At the end of June, graduation day.

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"I can't believe we're graduating!" yelled Ron happily, his arm around Hermione.  They were eating their breakfast in the Great Hall.

Hermione smiled at him.

"Well, I don't know..I'm sort of sad…" she said teasingly.  "I'll miss doing all my homework…"

"Hermione!" said Ron in a shocked voice.  "How can you say something like that?"

Harry, Ginny, Alex and Melanie laughed.

"I'm the one who's sad!" complained Ginny, her smile fading.  "I'll be here, all alone…my boyfriend, my brother, my best friends, and Alex will all have graduated!"

They all looked sympathetically at her.

"Well, we'll owl you every day…" suggested Melanie, who had come to sit with them.

"Yeah…but it won't be the same…"

"Well, I still have a surprise for all of you…" said Harry mysteriously.

"What is it?  Did you fail?  I told you you should have studied more!  I told you!  You failed didn't you?  And now you have to do your N.E.W.T's over again! Harry!  Why didn't you…" rambled Hermione.  The others looked concernedly at Harry, who smiled.

"No, Hermione, I didn't fail." He said.

"Then what's your surprise?" asked Ginny.

"You'll see." Was the reply.

Ginny continued asking the question throughout breakfast, but Harry just smiled mysteriously and shook his head.

____________________________________________________________________________________

"I see your parents and your brothers and Ginny out there.." Harry said to Ron, peeking into the Great Hall.  Ginny saw him and waved at him.  She was sitting with Mrs. And Mr. Weasley and her 5 other brothers.

The 7th years were waiting in the Entrance Hall, waiting to go in and receive their diplomas. 

"I can't believe this!  I'm actually graduating!" Lavender squealed, jumping up and down with Parvati.

"Yes, I know!  But remember, Lavender, you have to be careful on the last step onto the podium!" Parvati answered seriously.

"Why does Lavender have to be careful on the last step?" asked Ron curiously, turning around.

Parvati looked fearfully at him and answered in a whisper, "Professor Trelawney foresaw Lavender falling on the last step to the podium."

Hermione snorted.

"You honestly still believe her?" she asked.

"Yes.  And Hermione, I wouldn't go near the man who tells you he is interested and wants to go with him to his house, he is dangerous." Said Lavender in a misty voice.

"Man who says he's interested and wants Hermione to go to his house?" Alex asked skeptically.  Lavender and Parvati just turned around.

"Hermione would never go with a man who says he's interested!" laughed Ron.  Hermione was suddenly looking very uncomfortable.

"Hermione?" asked Harry, nudging her.

"Hermione, you wouldn't do that…would you?" asked Ron, looking disbelieving.

"What is it?" asked Melanie softly.  "Something you want to tell us?"

Hermione cleared her throat.  "Well, I wouldn't go with a man who said he was just interested…but well, it has to do with my career…"

"You're becoming a prostitute???" Ron yelled.

People around them stared at them.

Harry laughed, breaking the tension.

"Great joke, Hermione!" he said.

"Yeah, that was hilarious! Did you see the look on Ron's face?" giggled Melanie, catching on.

"Yeah!  It looked like he was just told that Santa Clause didn't exist!" chuckled Alex, also catching on.

Hermione bit her lip and Ron deflated while the people around them started chatting again.

"So what's this about your career?  You're not becoming a prostitute are you?" asked Ron, turning on Hermione.

Hermione sighed.  "NO, Ron, how could you even think something like that?  I'm planning to become involved in S…"

"Come along now!  We're ready for you!" called Professor McGonagal, coming through the doors.

The 7th years followed her into the Great Hall, where all the parents and friends sat.

"Okay.  This is it!" squealed Melanie, tightening her hold on Alex's hand, who winced, but smiled at his girlfriend.  Harry winked at his girlfriend in the crowd, and Hermione was giving Ron a meaningful look.

"Welcome!" beamed Professor Dumbledore, who still looked a little bad, but Madam Pomfrey had put some glamour charms on him for this day.  "We will start with the speech from our valedictorian, Hermione Granger!"

Hermione smiled nervously and went to the front.

"Seven years ago, I came to Platform 9 and ¾, scared and nervous.  I'm a Muggleborn, so I didn't know a thing about magic.  But I worked hard, and made good grades…"

"yeah, great grades…" muttered Ron while Harry and Alex chuckled.

The speech went on, about how hard it was to leave behind the world they knew and try new things in the world waiting out there for them, she also talked about her friends, her teachers, etc. etc.

"..And I'm sure everyone of us will do great out there, in the world that's waiting for us, whether we are Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws or Slytherins, we are all people, brave, young people, who are willing to do something new.  We won't succeed in everything we try, but that's not going to stop us. Never give up hope, class of 2004, remember, we all got this far, so we can go even further!  Congratulations!"

Hermione stepped down as everybody clapped.

Ron kissed her on the cheek while everybody around them said "that was a great speech!".

Hermione went very red and muttered thank you's.

"Abbot, Hannah!"

Hannah went up to Professor Dumbledore, who gave her her diploma.  She shook hands with him, and the rest of the teachers.

"Bones, Susan!"

The list went on and on, until after sometime,

"Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione took her diploma from Professor Dumbledore, kissed his cheek, hugged Professor McGonagal, and shook hands with everybody else.  She hesitated a little in front of Professor Trelawney, who had showed up for the occasion for once.  Ron looked very happy she hadn't kissed Krum.

"LaFievre, Alex!"

Alex went up, grinning broadly, got his diploma and shook hands with Dumbledore and the male teachers, kissed the female teachers.  (yes even Trelawney)

"Malfoy, Draco!"

"Why does he even bother?  Malfoy hasn't been here since October…" muttered Harry.

"Not in school…but he did come for the N.E.W.T.'s, I heard." Whispered Melanie.

Malfoy suddenly made his way through the crowd, looking as malicious as ever, and snatched his diploma from Dumbledore, and went off the stage and back out the door.

"How rude!" whispered Hermione angrily.

"Potter, Harry!"

The Great Hall started whispering as Harry made his way to the front.  The Weasleys started cheering loudly.

"Congratulations, Harry." Said Dumbledore, giving his diploma to him and shaking his hand.

"Thanks.  Glamour Charm?" asked Harry casually.

Dumbledore nodded and gave a small wink.

Harry kissed Professor McGonagal who gave one of her rare smiles.  Hagrid shook his whole body, Professor Trelawney burst into tears.  "Poor boy, poor boy…" she sobbed.  Nobody paid much attention to her.

"Weasley, Ron!"

The Weasley family cheered loudly as Ron made his way to Professor Dumbledore.

"Go Ronniekins!" hollered Fred and George in shrill voices, standing up.

Ron didn't frown, though, he smiled and waved at them.

They looked dumbstruck, but recovered and waved back.

He got his diploma and shook hands with the male teachers and kissing the female teachers.  (Professor Trelawney was still wailing).

Molly Weasley burst into tears too, and Mr. Weasley smiled apologetically as he held her. 

After everybody had received their diplomas, they had a party.

"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" shouted Ron, Harry and Alex, throwing their arms into the air.

Nobody really noticed, because everybody who had graduated was doing the same thing.

Ginny was crying while she was laughing.

"I'm going to miss you all so much!" she wailed.

Harry hugged her.

"You want to go for a walk?" he asked.  Ginny nodded.

They left their friends partying and dancing and walked out into the garden.

"So what are you going to do as a career?" asked Ginny after a while.

"Er…"

"Don't you know?" asked Ginny, stopping.

"Yes, I do." Answered Harry, also stopping.

"Then why aren't you telling me?"

"Because it's a surprise."

"But I really want to know.  It's not dangerous, is it?" asked Ginny worriedly.

"Well, only if you think training security trolls is dangerous…"

"WHAT?"

"I was kidding!"

"Then what are you doing, Harry?  Please tell me!" Ginny demanded, stamping her foot.

"I'm sensing you really really want to know.  You don't want it to be a secret, Ginny?  It's your choice." Said Harry, smiling at his girlfriend's temper.

"I really want to know!"

"Okay…" Harry surrendered.  "I'm going to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Ginny stared at him for a moment before flinging her arms around him.

"Oh Harry!  Really?  Oh!  I'm so happy!  You're going to be with me!  We won't be apart!" she yelled happily, kissing him fiercely.

"I thought you might like it…" Harry said between the kiss.

"What about Krum?" asked Ginny after she had stopped kissing him.

"He's leaving, he said he missed Bulgaria too much." Answered Harry.

"Do Ron and Hermione and Alex and Melanie know?" asked Ginny.

"No."

"Do you know what Hermione's going to do?"

"No.  Do you?"

"No.  Otherwise I wouldn't ask you would I?"

"Well, yeah…" admitted Harry.

"So what about Ron?"

"ER…yes, I have an idea." Harry answered truthfully.

"Oh?  So what's he going to do?" Ginny asked curiously, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well, he wants to become a professional Quidditch player."

"So he's going to do that?"

"Yeah, I caught him reading this ad in the Daily Prophet about tryouts for the Chudley Cannons." Harry replied slyly.

"Ahha.  And what about Alex?"

"I think he's going to work for Gringotts, as a cursebreaker, like your brother Bill."

"Interesting."

"What about Melanie?  What's she going to do?" asked Harry.

"She's thinking about becoming a shop assistant for a clothing's shop."

"yeah, that sort of fits her.  And what about you, my dearest Ginny?"

"What I want to do?"

"yes."

"I want to become a Healer."

"That suits you…"

"Are you going to stay a Professor here?" asked Ginny.

"No, probably not.  I just wanted to be with you, but when you graduate, I think I'm going to become an Auror."

"Yeah, I'm guessing everybody thinks you're going to already become that now."

"That's what they think, yes."

"Let's go back inside.  I feel so happy now that you told me you're going to be at Hogwarts with me next year!" Ginny said happily, taking his hand and leading him inside again.

"I could never survive a day without you, Ginny…" Harry said in a soft voice.

"Yes you could." Ginny laughed.

"Well, yeah, but that was supposed to be romantic." Harry said in his normal voice.

"oh it was, Mr. Potter." Said Hermione, who had come up behind them.

"Well thank you, Ms. Granger!" Harry said.  "At least 2 of our number think so!" he said, nudging Ginny's arm lightly, pretending to look unhappy.

She just laughed and dragged him onto the dancefloor.

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responses:

HermioneClone:  thanks!

Sarahamanda:  Thanks!  Glad you liked it!

Maria:  Hmm…I don't know…you'll just have to wait and see!  I already wrote up until chapter 50, and I'm going to write a couple more after that…

AnimeAngel90:  Hehe!  Thanks!

Mrs. Ernie Macmillan:  Thanks!  And I don't even know why…You got an email for chap 46?  Hmm…don't know what that's about!  Here it is, though!

HappySnakesRule:  Thank you, thanks you *bows*  Yeah, I sometimes read it too.  I'm crazy, and insane.  Let's go to an asylum together!

Kimmy:  Yes, Harry, Harry, Harry…Thanks!  I'm glad you still read my story!

ZagZig722:  Ai!  I'm wounded!  I'm dying…farewell…*stands up and takes a bow* thank you thank you *audience is clapping loudly*  hehe…

Raisinnutbread:  Thanks!  Glad you loved it!