Unofficial Portkey Archive

August was truly coming to a close the night before Hermione and Ron planned to leave for Australia, and Harry for the Burrow. Compared to June, July, and much of August, Hogwarts had now become eerily quiet, which made it much easier for Harry to leave, now that there was very little left to prevent him from reflecting on everything he could have done differently and thinking about what he would do next.

Well, at least I passed my N.E.W.T.'s, Harry thought dryly as he walked into the Gryffindor common room to meet Ron before heading down to the Great Hall. for dinner, knowing that passing his final Hogwarts' exams in no way offered any guidance for his future.

The War had changed Ron, as it had changed everyone, in some ways for the better and in some ways for worse. The loss of Fred had left a mark on Ron that would never quite heal, a mark that had, for months, scared Ron away from joy and laughter; however, the War efforts had uncovered Ron's often hidden determination and hard work, both of which were usually reserved for only the most necessary of moments, and had prompted him to put all he could into helping Hogwarts, and more significantly, his family.

He'd even mustered up the strength to run Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes for George. While George had, unfathomably to many, continued to be a source of merriment, pranks, and laughter throughout the summer at Hogwarts, he could not yet bear to set foot in the shop.

Harry remembered the day, during lunch in the Great Hall, when Ron resolved to re-open the shop for business.

"People need to laugh now more than ever. It's what Fr- it's what Fred would have wanted," Ron said, his voice small but sure.

Harry remembered that George had looked up from his plate then, to give Ron a nod that communicated more sadness yet more gratitude than any words could.

Harry admired Ron for this determination, and hoped not only that it was here to stay, but that it spread to other aspects of Ron's life, most notably his and Hermione's budding relationship.

Harry's supper with Ron in the Great Hall felt both oddly unfamiliar and familiar; unfamiliar because the long house tables were smattered with only with a few people here and there. Familiar were the delicious mince pies and pumpkin juice… not to mention Ron's ever-so-proper table manners.

"Feels strange, eh?" Ron commented, his mouth stuffed with food, another bite not far away. It was as if he was trying to make up for the meals he'd missed in the Great Hall the previous year- all in a few bites. Looking at the delicious and fragrant spread laid out on the long table, Harry couldn't blame him.

Harry nodded. "We'll be back though."

"Sure will…" Ron looked distant for a moment, as if he were seeing something only he could see, but seemed to shake himself back to the moment and continued merrily, "You think I could hire one of the House Elves as a personal cook?"

Harry snorted. "If you can get Hermione to go for that."

Ron shook his had, rolling his eyes. "She just doesn't appreciate good food."

Harry smirked, knowing Ron was only joking.

After Harry ate dinner with Ron in the nearly empty Great Hall, he felt that he owed it to Hogwarts to take a tour of its spacious halls, high towers, moving stairways, and shadowy nooks. In his head, Harry knew it wasn't a true goodbye, but in his heart he felt as though each step he took was a door closing on a particular memory, experience, or thought. Harry knew that the things he'd done and seen and felt during his years at Hogwarts would in some way always be a part of him, but he also knew that it was time to begin a new chapter in his life, outside the walls of the first place he'd ever called home.

Not feeling quite adventurous or social enough to tour the grounds that night, Harry thought it might be a good idea to get a bird's eye view of the grassy slopes of Hogwarts' landscapes.

As Harry ascended the steps of the Astronomy Tower, he chose not to think about the night Dumbledore died. Instead, he reminded himself of his first year at Hogwarts, when he and Hermione had sent little yet fiery Norbert (later known as Roberta) off with Charlie, and the subsequent trouble they'd both gotten into. Back then, the situation had seemed so dangerous and life-altering; Harry now chuckled at the memory.

"Harry, is that you?" Harry was suddenly startled out of his memory at the sound of a familiar voice echoing from the Astronomy Tower's main balcony.

"Hermione?" Harry asked, even though he had instantly recognized her voice. Looking up toward the open balcony from his low position in the room, he spotted Hermione.

"I'm up here, on the balcony."

"I know, I see you."

And if Harry had to admit it, the sight of her up on the balcony was breathtaking- like seeing his patronus or the ceiling of the Great Hall for the first time- her outline framed against a star-filled yet moonless backdrop. Harry thought to himself that she looked quite like she was floating there, up in the night sky, surrounded by starlight.

Harry joined her on the balcony, and the two friends stood in an awed silence, taking in the beautiful scenery around them.

After some time like this, Hermione broke the silence. "Were you laughing about Norbert?"

Harry smiled and nodded.

"It seemed so rebellious back then. It was one of the first times in my life I'd ever broken the rules."

"Oh, if only you knew back then how many more rules you would break," Harry chuckled teasingly.

Hermione laughed and said, "I don't think I would have made it to my second year if I knew that then."

"Well, you wouldn't have broken so many rules if it wasn't for me," Harry joked.

Hermione knew that even though Harry's tone of voice was joking, deep down, he truly meant what he said.

"You say that Harry, but it's not true. Why do you think I was sorted into Gryffindor, not Ravenclaw? Because I knew in my heart that some rules do more harm than good, and that sometimes you have to break the rules in order to protect the people you care about… or at least I grew to learn those things."

"And I thought you were sorted into Gryffindor to keep the slackers from flunking out," Harry teased.

Hermione tried her best to glare at him then, resisting her know-it-all urge to tell Harry that you can't flunk out of Hogwarts, trying and failing to hide her smile.

Again, they were silent for some time, listening to the sounds of the evening; the distant hoot of an owl, the menacing creaks of the wind and trees in the Forbidden Forest, a flutter of dark wings on the surface of the Great Lake.

"It's funny," Hermione began, her voice nearly a whisper, "after the War I told myself I would be happy to never see a tent again, but once the castle got too crowded and people set up tents on the grounds, I've been coming up here almost every night just to look at them all."

Harry nodded quietly, sensing Hermione had more to say.

"The first night I came up here, I found Luna. She told me this was one of her favorite spots because it was a prime lookout for large-scale wackspurt migration patterns. I told her it was a lovely view, and she told me I could have it, as I seemed to need it more than she did."

Harry chuckled, not surprised at Hermione's recounting of what Luna said. He felt a sudden surge of joy run through him as he realized that Luna would not be far away from the Burrow in the coming months.

Hermione continued, "It was- beautiful, the view, watching lanterns and campfires flicker, and listening to the voices and laughter and music rise up through the night. Even George, always setting off one explosion or another… but what I really loved was knowing that all these people were here to help... I think that is the most beautiful thing of all."

Although Harry hadn't been with Hermione on those nights, he thought that must have been something to see, and wished that she had asked him to join her.

"None of it would have been possible without you, you know," Harry said sincerely.

Hermione smiled sheepishly, but made no response.

The thought that Ron and Hermione would be leaving for Australia and he for the Burrow the following morning both frightened and saddened Harry, but listening to Hermione's recollections of her nightly visits to the Astronomy Tower somehow calmed him and gave him a renewed sense of hope, even though he hadn't shared the experiences with her.

If all those people gathered to help, there has to be good things to come, Harry thought.

Later that night, visions of stars and flickering lanterns filled his mind as Harry drifted to sleep in his four-poster bed in his room in Gryffindor Tower, for perhaps the last time.

In the moment right before consciousness left him, Harry felt no fear in his heart for the first time in a very, very long time.

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