Love Lasts

Chapter 15

Harry woke up the next day at the crack of dawn, his stomach bubbling in excitement at the thought of finally leaving the Hospital Wing.

About ten minutes after he had woken up, Madam Pomfrey came over to his bed for his final checkup.

"And you know to come here if you feel like anything is wrong. Here is a list of all of the symptoms you should look out for. Many of them are unlikely but still, if you feel them, come immediately. Mr. Malfoy should meet you for lunch." Harry nodded.

"You seem ready. Are you sure you don't need to stay a bit longer?" Harry hopped out of bed in response.

"I'm fine! I feel great! Please let me leave?" Harry was grinning from ear to ear and Madam Pomfrey just couldn't crush his heart.

"Alright. You can go. But come here, even if it's the middle of the night, if you feel even one of the symptoms. Got it?" Harry nodded and practically skipped from the room.

He raced all around the castle, no destination quite clear in his mind, he was just happy to finally be out of the Hospital Wing.

He was happy to see that he remembered the castle as well as he ever had. He even remembered the trick step when climbing to the third floor.

After he had had his fill of walking around the school, he raced down the stairs into the cold December air.

"Calor iaccam." He said, pointing his wand at the ground. A thin jacket suddenly appeared and he slipped it on. The second he did, warmth flowed down his arms, all the way to his fingertips. It was a handy charm he had learned from Professor Flitwick.

Harry started walking down the slope, to the Quidditch Pitch. When he walked into the changing room, he was surprised to find his Firebolt waiting.

Did someone bring it down for me? Who would do that? Someone who knows I like Quidditch. Well, that narrows it down to just about everyone...

Harry grabbed his Firebolt, some gloves, slipped on a pair of boots, then walked back outside.

The Pitch looked beautiful. The grass was covered in frost but judging by the clouds, Harry guessed it would be covered in snow soon. The clouds were dark and circling overhead, but he couldn't resist going for a fly.

As soon as he kicked off from the ground, his brain seemed clear and he felt a rush of joy that he hadn't felt in a long time. A laugh bubbled up in his throat and spilled out of his mouth.

He soared over the Pitch, making a mental note to remember everything about it when it started snowing.

While he had been in the Hospital Wing, he had tried to remember everything he could about what he did before he almost drowned.

He knew he loved Quidditch, but for the life of him he couldn't remember what the Pitch looked like. He was filled with joy at the familiar shape to it, glad to be able to remember something that made him so happy.

He did loop-the-loops around the goal posts and circled the stadium several times. He got a splendid view of the sunrise, which just added to his sense of peace and happiness.

After what he had estimated to be about two hours, he landed on the ground. He loved flying but, even with his jacket, he felt frozen.

He walked back to the changing room, changed into his normal shoes, left the gloves, and put his Firebolt in his locker.

When he was packed up, he headed up to the castle. A light snow had started to fall by the time he reached the Entrance Hall and it made the grounds look like a postcard and his hair look almost white.

Harry heard chatter coming from the Great Hall and walked in. The Hall was silent as he walked over to the Gryffindor table, but it started again a few minutes after he had sat down.

For some reason, none of the faces of the Gryffindors were familiar. A sandy haired boy held up his hand in a high-five gesture but Harry walked past him, not able to figure out who he was.

He saw two identical red-haired boys grinning and waving at him but couldn't place their names either.

He knew Ron and Hermione only from their short visit in the Hospital Wing, but it was better than being around the others who he didn't recognize.

Hermione was smiling sadly when he sat down, but Ron nudged her and her smile brightened.

"Harry! You're out! How are you feeling? Are you okay?" Harry nodded and grabbed a piece of toast.

"We missed you mate. Seamus kept going on about how you would remember in no time since you're the great Harry Potter and all. I agree. I think you'll remember in no time."

Harry looked at them curiously. "Who's Seamus?" Hermione's eyes seemed to water and she turned away.

Down the table, someone hollered, "Harry! You feeling alright?" It was one of the red-haired boys.

"I'm fine!" Harry hollered back. The twins grinned and turned back to conversation.

"Who was that?" Harry asked Ron. "That's Fred. You know, my brother. Wow. You really don't remember anyone, do you?" Harry shook his head, surprisingly hurt by Ron's words.

"I-I'm going to go. I have to...go talk to a Professor." Ron nodded and Harry stood and started walking out of the Hall.

About halfway down the table, a hand reached out and grabbed his arm. A dark skinned boy with short black hair was smiling at him.

"I'm glad you're okay Harry. Me and Seamus were worried, but I kept telling him everything would be fine." The boy noticed Harry's confused expression and his face fell.

"You don't remember me, do you?" Harry gave a small shake of his head.

"Well, I'm Dean. He's Seamus." He said, pointing to the sandy-haired boy Harry had seen earlier.

"That boy's Neville. If you don't remember, he really likes plants. Mad about them." "Hey!" They boy named Neville cried.

"The twins down there are Fred and George. They're Ron's brothers." Harry nodded. "Thanks Dean." He said. Dean smiled again and nodded.

"Hey, how about we fly around for a bit? I don't mind a bit of snow. Do you Seamus? Or are you too delicate?" Seamus made an indignant noise and stood.

"Wanna go big baby?" Dean stood, grinning. "I'll race you. Fred! George! Race you to the Quidditch Pitch!" The twins stood, both wearing identical evil grins. Harry couldn't help it, he was grinning too.

"Three! Two! One!" Dean pulled Harry's arm and they all bolted out of the Hall, out the doors, and down the snowy slope.

Fred and George were taller so they reached the changing rooms first. Harry got there next, then Dean and Seamus.

"No...fair! We challenged you! We should... have won!" Seamus gasped. Harry was gasping and laughing at the same time. One of the twins offered a hand to Harry.

"I hear you don't remember anyone Harry. No problem. I am George. The best looking person here." The other twin shoved him out of the way and took Harry's outstretched hand.

"Not a chance! I am by far, the best looking one here. No contest! Oh, I'm Fred by the way." Harry was still grinning as they walked into the changing rooms.

"Come on! Let's play a game of Quidditch. I feel like we haven't played in ages!" Seamus said. Dean just shrugged.

"I dunno. I don't think we have enough people. Besides, it's snowing." Seamus smirked.

"Awww. Are you too dainty for a bit of snow?" Dean grinned again.

"Let's go then!" They both grabbed their brooms from their lockers and flew out into the snowy sky. Fred and George grabbed their brooms, then grabbed Harry's.

"Come on. You're not fully back until you're flying in the worst weather possible. Who knows. Maybe it'll be blizzard! That's always fun..." Harry couldn't tell if George was joking, but decided to think he was.

The twins led him outside and they all kicked off of the ground and soared into the winter wonderland above.