They'd missed McGonagall's funeral service, which had sort of been the point. Ioan didn't think he could take any more sadness or despair. Plus, he didn't want his reappearance to be quite so public. It was nearly sundown and all was quiet in the castle environs. As he drew nearer, he could see a lone figure seated by the lake, its surface still to mirror the mood in the air. It didn't take long for him to figure out who the person was, largely thanks to the sling on her arm. He winced in sympathy, and hoped this reunion would go well.
Waiting until he was about ten feet behind her, Ioan finally halted, hesitant to call out her name. He hadn't been sure he was going to return at all, which was why he'd sent no word of his impending arrival. The letter from Professor Sprout was convincing, but it had been his own heart that sealed the deal. He would spend one more year at Hogwarts, in the company of his friends, and then take on the real world.