章 394: Chapter 394: At Hogwarts Once More
Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 394: At Hogwarts Once More
On January 7, Harry returned to the castle by himself.
His house had gotten a bit too lively for his taste, so he welcomed the change.
He was one of the first students to return, and as such, he found the Gryffindor common room completely empty for a change.
Deciding to take advantage of the quiet, he lay down on one of the sofas and closed his eyes for a bit.
Before he realized it, he had fallen asleep.
"Harry?"
He opened his eyes when he felt someone calling his name and touching his shoulder.
"Hermione?" Harry discovered the bushy-haired girl staring at him.
"Sorry, I didn't want to bother you. You looked so peaceful while sleeping," Hermione looked apologetic.
Harry peeked around. He must have slept for a while, because the common room had become much busier, with students going here and there, talking to their friends with excitement on their faces. Everyone seemed ready to start the new term, having no idea of the storm that was approaching.
"It's just that dinner is going to start in fifteen minutes. I thought you wouldn't want to miss it," Hermione added.
"Right. Thanks," Harry responded.
Her two close friends approached and promptly led her away after greeting him.
"Harry? Oh, there you are." Lyra sat down beside him. "Where have you been? You disappeared after New Year's."
Harry glanced at his sister. Much like the other students, she was completely unaware of what had happened.
"I had some stuff to do outside the school. Did anyone ask for me?"
Lyra shook her head.
"Good." That meant not many eyes had been on him or his family.
"That's not good!" Lyra exclaimed. "You should worry more about your popularity."
Harry wanted to roll his eyes. "I have other concerns at the moment. And…I thought you were avoiding me."
"Ah…" Lyra looked down, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I wasn't trying to…I was just trying to be considerate with my best friend."
"Mmm…well, I spoke with her recently," Harry said.
"You did?" Lyra perked up. "But when?... She's at home. I actually wanted to ask you if you saw her today. She should be back at school by now, but I can't find her."
"About that…" He was going to have to tell her after all.
"And Neville says he can't find Ron either. Have you seen any of the Weasleys?" Lyra asked.
Harry stood up from the couch. "Come with me. Let's speak in private." He didn't want anyone overhearing the conversation.
Lyra looked somewhat confused by the secrecy. This didn't seem like such an important matter after all.
Still, she followed her brother outside the common room. She knew he wasn't the type to exaggerate, so it must be important.
"Harry…did something happen?" She was getting worried now, and the more she thought about it, the worse it seemed.
"Here." After making sure no one was around, he pulled her into an unused classroom.
Once inside, he secured the door.
"Harry?"
"On the night of New Year's Eve, four families were attacked by Voldemort's followers."
"What?! Wait…you don't mean…" Lyra's face went pale.
"Yes, the Weasleys were one of them. But Ginny is fine."
"She is? Oh, thank Merlin…" Lyra sighed.
"She is, but her brother George was killed."
"Oh no…" Lyra had always been fond of the Weasley twins.
Many people disliked them for their pranks, but the two had always been nice to her. "Poor George…but where are they?"
"Our father placed them in a secure location. For now, it's not safe for them to return to Hogwarts. Our enemies have eyes and ears everywhere."
Harry considered telling her where Ginny was and even offering to take her home for a few hours, but he decided it was better to keep quiet.
The less Lyra knew, the safer she would be.
"You said four families…who else was attacked?" Lyra asked.
Harry told her about the others, only skipping unnecessary details, like the fact that he and Daphne had gone to save her family. Lyra was too shocked to ask many questions anyway.
"So, I won't be seeing Astoria or Ginny?"
"At least for this term, no." Harry hoped everything would be over before the end of the year.
That would give them the best chance of survival.
If possible, he wanted to bait Voldemort into launching a full-on assault on the school during the second task.
He had concluded that the more significant an event, the more powerful the Convergence would be. Voldemort's resurrection at the end of the third task was undoubtedly one of the most critical events of this era.
The resulting Convergence of such an event could end everything.
He wanted to avoid that risk at all costs.
"Harry?"
He realized his sister was still looking at him.
"It's best if you don't speak of this with anyone for now. Eventually, this will become public news…but until then…"
"Not even Neville? He's going to keep asking for Ron."
"Not even him. Can you do that?" Harry wasn't sure, so he had to ask.
Lyra huffed. "Of course! Who do you take me for? I'm not the same clumsy girl from the past who couldn't keep a single secret."
"Is that so?" Harry didn't look convinced.
"I just don't like keeping things from my boyfriend." Lyra then seemed to realize something. "You still haven't said anything about that…"
"About what?"
"You know…me and Neville dating. Are you okay with that?" she asked.
"Well…I don't love the idea of my little sister dating anyone. But I suppose you could do much worse than Neville Longbottom." Harry shrugged.
"Come on, Neville is a great guy." Lyra perked up.
"He's okay," Harry answered.
"And he's a fantastic kisser."
"Hey!" Harry stopped her. "I don't need too many details."
He unlocked the door. "Now run along, you'd better hurry to the Great Hall."
Lyra glanced at him. "You're not coming to dinner?"
"I'll eat something later. There's someone I need to speak with first," Harry told her before walking away in the direction of the stairs.
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