learned that the rest of the css had already approached the other hippogriffs and applied what Hagrid had taught them: proper grooming and caring for the winged beasts. Harry might have missed it, but checking over Hermione’s notes, he realised it was mostly basic things that anyone who owned a horse should know, except he had to adjust for the wings and the fact that hippogriffs preferred raw meat to grass and foliage.

  “That was an absolute peach of a css!” Susan excimed, her Yorkshire accent slipping in her excitement. They were heading back to the castle after the css ended; Gryffindors shared Charms with the Hufflepuffs. “I will admit I had my doubts as my brothers warned me Care of Magical Creatures would most likely start with some absolute boring thing like flobberworms, but I’m so gd Professor Hagrid exceeded my expectations. I barely felt the time pass, even though it was a double css. He even let us off fifteen minutes early!”

  “Oh? I could have sworn you were not eager to take the css earlier,” Hannah chimed in. In an effort to expand their circle of friends, Harry and Hermione had the lions and badgers walk together to the Charms css after waving farewell to Daphne and Tracey, of course. “You even compined that Hagrid was difficult to understand whenever he spoke.”

  “And that was true, but I was pleasantly surprised with how clear and exciting he made the css. You have to remember that no one was warned about Kettleburn’s sudden retirement. The school didn’t bother telling us who the new teacher would be. It was only natural to feel apprehensive about an inexperienced teacher in a prestigious school like Hogwarts. We wouldn’t want another case of Flophart now, do we?”

  “Now, now, I do seem to recall certain female members of the student body utterly enamoured with the te and unmented Gilderoy Lockhart.” Harry smirked as practically all the girls in the group grimaced heavily; even Susan wouldn't meet his eyes while the boys snickered beside him. “And to be fair, Lockhart is hardly a bar to measure new teachers with; even a first-year student would probably cast a Flipendo better than him.”

  It was in bad taste to speak ill of the dead, but when it came to that particur fraud, Harry would viciously tear him down. Even if the Ministry practically condemned his very existence, Harry would not forget the sensation of his bones disappearing or Ron’s death from his spell backfiring.

  “We get it, Harry, we learned our lesson,” Hermione grumbled as she shouldered her heavy bag–the girl looked exhausted, but they only had one more css before she could rest. “Don’t judge a teacher by his appearance.”

  “Mhm, gd you understand.”

  “Does that include that new Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher?” Dean asked, “He looked far too shabby, especially for a wizard. I mean,” he hurriedly added as several heads turned to him strangely, “wouldn't it be a simple matter to fix his clothes? Or get new ones, at least.”

  “I wouldn't expect a muggleborn to understand.” Zacharias Smith scoffed, causing Hermione to gre at him, yet he stubbornly continued. “You won't find many witches and wizards caring too much about their attire unless it's a formal event; after all, any wizard worth his wand can easily transfigure his pyjamas to dress robes. Only muggleborns, like Lockhart, cared overly much about their appearance. Clearly wanting to show they were worth more than their muggle upbringing hints.”

  “I thought Lockhart was a halfblood?” Parvati whispered to Lavender who replied, “Muggle father and muggleborn mother, raised in the muggle world with two squib sisters.”

  Following the downfall of Voldemort, pro-muggle sentiment was at an all-time high thanks to Dumbledore championing the cause of muggleborns and the magical popution wishing to reconcile with the bloody affairs of the war. The period of the 1980s saw plenty of reforms in favour of muggle protection and providing jobs for muggleborns. Then, a few years ago, Gilderoy Lockhart entered the scene with his dashing looks, many books and achievements, and decided to jump on the bandwagon. He fancied himself a champion of the muggleborns; many appuded him, and even more wanted to learn everything about him. Now, however, after he was defrauded, the pendulum had swung the other way.

  Lockhart using his blood status to his advantage and practically decring himself the next coming of Dumbledore had only made matters worse. Even among those who previously supported muggleborns, like the majority of Hufflepuff, it appeared that the amiable outlook on muggles and muggleborns had dwindled.

  Even the usually polite, if haughty Zacharias Smith insulted his muggleborn housemate, Justin, to his face. Things had definitely gone downhill, but Harry wouldn’t let an insult to Hermione or his mother go. It appeared no one had warned Smith about the dangers of insulting friends of Harry Potter.

  “Is that why you look like a slob whose clothes appear to have been chewed and then peed on by a dog?” Snickers and snorts followed his comment, and Smith flinched. He did have his untucked undershirt peeking beneath his loose robes, had pumpkin juice stains, and the tie around his neck was loose, but it was not as bad as Harry said. The gangly boy gred at him, only for Harry to take an aggressive step forward. “You got a problem, mate?”

  Only a fool would misunderstand what's going on, and although Smith was an arse, he was no fool.

  “Why you–”

  Never mind, he was an absolute fool. Harry smirked as he stopped and loomed over the blonde boy. He might be tall for a thirteen-year-old, but Harry still had a few inches on him–not to mention, Harry was broader with visible muscles compared to the scrawny boy.

  “What’s wrong? If you're gonna talk rubbish about others, then you should be capable of taking some heat as well.”

  The rest of their year watched with interest, his girlfriend was amongst them; only Hannah and Hermione looked like they wanted to interfere.

  “Come now, let's calm down. I'm sure Zach didn't mean anything by it.” Ernie barged in and grabbed Smith's shoulder, steering him away from Harry. “He sometimes just blurts out what comes to mind without thinking. Come on, we're going to be te for css. And you will apologise to Justin for that, Zach.”

  The blonde boy grumbled a bit but still mumbled an apology when Ernie brought him before Justin Finch-Fletchely. The muggleborn boy still looked miffed but, at Ernie’s urging, accepted the apology, and the rest of the Hufflepuff boys hurried ahead of them. It appeared Hufflepuff’s loyalty remained strong after all, even if it was only among the boys, yet Harry noticed no apology was given to Hermione or Dean. A gnce at them showed they couldn't care less, so he decided to drop the matter.

  They chatted some more as they continued on their way to Charms css, the discussion having returned to Hagrid and hippogriffs. Harry was pleasantly surprised to find Susan and the rest so welcoming to the half-giant, though he ter learned that none of them knew he was one. When he subtly asked what they thought about his massive size, they just shrugged; Engorgio gone wrong, accidental magic, accidentally drank an entire bottle of Skelegrow when he was young (which had apparently turned two wizards oversized for life two centuries earlier, and killed a dozen more who tried to replicate it) yet not one of them even thought that Rubeus Hagrid was a half-giant.

  Harry himself only knew because Chiara told him, and he wisely remained silent. Some secrets were best left just that: secrets.

  ***

  One hour ter

  “And don't forget the homework. Off you go now.”

  They had arrived to Charms early, and Harry had used that chance to speak to the professor about the possibility of reactivating the duelling club. With half the css listening in and looking eager, the diminutive professor promised he would discuss it with Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers ter.

  Harry collected his belongings and waved farewell to Susan and her friends before making his way to the library, Hermione following him through a different route. Charms was fun. Flitwick was his usual cheerful self, but the first css was spent mostly revising st year's spells in preparation for next week's css.

  Within a few minutes, Harry was outside the library, waiting for Hermione. He checked his watch: 4:45 in the afternoon. If all went well, they would travel back five hours to lunch hour, and from there, the whole day would be theirs.

  Finally, Hermione approached from the same stairwell they used this morning, looking sluggish and most likely hungry.

  “Alright, Harry?”

  “Yeah, I'm alright. You don't look alright, though.”

  She smiled wanly, “That’s what we're here for. Now come on and–wait! Ugh, bloody hell!”

  Harry was shocked at her sudden cussing; it was a very rare day when Hermione Granger cussed like Ron. “What is it?”

  “What time is it?” Harry told her the time. “Darn, we can't use the library.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because we will already be inside, silly. Come on, we can't afford to bump into our past selves. Even worse if it's two renditions of us.”

  Hermione led him down the corridor to a familiar bathroom.

  “Moaning Myrtle's bathroom? Really, Hermione?”

  “Oh, come on, Harry, it's the only one nearby, and no one ever goes there.” She dragged him in, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief when he did not find Myrtle anywhere. “Okay, we're clear. Let's get on with this–I'm both tired and hungry.”

  As Hermione withdrew the Time Turner, Harry felt something was off in the bathroom, but his gaze simply drifted towards the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. He shook his head; it was probably nothing. “Do you have enough to travel five hours, Hermione?”

  “Yes, and if we don't use it again, it should fully recharge by midnight. Come on now, get close.”

  Harry did as told, and Hermione extended the chain around him. Just as she was about to turn the hourgss, however, the sound of a toilet flushing had them freeze. Then, the door to the st stall by the wall opened and out came a girl they did not expect at all. She raised a delicate blonde eyebrow before calmly walking past them to the sink, washing her hands, and drying them with her wand before turning fully to them with a wicked smile.

  “My, my, what do we have here?” Tracey Davis had her arms folded and hips cocked as she gazed at the Time Turner in Hermione's hands. “That looks interesting. Mind if I join you?”

  Boom, so much for keeping it a secret.

  Wilfred “Levi” Kidd is another character from Hogwarts Mystery. Naturally, I’m free forming with those expies, and don’t expect the actual plot of that game to affect the story.

  I liked writing a competent Hagrid. Snape is nothing but meticulous, especially when it comes to his word.