The Boy Who Lived

Chapter 5: Walks to Remember

The days leading up to Harry, Ron, and Hermione's N.E.W.T. exams came quickly. Hermione had them studying all hours of the day, only allowing breaks when they begged her for hours at a time. As was the case, Harry had not been able to get much time alone with Ginny who was continuing her habit of going over to help take care of Teddy Tonks. As she was growing more skilled in that area Andromeda took the times Ginny came as a reprieve to go shopping or continue her life before this last year. She met up with friends and seemed to be in a lot better spirits when Harry had gotten the chance to go visit again. Ginny and him had taken Teddy on a walk to the park again and people began to coo over the child and ask Harry and Ginny if it was their first one. No one seemed to comment on the fact that they were too young for a child, which they both found amusing to say the least.

"It's because you're so famous," Ginny teased him. "Even the Muggles know it now. Have you been reading the Quibbler or Prophet by the way?"

"No why?"

"Well, both are printing stories about little Teddy here as our child too," Ginny said, giggling. "They say that we're keeping it here and only visiting because we didn't want my mother to know that I was pregnant at all. I don't really know where they expected me to hide my stomach for the nine months of pregnancy, but it's quite amusing otherwise."

"When did they think you got pregnant?" Harry wonder. "Sometime when I was in hiding while hunting down the Horcruxes?"

"I suspect," Ginny made a face. "Too bad. If they had bothered to ask me I would have told them that you were a git and I hadn't seen you at all during that time."

"Well it should be fairly obvious who Teddy's real parents are, they just like gossip," Harry shrugged.

That was one of the last conversations they had had before it was time to enter the Ministry once again, only this time for testing and not to break out Muggleborns (well, to find a Horcrux). Harry wondered belatedly if the Ministry would really have forgotten about that little fiasco. Kingsley had been made the official Minster of Magic, but that didn't mean that everyone in the Ministry was loyal to him yet.

The last Harry had heard through Percy and Mr. Weasley there had been a systematic purging of any Ministry members that were at all related to Voldemort's reign of terror. Umbridge, as Harry had specifically asked about, was on that list. It seemed for once that the Ministry was under control of someone whom Harry could admire rather than detest. He wondered idly how long that would last.

Mr. Weasley offered to bring them to the Ministry, but Harry declined much to the surprise of Ron and Hermione. "Thank you Mr. Weasley, but I think we're safe going by ourselves this time."

Mr. Weasley smiled and nodded, as if he knew that that was coming. "Thought I might ask anyway," He said and disappeared for the night.

The next morning Ron, Hermione, and Harry got up early. Hermione was a bit flighty in her anxiety about the test to Ron and Harry's annoyance.

"But I haven't taken a test in forever!" Hermione twittered over breakfast. She pushed her meal away and took out one of her books. "Oh goodness, I've forgotten already what the three forms of recognizing someone transfigured are!"

"Calm down Hermione," Harry told her. "It'll be fine. Anyway, anything you study now isn't going to stick in your mind."

"Harry's right Hermione," Ron told her, trying to gently take the book out of her hand. Surprisingly she allowed him, though she protested profusely. "Come on Hermione, let's go for a quick walk. To calm the nerves."

He had been trying to get her to go on a walk with him for weeks now. For the first time Hermione allowed him to leave her to the door and Harry watched it shut behind them. He had no idea what Ron wanted to do on this walk, but he somewhat expected it to be some talk about what happened before they had found the Horcrux in the Room of Requirements.

Maybe. Harry wouldn't bring that up if it were him, but maybe Ron had more courage then him. He settled down to finish the rest of his breakfast and he picked up the book that Ron had forced out of Hermione's hands while he was at it.

The Ministry of Magic was everything Harry remembered it to be minus about half of its people. They walked in unhindered and found their way to the testing. There they had to wait in a line of about six other students. The proctor gave him a questioning look as the trio told him their names and then told them to get into line. He was obviously wondering why Harry was even bothering taking his N.E.W.T.s

Ron and Hermione were holding hands and Harry smiled at this. Hermione was actually clutching Ron's hand hard enough to hurt, her eyes filled with worry and dread. Ron's eyes were filled with tears of pain. "I just know I should have studied more on that one wizarding declaration from 1954."

"Hermione calm down," Ron chuckled. "I think you're breaking my knuckle."

But Harry wasn't paying attention to them anymore. Someone had just arrived whom he was less then pleased to see at the moment. Draco Malfoy. Sure, he had saved his life twice the night that Voldemort died, but the same animosities were there. They glared at each other, but Harry saw Malfoy's eyes trail down to his wand. The wand that he had fixed was loosely held there, phoenix intake. Why would Draco be interested in it? Had he expected Harry to bring the Elder wand to testing?

That was an interesting thought... Harry doubted anyone would be his better if that were the case!

"I heard your father's on trial Malfoy," Harry said, unable to resist. Draco's eyes swiftly found their way back to his face. "I hope you're here to be his witness as well as taking your N.E.W.T.s."

"You know nothing about my father Potter," Malfoy sneered. "And I wouldn't go on about it if I were you. Might give some people ideas. Not everyone is as happy with you right now as you make it seem."

"If you're talking about all the deatheaters that are being put on trial for their work for Voldemort then I can imagine you're more than correct," Harry said, grinning wolfishly at him. "No one is going to get away with it this time if I can help it Malfoy."

There was a double threat in that considering Malfoy was a deatheater himself, branded with the dark mark, but Harry wasn't going to touch HIM. There was no reason to: Draco was too much of a coward to actually accomplish anything. Draco and Narcissa weren't evil: they simply were stuck in a situation they couldn't get out of. Lucius on the other hand...well he was the reason they got stuck in the first place and Harry wanted to make sure he would rot in a cell for the rest of his life.

That would be enough of a punishment for the other two Malfoys.

"No one wants to get away Potter," Draco was sneering at him again. "They all would just like to see your blood run down the streets."

Ron and Hermione had their wands out and pointing at Draco faster then the proctor could scream: "Enough!"

"He's not worth it," Harry said, staring at Draco intently, but obviously talking to his two friends. "He wouldn't be able to pull off an avada kedavra curse to save his life."

The room was silent. Everyone in it was staring at Harry and Draco. Draco looked like he was seething, but he didn't dare draw his wand here. Ron and Hermione reluctantly put their wands away and the proctor was staring at them all, horrified. Even the proctor seemed to know better then to interfere.

"Next," a Ravenclaw said as she came out of the testing room. She nodded to a smaller boy in front of her. Harry couldn't remember either of their names, but they looked familiar. The boy hurried inside and the girl left the room gracefully, slipping through Draco and Harry as she did, not realizing that there had almost just been a fight in the space she had to pass through.

"You would think after saving your lousy arse twice you would be less foul to us," Ron muttered to Draco as they all moved up in line.

"He's never going to be less foul," Hermione decided as she threw Draco an angry glare. Draco was standing mutinously behind Harry, but he kept his mouth shut. And so did Harry. Nothing was going to be gained by fighting here: it would just mean that they wouldn't be able to take their exams.

The proctor had stopped staring at them and was currently helping a Hufflepuff sign up for the exams. She took her place behind Draco, looking a little unsteady. Though whether it was from nervousness of the exams or the two boys in front of her no one knew.

Okay, sorry this is kind of late. I went to see Hairspray, which is pretty good btw. Anyway, I am not going to be able to post an update for the next two days or three days. I'm going up to school to sign a lease for an apartment. I dunno, I might post another chapter before I leave depending on if I can get everything packed, because I really like the next chapter, but I need to edit it before posting :/...

Next Chapter: Draco's plotting continues. What will Narcissa do?

XfobiaX - See that's how I saw it too and then I got confused, because I thought that Dumbledore kept the ring on his finger, because he couldn't take it off. So I'm wondering how he took it off and didn't he have it the last night when he died? Do you think Snape took it off his dead body? That would be sooooo creepy. Maybe I'll dig out the 6th book and reread that part. Thanks so much for your comments :)... I'm so confused about this stone because I think one thing reading it and then I look more closely and I'm like "hmmm that's a little ambiguous...maybe I'm wrong" and I just want the facts straight ;p. I agree with you that his family has changed by the end of the book, but I think the way Malfoy is written in the book he is a bit of a dumb ass and a little more than stubborn. Obviously he is good in the end though.

Looney2010 - Yup, that interview was brought to my attention after I posted the chapter by my friend haha. I didn't even know about it, but it makes sense. I just always thought that Harry would end up at Hogwarts and it's kinda weird tor me to hear he doesn't.

As always, thanks everyone for your comments and especially those of you who tried to help me answer my question about the ring ;p.