"Are you free next Sunday night?" asked Ginny, leaning back on the desk's surface with her legs swinging through the air.
"I'll have Teddy, but otherwise yes," Harry replied, glancing up at her from the exam he was grading. "Why?"
"Great! So you can come to Slughorn's party with me!" she said cheerfully.
Harry looked up startled. "What? No! I can't, I… I have to look after Teddy," he stammered.
"Give him to my Mum for the night," Ginny shrugged. "Trust me, she would love to have a little kid around the house for a bit."
"I don't know, Gin-"
"You're coming, Harry. If I have to suffer, then so do you," she interrupted matter-of-factly.
"I don't know if that's always true."
"Well, it is in this case," she grinned.
Harry just groaned and let his head fall back into his hand, knowing that fighting Ginny on this was a lost cause.
"It won't be that bad," she said consolingly. "It's smaller than his Christmas Party and it's just for his graduating NEWT students and a few other Professors."
Harry raised an unconvinced eyebrow.
"And Hermione's going to bring Ron so we can just hang out together the whole time. It's like a date!" she added cheerfully.
"A date with your Professors and other students?"
"Exactly!" came her reply, pointedly ignoring his sarcasm.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Sounds fun."
"Hey Ron!" Hermione said cheerfully into the speaker of her flip phone.
"Hello 'Mione," came Ron's reply from Harry's phone, somewhere within Grimmauld Place.
"Before I forget," she started. "Do you want to come with me to one of Slughorn's parties next Sunday evening?"
"Oh!" he said, clearly surprised. "Er… sure? But are you sure it's alright to bring me? I mean… I'm not exactly a student."
"Ginny's bringing Harry," she answered in defense.
"But he's a Professor."
"It's fine," she replied. "Slughorn is inviting a few special guests from outside Hogwarts, whatever that means, so I'm sure it's perfectly acceptable if you come as my guest."
"Okaaay…," he said, still entirely unconvinced.
"How can he say no when the famous Ronald Weasley graces his office walls?" Hermione asked sarcastically, the trace of a grin touching her face.
Ron made a rather unattractive sound resembling him throwing-up, but conceded anyway. "I guess if you're sure…"
"I am," came her definitive answer. "It'll be fun!"
"Usually, when someone has to clarify that something will be fun, it's not going to be," Ron smirked.
"It'll be a nice date night and a fun excuse to get all dressed up."
"I suppose-"
"Oh! Sorry, I got to go. Someone just came into the Prefect's Office. See you at six!"
"Okay. Bye, love," Ron said.
"Bye!" came her hurried response. Then the phone began to beep loudly announcing that she had hung up. Ron peered at the phone with the ghost of a smile still on his face and snapped it shut to stop the annoying beeping sounds.
That Sunday
George leaned against the wall of the hallway on Ron and Harry's floor, watching them stand in their own doorways, eyeing each other curiously. Each was trying on their own sets of their finest dress robes with minimal confidence while George was smiling to himself and thanking his lucky stars that he wasn't in either of their places.
"Can I suggest maybe wearing matching socks, Ronald?" George asked with a smirk.
Ron looked down with eyes wide and swore before slamming the door behind him and searching for another sock. He reemerged with two matching socks and a grimace, pointedly not looking at the large grins that both Harry and George were sending his way.
"Oh shove it, Harry. Your bow tie is crooked and your fly is down."
Now it was his turn to look down hurriedly and fix what needed to be fixed.
"Good?" Harry asked, his hands spread out at his sides and turning between the two of them.
"All good," George said with a chuckle.
"Then let's go," Ron said, shutting the door behind him and striding past George towards the staircase.
"Have fun you two," George responded with a laugh, barely turning his head to follow them down the stairs.
Ron raised his middle finger behind him as brotherly goodbye and minutes later, the two wizards were walking through the Hogwarts corridors that were now filled with loud conversation and laughter as students celebrated the end of NEWT and OWLS and deliberately ignored their upcoming final exams.
"I'm betting seven times," Ron commented out of the blue, his face screwed up in concentration.
"What?" Harry replied, nonplussed and looking at his friend curiously.
"I think Slughorn will brag about you or unnecessarily compliment you seven times," Ron clarified with an air of certainty about him.
Harry snorted and shook his head. "Seven times for the whole party? No, way. We'll be here for hours. I'll bet… thirteen times."
Ron raised his eyebrows and smirked. "I'll take those odds. Ten sickles to whoever's closer?"
"You're on," Harry said with a competitive glint in his eye. There was no way that he would be losing this bet, even if he had to step in himself.
As planned, they waited at the base of the staircase from the Gryffindor Tower to the sixth floor, just around the corner from Slughorn's Office. The two wizards stood to one side; Harry leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets and Ron with his arms crossed, facing the stairs and peering over Harry's shoulder at least three times a minute and occasionally glancing down at his watch.
Right on time, two pairs of heels clicking against the stone interrupted their conversation and Ron leaned sideways to see past Harry as the two Head Girls appeared. Harry turned too and smiled at them both.
Ginny jogged down the stairs lightly in the same shimmering gray dress as the Christmas Party and she had two small braids running through her long hair, meeting in the back.
"You look amazing," Harry said, leaning in for a kiss.
"You too," replied Ginny, using one hand to gently grab the open edge of his dress robes and pull him closer.
Meanwhile, Hermione walked down the stairs in a deep purple, knee length dress and nude colored heels that made the top of her head reach Ron's chin.
"Don't you look beautiful," Ron said with a grin.
Hermione beamed and gave him a warm smile. "Thanks, Ron. And don't you look handsome."
Ron grinned even wider and their lips met briefly. Hermione then wrapped her arm through his elbow and leaned forward to see past him at Harry and Ginny who were still busy saying their hello's, wrapped in each other's arms.
"OI!" Ron shouted. "Will you quit it!?"
Harry jumped backwards in surprise, but Ginny scowled and stuck her tongue out at her brother.
Hermione chuckled softly and patted her boyfriend's arm comfortingly. "Come on," she said, quickly changing the subject. "Let's get going."
Harry smiled sheepishly at her and Ron and started walking down the hall towards the growing noise emanating from Slughorn's office. When they entered the room, heat blasted them in the face as did the colors of black and gold, which were ostensibly draped on every surface possible. The office was enlarged, per usual, but not as large as the Christmas Party to account for the fewer guests, even though there were now more students than adults.
"Oh! There's Luna!" Ginny instantly said, pointing across the room to the sandy-haired girl chatting with another Ravenclaw boy who seemed to be in a daze. She reached down and grabbed Harry's hand, pulling him with her and dodging the few house elves carrying drinks and snacks. Ron and Hermione followed obediently behind, both carefully side stepping the same elves and giving them a smile when they looked up to ask if they would like anything.
"Hey Luna!" Ginny said, waving as they got closer.
"Hello!" Luna greeted cheerfully. The Ravenclaw boy immediately slipped away in her moment of distraction. "I was just telling Colin here… where did he go? Oh well, I was just telling Colin about my summer plans to go on a trip to Northern Ireland with my father to look for a couple of creatures that we think could live there. I just got my father's letters confirming the details!"
"That's great, Luna!" Ginny exclaimed, matching Luna's excitement. "When do you leave?"
"We leave two weeks after we grad-"
"Look who's hiding over here!" Slughorn's booming voice called. The group turned slowly towards his voice as if they were all guilty of a crime and forcefully turned their grimaces into smiles.
"Hello Professor," Hermione responded politely.
"Miss Granger! So glad you could make it!" he said. "And you brought Mr. Weasley! How lovely to see you again!"
"Hi Professor," Ron replied with an amused grin. At least Slughorn had finally gotten his name right.
"And Harry! You must be Miss Weasley's guest of honor, yes?" His eyes twinkled in anticipation.
"Yes," Harry replied flatly.
"Talking with old friends, I see. All the Head Girls in one place too. How lovely," Slughorn continued, rolling back and forth on his feet. When no one knew how to respond, he pressed on. "Although I'm sure you talk with one another in your spare time. Why not mingle around? Meet some new people, hmm?"
Harry raised an eyebrow at that, unsure at why Slughorn was being more subtle than usual. But even his attempts at subtlety were incredibly direct. "I assume you have someone in mind?" Harry asked, repressing a sigh.
Slughorn gave a deep throated chuckle. "Indeed I do, Harry m'boy. I have a young lass just over there who is hoping to become an auror and I could think of no one better for her to meet."
"Ron and I would be happy to talk to her," Harry said, nudging Ron forcefully in the side so he would pay attention. "But we aren't in charge of recruiting so meeting us won't give her a step up."
"Oh, that's quite all right!" Slughorn responded, though the gleam in his eyes faded slightly. "Come, come!" He grabbed Harry and Ron both by the shoulder and steered them away from the Head Girls, all of whom watched with amused smirks.
"Miss Bloom! Look who I found!" Slughorn said, approaching a student with her sleek black hair hanging just to her shoulders.
She blushed instantly and set down her drink on the nearest table. "Oh! Hello!" She reached out to shake both of their hands. "Pleasure to meet you."
"You too," Ron said with a welcoming smile.
Harry opened his mouth to greet her too, but Slughorn cut him off with well-practiced ease. "This is Ronald Weasley and this is Harry Potter! You must recognize them both, of course, they are quite famous. But did you know that they were actually both in my advanced Potions class just a few short years ago? Yes,-" he nodded to himself "-although I met Harry some weeks prior to the start of the school year. I knew from the first time I laid eyes on him that he was destined for great things." Slughorn clapped Harry on the back.
Ron snorted and turned away so that Slughorn wouldn't see the wide grin beaming from his face.
"So you were both NEWT Potion students, then?" the girl asked with interest.
"Yes. We had Professor Slughorn in our sixth year," Harry responded.
"But not in your seventh year," Slughorn chided, waggling a finger in his face. "You were off 'saving the world'!" He said the last phrase in a louder pitch with his hands raised dramatically. Then he chuckled to himself and took another slurping drink from his cup and up close, Harry could see a faint pinkish tint coloring his cheeks. "Weren't you Harry?"
"Ron, Hermione, and I were all hunting horcruxes in what should have been our seventh year," Harry corrected sternly.
"So modest," Slughorn said with another chuckle.
Harry shook his head ruefully and turned back to the student in front of them. "So, you want to be an auror?" he asked.
"Yes!" she responded, jumping on the subject that she could engage in. "I've always wanted to since about my third or fourth year."
Ron nodded. "Well, do you have any questions for us?"
"If you don't mind," she said coyly, inclining her head.
"Not at all," Harry responded quickly, seeing Slughorn's mouth opening beside him.
"Great! Well, I've read up on the training program and think I've managed to stay up to date on your recent changes to the program, but what does the first year actually look like?"
"You've been keeping up to date on their changes, have you?" Slughorn interrupted. "You've always been so organized, my dear! Not unlike Harry, of course. Always very methodical in his potions."
Ron burst out laughing at this point and Harry grinned despite his best efforts to maintain a straight face. Slughorn turned to them with a questioning look.
"Sorry, Professor," Ron said, his face still red with mirth. "It's just… I think you're the first person to call Harry 'organized.' "
Harry grinned and turned back to Slughorn to watch his reaction.
"Ah. Yes… well… Not many know him as well as I," Slughorn said, losing his usual self-assured confidence.
Harry smirked and raised an eyebrow.
"Well… I'll let you three talk, then. I've just seen an old friend of mine." Slughorn lifted a pudgy hand in a wave and walked away.
"That's three," Harry instantly said to Ron.
"Yeah, yeah. I know," Ron said in low spirits. He turned back around and saw the student staring at them with a confused expression. "Sorry, we have a bet on how many times he'll brag about Harry."
Her face cleared and she nodded with a smile.
"At this rate, he only needs to introduce me to three more people and I'll win!" Harry said cheerfully.
Ron shook his head in disappointment. "Anyways… you were asking about training?"
"Er… yes, the first year in particular," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
Ron nodded in response and dove into an explanation with her rapt ear taking in every detail and hanging on to his every word. Twenty minutes later, Bloom had drawn another friend over and the two girls were still talking intently with Ron, now not only about auror training, but also apparently whatever came to their mind. Harry added to the conversation occasionally, but he mostly gazed around the room, studying the people and the students, each celebrating their coming graduation and there was a small part of him that wished he could be at this party on the other side of the coin.
He would never be able to experience having a graduation, a final year at school, or even the stressful NEWT exams (which he was perfectly okay with skipping). Yet he also knew that he had made the right choice in not returning to school for a final year. The students that would be his peers would have been simply unbearable around him and there were just too many painful memories to revisit as a student. Somehow, being a teacher was different and provided him with an invisible barrier between the past and the present.
But even still, what he wouldn't give to experience the last year of school like one of the students mingling about him, perfectly at ease and comfortable and happy. No additional stress, no pressure from anyone but strict parents, and no destiny or prophecy hanging over them like a storm cloud, just waiting to begin its violent downpour. What he wouldn't give to experience any year of school like them, he found himself thinking bitterly.
"Bye! It was nice meeting you!" Ron said and he kicked Harry's leg with his foot, bringing him back to the present.
"Bye," Harry repeated with a dazed look that the two girls didn't notice.
Ron glanced sideways at his friend and whisked up two glasses from a passing elf and muttered 'thank you.'
"Here," Ron said, holding out one glass.
"Thanks," Harry replied.
"It's weird that they're graduating soon, huh?" Ron asked, nodding towards Hermione and Ginny who were talking with Thomas Murphy and another Hufflepuff boy.
"Yeah," Harry agreed without thinking.
"What are you going to get them?"
Harry missed a beat. "What?" Harry asked, startled. He turned towards Ron and his eyes were drawn back into focus.
"For graduation? As a gift?" Ron asked with amused raised eyebrows.
"Oh, right. I… er… haven't thought about it," Harry answered honestly and regretfully. Now that he did think about it, he did not have the faintest idea.
"Well, I … er… had an idea," Ron started hopefully. "If you wanted to go in on it with me."
"What is it?" Harry prodded when Ron seemed on the fence of sharing it or not.
"Don't laugh," he warned, "but Bill mentioned it to me at the Battle of Hogwarts memorial earlier this month and I looked into it more and it seems like fun. We could do it before Ginny starts training for the Harpies and before Hermione starts her job search."
"Ron, what is it?" Harry added forcefully, willing his friend to get to the point.
"A trip to the coast of France," he replied breathlessly.
Harry's eyebrows soared and he blinked at him.
"Hear me out! There's this town, La Grau-du-Roi, on the southern coast that has a nice beach, cute town, and a wizarding community just a bit away that we could apparate to from the beach. We can rent a pretty isolated cottage near the water and have a vacation together! Just take a break from everything!"
"That sounds amazing," Harry said with a wide smile.
"Yeah?" Ron asked hopefully.
"Yeah! How'd you hear about this again?"
"Fleur's family loves to go there on vacation and she keeps wanting to take Bill, but Bill wants to go to a city for vacation instead since they practically live on the beach," Ron explained with a modest shrug.
"Well I think it's brilliant! Who do we talk to about renting it?"
"That's what I was hoping to have your help for. You can call the company over the phone, but I figured you'd be a safer bet handling that since they'll be muggles."
"Probably a safer bet," Harry agreed with a smirk.
Ron nudged Harry with his elbow and he motioned towards the two girls who were walking towards them. They both fell silent and smiled at them.
"What are you doing?" Ginny asked suspiciously.
"Nothing," Ron replied, a little too quickly.
Harry rolled his eyes and dropped an arm around her shoulders. "Talking about you, of course."
Ginny raised an eyebrow and smirked. "All good things, I hope."
"Naturally, but Ron wouldn't let me go into details." Harry grinned, making Ron turn a bright red.
Ginny snorted and set her now empty glass down on the nearest table.
"Well who were you talking to?" Ron asked, looking specifically at Hermione and refusing to look at his little sister.
"Oh, just these two other kids from our class," she said nonchalantly. "How about you? Do you think that she would make a good auror?"
Ron shrugged thoughtfully. "I dunno. It's hard to tell, but she seemed like she had the confidence at least. She asked us questions and all that, even after Slughorn was being all… you know, braggy and uncomfortable."
Harry shot up a finger to stop Ron. "Speaking of which," Harry said, a mischievous glint in his eye. "I believe I have a bet to win. Ginny, care to be my witness?"
She smiled as Ron's eyes narrowed. "I'd love to."
"Brilliant," Harry replied. Then he led Ginny to where Slughorn was now entertaining a group of four students, all laughing about something clearly quite amusing.
Both smirking to themselves, Harry tapped Slughorn on the shoulder. "Professor, you seem to be having a good time over here," Harry said with a knowing smile.
Slughorn took a step back, letting the two newcomers into the circle, and said in his overly-loud voice, "Oh, we are! A delightful time, indeed! I was just telling Rowstock here about an old Quidditch match I went to for the Harpies. I get free tickets from Gwenog Jones, you know."
But Harry was no longer listening. Instead, he had looked across the circle to see the Slytherin student in question gazing awkwardly at his shoes and avoiding any eye contact. In an effort to play the adult in this situation, Harry took a deep breath and stretched a pleasant smile across his face. "Hello, Rowstock. Good to see you again."
He inclined his head respectfully. "Hello, Professor."
"Ah, so you know each other then?" Slughorn asked curiously.
"Yes, we've… er… spent some time together," Harry said carefully. "But I don't think I've ever met the rest of you."
Slughorn immediately jumped into introductions between all the students for Harry's benefit since they already knew Ginny. Then he abruptly returned back to their prior conversation without even taking a breath.
"So as I was saying, at the match, one of Gwenog's starting players got sick just before the game and her replacement was nowhere to be found! So she found me in the private box and begged me to come whip her up a quick healing potion. And of course, I couldn't say no, so I-"
"Who was it Professor?" Ginny asked eagerly.
"It was Maggie Harris, their-"
"Their seeker?" Ginny asked, her eyes alight at just the name.
Slughorn chuckled. "Indeed, indeed, Miss Weasley. A very talented seeker, not unlike Harry, I'd say."
Harry smirked and added one to his internal tally.
"Speaking of Quidditch," one of the students interrupted. "Good game last week, Weasley."
Ginny's face darkened, but she nodded nonetheless. The final match of the Quidditch Cup took place last week and Gryffindor lost in a narrow margin to the Ravenclaw team: a loss that did not sit well with the Gryffindor captain."Thanks. Would've been better if that damn seeker of mine could fly straight."
The Ravenclaw grinned sympathetically. "Yeah, we definitely would have lost if he had managed to catch the snitch that first time."
Ginny took a deep breath and an honest smile touched her lips. "Don't kid yourself. You deserved to win. You were all playing at your best."
"Thanks, Weasley," he said warmly. "And I hear you were invited to play for the Harpies. Is that true?"
"Just to go to their summer training and try-out. Nothing's final yet."
"Ah, so modest!" Slughorn cut in with another booming chuckle. "You and Potter both. Maybe that's why you fit so well together."
Harry grinned and thought, that's five.
"Speaking of, Potter," Slughorn turned towards him abruptly. "When will you be ready to publish that biography so many have been wanting?"
"Not while I'm still breathing, Professor," Harry replied without missing a beat. Ginny and a few of the surrounding students chuckled. Even Rowstock cracked a grin.
Slughorn tutted with disappointment. "Oh, I'll get you to break one of these times."
"I seriously doubt that," Ginny answered for him. "If Harry's anything, it's stubborn."
"Maybe that's why we fit so well together," Harry smirked and Slughorn smiled at his turn of phrase.
"Oh, all right, all right. I'll give it a rest. But don't think I've given up on you yet, Potter!" Slughorn said, waggling a finger by his face.
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it, sir," Harry replied with a smirk.
I'll win this bet in no time, Harry thought to himself.
Meanwhile, Ginny engaged the Ravenclaw boy, who apparently was a beater for their team, and the girl standing next to him in a detailed discussion of the match. Slughorn flitted between their conversation and the one taking place right beside them with the other few students sharing stories and reminiscing on their first years of school. Harry was perfectly content to listen to the happy memories of these students rather than delve into his own past, but Slughorn did make a valiant effort in getting Harry to participate more actively in the conversation himself.
A mere twenty minutes later, Harry had tallied twelve brags, adulating compliments, or pointed probes into his past and Harry was content with the number, knowing that he had safely procured himself a win for the bet. When two of the students they were talking with excused themselves, Harry and Ginny grabbed onto the opportunity to follow suit and after a quick round of 'good-bye's' and 'nice to meet you's,' they walked away, peering through the loose crowd for their friends.
"Twelve!" Harry announced victoriously when they came upon their friends.
"What?" Ron instantly asked dumbfounded. "You got to twelve already?"
"Yup," Harry nodded with a grin. "Ten sickles, I believe."
"Merlin's beard…," Ron said, hiding another string of curses under his breath.
Hermione rolled her eyes at their childish behavior but smiled nonetheless.
"Oh, hello Murphy," Harry said somewhat sheepishly, nodding to the Hufflepuff Head Boy who he had initially missed behind Luna.
"Hello, Professor," he said back with a respectful nod and a bewildered smile.
"You'll have to excuse them," Hermione said with a patiently amused grin. "They've been living together for far too long."
They shared a grinning glance, but then Ron's face paled slightly as he grew lost in thought. Harry was about to ask him what was wrong, but he was then pulled back into the conversation by Luna who wanted their opinions on an article in the latest edition of the Quibbler. It wasn't until later that night when the party had ended and Harry and Ron were walking back to his office after dropping the girls off at the Common Room that Ron let Harry into his thought process.
Ron glanced nervously at Harry a few times, opening his mouth mutely and shutting it closed and facing front again. About ten seconds later, he began the process again.
Harry rolled his eyes. "What is it?"
"Would it be crazy if I asked Hermione to move in with me?" Ron asked instantly.
Harry faltered at the unexpected question and looked at his friend carefully.
"Not into Grimmauld Place," Ron added hastily. "But, you know… I have a steady job now and can afford my own place. Plus, 'Mione will have her own job soon too and… I don't know, do you think she'd want to?" He turned to Harry anxiously, begging for a definitive answer.
"Er… I dunno," Harry responded unhelpfully. "I mean, it couldn't hurt to ask, right?"
"What if she thinks I'm moving too quickly?" Ron asked with rising panic. "But if I don't, she might think I'm not serious about our relationship!"
"Calm down, Ron!" Harry said, trying to quell his alarm. "If you are serious about your relationship, then why not? You've been officially together for more than a year now and have been together unofficially for longer. You've already shared a room and a bed together back at the Burrow and you've kind of already lived together when we were hunting for horcruxes… well, except I was there too-" Harry shrugged with an embarrassed smile "-but, you know what I mean."
Ron nodded in deep thought, mulling his words over carefully. "I guess it is the next step, huh?"
"Seems like it," Harry said cheerfully, slapping Ron on his back.
Then a wide grin spread across his face. "I'll do it. I'll ask her. The worst that can happen is she says no."
"That's the spirit!" Harry said in the same joyful tone that seemed to be contagious.
Ron chortled to himself and wore the same giddy, yet glazed over expression all the way to the fireplace in Harry's office. He stepped into the swirling green flames, leaving Harry to shake his head with an entertained smirk before ducking his head to step into the fireplace after him.
As always, please please please leave some reviews or comments!
In other news, I just finished writing the final chapter (don't worry, there's still a few more weeks) and it looks like there will be a total of 47 chapters. But, I already have a list of short stories and one-shots that I plan on writing. If you have any ideas or stories that you want me to write, please let me know and I'll add it to my list!
Next chapter brings the final exams and a few Professors get creative! Until next time...