Episode Twenty Eight

            The next day dawned bright and the students tumbled out of beds, groaning as they dressed for the train ride home. Gwen was the last out of bed, pulling the covers up over her head repeatedly to avoid the daylight. She was having this great dream where she and Harry were flying around, throwing snowballs filled with ice at Malfoy.

            She couldn't fight the morning any longer. She finally trudged out from under her covers, slipped on some clothes and wandered down to the Great Hall. She didn't really understand why many of the students were craning their necks around to see her, but apparently the news had spread fast.

            Gwen had single-handedly beaten the crap out of Malfoy and as she took her seat at Gryffindor table many of the students around her shouted their congratulations.

            "You should have that looked at." Hermione said, strained on the edges.

            "What?"

            "Your eye."

            Gwen reached up and touched the bottom of her right eye. It stung to the touch and she winced. She leaned over her golden plate and saw a huge shining black eye looming back up at her.

            "Nice trophy." Fred Weasley laughed.

            "I don't know what's better: that someone kicked Malfoy's ass or that it was a girl that did it." George added.

            Gwen rolled her eyes. He had earned this beating and for one bright and shining morning, Gwen was the hero of the entire student body at Hogwarts. Even some of the Slytherins had been hoping Malfoy would get his comeuppance, they didn't care who handed it to him.

            But the students had to leave and the summer would erase from their memory the defeated look on his face as he strolled in with not one, but two black eyes, several cuts and a severe limp. Yet for the moment every student had a special shine in their eyes and a tiny smile hiding under their noses. Gwen couldn't help but flush with the rush of excitement.

            Then it was all over. The students were leaving the hall and heading towards the front lawn, where carriages waited to carry them to the station at Hogsmeade. Gwen waved as the sea of people thinned to a tiny trickle. Hermione waved to Gwen, Ron grinned from ear to ear and blew her a kiss.

            Chris and Gabby hugged her before entering a carriage together. Gwen was glad to see them hitting it off so well; they were hanging out together without her now. Graves looked at her, not sure what he should do. She hugged him softly and whispered into his ear, "Be good." He left with a confused smile and thought for the first time that maybe she was working some fey magic over him.

            The only one left was Harry. He strode over to her shyly.

            "I'm sorry you're leaving." She said quietly.

            "Me too. But Dumbledore says I might be able to come back early. It's not too safe out there and it might be better if I just stayed here. So you might see me sooner than later."

            "I'll write everyday."

            "I will too." He said with a little grin. He went to hug her and changed his mind. He kissed her cheek instead and she blushed furiously. "Take care and have a good summer."

            "Bye Harry." She said waving slowly as he ran to catch up to the last carriage before it pulled away.