Laughing the entire way, all of Gryffindor heads down to the Great Hall. Every single student is giddy with the prospects of a late night celebration and the fact that all the terror and misery is finally - finally - over. I, for one, couldn't be happier.
Sitting down at a table, wedged between the twins and across from Katie Bell, who has Lee on one side and Angelina on the other, I'm warm and happy. We've all made promises to go see Ginny in the hospital wing tomorrow morning, as Madame Pompfrey has ordered no visitors tonight. We all try to stay positive, though.
At last, Dumbledore stands to gives his usual pre-feast speech.
"Students and staff alike, it is my great pleasure to announce, once and for all, that the Chamber of Secrets is closed, and, for now, Hogwarts is safe once more," he pauses then as everyone bursts into applause. "However, we cannot start this feast before calling to attention those who made this possible. Harry Potter, firstly, ventured into the Chamber of Secrets to, once and for all, clear the name of our gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid and rid the school of the menaces that were the basilisk and the memory of Tom Riddle. For that, he wins the house of Gryffindor two hundred points. Ronald Weasley, also, summoned the courage one must possess to face such a deadly creature, and he supported his friend when he was needed. He is an honorable boy, and, for that, he will be awarded another two hundred points," once again, everyone applauses.
"I would also like to draw attention to the fact that neither Rubeus Hagrid nor Gilderoy Lockhart are here. That first note will change shortly. In light of new evidence supporting his innocence in the matter of the Chamber of Secrets, Hagrid will make his return to Hogwarts within the next day. I have ordered a speedy release from Azkaban for him. Also, Professor Lockhart will not be returning to the staff, as, in his time in the Chamber of Secrets, he lost his memory in an attempt to wipe those of both Harry and Ron. He must go away to try to regain his memories," with that, everyone, including the staff, stands and cheers loudly. Yes, it's for the return of Hagrid, but I think a lot of it is about the end to Lockhart's time here at Hogwarts.
"Now, let's celebrate!" the bearded wizard proclaims, and, with that, everyone digs into the plentiful feast before us.
I, for one, just grab a scoop of peppermint bark ice cream and a few chocolate biscotti to nibble on. Fred, instead, grabs a plate of trifle he shares with Angelina, and George goes for a plateful of little cinnamon rolls. Katie, not very hungry, grabs a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.
"Now that everyone's begun, I'd like to make an announcement," McGonagall stands. "As a way to celebrate the return of Miss Weasley and the close of the Chamber of Secrets, we as a staff have decided to cancel exams as a nice school treat." Everyone applauses but Hermione, whom I hear cry out in anguish.
Sneakily, while McGonagall speaks, I steal a cinnamon roll off of George's plate while he's not paying attention. Unfortunately, though, he spots me out of the corner of his eye, and he smacks the roll out of my hand, letting it fall to the floor. I let out a loud yelp and stoop to pick it up, holding it in my palm and looking at it sadly for a second before looking up at George with big puppy eyes. "You'd rather have let it fall than let me have it?! It was just a precious cinnamon roll! It didn't deserve that!" I cry out.
"Yeah, pretty much," he chuckles and goes back to his conversation, leaving me to get up and throw the cinnamon roll out. However, when I come back, there's a cinnamon roll on a plate at my spot.
"Now that we all have finished eating, perhaps everyone would like to join in and dance," Dumbledore suggests, swishing his wand and making a band of raccoons with musical instruments appear. It's so comical I actually laugh aloud.
To my surprise, a few students actually stand and dance. Lee grabs some poor unsuspecting Hufflepuff, Katie gets asked by a sweet-looking Ravenclaw, and the rest are mostly popular kids.
"W-Would you be interested, maybe, Angelina?" I've never before seen Fred nervous, but, when he asks Angelina to dance, he certainly is.
"I thought you'd never ask, Weasley," she winks, allowing him to take her hand. George and I just sort of watch for a moment. It's cute, seeing them together. We both know how much Fred wanted this, how much he likes her.
"Well?" George asks, holding out his hand to me.
"What?" I ask, unsure what he's asking of me.
"Want to dance, Tyler?" he asks, grinning.
"Why, of course!" I exclaim with mock over-enthusiasm.
Laughing, I allow him to lead me onto the dance floor. It's not slow dancing or anything. He spins me wildly, twisting and moving with me, and we're both giggly as ever.
For just a moment, while we dance, he's not just George to me. I can see myself spending an eternity with him, as more than friends. That kind of thinking is dangerous, though. That kind of thinking should never be allowed. However, for just this one moment, for just this one dance… I think I can make an exception.
"Ginny!" the twins cry out, their voices strangled, as we all pour out into the room. It's the twins, Lee, Katie, Angelina, Ron, Harry, Neville, Hermione, and I. The twins and Ron manage to push through to the front of the crowd, me close behind them.
"Hi," she looks up through her red locks, her voice hoarse.
Within seconds, we're all embracing her. Tears are streaming down her face as well as mine when I hear Ron cooing, "God, I'm so glad you're okay."
Then, there's Fred whispering, "You have no idea how much we missed you, Little Sis." Finally, George with his, "I can't believe you're okay. We were so worried."
And then suddenly I realize. The world was turned upside down, and now all is okay again. All is okay.