A/N: Ok, another story for me to begin. I have a lot of them written down, so I feel the unavoidable need to write what I have on them. This is for your benefit, so please don't tell me I have too many stories started. I know this fact already. It just seems as if the ideas are much easier to start than they are to finish.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone famous. Sorry.
Chapter One : Free at Last
"Yes!" Ron Weasley shouted as he made his way out of Hogwarts and down the steps towards the awaiting carriage.
"Calm down, Ron. We understand that you are happy. We all are." Hermione Granger told him, smiling nonetheless at his behavior.
"Yes, but you don't really understand, Hermione. It's over. Finally over. Seven years of torture from Snape and the Slytherins and it's over!"
He skipped off towards the closest carriage chanting 'It's over, It's over, It's really, really over!'
Harry, who had been silently thinking to himself that he was going to miss his only true home for the past Seven years of his life, finally cheered up. It wasn't the thought that there would be no more Snape, or the fact that he wouldn't have to look at Draco Malfoy's slimy arse anymore. What did it for him was the sudden realization that he didn't have to go back to the Dursley's. He was free of them!
Apparently he was smiling because Hermione noticed. "Well, what are you so happy for? I thought you said earlier that you were going to miss school?" She said, both of them climbing into the same carriage that Ron had.
"Oh, I am still going to miss it, but I've just realized something. That's all." He said.
"Well..?" She asked, impatient as always.
"Well. I'm not only free of Snape and Malfoy, but I am free of the Dursley's as well! Hermione, I don't ever have to see their faces again!" He shouted. She laughed.
"That's wonderful, Harry! I didn't think of that until now either." She said. Harry joined Ron in his chanting as they waited for the rest of the students to file out of the school. Being as it was the last day, after their graduation ceremony, they were still required to ride the express home. None of them argued, however, because for most of them it was their last time.
While Harry and Ron were singing, Ginny Weasley climbed into their carriage, as well as Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood (who happened to be engaged now). Ginny looked angry.
"What's wrong, Gin?" Hermione asked. Harry and Ron stopped chanting.
"Nothing. Just Dean being an arrogant prat, is all. He broke up with me! Can you believe it? He said it was because he didn't want to have a girlfriend that was still in school after he was already graduated."
Hermione hugged her. "Aww. It will be alright, Gin. You'll find a new boyfriend before you know it."
Ginny looked at her incredulously. "I never said I was hurt, Hermione. I was going to break up with him anyway."
"Well, then what was the big deal?" Ron asked, thoroughly confused, as was Harry.
"The big deal was that he would do it first! And to use such a stupid excuse! He could have just said that he didn't like me that way and that we were better as friends. That's what I was going to tell him. Plus, he could have done it without that slut Lavender hanging on his arm."
"Lavender?" Ron asked. Him and Lavender had dated earlier that year and when she had broken up with him he had been crushed. Wouldn't talk to anyone for weeks. It was all Harry could do to get him to speak to him. It wasn't until the final war that he became mobile again.
"Yes Lavender. I told you she was no good from the beginning." Ginny said, scooting closer to Harry because a 5 year that couldn't find an empty carriage had just squeezed in next to her.
Harry's stomach did flip-flops at her touch. Even thought they had their fling during sixth year, they never really worked it out afterwards. He had never gotten over her either. A fact which Hermione and Ron both knew. Every day she was all he could think about and he couldn't help but notice every time she got a new boyfriend. This happened a lot because she just couldn't seem to make up her mind. She said that she just liked them better as friends in the end. Hermione swore up and down to him that this was because she still had feelings for him, but he just laughed at her silly claims, telling her that she read too many romance novels.
Hermione and Ron both eyed him as she scooted even closer. Hermione saw what Ron saw as well. The look of longing in his eye's. They shared a knowing glance and went back to talking.
"So, Hermione," Ginny started, drawing everyone's full attention, " Did you get your acceptance letter yet?" Hermione had applied to St. Mungo's Medi-Witch summer training program.
"Of course she did. Did you really expect anything less?" Ron asked. Hermione blushed.
"The list of applicant's was inches long Ron! I could have easily not made it!" She said in modest self defense.
"Well, while you have fun with that, I am going to begin my Auror training in June." Ron said.
Ginny looked to Harry. "Well, what are you going to do?" She asked him. After a knowing glance between Hermione, Ron, and himself, he told her.
"I was asked by Dumbledore to be the new DADA teacher next year. I have to do some training with him over the summer. But this was supposed to be a secret, so don't tell anyone." he added.
Ginny stared at him. "Are you serious? You are going to be my DADA teacher next year? That's great. You'll definitely last longer than the others did."
Harry nodded and laughed. "Yes. I am planning on lasting longer. It's my goal." He joked.
"So, Luna, Neville, " Hermione began when they got onto the train and got their normal compartment, "When is that wedding of yours?"
Neville looked at Luna, who answered. " We haven't decided. We were going to do a summer wedding, but they are bad luck. Then we were going to do a winter one, but we learned that if you do that your children are more likely to be born with two heads…so we haven't set a date yet."
By now, everyone was used to Luna and her 'loony' ways, so they didn't even bother to ask how she knew that information. In fact, they really didn't care anymore.
When they entered the compartment, Hermione had to go do her last duties as Head Girl. There was a meeting for the prefects in the front of the train that she had orchestrated to say goodbye, so Ron, Neville, and Luna had to attend.
After saying goodbye and that he would see them later, Harry realized that he was alone in the carriage with none other than Ginny. Suddenly, he grew very nervous.
"So, Harry, how do you think you did on your NEWT's?" She asked. It was a very simple question but it was the most difficult one he had ever been asked in his life.
"Well…Um…I…" He stuttered. He was interrupted, however, by a knock at the compartment door.
He literally jumped out of his seat o answer it. It was the woman with the sweet's trolley.
"How sweet." She said when she spotted Harry and Ginny. "I remember when I used to share a compartment with my Stanley. That was before we got married, of course." She said. Harry blushed and he could hear Ginny giggling behind him. "Oh, we used to hold hands and kiss, and just enjoy our time together. It was so romantic." Ginny laughed even harder. This sort of hurt Harry. Angrily, he told the lady that they didn't want any thing and slammed the compartment door shut.
As he sat down, Ginny was looking at him strangely. "Harry, what on earth was that about?" She asked.
He shrugged his shoulders. She stood and sat down next to him. She knew him well enough to tell when something was bothering him.
"Don't you give me that, Harry Potter. You know very well what is wrong and I want you to tell me this instant." She said, her Weasley temper showing through her sweet exterior.
"Nothing. Just something stupid, that's all." She started to say something else, but was interrupted by the return of their friends.
"What on earth was wrong with Malfoy?" Ron was saying to Hermione. "First, I call him a twitchy little ferret and he doesn't say anything back to me. Then, to top it off, when Zambini called you a mud blood, he stood up for you!"
Hermione was shaking her head. A thoughtful silence surrounded them all for a minute, as everybody tried to figure out what could have been possessing Malfoy.
"I give up. Let's just mark it down as his one good deed in life." Harry said. Everyone laughed.
The rest of the train ride went smoothly. The only moody one was Harry. Everybody kept asking him what was wrong, but he just kept saying that it was nothing. They all eventually shrugged it off. The only one that kept sending him worried glances was Ginny.
When they exited the train, a sudden, dreadful thought hit Harry. He stopped dead in his tracks. Ron was directly behind him so he crashed into him, followed by Hermione.
"Oy, mate. What on earth is wrong?" Ron asked. Ginny crashed into Hermione. Harry heard an 'Ow!' and a 'What the…'
"Well, I've just realized that I have nowhere to go. I'm not going back to the Dursley's, so therefore I am homeless."
Ron laughed. "Is that all, mate? That's stupid." Ron said, walking around him and over to his parent's who were waiting on him and Ginny.
"Mum, Dad, tell Harry here where he is staying this summer, until he finds his own place."
"Mrs. Weasley smiled at him. "Why, he isn't staying anywhere else but our home. His home." She said.
Harry smiled. "I should have known. Thank You. And this is only until I find a place, and I will pay rent, or something." He said. Mr. Weasley shook his head.
"Nonsense. Until Ron pays rent, you don't have to. He eats more than you do in a year in one meal, and we can still afford to feed him. Plus Fred and George are moved out, so there's plenty of room."
"Alright. But you do know that I won't be there some of the time. I have training with Dumbledore." Harry said.
"Yes, dear. He has informed us. We are very proud of you, too, we must say." Mrs. Weasley said.
"Well, we have to be off. Bye Hermione. You had better come visit us. Don't think that just because you are out of school that we don't want to see you anymore!" Mrs. Weasley grabbed her and pulled her into a bone crushing hug.
"Alright." Hermione managed while her face was smooshed up against the over emotional woman.
Gathering their things, they all left for their own homes. To start out on their own lives after school.