—•—
HARRY HAD SURVIVED, yet he wouldn't get up, even after one day, two days...
Everyone was shocked when Professor Quirrell suddenly disappeared from the school without any further warning. The only people that knew were Dumbledore and the four first years that had spent the majority of their year figuring out what "Snape" was trying to steal.
Much to Marty's dismay, his last year as a Gryffindor Chaser did not end as well as he hoped. They got flattened by Ravenclaw without Harry as their Seeker, and that was the end of the season. Archer was amongst the many Gryffindor students that attended his speech at the end of the game, and they all cheered for him.
"I've got to keep my limbs in check," Marty explained to them, grinning at Archer, who was trying to hide from his fellow Gryffindors, who clearly still held feelings of disdain for him. "Quidditch isn't everything to me, but I've really enjoyed playing for the team."
Finally, after three days, Dumbledore emerged from the Hospital Wing as Archer, Ron, and Hermione waited outside timidly. He gave them a smile, and his eyes glinted with mystery.
"Madam Pomfrey is strict," he said strangely and then walked off. Archer looked at Ron with an eyebrow raised.
"Maybe Harry's awake," said Ron. "Dumbledore was in there for a while." Madam Pomfrey exited the wing a few minutes later, and frowned.
"You can visit for five minutes." she deadpanned, and with that, she moved out of the way so they could walk through the door to see Harry, who was laying down in the second bed on the left.
"Harry!" They all cheered. Harry gave them a small smile, but didn't move much.
"Oh, Harry, we were sure you were going to..." Hermione trailed off, "Dumbledore was so worried..."
"Harry, everyone wants to know what really happened." Archer said, sitting down beside the boy. So he began a long story.
"I went through the black fire, of course, thanks to Hermione. When I got through, I was in a room with the Mirror of Erised. And... it wasn't... it wasn't Snape, it was Quirrell." Everyone else gasped.
"Anyways, he turned around and began to talk to himself. Then he told me that he brought a troll into the castle, and that Snape wasn't the one who tried to jinx me off my broom. It was Quirrell. Hermione just knocked him over. And then Snape refereed the next game to make sure he didn't do it again.
"Then he saw himself in the mirror giving the Stone to his master... then, I got the Stone in my pocket, I dunno how... then Quirrell started to unwrap his turban, and Voldemort was on the back of his head."
Hermione gasped and cringed.
"Then Quirrell tried to kill me, but I touched him and his face started to... melt... or something. And then I nearly died, but Dumbledore saved me just in time."
"So, the Stone's gone?" Ron asked. "What about Nicholas Flamel? Isn't he just going to die?"
"That's what I said, but Dumbledore said... oh, what was it... 'to the well-organized mind, death is but the next greatest adventure.'"
"I always knew he was off his rocker." Ron grinned, leaning back, although he looked mildly impressed.
"So, what happened to you?" Harry asked.
"We got out alright." Archer replied. "It took a while to get Ron to wake up, and even when I got him up, he was a bit... out of it. We were running up to the owlery to send a letter to Dumbledore, when he burst through the entrance hall. All he said was, 'Harry went after him, didn't he?' and ran up to the third floor. I've never seen an old man move that fast."
"Do you think he meant for you to do it?" Ron inquired. "I mean, send you the cloak, and all."
"If he did," Hermione exploded angrily, "that was a terrible thing to do. You could've died."
"No, it isn't," said Harry thoughtfully. "He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don't think it was an accident; he let me find out how the mirror worked. It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could."
"He's a strange man, isn't he?" Archer sighed. Ron laughed. "Anyways, listen, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, of course. You missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrolled by Ravenclaw without you... but the food will be good."
Madam Pomfrey then came in and yelled at them, saying that she'd given them nearly fifteen minutes, and that was that.
On the last day of term, the three Gryffindors went down to the Great Hall scowling. Banners of green and grey hung from the walls, and all the Slytherins were talking cheerfully.
"I hope Harry comes." Ron said, craning his neck to see over the people at the table.
That's when Harry arrived a few seconds later, and he squeezed in between Archer and Ron, and the four talked in hushed whispers about how much they hated Slytherin. Most of the other students in the Great Hall were staring at them, mainly Harry.
The whispers and points at Harry stopped once Dumbledore entered the room, standing at the front of it. He beamed.
"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said, the smile not leaving his face. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts...
"Now, as I understand it, the House Cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, five hundred and twenty-two points."
The Slytherins clapped for themselves, and Archer saw Malfoy slamming his goblet against the table in celebration.
"Yes, well done, Slytherin. But recent events need to be taken into account."
Archer's ears perked up, and at the same time, Slytherin students stopped smiling and went silent. What was Dumbledore talking about?
"I want to dish out a few last minute points," announced Dumbledore. "Here we are...
"First, to Mr. Ronald Weasley, fifty points, for the best played game of chess I have ever seen."
Percy started cheering along with the roars of the Gryffindor student. Ron was a mix of red and purple as his brothers slung their arms around him.
"That's my youngest brother!" Percy yelled. "My youngest brother beat McGonagall's giant chess set!"
"Second to Mr. Archer Griffin— for the bravery to defeat a troll in the face of the school, I award fifty points."
The Gryffindor table got even louder, because they'd just earned back one hundred points out of the one hundred and fifty they'd lost. Archer was sure he was pink. Marty was screaming something about Archer being his little brother.
"Third, to Miss Hermione Granger, I award fifty points for cool logic in the face of fire."
Hermione buried her face in her arms, and by the heaving of her back, Archer theorized she was crying. Gryffindor was so loud that the entire castle shook.
"Fourth, to Mr. Harry Potter, for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."
The Gryffindor table was so loud that Archer was sure he would have lost his voice by the next day. Fred and George were practically on top of Harry, who looked over at the Slytherin table. At that point, they were tied. If only any of the four kids had gotten a point more, they'd have taken the House Cup for themselves.
Dumbledore raised his hands to command silence, and the Gryffindors did as they were told.
"Now, there are all sorts of courage." He informed them. "It takes much to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to your friends. Therefore, I award Mr. Neville Longbottom and Gryffindor house... ten points."
Surely a bomb had just gone off inside the school. It was so loud that Archer could hear everything and nothing at the same time. Neville, who looked as petrified as he had when Hermione used the Body-Binding Curse on him, disappeared under all the Gryffindor students that had jumped onto him with a hug. Slytherin was dead silent, but the rest of the Great Hall sent cheers to Gryffindor, who still couldn't believe their luck. Suddenly, the four Gryffindors who lost one hundred and fifty points were the stars of the show.
"Which means," shouted Dumbledore over the raging of the red and gold table, "we need a change of decoration."
The green and grey banners of Slytherin pride were replaced with those of red and gold, with the symbol of the lion in the middle. Archer knew he would remember this evening forever, no matter how old he got.
The next day, exam results came out, and Archer passed every class. He had the second best marks throughout the first years, right behind Hermione, although everyone knew she would get the best marks.
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle passed, much to the boys' dismay, and Neville made up for his terrible Potions grade with his amazing Herbology grade.
Before Archer went to breakfast that morning, Professor McGonagall called him into her office. He wondered what he'd done to get called down once again.
"I would just like to say," she began as he entered. She was sitting at her desk, filling up a cup of tea, "that I am not disappointed in you. In fact, I am proud. Anyone else who was worried about expulsion would've left their friends to fend for themselves. You didn't. You were willing to go through all the trouble of... well, I don't even want to know what happened or why you were on the Astronomy Tower."
"I thought you already knew?" said Archer.
"No. Well, let's just say I don't and leave it there."
She winked, and the smallest hint of a smile traced the lines of old age on her face. "Have a good summer, I'll see you September."
*
Trunks were packed to the brim by the afternoon, and dorms were empty and abandoned. The three boys met up with Hermione in the common room so they could get a compartment together on the train home.
Each student was handed a slip of paper telling them not to use magic over the summer holiday. Fred, grinning, turned to Archer and said, "I always hope they forget to give them out. They never do."
Hagrid took them on the boats from the castle to the train station, and thinking about his first time ever sailing across the waters made Archer sort of sad. The year had gone by so quickly that he'd barely gotten to reminisce on it.
When they got off the boat, Hagrid bid them a fond farewell and made them promise they'd come to see him the day they got back after summer break. So, they promised.
They boarded the train and played multiple games of Exploding Snap, eating all the candy they wanted while doing so. Occasionally, the twins and Marty came in and joined in on the game before running back down the hallways to hang out with their friends again.
Near the end of the trip, they got jackets and normal clothes back on and took their robes off, stuffing them in their trunks. Archer stared longingly at his robes before doing so, but then he shoved them deep down, well below quills that he hadn't used since the first week of school.
"You'll write, won't you?" Hermione asked.
"Maybe," said Harry. "If my aunt and uncle let me."
"No," said Ron shortly.
Archer just shrugged. "I guess I have no choice," he added to her glower.
Soon they disembarked the train into King's Cross Station, and Archer saw his parents waiting for him.
"You guys have to come and visit this summer." Ron said to the three kids he was with. "All of you— I'll send an owl."
"Thanks," Harry smiled. "Something to look forward to this summer, I guess."
Archer ran into his parents with a hug, for they hadn't been in the same room since September. Marty was a bit more casual about his greeting.
"Hey, Mom, Dad." He said, although Miranda pulled him into a hug whether he wanted to give her one or not.
The Weasleys were standing right beside them, waiting for Ron, Fred, Percy, and George. Ginny started pointing towards someone and shouting, "Harry Potter! Mom, look, can I go see-"
"Be quiet, Ginny, it's rude to point!" Mrs. Weasley hissed.
Archer turned around with Hermione, Harry, and Ron as they passed through the barrier into the Muggle station. Luckily, none of the Muggles noticed anything.
Archer saw a big, stout man with a pink face that looked oddly like a pig waiting for them. He had a handlebar mustache, balding hair, and he wore strange Muggle clothes. Behind him was a smaller, yet fat, boy with a familiar pink face and blonde hair, and a tall, skinny woman with black hair and a pinched face. They all glared at Harry, and Archer assumed that they were his family.
"Ready, are you?" growled the pink man.
"You must be Harry's family!" Archer's mother exclaimed cheerfully, although it sounded forced.
"So to speak," grumbled the man. So that was Vernon Dudley. He was just as Harry described him. "Hurry up, boy, we haven't gotten all day."
Archer frowned at the back of the man's retreating figure. He didn't very much like Mr. Vernon Dudley, and he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut and turned to Harry to say a final goodbye.
"See you... well, I might see you if you can get to Ron's this summer." Archer hugged Harry. "I'll write as much as possible."
"Yeah, I'll see you over summer." Harry said.
"Hope you, uh, have a good holiday." Hermione had her eyebrows furrowed, gazing in the direction of the Dudley family.
Harry began to grin, and Archer felt almost taken aback. "Oh, I will," he continued to grin mischievously. "They don't know I can't use magic over summer break."
The group of kids burst out in laughter as Harry ran off after his family, and the other three waved wildly.
It was quite an end to the adventure they called their first year at Hogwarts.
jack
sorcerer's stone is finally complete! btw i literally hate the new format of wattpad it bothers me so much LMFAO