Chapter 134: [Hogwarts] - A Year without Oz
These [Hogwarts] chapters will appear at certain points throughout Oz's journey this year and will aim to be on the longer side also, giving a 'timeline' of events as to what's happening in Hogwarts whilst Oz is on his adventures.
Most will be from the perspective of Harry however that may vary down the line :).
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Sat within a pub was a boy with a lightning shaped scar on his forehead. As people walked through the pub they seemed to notice the boy and whisper to each other at the sight of him. The boy could hear the words if he listened intently.
"Isn't that Harry Potter? What a poor young soul going through the torment he did all those years...".
"I wonder where he stays in the summer now after those god awful muggles were prosecuted..."
"I heard rumours Dumbledore was meant to look after him however something changed and he ended up being moved somewhere else! Then again its probably for the best considering the news about Dumbledore and that Descendant of Merlin boy...".
"He forced that boy to be his disciple didn't he? I remember that Rita Skeeter published a news article about it alongside the Malfoy and Gringotts case which also included that Oz Ambrosius too".
The boy listening into all of this was of course Harry Potter. He sat in wait within the Leaky Cauldron pub as the grangers ran around Diagon Alley shopping for whatever they needed. They did ask Harry to join them however Harry declined after getting the school supplies he needed for the year. Using his own money left behind by his family, he was able to comfortably buy everything he needed. Harry listened in to the whispers with a myriad of emotions.
'The amount of pity being sent my way almost makes me feel... itchy...'.
Most of the conversations Harry overheard where pitying him and how he had been brought up. Ever since the event in which Oz exposed Harry's abuse here in this very pub Harry had gotten used to hearing these sorts of whispers in the aftermath. Harry was still thankful towards Oz as he was now in a much better living situation yet deep down he wished it was handled a bit differently so he wouldn't be subject to the constant pity.
'It's not like Oz was meaning to be malicious or anything he was just upset... Speaking of that guy I wonder where he's at right now'.
Harry thought back through the summer he had experience with a listless sigh escaping his lips. He had told Hermione before that whenever they would go on little trips together, him and the grangers, he always felt like he was being watched which led to Harry staying within the granger household much more, refusing to leave the house. Since he had nothing better to do he spent his time studying and writing letters to his friends. Hermione also acted as a drill sergeant at times for him when it came to his studies so compared to the studying he would have done on his own at home it felt as though he had studied twice as hard.
'At least I get to see everyone again soon...'.
The granger household was a stifling atmosphere for Harry and just being there made him feel as though he was intruding even though the grangers told him time and time again it was completely okay for him to stay there. Whenever he did chores and helped around the house they would stop him and look at him with pity thinking of how Harry was probably treated as a 'cleaner/butler' in his previous home. Harry was truly grateful to the grangers and grateful that he had left that hellhole however it was just a place he couldn't get used to.
In comparison Hogwarts was a place where he felt way more at ease. With all his friends there, his own private dorm in the Slytherin house and something to do day by day it was easier to relax.
Harry looked down at the table he was sat on with a smile. Even though Oz wasn't going to be there this year he still was excited to go back to Hogwarts. His eyes wondered for a moment within the pub once more before he reached into his pockets to grab something.
'This was a good little purchase'.
Within Harry's hand was the Magi-cast that was released recently by the master enchanter 'Lee Oswald'. Harry wasn't all that privy to who Lee Oswald was or where he came from however he felt grateful to this enchanter as he not only created this Magi-cast which Harry took extreme liking to but also created the Health specs Oz had used to figure out Harrys body was littered with bruises and scars, being able to expose his abuse to the wizarding public.
Holding the camera up, Harry started to film the Leaky Cauldron pub. This was one of his most recent hobbies of his ever since he got this piece of kit. It was like a visual journal he could look back on whenever he wanted. Within the cameras crystal was already different recordings from back when he was at the grangers and this year he planned to record more whilst at school.
'I can show Oz everything we've been up to with this as well...'.
Harry's straight face rose into a smile as he started to film different areas around him in the leaky cauldron. As he turned himself around completely he noticed a poster attached to a pillar in the pub. From where he was he could only make out the sentence 'HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WIZARD?' and on the poster was a man with a beard and shaggy hair. Harry stared at the poster for a while searching for a name on it however he wasn't able to see anything of note from where he was. Shrugging to himself he went back turned back around from looking at the poster and faced forward, pointing his camera were his eyesight was going to also. As he turned back around however, he saw a ginger man seemingly walking over to him with a friendly expression.
Harry quickly turned off the Magi-cast and put it in his pocket. The ginger man approached him and sat down opposite him with a smile. The silence seemed permeable as the two awkwardly exchanged glances for a moment.
"Uh... Can I help you sir?".
"Ah! That's right I should probably introduce myself. I got lost in my own mind for a moment. My name is Arthur Weasley. Maybe you know my son Ron Weasley? He's in the same year as you".
Harry's face showed confusion for a moment before he realised who Arthur was talking about. Ha
"Ron? Isn't that the boy we di-... I mean isn't that the boy who flew a car to school last year as he missed the train somehow?"
Arthurs expression went bitter for a moment as he recalled that fiasco. They had to pay quite a bit in reparations since Ron decided to do such a stupid thing. He was on the cusp of being expelled and all yet thankfully they were able to convince Dumbledore to do otherwise. Arthur however felt the extreme backlash from the ministry due to the event with many inquiries chucked his way.
"Yes thats the one... my idiot son. He's mentioned you to me before and seeing as though you are the boy who lived I thought it would be nice to actually speak with you".
Harry let out a slight snort as he heard that Ron had spoken about him to Arthur.
'Probably didn't mention anything nice I bet...'.
"I don't mind speaking with you uh... Mr. Weasley however I think my 'story' is pretty much known by the entire wizarding community here. I can't exactly add anything unique to it myself...".
"That's quite alright Harry! I actually wanted to talk to you more about muggle stuff! You see, I have a fascination for muggles and their technology. The way they adapt is so different to us wiza-".
Arthur seemed to stop midsentence as he spotted one of Harry's hands holding onto something in his pocket.
"Merlin's beard... Isn't that a Magi-cast!?".
Harry's eyes flashed for a moment and he sighed as he brought the camera up to the table.
"Yeah it is... I bought it in the summer just gone when I came here for some random shopping with the family and staying with. I've been using it recently to record things whenever im bored".
Arthurs eyes seemed to shine as he looked at the camera. Before Harry could even react, Arthur started to ramble profusely about 'Lee Oswald' and the 'Magi-cast'.
"I was there when that man showed off this piece of kit and I just couldn't believe my eyes! It's such a beautifully made product fusing both our wizarding ways with muggle technology! If only I had more money on hand I would have bought one for myself the second they came out alas I wasn't able too...".
Looking at the father of a boy who hated him ramble about his camera he had bought recently, Harry was at a loss at how to react in this situation. He wanted an out before it was too late and just as this thought crossed his mind, luck seemed to rear its head. Looking over towards the back door, Harry could see the grangers walking into the Leaky Cauldron with smiles on their face. Hermione at the forefront seemed to be looking for Harry. Harry turned quickly back to Arthur who was still rambling in front of him and spoke.
"It was a pleasure talking to you Mr. Weasley however the people I was waiting for have come back now, I best be going".
Arthur who realised at this point he was rambling on a bit too much stopped his words as he heard Harry talk. He stood up alongside Harry and reached his hand over the table ushering a handshake.
"It's no problem Harry! I'm sure we will get the chance to talk in the future... Oh and one thing...".
Arthur leaned in closer to Harry speaking in an almost hushed whisper next to his ear.
"There's some people in the ministry who would strongly disagree with me divulging this information to you Harry but I feel as though you deserve to know somethings... you see that poster over there".
Harry turned his head around to the poster he had seen earlier. Taking a quick glance at it Harry spoke back to Arthur.
"What about it?".
"Do you know who that man is on the poster?".
"No sir, I don't have a clue...".
Arthur took a deep breath in as he began to spoke again in full.
"That man is called 'Sirius Black' Harry. Recently he broke out of Azkaban prison and is currently on the run from the ministry".
Harry looked at Arthur in confusion as he explained this to him. It was nice solving the puzzle of who the man was on that pillar however what did any of this have to do with him?
"You see Harry when you stopped... 'You know who', Sirius Black lost everything he had. To this day however he still remains a faithful servant of the fallen dark lord and in his mind you are the only thing standing in the way of 'you know who'".
Harry listened intently to Arthur even as he heard Hermione starting to call over to him when she spotted him. Even though a while back he wanted to get out of this conversation his focus was on Arthurs words as he learnt about this 'Sirius Black'.
"So the reason why this 'Sirius Black' has escaped is to... find and kill me?".
Harry felt a headache come on as he realised this year wouldn't be as peaceful as he hoped. Hearing Harry's response Arthur gave a stern nod and spoke one last time quickly.
"Most likely that is the case yes... However Harry if there's ever a piece of advice I could give you in this situation it is that you should not go out and seek this man".
"Seek out 'Sirius Black'? Why would I want to seek out someone who wants to kill me?".
Arthur didn't answer Harry's questions as he finished off the handshake and promptly left the table leaving a dumbstruck Harry. As Arthur left, the grangers approached Harry and looked at him in curiosity. Mrs Granger was the first to speak.
"Who was that Harry?".
Harry frowned for a moment wondering what to say before deciding.
"That was a man called Arthur Weasley. The father of a boy called Ron in our year and a Ministry of Magic official. He approached me to chat with me as he wanted to talk to 'the boy who lived' and we ended up talking a bit is all...".
Both Mr and Mrs Granger nodded at Harry's explanation feeling as though it made sense. They knew Harry was somewhat of a 'celebrity' in the wizarding world so a wizard approaching him for a chat wasn't something completely random. Hermione however seemed to hold a gaze of questioning as she stared at Harry's somewhat solemn expression...
.
After spending a small amount of time in the Leaky Cauldron, Harry and Hermione were both taken by Hermione's parents to King's Cross and in extension, to platform 9 3/4. As they arrived at the area they had to run in Hermione hugged both of her parents goodbye and Harry offered a wave as they began to run into the wall.
Coming out on the other side they saw the all too familiar train at this point that they had been on numerous times now and after sorting out their luggage alongside their pets, they stepped onto the train and started to look for a compartment. Looking into each compartment Hermione scratched her head and turned to Harry.
"Do you reckon the others have already got on the train and into a compartment?".
Harry didn't reply for a moment as he was deep in thought and Hermione snapped her fingers in front of him.
"Hello? Earth to Harry? Blimey you are nearly as bad as Oz with how you just brood in silence like that...".
Hearing the snap brought Harry back to reality as he recalled what Hermione had asked him.
"Oh uh... I think Daphne mentioned something about her family getting her here early or something in one of the very few letters she was able to send. If we keep looking we should eventually find them".
Hermione nodded at Harry's word and continued to lead him down the train looking into different compartments. As they reached the mid to end point of the train they looked into one compartment and saw many familiar faces talking to each other.
"There they are!".
Hermione opened the compartment door quickly and entered on in whilst Harry slowly went to enter. Just as he was about to do so he saw a teacher to his right enter into a compartment to the right of him. The teacher seemed to give Harry a smile and little wave as he entered into the empty compartment and sat down. Harry looked at this situation questioningly before being brought back to the real world by Hermione once again.
"Harry! What are you standing in a daze for again? Come in!".
Harry sighed as he rubbed his head, walking into the compartment with everyone in it. Looking around he smiled seeing his friends he had only been able to converse with in letters over the summer.
Sat in the compartment was Cho, Luna, Daphne and Rose who all looked at Harry with a smile as he entered. Hermione made herself comfortable sitting next to Cho and Harry sat next to Daphne. Just as Harry was about to sit down however he noticed another girl sat next to Daphne that he didn't spot initially. Seeing Harry make eye contact with this girl, Daphne began to speak up.
"Ah, Harry this here is my sister Astoria. She's starting Hogwarts this year".
Astoria leant forward and looked over at Harry with a smile introducing herself. Harry immediately noticed that the girl looked pretty sickly and gaunt and recalled something from last year.
'Thats right... Astoria was said to have a blood malediction wasn't she? She looks worse than me back when I just got out of the Dursley household...'.
Harry smiled warmly at the little Astoria and introduced himself to her. As he did so he started to greet everyone else in the compartment and began asking them about their summers. Cho was the first to start, talking about her trip to wales with her family. Following her was Luna who spoke about her mother a bit before going talking more about the creatures she had been looking into over the summer. Rose spoke briefly about her summer however from her tone Harry could tell she had the same 'stifled' feelings as he did with where she was staying over the summer and she seemed more happy about being back at school this time. Finally Harry's gaze landed on Daphne who talked about her summer with her own family doing different things with Astoria sometimes chiming in and getting more comfortable with everyone there.
Harry and Hermione then talked about their summers and the trips they had been on. Near the end of the conversation Harry pulled out the Magi-Cast he had bought showing it to everyone. Their eyes all glowed looking at the piece of kit Harry had knowing how expensive it was for someone to buy. Astoria was the first to speak as she let out a surprised gasp.
"Aren't those so expensive to get!? Our family bought a couple however we arent allowed to go near them!".
Daphne nodded at her little sisters words and began to add on to what she said.
"Its being treated as 'revolutionary' tech after all so most of the 'pureblood' families are buying up as many as they can... I'm surprised you could get one Harry".
Harry looked down at the camera with a weak smile as he began to explain.
"Well my mum and dad left me with quite the fortune after they passed on so it was something I was able to buy securely. I also wanted something to play with as a hobby over the ending period of summer as I was going insane just studying all the time...".
Hermione scowled a bit as she heard Harry talk about studying all the time.
"You could have gone outside you know? I mean I like to study a lot too but when we didn't go on trips you basically tied yourself to that spare room...".
"I already told you Hermione that I felt as though something or someone was... 'watching' me whenever I left the house and that was even when we went on trips also. It made me feel uncomfortable so I just felt better staying indoors".
Luna's eyes lit up as she heard about something 'invisible' watching Harry.
"It could have been Wrackspurts Harry. I read about them a bit in the summer and they are small invisible creatures that buzz around your head. Maybe you felt like you were being watched cause you had them hovering around you?".
Harry let out an exasperated chuckle at Luna's reasoning before promptly sighing afterwards.
"I mean that could be the case... but I don't know".
Everyone in the compartment grew silent for a moment as the conversation went stale. As if to answer the silence, the train started to move finally and headed out from the station. All of their eyes were then trained on the window looking outside onto the platform at the different families waving. At one point, Astoria and Daphne pressed up close to the window waving as they saw there mother and father giving a wave. Harry burned the image of their parents into his mind and the first word he thought of looking at them was...
'Upper-class'.
Wearing an expensive looking suit and dress alongside a house-elf by their heel they had an air of professionalism about them both. Seeing them for the first time Harry felt that they seemed the type that would stop their daughter from conversing with a 'muggle-born'. As the two parents left the girls sight they sat back in their seats with huffs escaping their lips. The silence that had filled the compartment was finally broken again by Astoria who spoke out loud to her sister.
"Thats right sis... Where's this Oz guy you talk about? He's not here with us right now?".
Everyone's expressions went a bit sombre as they heard Oz's name from Astoria's mouth.
"I thought I already told you about him? That he was gone this year travelling?".
"Ohhh thats right! That's a shame I wanted to meet him...".
The compartment went silent for a while longer after Astoria's words before Rose began to speak.
"I wonder where that guy is at right now...".
Cho let out a slight chuckle hearing Rose's words.
"The guy could be anywhere right now. I doubt any of you managed to contact him in the summer? He doesn't even have an address after all and even the wizard post cant track him... He's honestly a bit infuriating with how little he tries to keep in touch if at all".
Rose let out a little laugh and decided to defend Oz at this point.
"Considering how much of a workaholic he is he's probably just focused on what he's doing at this exact moment. He gave us his word he'd be back next year so we will just have to wait till then".
Everyone in the compartment nodded at Rose's words and the conversation diverged into different routes. As the group continued to talk the train journey seemed to pass by fast. Harry who was at the compartment door side of the seat he was on rested his head onto the glass midway through the journey and felt his eyes close, His mind thinking about Sirius Black, the man who was apparently out to 'kill' him. The face on the poster was imprinted in his mind as he fell into a deep sleep...
.
After a few hours of napping Harry started to wake up as he felt the train coming to a stop. Initially he thought that the train was arriving at Hogsmeade however when he looked at the window he saw frost crawling along it and an environment nothing like Hogsmeade outside. Looking at the others in the the compartment they seemed just as confused as him.
"What? Why are we stopping?".
They all looked towards Harry as he asked this question and all replied with different variants of saying 'no idea'. They all looked confused and after some time Cho decided to stand up and go to the compartment door.
"Ill go ask around or maybe even find a teacher to see what's going on".
Hearing Cho's words Harry was about to tell her about the teacher who was only in the compartment next to them but before he could Cho had already headed out the door quickly leaving the rest of them in the compartment. Harry started to notice that the cold frost from the outside was crawling inside now as well as he could see his breath as he breathed out. An unsettled feeling arose in his stomach as he started talking to the others about what could be going on.
Time seemed to past slowly and during this time Harry reached into his pocket and grabbed the Magi-cast, starting to record. It was like a reflex to him at this point to do it as it helped him relax even in a situation like this one where everything seemed off. Cho still hadn't returned yet and Harry decided it would be a good idea to check the compartment next to theirs for the teacher he saw earlier. Putting his Magi-cast back into his pocket, Harry got up. As he did so Hermione called out to him.
"Where are you going Harry?".
"Oh... When we got on the train in London I saw a teacher get into the compartment next to ours. Cho walked down the other way so she probably didn't look in and see him. I thought id check to see if he was still there and if he is ask him what's going on".
Opening the door of the compartment Harry heard Daphne get up behind him as well.
"Ill come along with you quick too".
Harry nodded as the two of them left the compartment with Rose, Luna, Hermione and Astoria in peaking their head into the compartment next to there's. Inside the compartment was two people. The sleeping professor Harry had seen at the beginning of the trip to Hogwarts and...
"Isnt that... Ron?".
"Yep it's that ginger alright".
Opposite the professor was Ron who seemed to be scared at the current situation, prodding the professor in front of him now and then. Harry sighed as he opened the compartment door.
"AAAHHHH".
Ron was jump scared by Harry's opening of the door backing up into the corner of the compartment near the window. It took him a second to realise it was Harry who had opened the door and entered alongside Daphne.
"A-Oh It's you... what are you doing here?".
Ron tried to play it cool as he asked Harry with a look of disdain what he was doing in the compartment. Harry simply pointed at the professor sleeping before talking.
"I wanted to ask this guy what the hells going on since the train has stopped so randomly".
Ron scoffed as he heard Harry's words.
"You can try all you bloody like but this guy just isn't waking up. I've been prodding him constantly and he's stayed dead asleep".
Daphne rolled up her sleeves and walked past Harry towards the professor sleeping and started to prod him a bit more violently than Ron was. Despite this improved attack, the professor showed no signs of waking under the coat he was using as a cover. Harry looked annoyed seeing how the professor in front of them was out like a light and turned his head back to Ron. Seeing this boy reminded him of the interaction with Arthur earlier today and all the stuff about Sirius flooded in leaving Harry in a daze again. A few moments later however, Ron's face turned from the professor and Daphne to Harry and immediately changed from an annoyed expression to a fearful one.
"W-w-w-w-what the bloody hell is that!?".
Harry looked at Ron with confusion for a moment and followed his gaze. Turning around he looked just outside the compartment door and what greeted him was a black cloaked creature staring back at him. Seeing this creature he felt a sense of deja vu for a moment before it grabbed him by the shoulders and started to breathe in sucking in his soul.
Daphne turned around from prodding the teacher and screamed seeing this sight.
"Harry!"
As she screamed the professor that was originally sleeping darted up and casted a blinding white spell. As the spell hit the dementor it seemed to be hit backwards out of the compartment. Harry saw this moment only briefly before passing out, the last thing he heard as he fainted was a screaming woman...
.
Waking up, Harry felt an immense headache coming on. Looking up he realised his head was on Daphne's lap and to the right of him on the other side seats was the professor now awake and Ron who looked shocked and scared by everything that had just happened.
It took Harry a moment to compute the situation he was in before shooting his head up in slight embarrassment realising where it was laying. As he did he got all dizzy and fell into the seat getting caught by Daphne as he did so.
"W-What the hell happened".
Harry held his head as he looked down at the floor for a moment. The haunting scream of a woman still plaguing his mind.
"That my dear boy was a dementor... Nasty creatures they are. I imagine they were on this train looking for signs of Sirius Black...".
The professor started to provide Harry with answers to his question.
"Ah where are my manners. My name is Remus Lupin, Ill be your defence against the dark arts teacher this year at Hogwarts".
Harry lifted his head up to look at Lupin. He pushed out a smile looking him in the eyes.
"Thank you for the help professor".
"Think nothing of it Harry... here take this it'll help".
Lupin stretched out his hand handing over a piece of chocolate to Harry. Harry started to eat the chocolate slowly before asking more questions.
"Why did that thing attack me?".
Lupin showed an expression of pity for a moment before answering.
"Dementors are creatures that feed off of traumas or 'dark moments' in someone's past. Negative thoughts and feelings are their sustenance and when there's someone with an abundance of such a thing they find them to be quite... delectable. Even though those dementors were looking for Sirius Black they decided to attack you as you looked so appetising to them".
Daphne nodded along with the professors words before speaking further for Harry.
"I've seen those things before when travelling with my family. They usually reside around Azkaban prison under instruction of the ministry however they must have been set to roam after Sirius Black since he escaped".
Lupin nodded at Daphnes words also before adding on a little more.
"Usually you would have been out like a light for much longer... I can only guess you have been attacked by a dementor before Harry".
Hearing Lupin mention this point Harry recalled back in his first year when the troll incident happened. Back then a dementor was there also and had attacked him, thats why the scream he heard seemed so familiar.
'So that's where that sense of 'deja vu' came from...'.
Harry felt frustration rise in his stomach at the situation as he took another bite out of his chocolate. He picked himself up slowly and looked down at Lupin and Ron.
"Thank you again for the help professor, we should probably head back to our compartment now. The train seems to be moving again thankfully".
"As I said before Harry its no bother... This year at Hogwarts those dementors will be roaming the grounds quite a bit so if you have any troubles in relation to them let me know".
Daphne nodded at the professor as well and both her and Harry left the compartment. Entering back into their own compartment they saw the others looking at them with a confused expression. Cho was back now also.
"You two were gone for quite a while, what on earth happened?".
As Harry and Daphne both sat down Daphne began to explain the course of events. Hearing the scenario put into perspective again Harry felt the earlier frustration rise up even more to a boiling point.
"I can't believe im so damn useless! If that was Oz in my place he would have dispatched that stupid dementor thing in an instant!".
Daphne put her hand on Harry's shoulder with a sigh.
"You cant compare yourself to Oz Harry, we all know how much of a monster he is in terms of magic".
"I know, I know... but I just hate being so damn helpless".
Harry rested his head in his hands as his mind began to race. News about Sirius Black being after him and now this dementor attack had sent him over the edge. A growing desire in his stomach had started to bloom today.
He wanted to get stronger, he didn't want to be weak. His heart set Oz as his goal. He wanted to be like him, as in control as Oz was. He hated people pitying him, he hated people watching his every movement, he hated being weak. As these emotions reached a pinnacle he made a vow with himself deep in his mind.
This year he would devout himself to getting stronger so that he could protect himself without Oz and a good starting point seemed to be asking that professor Lupin how to combat these dementors...
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
BoiGeorge
BoiGeorge This is a big big boy chapter and these Hogwarts chapters will probably remains as such in this trend. The aim is to keep up with the gangs antics and 'major character development' between them whilst Oz is out and about doing his magical beast part shopping.
Let me know if theres any grammatical errors in this one as usually the longer the chapter the more prone to slipups I am. Thanks for reading yall :)
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