Harry Potter and the Year that Changed Everything

Harry Potter and the Year that Changed Everything (13)

Chapter Thirteen: All That We Needed

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When Harry and Hermione made it back to their common room after their talk with Remus in the library, both of them wordlessly agreed to wait until both of them in Harry's Head Boy suite before they said anything more about their previous discussion. Once they had entered and sealed the door behind them, Hermione flopped down onto Harry's bed, while Harry sank into his Captain's chair in front of his desk. Hermione gave out with a deep sigh and rolled over onto her side to look at her best friend and brother.

"So, do you think Remus was able to twig what's going on from us?"

Harry shook his head immediately.

"No, I don't think so. There's no way he could have gotten into my mind, and I didn't detect him trying to get into yours. I think he was just kidding about Ron and Luna being unhappy with us. He and Sirius used to take the mickey with dad a lot, so he's just carrying on the tradition. There's no way he thinks we're having some illicit affair. My mind is closed off like a vault at Gringotts."

Hermione huffed and sat up on the bed looking frustrated.

"Harry, didn't you ever do that assignment for Snap on werewolves back in third year?"

Harry chuckled softly.

"No, I didn't. Remus told us we didn't have to do it, so I never did. If you hadn't started on it before the class was even over, you wouldn't have had to do it, either."

Hermione continued on, successfully ignoring Harry's attempt to tease her about her slightly manic homework regiment.

"It doesn't matter if you control your thoughts and emotions, Harry. A werewolf has a vastly superior sense of perception. Tell me, have you ever tried lying to him in his presence?"

Harry reddened slightly.

"Of course I haven't!"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.

"I hope you did it better than that."

Harry reddened even more.

"All right, fine, I have lied to him. I shouldn't have bothered though because he never bought it. He could even tell when the twins were setting him up for something. He must know some kind of truth spell."

Hermione rolled her chocolate brown eyes at him.

"He doesn't have to use any kind of spell, Harry. His heightened senses brought about by his lycanthropy can tell by the change in your body's chemistry when you're lying. They can gauge changes in the amount of blood flow and the increase in adrenaline being produced, as well as a million other things. Technically, the reason for this is so that werewolves can better hunt their prey, but is has non-violent uses as well, obviously. Sure, we might have told him that nothing out of the ordinary was going on, but our bodies told him differently. Since he's sure in his mind that Lily and James are dead, and even more certain that we aren't in any way related, what conclusion do you think he might jump to at our pulses quickening at his mention of our relationship with one another?"

Harry let this information wash over him. He had never considered that his friend and guardian's "condition" affected anything other than his monthly change into a werewolf. No wonder he had never believed any of Ron's excuses for late homework. Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose where his glasses rubbed and looked back at Hermione.

"Ok, so he know something is up. What are we able to do about it?"

Hermione rested her chin in her hand and thought. Only one possibility seemed logical.

"We'll have to talk to Dumbledore about it. We can talk with him after the next Defense meeting. We'll have to talk to him on our own. Do you think you can stay off Luna's lips long enough to talk to him?"

Hermione was giving Harry a teasing smile. Instead of telling her to get stuffed, his usual response to her in these situations, he returned his own teasing grin in return.

"Oh, I think I can manage that. Do you think you'll be able to keep Ron's hands out of your back pockets? I never knew you kept your every flavor beans there. He certainly seems to go for handfuls a lot."

Hermione's smile turned to a perfectly rounded "O" of surprise. She then growled at Harry and threw a pillow directly at his head. His Quidditch reflexes enabled him to deftly catch it in midair.

"All right, dear brother, we're even. Now, since we've decided what to do about Remus, I wanted to ask you about an idea I had about the next meeting. Some people won't like it...well...most people won't like it...but I still think it's a good idea and will make things better in the long run."

Harry nodded. He knew that, whatever idea Hermione had, it would be a good one. She had never steered him wrong before, even when he hadn't agreed with her. If any other people didn't like the idea that was too bad for them. Whatever she wanted to do was fine by him. Hermione always came up with the most intelligent ideas.

"I'm behind you one hundred percent, Hermione. What's your idea?"

Hermione told him.

When she was finished, Harry agreed with her completely. Most people were definitely not going to like it.

**********

Harry rolled over in his sleep. He'd had a hard time getting his mind shut down tonight. This wasn't anything unusual for him, but it was still an annoyance. He didn't have to worry about Voldemort violating his mind anymore, but the ever-present doubts and fears that had plagued him all his life remained. No matter how powerful a wizard he might become, he would always be defenseless against his own consciousness. A youth spent convinced that he was unworthy of happiness and love had made sure of that. Thinking of Luna before bed each night often helped ease that strain, although it most often resulted in a strain of a whole other sort.

Harry had just fallen asleep when he realized he was in the plane of existence that was neither awake, nor dreaming. Now that he knew he had some control over the situation, he called out for the one person he most wanted to see who had shrugged off this mortal coil. He didn't have long to wait for him.

"Hello, Harry. This is a first. I usually let myself in. I take it you've figured out how to control this... whatever it is?"

Harry smiled at his impressed looking godfather.

"Hello, Sirius. Yeah, I'm starting to get the hang of it. You were right, not many people have this ability, or at least not many that we know of. Luna can do this, too. Somehow, I get the feeling you already knew that."

Sirius smiled a very Marauder-like smile.

"Yeah, I did. Her mom talks about her and the talks the two of them have together. She's asked me about you, you know. She wants to know if you'd be good for her daughter. I told her you were the spit of your father, and that you could act a lot like him, as well. She remembered your father from school. So, in all, I'd say you were knackered."

Harry looked frightened until Sirius finally broke out into a riot of barking laughter.

"I'm just winding you up, son. I told her you were brave and loyal like your father, but also passionate and kind like your mother. She bought the whole thing. I'll tell you what, Harry. Keep tight hold of Luna. Trust me. If she turns out like her mum, you'll be laughing."

Harry laughed at the "useful" advice.

"Sirius, behave yourself. That's Luna's mum you're talking about. She's a married woman."

Sirius adopted his devious smile once again.

"Ah, yes and no, young grasshopper. She maybe your bird's mum, but she's a free agent now. Until death do you part, mate. Once the heart stops, the bond is broken. Hell, you should see old Dung up here! He's prancing around with Diana Barrymore! She's always got one hand in his and the other around a brandy bottle. Strange thing is, I'm always running into them, but I still haven't found James and Lily. I mean, this is a big place and all, but you'd think I'd have seen them down at the pool, or something. Instead I keep bumping into Renee Adoree. She's a nice girl and all, but she's still got a cough on her."

Harry looked down at his shoes. The time had come to tell Sirius the truth.

"Sirius, I need to tell you something. That's why I called for you this time. There's a good reason why you can't find my parents here."

Sirius looked confusedly at Harry. His face then took on a frightened look.

"No, that can't be it! I mean, James may have played it close to the wind at time, but your mum was aces. He might have been sent down, but not her. I mean, if I'm here than they sure as hell must be. Of course, there was that time before your dad and mum were married where they got your dad's cloak and some whipped cream from the kitchens and..."

Harry cut him off before he could hear anything that might scar him for life about his parents.

"No, Sirius, it's not that. The reason they aren't here, or there, is because they're still on Earth. They're still alive."

Sirius looked at Harry like he was an alien being for a long moment. He then took on a gentle countenance with him, as if he was explaining a hard life fact to a three year old.

"Harry, son, I'm sorry. I know you wish they were alive. Believe me, I want that, too. I saw them. That image is forever burned into my brain. I wish there was a way to bring them back to your side of the veil, but there isn't. I'm sorry."

Sirius put a reassuring hand on his godson's shoulder. Harry patted it with his own hand and smiled.

"It's true, Sirius. They're as alive as I am. They had to go underground to help protect me from Voldemort. They knew about the prophecy. Dumbledore had told them. The people you saw there weren't really them. They were Tonks' parents. They could both change their appearance and had agreed to die so that I might live. Tonks has never said anything about it, even though her parents are dead because of me, even when everyone thinks I'm the one to feel sorry for."

Sirius looked incredulous at first. This couldn't be true, it just couldn't. And yet, he knew also that Harry was telling the truth. He had seen what Voldemort had seen, and realized that it was an effort to bring down the Dark Lord before he could get established. It hadn't worked, but they couldn't have known that it wouldn't. He then thought about his cousin and the Muggle she had married that had caused her being exiled from the family. He was a Muggle, wasn't he? It would appear that he wasn't. Had she led them to believe that so that she could get out of the family? His mother's hatred for Muggles was absolute, and everyone in the family knew it. She would have known that marrying one would have meant instant expulsion from the House of Black. And, if they really had been secret members of the Order, they would have made sure to keep that information private. Thinking about it, Sirius could see why pretending to be a Muggle would have helped the cause. His family, and most all Purebloods, looked at Muggles as little more than vermin. They would never consider one a legitimate threat. Of course, even though the plan was a sound one, Sirius was still mad at Dumbledore for not letting him know anything about it. Still, he found that knowing his friends were actually still alive tempered that anger a great deal.

"I can't believe it! James and Lily, still alive. No wonder I haven't been able to find them. I guess I'll start looking for Andromeda and Ted, instead. Amazing. This is going to take some getting used to. Good thing I've got all eternity, eh? Anyway, enough of the heavy stuff for right now. Tell me more about this link you have with the Lovegood lass. I remember Remus and I talking about the two of you back in your fifth year. He suspected something back then, even. He said something about the way she would react when she saw you. Her little heart would go like a bugbear in a hen house. I chalked it up to hormones, but he swore there was more to it. I hate it when he's right, especially since it's just about all the bloody time. I hope he lives to a ripe old age, the smug sod. He'll just gloat for eons to me about it. You should talk to him about the link. He's the one that actually paid attention in class."

Harry nodded. The mention of Remus reminded him of another fear he had.

"I'm worried about Remus finding out about mum and dad being alive. If he finds out that I knew about it and didn't tell him, he's going to be mad. I know I was when Dumbledore first told me about it."

Sirius laughed again and clapped Harry on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, son. Moony won't be mad with you. He might be at Dumbledore for the same reasons you were, but you should have a lot of experience with that already, eh? Besides, you probably won't have to worry about telling him. If you're worried about it, and you've talked to him, he probably already suspects something."

Harry's mouth dropped open at hearing Sirius voice another of his concerns.

"You know about...well, yeah, of course you would. I didn't know about the heightened senses until Hermione told me about them. I think he does suspect something is up."

Sirius nodded.

"Yeah, Remus was always worse than Veritaserum. He always seemed to know when James and I were hiding something from him. Made pranking him damn near impossible. Hermione would know about that, of course. She's a brilliant girl, our Hermione. She's another looker, lad. Maybe you could play Quidditch on both pitches, know what I mean?"

Harry closed his eyes tightly. This was another area where the seemingly unbelievable became reality.

"Sirius, there's something else you should know about me. I'm not an only child. Hermione is actually my twin sister..."

Harry's eyes flew open as if he'd been struck, the loud yelling resonating in his head fading slowly. He made a mental note that, the next time he talked to Sirius, he would make sure to wear earplugs.

**********

Breakfast the next day was the usual affair for a Saturday. Students lingered over their cereals and muffins and talked about their various plans for the weekend. The staff up front did much the same, except tat most of their weekend activities were already planned out for them. Grading papers, researching for future projects, and for a large amount of them, doing their assigned duties for the order. While the rest of the school pursued their own interests, a group of Gryffindors and one Ravenclaw were huddled together away from them all.

"And then I woke up."

Harry had told them the story of his dream while they had their breakfast. He had already told Hermione the unedited version in the common room before coming down. The version he had told the rest of them left out the parts where he had talked with Sirius about Lily and James being alive. As he talked to them about his latest "Dream Speaking" experience, all the rest of them stopped eating and listened intently. The idea of talking to someone dead was still a very odd concept for the most of them. The only exceptions to this was Luna, who merely smiled her dreamy smile while holding Harry's hand under the table, and Ron, who was more concerned about his rashers of bacon getting cold. Once the story was done, they about discussing what Sirius had said. Ron swallowed an enormous mouthful of food and laughed.

"So, Sirius is chatting up you mum, Luna? That sounds like something he would do. And he screamed when you told him that you and Hermione are actually brother and sister? That must have been pretty funny. And what's this about him thinking you and her would end up together? That's ridiculous! It was obvious she had a thing for me."

Harry grinned at him, noticing that he had a bit of egg quivering on his chin. Not a very macho look.

"Yeah, Sirius isn't letting the fact that he's dead slow him down, that's for sure. And no, actually, it wasn't funny at the time at all. How about I pop into your head and scream at the top of my lungs? We'll see how witty you think it is. Oh, and the idea of Hermione and I getting together is ridiculous, is it? Let's see, who else thought that way? Rita Skeeter, Cho, your mum, and...you."

Ron's face went bright pink.

"Well, sure, if you're going to get all technical about it."

They all laughed at Ron's discomfort as Luna rested her head on Harry's shoulder.

"Yes, I must confess that I thought that way at one time, too. And mummy does mention Sirius often when we talk. It bothered me at first, knowing how much daddy misses her so, but I'm all right with it now. There's no point in her being lonely, is there? And I know Sirius must be a good person. Mind you, when daddy passes on, he should expect a fight for her. Daddy knows Haruki Murakami."

There was a long pause. Ginny was the one to finally ask the question they all had on their minds.

"Uh, Luna, honey, what's Haruki Murakami?"

Luna looked over at her like she'd asked how to charm a bowler hat to flamenco dance. To Luna, that was quite basic.

"He's an author."

The rest of the group debated in their minds if asking for a further explanation would help in this matter, but universally decided that the best course of action was to just let it go. Instead, Ginny quickly changed the subject to avoid further confusion.

"Just think, when you die, you can choose anyone who has ever lived before to be with. Makes you think, huh?"

Neville leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips.

"I wouldn't want anyone else but you, baby."

Ginny's face broke out into a huge smile as she leaned forward and kissed Neville back. Her kiss, however, was not at all what you would term "gentle." "Blistering" would have been closer.

"Aww, Nevy, my sweet cuddly teddy bear. I wouldn't want anyone else, either."

The two of them continued to grope one another as the other two couples tried to ignore them. The noises made it rather hard. Harry raised his voice to be heard over them.

"I agree with Nevy...I mean, Neville. I wouldn't ever want anyone but you, Luna. I love you so much."

Luna gave her own toothy smile and hugged Harry to her tightly.

"Oh, Harry! I love you, too. An eternity with you won't be long enough."

Harry and Luna then commenced on their own make out session, leaving Hermione and Ron as the only two not clawing at one another. Instead, they looked at one another. Hermione gave it some thought before answering the question that had now almost been forgotten in the flood of emotions.

"I think I'd go with Gary Cooper. I've seen all his old movies and have always fancied him as the strong silent type, and he was ever so handsome. How about you?"

Ron gave it all the thought he could at this hour of the morning.

"I'd go with a porn star. If I'm in heaven, I would hope that I'd be getting some."

The two of them were quiet for a moment. Ron then raised his eyes off the table to look at her.

"So, you want to make out anyway?"

There was another short pause, and then Hermione nodded.

"Sure."

It was only a few minutes later that the three couples were admonished for their public display, the worst being directed to the Head Boy and Head Girl for setting a poor example for the younger students. After receiving their scolding from McGonagall, they were told to move along. They did not have to be told twice.

That night at dinner, Harry and Hermione reported to Dumbledore's office. They had received a note during the meal saying to come see him at their earliest convenience. Thinking that it was likely something important, the two of them hurried through their Yorkshire pudding and were soon standing before their Headmaster's desk. Dumbledore motioned for them to be seated and gazed at them from behind his half moon reading glasses.

"Thank you both for coming. I know that you both have a great number of things that you need attend to, so I shall be brief. I have spent the bulk of the morning and afternoon talking with Remus."

Harry and Hermione both began sputtering, thinking that they were being called on the carpet for revealing confidential information. Dumbledore sensed this and raised his hand to calm them.

"Fear not, my friends. I did not call you in here to scold you for telling something you ought not have. My intentions are quite the opposite. I have brought you hear so that you will know that I will be telling Remus everything myself. Just as the two of you, as their children, have the right to know now that you have come of age, so does the one person left that is as close to family as it is possible to be."

Harry and Hermione sat in stunned silence. They were both relieved that they would have one less person they would have to keep their secret from, but also concerned that it now made Remus an even bigger target than he had been before. Dumbledore had foreseen that they might feel this way.

"Remus has already shown his loyalty to the both of you and to the Order. He will be a target no matter how much he does or doesn't know. His loyalty to the cause is absolute. He would rather die than let Voldemort gain anything he could use against either of you. I have arranged a meeting with him later tonight. I will tell him about you and Hermione being siblings then. From our talk earlier today, he seems to suspect something rather more...illicit might be going on between the two of you. He even suggested that Tonks be reassigned to keep track of Hermione and make sure no liberties were taken. I must confess that I found it hard not to chuckle at that one.

"Remus has a naturally extraordinary ability to know when something is being hidden from him, as I'm sure you know, but I pride myself on being able to keep a secret. I finally convinced him that all would be well, and that no liberties would be taken on my watch. I will also be telling him about your parents still being alive, and that they have been in hiding since that Halloween night I had thought would be the last for the threat of Voldemort. Sadly, I was wrong, and I will accept any ire that Remus feels towards me for not being honest with him about his best and closest friends condition. I have a strong suspicion that many more things of mine will end up broken by the end of our meeting. Ah well, I have far too many things to begin with.

"Now, let us turn our attention to other matters. Our next Advanced Defense meeting is tomorrow. Is everything ready for it? Do you need my help for anything? I have been very impressed with the progress of all the participants in the club. It is little wonder that the former Professor Umbridge was quite unsettled by it. I just wish that more students would join. I representative from all the Houses would certainly help in the cause of unification."

Harry turned to Hermione and smiled. She returned the smile and turned back to look at the Headmaster.

"Funny you should mention that, Professor..."

**********

"If I might have your attention, please!"

Dumbledore had to shout to be heard over the din created by the casting of so many hexes and charms. Once the students had all quieted and turned their attention to him he continued in his normal softer tone.

"Thank you. Tonight's meeting of the Advanced Defense club will be focusing on defending yourself against spells and hexes that are more sophisticated, and thus much more dangerous, than we have covered thus far. Disarming your opponent is important, yes, but it is also contingent on your having the opportunity to do so. If you are forced to deal with multiple curses at once, you will have to survive long enough to have the chance to render your opponent wandless. To that end, we will be pairing up to face off against one another using spells other than the usual ones used to disarmament. For further explanation, I turn the floor over to Mr. Potter. Harry, if you would?"

Harry then stepped forward from the group and stood in the middle of the ring they had all formed around the Headmaster and himself.

"Thank you, Professor. I know we've always stressed disarming your opponents first and then subduing them, but sometimes you won't have that luxury to fall back on. A lot of the time you'll be facing someone that is your equal, or even your superior in terms of magical ability. With the extra training you're doing here, you should be able to stand against nearly any Death Eater out there. However, you should underestimate them. They will not be afraid to use unforgivables, just as you should not be afraid to counter with whatever it takes to incapacitate them. Failing that, you may be forced to defend your life by claiming that of the attacker themselves."

Many in the group issued a stunned gasp. The silence that followed was absolute. This would normally unnerved Harry, but he knew full well that the silence would be short lived after he told them the next part of his plan.

"So, today, I have set up a duel to exemplify what I mean about defending against more sophisticated and powerful spells than you are likely used to. One of you will be sparring with the newest member of this club. His magical ability is advanced, and he has a great knowledge of curses that few in this school know of, and most would never even attempt. He will have free reign to use whatever spells he wants, and I have every confidence in him not letting things get out of control, just as I have that faith in all of you. I must ask you, however, to treat him with the same respect you would me, or any other member here. He is as welcome here as any of us."

Harry broke off his speech and turned to look at the door of their meeting room in the great hall.

"You can come in now!"

There was a short pause after Harry yelled out the invitation before anything actually happened. After a few long moments, the large oaken doors opened to reveal none other than...

"Draco? What's that git doing here?"

Ernie McMillan stepped in front of Hannah Abbott and trained his wand right at the pale blonde boy standing before them all. As the rest of the student's wands came out as well, Harry stepped out in front to shield him.

"STOP!"

It was a testament to Harry's abilities that the students all did as he told them. This was the first time in many years that someone besides the Headmaster himself had been able to accomplish this on the first shout. Harry was actually a little surprised himself when they all quieted down at once.

"Look, everybody settle down. This club is open to all students, no matter what house they're in, and that includes Slytherin. In fact, I hope that there will be more members of Slytherin house that join us."

A huffing noise was heard from somewhere in the crowd. Everyone turned to look at Seamus.

"You must be joking! All of Slytherin house are Death Eaters in training, and Malfoy is the worst of the lot. I bet he's still in close contact with his dad. I read in the Prophet that he'd been seen in England recently. I bet they're all in on it."

There was a murmuring amongst the students that was steadily getting louder. This time, it was a much more feminine, but no less loud, voice that hushed them all.

"QUIET!"

Even Dumbledore jumped at the sudden outburst from the Head Girl.

"Nobody in this school has been accused of anything. Doesn't house unity mean anything to you? Don't you realize that we are all going to have to rely on one another if we are to survive and have any chance of coming out as the victors in this war? Voldemort wants us to be divided. Voldemort wants us to distrust one another. Through our division, he has the advantage. We must trust one another and work together as a unit. Still, if any of you think that is impossible or you don't agree with that, go ahead and clear out now. Go ahead, Seamus. If you don't want to work with members of Slytherin house and treat them with the same respect as you would your fellow Gryffindors, don't let the door hit your scrawny Irish ass on the way out."

Everyone looked at Seamus again. This time, he didn't look nearly as rebellious. In fact, he looked like he was trying to melt into the floor.

"Well, no, I didn't say I wanted to leave. I was just...never mind."

Hermione continued to stare at him until he shifted to be behind Dean. She then resumed looking around at all of them.

"All right, then. I would ask for a volunteer to go up against Draco, but I somehow doubt that I'd get many takers. So, I guess that means I'll have to do it myself."

Another loud collective gasp was heard from the crowd. Ernie grabbed Hermione's arm as she walked by him to approach Draco.

"Don't be daft, Hermione! Draco has hated you since our first day here. Given free reign of curses, he'll be out to kill you!"

Hermione shrugged off Ernie's hand and glared at him with the same look she had given Seamus. Ernie's reaction was very similar. She then walked away from the crowd and stood in front of Draco. She found that he was giving her the patented Malfoy sneer.

"That was quite a display, Granger. No wonder Weasley has been behaving himself lately. Ernie's right, though. With no limits, I could easily destroy you. I know more dark spells than most of the professors here. Are you sure you don't want Potter do stand in for you? He seems to be able to take a beating. I'd hate to have to embarrass you in front of all your admirers."

No that long ago, Draco's words would have angered and flustered Hermione to the point of rage. Now that she had matured and been training with Harry, she merely let his innate cockiness roll over her. Draco, although reforming little by little, would never change some aspects of his personality. Hermione had Harry had accepted that. The others would take some more time.

"Oh, I think I can handle it. I know I'm just a Muggle-born girl, but I sure will try."

The duel itself lasted a little over an hour. For a standard magical duel, that was a considerable amount of time. In the end, Hermione had used a lesser version of the Incarcerous Ferrus hex to incapacitate Draco. She had a freely bleeding cut on both cheeks and one long gash on her arm from the hail of severing and slashing hexes he had shot at her. Ron had attempted to rush into the fray at one point when the blood had began flowing, but Harry and Ginny had managed to keep him out of it. Once Draco was encased in a body cast of iron with only his face showing, Hermione stepped back and charmed her open cuts closed. She then ended her curst on him and held out a hand to help him up. Once the shock had worn off in the hall, everyone started clapping. None of them, including the attending professors that had not been a part of the groups Auror training that day, had ever seen the spell used at the school. In fact, most of them had never seen it used in their life. It made them all a bit uneasy, but also caused them to be even more awestruck of Hermione than normal. Accepting Hermione's hand, and looking quite humiliated as he did so, Draco got unsteadily to his feet and bowed in deference to her for his honest defeat. Harry was the last of the crowd to stop clapping as he approached them both.

"That was brilliant! You see, a textbook knowledge of these things is great, but you also have to practice it. What's what made things with Umbridge so terrible. Well, that was one of the reasons. All of us, no matter how accomplished we may think we are, and how much we think we know, need to practice what we learn. We all need that. I think we've had enough excitement for today. Next meeting, I hope there will be more students from every house. We are only as strong as we are united. Respect one another. Help one another. If I, or Hermione, hear anything about inter-house problems, you will hear from us. I promise you. Hermione and I are the Heads this year, and what we want is for this to be the year that all the houses started to come together. Not just the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs, but with the Slytherins as well. All four houses were united once, and they can be again. To do that, we all have to want it, not just some of us. So, I ask you. Do you all want it?"

The resulting roar was such that every single one of the owls in the owlery took flight, all of the soufflés in the kitchens fell, and Madame Pince shushed an empty library. It seemed as if Harry had his answer. Maybe, just maybe, the future might be looking bright after all.