Harry Potter, Heir of Gryffindor

Remembering Padfoot

The next morning Harry awoke to the smell of Eggs Benedict. Rolling out of bed he put his glasses on, put his bathrobe on and walked out into the sitting room. When he could see into the kitchen area he looked up and saw Ginny busily preparing their breakfast while happily humming to herself. Shaking his head he turned around and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

Five minutes later he was just about to get out of the shower when he heard Ginny's voice call out to him from somewhere inside the bathroom, "Good morning, Harry."

Harry's eyes grew wide and he pulled the shower curtain closed as he looked up in shock. What was Ginny doing in his bathroom? "Er, Ginny?"

"Yes?" he heard her ask nonchalantly but with a hint of mischievous glee.

"Er, what are you doing?"

"Fixing breakfast, silly," she giggled. "After all, we did give Winky and Dobby the weekends off and Saturdays are my days to cook."

Regaining his composure Harry shook his head and chastised himself for forgetting about their arrangement. "Er, okay. Do you mind if I get dressed?"

Ginny giggled again. "No. Just give me a second and I will be out of here." Then, a few seconds later, she said, "All right, Harry. The bathroom is all yours," and closed the door.

When Harry got out of the shower he noticed some extra bottles of shampoo and conditioner as well as an additional hair brush on the vanity and an extra toothbrush next to the sink. He was definitely going to have to talk to Ginny about this. Sharing his trunk with her was one thing but sharing his bathroom was going just a little bit too far.

When he was dressed he walked out into the kitchen and smiled. Ginny was happy and that is all that really mattered. But still he wanted to know what she was thinking. "Uh, Ginny?" he began as he sat down across from her.

"Hmm?"

"Er, I don't mean to pry or anything but what's going on?"

Ginny looked up from her plate, caught off guard for a moment, then smiled. "Oh, you mean my stuff in the bathroom?"

"Mm hmm," Harry nodded.

"Well," Ginny said as if stating the obvious, "We do have that awards ceremony today and since all of my dress robes and battle robes are over here I thought I would take a shower and get ready over here."

Harry looked at her curiously for a moment as he thought this over then shrugged his shoulders. "Oh. Okay then. I was afraid you were thinking about moving in or something."

Ginny burst out laughing. "Oh, Harry!" she laughed. "You poor innocent soul. I'm not going to move in for a couple more years yet. But I am going to take the occasional shower over here so you had better get used to it."

Harry blushed. "I can see that there are a lot of things I am going to have to get used to," he said more to himself than anyone else but Ginny heard him and laughed some more.

"Yes there are, Harry," she said as she expertly flipped a half spoon full of strawberry preserves across the table and hit him in the nose.

"Hey!" Harry said. "I just got out of the shower!"

Still laughing, Ginny got up and went over to the sink where she wet a washcloth. When she returned she took Harry's glasses off and washed his face. "Honestly!" she scolded herself as she carried his glasses back to the sink to clean them off. "I grew up with six brothers. You would think I would have the sense to find a man who could at least wash his own face."

Even though she was little more than a blur, Harry folded his arms across his chest and glared at her until she returned and placed his glasses back on his face and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you," he said then, with a scowl, added, "I can tell that this is going to take a long time."

It had been agreed that the six, plus Remus and Tonks, would wear the battle robes that they had received for Christmas from the dragon keepers to the banquet and awards ceremony that afternoon. So after breakfast Harry and Ginny did their homework in the study, Ginny working on her potions essay while Harry began brewing the Animagus Potion he had discussed with Albus, Minerva and Severus that Thursday. They had already discussed the technicalities of the spell and it had been decided that, if he was successful, he would remain an unregistered, 'illegal' animagus for his own safety. They had also decided that if Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna and Ginny were successful, as Ginny and Luna were being trained as well, that they would remain unregistered.

The potion and the spell were actually the two easiest parts of the process. The hardest parts were learning the habits of their animagus forms. They had to study their animal forms in depth, learning everything they could about them, and then learn to meditate and focus upon what it actually felt like to be that animal for hours on end before they could even think about trying either the potion or the spell.

Harry had an advantage in the meditation department because he used it on a daily basis to reinforce the Occlumency Wards around his mind. He also had an advantage in that he had been working with the model of the Hungarian Horntail for a little more than two months and knew what to expect when it came to imagining himself moving as another form. The others were slightly miffed at these advantages but were nevertheless excited to see what became of his efforts.

At around noon Ginny excused herself and stepped into Harry's bathroom to take a shower and get ready. While she was showering Harry changed into his battle robes and laid Ginny's out on the bed while listening to her singing in the shower. She really did have a very nice voice and he found that he actually liked listening to her.

The one thing Harry found himself thinking about while checking his potion before leaving it to simmer for the next twelve hours was that he felt he could actually get used to the idea of settling down to a domestic life with Ginny as his wife. But, he remembered, as Ginny stepped out of the bedroom and into the sitting room, he still had to do something about Tom and even then the danger would not be passed because there were all of Tom's followers and dark lord wannabes that had to be dealt with. But then again, if the charm Bill and Fleur were working on lived up to their expectations that might not take so long after all. Then he could think about settling down and asking Ginny to marry him.

That last though startled him to no end and he was glad he was nowhere near his potion because he felt sure he would have dropped something. As it was he nervously ran his hands through his hair when Ginny plopped down beside him on the couch and cheerfully asked, "Well, are you ready?"

Harry started and looked over at her, desperately trying to quell his nerves. "Er, yeah!" he said almost too brightly which caused Ginny to look at him curiously. "I mean, yeah," he said more softly, in keeping with the occasion. "Let's go."

They met Ron and Hermione in the common room a few minutes later and Neville and Luna at the top of the stairs in the Entrance Hall a few minutes after that. Tonks and Remus were waiting for them at the bottom of the steps.

Harry had once again expanded the Great Hall to accommodate the thousands of people who would be attending the banquet and ceremony. The first thing Harry noticed as they approached the entrance, aside from the hundreds of large circular tables, each large enough to comfortably seat twelve couples, were the banners. Most of the house banners had been removed to leave the ceiling space clear. Along the front wall, however, the large Hogwarts banner was flanked by the smaller house banners - Slytherin and Huffelpuff on one side and Ravenclaw and Gryffindor on the other - and they were, in turn, flanked by the banners from every department in the Ministry of Magic as well as St. Mungo's and a few lesser known wizarding institutions. It would seem that everyone who participated in the defense of Hogwarts, no matter their capacity, was going to be honored.

"Names?" a middle aged wizard in the formal midnight blue robes of the aurors asked.

Returning to the present Harry looked at the man briefly then said, "Harry Potter, Ginevra Weasley, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks."

The auror took a quick step back. "Uh, yes, sir. If you will follow me, please. Your table is down in front."

Harry groaned, wondering when people he had never met would stop treating him like some kind of royalty. Ron leaned into his shoulder a few seconds later and snickered, "Get used to it, mate. You're famous."

"Yeah," Harry growled, "but I don't want to be famous. I just want to be me."

As Ron burst out laughing Harry scowled and Ginny squeezed his hand. "Ignore him," she growled. "He's just being a prat."

When they arrived at their table they were seated with Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Mr. and Mrs. Babcock, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Lovegood, Mrs. Longbottom, Fred, George, Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Percy and, surprisingly, Dobby and Winky who were dressed in their battle robes as well. Penelope Clearwater had broken up with Percy shortly after he had turned on the rest of his family after the Tri-wizard Tournament and refused to take him back until he got his priorities straight. Harry could tell that he was working on it and that it hurt him to think that he had ruined his life for a job but there was nothing he, Harry, could do about it. Mrs. Weasley looked up and smiled as Harry, Ron, Neville and Remus pulled the chairs out for their dates and complimented the girls on how nice they looked. When she turned her attention to the boys, however, she had Ron to turn around so he could see the full effect, which embarrassed him to no end.

A few minutes later the doors to the Great Hall closed and Madam Bones approached the podium at center stage, beneath the Hogwarts banner. An image of the royal blue and gold Ministry of Magic seal appeared on the wall above and behind her and slowly faded into existence as the spacious auditorium grew silent. "Ladies and gentlemen," she began, "I stand before you this day as a representative of the people. I am not a politician. Neither do I aspire to be such. I have, however, been appointed to serve as the Interim Minister of Magic to see us through this difficult time as there are those who seem to think I have what it will take to see us through these dark and dangerous times. But this day is not about me; it is about you.

"Since the beginning of this war most of you have served in the defense of all that is right and good in some capacity. There have been many battles and skirmishes and I fear that there will most likely be many more. Many of you have lost loved ones in these battles and again I fear that many more lives may be lost before all is said and done. That said, I am going to turn this podium over to our host, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore."

Madam Bones' brief statement was greeted with polite applause. As she stepped back Albus stood up and stepped forward. Before approaching the podium, however, he took hold of Madam Bones' hands and said something to her. She smiled and nodded then returned to her seat. Albus stepped up to the podium and smiled, gazing out at his audience over his half moon spectacles, his blue eyes twinkling merrily as he made eye contact with at least a few. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said. "A moment of silence, if you would, as we remember those who have already fallen in this war."

The Great Hall fell silent. A few shuffling feet could be heard but nothing substantial. Harry's thoughts immediately turned to Cedric Diggory - the first friend he had lost in this war - and to Sirius - his godfather. He wanted to include his parents in that list but he didn't know if he should. His thoughts then turned to the Dursleys. He hadn't liked them; indeed, he had had many issues with their treatment of him; but he had never wanted them dead. He included them in his list because the Death Eaters had killed them to get to him.

A moment later Albus cleared his throat. "Thank you," he said. "Now then, before we begin it is my great honor and privilege to award two fine young men with the Order of Merlin, First Class for their work in the development of Weasley's Whiz-Bang Fireworks, their portable swamps and a number of other weapons of war which, I might add, started out as jokes." Fred and George started to stand up with the applause but Albus held his hand up for silence so they returned to their seats. "I also wish to make another announcement concerning these two young men."

When the hall was silent again he continued. "Last year these two young men - Fred and George Weasley - left school before they could take their final examinations, due to an unfortunate misunderstanding with the, then, Minister of Magic. I have taken the liberty of submitting samples of their work to the review board and I am please to announce that they have earned the highest marks in Charms and Potions in half a century. Ladies and gentlemen I give you Mesers Fred and George Weasley, two of the most highly qualified wizards you are ever likely to meet in our world."

The applause was deafening. As everyone else in the auditorium stood in ovation Fred and George fell out of their seats. Bill and Charlie helped them up and their mother ran around the table to hug and kiss both them. For once in their lives they didn't seem to mind being on the receiving end of her attention and hugged her back. Their father, Ginny, Ron, Percy and Hermione weren't far behind but Harry hung back. This was their moment. True, he had helped them by giving them his Tri-wizard winnings but other than that they had done it all on their own. He would talk to them later; but for now he was content to be happy for them. He gave then two thumbs up and smiled. Fred and George, however, ran around the table and pulled him into a sandwiching bear hug. "We owe it all to you, Harry!" they yelled.

"No," Harry laughed, "you owe it all to two very twisted minds that think nothing is more important than a good laugh."

When the commotion had died down and the twins had returned to their seats after receiving their awards Albus said, "could I ask Mister Harry Potter, Mister Remus Lupin and Miss Hermione Granger to step forward please. Harry, Hermione and Remus looked at each other with confused expressions on their faces. They already knew all of the awards that were going to be handed out as they had helped organize the event the week before and this did not fit into the program as they knew it. Standing up they approached the stage and walked up to stand behind Albus.

When they were all up on stage Albus began explaining the reason behind this unexpected turn. "As you know," he began, "until recently there has no defense against two of the three Unforgivable Curses. This past summer two of my students and one of my Defense Against the Dark Arts professors developed a defensive charm that successfully rebounds these curses. Many of you know this spell as The Potter Charm; but its full name is The Potter-Lupin-Granger-Padfoot Defensive Charm. The people responsible for the development of this charm are Harry Potter, Remus Lupin and Hermione Granger. The name Padfoot is an honorary, included in memory of a good friend who was lost in a battle in the Department of Mysteries last June.

"For years it was thought that Sirius Black was a Death Eater, spy and traitor - the man who betrayed James and Lily Potter to Voldemort. When questioned under the influence of Veritaserum, however, the Death Eaters who were captured in that battle revealed that Sirius never was one of their number and that one Peter Pettigrew - the man Mister Black was accused of killing - is still alive and is one of their associates. Padfoot, the fourth name in the official title of this charm, was placed there as a memorial to Sirius Black - a man who died, honorably, protecting his godson, Harry Potter."

After a brief pause Albus cleared his throat. "It is my honor and privilege to present Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin and, posthumously, Sirius Black with Orders of Merlin, First Class for their work in the development of this charm and, as in the case of Sirius Black, for holding on to his faith through twelve years of incarceration at Azkaban without benefit of a trial and for giving his life for something he believed in. It would have been easy for him to give up on life but he did not. He believed in something and he held onto that belief to the end. It is my fervent hope and desire that we should all follow his example and when the time comes when we are asked to choose between that which is easy and that which is right we will choose wisely."

The auditorium was silent for a moment as the weight of these words settled into the hearts and minds of everyone present. Then, slowly at first, the people began clapping and rising to their feet. Before long everyone in the auditorium was standing and the sounds of cheers, whistles and applause filled the expanded Great Hall for several minutes.

Harry, Hermione and Remus turned towards each other - the shock evident on their faces - and let their jaws fall slightly open. As the Headmaster stepped back to present them with their awards he said, "It's the least we could do."

Harry and Remus looked at each other then back at Albus and said, "Thank you."

As Hermione smiled up at all three of them Albus said, "Which one of you would like to accept Sirius' award?"

Harry looked at Remus and Remus looked at Harry, neither one of them wanting to usurp the other's relationship with Sirius. After several seconds Hermione, sensing the impasse, asked, "Why don't we give it to the Order?"

The other two looked at her for a moment then, nodding their approval of this solution, turned to Albus and said, "We want you to accept it on his behalf."

Dumbledore smiled and nodded his head, his blue eyes sparkling with their acceptance of the Ministry's apology.

Looking down at the handsomely polished oak plaque in his hands, once he had returned to his seat, Harry noted The Great Seal of the Ministry of Magic of Great Britain engraved in gold and covering the top one-third of the wooden monument. Below this, in two lines surrounded by gold and silver sparks which seemed to emanate from the two crossed wands at the bottom of the inscription, were the words "Order of Merlin First Class." The bottom third of the plaque, also engraved in gold, began with his name on one line followed by the date and then a brief description of why it was being awarded.

Ginny looked at it with him for a moment and then pulled him into a hug. Harry smiled sheepishly at her and blushed slightly. Glancing over at Ron and Hermione, Harry noticed that Ron seemed to be truly happy for her. As he looked around the table he noticed looks of pride on everyone's faces but none more so than on the faces of Hermione's parents. In that moment he was suddenly happy that he had played a roll, no matter how small, in helping to secure Hermione's future in the wizarding world.

As the applause died down and began to fade away Dumbledore cleared his throat and said, "The next honors we have to bestow go to two people - a husband and wife team of Physicists, honorary members of the magical community - who played a major role in making it possible for us to defeat and destroy the dementors and banshees. The Doctors Babcock, using a combination of magical and non-magical techniques, were able to map the magical energy signatures of the dementors which made it possible for our people to develop an effective charm that proved to be their undoing and, from all eye-witness accounts, was instrumental in freeing the souls and positively charged memories and energies trapped within. We owe them a debt of gratitude no amount of money will ever be able to repay. Therefore, it is my great honor to present the Doctors Babcock with Silver Wands, the highest honor we in the wizarding world can bestow upon any non-magical member of society."

Once again the auditorium erupted in ovation. This time, however, it lasted for almost five minutes with several cheers, whistles and fireworks displays. Andromeda even raced forward from her table near the back of the room and hugged her parents.

After the smoke cleared and the applause died down Albus said, "Our final major awards go to six students without whom Christmas Day 1996 would have been the day Hogwarts fell to Voldemort and his followers. Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger played major roles in planning and organizing the security measures that ultimately played such a major role in the success of our defense; Neville Longbotton and Luna Lovegood played major roles in planning and preparing for our medical needs both during and after the battle as well as our transportation needs; and Harry Potter and Ginevra Weasley were responsible for securing the aide and assistance of the wood elves, fairies, pixies and centaurs. And, through subsequent events, have also secured the support of the ghosts, goblins, ghouls and poltergeists."

As the six friends stood up Harry looked at Ron and knew that his best friend had finally come into his own. The look on his face was one of self-confidence and pride. It was not a look of arrogance but rather one of silent acceptance that he didn't have to be the best in anything but that simply being himself was enough to make him stand out in any crowd.

The rest of the afternoon and evening, with a break for dinner, were dedicated to honoring and awarding all who had fought and served in all of the many battles and skirmishes since the second war had officially began, in any capacity. Every one was honored - from Pansy Parkinson, who had bedpan duty on Christmas Day, and Blaise Zabini, who kept the children entertained and out of trouble, to Kingsley Shacklebolt, Roger Davies, Cho Chang and Orville Burns who were on the front lines of the last major battle. Some aurors and hit-wizards were not present because they were on duty guarding suspected targets but their medals and awards were announced and presented in their absence. Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Remus and Tonks accepted their awards for the parts they played in defending the dragon preserve; but Charlie was presented with a box of medals an ribbons to take back with him to present to his coworkers.

The last two presentations, which took place that evening, were more or less thank you presentations given to Emric, Prince of the Wood Elves and Mira, Queen of the Fairies. Even though he knew they would be hesitant to accept anything from a himan, Harry would travel down to the Forbidden Forest the next day to present a thank you commendation to the centaurs.