You're Being Hugged, Harry

by David Silver

16 - School's Out

Harry's skill, and the speed of the broom he was given, proved impossible to ignore. There were no objections to him joining the team when he displayed them. They didn't just want him on the team, they wanted him to be a seeker. "You aren't made to fight, not directly." The team captain slapped down on Harry's shoulder. "But control, you have that. And you're clever, even when you're upside down. You'll be a perfect seeker."

The game could never end until the seeker found the snitch, and the finding got their team a lot of points. It wasn't impossible to win without your team grabbing the snitch, but you had to be dominating for that to happen. Most often, the seeker made the game. "But don't worry about that. First years can't really get into it regardless. Fortunately for everyone, the year's almost over. So go home, relax, and come back ready!"

Flurry grabbed at her brother. "It's over?!"

Harry pushed her back as he danced away. "Easy. The school isn't over, just the semester is ending. You saw me take those finals."

"I saw they were big tests." She narrowed her eyes. "I didn't know what they were for exactly, besides the classes. Still, yay! I haven't been back in a while, and neither have you. It'll be so much fun!"

Harry thought back to the Crystal Empire and the creatures there. "Oh, he's going to lose his mind."

"Who?" Flurry leaned dangerously close, but it hit her and she backed up a step. "Arnavon? The hugs will be written about for years, I bet." She snickered at the imagined meeting of Tsuki with one of their own missing for so long. "But he's not the only one with stories to share. Ponies will want to know what you've been up to. Mom will want to hear it straight from the horse's mouth. My updates only go so far."

"See you later." Harry nodded at the coach and headed out with Flurry excitedly prancing alongside him. "Next semester, a lot changes."

"It isn't that time yet." She wriggled her nose with a silly grin. "Think about the current, Harry! We get to go home and say hi to everypony we left behind and see the things we haven't been able to in a while." She suddenly thumped against him from the side. "You know Auntie Twilight's gonna want to see you doing human magic. There is no escape from that, may as well just accept that now."

"I imagine not..." He led her along until they ran into another happy looking student. "Ron! Hey, we were just talking about the time off."

"Always exciting." Ron snapped his fingers into a pointing at the two ponies. "You two have family waiting for you, right? Me too. I'll miss the school, don't get me wrong. We got so much more to... do... but I'm not gonna say no to a little time off. Oh! Tell your parents to have your second year supplies ready. They aren't the same as the first year. Different books, different stuff. Different everything."

He threw a hand up, but his eyes were on Harry. "Say, how did the tryout go? You a star player now?"

"Not exactly, Ron." Harry brought up his broom, floating in his horn's grip. "This gives some speed, but I'm still new at the game. I'm going to have to practice, a lot."

"That's a lot of talk that doesn't tell me much." Ron looked to Flurry instead, barely restraining herself as she was. "Did he get in?"

"He got in!" She bounced with the joy of getting that out. "They said he can be a seeker."

"Seeker! Get out." He punched Harry light in the chest. "I'll be at all your games; can't miss that! So, you going to chase her around for practice?"

Harry laughed at the idea. "Tempting. She would give me a run for my money."

"As if!" Flurry flicked her tail in defiance. "You'd never catch me, even with your fancy broom."

Ron shrugged with a grin. "Sounds like she'd be a perfect target then." The three laughed with no ill will between them. "So, hey... Your home, it's not on Earth, right?"

Flurry shook her head and the rest of her body. "Nope! Neither of us have even been there, unless this is earth? Is this earth?" She looked around slowly, doing a turn along the way. "I never thought to ask, and we haven't really been outside the school."

"She raises a good question." Harry looked Ron over. "One I bet you know the answer to."

"It'd be hard for me not to." It didn't even really count as knowing something special. "We're in Scotland, that's a country if you didn't know, on Earth. Muggles can't find this place though, so don't worry about that. But I was asking because I'm super curious. I mean... I want to say hi to the fam, no doubts there, but after that... I wouldn't mind saying hi to yours, in magic pony land."

Harry reared up to return the shoulder swat he had received far earlier. "I wouldn't mind. I doubt mom or dad would. Flurry?"

"Are you asking if I mind?" She considered Ron a moment with a serious expression. "I guess I could live with him around." She burst into giggles, unable to hold it in any longer. "We're already friends, doofus! Of course he can visit. I can show him so many fun things!"

She fell over herself in her frantic scramble to her haunches. "Oh! My friends would be so freaked out, in a good way. They never met a human before, so prepare to be poked a lot, and questions will be asked, but they'll love you, I bet."

"You're trying to scare me away." But Ron didn't look entirely scared off. "I'll head home first, like I said. Just give me the station name I should stop at to get to you. You did take the same rail that leads here, right?"

"Same one." Harry began to explode. Rather, bits of paper ejected from him in all directions until the right one popped free. He plucked it in his magic and lifted it up. "Here we are, the ticket that got me here."

Ron snatched the ticket from the air. "Perfect! Now let's... see." He squinted at it. "Crystal Empire, Terminal 1 and a third. Got it." He offered the ticket to Harry. "I'll have to save up a bit. I doubt tickets that far are cheap."

Flurry advanced with her head held up high. "Friends help friends," she quoted as if from some manual as a bag floated free of her and bumped into Ron's confused front. "This'll take care of that. Besides, I want you there. I can't show you off until you get there."

Ron pulled the bag open and peeked inside. "Woah!" He dropped the bag in surprise, sending golden coins flying from the impact. "Why do you have... And you're giving it to me?! Get off it!"

Harry began grabbing coins with his magic, horn glowing in the act. "She's completely serious. Look, where we're from, those are just pound notes."

"What's a pound note?" Flurry joined in gathering up the coins, refilling the bag with both of their efforts. "Human money?"

"Exactly." Harry lifted the bag up in his magic to offer to Ron to take when he was ready. "Humans use a kind of paper for a lot of their money and metal for the least valuable parts."

"That's backwards!" Flurry stomped at the lack of logic shown there. "Metal is way more valuable than paper. Why would you use the paper for the more expensive ones? Whatever! I used gold to get the ticket here, so I know they accept it." She pointed at the floating bag. "Just show them that, get your ticket, and come play with us!"

Harry nudged his eager sister back a step. "Bring the change, if there is any."

"Of course." Ron took the bag a bit more assuredly than the first time. "You didn't mention you were rich, Harry."

Flurry smirked at Ron's reaction. "Harry is the foal of a princess, same one I'm a foal of. We are sibs afterall. So train ticket's fine. You can keep the rest if--"

Harry pushed ahead of her. "Bring back the extra and have a safe trip, alright Ron?"

"I will, promise." They met, hoof to hand, and parted on friendly terms.

And growing confusion on Flurry's part. "Why did you keep saying that? I don't mind if he gets a few coins."

"Equestria belongs to Equestria." He circled to face his sister. "A little's fine, but from what I heard, he can't even use it where he's from anyway. The train's an exception. They go between worlds already, so... They exchange coins and money all the time. Where he's from, they're just shiny collector's items."

"Boo." Flurry strode past him and started up the stairs. "That's lame. Whatever. Let's get arnie and your stuff and get moving. You don't have any other classes, right?"

"Actually..." He trailed after her up the same stairs. "I do have a few more to finish. No more big tests, but they aren't done. Don't be in that big a hurry. Still, we should tell Arnavon."

"Tell him what?" Arnavon bounced up to all fours, just to rear up on his hinds and come closer with his arms spread in a silent offer of a hug for any creature that wanted one. "Something new happen? Tell me!"

Flurry went in for the offered hug, the two meeing in a warm embrace. "Harry there got in the team, and the schoolyear's almost up, so we get to go home soon."

"Woah!" His eyes widened at the news. "That's amazing! I learned so much this year... We're coming back, right? I'm not done! You're not done either, right, Harry?"

"Not even close." Harry slipped up to sit on the edge of his bed, perching there. "You'll come back with me though?"

"Of course I will!" He thumped himself with both open hands on his chest. "Where would you even be without your faithful owl at your side?"

"Just lost," laughed Harry. "Good thing I get to keep him. Speaking of that, next year, I'll be proper allowed to have things like you and Flurry. That doesn't change much, between us. We're all friends and family, but it means the school will expect more from me about that, and teach me things, and expect me to follow the rules."

Arnavon reached up to play with a long horn of his. "I already act like a good owl, don't I?"

"You're less of the problem." Harry fixed Flurry with a fresh look. "You, on the other hoof, break creature rules kinda often. I'm amazed I haven't ended up in hot water more often than I already have."

Flurry tossed her mane with a little hmmph. "It's not my fault they don't realize how amazing a creature they have among them. I'm just as magic as most of them, more than most! They keep treating me like I'm just a silly horse that can talk when I'm so much more than that." She stomped and flopped down to her belly in one motion, tail lashing with increasing agitation. "When you learn more, then you can show me off. We'll wow them!"

Arnavon clapped his big paws. "Oh! That would be fun! Show me off too! I can do some interesting things. I'll be good, promise" He kept his paws together as he leaned in, batting his lashes doefully at his 'owner' that was really just a good friend.

"Alright, alright... I honestly didn't think either of you wanted to be showed off that way... but if you do want that... sure? You'll have to follow the rules though."

"I promise!" echoed both of them in sync, agreed upon the idea that they wanted to show off to the class come the next school year.

Author's Note:

The school year is ending, yay! One down?

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Comments

[Booster Spice]

If Harry didnt have Arnoven to help, he wouldve had to to come back with Spike?

Who really would put the OW in owl?

[Deer Poni]

you have my Woot

[harts fire]

Ron in Equestria if Twilight finds out she will have him hocked up to every thing she can.

[fluttershyfan3030]

So does this end Philosopher's Stone and we are entering Chamber of Secrets, or will Philosopher's Stone continue into the second semester?

[David Silver]

11246127
The first book in the unchanged timeline covered more than the first year.

[tsaukpaetra]

Tutorial level compete! Let the real challenges begin!