September first dawned bright and brisk. Highlands Manor was alive with movement long before breakfast. Trunks were shrunken and loaded, pets tucked safely into cages, and robes pressed and folded.
But for Harry, the day carried a strange weight. He wasn't boarding the train. He wasn't walking through the gates of Hogwarts. He would be watching his best friends leave without him.
Still, he would not let them go alone.
The entire household made the trip: Sirius, Lily, James, Narcissa, Andromeda, Ted, Tonks, even little Crookshanks tucked under Hermione's arm. They gathered at King's Cross Station, a cluster of witches and wizards among the Muggle crowds.
"Platform Nine and Three-Quarters," Sirius announced cheerfully. "Nothing like the annual dash through a wall to remind us how ridiculous this all is."
Tonks snorted. "You'd think after a thousand years, they'd come up with a less humiliating entrance."
The barrier swallowed them one by one, and suddenly the great scarlet engine of the Hogwarts Express loomed before them, steam billowing into the sky. The platform buzzed with excitement, parents calling instructions, children waving wands, owls hooting from their cages.
Hermione clutched Harry's arm tightly, her eyes wide. "It feels so real now. I'm going. And you're not."
Harry gave her a steady smile. "I told you—I'll be fine. You'll write, won't you?"
"Every week," she promised, her voice thick. She touched the necklace he had given her, the runes glowing faintly. "And I'll wear this every day."
Draco stood beside his mother, his trunk already levitated onto the train. He held his Nimbus 2000 carefully, wrapped in a plain cloth as though it were a priceless relic. Catching Harry's eye, he smirked. "Your trick better work, Potter. If they confiscate it, I'll hex you the moment I get back."
Harry chuckled. "Trust me. Just remember to 'borrow' it."
Draco's smirk softened into something more genuine. "I'll make sure to fly circles around the rest of them. For you."
McGonagall was there too, overseeing the boarding. Her sharp eyes landed on Harry immediately. She opened her mouth, but Harry lifted his chin. "Don't, Professor. My decision hasn't changed."
Her lips pressed thin, but she only nodded curtly. "Very well, Mr. Potter. Then take care of yourself."
Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen, though Harry half expected the Headmaster to appear. Perhaps the public refusal in the Leaky Cauldron had been enough.
The final whistle blew. Hermione hugged Harry fiercely, Crookshanks squirming between them. "I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too," Harry whispered.
Draco gave him a nod of respect. "Don't do anything too interesting without us."
"I'll try," Harry said dryly.
And then they were gone—Hermione waving from a window, Draco already staking out a compartment, the train pulling away with a shrill whistle.
Harry stood on the platform long after the smoke faded. Lily slipped her arm through his. Sirius clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"They'll be back for holidays," Sirius said softly. "And when they do, they'll find you stronger than ever."
Harry's eyes remained fixed on the empty track. "I know. But it still feels strange. Like the world is splitting in two—and I chose a different side."
Lily squeezed his hand. "Not different, Harry. Just bigger. You're walking a path all your own."
And with that, the family turned back toward the barrier, leaving the Hogwarts Express to steam north without him.
The Sorting Hat's voice rang clear in the Great Hall as Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger each sat upon the stool, one after the other. Neither went where most expected.
"Ah… clever minds, restless hearts… your hunger for knowledge outweighs tradition or ambition. Ravenclaw will suit you best."
And so the hat declared both Draco and Hermione Ravenclaws, to the astonishment of the hall. The Slytherin table had looked ready to welcome Draco. But he walked towards the table beneath the bronze eagle, met with polite applause from their new housemates.
Hermione's eyes shone with pride, though she glanced once toward the empty place where Harry might have been. Draco smirked, already imagining how Ravenclaw prestige would look on him—but in his heart, he was glad not to be alone.
That night, while the Great Hall buzzed with feasts and chatter, Hermione dipped her quill into ink and wrote her first letter.
Dear Harry,
It feels strange already without you. Draco and I were sorted into Ravenclaw—can you imagine? I think it's perfect, though I wish you were here to see it. The castle is magnificent. I'll tell you everything, every little detail, so it feels like you're here too. Crookshanks is sulking in the corner, but he sends you a purr (I think).
She sealed the letter and passed it to the school owl with a lump in her throat.
Draco, in his own way, sent a shorter note.
Harry—
You won't believe it. Ravenclaw. Me. But I'll make it work. You were right about the Nimbus trick; I've already found someone willing to hold it for me. I'll be flying before the month is over. Don't let our project stall without me.
Back at Highlands Manor, Harry received both letters by owl the next morning. Sitting at the breakfast table, he read them silently while Lily poured tea and Sirius sprawled across a chair.
"Well?" Sirius asked, peering over the rim of his mug.
"They're in Ravenclaw," Harry said quietly, his lips curving into the faintest of smiles. "Both of them."
Lily's eyes softened. "That seems right. Bright, clever, determined."
Harry folded the letters carefully and tucked them into his pocket. He missed them already, more than he had expected. But at the same time, he felt proud. They were walking their path, just as he was walking his.
And though the Hogwarts Express had carried them away, the bond they shared remained as strong as the runes etched into Hermione's necklace and the polished wood of Draco's Nimbus.
Asgard was not a school. There were no bells, no corridors, no timetables. Instead, it was a realm where knowledge lay waiting for those bold enough to seek it. And Harry sought it with the hunger of one who had already rejected a path set out for him.
Every morning, he crossed the golden bridge into the heart of the city. Sometimes, guards trailed him—stiff and watchful, their spears gleaming in the light. Harry disliked them. He didn't need to be shadowed like a child. He often slipped from their line of sight, ducking into a craftsman's shop or winding through the narrow streets until they were forced to scramble after him.
The craftsmen welcomed him always.
At the forge, the blacksmith showed him how to fold steel, sparks dancing like fireflies around Harry's hands. "The hammer must fall with rhythm, boy. Not brute force—rhythm." Harry's arm ached by midday, but he returned the next dawn.
At the stables, a wagon maker guided him in shaping wood with enchanted blades. "Balance the axle or the whole cart will shake itself to pieces. Magic won't fix sloppy work."
And so Harry learned, not from books alone, but from calloused hands and patient voices.
His studies were never confined. There were days of self-study in the great library of Asgard, a palace of towering shelves and endless scrolls. The place could swallow him whole if not for the strict librarian, a sharp-eyed woman who scolded him for forgetting to eat or drink.
"Prince or not," she told him once, tapping her staff against the floor, "you cannot read wisdom if you faint from hunger."
Harry grinned sheepishly and obeyed, but he always returned. Hours vanished as he traced runes etched in ancient scrolls or deciphered the sagas of heroes long forgotten.
Other days were for sparring. In the training yards, Harry faced warriors twice his size. Blades clashed, shields rang, sweat stung his eyes. The guards never held back, and Harry never asked them to. Bruises bloomed across his arms, but with each bout his stance grew steadier, his strikes sharper.
Magic was no less rigorous. Frigga's lessons were gentle but demanding, her voice calm as she guided him through wards, healing spells, and subtle magics that demanded patience more than power. Loki's sessions, when he was free, were different—sharp, clever, full of riddles and tricks.
"Magic is not a sword, boy," Loki told him once, conjuring an illusion that made the entire hall vanish around them. "It is a whisper. The clever hand. The unseen thread. Remember that."
Harry did. He practiced until he could weave his own small illusions, crude but growing finer with time.
But Thor and Loki had little time for him of late. News had come that the Frost Giants stirred in the distant realms, gathering power again. Thor's booming voice carried through the halls as he and Loki prepared to ride out.
"Rest assured, Harry," Thor had told him, clapping him on the shoulder. "When our duty is done, we'll return to continue your training."
Harry had only nodded. He understood. Duty first.
So he pressed on alone, losing himself in books, lessons, and crafts.
Sometimes, he sat with Odin in the great hall. The All-Father spoke little, his single eye fixed on matters of state, but Harry listened. He watched as Odin weighed disputes, handed judgments, commanded his people. It was a different kind of lesson—one not of blade or spell, but of rule and responsibility.
"You must learn to see further than today, Harry," Odin said once, not looking at him. "Any fool can wield power. A king must bear its cost."
Harry said nothing, but the words sank deep.
Thus passed the days in Asgard: a life without bells, but full of lessons; without classes, but filled with knowledge. Hogwarts had its towers, but Harry walked among golden spires, carving his own path, learning from gods, warriors, and craftsmen alike.
And though he sometimes felt the emptiness left by Hermione and Draco's absence, he knew: he was building something no other wizard in Midgard could dream of.
Lily had always known her son better than anyone else. She could read him in the tilt of his head, in the silence he wore like armor. After Draco and Hermione left for Hogwarts, she noticed the change almost immediately.
Harry smiled less. He buried himself in studies—books from Asgard's library, rune work, enchanting, training. He filled every moment with work, as though by doing so he could outrun the emptiness left behind.
One evening, as the lamps glowed warm in Highlands Manor, Lily sat with Sirius by the fire.
"He misses them," she said softly, her hands clasped tight. "He won't admit it, but he does. And at the same time, he doesn't regret his decision. It's tearing him apart, Sirius."
Sirius leaned back, expression shadowed but thoughtful. "He's a growing boy, Lily. He needs more than books and training. He needs friends, laughter, a way to feel connected to them even if he chose a different path."
"Exactly," Lily whispered. "But I don't know how to give him that."
Sirius's grey eyes sharpened with resolve. "Leave it to me."
The next morning, he was gone before anyone else woke. No one knew where he had gone or what he was doing. He returned late at night, hair windblown, clothes dusted with soot, but he only grinned and refused to explain.
The following day, Sirius shook Harry awake at dawn.
"Up you get, pup. We're going on a trip."
Harry blinked. "What kind of trip?"
"The kind where you don't ask questions until you see for yourself."
Still groggy, Harry followed Sirius by Floo to Hogsmeade. The morning was crisp, the village quiet. Together, they hiked up the slopes of a nearby mountain, the air thinning, the view widening. At last, Sirius stopped at a rocky outcrop.
"Look," he said, pointing.
Harry turned—and his breath caught. From the height, Hogwarts sprawled across the distant landscape, its towers rising against the sky, the Black Lake glimmering like glass.
"It's beautiful," Harry whispered.
Sirius studied him. "You think I brought you here to convince you to go, don't you?"
Harry hesitated. "Didn't you?"
Sirius shook his head, his expression serious. "No. I brought you here so you'd remember something important. That castle isn't your prison, Harry. It doesn't have to be the road you walk. But it will always be there. And now, you'll always have a way to it—on your terms."
Harry frowned slightly, confused. "What do you mean?"
Sirius led him down the mountain, through winding paths, until they reached a weathered, crooked house on the edge of Hogsmeade. Its windows were boarded, its roof sagged, and the villagers whispered of ghosts within.
"The Shrieking Shack," Harry breathed. He had heard of it in passing, though never been near.
Sirius's grin turned sly. "Do you know its story? Back when we were boys, everyone thought it was haunted. In truth, it was built for Remus. Every full moon, he transformed here, safe from harming others. The howls… well, that's where the name came from."
Harry's eyes widened. "This was…Remus's prison?"
"Not prison," Sirius said gently. "His refuge."
He pushed the creaking door open. Inside, dust lay thick, but the air felt steady, protected. "And now, it's yours."
Harry blinked. "Mine?"
Sirius's grin widened. "Yesterday, I bought it. Registered it, warded it, and tied it into the Floo Network. Not just that—I set the wards in your name. This place belongs to you, Harry."
Harry's mouth opened, closed. "But… why?"
Sirius's voice softened. "Because I know you miss them. Hermione, Draco. You don't want Hogwarts, but you don't want to lose them either. The Shack has a secret—a passageway that runs under the ground, straight into Hogwarts itself. Whenever you want to see them, you can. They can come here. It's your bridge between worlds."
Harry stared, stunned. "So… I can still meet them?"
"Whenever you like," Sirius said. "You don't need anyone's permission. You don't need to walk their path. You just need to walk yours—with a door open to theirs."
Harry felt a lump rise in his throat. He didn't know what to say. So he just hugged Sirius tightly, whispering, "Thank you."
Sirius ruffled his hair, his voice rough. "Always, pup. Always."
And for the first time since Hermione and Draco left, the ache in Harry's chest eased.
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