//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: The Return? // Story: Equestrian Vacation // by Dragonboy111 //------------------------------// It was during the evening of Harry's third day, after he returned from the Crystal Empire, that he felt odd again like something was tugging on his soul. Harry knew exactly what it was. It was the Goblet of Fire, it wanted Harry to come back to fulfill his "contract" between them. He needed to go back to Hogwarts, even if his heart urged him to stay here, in Equestria. Whatever bothersome magically binding contract he had been ensnared in meant business. "Twilight, I think I need to go back," he said solemnly. He and Twilight were in the middle of a new magical lesson. She was trying to teach him the basics of her teleport spell. Harry understood the concept, just not the execution. It was very different from a portkey or the floo, but that was beside the point. Twilight looked up from her book on unicorn magic. She had read it at least a dozen times but found many tricks she thought Harry might benefit from while away from Equestria. "Already? It's only been three days. It took much longer for this last time." Twilight sounded concerned. "I think that stupid goblet is getting mad at my 'vacations'," Harry grumbled in response, stamping his hoof. Leaving was becoming an increasingly disheartening prospect. "Well, you should go knock some sense into it!" Spike said from across the library, chewing on quartz crystals like popcorn. "Spike, it's a cup. What do you expect me to do?" Harry countered as Twilight flipped through another book, this one on magical artifacts. "You said Moody thought someone used a 'confundus charm' on the goblet to enter you into the Tournament. Can you un-confundus it?" Twilight asked hopefully. Harry shook his head. "I think Dumbledore would have thought of that by now. If it was within his power he would have. It's the contract that's the problem, we can't remove it." "Not in any way that you know of." She dropped her book and started sifting through the shelves for anything else that might pertain to the situation at hand. "Being a minor by law doesn't change anything?" "Nope." "Can the judges disqualify you, make it impossible to complete tasks, but count as competing?" She picked up another set of books. "Doubt it." "What happens if you break the contract?" "Unknown. I've heard about unbreakable oaths, and those mean certain death. No one wants to risk that. This has never happened before, or at least I don't think so." "Right, the two-hundred-year gap." Twilight set another stack of books down. "Argh, there's nothing in here about magical contracts! Spike, write a letter to Canterlot, and ask for anything regarding magical contracts, with an emphasis on breaking them. Then—" Harry stopped her by placing his right hoof on her shoulder. "Twilight, please stop worrying. I'd rather spend my time here doing something we can enjoy, not get nervous over something we can't control." A sad grin was shared between the two. "You're right. But I will worry over you regardless, you're my friend. I'll keep looking for solutions while you're away." She floated all the books back to their proper locations. "Now come on, you've got some goodbyes to say." She stood by the door, waiting for Harry to go first. His head hung a bit lower as they exited the library. He was going to miss this. By the time the two assembled their friends, the sun was hovering over the horizon. Twilight's friends sat in the large semi-circle around Harry. Each one had said their goodbyes, and now Twilight was preparing to send Harry back to his school. Harry waved his hoof and Hedwig hooted sadly from his shoulder. Fluttershy had almost spoiled her rotten here. "Goodbye everypony. I can't wait to visit again soon." "Just stay safe over there, you hear me?" Applejack said, to which Harry managed to nod. "I'll be sure to throw you a welcome-back party next time!" Pinkie Pie jumped up and down. "It was nice seeing you," said a quiet Fluttershy. She looked at the snowy owl perched on Harry's shoulder. "Hedwig, you tell the other owls to play nice with Errol, they should respect their elders." The owl hooted in return. "Alright everypony, stand back," Twilight warned as her horn glowed. Her eyes locked with Harry's. "Remember, you can visit any time you need to, you got that?" Harry nodded again. "Here it goes. I return you back to—" "Watch out!" a grey pegasus called out. Everypony looked up to see Derpy Hooves, carrying a large bulging cardboard box, flying on a collision course with Harry. Harry could see the obviously heavy box falling towards his head in terrifying slow motion. With naught but a second to react, the two crashed into a plume of smoke. And Harry was out like a light. "Missing?! What do you mean Mr. Potter is missing?!" McGonagall demanded. After Harry's surprise disappearance, several teachers, including McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, Sprout, and Dumbledore himself had assembled in the headmaster's office. Each one had been called out of their classes for the concerning matter of a student, a Triwizard champion no less, having vanished into thin air. It was causing quite a stir. Eventually, Snape responded. "Yes. Mr. Potter, as I have clearly said, vanished in front of me," he drawled. "And you're certain?" McGonagall pressed. "Perhaps," interceded Dumbledore, "it would be best if we hear Severus's story from the start?" he suggested, to no objections. "Very well." He gestured for the potions teacher to talk. "I had just announced the class's final when I caught Mr. Potter looking for something in his bag, presumably his notes. When confronted over his blatant rule-breaking, Potter suddenly started to glow light purple." "He glowed purple?" Mcgonagall said in a tone mixing skepticism and disbelief. "I could not have been more clear. He was surrounded by some bright purple energy, then vanished with no trace. Several mistakenly believed he had apparated. And some unruly students said I 'vaporized Potter via stare'." "Both we know to be impossible, or at least unlikely," McGonagall said. "At least by any wizarding means. We must consider that there may have been other factors at play here," Dumbledore countered sagely. "There's still the matter of that pink—" "Purple—" "—pink light," reminded McGonagall. "So far, that remains our only clue to the boy's disappearance." "That is, of course, assuming he was even moved at all," suggested Flitwick. The assembled teachers looked at him with confusion and, in Dumbledore's case, curiosity. "This could have been an illusion or invisibility charm at work here. Potter has been practicing some fairly advanced magic this year." "If that were true, it still doesn't explain why he left my classroom." "Both of you bring up valid points," Dumbledore admitted. "Which is why I asked Trelawney for her opinion before this meeting. "She said young Harry had 'passed out of her sight', although she believes him to be in no immediate danger." "How relieving," Snape sneered. "We need to—" Snape was cut off by a girl's voice. Hermione Granger rushed into the room, unaware of the assembled teachers. "Headmaster! I have something—" Hermione cut herself off as she realized she had barged in on some meeting. "Oh- Uh- Sorry. I didn't mean to- I was here to- uh-" she stammered. "Spit it out, Miss Granger! I sure hope you'd have a good reason for barging in here," McGonagall scolded. Hermione startled. "Well, I'm not sure, but I think I might have something, a clue, maybe," she gushed. Several teachers shared a glance. "Well, what is it?" asked Sprout. Hermione paused before digging into her bag. She pulled out a roll of parchment tied with a red ribbon. She placed it on Dumbledore's table. "Is this Harry's?" Dumbledore inquired. Hermione nodded. "Do explain, Miss Granger." Hermione wrung her hands together nervously. "Well, I suppose it started this morning, at breakfast. Ron said that Harry had received a letter this morning, before the owl mail was due to arrive, and he hadn't visited the owlery." "There's nothing odd about receiving mail," said a cautious Flitwick. Hermione nodded. "That's what I thought, too. But Harry was acting... weird. He was defensive, yet elated about something. We, Ron and I, thought he had a letter about a date to the Yule Ball, but something wasn't matching up. Timing aside, this was the first time we had heard of this mysterious sender. When pressed, Harry revealed that this girl doesn't go to Hogwarts, he had only seen her in person one time despite a longstanding correspondence, and he refused to say her name out loud." The teachers were a little warier about this. "This was the letter he received earlier." She placed the parchment on the headmaster's desk. "Well, under normal conditions, this would be a serious violation of student privacy, not to mention theft on your part, Miss Granger, regardless of intentions," McGonagall said. "But, given the circumstances, I think it might be prudent to take a look." "Agreed," said Snape. "If we have no alternative," said a tentative Sprout. Flitwick simply nodded. Albus reached for the letter, carefully untying the ribbon. He cleared his throat as he read the letter's contents to the room. Dear Harry. I'm glad to hear that you're alright. To be honest, you scared me for a moment! I mean, dragons!? That seems so cruel, to make you take an egg, albeit a false one, from them. But I'm glad to hear you got out just fine. Something about this whole "tournament" hasn't been sitting well with me. I'm sorry about your schoolmates. I wish I could be there for you, physically. Sometimes a letter can only do so much. Maybe when this is all over things will calm down. It's hard to hold a grudge against someone like you. Just stay strong. And you should know that you're always welcome to visit. Remember, Princesses Celestia and Luna said there'll always be a place for you here, in Equestria and our hearts. I'll cast the spell Friday afternoon, and give you some time to get adjusted to walking again. Can't wait to see you. With love, Twilight. The room was silent for a few moments. "Well," said Dumbledore slowly. "That is something, isn't it?"