Hogwarts Mystery Year 7

Beginnings and Endings

Night had fallen in the English country-side, yet in a small cottage upon a hill, an upstairs window remained lit. The candlelit room was a bedroom in a state of considerable disarray. In the middle of the floor, a large trunk lay open, half-packed. The floor was littered with pieces of clothing, old parchment and quills, and a few wrappers for fizzing whizbees and peppermint humbugs.

On the walls above the bed, dimly lit by the candles, photos and letters were pinned to the wall. The photos contained images of various parts of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, along with the same students smiling and laughing--at the lakeshore, in Hogsmeade village, at a festival on the quidditch pitch. The letters were scribbled in various different hands, the majority signed with love from Rowan or Penny.

The bed itself was unmade. A pair of trainers had been tossed on top of the covers, and an old newspaper hung of the edge, the front page visible with a picture of Hogwarts and a bold headline reading, "End of Curses at Hogwarts?"

The only clean aspect of the room was the desk. All the books, papers, and trinkets had been tucked in the trunk. The only things resting on the desk now were the elbows of a girl as she sat there, staring out at the starry sky. She sat motionless as a statue, as if entranced, until she heard a gentle knock on her door.

Light shone in from the hall as the girl's father appeared in the doorway.

"Nearly finished?" His eyes swept from the open trunk to the rest of the mess. "I guess not." He stepped inside, carefully maneuvering around the heaps of clothes and books, as well as an old cauldron and a broomstick. "You better hurry up, love. You'll need to get to bed soon. Big day tomorrow."

The girl sighed. "Sorry. I guess I haven't been in the mood."

She assumed she'd be told off, but her father smiled gently. "I felt the same way before my seventh year."

She removed her elbows from the desk to turn and get a better look at him. "You did?"

He nodded. "It's bitter-sweet, isn't it? Packing up for the last time. The last first day of school. I never wanted it to end."

She nodded, her eyes falling to her half-full trunk. She'd pulled things out and re-packed it all summer. While her heart yearned to return to school and her friends, acknowledging that her last year began tomorrow meant acknowledging that it would end soon. This year would be different, in more ways than one, and she didn't feel ready to face it.

"Still," her father said, bending down to pick up a pile of papers and a Gryffindor scarf, "pretending the clocks have stopped doesn't make them tick any slower. Do you want to pack this?" He held up the parchment to the light. "The Circle of Khanna. What's this?"

"Nothing," she said, jumping from the desk and snatching it from his hands. "Just rubbish, now." She made to throw it in the bin, but changed her mind, folded it up and tucked it in the trunk. "Thanks, but you don't need to help me. You must be tired. Has mum already gone to bed?"

Her father nodded. "We're all ready to see you off tomorrow. You'll need to get there early so you can get your special Head Girl instructions."

He gave her a wink, and she returned a weak smile.

"Rowan would be proud of you, Sarah," he said. "We're proud of you. You're mother and I. I know this whole vault business has been difficult for us, but I believe we're ready to put it behind us."

Sarah nodded. This had been the most pleasant stay at home since before Jacob's disappearance. Now, that she was no longer the Cursed Kid but the Hero of Hogwarts, her parents finally seemed to accept her role in finishing the Cursed Vaults that had plagued Hogwarts for years. They'd also been chuffed to bits that she'd been selected as Hogwarts's next Head Girl. There'd been no yelling that summer, just lots of game-nights, family dinners, and promises to visit the school next term to see Sarah play quidditch.

This was also part of the reason for Sarah's procrastinated packing; the summer had been so nice, she didn't want it to end. But Sarah knew in her heart it was a lie. Her parents may finally be finding peace in regards to her brother's death, but Jacob Spellman was very much alive.

At least, he was the last Sarah had heard from him, which had been over two months ago. He'd been in hiding ever since they finally uncovered the last vault and the terrible curse that had lain within. He'd told her he wanted to finish tracking down the members of R, the evil organization bent on recruiting Sarah into the fold, until he was certain she was safe.

This, above all, was why Sarah needed to return to Hogwarts, and was the biggest reason she wasn't all that eager to go back. Though the vaults were finished, R was not. After everything they'd done, Sarah had to see this through to the end, and she knew she wouldn't be able to rest until every person responsible for the Hogwarts curses, Jacob's imprisonment, and most of all, Rowan's death, were sent to Azkaban.

"You alright, love?"

Her father's voice rang in her head, pulling her out of the deep well that was her obsession with R. She looked up at him, relaxing her hands that she'd only just realized she'd clenched into tight fists.

"Yeah," she said. "Just...apprehensive about tomorrow."

"You'll do great," he assured her. "Just think, in only a few hours, you'll be reunited with all your friends and ready to start off an amazing, curse-free year."

"Yeah," she said again. "Well, I better get back to it." She gestured to her trunk.

"Alright. Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Night."

Her father gave her a kiss on the forehead, placed her things on the bed, and exited, closing the door behind him.

Sarah sighed. Sadly, she knew her father was wrong. She expected this year to be just as perilous as those previous, if not more so. After last year, R would surely be out for revenge. And, she wouldn't be seeing all of her friends tomorrow. Thanks to R, she'd never be seeing Rowan again, and she had no idea what Merula was currently involved in.

She also still hadn't received word from Barnaby. He, Charlie, Bill, and Sarah had all promised to meet in Diagon Alley on his birthday, when he came of age and was no longer under the charge of his awful grandmother, but Barnaby never turned up.

The group bombarded him with letters. Charlie's dad even tried visiting Lee Manor, and when Belladonna Lee refused to let him in, asked aurors to investigate and make sure Barnaby was alright. According to them, Barnaby was safe and sound at home.

So, why wasn't he returning her letters?

Sarah's stomach squirmed. She picked up the items her father had left on the bed, hoping that packing would take her mind off of Barnaby and the others. In doing so, she revealed the copy of the Prophet. She tossed the papers and scarf into the trunk haphazardly and picked up the paper. She'd read the article already. It was a bunch of Rita Skeeter's usual rubbish, though in the article Sarah was hailed as a hero, rather than the dark witch others had so foolishly believed her to be. Of course, Rita failed to mention that she'd been the one writing all those articles claiming she was a dark witch in the first place.

Scowling, Sarah unfolded the newspaper, revealing the face she still saw most nights in her dreams. The headline read, "World famous Curse-Breaker gets life in Azkaban." From the mugshot, Patricia Rakepick glowered up at her. Sarah had read this article over and over until she'd memorized the words. Rakepick had been found guilty of Rowan's murder and numerous other crimes, and she would spend the rest of her days under the eyeless, soulless gaze of the dementors.

Sarah glared into Rakepick's eyes, just as haughty as she remembered them.

"You won't be hurting anyone else," she whispered. "And I'll make sure R never hurts anyone I love again."

It was difficult to tell in the dim candlelight, but she could've sworn she saw Rakepick smirk.

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(A/N: If you've read my year 6 story, you'll notice the end of that doesn't match the beginning of this. I was never quite happy with year 6 ending, and thought of this version that I like better. I'll edit the last chapter of year 6 so that it matches with this one soon.)