CHAPTER 17: GOODBYE HOGWARTS
Hermione entered the great hall just as the food appeared.
Sighing she sat down at the table and grabbed a piece of toast, she really wasn't in the mood for eating right now.
Nibbling rather pathetically on the piece of toast she noticed Ron and Harry enter the hall.
She hadn't really noticed what the time was.
Harry and Ron saw her and in two seconds she found herself victim to a bone crushing hug.
"Oh my god Hermione, where were you? We were so worried!"
Hermione smiled slightly.
"I was in the forbidden forest" she answered.
"The...forbidden forest?" Ron said, suppressing a shudder.
Hermione nodded.
The boys released her from their death hug and sat down on either side of her and began to eat.
They were quiet through most of their breakfast before Ron turned to Hermione.
"Oi, do you what's up with Fred? I asked if I could borrow a quill from him earlier and he wouldn't answer" he asked.
Hermione looked at him sadly, ready to speak.
"Hermione can I have a word?"
All three of them turned to see Draco standing there.
"What do you want fer-"
"Sure" Hermione answered.
Getting up she followed him out of the hall and into down a corridor.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I need to know the password to the Gryffindor common room" Draco said.
"I don't know..."
"Please, Weasley won't come out and I'm determined to talk to him, I promise I'll go in and talk to him and leave, nothing more, and besides, we're leaving tomorrow anyway" Draco said.
"I suppose so, it's 'Manticore'" Hermione answered.
"Thanks" Draco answered, and kissing her quickly on the lips he ran off.
Draco jumped 4 steps at a time as he made his way up to the Gryffindor portrait of the fat lady which he had found out about in 3rd year when there had been a big drama about who was going to guard the common room.
Reaching the portrait of the fat lady he shouted "Manticore!" and continued to run until he had climbed through the portrait hole.
Looking around the common room he found it much more cheerful looking then his commom room in the dungeons.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING HERE?"
Draco spun around.
"Weasley..." he said in relief.
Hermione didn't go back to the great hall, instead she headed to the only place she knew no-one would be, the library.
Too much had happened in the last 29 hours, too much that made her life hell.
"Hermione?"
She groaned as she turned around to see who had addressed her.
"What is it Neville?" She asked the boy.
"You seem upset, care to share?" he asked.
"Not really Neville, I just want to be alone" Hermione answered.
Neville looked at her for a moment to make sure she would be fine before going off, probably in search of Trevor.
Sighing Hermione opened the library doors.
The library never seemed to change, she would always walk in to see rows and rows of bookshelves containing ancient looking books as well as the many tables spread about the place for study.
Walking to the back of the library she found a couple of armchairs, where she gladly grabbed any book and sat down to read it.
Draco left the Gryffindor common room.
He had spoken to Fred and had given him something to think about, now all he could do was wait and see.
"Mr. Malfoy!" he heard a voice call.
Turning around he saw Professor Dumbledore walking towards him.
"Yes sir?"
"I would just like to congratulate you on this years work, you came 2nd best"
"2nd best sir?"
"Oh yes, that reminds me, next time you see Ms. Granger, congratulate her for becoming top of the class" Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye.
Draco smiled, no matter how hard he tried Hermione would always beat him, unless it was on a broom...
"Yes sir, I'll be sure to do that" Draco said, before leaving to find Hermione in the only possible place she could be, the library.
As he walked along the corridors he walked past Neville who was calling out "Trevor!"
"Longbottom" Draco acknowledged, feeling very stupid saying it.
Neville almost yelped in suprise and fear.
Draco smirked and continued to walk towards the library when he heard a small croaking sound.
Looking down he saw that stupid Toad that Neville always lost.
He looked at it for a few moments before coming to a decision.
Unfolding a piece of parchment he had in his pocket he used it to scoopup the toad.
"Come on, can't have you infesting Hogwarts after we're gone" Draco muttered, walking back towards Neville.
"Oi, Longb- oh stuff it, Neville! Here's your toad" Draco shouted.
Neville came running over and thanking Draco meekly he took Trevor and ran.
"Your welcome" Draco muttered to the empty corridor that Neville had just left at a speed Draco was so sure he didn't usually posses.
Shrugging it off he walked the distance to the library doors.
Entering it quietly he started searching among the bookshelves, until finally, at the back of the library, hefound the girl he had been searching for.
"Hey" He said.
Hermione looked up from her book, "Hey" she answered, scooting over on her armchair so Draco could sit down as well...despite the fact that there was another armchair.
Draco obliged and sat in the same seat as her, wrapping his arms around her he inhaled her sweet scent.
"How'd it go?" Hermione asked.
"With Fred? It went better then I had expected" Draco said.
"And please tell me you expected it to go well?" Hermione asked.
"Of course" Draco smiled.
Hermione smiled back at him and snuggled into his arms.
"Draco?" she asked after five minutes of silence.
"Mmm?"
"Did you get much sleep last night?" she asked.
"Nope, you?" Draco murmured.
"No" Hermione answered, as she 'just rested her eyes'.
Hermione awoke, a little stiff, but still very comfortable.
"Draco..." She yawned.
Draco's eyes flickered slighlty before opening partly.
"Mmm?"
"You fell asleep" she said.
"Oh really? And what did you do?" Draco teased.
Hermione smiled at him as he kissed the tip of her nose.
"What do you reckon the time is?" Draco asked, stretching his arms.
"Umm..." Hermione looked at her watch.
"It's nine" she mumbled, snuggling back up to him, prepared to go to sleep again.
"Nine, well then we've only been asleep for an hour or so" Draco muttered.
"Nine at night" Hermione said, noticing how Draco was mistakingwhat she had saidfor nine in the morning.
"At night!"
Draco suddenly sprang up.
"I have to pack, so do you, and you have to talk to Weasley and..." Draco kissed her lovingly on the lips before running off.
Hermione laughed slightly before getting up herself and heading towards the Gryffindor common room.
As she opened the portrait she was greeted by the loud noise that unmistakebly was a 7th years party.
"Hermione!" Ron said, stumbling over to her and swinging his arm over her shoulder.
"Hey Ron" Hermione mumbled, looking for Fred among the crowd.
"You know" Ron said, "That I had the biggest crush on you in second and third year, and maybe even fourth!"
"That's really great Ron" Hermione said, removing his arm from her shoulders and starting to walk among the crowd.
After searching every face in the crowd at least twice she gave up and sat in an armchair by the fire.
"Hey" a voice said beside her.
"Hey George" Hermione said.
"You buggered as well?" he asked, the scent of alcohol on his breath.
"Yeah, say, do you know where Fred is?"
"Yes, I d-do, He's up in our dorm,I thinkI saw him snogging some girl earlier, or was that me? I can't remember!" George said cheerfully.
Hermione shook her head in disgust and headed up the stairs to the boy's dormitory, hoping against hope that whatever Ron and George had been drinking had been finished long before Fred had the chance to get to it.
Opening the door she saw Fred to be the only one in the room. He was staring out of the window.
"Fred?" She said uncertainly.
Fred's head snapped in her direction and before she knew it she was in the second bone crushing hug of the day.
"I'm sorry" he kept saying over and over again.
"Hey, it's alright" Hermione said, "And besides, I'm the sorry one, you did nothing wrong"
"That's not true, I didn't listen to your explanation" Fred said.
"You didn't have t-"
"Look, I don't want another fight with you so let's just say we're both sorry, ok?" Fred said quickly.
Hermione smiled, "Sure"
"Well Hermione Granger, it will great to be your friend" Fred said, holding out his hand.
"Friends it is" Hermione said, shaking his out-stretched hand.
"Ok well, now that I'm happier, I think that I might go join this mad party downstairs" Fred said, getting up and walking towards the door.
"Cool, but don't count on there being alcohol, I think Ron and George got it way before anyone else"
"That'd be right" Fred said, rolling his eyes.
As he and Hermione starting to decend the stairs Hermione thought of something.
"Hey Fred...What did Draco say?"
"Oh, um...he said that I wasn't to tell you what he said" Fred said, stratching the back of his head.
"Oh, we'll see to that" Hermione said as they entered the common room.
The next morning Hermione awoke early, eager to have one last walk around Hogwarts with Harry and Ron before they had to leave for good.
Deciding to be annoying Hermione opened the curtains of Lavander and Parvati's hangings so that light shone through onto them.
They groaned in dismay at the light that was now making their heads throb worse.
"Well you shouldn't have drunk so much last night" Hermione said as she threw on a pair of jeans and a singlet with a jacket.
Leaving the dormitory she met up with Harry and a very grumpy Ron in the common room and they left.
Walking along the corridors of the castle so many memories came back to her.
Making the polyjuice potion secretly in Moaning Murtle's bathroom...Harry and Ron saving her from the troll in their first year...The library, her santuary, somewhere she wouldn't be disturbed, the place where she found out about Draco's service to Voldemort, where she fell asleep with Draco...
"I'm going to miss this place" Harry said.
"Same" Hermione agreed.
Ron muttered something in agreement as well (he had a bad hangover).
"Come on, let's head back and get our trunks" Hermione said, starting to lead the way to the commmon room.
Draco entered the great hall at breakfast with his trunk.
Looking around he saw more trunks then people.
"Oi Draco!" Draco turned to see Blaise waving at him.
Smiling Draco went and sat with his best friend.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Nothing much, just finishing breakfast then heading down to board the train" Blaise said, taking a large bite out of a piece of bacon that he hadn't been bothered to cut.
Draco nodded and carefully ate his piece of toast before standing up, waiting for Blaise to finish off the last portion of his breakfast.
Soon Draco and Blaise were walking down to the train together.
Through the corner of his eye Draco saw Hermione walking with Harry and the Weasleys. He smiled, at least Fred and her were on good terms again.
"Oi Draco, are you even listening to me?"
Hermione walked down to the train with Harry, Ron, Fred, George and Ginny.
"So, what do you think you guys are going to do now that we've finished school?" Hermione asked.
"Hermione I haven't finished school yet" Ginny reminded.
"Oh I'm sorry Ginny, I just keep thinking that you have"
"Yeah well, I don't know about you guys but I'm going to become an auror" Ron said happily.
"same" Harry agreed, not sure what he's future held, except danger, of course!
"I always thought it'd be cool to be an auror" Hermione agreed.
"Mmm" Harry mumbled.
"Hey! There's Hagrid!" Ron suddenly exclaimed.
Harry, Hermione and Ron all ran off towards the half giant to say there goodbyes.
"We're going to miss you Hagrid" Harry said as he pulled out of the massive hug.
"Yeah, I don't know what we're going to do without you" Hermione said.
"I'll still see ya heaps" Hagrid said, tears coming to his eyes.
"Now off with ya, yeh have a train to catch!" Hagrid said.
The three smiled at him before running off again towards the train that Fred and George had just boarded.
Harry jumped up first shortly followed by Ron who then pulled Hermione up (not that she needed there help, it was just good manners).
Following Fred and George into a compartment they sat down until they felt the familier jerk which went the train was beginning to leave.
Fred and George immediatly ran to the window and stuck their heads out, shouting there goodbyes to the castle that had been as good as a home to them for years.
They were shortly joined by Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Who shouted goodbyes to Hagrid and otherwise just yelled.
As the train turned the corner the last goodbye hung in the air...
..."Goodbye Hogwarts"
THE END
a/n: DO NOT FEAR THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL!
I don't want to part with a big authors note so if there are any questions, please ask...in a review :P
And as I said, there WILL be a sequel! Keep an eye out for it, I'm not sure when I'm going to start it.