“DIAGON ALLEY!” Lily shrieked with an excited look on her face. As soon as the fireplace emptied, James stepped in looking determined. After he stood up from the fireplace, I stepped in. And as I stumbled out, the cold air whipped my face. Everyone gathered around James, fumbling over his list. James put it away and said, “Wait, none of this stuff matters. I like to focus on the more important things,” he paused, “Let’s see, I’m going to need a new broom, owl, cauldron. I also have to refill my potions kit and a remembrall would be nice. And if you’re really feeling generous, throw in some chocolate frogs?” said James with a smile.
“Ok, but no owl. Me and Albus will be getting robes, and you and Lily will get your stuff. Here’s ten galleons for each of you to spend,” said Ginny.
“Yesss!” Squealed Lily, as she jumped up and down. Lily wasn’t going to go to Hogwarts until next year, so she was always trying to get a chance to see what it was like. I faced Ginny. “I’m meeting Ron at the Three Broomsticks,” I said.
“Okay, Harry, but come meet me and Lily at Flourish and Blotts”, said Ginny.
“Okay,” I said with a nod and left. I hadn’t been to the Three Broomsticks since my third year, and for some reason it made me shiver, with old memories creeping into my head.
When I got in, Ron wasn’t there yet. “Of course, it’s just like Ron to be late like that,” I murmured. Right then a rusty old Ford Angela came flying out of nowhere. Ron hopped out of the car with Hermione, a huge grin on his face.
We walked in and I asked Ron about how it was at work. “There’s some person going around and causing trouble. It’s been real busy. I haven’t seen anything this bad since...“ His face fell, the smile dropping like a heavy brick. “It can’t be. There’s nothing worse than....” he murmured, his face lost in horror. “He might be back,” he whispered so softly, I almost didn’t hear him.
I smiled at him sheepishly, “Don’t be silly.” I said. Although as I said this, I was feeling uneasy about the thought of it.
Just then, Hermione walked in. “Hello Harry,”she said. Then she stopped, noticing our confuddled faces. “What’s wrong?” she asked, concerned.
“Nothing,” I said quickly.
“Ok…” Hermione said. She gave me a suspicious look.
I asked the waiter for three butterbeers and we sat down. “Ron was just saying how the Ministry is going crazy,” I said.
“Oh?” said Hermione.
“Then Ron said he hadn’t seen anything so bad since Voldemort.” I said. Ron and Hermione shuddered. Even I hadn’t said the name in a very long time, and just the sound of it made me shiver. “ Anyways, how is work at the ministry? Other than…you know?”
“Just like Ron said, it’s ’busy’. How’s it at Gringotts?”, asked Hermione.
“It’s going better than I thought. It might actually have been a good idea to go to that interview that you recommended. I saw Neville. He says hi and would like me to tell you that he is worried about the things that are going on around Hogwarts. That’s why I asked you guys to come” I looked down at my Butterbeer which didn’t seem so appetizing anymore.
To be honest, I didn’t want to get into anymore adventures. I was really ready to go into the shadows after the dragon incident at Gringotts. All I wanted to do was blend in. But blending in was never an option for the three of us.
“Well, I think that we should pay a visit to Neville. It seems that something is going on,” said Hermione.
I glanced up at her, “That sounds like a great idea. We should leave with the Hogwarts Express. I just need to meet Ginny quickly,” I said.
When we left the Three Broomsticks, I went to Flourish and Blotts. As I walked in, I saw Lily pouring over a book and Ginny looking around for the right supplies. When she saw me come in, she smiled.
“Hi Harry, how was it at the Three Broomsticks?” Ginny asked.
“Uh...Yeah… yeah. It was good. It was… umm... nice to see Ron and Hermione again,” I stammered.
Then, she replaced the pleasant smile on her face with a worried, concerned look. “I know you too well to think that you had a pleasant conversation in there.” She looked at me expectantly. Then, I told her about everything, the fiasco at the Ministry, Neville having trouble at the school, and how we would go to visit him.
“I didn’t tell you about the fiasco in the ministry at first because I didn’t want to worry you,” I said. She looked at me, her eyes burning into my skin. “This is a terrible idea Harry, do you want to stir up trouble?! I understood why you were always getting into trouble when you were a teenager but you’re an adult now!” She paused briefly, then started up again. “I’m telling Ron and Hermione not to go as well!”
I stood there baffled, thinking of what to do as Ginny stormed over to Lily and took her out of the shop. I couldn’t believe it, so as soon as I could, I quickly sent Hedwig Jr. out to Ron and Hermione.
Dear Ron and Hermione,
I told Ginny about the Ministry and how we wanted to go
to Hogwarts to meet Neville and Ginny went crazy. She
told me not to go and that you guys shouldn’t go either.
So, I am writing to you now to tell you that we should use
the Ford Anglia and fly to Hogwarts. Please write back soon.
-Harry Potter
Then in the next 15 minutes Hedwig Jr. came back. She came with a letter that was scribbled on the back of my letter. I rolled my eyes, thinking how that was obviously Ron’s doing. The message said:
Hi Harry.
I can’t believe how overprotective she is. Don’t you hate siblings? I think the car is very good idea. We will meet at Kings Cross Station. I’ll tell Hermione right now.
-Ron W.
I was excited, the idea rushing through my head. Even though I was a little worried about lying to Ginny, I love the feeling of adrenaline rushing, and taking risks.
The next week, Ginny and I drove to Kings Cross Station. I unloaded all the trunks while at the same time, watching out for the car.
Ginny and I stood inside King’s Cross Station, waiting for Ron and Hermione. The reason we came was because we had a plan. Our plan was to tell Ginny, that the three of us were going out for tea. Then we would leave using the Ford Anglia. Once we left we would send a letter saying that we were going on the adventure. My heart wrenched at the thought of how worried she would be, but this was important.
Suddenly, a blue rusting Ford Anglia popped out of the sky. I waved and Ron, and he honked back. Once we were all unloaded, we walked in and I could see so many young kids making their way to Hogwarts. Many of the little kids pointed at me and yelled, “Harry Potter!” I blushed, and when Ron saw me he said, “You know, I taught Harry everything about magic, and because of me, the world is peaceful.” Then, he started talking about how he was the most renowned wizard in the world, and no one knew more about magic than he did. All of them laughed, even Hermione and Ginny. Hermione winked at me and I gave her a thumb’s up.
The train’s whistle blew, smoke billowed in puffs, and all the kids ran up to the train. When everyone was on, I waved good-bye to the young kids from the windows. I glanced at Ron and Hermione and they glanced back with cautious looks. “Ron, Hermione, and I are going to get tea,” I said.
Ginny’s eyebrows went up, and she smiled. “Well, that’s good.” she said.
“It’s just… we want to settle down a bit, and get our minds off of adventuring,” I said quickly.
“Ok, I’m glad you snapped out of it.” She looked at the three of us. “See you later.” I smiled and the three of us walked out to the car.
“I really think that lying to her is a bad idea.” said Hermione uneasily, as we hopped into the Ford Anglia.
“What were we supposed to do?” asked Ron. Hermione and I shrugged. “I mean, it’s for a good cause, right?” he said questionably.
“The thing is,” answered Hermione, “I’m not sure adventuring is the best thing for us right now. We have children, and families…I thought we grew out of it!”
We got into the car and it roared to life. We had to fly around a little to find the train, but eventually we found it. We soared for a long time, whirling around the train, but eventually, the light gray shape of Hogwarts appeared in the distance.
We looked for a place to land and then we found a little hut next to a large field. Hagrid’s hut. Just looking at it made me remember kind, loving, Hagrid, but sadly we didn’t have time for a visit.
“I think we should land next to Hagrid’s hut,” I said. Ron pulled the steering wheel so that the car started slowly coming down. And as we descended, I saw the big old tree that we accidently landed in, in our second year.“You’ve gotten a lot better at driving since you were twelve,” I said with a grin.
When we landed, we decided to go in through one of the secret entrances on the Marauder's map. Then we would quickly go to Neville’s classroom and stay there. One thing we really didn’t want was for our children to see us. We left the car and quickly went to the secret tunnel. When we got into the building we nearly collided with Professor McGonagall. When she saw us she nearly screamed. When she calmed down she asked. “What in the name of Merlin’s beard are you doing here?”
“Hello Professor,” said Hermione politely,“We came to meet Neville and to see what was happening at the school.”
“Why it is sure good to see you,” she said with a pause. “There are many unusual things going on at the school. If it is of help, I will personally escort you to Professor Longbottom's room,” said the Professor. I’m fairly sure I heard her say under her breath, “Why is it always these three getting themselves in trouble?”
The three of us walked through the halls we haven’t walked through for so many years. Memories flooded my mind like water. Each picture, each staircase, each railing was there when we defeated Voldemort.
Hogwarts isn’t just a school. It’s more like a museum highlighting three students, and their classmates and teachers who defeated the darkest wizard of all time.
When Neville saw us he exclaimed “ You’re right on time!” He immediately called some of Dumbledore's Army members to come. That night we saw Luna Lovegood, George Weasley, and others. Some of our best friends. We talked about the strange things happening and came up with a plan. We were going to stay here in the school and call all of the members of the DA. Though it was amazing to see all of our friends in Hogwarts, I still had a chill going down my spine.
The next morning Neville cancelled all herbology lessons and we used Neville’s DA galleon to call members. Almost an hour later many members started to fill into the Room of Requirement, where we all met. I was surprised by how many people came, and soon there were enough to fill the entire room.
Before we started our meeting we commemorated all the people who died in the war. Next, I explained how we think that Voldemort is animating a live body to gain revenge on everybody who started marrying muggle’s related witches and wizards. He also wants to get revenge on Harry. It was a small move for Voldemort, but if we didn’t stop it now, there would be another war.
“We have to be ready when he comes back. That’s what Dumbledore would have wanted.” I told them. Everybody was silent. Then there was a loud bang on the door. We all gasped and instinctively took out our wands. The banging grew louder and I rushed to the door. When I opened it, there stood a short, thin lady with wide, lost eyes, wearing very big glasses. “Professor Trelawney! It’s good to see you!” I said. I looked back and saw Hermione and some other girls frowning.
“Not to be rude, but what are you doing here?” said Hermione abruptly.
“I have come to warn you that th-” She suddenly stopped and her pupils started glowing green. “I have come back from the dead. If you choose to rebel against me once more, my army will find you.” Then the Professor’s eyes stopped glowing and she passed out. My heart pounded, and my blood rushed in my head. For a moment I was trapped in time, torn between the years of my past, and the present.
When we woke her up, she couldn’t remember anything. I knew exactly what happened. I was worried about this, it was our Hogwarts years all over again.
As soon as Professor Trelawney left, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.“We will start training tomorrow.” I said reassuringly, even though on the inside, I was much more frightened.
I had to talk to Ron and Hermione. As I walked around, I finally found them talking to Neville. “I have to talk you about a plan,” I murmured. I brought them with me as I found a hidden picture frame door. When we slipped in, there were chairs and everything you would need for a chat. That was the perfect thing about the Room of Requirement.
The sun glinted against the glimmering surface of the lake. “I don’t know if I should have sent that letter to Ginny. She will be so mad”, I said.
“Yeah, Gin can get really mad. She’s like that. Annoying” Ron snickered, and Hermione sent Ron a look of disapproval. “Remember that Howler she sent you?” Ron asked.
I sighed, “Yeah. You know she takes after Molly”, Ron smiled, “Yeah, Fred would’ve wanted to see that...” After that, everyone was quiet. To break the silence, I asked, “Hey, Hermione, are the kids still mad? James and Albus are still furious.”
Hermione nodded her head. “I’m afraid they are embarrassed that we are still here,” Her face looked pained.
Later that day, when Ron, Hermione, and I walked into Hogwarts, we were surrounded by groups of students huddling and talking in hushed voices. The words, “Parseltongue”, and “Yeah, it's the new kid,” flew into my ears. Hermione looked at me worried. Ron was looking around. I saw Professor McGonagall rushing toward us.
“What’s going on?” I asked with a concerned look on my face.
She lowered her voice, “It’s nothing important,”she paused, “But, if you really want to know, there’s a Parseltongue in our school, and it’s the first one since… well, you.” She looked at me worriedly. Ron, Hermione, and I looked around, for any signs of danger. We had to get Neville.
As we were running to the Greenhouses, we saw Neville in the middle of a class. The three of us knew that we had to tell him about this immediately, so we barged in. “Neville we need you! Now!” I said. Neville’s face flushed. I looked around and I saw Rose, Albus, and Scorpius scowling, looking embarrassed to see their parents.
“Mum! What are doing here?” Rose exclaimed.
“Rose, this is very important business we are conducting here, and you get back to your work, I don’t want you to get a bad grade on your exam!” Hermione said, while Ron was on the verge of laughing out loud.
“Umm...Okay! Class dismissed...again”. Hermione said “Don’t forget how to properly take care of mandrakes, it’ll be on your test…,” Neville paused, looking flustered, but then waved the students away.
We hastily walked down the hall, our footsteps echoed, we explained everything to Neville how there was a new Parseltongue, and how this was Voldemort’s plan. Another heir of Slytherin, just like in the Chamber of Secrets. Neville, Ron, Hermione and I walked. Soon we reached the spot where everyone was huddling, the Slytherin common room. In whispers, I heard kids say, “Scorpius.” Their faces turning pale, and eyes growing wide. We pushed aside, and I saw people hunching over a body. Albus and Rose barge in, sobbing uncontrollably. Professor McGonagall stood near them, her face taut, and pale. Ron, Hermione, and I ran to our kids. Neville stayed a few steps away.
We looked up at the Professor, and she sighed , “Young Scorpius was a victim of the new Parseltongue.” Her eyes clouded with many emotions. Everything made sense, the kids whispering.
I patted Albus on the back to way so we could see Scorpius. When he moved away, I saw Scorpius’s body pressed against the wall, a few feet from the floor. To the wall, he was connected with handcuffs, his head hanging dangerously from the side, looking like it would fall off soon. Hermione checked his pulse, even if it was no use. We waited, each tense moment ticking by. Hermione gasped, “He’s alive. His pulse…” Albus pushed us aside, and ran to Scorpius. “Scorpius! It’s okay, you’ll be fine...just-just...say something!” Albus exclaimed, desperately.
Albus scanned the environment quickly, “ It’s okay. We just need to get you to Madam Pomfrey! Yeah, that’ll do the trick.” He paused, knowing there was no use.
“Albus”, I said softly, “He’s gone. He may be alive for a few minutes, but..it’s okay. We’ll track down whoever did this… and-and we’ll make them pay for what they’ve done.” I said with courage that wasn’t really there.
“NO! N-no, we can’t! It’s not fair! What has Scorpius done to you!”, he screamed with desperation in his voice. Then the son of “The Boy Who Lived” started crying, as if his tears could wash away his miseries.
We brought Scorpius, Albus, and Lily to the Room of Requirement, so we could call the DA. “Neville, use your Galleon. Ron, guard the door, make sure no one gets in except the DA. Hermione, help me over here,” I commanded. Albus, Rose, Hermione, and I crouched over Scorpius. Even though I’d told Albus he was almost dead, with Hermione’s thorough knowledge of spells, we might help save Scorpius.
Hermione bent over to clean, and wrap his neck wound. “Albus is right… He definitely needs to see Madame Pomfrey,” Hermione said.
“Okay. Rose, Albus, and Neville…can you take Scorpius to the Hospital Wing?” They all nodded, and carried Scorpius out the door. I turned to Ron and Hermione, “Neville used his galleon already, right?” Hermione nodded, and Ron did too. “The DA should be arriving…” Hermione murmured uneasily as she looked around.
Then suddenly the wall blew up, with smoke surrounding the room like clouds. In the midst of smoke and charred rubble, we could see the silhouette of a death eater. My heart pounded, and my ears rang from the explosion. “Well, well, well…”said a high pitched voice that I recognized as Bellatrix’s. “Well, well, well, look who we have here! It's the ‘golden trio’!” Hatred flared inside me, burning like a forest fire.
“Bellatrix...” I muttered as I struggled to get up, and take out my wand. Ron and Hermione were already up, their wands drawn. We faced Bellatrix. “What are you doing here!” I asked, enraged. “We killed Voldemort already, just give up.” Hermione said, defiantly. I looked around.
“Where are the DA’s?” Ron muttered. Somehow hearing this, Bellatrix came closer, holding up many galleons for the three of us to see. The DA galleons. “Well, here they are! Their lovely, precious galleons!” she exclaimed. The three of us gasped.
“What did you do to them?!” Hermione shrieked. Bellatrix jangled the coins in her long, thin fingers.
“It doesn’t matter.” Bellatrix said smugly. Then she continued, “I was forced to leave them unharmed.” She looked sad.
I took out my wand, “CRUCIO!” I screamed with all my hatred going into one blow. “WHERE ARE THEY?” I screamed. Bellatrix crumpled, her body twitching, uncontrollably.
“ARGHHHH! In the-the third stall of the… the girl’s bathroom! On the second floor...AHH. The one with the Chamber of Secrets,” she yelled. Overwhelmed with pain again, finally, she fell. I gasped, surprised it worked. Hermione stared at me, shock and disbelief clouding her face.
“I’ll be back! And I’ll get YOU!” Bellatrix said, hatred clinging to her like mist.
As she apparated, I yelled, “Run! We have to get to the hospital wing! Our children...”. We sprinted, sweat clinging to my back, my eyes stinging with anxiety.
Once we reached the wing, we saw Albus, Rose, and Neville facing Scorpius, their faces pale with fright, and terrible sadness. When they saw us come in unharmed, they gasped with relief. “We heard the explosion… we-we,” Rose looked flustered, and tears streamed down her face.
“Well… Bellatrix. She came, blew up a wall…. Seriously, couldn’t she just come through the door? Anyways, I guess Hogwarts magic couldn’t keep people out. And Harry well, he used the Cruciatus curse, and basically we almost died… as usual,” Ron said with a huff.
There was a pause. I couldn’t take it anymore. Curiosity overwhelmed me, “Albus, what’s wrong with Scorpius?” I whispered.
Albus looked up, his eyes ablaze with anger, “He said his last words before you came.” A shocked silence spread like wildfire. Albus choked through tears, and Rose’s face was streaming.
Neville looked up, “As soon as we got here, Madam Pomfrey was evacuated.” He paused, staring at Scorpius, then at us, worried. I almost collapsed with sadness. Then, I got up.
I wrote another letter to Ginny:
Dear Ginny,
I’m going to take a lot longer than expected. There is a new Parseltongue at Hogwarts, and Scorpius…he’s dead. It's devastating. We were attacked by Bellatrix…
DO NOT COME TO HOGWARTS.
Love,
Harry Potter
To be continued...