Hyacinth POV
The castle felt like it was breathing with us, one last inhale before the exhale. Trunks snapped shut, owls fussed in their cages, someone down the corridor was trying to shove three years' worth of Exploding Snap decks into a sock. End-of-term chaos was a good kind of chaos.
I did a final sweep of Gryffindor Tower with Hermione and Neville. Hermione holding a checklist like it was a sacred text, and Neville was balancing a crate of baby mandrake cuttings because he said they liked the vibration of footsteps. I didn't know what to say to that so I wisely said nothing.
After finishing up in the tower we cut across the to the seventh floor. We were headed to the Room of Requirement across from the dancing troll picture.
Draco was already pacing by the blank wall, while Blaise leaned against the stone like a statue that had decided to develop opinions, and Theo stood quietly with his hands in his sleeves almost like he was trying to look smaller than he was.
We were walking towards them when Fred and George managed to pop up out nowhere, and were absolutely failing at trying to act innocent.
"Ready?" I asked.
"As we'll ever be," Draco said, mouth a thin line, but his eyes steadier than I'd seen in weeks.
We walked past the wall three times, and the Room of Requirement door rippled into existence. Inside, it had become exactly what I'd asked for the last month. The house elves had done a clean sweep of everything, the shelves were bare, tables cleaned off, and every book we'd cataloged gone. Every trunk Tilly, Kreacher and the other elves had shrunk, tagged, and whisked away to the vault for staging. The only thing left was an old chalkboard that still hung crooked on the wall. Across it, in my handwriting, was the last line I'd written for the elves.
> take everything that matters. leave everything that doesn't.
"Looks like they got it all," Hermione said, and for once she didn't reach for the chalk.
Fred bumped my shoulder. "Admit it you're going to miss this rat's nest."
"Yeah," I admitted. "But I'm not going to miss the bits that tried to kill us."
"Fair," George said solemnly.
Theo drifted to the board, tracing the chalk dust with a thumb. "You really did it," he said, so softly that I almost didn't hear it.
"We really did it," I corrected. "You're part of the 'we' now, you know."
He nodded, but he stayed quiet.
We left the Room as it was and headed back out the door. In the corridor, the suits of armor clanked like they were saluting a parade. On the way down we nearly ran into Percy, who tried to dock us five points for "loitering on a stairwell," then lost his nerve when Professor McGonagall turned the corner and tilted a single eyebrow at him. She looked me over, briefly and gave the tiniest of nods. As if she knew we wouldn't be back, but she gave us her permission to go.
Filch glared at us by the entrance hall with Mrs. Norris draped across his shoulders like a limp fur stole. She blinked at me but he didn't. Whatever, I thought. I still can't believe Dumbledore managed to save his job after what he did to me.
We stepped out of the castle for the final time and into the sunlight.
Hagrid waved from the lawn, his big hands were probably visible from space. "Take care, yeh lot!" he boomed. Fang barked once as his tail wagged behind him. I waved back hard enough to make my shoulder twinge, because I was going to miss Hagrid.
On the steps, Luna fell into step beside us like a wisp of fog deciding to be a girl for a while. "The castle's pleased," she said dreamily. "She likes it when people leave with full pockets and lighter hearts."
"Tell her thanks for the hospitality," I said.
"I did," Luna said, perfectly serious, and drifted away again.
The train platform was alive with steam, chatter and last-second kisses on cheeks. We found an empty compartment and it filled to capacity with me, Neville, Hermione, Draco, Theo, Blaise, Vincent and Gregory. We were passing a tin of biscuits around somebody's mum had delivered with the owl post and a note that said eat these on the train. Fred and George claimed the doorway, running their black-market shop and swapping contraband for sweets like it was a family tradition (it is).
The countryside blurred by as we played Exploding Snap until the cards singed Draco's cuffs and he swore he'd have the entire deck banned from our game rotation. Neville had dozed with his head against the window, whole Trevor rested on his lap. While Hermione and Theo went over their charms together in hushed voices.
At some point, Blaise leaned over and said to me "If this goes well, I'll always be on your side Hyacinth. You've earned at least that from me for helping him." He didn't have to look at Theo for me to know who he was talking about.
"Thanks," I said with a small smile. It kinda felt like I was signing joint custody paperwork without ink, but hey as long as everyone's happy so am I.
We pulled into King's Cross station, where platform Nine and Three-Quarters promptly exploded into reunions. Molly Weasley had three different children in a single hug while Arthur nearly got knocked into a luggage trolley.
Gran Augusta wasted no time in correcting someone's posture as she said "stand up straight" without looking and Neville straightened like a string had pulled him vertical. I couldn't help it I chuckled at him and he just shot me a glare from under Aunt Alice's arm.
Hermione ran off to her parents Wendell and Monica. Her Dad hugged her so hard he lifted her off the ground. She squealed in excitement as he finally set her down with a smile.
And then I saw him. Dad's hair was a disaster, his coat half-buttoned like he'd left the house halfway through getting dressed. He still looked like the best thing I'd ever seen though.
"Princess," he said, and everything went warm and I was safe again. He squeezed me once, hard enough to crack my ribs, and when he let go his eyes flicked over my shoulder to the cluster behind me. "Draco, Theo, Blaise come on," he paused, pointed at Vincent and Gregory before he continued "You two, you're with us till your mums meet us later. Don't wander. I'm charming your shoes to squeak if you do."
"Can he do that?" Gregory whispered.
"He can, and he will." Draco and I said together.
Lucius and Narcissa were a few paces back, looking calm and collected the way only Malfoys can be when their in public.
Theo drifted to my side as his gaze found Dad, then Lucius. He swallowed and said in a low voice, "I'm ready to sign anything else I need to."
"You already did," Dad said, a little more gently this time. "Now you just walk."
We didn't linger there was no point making a spectacle. We peeled away in a loose grouping of Longbottoms, Blacks, Malfoys, Bones and Weasleys filtering toward the exit in threads that wove together at the doors. If Dumbledore was lurking, he didn't show his beard and that was fine by me.
Longbottom Cottage welcomed us with the smell of rosemary and woodsmoke. It was the only place left that didn't look like a packing charm had exploded. Augusta's elves had cleared a room the size of a barn, and within minutes we had bedrolls transfigured across the floor, cots and camp-beds lining up like a very cozy barracks.
Dinner turned into a full-company mess before I could blink. Two long tables appeared under Augusta's supervision and were buried in food: shepherd's pie, roasted root vegetables, a mountain of warm rolls, and soups in charmed bowls that never cooled. Someone (Ted; it felt like Ted) had found a radio and turned it on low. People talked in small groups Uncle Remus and Newt comparing notes on transport crates, Amelia and Andromeda arguing cheerfully about emergency protocols, Draco and Neville trading quips about whose seedlings were most likely to strangle an unsuspecting prefect. Theo sat between Blaise and me and ate like no one was watching him.
Dad clinked a glass with a fork, he didn't give a speech, he just looked around the room, with pride and mischief mixed with something fierce in it. "It's our last night on this rock," he said. "So, eat up."
So, we did. There was also a lot of laughing due to the three miniature food fights, none of which Gran Augusta commented on. The twins tried to balance spoons on their noses; Narcissa took one look and balanced two without blinking. Draco choked in astonishment and if were being honest I nearly did too.
When the plates cleared and the radio went quiet. People started settling onto their cots, trading places to tuck little ones between familiar elbows. Gran Augusta stalked through with a blanket under one arm and a glare that meant lights out in five.
I rolled onto my own cot, my boots tucked under me, and my scarf bunched up as a pillow. Neville nudged my shoulder with his. Across from us, Draco lay on his back and stared at the beams like he was deciding where to hang a chandelier. Theo had both hands folded over his stomach like he couldn't quite believe it was full. Dad walked past and ruffled my hair, very dignified, and moved on before I could swat him.
"Tomorrow," I said into the dim.
"Tomorrow," Neville echoed.
"Tomorrow," Draco repeated, less like a promise and more like he'd already started planning the seating chart for a council meeting.
Theo didn't say anything. He didn't have to. The way his breathing evened out beside us said enough.
The cottage settled around us, with its old wood, and old magic, a last-night hush settled over us. I shut my eyes and listened to the quiet thrum of a house full of people I loved getting ready to do something impossible.
We had everything we needed.
Tomorrow, we'd go.