Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Harry Potter. They are the property of J. K. Rowling.
Harry yawned softly and groggily opened his eyes. Yawning once more, he looked down beside him to see that Hermione was still asleep on his chest. Smiling warmly, he ran his fingers over her delicate cheek, and she turned into his palm. Let out a soft sigh, Hermione smiled and settled back to sleep. With great reluctance, Harry unwrapped his arms from his lover, and he slid out of bed. His legs were still a little stiff, but it was easier to walk this morning. The door opened, and Ron and Lavender entered quietly.
"Harry!" Ron said quite loudly, and Lavender shushed him.
"Quiet you!"
"Hi guys." Harry padded over to them, and Ron practically squeezed the life out of him.
"Welcome back!" he shouted in a whisper. "How ya feeling?"
"I'm okay - just a little sore from the battle and everything."
"Damn Harry, you rocked out there! I don't know what in bloody hell you did, but you kicked Voldemort's scaly butt!"
"Is Hermione up yet?" Lavender inquired looking around for her roommate.
"No, she's still asleep; it's the best thing for her right now."
"All right, these are for her." Lavender handed her a pile of clothes. "I figured she'd want some fresh clothes later on."
"Thanks Lavender, I know she'll appreciate this," Harry answered with a warm smile.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me, Harry, your things…" It was then that Harry Potter finally realized that he was in fact only wearing a hospital gown.
"My clothes!"
"Don't worry, you'll be all right. They were pretty torn up so Dobby volunteered to fix them for you; they should be done in about an hour."
"Tell him thanks for me."
Just then…
"Harry?" a soft voice called out. Walking back to the bed, Harry sat down next to a just-awakening Hermione.
"Good morning," Harry whispered and brushed her hair out of her face.
"Hi," she answered quietly.
"Hey Herm!" Ron called and popped out from behind a nearby curtain.
"Hey girl, what's up?" Lavender added as her head jutted out from around Ron's right shoulder. Hermione smiled at her friends.
"Hi guys, I'm glad to see you."
"So are we. We were worried about you; you were really banged up yesterday!"
"I know, I've got the bruises to prove it!" Harry moved onto the bed and wrapped her in his arms.
"But then again, I've got the best cure for aches and pains right here," and she nuzzled Harry's neck playfully. He chuckled lightly, and Ron grinned wryly at the two of them.
"Jeez, you two, not even twenty-four hours and you're already making out!"
"I beg your pardon!" Harry interjected, "This is not making out…this is called tender loving care!"
"And I love it!" Hermione cooed happily and put her head on his chest.
"You two will never change!" Lavender giggled.
"Am I interrupting?" Dumbledore interjected. All four teenagers gasped in shock.
"Professor?" Ron gulped audibly.
"Sir, are you feeling better?" Harry asked worriedly. Dumbledore smiled a toothy grin at him.
"Come now, my boy, I may be old, but I've still got my spunk! I see that you're doing better as well, Miss Granger."
"Yes, Professor Dumbledore, I think I'll be well in time for final exams."
"Relax, my dear, don't push yourself. You were hurt very badly; you should let your body recuperate. In the meantime, Harry?"
"Yes sir?"
"If you feel up to it, Minister Fudge wishes to speak with you - privately." Harry felt his mouth turn dry.
"I'll be ready in an hour, professor."
"Very well, come to my office when you're ready." With that, the wise, old wizard left the hospital wing.
"Harry, are you nuts? Do you remember what Fudge did to you last time?" Ron shouted.
"Of course, I do, but I can't just blow him off."
"Maybe he'll congratulate you for destroying Voldemort!" Lavender piped up.
"Yeah right, Fudge will properly come up with a story for the Daily Prophet saying that it wasn't really You-Know-Who who attacked Hogwarts, and that a Ministry task force of Aurors defeated the last remnants of the Death Eaters."
"I highly doubt that, Ron," Hermione interjected, "It'd be impossible for him to prove it."
"What do you mean?"
"There were over a thousand witnesses that saw Harry fight him, right?"
"That's right, Herm, Lavender and I saw the whole thing. You should have seen it! This giant firebird exploded from Harry's body and fried the bastard to a cinder."
"Giant firebird?" Hermione gasped, staring up at her boyfriend. She knew about Harry's secret, but she'd never actually seen his power.
"I'll explain later, okay?" Harry pleaded.
"Come on, pal, how'd you do it?" Ron prodded.
"I don't know, really! I just felt these words inside my head and said them. Next minute…bam!"
"Jeez Harry, remind me never to get you angry!" Lavender chuckled.
Harry's sharp eyes picked up movement in the corner of the room. Draco Malfoy stood with a scowl on his face. He was standing next to a bed, and the occupant was heavily bandaged. Suddenly, Harry realized that it was in fact Lucius Malfoy.
"What's Malfoy doing here?" Ron growled.
"Leave him alone," Harry stated. His friends looked at him in shock. "He may be a pain, but his father's hurt right now so let him deal with it in his own way."
Surprising everyone, Harry got up out of bed and slowly walked over to where Draco Malfoy stood.
"What do you want, Potter?" the blonde, young man hissed menacingly.
"I wanted to apologize!" That made everyone gasp.
"For what?" Harry took a deep breath.
"I should've stopped your father without hurting him this much. I was just so angry that I lost control. Look, I know that we'll never be friends, but I don't want to be enemies all the time either. You probably hate me right now, but at least know that I never wanted to hurt you or your father."
"It doesn't matter what you think, Potter, you just got lucky. My father got caught off guard - nothing more."
Harry shook his head in resignation; sometimes it was just impossible to reason with people. Malfoy was still too proud and arrogant to accept the fact that his family had lost so decisively.
The young wizard returned to his friends, and Ron looked at him like he was completely nuts. Even Hermione had a hard time not trying to stare at him strangely.
"Harry, why in bloody hell did you apologize to him?" Ron groaned and crossed his arms. His best friend sat back down on the bed next to Hermione.
"Look Ron, Malfoy's an arrogant jerk; I won't argue with you on that. But…regardless of how he acts, no one should be forced to see their parents like that. I never knew my parents, and even if Draco's father is a hundred times worse than he is, Lucius is still his father. I didn't apologize for fighting his father; I apologized for losing control of my temper."
"You're too noble for your own good," Hermione teased and clutched his hand. She pecked him on the cheek, and Harry blushed slightly. He wrapped his arms around her once again and cradled her in his lap.
Dobby came by the infirmary a little over an hour later with Harry's clothes.
"Here you are, Harry Potter, Dobby and Winky fix your clothes in record time!"
"Thanks a lot, tell Winky I said hi," Harry said with a smile.
"Of course, I go help prepare dinner now. Goodbye!" The little, house elf disappeared out the door.
Harry quickly dressed and gave Hermione a soft kiss before heading for the headmaster's office.
Harry Potter walked past the gargoyle and into Dumbledore's office. Seated inside were, Remus, Moody, Sirius, Dumbledore at his desk, and Minister Fudge.
"Ah Harry, you're looking better I see," Dumbledore stated with a small smile.
"Blimey, ya dun good, my boy!" Moody laughed drunkenly.
"Harry Potter…" It was Fudge who spoke this time, "…you could be imprisoned for what you have learned and so could everyone else here for allowing you to learn such powerful magic at your age. However, I see that you have mastered your skills quite well so I will not take action concerning that."
"Thank you, sir," Harry answered with a sigh.
"The only other remaining matter is that you violated your expulsion by returning to Hogwarts. You defied a direct order from the Ministry of Magic!"
"Minister Fudge, I came back here to help my friends. Voldemort existed because of me, and it was my responsibility to see that he was destroyed…once and for all."
"I see, and are you prepared to accept the consequences of your actions?" Cornelius asked with a slight glare.
"If helping those in need and protecting the ones you love is a crime, then yes, I am guilty." Fudge's glare turned into a wide grin.
"Albus was right, Harry, you have grown into quite a man. However, I still see that you are quite wild and need to be taught a bit more discipline. Therefore, the ministry has unanimously decreed that you will be allowed to return to Hogwarts for your seventh year. During that time, I expect you to learn some respect. Do I make myself clear?"
"Sir, are you serious? Am I really allowed to come back?" Dumbledore stepped in.
"Yes, Harry, your reinstatement is effective immediately, and your marks for your current term will be based on the work that you did prior to your departure. The only thing left for you to do before this term ends is to take the N. E. W. T. S, and I trust that Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley can help with that."
"Yes sir!" Harry nearly shouted.
"Harry…" Fudge spoke up once again, "…in addition to your reinstatement, the Ministry of Magic is also awarding you the Order of Merlin for you courage and efforts."
"I cannot accept that, Minister Fudge." Everyone in the room gawked at him.
"Harry, what are you saying?" Sirius gasped.
"Are you mad, boy?" Moody chimed in.
"How can you refuse that?" Remus added.
Cornelius Fudge just stood there in shock. He was bestowing a great honor on the young wizard, but he had declined it. Why?
"If I may…" Harry interrupted, "…I don't deserve to receive that commendation. Too many people helped me win this battle. Nothing that I've achieved could have been done alone. Even my magical power was enhanced by Professor Dumbledore's phoenix. I can't take credit for other people's work."
"Do you understand what you're saying, young Potter?" Fudge asked incredulously.
"Yes sir, I do. What I suggest is that if you truly want to award it to me then wait. Wait several years and judge my merit on things that have nothing to do with Voldemort. My reputation and fame is based solely on the fact that I stopped the Dark Lord. I don't want to be known for that; I want to start fresh and build my own life."
"Well, if that is your wish, then I will not deny it." Cornelius was at a loss for words; this young man was truly amazing. Now, he finally understood why Harry Potter was so special; his soul was pure.
"If that is all, Cornelius, I suggest we allow Harry to go so that he can begin studying. Your things should have been returned to your room by now so you may go now, Harry," Dumbledore said with a crooked grin.
"Thank you, professor."
Harry had to stop himself from running out of the room. He couldn't believe it; he was allowed to come back to Hogwarts! It was too good to be true. He couldn't wait to tell Hermione. After everything that had happened lately, she could use some good news.