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The last few days had been wonderful, bringing me a sense of comfort and calm that I had genuinely needed.
However, as good as those days had been, they had also gone by quickly.
And in my opinion, far too quickly.
Maybe it was because having my family around made me lose track of time. Or maybe it was simply because happy moments had the strange habit of passing faster than normal.
Either way, those days of fun had come to an end.
And now here we all were, gathered in front of the main entrance of Hogwarts Castle.
Me, Fleur, Harry, and Krum, who had finally recovered after spending all those days in the Hospital Wing.
Besides the four of us, the schools heads were there as well, along with Nick and Penny.
On the opposite side stood the various families preparing to return home, with their luggage packed and carriages waiting.
Surprisingly, the atmosphere didn't have the sadness or melancholy typical of a farewell.
Of course, nobody was exactly excited about being apart from their loved ones, but there were no dramatic tears or emotional speeches either.
After all, we'd be seeing each other again in just a few days.
The school year was practically over, and summer vacation was right around the corner.
Even so, goodbyes were still goodbyes.
My mom hugged me first. And as expected, it was a tight hug.
A very tight hug.
The kind of hug that made it perfectly clear she still didn't want to be separated from me.
If it were up to her, she'd probably stay glued to my side forever.
But knowing that wasn't possible, and realizing Dad and Cele wanted a chance to say goodbye too, she reluctantly pulled away.
"Ethan..." she began, stepping back slightly but still holding my hand.
"Yeah?" I tilted my head.
She stared at me for a few seconds, lightly biting her lip, a somewhat worried look in her eyes.
"After we leave, no more dangerous adventures... alright?" she asked.
I was already opening my mouth to answer when she continued:
"Or at least make sure you're with an adult whenever you want to do something exciting... like Nick and Penny."
She paused.
"Especially Penny."
With a slightly amused expression, I glanced briefly in Nick's direction.
The six-hundred-year-old alchemist was standing a short distance away from us, and at that moment he looked deeply offended.
"What exactly did she mean by 'especially Penny'?" he asked, turning toward his wife.
Penny had to look away to hide her laughter.
Shaking my head, I looked back at my mom.
"Okay... no dangerous adventures. I promise," I said, giving her a reassuring smile.
Fortunately, it seemed to work, because I could see her relax a little.
"Good." She nodded, satisfied.
Then a small smile appeared on her face.
"And how about no pranks either?"
"We both know that's not going to happen." My lips twitched.
"Unfortunately, yes." She sighed dramatically before giving me one last affectionate hug.
My dad was next.
Unlike my mom, he wasn't much of a hugger.
That didn't stop him from practically crushing my ribs.
"Urgh... Dad."
"Hm?"
"I think you broke something."
"Excellent. That means the hug worked."
"That's not how hugs work," I said, exasperated.
"That's not what my degree says."
"You graduated in medicine."
"Exactly. And everybody knows a hug is the best cure in the world," he declared confidently.
"Even when it's the hug causing the injury?"
"That's just a minor detail."
Hearing that, I couldn't help letting out a small laugh.
My dad smiled.
Then he gave me a light pat on the shoulder.
"Take care of yourself, son."
"I will."
"And don't do anything dangerous."
"I'll try."
"That answer doesn't reassure me."
"What about 'I'll try really hard'?"
That earned a laugh from him.
Finally, Cele stepped forward. And she immediately wrapped her arms around my waist.
"I'm going to miss you," she murmured.
I crouched down and hugged her back.
"I'm going to miss you too, princess."
She lifted her head and looked at me with a pout.
"But you'll be coming home soon, right?"
"I will."
"Then it's okay." She smiled, looking satisfied.
Her kid logic was admirably efficient.
Miss someone? Yes.
But we'd see each other again in a few days, so problem solved.
I ruffled her hair.
"Keep causing trouble at home until I get back, okay?"
"You can count on it!" Cele nodded with an adorably serious and determined expression.
And I had absolutely no doubt she would do exactly that.
'My little troublemaker,' I smiled, feeling a mix of affection and pride.
Meanwhile, not too far away, another equally interesting farewell was taking place.
Harry was with Sirius, Remus, Andromeda, Ted, and Dora.
Watching from a distance, it was impossible not to notice how different things were compared to the previous year.
Back then, Harry had practically nobody.
Now?
He had an entire family.
Maybe not a traditional family... but definitely a family.
Sirius was smiling while saying something.
Remus looked calm beside him, occasionally adding a comment to the conversation.
Ted and Andromeda wore warm expressions, and Dora...
Well... Dora was making ridiculous faces... obviously.
Harry was trying very hard to maintain a serious expression while also trying to ignore her.
Emphasis on 'trying'.
In the end, he failed spectacularly.
Eventually, he gave in and laughed at the Metamorphmagus girl's antics.
And at that moment, while watching my troublesome friend laugh, I realized something.
For the first time since I'd met him, Harry genuinely looked lighthearted.
Without the weight of the Dursleys.
Without that constant feeling of keeping something bottled up inside.
Without his usual loneliness and melancholy.
It was good to see... genuinely good.
After all the families had said goodbye to their children, they started saying goodbye to each other as well.
And among all those farewells, the most interesting one was the one happening between Cele and Gabrielle.
The two of them had spent less than a week together. Even so, they'd become friends frighteningly fast.
Probably because they both had enough energy to power a small city.
"You have to come visit me!" Cele demanded, hugging the little French girl enthusiastically.
"You too!" Gabi replied immediately, just as excited.
"Okay!" Cele stepped back and nodded firmly. "And when you do, we're going to play a lot!"
"Definitely! And I'll bring you the best French sweets!"
"And I'll show you some of my favorite toys!"
"Deal!" Gabi smiled at Cele, who smiled right back.
'Why does this feel more like a negotiation than a goodbye?' I wondered, sweating slightly.
Actually, considering the threat level those two tiny agents of chaos posed to peace and quiet, it might have been more accurate to call it a military alliance.
"Heh."
A soft laugh sounded beside me.
Turning, I saw Fleur watching the two little girls with an affectionate and amused expression.
Her parents and mine, standing not far away, were also observing the scene with faint smiles.
"You know, I'm starting to think Cele's personality is genetic," Fleur suddenly commented.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" I raised an eyebrow.
She turned toward me with a mischievous smile.
"What I mean is that the two of you act exactly alike... energetic, playful, and a little dramatic."
"Oh, that makes sense," I nodded. "And now that also explains Gabi's personality."
Fleur narrowed her eyes.
"Innocent, curious, absent-minded, and ridiculously easy to tease."
In response, the beautiful Veela gave me a light elbow to the side.
I took that as confirmation.
After a few more minutes, all the families finally finished saying their goodbyes.
As everything was prepared for departure, they began boarding the waiting carriages one by one.
I stood beside Fleur, Harry, Nick, and Penny, quietly watching.
Nobody said much.
The carriages started moving.
Slowly at first, then picking up speed until they disappeared into the distance.
For a few seconds, we continued staring at the empty road.
Then Harry let out a small sigh.
"It was nice having them here."
"That's true," I agreed.
He turned toward me with a somewhat forced smile.
"Well... at least we'll get to see them again in a few days," he said, sounding more like he was trying to reassure himself than anyone else.
"Yeah." I nodded calmly. "When summer vacation starts, we'll all be together again."
As I said that, I turned toward him.
"So don't focus too much on them leaving," I said before giving him a light pat on the shoulder. "Just think about all the homework the professors are going to assign us."
"That... that was supposed to make me feel better?" he grimaced.
"Definitely not." I smiled.
For some reason, Harry seemed to find my smile unbearably cheerful.
Ignoring the Boy-Who-Lived's grumpy look, I turned back toward the empty road.
Just like he'd said, summer vacation would begin in only a few days, and then everything would return to normal.
Or at least as close to normal as our lives ever managed to be.
'This summer is going to be very busy...'
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Later that same day, after everyone returned to their own activities, I finally found myself alone.
For the first time in several days.
Without my parents. Without Cele.
Without visitors occupying every corner of the castle.
Strangely, Hogwarts felt a little quieter.
I wandered through the corridors without any particular destination, noticing that everything looked the same.
Yet at the same time, I felt like something had changed.
Maybe it was because I knew that period of relative peace was coming to an end.
Voldemort's return had set the gears of destiny into motion.
The coming years would be different.
Different, dangerous, and incredibly important.
I knew it, Dumbledore knew it, and Voldemort himself knew it as well.
And soon, the rest of the world would discover it too.
But while some people were still trying to understand what had happened over the previous weekend, I was already thinking about the future.
The preparations were practically complete, and the pieces were almost all in position.
And now, at long last, it was time to start moving some of them.
End.
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