The Family that Chooses You

Chapter 94: Au revoir

"Hmm, the Headmaster did it?" Alicia asked with a disbelieving tone.

"Well he didn't do it directly," Harry said.  "He was there though and he did say it was his fault."  He swallowed a mouthful of eggs.  "It's fine, I'm fine.  Just an accident during a lesson."

Alicia glared at the white bandage around Harry's head.  "Hmm.  An accident."

Harry nodded.  "Yep, an accident."

She rolled her eyes.  "I'll learn the truth one day Harry and when I do, you'll get it."

"That's fine, I'm sure I'll deserve it," he said blandly to her snort.

He was more or less fine, as far as Madam Pomfrey could tell last night.  The force of the magic had caused the scar to bleed and she healed it up easily.  The levels of residual taint had not increased so the Medi-Witch had bandaged it with some ointment and given him a pain relief potion.

He debated telling his friends what he learned the night prior, but for the first time in his life, he felt like he should not tell them what he learned, what he went through.  He trusted his closest friends with his life, they knew so much about him as it was.  He was still trying to process everything himself, trying to make sense of it all.  The knowledge of Horcruxes, of Snape, of Voldemort still being 'alive', he did not want to worry his friends with that information.

Not yet.  If ever.

It helped that he was not alone in learning everything.  Dumbledore seemed to be true to his word, to explain more instead of hoard more.  With Sirius, Remus, McGonagall, Bones, Snape even, and the new terrifying Moody, Harry felt he finally had some support from adults for once.  He could deal with things on his own.

For now.

"How do you feel about your O.W.L.s?" he asked Katie.

She grinned at him.  "Nice deflection."  She laughed at his innocent look.  "I feel actually pretty good.  Angelina and Alicia helped me so much with what they remembered and you've been a great study buddy.  I kind of feel bad about your own exam prep though."

"I think I'm actually well prepared for mine," he said.  "Reviewing with you was basically reviewing for me too, and I got a look into what O.W.L.s will be like.  I feel pretty good for mine, don't worry."

She hugged him.  "I'm glad, I was worried."

"You got O.W.L.s prep a year in advance?!"  Hermione sounded deeply offended and upset.

"Busted, Rabbit," Angelina laughed.

"Not really," Harry protested, shying away from his visibly irate friend.  "I was helping Katie while reviewing the fourth year material."

Hermione glared at him and looked down at her plate, stabbing her sausage and muttering about 'unfair advantages' and 'traitorous friends'.

"Don't worry Hermione, I'll help you next year," Katie said with a smile.

"You might have to not do as well on your O.W.L.s Rabbit," Angelina teased.

"He better not!" Alicia and Hermione said angrily together.

"I'm screwed no matter what," Harry said.  "If I do well, she's going to be mad.  If I don't do well, she's going to be mad."

"Just do well," Alicia said.  "I don't care if you do better than Hermione and you should only care about angering me instead of her."

Hermione puffed up, incensed and the two witches glared at one another while the rest of the table laughed.

Something hit Harry's side and he slid a little, grunting in surprise.  "Oof!  What the-" he turned and looked down at a silver-blonde head buried into his side, her arms squeezing him tight.  "Oh!  Bonjour Gabrielle," he wheezed warmly.