In DADA, Harry was again proud of Hermione. After Umbridge reminded the hopeful students to put away their wands, she had them begin reading chapter two.

Hermione's hand was in the air as the other students turned to page nineteen. Harry couldn't hear the conversation, but he remembered the gist of it.

"What is it this time, Miss Granger?" Umbridge whispered, to prevent the other students from hearing.

"I've already read chapter two." Hermione said.

"Well then, proceed to chapter three."

"I've read that too. I've read the whole book."

Umbridge blinked, but recovered almost instantly. "Well, then, you should be able to tell me what Mr. Slinkhard says about counter-jinxes in chapter fifteen."

"He says that counter-jinxes are improperly named." Hermione said promptly, "He says 'jinx' is just a name people give their jinxes to make them sound more acceptable."

Umbridge raised her brows for a moment, and Harry knew she was unwillingly impressed.

"But I disagree." Hermione continued.

"You disagree?" Umbridge repeated.

"Yes, I do." Hermione said, who wasn't whispering. Her voice was clear, and caught the attention of the rest of the class. "Mr. Slinkhard doesn't like jinxes, does he? But, I think they can be very useful when they're used defensively."

"Oh, you do, do you?" Umbridge said, forgetting to whisper and straightening up. "Well, I'm afraid it is Mr. Slinkhard's opinion, and not yours, that matters within this classroom, Miss Granger."

"But-"

"That is enough." Umbridge walked back to the front of the classroom. "Miss Granger, I am going to take five points from gryffindor house."

Mutterings filled the room.

"What for?" Dean asked.

"For disrupting my class with pointless interruptions." Umbridge said. "I am here to teach you using a Ministry approved method that does not include inviting students to give their opinions on matters about which they understand very little. Your previous teachers in this subject may have allowed you more license, but as none of them - with the possible exception of Professor Quirrell, who did at least appear to have restricted himself to age appropriate subjects - would have passed a Ministry inspection-"

"Yeah, Quirrell was a great teacher," Harry grumbled under his breath, "There was just the minor drawback of having Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head."

Draco and Blaise looked at Harry with incredulously alarmed and concerned faces.

Harry shrugged. "It's true." He whispered. Draco's face went forcefully blank, while Blaise looked like he was questioning many things.

~~~

After DADA, they were walking back to the common room when they came across a fight in one of the corridors. Before Harry had a chance to do anything, he saw a student fall by a stunning spell.

He knew it was a stun, he'd heard it, but it had already struck his memory. Harry turned and left. He couldn't breathe, something was clawing at his chest, gripping his lungs shut, tearing at his guts. Fragments of moments, of memories came unbidden to the forefront of his mind. He didn't have any place in particular in mind, but he had to go. 

Draco turned in time to see Harry disappear around a corner, and followed after him. Draco couldn't match Harry's speed or even hope to catch up. Draco watched as Harry ran, until he wasn't running at all.

Harry needed to go, he needed to leave, he had to get away, he had to escape. He couldn't think.

Draco was the only one who saw Harry Potter's form shift almost seamlessly- there was the slightest wobble to the first beats of the small Merlin falcon's wings. Then the falcon was soaring into the air, and vanished from view behind part of the castle.

~~~

McGonagall found him on the floor of her office, tucked into a corner. His knees were pulled up toward his chest, and his hands were wringing through hair that he found too short.

She didn't know why he was there, but after a second of surprise at seeing him, she recognized what was happening. "Mr. Potter." She said softly, and saw Harry look up at his name. She crossed the room, setting down the stack of parchment she'd been carrying on her way past the desk.

She sat down next to Harry on the floor, and cautiously wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He leaned into her side. She only asked her question after his breathing had steadied. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"I would," Harry said, taking a shaky breath. "But I don't know if I should."

For a moment, her brows scrunched closer together, but then the expression was gone as quickly as it had come. "I might be able to help if I had more context."

Harry tipped his head back, so that it rested against the spines on the bookshelf behind him. "I want to tell you." Harry said, his eyes watering. "But I'm afraid that knowing will get you hurt."

Possibilities ran through McGonagall's mind, before she settled on asking about one. "Does this have to do with your inheritance?"

A nearly hysterical chuckle escaped Harry's throat. "Yeah."

"Now, how do you think that my knowledge will get me hurt?" McGonagall asked.

"If someone tries to use you for it."

"Well. I see a rather straightforward solution." McGonagall said. "I suppose I'll simply keep it to myself that I know anything at all."

Slowly, hope formed in Harry's eyes as he looked at his mentor. "Are you... Sure?" He asked. "You wouldn't be able to tell anyone- I mean anyone-"

"Mr. Potter." McGonagall said firmly. "Though I may not be your head of house for the time being, you are still my student, and therefore under my care as well. There are things I have learned, and one of them is that there is the occasion to share information when it is in the best interest of the student, and when it is best not to break confidentiality."

Harry nodded, and wiped his cheeks off. He reached a hand out towards his school bag, which had been discarded along with his robes upon his entry into the office. Harry focused on trying to cast Accio. 

It was not lost upon his mentor that he did not use his wand. She saw his eyes, stressed, exhausted, and pained, as he tried to use magic. Something had happened, and it wasn't the inheritance that worried her.

Harry's bag moved after a long moment, but only to fall over from its previous position. Harry sighed. "Professor, if you would?"

In a wave of wordless magic, Harry's bag coasted over to them. Harry tried to get the feel of the spell, but wasn't sure how well he'd be able to replicate it. He took the bag, and dug around in it for a moment before finding Draco's notes on Aevumiter. He passed the wrinkled parchment over to McGonagall.

She read over the page quickly. "I see." She said. "How old would you be, legally?"

"Eighteen." Harry said softly.

She nodded. It made sense. His attitude change, maturity shift. "Three years..."

"The war ended a bit over a year ago." Harry said softly.

"So he's defeated then, You-Know-Who?"

"I haven't heard you call him that in forever." Harry said. "But yeah. He's dead."

McGonagall stood, and offered a hand to help Harry up. She sat at her desk, and Harry took the seat across from her. 

"Before we continue this conversation, I must ask: How did you get in? The door was locked." McGonagall asked. 

Harry opened his mouth to speak, and then narrowed his eyes at the fireplace, and the door. McGonagall raised a brow questioningly. Harry tapped his ears.

She understood then, and cast a quick detection charm, followed by privacy ones. 

"There." She said. "So how did you get in?"

"The window."

"The window?" McGonagall asked. Her mind began to run through different scenarios of how he would have achieved that, but immediately disregarded all of them, considering his mental state when he arrived.

"I flew in."

She didn't think it was probable that he would have somehow obtained his broom and flown to her window. Harry saw the hint of confusion on her face.

"I'm an animagus." Harry said shyly. "I just found out I could still change."

"Ah." A hint of a smile pulled at her lips. "I assume you did it the same as your father and godfather."

"Yeah." Harry said, looking down.

"Well. What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know." Harry said. "There are... I know what I need to do. But I don't know how to do it on my own. And I'm scared to involve anybody or say too much. Because I can't lose the advantage I have, and I don't want to risk anybody."

"You don't have to do everything on your own, Mr. Potter." McGonagall said. "There are those of us who will help you."

"That's what I'm afraid of, too." Harry said. "Too many have already died for me. I can't let that happen again."

McGonagall sighed, then folded her hands on the desk. "What can I do?"

"Can you help me with my magic?"

"I will do my best."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me so soon. I haven't helped you yet." McGonagall said. "Now- tell me what you know already, and we'll go from there."

~~~

Before Harry walked out of her office, he looked over his shoulder and smiled. "I missed you." A curious expression formed on her face.

He walked to dinner without the smile falling away.

"Er, Harry?"

Harry looked up at Ron, who was shifting his weight from foot to foot nervously.

"Can I talk to you?" Ron asked.

Harry blinked. "Sure."

Harry followed Ron as they walked outside. Eventually they stopped at a bench, and Ron sat down. Harry did the same.

"So... I'm sorry for getting mad at you. But, you didn't really make it easy not to." Ron said.

"I know. I'm sorry too." Harry said. 

"So, can you explain? I'll listen, I promise." Ron said. "I won't get mad at you. Again."

Harry sighed, and tried to think how to explain it to Ron in a way that he would understand the importance, and not just feel excluded or... Something. "I really don't know how to say what I mean." Harry began. "Something happened to me, and now things are different. From my perspective. And one day I'll tell you, you and Hermione, and then other people. But for now... I need you to understand that... that..."

Ron frowned.

Harry sighed again. "I know that this sounds stupid, and idiotic, but I'm trying to keep you safe. I'm not telling you, to keep you safe. I don't know how to say it any differently than that."

"Harry, mate, you're sorta scaring me." Ron said, his frown turning to concern.

Guilt settled in Harry's stomach, heavy as lead.

"Me and Hermione, you know we'll help you, right? If you need anything?" Ron asked. "'Cause we will-"

Harry set his face in his hands. "That's why I can't tell you, that's exactly why I can't let you get involved."

This tone was new to Ron- he hadn't heard it from Harry before. It made him sit up straight, as it was unnerving to the point he felt it physically. Like a cold fingertip slowly crawling down his spine.

"Remember I just said you're sorta scaring me?" Ron said. "I take that back, there's no more 'sorta'."

"I'm really sorry, Ron. Really."  Harry said. "Just please- can you wait long enough until I can explain everything?"

"I'll try." Ron said. "But if something happens, I'm not just gonna stand by-"

"I could never expect you to." Harry said, a bittersweet smile on his face.

"Right." Ron said. He rubbed his hands together, and looked out over the landscape around them, before turning back to Harry. "Well, it's getting a bit nippy out here. How about we head to dinner?"

They talked about the struggles of the quidditch teams on their way back to the great hall. Harry waved to Hermione as he split off from Ron, the boys going to their own house tables.

At the Gryffindor table, Ron shared with Hermione that he'd made amends with Harry, an infectious grin on his face. At Slytherin table, Harry and Blaise had their friendliest conversation yet. 

Harry had hope. Hope that he could find- and reach- the light amongst the darkness.

A/N

Ha! Surprise! Christmas double update!

And AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! Look at this shiny amazing cover!!! Thank you @Wuismyrealname for making this! I love it!
(PS y'all, the cover scene is gonna happen in the story~ I'm just so excited)

So McGonagall's in on the secret, and Ron's not being a jerk. (Hooray!)

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. This year has been pretty tough, but we just have to find the light. We can make it. Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays.