Midnight In Hogwarts | Harry Potter FanFiction

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Once again Harry slowly woke to the sound of whispering voices. Lying on his stomach, Harry turned his head towards the voices and slowly opened his eyes. He was surprised to find that he was once again in Remus' room only this time it was brightly lit. Remus was sitting up with his back resting against the headboard and a tray on his lap. There were two somewhat blurry figures sitting beside the bed. From the red hair of the tall bloke and the bushy brown hair of the shorter girl, Harry knew that Ron and Hermione were the ones who had been talking to Remus.

Questions immediately entered his mind. What had Remus told them? Had he told them what he saw in Professor Dumbledore's Pensieve? Had he mentioned how Harry could sense emotions? No. No, Remus would never do that. Neither Sirius nor Remus would tell anyone anything like that without asking me first. Closing his eyes, Harry could sense concern and nervousness. Those emotions were the most common these days. It seemed that everyone was worried about him and uncertain of what to say or how to act. Harry could relate. Although the Weasleys had done all they could to make the atmosphere comfortable last night, Harry had still felt uneasy and he knew it was his fault for feeling that way.

But I'll make it better. I'll make the effort to confide in them more. I promise.

The bed shifted and, before Harry could even react, a wet and rough surface ran over his face. He groaned in annoyance as he pushed the large furry dog away and wiped the slobber off of his face. He hated it when Midnight woke him up that way although it was the only way to wake Harry up quickly without scaring him half-to-death.

Rolling onto his back, Harry was instantly bombarded with another dose of Midnight's large tongue before the dog lied down between Harry and Remus. Big blue eyes stared at Harry as Midnight let out a pitiful whine. Harry let out another groan and started to scratch behind Midnight's ears. A hand ruffled Harry's hair causing Harry to look over at Remus and smile, knowing that his guardian was smiling at Midnight's antics.

"We have company, cub," Remus said with a grin. "Apparently, Hogwarts letters arrived today and your friends couldn't wait to talk to you about them."

Harry rubbed the remaining tiredness out of his eyes and slowly sat up to avoid any dizziness. "Hogwarts letters?" he asked quizzically as he leaned against the headboard for support and grabbed his glasses off the bedside table. "But I haven't even seen my O.W.L. results yet and Sirius said—"

"—never mind what Sirius said," Remus interrupted gently. "What do you want, Harry? Do you want to go back to school with what happened in June?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. He really didn't know what he wanted other than to make Sirius and Remus happy. Hogwarts had been the first place he had called home but now he had an actual home and an actual family. He loved living at Black Manor but could he honestly turn his back on Hogwarts...even with what had happened? Could he never enter her walls again only because he was afraid of possible dangers? It's so much easier when the decision is made for me. That was the heart of the problem. Harry didn't trust himself to make decisions anymore.

"Harry!" Hermione cried in shock. "You have to come back to school! You have to finish your education!"

With a pop, Sirius had appeared and was glaring at Hermione. "What's the point in finishing an education if he's dead?" he shot back. "Harry has been nearly killed every year he's been at Hogwarts. If staying here keeps him alive then that is what he will do."

"But it should be his choice, Sirius," Remus interjected firmly. "Poppy made a valid point when she was here. Secluding Harry won't help him. He needs to be around people."

Harry bowed his head, his shoulders slumping forward. Both Sirius and Remus had valid points. Harry had been in danger ever since he had entered the wizarding world at age eleven but staying away from people would only hinder his empathic ability. He couldn't help shuddering at the thought of being overwhelmed with emotions like he had the night his magic had been restored. Was the risk of danger worth it? Harry just didn't know.