Ron and Lavender kept staring at them all night. Both Harry and Hermione had the same stupid grin on their face, and every time they looked at each other, they started laughing.
Somehow, they actually managed to get their studying done. Ron was helping Lavender finish up with her Divination work, while Hermione was showing Harry some test-taking tips for Potions. By the time they finished, it was just about dinnertime; they'd actually studied right through lunch and all afternoon.
"Bloody hell, I can't believe we've been in here all day; I'm absolutely famished!" Ron stated and rubbed his growling stomach.
"What do you say, Herm, should we call it a night?" Harry asked and covered a yawn with his hand.
"Sure, I'm hungry too."
The four friends cleaned up their scattered books and parchment before heading towards the Great Hall.
The final weeks at Hogwarts saw all of the sixth and seventh years scattered throughout the library cramming for the NEWTs. Thanks to Hermione's insistence that they begin studying early, even Ron found that he had time to go over everything he needed. It was a mad dash to the finish as the fateful day finally arrived; one final test for the students.
Harry scratched his head as he stared at the test in front of him. He was taking his final NEWT in Advanced Arithmacy, and he wished that Hermione were in here with him. Just being around her made him feel smarter. Unfortunately, she had her flying NEWT right now, and he only hoped that she didn't get nervous. He wouldn't see her for several hours because she still had two left after her current test.
Harry pinched the bridge of his nose and cleared his head. He was on the final few questions, and he took a deep breath. His mind refocused, and he wrote down the answers.
Stepping out of the classroom, Harry let out a very long breath. He couldn't believe it; he was actually finished at Hogwarts! In a way, he felt very sad, but he also felt anxious about what the future would bring.
"Harry, did you just finish?" Sirius asked as he approached his godson.
"Yeah. By Merlin, am I glad that's over. I'm gonna owe Hermione a month of foot massages after all the help she gave me." Sirius chuckled at the young wizard.
"Professor Dumbledore wants to see you, Harry. There is something that requires your attention; it is of most importance."
Harry immediately dropped his tired act, and his battle instincts kicked in.
"What's wrong? Has something happened? Did more Death Eaters show up somewhere?"
Sirius just grinned widely.
"Why don't you come find out?"
The column of stairs brought Harry and Sirius up into Dumbledore's office, and the headmaster was there waiting for them.
"Ah Harry, I see that you've finished the last of your NEWTs; I'm sure you did quite well. Sirius has told you that there is something important that requires your attention."
"What has happened, sir? Has there been another Death Eater attack?"
Dumbledore smiled broadly at the young man. He saw the young man's shoulders tensed, ready for whatever the problem was.
"Not at all, Harry, I just have something that belongs to you. It was left in my keeping by your parents."
"My parents," he gasped sharply.
"Indeed…ah…here it is," and Dumbledore pulled a large, leather satchel out of his desk.
After receiving it, Harry immediately opened the flap on one side and found several documents inside. His eyes skimmed the headlines, and he immediately stopped when he saw the word 'DEED' written at the top of one of the pages.
"Professor, what is this?"
Sirius chuckled slightly at his godson's peculiar look.
"It's the deed to your parents' house, Harry."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes, it is the house that you were born in…" Sirius gulped slightly and tugged on his collar.
"…It's also the place where your parents…were killed…"
"Sirius is correct, Harry. Your parents left the house, as well as the land it resides on, to you in their will. You weren't allowed to receive it until you were eighteen, but I wasn't sure whether or not you wanted to keep it…for obvious reasons. If you don't want to go back there, I understand. It can be sold easily enough, and you can choose someplace else to-"
"I want to go there!" Harry interrupted.
"Are you sure, Harry?" Sirius asked with a nervous expression on his face. His godson sent him a determined glare.
"Yes. I won't let Voldemort claim the rest of life; I won't waste my time dwelling on what happened in the past. Regardless of what happened to my parents, that is my home, and I want to see it."
After a nod from Dumbledore, Harry disapparated right out of his office.
"Do you think it was wise to allow him to go back there?" Sirius asked wearily.
"It was his decision to make."
Harry arrived at a scenic two-story home several miles outside of London. Looking around, it looked much like a country estate, but it was close enough to the city where it wasn't completely rural. He took a deep breath and gazed up at his home.
The house itself appeared rather large, but it could never be considered a mansion. It was surrounded by several garden patches in the front as well as tall, maple trees on the sides and in the rear. He looked at the surrounding area and gasped at the beautiful scenery. He'd not even noticed, but his house was up on a mid-size hill so that you could see for miles in just about every direction. It wasn't a steep drop-off - just enough to be able to look down on the small town nearby.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" came a voice behind him.
In a flash, Harry rolled to the side and sprung to his feet; his wand raised and aimed at his opponent. He saw an old man standing in front of him. His hair was white as well as his beard, but his eyes and posture showed no signs of age.
"I might ask you the same question, sir. Who might you be?"
"I am Julian Parker; I am the groundskeeper here. What business do you have here? I told everyone already; I won't allow the Potter's estate to be sold - no matter how much you offer!"
Harry actually grinned at the old man and lowered his wand.
"That won't be a problem, Mr. Parker; I'm Harry Potter."
"Hmm…you look about the right age, but I'm gonna need some proof. Many an annoying kid been trying to loot the Potter's home over the years. Says they want a piece of the place where Voldemort was defeated."
Harry liked the old man already. He wasn't afraid to say Voldemort's name, and he seemed loyal to his mother and father.
"Very well, if you insist…"
Harry lifted his hair off his forehead and showed older man the scar on his brow. Julian's eyes widened in shock, but the tension did leave his face.
"Blimey, it is you, Harry. I've haven't seen you since you was a wee lad; you're looking good, my boy."
"Thank you. I appreciate you looking after the place; it looks immaculate!"
"Hmmph, of course, do people really think I'd abandon James and Lily just because they died? I knew that you'd come back here someday, and I'd make certain it was a home you'd be proud to come to."
Harry reached out his hand, and Julian gladly shook it.
"Thank you, Mr. Parker, my parents were lucky to have a friend like you."
"On the contrary, I was lucky to have them as friends. Now, why don't I show you the house."
Harry followed Julian through the front gate and into the house. He could immediately feel his parents' presence; it permeated the place. He walked through the various rooms, and his heart began to churn with both happiness and sadness. He could feel his mother as he walked through the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Everything was done elegantly but not so overbearing that it appeared snobbish. Harry could feel his father as he walked through the den and to his surprise, a trophy room. Along the walls were awards that James had won at Hogwarts mixed together with pictures of him and his friends, him and Lily, and finally him, Lily, and Harry.
Harry stopped walking and headed over to the mantle where he could see the largest of the pictures; it was his parents' wedding picture. His mother looked stunning in her dress, and his father looked quite handsome in his tux beside her. Harry grinned as his father was staring at his mother with a look that said, 'How did I ever get a woman like this'?
"Your parents were wonderful people, Harry. When you were born, it was like all their dreams came true. This house is filled with their hope, and I wouldn't let it die without a fight. I wished that old rascal Dumbledore would've let me look after you, but I understand his reasons for placing you with muggles."
"You know Professor Dumbledore?"
"Albus…course I do, lad. He and I were classmates together at Hogwarts. I wasn't nearly as gifted as he was, but I found my knack with Herbology. I love plants and nature; I respect all living things and give them their due right. Your parents believed the same thing; that's why I came to work for them. They wanted someone to managed the staff here so…"
"Excuse me, did you say staff? Just how large is this place?"
"Well…let me see…with the orchards and fields…I'd say around 500 acres," Julian answered.
"500 acres!" Harry gawked.
"You mean, you manage this whole place yourself!"
"Bloody hell, of course not! There are seven wizards on staff here; each of them has their own part to look after. There are also thirty house elves who take care of the basic labor and housework."
"How come I haven't seen any?"
"Not many of the servants are around anymore. Since your parents' death, there hasn't been a need for a full staff so most of them returned to their own homes down in the town below. The house elves stay in a separate building about a mile from here."
"Julian…I know this may sound strange, but…the house elves…are they treated as just servants or real people?"
The old man laughed heartily.
"You sound just like your mother. No, the house elves are not looked down upon; your mother would never stand for that. She's the one who gave them their own housing facility. They wear regular Elvin clothing, and each of them is paid for his services here."
"Thank you, Julian, you don't know how happy I am to hear that."
"Not at all, Harry, now let me show you the upstairs."
Harry found that the upstairs had three bedrooms, a large bathroom, and a nursery. Julian took him towards the master bedroom and stopped at the door.
"Harry…no one has been inside this room in quite a while. It still radiates with the evil that was once committed here; I just wanted to let you know."
"It's all right; open the door," he said with cold determination.
Harry stepped into his parents' bedroom, and it was as if a part of memory was suddenly torn open. He could see flashbacks of his parents - their happy faces and pride that they had in him. Then, he came to the darkest memory. He could see the blast of green fire as it struck his mother and heard her cry of agony. He heard Voldemort's maniacal laughter and pleasure at seeing her dead.
Julian froze as he saw Harry clench his fists and grit his teeth. Wind blew through the bedroom and whipped around the young wizard. The windows were blown open, and Harry appeared to be staring into nothingness.
"Voldemort," Harry growled, "You have caused enough damage to this world. Be gone now and never return!"
Raising his hands, he face his palms at the walls. Julian watched in awe at the power radiating off the young man, but what was he doing?
"Purificas Diabolante Finato!"
White light enveloped the room, and Julian swore he heard a demonic scream of pain. As the brightness faded, Harry dropped to one knee and placed his hand on a spot on the floor. It was the exact spot that his mother had fallen.
"Mother…thank you for giving me the power to protect those that I love. I promise you and father that I will never let the horror that took you from me to hurt anyone else. You have done your part for this world; now, it is my turn."
The brightness return in full force, but this time, it wasn't Harry who caused it. A shimmering light floated in front of Harry, and it began to grow in size.
Harry gasped, and tears filled his eyes as he saw the form of his mother and father take shape in front of him.
"Hello Harry, I see that you have grown into a strong, young man," his father said proudly.
"Father…Mother…"
Julian had never seen anything like this, and he began to cry himself as he saw his old friends one last time.
"My dear Harry, you have done that which we could not. Thank you so much. We love you more than we could ever say, and we're so proud of you. We can finally rest in peace, now that we know that you're going to be all right."
"Mom…I wish you and Dad could stay here."
His mother smiled at the plea in his voice, and she smiled softly.
"So do I, Harry, but we cannot. However, we will never be far apart from you; you carry the both of us in your heart; and that is enough for us. You have found your place in this world, and most importantly, you have someone to share it with. I believe her name is Hermione."
"Yes, she's my fiancé."
"We know, Harry, we're happy that you found someone to share your life with," his father stated.
"Hermione loves you, Harry, that I know without question, and she is perfect for you. I'm glad that you won't be alone anymore. I wish you both happiness to the end of your days."
James then looked past Harry.
"Hello Julian, my old friend, thank you for looking after the place while we were away."
"Not at all, it gave me something to do," the old man chuckled.
Both James and Lily smiled at him.
"Watch after Harry for us, Julian, he needs your guidance just as we did; he just doesn't know it!" James said with a grin.
"Certainly, he can't be any worse than you were."
"I've missed your humor," Lily said with a smile. She then turned back to her son.
"Our time is at an end, Harry, please know that your father and I love you with all of our hearts."
"I know, mom, I love you just the same. I feel like I should be sad right now, but I'm not," he said truthfully.
"That's good, Harry, it means that you have accepted our passing," his father answered.
"Goodbye, James…Lily…until the next time we meet," Julian said with a sad but warm smile.
"Mother…Father…" Harry sighed as tears streamed from his eyes.
"Goodbye…our beloved son," his parents said as one as they faded away.
Harry wiped his eyes and stood back up; his heart felt so light. He'd never felt so at peace with himself. He turned around to face Julian, and the old man grinned at him.
"You've done good, Harry; your parents are at peace."
"I know, but I have a question. What would it take to have the staff return to work here? I have a feeling that this house will back to normal very soon," he stated as a plan began to form in his mind.
Julian grinned at his new charge.
"Blimey, I'd thought you'd never ask!"
Harry chuckled slightly at the old man's enthusiasm. His brain churned with ideas of a surprise he could spring on his beloved Hermione.
Author's Notes: I know everybody probably thought I up and died. I wanted to have this up by Christmas, but that fell through. I promise not to make you wait this long again!