The Hidden Hero

Chapter-36 New Beginnings

The year drew to an end. Seventh years sat for their Newts. Harry sympathized with Hermione, Ron and his other friends who were worried about their grades. Harry, himself, was not stressed at all. He knew that he would earn acceptable grades in certain classes, such as Potions and Herbology. And, in classes such as Charms, Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts, it was a foregone conclusion that he would earn an "Outstanding". His learning in these subjects went far beyond the school curriculum.

The examiners for those courses were thrilled to test Harry. After putting him through the mandatory exercises, they begged him to show some of his skill. He entertained them with some flashy spellwork and knew that they were impressed.

The elderly witch who had tested Harry in Transfiguration was in raptures over Harry's ability to conjure, in one wave of his wand, a comfortable arm chair complete with a sleeping cat. After the chair and cat had been vanished, and the teacher had finished scribbling notes in her clipboard, the witch stared intently at Harry and said, "It is clear that you have the ability to be one of the greatest wizards our world has ever known."

Harry smiled in pleasure at her praise, although it was a bit embarrassing. "Thank you, ma'am."

"You have a gift. A gift that I hope you will share with our world. It would be a shame if you left us."

Harry was taken aback. It was the first time that someone had openly admitted that they thought he would truly decide to leave the wizarding world.

"Yes, ma'am," said Harry, noncommittally and he hurriedly left the room.

The witch's words made him think. In just a little over a month, he would turn eighteen. His indenture would end. Where would he go? What would he do? He had thought about it before but now the time was upon him to decide.

Once the indenture ended, he would need to find another place to live. While Snape would probably permit him to stay for a while, Harry thought it time for him to get his own place. He suspected that Snape would miss him when he left. Harry smiled when he thought that the potions master would undergo torture rather than admit it.

So, where should he go? Did he want to leave the wizarding world? As he had told Ron and Hermione weeks before, this world was fundamentally flawed - arrogant in its belief in its own superiority and contemptuous of others. Did he really want to stay in this world? A world that had betrayed him time and time again?

On the other hand, couldn't he help change this world for the better? He had already done so, after all. Not just by defeating Voldemort, but by forcing the wizarding world to acknowledge its own culpability for the racism and intolerance that had led to the Dark Lord's rise to power.

It wasn't as if the muggle world was any better. That world was filled with hatred, greed, betrayal, and pain too. Prejudice and intolerance were absolutely everywhere.

No, there was nothing for him in the muggle world. When he had left the wizarding world the last time, he had wanted to start over. He had been angry with everyone and had wanted to find a place to fit in. But, he fit in here, didn't he? He could stay. He was only eighteen and yet he could wield enormous influence over the wizarding world. If he chose to stay, chose to "take his rightful place in this world," as Draco would call it, over time, couldn't he change this world even more?

While it was sometimes annoying to be the focus of attention everywhere he went, it was kind of nice to have people smile when they saw him and want to shake his hand. It wasn't a substitute for friendship or love, but it filled up some of the lonely spaces of his heart.