≈her dungeons were losed off aories reloated, as you know,” gonagall said, walkg with harry down the orridor to her offie
“what do you e the for now?” harry asked, knog nothg hogwarts ever really was eliated, only repurposed or left to rot part of hi hoped it was the tter, thkg that perhaps if there was any trae of alfoy left, it would be there
“ste,” gonagall replied, silg tightly
“oh,” harry replied he ould feel as though she was hidihg, but he had been aed of beg overly spiio sihe war, and to be frank, who wouldn’t be?
≈ have any free offies,” she ohere was quite a bit of shufflg for the ore desirable oeahers have o ahe st few years, and i’ afraid the biggest spae left is sever’s old suite i’ll have it leared out and filled bak with ss, if you’d like to take it it’s the dungeons, so it’s hens”
she rebered his teo the kithen for snaks, then harry ould feel odd stayg snape’s roos, when there had been so ah wee iage aki had beloo sever snape f his own then aga, without the slyther oon roos the dungeohere wouldn’t be as as wanderg around there one sses were over
“i guess i’ll take it, then,” harry aryg to ph his hesitatio was only a roo whoever lived there had nothg to do with it snape’s offies were now jt vaant roos the slyther du vaant roos now, too
harry was startled by a pressure on his legs, lookg down to see a alio dg around his shs
“hello,” he said softly, bendg to srath her h
she owed bak to hi rather ily, leang to his hand
“what’s your na? you’re uh prettier than rs norris, unless y ory serves wrong,” he said
“o os not sure whih, as she’s always w on her oears to have been abahe sur holiday” gonagall replied
≈e sure she isn’t a student?” he asked, otiong to his own gsses and lookg bak at the at her arkgs looked rearkably like gsses, a trait he kh gonagall and rita skeeter shared their aniag for
“i’d know if she was,” she aly
“there were aniag ile before without you knooi, refereng his father and his frieood fro his rouhed positio walkg away at a leisurely pae
“fool oer,” gonagall replied lightly, raisi hi
“right,” harry replied, though he ouldhe little whisper of doubt his d
they arrived at dubledore’s offie, now gonagall’s it ade harry want to ugh, how ule looked while at the sa ti beiely different or aybe it ade hi want to ry
he followed gonagall to her offie, where she oo speak
≈he astle is ostly epty this ti of year, apart fro hagrid and yself, you’ll have to go to the kithe your als, but you’ll be so lose, i doubt that roble,” she arried on
harry sighed with relief he kle would be ostly epty fng of his stay, but still, the idea of havihe great hall, the idea of beg publi, where people who thought they knew hi ould speute, ade hi feel sik to his stoah
“you’ll have until ≈ everythihe students you will, of ourse, have full e of the library aover aterials the defense roo”
harry nodded
≈ you will want a day or o to settle , but i reiate it if you began preparg for the ≈he end of the week,” gonagall said firly, eyeg hi spiioly “i hope you rofessor thaudent”
“i hope so, too,” harry hukled darkly
“well, kily for you, you doe a read the,” gonagall quipped she ghe wall and bak to hi “your roos should be ready half an hour i trt you an by yourself u hagrid, perhaps, before he os after you with a sent dog?”
harry walked bak out to the hall, wahrough the astle for about ten utes bef hiself walkg out iowards a failiar shak
like he speted, beile grounds dide as uh like og ho as he ed
he was bak
drao had seen hi, had alost run to hi, the hall froher duayed bak, less tha away, the shadows, though disilsioned, aher an
potter ran his hao ade up the deons, exaiook his ed the wall, but to no avail
he paed, lookg up and down the hall, bef “pure-blood”
drao ed
“no, of ourse they’ve hahe password sihen,” harry said to hiself quietly he sighed, pressg his right hand ft agaiohe hand to a fist, leang his fast the id stupid, stupid, stupid,” he repeated, a his hest tighten
≈o step loser, the feelg only ihe k he ouldn’t what are you lookg for, potter? the question sat on his tohe very tip of it, beatg agast the bak of his teeth, but he did esape it would be so easy it would be so easy to ask it, potter would jup and turn to look at hi ahen he would run, to tell gonaga