The next day everyone was excused from classes in celebration.  Harry had his hand wringed several times by other students who kept apologizing for suspecting him and thanking him for solving everything.  He had calmly told them that Mika and Ron had helped as well, setting the well-wishers onto them.  Also, that morning he received a severe berating from Jardin.

< Going down there without telling anyone…  What if I hadn’t found out what you were doing and told the old phoenix!  Hmm?  What then? >

Harry rolled his eyes and stroked the raven’s forehead, which was exactly the spot that Jardin loved to be stroked.

< Ooooh…  You’re forgiven… >

Harry chuckled and said, I thought you’d say that.

He also got a great surprise that morning.  As he was walking through the entrance hall with Jardin perched on his shoulder, the doors banged open and Lucius Malfoy stalked in.  His gray eyes fell on Harry and he sneered.

“You.”

< Oh crap, > muttered Jardin.

“This is a surprise, Lucius.”

Harry, Jardin, and Malfoy all turned to see Dumbledore coming out of a doorway Harry hadn’t noticed being there before, followed by Snape.

Lucius sneered again.

“What are you doing back here?  The governors suspended you!”

“It seems that the other eleven governors heard that Arthur Weasley’s daughter had been killed and wanted me back here at once.  Seemed to think I was the best man for the job.  They also told me something very strange.  Several of them seemed to think you threatened to curse their families did they not suspend me in the first place.”

Malfoy paled.

< Harry. >

Harry looked and saw Dobby cowering behind Malfoy.  He and Jardin exchanged a glance.

“So,” said Malfoy.  “You’ve stopped the attacks.  Did you catch the culprit as well?”

“We have.”

“And who was it this time?”

“The same person it was last time, Lucius.  Lord Voldemort was acting through someone this time.  Through this diary.”

Dumbledore held up the diary, the hole bored through its center plainly visible.  Harry watched as Dobby pointed at the book then to Malfoy before whacking himself over the head with his fists.

“I see…” said Malfoy.

“A clever plan.”  Snape spoke up now.  “Had Mr. Potter and his friends Mr. Weasley and Mr. Davids not discovered that book – young Miss Weasley would have taken the blame.  Imagine the effect if Arthur Weasley’s daughter was attacking Muggle-borns…”

Malfoy glared at Snape and still Dobby kept pointing.  Harry and Jardin looked at each other then to the diary, sharing a short conversation before smirking mentally.

“Doan ye woan to know ‘ow Ginny got that diary, Mr. Malfoy?” asked Harry innocently.

“How should I know where the girl got hold of it?”

“Because ye gave i’ to her.  In Flourish and Blotts.  Ye picked up her Transfiguration book an’ slipped i’ in.”

“Prove it,” hissed Malfoy, hands clenched.  Jardin laughed in Harry, Snape, and Dumbledore’s head.  Snape couldn’t help but smirk slightly.

“Ah, no one will be able to do that, Lucius,” said Dumbledore, amusement tingeing his voice.  “Not now that Riddle has vanished from it, that it.  Though I would advise you, Lucius, not to give out anymore of Voldemort’s old school things.”

Malfoy’s jaw clenched and he spun, calling out, “Come, Dobby!”  Dobby scurried along behind him, earning a kick.  Anger flashed in Harry’s eyes and he turned to Dumbledore.  He had a plan.

“Sir?  May I return tha’ diary ter Mr. Malfoy?”

Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled as he handed over the small book.

“Of course, Harry.”

Snape looked in confusion between the two of them as Harry ran out onto the grounds after Malfoy, pulling off his shoe as he went.

A few moments later…

“You lost me my servant, boy!”

There was a loud bang and Dobby cried out, “You shall not hurt, Harry Potter!”

A few moments later Harry bounded back in, grinning foolishly.  On his shoulder Jardin was flapping his wings and cawing, pale eyes glittering with mirth.

“What on earth did you do?” asked Severus.

Harry’s grin widened as he said, “I returned the diary.”

Severus’ eyes flicked down to the sock just sticking out of his son’s pocket.

“And you released the house-elf at the same time.  Sneaky devil!”

Harry simply grinned.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

The rest of the term continued without incident.  The Weasley’s had wanted to resort Ginny, but she had refused, insisting she was quite fine in Slytherin.  She had friends in there and was quite happy.  Her unsaid words were that if she were in Gryffindor, her brother’s would overshadow her.  In Slytherin she could be herself.

Exams had been canceled, which had sent Hermione into hysterics for two weeks, while everyone else was celebrating.  Defense classes were also canceled (“Didn’t learn anything in there anyway,” remarked Niamh) as the teacher was incapacitated (Ron said, “And that bloke was starting to grow on me,” which set Niamh to snickering).

Slytherin also won the House Cup again while Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup.

And what Harry found best about all of this was that he not only was going to spend his summer at the castle with his father, but Draco was subdued and sulky for the remainder of the term.

Just before the train set off with Niamh, Mika, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione, they all said goodbye to Harry, each asking him why he was staying at the school.  Except for Niamh, who already knew.  His reply was simply that he had told Dumbledore about the Dursley’s and the headmaster was allowing him to stay with one of the professors (he didn’t say who).  Before they left, Niamh grabbed his arm.

“When are you going to tell them, Harry?”

Harry sighed and looked down at his friend.

“I doan know, Ni.  Maybe over summer.  Ron’s invited me ter the Burrow two weeks ‘fore we come ba’.”

“I know.  He invited all of us.  Will you tell them then?”

“If it’ll stop ye pesterin’ me about i’.”

Niamh smiled and said, “It will.”

“Gods, yer annoyin’.”

“Its one of my many wonderful traits.”

Harry snorted and grinned.

“See yer, Ni.”

“Bye, Harry.  Write to me, won’t you?  Tell me how things are with – y’know…”

“I will.”

Niamh smiled and hugged Harry before jumping onto the train.  Harry watched the train go, waving at his friends faces in the window of their car until the train vanished into the distance.  A hand suddenly fell onto his shoulder and he looked up at his father, who was smiling gently.

“Saying goodbye?”

“Yeh.”

“Ready to go?”

Harry blinked.

“Go where?”

“If I don’t recall, you told me about a week ago that you wanted to play a game of Quidditch against me…”

“Ye will?”

Severus laughed.  “I have to have something to do this summer besides sit in my rooms.  Let’s go.”

Harry grinned and nodded.  The two of them turned from the empty train station and began to walk up towards the castle, arms around each other.

It looked to be a good summer.