Keep Breathing ♢ James Potter

27 | Entry 17 - The Other Side

Since returning to Hogwarts after the holidays, Harry hadn't been in the right headspace to investigate deeper into what he last saw in Astrid's diary entry. Instead, he found himself being occupied by Dumbledore's new mission of retrieving the missing memory from Professor Slughorn about Tom Riddle.

His first attempt proved to be unsuccessful, Slughorn quickly caught on before realizing Harry was sent by Dumbledore to ask him about Horcruxes. After quickly scurrying off to his dorm after the intense encounter with Slughorn, Harry found himself another problem when he found Ron in a daze about fellow Hogwarts student Romilda Vane. This left Harry no choice but to awkwardly return to Professor Slughorn's classroom alongside Ron to help find a remedy for the love potion.

It seemed that the night couldn't possibly become more eventful until Ron ended up accidentally drinking poison from Slughorn's bottle of wine. The next morning while the Professors discussed what had led to Ronald being poisoned, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny sat alongside Ron's bed, who remained unconscious in the Hospital Wing.

Harry was once again proved wrong, thinking nothing else can make this day more eventful. Lavender Brown came storming into the Hospital Wing looking for Ronald, before showing her disgust towards Hermione who was seated next to the boy. The girl's arguing was ended quickly by Ronald, who started to mumble Hermione's name in his sleep, evidently leaving Lavender's heartbroken, Hermione slightly embarrassed but happy, and Harry who couldn't stop smirking at the pair.

He had been by Ron and Hermione's side since the 1st year, and he has seen how the pair had consistently gotten closer throughout the years. It wasn't until this year that he noticed how much of an effect they had on each other, especially Hermione's jealously towards Ron and Lavender's relationship. Harry thought it was time that maybe the pair stopped beating around the bush and owned up to their feelings.

Wanting to give Hermione and Ron some space, Harry decided to take his time along to go back to his dormitory to read more about what happened during Astrid's summer break. He noticed that whenever things got especially bad at Grimmauld Place, Astrid had the habit of cutting James off from her life. But this time, he feared that it would be a much bigger problem than just Rasbatan Lestrange courting her.

-

September 1, 1977

Dear Diary,

Today was my last day ever taking the Hogwarts train for the first day of the school year. Most people talk about their 7th year being the best year of their life, being filled with memories and they try to soak up the last bit of childhood they would ever have. But I guess if you were raised in a time of war, there won't be much of a childhood to enjoy before graduation.

There's tension amongst the corridors. Everyone knows of the war happening outside in the world, but no one talks about the war that's happening within Hogwarts walls. Student casting glares at anyone sporting a green tie, rumors about which of us are potential death eaters, conspiracies about our involvement with former students being found killed according to the Daily Prophet.

I can't exactly judge them for not trusting us. Half of the rumors are true, though I wouldn't dare admit it out loud. But at the end of the day, we are all children who grew up to fast, suffering from our parent's mistakes.

A.B.

-

Harry watched as students were rejoicing at Platform 9 and ¾ as they reunited with their friends after the summer break. Parents smiled, saying goodbye to their children, and wishing them a good school year as they hopped onto the train. Despite the scene seeming perfectly normal at first glance, Harry noticed the tension between some families. It mirrored almost what this year felt like when he returned to Hogwarts after Voldemort's return had been publicly accepted by the Ministry.