𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 harry potter.

𝟒.𝟐𝟑 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝

When he looked back, even a month later, Harry found he had few memories of the following days. 

From what Hermione, Y/n, and Ron told him, Dumbledore had spoken to the school that morning at breakfast. He had merely requested that they leave Harry alone, that nobody ask him questions or badger him to tell the story of what had happened in the maze.

Most people, he noticed, were skirting him in the corridors, avoiding his eyes. 

Perhaps they were formulating their own theories about how Cedric had died. He found he didn't care very much. He liked it best when he was with Ron, Y/n, and Hermione, and they were talking about other things, or else letting him sit in silence while they played chess.

He felt as though all four of them had reached an understanding they didn't need to put into words.

'Mum went to ask Dumbledore if you could come straight to us this summer,' Ron said. 'But he wants you to go back to the Dursleys, at least at first.'

'Why?' said Harry.

'She said Dumbledore's got his reasons,' said Ron, shaking his head darkly. 'I suppose we've got to trust him, haven't we?'

The only person apart from Ron, Y/n, and Hermione that Harry felt able to talk to was Hagrid. As there was no longer a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, they had those lessons free. They used the one on Thursday afternoon to go down and visit him in his cabin. It was a bright and sunny day; Fang bounded out of the open door as they approached, barking and wagging his tail madly.

'Who's that?' called Hagrid, coming to the door. 'Harry!'

He strode out to meet them, pulled Harry into a one-armed hug, ruffled his hair and said, 'Good ter see yeh, mate. Good ter see yeh.'

They saw two bucket-sized cups and saucers on the wooden table in front of the fireplace when they entered Hagrid's cabin.

'Bin havin' a cuppa with Olympe,' Hagrid said, 'she's jus' left.'

'Who?' said Ron, curiously.

'Madame Maxime, o' course!' said Hagrid.

'You two made it up, have you?' said Ron.

'Dunno what yeh're talkin' about,' said Hagrid airily, fetching more cups from the dresser. When he had made tea, and offered round a plate of doughy biscuits, he leant back in his chair and surveyed Harry closely through his beetle-black eyes.

'You all righ'?' he said gruffly.

'Yeah,' said Harry.

'No, yeh're not,' said Hagrid. ''Course yeh're not. But yeh will be.'

Harry said nothing.

'Knew he was goin' ter come back,' said Hagrid, and Harry, Ron, Y/n, and Hermione looked up at him, shocked.

'Known it fer years, Harry. Knew he was out there, bidin' his time. It had ter happen. Well, now it has, an' we'll jus' have ter get on with it. We'll fight. Migh' be able ter stop him before he gets a good hold. That's Dumbledore's plan, anyway. Great man, Dumbledore. S'long as we've got him, I'm not too worried.'

Hagrid raised his bushy eyebrows at the disbelieving expressions on their faces.

'No good sittin' worryin' abou' it,' he said. 'What's comin' will come, an' we'll meet it when it does. Dumbledore told me wha' you did, Harry.'

Hagrid's chest swelled as he looked at Harry. 'Yeh did as much as yer father would've done, an' I can' give yeh no higher praise than that.'

Harry smiled back at him. It was the first time he'd smiled in days.