Harry Potter and the Ties that Bind

Chapter 24

Days passed by slowly, yet pass they did all the same. The fallen leaves had been cleared by the house elves, leaving the once grassy ground bare. Nights became colder and a chill seeped into the day's air. Halloween was coming.

Harry spent his time with his friends, going to class, studying, and helping everyone get ahead in the classes they were struggling with. With the passage of time, he became more comfortable around them. He no longer felt hesitant when he spoke to them, no longer worried about whether or not they had accepted him. Perhaps it was because what he'd been looking for from the very beginning hadn't been their forgiveness but his own.

Third years and above were allowed to, with permission from their parents/guardian, visit Hogsmeade, the small town next to Hogwarts. The first weekend trip was coming up. Despite not getting a guardian signature–since he had no guardian anymore after erasing the Dursley's memory of him–Harry was still allowed to go, thanks to Susan asking Madam Bones to pull some strings.

Early that morning, he and the others woke up and got ready for Hogsmeade. It was the weekend, so they didn't need to get up as early as usually, but the sun was still near the mountains when they all congregated in the Great Hall for breakfast.

Everyone there conversed. They spoke of whatever caught their fancy, from quidditch and brooms, to school and history. Neville spoke with Hannah about her father's vineyards, or rather, he listened while she did most of the talking. Terry and Lisa were quietly conversing about their classes. Tracey talked to Blaize about their respective families. Meanwhile, Daphne was consoling a sulking Astoria, who's pout made her look like a super adorable version of her older sister.

"Come on. Don't pout, Stori. There's no reason to."

"But I wanted to go with all of you to Hogsmeade," Astoria complained.

Daphne gave her sister a consoling smile. "None of us were able to go to Hogsmeade our first two years. What makes you think it would be any different for you? Besides, you have plenty of friends. You and Luna should hang out with them."

Astoria was vastly different from her sister, which showed in how she interacted with everybody. A social butterfly, Astoria was always smiling, always enthusiastically chatting with people in the All House Common Room, and always getting involved in whatever activities were being held at the time. Harry had seen her playing everything from soccer to makeshift quidditch games. Sometimes she'd be sitting with first years of various houses in study groups. In fact, the only first year group she didn't talk to was the Slytherins, and that was because they'd been drinking Draco Malfoy's koolaid.

The situation between him and Astoria was still tense. She greeted him with kurt politeness, always referring to him as "Potter" instead of "Harry." He had an intense feeling that she hadn't forgiven him for what he'd done to Daphne, but that was okay. It just meant he had to earn her trust.

The journey to Hogsmeade didn't happen until after lunch. Harry and his friends spent that time playing a game that he'd devised called magical shooter. It was basically a mock battle between two forces. Using the color changing spell, two sides would fight each other. When someone was hit, they "died" and had to sit down in the spot where they'd been slain. It had been a fun way to spend the next two hours, though most everyone had gotten too tired near the end to play and spent the remainder of their time lying on the grass.

After the game, they were taken to Hogsmeade by carriage, the same carriages that were pulled by the thestrals. Despite there being nine of them in total, they were able to easily fit thanks to the expansion charm. Harry didn't know how the teachers felt about him expanding their property. However, he'd rather they all be together than not.