Alright, now we need to wrap up the whole thing. The girl is rescued, the bad guys are foiled... Now for the rewards!


Days of June


The reaction to Julie's return was what one could have expected. It didn't matter that Julie was stuck in the Hospital Wing. It didn't matter that the people responsible for her rescue were keeping their mouth shut about what had happened in the Maze. A fellow student had been in mortal danger, and now she was safely back in the Castle. It was a cause for celebration.

Parties were organized on the spot, especially in the Gryffindor Common room, since the House of the Lion could never pass up a chance for a good party. They were celebrating their heroes, Terry, Kalindra and Kenneth.

Of course, the most incredible amount for rumours began to run through the Castle after the dramatic return of the young French girl, carried in Kenneth's arms and escorted by the youngest teachers of the school, along with four third years and a fifth year, rumours, that this time around, had nothing to do with Ian or one of his friends. Apparently, Terry was just as keen as Ian on making his friends heroes, but as soon as he was concerned, he turned out to be really discreet. But the silence of the heroes of the day had allowed the most preposterous things to come out.

Kieran had reported this to Ian, when she had visited. The two had laughed a lot at the theory according to which Ian had faced three dragons, while Kenneth had duelled a demonic reflection of himself, in order to get to Julie's cell. It only lacked an enchanted drawbridge and a minstrel to turn the whole thing into a fairy tale. This was ludicrous.

It seemed too farfetched to Ian. If he had been at the start of these rumours, he'd have smacked himself for the lack of realism. A false rumour had to be believable to have its proper effect, which meant tricking everyone.

Since Kalindra, Kieran, Terry and Joel hadn't been seriously hurt during the adventure in the Maze, they just had gone through Madam Pomfrey's examination without trouble, and they'd been sent back to their common rooms. Kenneth had left the Hospital Wing before Ian, kept there for his exhaustion, had even woken up.

Alexander said that Ian had reached his limits in this adventure. And Ian admitted that he was pretty tired, once the tension of the fights had worn off.

"Soon, this kind of efforts will be piece of cake for you," he had said. "But you're only thirteen. You have to be careful with this."

So Ian had spent the following week in the Hospital Wing, in a bed next to Julie's.

The School Nurse was treating Julie for a serious drain on her life force. Julie had been dozing off on a regular basis, the ritual having taken a heavy toll on her. Madam Pomfrey was waiting for her to remain conscious more than a few minutes before to allow visitors. In the meantime, Ian had distracted her the best way he could, but he knew that she missed her friends.

And Ian knew that she was waiting for someone to visit.

The next Monday, after the nurse had allowed it, Robert Donahue entered the ward, alone, with an extravagant bouquet of flowers. He put it in a vase next to her bed, and sat on her right.

"Hello," he said, gently taking her hand.

"Hi," said Julie. "It's nice of you to drop by."

"I couldn't do less," said Donahue. "I was so worried."

"I'll be fine," said Julie, on a reassuring tone.

"Yes, I know," said Donahue. "Thanks to this one, among others," he added, nodding to Ian. "I owe yo big time, Malcolm."

"You're welcome," said Ian.

"But you could have asked me to come with you," said Donahue. "I was dying of frustration, back in my common room."

"Well, it was all decided very quickly," said Ian, as an explanation. "Besides, we didn't have your password."

"Anyway, I'm grateful that you saved her. All of you," said Donahue.

"Not as much as I am," said Julie, smiling.

"Yes, I think I can figure," said Donahue.

He suddenly lost interest in Ian and turned again to the young girl. Ian rolled his eyes. He was nice just because he had to. He didn't care at all for Ian. It's not that Ian cared a lot about Donahue's opinion. He just thought that he seemed too egocentric to be a good pick for Julie. It was something that Ian would never understand; the ways girls in this school were all under his charm. It was maybe the deepest mystery of all.

Completely oblivious of the fact that Ian was listening, Donahue went on with his charming trick, and his usual routine.

"I just wish I had done more than this," he said.

"You already said that once," said Julie. "Don't worry about this."

The rest of the conversation lost its interest when Ian saw someone appear at the Hospital wing's door. It was Kenneth. It wasn't the first time he was paying a visit. But each time, Julie had been sleeping. Kenneth froze on the threshold, looking slightly disappointed to see that Julie wasn't alone. Then his face closed a little more when he realised that it was Donahue chatting with her.

He simply turned on his heels, and left the wing. Ian sighed deeply. That was stupid. After what he had done, Kenneth would have had every right to step in the ward, even if that meant interrupting the couple's chat. Ian was sure that Julie wouldn't have minded.

Ian then caught something on Donahue's face. He was smiling slightly. He had seen Kenneth's arrival. And he was somehow savouring his triumph at his retreat. That did it, Ian definitely didn't like the guy.

But there was something else that Ian had seen, and Donahue had missed. Julie's eyes had caught Kenneth's departure. And her eyes were telling as much as a novel. Ian smiled lightly. Maybe Donahue's win wasn't so certain, after all.

Ian leant back comfortably in his pillows, grinning discreetly. Maybe life could be fair sometimes.


Julie opened her eyes once more to the ward. There was daylight, coming from outside, but beyond that, she had no notion of the time. It was difficult to keep track. Although the treatment she was given by Madam Pomfrey was doing her a world of good, it had the drawback of messing with her sleeping patterns. Sometimes, when she woke, she would feel so weak that she couldn't even speak.

But she overheard things. Ian's visitors had been reporting to him about the state of the rumours running in the school. By now, she had pretty much figured out what had happened. She didn't know exactly how, but a group of her friends, led by Ian and Kenneth, had simply put their own life on the line to save her. That much was certain. Granted the teachers and the Order of the Phoenix had caught up with them, but if she had heard Professor McGonagall correctly, without the students involved, Julie would probably not have made it.

It confirmed what little she remembered of the ordeal. After Lilia had begun her ritual, she had little recollection of anything, beside the pain. All she remembered was Kenneth holding her, as he ran to safety. He had saved her. Ian wouldn't give out any detail, whenever they spoke, saying she didn't need to worry about that. That was way to avoid boasting, she guessed.

Now, Ian had left the ward, and beside the short visits allowed by Madam Pomfrey, Julie had lost contact with the rest of the school. Her visitors were very careful not to tire her out or to bring up painful memories. Kalindra purposefully steered the conversation on mundane subjects, whenever she showed up and, unsurprisingly, Robert wouldn't even mention Kenneth's involvement in her rescue, unless he had no choice.

As for Kenneth, he was nowhere to be seen. Since he had showed up at the door of the ward, and walked away upon seeing her chatting with Robert, he hadn't returned. Julie wished he had, though. They had much to discuss.

It had been a full week, now, as far as Julie could tell. And she was growing restless. She needed to speak about what had happened. She needed to know if she was truly safe, now. Thankfully, the OWLs were behind her, so she didn't need to worry about the rest of the school year. But, despite the need to recover, she was starting to feel cooked up.

Julie heard voices nearby. One, she recognized at once, was Madam Pomfrey's, as she was whispering, as always when she expected a patient to be asleep. The other, Julie finally determined, was Miss Weasley. Julie had a smile. She was always glad to see the young woman, who had been nice and supportive to her throughout the year. Julie kept quiet, trying to make out what they were saying.

"So how is she, really?" asked Miss Weasley, at some point.

"Considering what she has been through, she's fine," admitted the School Nurse. "Her life force needed to be replenished. It's lucky she is such a strong girl, because someone else wouldn't have lasted that long inside that atrocious ritual. She nearly died."

"We are lucky that her friends are so resourceful," commented Miss Weasley.

"Please, Ginny, do not encourage them," sighed the nurse. "The state of these children, when they returned… this is madness. I was hoping never to have to see this again."

"Again?" noted Miss Weasley.

"I don't think I need to remind you the time I needed to restore your life force, Ginny," said Madam Pomfrey, pointedly. "Julie was past that. And her rescuer was in even worse shape than yours..."

There was a pause that Julie thought was meant for a shiver. Was she referring to Ian? Was he in such a state? She had known that he had been exhausted, but neither Professor Lockenburn nor Dumbledore had looked worried, when she had overheard them visit him. What was she talking about?

"And yet, I couldn't keep him more than a few hours," complained the nurse. "The stubbornness of that young man is astounding, just as appalling as your boyfriend's."

"Well, in both cases, I'd blame the parents," chuckled Miss Weasley. "The way I heard it, James and Lily Potter were just as pig-headed as Sarah and Lancelot."

"Well, neither Sarah nor Lancelot had to show up in my ward covered in burns, at age fifteen," replied the nurse.

Julie then realised that they were talking about Kenneth. He had been injured? Burns? No one had mentioned burns, in any account she had been given. What the hex had happened to him? A wave of worry began to rise in her.

"What could have possessed this boy to do something like this? Plunging into that spell, like this! He could have been killed!" said the nurse.

"Ian was trying to protect him, but I'll admit it was pretty risky," said Miss Weasley, gravely. "How was he doing?"

"Well, most of the burns healed overnight," said Madam Pomfrey. "What amazes me is that he managed to walk in his condition, let alone carry that girl in his arms all the way to the ward."

Julie couldn't help it. She gasped in shock, when the full meaning of what they were saying hit her. Kenneth had done all this? He had… He could have died rescuing her? The notion was overwhelming.

Her gasp had drawn the attention of the two women and, while Miss Weasley took a seat at her bedside, Madam Pomfrey busied herself with Julie's treatment. She diligently administered the dosage, before to perform a full check on her. When she was done, she retreated to the other side of the ward, leaving Julie alone with her visitor. Miss Weasley remained silent for a while, as Julie was struggling to find words. She finally took mercy on her.

"Something on your mind, Julie?" she asked, with a smile.

"What you just said about Kenneth…" said Julie, trying to express her shock.

"Ah," said Miss Weasley, with a wince. "You heard that, didn't you? Well, it's probably for the best. I mean, if you wanted to know the truth of what had happened, you couldn't honestly expect to get it from Kenneth. The way the Lionhearts go about this, he'll just dismiss the whole thing with a shrug and something like 'all in a day's work' remark."

"But he could have died! I can't believe he would do something like that, for me!" said Julie. "I mean… who does that?"

Miss Weasley had an enigmatic smile.

"What freaks you out the most, Julie?" she asked. "The fact he risked his life for you or the reason behind what he did?"

Julie was struck mute. The red-headed witch had just pointed at the right issue. What did it mean? If Kenneth had been willing to put his life on the line like that, what did it mean, and what was she supposed to do about it?

Because she now realised that Kenneth Lionheart was probably the bravest boy she had ever met, that he was beyond special… that she loved him, to be truly honest with herself... How was she supposed to act around him, from now on? Would he expect something?

Miss Weasley put a gentle hand on hers, cutting through her wonderings.

"You need to calm down about this, Julie," she said. "I can relate to what you're going through. Do you know how I met Harry?"

That seemed out of the blue. Julie got over the surprise and tried to remember what she had read about Miss Weasley.

"You met in Hogwarts," she said.

"Not exactly," said Miss Weasley, smiling. "I met Harry in King's Cross. I didn't know who he was, but I think it was love at first sight, for me. I was desperately in love with him from the moment I saw him. I was begin teased endlessly by my brothers about it. Harry had no clue, of course. I was one year younger than him, he had a whole new world to deal with. I was just Ron's shy little sister. The year I went to Hogwarts, there was a massive screw-up and most of it was my fault, because I fell under the spell of an artefact that contained a piece of Voldemort."

Julie flinched at that.

"Harry rushed to my rescue with my brother, but Harry ended up rescuing me on his own," Miss Weasley went on. "He saved me from being drained by a ghost, and battled a basilisk for me, basically. When I realised what he had done, you know what I did?"

Julie shook her head.

"I forced myself to get over my crush on Harry," she said, taking her aback.

"But…" said Julie, not sure she understood.

"Let me explain," said Miss Weasley. "Harry had saved me, yes, but not because he loved me. He did care about me, I know he did. But he saved me because that's who he is. He's a hero. When I realised that, I knew that my infatuation with him was what had put me in danger in the first place. So I forced myself to grow up and start considering Harry as a human being, and not the big romantic hero of a tale where I would have been the damsel in distress. That wasn't fair to him. And that wasn't fair to me."

Julie nodded, waiting for her to go on.

"I admire Harry," Miss Weasley said. "But it's not why I love him. I love the part of him that is vulnerable. I love the man that jokes around with my brothers and felt deeply touched by being accepted by my parents. I love the man who admitted his fears and his doubts. I even love the man with a legendarily short temper, because it amuses me. So, to be honest, I did not truly fall in love with Harry because he rescued me when I was eleven. I fell in love with Harry when I got to truly know him. Do you understand what I mean?"

Julie, nodded, unsure of herself, but she thought that she saw the point.

"So, I'm not supposed to…" she began.

"Nobody expects you to suddenly declare your love for Kenneth Lionheart, just because he rescued you," said Miss Weasley, nodding, "and least of all people, Kenneth. Kenneth will never accept you falling for him out of gratitude. He's a Lionheart. They abhor the very notion of debt."

"So what do I have to do, now?" asked Julie, still unsure.

"It all depends on what you feel," said Miss Weasley. "What you have to do is let him know you're grateful and that you're aware of the risk he took for you. Once that is clear, if you find you feel more than friendship for him, you have to follow your heart, but let him know this had nothing to do with the fact he saved your life. Focus on who he is, not what he did for you."

Julie didn't need to think much to put what she knew of Kenneth in words.

"He is the noblest guy I've ever met," she said. "He's… He's brave and kind, and he's the best friend on could have."

"Not too bad on the eyes, too, right?" added Miss Weasley, with a grin.

Julie looked at her, and laughed when she saw the glint in her eyes.

"Well, yeah, he's cute, too," she admitted. "But he's so intense… I feel that if I go to him, I won't ever be able to come back. That's scary."

"But Kenneth's not scary," said Miss Weasley.

"No," said Julie. "Kenneth wouldn't hurt me for the world. He wouldn't hurt anyone, actually. Well, Robert… No, that's not even right. He had to be pushed before to raise his wand against Robert, and he could have done far worse than what he did."

"Would he still be all of this if he hadn't rescued you?" asked Miss Weasley.

"Yes," said Julie, after a while. "Yes, he would be."

"So what do you plan to do about it, then?" asked Miss Weasley.

"I don't know," said Julie. "I'm not even sure that he would be interested. As you said, he would have rescued anyone…"

"Let me amend that," said Miss Weasley. "He would have gone to anyone's rescue. Just like Ian did, or your friend Kalindra. But I doubt that he would have jumped in a deadly spell just for anyone. Let's face the facts, there. I saw the way he was holding you, when he brought you back to the Castle. That boy loves you, Julie, trust me on that. But he will only accept your love in return if it is sincere."

"I understand," said Julie, more serenely.

"Good," said Miss Weasley, getting up. "Get some rest, Julie. You'll need your strength."

The grown-up witch was starting to walk away when Julie called after her.

"You said you forced yourself to get over him," she said.

Miss Weasley turned back to her, expecting her to go on.

"Did it work?"

"Not really," said Miss Weasley, with a smile. "But when I fell for him all over again, I made sure it was for the right reasons. Didn't turn too badly, I'd say. Good day, Julie."

"Good day, Miss Weasley," Julie said, as the redhead retreated out of the ward, leaving her with her thoughts.


When Julie finally got back to the Gryffindor Tower, she was far more serene.

Near her last day in the Hospital Wing, Professor Dumbledore had come to see her. He had explained what exactly had happened, helped in this by Professor Potter, who had told her the part each of the students had in her rescue. It had matched what Miss Weasley had told her, but it had revealed a lot more from her other friends. To say she was grateful was an obscene euphemism.

"You have very loyal friends, Miss Carteret," had said Dumbledore. "They were ready to make huge sacrifices on your behalf. In order not to make their effort futile, I will ask you to remain cautious, from now on. You still may be a target for the Warlocks of Atlantis. Your family has been notified what you have been through. They have been taken to your Uncle's home in Brittany, which is secure under the Fidelius Charm. They won't be able to get you from King's Cross station as a result, but I have arranged a discreet escort and surveillance for you. Your journey home will be monitored. These safety measures will remain in place until we find and capture Lilia. Also, I would like you to carry this."

He had held out a little amulet, hanging to a little silver chain. Julie took it, looking at the design very carefully. The amulet was a very delicate feather.

"This is the emblem of the Order of the Phoenix," Dumbledore had said. "I officially asked them to watch over you, whenever you're not in Hogwarts. Through this amulet, they will know if you're in any danger. There will always be someone watching. I promise you that you'll be safe this summer, until you come back among us. If, of course, you wish to go on with your studies in our school..."

Julie was now feeling the little amulet against her skin. Never remove it, had advised Dumbledore. She was really grateful to the Headmaster for this concern. She considered being lucky having so much people caring for her safety all the time.

She reached the floor of the Fat Lady's painting.

"Eye of Dragon," she said.

"Glad to hear that, dearie," said the Fat Lady, and the painting pivoted, revealing the entry of the common room.

Julie hesitated a moment on the threshold, in the darkness of the portrait hole, pondering how to act, now. She had the advice of Miss Weasley fresh in her mind. She needed to talk to Kenneth. She had not been able to thank him properly. But she also wanted to be clear. She didn't want any of her feelings to be mistaken with sole gratitude.

That's why she entered the room with a resolve.

She was immediately greeted by a hug. It was Kalindra, who was welcoming her back.

"It's great you're out before the Feast," said Kalindra. "It would have been a shame for you to miss it!"

Mandy joined them, and soon, Julie was surrounded by Gryffindors, eager to greet her back and to tell her how much they were relieved to see that she was alright.

Julie finally spotted Kenneth. He was sitting in one of the armchairs, looking through the window, with the sun shining through. Once she was through with the celebration of her return, Julie managed to get to the armchair. She came to a stop next to him, and, with a smile, she punched his shoulder.

"Never do that to me again!" she said.

"What was that for?" Kenneth asked, looking puzzled.

"Dumbledore told me everything," she said. "About how you saved my life…"

"Well, I wasn't alone," said Kenneth, began.

Julie took a seat in the armchair facing him, locking her eyes with his.

"He told me everything, Kenneth," said Julie, insisting deeply. "He told the way you plunged into that spell to get me out. And he was honest about the risk that meant for you."

Kenneth's look turned grave. He looked at a loss to what to say. Julie took mercy on him.

"So," she said, "I'll say it only once. I thank you for saving my life. I'll never forget it. Now, you do that again, and I'll kill you, is that clear?"

Kenneth's mouth fell open, for a moment, but then he smiled lightly.

"Well, I couldn't just let this crazy witch suck out your life like this," he said. "This kind of things is in a poor taste, isn't it?"

Julie chuckled, glad that he had understood the message.

"I guess I'm lucky you have such a sense of manners, then," she said.

They stayed silent for a moment, just looking at each other. This was a really odd silence. Not really uncomfortable, but strange. Julie wondered what he could think right now.

If only I knew Legilimency, she thought.


The days had flown since the rescue mission had taken place. The month of June had been spent between Julie and Ian's time in the Hospital wing, and the usual end of term, without too much homework and a lot of free time, if you counted out Snape's huge pile of assignments, of course. The days were now a lot less stressful for both students and teachers.

Ian could tell that he was feeling great! The whole school had definitely ceased to see him as a freak, or at least, they didn't dare to voice it aloud if they did.

The mood in the Ravenclaw Tower was excellent, these days. But Ian started to see something coming in the horizon, and that was the end of the term. He was glad to see his parents back, of course, and his little brother Ewan, but still he felt always a little sad at the thought of leaving the school. It was such a cool place, in spite of all the trouble he had gotten into.

So, soon, maybe a little too soon, the students were packing in their dormitories. As he was randomly throwing clothes in his trunk, expecting his Mum to tell him off about that, when he would be home, Ian noticed that Joel was quite silent, this afternoon.

"What's wrong, mate?" he asked.

Joel, frowned, looking puzzled.

"It's just that... I received a letter," said Joel.

"Your parents?" offered Ian.

"No, someone from the school," said Joel.

He held out a parchment to Ian, who read it.

Joel,

I just want you to know that I always have found you really cute. Since you helped to save Julie Carteret, you're famous all over the school. But I want you to be sure that I liked you before that. So now, I know I won't the only one looking at you. But it won't change anything for me. I just hope I would have the courage to speak to you…

But I really like you. Maybe I even love you…

Your secret admirer

"Well, that's seems clear," said Ian, with a shrug and a grin. "Someone fancies you."

"That, I would have guessed on my own, thanks," said Joel. "The trouble is that I can't even imagine who it can be."

"You have the envelope?" asked Ian.

"No," said Joel. "I just got the letter on my bed."

"Oh," said Ian. "You're in trouble, then."

"Why?"

"Because it has to be a girl of Ravenclaw, then," said Ian.

"But girls can't get in here," protested Joel.

"Ah, but they can when there is no boys in the rooms, and even when they're in," said Ian. "Remember that Kieran spent the night in here, watching over me. Or else it can be even worse…"

"What?" asked Joel.

"She has an accomplice, a guy who came here to leave that letter on your bed."

Joel looked suddenly completely panicked.

"You would not have done this to me, would you?" he asked Ian and Edwin.

"Joel!" protested Ian.

"Sorry," Joel said. "It's just that she sees me everyday, and I can't guess who she is. I... I've got to see Mark. Maybe he knows something."

"I saw him get down to the lake," said Ian.

Joel quickly walked out of the dormitory. Once he had passed the door, Edwin threw Ian a suspicious look.

"You don't know anything about it, do you?" he asked softly.

"Nah," said Ian. "But it can be anyone in the tower. All the boys are allowed in every dormitory. And What I said about the spells is true."

Edwin nodded.

"So you have no idea of who the girl is?" asked Edwin.

"I wouldn't say that, but I won't tell anything. You can't even torture me to get it out of me," said Ian.

Edwin did clearly not believe him. Ian really didn't care. The look on Joel's face had been precious. And after the pleading look of Gina, when she had asked him to put this letter on Joel's bed, Ian couldn't have refused. He grinned at the memory of the look of gratitude in her eyes.

Ian went back at his packing, chuckling lightly.


"Are you going to talk to her?" asked Kalindra, as Kenneth was emptying his drawer on his bed.

"I don't think so, no," said Kenneth.

Kalindra was alone in the dormitory with him, as the others have already finished packing. Kalindra had come upstairs to check on him.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because I can't," said Kenneth. "It's simple to understand."

"Not really," said Kalindra.

"Look, even if I gather the courage to finally talk to her about this, you figure she could say no, after I saved her life?" said Kenneth. "I don't want to force anything on her."

"That's noble thinking, Kenneth," said Kalindra, "But I think she made it clear that gratitude would have nothing to do with it. I mean, I know for a fact that she's grateful. She keeps bugging me about how much she owes me. So why did she make a show of dismissing any debt to you?"

"I don't know," said Kenneth. "Maybe she just doesn't want to get my hopes up too much. Besides, she's with Donahue."

"Oh, come on, Kenneth," said Kalindra. "Donahue can be nothing more than a short lived crush. You know the guy. Even if he genuinely loves her, he won't be good enough to keep her. Besides, she hasn't been around him that much, these days. She's been hanging out with the girls, mostly."

Kenneth didn't say a word.

"It's just not the right time," he finally said.

"You're hopeless," said Kalindra, with an exasperated sigh. "No wonder Shakespeare(*) had so much success in his time. You guys like your tragedy way too much."

"Maybe, so sue me," said Kenneth, smiling fatalistically.


The Feast began as usual. Students were speaking animatedly across the tables, and the mood was excellent. As they were reaching dessert, Dumbledore stood up and made his glass ring across the whole Great Hall, using Professor Flitwick's spell. The Hall slowly fell silent.

"Thank you very much," said Dumbledore. "Before we award the House Cup, we must award points to the students that have made this year one of a kind. For the first time in Hogwarts History since Voldemort's times, teachers and students have worked together for a greater good. I mean of course the rescuing of Miss Carteret who is now safe among us."

There was a quite good amount of cheers, and Julie shot looks to all the ones who had saved her. She crossed eyes with Ian, who winked at her. Julie couldn't help but chuckle.

"The staff of this school is highly aware that these students did not accomplish what they did for points, and in fact, we are convinced that they had put aside the notion of House, when they rushed into danger. Still, worth must be recognized, and therefore I must award points to those who have put their life at risk, to save one of their classmates. I will thus award Mister Terrence Longwand of Gryffindor sixty points, for his fervent support of his friends. Mr Joel Andrews of Ravenclaw will be awarded sixty points for the same reason. Miss Kalindra Johnson has shown bravery, skill and dedication in the rescue of her friend, and she will be also awarded sixty points for Gryffindor."

There was a huge acclamation on both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw table. Ian smiled widely at his friends from across the Hall. Dumbledore raised his hands for silence again.

"Miss Kieran McDougall has amazed us throughout the year by her wits, her loyalty to her friends, and her courage. And she also revealed the potential to accomplish great things, if only by sending the meaning of magical transportation upside down."

Flitwick jumped excitedly on his seat, making the teachers smile.

"So, Miss McDougall will be awarded eighty points."

Kieran looked thunderstruck, as the girls of her year were congratulating her. She started to smile, and Ian was sure that this smile wasn't about to disappear anytime soon. A third time, Dumbledore called for silence.

"And of course, we can't speak of the efforts of these people without mentioning the two students that had the courage to stand out to their enemies, in order to rescue one of their friends. They are gifted with uncanny powers, we must acknowledge that. But this year they have proved that they had the heart and the wisdom that must accompany these powers. So I will award a hundred points each to Ian Malcolm of Ravenclaw and Kenneth Lionheart of Gryffindor."

The Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables exploded in cheers. There even was some firm applause from the Slytherin table. The counts were quickly made among the students, and Ravenclaw's voice became even more louder. Dumbledore called a last time for silence.

"Since the students of Ravenclaw seem to justify their reputation by being smart enough to make the calculations, I won't make any more mysteries on the Winner of this year's house Cup."

He clapped his hands and the decorations of the great Hall all turned into blue and bronze.

"Ravenclaw wins the House Cup," he said solemnly.

Flitwick squealed in delight and jumped on his stool to applause enthusiastically, bouncing like a kid given his dream present.

Near Ian, this was complete madness. Eamon Clarke came to shake hands with him. And then many students of the House came to chant Kieran, Joel and Ian's name. Ian felt that the cheers were beginning to go to his head, but he didn't want it to stop right now. This was clearly one the best end-of-term feast he had ever been to. He crossed eyes with Kieran, who beamed at him. And this very smile caused him to feel very strange. He decided to think about this later. He just gave her back this smile, and he didn't resist when Mark Jevons pulled him into a dance to celebrate their victory.

Kieran laughed at that and cheered with all the others. Ian felt really good.

This has been a very cool year, he thought.


The very next morning, the teachers escorted the students back to the Doors of the Castle where they took places in the carriages that would take them to the Hogsmeade Platform, so they would get home. Harry felt a great deal of relief when they disappeared from view. He had somehow felt the burden of their presence the whole year. Not that it wasn't great to have them in the Castle. But in a way, Harry had to worry for their safety during the whole months of school time. Now that it was over, he was glad to have some air, and a little break, to take care of himself and Ginny.

Speaking of which, there was something he had planned to do this day. And he got back in the Castle to make sure he wouldn't be late.

Three hours later he met Ginny in a restaurant of Hogsmeade, for one pleasant lunch on the patio. Ginny was beaming. She had been finally given this promotion she was waiting for. So, in the beginning of July, she would officially join the headlines' section of the Herald, basically becoming a star reporter for the newspaper. Her report on the Austrian summit had cemented her boss's decision, along with her reaction to this whole rumour mess. Harry was thrilled that her career was going on so smoothly. She deserved it. Harry knew that she was working hard.

But Harry knew that there was something that would completely make her day.


"So the kids are gone?" asked Ginny.

Harry let out a very deep sigh and nodded. Ginny chuckled. She knew that this year had been stressful for Harry, on many levels. From the professional one, as the first year of a teacher wasn't the easiest, to the personal one, and for that Ginny felt a little pinch of anger still at the blockheads of Witch Weekly.

Harry gave her his impression of the year's students, beyond the very special cases. Of course, he mentioned Ian and his friends, and again, he repeated how he had been impressed by their bravery. Ginny found that amusing to see Harry Potter praise the bravery of third and fifth year heroes.

They sipped on their drinks, enjoying the sunlight on their faces. When the waiter came to take their order, Harry seemed to be distracted by something. Ginny propped his hand lightly and Harry ordered very classic stuff like beef bourguignon. Still he was looking dreamily at her.

"What?" she finally asked, grinning strangely.

Harry gave a start and smiled.

"No, nothing. I was just thinking of us", said Harry. "We can't go on like this."

Ginny felt suddenly taken aback. What was going on? His feelings couldn't have changed like that… He couldn't be so romantic one second and suddenly speak about things like "we can't go on like this."

"What do you mean?" she asked, a little nervously.

"I mean, I love you, you love me, we live together," said Harry. "And this year, you even saved my life."

"So what?" asked Ginny, definitely lost.

He wasn't talking about breaking up, that much was certain. He had just stated that he loved her. So where was he going with this?

"All this made me think a lot, you know," Harry went on. "And I've come to the conclusion that I can't live without you."

Ginny took his hand over the table and squeezed it with a smile.

"I can't live without you either," she said, tenderly.

"And so, I say we simply can't go on like this," said Harry, looking very decided.

But she could feel that he was very nervous, by the way his hand was shaking a little. She began to form an idea in her mind. And this idea made her suddenly shiver in delight. Her heart began to pound heavier in her chest. Harry pulled the napkin away from her plate, revealing a little box in it. Ginny gasped and her hand reached her mouth, as tears went to her eyes.

Harry stood up, and Ginny's heart missed a beat. He knelt in front of her. He took the box and opened it, revealing a beautiful diamond ring.

It was made of gold, and the diamond was imprisoned in the golden claws of a little griffin. Ginny began to tremble.

Harry cleared his throat.

"Ginevra Weasley, will you marry me?" he asked.

Ginny burst in tears, and fell on her knees to hug him tightly. The entire restaurant seemed moved as well, as she heard a few gasps and some 'aww' echoing in the distance.

She kissed him madly, still lost in the whirl of her emotions. She had never been so happy!

"Yes!" she whispered in his ear. "Yes, of course, I will marry you, Harry!"

Then, slowly, saluted by the applause of the restaurant's guests, Harry passed the ring on Ginny's finger, and they kissed again, still kneeling on the floor.

Ginny let herself drown in her happiness.

This was such a perfect moment!


Alexander was paying a visit to Hermione. Ron was still at work, and they were chatting in the living room of Hermione's apartment. They were planning to spend the week end with all the ones living in Hogwarts, and to celebrate the end of term.

Someone knocked furiously on the door. Hermione sighed and stood up. Her pregnancy began to be much more obvious, by now. Alexander guiltily pushed away the thought that he and Harry had dragged her into action, while she was expecting a baby. Phyllis, once she had come back to the Castle, had given him quite the earful about that. Alexander reasoned that, at no time, Hermione had seemed embarrassed by her pregnancy during the fights. Given the robes she wore, these days, it was easy to forget she was expecting. Besides, it's not like he would have been able to deny Hermione joining them. That woman's determination was scary, sometimes.

Anyway, she was safe, now, and before he would allow Hermione to get involved in any trouble, it would have to wait until the baby she was expecting would enter Hogwarts. He was sure that Ron would agree on that. And deep inside, in spite of all of her protests, Hermione would, too.

Hermione opened the door on Ginny and Harry. Alexander stood up. He saw that they were beaming. Ginny seemed very excited. Hermione's eyes widened suddenly, as she seemed to understand something.

"NO!" she said, grabbing Ginny's hand.

"Yes!" said Ginny, raising her hand for her to see it clearly.

Hermione squealed in joy and hugged them both.

"Oh! That's wonderful! Just wait until Ron learns about this!"

"About what?" said Alexander from the living room.

He wasn't getting what was going on. Ginny and Harry entered, and it seemed Hermione couldn't help but jump around the room, like a maniac.

"Harry just proposed," said Ginny, showing the ring on her hand.

Alexander smiled broadly, as he took her hand. It was a beautiful one.

"So, I take it you accepted, then," he said.

Ginny laughed and nodded. He hugged her, then Harry.

"Congratulations, to both of you," he said. "I was expecting it sooner or later, anyway."

He grinned. Harry threw him a disgusted look.

"Can't you at least pretend you don't know everything?" he whined.

"I don't know everything," protested Alexander. "Nobody knows everything, except maybe her," he said, nodding toward Hermione, who had a scandalized face. "But I know what is obvious."

"Oh, cut it out, Lockenburn, you can be worse than your wife," said Harry, grinning widely.

"She's on vacation to take care of Christine," said Alexander. "I must replace her in the teasing role."

He dodged one of the cushions from Hermione's couch that Harry had thrown him.


(*)You didn't know that Shakespeare was a wizard?

And done!

Now, it's time for an epilogue. Before you ask… there will be a sequel, of course. Far too many things are left hanging, right now.