On the evening of August 31st, Orli went out of her way to buy a small cake from a Muggle supermarket for Dobby to celebrate the end of their contract. From now on, Dobby was completely free. No longer a servant, he was now simply an equal employee of Orli.
Dobby was so overcome with emotion that he couldn't speak, hiccupping through his tears as he smeared cream all over his face while eating.
The next morning, after bidding farewell to a still tearful Dobby, Orli made her way to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. She returned the sleek black Scabbers to Ron, who eagerly pulled him out of the cage, inspecting him from every angle before stuffing him into his pocket.
Perhaps due to Scabbers' considerable weight, Ron's pocket bulged like a large lump. Orli couldn't help but think that Peter Pettigrew might now be suffering from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar.
Hermione, meanwhile, was soothing a restless Crookshanks in his wicker cage.
"Don't worry, Crookshanks. I'll let you out once we're on the train," Hermione reassured him.
"Don't you dare," Ron snapped, clearly annoyed. "What about poor Scabbers, huh?"
The scarlet steam engine of the Hogwarts Express puffed smoke high above the platform, which was bustling with witches and wizards seeing their children off to school.
Percy strode toward a girl with long curly hair—Penelope from Ravenclaw, his girlfriend. He puffed out his chest, making sure she could see the gleaming Head Boy badge pinned to his robes.
Ginny's cheeks flushed slightly as she stepped through the barrier onto the platform. Standing close to Orli, she whispered, "Thank you," and pressed a small, hard box into Orli's hand. Seeing Ginny's delighted expression and then glancing at Harry nearby, Orli couldn't shake a slight sense of guilt, as though she'd betrayed a friend for personal gain.
Fred and George circled Orli, shouting in exaggerated tones.
"Honestly, Orli, does your family have Veela blood?" Fred exclaimed.
"When did you shoot up like this? You've completely transformed! The first time we saw you at the train station, you looked like a little stray," George teased.
Mrs. Weasley kissed each of her children goodbye, followed by Hermione, Harry, and finally Orli. She gave Orli an especially warm hug, which made Orli feel slightly awkward but undeniably happy. Mrs. Weasley smelled wonderful—a comforting scent that was hard to describe. She handed each of them a large bag filled with sandwiches, ham, and cookies.
The whistle for departure soon sounded, and they squeezed onto the train, waving at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley through the window until the train rounded a bend and they were out of sight.
The quartet had boarded a bit late, and it seemed every compartment was already full. After searching for a while, they finally found some empty seats at the rear of the train. This compartment had only one other occupant, who was sitting by the window, fast asleep.
He wore an extremely shabby wizard's robe, patched in several places. His face was pale and tired, and though he was still young, his light brown hair was streaked with gray.
"Who do you think he is?" Ron whispered as they sat down near the door and closed it.
"Professor R.J. Lupin," Hermione whispered immediately.
"How do you know?" Harry asked.
"His suitcase says so," Hermione replied, pointing to the luggage rack above the man. There was a battered suitcase tied with many strings, neatly knotted. The words "Professor R.J. Lupin" were stamped in one corner, though the letters were peeling.
"Wonder what he teaches," Ron said, frowning at the worn-out profile of Professor Lupin.
"Obviously," Orli said softly, "there's only one vacancy, right? 'Defense Against the Dark Arts.'"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
"9 amazing fanfics available on my Patreon.
Support for 280+ advance chapters:
patreon.com/DarkGolds"