Midnight Protector | Harry Potter FanFiction

TWO

The return to Hogwarts was met with mixed reactions. It had been a relief to hear that the locket had been found and destroyed. Madam Pomfrey, however, wasn't pleased at obvious signs of exhaustion on each of their faces. Harry, Sirius and Remus were immediately sent to the hospital wing and given dreamless sleeping potions. No one had been happy with Madam Pomfrey but everyone knew better than to question her.

Harry was the first to wake nearly a day and a half later. The sun had just set, leaving a reddish glow on the hospital wing. Rubbing his tired eyes, Harry reached for his glasses which were resting on the bedside table. It had become a common occurrence that Harry had yet to ask about. He suspected there was some sort of spell to remove his contacts without waking him but that was a discussion for another time and place.

Sliding his glasses on, Harry glanced around and saw Remus and Sirius sleeping peacefully in nearby beds. Neither of them looked like they would be waking soon which was probably a good thing. Harry needed to be able to think without their overpowering concern and worry distracting him. It was a cruel thing to even consider with how much Sirius and Remus had done but the ever present emotions were simply becoming too much of a headache. Yes, Harry knew everyone was worried about him but there was really nothing he could do at the moment to ease their concerns. This was something he needed to do and it was more important than talking about his feelings.

As quietly as possible, Harry slid out of bed and changed into a set of clothes that had been placed at the foot of his bed. The silence was deafening but not surprising, especially considering that school wasn't in session. There were probably only a dozen people currently at Hogwarts most of that was the teaching staff. The only time it had been anything but silent was when the Weasleys had visited a week ago to 'discuss Bill and Fleur's wedding'.

That had been the day that Ron, Hermione and Ginny had forced Harry out of the library for a few hours to enjoy some fresh air even though they talked about the war the majority of the time. Nearly the entire Weasely family was in the Order which meant Ron, Hermione and Ginny were able to overhear stray comments every so often while they helped prepare for Bill and Fleur's wedding that would be held near the Burrow. It was scheduled to be a small wedding for family and close friends with members of the Order providing security. Wards had been placed to keep reporters and party crashers away since everyone knew Harry Potter would be attending.

That was the biggest problem lately. The wizarding world had become completely obsessed with Harry ever since a picture of Harry battling Death Eaters in Hogsmeade had been published in the 'Daily Prophet'. Until that night, no one had any actual proof of what Harry was capable of. Everything had been second or third-hand information based on a children's point of view of someone they viewed as a hero. Now, however, people were starting to wonder if the stories had been true after all.

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, Harry cast one final glance at his guardians before leaving the hospital wing as quietly as humanly possible. His pace was cautious as he kept his senses on alert for any sign of anyone or anything. The last thing he needed was to run into Peeves the poltergeist who would most likely shout at the top of his lungs that Harry had escaped from the hospital wing just to get Harry in trouble.

Luckily there were no such obstacles. Harry managed to retrieve some food from the kitchens and make it to the library without running into anyone...well, except for Dobby, the house elf, in the kitchens but he promised not to say a word. Every step echoed in the library, regardless of how cautious Harry tried to walk. He tentatively reached out with his senses but couldn't find any sign that there was anyone else present in the entire library. Confident that he was indeed alone, Harry moved to the history section of the library and started to look for any publication of artifacts belonging to Rowena Ravenclaw or Godric Gryffindor.