The Return of the Griffin

Chapter Twelve

The Three Broomsticks didn't look that much different than Harry and Draco remembered. The floorboards were still uneven and creaked when they were walked across them. The tables were still sturdy and the bar still shone. Harry would've thought it had stood for years, even though he knew intellectually it had been rebuilt after the attack.

Draco was just finishing off his butterbeer. No heavy stuff, he'd said, since he was revisiting old times. Harry laughed at that, and then sobered. He had been about to say they'd never been here together when they were in school, but then foggy images from his past life of times spent in here plotting what next evil trick to pull on Ron.

"It's getting late. We should probably head back. Didn't you say Ginny was getting out of the hospital today? You should be with her."

"Oh, god. Etiquette lessons from a Malfoy," Harry laughed and nudged Draco. They strode out the door together and headed back toward Hogwarts. As they walked up the lane, Harry recognized the path to the dragon's compound.

"You feel up for a slight detour?" he asked Draco.

"I guess. What's on your mind?"

Harry nudged his head toward the forest. "The dragons. I want to see how they are doing."

"Sure. We still have some daylight left." They took a few steps up the path before Harry stopped quickly.

"Bugger. Nevermind, I don't have Sandy with me. I can't talk to them without a snake. I'll have to come back another time."

They walked companionably up the lane in the dusk.

"Draco, do you know why the castle is all lit up?"

"No idea. The Alumni Ball isn't until next weekend. You don't think someone got worried about where we were, do you?" he said with concern.

"I can't imagine, Dumbledore knew we were together," he shrugged. They continued to trudge up the lane and up the stairs. As they entered the large front doors, a red-headed body flew at Harry.

"Ginny!" he exclaimed, holding her tightly to him, and swinging her around before she gave him a very welcome kiss, which continued until Draco cleared his throat.

"You have one of those for me, Gin?" he smirked.

"Of course I do, Draco!" She took the few steps over to him and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Any more than that, and Mariah would hex me, and Harry would beat you to a living pulp," she giggled.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart? I thought I was going to be picking you up at St. Mungo's?" Harry asked concerned.

"I'm as right as rain, Harry." She tiptoed up to his ear and whispered, "I've missed you."

He pulled her tight to him again.

"Well, I feel like a third wheel," Draco chuckled.

Ginny drew away from him, and reached her one hand out to Draco, holding Harry's arm with the other. "Come on, guys. Dumbledore invited us to dinner. I haven't been in the Great Hall in ages." She pulled the two men toward the doors.

"SURPRISE!!" A huge cheer swelled over the crowd.

Before they were inundated with the people present, Harry turned to Draco and Ginny, "You knew!" he exclaimed.

"Don't look at me, mate, I was just as much in the dark as you," Draco chuckled.

"Albus arranged it, Harry. As sort of a welcome home party. So many people have been asking after you, after us, when they heard we were back."

Harry looked out over the crowd. He could see Ron and Hermione, and all the rest of the Weasley clan; Neville and Gigi, and many of his old professors; Aberforth was there, and Mariah; Aurors he had worked with during the War; classmates. All the people who had loved him.

"I don't know what to say," he said quietly, his eyes glistening as he squeezed Ginny's hand.

"Daddy!" A flash flew at his legs. "Is it true, Daddy? Is it?"

"What's that, Davey?" he noticed that everyone was very quiet, and Davey's voice echoed through the hall.

"You can do magic like mum and everyone?"

He knelt down to the floor, squeezing Davey to his chest. He could see the multitude of eyes watching him in affection and relief. Albus told everyone. That is what the party is for. The old codger, he smiled. He kissed his son's hair, and pulled out his wand. He whispered a spell, and Davey began to bounce as though he were on a large ball. Davey squealed in delight, and cried out, "Higher, Daddy, higher!"

Harry never felt happier.

And then the crowd was upon him, and he was getting his back slapped and hugged and in general well loved. Ginny stayed by his side the entire time.

The house elves set out an incredible feast. Everyone sat down, and filled to their hearts content, between bantering back and forth.

One question seemed to be on everyone's lips, though.

"What are you going to do now, Harry?" He thought about answering flippantly, and say 'I'm going to Disney World', but he knew that few of them would get the joke.

"I really don't know. I mean, I still love quidditch, but playing for a team wouldn't really fit in with my having a family. Same with being an Auror. Financially, we're fine, and I'm NOT going to write a book like Draco here. He can have all the fame."

"Don't forget fortune--that was part of the deal," he laughed.

Harry smiled as he saw Davey sitting on Albus' lap. Davey was talking animatedly, his arms swinging wide. Harry had never seen Albus look quite so content. He moved toward them to see what had Davey so excited.

Albus was chuckling delightedly as Harry reached them. "He's quite a precocious child, Harry. He was just telling me about a dance Seirah had taken him to. Something about fauns and dryads dancing, but I believe some of it went quite above our young friend's head."

Davey looked abashed as Harry stared at him. "When was this Davey?"

"Sol...Soltish?"

"Solstice," his father corrected him. "Seirah took you, did she?" Harry just smirked.

"He was born for the woods, Harry."

"Don't I know it. Spoke with Ollivander about it actually. The boy can already recognize wand trees."

"Yes, Ollivander owled me about your curious request. He was rather obsessed about it. I suspect you should see it tonight."

"My wand? My wand is coming tonight?" Davey slid off Albus' lap, and began jumping up and down.

"It's your wand, Davey, but you know you can't really have it until you start here. And that isn't for a few years yet."

"Oh, I think he can give it a swish and a wave with so many professors around when it comes, don't you, Harry?"

Harry chuckled, thinking Albus just wanted to indulge in his curiosity. "Very well, when it comes, you can...what is it Professor said? 'swish and wave' your new wand."

Someone had turned on the Wizarding Wireless and Minerva charmed the tables to move to the edge of the floor. Here and there couples joined each other on the floor. Harry found his wife and put out his hand.

"Would you care to dance?" he asked with a soft smile on his face.

Her bright smile was her answer as she wrapped her arms around him. His fingers fingered his wand, and he smiled. He whispered a levitation spell and they both floated a few inches off the ground.

Ginny looked questioningly at him. "Just protecting your feet, love." He said with a smile. Harry could feel eyes on them, but he was busy looking at all his family and friends. Neville must have learned how to dance at some point, since he and Gigi moved gracefully over the floor. George was dancing with Rina. He, too had put a levitation charm on her, so her feet were floating somewhere around his knees.

All the while, Owls were dropping in through the high windows. Letters of welcome and congratulations (and the odd job offer) were sent to Harry. He felt his eyes tear up at the outpouring of love. And so it was, with all the activity that he hadn't noticed a particularly handsome spotted owl until it dropped a narrow package on the table in front of him, narrowly missing mug of Corinthian Ale.

However, Davey saw it. He rushed to his father as Harry ripped open the package. The wand itself was beautiful, nine inches and slightly green, much like the skin tone that Seirah possessed. He held it for a moment, and he swore he could feel the power thrum through his body. Quietly, Harry handed it to Davey, who carefully pointed it away from the crowd, to the corner behind the Head table. His face was alight.

"Daddy! I can feel her! She's right here with me!" his high pitched voice said in awe. Albus watched him, smiling merrily as Davey did as he was allowed, and swished and waved it.

A tremor ran through the hall, which had everyone looking at each other. A small crack appeared in the floor behind the table, and a small green shoot popped up. Quickly, it grew, taller, stronger, wider; breaking apart the ancient stone of the floor. No one could seem to move, until the tree took over nearly the whole empty corner, standing nearly full grown and completely leafed out.

"Wow," Davey breathed. The birch tree stood in the corner, its silvery bark reflecting the many candles floating about the hall. "Did you see that, Headmaster? Isn't it beautiful?"

The grown ups in the room were struck speechless. Dumbledore struggled to give a suitable answer. "It's a lovely tree, Davey, though I'm sure you understand we can't let it stay in the hall. Perhaps Professor Sprout will be able to move it out into the grounds, so you can still see it. There is a nice stream on the south end of the lake where it might be quite happy."

Davey pedaled his chubby child legs and burst into Albus' lap. "That would be great!" and gave the old man a very wet kiss on the cheek. Dumbledore mellowed, relaxing and chuckled with the little boy. "In the mean time, I believe we said a swish and a wave, so it's time to put that lovely wand away, young man."

Davey gave quite the audible sigh, "okay."

"I think it's time for little wizards and wee witches to be in bed, don't you, Ginny?" Molly spoke up. As happy as the event was, Ginny realized that the children were beginning to run their limit. It looked as though all the cousins (with the exception of Rufus and Rowena, who were currently tying their mother's and father's shoelaces together beneath the table.) were right with them. Molly offered to have them all kip at her house, so that her children could stay and enjoy the festivities. Brave woman, that.

So sleepy children got their hugs and kisses and tottered away after Molly up to Albus' office to floo them all home. With the children gone, the party became more raucous. The dancing was wilder, freer and more sensual.

Harry spent some of the time chatting with friends. Hermione tapped him on the shoulder. "Care to dance for old time sake?" she smiled.

"Sure." And he took hand and led her into the middle of the floor.

"You know, that was quite impressive what Davey just did."

"Did you see the look on Albus' face? I'm sure that's a discussion we'll be having in the near future."

"I can't go into it, Harry, but I'd like to know I have your permission to ask Davey about something. Not now, he's too young. But as an unspeakable, we tend to think about time in measure of years or decades, even centuries...not days or months."

"I trust you, Hermione. You know that. I sort of doubt after helping me though seven years of fighting Voldemort that you're going to try to train Davey for something like that."

Hermione smiled back as they swayed to the music. "Nothing to do with evil, but his specific talent will be quite useful in something we're working on...eventually."

Harry nodded in reply, smiling at his old friend. "Does Molly know you and Ron aren't planning on any children?"

She smacked his arm. "No! And don't you tell her! Ron and I rather play doting aunt and uncle, and we have a number of reasons why it just isn't feasible."

Harry smirked. Ron came up then as the song ended with a hearty smack on his friend's back, asked for his wife back.

Harry looked around, but the noise and the crowd were starting to get to him and as much as he loved everyone, it was sort of like having extra blankets when you have a fever...it was smothering him. Quietly, he snuck out one of the secret doors behind a tapestry of Sir Nicholas. He began to walk down the hall, with no particular destination in mind.

"Harry!" a voice called out to him. Bugger.

When he turned, he had just a moment to brace himself for the sudden crush.

"Tank ye, oh tank ye, Harry," she whimpered as she crushed him tight in a hug.

"Hi, Mariah. Nice to see you too," he laughed.

"Seven years I've been waiting for him to realize it wasn't 'is fault, Harry. You've released 'im."

"He finally asked you, didn't he?" Harry asked.

She didn't answer. She didn't have to. Her face was flush and her round dark eyes were lustrous. She tipped up, and kissed him on his cheek before running back into the Great Hall.

Harry shook his head and continued his wandering.

He thought while he wandered, memories of Hogwarts swirling in his brain. He didn't even realize he was there until he felt the cool breeze in his face.

The Astronomy Tower.

Just like in his dream, he was looking over the grounds with the stars twinkling brightly above him. He rubbed a hand across his face in thought, and realized it was rather rough.

Well, one more thing to try, he thought. He focused hard, and worked on making the hair on his face disappear. Rubbing his hand over his jaw-line again, he felt the smoothness only magic could give. No blade could get that close a shave. He smiled and knew what he had to do.

He felt it grow from his toes, the golden light work up through his body. The purr deep inside his gut He focused on it, reveled in it.

Then fell to the stone in a ragged, sweaty heap.

I can do this. I know I can. He shakily stood up, trying once more. He focused on the hair in his head, on it growing longer, coarser, golden. His nose grew wider, longer. The energy began to surge through him, filling his gut, his arms, his legs, his very fingers and toes. And then he roared. He heard the distant trumpet of a dragon answering from a distance. He shook out his mane, much as he remembered in his dream, and shook out his glittering wings.

I've missed you, he thought, looking longingly at his wings. He leapt nimbly to the top of the rampart and opened his wings--and stepped off.

It took a few moments, the ground rushing toward him, but then he caught an air stream, and rode it back up. He roared again, this time in glee, and swooped toward the forbidden forest. He didn't feel tired, he felt completely alive. He could see the dragons below him, trumpeting to him. He couldn't understand them, and he wished he had Sandy with him.

Are you or are you not a wizard, Harry?

Duh. Harry banked and landed a bit away from the dragons, not wanting to upset those still clutching. He transformed, not feeling much the worse for wear. He looked for a likely stick, then whispered "serpentsoria" and watched it turn into a thick black snake.

"Hello," the snake hissed at Harry. "Lovely evening, isn't it?"

Harry chuckled. "Chatty thing aren't you?"

He reached Mushussu's paddock. And he stopped in shock.

His scales were reflecting the torchlight--shiny and bright. But it was when the dragon turned to look at him, he could have shouted in glee. The dragon's eyes were a violent purple, almost violet, that swirled happily.

"How are you doing, Mushussu? You look...amazing."

"You have learned the truth. And you have followed the path. We are no longer slaves to the balance. You have freed us. We are safe once more."

"You never would have been in trouble if it wasn't for me," Harry answered abashed.

A noise came forth that sounded remarkably like Hermione in full snort. "Humans. Everything happens for a reason, even when dealing with balance, Harry. You make honorable choices."

"I'm just glad you are all right, my friend. I would love to stay, but I think some people might worry about me. I didn't say where I was going."

"Very well. I will keep you company?"

Harry smiled at that.

"Can I transform here? Or would it upset your mate?"

"Everything upsets her now. It doesn't matter." Mushussu's look was amusing, his eyes seemed to swirl more quickly, and he cocked his head just slightly. Harry chuckled. The poor old guy wants to avoid his mate. It was funny.

Mushussu took to the sky. Harry watched in marvel for a moment.

"Can you leave me this way? I rather like being a snake," the stick asked him. The spell is bound to wear off eventually anyway, and it wasn't going to harm anyone, so he supposed it didn't hurt. He released it and watched it slither into the gloom of the forest.

Harry closed his eyes, and found his transformation happening much quicker this time. His wings beat against the damp night air, and felt the wind tease his fur. He glided back to the astronomy tower, where he saw a lone figure standing on the parapet. He smiled, remembering his dream. Indeed, Mushussu was sitting on the North Tower, as Harry banked and landed on the rampart. And like in his dream, Ginny clutched at his fur, burying her hands and face into the golden warmth.

As he transfigured back to his human form, he gave his wife a tired yet happy smile. "I'm home."