Focused

Chapter 1 - Leaving Hogwarts

Harry Potter and all characters, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.

Author's Note: This takes place immediately after "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." You may recall that Dumbledore's funeral had just ended and Harry had not left Hogwarts yet.

Harry Potter: Focused – Chapter 1 – Leaving Hogwarts

"We'd better hurry up if we're going to make the Hogwarts Express," instructed Hermione after assuring Harry that she and Ron would be with him all the way.

Sighing, Harry replied, "I suppose we'd better rush to GryffindorTower to get our trunks." Harry had already instructed Hedwig to fly to the Dursleys, knowing how much she hated being locked up in a cage. Ron agreed, so they ran toward the castle.

They had just gone through the Entrance Hall and up the first flight of stairs when they heard a familiar voice calling out to them. "Potter, Weasley, Granger, could you please come to my office for a moment?"

Hoping that his head of house wasn't trying to find out what he and Dumbledore had been up to the night the headmaster had been murdered, Harry reluctantly answered, "Of course, Professor McGonagall," and they followed her down the hall and entered her office.

His eyes rested for a moment on the Quidditch Cup before the Transfiguration teacher picked up a large, plain black cube that had been on her bookshelf in between different texts on advanced transfiguration and placed it on her desk. With a somber expression and a sigh, she explained, "Professor Dumbledore must have had a feeling that something tragic would happen. He gave me this box with explicit instructions to give it to you in the event of...of his passing. He said to open it, place your hand on the top and say his idea of the perfect Christmas gift." She then sobbed for a moment before continuing.

"He also instructed me to commit a bit of subterfuge before his burial, taking his true wand," she then produced the object in question, pulling it out of her pocket, "to present this to you as well, while replacing it with what he claimed to be his original wand altered to look like this one, to be buried with him." She handed Harry the wand, which he hesitantly accepted from her. "I assure you that I have not attempted to look into this closed box, no matter how curious I am about it." She sighed. "I know that he always kept information on a 'need to know' basis and it seems you're doing the same."

She sighed once more. "I want you to know that if you need any help from me as you continue whatever you and Albus were up to," she sniffed, "you need only ask."

Harry replied, "Thank you, Professor," while Hermione timidly walked up to the teacher and hugged her. The older woman accepted the hug from her favorite student before wishing them a pleasant ride on the Hogwarts Express, prompting them to hurry up to Gryffindor Tower, Harry carrying the box after he pocketed the wand.

"It looks like Dumbledore had thought of everything," commented Ron as they hurried up the stairs.

"I guess so," agreed Harry, before stopping suddenly. "Hold on." He then cast a, "Muffliato," spell so that no one passing them would overhear. "There's one thing I need to do before we leave – go to the Chamber of Secrets to get some basilisk fangs."

"I thought we were agreed that we were doing everything together," complained Hermione.

"We are, but right now, we don't have time. Ron, you take the box upstairs, put it in my trunk and grab it as well as yours. I'm sure Hermione can make them lighter," he added before Ron complained about the weight of carrying two trunks down seven flights of stairs. "I've got everything packed. I'll go down to the Chamber and quickly pull all the fangs out that I can. That way, we'll be able to destroy any Horcruxes we find. I'll meet you on the Express. I've got to hurry."