Chapter Thirty-One: Looking Towards the Future.
The next day Harry and Ron, and in her free time, Ginny looked after Izzy instead of taking her to Madam Pomfrey as they revised for Defence Against the Dark Arts even though both boys were pretty sure they would do well.
After lunch Harry and Ron decided that they'd revised enough and played chess in Ron and Hermione's room while Isabella slept in her bassinet. Ron kept missing easy moves.
'What's going on Ron?' Harry asked, usually Ron was the master at chess.
'Why do you think something's going on?' Ron said defensively.
'Check mate' Harry said 'Ron the whole game you've been missing easy moves,' he added.
'I've just been thinking about Hermione and I lately, I sort of came to a realisation, I've been in a bit of a cloud since Izzy was born, I've got a family…' Ron said.
'I know that mate, do you realise that Izzy is almost a whole month old? You're just coming to this realisation now?' Harry said.
'It takes some getting used to, you'll see when you have your first baby' Ron said.
'Do you want another game?' Harry asked.
'Nah, Isabella will be awake soon for a feed' Ron said, as if on queue the baby woke up crying. Ron went to pick her up, magically warming a bottle and putting it in to his daughter's mouth and crossing to an armchair to sit down.
When she was fed, burped and changed Harry nursed his Goddaughter, he still had a hard time believing that she was his Goddaughter, his niece, though not officially and mostly that she belonged to his two best friends even though she already looked like her parents. Harry thought of Isabella as his Goddaughter more than anything, Ron had been like a brother to Harry ever since his first day at Hogwarts and he thought of the Weasley's as his family.
Harry thought's crossed to Ginny as he gazed down at the baby in his arms, the Weasley's would, officially, be his family when they were married, and all of her brother's children would be his nieces and nephews. He found himself thinking about how his and Ginny's children would look…
A beautiful little girl with red hair just like her mother with a fiery personality to match, and a little boy with messy black hair like his father, he'd definitely be a Quidditch player. Harry sighed heavily and contentedly, yes, he thought, that's how it should be. Ron said something that Harry didn't hear as he was to full of his own thoughts and fantasies.
'Harry, did you hear me?' Ron said.
Harry shook his head in the same fashion that Ron had the night before 'what?' he said.
'I asked if you wanted me to put Izzy back down, she's fallen asleep' Ron replied.
Harry looked properly at the baby, sure enough she'd fallen asleep in his arms, Harry had been rocking her without noticing 'oh, no she's all right Ron' he said.
'Will you be ok with her for a while? I need to go to the bathroom,' Ron said.
'Sure I will' Harry replied.
Ron smiled and left the room.
Harry drifted off in to his fantasies again, imagining Ginny nursing a new born, humming to it as she sometimes did with her niece, he flashed forward to teaching his kids how to ride a broomstick and play Quidditch and saying goodbye to them as they got on the Hogwarts express for the very first time. He subconsciously started planning his and Ginny's whole lives together.
He was pulled from his musings by a loud cry, Isabella had woken up 'sh… shh. Hush little baby don't you cry…' he started singing softly, standing up to pace the room, jiggling her lightly. She soon calmed down, gurgling up at her Godfather, Harry stopped singing and started talking to her, telling her how he had pictured his life after Voldemort, his life with Ginny. When he was telling the baby about what he pictured his and Ginny's wedding to be like Ginny herself walked in to the room.
'Did somebody say my name?' She asked kissing Harry 'hello baby, what are you doing?' She said to the baby 'were you telling Isabella about me?' she asked Harry taking the infant out of his arms.
Harry reddened slightly 'yeah, I guess I was' he replied.
'Where's Ron?' Ginny asked, Isabella gurgled 'yeah honey, where's your daddy?' she said to her niece.
'He went to the bathroom I think' Harry replied.
'Oh… ok then' she said, sitting down in an armchair she started humming a lullaby.
Harry smiled to himself.
Harry was absolutely positive that he'd done well in his DADA exam the next day. The rest of their exams flowed smoothly he, Ron and Hermione all thought they'd done well. Harry's dream to become an Auror was almost a realisation. One thing was strange though… Ginny had been oddly absent during most of the exams.
While the seventh years were happy that the exams were over, there was a definite sadness in the air; most of them would probably never see Hogwarts again. More than a few tears were shed at their graduation, Hermione and Ron bought Isabella down to the leaving feast as neither of them wanted to miss it.
'I just can't believe it's all over, so much has happened here' Hermione said as they all met in their bedroom the day before their final departure, 'the philosophers stone, the chamber of secrets, Sirius, the tri-wizard tournament and then Voldemort's return, Dumbledore and the Horcruxes, gee Izzy was born here. If it wasn't for this place I wouldn't have her… or you' she said kissing Ron and cuddling her little girl.
'Yeah I know, if it wasn't for this place, none of us would have met, well except for Ron and me,' Ginny said hugging Harry tightly.
'What are you getting all nostalgic for?' Ron asked his sister.
She looked up at Harry and smiled 'Harry and I have decided to get married in spring' she said her eyes twinkling.
'But I thought you were only going to do that if you weren't coming back?' Ron stated.
'I'm not coming back,' She answered.
'What? Mum and dad will have a fit, they won't let you do it' Ron said.
'Ahhh… But Ronnikins, they already know and they're fine with it' she was now smiling mischievously, very much like the twins smiled.
Ron was dumbfounded, Harry was also smiling 'You should tell them Gin' he said.
'What's going on?' Hermione said somewhat excitedly.
'I've already taken my NEWT'S' Ginny answered simply.
'But you're a sixth year' Hermione said.
'Technically, yes but while my dear brother was a first year I wanted to be here so much that I read all of the text books and memorised them, I even designed my own classes. In my own, real first year I knew everything so I started studying the second year syllabus with Dumbledore's permission though my peers didn't know, as it had never been done before. The teachers' knew what I was doing, I had special permission from the ministry to take the elective third year classes in my second year though I had to take them in my own time and in private, Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. Again with ministry permission I took my OWL'S in my fourth year secretly, I got my results secretly and so it continued. I took my NEWT'S in my bedroom supervised by a ministry wizard while you were doing yours' Ginny finished with a satisfied expression.
Ron and Hermione looked amazed 'So the OWL results you showed us in the last holidays were from the year before?' Hermione asked her sister-in-law.
'Yep exceeded expectations in Ancient Runes, acceptable in Arithmancy, exceeds expectations in Astronomy, exceeds expectations in Care of Magical Creatures, outstanding in Charms, outstanding in DADA, exceeds expectations in Herbology, acceptable in History of Magic, exceeds expectations in Potions and outstanding in Transfiguration' Ginny reeled off.
'So you just stashed your OWL results until last year?' Ron said still amazed.
'You got those results in fourth year? Then what did you do last year when your classmates were sitting their OWL'S?' Hermione asked.
'I took the sixth year exams of course,' Ginny answered.
'That's great Ginny, a bit of a surprise but good for you' Hermione said hugging her.
'Did mum and dad know about this?' Ron asked.
Ginny nodded smiling widely 'great actors those two, they knew all along' she said.
Ron didn't know what to say, his baby sister was leaving school at the same time as him. He hugged her.
'Will you get your NEWT results at the same time as us or will they be secret?' Hermione asked.
'I'll get them at the same time, now that everyone will know' Ginny replied.
After dinner Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny decided to take one last look around their school and visit Dumbledore's white tomb, Hermione carrying Isabella in a pouch strapped to her front. As they walked they talked about all the memories that they had about Hogwarts, both the good and the bad. It was dark when they got back to Gryffindor tower, they went up to Ron and Hermione's room, and everything was packed up. Ron placed his sleeping daughter in to her bassinet and sat down on his bed. The four friends sat there in silence each revisiting their favourite memories. When they finally said goodnight everyone was tired, they all climbed in to their beds for the last time and slept.
The next day was bitter sweet, after breakfast the seventh years (and Ginny) would be taking their last ride on the Hogwarts Express. Not one single leaver talked over the meal and even Isabella didn't make a noise. After they'd all eaten, the leavers were told to wait back, the rest of the students and the teachers formed a guard of honour up either side of the driveway. Harry put his arm across Ginny's lower back, she put hers across his, Ron and Hermione did the same, then Ron put his free arm across his sisters back above Harry's, Ginny slid her free arm across her brothers and above Hermione's (who once again had her daughter in a pouch) and the four of them walked down the driveway and out the gates together. They'd graduated, even Ginny, at the end of the driveway they climbed in a carriage together, the girls openly crying, Ron and Harry were being strong but secretly they wanted to cry as well.
At the Hogsmeade station they said goodbye to Hagrid, assuring him that they'd stay in contact, he hugged each of them before lifting Isabella in to his arms.
'I'll be seein' you again little miss. I'll help yer cross the lake on yer firs' day at Hogwarts, we'll be great friends' He said giving her a whiskery kiss on the forehead. He had tears leaking out of the corner of his beetle black eyes 'bye now the four of yer, we'll see each other again. Good luck with everything that yer do' he said.
'Thank you Hagrid, we'll see you another time,' Harry said to his biggest friend.