Forever Yours

Chapter 34: Dodging Hogwarts, Part 2

"No, it's not," Harry interrupted him, before sighing heavily. "When I first saw you I thought for sure that I was seeing Professor Snape again, only younger. And I thought for a minute that I finally had the chance to thank him and apologize for all the years that I was a pain in the arse to him..."

"And then you realized it was just someone who looks like him," Septimus smiled slightly as he leaned back in his seat.

"Yeah," Harry sighed again.

"I just wish someone would tell me more about this Professor Snape," Septimus stated. "All Slughorn keeps telling me is that he was a Potion Master and a good duelist. And everyone else just tells me that he died during the battle. But nothing else!"

"To tell you the truth Septimus, I don't think anyone really knew him fully," Harry shrugged. "Except maybe Professor Dumbledore."

"Slughorn said that she died too, right?" Septimus asked, as he kept his face and eyes on Ginny.

"Yeah, she did," Harry said, as he leaned back too. The two watched the brother and sister in silence for some time. Septimus was still mentally pinching himself, not fully believing that he was sitting with Harry Potter. His parents didn't talk much about their double life, except for what they had showed him last year, and a part of him itched to know more.

"What were they like as professors?" Septimus asked quietly, his eyes finally looking towards the other boy. He somehow felt that Harry had been bottling a lot up since his parents' so-called deaths, and that he had never discussed how he felt...not even with his friends.

"I guess the nicest word I can come up with is strict," Harry muttered, as he took his eyes off of his friends and looked down at his lap. "They weren't the kindest or the most fairest professors we ever had...except for Umbridge."

"Umbridge?"

"Toad of a woman," Harry smirked. "Wore lots of pink and frilly robes. So much that you could have almost vomited, especially when you had to be in her office."

"Sounds horrible!" Septimus laughed lightly.

"Yeah she was," Harry grinned slightly, but if faded quickly. "You know what? Follow me."

"What?"

"Just trust me," Harry stated, as he stood quickly and made his way to the stairs. "Come on." Not knowing quite what was going on, Septimus followed him down the twisting steps and out across the lawn.

The sun had began its' descent, casting towering shadows across the green grass. A breeze blew gently over the lake as they neared it, and a tentacle was seen emerging from the waters. Harry walked swiftly ahead of Septimus; leading him straight for the shore, before veering left towards a large willow tree.

Harry disappeared within the willow's branches, and Septimus hesitated to join him. He wasn't sure where Harry had been leading him, but a little voice inside of him told him that he should continue on. He ducked inside of the willows limbs, only to find Harry was not there.

"Harry?" Septimus shouted, a bit worried about what was going on.

"Over here!" Harry said, as his head appeared through the branches opposite of him. Septimus swiftly made his way over to him, and ducked out the other side. There before the two sat several rows of gravestones; most gleaming white, but two were very different from the others.

A large white tomb sat upon the shoreline and beside it, to its' right, a black granite stone, that was glistening in the setting sun. Harry gestured Septimus forward, allowing a better view of the inscriptions.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," Septimus read off of the white tomb. "February 22, 1881 to June 30, 1997."

"He was my Headmaster from the time I arrived at school until the end of my sixth year," Harry explained. "He was a brilliant wizard...bit strange at times, but brilliant none the less."