A/N: Only one more chapter to go after this...

Chapter Five

Graduation

The graduation ceremony was really amazing! The seventh years (and this time eighth years too) of Hogwarts planned it themselves and as we were quite a talented bunch, we really went out with a bang. Ron and Hermione were in charge because they were Head Boy and Girl. They split us into groups to take charge of different things. For example, for the main ceremony we all had to help with the decorations. For the after party there were groups for decoration, entertainment, food, etc... Harry and I were both in the decorations group. Harry's fireworks and exploding candles were amazing! He also helped to organise a few DA members to cast their patronuses in sync so that it looked really pretty.

The day came and everyone was more than thrilled. We all got to wear special black robes with the Hogwarts crest on it. All the houses wore the same which made it quite special and sad too because we weren't Hogwarts students anymore. Mr and Mrs Weasley came to watch and hugged and kissed all four of us. Hermione was quite upset that her parents weren't there to watch her. I knew how she felt. We all comforted her and she seemed to still enjoy herself. McGonagall pestered me for months to try and get me to make a speech. At first I didn't want to but she kept coming back. It wasn't like her to do this unless she desperately wanted it so I gave in and wrote one. It was pretty bad but here's how it went:

Hi. My name is Harry Potter and I have been asked to say a few words about the Battle of Hogwarts and what happened leading up to it. I didn't really want to but Professor McGonagall really wanted me to, so here goes.

As many of you know, my parents were murdered by Lord Voldemort when I was one and I grew up with my muggle uncle and aunt. When I came to Hogwarts I finally felt I'd found my place. Hogwarts became my home. It's where I met all my friends and two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, who are my family now. Hogwarts for the three of us especially has always been hectic.

Many dangerous events did happen almost all involving Voldemort trying to do me in. I would've died on all occasions if it wasn't for the help and support from too many people to name. In my sixth year Professor Dumbledore trusted me with a secret. We worked hard to find out how to defeat Voldemort and during the mission to do so my mentor and friend Albus Dumbledore died at the end of that year.

What should've been my final year turned out to be a very, very long and uncomfortable… err…camping trip. Ron and Hermione helped me with with the job Professor Dumbledore had left me. We succeeded and came to Hogwarts where the battle was in which many people I'd known had died including my brother for all intents and purposes, Fred Weasley. I knew what I had to do and knew I could so I killed Lord Voldemort learning a lot leading up to it. I'm not sure if any of you will ever know the full story because I may never tell it. For now that's all I have to say. I know it wasn't long but thank you for listening anyway.

Everyone just stared as Harry left the podium and out of nowhere, Jimmy began to clap. The hall erupted into the sound of applause. So many people managed to find Harry to say well done.

The after party was amazing! Loud music, hundreds of enchantments, fireworks. It was too good for words. I'd been to nothing like it apart from the Yule Ball, though this was better. A couple of hours into the party, Harry took me away from the crowd.

"I'm so proud of you!" I exclaimed.

"Proud?" he asked.

"Yes! You stood up and told everyone about yourself which you HATE doing! You were honest and modest and you made me realise how much you've been through and how much you've achieved!" I stood on her tip toes to look him in the eye, "You are amazing!"

He chuckled and pecked me on the lips, "Not as amazing as you."

We had a few minutes of embracing before re-joining the party. Being over seventeen, many had smuggled in a LOT of alcohol. It was really funny to see Ron and Hermione drunk. They kept slurring their words and falling into each other. I didn't drink much, less than Harry and he doesn't like the stuff at all. It was an amazing party but the last thing I remembered was falling asleep with Harry on the Common Room sofa at about 4 a.m.

When I woke up next morning, bodies were all over the floor and I could hear someone throwing up in the toilet. Luckily I didn't have a hangover so mum wasn't going to kill me when I got home. Harry's arm was around my waist ad my head was in his neck. I checked his watch and it was 9.00. We had an hour and a half to get to Hogsmead. I had a feeling that McGonagall would storm in here any second now to get everyone up.

A few minutes later, Jimmy came down from his dormitory.

"Hey, Ginny!" he said, "What's up with everyone this morning?"

"Well," I began, "last night was the graduators' party. Lots of people got drunk and now they're hung over."

"Did you get drunk?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

"No!" I said as he poked Harry, "and neither did Harry."

"Then how comes you both passed out on the sofa?" he asked.

"We were tired. It was 4a.m. and we were a little tipsy."

"I see..." he said, "lots of girls in my year would die to be you!"

"Me?" I asked quite shocked.

"Yeah! Even first year girls have a thing for Harry! They were down here earlier saying they wished they were Harry's girlfriend. They were giggling and wondering if you were warm snuggled up to him!"

I hit him in the shoulder gently. He'd really grown on Harry and I. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, they said some other embarrassing stuff too."

"Like what?"

"Like if he was a good kisser or if he slept with all his girlfriends."

My mouth fell open and three first year girls came in.

"That's them!" said Jimmy.

"Good morning girls," I said sweetly.

"Ginny, hi!" they chorused, "we were talking about you!"

"I know," I replied, "Jimmy was telling me. And as you were wondering, yes, he is a good kisser!"

They all went pink in the face. "And our second question?" asked the smallest one. They all began to giggle.

"You know we're not exactly, how do I put this, umm..." they all began to laugh at me. Harry began to stir and they fell silent. He awoke and looked me in the eye.

"What happened last night?" he asked, his voice thick and sleepy. Everyone's eyes were on him.

"Well, everyone got drunk and at about 4 a.m. Flitwick shut us down. We came back to the common room and fell asleep on the couch. Everyone else kind of died on the floor." he laughed and pressed his forehead against mine before kissing me gently on the lips. I closed my eyes and we began to kiss more passionately when I pulled away. The girls sighed longingly.

"Harry..." I breathed.

"Yuck!" said Jimmy. Harry pulled away and looked around and noticed the three first year girls and Jimmy watching us silently.

A small cough sounded from the smallest girl. "Hi, Harry."

"Umm, hey." he said making all their faces flush pink as they ran back up to their dorm.

"That was weird." said Harry.

"They all fancy you!" Jimmy chirped.

"Hey, Jimmy!" Harry exclaimed.

They talked for a few minutes when I interrupted saying that we should get dressed because breakfast was in a few minutes and McGonagall would flip when she saw everyone hung over. We laughed as we went our separate ways, promising to meet back there in 30 minutes.

McGonagall was furious when she found only half of the seventh and eighth years at breakfast.

"Where is everybody?" she demanded. The slytherins, hufflepuffs and ravenclaws, like the gryffindors, had gotten drunk and were all sleeping, hung over or vomiting violently. She was pleased to see Ginny and myself.

"I'm glad the two of you are here but where are the Head Boy and Head Girl?" she said as she passed.

"Well one of them is crying." said Ginny.

"And the other is snoring his head off." I announced

"Ginevra, why is Hermione crying?" McGonagall asked in a shocked voice.

"Oh," Ginny sighed, "she got rather drunk last night. Wizard alcohol is stronger than muggle alcohol and she had a little too much. She's crying because she is ashamed of herself, then she started screaming about how her parents would be ashamed of her if they even knew who she was! She'll be down when she is dressed"

"Well, she's having a hard time..." McGonagall frowned, "And Mr Weasley?"

"I tried to wake him," I protested, "but he just told me to eff off because he got pissed last night and his head is throbbing."

"Language, Mr Potter."

"Sorry, professor. Hermione will get him up. I hear she can be very," I glanced at Ginny with a smile, "persuasive."

"Well she was persuading him very well last night from what I saw!" said McGonagall sternly. I knew she meant well but she really could be scary.

Hermione and Ron came through the doors a few minutes later and came to sit by us. "Ooh, you look amazing, Hermione." said Ginny sarcastically.

"Oh, fuck off Ginny. My face looked worse this morning."

"It wasn't that bad," said Ron cheerfully, "if you used a sobering spell like the rest of us this morning you wouldn't still be hung over!"

"Where were you last night, anyway?" I blurted out.

"In the dorm." Ron replied shortly, his ears slowly turning pink.

"Hermione?" asked Ginny, "you weren't in your bed when I went up this morning."

"I was in Ron's dorm." she replied going pinker than Ron.

"Interesting." I said hiding back a laugh. "You were the only ones up there. I woke up in the common room and Dean, Seamus and Neville were all passed out on the floor."

Hermione and Ron exchanged a knowing look. The four of us burst out laughing.

"Yeah? Well when we got back the two of you looked pretty cosy!" said Ron cheekily.

"Well we slept there knowingly. We weren't drunk we were tired and fell asleep there. And we were in the common room so we definitely didn't get up to anything!" laughed Ginny.

"Unlike you two up in that bed all alone all night long..." I added as Neville came to join us.

Breakfast was over by 10 so the four of us spent the next half hour walking around the school reminiscing, laughing, joking and remembering all the times we'd had together.

We didn't spend long at Hogsmead at all, just got on to the train to go back to Kings Cross Station.

The train journey was quite sad for all the graduates because it was the last time we'd ride on the Hogwarts Express. I fell asleep on Harry's shoulder only 20 minutes into the journey and when I awoke to the bell sounding that we'd be arriving soon, Harry too was sleeping with his arms around me. I opened them and carefully went to wake Luna who was sleeping with her head against Neville's. They weren't together but they really liked each other and little things like this were just really sweet.

"Luna, wake up!" I whispered as I shook her gently. She began to stir then sat up letting Neville's head rest on her shoulder. She stroked his hair before turning to look at me. I couldn't help but 'aaaww'.

"We'll be home soon." she sighed sadly, "I won't see you as much."

"Not as much," I said, "but you're welcome to come over whenever. You live incredibly close to us."

"I'd like that." she replied with a smile.

"I needed that!" sighed Hermione as she unwrapped herself from my brother's grasp. "I love sleep."

"Me too." said Harry from behind me, "Sleep well?"

"Yes," I smiled, pecking him on the cheek, "you're very comfortable! What about you?"

"Well." he said pulling me closer to him.

"How many times will I have to say it for you to fully understand that that is my sister." moaned Ron and he ran his fingers through his hair.

"A while."

He chuckled. "Last time were going to sit on this train. I remember our first."

"Me too," He said.

"I was helping Neville find his toad." said Hermione.

"And we came in to watch you do a spell on your rat!" said a now awake and smiling Neville.

"I remember my first time." said Luna, "Actually, I think I sat with you and a couple of other first and second years."

"Oh, yes." I replied. "You guys were with us, weren't you?"

"Yeah," said Hermione, "me and Neville wondered if Harry and Ron were with you."

"Of course we were flying over London in a Ford Angela. No big." said Ron. We all started laughing again.