I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.

Note: Hello everyone. It is with a heavy hand I type this. Here is the beginning of the end. 5 chapters left including today's.

As always, thank you for being here with me. For your encouragement, your feedback. Your kind words helped me stay with this project and without you, it never would have gotten here.

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The Family that Chooses You

Chapter 140 – As We Go On…

They assembled at the docks on the far side of the Lake. The last time they did that, they arrived at the school as first year students. Now they gathered there as soon-to-be graduates. It was symbolic. Their first sight of Hogwarts was from the Lake when it was dark, to see the silhouette of the castle against the night sky. Now, they would approach the school from the lake with the rising sun, to symbolize their growth, to show how much they had changed.

"Gather 'round!" Hagrid called. The groundskeeper and Care of Magical Creatures professor loved and hated this day. He loved to see the kids grown, ready to take on the world. He hated to see them leave. He especially hated this day, seeing some of these students leave. "Alright then, you lot are bigger so two to a boat. Come on then."

He teared up at seeing Harry. "You look good," he said gruffly. "I'm going to miss seeing you around."

"I'll be around here and there," Harry said, his throat constricted. "I'll be seeing Professor McGonagall a lot for my mastery training. I'll always stop by for tea."

"See that you do," Hagrid said. He hugged Harry, crushing the young man and driving the air from his lungs. "Go on then," the man said, wiping his tears away and letting Harry go.

The graduates filed down the docks, clambering into the boats. More than a few stared at the boats, wondering at how much smaller they looked than the last time they rode in them. Harry stumbled slightly getting into one, holding his arms out for balance. He already saw Ron join Hannah in a boat. He offered his hand to Hermione. "Ready sis?"

She smiled. "Ready bro." She took his hand gratefully and stepped down, gripping his hand tight as the boat rocked gently. She did not let go, clutching him for support.

"And away we go!" Hagrid cried. The fleet moved out, sailing out over the calm waters. The water was just like the sky, calm and blue. No breeze caused any waves. The sun shone down, making the surface look like liquid glass. The boats barely made a trail behind them, just a hint of a ripple showing any kind of motion or movement.

Hermione gasped as the school came into view. The sun was behind it, showing the towers and crenellations in contrast. It looked just as glorious as the first time they saw it. Instead of the mystery of night, Hogwarts was highlighted in the majesty of day. The sight spoke of promise, of potential.

The end of one chapter, the beginning of a new one.

The boats stopped at specially conjured docks, leading them straight to the ground in front of the school. Families and guests of the graduating students sat in summoned chairs, smiling at them approaching, dressed in brand new school robes. Applause and cheers rained down upon them. Flashes from cameras captured smiling blushing faces.

They sat in prepared chairs in front of a dais where the professors sat and waited. The teachers that smiled usually had even bigger ones, though tinged with melancholy. The ones that were not prone to general cheer looked less dour, just for a little while anyways.

Dumbledore stood at the lectern. "It is both a teacher's greatest achievement and regret to see a student graduate. To see them succeed and leave full of promise is a singular joy. To see them leave without an idea of when they return is a sincere regret." His eyes twinkled. "Though admittedly there are some that a teacher does not mind seeing leave." The crowd and the students laughed.

"This year's class is an extraordinary one. It has seen things many years have not: a troll incursion, the Chamber of Secrets, Dementors, the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Despite these…distractions," another chuckle, "you have risen to the occasion and have succeeded on your merits. I also wish to congratulate this year for another reason. On the whole, the students of this year have accomplished much more on average than previous years. Many of you graduating students have already embarked on greater and better things, on a level higher than many years prior. Students of 1998, I salute you."

He began to call the names of the graduates. When called, they walked onto the dais to receive their diploma from the Head of House. Notable achievements would be announced and after applause, they walked off the dais to make room for the next. They were called on in alphabetical order, like they were for the Sorting.

Hannah blushed crimson when Ron loudly whistled for her, eliciting laughter from everyone watching. Susan looked happy when Harry cheered for her. He genuinely liked her as a person and figured he would be spending a lot of time in the future with her, given Sirius being with Amelia. Tracy looked really happy when Harry cheered for her, winking cheekily at him.

It took some time for McGonagall to go through all of Hermione's accolades and Harry stood and clapped and cheered loudly for her. He and Ron led the applause and they made a ruckus the entire time, ignoring McGonagall's increasingly irritated look at them interrupting her and Hermione sharing the look. Though she almost burst into tears when McGonagall finished, hugging the Head of House at the end.

Harry enjoyed making Daphne blush when he cheered for her as well. More than a few looked at him with surprise at his enthusiasm, but he knew she appreciated it. Neville almost jumped out of his skin due to the applause he got, his face red but happy.

Finally, it was his turn.

He rose on shaky legs and walked up the dais slowly, coming to a stop in front of McGonagall. He realized that he could look her in the eye easily. Up until now, he always thought she towered over him, an intimidating figure from the moment he met her. Now he looked at her almost like an equal.

"Harry James Potter." Her voice hitched ever so slightly. "Head Boy, with distinction. Prefect, with distinction." Her lip twitched. "Quidditch Captain and on the Championship team for 4 years consecutive. Special Awards from the school for services rendered your second, fourth, sixth, and seventh years. Final rank of Third in your year for academic achievement. Student Instructor for Practical Defense, with distinction." Her eyes were wet when she handed him his diploma. "Hogwarts thanks you for your attendance and your service."

The diploma was fine parchment mounted on gleaming rosewood. His name was written on it in flowing script as well as his titles and awards. The Hogwarts crest dominated the top and by his name, the Gryffindor crest was emblazoned. He could not find the words and instead hugged the venerable witch.

"I am so proud of you," she whispered into his ears as she hugged him with incredible strength. "You are an incredible young man and an amazing wizard. A credit to your family, the one you came from and the one you found."

His vision was obscured by tears as he finally let go and he was finally aware of the thunderous applause that greeted him. Hermione, Ron, Tracy, Daphne, Susan, Neville, were on their feet and they were not the only ones. He felt his jaw open in shock as he looked out into the crowd and saw not only Sirius, but Andromeda, Ted, and Tonks screaming and waving. His jaw opened wider when he saw Samantha, Thomas, and Lyla beside them. Then Angelina and Alicia behind them. The girls were weeping but cheering and he felt a rush of love and affection fill him. The Grangers and the Weasleys were nearby with Amelia and they too stood and cheered for him.

He made it back to his seat, hugging Hermione and he turned and waved at the group of people he had come to love very much.

When Ron walked across the dais, he cheered loudly, joining the exuberant Weasleys in the crowd. Ron took a moment to preen and raise his arms in victory, a gesture he immediately ruined by tripping. The twins laughed loudly and after a moment Ron joined them, and everyone shared in the merriment.

"Magic blessed us for having you as students," Dumbledore said at the end. "May magic bless you on your travels. As long as Hogwarts exists, you will always have a home and fellowship here. Best of luck to all of you, class of 1998!" Fawkes sang as fireworks flew into the air. His song cut through the noise effortlessly and everyone sighed from the sight and song.

And just like that, it was over.

The graduates cried and laughed, high-fived and embraced. They broke apart in small groups, drifting to the families waiting for them.

Andromeda and Tonks pushed Sirius out of the way, latching onto Harry and kissing his face. He melted into them, beyond happy.

"That's my darling boy," Andromeda said tearily, proudly.

"You're an adult now!" Tonks shouted. "It's overrated but hey, we can do dumb adult stuff now!"

Harry hugged and kissed them, then hugged a beaming Ted and Sirius.

"Damn, you look good," Sirius said gustily. "You look like you're going to own the world!"

"I'll be happy owning my part of it," Harry said. He broke away from his godfather and gaped at the Bells and Angelina and Alicia. "How are you all here?!"

"I threatened them until they let us," Alicia said, her eyes wet as she hugged Harry.

"And we were given some extra seats," Samantha said warmly as she hugged him. "Minerva, Poppy, and even Severus gave us extra spots so we could come celebrate with you!"

"No way I wasn't going to be here for my Rabbit," Angelina said, kissing him soundly.

"We're here for Katie since she abandoned you," Lyla said cheekily when it was her turn to hug him.

"You better not let her hear that," Thomas chuckled as he shook Harry's hand. "I won't be able to stop her from doing terrible things to you."

"I'm really happy to see all of you," Harry said, feeling like his chest would burst.

"Oh! Wait." Alicia dug into her bag. "Oliver really wanted to be here but he couldn't. Out of the country with the team for an exhibition game but he wanted me to give you this." She revealed a bright red envelope and ripped it open. Oliver's voice exploded from the Howler, magically magnified. "THAT'S MY BOY! HELL YEAH HARRY! CONGRATS ON GRADUATING AND CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU IN THE LEAGUE! WOOOOOOOOO!"

Alicia rolled her eyes as everyone laughed. "He wanted me to open it when you were on the dais and I obviously refused for good reason."

Harry took the envelope from her and tucked it into his robes. "I really appreciate it, both the gesture and your discretion."

Hermione and Ron drifted over with their families and a new round of well-wishing and congratulations filled the air.

Molly squeezed Harry. "So happy for you dear," she said warmly. "It does my heart good to see you celebrated with all your achievements."

"Yeah, but Head Boy with distinction?" Fred said with faux disgust.

"We can tolerate you being Head Boy, but with distinction?" George grumbled.

"Going a bit far, wasn't it?" they asked together. They then danced in place when Molly took an ear in each hand.

"If you're going to do a job, you should do it well," Percy said with mild reproof. His smile was not as broad as his brothers but it was no less sincere. "I knew you would be an excellent Head Boy. Well done, Harry." He hugged him fondly.

Jean and David hugged Harry together, drawing an eager Hermione in for an adopted family group hug. "We're so happy for you," Jean said. "You deserve all of it, Harry. So proud of you."

"Thank you for everything," David said firmly. "We…well…we learned there was a good chance that we might not have been able to come see Hermione graduate properly but with all that you and Sirius have done for us, we were able to. You have no idea how much it means to us."

Harry looked shy. "Oh, I mean, Hermione loves you two to bits and I can tell you guys are a really close family. Really, I'm glad we did what we did to make it happen. You deserve to be here. Just like she deserved to be here."

Jean hugged him again. "I'm glad you're a part of our family," she said firmly. "You'll always have a place with us, Harry."

He felt like if he was any bit happier, he'd swell and burst.

Then something did make him happier.

"Excuse me! Pardon me!"

He recognized the voice and so did others, heads turned as someone pushed their way through the crowd.

"Excuse me! Let me through, thanks! Oops, sorry! Please don't let me be too late, please please please-" Katie came pushing her way through the crowd. She was sweating, her hair wild, wearing student-healer robes.

"Katie!" Lyla, Angelina, and Alicia shouted. Harry looked at her in wonder, speechless.

"How are you back?" Samantha asked delightedly as she hugged her daughter.

"Monsieur Delacour got me a quick Portkey for today. I only have like an hour but I just had to come." Katie hugged Lyla and her parents, Alicia, and Angelina, before throwing herself at Harry. "Congratulations Harry!" she shouted before kissing him solidly on the lips.

"I can't believe you're here!" he said breathlessly after they broke apart.

"I wish I could stay longer but as you can see," she gestured at her clothes, "I literally ran out of clinic for an hour before I have to get back."

"I'm sorry-" he began.

Her kiss interrupted his apology. "Don't start with that. I wanted to be here and a fast run out of clinic, Portkey here, apparate to Hogsmeade, and running here is worth it." She clutched at her side. "I need to stay in shape though, whew."

"Thank you for being here," Harry said, his heart in his eyes. "It really means a lot."

She blushed and smiled wider. "I'm glad I made it." She drew him to her, kissing him and flipping off Alicia, Angelina and Lyla who retched and gagged dramatically.

The entire group drifted to the pitch, laughing and talking. Eventually Katie looked at her watch and sighed. "I have to go," she said sadly.

"Let us know you get back safe," Samantha said.

"I will, I'll send Harry a message through the candle." Katie hugged her family and Harry, giving him one last kiss before she went running away.

"I can't believe she still came," Harry said, looking wistfully where she disappeared.

"I feel like I have to tell you this," Samantha said with a twinkle in her eye, "but there's a chance Katie cares a lot about you."

Harry gasped. "Really?!"

"Even I can tell," Thomas said solemnly.

Lyla sighed as her parents and Harry laughed hysterically. "Why are you like this?" she asked them, making them laugh even harder. "Harry, are you sure you want to be a part of my embarrassing family?"

He hugged her from behind, liking the way she held his arms around her. "I think so. You and I can be the not as embarrassing ones."

"And I'll be the super embarrassing one," Tonks said as she hugged them both.

Later as they walked to the Hogsmeade apparition point, Sirius threw an arm over Harry's shoulder. "What's on your mind?"

"I just, never thought I'd see this day really. Like I knew I would eventually graduate, probably, but never thought the day would ever come. And I definitely never thought I'd have so many people here with me."

"It's what you deserve," Sirius said. "You were alone for far too long. Now you're never going to be alone for the rest of your life."

Harry hugged the older man. "I'm grateful for that."

Later that night, Harry was pleasantly tired. The Grangers, the Tonks, and the Bells had convened at Grimmauld with Sirius and Harry to continue celebrating and spending time together. The Weasleys came for a bit before going back to their home, with Angelina following. Alicia left to go to her home after spending more time with Harry.

Now it was late and the Grangers and the Bells had left for their homes. Harry had bid the adults a good night and was getting ready for bed. The door to his room opened and Tonks came stumbling in, yawning.

"You guys not going home?" he asked.

"Nope, we're spending the night at Grimmauld. Boss came over and she and Sirius and my parents are yarning and drinking still." She was dressed in a tank top and shorts and crawled into Harry's bed.

"What are you doing?" he asked, amused.

"Getting comfy," she said sleepily. "Hurry up."

He smiled and climbed into bed too, not resisting when Tonks pulled him to her, snuggling him from behind. "Good night," she said.

"Good night," he said and snuggled back against her. He breathed in and out, feeling the last seven years build inside him and release slowly. He felt happy. He felt safe. He was about to start a brand-new chapter in his life, one full of uncertainty.

But he was not alone.

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doe82 - I just realized I never actually wrote out what he got. Let's assume he did super well or maybe I'll do a chapter about it in the extended series.

Z-Arc34 - 4 more chapters worth, 5 counting today's.

DOOOOOOM Lord of Chaos - Today is 5 from the end. It's been a long road hasn't it? But I will be doing an indefinite Extended series so it won't go away completely. That does seem like a Ron thing and it's wonderful. Hermione will probably sneak over for breakfast for the first few days, let's be honest.

iamchaos98 - Very bittersweet indeed and it's coming to an end. I hope it is a satisfying one for everyone.

slytherinsal - He will if she has anything to say about it.

Qhaq - Thank you so much.

CenturionEon - Well buckle up, it's going to get a bit more emotional for the last few. The kindness of your words is humbling, thank you so much.

alix33 - This was a lovely callback chapter wasn't it?