When Harry returned from the Headmaster's office to his room, he was completely convinced to explain most of his secrets to his friends, or at least the vast majority of them. He still wasn't quite sure if it would be a good idea to explain the situation to his parents, as well as the existence of a prophecy that explained his younger brother was destined to be a hero of the magical world. He knew that sooner or later he would have to explain to them what the situation was at home, but he would rather it was later than sooner.
Although his resolve had been firm as he returned to his common room, doubts began to emerge in his mind. Would it really be a good idea to explain to them about his mysterious Animagus transformation? It wasn't that he distrusted them, quite the contrary, but he knew that it was very rare to have any inherent talent as an Animagus, and even more so to be able to perform the transformation correctly as an adult (although his father and godfather had done so when they were teenagers and still at school). Furthermore, his strange, natural transformation, occurring without any preparation, was even stranger and more incredible. In addition, there were also all the powers he had discovered so far. Could he really explain to them that he had abilities that in some cases hadn't been seen for hundreds of years, and in others, it was even doubted they could truly exist?
Before he knew it, he was standing right in front of the entrance to his common room. After saying the password "Perseverance," he entered the comfortable room, looking for at least the two Hufflepuffs; he found them at a table in a corner away from the entrance.
"Wow, how diligent you are," he laughed once he was near them, startling them so much they jumped.
"Harry! Don't scare us like that!" complained Athenea.
"I've only made an innocent comment."
"But we didn't know you were behind us. By the way, where were you? You've been out all afternoon."
"Oh... just around."
He didn't know why now that he had the opportunity to explain what he wanted, he didn't dare. He smiled shyly, deciding it was best not to tell them anything. He was afraid they might think differently of him, cast him aside for fear of his powers, or even try to study him... He feared that if he had told them, they would not trust him again, so he kept silent.
"Just around? Where?" Jonathan asked curiously.
"Oh, you know... a while in one place, another time in another... just around," he responded, smiling nervously at the suspicious and disbelieving looks he was receiving.
"Right... that would be much more credible if you'd only done it once, or at least outside of these kinds of people. Where were you?" Under their suspicious gazes, he gave in.
"In a room I know. It seems I'm the only one who knows it, because when I found it, it was quite dirty. Besides, during the time I've been there, no one else has been there besides me."
"A room? Where?"
"On the fifth floor..."
"That's great! So that's where you've spent so much time!"
"Yes."
"Show it to us!" Jonathan exclaimed excitedly, almost bouncing in his seat.
"Yes, but tomorrow," Athenea cut in. "Curfew is about to start... We can't go outside."
"Killjoys," Jonathan murmured.
The next day, as he had promised, he brought his Hufflepuff friends along with the addition of the rest of their group, who had learned during classes or lunch and had also joined the expedition, curious about the fourth place Harry had made his own.
"Well, here it is," said the host as they entered.
His friends looked at the room with increasing amazement; all of them had imagined something similar to an abandoned classroom, or an empty room... never a luxurious suite! Without answering their friend, they began to investigate the different rooms, books, and objects present there. Draco and the twins seemed fascinated by the lab, Hermione and Terry by the library, Neville by the plants that had been transplanted into planters there, and Athenea and Jonathan by the common room (especially because of the comfortable armchairs).
"This place is... magnificent," Hermione whispered with one of the books in her hands. "The library you have here is even better than the one at school!"
"I know... most of them were already here, but some are mine."
"You have a Potions lab that Snape would kill for," Draco affirmed. "And some of its ingredients..."
"We resent that you discovered this room before us," said a twin with a pout. "Especially when we have passed through here many times, and we didn't even see the door."
Each of them explored the room to their liking, discovering what Harry had found in it and why he spent almost all his leisure time there instead of in the common room, something that in itself wasn't very complicated, after all, it was incredible. Harry was relieved; his friends had accepted that his room was his only secret, and he sincerely hoped they would continue thinking this way for the moment. Who knows? Perhaps, after his exams, he would explain the rest to them.
When his next lesson with Fawkes came, he didn't know how to react; not because he couldn't do what the phoenix had taught him during their first and last lesson, but because he hadn't managed to explain his secrets to his friends, as Fawkes had asked him to do. To tell the truth, the young Animagus almost expected him to give him a scolding or a sermon. What he obviously didn't expect was for Fawkes to simply flinch and tell him that, after all, it was Harry's decision.
"Well, now that you know how to fix your feathers, you should learn what to eat and what not to eat."
"But Fawkes, I'm not a real phoenix... Do you mean I must learn that too?"
"Of course! There have been many cases in which various wizards or witches have had to remain in their Animagus form for several days, or even months... You have to learn what you can or can't eat in case you find yourself in that situation."
"Well, I understand..."
"Let's go to the Forest then."
That day, Fawkes taught him the different diet of phoenixes: basically fruits and berries. Harry had never found this type of food, especially berries, particularly appealing, but at that moment, he considered them almost a delicacy and devoured them enthusiastically, much to Fawkes's amusement, who clearly found his reaction highly entertaining.
"Well, you obviously like berries," laughed Fawkes. "Personally, I prefer fruits more... Pomegranates drive me crazy, but everyone has their own tastes."
"Do we only eat this?"
"Of course not! What would we do during the winter? No... We also tend to eat some tender roots. Look..." The phoenix dug under a type of bush and pulled out a few roots with its beak. "These are the best you can eat."
"I prefer fruits and berries."
"Don't be silly... This is what you eat out of necessity, when you can't find anything better," he reprimanded him. "It's starting to get late; you'd better go back, or you'll attract attention."
"Good." Harry was about to take flight when he remembered something. "Ah! Fawkes, I won't be able to come during the next few days... I have exams soon and I must prepare."
"Sure, don't worry. Will you stay during the holiday?"
"Yes. I have things to deal with here. Besides, I must choose my electives."
"Well... well, that's when you'll have your lessons with me."
The truth is that he was very busy; as his first exams had gone so well, it was clear to him that these had to go the same way, and for that reason, he could always be seen studying and revising what he had been taught over the past three months. There were some students in higher years who, on more than one occasion, offered him help with his studies or to explain something, but it was truly unnecessary.
The teachers also offered him help; after all, they were aware of how much was being asked of him. Neither Dumbledore nor the Unspeakable had received such an exhaustive education during their childhoods, and look at the powerful and capable wizards they had become. What would the boy they were educating now end up being? Of course, although he thanked them, he never took them up on their offer. From his point of view, he only needed to ask his teachers for help when he encountered a truly difficult problem, which at this time consisted of his independent research—something they couldn't simply teach him.
When Professor Sprout gave him his list of exams, about a week before Easter, he discovered that on this occasion, they had decided to hold them throughout the day and not just after classes. For example, the Transfiguration exam was from 10:00 to 11:30 in the morning, and Charms was at 3:00 in the afternoon. Surely the teachers decided to use his free periods for examinations, or perhaps even when they were teaching other year groups.
That last assumption proved to be successful when the boy went to his first examination (curiously, his first was Potions) and found that Gryffindor and fifth-year Slytherin students were in the classroom. He had to admit that the expressions on their faces were priceless; they were pure disbelief. Even though Snape acted as if nothing strange was happening, he instructed him to sit at a separate table and gave him his written exam, followed by the instructions for the practical.
Throughout his theoretical and practical examination, Harry was very aware that the older students were paying more attention to his exam than to their own potions, something the teacher was also aware of, but chose to ignore.
The rest of his exams were more or less the same. During the Transfiguration exam, there were seventh-year Ravenclaw and Gryffindor students present; for Charms, Hufflepuff and Slytherin students were in the room; in Defence Against the Dark Arts, he garnered the attention of Hufflepuffs and third-year Ravenclaws, and the list went on. In fact, the only exams that did not have the attention of any other student were during Herbology and Astronomy, although these were two subjects the boy had mastered even before his arrival at Hogwarts. Then there was also the fact that despite having been present in class for almost every subject, he was not present during any of the second-year classes. This was surely a precaution, so that if he forgot something, he wouldn't be able to pick up the information from the ongoing class.
Of course, this had another consequence: if he was already being talked about among students in higher years (especially within his own house), at the time, it became the subject of heated debates and discussions about how it was possible that he was so skilled, or why he hadn't been sorted into Ravenclaw, the house of the intelligent... but as the Headmaster used to say, no one knows what criteria the Sorting Hat uses to choose which house each student should go to.
"Come in, Mr. Potter."
That morning, Harry, who had received a note from his Head of House to come to her office, entered with an uncertain step, though not as uncertain as he had been three months ago. He had a feeling he was going to receive his marks.
"Good afternoon, Professor Sprout."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter. Sit down, please. I suppose you know why you're here, right?"
"To give me my marks."
"That's right. I think this situation will be something that will repeat often," the woman laughed. "Here you are."
Taking her smiling expression as a good sign, he opened the sealed envelope with greater determination than the previous term. He looked at the contents and smiled: he had achieved as good marks as the previous year.
"Congratulations, Mr. Potter. I am convinced that this will be very good news for you."
"Yes, ma'am, it is."
"You can keep this report for yourself; your parents will receive theirs in a few days. Here is a list of the different elective subjects to start next term. I suppose you'll have to decide which subjects to take."
"No, ma'am, I've already decided."
"Already? Wow, that's quite a surprise... If you tell me which ones you want to do, I'll write them down and inform the relevant teachers."
"I would like to study Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures."
"Very well, I will let Professor Kettleburn and Professor McMillan know that after the holidays, you will be in their classes."
Harry smiled and after saying goodbye to the woman, ran to where his friends were waiting for him (a small corner in the library, because although Harry had shown them his room, it continued to be his refuge). They were all there, including the twins, who were the least impatient.
"How did it go?" Terry asked as soon as he saw him.
"Well..." the boy began with a smile. "Just like the previous time: Outstanding in all subjects, with a special commendation in Potions."
"Congratulations!" everyone exclaimed as they hugged him with enthusiasm.
The boy couldn't help but smile while being embraced. Yes, those were his friends, and they would be there for him no matter what happened. In a way, he valued them more than his own family... no, he truly loved them more than his family. They, along with Remus, were his only family, and there should be no secrets among family. He would explain to them the truth about himself and the situation at home; it was time to put aside his doubts and take the plunge.