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☆Harry James Potter☆
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So many gone…
The Great Hall was abuzz with conversation like usual, but there was a shadow cast across the four tables. No one House had been affected more than the others. Surprisingly, Slytherin seemed to have suffered the greatest loss, although that was probably because they’d all gone and joined their Death Eater parents. The stretches of empty seats were unsettling to Harry as he sat at the Gryffindor table. His plate was empty; he hadn’t even filled it to pretend he was going to eat. Who was he fooling? Harry knew Hermione was worried about him – she’d been shooting him trademark looks all during breakfast. Ron sat silently at his side, plate not as full as it usually was either. Harry was grateful for his friends’ silence. He didn’t think he could bear to make even idle conversation right now.
So many gone…
So many students had not returned. After the events atop the astronomy tower a few months previous, they had no reason to. Hogwarts was not safe anymore without Dumbledore. For what seemed like the thousandth time that morning, Harry looked hopefully up at the professor’s table, wishing desperately that his gaze would be met by twinkling blue eyes framed by half-moon spectacles. But, as Harry expected, this was not the case. Professor McGonagall caught his wishful stare and matched it with a mournful one of her own. Harry turned back to his plate, head bowed. Dumbledore was still gone, and Voldemort was out there somewhere, and Harry was stuck at school feeling more helpless than he had even atop the Astronomy tower – prisoner to Dumbledore’s spell.
So many gone…
And Harry should be one if them! He should be out there, fighting the Dark Lord, but instead he was stuck at Hogwarts – a place he once considered an escape. So many students gone, but how many were gone for good?

