Three Months Later.

Harry Potter and Ron Weasley stood outside the gates of Hogwarts, neither man had seen their old school in some years and it was bringing back a lot of memories. Some of the memories were of the good times they had experienced whilst in school while some were of the final battle in which so many people lost their lives.

"Are you ready?" A feminine voice sounded from behind the men.

Harry and Ron turned to find the three people accompanying them on the trip watching them warily. Two of the people were the Headmaster of the American school, Justin Marks, and the Head of Governors, Dave Townsend. The third person was the Potions teacher, Juliette Summers. Juliette wasn't attending just as a teacher, she was Harry's fiancée and had wanted to support her future husband on his return home.

"We're ready." Harry smiled reassuringly at Juliette.

"Let's go, Professor McGonagall will be waiting and she was always a stickler for punctuality." Ron added, leading the way into the school grounds.

In the ten minutes it took to walk from the school gates to the front doors Harry and Ron pointed out various things and regaled the Americans with tales of their school years. The group were currently laughing about the time when Harry and Ron drove a car into the Whomping Willow when they arrived at the front doors. The doors were standing open and Professor McGonagall was patiently waiting for the group.

"Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, it's good to see you again." McGonagall smiled at her two former pupils.

"You too, Professor." Harry smiled.

Ron also greeted his former Head of House before Harry introduced the three people with him. McGonagall raised an eyebrow when Harry mentioned Juliette was his fiancée but she didn't comment on it.

"I've arranged for us to visit two lessons this morning." McGonagall began explaining how the day was going to work once the introductions were complete. "You specifically requested Potions, so we'll do that but I thought we would start with Herbology."

"Is Neville the Professor?" Ron asked. Before he and Harry had left Neville was talking about teaching Herbology but he wasn't sure if he had followed through with his wish.

"Yes, Neville is the Herbology Professor." McGonagall nodded, wondering if Harry and Ron were going to ask about Hermione.

"It'll be good to catch up." Harry said. "Is Hermione here as well?" He asked, wishing he could remember what subject she had been going to teach. When he and Ron had spoken earlier it turned out neither of them could remember what subject their friend had been studying, although Ron thought it could be Arithmancy.

"Yes." McGonagall nodded again. "Anyway back to the schedule. After the visit to Herbology and Potions it'll be lunch, I thought you might like to experience that in The Great Hall. Then I was thinking Mr Marks and Mr Townsend could accompany me to my office and we could discuss anything else you wish to know about."

"That sounds like a solid idea." Justin Marks said. "We have a lot of things we wish to ask."

"I'm pleased you approve." McGonagall replied, before turning back to Harry and Ron. "While we were talking I thought you two might like to spend the afternoon visiting a few of your old haunts. We can then meet up at four for the Quidditch final."

"Why is the Quidditch final being held today?" Harry asked, puzzled by the mention of the sport that had only ever taken place on a weekend when they were in school.

"It's a change we implemented a few years ago. The finals are now always held on a Friday evening." McGonagall explained. "The move has been met with great appreciation from the British and Irish Quidditch League. They like the fact that students get to play Quidditch at different times of the day and are better equipped to deal with changing game situations if any of them embark on a professional career. In fact in the last three years we've had more students sign for professional Quidditch teams than ever before."

"That sounds great." Ron said. "Which Houses are in the final?"

"I think it's a rivalry you'd appreciate." McGonagall chuckled. "The match is Gryffindor versus Slytherin."

"Excellent." Harry grinned, sharing a look with Ron. "It'll be good to see Gryffindor beat Slytherin again."

"I wouldn't like to bet on it being so straightforward." McGonagall warned Harry and Ron. "Slytherin are very good, they won the Quidditch Cup last year and they practise more than any other team."

"Who knew Slytherins could be so focused." Ron muttered.

"I think it has a lot to do with the Head of Slytherin, he's very passionate about Quidditch and encourages his team to be the best they can be." McGonagall explained. She was thinking of the many times she had seen Draco watching the Slytherin team train, shouting encouragement from the side-lines.

"What about the Head of Gryffindor?" Ron asked. "Why don't they encourage their team?"

"I assure you she does. There is also fierce rivalry between the two Heads and neither of them like losing." McGonagall smiled. While Hermione wasn't really interested in Quidditch she supported her team as much as Draco and especially encouraged them to win against Slytherin.

"It sounds like it'll be an interesting match." Dave Townsend chuckled. He knew from Harry and Ron that the two houses disliked each other with a passion so he was hoping for a good, fierce game.

"I'm sure it will be." McGonagall said, just as the bell rang and students came pouring out of The Great Hall behind her. "Maybe we should make our way to the Greenhouses."

On the way to the greenhouses McGonagall walked slightly ahead with the two wizards while Harry and Ron chatted with Juliette. Harry and Ron were pleased that McGonagall was choosing to spend her time with the wizards they had brought along, leaving them to entertain Juliette. While both men were happy to help get the school off the ground they weren't particularly fussed over hearing all the small details that were needed to keep the school running smoothly.

When they arrived at the greenhouses Harry and Ron were thrilled to see Neville Longbottom standing in the doorway of greenhouse two. McGonagall introduced Neville to the two American wizards before they entered the greenhouse, leaving Harry and Ron to introduce Juliette.

"Harry, Ron, it's good to see you." Neville beamed widely at his former housemates.

"It's good to see you too, Neville." Harry said. "This is Juliette, my fiancée."

"Pleased to meet you." Neville shook the witch's hand as he ushered them into the greenhouse. "Hopefully we can catch up properly, later on."

"Yeah, that'd be good." Ron said.

As Neville headed to the front of the class the visiting group settled near the back. McGonagall quietly spoke to the two wizards during the lesson while Harry and Ron watched in amazement as their formerly shy and quiet friend taught the lesson with amazing confidence. It was clear from the outset of the lesson that Neville was a great teacher, he was clearly an expert in what he was teaching and his passion for Herbology shone through as he spoke. It was also clear that while he wasn't too strict and would probably be unlikely to raise his voice he was well liked and respected amongst the pupils.

At the end of the lesson Harry and Ron quickly spoke with Neville, praising his teaching and promising to catch up over lunch. The group then left the greenhouses and headed into the school.

"We'll have missed the first few minutes of the Potions lesson." McGonagall explained as the group made their way down into the dungeons. "But it's a double lesson and Professor Malfoy has reassured me we won't miss much."

"Malfoy?" Harry had stopped in his tracks at the mention of Malfoy's name and he was now a few paces behind the rest of the group. "Surely you don't mean Draco Malfoy?"

"Yes, I mean Draco." McGonagall had also stopped walking and she turned round to face Harry. "He is one of my best Professors."

"How?" Ron questioned. "He was a Death Eater? He was responsible for Dumbledore's death?"

"Draco has long since been cleared of any charges against him." McGonagall replied sternly. "If either of you have a problem with him I suggest you don't accompany us any further."

"You would throw us out?" Ron asked, shocked that their former Professor was taking the side of a Slytherin who had fought on the Dark Side during the war.

"If you're going to cause trouble, yes." McGonagall stated. "My staff and students are my priority and they come before any visitors to the school. Before we continue I need to know you're not going to cause problems."

Harry and Ron suddenly found themselves the centre of attention as everyone waited for their answers. Neither man was happy about Malfoy's presence in the school but they had a professional relationship with the two wizards who were setting up the school in America and they didn't want to find themselves being outcasts in a project they had originally set up.

"We can behave." Harry said after a dramatic silence.

"Mr Weasley?" McGonagall raised an eyebrow in Ron's direction, waiting for him to speak.

"I won't cause any trouble." Ron reassured the Headmistress.

Satisfied Harry and Ron would behave McGonagall carried on to the Potions classroom. While McGonagall used the time to praise Draco to the two wizards, Harry and Ron used it to tell Juliette snippets of how they remembered the blond Slytherin.

When they arrived in the classroom half the students turned to stare at the visitors. Harry and Ron barely had a chance to look for Malfoy when a cool voice they recognised rang out from near the front of the room.

"You're supposed to be reading the instructions on the board not staring at the people who have just entered the room."

En masse the students turned back to their work as McGonagall settled the group at the back of the class. As they sat down Harry and Ron scanned the room for Malfoy, they had heard his voice but they had yet to see the blond Slytherin. All of a sudden they saw a flash of platinum blond hair at one of the front desks. Harry and Ron watched as Malfoy sat at the desk with a young girl, clearly helping her with something. After a few minutes he stood up and walked over to the supply cupboard, returning a few minutes later with a box of ingredients that he placed on the girl's desk. Even from the back of the class Harry and Ron heard him tell the girl to shout if she needed help before he began making his way towards them.

When Draco arrived at the back of the class McGonagall made the introductions, although she left Harry and Ron out of things. The two former Gryffindors were sitting together and muttering something under their breath to one another.

"Potter, Weasley, if you have something to say I would rather you say it to my face." Draco said. He couldn't quite make out what the two men were saying but he had heard his name mentioned.

"We were just commenting on the fact you seemed to be giving the girl at the front a lot of assistance." Harry said, looking at Draco with distaste.

"But then we realised she was a Slytherin and it all made sense." Ron added, his look mirroring Harry's. "Snape always favoured Slytherins and it seems you're no different."

"Mr Weasley that is enough." McGonagall snapped, unimpressed with Ron's insinuations.

"Actually he has a point." Justin said. "I was also wondering why he was giving that girl special treatment, everyone else seemed to have to do their own work and fetch their own ingredients."

"The girl I was helping is called Lucy Hayes, she's partially sighted." Draco explained, doing his best to hide his anger at being forced to defend himself for helping a student. "Lucy can't read what's written on the board so I prepare her a special sheet with the instructions on and I like to take a few minutes to make sure she can read it alright. As for the ingredients, I have a set marked specially for her but it's not safe to let her go into the supply cupboard so I go and get them for her."

Harry and Ron stared at Draco in shock, amazed that he had made such an effort for one of his students. Justin looked embarrassed that he had judged someone without knowing the facts while Dave and Juliette looked impressed with Draco's dedication. McGonagall wasn't sure whether she should be angry that one of her Professors had been treated so badly or proud for the brilliant way Draco had defended himself.

With the judgements on Draco's character lingering in the air he only stayed at the back of the room for a few more minutes before he returned to his class. Harry and Ron watched Malfoy as he strode around the classroom, helping students when needed and occasionally offering advice. Their mouths fell open in shock when they witnessed him joking with a Gryffindor boy before he returned to his desk.

By the end of the lesson even Harry and Ron had to admit that their former adversary was a good Professor. He was clearly stricter than Neville and at times seemed very intimidating but it was clear the students all liked him and none of them were afraid of asking for his help or advice.

After Potions the group made their way to The Great Hall for lunch. McGonagall had arranged for them to sit at the Professor's table and they took their seats watching the student's stream into the Hall. As they watched everyone arrive Harry and Ron couldn't help but notice that House rivalries didn't seem as fierce, even the Gryffindors and Slytherins looked to be interacting nicely.

When Neville arrived he took a seat next to Harry and Ron and the three men began to catch up. Ron was shocked to hear that Neville was now his brother-in-law, although he ended up feeling guilty when Neville admitted they had tried for months to get hold of him and Harry before finally deciding to go ahead with the wedding regardless. As the men talked about their lives Ron mentioned Hermione, asking Neville how she was doing. Neville wasn't particularly forthcoming on the subject of their friend, he merely said she was good and they would most likely see her later at the Quidditch match.


A/N - Thanks for all the great reviews, I appreciate every single one. The third part of this will be up tomorrow and the final part will be up on Thursday.