Saviour of Magic

Apprentice Potter

On the first of September, Harry donned his robes and looked at himself in the mirror. He had chosen to wear clothes that didn't look too out of place with the students while also giving the impression that he wasn't a student himself. They were black, like the uniforms, but the cut was very professional and didn't look like the Hogwarts uniform. There was also no Ravenclaw crest on his robes, but instead, there was a badge showing that he was an apprentice. Packing his trunk, he walked down the marble staircase and saw Dylan already waiting. They stepped into the fireplace and vanished in a burst of green flames.

Stepping out of the fireplace in Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, they observed that most adults present were nervous about sending their children to school. Harry didn't even want to think about the attendance of the other smaller schools in Britain and Ireland. Claiming an empty compartment for themselves, they waited for their friends to arrive. Five minutes later, Astoria entered the compartment with two miniature trunks in tow. Dylan's eyes immediately lit up as he stood up to give her a tight hug.

"Hey Tori!" he said happily as he hugged her. Astoria smiled as she hugged him back, and before he could pull back fully, she gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Nice to see you again too, Dylan," she smiled, enjoying the stunned look on his face.

Harry gave a long whistle. "I just won ten Galleons," he declared.

"Why?" asked Astoria as she pulled Dylan with her to take a seat, the latter still in a state of shock.

"I knew that you would be the one to kiss him first, but Daphne was sure that Dylan would initiate it. Congratulations, you two! Does that mean you both are dating?"

"Yes," said Astoria as she linked arms with Dylan who had just snapped out of his trance. "I've been working on this the entire summer. He's now my boyfriend."

"Don't I get a say in this?" asked Dylan incredulously, though he did lean down to give her a kiss on the cheek, his own cheeks flushed pink in happiness.

"Nope," said Astoria, grinning.

"Somehow, I can live with that," said Dylan as he took her hand in his. Harry shook his head in amusement as he took out a book to read, leaving the new couple to talk amongst themselves. They were joined soon by several others, all of them wanting to know if Harry was alright and how he did in his N.E.W.T.s.

Two hours later, Daphne and Neville entered the compartment, looking exhausted. Harry gave them each a chilled glass of butterbeer which they took gratefully.

"So, how was the prefects' meeting?" asked Theo.

"It would have been shorter if not for Granger going on and on about what needs to be changed," Neville groaned.

"Some of her ideas were really good, but the way she wouldn't stop hammering us about it didn't work in her favour," Daphne added, snuggling into Harry's hold as the boy put an arm around her shoulder, hugging her to his chest.

"Who else has been made a prefect?"

"Susan Bones and Ernie Macmillan from Hufflepuff," said Neville. "Sue has prefect patrols now, so she'll be here later. Then we have Terry Boot and Padma Patil from Ravenclaw and Daphne and Draco Malfoy from Slytherin."

"Why Draco?" asked Dylan, frowning.

"He's one of the top students in our year among the boys," Blaise answered. "That's not to say that Theo and I are anything less, but Snape has always played favourites with Draco, so we never expected the badge."

"Cedric Diggory is the Head Boy," said Daphne. "But that's not really a surprise, is it?"

Harry hummed quietly as he went back to his book. Several hours later, the train stopped at Hogsmeade station. Taking the carriages to the school, Harry calmly walked over to the Ravenclaw table and sat down next to his brother, ignoring the stares being directed his way.