Harry made his way down the marble staircase, and resting his hand upon the creamy, smooth surface of the banister, reflected on the stone-walled surroundings he once called home. The torches, whose fiery glow had so often lit his way down the castle corridors, now hung extinguished on a nearby wall, awaiting dusk. The ceiling, to Harry’s amazement, still appeared too high to be clearly seen ” just as it did on his very first night at Hogwarts. Harry’s eyes fell upon the giant oak doors that sat open against a radiant sky. He squinted slightly and soaked in the brilliant ray of sunlight that cascaded across the flagged stone entrance hall. A light summer’s breeze flirted at the threshold. Harry spied the four hourglasses lining the wall to his right. They were filled with varying degrees of precious gemstones, mirroring the valiant efforts set forth by each house in protecting the school when it was under siege. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had each received a fair share, while not surprisingly, Slytherin had very few. None, however, was as full as Gryffindor’s, whose ruby red stones were on the verge of nearly spilling over the top. Harry beamed with pride.
Just then, a couple of first years ran past him down the stairs. Their ties hung crookedly around their necks, and their robes, dangling loosely upon their modest frames, trailed clumsily at their feet. Turning the corner, they disappeared through the doors and out into the gleaming sunlight. It seems like a lifetime ago, thought Harry, recalling how he and his friends had so often done the same.
Harry stepped down from the staircase and reached the entrance to the Great Hall. He leaned against the doorway, crossed his arms and peered in at the long, empty row of wooden tables. That first night, Harry had never dreamed just what his years at Hogwarts would have in store for him. The friendship, the adventure, and the love he discovered were beyond anything he had ever wished for or imagined. Time had changed so many things in his life, and yet he found that if he stared hard enough now at the place where the stool and the Sorting Hat had sat that night, he could just make out the faint image of a boy from Privet Drive begging not to go to Slytherin.
Harry smiled fondly to himself, turned and made his way out onto the grounds. He stood beneath an endless, cerulean sky and felt the sunlight embrace him. Basking in its warmth, Harry inhaled deeply. The scent of lilac and freshly cut grass filled the air. In the distance, he heard the gleeful sound of laughter from his fellow students, all of whom were enjoying their down-time between the traditional end of year feast and the train ride home. It was perhaps one of the sweetest sounds he had ever heard, thought Harry. He crossed the lawn towards the familiar beech tree that he and his friends had often lounged under on days like these. Although he would always treasure his time at Hogwarts, Harry knew that it was the future that he was looking forward to the most.
“Harry!” Ginny cried out. She sprang up from her place beneath the tree to greet him.
“There you are,” Hermione chimed in, with Ron not far behind.
“We went up to the hospital wing to see you,” added his best friend, “but Madam Pomfrey said you were released.”
“Yeah, I went to see Dumbledore,” Harry replied, and his friends gathered around him.
“That’s what we figured,” responded Ron.
“So,” Hermione spoke up. She gazed hesitantly at Harry. “Did he answer all of your
questions?”
Harry nodded, and taking a seat with them beneath the tree, he recounted the details of his discussion with the Headmaster. Resting against the gnarled remains of the trunk, he shared with them how he was able to survive the Killing Curse, the role his own wand played, and the true meaning behind the lost prophecy. He spoke about the unforeseen factors that had contributed to the Headmaster’s death and resurrection. Harry mentioned Professor Snape with a touch of humility in his voice. He surveyed his friends closely. The same look of shame that had once adorned his own face crept onto theirs. Harry drew comfort in the fact that he was not alone in his realization of just how wrong he had been about the man. He rose to his feet.
“And then,” Harry added, staring thoughtfully out across the lake, “Dumbledore offered me the Defense Against the Dark Arts position.”
“And what did you say?” asked Ron, and he exchanged a knowing look with Hermione that Harry didn’t see.
Harry paused. He turned and faced his friends.
“I said…yes.”
“I told you so!” Hermione boasted, looking at Ron whom she smacked hard on the shoulder with the back of her hand. Ron winced, rubbing his arm.
“Hang on…” Harry responded confoundedly. “You knew? But how?”
“Because Dumbledore offered Ron and I positions as well,” Hermione replied. A triumphant smile spread across her face.
“You’re not serious?” Harry answered jokingly and waited for one of them to deliver the punch line that he was sure would follow.
“Oh, she’s serious all right, mate,” answered Ron. He rose to his feet along with the others. “Flitwick decided to retire so…meet Miss Granger,” he added, waving his hand towards Hermione as though she were on display. "Hogwarts newest Charms teacher."
Hermione curtsied.
“And what about you?” Harry asked, pointing suspiciously towards Ron.
“Well, it appears,” Hermione intervened, “that Hagrid is in need of an assistant.”
“You’re joking?” responded Harry and for a brief moment he tried to imagine Ron befriending a creature the likes of Aragog.
“No…” answered Ron, “but Dumbledore has assured me that it’s only a temporary assignment. Y’know, until something more in line with my talents opens up.” He puffed his chest slightly.
“You mean, like Filch’s job?” taunted Ginny.
“Ha ha, very funny!” snapped Ron and the rest of them rolled with laughter. “No, I was thinking something more like... flying instructor," he added grasping the front of his shirt and sticking his chin up in the air in a very distinguished manner, the likes of which only made the three of them laugh all the more.
“Yeah well, that’s one way to avoid certain creatures living in the Forbidden Forest,” Hermione teased and Harry knew by her words, that she shared the same sentiment on Ron’s position as he.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ron asked, his ego obviously bruised.
“It’s just…well, y’know,” she replied delicately. “It’s no secret Ron, how you feel about spiders.”
“Spiders?” he mocked unconvincingly, “I just helped to defeat the darkest wizard of our time! I’m not about to allow a few…tiny…hairy…disgusting…spiders to bother me.” Ron blanched and a sour shade of green crept over his face. He looked as though he were going to be quite sick.
Stifling their laughter, Harry grinned at Hermione. She took Ron kindly by the hand and sat with him beneath the tree. Harry glimpsed at Ginny and caught her eye. She too smiled, but in an affectionate sort of way, that Harry noticed seemed to linger only between them. She stood before him wearing a hint of shimmering pink lip gloss, and her long, red hair, with its sides drawn loosely behind her ears, draped carelessly over her shoulders. She was absolutely breathtaking, thought Harry and he committed to memory every feature he had already come to know by heart. They gazed intimately at one another, and slipping her hand into his, Ginny pulled him aside.
“You do realize, don’t you,” she said, “that now that Voldemort is no longer a threat…we can be together. I mean, that is” Ginny added, setting her jaw sternly. She looked him squarely in the eyes, “if you still want to be with me.”
It was quite clear to Harry, from the expression upon her face that Ginny was bravely trying to steel herself against the possibility of being disappointed by his answer. If he had been any other guy, Harry might have bought her act; but he knew her well enough to know that beneath that confident façade lay the heart of a woman wanting nothing more than to be loved. The hint of trepidation just behind her eyes and the way she hesitantly bites her lower lip always gives her away.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he replied, and leaning in, felt the fullness of her lips upon his.
Her hand snaked across his chest and rested on the back of his neck. Harry felt a slight shiver run down the middle of his spine. It met the fingertips of Ginny’s opposite hand that now lay gently upon the small of his back. He brushed his lips against the smoothness of her cheek and caressed her face with the palm of his hand. His other hand tightened upon her waist. Immersed in the flowery scent that was Ginny, Harry embraced her.
“Of course y’know,” he whispered playfully in her ear, “this is a huge conflict of interest…me being a teacher and you a student, I mean.”
“Only for one more year,” she mused. Ginny rested her forehead against his. “And at least, we’ll get to see each other everyday.”
“Hmmm, I don’t know” Harry teased. He wrapped his arms around her waist. “It may be frowned upon by the others and…well, y’know I do have a reputation to uphold…as a teacher and all.”
“Y’know, you just may be right,” Ginny replied, with a sly look in her eyes. She slipped just out of reach. “Perhaps it would be better if we just parted ways now.”
Harry watched her turn as though she were serious about walking away from him. Without hesitation, he quickly spun her back into his arms.
“Since when have I ever cared what other people think,” he responded and kissed her hard upon the mouth.
An owl called out from somewhere overhead. Harry looked up and saw Hedwig sweep across the school grounds. Her long, white wings stretched out against a magnificent ceiling of blue, in which she circled as though she hadn’t a care in the world. Harry thought he knew exactly how the bird felt. He held Ginny closely in his arms and watched his friends frolic with one another in the warmth of the sun. For the first time in his life, Harry knew what it meant to have a real family and a home.
THE END
A huge thank you to my beta, Ravensgryff, who taught me the art of streamlining, the value of eliminating pesky tenses, and the importance of Zen. And to Andrew, for reawakening in me the love of writing.