Chapter Five: Seventh Year

Hermione made it to her room and took out a quill and piece of parchment. She needed to write a letter to Harry, hoping he would help her. With a sigh she became to write.

Harry,

After you had informed me last night, with the untactic way of Ron, that Draco was dead, I began to think. I am writing in hoping that you might be able to spare sometime and help me. I know that you are extremely busy with the Order and everything else going on in your life,but before Draco died he had promised our son, Septimus, to teach him to fly. As I am writing you this letter neither of my children know that he is dead. I am writing you in hopes that you might be able to teach my son to fly a broom. I know I've never said this before, but I have always known you to be an excellent flyer. You were always better then Draco, no mater how hard he tried to show you up. I never said this because it would hurt him to know that I did not think highly of him, you know that Malfoy ego that he always had. I am hoping that you will consider it, I know you love to fly and don't get to that often. I hope you are well and safe.

Love always.

Hermione

With that she rolled it up and attached it to one of the owls. With a small hoot it flew out the window and off toward Number 12 Grimmuald Place wherethe owlwould find Harry. She turned her back to the window and headed toward her son's room. Slowly she opened the door to see that he was still sleeping, His silver-blonde hair was messed up and draping over his closed eyes. With a small smile Hermione entered the room to wake him. She lightly shook him while saying his name. Septimus stretched and rubbed his eyes. After a small yawn he looked at his mother.

"Mornin' mum. What's up?" he asked as he sat up in bed. Hermione brushed his hair out of his eyes so she could see his brown eyes. The only thing he had of her, much like Harry and his own mother.

"I need to talk to you and your sister. Please, come with me." Hermione said standing up and walking out the door down to Gabrielle's room. Septimus slowly, but surely walked after his mother. By the time he got to his sister'sroom Hermione had already woken up Gabrielle and was holding the small girl on her lap. Septimus climbed into his sister's bed and sat down looking at Hermione.

"What is it mommy?" Gabrielle asked her. Her bright gray eyes, taht were still filled with sleep, wereshinning in the small amount of light coming through the window. Hermione smiled at her daughter. Her eyes were the only thing she had of Draco.

"I have something very important to tell you two." Hermione said looking back and for between the two children. "I must tell you both about your father."

"I thought he was suppose to be home by now." Septimus said as he tucked his knees up to his chin and rested his head on them. "He told me he'd be home today to teach me to fly."

"You see," Hermione sighed, "that's what I need to talk to you about." Hermione said looking at her son.

"He is coming home, isn't he mum?" Septimus asked her. Hermione hung her head and shook it slightly.

"Your father, won't be coming home. Unfortunately, we'll be going to see him tomorrow." Hermione said. He head was down and a small tear was forming in her left eye.

"Why not mommy?" Gabrielle asked as she watched the tear form in her mother's eye.

"Why is going to see him bad?" Septimus asked. Hermione lifted her head and bit her lip. She looked between her two children and the small tear ran down her left cheek.

"Let me just start from the beginning. Yesterday, your father and I were both suppose to leave to help Harry and AlbusDumbledore. When Gabrielle got sick, your father and I decided that I would stay home with her instead of leaving her to be taken care of by one of the servants. He thought if I left I wouldn't prove myself as a mother that our daughter could love." Hermione started.

"But I do love you mommy." Gabrielle said hugging Hermione.

"I know." she said returning the hug."Anyway, from what I know that plan was going well, until the end. Something went terribly wrong and one of my close friends didn't make it. So last night, Sep you met them, Harry, Ron and Professor Snape came here to tell me the news. The reason going to see your father tomorrow is bad is because, the close friend that was killed…" she bit her lip as another tear ran down her cheek, "…was your father."

Tears began to flow from Gabrielle's eyes and she held onto her mother and cried. Tears formed in Septimus's eyes, but he held them back. He was more angry then upset.

"NO! He promised me he would come home! HE PROMISED!" Septimus yelled. Tears were now coming down his face.

"Sep, honey, your father didn't know he was going to die. He wanted to come home." Hermione said.

"Then why did he promise it if he was going somewhere were he could of died!" Septimus yelled at Hermione. Gabrielle still clung onto Hermione and wasn't letting go. She was crying and sobbing into Hermione's shoulder.

"He didn't know Sep, he didn't know." Hermione said as she trying to calm her son down.

"It's not fair!" Septimus yelled again. He jumped off the bed and ran to his room. He slammed the door shut and fell onto his head crying.

Downstairs the servants heard the door slam and looked up to ceiling. "I take it as Mrs. Malfoy told Young Mr. Malfoy." The head servants said. As few shook their own heads as tears fell down their faces.

Hermione set Gabrielle down on the bed where she cried into her stuff hippogriff. Hermione walked to her son's room and opened the door. He was crying with his head in the pillow. She walked over to the bed and sat down. She put a hand on her son's back and tried to claim him down.

"Your father loved you Sep. He wouldn't have promised you anything if he knew he wouldn't come home. I wouldn't of let him leave the house, if I knew he was never going to come home. He never meant to hurt any of us. Draco was not like his father, he wouldn't hurt any of us he could help it."

"Why did he go then?" Septimus said with head still in the pillow.

"To help save this world. To make it so you could grow up and have your own family without having the fears thatyour father and Igrew up with." Hermione said. Just then an owl flew into the window and a piece of parchment fell into her lap as it flew back out the window. Hermione opened it and read.

Hermione,

I will do anything to help you get through this hard time. I will gladly teach your son to fly, but only if he wants me to. I know he was set on Malfoy to teach him, but we had no idea that he would be killed. Dumbledore asks that you and your children come here tomorrow at 10 o'clock in the morning. The funeral for Malfoy will be held at about 11. I am sorry about this and Ron's untactful way of telling you. I hope the rest of your family is well.

Best wishes

Harry

Hermione rolled the letter back and turned to her son.

"Septimus, do you still want to learn to fly?" Hermione asked.

"How can I? Dad's dead. You can't teach me, you never flew." He replied through his pillow. Hermione sighed.

"That is true, I can't fly, but that man who came here last night, with untidy black hair, he said he'd teach you if you want him to. He's always been a better flyer then your father, but I never told either of them so." Hermione said.

Septimus didn't answer so Hermione got up and walked to the family room where she could read and think to herself. As she sat down to begin reading, hoping to get her mind off Draco, memories began to come back to her.

"Weasley with the quaffle, she's taking it up to the goal posts and can it be? GRYFFINDOR SCORES! It's now 90 to 70 Gryffindor." The announcer shouted over the crowd. Ever since Lee Jordan had left, Hermione didn't know whom the new announcer was, but she did know he wasn't as good as Lee.

Hermione watched as the red and green blurs flew around the stadium. It was the last Qudditch Match of the year, and last one ever for all the 7th years. She watched as a bludger flew right at Ron and almost knocked him off.

"What an untactful hit by Goyle. Isn't anyone going to call a foul?" the announcer said. Up in the sky there were two stationary dots, one was red and the other green. Up in the sky the two were yelling back and forth.

"Give it up Potter, you and your filthy Gryffindors aren't winning the cup this year!" Malfoy yelled and he searched for the Golden Snitch.

"Watch it Malfoy, your girlfriend is a Gryffindor, and I don't remember anything in the rules saying that we had to back down to you. For the sixth year in a row, that Quidditch Cup will be ours." Harry yelled back. A bludger flew past him and almost hit the tail end of his broom.

"You just wait, Potter, we Slytherins are going to win." Malfoy yelled back. He was searching everywhere from the snitch. He wanted to get it before Harry did.

"If you didn't notice, Malfoy, you and your Slytherinsare currently losing." Harry yelled back. He watched as Ron saved a goal and Ginny flew off across the field heading to score again.

"Not for long we won't be." Malfoy yelled. He was watching Harry closly.Suddenly Harry went into a straight down vertical dive to the ground. Malfoy followed Harry closely. He figured that Harry had seen the snitch and he wasn't going to let the Gryffindor's win. When they were only ten feet from the ground, Harry pulled out of the dive as Malfoy hit the ground and rolled twelve feet from his broom.

"HARRY!" Ginny yelled as she pointed over toward Ron. Right above Ron's head was a tiny flicker of gold. Harry flew after it and within seconds he wrapped his hand around the tiny golden snitch.

"GRYFFINDORS WIN! GRYFFINDOR WIN THE HOUSE CUP!" the announcer yelled through the crowd. The stands were erupting in cheers and screams. The Gryffindor Qudditch team had won the cup for the sixth year in a row. The 7th years were graduating with being the first year to leave with the cup every year they had been there.

Harry landed and saw a very upset Malfoy who was still lying on the ground. All the Gryffindor's ran over toward Harry and lifted him up. They had won, and within a few weeks they would be leaving Hogwarts forever. Professor McGonagall walked up to themas they all set Harry down on the ground.

"Congratulations Potter. I must say, I enjoy having that cup in my office, and now I can rub it in Professor Snape's face by having the cup yet again. Our team will surely miss you Potter, and you Mr. Weasley." She said. Then with a smile she walked off to go find Professor Snape.

"Harry, you were brilliant. That was the most amazing this I'd ever seen." Hermione said hugging him.

"Even thought I made your boyfriend do a face plant into the ground?" Harry asked laughing. All the Gryffindors around him that heard him say that laughed as well.

"Don't tell him I said so, but yes." She was laughing and smiling.

"Harry, that was bloody brilliant. I'm betting Wood would be proud of that move you played on Malfoy." Ron said slapping his best friend on the back.

"I know he would." Harry said laughing still. He was so happy, even more happy then he had been the first time he ever caught the snitch in his first year. Oliver Wood was a great teacher to Harry for Quidditch and secretlyin his mind Harry dedicated that moment to his old Qudditch Captain Oliver Wood.

The whole Gryffindor house was on the pitch cheering and laughing as they relived Malfoy's face plant. After some time all of Gyffindors headed back to the tower. Ron and Harry, taking up Fred and George's job, went to get Butterbeers for everyone. Hermione on the other hand walked over to the Slytherin changing room. She stood outside the door until Draco came out.

"Hey" Hermione said hugging him.

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be off celebrating with the rest of the Gryffindors?" Malfoy asked sounding meaner then he meant to as he pushed her off him.

"What's wrong with you? I came down to see how you were." Hermione said. She crossed her arms and stared at him.

"Just go celebrate with the rest of your house. Leave me alone." Draco said walking away onto the pitch.

Slowly and carefully Hermione walked up behind him. She put a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. "What's wrong with you?" Hermione said in fierce tone. "I came here to see my boyfriend and you shove me off like yesterday's owl droppings." Hermione turned around and walked away toward the castle.

"Hermione." Draco called after her. He caught up to her and spun her around to face him. "Listen—"

"No you listen. If you're going to treat me like crap, I'm going to treat you like crap. Good-bye Draco." Hermione said turning on her heel and walking toward the castle.

"Hermione!" Draco yelled after her, but she never replied.

Up in the Gryffindor Tower people were going on and on about the match. Dean and Seamus were even doing a reenactment of Draco's face plant. People were laughing and carrying on.The party went late into the night, and would of kept going if Hermione, being head girl, didn't yell at them to go to bed. Slowly and upset that their fun had been ruined, the Gryffindors made their way to their dormitories to sleep.

Hermione sat by the fireplace as everyone made his or her way upstairs to bed. Harry sat down next to Hermione and looked at her.

"Let me guess, you and Draco got into a fight." He said.

"How did you—" Hermione began.

"You didn't celebrate. You didn't have one Butterbeer, and you yelled at everyone to go to bed and it's only 1. I've known you for seven years now Hermione, I think I know when something I bugging you, besides the obvious stupidity of Ron." Harry said. Hermione gave a small smile and nodded.

"I went to see how he was, and he just pushed me away." Seeing the look on Harry's face she quickly added, "Not hard, just more of a 'don't touch me' kind of thing. He didn't hurt me if you're wondering. At least, not physically." She said.

"Hermione, Malfoy's pride is always going to get the best of him no mater what you do. I just made him the laughing stock of the school. He's not going to take that lightly."

"But he doesn't have to take it out on me." She said standing up and walking toward the fire.

"I know he doesn't." he stood up and walked next to her. "Does he ever think of anyone but himself, at least, when his pride and ego have had a seriously blow to 'em? Just think about it, Hermione. I'm going to bed. You should too. Night." Harry said walking up to the boys' dormitories.

"Night Harry." Hermione called after him.

Hermione slowly placed her book down on her lap. She looked around the room trying to get her mind off of Draco. Her gaze landed on their graduation photo. Right in the middle stood Harry, Ron and Hermione. Harry and Ron where holding Hermione up in the air. They were laughing and smiling at each other. The two boys kept teasing her that they would drop her. On the other side on the picture stood Draco with the rest of his Slytherins. They were standing next to their own houses, so everyone knew who was in what house. Hermione thought back on that day as a tear and a smile came to her face.

It was the last day of school. Everyone was sitting at breakfast, while many of the seventh year girl were beginning to cry. Dumbledore stood up and spoke to everyone in the Great Hall.

"After breakfast I ask that all the seventh years please stay behind. Everyone else, go, enjoy your last day of the school year, until you return next year with empty minds for us to fill again." At that Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil broke down into sobs.

Everyone filled out of the Great Hall except the seventh years. They moved up closer toward the staff table where only the Headmaster and Head of Houses sat. The seventh years fell silent as Dumbledore stood up yet again.

"All of you have spent seven years of your lives here. Seven long years that have been filled with knowledge, love, hate, happiness, and pain. Every single one of you has grown stronger and more equipped to face the challenges a head. Some of you will work in at the Ministry of Magic other will shape the out come of our world. You have all spent seven long years here and I know you are ready for the tasks that are now placed in front of you. Once all of you walk out of this room tonight, it will be the last you see of each other. By the time most of you meet again at a reunion there will be a few faces that you will not see. Those few will either not be able to come, or they will be dead.

"I want you all to look around this room. Look at all of your fellow classmates. Many of you do not like one another, but I ask that for the rest of the day, you set aside your differences and say fair well. Your Head of Houses and myself have put together a slide show, to show you all how much you've grown. Please arrange yourselves comfortably, and give your attention to the screen." With that Dumbledore waved his wand and a large screen and projector appeared against a wall.

Harry, Ron and Hermione sat on top of the table to be able to see. Draco came over and sat next to Hermione. They watched as the show began.

The seventh years watched as pictures of them crossing the lake their first year flashed across the screen. Qudditch games were shown. End of year house points were shown. Classes, friends, teachers, the writing on the walls during the second year, the torn Fat Lady picture when Sirius tried to get in. A tear formed in Harry's eye as he remembered that night. The baggart in Lupin's class, the mandrak planting, the Triwizard Tournament, Snape harassing a student, the O.W.L. tests, the N.E.W.T. tests. Everything from the past seven year flashed upon the screen.

By the time the show ended many people had tears falling down their faces. Yet again Dumbledor stood up.

"Many memories, some good some bad, but now I must asked you all for one more. Please, in your houses, form a group picture. One of these will be mailed to you during the summer. This is your graduating picture." With that he stood in front of them holding a camera. The Hufflepuffs stood all hugging one an other. The Ravenclaws stood waving at the picture. The Slytherins were sneering as they always did. The Gryffindors were making funny faces at the camera. Ron turned to Harry and whispered into his ear. They both nodded their heads. When Dumbledore was about to take the picture Harry and Ron grabbed Hermione and lifted her into the air. All three were laughing and smiling like they had never done before. Dumbledore took the picture and dismissed them.

With that, their last year at Hogwarts ended. The next morning they all loaded onto the train and dreaded the long journey home. No one wanted to leave the one place they knew so well. When the train stopped at the station there were many tears being shed.

"I'll write."

"I'll come visit."

"Don't forget me."

"I'll always think of you."

"I'll see you later."

Those were the words going around to all the seventh years as they departed and headed into the station to say their final good-byes.

"Well, I'll be seeing you all at Headquarters." Harry said.

"I'm going home first. I can't wait to see my parents." Hermione said tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm heading right there. My family is there. I'll come with you Harry." Ron said. With a few hugs and a few tears Ron and Harry left Hermione at King's Cross and they headed toward Number 12 Grimmuald Place.

"Hermione, I'll come see you this summer. I promise." Draco said wrapping her in a tight hug.

"You better, or I'll have to hex you." Hermione said laughing. With a last hug and a kiss Draco and Hermione said their good-byes and headed home.

Hermione missed those carefree days at Hogwarts. Though she never really head any carefree days being best friends with Harry and Ron. Every minute she was running around hoping they hadn't gotten themselves killed. Life then was good, but now it was so different. Many friends had died trying to end this war, and not to many people were left that you could make plans with. You never knew when your best friend was going to end up dead. Unfortunately for Hermione, it was her husband.