The next day was the last full day at Hogwarts for all of its students. Early the following morning the Hogwart's Express would leave Hogsmeade headed for Kings Cross Station and summer would officially begin. As was often the case, most people in the castle spent their time trying to gather up all of their possessions and force them back into their trunks for the journey home. What time remained after that was spent with friends discussing the year that had passed and what their plans for the time before they returned would be. Lunch in the Great Hall was louder than normal and it seemed, at least for those few precious moments, most of them had forgotten the revelations of the previous day and the fact that their world had just become much more dangerous.
"Neville! Over here!" Harry called from his seat at the table. Daphne was sitting to his right and Hermione across from him as usually happened when Daphne decided to abandon the Slytherin table to sit with the Gryffindors. Neville's head turned to where he had heard Harry talking and smiled at his friends before rushing over.
"Hey guys." Neville said while sitting down. "Guess what I got on my potions exam."
"You got an 'O', didn't you?" Harry asked.
"Nope, I got a 'T'." Neville answered, but he was still smiling.
"A troll?" Hermione said, surprised. "But Neville, that's the worst grade possible!"
"I know." Neville replied. "Professor Snape said my potion was too good and that I must have cheated so he gave me a 'T'. Professor McGonagall said she would talk to him and get him to give me the grade I deserve."
"That's great, Neville." Daphne told him. "Looks like all of your hard work paid off then."
"It turns out that Harry is a lot better teacher than Snape ever was." Neville responded with a laugh. "Although it helps that Harry doesn't glare at me waiting for me to make a mistake every time we're trying to learn something."
"All I need to do is work on scowling at people and then maybe I can just replace the greasy git." Harry joked. "Hey Neville, when are you going to get your new wand?"
"Hopefully in the next few weeks, but since we can't use magic in the summer I guess it doesn't really matter. Why?"
"If you can wait two weeks I could come with you." Harry suggested. "It'll be a good way to celebrate my release from the Dursley's."
"Sure." Neville happily agreed. "Would you two like to come?" he asked, turning towards Hermione and Daphne.
"Sorry Neville but I can't." Hermione answered. "My parents and I are going to Spain in a week. I'm really looking forward to it, in fact I heard there is a wizarding section of Madrid bigger than Diagon Alley!"
"I might be able to go." Daphne said. "I'll know once I can talk to my parents about it. Sounds like fun, though." Neville nodded eagerly, happy to have friends that wanted to spend time with him. His first few years at Hogwarts had been somewhat lonely but he felt that things had really changed for the better this year. He would also gladly welcome an excuse to leave his house during the summer where the only people around were his loving but odd grandmother and his great-uncles who had always treated him somewhat cruelly especially when they thought he might be a squib.
"I promised Hagrid I would come see him before I left." Harry said as he pushed his chair back from the table. "I've got to hurry because Dumbledore wanted to talk to me, too. Any of you want to come with me?"
Eventually it was decided that Hermione would accompany Harry to meet their half-giant friend while Daphne made sure her sister Astoria was ready to leave and Neville checked on his plants in the greenhouses one last time. They were all a little sad to see the year end but were enjoying the time they had left as much as they could.
...
A few hours later Harry reluctantly left Hagrid's hut and headed back into the castle to meet with Professor Dumbledore. Unknown to him, a very intense conversation was underway involving the Headmaster and his spy amongst the Death Eaters Severus Snape. Dumbledore sat calmly behind his desk listening to his anxious potions professor report on the latest goings on with Voldemort.
"The Dark Lord continues to request strengthening potions." Snape said. "It's quite odd, I was allowed to study the ritual used to restore his body and by my calculations any lingering negative effects should have worn off by now."
"Is it possible a mistake was made?" Dumbledore asked hopefully.
"Perhaps, but not likely." Snape answered uncertainly. "The potion required contains some very hard to find ingredients but is none the less quite simple to brew. Even an idiot like Pettigrew should not have had a problem with it, and even if he did the Dark Lord was there observing his work and would have noticed any errors."
"The ritual he used is not well understood, it is possible that the problems he is experiencing are not out of the ordinary at all." Dumbledore suggested. "Is he able to reach his full strength with the aid of the strengthening potions?"
"Yes." Snape replied. "However, such potions are addictive and produce diminishing returns with excessive use. If the Dark Lord continues to use the potions at this pace by the end of next month they will have almost no effect on him whatsoever, but the need to continue taking them will remain."
"I trust that Voldemort is aware of this dilemma?"
"He must be, but his demands remain the same." Snape said. "I have not noticed any other issues in his well being, but he has not done anything strenuous since his return. Assuming a mistake was made in the ritual, he will most likely order me to seek out its cause and how to correct it."
"Is it possible?" Dumbledore asked.
"Perhaps, but not easily." Snape answered. "The only way to be sure would be to repeat the ritual but that would involve the Dark Lord dying again and I doubt he would be willing to do that."
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