Harry Potter: Hydrus Black

Hermione wiped her tears with a handkerchief she got from her bag, pulled back from the hug and gave her friend a watery smile. "I'm going to put off a decision for a few months. I want my parents back, however, if they are happy then who am I to take that from them. Besides, they might never forgive me for what I did. I just don't know what to do, so I'm going to take some time and think about the pros and cons."

He gave a small chuckle and said, "I'm sure you already have a list started."

"Oh, you," she said as she thumped his arm playfully, causing the young man to laugh and move back to the sofa.

The dark-haired wizard then turned his attention to Ron. "So, what's got you so unhappy?" he asked.

"You," the redhead snapped. "With you gone, Gryffindor might as well just hand the Quidditch Cup over to one of the other Houses and be done with it."

Hydrus sighed; leave it to Ron to only think about the Cup. "So you want me to go back to Hogwarts and face all those people who think I'm the new Dark Lord just so Gryffindor can win at Quidditch?"

"You did it before," came the defensive comeback.

"And I was miserable," he retorted.

"Well, yeah, but you survived."

"Ron, I'm not going back to Hogwarts. Ginny is a good seeker, so you guys will be okay," the dark-haired teen said with a tone of finality.

"Whatever," Ron said with a sulk. If it hadn't been for his mum's and Hermione's nagging he wouldn't be going back.

"Harry, are you sure you won't come back? Education is really important," Hermione asked in a worried tone. She wondered how Harry was going to get a job if he didn't have his school credentials.

"I'm sure," Hydrus said as the glanced her way. "I've already talked to McGonagall and she said as long as I'm of age and I have my OWLs then I don't need to go back." That tidbit of information had been nice to learn. Not that he planned on getting a job, but he didn't want the Ministry breathing down his neck either.

"I could talk to her and see if she can't get everyone else to leave you alo…" Hermione said a determined look in her eye.

"No," the younger wizard interrupted, "that won't work. It'll actually make it worse. Besides, the teachers can't be everywhere." He knew Hogwarts was extremely understaffed compared to other schools. "And even if the students were caught, what would happen? They'd lose points and further blame me for that. No, it is better that I do my own studies."

And awkward silence filled the room as each young adult mulled that over. Hermione, after a few minutes, nodded her head in understanding, while Ron was still lamenting about the Quidditch Cup.

"What are you going to do about your NEWTs?" Hermione questioned, once again.

"I'm planning on self-study. When the time comes I can take the test privately."

"That's wonderful," the curly-haired girl replied. "If you need any help, just owl me and I will do my best," she offered.

"I think I'll be okay. But if I need you I'll let you know, I promise," the dark-haired man said sincerely.

"So, what was in the vaults? And did you ever find out why they left them to you?" Hermione inquired, changing the subject. Not realizing it was a sore topic for the other two in the room, Ron having not told her about the disagreement.

"There were some knick-knacks and gizmos in three of them. The Black vault was filled with Dark stuff, so I had Kreacher get rid of them," Hydrus hedged, he knew if he told her everything she would figure out his plans. "There were some journals in my family vault. I got to read about my parents' hijinks in school. Mum's diary talked a lot about Snape, while Dad's was mostly about the Marauders. They were pretty cool," he said in what he hoped was a casual voice. "I only found out how one of the vaults came to me. The last Frostwell wrote that he wanted me to have his stuff, so it wouldn't be confiscated by the goblins," he lied. He didn't mention the gold, because he didn't want to fight with the still sulking redhead.

"I guess that's understandable, the others probably felt the same way. Can I see some of the devices? There might be something useful," Hermione asked excitedly.