firecracker ???

7-2

"You all lied to us all summer?!"

"You're all coming back?!"

"Surprise," Regulus said blandly.

Harry, still processing, burst into laughter. "You're all professors now."

"And you," Sirius added, poking him in the chest, "are about to walk into a Hogwarts year with three of your honorary uncles on staff. Have fun explaining that in detention."

"Of course," Lupin said. "What, you think we'd send you off to Hogwarts and miss the chance to supervise your every mistake?"

"I'm moved," Lyra said dryly.

"I'm horrified," Draco said.

"I'm ecstatic," Harry said, already dragging his trunk aboard. "This is going to be so much fun."

Draco groaned. "We're never getting away with anything."

Lyra tilted her head. "We never do anyway. It's alright, brother dearest."

Harry just grinned, so wide it almost hurt.

He wasn't dreading the train ride this time. Wasn't worried about what was ahead.

He was excited.

-

The Hogwarts Express hadn't changed. Still steaming. Still scarlet. Still chaotic in the way only something magical and old could be.

Of course it was.

Harry, Lyra, Draco, Pansy, Theo, Daphne, and Blaise had commandeered the last carriage—partly for nostalgia, partly because no one else dared take it.

Harry sat stretched across one side, feet on Draco's knees, head in Lyra's lap.

She rolled her eyes every time he sighed theatrically.

Blaise was playing trying his best to fall asleep.

Pansy and Daphne were whispering and pointing at Theo.

Theo was pretending not to care.

It was... peaceful. Chaotic. Beautiful.

But the energy was different.

After a while, Harry and Lyra settled into the prefect carriage like they'd been doing it for years. Harry slouched into his seat with practiced ease, legs stretched out and one arm around Lyra's shoulders, who was already reorganising the schedule parchment Regulus had prepared.

"Did he make a colour-coded timetable?" Harry asked.

"Yes."

"Did he include detention slots that don't exist?"

"Yes."

"I think I'm in love with your uncle."

"Don't tell me that, Potter."

Draco barged in a second later, collapsed dramatically across from them, and announced: "We are not letting Lupin grade our essays. He likes footnotes."

"You've been on the train forty minutes," Lyra said dryly.

"I've seen his syllabus. It's organised."

"God forbid," Harry muttered.

Draco huffed. "I liked it better when all our professors were terrified of us."

Sirius poked his head in. "Don't worry. I still am."

Draco looked alarmed.

Sirius winked and disappeared.