In the Melancholy Moonlight

Chapter 190: High on Believing

A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I've posted a proper author's note. I've been packing, I've been moving, I've been watching Parks and Rec for the first time, I've been unpacking, my best friend's birthday was in the middle of all of that and I went a little over-the-top this year celebrating that with her. Buuuut school starts tomorrow for me, which is why I'm updating a couple hours early, so reality is settling back in. Don't worry, though, I don't plan on going anywhere this school year! My roommate is my brother. He's thankfully not a manipulative control freak who constantly invades my personal space and alone time, so I very much expect to continue posting every Wednesday for a very long time. BUT enough about my life these past weeks. I hope all is well for you, lovely readers!

I apologize in advance for how much Dumbledore talks in this chapter. I didn't want to include it, but it was important enough that I suffered through the copying and pasting and I hope you're alright with reading it (or at least skimming it). I promise Lucy is in this chapter too, once you get past all of the Dumbledore/Dursleys/Slughorn exposition. Next week, we are back to our regularly scheduled WWW summer shenanigans!

On a completely unrelated note, I wanted to take this chance to make sure everyone is kinda on the same page. As I'm sure you've noticed by now, this story is approaching the start of official romantic relationships for certain narrators. Yay! I do want to say, though, that I, the author, am a demiromantic asexual who has only ever been in one romantic relationship (of questionable quality, for almost three years, in high school, it started kind of by accident, but I digress, you get the idea). This is a very long-winded way of saying that there will be nothing explicit happening in this fic because quite frankly, I have no idea how that whole dynamic works. I'm going to leave it up to you to decide if/when certain characters "do the deed," so to speak. If I'm accidentally writing ✨tension✨ (because I don't know how to do it intentionally) and there's a scene break, I'll let you fill in the blanks. I feel decently confident on the romance front because I consume a lot of romantic media and whatnot even if my own personal experiences with it are limited, but being ace (in my case at least, I by no means speak for all asexuals) means that this fic will not be going into any R-rated territory. Sorry, I know that was awkward, but I didn't want everyone to be expecting me to write smut when I always skim it or skip it when I come across it in something I'm reading.

Anyway, enough of me talking! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Love yoooouuuu!

~

HARRY:

I jerked awake. A quick glance at the clock informed me that it was exactly 11:00 PM.

Dumbledore was walking up the garden path, to the front door.

I was so relieved I almost laughed aloud. He actually came. He actually came to get me.

Then, I panicked. I had been so scared to trust that he would actually come that I hadn't even packed. Having to unpack if he didn't come after all would have been too disappointing. But he actually came. He actually came to get me.

I started shoving everything I could into my trunk, and I had a pair of trainers in one hand and a telescope in the other when the doorbell rang and Uncle Vernon squawked, "Who the blazes is calling at this time of night?"

Still torn between laughter and panic, I raced toward my bedroom door. I had forgotten to tell the Dursleys.

"Good evening," Dumbledore was saying, "you must be Mr. Dursley. I daresay Harry has told you I would be coming for him?" I stopped halfway down the stairs — to stay out of reach of Uncle Vernon — and assessed the situation. Dumbledore was standing outside, looking very wizard-like, and Uncle Vernon glared at him silently. "Judging by your look of stunned disbelief, Harry did not warn you that I was coming. However, let us assume that you have invited me warmly into your house. It is unwise to linger overlong on doorsteps in these troubled times." With that, Dumbledore let himself in and closed the door behind him. "It has been a long time since my last visit. I must say, your agapanthus are flourishing." When Uncle Vernon didn't reply, Dumbledore looked up at me. "Ah, good evening Harry. Excellent, excellent."