THE MANOR

Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, and never will be mine!

Chapter 23 – The End … for now …

The Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations approached the fifth years all too quickly, it seemed. The students went to all their classes with expressions of mild, or not so mild, terror, and an abnormal number of them could be found studying after classes in the library. A Hogsmeade trip before the exams was even avoided by practically all the fifth years who were too busy frantically colour coding their notes or memorising incantations to go.

Although Draco had recovered and left the Hospital wing as Dumbledore had predicted on the Sunday, Hermione found no time at all to talk to him as she had wished about the events they had partaken in. She wanted to talk to him about Voldemort, about why he helped her, about the photograph … but it was impossible to find a spare scrap of time alone with him. Both would work often in the library, but surrounded by other fifth years, or the seventh years, who would be taking their NEWTs. Anytime Hermione did find him alone, she would notice the hint of panic under his usually calm exterior, surrounded by books and papers, so she decided perhaps it would be better to wait until the exams were over to find him and speak.

Absolutely panic-stricken, the fifth years filed into the Great Hall, cleared of the long house tables that were replaced with hundreds of individual desks, with white faces to take their first written examination, Charms, on Monday the sixth of June. For the next two weeks, the fifth and seventh years could be found studying crazily in a last ditch attempt to learn all they could before they sat their exams. Many were found in tears, and many more wished fervently that they had paid more attention to their classes during the year. When they finally finished on the Friday of the second week (Defence Against the Dark Arts was their last examination), the cheering students proceeded to relax as best as they could: by partying in their Common Rooms.

Such celebration was of great annoyance of the other years who were trying to study for their exams the following week, something rather difficult to do when raucous groups of fifth or seventh years in the Gryffindor Common Room were singing incoherently at the top of their voices to the late-nite-party-music on the Wizarding radio. In the end, the other students defied curfew as they flocked to the quieter library, a futile gesture as the seventh years decided it would be very funny to ruin the peace by blasting music into the quiet place with a spell Madam Pince did not manage to reverse until several hours later.

Late Saturday afternoon, when Hermione finally awoke after the rather chaotic and hectic party the night before, she went down to Hagrid's Hut. Making her way through the dormitory and Common Room, she observed that it looked as though most of the others were still sleeping off the night before, and that she was comparatively early to rise.

As she had suspected, a figure topped by a head of white blond hair stood in the shed near the hut. After all, the winged horses had been returned to Hogwarts briefly for the students to be examined on, although they would be leaving again on Monday.

'Draco!' she called out.

Draco Malfoy turned and smiled to see her. They hadn't spoken to each other since the end of their Arithmancy exam last week, in which they had quibbled for about ten minutes on the answer to Question Sixteen, before heading off to their common rooms to study for Transfiguration the next day.

'Awake?' he asked, half-mockingly, seeing her yawn. His hair was slightly tousled from the wind – he had obviously just flown Pegasus.

'Didn't sleep until past five o'clock,' Hermione answered, a little sleepily. 'Seamus and Dean decided the party had to go from dusk till dawn, so everybody else in Gryffindor Tower is still asleep. I just happen to be the one who drank the least. You wouldn't think you could get tipsy on Butterbeer,' she commented wryly.

Draco nodded. 'Same with the Slytherins,' he acknowledged. 'Watching Vince trying to dirty dance with Millicent Bulstroude was a tad bit disturbing, to say the least,' he added with a short laugh.

Hermione giggled at the thought of Crabbe and Millicent Bulstroude dancing provocatively.

'How have you been?' she asked though when she had stopped laughing.

Draco shrugged. 'I'm fine,' he said honestly.

'No headaches or anything?' she asked anxiously.

He smiled. 'I'm fine!' he repeated. 'Dumbledore managed to fix my head up right. The old coot does have his uses after all,' he conceded.

Hermione raised her brows at his irrespective term, but didn't bother reprimanding him. She was just glad to see he was well and alive. 'Do you ever get nightmares, about what happened?' she asked abruptly.

He frowned, while still grinning. 'Didn't anybody ever tell you never to ask a guy if he's had nightmares?'

Hermione swatted at him as he laughed at her. 'Be serious!' she protested.

'No, no,' he said, still chuckling a little. 'I'm really okay. The mad lunatic who runs our school cleaned my head up right.'

'Good,' Hermione said, relieved. If Draco could take on that sarcastic tone of his, he must have recovered. She watched as Draco patted Pegasus' nose, thinking. 'Harry told me that you were the one who knew I was missing,' she said. 'How?'

He shrugged, not answering.

'He said you knew where to find me,' Hermione said persistently, remembering. 'How?'

'Magic. How else?' he said carelessly.

The unsatisfactory response tweaked something in Hermione's memory as it echoed, and she frowned, trying to remember what it was about the answer that should have said something to her, should have meant something to her, but failed to do so.

She dismissed the thought then. She was just being silly.

'I'm sorry for thinking you betrayed us,' she said, face going pink.

'So that's why you came down here to talk,' he said, a faint note of satisfaction to his voice.

'No!' Hermione protested. His grey eyes looked at her questioningly, and she flushed redder. 'Yes,' she admitted in a small voice. 'I'm sorry I thought you betrayed me.'

Draco looked at her seriously, but then smiled. 'I probably would have thought the same thing,' he said, kindly, his tone of voice completely unlike the Draco Malfoy of old.

'Or maybe not,' Hermione said quietly, voice subdued. She glanced at him. 'You're not angry at me?'

'No,' he said sincerely. 'I would like it though if you'll trust me from now on.'

'I will!' Hermione said earnestly, her brown eyes locking with his briefly. She looked away at once. 'You know, Harry trusted you, he was the one who insisted we turn back for you.'

'So he came back to save me?' Draco asked, looking at Hermione. He had been wondering about this ever since he recovered.

Hermione nodded. 'He's a better person than I am,' she said ruefully.

'Saint Potter,' Draco just said, although his grey eyes were contemplative with thought.

'You know, it was the photograph that made me think you betrayed us,' Hermione said bluntly.

Draco jolted from his musings, and looking at her, nodded. 'Weasley told us you went ransacking through my bag,' he accused, smiling a little.

Hermione shrugged. 'I needed your Ancient Runes notes,' she said in explanation.

Draco smiled. 'I bet I beat you in Ancient Runes,' he said lightly.

'You probably did,' Hermione admitted. 'But I probably thrashed you in Transfiguration.'

Draco shrugged off-handedly. 'No matter. But Arithmancy … I definitely beat you in that. Question Sixteen –'

'No way!' Hermione exclaimed heatedly.

Draco grinned, but Hermione was not easily deterred, thinking back to the photograph. 'Why did you keep the photograph?' she persisted. 'Why did you keep the bit with me on it?' Her eyes were fixed on Draco as she asked this. She had been wondering about that in particular for a long time, although why, she had no clue.

He was still, and silent, his grey eyes almost aloof as he tried to avoid her question, but Hermione continued to gaze steadily at him, so that his features almost began to give way to an answer, when both of them jumped, hearing a voice calling from behind.

'Hermione!'

Faint, but growing clearer.

'Hermione?'

Hermione's head whipped around.

'Harry!' she exclaimed, and her smile grew wide.

'Hermione?' Harry's head popped around the corner. 'I was looking for you,' he said, beaming, coming over to clasp her hands. 'Ginny said she saw you coming here to Hagrid's hut.'

Hermione nodded, still smiling at the sight of the messy-haired boy with bright green eyes.

Harry, though, was looking past her. 'Malfoy?' he said, only slightly hesitant.

Draco lifted his eyes from where they had rested on Harry and Hermione's linked hands.

'Potter,' he said coolly.

Undaunted by Draco's aloof tone, Harry pushed on. 'I-I wanted to thank you,' he said tentatively. 'For saving our lives. Mine, and Hermione's. I owe you one.'

Draco raised one pale brow. 'You saved my life,' he pointed out. 'You both came back for me,' he said softly.

Harry looked startled. 'I still want to thank you,' he said firmly.

Draco looked at Harry, face unruffled, when a grin crossed his face. 'I'm thanking you too,' he said.

'Thank you.'

'Thanks.'

Hermione, watching the two, laughed out loud. For some reason, they seemed so similar just then. At her laughter, though, they both turned to her, boyishly injured expressions on their faces clearly saying what on earth are you laughing for? She just laughed harder.

'Is she always like this?' Draco commented to Harry.

'I was just about to ask you that question,' Harry answered, watching Hermione giggling away by herself. He smiled fondly though. 'Come on,' he said, and began moving from Hagrid's hut. 'It's dinner time.'

Hermione nodded, her laughter bubbling down, right hand holding Harry's as she headed towards the Great Hall, Draco walking along her left side, slightly ahead.

At the Entrance Hall though, Draco stopped short. 'I refuse to be seen going into the Great Hall accompanied by two Gryffindors,' he said flatly.

Harry looked at Draco, his face tightening. Hermione could see quite clearly that Harry was angry, a little disappointed, that perhaps Draco wasn't intending to become friendly with them. That it was all a ruse.

Draco, however, also seemed to have read Harry's fairly transparent thoughts, and a brow raised again. 'I'm not saying I hate you,' he said, grinning slyly. 'It's just that I think the school would have an apoplectic fit if they saw Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter, the two greatest archenemies from Slytherin and Gryffindor walking into the Hall on peaceful terms.'

Harry nodded, relaxing, chuckling.

'The place would become a madhouse,' Draco continued. 'Nothing left to keep Slytherin and Gryffindor morale ticking!' he added in tones of mock dismay.

'Would you like to go first?' Harry asked, pretending to be excessively polite.

'Of course,' Draco said arrogantly. He sauntered towards the Great Hall, leaving Harry with Hermione.

Once Draco had left, Harry turned to Hermione, and leaning over, kissed her. When their lips parted, Hermione looked up at Harry.

'What was that for?' she asked teasingly.

'Do I have to have a reason for kissing you?' Harry inquired, smiling.

Neither of them saw nor heard the pale-haired Slytherin, who had paused in the doorway of the Great Hall, sigh as he watched them with darkened grey eyes.

***

The end of term rushed towards Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The fifth years spent their last two weeks attending a series of lectures on the different subjects they could choose to do in their NEWTs, and also several talks on different careers open to them when they left Hogwarts. A relaxed atmosphere lay heavily on all the fifth years, who eagerly anticipated the lovely two months of summer holidays before they began NEWT studies.

The seventh years were in a fully celebratory mode, since their schooling was almost officially over, unlike the fifth years who still had two years left. Many rejoiced by playing pranks on the school, something headed by the Weasley twins, who enlisted Peeves' help in this. In the last two weeks, many students found sparks and puffs of coloured smoke flying from the Potions rooms, while Snape was absent, and one morning, they entered the Great Hall to find it completely decorated for a late Valentine's day, in true Lockhart style.

When not playing the fool, several of the seventh years chatted with the fifth years who were eager to find out what they were going to do after school. Fred and George Weasley spent all their time looking up information for starting their new shop – Weasley's Wizard Wheezes – in Diagon Alley, while Angelina confided to Harry and Ron that she was trying out for Holyhead Harpies, a Quidditch team in Wales. Alicia Spinnet excitedly told Hermione all about the gap year she was taking in Australia the next year, with Hermione telling her all about Australia, since she had visited last summer holidays, while Katie Bell described to all interested how she was to become an assistant teacher at Salem Institute in America. Frances Bennings, Head Girl, talked about USAM (University of Sorcery and Advanced Magick) with Hermione, the place where she would be studying next year, while Cameron Eddy, the Slytherin Head Boy, told anybody who asked offhandedly that he would be writing for the Daily Prophet.

Hermione filled out her NEWT subject choices form (subject to change depending on her OWL results), opting to do NEWT level Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Modern History of Magic, Care of Magical Creatures Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. Harry decided to keep Herbology, dropping History of Magic, Divination and Astronomy, while Ron chose to take Herbology and Ancient History of Magic, dropping Potions as well as Divination and Astronomy with an almost unholy glee. Draco, on the other hand, chose almost exactly the same subjects as Hermione, except that he had elected to do Ancient History of Magic.

Meanwhile, Hermione found herself at the centre of the gossip circles, after people found out –

'You and Harry are going out?' Parvati squealed.

'How cute!' Lavender giggled.

Hermione thought Parvati was being quite gracious, since Harry had taken her to the Yule Ball last year, but the dark-haired girl seemed quite fine with the idea, since she was now going out with Dean Thomas.

'Have you kissed?' Lavender asked eagerly.

'Is Harry a good kisser?' Parvati asked just as eagerly.

'When did this start?'

'How's Ron taking it?'

'Who else knows?'

'Are we the first?'

Hermione barely escaped from the interrogation intact.

On the second last day of term, Hermione, Harry and Ron, who had been walking towards Gryffindor tower after a talk on Ministry careers, were distracted by the sounds of sobbing and found Professor Arabella Figg sitting at her desk, holding a tear-splotched letter.

'What's the matter?' Harry asked, alarmed.

Arabella Figg blew her nose noisily. 'My daughter,' she said, sniffling. 'Alison Figg, she's a Squib, you know. I got a letter, it says she has brain cancer.'

'Oh, Professor Figg!' Hermione rushed to comfort their Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.

'I'm sorry, but I won't be able to teach you lot next year,' Arabella Figg said, holding her letter tightly. 'What with all the Order business and Voldemort loose on the school. I'm going to have to stay with Ally.'

'So we're going to have another Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?' Ron asked glumly.

Arabella nodded tearfully, and Hermione shot Ron a glare that clearly told him he was being insensitive. 'I hope your daughter recovers,' she said sincerely.

The old witch tried to smile. 'I hope so too. You lot had better study hard under whoever it will be next,' she warned them. They promised to do their absolute best in Defence Against the Dark Arts.

'We'll miss you,' Hermione said earnestly.

'Well I'll probably still be seeing you lot,' Arabella winked despite her grief. 'There's still Order business after all, and I doubt you three will ever stay out of trouble.'

The Leaving Feast was a somewhat muted affair with Arabella Figg's dampening news. The ex-Auror had been a good and likeable teacher, unlike many of her predecessors, and it seemed unlikely that Professor Dumbledore would ever be able to find a successor. The Defence Against the Dark Arts post was clearly cursed in some way.

On July the 1st, the students managed to find themselves back on the Hogwarts Express, on the way home. The trunks were packed in a scramble, Hermione managed to obtain her list of books to read in the holidays to prepare for next year, and the excited students left the school on the long winding train.

Harry had spoken to Professor Dumbledore about going to live with Sirius, but, as he had told Hermione, that option was not available.

'Did he say why?' Hermione asked Harry curiously on the train while Ron busily tried to chat up several Ravenclaws.

Harry nodded, face bleak. 'He said that my mother died for me, and that her love protected me. As long as I spent my summer with my mother's family, Aunt Petunia, the love would be renewed, and I would be protected from Voldemort.'

'So you didn't only have Professor Figg protecting you,' Hermione said in hushed tones.

Harry shook his head. 'I wish Voldemort were gone,' he said fiercely. 'Then I could live with Sirius and be free of the Dursleys forever.'

'But Professor Dumbledore let you stay with the Weasleys for the last week of the holidays last year,' Hermione protested.

'But Voldemort wasn't exactly completely active,' Harry pointed out gloomily. 'He is now. I'll probably be stuck at Little Whinging for the whole summer.'

'Don't worry, I'll write,' Hermione promised. 'Maybe I could visit?' she suggested.

Harry's eyes brightened a little. 'That's a thought.'

Ginny stepped into their compartment, followed by Jem Codex. He had enthusiastically posed as a Beauxbatons exchange student for the last few weeks of term, claiming that he felt like staying at Hogwarts, although Hermione had a strong suspicion that he was staying to keep an eye on all of them to make sure nothing wrong happened.

'Hello Ginny,' Hermione greeted.

Ginny nodded, looking determined not to glance at Harry. 'Mind if we sit here?'

'Sure,' Hermione said.

'I didn't think I could stand listening to Chloe, Olive or Jane cooing over Jem any longer,' Ginny added, rolling her eyes as she sat down.

'I didn't mind,' Jem protested even as he threw himself onto a seat, feet up.

Ginny gave him a dirty look. 'I did,' she retorted.

'Well! Do I perhaps smell a tinge of something green?' Jem asked, grinning.

'The only thing green you smell is the mould festering in your seventy-year old brain,' Ginny parried smoothly.

'Ouch.'

They began a game of Exploding Snap with the trio (Ron had given up chatting to the Ravenclaw girls).

'Where are you going, Jem?' Ron asked the Metamorphmagus.

Jem shrugged. 'Here and there,' he said vaguely.

'Couldn't you be a bit more specific?' Hermione wheedled.

'Dumbledore would have my head if I were,' Jem said, smiling. 'He's older than me.'

'Any hint?' Harry enquired.

The shapeshifter hesitated. 'Well, a little espionage,' he admitted.

'Of course,' Hermione nodded. With his Metamorphmagus skills, he would be the perfect spy.

'I'm going to stay with Sirius for a little while, though, before he goes on trial,' Jem continued.

'He's going on trial?' Harry demanded. 'He didn't tell me!'

'He didn't want you to get worried,' Jem said. 'In fact, I don't think I was even supposed to say he was going on trial. Oh dear.'

His completely unapologetic expression made them all laugh.

'Sirius'll get off,' Ron said reassuringly. 'With those captive Death-Eaters.'

Harry nodded, smiling.

A white-blond Slytherin poked his head around the corner about an hour before they reached King's Cross Station.

'Draco!' Hermione leapt up to see him.

'I hope nobody sees me in here,' Draco muttered wryly as he let himself be dragged into the compartment.

'Hello Malfoy,' Harry said, concentrating on the Exploding Snap. Ron merely grunted, but without any animosity.

'What are you doing walking around the train?' Hermione asked.

'Greg and Vince are busy eating,' he said dryly. 'I didn't think I could stand it a minute longer.'

Harry and Ron sniggered.

'Are you going back to the Manor?' Hermione inquired.

Draco frowned. 'Mother hasn't actually told me yet,' he admitted. 'I don't know if we can go back to the Manor, because they're busy clearing it of all traces of Dark Magic and Voldemort. It's driving the House Elves crazy, because they're not allowed to help.'

'Well at least now they get a holiday,' Hermione said brightly, remembering SPEW.

Draco shook his head. 'They don't like holidays. Mother says they've been complaining non-stop.'

Hermione glared at Ron who had started laughing.

'When do you lot get your OWLs results?' Ginny inquired.

'In the holidays,' Ron said gloomily. 'I wish we'd never get them. I bet I get "Poor", or "Dreadful" for Potions and Divination.'

Harry nodded. 'Divination especially,' he agreed. 'I couldn't see a thing in the crystal ball.'

'And my tea-leaves wouldn't make a single shape for me to read. They just sat in this lumpy blob,' Ron said glumly. 'What was I supposed to tell the examiners? That my exam results were going to be shit? Literally?'

Hermione tut-tutted his language.

'Oh, come off it,' Ron said. 'You said much worse than that when we were locked up.'

'Really?' Harry and Draco swung around to look at Hermione interestedly.

Hermione's face went red, quickly changing the subject. 'I can't decide how I feel,' Hermione said referring back to the exam results. 'I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also worried I didn't do quite so well.'

'What, that you didn't get "Outstanding" for everything?' Ron asked, snickering.

'Well, I'm worried about my Arithmancy results,' Hermione said, grinning at Draco.

'Time shall tell,' Draco said in a saintly voice, holding his fingers up to make a "sixteen," as Hermione tried to thwack him on the head with a book.

Before the train pulled into King's Cross Station, Draco left, to return to his Slytherin friends, while the others changed into their Muggle clothes. Soon enough, they piled out of the train, dragging the trunks along, to exit via the barrier into the Muggle world.

Hermione smiled and waved brightly to see her parents, standing chatting to Mr and Mrs Weasley. She could see the Dursleys standing nervously to one side, giving the magical folk wary looks. She could also see a woman standing talking to the Weasleys. She looked quite young, and quite unusual, with lurid, long, bubble-gum-pink hair, and was dressed in a pair of patched jeans and bright purple t-shirt. Her face was pale and heart-shaped, with dark twinkling eyes.

On seeing the group of students, she gave a sudden shriek, and running over, launched herself onto Jem Codex, who blinked, and then grinned as she hugged him.

'Jem Codex! I haven't seen you in ages!'

Jem beamed at the young woman. 'How have you been, Tonks? Auror-hood looks like it's been suiting you?' he said, grinning at her.

Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny just stared, as Draco came up surreptitiously from behind them with his trunk.

'My manner's have gone running!' Jem said, realising their stares. 'Tonks, this is Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Harry, this is Nymphadora Tonks who,' he continued as Nymphadora Tonks looked ready to interrupt, 'prefers to be known as Tonks.'

Tonks beamed, particularly interested in Harry. 'Ooh, he looks just like what I thought he would,' she said, grinning. 'Wotcher, Harry.'

Harry nodded, just as surprised by the others. All of them, though, felt an immediate liking for the Auror.

'Tonks was my student,' Jem continued. 'Now a distinguished Auror,' he jibed teasingly.

'Are you a Metamorphmagus too?' Ron asked.

Tonks nodded. 'Not nearly half as talented as Jem though,' she said ruefully. 'But he taught me a great deal,' she added.

At that moment, though, she frowned, catching sight of Draco behind them. 'Oi! You there!'

Draco stopped, and looked at her. 'Yes?' he asked, voice cool. Hermione could tell that he wasn't impressed with Tonks' wild appearance, being brought up to be as decorous as he was.

'You Draco Malfoy?' Tonks asked.

Draco nodded, puzzled as the rest of them. 'Yes.'

Tonks eyed him, and then shrugged. 'I'm Tonks, your cousin,' she said brightly. 'I'm here to pick you up from the station.'

'What?' Draco asked, sounding disbelieving.

Tonks's brows shot up. 'Your mum's my mum's sister,' she said, clarifying relationships. 'And she's staying with my mum and dad for the time-being, while your home's getting fixed up.'

Draco's eyes were wide. He clearly had not been expecting this.

'Got your stuff?' Tonks asked, looking over at his trunks.

Draco nodded.

'Right, let's go. Want to come to tea?' Tonks asked Jem.

'Why not?' Jem shrugged.

'Good bye, Molly, Arthur!' Tonks waved cheerfully, setting off with Jem, talking animatedly.

Draco followed her bemusedly, when Hermione caught at his hand. 'Owl me in the holidays!' she urged.

He nodded, half-smirking. 'Of course. I'd have to write you my OWLs results for comparison.'

Hermione rolled her eyes. 'Have fun,' she said.

'You too,' he said, grinning, as he left the station following Tonks.

Hermione followed her parents as they left the station, while Harry trailed after the Dursleys reluctantly. Ron, Ginny, Fred and George, meanwhile, followed their parents. Looking back, she glanced over her friends, wondering again about the Prophecy Dumbledore had told her about. Her eyes fell on Harry. The one Dumbledore believed was the Golden One. The thought of Harry being controlled by some Prophecy did not surprise her, but unbidden, her eyes drifted over to blond Slytherin, who was reluctantly following Tonks. Draco had some part to play in all this, she thought, convinced. But what part, Dumbledore did not know. She didn't know either.

She forced the weighty matters from her mind, though, as she followed her parents to their car. She could think about that later. Right now, she had to tell her parents all about Harry.

~ The End ~

… for now …