Breaking Free (Book 3 of the Lost Potter Series)

Meanwhile, Harry at Hogwarts Part 2

The rest of the school year was nothing but numbing to Harry. He focused on nothing for very long, his thoughts always returning to Olivia or the prophecy or Voldemort.

Ron and Hermione, who had suffered the worst injuries, were finally released from the hospital wing three days before the end of term. Life couldn't quite seem to return to normal even after that, as Harry couldn't shake his worry and his friends had differing opinions on how to handle him.

Soon enough, it was time for the train ride home. Unfortunately, since Olivia wasn't at Grimmauld Place to offer the bloodline protection, he was forced to return to Number 4 Privet Drive with the Dursleys for the first part of the summer. And boy was he dreading it.

The train ride started off interesting, with Malfoy and his goons attempting to attack Harry but being turned into slugs by DA members before any harm could be done. After that, however, it was mostly just playing chess and eating sweets with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Neville.

"Hey, Harry," said Ron, nodding toward the glass window onto the corridor.

Harry looked around. Cho was passing, accompanied by Marietta Edgecombe, who was wearing a balaclava. His and Cho's eyes met for a moment. Cho blushed and kept walking. Harry looked back down at the chessboard just in time to see one of his pawns chased off its square by Ron's knight.

"What's — er — going on with you and her anyway?" Ron asked quietly.

"Nothing," Harry said truthfully.

"I — er — heard she's going out with someone else now," said Hermione tentatively.

Harry was surprised to find that this information did not hurt at all. Wanting to impress Cho seemed to belong to a past that was no longer quite connected with him. So much of what he had wanted before seemed to no longer be important. Olivia, Voldemort, Sirius, the war, the Order, all of it filled his thoughts to the point that his failed romance with Cho no longer felt important.

"You're well out of it, mate," said Ron forcefully. "I mean, she's quite good-looking and all that, but you want someone a bit more cheerful."

"She's probably cheerful enough with someone else," said Harry, shrugging.

"Who's she with now anyway?" Ron asked Hermione, but it was Ginny who answered.

"Michael Corner," she said.

"Michael — but —" said Ron, craning around in his seat to stare at her, "But you were going out with him!"

"Not anymore," said Ginny resolutely. "I dumped him sometime last year over him sulking over Quidditch." She scratched her nose absently with the end of her quill, turned The Quibbler upside down, and began marking her answers. Ron looked highly delighted.

"Well, I always thought he was a bit of an idiot," he said, prodding his queen forward toward Harry's quivering castle. "Good for you."

"How are you and Dean doing, then?" Hermione asked next.

"WHAT?" Shouted Ron as he upended the chessboard, "You're dating Dean Thomas?"

Ginny shot him a furrowed brow, "I started dating him in March, Ron. How thick are you?"

"And you broke up with him recently, to answer Hermione's question." Luna piped up from her spot of silence. Everyone besides Ginny looked at her oddly for responding.

"Oh, really?" Hermione asked innocently, trying to ignore that Luna knew what was going on and she didn't.

Ginny sighed but continued scribbling in the Quibbler, "He turned out to be a little... controlling. And I really need to apologise to Liv for it, I was a massive jerk to her..." she trailed off, apparently just realising that maybe mentioning Olivia wasn't the best idea and looking up towards Harry, "...Sorry?"