Let Me Go (Sequel to Rescue Me)

Chapter XIV

Clutching the piece of paper in my hand tightly, I bring it to my chest. My heart beats so fast it could rip out of my rib cage. Last time I felt so happy was... Well, I can't really remember to be honest. A small part of me tells me this is too good to be true, there's just no way my father can still be here after thinking for so long he wasn't. Theories of Severus writing it are going through my head. He's deceived me before, to the point where it's maybe one too many.

My arm drops to my lap, the paper escaping my fingers and gliding towards George. Neither him or Fred move. They seem to be asking themselves the same amount of confusing questions. The entire situation makes me feel powerless. What's the purpose of all of this?

"I think we should go." I say, taking a painful breath at the same time. I begin to crawl towards the ladder, feeling like leaving and not coming back. We found what we were looking for, it's time to leave this place behind.

"What do we do with this?" George says, pointing at the address. I shrug my shoulders and make my way down through the branches. Some of them scratch my skin. When my feet are on the ground, I hear a faint scream echoing through the neighboring streets. The obvious pain in the voice sends shivers up and down my spine. I can only wonder what horror they're going through.

George, Fred and I go back in Severus' classroom through the chimney, silence and confusion stopping us from having any conversation. A weird feeling spreads through me. The unknown begins to annoy me. I know too little about everything that is happening. Last time I heard, all of this is happening because of me so, logically, I should know a bit more. If nobody is willing to tell me, I have to take matters into my own hands.

The door creeks open behind us. As dim lights slowly begin to fill the room, a strange smell overwhelms me instantly. Fred's hand flies to his nose, protecting himself from what I can honestly call the worst smell ever.

Severus freezes in place, caught in the moment with a gigantic, fuming cauldron in his hands. "Oh." He simply says as he races to the corner to set it down and cover it with a lid. The smell dissipates very quickly. We awkwardly stare at each other for a moment, feeling like the other should be the one to talk first. Eventually, Severus speaks up. "Dumbledore wanted to see you near the greenhouses, Analeigh."

My name almost sounded like a warning. Fortunately for me, Severus' judgmental gaze goes towards the twins. Their discomfort is very visible. They exchange a look together and leave the room, forcing a smile at me before they get out of view. I should be talking about what I just found out to Severus but I deeply do not want to be answered with riddles. That's all I'm getting from him lately.

I glide towards the exit. My intuition tells me to jump forward once I get through the door. Good for me. The door shuts itself and locks me out. If I would have have taken more time, Severus would have forced me to stay and talk. I take the biggest breathe out and thank my guardian angel. I just saved myself a whole conversation of awkwardness. I hope he got the clue that I'm handling things by myself from now on.

I jog through the castle until I get outside, feeling the sun heating my skin. My feet drag heavily on the grass. I haven't seen Dumbledore since we made an unbreakable vow in his office. I look down at my hand. The lining is very faint but there's definitely still a mark. I can see his gray robes floating with the wind as I get closer to the greenhouses. There seems to have Herbology classes right now.

"How has your return been?" He asks me, his usual peaceful and nonchalant voice bringing a lot of frustration to me. His awful habit of pretending that nothing happened is one day going to  push me to my limit.

"Good. What are we doing here?" Getting straight to the point doesn't work, even the slightest. He stares into the classroom with a dazed expression, mesmerized by... something. It's really hard to feel comfortable when it always looks like you're interrupting him. I end up standing by, waiting for him to guide me where he wanted. How can he manage to do that? Wasn't he the one who called me? "Headmaster?"

Finally, he allows me to have his attention. It's ridiculous how he asked me here and I have to wait for him. This old man is frustrating.

"Does anything trouble you?"

"Professor, can we... Can we not do that? I'm not in the mood for anything that has to deal with the Order, Dolores or even Harry." I tell him honestly. With the way he's been acting lately, I'd rather keep my distance, for his sake and mine. If someone doesn't want my help, there's nothing more I can do.

"I always feel nostalgic when I'm called professor. I haven't taught a class in years yet students still refer to me as such. My guess is the familiarity with the term. When one is called a certain way for a certain amount of time, it sticks. Changing the human mind is a very tricky thing that only strong magic can do." He says as he opens his arm wide to point at the castle.

Come to think of it, I'm not even a student anymore. Headmaster, professor, all terms I would use if I was still attending classes. Now that I'm not, I can't really process the idea. I've felt better here than I've felt anywhere else. After all, spending so much time here could only make me grow fonder of it rather than the opposite. A sense of a acceptance, joy, understanding... A sense of home.

When I look back at Dumbledore, he has a faint smile across his lips. "Hogwarts is home to those who need it to be." Crossing his arms in his back, he turns around and leads the way towards the back of the greenhouses. I catch up quickly and walk beside him. We reach a strange part of the forest. The edge of it usually surrounds the castle but, in this place, it's unnaturally uneven. "Just because you're not a student here doesn't mean you have to say goodbye to your home."

Dumbledore raises his wand calmly, sending a beautiful stream of orange and yellow out of the tip. Just when I expected the light to shine upon the leaves and go through the tree branches, the flow hits an invisible wall and spreads around what I can only assume is a dome. Slowly, the very convincing illusion of the forest dissipates, revealing a beautiful and tiny little cottage, surrounded by rare flowers I have never seen before. A path appears under our feet, leading us towards the entrance. Near the main door, there are orange flowers (Marigolds I think) in a pot that appear to be singing. I squint my eyes and make up facial features in the middle of the flowers. They are singing!

"Our old Herbology teacher was very fond of magical flowers rather than magical plants. He eventually discovered Goldenmaris, those beautiful singing flowers." He points at the suspected marigolds. I've never seen or read anything about them before. "He found riddles in their songs, messages that often related to events waiting to occur." Goosebumps appears on my skin as a shiver travels down my body. That's an uneasy feature. Helpful in many ways but still creepy.

"Profess- Er, Headmaster, I hope you won't be upset at me if I begin to assume you're-"

"Hogwarts is home to those who need it to be." He repeats again, turning to face me. I shift my gaze between him and the cottage, trying to wrap my head around the idea he's putting forward. I probably look ridiculous, swinging my head with my mouth wide open. "I am aware of your situation and would like you to accept this offer. After all, your family is here."

The corner of his lips rise up under his white mustache. His eyes shine bright through his glasses. I don't have any words. A lot of emotions run through my body. I feel like laughing and jumping around but I know I'll start crying. I'm balancing this very fine line. My mouth tries to push some words out but my tongue just feels like it's stepping on its feet.

"I hope you won't be upset if I assume you're accepting." He slides his glasses down his nose to wink at me. My hand flies to my mouth as I laugh lightly, happiness firing up my heart instantly. I'm home. This feels unreal. Dumbledore lays a hand on my shoulder. "If anything troubles you, please, don't be afraid to come to me at any time." I nod, his words reassuring me.

Before he leaves, he explains to me how to cast the dome back and how to disable it. A simple illusion spell of what's behind the cottage and a sunlight ray to stop it. He offers me a side hug before leaving me to settle. I end up staring at the cottage for few minutes after he's out of view. How did I deserve all of this? Should I be worried? It does feel too good to be true. But, just the idea of having Hogwarts behind me as I am looking at it fades the doubts away. I'll be able to deal with whatever consequences my choices bring from now on. I'll be ready.