Harry Potter: Westeros’s Plant Life

Chapter 481 481: 0481 Farewells

The farewell conversations continued throughout the day and into Friday, arriving in ones and twos like the final pages of a book that knows it is nearly finished.

Neville came by in the mid-morning, knocking so quietly that Adrian almost didn't hear it.

He stood in the doorway for a moment before entering, holding a potted plant in both hands like transporting something fragile. It was a Moonpetal Fern—rare enough that Adrian recognized it immediately, its silver-edged leaves were catching the light with a faint glow even in an ordinary room.

"I grew it myself," Neville said, setting it on the desk with great care and then stepping back.

"It took most of the year. Professor Sprout helped me with the soil composition, but the rest was mine." He paused, looking at it rather than at Adrian. "I wanted to give you something too."

He had written out care instructions on a folded piece of parchment, specific and thorough, covering light requirements and watering schedules and what to do if the leaves began to dim.

Adrian read them while Neville sat across from him, and they talked for a while about the plant and about Neville's summer plans and about whether he might pursue Herbology at a more serious level after finishing school.

Luna drifted in shortly afterward, which was the only accurate verb for the way Luna Lovegood moved through the world.

She examined his office for a moment with her wide, considering eyes, then told him that his aura had shifted since the battle from something she described as "heathered blue with anxious gold edges" to something warmer and more settled, which she seemed to consider a significant improvement.

She didn't stay long, but before she left she pressed a folded drawing into his hands. He unfolded it to find the Tree of Wisdom rendered in Luna's distinctive style.

Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan arrived together, as they did most things, carrying between them a rolled Gryffindor banner that they presented with considerable ceremony.

"Honorary membership," Dean said gravely. "Voted on by an informal quorum of Gryffindors. We took it very seriously."

"There was a show of hands from almost all students of our year," Seamus said. "It was nearly unanimous. Ernie MacMillan abstained on grounds that you were technically a Hufflepuff, but we've decided his opinion doesn't count on account of bias."

"I was a Hufflepuff," Adrian said while accepting the banner.

"You defeated You-Know-Who," Dean said, as though this were a sufficient rebuttal. "Gryffindor claims you retroactively."

They stayed for ten minutes which was filled largely with Seamus recounting, with considerable embellishment, a story about the Care of Magical Creatures lesson where a Flobberworm had somehow ended up in McGonagall's briefcase.

The Patil twins brought a beautifully wrapped box of Honeydukes sweets, tied with ribbon in their respective house colors, which Adrian thought was a thoughtful detail.

Even Draco Malfoy appeared, briefly. He stood in the doorway without coming fully inside. He thanked Adrian for his testimony at his father's trial: testimony that had been factual without being unnecessarily damaging.

Each conversation was different, but they all carried the same underlying current: gratitude and goodbye.

The Weasley twins arrived in typical dramatic fashion, with a small controlled explosion of purple smoke that filled the corridor outside Adrian's office and smelled distinctly of burnt sugar.

"Professor Westeros!" Fred announced, sweeping into the office with a dramatic bow.

"We bring gifts of gratitude!" George continued, matching his brother's energy.

They presented Adrian with a decoratively wrapped box that seemed to vibrate slightly which Adrian noticed and chose not to comment on.

Our latest product line," Fred explained. "Perfectly safe, mostly legal, and guaranteed to make any future teaching position significantly more interesting."

"We'd demonstrate," George added, "but Professor McGonagall has threatened to ban us from Hogsmeade for life if we 'conduct any more unauthorized product testing in school.'"

Adrian accepted the box cautiously, well aware of the twins' reputation. "Should I be concerned about opening this?"

"Only slightly," they said in perfect unison, then grinned.

He looked at them both for a moment, these two students who had spent a year making his corridors more chaotic and his days more interesting.

There was something about the twins that the year hadn't dampened at all. They emerged from everything the same as they'd entered it, which was either their great gift or their great stubbornness.

"Thank you," he said, and meant it for more than the box.

They accepted this with matching grins and left in a considerably quieter fashion than they'd arrived.

Friday evening brought the farewell feast, and the Great Hall was at its most beautiful—the enchanted ceiling was showing a deep twilight, the first stars were appearing in the darkening blue, the candles were burning warm and gold over tables crowded with students in high spirits.

The noise was considerable and cheerful.

Adrian sat at the staff table between Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick, both of whom were in excellent moods.

Professor Sprout was planning a month of intensive work in her greenhouses before visiting family in Wales.

Professor Flitwick was attending a Charms symposium in Edinburgh and seemed genuinely excited about a paper being presented on the theoretical limits of Levitation charms.

Even Snape who communicated his summer plans in vagueness said roughly about his potion experiments turning to something he'd been looking forward to for months.

Even Hagrid was excited and announced to the section of the table boomingly that he was visiting dragon reserves in Romania.

When Dumbledore rose to give his end-of-term speech, the hall gradually quieted. His presence gained attention without a word; his voice was resounding to every corner of the vast room.

"Another year concludes," Dumbledore began, his tone was warm and encompassing. "And what a year it has been. We have faced challenges—some expected, others quite surprising. We have lost and we have won. We have said goodbye to fears that haunted us, and hello to possibilities we scarcely dared imagine."

His eyes swept across the students, then briefly met Adrian's before continuing.

"I will not dwell on the darkness we have survived. Others have spoken of it at length, and you all know the story well. Instead I wish to speak of light. Of the courage shown by students who refused to give up hope even in the darkest hours.

Of teachers who continued their work with dedication and care, maintaining the sanctuary of learning that Hogwarts has always been and must always remain. Of the simple but profound truth that goodness, when steadfast and determined can overcome even the most terrible evil."

He paused then continued.

"As you return to your homes and families tomorrow, carry that light with you. The world beyond these walls is changing, has changed. But you have been taught well. You are prepared. And more importantly, you are good: kind, brave, clever, and loyal. Never forget that what you choose to do with your magic matters far more than how powerful that magic is."

There was another pause after which, his voice became lighter, more cheerful.

"Now. Before I release you to your packing and inevitable last-minute chaos, I must announce the House Cup winner."

The tension in the Great Hall grew.

Somewhere near the Hufflepuff table, someone dropped a fork.

"This year, the competition has been remarkably close, with all four houses showing exceptional effort and achievement." He let this sit for just a second, which was definitely intentional. "But the House Cup goes to—Gryffindor."

Cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table, so loud they seemed to shake the enchanted ceiling. The Gryffindor banners unfurled from the walls, red and gold replacing the neutral decorations.

Students pounded the tables with their fists, creating a thunderous rhythm of celebration.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were at the center of the celebration were grinning and laughing and accepting congratulations from their housemates. Adrian caught Harry's eye across the hall and raised his goblet in a small toast. Harry returned the gesture, his smile was bright and genuine.

Saturday morning arrived with the general chaos of departure day. The Hogwarts Express would leave at eleven, and the castle was filled with students rushing to finish packing, searching for lost items, and saying final goodbyes before the summer separation.

Adrian spent the morning finishing his own packing. His personal items would fit into a normal single trunk which was quite less than he expected, for a year that had felt so full. The books, the papers, the small gifts from students were all sorted and packed.

The enchanted suitcase that served as his portal to the plantation sat by the door, the most important thing in the room.

A knock on his door drew his attention. "Come in," he called, expecting another student.

But it was Professor McGonagall who had a thoughtful look.

"Adrian," she said. "Do you have a moment?"

"Of course, Professor," he said, gesturing to a chair.

She settled into it with her characteristic preciseness, then observed him for a moment before speaking.

"You've done well this year. Exceptionally well, under circumstances that would have broken lesser wizards. Your students speak of you with a regard I have rarely seen extended to any teacher, and you have made contributions to this school's safety that cannot be overstatedd."

"Thank you," Adrian said, uncertain where this was leading.

"Which is why," McGonagall continued, "I want to know if you intend to return next year. Dumbledore mentioned you were uncertain, and I wanted to add my own voice to the chorus encouraging you to stay."

Despite everything, Adrian smiled at that. "I appreciate it more than I can express, Professor. But I'm genuinely not certain yet."

He considered how to say the rest of it accurately. "The battle changed me in ways I'm still discovering. Not all of them were bad—most of them were quite the opposite. But change of that kind takes time to understand, and I don't want to make permanent decisions before I know what I'm deciding from."

He paused for a second then said. "My sister also needs support and my presence as she has just recovered after years of unconsciousness. And honestly, after everything that happened this year, I need time to understand who I am now and what I want my life to be."

Professor McGonagall nodded, slowly with consideration.

"That's fair. More than fair, actually—it's wise. Too many wizards rush into decisions after trauma without taking time to heal and reflect."

She paused then continued. "But I hope you'll seriously consider returning. You're a good teacher, Adrian. And more than that, you're the kind of person Hogwarts needs."

"I will consider it seriously," he said. "That I can promise."

"That's all I can ask." McGonagall rose to leave, then paused at the door. "One more thing. Whatever you decide, know that you have a home here if you want it. Hogwarts doesn't forget its own."

After she left, Adrian sat in the quiet of his office and felt the weight of choice settling over him.

Return to teaching, to the structure and purpose and community he'd found here? Or step away, explore what his changed nature meant, focus on his family and the Tree and the new possibilities his connection with it opened?

Both paths had merit. Both called to different parts of him.

He didn't have to decide today, he reminded himself.

He had all summer to think about it.

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