Chapter 1: Blue Ink
"Ginny! Get over here, right now!"
Ginny Weasley looked up, a smirk on her face, as she looked at her best girlfriend. Hermione Granger, smart as she was, could NOT take a joke. Ginny tried to hold it in, but as she looked at her friend covered in blue ink, she couldn't help it. She laughed. It started as a low chuckle before advancing to a level that infuriated Hermione more than anything at the moment. She was laughing so hard she was crying. But the funny part was she wasn't the only one. Hermione's other best friend, Harry Potter, had a gleam in his eye as he chuckled, sitting next to the teared-up Ginny on the couch in the Gryffindor common room.
"And you, Mr. Potter, had nothing to do with this?" Hermione asked him, a menacing look etched onto her blue-covered face. He knew better than to lie to her, but he was also a bit afraid of the wrath of the young woman who was now standing in front of him.
"Oh Hermione, my dear, why would I do such a thing?" Harry said in a fake high-pitched voice.
That was all it took for Ginny to start a new round of giggles and for Hermione to make an about turn and flee up the girls dormitory steps, making a strange sound of frustration as she went.
"Oh my gosh, that was a good one," Ginny said as she pulled the brand new box of Squirting Quiver Quills from under the couch, a new product compliments of her mischievous twin brothers. She stood up and gathered her books and quills from the table in front of her where she and Harry had been studying nearly all afternoon.
"I'm going to go upstairs and see if I can make up with her. For once the twins went about things in a smart way, and there's a counter spell to get rid of all the ink. She won't be blue for long…that is, if she lets me into her room." Ginny grabbed her bag, a few books, and the box of quills before heading up the stairs.
Harry laughed once again at the joke they had been planning all day. He turned to his books which no longer seemed the least bit inviting. In fact, they were downright revolting at the moment, so he knew there would be no more studying for the moment. With the N.E.W.T's quickly approaching, just next week in fact, the seventh year students were furiously studying away the few days they had left. In just three weeks, Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger would no longer be students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They would be heading out in their own directions to pursue their profession of choice. Harry had been accepted into the Auror program at the Ministry of Magic without even applying mere days after the defeat of Voldemort back in February. He had accepted, since he had never adequately prepared for his future. Harry had never really thought that he would be around for his graduation from Hogwarts, which he was now very surprised he would be able to see. With the secret power of forgiveness, Harry had gone forth with the help of his three best friends to defeat the most evil wizard of all time. In the time following the Ministry battle, he had once again grown very close to Ginny who was there and helped him tremendously. They were now often seen joking around, talking or studying together in the common room. They were working to get back their trust and friendship before they restored their previous relationship. Though Harry was still quite disturbed at the memories of that fateful night when he was forced to kill Voldemort, he was also relieved that it was over. He was slowly reaching out and trying to get away from his horrible past. He looked at his upcoming graduation as a way to start fresh. Maybe then he could go on to do something great that had nothing to do with Voldemort.
Ron was trying to pick up the slack that he had left in his schoolwork over the years for his upcoming ministry test. He was planning, if all went well, to be accepted into the two year Unspeakable program. After the break in fifth year, he became very interested in the Department of Mysteries. He buckled down more towards the end of sixth year after he realized that was what he wanted to do with his life. This was cemented back in February when once again he was forced into the revolving room of doors and he realized he wanted to learn more about it, to be able to know things and make things work. It was then that he applied and now was preparing to the best of his abilities to do well. Harry smiled at the thought that it didn't hurt that Hermione was pushing for him to do well too. He knew that her support had pushed Ron into the most studious mode that Harry had ever seen. Though it was different for Ron to be acting like school was his top priority, Harry wondered if Ron would ever get the guts to admit that Hermione was his real top priority.
Hermione…with her brilliant mind, she could really do anything. She had spent weeks in the library looking through books about different professions before she decided that she would like to stay close by, and teach at Hogwarts. She had talked to Dumbledore, and he had said she could start in the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching assistant on August fifteenth. This of course, pleased her to no end, and she was very excited to have the job in line so soon. Ron and Harry had both known as soon as she decided that this job would be a wonderful experience for her. They knew that she would be a wonderful teacher, and her brilliant mind, quick wit, regard for the rules, and appreciation of adventure would make her a very stern but fun professor someday. With her job lined up, she was now in full N.E.W.T's mode, studying morning until night. The last week of classes would end the following day to give the students some much-needed study time in the four days they had before the tests started on Monday.
Harry looked around him at the animated students in the common room. Colin Creevey stood next to the chair of Jenna Martin, a sixth year, whom he had been dating for nearly two months now while waving his hands in the air telling some story. Jenna laughed and grabbed one of his hands, pulling Colin into the chair across from her. Harry then shifted his attention to a group of second years who were trying to do something with a piece of paper on the table in front of them. One boy prodded the paper with his wand, and his end result was a small explosion and a puff of smoke that rose upward from the table and towards the scarlet ceiling above. He also took in the many other students, mostly fifth and seventh years, who were studying around him. Dean Thomas was stretched out on the hearth rug in front of the fire reading his Transfiguration book and sucking on the end of a Sugar Quill. Lavender Brown was seated in a large and very squishy armchair next to the bookshelf across the room. She had her Charms book open, but wasn't reading it. Instead, her attention was focused on Seamus Finnegan who was lying across the next chair over, his head resting on the arm rest while his feet dangled over the other side. He seemed to have fallen asleep with his textbook in his lap. Harry then focused his attention on the red-headed girl who descended the dormitory steps and was walking towards him.
"Well, she's no longer blue, but I think she's mighty vexed with me right now," Ginny said as she lazily flopped onto the couch next to Harry. She looked up at his face and smiled. "What are you thinking about? You look too thoughtful for just finishing a round of studying. What's up?"
"Nothing, just appreciating the group of people we have in here." He said simply, cracking open another book.
"Okay…" she trailed off, reaching for her bag to pull out another book. Just as she straightened up to get comfortable and start in on her next round of reading, Ron came bursting into the common room.
"I've been in that library for three hours, and I'm sick of studying!" He exclaimed. "Let's go do something outside. Please? I have to get out of this castle!" Ginny just rolled her eyes at her brother, but being as she had no huge test to study for, only end of the year exams in two weeks, she was all for it. Harry on the other hand held up his hand to silence Ron who was yelling at Harry to come on.
"Ron, I know you are sick of studying, so am I, but just think, two weeks and it'll all be over. Then we have all the time in the world to be outside."
"Harry, you're starting to sound like Hermione. Speaking of, where is she?"
Ginny giggled and pointed up the girls' staircase. Ron gave her a strange look, and Ginny said "I'll go get her!"
"Oh boy…" Harry trailed off. Just then he heard Ginny's scream as Hermione yelled "ABSOLUTELY NOT!" followed by a door slamming. Ginny slowly wandered down the stairs covered in blue ink. Harry took one look at her and laughed.
"Glad some things never change around here!"
"What's going on," asked Ron. Ginny and Harry just laughed. Harry pulled out his wand and did the counter spell on Ginny's robes, and said "come on, let's go." The three of them climbed out of the portrait hole and headed for their final relaxing time outside together for the last two weeks.