Back, At Last

7 Advanced chapters on Patreon: Fiction Haven

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Lily was disheartened when her boy, an awesome young man he had become, merely gave her a curt nod. She had seen how the heartthrob had talked to Bellatrix before her calling. Bellatrix was technically nobody, for Merlin's sake! She was his mother. How could he treat her so coldly? But of course, Lily didn't say it to Harry. She hadn't acted like his mother for more than a decade. How could she expect him to treat her like his mother?

Lily decided to give up on making a conversation with Harry with a tight chest. She resolved to do it at Christmas. So full of defeat that she was equally startled and delighted when she saw Harry approaching with Bell beside him. Each step he took made her heart throb. Her boy had grown, she noted. She couldn't even bring herself to call him a boy anymore.

When Harry stopped before Lily, her breath hitched. Harry's neutral eyes looked down on her, painfully reminding her how tall he had become. Even James had to look up slightly to meet Harry's gaze. Then, Harry spoke, making her knees weak with his voice.

"Hello, Mrs. Potter."

"H- Harry…"

"Mrs. Potter?" James frowned. "Harry, this is your—"

"Hello to you too, Minister Potter."

James looked like he had eaten a lemon but didn't say more. Unapologetic he was with his actions; he still understood his son's frustration.

"How are you, Harry?" Lily asked, hoping to disperse the tension.

"Pleasant as always. It is hard to feel gloomy with such a beautiful company," Harry answered silkily. "I suppose you also have a great day given how bright you look, Mrs. Potter."

Harry was correct in his assessment. Lily was over the clouds now that her son gave her more than a harrumph or a scoff. She nodded elatedly, confirming his assessment. Charlus scowled at his mother. He wondered if she knew she was behaving like a starstruck maiden.

"Can you call me…" Lily trailed off as she was about to say Mom. Harry hadn't reacted, but she knew she would be met with a harsh rejection if she was lucky and a public dressing down if her luck betrayed her. "Lily. I am Lily Potter," she introduced herself, holding her hand out.

Taking her hand before kissing it gently, Harry gentlemanly said, "A pleasure to meet you, Lily. My name is Harry Evans. You can call me Harry."

"I used to be an Evans too," Lily accidentally blurted out.

"How surprising," Harry drawled out, amusement dancing in his eyes. Lily avoided her gaze in embarrassment and sighed in disappointment as Harry let go of her hand. Facing James, Harry silkily said, "Please, don't let me interrupt your family moment, Minister. Bella and I shall take our leave."

Lily raised her hand and wanted to protest, but James stopped her. She had long stopped listening to James, but one look from Bellatrix told her she should heed James' advice this time. With a disappointed sigh, she slumped her shoulder and watched the strong back of her young man distancing.

Her family's gaze made her blurt out irritatingly, "What?"

"Are you also a Harry Evans fan?" Charlus shot humorously.

Lily struck Charlus' head but didn't deny his claim. That fact didn't go unnoticed by James. He would have laughed if he found Lily's admiration hilarious, but he didn't. He had seen Harry's fight that day, brief as it was. Just then, he had seen the way Harry carried himself. He only saw that look on the most skilled veteran Aurors.

Harry… have I done something wrong?

On the other side of the platform, Harry had just bid his goodbye to Bella. He thought about James as he got on the train. Now that he had the Pinnacle Combat Skill, he could tell James was a formidable fighter. Even though he could think of more than one way to beat James to a pulp, he still respected the man as a fighter.

He must be the most competent Minister of Magic that Britain has in history.

Harry was about to enter a random compartment when he remembered his Prefect badge. With a sigh, he headed to the Prefect compartment. As he expected; as soon as he entered the compartment for the Sixth Year Prefects, everyone turned to him. He gazed at them disinterestedly before sitting down beside his fellow Prefect from Slytherin.

"Hi, Harry," the girl greeted with innocence unfitting for a Slytherin.

"Hello, Adeline," Harry greeted back silkily, causing the girl to blush.

The blond girl was not the only girl who had her eyes trained on Harry. The female Prefects from the other houses also looked at Harry rather suggestively. All of them already had a boyfriend. Although Harry didn't go around breaking relationships, he wouldn't reject attractive women throwing themselves over him, married or not.

When the atmosphere got too uncomfortable for the other males, the door to their compartment opened. "Sixth Years, the meeting is soon to be commenced."

Harry and his fellows stood up and got out of the compartment. The female Prefects quickly flanked his side, much to the annoyance of the male Prefects. Harry shrugged as he met their gaze. Harry's noncommittal smile told them he was blaming them for being ugly, even though they were not.

When every Prefect was gathered, the Head Boy began the meeting. It was a Seventh Year from Hufflepuff whose name he didn't bother remembering. He wanted to tune out the rest of the speech, but what the Head Boy said attracted his attention.

"The Ministry has put Dementors around Hogwarts for security concerns. Given what happened in the Quidditch World Cup, the Minister is worried that some bold Death Eaters would invade Hogwarts."

"It was his idea?" Harry blurted out in amusement, evoking everyone's attention. "What will happen if a stray Dementor invades the train and causes harm to the students?"

The Head Boy smiled at Harry. "And that is where our job lays, Mr. Evans. Before reaching Hogwarts, we have to make sure that each compartment is locked from the outside. But of course, we also have to prepare for the worst-case scenario. As such, I ask if any of you can cast the Patronus Charm."

Harry raised his hand along with Adeline.

"Ah, only two people other than the Seventh Years can do it," the Head Boy nodded. "Very well. For safety reasons, please travel in a group of three. Mr Evans and Miss Magdalene will accompany the Fifth Year Prefect in a group. Is that clear?"

Everyone shouted yes before forming a group. Harry and Magdalene found themselves in a group with Katie Bell from Gryffindor. The auburn-haired girl was friendly and kind. She held Harry at arm's length, but that was because of her crush on him. She tried to hide it but failed miserably.

"Tell me when it is time to patrol," Harry said to the girls who accompanied him. "I am going to have some shuteye." Before Adeline could respond, Harry closed his eyes.

"And there he sleeps," Adeline muttered. Turning to Katie, she smiled, "It sucks that we can't talk to him, huh? I am quite curious about what he did at the Quidditch World Cup."

"Y- Yeah… but everything is in the newspaper," Katie carefully said.

"Meh, nothing beats the original. Wouldn't you want to hear Harry's honest thoughts? I bet he was annoyed that he couldn't immediately get home because of the Death Eaters."

"He was?"

"I don't know, but it's Harry, so it was likely. That's why I want to know!"

Adeline was a cheerful girl, so Katie bonded with her quickly. They talked about a lot of things, mostly revolving around Harry, ignoring the possibility of the subject being able to hear them. Some time passed and they were nearing Hogwarts. It was time to patrol. They were about to wake Harry up when he suddenly opened his eyes and stood up.

"Harry! You startled us…" They went silent when the compartment got cold and they were washed with dread.

"There is a Dementor on the train. Let's make sure the compartments are locked," Harry commanded, causing them to stand up stiffly.

Getting out of the compartment, Harry took his wand out of the holster and cast, "Colloportus!" Rows of compartments were immediately locked at once. Katie and Adeline dumbfoundedly looked at him before doing the same. As expected, they couldn't imitate his feat.

As they traversed through the corridor, they heard a scream. Ahead of them, the Head Boy was defending his group with a wispy Patronus Shield against a Dementor.

"Expecto Patronum!"

An ethereal lion came out of Harry's wand and rushed at the Dementor. The Dementor shrieked when the ethereal lion pounced on it and immediately exited the train.

"Thanks, Harry!" the Head Boy exclaimed. "But bloody hell, there is more than one of them. I implore you to help me."

"I knew this would happen. How could they think students are capable enough to ward off Dementors?" Harry clicked his tongue before agreeing with the Head Boy.

Their rescue mission made them face five more Dementors. Out of the eight groups, excluding Harry's, only two didn't fall victim to a Dementor's terror. That was because they did their job early. At the end of it, everyone looked at Harry in awe. Of course, Harry still arrived at Hogwarts disgruntled.