"Yes sir, I'll get on that right away." Harry says, looking resolutely at his professor.
His legs may hate him for it, but Harry Potter isn't someone to only half-ass something.
Finals proved to be a good time if you were a member of the Sphinx Club. The studying the group had done up to that point had severely over-prepared the group for their exams, and because of that, they had no issues at all. The Sphinx Club are currently meeting in their room, on the final day before the winter break.
"So you all are going home?" Harry asks, looking at his friends.
"Yes, my parents have been having some issues with me being away this long, so once they heard that I had a winter break, they demanded that I come home," Hermione says. "I'm their only child, they've been complaining that the house feels way too empty without me."
"Susan, Hannah, and I are all more or less required by our parents to attend a few events as 'good pureblooded ladies' . Thankfully we'll have each other," Daphne says. "Tracey will probably be there as well, so we can keep an eye out for each other, especially since Malfoy and his cronies will probably be there."
"I've got to attend those too, at least I'll have you guys this time!" Neville says grinning at the girls.
"Our parents want us to come back to India for a bit, and hear more about what we've been up to. We haven't been able to send as many letters as they would like because of the sheer distance." Padma says, Parvati nods along.
"Mom needs me to tell her in person about what's been going on here, also possibly yell at me for not telling more about what you're doing." Lavender says with a shrug. "Why aren't you going home?"
Harry freezes, he had hoped he'd never need to tell them about the Dursleys, especially now that he was so close to truly being free of them. Flitwick said the proceedings were going very well, and that it was incredibly unlikely that the Dursleys would be resuming their guardianship. As of this moment however, it was unknown who would be taking over it though, as they weren't allowed to interview new guardian options until the old guardians were officially deemed "unfit". The nine people in this room though, they were his friends. He had risked his life for one of them, and would have done so for any of them. They had never treated him poorly, had never been less than amazing friends to him, and have pushed him to be the best Harry he could possibly be. They deserved to know the truth.
"I'm not going home, because I really don't have a home to go to. I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone else about this, at least not for a while. After my parents died, I was put with my aunt and uncle, my mother's sister and her husband. They aren't very nice people. They would beat me and would have likely starved me if I wasn't responsible for cooking their food. I did all of the household chores, and my 'room' was the cupboard under the stairs. Thankfully Professor Flitwick has been helping me with leaving them, and having them put in jail for child abuse. As of now though, my only guardian is Professor Flitwick." Harry says, tears having found their way out of his eyes.
Not even a second after Harry finishes his statement however, Hermione has thrown her arms around Harry and is giving him a bone breaking hug. "Oh Harry! I should have known it was that bad when they weren't there at the station. Oh those miserable little… UGH. Oh, I wish I could have you come home with me for Christmas, but there's no way I could get permission in time." Hermione rattles off quickly. While Hermione's hugs where often painful, they were always nice and warm. Harry hopes all hugs are like this.
"That's awful Harry. I'm glad you're getting it dealt with. I hope that whatever family they put you with is good for you. You deserve it for being a good person despite everything you've been through." Padma says, joining Hermione in crushing Harry's bones with a hug of her own. Padma's hugs were rarer than Hermione's, but no less nice. Though they were less painful.
"Ooh, I hope Auntie makes sure they get the book thrown at them. No one deserves that, especially not someone as nice as you. Move over, I'm getting in on this." Susan says, wrapping her arms around Harry as well. Harry had not experienced a Susan hug before this moment, but had no complaints. The close proximity of several pretty girls was however getting him rather flustered.
"Th-thanks guys, I really appreciate it. Just make sure you don't tell anyone okay? I don't want there to be a bunch of public fighting for my guardianship. Hopefully one of my parent's friends will step up and take me in." Harry says, his face beet red.
"You've got it Harry, we'll keep it under wraps, and we'll be here to support you." Neville says, giving a thumbs up from another nearby couch.
The rest of the groups time together was spent simply enjoying being together one last time before the end of break. Throughout the rest of the day though, Susan, Hermione and Padma only very rarely left Harry's side.
The morning after was bittersweet for the Sphinx Club, Harry went down to the Hogwarts station to see his friends off as he said farewell until they returned from their break.
Harry however, truly feels alone for the first time since he was at Hogwarts. He always had Hermione or Padma or someone with him at all times since the start of term, and now all his friends are gone. Even his roommates, who he has become more friendly with as the term went on had left to join their families for Winter break.
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