A.N.

There have been a few requests to 'update soon' so here it is, but first may I just say that whenever I get an email saying that someone has just reviewed, my heart is twice as, warm I suppose, then when it just says someone has added this story to their story alert. And so, if you can't take a hint, who cares what I said before, please review...

Disclaimer: Same old stuff, I don't own Harry Potter, that honour belongs to Warner Bros. I believe

It was mid-December and Harry was walking bitterly towards Hogwarts, cursing Aberforth as he went. It had been two months since Hermione had come to see him and for Harry, it had been two of the longest months of his life. He had fallen into the deep spiral of depression and was dreadfully missing contact with the world outside Hogwarts - excluding his contact with Aberforth, that is.

It also didn't help that the Hog's Head had recently reserved the right to refuse service to anyone – something that Harry was now, for the first time, the recipient of.

And so, Harry decided to go to the Three Broomsticks, which, though less of the atmosphere that Harry felt he needed, did serve firewhisky. When Harry walked in, the first difference was instantly noticeable, the sounds of joyful laughter- rather then that of bitter laughter that he had grown accustomed to at the Hogs Head.

Harry half stumbled, half walked to the bar and ordered a firewhisky while making himself comfortable. This was going to be a long night.

It was when Harry was halfway through his fifth pint that he noticed it, that hair, there just wasn't anything quite like it. Harry refused to look up at the person who was getting ever, and instead, stared straight down into his near empty glass.

"Rosmerta, can we have another round?" she said dreamily while he prayed to be mistaken for just another drunk. However, his prayers were not to be answered tonight, as she started to look around and almost immediately recognised him.

"Harry?" she questioned

"Luna, long time no see." He stated while slurring his words slightly.

"Why yes, it has been a while. What are you doing here?" She asked, in full knowledge of his Friday night routine

"I could ask you the same thing. You shouldn't be drinking." he mumbled

"And you should? Besides, I'm just having gillywater" she replied without missing a beat.

"Well I have reason to drink." He stated simply, while refusing to look her in the eye.

"Not the way I see it. The girl you love is back, you have a family that will welcome you with open arms no matter what you do, and your two best friends are putting off their wedding until you come to your senses and realise that no matter what you do, you'll always be one of their best friends." She said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Then why haven't they contacted me?" he asked feebly

"Because there are some things that you have to do on your own, like whole realising all that stuff." She said understandingly as Rosmerta returned with the drinks.

Harry, noticing the rather large amount of drinks said,

"Why are you here?"

"We're celebrating" she replied and only continued when she noticed Harry's questioning look "Ginny just signed for the Harpies"

Harry nodded before propositioning her

"Here, I'll pay for the drinks, if you deliver something for me."

Luna thought before nodding. Harry hastily wrote on a napkin a quick, yet sincere and important message.

"Just remember, your glass is always half full when you have friends and family nearby." she said before pointing to his glass and waving goodbye.

Harry shook his head and laughed, it may be the drink getting to him, but that Luna had changed a lot since Hogwarts, but she could still make him laugh. He watched her walk back to their table, gripping the napkin as if her if depended on it, and levitating the drinks by her side.

He looked past Luna and onto the table, only to find Ginny staring right back at him. Once she saw him looking straight at her, she smiled in a friendly manner and before he knew what he was doing, he was smiling right back at her and winking, to which she just laughed at.

Harry turned, paid for both his drinks and Luna's before quickly making his way towards the door, a grin stretching from ear-to-ear on his face. After years, it felt good to know that he wasn't dead inside, that someone could still install those feelings into him.

It was a Saturday morning and for the first time in two months Harry was at breakfast in the Great Hall. He had thought it through last night and had decided that he would resign at the end of that school year, he didn't want to spend his whole life in Hogwarts and so decided that it would be best to do it now, once he had shown that the cure on the job had been lifted- not that many people knew about it in the first place.

After a breakfast, which he thoroughly enjoyed, Harry walked to Professor McGonagall's office barely noticing his slight hangover. As he knocked on the door, Harry reassured himself that this was the right thing to do.

"Come in." Came the stern reply

Once she saw it was Harry however, her façade was gone out the window and she gave him a smile.

"Wha can I do for you Harry?" she asked

"Well, I've been thinking and I want to resign at the end of the year." he decided not to bea around the bush.

McGonagall was silent for a minute or two before she said with a sigh

"Well, if it's what you truly want them I can't stop you, in fact, I'll encourage you to do this. Please don't take offence to this, but I don't really think that teaching is your true calling, you're good at it, but it doesn't satisfy you."

Harry nodded while he got up and said,

"Thank you, for everything."

"Anything for you Harry."

Harry nodded once more before leaving.

Harry looked at his watch and noticed that it had just gone eleven, and deciding that he'd best get a move on, he started to write a letter in which he asked Ron and Hermione to meet him for lunch in order to apologise in person. He sent it off with one of the school owls and a mere hour later, recieved a reply that stated that they would be delighted to see him again but they had already arranged to meet Ginny for lunch, they then said , though, that he could join them if he wished to and that if they didn't hear from him saying that he didn't want to, which they would understand, then they would see him at the Leaky Cauldren at three.

Harry smiled, he had a feeling that this was going to turn into a good day.

A.N. I am aware that this story is moving pretty slowly, and for that I can only blame myself, though it should pick up a bit what with Harry resigning (how could he and Ginny get back together if he was stuck in Hogwarts?!).

This lunch thing that they're doing, well I'll just say that Ron and Hermione may find themselves a little preoccupied, or maybe forgot that they both had to work on that Saturday?

I could also use a beta to point stuff out to me like thatbthe story's moving too slowly, so if there are any volunteers, please don't hesitate to apply.

Please review and all that jazz.