Students Once More

Platform nine and three-quarters was yet again bustling with students and clouded with the promising haze of Hogwarts Express smoke that beckoned in a new year at the familiar castle. As was the recent norm with Harry, he stood on the platform to bid farewell to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, reflecting upon the past summer and the distresses that he would have to carry on into the school year. Extremely out of the ordinary, however, was the new knowledge that he would no longer have to confront those sorrows on his own; he would have Ginny, Ron and Hermione by his side, as well as the hope that the plague of worry that had tormented him in the past would soon subside and that he would be free to dwell on the happy present.

"Harry, dear, we are so proud of you. Please enjoy yourself at school," Mrs. Weasley cooed before adding, "Not too much, mind you" while staring at Ginny, who had sidled up to Harry and begun tugging at his arm.

"Come get your hug, too, Ginevra. We'll see you at Christmas. And you, Ron. Do behave yourselves, all three of you."

"Mum, relax. Hey, Harry, maybe this year we can break some rules for some reason other than the betterment of Wizardkind."

"Ronald, don't joke about things like that," chided Mrs. Weasley while Mr. Weasley grinned appreciatively in the background. "Come on, you lot. You'll miss the train," she added, as the scarlet steam engine sounded from within its haze.

Harry followed his best friends to an empty compartment, where they joined Hermione and waved goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. It was slightly comforting to them all that George had already finished school, for none of them could imagine him at the castle without his twin brother.

"Harry, why are you so subdued today?" Ginny prodded while flopping down by his side. "You were practically bouncing off of the walls yesterday; I thought the train ride wouldn't come quickly enough".

"It's nothing".

Ginny traced her fingertips along the worry lines that occupied his face, using her light touch to convince him to unmask his tormented thoughts.

"I'm just worried about what it will be like, after all the deaths. I only ever saw everyone at the funerals, and I barely talked to any of them. Remember my fifth year, when I didn't get a chance to explain the story. None of them believed me."

"Don't worry, Harry. Things are different now; everyone knows what you did for them and no one will blame you for the pain they may be feeling," Ginny comforted him, speaking in a whisper so that Ron and Hermione could not overhear. "I know you're feeling immensely guilty; it's been apparent all summer. But I promise it will get easier with time."

Harry leaned against Ginny and she turned to allow him to lie back between her knees. After a night of worrying about his first day back at Hogwarts, Harry found it easy to fall asleep in her embrace with the knowledge that all of his friends would be there for him when he awoke.

***

The enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall sparkled mischievously in mimic of the starry sky outside; the lack of storm clouds was surely a good omen for the year to come. Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione chose a spot at the Gryffindor table across from Neville, Luna, Dean and Seamus, who had all missed some schooling the previous year and had decided to return to complete it.

"Hey, Harry," Neville exclaimed. "Glad to see you'll be here for our last year. And you, too—Ron, Hermione, Ginny." He nodded to each of them in turn as he spoke their names.

"I wouldn't want to miss it," Harry replied, finally smiling now that he had been met warmly rather than with hostility.

"The sorting should start any minute now," Hermione interjected while craning her neck toward the Entrance Hall, wanting to see the new first years. "Yep, there they are."

A group of tiny students entered the hall, gazing around at its adornments in amazement. Professor Flitwick led the students up to the front of the hall, placed the raggedy old Sorting Hat on a plain wooden stool and then stepped back to wait for its song with the rest of the school. A couple first years looked just as Harry had remembered feeling when he had been in their position: almost ill with worry and fright.

"Professor Flitwick's taken McGonagall's spot, then," Ron informed no one in particular just before the faded black hat opened its brim in song.

For twenty years a war has raged—

Within these most noble halls,

Secrecy and false loyalty

Have ripped and torn and clawed.

I have seen times most ominous

Fought harshly with enmity,

Others, with honor and concern,

But never have I glimpsed sin

Matched with such a force of love.

Today's euphoric instant,

When we are jubilant and proud,

Never could we have won apart,

As four divided bodies.

This is proof, this war we have won,

That together, we are strong.

While today I'm here to sort you

Into four distinctive groups

I praise you all for noticing

That they, as one, built this school.

In some outlying future,

I perceive a peaceful time

When never shall there be a need

To warn of inner strife.

But for now I must remind you,

It's my duty, you must know

The pain you're feeling, such great loss,

Facilitated quiet.

I ask, beg and implore you to

Not let this hurt do no good;

Keep the current quietude

For yourselves and those behind you.

For now, I'll leave you divided:

Wise Ravenclaw to guide by head,

Gryffindor, to take the lead,

Sly Slytherin to puzzle,

And Hufflepuff to love all three.

Know you'll find your Hogwarts home

In one of these four prized houses,

But I hope you'll also find

A love for their strength, united.

Harry couldn't have articulated his feelings about the war in a better way, he thought as he fed his hungry stomach. He was grateful that it was over but also found it important to remember the values that had brought about its end, especially the bond he shared with those he loved. It seemed that his friends were also musing, as their corner of the table was a subdued one throughout the feast, each of them intent on his or her own remembrances about the war. When all the plates were cleared and goblets emptied of delicious Hogwarts sustenance, Professor McGonagall stood before the four House tables to give the Headmaster's traditional start-of-the-year speech.

"In years past, it has been customary for Professor Dumbledore to puzzle you with his ever-confusing words of wisdom before you move to your House dormitories. I now ask that you remember the echo of his words within my own, as he has shaped Hogwarts more surely than any Headmaster since the Founding Four."

"It is my duty to inform new and old students that the Forbidden Forest is out-of-bounds to all pupils, as is any nighttime wandering past curfew. Our Quidditch Cup will resume again this year, and any students wishing to play for their House team may due so at team tryouts, which are to be arranged by team captains with Madam Hooch."

"Due to the events of the recent past, security measures on the castle remain at an all-time high. I ask that none of you complain about mandates implemented for your own safety, and also that none of you pester any participants of the final battle to relieve that harrowing time. Professor McGonagall's eyes lingered on Harry as she addressed the school, as though she were ensuring his healthy presence.

"And, now, off to bed with you all. You'll have work to do tomorrow."

As Harry made his way out of the hall behind Ron and Hermione, who were directing first-years as part of their Prefects' duties, and beside Ginny, who was already drilling him about how he, as Captain, would go about organizing this year's Quidditch team, he felt Professor McGonagall's continued stare on his back.

"It's nice to feel like I'm a student again," Harry told Ginny. "And that there are professors to take charge of things once more."

Ginny pulled him to the side of the queue making its way up to the Gryffindor Common Room. "This year, you don't have to worry about leading anyone but a Quidditch team."

"That might be tough, with you there to distract me the whole time," Harry mumbled, pulling her through a door that had been pretending to be a solid stone wall.

"I was under the impression that you extremely enjoyed my distracting presence," Ginny retorted in a mock-hurt voice.

They were now alone in a dimly-lit stone passageway, and Harry was finding it hard to concentrate on the conversation at hand with Ginny's over-empowering scent clouding his awareness.

"Very much. In fact, I love it," he responded before pulling her against his chest and capturing her lips in a playful kiss.

"Harry, you're supposed to be a role model. We'll be caught out past curfew," Ginny teased as he began to trail kisses down her neck.

Harry quieted her with one last impassioned kiss before he pulled away, panting.

"We have all year to continue this," Ginny promised as she led him by the hand up the passageway that would bring them to the Common Room.

"We have forever to continue this," Harry corrected, surprised and excited by the verity of his own words and by the fulfillment he felt as he followed Ginny through the castle, knowing that she would guide him correctly.

Sorry that it took so long to post this last chapter; I found that I needed an entire week to plan out my thoughts for the next few years in Harry's life. On a note from the real world, these are just my thoughts on the years preceding the epilogue in DH; everything but the plotline, excluding a rough outline that was formulated from the epilogue, is accredited to JK Rowling.

Also, seeing in that this chapter was all fluff, as it had to link the summer with the coming school year, I was wondering whether or not you liked it. More fluff? Less fluff? The action of the story has not even begun, so I'm wondering how to balance it out when it does pick up.