When the Roses Bloom Again by TheBlack'sResurgence

Chapter 6

London Calling

It was with a flourish that Harry finished his final answer to the last exam he had deigned to take, and he leaned back in his chair, breathing a sigh of relief. It had been a gruelling few days under the watch of a considerably younger Madame Marchbanks, who had put him through his paces, though he was pleased with his performances, overall.

She may have been less seasoned than the woman he had met only weeks ago, but Marchbanks was no less stern, and even here she had the same unnerving aura about her.

Still, Harry had come to respect her, but he would be pleased to see the back of the exams administrator.

His wrists were sore from all the writing.

"If you are finished, you may leave," she instructed. "I will have your work marked by the end of the day and you can collect your results from Professor Dippet."

Harry nodded gratefully.

He did not need telling twice, and he also had a visit to Diagon Alley to complete. The new term would be starting in only a couple of days, and he needed to get his supplies.

Dippet had provided him with his list, and even gold to purchase them. Harry had tried to return the latter, but the man had insisted.

In many ways, the headmaster was very much like the Dumbledore he had come to know, though there was an innocence about him that his former one had lost in recent days. There appeared to be no ulterior motive to the time Dippet spent with Harry, and it seemed that he wanted nothing more than to help him.

The teen had come to enjoy his tutoring sessions over the past two months and found that he would miss them when the school year began, and they would cease.

"How did you do?" Minerva asked excitedly, accosting him after he had barely taken a step through the portrait hole.

The two of them had grown closer over the summer, often spending their evenings in the common room together reading, discussing magic, or simply getting to know one another better.

It was still odd for Harry who had found it difficult to shift the image of the older, firm woman he had become accustomed to, and often he would be reminded of it with certain expressions the girl wore. However, she was making the effort to get to know him and had even assisted with his revision.

The girl was growing on him. As strange as that thought was, he could not deny it.

She had a sharp wit, and wand to match, but most of all, she was fun to be around.

"It could have been better," he sighed dramatically. "I just couldn't get any of it right."

She narrowed her eyes at him and placed her hands on her hips.

"If you're lying to me…"

Harry laughed, unable to keep up the ruse.

He just found it so funny when she became irritated. Her Scottish accent somehow became stronger, and the glare was one that reminded him of home.

"You're such a prat," she scolded, grinning, though her cheeks had reddened slightly. "I would have been furious with you. I did not spend all those hours making sure you had it down for you to fail!"