Final chapter! Thanks again Reni-Maniac for beta reading!
7) The Beginning
On graduation day the incident at the tests was nearly forgotten, well by Harry anyways. The outside world was going on about lack of security and how heroic Harry had been.
"Black, black! Why do we have to wear black? I am graduating, not attending a funeral! I'd even wear green. What do you think would McGonagall say if I changed into something nicer?" Harry was standing in front of the mirror in the boys' dormitory. Ron was struggling with his tie looking like he wanted to strangle himself. Harry was a little jealous of him because of the colourful robe his friend was aloud to wear. As Ron was the head boy he was wearing a robe in the house colours he was also going to have to hold a speech this evening so maybe Harry was not that jealous.
Harry still looked rather pail and skinny, but it was no comparison for the day he had arrived at Hogwarts at age eleven. He had grown a lot. His hair was still unruly but his glasses were new and had a more modern look.
Ron was still taller than Harry, what he recognised with a smirk as he joined his friend.
"Just tradition. Fred and George had actually planned some changes for their graduation. Good that they didn't have a chance. Mum would have killed them. You coming?"
Parents and family of the graduating students were invited for the ceremony. Harry had invited Remus and Tonks because he was sure the Dursleys would not have been interested. He was sure that the whole Weasley clan would turn up (except Percy who was still missing) and a lot of press.
They met with the others downstairs (Hermione had to redo Ron's tie). Ginny was already with her parents. Only the 7th years were in the corridors at the moment. They met the other houses in the room next to the Great Hall were the first years always had to wait for their sorting.
Harry was nervous. So were all the others.
What would the future hold for them? This was their last day of school. The last time for Harry at the place that was more his home than the house he grew up in. What was waiting for him? Harry felt that he had no real way in life.
In the Great Hall there was talking and clapping and laughing to be heard once in a while.
When the doors finally opened they faced the festive Great Hall. The tables had vanished and there were chairs filled with families. The graduates had to walk down the aisle and stopped then in front of the audience.
As head boy Ron took his place behind the speaker's podium. Harry was curious on what he was going to say because he made a huge secret out of it, not even letting Hermione know.
He sorted through the papers, and sorted some more until Hermione cleared her throat and he sighed and let the parchments vanish. It was a neat little wandless trick that he had asked Harry to show him. Harry chuckled.
"Äh…well. We're done. There is not very much more to say as we are all waiting desperately for our scores I want to make this as short as possible especially for my girlfriend who probably passed with something about four hundred percent. There also is a certain someone I planned to mention but I am sworn not and I really don't want to risk a duel with him so I won't." Everyone laughed as Harry and Ron smirked at each other. "I just wanted to thank you for being my friend and for Hermione thanks for pushing me to do my homework once in a while." Again laughs and a frown from Hermione.
"Hogwarts should have prepared us for the tasks ahead, but I get the feeling that the greatest task does already lie behind us. I get the feeling that adult life will be pretty boring." He started counting on his fingers. "No giant chess sets, spiders…" he shudders by the thought alone and everyone that knows Ron laughed. "…basilisks, dragons, no innocent escaped convict, dementors, no Umbrige, no more Potions classes and no Voldemort, wait…!" he paused and scratched his head. "…I think I'll rather enjoy this. Thanks for the patience."
Ron stepped down, everyone was clapping and cheering. Molly Weasley had hid her face behind a handkerchief halfway through the speech and Harry wasn't sure if she was crying out of pride or because of laughing so hard.
The headgirl was next but Harry wasn't paying attention anymore. Ron's speech had left him thinking. For the first time he realized that Voldemort was indeed gone! He was free of the thread and left to do what ever he wanted! No matter what his NEWT's were like he was going to live with it. Well he would never ever be "Just Harry" he was just too popular and too powerful. But having a choice was the closest he could get. This graduation suddenly didn't seem to him as the end of his youth. It was the start of his life. A new beginning.
The end (of the story)!
