Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was a nice woman, but very strict.
"Just five minutes," Harry pleaded.
"Absolutely not."
"You let Professor Dumbledore in..."
"Well, of course, that was the headmaster, quite different. You need rest."
"I am resting, look, lying down and everything. Oh, go on, Madam Pomfrey..."
"Oh, very well," she said. "But five minutes only..." and she let Ron, Hermione and Neville in.
"Harry!"
Hermione looked ready to fling her arms around him again, but Harry was glad she held herself in as his head was still very sore.
"Oh, Harry, we were sure you were going to -- Dumbledore was so worried--"
"The whole school's talking about it," said Ron.
"What really happened?" Asked Neville
It was one of those rare occasions when the true story is even more strange and exciting than the wild rumors. Harry told them everything: Quirrell; the mirror; the Stone; and Voldemort. His friends were a very good audience; they gasped in all the right places, and when Harry told them what was under Quirrell's turban, Hermione screamed out loud.
"So the Stone's gone?" said Neville finally. "Flamel's just going to die ?"
Ron pulled a face, tugging at his ears in a nervous way.
"That's what I said" Harry answered "But Dumbledore thinks that...what was it? 'to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.'"
"I always said he was off his rocker," said Ron, looking quite impressed.
"So what happened to you three?" asked Harry.
"Well, I got back all right," said Hermione. "I brought Ron round...that took a while and Neville was amazing! We were all dashing up to the owlery to contact Dumbledore but it was Neville who said we had to get to Snape...."
"And Ron Disagreed!" Neville said almost cheerfully, pointing to a bruise on his face, perhaps where Ron had hit him.
"Well I still thought Snape was a bad guy!" Ron insisted.
"it doesn't matter." Hermione rolled her eyes "As we were running, trying to figure out who to go to for help, we met them in the entrance hall. Dumbledore.... he already knew -- he just said, 'Harry's gone after him, hasn't he?' and hurtled off to the third floor."
"D'you think he meant you to do it?" said Ron. "Sending you your father's cloak and everything?"
"Well," Hermione exploded, "if he did -- I mean to say that's terrible -- you could have been killed."
"No, it isn't," said Harry thoughtfully. "He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don't think it was an accident he let me find out how the mirror worked. It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could..."
"Yeah, Dumbledore's off his rocker, all right," said Ron proudly. "Listen, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, of course ....and you missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you! But the food'll be good."
At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over.
"You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT" she said firmly.
After a good night's sleep, Harry felt nearly back to normal.
"Professor Dumbledore says you are to be allowed to go to the feast." Madam Pomfrey told Harry as she straightened some of the sweet boxes at the end of his bed, as though in her opinion Professor Dumbledore didn't realize how risky feasts could be. "And you have another visitor."
"Oh, good," smiled Harry. "Who is it?" he asked, hopefully thinking of mum and Dudley.
Hagrid walked through the door and after a second of disappointment he grinned and held his arms out to hug the giant.
As usual when he was indoors, Hagrid looked too big to be allowed. He sat down next to Harry, took one look at him, and burst into tears.
"It's all my ruddy fault!" he sobbed, his face in his hands. "I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the only thing he didn't know, an' I told him! Yeh could've died! All fer a dragon egg.... I'll never drink again! I should be chucked out an' made ter live as a Muggle!"
"Hagrid!" said Harry, shocked to see Hagrid shaking with grief and remorse, great tears leaking down into his beard. "Hagrid, he'd have found out somehow, this is Voldemort we're talking about, he'd have found out even if you hadn't told him."
"You could've died!" sobbed Hagrid. "An' don' say the name!"
"VOLDEMORT!" Harry bellowed, and Hagrid was so shocked, he stopped crying. "I've met him and I'm calling him by his name. Please cheer up, Hagrid, we saved the Stone, it's gone, he can't use it. Have a Chocolate Frog, I've got loads..."
Hagrid wiped his nose on the back of his hand and said, "That reminds me. I've got yeh a present."
"It's not a stoat sandwich, is it?" said Harry anxiously, and at last Hagrid gave a weak chuckle.
"Nah. Dumbledore gave me the day off yesterday ter fix it. 'course, he shoulda sacked me instead. Anyway, got yeh this..."
It seemed to be a handsome, leather-covered book. Harry opened it curiously. It was full of photographs.
The first pages were full of photos he recognised: Him and Dudley when they were younger. As well as the picture of Petunia and Lily when they were young.
The next pages were full of Wizarding photos: On each page were his mother and father, waving to him.
Also there were some photos that had been taken throughout the year with his friends.
"Sent owls off ter all yer parents' old school friends, askin' fer photos... knew yeh didn' have many... d'yeh like it?"
Harry couldn't speak, but Hagrid understood.
Harry made his way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. He had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing about, insisting on giving him one last checkup, so the Great Hall was already full. It was decked out in the Slytherin colors of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table.
When Harry walked in there was a sudden hush, and then everybody started talking loudly at once. He slipped into a seat between Ron and Hermione, opposite Neville at the Gryffindor table and tried to ignore the fact that people were standing up to look at him.
Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived moments later and the babble died away.
"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts...Now, as I understand it, the house cup needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."
A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Harry could see Draco Malfoy banging his goblet on the table. It was a sickening sight.
"Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore with a smile, seeming to stumble on his words. "However, recent events must be taken into account."
The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little.
"I have a few last-minute points to award...!"
"First to Mr. Ronald Weasley..."
Ron went purple in the face as he stared up at Dumbledore.
"... for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points." he signed '50'
Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. Percy started telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"
At last there was silence again.
"Second! To Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."
Hermione buried her face in her arms; Harry strongly suspected she had burst into tears. Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves. They were a hundred points up!
"Third, to Mr. Harry Evans... " said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet. "... for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."
More cheers!
Those who could add up knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points! Exactly the same as Slytherin. They had tied for the house cup. If only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point.
Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent.
"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to our friends. I therefore award fifty points..... to Mr. Neville Longbottom."
Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor on his own before.
Harry, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy, who couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he'd just had the Body-Bind Curse put on him.
"Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "A change of decoration is in order!"
He clapped his hands and In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, with a horrible, forced smile. He caught Harry's eye and Harry grinned. Snape gave Lily Evans' son a small but genuine smile.
It was one of the best evenings of Harry's life, better than winning at Quidditch, or Christmas, or knocking out mountain trolls... he would never, ever forget tonight.
Harry had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but come they did.
To their great surprise, both he and Ron passed with good marks; Hermione, of course, had the best grades of the first years. Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one.
And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets; notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays ("I always hope they'll forget to give us these," said Fred Weasley sadly); Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier; eating Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station.
It took quite a while for them all to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles.
"You must come and stay this summer," said Ron, "I'll send you and Dudley an owl."
"Thanks," said Harry.
"You too!" Ron added to Neville and Hermione. People jostled them as they moved forward toward the gateway back to the Muggle world.
Harry, Ron, Neville and Hermione passed through the gateway together."
Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister came running over, throwing her arms around Ron. Who lifted her up and held her with a bit of difficulty.
Mrs. Weasley walked over smiling, beside her was Petunia and Dudley was talking excitedly with the twins, he hadn't noticed Harry yet.
"Busy year?"
"Very," said Harry. "Thanks for the fudge and the jumper, Mrs. Weasley."
"Oh, it was nothing, dear."
"Ready, are you?" Petunia smiled as Harry fell into her arms.
Mrs weasley smiled at the sight as Ron awkwardly carried Ginny over to her "Oh Ginny! let go of him, he can't sign with you holding his arms like that!."
"See you over the summer, then." Ron told him, still clinging onto his little sister.
"Hope you have a good holiday" said Neville politely. Bowing his head to Petunia and Mrs Weasley and then walking over to his grandmother.
Hermione, looking uncertainly after Neville and then smiled at Harry.
"See you then." she waved "Remember to write!" she called as she ran off to her waiting parents.
The Weasley's said their goodbyes. Petunia asked Ron's mother to write to her and then the red-headed family left the station in the blink of an eye.
Harry grinned as he, Petunia and Dudley were left alone on the platform.
Harry ran to his brother.
He couldn't wait to go home again.
