My Cheating Heart

The Best Thing He Ever Had

Harry Potter hurriedly apparated to Hogsmeade Village after quickly going back to his apartment for a quick shower and a change of clothes. It was a long day for him and for the rest of the aurors who were part of the investigation regarding the origin of the epidemic.

Hermione's initial theories regarding the motive for the toy to be planted on the Weasley children were very helpful. It turns out, the smuggling syndicate who attacked Karl Richards, and the other five ICW hit agents Hermione healed, from the akil allahm curse, was connected to how this virus came to be. Now they just have to understand why only purebloods were targeted when according to the intelligence gathered, the leader of the syndicate is a pureblood himself.

So now here he is running towards the castle since he was already thirty minutes late for the Hogwarts Grand Alumni Homecoming. If only Item 4 on Hermione's conditions allows him to sing any other time, then he would have skipped this reunion. He just arrived from a two-day trip in Switzerland since he and other five aurors went to the ICW to gather all information about the syndicate. When they presented their findings on the syndicate's involvement to the epidemic, the ICW hit agents immediately gave them access to all classified files they were able to unearth about the blasted group that's been plaguing the European Wizarding Community for more than fifty years. All he wanted to do now was to get a good night's sleep but since it was one of the conditions, he forced himself to suck it up and to just attend the homecoming. And to top it all, I'm not even sure if my singing will be okay this evening!

"Good evening, Lord Potter! The homecoming is held at the seventh floor, the Room of Requirement. The door has already been opened so some of the other prefects will assist you along the way. Do enjoy your visit!", a petite female Ravenclaw prefect greeted him formally. I wonder if I could see Teddy this evening, he thought as he made his way to the most fascinating room at Hogwarts.

As soon as he entered the door of the Room of Requirement, he could see Headmistress Minerva McGonagall standing in front of the crowd as if she were waiting for everyone to settle down. With her signature stern look, the audience fell silent. He let his eyes roam around the venue so he could find a place to sit. When he saw Ron, he immediately walked to his ginger-haired friend who was sharing a table along with the Gryffindors he went to Hogwarts with.

"Hey, Harry! Why are you late?", Ron greeted him as he took an empty seat.

"I just got back from Switzerland. Auror mission", he replied as he focused his eyes on the stage.

"Good evening everyone! Now I see all of you here today and I could not help but feel proud of how the youngsters who were once just my students back in the day have all grown up. Some of you now have your own children who are attending Hogwarts, some are doing well in their chosen fields. A lot has changed since we defeated that evil that used to haunt us more than ten years ago. A few of you have defended this very school when we were under attack. A few of your peers even lost their very lives in defending Hogwarts. So, with all of the outstanding people in front of me, it really was difficult to identify who deserves to be awarded as this homecoming's Hogwarts Alumni Lifetime Achievement Awardee", the headmistress said in a clear voice. Her pride in her students is very evident!

"Now, as you know, the Hogwarts Homecoming happens once in twenty years. And for every homecoming, only one exemplary alumnus gets bestowed the honor of being a lifetime achievement awardee. The person who shall receive this honor tonight truly deserves this award for so many reasons", the headmistress continued.

"Mate! I do believe it's you", Ron whispered to him but he gave his friend an incredulous look.

"I don't think so, Ron", he chuckled.